Monday, 19 April 2021

Summer's coming!

D.C. Thomson have revealed the covers of their Summer Specials for this year, along with details to pre-order them from their online store. 

The Dandy Summer Special will once again mainly contain classic reprint as a great showcase of strips from the comic's long history. There will be some new art too though, as I was commissioned to draw an introductory half page illustration for one of the sections. (Other artists have drawn new pieces for other chapters. You'll find out who soon!) I really enjoyed drawing classic characters such as Dirty Dick (above), Bully Beef and Chips, and The Smasher in their traditional 1960s styles. Here's how it looked during the pencil stage...

Apparently there's one new story too, but I've no idea who features in that. With covers by Steve Bright, The Dandy Summer Special 2021 arrives in shops in May, but you can pre-order it and the all-new Beano Summer Activity Special directly from D.C. Thomson at this link:

https://www.dcthomsonshop.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=summer+specials

Cover by Steve Bright.

 

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6 comments:

  1. qamar19 April 2021 at 17:44

    Hi Lew,
    Do you get model sheets as reference when drawing original characters like Bully Beef? I imagine you don't but just curious.

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  2. James Spiring19 April 2021 at 18:02

    Interesting to see Jonah on that Dandy cover. He's one of the few characters to have graced the pages of both Dandy and Beano as a regular character, and usually only the Beano version gets reprinted. But presumably this will be reprinting a few pages from his 90s Dandy series.

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  3. SID19 April 2021 at 18:59

    What a great cover. It certainly reminds me of the old days.

    May order it on-line since my local WHSmith is now permanently closed.

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  4. Lew Stringer19 April 2021 at 20:34

    Hi Quamar, No I had to find my own reference from my Dandy collection. They sent me a model sheet for Ellis, Terry Tuff, and Beanotown Zoo when I was drawing Ellis's Great Escapes for the Beano, but usually it's a case of finding the reference yourself. (Hence the old Dandys next to my drawing.)

    Yes James, I'm presuming it'll be a page by Keith Robson they're reprinting.

    Sorry to hear your Smiths is closed, Sid! I'm surprised mine is still in business considering I'm often the only customer in there!

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  5. Tony Isabella20 April 2021 at 16:46

    I gave into an impulse and ordered these specials. I like an occasional dose of kid comics from the U.K. I wish someone over here was publishing weeklies like these. I would love to write for them.

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  6. Lew Stringer20 April 2021 at 23:38

    I hope you enjoy them, Tony. The Dandy Special will have a selection of reprints from across the decades so you'll be able to see some classic material. The Beano one will be all new I think.

    Yes, a weekly humour comic in the USA would be excellent!

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