Sunday Spotlight: More News From The Comics Whateververse
by Richard Bruton
Yep, it’s Sunday which means it’s time for a relaxing little look around the news for this week in comics…
Happy 70th Birthday Minnie! Here’s to many more years of minxing…
One of Leo Baxendale’s finest creations turned 70 this past week – Minnie the Minx. Created by Baxendale in 1953’s Beano #596, her wonderful, anarchic, chaotic, and fabulous adventures have continued to this day.
To celebrate, Beano called in backup for Minnie’s special anniversary Beano, Euros winner, Lioness’ captain Leah Williamson. Writer Andy Fanton even managed to get a Baxendale cameo in the strip!
In The Frame – free comics resource…
Creative Scotland have a new, free to download comics resource available – In The Frame.
Described as “a resource for Scotland-based comics creators at all stages of their careers, designed to help you navigate some of the barriers around comics creation and give you valuable information on some of the technical and professional aspects of the industry,” it’s a short but good intro to many essential elements of making comics.
It includes contributions from Sarah Burton and Heather Parry of The Society of Authors, who look at comics, contracts and intellectual property; Alice Tarbuck, Literature Officer with Creative Scotland covers funding; Heather Palmer deals with routes to publication in a case study; Woodrow Phoenix and Hannah Berry cover diverse voices in comics; Sha Nazir looks at Scottish Comics in Context; and the Paved with Gold Agency cover crowdfunding. It’s all written, naturally, from a Scottish perspective but so much of it is universal and well worth a look.
Two great looking Judge Dredd series coming your way in 2024…
First off, Rob Williams, Arthur Wyatt, and Henry Flint reunite for Judge Dredd: A Better World, the continuing tale focused on Judge Maitland’s interest in funding education and social reform. that she reckons the numbers show would radically cut crime in MC-1. Is it time to de-fund the Justice Department?
Everything Williams and Wyatt have done with Maitland thus far has been top-notch and there’s no reason to think this one won’t be superb, especially with the addition of Flint on art – one of the greatest modern Dredd artists.
But that’s not all – we also had news that Williams will be doing a long-form Dredd, ‘Rend & Tear with Tooth & Claw’ with the artists of Scalped and The Goddamned, RM Guéra and Giulia Brusco. Described as a “multi-part survivor horror story,” it’s taking Dredd into the snowy wilderness of the territory which once was called Alaska.
And talking of horror – new Thistlebone for 2024…
More folk horror coming your way in the cold new year, as 2000 AD announced that the third book in the acclaimed Thistlebone series by T.C. Eglington and Simon Davis would be hitting the weekly Prog in January with a tale called ‘The Dule Tree’.
Garth Ennis talks of Battle to come…
John Freeman’s always excellent Down the Tubes website hosts an interview between Garth Ennis and Paul Trimble (of the Battle Fans Facebook page) all about Ennis’ future plans for Battle Action into 2024.
Here’s a little of what Ennis had to say:
“I can tell you there’ll be ten issues, each one featuring an episode of a multi-part Johnny Red story by myself and Keith Burns (with the last issue all Johnny Red), alongside a one-off in the same format as the special and miniseries. You’ll see some of the stories we’ve been doing returning, along with some that haven’t featured before. Likewise, the creative teams will be a mixture of current and new.”
And this:
“We realised that the miniseries was a bit Battle-heavy (eight out of ten stories), so next time we’ll definitely have more Action characters – in fact, out of ten stories, it’ll be half and half Battle and Action. Among others you’ll see Dredger and Hellman again, and I’m very pleased to say that a certain giant marine predator will be showing up in fine style…”
So, stay tuned for more Battle Action news into the new year! Now with added Hookjaw it seems!
Helsinki Comics Festival comes to London – 25th November…
A special one-off event brings Finnish artists to London for a special day of the 38th Helsinki Comics Festival on Saturday 25th November 2023.
The day will see both Finnish and British comics folk, including the 2023 Comics-Finlandia award winner Kimmo Lust.
This year’s Helsinki Comics Festival was held in Finland in September, with themes of travel and German-language comics. And travel they have, all the way to London where a free event gives you the chance to meet artists Kimmo Lust, Johanna Rojola, Janne Parviainen, and Max Sarin. These international guests will be joined on stage by Emilia McKenzie, Gareth Brookes, John Allison, Sabba Khan, and Rachael House.
HCF GOES LDN happens from 11-7, Saturday 25 November at Space Station Sixty-Five, Building One, 373 Kennington Road, London SE11 4PS. You can find out more details here at the Facebook events page.
Ilya’s new substack… something else to subscribe to…
Great cartoonist, Ilya/Ed Hillyer is starting up a weekly updated substack that will share new work, both serialised chapters of a prose novel and a graphic novel. The Circle Squared is Ed’s “near-future fiction novel, set in the north-east of the formerly United States of America”, whilst Romo The WolfBoy is his new graphic novel.
For those of you not in the know, Ilya’s work has appeared all over the place – Crisis, Manga Mania, Deadline mag, DC Vertigo, and you may well have seen his art adorning the likes of The Times and The Guardian, Royal Academy of Arts. He worked with Eddie Campbell back in the day collaborating on Deadface/Bacchus and ended up co-creating The Eyeball Kid. And in more recent times, you might have seen his 2013 graphic novel, Room For Love, published by SelfMadeHero and he’s currently got the important sounding job of ‘Cartoon Historian’, appearing in The New Internationalist magazine.
But if you’re of a certain age, you may well known him for the quite brilliant Bic cycle – Skidmarks and The End of the Century Club, all featuring Bic and a cast of characters living the dream in ’80s Britain. It was brilliant stuff, catching a moment just perfectly, kitchen sink drama done just right.
So, you know what to do – head to edilya.substack.com and hit subscribe.
Andi Watson’s new book and more…
One of Britain’s finest comics makers has something new out right now – Punycorn… that’s a perfect Christmas present if ever I saw one.
“A big-hearted diminutive unicorn and his friends battle to save their kingdom from a powerful (if bratty) ogre in this fast-paced and funny fantasy graphic novel.
Carbuncle is a land of endless rainbows and sugar-sprinkled doughnuts—until the vile Sir Ogre unleashes his evil army on the happy kingdom. Who can stop his outsized appetite for destruction? Punycorn! Who? Punycorn. The smallest, clumsiest, and, yes, puniest of all the unicorns. Punycorn may not look like a hero, but aided by a fireless dragon, a feisty dung beetle, and a magic sword with a hidden secret, he might just be Carbuncle’s only hope!”
And speaking of Andi Watson and Christmas, he’s designed one of Page 45‘s gift cards this year with art from Andi’s incredible The Book Tour… excellent artist for an excellent shop. And just think, whoever gets one could go in and buy all of Andi’s comics, now that is a perfect gift indeed.
Finally… Your help needed for Jo Heeley…
Comic writer, editor, and promoter Jo Heeley (from The77) has found herself in hospital after a Thought Bubble accident. She’s in need of funds to help her to get home and
Heeley was attending TB exhibiting with The77 but also had to look after her 92-year-old mother in a holiday let in Harrogate. She’s not only a comic book writer and editor but also her mother’s full-time carer whilst also working full-time.
Unfortunately she had a nasty fall on the final night of TV, breaking her neck and leaving herself hospitalised. Right now, she’s recovering and, once released, has to get home, 300 miles away, to Dorset. There’s a fundraiser right now to raise money for any ongoing medical care, adaptations, accommodation costs for her mother, and expenses once she is home.
So, comics folk – time to help out one of our own. Hit the fundraiser here.
