See you at COMICS SALOPIA this weekend!

What does "Salopia" mean? Well, it's an old French word, Salop, for Shropshire, so a comics convention set in Shrewsbury has adopted the name for its premiere event this weekend, 1st and 2nd June, as Comics Salopia takes place in various venues over town.

With guests from the UK and overseas, Comics Salopia sounds like it'll be an exciting show as readers meet comics creators such as Charlie Adlard, Sean Phillips, Aneke Murillenem, Chip Kidd, Yanick Paquette and many more! 

As I said, we're in various locations across town, and you'll find me in the grounds of Shrewsbury Castle alongside fellow Beano artists Nigel Parkinson, Laura Howell, Hunt Emerson, and Beano editor John Anderson! 

Then, between 12 and 1p.m. on Saturday we'll be trekking over the river to the Guild Hall (room 021) for a Beano panel to talk to the audience and answer questions about Britain's longest running comic. 

https://comicssalopia.com/event/an_audience-with-the-beano/

After that we'll be back at our stalls in the Castle grounds. 

This is the first event of its kind in Shrewsbury, and the weather forecast is good, so I hope you'll join us! More info here:

https://comicssalopia.com

New Daftness this Thursday!

Here's an extreme close up of part of a panel from my next Daft Dimension strip! You can read the full version in Doctor Who Magazine No.539, out on Thursday and available from newsagents, supermarkets, and comic shops across the UK. 

The annuals are coming!

Yep, it's only May, but D.C. Thomson have revealed the covers for the annuals we usually associate with Christmas (even though they're published around August time). You can see them on my Blimey! blog here:
https://lewstringer.blogspot.com/2019/05/cover-reveal-dandy-and-beano-annuals.html

I thought I'd take this opportunity to give you a sneak peek at one of the Keyhole Kate strips I've drawn for The Dandy Annual 2020, so there's a panel from one of the pages above. See what happens next by buying the book!

Comic Scene No.4 out now!

The new issue of Comic Scene is out now, in which I've written a four page article about Roy Wilson, the great humour comics artist of the 1930s (whose style is still influential to this day). 

If you can't find issue 4 in the shops you can order it directly from the publisher:
https://getmycomics.com/ComicScene

Something new

Here's a tiny glimpse at a section of a panel for something new I did recently. The full page strip will appear in a British independent comic soon! I can't reveal any more yet but as soon as the publisher announces it I'll post more info!

In the meantime, please keep following this blog, buying my comics, and spreading the word to others who enjoy humour comics! Everyone likes a laff! 

COMICS SALOPIA is coming!

The next comics show I'll be at will be Comics Salopia, a two day event on 1st and 2nd June in Shrewsbury town. This is a brand new show dedicated to comics and features an impressive guest list from the UK and overseas. On the bill is Charlie Adlard, Bryan Talbot, Al Ewing, Aneke Murillenem, Yanick Paquette and many more!

I'll be there with fellow Beano artists Nigel Parkinson, Laura Howell, and Hunt Emerson, plus Beano editor John Anderson making a rare convention appearance! See here for info on that event:
https://comicssalopia.com/event/an_audience-with-the-beano/

For full details and ticket prices, visit the Comics Salopia website here:
https://comicssalopia.com

Hope to see you there!

The penultimate DEREK THE TROLL!

The latest issue of online comic Goof! went live while I was away at the weekend but thanks to the wonders of cyber-comics there's no fear of it being out of stock! Yes, Goof! No.10 is still available, along with all the previous issues and you can subscribe to all 12 issues for just £12! 

Yep, only £12... and that gives you access to every issue! This month's Derek the Troll episode sees the return of the villain of the series, Wizardo the Wizard! Can Derek stop him from claiming possession of the Magic Whatsit? Find out (and read lots of other fun strips) by buying Goof! 
https://www.goofcomic.co.uk

...and if you missed Derek the Troll's original run from the 1980s you can buy the collected print edition directly from me here:
http://www.lewstringer.com/page7.htm

Thoughts on OLDHAM COMIC CON

I've reviewed my experiences at Oldham Comic Con on my Blimey! blog and you can read all about it here:
https://lewstringer.blogspot.com/2019/05/back-from-excellent-oldham-comic-con.html

See you at OLDHAM COMIC CON this Saturday

We often hear people say that there aren't any "real" comic cons anymore... that they all feature actors now and only a few comic guests... but that's simply not true! There are lots of cons all over the UK totally dedicated to comics, and there's one in Oldham this Saturday! 

Oldham Comic Con takes place on Saturday 11th May at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Oldham and it's FREE ADMISSION! You can visit their new website for more info:
https://www.oldhamcomiccon.co.uk

I'll be there, as will LOADS of other comics creators including Mike Collins, Laura Howell, Aneke, Ian Richardson, Kev Hopgood, David Leach and many, many more! Check out the website for details.

I'll be bringing along my comics, and drawing sketches on commission throughout the show. Come along and stop by my table! Here's the banner to look for...

See you on Saturday!

Combat Colin Stickers

I bought some of the Combat Colin Stickers myself so I could see what the quality was like. As you can see, the image and colours are sharp and they've turned out really well. Very pleased with them. This is the smallest size, so they're quite substantial. 

If you're interested in ordering some, you'll find the link here:
https://www.redbubble.com/people/lewstringer/works/38690474-combat-colin-sticker?p=sticker&rel=carousel

Redbubble handle all orders and manufacture them, and ship them out to buyers. Usually takes about a week from my experience. 

Updated convention list

Here are the shows I'll be a guest at this year. Hope you can come along to some of them if they're in your area! The links to each event are on my website here:
http://www.lewstringer.com/page9.htm

Update on COMBAT COLIN NO.4

Some of you have been wondering when Combat Colin No.4 will be published. I had intended to bring it out by the end of April but I'm afraid it'll be late June at the earliest now.

As I've always said, I have to give priority to my mainstream comics work as that's what pays the bills. This year hasn't been a good one up to now, so financing Combat Colin No.4 had to take a back seat. Recently I've been commissioned to do a few bits of work that will keep me busy for the next several weeks... which is good news, but it means I don't have time to set to work on Combat Colin No.4 for a while. 

Thanks for your patience on the matter. Issue 4 will appear this summer, and hopefully No.5 by the end of the year. Then issue 6 next year, which will wrap up the stories from Transformers. After that...? Time will tell. 

In the meantime, if you haven't read the first three issues yet they're still available to buy directly from me, and I'll sign 'em too. Each issue is self contained, so there are no dramatic cliffhangers from issue to issue. 
http://www.lewstringer.com/page7.htm

If you like my comics, please spread the word. Sadly, some places I sent review copies to didn't review them for some reason, so issue No.3 only had a couple of reviews (but they were very positive I'm glad to say). However, lots of people did help plug it on Facebook etc so I really appreciate that. Thank you.

Here are the reviews for issue 3:

https://downthetubes.net/?p=103518

http://the-oink-blog.blogspot.com/2018/12/combat-colin-3-continuing-lewniverse.html

Cheers!

Hey, why bother washing up when you can simply buy a NEW mug? OK, that sales pitch needs work, but if you're looking for a new mug, here's some of the range I have at my Redbubble store. Hope you find one you like! 
https://www.redbubble.com/people/LewStringer

Thanks to those of you who have supported my merchandise so far! Redbubble handle the manufacture and dispatch of each item. Remember, these are all print on demand so they're rare items! 

Zombie-Yeds... on a mug!

The latest item to be added to my Redbubble store is a new Combat Colin mug with him and Semi-Automatic Steve meeting the Zombie-Yeds! ("Yed" is Midlands slang for head.) 

You can order the mug here:
https://www.redbubble.com/people/lewstringer/works/38686568-zombie-heads

There are also other items of merchandise available. Check out everything here:
https://www.redbubble.com/people/lewstringer

The artwork on the new mug is an extract from my Combat Colin strip in Aces Weekly No.1, back in 2014. Aces Weekly is an online comic, and all back issues are always available on subscription. Find out more here:
https://www.acesweekly.co.uk