Down the Tubes.net News Archive: April 2006




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Battles in Time: a sample card from the new GE Fabbri tie-in

Comics International #196 features a four-page Doctor Who comics article. Dez Skinn created this nifty 'painted' cover!

ROGUE TROOPER ROCKS!
28/4/06: The new Rogue Trooper game for Playstation, Xbox and PC is on sale now and we're pleased to report that after the disappointment many had with Judge Dredd, this is a doozy! We'll have a review next week (once we can get past level three...)

ONLINE VOTING FOR THE EAGLE AWARDS BEGINS
26/4/06: Online voting for Britain's Eagle Awards has opened via www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com.
Introduced in 1976, the Eagles are considered the comics industry’s longest established awards. Acknowledged as the pre-eminent international prizes, they have been featured on the covers of leading US and UK titles across the last 30 years. Unique in that they reflect the people’s choice, the Eagle Awards comprise of two distinct stages. This year professionals from around the world have been asked to nominate their personal favourites, with the top-scoring three in each category making it onto this voting form.
Among those nominated this year are comics writer Grant Morrison, artist Howard Chaykin The results will be announced at the Comic Expo, Ramada Plaza Hotel, Bristol on Saturday, May 13th, 2006.
For full details on the Eagle Awards dinner and presentation, email: eagleawards@btconnect.com

BATTLES IN TIME LAUNCHES
21/4/06: Another Doctor Who tie-in featuring new comic strip has just launched, albeit in only a few areas in the UK. GE Fabbri's Battles in Time, centring on a collectable card game featuring the Doctor and his enemies is now being tested, with subcriptions available via the title's web site: www.battlesintime.com.
If anyone has seen this magazine and would like to review it for downthetubes.net, please e-mail us! (See below for a sample review)
This title has been in development for some time, with many longtime UK creators involved including John Ross, who is also drawing strips for BBC Magazines' Doctor Who Adventures.
In related Who comics news, the next issue of Comics International (#196) will feature an article on Doctor Who comics by John Freeman (who?) and a spiffing Who cover designed by Doctor Who Weekly's original editor, Dez Skinn. The two ex-Doctor Who Magazine editors had a terrific time revisiting old stamping grounds: the article includes comments on the creation of Doctor Who comics from Dave Gibbons, Steve Parkhouse, Pat Mills, comic strip restrorer Peri Godbold and current DWM editor Clayton Hickman. The magazine goes on sale at the end of this month (April) and will be available worldwide through all stores supplied by Diamond Comic Distributors. Diamond Previews code: 2006019561-00.

BRISTOL INTERNATIONAL COMIC EXPO SHAPES UP 23/4/06: The Bristol International Comic Expo (www.comicexpo.net) returns next month for its eighth successive year, on 13-14 May at the British Empire & Commonwealth Exhibition Hall (beside Bristol railway station) coupled with talks at the Ramada Plaza Hotel. Along with talks, a huge UK independents presence and plenty of chances for signings and to talk to comic creators from across the globe, the event includes presentation of the Eagles, Britain’s longest-running and most respected comics awards. This will take place at a special awards dinner on Saturday night and organiser report tickets are running out - but the last few can be snapped up by a speedy email to martin@acecomics.co.uk.
The awards are being hosted online at the following web site: silverbulletcomicbooks.com/eagles – get yourself over there and vote! No less than three charities are being supported at this year's event. The Bristol Comic Expo along with comics creators Leah Moore and John Reppion are backing the Million Faces petition - an international campaign against the arms trade -and Oxfam representatives will be there collecting sketches for the petition (you can view the people who have signed up so far at www.controlarms.org).
Also at the weekend, Moore and Reppion will be signing copies of the long-awaited Albion #4 – plus back issues #1 to #3 – plus the Expo Exclusive Albion Signature card, also signed by Dave Gibbons. Buy any issue of the book plus the card for just £2.50, with all proceeds going to the Oxfam Arms Control Promotion.
For more updates on the event, click here, or go to the convention web site: www.comicexpo.net
The online Virtual Bristol Anthology website (www.engine4.net/bristolpreview) now features over twenty UK Independents featured there, all of them available to buy online or at Bristol (including Sean Phillip's book and his son's first foray into comics. It's a whole lot of content, not just for attendees, but for anyone who's interested in what's happening in the UK self-published arena.

THE STRIP LAUNCHES IN BRIGHTON
23/4/06: This week sees the launch of Brighton's brand new, bi-monthly free comic magazine The STRIP, along with an exhibition by the emerging and established comic artists at the Nest Gallery in St. James Street, Kemptown, offering the opportunity to purchase artwork and comics.
The STRIP is a new publication with a difference: unlike other free magazines currently distributed in Brighton it will have a high profile among the Brighton comic book scene and will be something the publisher and editor, established writer and graphic designer Steve Carroll, feels readers will want to keep and collect. Circulation will be high and The STRIP will be widely distributed across Brighton and Hove.
The editorial policy on the title is to create comic strips which challenge the public perception of comic art whilst still being family orientated. "The STRIP will be attractive to anybody with a sense of humour a broad target audience," says Steve, whose latest book The Vaults of the Mind is out now, published by usharp comics. The hope is that the title will go monthly sometime in early 2007. All of the artists are paid for their work, and it is funded entirely through advertising.
The exhibition will run until 31 May 2006, throughout The Brighton Festival, England's largest celebration of international art.

MANGA BOOK BANNED
21/4/06 (with thanks to Matthew Badham): Apparently a Californian mother had become so aghast that her 16-year-old-son was able to check out a copy of acclaimed British author Paul Gravett's Manga: 60 Years of Japanese Comics from a library (which includes, as part of its survey of the totality of manga history, depictions and descriptions of the adult side of the genre) that the County Supervisor has ordered the book pulled from the local libraries under his control.
ICV2.com reported that Bill Postmus, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of suburban San Bernadino County, California, ordered the county's libraries to remove the scholarly text from circulation. He proudly announced the move, calling the book "obscene comics," on the county's Website, saying, "That book is absolutely inappropriate for a public library and as soon as I was made aware of it yesterday, I ordered it to be removed immediately."
Gravett has carefully charted the controversy on his web site (www.paulgravett.com), and condemnation of the move has been swift and furious. "Manga: 60 Years Of Japanese Comics [is] a work of unquestion scholarly merit that should be in the shelves of EVERY library," feels US comics commentator Heidi MacDonald, who writes The Beat comics column on comicon.com.
Ed Kieczykowski, the director of the San Bernardino County Library, Postmus' superior, feels otherwise. "99% of the book is perfectly okay," he siad in an interview for the American Library Association, "but there are a couple of pretty graphic scenes, especially one showing sex with a big hamster, that are not especially endearing to our community standards." Website MangaBlog reports that after seeing those pages, it was hard to defend keeping the book on open shelves, adding that it was a "telling fact that only 20 public library systems in the state owned the title" despite getting very positive reviews.
• Buy the book and judge for yourself: Click Here; or visit Paul's site to find out more about the ongoing controversy. Or, just don't buy manga at all because the Japanese government are trying to bring back commercial whaling and economic boycotts of countries that want to do that kind of stuff have to start somewhere...

BEANO PARODIES A FAMOUS TIME TRAVELLER...
21/4/06: This week's Beano comic includes the first part of a three-part story, Hot Rod Cow by writer-artist Kev F Sutherland. Yes, Hot Rod Cow's an anagram. Look out for his Sonic Moo-driver!
The story features parodies of classic comic covers and tells a story within a story featuring Beano characters Plug, Spotty and Toots from the Bash St Kids alongside the in-comic adventures of Plug's favourite comic character, Hot Rod Cow.
"A few comic in-jokes squeezed in there to boot," says Kev, who longtime Doctor Who fans wil recall contributed cartoons to Doctor Who Magazine many years ago. Enjoy!

DOCTOR WHO ADVENTURES LAUNCHES
6/4/06: BBC Magazines has launched its new fortnightly title Doctor Who Adventures, aimed at 6 - 12 year olds, in the run up to the screening’s of the revived SF show’s second season on BBC1 this Easter.
The magazine-styled title includes a six-page self-contained comic strip written by Michael Stevens, drawn by John Ross and coloured by Adrian Salmon, featuring the Tenth Doctor and companion Rose.
Priced at £1.99, the first issue features a Doctor Who themed 6-piece stationery set and readers will also have the chance to win a life-size Dalek.
"Doctor Who Adventures is big, bright and bold, like the series itself,” says Moray Laing the title’s Assistant Editor. “There's something exciting on every page for young Doctor Who fans, who will be immersed in their very own time travel adventure.
The first issue also includes a 'time-travel' poll conducted to celebrate the launch.
Winston Churchill was voted the number one person people would most like to meet given the chance to time travel, followed by Elvis Presley, Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe and Martin Luther King Jr. 1000 people took part in the time-travel themed survey, asking 24-45 year olds which famous person they would most like to meet, if they could travel back in time.
Other favourites included Ghandi, Princess Diana, Nelson Mandela, Isaac Newton, Queen Elizabeth I and John Lennon.
The survey also asked people what time in history would they most like to be part of and the swinging 1960s came in as the top choice, followed by a large number of people more than content with right now, as 2006 made it into second place.

Battler's first cover for Sun

BATTLER BRITTON RETURNS!
5/4/06, updated 6/4/06: Battler Britton is the next IPC character to see revival through DC Comics Wildstorm imprint, in a five-issue mini series from writer Garth Ennis, illustrated by Colin Wilson, with painted covers by Garry Leach.
The first issue will go on sale in specialist comic stores from 6 July.
"Battler Britton - England's Fighting Ace of Land, Sea and Air" was an IPC staple for over 25 years. He debuted in Sun #361 in January 1956, created by writer Mike Butterworth and artist Geoff Campion, then moved over to Knockout in 1960 after Sun folded. In 1960 and 1961, IPC/Fleetway published two hardback compilations of Battler's adventures -- packaged as Battler's memoirs -- with authorship credited to "Wing Commander Robert Hereward Britton."
He entered his finest era in the early 1960s, creatively speaking, and began starring in the Air Ace Picture Library and Battle Picture Library digests -- where his adventures were illustrated by (among others) Hugo Pratt, Francisco Solano Lopez and -- most famously -- Ian Kennedy and Graham Coton.
The five issue Wildstorm title is set at the midpoint of the Second World War, "as the Nazis rain terror throughout Europe, Allied forces are on the run in North Africa.
"It's October 1942 and Rommel's Panzers are unrelenting in their pursuit," a promotion for the new title states. "Wing Commander Robert "Battler" Britton of the RAF and his squadron have been dispatched to an American airstrip to spearhead a joint action against Hitler's war machine. Now they need to survive the taunts, the threats, the assaults... and that's just from the Yanks!"

Explanations and Inspirations
So, why Battler Britton? "He was the only character on the list Wildstorm had bought up that I was interested in," Garth Ennis, one of Britain's most popular comics writers, told downthetubes. "The rest were all old fifties and sixties characters, well before my time," the writer, perhaps best known for writing Judge Dredd for 2000AD, Preacher and Hitman for DC Comics, continues. "[Editor] Scott Dunbier at Wildstorm showed me the list and I worked my way down it, thinking -- no, no, huh?, no, never heard of it, no, no... Battler Britton? Bloody hell, it's Battler Britton! Very pleasant surprise.
"I used to read Battler as a kid in the Battle and War Picture Library reprints of the earlier Air Ace stuff. The strip had great artwork by people like Ian Kennedy and Graham Coton,with a surprisingly hard edge to some of the stories."
"While I didn't know a great deal about the actual Battler character, I was a pretty familiar with the old UK war comics," says Colin Wilson, whose credits after 25 years in the comics business include Judge Dredd, Tex and Blueberry. "Having grown up in New Zealand reading the Fleetway stuff, especially War Picture Library and Air Ace. It was the art that always interested me most, which was probably why I never really got into the Commando series, which for some reason I always thought less well drawn.
"A favourite of mine were books drawn by Ian Kennedy," Colin adds, "who, at least as far as I was concerned, was in a league of his own when it came to the look and feel of aircraft and flying. Which is why in many ways I am treating these Battler books that I am currently working on as something of a homage to Ian Kennedy and those original Air Ace stories, several of which I still have. If I can capture some of that, then I'll be very happy.
"Battler is also a chance for me to work with Garth Ennis, which is something I've wanted to do for a long while."
Garth and Colin happily admit to being British war comics fans. "I love the Picture Libraries," says Garth, "and I recall reading things like Victor and Warlord from time to time. The best war comic of all time, of course, is Battle, with brilliant stuff like Darkie's Mob, HMS Nightshade, Crazy Keller, The General Dies At Dawn and Rat Pack -- especially the later stories drawn by Eric Bradbury. Charley's War remains unsurpassed, even twenty-five years later; the humanity, tragedy and sheer subversion of that story combine to elevate it well above the rest of the pack.
"My favourite as a kid, mind you, was Johnny Red, which is what I was actually hoping to find on the Wildstorm list. I don't know who has the rights to that one nowadays, but Johnny's the one character I'd still drop everything to write. In the meantime, Battler will do nicely.'

Air Ace Picture Library -- and inspiration to both Garth and Colin

Johnny Red, from Battle, drawn by John Cooper. "My favourite as a kid," says Garth Enni, "which is what I was actually hoping to find on the Wildstorm list. I don't know who has the rights to that one nowadays, but Johnny's the one character I'd still drop everything to write. In the meantime, Battler will do nicely."

"Back in those days, for me it was always about the art, and to this day I haven't a clue who wrote any of those stories," says Colin of war comics. "Air Ace was the series that really got me, probably because of my interest in mechanical things. And the flying of course. I got into that series very early, and I can still remember the first issue to arrive that was held aside for me at the local newsagent -- McGregor's Crew. I think that it was issue No 6, probably drawn by the great Solarno-Lopez. Years later when I was publishing my comics fanzine Strips in New Zealand, we ran a story trying to identify some of those original artists, because of course in their day they were never credited. It was interesting to discover just how many of them went on to become very well known in Europe -- Hugo Pratt being the obvious example, but also other guys like Victor de la Fuente and Gino d'Antonio. "It was also at this stage that I discovered it was Ian Kennedy that drew all those wonderful flying stories.

Continued Appeal
Despite huge sales for war comics in the past, the market has shrunk in recent years. "I'd say their appeal has greatly diminished," Garth acknowledges, "largely because the generation whose parents experienced the Second World War have mostly moved beyond comics. The conflicts we've had since have either been singularly uninspiring, like Vietnam, or been fought by the MTV/ Nintendo/internet generation, for whom comics have less appeal.
"All the same," Garth feels, "there is a small but steady level of support for material of this nature -- it's hard to top the drama of a war story, especially when you realise that things like what they're depicting actually happened, that people really did this stuff once upon a time."
"What can be more dramatic? A life and death struggle... as a genre it's got everything going for it," Colin adds. "Most readers also have a general feel for the framework and some of the history, and so there's no need for a large amount of exposition, you can immediately get right in there.

New Projects
Apart from Battle Britton, Garth is keeping busy with several comics projects. "Thre's The Tyger, a Punisher special drawn by John Severin, Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears, a western illustrated by Clayton Crain, four issues of JLA Classified with art by John McCrea, featuring a flashback to our old Hitman book, and A Man Called Kev drawn by Carlos Ezquerra, the last (for now) Kev Hawkins story," he reveals. "I'm also working on the monthly Punisher title, a Punisher miniseries with John Romita Jr., Wormwood with Jacen Burrowes, The Midnighter with Chris Sprouse, a western called Streets of Glory, and something quite special I'm not really at liberty to mention at the moment.
"Finally, there's The Boys, a new monthly drawn by Darick Robertson, which is going to be occupying a good deal of my time over the next five years. I'm loving every minute of that one!"
As for Colin, "At the moment I also have a successful series running in France - Du Plomb Dans La Tete, written by Mats -- and the third book in this series was published by Casterman in January.
"I'm also talking to [writer] Andy Diggle about a couple of very interesting projects, as we've been trying to get together on something for years.Doing three issues for The Losers with Andy last year was fun, and I'm starting to find more and more interesting possibilities opening up for me in the US market."
(Thanks to Garth Ennis, Andrew Sumner, Colin Wilson and Wildstorm for their help with this story).

Web Links
• Colin Wilson: Official Site
• Wildstorm
• British Picture Libraries Site
• Read an interview with Ian Kennedy by Chris Weston on ComicCon.com
• Air Ace Picture Library on BookPalace.com
• A fan site dedicated to Hugo Pratt and Corto Maltese

PANINI, MARVEL INK NEW EUROPEAN DEAL
5/4/06: Pan-European publisher Panini S.p.A. and Marvel Entertainment, Inc. have announced a host of new projects and that they have renewed and expanded their existing publishing agreement for Marvel Comics under which Panini retains a master license for Europe -- including the UK -- and selected Latin American countries to translate and publish all comics, trade paperbacks, graphic novels, encyclopaedias and art books released by Marvel in the United States.
The new agreement was announced by Marco Lupoi, Panini Group Publishing Director and Bruno Maglione, President of Marvel Entertainment International.
Panini has revealed it's planning an ambitious expansion of editorial projects where Panini will originate new content under the creative supervision of Marvel. Panini will continue to develop the top- selling Spectacular Spider-Man and Marvel Rampage children's magazines and spin these out to the rest of the licensed territories in a variety of new formats including hardcover books and digests. Additionally, Panini will originate a third magazine aimed at younger readers and will develop new short Marvel comic strip stories for syndication in newspapers and periodicals throughout the license Territory.
Panini will also publish a series of selected new Marvel projects aimed primarily at the international market, including -
• An X-Men mini-series and a Young Dr Strange mini-series produced by Red Whale, artists of the top selling Disney W.I.T.C.H. title and acclaimed creators of the Monster Allergy comics
• A Women of The X-Men graphic novel written by X-Men icon Chris Claremont and illustrated by top-selling European artist Milo Manara
• A Wolverine graphic novel written by Jean-David Morvan with art by Philippe Buchet, two of the main stars of the French comic book industry and authors of the best selling series Sillage (published in English as Wake).
• A Daredevil/Captain America graphic novel written by Tito Faraci and drawn by Claudio Villa, top artist of Italy's iconic and top- selling comic book title - Tex.
• A complete collection of Stan Lee and John Romita's Spider-Man daily strips and Sunday pages, originally published in 1977-1980 and never before re-printed in their totality in book format.
"This long term agreement greatly strengthens our alliance with Marvel and indeed takes it to an entire new level," said Marco M. Lupoi, Panini's Group Publishing Director. "These ground breaking publishing initiatives are quite unique in the comic book publishing sector and an ideal example of the creative synergies that can be produced between an incredible portfolio of iconic characters such as Marvel's, and the know-how of a leading publisher of comics and magazines with a distinct European sensibility, like us."
Bruno Maglione, President of Marvel Entertainment International added that "Panini have been a very successful publisher for us over recent years and are an instrumental partner in our strategy to develop and promote the Marvel brand internationally. We are especially excited about all the local origination projects which are consistent with Marvel's new global outlook and openness to work with top creative talent from all over the world to develop Marvel content that is compelling and relevant for all of our audiences."

EAGLE FLIES NO MORE
5/4/06: British fanzine Eagle Flies Again is to end after its fourteenth regular issue, to be published in May.
Although highly popular with its readers, publisher Ian Wheeler says the fanzine, which focused much of its energies on 1980s British comics, never became fully economically viable. "Whilst fanzines are by definition non-profit-making, EFA was making a small loss and proving impossible to sustain," he told downthetubes.
Another factor in the decision to close the fanzine was an announcement by the Dan Dare Corporation, the copyright holders of Dan Dare, that all future Dan Dare/Eagle related publications must be licensed. This would simply not have been an option for EFA, and the news will have implications for Dan Dare/Eagle fandom as a whole.
In an e-mail to Eagle Flies Again, Lisa Frewin of the Dan Dare Corporation advised: 'You have obviously put in a lot of work and effort over this period. We are now tying in a number of projects into other further exploitation of Dan Dare so any further usage would have to be properly licensed."
"We're thrilled to have produced 14 issues and two specials of EFA," says Ian. "We have created an archive of interviews and features which future comic historians will find invaluable. The 1980s are no longer a forgotten period of comics history."
It was the Dan Dare Corporation gave permission to Ian Wheeler to publish EFA in the first place and have allowed it to continue for 14 issues. "Spaceship Away and the Doomlord graphic collections are licensed and will continue but only if there is a market for them," says Ian. "We would urge Eagle fans to support these publications.
It is not yet known if the Dan Dare Corporation have contacted The Eagle Society who produce Eagle Times, a magazine about the original 1950s Eagle.
With copyright issues having an impact on recent attempts to get fan revivals of Scream and Misty off the ground, it looks as if the landscape for comics fandom is undergoing some major changes right now. However, John Freeman and Ian Wheeler are looking into other ways of keeping the memory of British comics alive. Watch this space!
• All existing subscriptions to EFA for issues post #14 will be refunded after publication of this final issue. The EFA web site pages will be removed in their current form after #14 goes on sale.

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