Comics! Grab 'em while you can!

Quantities of my comics are running low and I won't be able to reprint them for a while. Some have already sold out but the ones shown here are currently available in print. (Plus three digital only comics not shown.) Take a look at my shop for more info on each one and if you order any comics I'll post them within a week. https://ko-fi.com/lewstringer/shop

Combat Colin No.2 SOLD OUT

As mentioned in my previous post, the other day I found five unsold issues of Combat Colin No.2 from 2018. You were quick to respond and they've now all sold and are on their way to the buyers, so thank you all. (Thanks also to the person who ordered my other comics too, and now has a package of Combat Colin 2 to 5 plus Brickman No.1 winging its way to them). 

As it stands at the moment, the following comics of mine are all still available:

Brickman No.1

Combat Colin Nos.3, 4, and 5

Fanzine Funnies No.1

All printed on good quality paper with nice sharp reproduction.

Plus, if you like digital comics, the following comics are available to download as PDFs:

Barmy Comix No.1

Derek the Troll No.1

Tough Guy and Scruffy No.1

All of my comics are only available from me, not in shops, and this is the link where you'll find them:

https://ko-fi.com/lewstringer/shop 

Buy before postage goes up!

A reminder that postage rates are set to rise again in April and I'll have to reflect that in the prices in my online shop. If there are any comics of mine you're interested in, order before April to ensure you get them at current postage rates. (Obviously this won't affect the three digital comics Tough Guy, Barmy Tales, or Derek the Troll.)

Here's the link...

https://ko-fi.com/lewstringer/shop

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

COMICS! Important News, Chums!

As you know, I've been selling my self-published comics on eBay for years, and it's proven to be a good place to attract readers. However, that is about to change.

From early February, eBay are implementing changes so that sellers will have to wait two weeks before funds are avalable on each item! Apparently this is to protect the buyer in case we don't deliver the goods, but it's a very cynical move because I'm sure most sellers are honest and, like me, have a 100% rating! (I suspect the real motive is so that eBay can profit from interest for a longer period.)

The alternative is to use Signed For or Special Delivery, in which case eBay pay the seller when the buyer signs for the goods. That's fine for higher priced items (and I will continue to sell artwork that way on eBay) but detrimental for single issues of comics! No one would want to pay for postage that costs more than the comic, and I wouldn't feel happy charging that. Postage rates are high enough as it is (and apparently rising again this year).

So... at the end of this month I will be removing my comics from my eBay listings. I'm currently looking for a better alternative, and at present it's likely I'll move them to KoFi. I'll let you know here on this blog when that happens. As I said though I will continue to sell original art pages through eBay auctions as those are posted recorded or special delivery.

At the moment, until the end of January, you can still buy my comics from my eBay page so if there are any you've been considering, now's your chance. There's Combat Colin issues 3, 4, and 5, plus the Fanzine Funnies special. Any purchases greatly appreciated!

Here's the link...

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

COMICS!

Some of my self-published comics are still available to buy. (UK only, as postage would be far too expensive for overseas.) 

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

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

FANZINE FUNNIES - The comic for fans of The Prisoner (and anyone else who likes funny comics)

Apparently it was 40 years ago yesterday when Channel 4 began repeating the run of The Prisoner TV show, the enigmatic and allegorical series that fans are still discussing today.

Being ancient, I saw the series on its original run in 1967/68, and again in the 1970s when it was first repeated. Anyway, the reason I'm mentioning it here is that my Fanzine Funnies comic is still available to buy. Fanzine Funnies collects all the satirical comic strips I did for Prisoner fanzines years ago, mainly Rogue Rover and Alistair Sadgitt AKA Mumbler Six.

 

Fanzine Funnies sold out of its initial print run of 100 copies within 24 hours of release, so I immediately had another 100 printed. There are still some left if you wanted to nab one quickly! 

Even if you're not a fan of The Prisoner I hope you'll get a kick out of it. Printed on quality paper with a matt laminated cover it's only available from my eBay page at this link...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204426107364?hash=item2f98bed9e4:g:G18AAOSwC8JkzNzG

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

Comics! Comics! Comics!

Just a reminder that I still have some of my self-published comics in stock and you can buy them exclusively from me at this link...

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

There's Combat Colin Nos.3 and 4, the Pedantic Stan special, and my latest, Fanzine Funnies, all collecting comic strips I did in the 1990s. 

Limited edition print runs and not available in shops! Grab 'em while you can! 

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

Have you grabbed your Fanzine Funnies yet?

The first printing of Fanzine Funnies sold out within 24 hours so I've had another batch printed and you can order one exclusively from me at this link:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204426107364?hash=item2f98bed9e4:g:G18AAOSwC8JkzNzG

Remember that Fanzine Funnies is not available in any shops or from any other seller, and I'm not doing a digital edition.  

If you missed the news about it last week, the 32 page comic is a collection of strips I did in the 1990s for fanzines devoted to The Prisoner TV series. The fanzines they originally appeared in had very small print runs so this material has been unseen by many. 

Fanzine Funnies is the latest self-published comic in my intention to get all my creator-owned strips back into print for a new audience (and for those of you who may have seen them before but like the idea of them being collected). If you like my style of humour from comics such as Combat Colin, Brickman, Derek the Troll, and Pedantic Stan you should enjoy this one too. Target audience is late Teens and older as there's some bits in there that are unsuitable for children. 

Thanks as always for your support!

 

“This is a smashing little collection, with a couple of other extras included, that I’m more than happy to recommend” - downthetubes.net

“His latest self-published comic looks perfect, especially for those of us who loved the classic TV show The Prisoner.” - Comicon.com

"highly recommended" - The Unmutual Website

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

FANZINE FUNNIES back in print!

A new batch of Fanzine Funnies has just arrived from the printers so I've re-listed it on eBay. Last week the first batch sold out in one day, so grab one while you can!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204426107364?hash=item2f98bed9e4:g:G18AAOSwC8JkzNzG

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

 

More Fanzine Funnies to be printed this week!

My heartfelt thanks to all of you who bought Fanzine Funnies! It sold out within 24 hours of launch, and they'll all be posted to buyers this week. (A load of them are already on their way.)

It's understandable if you missed out as they went so quickly, but fear not! I've just re-sent the files to the printers and another batch should be with me by the weekend. Hopefully I'll relist them on eBay on Friday. 

I'll also have another boxfull of Combat Colin No.4 printed this month too.  

If you're not familiar with the independent comics scene, please bear in mind that I'm working alone, financing the comic, packaging it, and selling it myself, so there isn't a production team like there is at comics companies. Plus I have to give priority to my mainstream comics work as that pays the bills. So... don't panic if your copy of Fanzine Funnies doesn't arrive immediately. They'll all be posted this week, a stack at a time First Class, so all those of you who bought it last Friday should have it by this coming weekend.

Meanwhile, I'm grateful to John Freeman for his glowing review on the comics website Down the Tubes. You can read that here:

https://downthetubes.net/in-review-fanzine-funnies-by-lew-stringer/ 

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

FANZINE FUNNIES is selling fast!

I've sold 81 comics in 24 hours! Only a few left but I will be having more printed soon! (UPDATE: Now all 85 have sold!) Thank you to everyone who bought a copy. The strips it contains are fairly obscure ones I did for fanzines in the 1990s so you may not have seen them before. Hope you'll enjoy them!

Here's the link...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204426107364?hash=item2f98bed9e4:g:G18AAOSwC8JkzNzG 

Don't worry if it's sold out by the time you look at the listing. I will have another batch printed next week. (Note: It sold out but I've updated the link above for the second printing.)

 

The first set of orders were posted yesterday, and I'll be posting another lot on Monday and more every day this week. Please bear in mind that I'm handling all this myself so it'll take time but all orders received so far should be dispatched this week. I always post First Class so they shouldn't take long to arrive.

It's my intention to get all the strips back in print that I own the rights to. Lew Stringer's Fanzine Funnies is my latest comic, collecting my satirical strips inspired by The Prisoner TV show.  Back in 2015 I ventured back into self-publishing with Brickman Returns, then Derek the Troll, Pedantic Stan the Comics Fan (which is co-owned with John Freeman) and four issues of Combat Colin, plus the digital comic Tough Guy and Scruffy. Some are now sold out but Combat Colin 2 and 3 are still available (although quantities of issue 2 are going down).

If you missed the Tough Guy digital comic you'll find details here:

http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.com/2022/12/theyre-back-tough-guy-and-scruffy.html

(My other comics will not be available digitally.)

Now, you may be asking "Where's Combat Colin No.5?" - and it's a fair question. I still intend to publish that but I wanted to diversify a bit first. Rest assured that Combat Colin No.5 (and issue 6) will happen, but I can't say when exactly. I need to do another reprint of issue 4 first for those of you who missed it.

As ever, watch this space, and thank you for your support! 

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

Teaser

 Coming soon! All will be revealed in a few days!

************* 

More comics dispatched

Another batch of orders sent off today for people who have bought my Combat Colin comics. My thanks for your ongoing support of my self-publishing ventures! 

If any more of you are interested you can order the comics exclusively from my online shop at this link:
http://www.lewstringer.com/page7.htm

Why self-publish?

Self-publishing is now an accepted form of direct communication with the readers, with both long-time pros and newbies having hands-on control of their product. (Even the mighty Pat Mills is publishing his own books.) Nevertheless, I still occasionally hear criticism of self-publishing. Accusations of "vanity press" and things like "things must be bad if they need to generate extra income by self-publishing". Such mean-spirited comments should easily be ignored of course, but sometimes that only leads to others accepting such unwarranted criticisms as fact if they go unchallenged.

Truth is, a lot of us enjoy self-publishing simply because of creative control. As enjoyable as mainstream comics work is, it often involves working on characters created by others, following an editorial remit, scripts that can be altered editorially, and (most likely) characters that are owned by the publisher. Self-publishing gives the creator(s) complete freedom to do things their way, in their own style, in their own time, and to design the comic exactly as they wish. We're artists. We're all hippies at heart, and we like our freedom, man.

("Hang on a minute", some of you might be thinking. "Wasn't Combat Colin done to Marvel's remit in the 1980s before you regained the rights?" Kind of, yes, but my editors gave me so much freedom on the strip that it always felt I had near-complete creative control anyway.)

As for the accusation that self-publishing is a desperate attempt to increase one's income, well, amusingly that's kind of flattering and insulting at the same time. Print runs for self publishing are often small, so profit is minimal unless a character really takes off. The point of doing it is not one of financial gain, but I understand how that might be a hard concept to grasp for some coldly commercially-minded people. It's all about the enjoyment of creating a comic that's 100% by yourself, from the cover to the last page, including layout, logo design, and all. If it breaks even, great. If it makes a small profit, even better, but if you're doing it solely for greed then you'll be disappointed. It's for the love of the art, mate, innit.

I must admit there are some practical reasons why I'm self-publishing again. There are a number of characters that are my intellectual property that were just languishing in limbo. It seemed silly to devote all my time on strips I didn't have the rights to and let my own creations fall into obscurity. So, in 2015 I brought back Brickman, last year I revived Derek the Troll (with Rock Solid as back up) and this year Combat Colin finally gets his own comic (with Suburban Satanists No.1 to follow either later this year or in 2018). I know that each of those properties has a following, and hopefully their individual comics will generate new readers too. Apart from a few contemporary references, I've always tried to make my humour feel timeless, so my 1980s material should work for modern readers too.

Most of my working time has to be spent on mainstream comics work though, as that's what pays the bills. That doesn't make it less enjoyable of course. Toxic, Epic, Doctor Who Magazine, and Beano each have their own identities and are great to create strips for. It's a privilege to work on the top comics titles in the UK and long may it continue. 

In my spare time I'll continue to develop my self-published titles, and although I may only have time to do two (or three at a push) per year, the plan is for them to continue. I hope you'll enjoy what's to come, including Combat Colin No.1, out next month!
(If you're interested in my comics, and I guess you must be if you're reading my blog, you can buy them directly from me here:
http://lewstringer.com/page7.htm )

Getting back to my initial point, ignore the critics. Some people just want to nitpick and sabotage what others create, to drag everyone down to their own level of misery and hopelessness. Other people will support such projects, financially if they like them, or even just by spreading the word on comics that don't appeal to them personally. The comics industry has evolved from where it was 50 years ago, and self-publishing is as legitimate and slick as mainstream publishing these days. Check out the tables at the many comics conventions around the country and you'll find comics that appeal to all tastes.