Meet Mr. Ring-A-Ding in the latest Doctor Who Magazine!

I had to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement when I was commissioned for this one, and my art had to be approved by the BBC, but now it's published I can talk about it!

Mr Ring-A-Ding is a character who'll appear in episode two of the forthcoming new series of Doctor Who. Jason Quinn, the editor of Doctor Who Magazine felt it'd be a nice idea to have a page in the latest issue based on the character, in the same way that TV Comic etc featured strips based on tv cartoons. 

So... Jason wrote a script for a Mr Ring-A-Ding comic strip, I drew it (based on character designs the BBC sent me), and it's in print today in Doctor Who Magazine No.615.

I wanted it to look a little different to my regular Daft Dimension strip in DWM so instead of hand lettering I used a dialogue font I'd created a while back that looked a bit like an old comic font. I chose not to give the speech balloons any borders so it'd look sort of similar to the old Gold Key comics of 60 years ago. For the same reason, I decided to leave the colours flat without shading. 

I hope it works OK and readers enjoy this unusual one-off. 

The magazine also includes another Daft Dimension mini-strip by me, this time bringing back the Zarbi, still worried about their public image problem. 

There's a wealth of other material in the mag too of course; interviews, news, reviews, previews of the first three episodes of the new series, and lots more, plus it's bagged with extra items!

Doctor Who Magazine No.615. In shops now!

https://doctorwhomagazine.com/doctor-who-magazine/doctor-who-magazine-615/

Doctor Who returns to BBC One on Saturday 12th April. The episode featuring Mr Ring-A-Ding will be shown on 19th April. 

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Just to clarify...

My thanks to all of you who wished me well in my semi-retirement. The messages on social media were much appreciated. I just want to clarify something though; several people thought I was retiring from comics altogether and walking away from my career. Not so! I'm simply scaling back to focus on publishing my own comics (such as Combat Colin). I'll also be continuing with The Daft Dimension every month in Doctor Who Magazine.

I suppose it was my fault for writing such a long post the other day for people to wade through.

So in short: I'm still self-employed, I'm still paying my taxes, but now I'm 66 and entitled to my State Pension it means I won't have the stress of deadlines all the time so I can work when I feel like it. 

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42 Years of Freelancing Fun... but now, the end?

My thanks to those of you who sent me birthday wishes yesterday, and now a little announcement. As I'm now 66 and eligible for my pension I've decided I'll be retiring from working for mainstream comics.

Frankly, work has been in short supply for the last few years and the financial stress it's caused hasn't been good for my physical or mental health, especially as I have hypertension, diabetes and incurable leukemia to deal with so I feel it's time to step back and take things easier as I do get more fatigued these days.

However... comics are still my passion and there's no "off switch" to creativity so in reality it'll be semi-retirement. I'll still be contributing my Daft Dimension mini strip to Doctor Who Magazine every month for as long as they want me, and I have some loose ends to tie up such as some overdue commissions, a strip for The Dandy Annual 2027 and some work for The77 and suchlike.

My main focus after that though, apart from relaxing and getting things in order, will be my self-published comics. I want to get the final issue of Combat Colin out this summer and hopefully some other comics after that. I won't be taking on any more commissions as yet, but I'll continue to sell my old artwork to collectors via eBay to help pay the bills etc.

I've had 42 happy years freelancing in the comics industry and now I'll simply be focusing on my own comics and creations and publishing those in my own time as it suits me. 

I'll also be attending comic cons if I'm fit and able to, as I don't want to lose touch with the many good friends I've made in comics over the past four decades! Although that depends on when treatment starts for my CLL.  

Thanks for reading this long post (if you've reached the end) and thanks for following my work over the years!

Above is a graphic showing all the professional comics (that I can recall) contributing to since 1983. (PLus a load of small press comics not listed.) That's a lot of ink! Click on the graphic to see it larger.

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Buy before postage goes up!

A reminder that postage rates are set to rise again in April and I'll have to reflect that in the prices in my online shop. If there are any comics of mine you're interested in, order before April to ensure you get them at current postage rates. (Obviously this won't affect the three digital comics Tough Guy, Barmy Tales, or Derek the Troll.)

Here's the link...

https://ko-fi.com/lewstringer/shop

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It's TED THE TED! (1987)

 

Who remembers Ted the Ted? Not many I'd guess, because I created this character as a one-off way back in 1987 for Oink! No.29 and he never appeared again.

As you may know, Oink! featured a mixture of ongoing charcters and some only intended to last one issue, and Ted the Ted's Top Tips for Trendy Teddy Boys was one of the latter. It's always been one of my favourites though, especially his meek reaction to being clobbered by a handbag (see panel above). But now it's time to "Let It Go" as the song says, and it's currently in my auction this week!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/205361844062?itmmeta=01JPTJ36BKWRMM213QABRQR7SM&hash=item2fd0850f5e:g:hYMAAOSwfcVn2bX3

Click to enlarge to make it more readable.

I'm also selling a more recent piece; a complete Daft Dimension strip featuring the 13th Doctor, and it has a Christmas theme! It was published in Doctor Who Magazine No.533 in December 2018.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/205361839756?itmmeta=01JPTJ36BK8H08FC8CDZFA5HH9&hash=item2fd084fe8c:g:zzkAAOSw2Lln2bRl

The auctions on both of these items end this Sunday night, 23rd March. All bids appreciated! 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?item=203554298786&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562&_ssn=graphite47

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The Smasher (2015)

It always felt a privilege being assigned to create new stories of the classic comic characters I'd read as a child. One such character being The Smasher, a strip that was drawn by Hugh Morren in the 1960s. Other artists had drawn him in subsequent decades including the great Brian Walker, and several years ago I was asked to create new Smasher stories for The Dandy Annual.

Here's a two pager I did for The Dandy Annual 2016, that I drew in 2015. Script, art and lettering by me, and I also did the logo which I digitally remastered from one of the 1960s Smasher logos. 

The Smasher was basically The Dandy's answer to Dennis the Menace, but I redesigned his appearance a little. Always favouring sci-fi, I came up with Smasher fantasising about a situation that enabled me to include aliens and a giant robot that I thought would lend some visual impact to the pages. I hope the readers enjoyed it. 

Click / tap on the image above to see it at a much larger, readable size.

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74 years of Menacing

Today marks the 74th Anniversary of Dennis the Menace's first appearance in the Beano! I don't think I've ever drawn a Dennis strip but I have drawn him many times as a guest star in other Beano strips (such as Rasher) and in a few activity pages. 

Here's an activity page I was particulartly pleased with. The script was written by someone at the Beano but I drew it, designed it, and lettered the whole page. (Lettering was done using Tim Sale Lower, a Comicraft font that the Beano were using a lot at the time. https://www.comicbookfonts.com/Tim-Sale-Lower-font-p/bl025i.htm ) 

I did this page for an issue back in 2012 so it was 13 years ago now but I thought I'd post it here in case you missed it.  

Before anyone asks, no, I'm not in the Beano these days. I enjoyed my years with the comic though. One of the highlights of my career.

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Full guest list revealed for MACC-POW 2025

This morning, cartoonist and event organiser Marc Jackson revealed the full guest list for Macc-Pow 2025 and it features comics creators with a diverse variety of styles. A true representation of the UK comic scene, PLUS top tier guests from American comics Tom Scioli and Michael Lark! 

You'll find us all at Macclesfield Town Hall on Saturday June 28th! The show runs from 10am to 4pm and it's free entry!

This year Macc-Pow celebrates its 10th Anniversary and it's been my privilege to be a guest at every show. I'm really looking forward to being there again.

Here's the link:

https://maccpow.co.uk/ 

 

Viz! Daleks! Marvel UK and more in this week's art auction

I've put more of my original artwork up for auction for collectors to obtain. This week there's a Suicidal Syd page from Viz comic from 2009, a Macho Man strip I did for Marvel UK's Secret Wars comic back in 1986, a Captain Scarlet parody written by Kev F and drawn by me from the 1990s, a Daft Dimension strip from Doctor Who Magazine featuring Daleks... PLUS a page by the late great Jimmy Hansen that he drew in 1990 for Buster comic featuring the popular Ricky Rainbow character.

All original hand drawn artwork produced for the comics. Not facsimilies, not prints. 

The auctions end on Sunday night (March 16th). All bids are much appreciated. 

Here's the link...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?item=203554298786&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562&_ssn=graphite47

Suicidal Syd from VIZ (2009). One of the last Viz pages I have left.

Superghero parody Macho Man, created for Marvel UK in 1986.

Captain Scarlet spoofed as a theatrical luvvie! (1990s)

A recent Dalek strip I did for Doctor Who Magazine (2025)

Stunning artwork drawn by JIMMY HANSEN for Buster (1990)

On the Tel-Lee

The documentary The Life and Death of Christopher Lee that I drew a sequence for was repeated on Sky Arts last night. (Originally broadcast on 24th October 2024.) I'd done my drawings in full colour but they chose to broadcast them in black and white, presumably because my bit was set in the 1940s. A nice programme to be part of though!

 

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Original OINK! artwork! Auction ends soon!

 

Only a short time to go to bid on the original artwork of a Pete and his Pimple story I drew for Oink! in 1988. Both pages of this complete story are in the auction as one lot. Bidding ends on Sunday 9th March at 9pm UK time. Good luck!

Here's the link where you can see more images in close up:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/205328204156?itmmeta=01JNVCX6ZFRWF0SRZZNQ7ZKZDG&hash=item2fce83c17c:g:hIYAAOSwWO5nxJDW

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Pits of Peril!

The latest issue of Toxic (No.401) reprints the Team Toxic story Pits of Peril that I did for issue 288 of the magazine back in 2017. Eight years is long enough for a new generation of readers who won't have read the story before.

Speaking of pits, as I've mentioned before, one of the pitfalls in working for mainstream comic publishers is they don't pay reprint fees, or even tell contributors when the material is being re-used. But I knew that when I started out so it's too late to complain now. I'm just happy that a new generation will get to see those stories. (I wish they'd reprint the serials in order though, but thankfully most episodes were self contained.)

 

Just Say NO to A.I. in arts and entertainment

A.I. (Artificial Intelligence, or "plagiarism software" as many of us call it) continues to encroach into arts and entertainment. You can usually spot it a mile off; those shiny, soulless memes, often featuring people with the wrong number of digits or legs that blend in with the furniture, and awkwardly written articles with an odd cadence and less accuracy than a White House press conference. 

 

A.I. is elbowing its way into the creative fields like a party drunk trying to get to the bog in time, and both throw up results that stink.

In a world where people want respect and fame for doing as little as possible to earn it, A.I. has become a cheat for lazy people who think their "prompts" for instant results are on a par with talented artists, writers, and musicians who have dedicated their lives to learn genuine skills to convey their passions for their art. 

 

To hell with A.I. 

 

Employ skilled humans to do a job that is unique and real, not scraped and stolen from them to fabricate a mockery of talent. 

 

© Lew Stringer 2025

Zitbusters! Original OINK! artwork up for bids!

This week I've delved into my archives once more and found the original artwork that I drew for Oink! No.64 back in 1988. A two page Pete and his Pimple story where he meets the alien Zitbusters again! 

I've put them on my eBay page and the auction runs until Sunday 9th March, so if you're interested in owning some actual artwork from Oink! comic you have a week to place your bids. Good luck! 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/205328204156?itmmeta=01JNCED701WMM3RQS794G54165&hash=item2fce83c17c:g:hIYAAOSwWO5nxJDW

The pages come with the clear plastic overlays attached that gave instructions to the printers on where to place spot colour. (That's how we rolled back in the pre-desktop publishing days.) These overlays can be removed if you wish.