ARCHIVED NEWS - NOVEMBER 2006
PANINI LAUNCHES MARVEL LEGENDS
28/11/06: Clearly unphased by the loss of Batman
Legends to Titan Magazines, Panini UK is to launch Marvel
Legends on 21 December.
"Every issue will be reprinting the adventures of three of Marvel's greatest
and most powerful heroes -- Captain America, Iron Man and Thor, who are set
to play a major role in the future of the Marvel Universe." editor Brady
Webb, who also edits Panini's Astonishing Spider-Man, Ultimate
Spider-Man & X-Men and their UK graphic novels, told downthetubes.
The title will prove a welcome addition to Panini's other Marvel titles and bolster
the number of superhero comics on UK news stands. It may also help Panini when
it reprints stories from Marvel's current crossover epic "Civil War", giving
the company another title to feature material from that saga.
The first 76-page issue of Marvel Legends #1
features story and art by Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting, Joe Quesada, Alitha Martinez,
Michael Avon Oeming and Scott Kolins and includes material reprinted from Captain
America #1 Out of Time, Iron
Man #1/2, Thor: Blood
Oath #1.
In Out of
Time,
the diabolical Red Skull returns once more to plague the Sentinel of Liberty.
But what is the Red Skull's plan and how does the Cosmic Cube fit into his scheme?
The Iron Man story finds the armoured warrior defending Kyoto, Japan, from a
mysterious horde of iron warriors that look strangely familiar while in the Thor
tale, the son of Odin and Norse god of thunder battles to protect the city of
New York from the depredations of the Absorbing Man, but that's just the beginning
of the Mighty One's problems as he discovers that his trusted companions, the
Warriors Three are on trial for murder!
• Marvel Legends #1 is on sale 21 December in the UK and Eire only price £2.50
TRUE
BRIT COMPETITION WINNERS!
The
winners of our TRUE BRIT book competition - books kindly supplied by
Carlton Books, the answer to our question asking you to name the current
Commando editor being George Low - were Nigel Jenkins from Warrington,
Cheshire, Colin Mathieson, Colin Noble, Ian Utley from Bournemouth,
Dorset; and Mark Wilson from Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland.
Congratulations to our winners and better luck next time to everyone who entered.
• You can still buy True Brit from Amazon.co.uk: Click
here
DARK KNIGHT SWINGS TO TITAN
22/11/06, updated 29/11/06: Titan
Magazines is to publish a monthly UK edition of Batman
Legends from next month, wresting news stand publication
of DC titles from Panini UK after its licence to publish the title ended.
Reprinting top Batman stories, the 76-page Batman
Legends #1
features the first part of three incredible stories from legendary comic book
writers and artists. Frank Miller and artists Jim Lee (Batman:
Hush, Superman:
For Tomorrow)
and Scott Williams (America's Best Comics, Superman:
For Tomorrow)
go back to the beginning of the Batman's history with their interpretation
of the origin story of young 12-year-old Dick Grayson and the birth of Batman's
sidekick in 'Batman and Robin The Boy Wonder'.
Also featured are 'Batman and Son', which features Man-Bat, by Grant Morrison
(All Star Superman, Seven
Soldiers), and Andy Kubert
(Ultimate X-Men, 1602);
and the final story of the issue by writer Jeph Loeb pairs two of the most
famous super-heroes on the planet for a tale of loyalty and friendship as 'Superman/Batman:
Public Enemies' finds the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight vowing to topple the
corrupt Presidency of Lex Luthor once and for all
Each issue of Batman Legends will
include thee Batman tales aimed at both existing Dark Knight fans
and at attracting an entirely new generation of comic book readers.
"Working on
Batman Legends is every comic editor's dream," saus editor Ned Hartley. "I
can't believe I'm getting paid for this! We've got the best modern Batman stories
around, and there's nothing as cool or as fun as this."
Of the end of the Panini edition, the publishers said "We're really
sorry to see the end of one of our favourite CE's and our only DC title. Batman
Legends, as most of you now know, is no longer in production... All the people
who worked on Batman Legends had a great time with it and loved the material.
To
end the speculation we've seen in a couple of places, we'd like to make it clear
that we didn't sell the rights to anyone. Our licence to print the material simply
came to an end."
•
Batman Legends #1 On Sale 21 December
NEW SHADES SAYS BOO
22/11/06: British indie Broken
Voice Comics has just released Chapter 4 of its
flagship title - the online graphic novel Shades -
at www.brokenvoice.co.uk.
Written by David A J Berner and
illustrated in full colour by artist Harsho Mohan Chattoraj, Shades tells
the story of a group of heroes in the UK, struggling to come to terms with their
role in late 20th Century Britain; a Britain still haunted by the loss of Empire.
Chapter 4 (simply titled "Boo!") is described by its creators as the end
of Act 1, which can still be read online. "The whole of the Prologue and the
first four chapters are about introducing the key characters with just a few
teasers as to where the main plot is heading," explains Berner. "Chapters 5 and
6 will bring those early strands together and then, before the characters have
time to catch their breath, they'll be pitched headlong into the meat of
the story!"
Against the backdrop of a break-in at the British Museum, the story has
so far seen retired tailor Stanley Miller and his grandson Sunil meet a
former World War II fighter pilot and the leader of a strange cult known only
as The Shaman.
Berner promises an equally intriguing character will be
introduced in Chapter 4. "Without giving too much away," he says, "we
call her Boo. It's not her full name but it's kind of appropriate,
since she has been known to deliver a shock or two!"
Broken Voice Comics was founded earlier this year by David A J Berner,
formerly the Senior Editor of webcomic studio Midnite Comics which
ceased operations at the end of 2005.
Since its official launch in March, BVC has been the new home of
Berner's own comic projects, notably his online graphic novel Shades and
his 4-part fantasy mini-series The
Spires.
In addition, the site also offers a small number of Guest Titles. Currently,
these comprise three titles previously featured at Midnite Comics (Rob Jones'
Perfect
Storm and two titles by E.C. Nickel, Immortality
and The Long Vigil). BVC is not actively seeking to
add to its list of Guest Titles but is prepared to consider hosting other comics
if they are of a sufficiently high quality.
• Shades, the
flagship title of Broken Voice Comics (www.brokenvoice.co.uk) where it is updated
every Wednesday. It has also recently begun serialization at Graphic Smash
(www.graphicsmash.com) where it is currently updated every Tuesday and
Thursday.
DAVE GIBBONS INTERVIEWED
21/11/06 (with thanks to Matthew Badham): Dave Gibbons,
artist on Watchmen,
writer of the recent Wildstorm mini series Thunderbolt
Jaxon and
more, has just been interviewed about his early life for the 'Father's
Day" section of Comic
World News.
In the interview Dave recalls much about growing up and his parents,
including his his thoughts on collecting, recalling his father's passion
for stamps. "My dad was a great hoarder of things," he reveals. "He was
a lifelong stamp collector, mainly British stamps, and it was rather
strange breaking up his effects, all these things he'd carefully saved
all his life.
"I know nothing about stamps; very few people seem to collect
stamps these days and in the end I took them to a dealer who seemed to
me to be quite reputable and I accepted what he offered me, which was
about 450 quid. I have no idea if that was the real value of the collection,
it may have been ten times that. And that did make me reflect on the
wisdom or otherwise of collecting and hoarding things — although
I still have my stacks of comics that I've been holding onto for fifty
years. But I guess if I was going to part with my comics I'd want them
to go to someone that actually appreciated them rather than have them
end up on eBay or in some car boot sale. Click here for the full
interview
FINDING DUBLIN CITY
20/11/06 (with thanks to Joe
Gordon) Creators Gerry Hunt and Bren B have collected some well-received strips into a collection titled In
Dublin City, giving the wider comics audience outside
of Ireland another chance to get their hands on more of their excellent work.
Bren B told Joe Gordon at Forbidden Planet International he has completely coloured
the strip, tweaked the pages and spent some time and effort on Gerry's original
black and white work so they can present new readers with a handsome looking
piece of work.
"Last year's Streets of Dublin drew a lot of praise," says Joe. "Gerry obviously
loves Dublin, and cowboy stories, and the art of Robert Crumb and Will Eisner,
and out of all these he has brewed this hard-bitten tale of drug trafficking
and vengeance."
In Dublin City acts as a prequel of sorts to Streets
of Dublin, revolving around a woman searching for the wayward
father of her child and a legendary poker game in less than reputable Dublin
pub. Streets of Dublin, which web site bugpowder.com described
as "reading like an abridged adaptation of a misjudged screen-thriller" exposes
the underbelly of a city in constant flux, its once cherished values appear lost
as it embraces its new found status. The story follows two Dublin families as
they struggle to survive against despair, their lives seemingly destroyed by
crime, drink and drugs.
Purchase information and more at the Dublinc website: www.dublincomics.com
SPRING-HEELED JACK SPRINGS INTO GRAPHIC NOVEL
18/11/06 (thanks to Graeme Neil Reid):
Writer and artist David Hitchcock
has released a hardback edition of his Eagle Award winning series Springheeled
Jack. The Victorian gothic fantasy series received much
high praise from readers and comic professionals in its initial three issue
run and this book titled 'Strange Visitor' collects these issues plus the
hard to find 'The Last Chapter' previously only available to lucky fans
at Bristol's Comic Convention in 2005. The book also showcases many of
David's sketches on the series and a tantilising glimpse into the production
of the artwork.
Limited
to just 500 copies the standard book can be bought for just £10
(including postage and packaging) but as usual with David's comic work
he is offering a range of special offers on this new collection. The first
20 orders will receive a fantastic original drawing with the book! Plus
for £13 you can order one of eighty copies that will be numbered
and signed by David and will include a limited tipped in plate illustration.
For orders and availability on the limited editions you can contact David
directly by e-mail at black_boar1@yahoo.com or
by sending a cheque made payable to David Hitchcock to SHJ, Gunhills Farm,
Gunhills Lane, Windley, Derbyshire DE56 2LR.
•
To see more of David's work
check out his website at www.blackboar.co.uk
BART DICKON STRIKES!
18/11/06: downthetubes just
received a copy of The
Bart Dickon Omnibus by Borin Van Loon, a wonderful surrealist
graphic novel for grown-ups, packed with crazed montage illustration paying
dubious but funny homage to British comics.
Illustrated throughout in collage comic-strip style, the book's central
graphic novella: 'A Severed Head' sees hero Bart Dickon (the ideologically-sound
secret agent) intrepidly involved in derring-do. This latter day Odyssey
follows him from procreation, via birth, schooldays and an Apprenticeship
In The University Of Life, to his ultimate vocation as 'The English Assassin',
pith helmet-wearing conqueror of something-or-other and subversive spy in
a world of wickedness and treachery.
The book will appeal to underground comics fans, fans of Terry Gilliam's
anarchic animations for Monty Python's Flying Circus and,
well, anyone with a quirky sense of humour really. Here at downthetubes we
especailly enjoyed the montage strip combined with text from lurid adult
fiction!
Parts of the book have appeared in episodic form in The
Chap magazine
and Borins work continues in that title.
Priced at £14 (Prices inc. p&p: £16.50 UK, $30 USD, 25 EURO) the book is
available from the Bart Dickon website (www.bartdickonline.co.uk)
has much more information about the project, sample pages and links to Bart Mart
for Bart Dickon gifts. You
can also buy The
Bart Dickon Omnibus from
Amazon.co.uk.
LAWGIVER PRINT ON SALE
18/11/06: 2000AD and comic art collector Wakefield Carter recently commissioned Cliff Robinson to produce some artwork
showcasing the Termight
Replicas lawgiver Mark II replica. His artwork
was arranged into a print with help from Mike Marshall at
eatsleepthink design ltd. and Wakefield had a run of prints produced on
glossy 350 gsm card.
The prints cost £9.95 signed by Cliff or £5.95 unsigned, plus postage
(£1.79 UK). You can buy them through Wake's Termight Replicas site at: www.termight.co.uk/lawgiver.html.
Wake says he will also be selling the prints at the Birmingham Comics Show in
December. The convention prices are £10 signed or £5 unsigned.
"If these sell well I'll consider commissioning artwork from Carlos
Ezquerra for a Stontium Dog/Westinghouse blaster print along the same
lines," he says.
MISTY
TRIBUTE IS A GEM
10/11/06: Much delayed after wranglings with
the copyright owners of the comic that inspired it, the Misty
Comic Special released last month is a deserving
tribute to the fondly-remembered 1970s girls' title.
Wrapped in a gorgeous Misty cover
by one of the comic's original artists John Armstrong, the 64-page
'zine, which costs £5.99 and is available via
the mistycomic.co.uk web site, includes strong contributions such
as "Beasts: Snake Bite" by Charles Ellis, with art by Johnny McMonagle
(be careful who you bully, they may come back and bite you); a chilling
what are you really eating shocker "The Greens In Greentown" from Lorraine
Douglas with art by Louisa Kerr; and the haunting "Silence In The Sand" from
Colin Noble and Dan Fish.
There are plenty more strips too, from some of the top names in the
British independent comics press: creators such as Charles Ellis,
Douglas Noble, Sean Duffield (I heartily enjoyed the subtle but creepy
ending to "Knock Knock! Who's There?" written by Alison Jones), a
text story, "In Dreams" by Lorraine Douglas, illustrated
by Garen (Rainbow Orchid) Ewing, Stu.Art and Shane Chebsey.
Despite some rough edges – the design of the feature and text
story pages could have done with more thought – this mix of
black and white strip and colour illustration is a fine non-profit
homage to Misty.
It's a shame this tribute was mired in an unnecessary and bitter
legal wrangle with Egmont whose heavy-handed efforts to (rightfully)
protect their copyright almost meant this reminder of how good "girls
comics" can be was delayed for so long. While I can understand
Egmont's motives, it's not as if they're planning to revive the title
anytime soon, any more than they're considering revivals of any of
the other fantastic British strips they own the rights to.
The Mistycomic.co.uk
2006 Halloween Special also features
as super Misty Poster
and a free full-colour "Moonchild" Poster courtesy of John Armstrong
(original artist on Misty's top strip "Moonchild" which
was written by Pat Mills).
• The Mistycomic.co.uk
2006 Halloween Special is priced at just £5.99 (inc. postage
and packing) and can be ordered online via: mistycomic.co.uk/2006special.htm
My apologies to all concerned for the delayed
plug: go, see, and buy! (Then scream...)
GRAVETT INTERVIEWED
9/11/06: Paul Gravett, co-author of the much-praised
new book Great British Comics recently gave a talk at the the Lost in Translation
comics event at the Goethe Institut in Glasgow. Joe Gordon over at the
Forbidden Planet International blog has now posted a trasnscript here: http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?p=1930.
"If I can get it to play ball I may try and post the audio at some point
via the podcast," he tells us.
COLLECTABLE COMICS
2/11/06 (with thanks to Mike Gent): The current issue
of Book
and Magazine Collector (cover dated December 2006) contains an article
on British comics, aptly entitled 50 Great British Comics, by Norman
Wright and David Ashford.
Web Site: www.bookandmagazinecollector.com
OSPREY LAUNCHES GRAPHIC HISTORIES
2/11/06 (thanks to Graeme Neil Reid): UK publisher Osprey has just
launched a comics-related imprint, Graphic Comic History, presenting "compelling
true stories of war in a gripping comic strip narrative, written and developed
by renowned comic book writers and illustrators, which will appeal to children
and adults alike."
British creators involved in the project include Steve White , Dan Abnett and
artists such as Richard Elson and Gary Erskine.
The stories are supported by a wealth of historical detail, including further
reading on the causes and consequences of the events, the key players, a glossary
of important terms and where to find out more.
The full list of titles, spanning the American Civil War to the D-Day landings
of the Second World War, is featured on our Graphic
Novel Releases page.
•
For more information on the range, which includes sample PDF downloads,
visit: www.graphichistories.com
