Tuesday, 29 November 2022

Currently in print...!

It's been a while since I listed all the comics, mags, and books that my work currently appears in. These aren't all freshly published... Most of these have been out for quite some time but at the moment they're still currently available so if you wanted to check out my work, here's where to find it...

 

The77 Annual No.1:

Published in 2021, this brand new hardback book includes a variety of stories from creators such as Steve Pugh, Glenn Fabry, Andrew Sawyers and many more, plus The Origin of Doctor Plank, the villain from my Sgt.Shouty strip. You can buy it directly from the publisher at the following link, along with back issues of The77 comic in which Sgt.Shouty also appears...

https://the77comic.bigcartel.com/

 

This Comic Is Haunted No.1:

A new horror comic from The77 Publications which includes my newest strip, Short Sharp Shocks, complete comedy-horror one pagers. This great new comic is also available directly from the publisher at this link:

https://the77comic.bigcartel.com/



Doctor Who Magazine No.584

A great jumping-on point for new or lapsed readers with the start of Alan Barnes' and Lee Sullivan's exclusive 13-part 14th Doctor comic strip, continuing directly from the TV show! Plus my Daft Dimension mini-strip every month with a comedy spin on the Doctor Who universe. Available from Smiths, supermarkets, and comic shops.

https://doctorwhomagazine.com/doctor-who-magazine/doctor-who-magazine-584/



Animal Planet Kids No.23

Every now and then, I'm asked to contribute a Bad Pets mini strip to this magazine with Nigel Auchterlounie on scripts. The strip doesn't appear every issue as it alternates with mini strips by other creators but it's in the one that's currently on sale (until tomorrow) so it made the list. Available from newsagents and supermarkets.



Liverpool Heartbeat comics:

An occassional publication that has a different focus every issue. Fun, educational comic strips for children. So far I've contributed four pages each to Statues of Liverpool, The Queen, and Everest 2022, with scripts by the editor Tim Quinn. Available directly from the publisher at this link:

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

 


 


 


The Most Important Comic Book on Earth:

That's quite a grand title but it's justified as the whole intention of the book is to raise awareness and provide information about our changing climate. We all contibuted our work for free on this one and my page was a revival of Pedantic Stan the Comics Fan with writer and co-creator John Freeman. This mighty 350 page book is published by DK/Random House and is available from bookshops or from the places at this link...

https://linktr.ee/mostimportantcomic



The Dandy Annual 2023:

It's always a pleasure to contribute to this long-running annual and in this year's edition I've written and drawn several Postman Prat pages and eight Keyhole Kate mini-strips. Available from bookshops everywhere.


 

Beano Annual 2023:

I'm not a frequent contributor to this annual but I am in this current one, with eight Biffo the Bear mini-strips I've scripted and drawn. A privilege to work on such a classic character! Available from bookshops everywhere.

 


Cor!! Buster Bumper Fun Book:

Published by Rebellion in 2020, this 100 page softback book is still available. Collecting stories from the two Cor!! Buster Specials of recent times, I had great fun drawing brand new Buster strips (reviving the character for the first time in decades) and filling the pages with guest appearances by characters from the history of UK comics, - plus I also drew one of the Gums strips. Buster was written by John Freeman, whlst Gums was witten by Lizzie Boyle. Currently available at a discounted price from the publisher at this link:

https://shop.treasuryofbritishcomics.com/catalogue/RCA-H0018

 

Derek the Troll and Combat Colin comics:

My own self-published comics that I did a few years ago. Issues still available are the Derek the Troll special (which also includes the complete Rock Solid saga), and issues 2 and 3 of Combat Colin, reprinting my strips from over 30 years ago. You can buy them as brand new signed editions exclusively from me at my eBay store here:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/graphite47/m.html?item=203554298786

 



...and, yes, Combat Colin No.5 will finally be out next year, as will issue 6 hopefully! 

 

Monster Fun Halloween Spooktacular 2021:

The first special from Rebellion that revived the old Monster Fun Comic. For this I drew a two page strip written by Kek-W that brought back the 1960s Pow! strip, Wiz War for a new one-off story. Enjoyed that. Sadly I'm not involved with the ongoing Monster Fun comic for unknown reasons. You can buy this special from Rebellion's online shop:

https://shop.treasuryofbritishcomics.com/catalogue/RCS2152P


 

The Kirknewton Story:

The history of the Scottish town of Kirknewton, edited by Tony Foster and written by Colin Maxwell with chapters illustrated by various artists. I had the pleasure of drawing the two pager entitled Close Encounters! The comic was distributed free to every home in Kirknewton but you can buy a copy from the Shift Store at this link:

https://theshift.store/products/the-kirknewton-story

 

EXTRA: I should include digital comics too, and you'll find brand new Combat Colin three-pagers in the following issues of the digital anthology Aces Weekly published by David Lloyd. All issues of which are still available to read online...

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 the fifth one in Vol.50, No.7.

https://www.acesweekly.co.uk/ 


If you're a professional publisher / editor and you're interested in commissioning me to contribute to your comics, books, or magazines please contact me at lew.stringer@BTinternet.com

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Sunday, 27 November 2022

Festive Fun for my Final Art Auction of the year!

My thanks to everyone who placed bids on my original art auctions this year. It really has been a big help in these times. I've just put two more items on eBay that I hope will be of interest. With Christmas approaching and more postal strikes looming, this will be my last art auction until sometime in January 2023.

Up for bids now are...

My original artwork for a Christmas Card I published to send to friends in December 1997. (Twenty five years ago! Blimey!) It features my versions of Rudolph, Santa, and a snowman, plus of course the traditional holly, and snow on the logo. (I hand lettered the logos myself so there's no fonts stuck on or anything like that.)

On another piece of art which was the reverse of the card is a small head shot of Tom Thug in a Christmas party hat.

You'll find the listing with more pics and info here:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204166126134

 

The other item up for auction right now is a seasonal Robo-Capers mini-strip from way back in 1985! This was for the pre-Christmas issue of Marvel UK's The Transformers comic (issue No.39). I think this may be the first time I'd done a Christmas themed strip in a professional comic!

You'll find more images and more info at the listing at this link:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204166118795


The auctions run for a week and end next Sunday evening on December 4th so winners should receive them well before Christmas. Good luck with your bids!

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Friday, 25 November 2022

Auction ends this Sunday

Apparently I posted the wrong link for this last weekend. Thanks to Steve Maslin for telling me yesterday. Explains why I'd had no bids! Anyway, auction ends on Sunday. Good luck!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/graphite47/m.html?item=203554298786 

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Monday, 21 November 2022

Thoughts on storytelling

I wrote this three years ago but it's still relevant. Updated it a little today.


One of the things that was always stressed by one of my first editors (Richard Starkings) was to remember that every comic is someone's first issue. Therefore the plot should be clear enough to be understood by new readers, and the characters defined enough for people to know what part they play in the story.


In addition, I'd also say that art-wise, it should be clear what the characters look like and where the story takes place, so there should be at least one full figure shot if possible and enough background info to let readers know the location, even if the strip is only a page or less in length. (Classic newspaper strips were a masterclass in this kind of thing.)


Unfortunately, this isn't always the case these days, leading to confusing stories, which can fail to engage the reader and lead to them abandoning the comic. We often (quite legitimately) blame High Street retailers and their treatment of comics for falling sales but sometimes we as creatives have to shoulder some of the blame too. It's all about being aware... mindful, to use the modern term... of a clarity of storytelling that appeals to everyone, not just to the regular readers. 


I'm not advocating that comics should be overly simplistic, just easy to follow, like all the best comics have been throughout history. This is especially important for children's comics where new readers will be unfamilar with the characters. Dialogue should also be relevant to the plot, not veering off into irrelevant banter. Yes, character interaction can be fun but flippant exchanges between characters sometimes drown out the plot when they're overdone.


With a week, a month, or more between issues, there should also be enough info for everyone to catch up on the plot. Sometimes readers are just dropped into a continuing story with little or no resumé. People have busy lives and although the creative team will remember what happened in the previous issue, the average reader might have forgotten. Since some creators started writing for the inevitable book collection, episodic writing has been in danger of becoming a lost art.

Most importantly though, even with complete stories, it's essential that a reader can follow the story. Comics should be clearly told, exciting, funny, and engaging for everyone. I know comics evolve and styles change (they always have, for over a century) but the fundamentals that make comics work remain the same. We can learn a lot from comics of the past in terms of how they kept their readers up to speed on character and plot.


I hope that doesn't come across as preachy. I'm sure most people reading this will know it already anyway, but it's just something I wanted to put down. One of these days, if I ever get around to writing an autobiography / how to do comics/ history of comics book, I'll elaborate on it there.

Sunday, 20 November 2022

When Doctor Who met The Beatles!

Did you know that Doctor Who had met The Beatles and his recorder inspired the song "The Fool On The Hill"? Well, at least that's how it happened in my comic strip The Daft Dimension back in 2016 in the official Doctor Who Magazine No.506! 

Now my original artwork for that comic strip is up for auction this week on eBay. Bidding runs until next Sunday, 26th November, and all bids are very much appreciated!

I'm also selling a few more issues of the scarce Scottish editions of IPC's Vulcan weekly from 1975. You'll find all my listings at this link:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/graphite47/m.html?item=203554298786

Good luck with your bids! 

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Social Media

If Twitter collapses, or becomes so extreme right that all the decent peoople abandon it, you can still find me at these places online...

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/lew.stringer 

Facebook:

https://en-gb.facebook.com/lewstringercartoonist/ 

...and (for now at least) on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/lewstringer 

...and of course on this very blog!

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Friday, 18 November 2022

Comics, comics, comics!

Trying to get some extra money together so I can afford to produce my own comics again so I'm selling off more comics from my collection. This week there are three first issues up for auction:

EC Comics' Crime Illustrated No.1 from 1955.

TV Tornado No.1 from 1967.

Roy of the Rovers No.1 from 1976 (which also has the free gift, unused and immaculate). 

Auction on those three collectable comics ends this Sunday evening (20th November). All bids appreciated! Good luck!

Here's the link:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/graphite47/m.html?item=203554298786

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