Ellis is back next week!

Ellis meets The Bash Street Kids!

I'm pleased to say that not one but two of my Ellis's Great Escapes strips will be in the Beano next week! 

This is the first time I've had anything in the comic since my series of Ellis strips ended in December, although they've kept a few in stock since then. I had no idea when they'd be used so it's good that two will be in print next week.

Why now? Well, Ellis the Elephant also makes an appearance in the Dennis and Gnasher strip in that issue (drawn by Nigel Parkinson) so I guess it was the right time. There are also a couple of other Ellis strips in stock but I don't know when they'll be used. 

Ellis even appears on the cover (also drawn by Nigel Parkinson) so this is the issue to look out for when it arrives in the shops next Wednesday, 5th May! 

Cover by Nigel Parkinson.

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The Future of Football (1990s)

Here's some old artwork of mine that I found today. I'm not sure if it was ever published, or which comic it appeared in if it was used. As there's a note at the top to fax it to Graham Hey I think it's a fair bet it was intended for either Sweet F.A. or C'Mon Ref! as he was the editor of both of those football comics. I was a regular contributor to them but I don't know if these strips were used or not. I'm guessing they probably were, as Graham was a good editor and always keen to give me plenty of work.

Sweet F.A. and C'Mon Ref! were comics similar to Viz, but with an all-football theme and (slightly) less bad language so that they could be sold to younger readers as well as adults. That said, shops still put them on the top shelf, although some did stock them alongside the football magazines which is where they should have been. 

When I have time, I'll dig out my old issues and show a few pages here. 

By the way; for those who have complained the images on this blog are too small, I'm guessing you're using a smartphone? Click / tap on the images and they'll open up at a larger size where you can read them more clearly.

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Combat Colin is back today!

Read Aces Weekly on your tablet!

In his first all-new strip in five years, Combat Colin returns to Aces Weekly today! The new three page story appears in the online comic Aces Weekly Vol.50 No.7 that went live tonight. The new adventure sees Colin and his sidekick Semi-Automatic Steve face their old enemies Professior Madprof and Bankrobber Man! 

Combat Colin was a character I created for Marvel UK back in 1987 when he appeared in Action Force and The Transformers weeklies. When his run ended in 1991, Marvel returned all rights to me and Colin has appeared on and off in various places over the past 30 years. A reprint collection of all his stories was halted by the knock-on effects of the pandemic after issue 4, but issue 5 will appear sometime this year. 

A few new Combat Colin stories have appeared in Aces Weekly over the years since its debut issue in 2012. 

You'll find the first one in Aces Weekly Volume 1 No.1. Colin and Semi-Automatic Steve encounter a new menace in the form of the Zombie-Yeds!

The second new complete story appeared in Aces Weekly Vol.8 No.7, with a guest appearance by The Giggly Sisters leading to Colin and Steve encountering their old enemy Madprof!

The third new Combat Colin strip appeared in Aces Weekly Vol.16 No.6, with our heroes flying into space to avert the Ass-teroid!

The fourth new strip appeared in Aces Weekly Vol.21 No.7, and saw Colin and Semi-Automatic Steve battle each other!

...and now they're back again in Vol.50, No.7 as part of Aces Weekly's celebrations of reaching 50 volumes. Each volume is comprised of seven weekly issues, meaning that this week's edition is No.350! Pretty good for an online comic that some were skeptical about when it launched nine years ago.

I'm very pleased that editor/publisher David Lloyd invited me to contribute a new story for this significant issue. Combat Colin remains my favourite creation so I'm very happy to bring him back once more! 

This issue also features five other strips including David Leach's Psycho Gran. You'll remember that she originated in Oink! comic back in 1986 so in this week's Aces Weekly you're getting two classic 1980s characters back in new stories! (By coincidence, today is the 35th anniversary of Oink! comic!)

Subscibing to Aces Weekly costs just £7 for each volume, meaning that each issue is only £1 each, - and the beauty of it being digital is that every previous volume is always available to buy too! Go to the website at the following link to read more and sign up!

https://www.acesweekly.co.uk/

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Meet The Curator!

In the next issue of Doctor Who Magazine I've done a daft spin on the 11th Doctor meeting The Curator in my Daft Dimension strip. Doctor Who Magazine No.564 will be in shops on Thursday 29th April for £5.99. There's the cover below. Don't miss it!

https://www.panini.co.uk/shp_gbr_en/doctor-who-magazine-564-gbdrw564-uk02.html

 

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STATUES OF LIVERPOOL now on sale!

There have been some unusual items throughout the history of comics; curious comics to promote toothpaste (Signal and Arrow comics) or even Danish bacon (the Princess of Asgarrd one off). Now here's another, with a more noble purpose than merely selling goods. STATUES OF LIVERPOOL is a one-off educational comic produced by the charity Liverpool Heartbeat, to inform local kids, and anyone else interested in Liverpool history, about some of the figures represented in the statues in the city. 

The 24 page full colour comic is written by Tim Quinn and illustrated by Russ Leach, Nigel Parkinson, Holly Bushnell, George Sears, Dicky Howett, and myself.

I thoroughly enjoyed drawing my four pages, and using a slightly different style. The grim subject matter of drawing the Blitz was quite harrowing but I hope I've done it justice. Every penny made from the mag will go back into projects to educate and entertain the young people of Merseyside via the Liverpool Hearbeat charity. 

Not available from newsagents but STATUES OF LIVERPOOL is available to buy directly from Liverpool Heartbeat for just £3 at this link: 

https://www.liverpoolheartbeat.co.uk/shop/

Cover by Russ Leach.

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It's Combattin' Time!

On my drawing board right now is a brand new three page Combat Colin story that I'm doing for the digital comic Aces Weekly! 

Yes, the bobble-hatted hero is back for his first new adventure since 2016 (which also appeared in Aces Weekly). 

As you'll probably know as you follow this blog, Combat Colin was created in 1987 for Marvel UK's Action Force weekly, then hopped over to The Transformers when the two comics merged in 1988. It ran there until the final issue in 1991, after which, Marvel UK returned the rights to me. I've since produced several Combat Colin collections and the fifth issue will be published sometime this year. 

A brand new Combat Colin story debuted in Aces Weekly No.1 back in 2012 and a further three stories followed in various issues. Aces Weekly is published in volumes of seven issues each, and as it's currently on Volume 50, editor/publisher David Lloyd asked if I'd be interested in bringing back Combat Colin as part of the celebrations. I had time in my schedule so the answer was yes!

The deadline for this story is imminent and it'll be online on Monday so I'd better get a move on! More news soon!

You can subscribe to Aces Weekly at this link:

https://www.acesweekly.co.uk/

 

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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