Cover preview: Combat Colin No.3

Here's an advance peek at the cover to Combat Colin No.3, which will be another 40 page issue. I've just sent the pages to the printers so hopefully it'll be out in time for Nottingham Comic Con on 20th October.

This issue reprints the stories from the latter half of 1989 and early 1990, when the strip saw Colin encounter weirder villains than ever before. More news soon, but if you're missing the first two issues you can order them from me here:
http://lewstringer.com/page7.htm

Chaos in the classroom!

I'm back in the Beano this week, albeit temporarily, with two full pages. They're puzzle pages, not strips, but they were great fun to draw! 

The first is a Bash Street Kids "find the objects" type puzzle, and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to draw a traditionally chaotic Bash Street classroom scene! There's a snippet of it above.

The other page features Roger the Dodger and various Beano adults in a tangled rope rock climbing puzzle. This one is based on the Roger strip that Barrie Appleby drew this week. I think this is the first time I've drawn Roger's dad. Again, good fun to do.

I won't be in the Beano again until... two week's time I think, with another puzzle. After that...? Your guess is as good as mine. The Beano has a lot of cartoonists to share work out to these days, and new artists are coming in all the time, so it's a case of being patient and keeping busy on other comics and mags. 

Anyway, if you want to see my puzzle pages in full, check out Beano No.3954, out today!

Nottingham at last!

I'm very pleased to announce that I'll be a guest at Nottingham Comic Con on 20th October. I've been invited before but various things prevented it so I'm looking forward to finally being there!

They've interviewed me for their website too, which you can read here:
http://www.nottinghamcomiccon.co.uk/announcing-a-new-guest-for-all-ages/

More Toxic weirdness!

In the next Team Toxic story, Kid Zombie finds himself pulled into a strange dimension! What happens next? Find out in Toxic No.312, on sale this Wednesday (26th Sept.) from all good newsagents and supermarkets! 

Artwork up for auction!

The original artwork for my convention banner is in an auction right now at the Catawiki website:
https://auction.catawiki.com/kavels/20840823-combat-colin-original-artwork-by-lew-stringer-dimensions-approximately-a3-30cm-x-42cm

It features several of my characters including Combat Colin, Brickman, Derek the Troll, Pete and his Pimple, and Tom Thug. (Also the 12th Doctor and a generic cartoon dog.) It's one of a number of pieces by various artists who were guests at the recent Nice Comic Con in Bedford. Money raised will go towards funding next year's event.

All the artwork in the auction are A3 sized pieces, and include work by Simon Bisley, Alan Davis, Dylan Teague, DaNi, Aneke, Ian Churchill, Esad Ribic, and many more. Check them out:
https://www.catawiki.com/a/187949

The auction ends on Saturday 29th September and if you wish to bid you'll need to register with the Catawiki website first. Good luck!

Here's a photo of how the artwork appears on my banner, coloured and enlarged...

If you have any questions about my artwork, post a comment below.

The 13th Doctor's first comic strip

The 13th Doctor's first comic strip adventures begin next month in various Doctor Who publications but her real first appearance in comics form was over a year ago! Or was it?

Back in Doctor Who Magazine No.516, published on August 24th 2017, my Daft Dimension strip parodied the television teaser that had revealed Jodie Whittaker as the 13th Doctor. As that issue is out of print now I'm showing the whole strip above.

Was this the official first comic appearance of the 13th Doctor? Well, it was in the official magazine... but it was a parody... so decide for yourselves. I'm saying nowt. (But I'd like to think so.) 

I'm still developing how I'll draw Jodie Whittaker when she appears in my strip again. She won't look like I drew her above, as I wasn't pleased with that attempt, and I'll probably draw her more cartoony to suit my style. You'll find out in a few months anyway. 

Here's the teaser trailer I was parodying:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1IczjLYCIM

...and here's the latest trailer for the new series that begins on 7th October...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCt6f1Ttmy4

Preview: The Daft Dimension!

There's a new issue of the official Doctor Who Magazine out tomorrow (20th Sept.) and amongst the many exclusive features there's a new Daft Dimension strip from me. Once again, those Daft Daleks are involved, and the subject they're discussing is the 13th Doctor! 

Doctor Who Magazine No.530, 84 pages, £5.99.... or you can buy the packaged version with gifts, exclusive to WH Smith for £9.99. 

Getting Combat Ready!

I've met all my deadlines for this week so now I'll have time to get back to putting together Combat Colin No.3. Thanks for your patience, considering I originally intended to publish it in May!

I'll be scanning it directly from my original artwork, which will take a day or two, then I need to create a new cover, and produce some back-up features. Hopefully I'll send it all off to my printers next week and it'll be published sometime in October. 

That's the current plan anyway! Remember to bookmark this blog for more updates about Combat Colin and my other comics news!

Returning to STOKE-CON-TRENT

The next comics event I'll be at will be Stoke-Con-Trent 9 on Sunday 7th October. I've been a guest here a few times now so it'll be good to see friends old and new. 

The venue is Staffordshire University in Stoke-On-Trent, and you can find out more about the event here:
http://stokecontrent.co.uk

Back from ICE2018

Thanks to Shane Chebsey for another great International Comic Expo (ICE) in Birmingham on Saturday. I was busy all day doing sketches and selling/signing comics so thanks to all who stopped by. Here's one of the sketches I was commissioned to do...

As always it was fun to catch up with friends old and new. Too numerous to mention all, but nice to spend time with Dan Whitehead, Laura Howell, Paul Trimble, John Short, Nigel Parkinson, Dan Cornwell and Becky, John Wagner, Hunt Emerson, Tony Lee, Dennis Whittle, Staz Johnson, JP Bove, Jon Davis-Hunt and Helen, Ben Dickinson, and many more.

The photo at the top of this post is by David Hathaway-Price of the Beano panel. L-R Nigel Parkinson, Laura Howell, me, Hunt Emerson.

One of the nicest moments of ICE2018 was that a family I'd met the week before at the Hi Vis Festival whose young lad had bought Combat Colin No.1, came along to ICE to buy issue No.2. It's very pleasing to know those 30 year old stories can still appeal to today's kids.

The next convention I'll be at will be Stoke-Con-Trent on Sunday 7th October! Another guest will be my old mate Mike Collins , storyboard artist on Doctor Who.... and it's the same day as the new series of Doctor Who begins on tv, so come and grab a Daft Dalek sketch from me and a new Doctor sketch from Mike, then get home in time to watch the new series on BBC One!
http://stokecontrent.co.uk

See you at ICE 2018!

Here's the floor plan for ICE 2018 that takes place this Saturday, 15th September, at the BCEC, Hill Street, Birmingham, just across the road from the back exit of News Street Station. 
https://internationlcomicexpo.wordpress.com

You'll find me at table 37, next to fellow Beano artist Laura Howell, and I'll be bringing along my comics Combat Colin, Derek the Troll, and Pedantic Stan, plus drawing sketches by request. 

From 2pm to 3pm I'll be joining Nigel Parkinson, Laura Howell, and Hunt Emerson on stage as we're being interviewed about our work on The Beano! 

Loads of guests from the world of comics. Lots of fun! ICE is a convention I always look forward to. I hope you'll join us on Saturday! 

Pedantic Stan at ICE

The next convention on my list is one I always enjoy attending; ICE, the International Comic Expo, which takes place in the centre of Birmingham on Saturday 15th September. 

I'll be bringing along my comics Combat Colin, Derek the Troll, and the newest collection, Pedantic Stan, for anyone who's interested. Plus I'll be available to draw sketches on request. 

I'll post more about this event in a day or two! You can also read more about it at their Facebook page here:
www.facebook.com/ICECOMICON

Back from the Hi Vis festival

My thanks to Olly MacNamee for inviting me to the Hi Vis Street Culture Festival that took place in Digbeth, Birmingham yesterday. It had a unique mixture of dance, music, street art, and comics, so naturally the majority of attendees were not into the comics scene, but it was an interesting experience. Thanks to those of you who did drop by my table to buy a comic. 

It was good to catch up with Paul H. Birch and Steve Tanner again, and to see lots a families attending the event. Let's hope the event returns next year and can expand the comics presence. 

It's HI VIS this Saturday!

The next event you'll find me at will be on Saturday 8th September at the Hi Vis Street Culture Festival. The venue is the Market Hall at the Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham. There'll also be loads of other things going on involving music, street art, and dance, so expect the unexpected! 
https://twitter.com/highvisfest

Brickman Returns has sold out!

Brickman Returns has SOLD OUT! I have the handful remaining shown here to meet existing orders but I've just deleted it from my online shop as there's no more left. 

I'm not sure whether to do a third printing yet, or maybe combine it with Brickman Begins as 'The Complete Brickman'. Or just the best bits from Begins and all of Returns as simply 'Brickman'.

I'll think on it for a few months, but in the meantime I need to press on with Combat Colin No.3, which I'm now hoping to have ready in October. 

Thanks to all of you who bought Brickman Returns for making it a success!

Derek's quest continues

Don't forget that there's a new issue of digital comic Goof! out now and it includes another all-new chapter of Derek the Troll. 

The monthly online comic is packed with brand new humour strips from a variety of creators and is aimed at an all-ages market. 

Goof! No.2 is the latest issue but a £12 subscription means you'll have access to back issues too, along with future issues. Find out more by visiting the website here:
https://www.goofcomic.co.uk

New TOXIC out today!

I'm not in the Beano at present but you'll still find my work in every issue of Toxic. Issue No.311 is out today and features another brand new Team Toxic story by me. Techno Troll returns to wreak havoc once again! In newsagents and supermarkets now!

Nice was nice!

View across the River Ouse.

I've attended comic cons since 1979, and been fortunate to be an invited guest since 1984, and NICE Comic Con at the Bedford Corn Exchange last weekend was easily one of the most enjoyable of the lot. Thanks to Jeff Chahal and his team for such a brilliant weekend and looking after us so well. 

It had a really good atmosphere throughout for fans and pros alike. Great to catch up with so many friends including Dylan Teague, Da Ni, Aneke Murillenem, Doug Braithwaite, Sarah Littlehales, Richard Faulkner, Anthony D Lee, Sean Phillips, Chris J Thompson, Alan Davis, Jatinder Ghataora, Ryan Brown, Mark Farmer, Ian Churchill, Hass Yusuf, Cam Smith, Dave Kendall, Peter Doherty, and to meet new people such as Esad Ribic, Ram V, and Alessandro Vitti and more. 

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my table for a sketch or to buy a comic and making it a very busy and memorable weekend! (Apologies if I've missed anyone out. I usually do!)

Here are a few photos from the weekend....

Artist Esad Ribic in the blue shirt on the right there.

All set up ready for the con.

Some of my sketch commissions. Earthworm Jim, Roger Mellie, and a Beano-style Vampirella!

On a panel on Saturday with artists DaNi and Dave Kendell...

Photo © Wakefield Morys-Carter

Great to meet up again with friends from overseas Aneke from Spain and DaNi from Greece. Both amazingly talented artists and brilliant company...

It was really nice to catch up with my good friend Sarah who used to work at Nostalgia and Comics...

A really enjoyable convention that's 100% dedicated to comics, and it attracted a very nice crowd of people. The UK comics community is alive and well, and Nice Comic Con is one of its champions. 

https://nicecon.co.uk