The Sunday Spotlight – The ‘Pardon Our Pike’ Edition

It’s Sunday and you know what that means – yep, time to put away the feelings of desperation at a world going increasingly wrong and just relax whilst reading a little of what comics news I noticed this week… it’s the Sunday Spotlight…

JAMES BACON’S IRISH CONFLICT IN COMICS – ESSENTIAL COMICS REFERENCE…

Limit Break Comics have published James Bacon’s debut non-fiction book, Irish Conflict in Comics in the 20th Century, Rebellion, Nazi Spies and The Troubles.

It’s a non-fiction piece covering Ireland, Irish history, and all manner of comics related to the country, the people, and the history. Bacon’s been involved in comics and sci-fi for so many years now, including being part of the Hugo Award-winning team behind the Journey Planet fanzine (although this is a case where ‘fanzine’ rather undersells the quality of what Journey Planet does). He’s also a wonderful fella, and if you ever get the chance to meet him, usually at the bar of whatever convention he’s at, buy him a drink and get chatting, you’ll have a great time. If you want to read some of his comic work, he’s a regular contributor to John Freeman’s Down The Tubes site.

Anyway, this is his first book, meticulously researched, drawing on all his knowledge and love of the medium, to delve deep into an unexplored area of comics history, taking you through Irish comics history, whether that’s the smallest indie book or the biggest publishers, and is an essential reference work.

BIG LAKES INTERNATIONAL COMIC ART FESTIVAL GUEST NEWS – GRANT MORRISON MBE…

Happening 26th-28th September, the Lakes International Comic Arts Festival really is a PROPER comics show. None of your crappy Z list media celebs here, no hunting out artist’s alley tucked next to the toilets. No, as with Thought Bubble, LICAF is a celebration of the artform, packed with guests from the UK and worldwide. This year, one of the highlights has to be a rare appearance from Euro legend Lorenzo Mattotti.

But this week, LICAF also announced that they’d be playing host to one of comics finest writers… Grant Morrison MBE. Whether it’s his work as part of the British Invasion that gave DC huge hits with Arkham Asylum, Animal Man, Doom Patrol, The Invisibles, The Filth, or maybe their rather excellent 2000 AD series Zenith, or their continual playing in the superhero pool with his runs on JLA, Batman, X-Men, Final Crisis, and so many more, Morrison’s a truly legendary writer, perhaps second only to Alan Moore in terms of his importance and talent.

Morrison’s recent works include a partnership with fellow Scot and film director Etienne Kubwabo, on a new comic book project, Worlds Collide, featuring Morrison’s first ever superhero, Captain Clyde, and DJ ET, with art by Ben Wilsonham. If you’re looking for the origins of Captain Clyde, that was a strip first published in the Govan Press and the Clydebank & Renfrewshire Presses from 1979 to 1982 on the TV listings pages. Morrison’s first novel, LUDA, starring a flamboyant drag artist, was published by Europa Editions last year.

Morrison’s a huge name for LICAF, especially as they’re not a regular at any comics shows for many years.

GLENN FABRY SIGNING AT TRAVELLING MAN, MANCHESTER- 20 SEPTEMBER…

Speaking of iconic comic makers who don’t often do signings, Glenn Fabry‘s making a rare appearance at Travelling Man in Manchester on Saturday 20 September. He’ll be signing whatever you follks want to bring along, including copies of Peter Hogan‘s Black Forests and an exclusive Claudia Christian’s Dark Legacies limited edition art print, as published by Scratch Comics.

HELP SUPPORT GET READY COMICS OF KENT AFTER A DEVASTATING FIRE…

On 26 August 2025, Get Ready Comics of Rochester, Kent were the victims of an arson attack that badly damaged the shop and threatened the livelihoods of all invlved. Thankfully no one was hurt in the attack, and those behind Get Ready Comics have already had a soft reopening – which is such good news.

But of course, anything like this has the potential to permanently close any shop. The loss of stock, the loss of earnings, staff wages, and the costs of dealing with the extensive damage to the shop – it all costs money, it’s all got the potential to close yet another comic shop.

That’s where the GoFundMe comes in – every donation will help the shop get back on its feet. Go donate, share the word, or, if you’re in the area, head into Rochester to buy some comics.

AND FINALLY… MEMORIES OF NOSTALGIA & COMICS WANTED…

Pete McKinney, of The Hindsight Hut site, is busy researching a piece on one of Britain’s oldest comic shops – Birmingham’s Nostalgia & Comics (now Worlds Apart Birmingham). He wants to hear from you if you shopped there, visited there, or worked there.

Now, this one’s personal to me, as I not only shopped there from the age of 12, but worked there from 1987 to 2006, starting off as a kid just out of school as a summer job and going on to work Saturdays and holidays for 19 years, some of the best days of my life. It’s the place that set me on what I do now, and fostered a love of the medium that just won’t leave me. I owe the shop so much and it’s good to see it continue, albeit under a new name.

There’s a bigger piece at John Freeman’s Down The Tubes that’s great reading. You should definitely check out that and Lew Stringer‘s piece on the shop from 2019 when it changed to Worlds Apart. And hell, I’m even in there with my series Nostalgia & Comics and Me published over at my Fictions blog, a rather neglected place these days, unfortunately.

In the Down The Tubes piece, John mentions that N&C was Britain’s oldest comic shop in Britain – which I don’t think it is. One of the oldest sure, as Phil Clarke started N&C in November 1976. But Dark They Were and Golden Eyed opened in 1969/1970, although it was more a sci-fi bookshop, as was Edinburgh’s Sci-Fi Bookshop that opened in 1975. And then there’s Liverpool’s Forever People, which opened in 1976 as well. But no matter, it’s part of both the history of comics retail in the UK an Birmingham’s history, and it will be fascinating to see what Pete does.

You can get in touch with Pete at TheHindsightHut@outlook.com.