New Interview! Sonic Days

 A while back I was interviewed by Jack Yarwood about my time as a writer on Sonic the Comic in the 1990s, and now that interview is up on his Time Extension website.

Here's the link...

https://www.timeextension.com/features/interview-if-you-like-what-youre-doing-that-energy-comes-across-to-readers-sonic-the-comics-lew-stringer-on-badniks-brutus-and-writing-for-ki?fbclid=IwY2xjawUXsRhwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR6t9ZMuQpg28nwux4DloD8rQIdi9UKTm8tFU1_OV41luZdGpEWrLJTwOBi9-Q_aem_pYQKdTX_4v3NANw-CfkABg 

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Tekno the Canary

I'm gradually catching up with the list of private commissions I have to do. I think it was a mistake taking on so many as I don't have the same energy I did when I was younger (plus living with a chronic illness makes me more tired than usual). My apologies for the delays. When I've cleared this backlog I will accept some commissions in the future but they'll be limited to a few drawings every few months, and single character poses, nothing complex. At present though, I'm not taking any more on so please don't send requests yet.

Above is a photo of a commission I did recently of Tekno the Canary. This was a character I created many years ago when I was a writer on Fleetway's Sonic the Comic. Although I never actually drew her in the comic (that was handled by talented artists such as Richard Elson, Nigel Dobbyn and others) I did design her look in an initial pencil rough. So it was nice to do a proper finished drawing of her. 

Tekno the Canary was part of the freedom fighters led by Sonic the Hedgehog although she soon ventured off into separate strips to have adventures with her best friend Amy. In recent times some fans have written their own fiction where Amy and Tekno are in a relationship, and if fans want to think that, its their prerogative, but as far as I'm concerned they were just good pals.

Original script from SONIC THE COMIC plus more in this week's auction

I'm selling something different this week. My actual typed script for a Tails story that I wrote for Sonic the Comic No.149 way back in 1999. As you can see at the top, I faxed this seven page script to the editor, Deborah Tate, but this is the original script not her fax copy.

The script gives descriptions and dialogue for every panel that instructed the artist on what to draw. Characters involved in the story include Tails, Charmee Bee, Shortfuse and more. Most of my scripts were lost years ago in a computer crash before I backed them up so this is a unique collectors' item for fans of Sonic the Comic! 

Also up for auction this week:

My original art for a Daft Dimension comic strip I drew for Doctor Who Magazine No.526 in 1999...

...and a full colour Tom Thug page I drew for Buster dated October 27th 1990.

 

Bidding on all these items ends on the evening of Sunday 10th April. Here's the link...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?sid=graphite47 

 

A Variety of ORIGINAL COMIC ART in this week's auctions!

I've listed a bumper crop of original comic artwork in my auctions this week! A variety of pages from Sonic the Comic to the Beano! Here's what's on offer...

 

One that's sure to be sought after is a page from Sonic the Comic No.64, written by me, drawn by Richard Elson in 1995! Features an early appearance by the villainous Commander Brutus!

From way, way back in 1958, a Billy Bunter strip by the late, great Eric Roberts that he did for Knockout comic. Yaroo! Eric later went on the draw Winker Watson for The Dandy, and this Bunter page is a fine example of vintage British comic art.

Now on to the strips I've drawn. I'm selling the original cover artwork of Brickman No.1 (2025) and throwing in a free comic too. I very rarely sell my published Brickman art so don't miss out!

 

Two items of original art from the Beano. First, a Pup Parade strip from 2022 featuring all the Bash Street Dogs...

 

...and a full page Beano puzzle featuring Dennis the Menace, Minnie the Minx, Plug, Spotty, Danny and more from 2014... 

 

Then it's way back to 1992 for this Tom Thug on Holiday page from Buster comic, with Tom and his family in Blackpool! 

 

Forward to 2021 and a Daft Dimension strip from Doctor Who Magazine which includes Daleks! 

 

...and finally an original drawing of Ally Sloper I did recently for Christmas!  

 

ALL oriiginal artwork, no prints, no facsimiles. The auctions end on the evening of SUNDAY 25th JANUARY. All bids very much appreciated! Here's the link to the listings where you can see each item in detail...

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

 

 

Sonic The Comic - Re-Illustated!

Back in the 1990s I was a writer for several years on Fleetway's Sonic The Comic, creating new adventures for Sonic the Hedgehog including coming up with new villains and co-stars. It was a very popular comic at the time, with a loyal fanbase, and now some of those skilled fans are creating their own Sonic adventures. 

The latest publication, Sonic The Comic Reillustrated No.5, came as a pleasant surprise as the issue is a tribute to my career! Almost 50 of those talented artists have re-illustrated a story I wrote in their own styles. It features the origin of Shortfuse the Cybernik, a character of mine that was a favourite with the readers, and now they've reimagined the saga for this edition. 

Each panel of the ten page story is drawn by a different artist and they've all done a fantastic job! 

The back of the issue includes a feature on various characters I created, plus fan art and a letters page with reader's memories of my STC strips. 

I was totally stunned by this warm, heartfelt tribute and it really means a great deal to me that they've invested their time and talents. It's a very slick and professional production too! My thanks to the editors Angelbless and Kathy Murdoch and each and every contributor! 

You can download a copy of Sonic The Comic Reillustated No.5 yourselves entirely free at this link:

https://stcr.nevira.net/stcr05.html 

 

VIZ, SONIC THE COMIC and more original art for sale

I've put some original artwork on eBay this week that some of you have been asking for. For several years in the 1990s I was a writer on Sonic the Comic and one of my creations was the evil Commander Brutus. His initial appearance was drawn by Richard Elson (Amazing Spider-Man, 2000AD) and I've put one of those pages we worked on from Sonic the Comic No.65 in 1995 up for sale. 

You'll find it here: 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204743480653?itmmeta=01HVHCADPZFCQPARYXYDR1FMSB&hash=item2faba9954d:g:WvcAAOSwV6BmHBzO 

 

Next up, another request was a page from Viz. I freelanced for Viz for many years but I don't have many pages of original art left now. Here's one I found. A Suicidal Syd page from 2008. Mature readers only!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204743488911?itmmeta=01HVHCADPZZP6ZYHAN42GET2Q2&hash=item2faba9b58f:g:2JQAAOSwIWxmHCAy 

Next, one of the old favourites. Tom Thug from Buster comic in 1993. It's one of the Tom Thug On 'Oliday episodes and takes place in Blackpool...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204743443411?itmmeta=01HVHCADPZ4DZTTNETHDV5GR2B&hash=item2faba903d3:g:Qq0AAOSwN4dmHBpP

 

Finally, the original art of the first 13th Doctor's appearance when I put her in my Daft Dimension strip in Doctor Who Magazine No.516 in 2017...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204743447795?itmmeta=01HVHCADPZ3RWCF8GNYD3MAQ8P&hash=item2faba914f3:g:ToYAAOSwu3BmHBuL

Auctions end on Sunday 21st April. All bids appreciated! Good luck!

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

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Sonic the Comic Con 2023

It's 30 years since Egmont Fleetway launched Sonic the Comic way back in 1993. I came on board as a writer with issue 30 and had many happy years scripting the adventures of Tails, Amy, and sometimes Sonic himself plus my own creations Shortfise the Cybernik, Tekno, Commander Brutus and more. Last week Sonic the Comic Con celebrated the anniversary of the title with an event in York. I was a guest along with writer/artist Nigel Kitching, artists Richard Elson, Carl Flint, Ferran Rodriguez and editor Richard Burton.

The event was very well attended with an enthusuastic audience that were a pleasure to meet. The show was very busy throughout the day and I did lots of sketches plus sold out the comics and prints I'd taken along. 

It was clear that Sonic the Comic meant a lot to the readers and their ongoing passion for the stories and characters means a lot to us as creators too. I think under different editors, STC would have just been a standard licenced comic that wouldn't have lasted long, but editors Richard Burton and Deborah Tate turned it into something unique for the time. Comics that have their own identity, and a creative team that care about the product, tend to resonate more with the readers and that was true of STC. Thirty years later, the enthusuasm of those fans is still burning bright and it was a pleasure to be in their company. One of the great strengths of the comic is that didn't only appeal to one gender like most adventure comics of the time and that diversity was still represented by the attendance at the show.

 

My thanks to Michael Stiv Stephenson, Lola Muir, and the team for making us welcome and putting on a great event, and to all the attendees for coming along and making the day special. Such a great crowd! Thanks also for the special coin that was given to us to mark the comic's anniversary. A nice momento of a happy weekend.

You can see lots of photos from the event at this link coutesy of Oni Media...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/oni_photography/sets/72177720308607997/ 

Thanks to Zoe Davis for giving me this excellent drawing she did of my character Shortfuse the Cybernik! A really nice gift and much appreciated. See more of Zoe's art on her Twitter page https://twitter.com/MeanerHarker

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Sonic the Comic Con - next Saturday!

All being well next Saturday I'll be in York for Sonic the Comic Con, celebrating 30 years since Sonic the Comic was launched and became one of the most popular comics in the UK. 

Back then I was one of the regular writers on the comic, with artists such as Richard Elson, Carl Flint, and the late Nigel Dobbyn doing fantastic illustrations of my scripts. 

I'm looking forward to meeting up with my fellow guests and the readers next week! Don't ask me anything too complex about those stories though. After three decades my memory is a bit rusty on those scripts! 

See you there?

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Sonic the Comic Con 2023

The Kickstarter for the upcoming Sonic the Comic Con ends today, so make sure you pledge if you want to get involved. It takes place on Saturday 20th May so I hope to see you there!

Here's all the info...

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stiv2k/stccon2023 

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Robo-Capers, Tom Thug, and TAILS Original Art in this week's auction

I've put some more pieces of my original artwork in eBay and the auctions run until Sunday 13th March. This time there's a very early Robo-Capers from Marvel UK's Transformers, a Tom Thug page from Oink!, and one that fans of Sonic the Comic may be interested in! Here's more info...

As most of you know, during the 1990s I was one of the main regular writers on Fleetway's Sonic the Comic. When I first submitted work to them though it was as an artist. I sent off three pages; one penciled, one inked, and one coloured. I've since sold the latter two, but now I've found the penciled page; a sample of Tails in action.

STC never used me as an artist but they gave me lots of work as a writer, so it all turned out OK. Therefore this Tails page has never been published, or even seen outside of Fleetway until now. If you're interested in bidding on it you'll find it listed at this link...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203858889357

Robo-Capers was one of the earliest professional comic strips I did, and it began in Marvel UK's Transformers comic in 1985. The one on eBay this week is from issue No.22 and features the recurring villain King No-Nose! If you wish to bid you'll find it here...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203858896992 

Tom Thug was one of my most popular and longest running characters, and he started out in Oink! comic. The one in the auction this week is a full page complete story from Oink! No.45 from 1988. You'll find it in my eBay listing at this link...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203858905339

Thanks to those of you who have bid already. It's much appreciated. Each listing shows close ups of the art for you to peruse. Best of luck with your bids!

Happy Birthday to Sonic the Hedgehog!

Apparently it's the 30th Anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog! A character that helped pay my mortgage when I was a writer on the official Sonic the Comic during the 1990s. It was a break from my usual stuff to write action-adventure strips and I really enjoyed those years. 

Pictured here with writer Nigel Kitching, artists Richard Elson and the late Nigel Dobbyn, and in the other photo with my editor Deborah Tate. Thanks also to the comic's original editor Richard Burton for bringing me on board back then. 

Also shown is one of my scripts and a panel from a story I wrote drawn by Nigel Dobbyn. Happy 30th Sonic!

Art by Nigel Dobbyn.

Nigel Dobbyn

Many of us in the UK comics community were shocked and saddened to hear this morning that the comic artist Nigel Dobbyn has passed away. He suffered a sudden and unexpected heart attack last Saturday. He was just 56 years old.

The sad news was announced on the 2000AD website:
https://2000ad.com/post/5774?fbclid=IwAR0nIFUXhBev_n4YlS-OdxHws0SsFglw-EKN99ULk77YNIwJlQ50mhBCQuQ

I'd known Nigel for over 20 years as we'd met when freelancing for Sonic the Comic in the 1990s. A softly spoken and gentle man, Nigel was one of the nice guys in the industry and an incredibly talented artist. I was a writer on Sonic the Comic and Nigel illustrated several of my stories. He always did a fantastic job and I loved his art style and rich colour work. 

Here's one of the stories we worked on. Trapped in the Vortex was published in Sonic the Poster Mag No.9 in 1994. Script by Lew Stringer, Art/colours by Nigel Dobbyn, Letters by Elita Fell...

Trapped in the Vortex was one of my favourite stories that we did together.

Nigel also worked for many other comics throughout his career of course, including 2000AD, The Beano, Spider-Man and Friends and more. He had a great versatility to his work, able to adapt his style to suit the job. Down the Tubes has a fuller account of his career, which you can read here:
https://downthetubes.net/?p=110547

I'd occasionally see Nigel at various comics conventions and we last chatted at the Oldham Comic Con in May. Myself and his other friends and colleagues in the industry are stunned by this tragic news and tributes are pouring in on social media from creators and fans alike. 

A few years ago, Nigel drew this fabulous birthday card for me featuring my Brickman character. A fantastic surprise.

My deepest condolences to Nigel's wife Sue and the family for this awful loss, and to his many friends who always regarded him as a decent man and top talent. He will be sadly missed. 

Above: At the Birmingham International Comic Art Show in 2007. The Sonic the Comic team reunited. Left to right: Lew Stringer, Nigel Kitching, Richard Elson, Nigel Dobbyn. 

My Sonic art on You Tube

25 years ago, I drew a couple of pages on spec for Sonic the Comic. I didn't get the job as an artist, but, as some of you know, they did employ me as a writer for several years so all was good. I later sold my unused pages to a collector, and he's now made a little video on YouTube showing them, panel by panel. Works quite well. (The story is a cliffhanger as they were just sample pages so don't expect a neat ending.)
https://youtu.be/MffytUhrtQA

Thanks for STC25!

I had a great weekend in Manchester for the STC25 con yesterday. It's the first time I've been in the city since the days of Oink! comic in the late 1980s, and it's changed a lot! I was very impressed. (Coincidentally, the FabCafe venue where the con was is just around the corner to where the Oink! office was way back when.)


STC25 was a celebration of Sonic the Comic, commemorating 25 years since the first issue was launched back in 1993. I was a regular writer on the comic for about seven years. Although Egmont's comic folded in 2002, an online continuation by fans has been running since 2003! This week saw the publication of issue 275, which was also published as an impressive print version. Many of the fan strips are of high quality, and I have no doubt that if the original comic had still been running they'd be contributing to it. 
More about the online version here:
https://www.facebook.com/stconline/

STC25 was a small but perfectly formed event that attracted around 90 people. With most comic cons, we know there'll only be a fraction of attendees who know our work, but as this event was dedicated to one comic, every attendee knew our stuff, - better than us in most cases! (Well, it has been over 20 years and I've forgotten the details of most scripts I wrote for it.)

My thanks to Michael Corker and his team for putting on the show and inviting me, and to the attendees for being such a great audience! (It's always heartwarming to meet readers who read your work back when they were kids.) It was also good to catch up with fellow comic creators Nigel Kitching, Carl Flint, Nigel Dobbyn and Ferran Rodriguez.

Nigel Kitching and I were interviewed for a Q and A session in the afternoon, and you can see that on YouTube here around 4.50 minutes in...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekqv1GTimgE

Here's a few photos from the great day....