The Sunday Spotlight: It’s Christmas Eve, Babe, Here In Comics

Well, it’s Christmas Eve around the world and a big fat man in a red suit is getting ready to moan and grumble his way around the world once more. But, despite that, and before I begin to eat all the mince pies… time for the Sunday Spotlight, our Comicon round-up of the bits and the bobs in comics…

 

 

 

At last, an easy one… Dave Shelton’s Bad Ant Puns…

Brought Dave Shelton‘s Bad Ant Puns to your attention a while ago, but hey, it’s perfect (and easy) for Christmas…

 

Heartstopper becomes fastest-selling UK graphic novel ever…

In another one of those ‘Really, and you tell me comics are dying’ moments – The Guardian had a piece recently that I meant to put in front of your eyes about how Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper has become the UK’s fastest-selling graphic novel ever with the first three days sales of 60,012 copies also making the fifth and penultimate volume of the series the overall best-selling book of the week in the UK.

If you didn’t already know, Heartstopper tells the tale of two British schoolboys, Nick and Charlie, full of friendship, LGBTQ+ issues, coming out, and mental health. To say it’s all a bit successful is an understatement. So much for all those telling us that it’s all those ‘woke’ issues that are killing comics.

 

 

2000 AD End of year poll…

As a bit of a 2000 AD fan and someone who’s trying his best to convert you all, thought you might be interested in this… click here to vote.

 

Hello Sweetie…

Tomorrow is our first Dr Who on Christmas Day for a long time – back where it belongs. The Ncuti era of Who will hopefully be every bit as brilliant as we’re all hoping. The three Russell T Davies specials were good for sure and it was great seeing Tennant’s Doctor and Tate’s Donna back again, but the thing about Doctor Who is that, although it does nostalgia so well in so many ways, the main thing about it is that it’s driving forever forward.

So, cheers to the new Who, perfect Christmas viewing for all!

Although, as fedz pointed out on Twitter, there have been a few missed opportunities along the way, primarily the meeting of Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor and a certain River Song…

 

Stephen Collin’s Wise Men’s Last Minute Gifting Challenge…

You did get all the presents this year, didn’t you? Stephen Collins gives you this if you didn’t…

 

Bit of Gary Erskine Rugby…

Artist Gary Erskine shared this:

“So the Bleddyn rugby comic written by James Stafford and Steve Coombs and drawn by me with Robin Jones on letters has made it onto the BBC News Online. Pleased with this work. Who knows where it might lead?”

It’s a celebration of the 70th anniversary of the 1953 tour of the northern hemisphere by the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby team, where they swept all before them in a five-month, 36-match tour. Until they arrived in Wales. Drawing 6-6 with Swansea, losing 13-8 to Wales, and then falling to an 8-3 loss to Cardiff in October, it was quite the shock. And that shock is now celebrated in comic form by writers and Cardiff fans James Stafford and Steve Coombs, with art by Erskine, and letters by Robin Jones.

Bleddyn, in honour of Bleddyn Williams, Cardiff’s captain that day can be found here.

 

Ty Templeton’s perfect Christmas strip… animated…

Ty Templeton’s Present Tense, a tale of Darkseid Versus Santa, originally presented in DC Universe Holiday Bash (1997) #2, is just the perfect Christmas thing. Seriously… Santa and Darkseid! Fabulous. And he reports that it’s just been adapted by Bad Idea Boss into a rather cool animation…

Which of course gives me the excuse to show you the whole thing once more…

 

And finally… Merry Bloomin’ Christmas…

Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs, a genius of British comics. Sure, you might know The Snowman more, but Father Christmas is way better, a gloriously grumpy Santa, fed up with the endless present run, fed up with the cold, the chimneys, the cats, the aerials. The only thing brightening his night is the goodly supply of food and drink.

Particularly the drink.

There’s a marvellous piece from The Guardian website with Briggs talking his way through the making of the book…

“I’ve always enjoyed taking something that’s fantasy – like a bogeyman or Father Christmas – and imagining it as wholly real. Take Father Christmas. What do we know about him? Well, he’s got a white beard, so he must be quite old. He’s rather fat, so he probably likes his food. He’s got a red face and a red nose, so he probably likes his drink. And he’s been doing this dreadful job for donkey’s years: going out all night long, in all weathers. He’s sick to the back teeth of it: who wouldn’t be? So it follows, naturally, that he’s going to be grumpy.” – Raymond Briggs

So, read, enjoy, the work of a genius, the night shift of a grumpy old man who children adore…