Forward to 2015

The New Year issue of The Beano arrived in shops today and there's a half page Ivy the Terrible strip in there I drew, which was scripted by Stu Munro. As far as I know this is the final Ivy strip for now but I hope to work on the strip again one day though as it was fun to draw.

Two new mini-strips by me should hopefully be starting in The Beano soon. One is the return of an old favourite, and the other is a character I haven't drawn in his own strip before. I've no idea when these stories will begin, but they have quite a few strips in stock to use so it should be soon. 

Latest issue. Cover by Nigel Parkinson.

Beyond that, I don't know what I'll be doing for The Beano in the future but I hope I can continue working for it. So 2015 begins on a bit of an uncertain note in that regard.

I still have my Team Toxic strip in Toxic though, and The Daft Dimension in Doctor Who Magazine but more regular work would be welcome. This hasn't been an easy year although work did pick up considerably half way through with plenty of pages for next year's annuals and the commission to provide artwork for the Stikkums app. I enjoyed designing all the characters for that and would enjoy doing more work of that type.

I also have two more pages to draw for Grindhouse for Dark Horse, which will see print around May/June time. 

I'm also hoping to do plenty of comic shows, with the first one scheduled on April 18th for the Birmingham Comics Festival. 

I have a few other plans but they're dependent on how things go this year. 2014 was a bit of a dinosaur year; thin at one end, getting thicker in the middle, and thin at the other end. (Monty Python fans will get it.) I hope 2015 will be a better year.

Thanks to all of you for following this blog over the last year and for taking an interest in my work. It's very much appreciated. All the best for 2015!

New Toxic this week

The Christmas issue of Toxic is still on sale at the moment but this Wednesday (31st December) will see a new issue on the shelves. There'll be another all-new Team Toxic story in there by me, as the Team take on Bigfoot! There he is in a preview panel above.

Due to seasonal printing deadlines I had to get a few issues ahead recently and the following two issues are already drawn, which will be out in late January and mid February. I'll show previews of those closer to their publication dates. 

Toxic No.248, out on New Year's Eve! 

Persistent mice

Charlie Grigg's version on the left of course.

I've just noticed that the opening panel of one of my Korky the Cat strips in this year's Dandy annual is quite similar to a scene in the Dandy Book from 50 years ago by Charles Grigg. Subconscious influence, - or just inevitable given that cats chase mice?

Speaking of that Dandy Book from 1964, if you want to see more, take a look at my Blimey! blog here:
http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/christmas-1964-dandy-book.html 

Comic horror for Christmas Eve

The days of newsagents stocking American comics are long gone so I nipped into the nearest city today to pick up a copy of Grindhouse: Drive In, Bleed Out No.2 from Forbidden Planet as it features my Snowmanic strip on the back cover. As the TV announcers say, "it might contain scenes that some viewers find upsetting" so I've indulged in a bit of self-censorship in the section I've shown above. 

To see the full, uncensored version in all its daft demonic horror, get a copy from your local comic speciality store for $3.99 (about £3.00 in UK comic shops). It's also available to buy in digital format on the Dark Horse App. 

Here's the front cover to look out for by R.M.Guéra...

You can read a free preview of the main strip by Alex De Campi and R.M.Guéra at this website:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=25028

••••••••••••••

By the way, if you follow Blimey!, my other blog, you might be interested in a blast from the past I've scheduled to go live there on Christmas Day.
http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/

Merry Christmas!

SNOWMANIC!

Christmas Eve will see Dark Horse publish the second issue of Grindhouse: Drive In, Bleed Out. The main story is Slay Ride Part Two, written by Alex De Campi and drawn by R.M. Guera. You can read a preview of the first few pages here:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=25028

...and on the back page of the issue is another one-off strip by me. This time it's a seasonal shocker I've called Snowmanic! featuring a snowman to give you nightmares. That's him at the top of this post. To reveal more would ruin the story, so be sure to pick up Grindhouse: Drive In, Bleed Out No.2 this Wednesday from a comic speciality store near you! All-new winter horror for just $3.99.

Here's the cover to look out for, illustrated by R.M. Guera...

Work currently in print

A couple of people have asked me what work I have on the shelves at the moment so I thought I'd compile this little list. More details of each strip are available in previous posts. 

Comics 
Latest issues currently available from newsagents and supermarkets:

The Beano (Christmas issue).
Half page strip: Ivy the Terrible

The Beano Christmas Special 2014.
Puzzle pages:
Be A Christmas Prank-Star
Who Ate All the (Mince) Pies?

Doctor Who Magazine No.481. (Christmas issue).
Strip: The Daft Dimension

Toxic (Christmas issue).
Two page strip: Team Toxic

Available from comics speciality shops:

Grindhouse: Drive In, Bleed Out No.1. Adults only.
Full page strip: Kung-Fu Cheesecake

Exclusive to the Supermarionation blu-ray box set:

TV21 No.243
Strip: Zoony the Lazoon

*************

Annuals
(available from bookshops):

The Dandy Annual 2015.
Strips: Keyhole Kate, The Smasher, Korky the Cat.
(12 pages in total).

The Beano Annual 2015.
Four mini-strips: Rasher

Toxic Annual 2015.
Strips: Team Toxic
(Four new pages plus two reprint pages).

Viz: The Dutch Oven.
Full page strip: The Pathetic Sharks (reprint). Adults only.

*************

Books:

You Are The Hero - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.
Strips: Derek the Troll 
(1 new full page strip, plus 1 and a half reprint). 

Brickman Begins! 
(Published 2005 but copies still available from my website here). 
152 pages collecting my old fanzine strips plus pages by guest artists. 

*************

Digital media:

Aces Weekly.
Strips: Two new Combat Colin three pagers. One in issue 1 (Vol.1) and the other in issue 7 of volume 8. 
http://www.acesweekly.co.uk/home

Stikkums. 
Behavioral reward app for children and parents for which I provided all the artwork. Available free on iTunes here:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/stikkums/id915405551?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

I think that's the lot although I've probably forgotten something obvious. Anyway, back to the drawing board now to draw strips for next year. 

Christmas Dalek

In the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine I get to achieve a long held ambition and draw a Dalek for the official mag of the BBC series. I've liked Daleks since I saw them in their first TV appearance way back when 51 years ago so putting one in my Daft Dimension comic strip was something I had to do. 

You can see the full strip in Doctor Who Magazine No.481, on sale now for £5.99, bringing you 100 pages plus a giant two-sided poster. Here's the cover of the polybag to look out for below.... 

The Buster Index

Nearly 20 years ago I was asked to draw this cover for the Buster Index, a chunky softback A5 sized book published by A & B Whitworth. The book was aimed at the collector's market and only had a small print run but it provided a ton on information. Illustrated entries on every character to have appeared in the comic, with credits (where known) and how long each strip ran for. 

The book was by Ray Moore and Steve Holland, although I didn't realize the extent that Ray was involved at the time or I'd have credited him on the cover too. As well as providing the artwork I designed the whole cover. The word 'Index' is based on the Giggle comic logo (which merged into Buster in 1968). In retrospect the 'x' is too small and out of synch with the other letters, but other than that I was quite pleased with the cover. I enjoyed 'ghosting' the various art styles of the characters I chose to illustrate it. If you're not familiar with who they are, clockwise from the top they're Chalky, Charlie Peace, Faceache, Tom Thug, Master Mind, The Big One, Tin Teacher, Galaxus, and of course the lad himself, Buster (as he looked in the late 1960s) in the centre.

The background effect was done by using an old toothbrush dipped in blue ink and gently pulling a small piece of stiff card over the bristles to splatter the ink onto the board. (Masking off the areas not to be covered of course.) These days Photoshop makes such tasks far easier and less messy! 

As the book was photocopied rather than printed, the colours turned out a bit harsh in places but overall it looked okay I think and I felt honoured to illustrate it. Had we known that Buster would be axed at the very end of 1999 it might have been better for the publisher to wait a few years to do the book, but even by 1995 the comic's best years were behind it and this index still served as an excellent record of 35 years of great material. 

The holly and the Ivy

Actually there's no holly in it but here's a preview of the Christmas episode of Ivy the Terrible that appears in this coming Wednesday's festive snow-on-the-logo Beano! Ivy visits Santa's grotto. That's not going to end well for one of them is it? Script by Stu Munro, art by me. 

Terror in the toy shop

Here's a quick preview of this week's Ivy the Terrible in The Beano! Pick up the latest issue to see the full story. Script by Stu Munro, art by me. Next week it's the Christmas issue. More news soon. 

Christmas comes to Toxic

The Christmas issue of Toxic is out today and I did a festive Team Toxic two-pager for it. Christmas with The Pudding Heads sees Team Toxic fly into space to encounter beings who actually have Christmas puddings for heads. (I know. We've all met people like that, right?)

Christmas doesn't affect me much these days (I'll try and avoid it as much as possible) but it's always very enjoyable to draw the Christmas strips hoping that they'll amuse the readers. After all, it's following in a tradition that dates back to the beginnings of British comics. 

Toxic No.247 is out now, priced £3.99. For that you get a 48 page magazine plus a bunch of gifts...

...and as you'd expect it's packaged in a festive foil-effect bag, so here's what to look out for in the shops... 

Combat Colin card art

This is the artwork for a Combat Colin postcard that I did for the Malta Comic Con. I utilized an existing figure drawing and added a new background. Unfortunately I couldn't go in the end, but I hope the cards were still on sale at the event to raise a bit of money for the convention. 

Still gutted I couldn't make it as I haven't been abroad for 11 years but there you go.  

Stikkums is go!

Stikkums, the new app that I told you about a few posts ago, is now approved by Apple and available to download for the iPad. As I mentioned before, the idea is Dan Whitehead's and I did all of the artwork, which was a very enjoyable job indeed. 

Stikkums is a behavioral reward app for kids, whereby parents set their children targets, to be rewarded with points they can use to 'buy' various character 'stickers'. There are 20 characters and two backgrounds per pack, that kids (or adults if you want a dabble) can use in unlimited scenarios. And yes, once you've unlocked a character you can use the same one if you wish multiple times. Build your own army! 

As it's all digital, the characters can be moved around the backgrounds at any time, flipped, rotated, resized, even coloured if you prefer a different colour scheme. You get the Knights pack free with the download, and other packs (Space and Monsters so far) to purchase at just 69p a pack.

Hopefully the success of Stikkums will lead to more work for me in creating more sticker packs, so if you have an iPad I'd appreciate you downloading the app. Find out more on the Stikkums website here:

http://www.stikkums.com/

Here's the link directly to the iTunes store to download the app:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/stikkums/id915405551?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

All Stikkums artwork shown in this post is Copyright © The Zebra Partnership 2014.

Malta Comic Con

I hate letting people down, especially those who have gone out of their way to help me. Unfortunately due to a persistent bug I'm sorry to say I won't be flying over to Malta in the morning for the Malta Comic Con this weekend. 

I feel terrible letting down the organizers who have been so supportive of my work and promoting me online, and shouldering the finances of flight and hotel bookings. I also feel bad to let down any friends and readers who were hoping to see me there. It sounds like a great event and with temperatures still over 20 degrees C would have made a nice alternative to our winter climate. 

Yesterday, Malta Today published an interview with me that was conducted last week. All rather pointless now, but you can read it by clicking here if you wish.

I've also fallen behind schedule due to this bug so must press on with work now. My apologies to all concerned regarding the Malta Comic Con and I hope you guys have a great weekend.

http://www.maltacomic-con.com/ 

Pete and His Pimple: the comic!

Back in 1987 I was commissioned by Oink! comic to produce a special 8 page Pete and His Pimple comic that would be a pull-out section in Oink! No.41. Because of the pagination of the comic, and the limitations of printing back then it meant that the cover would be in black and white unfortunately, - but the centre pages would be in full colour. However, I used this to my advantage because it meant the story began in black and white but then wham! there's the impact of a colour spread for the fight scene. 

I had a free hand in how the pull-out comic would look, so I thought I'd kick off with a gag cartoon on the cover, follow with a five page story, have a feature/daft puzzle section on page 7, and a spoof educational strip on the back page. I didn't want to draw the entire comic myself as I wanted it to be more like a proper UK comic, so I had Ed McHenry draw the puzzles, and asked my old pal Mike Higgs to draw the back page. 

As you can see, it's called Oink! Mini-Comic No.1. The intention was that other cartoonists would create following issues featuring their characters and the pull-out comics would be an occasional series. Sadly there were no more issues, but a few weeks later Oink! had a reduction in its page count so I would guess that was the reason. 

Anyway, if you want a trip down memory lane, or if you didn't see it way back when, Phil Boyce has posted the entire mini-comic on his fantastic Oink! Blog today. Take a look...

http://the-oink-blog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/petes-pimply-pull-out.html

What's Ivy up to next week?

Here's an advance preview of the Ivy the Terrible strip I drew for the next issue of The Beano (on sale Wednesday 26th November). Ivy's mum wants her to eat fresh fruit... but that's not going to end well is it? Script by Stu Munro. 

I'm enjoying drawing these Ivy half pagers. As you all probably know, the character was created by ex-Beano editor Alan Digby and was originally drawn by Robert Nixon back in the 1980s, and several others have drawn her since. Bob Nixon designed a great character there and I hope my strips can do justice to his legacy. 

Introducing... STIKKUMS!

Remember the top secret non-comics job I said I was working on? This is it. Stikkums is a new app that I did all the artwork for. Tons of individual character drawings to various themes (Knights, Monsters, and Space) and a set of appropriate backgrounds. 

Basically it's a 'reward app' for children. Parents set the goals (brush hair, eat meal, clean teeth, etc) and when they complete each task the kids are rewarded with points on the app which they can exchange for digital stickers. These character stickers (Stikkums) can then be placed on the backgrounds, similar to the Action Transfers of the 1970s. The advantage these digital stickers have over the old rub-down transfers is that they can be moved around, replaced, resized, flipped, and even coloured (if want a change from my original colours). Some Stikkums characters have blank face areas so kids can drop in photos of themselves. The characters aren't limited to their own scenarios, and you can have the Knights meeting Monsters in a spaceship background if you like, or a spaceman fighting a dragon in a castle for example. There are numerous possibilities that hopefully will keep kids entertained for hours. 

The Stikkums app is the brainchild of Dan Whitehead, who commissioned me to provide 20 characters per 'pack'. A really enjoyable gig, and more to come hopefully. 

The app should be launching soon on the iPad and Android, but for now if you want to learn more or see more of the artwork go to the Stikkums website:
http://www.stikkums.com/

Original comic art up for sale

I have a few of my old pages on eBay this week. This is the original artwork, not prints. I've noticed that some people sell prints on eBay's Original Comic Art listings and that's not on really. 

So, to clarify, the pages I sell are always the original hand drawn artworks in pen and ink, on Bristol Board. Not prints, not copies, not pages cut from the comics. 

This week there's a Tom Thug page from Oink!, a Pete's Pimple page from Buster, and a Suicidal Syd page from Viz. All bids are very much appreciated and the auctions end on Sunday 16th November, early evening. Good luck!

You'll find them here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/graphite47/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

In the shops this week...

I'm not in The Beano this week as an extra-length story meant some strips had to make way, but Ivy the Terrible will be back next week! However, there are still three other publications out this week that contain some strips I did. 

Toxic No.246, on sale Wednesday November 12th, sees The Return of Sick Squid (above) as he takes on Team Toxic in a two page story. 

Grindhouse: Drive In, Bleed Out No.1 is a comic I told you about in my previous post (see here) and that will be in specialist comic shops on November 12th too. You've already seen a taster of the finished Kung-Fu Cheesecake strip I've done for the back page, but here's an exclusive look at it in the pencil stage in a photo I took while I was working on it...

Thursday November 13th sees the publication of Doctor Who Magazine No.480, which has my fourth Daft Dimension strip in there. I won't spoil the joke by showing you too much, so here's a close up of part of a panel...

I hope there's something amongst that lot which will interest you. Thanks as always for dropping by this blog! Comments are always appreciated. 

Are you ready for Kung-Fu Cheesecake?

This coming Wednesday, November 12th 2014, sees Dark Horse Comics launch Grindhouse: Drive In, Bleed Out No.1, an 8 issue sequel series to Grindhouse: Doors Open After Midnight. Once again the comic will feature twisted, over-the-top horror in the tradition of grindhouse cinema. Written by Alex de Campi, the 8 issue series comprises of four stories which will run for two issues each. 

...and on the back cover of issue 1, is Kung-Fu Cheesecake! Who? Whatcake? I was over the moon when Alex de Campi contacted me a while back and said she'd come up with a back-up idea for the comic, called Li'l House of Grind, which would spotlight a different single-page humour strip every issue. Alex commissioned me to create strips for issues 1, 2, 7, and 8. (Other creators will do the middle four issues.) 

The main brief was to keep it in the grindhouse theme, and I knew some grindhouse movies featured kung-fu so that was a possibility. I also knew some movies featured strong independent kick-ass women reacting against stereotyping. I also wanted to add a dollop of my daft humour of course, so... put 'em together and whaddaya got? Kung-Fu Cheesecake! A brand-new, one-off character making her debut in the first issue. I did the whole works, which I always enjoy: script, art, colouring, lettering. 

The strip for issue 2 is also done. A totally different, unrelated character. I'll reveal what that is next month. 

As I said, my strip will be on the back page. The main feature in the comic is Slay Ride by Alex de Campi and R.M.Guéra. You can read a six page preview of it here:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=24144

Grindhouse: Drive In, Bleed Out No.1 is published by Dark Horse Comics on Nov.12th, priced $3.99. Mature readers only. As this is an American comic you won't find it in UK newsagents, but you will find it in comic speciality stores such as Forbidden Planet, Nostalgia and Comics, etc. Here's the cover to look out for: 

Cover by R.M. Guéra. From Alex de Campi's website.

I'm really pleased to be part of this comic as the first series of Grindhouse was a title I bought every month. Alex and the guys at Dark Horse have been a pleasure to work with and I'm looking forward to creating more creeped-out comics for issues 7 and 8! 

Alex de Campi's website: http://www.alexdecampi.com/

Dark Horse Comics: http://www.darkhorse.com/ 

Today's Ivy

Here's a preview panel from the Ivy the Terrible strip I drew for this week's Beano. I haven't seen the issue myself yet as deadlines loom and I haven't time to go out, but you know the comic's going to be good. The Beano is always good. Never Be Without A Beano! Out now for a mere £2.20. 
https://www.facebook.com/TheBeanoComic

Busy times

Things have become very busy around here lately with loads of work to do. I can't reveal all the strips I'm working on but I'm plowing through pencils, pens and paper at a fast rate. Current regular work includes The Beano, Toxic, Doctor Who Magazine, and Grindhouse, plus more.

Updates to my Blimey! blog are likely to be put on hold for a while but I'll still add a few quick updates to this blog as time allows. My apologies if I don't respond quickly to e-mails or comments, but please continue leaving comments on my blogs and I'll reply whenever I can. 

Deadlines loom! Back to the drawing board! 

The next Ivy the Terrible

Yesterday I showed a preview of the Ivy the Terrible strip that's in the current issue of The Beano. Now here's an advance preview of the next one, which will be out on Wednesday. Ivy gets hold of dad's new phone. It'll end in tears...

This week's Ivy the Terrible

Here's a quick preview of a panel from the Ivy the Terrible strip I drew that appears in the current Beano. Dad's struggling to get Ivy in her car seat but as usual she's giving him a terrible time. 

The latest issue sees a slight price rise to £2.20 but it's still the cheapest comic on the shelves. 36 pages of all-new funnies every Wednesday. Support the longest running British comic and Never Be Without A Beano! 

http://www.beano.com/

Zoony lives!

Here's a quick preview of the Zoony the Lazoon strip I did for the brand new issue of TV21. 

My original pencil roughs for the strip.

What!?! A new issue of TV21? B-but didn't that merge into Valiant in 1971? Yep, but for one issue only, Network have brought it back! Editor Martin Cater has professionally produced an all-new, 24 page full size paper edition of the comic as an exclusive part of Network's Supermarionation blu-ray box set, which is out now. More info on my other blog:
http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/tv21-no243-return-of-yesterdays.html

TV21 was my favourite comic of the sixties so to be asked to contribute to this one-shot revival was a dream come true! FAB!