UPDATED: All the Bears

There's a story to be unpicked somewhere about all the following characters and, right now, I'm not sure how it all hangs together so I just need to start somewhere by working out all the instances of the character appearances that I've found so far.

The characters are Star Bears, Scare Bears and Were Bears...

UPDATE (13th August 2026)

My look at Z comic issue #3 is here - this contains a 4 page Star Bears strip ("Born under a bad sign"); 2 pages of 3 panel gag strips featuring the Scare Bears; a 4 pages Scare Bears strip (untitled but based around a skeleton needing a coat) 

My look at Z comic issue #4 is here - this contains a 6 page Star Bears strip ("Born under a bad sign") and an untitled 2 page Scare Bears strip (no title but based around Old Father Time and Medusa)

UPDATE (25th July 2026)...here's a packet of glow-in-the-dark stickers (available, at the time of typing, here for £59.99)

UPDATE (01/05/26): Here's a 48 page long, full colour, A4 sized comic that I've never seen before...

and here's the back page...

So the comic contents are as follows...

1). front cover - 1 page

2). Scare Bears meet the St. John badgers - 2 pages, new material

3). Star Bears - 4 pages, (reprinted from Zodiac comic #1)

4). Scare Bears - 4 pages, (reprinted from Zodiac comic #1)

5). Scare Bears - 12 pages

6). Star Bears - 4 pages, (reprinted from Zodiac comic #2)

7). map of the events going on in Hyde Park that day - 2 pages

8). Star Bears - 4 pages, (reprint from Zodiac comic #3)

9). Scare Bears - 4 pages

10). Star Bears - 6 pages, (reprint from Zodiac comic #4)

11). Scare Bears - 3 pages, reprinted from Zodiac comic #2

12). advert - 1 page

13). rear cover - 1 page

UPDATED: I've found an image of the Scare Bears stickers (25 in a pack for 24p!) so I've added that in below...

1). Star Bears 

Created by Craig Dixon and Matt Gibas

Here and here I looked at Z comic...

...which has 4 pages of Star Bears content...

...and then there was the sticker book (here)

And in this book there's a 6 page strip...

Here's an example page...

2). Scare Bears 

Illustrated by Craig Dixon and Matt Gibas

Illustrated by George Nicholas

This featured in the sticker book (here)

Here and here I looked at Z comic...

which featured a 4 page Scare Bears strip

there was also the Scare Bears monster party book that I looked at here

The Scare Bear also feature on the cover of 'Cartoon Aid' which I looked at here

and this has two newspaper style strips

plus this full-colour 12-page strip (illustrated by George Nicholas - my list of his work here)

3). Were Bears 

another comic from George Nicholas - which I looked at in more detail here - a title from 1990/1. So I'm assuming that the Scare Bears evolved into Were bears

Lawless 2026 - part 1

As ever there's SO much going on at Lawless convention that it's hard to try and take it all in, however I did manage to take a few photographs this year. I've grouped them together thematically and hopefully they'll bring back pleasant memories or inspire you to go to Lawless 2027 (being held on the 15th and 16th May 2027).

First up is Steve Dillon (t-shirts & art)...

UPDATED: The Jack Kirby Quarterly

Now (26th July 2026) updated with better images for issues 1-3...

The Jack Kirby Quarterly #1, £1.15, September 1993

The Jack Kirby Quarterly #2, £1.15, September 1994

The Jack Kirby Quarterly #3, £1.15, February 1995

all images c/o garybellscollectablesstore

Just a chance to record what issues 1-9 of this UK fanzine, the Jack Kirby quarterly, look like. Image snagged from this ebay seller - check out their other stuff! 

From 1993+

Steve Holland books

I've looked before at the British comics reference works by a number of authors...

i). Dennis Gifford books here (with all Gifford posts here

ii). Lofts & Adley books are here

iii). Dennis Gifford is here 

iv). David Ashford is here

v). Ray Moore is here

vi). Martin Hamer is here

vii). Colin Morgan is here

viii). Alan Clark is here

ix). Norman Wright is here

x). Martin & Hazel Trouse is here

xi). Tony Summerfield is here

I've looked before at one of Steve Holland's books (the Mike Western story - here) and I don't propose to list ALL of Steve's books (there are too many!) but I'm happy to highlight any of titles that I spot and that might be of interest to readers here...

Lion index by Steve Holland & Gary Armitage

The case of the perplexing pen-names - Steve Holland

currently on ebay here

UPDATED: Leo Baxendale - rare books

Over on Book Palace they've had some rare Leo Baxendale books up for sale recently and I thought it was a good opportunity to see what there is out there by the great man. Further examples of his self-published books very welcome!

UPDATE (9th August 2026) - I'm grateful for reddit user andredotlee for supplying me with this list of Reaper books...good luck tracking these dwon

Reaper Books

WILLY THE KID 1
WILLY THE KID 2 (1977)
WILLY THE KID 3
The Encroachment £7.95 (1988)
I LOVE You Baby Basil £13.95 (1991)
On Comedy; The Beano and Ideology £7.95 (1993)
Down the Plughole £2.95 (1995)
Pictures in the Mind £13.95 (1998)
THE WORST OF WILLY THE KID £100.00 (2004)
The Beano Room £55.00 (2005)
Hobgoblin Wars NA (2009)

Reaper Prints
The Baby Basil Wall Comic £35
The Birthday Picnic £45
The Birthday Cricket £45
Baby Basil Does His Bit £40

UPDATE (8th June 2026)

I've found this for sale here

CD Romic - Leo Baxendale, Reaper books, 1998

Was for sale here - this is Baxendale's autobiography

Was for sale here, Reaper books, 1993 - In "On Comedy", Leo Baxendale brings into close focus one decade; from 1953, the year of his creation of Bash Street, Minnie the Minx and Little Plum, to 1962, the year he left The Beano 

Is for sale here, 48 pages, Reaper books, 1988 - This is the study of a process of accumulating power and control. It describes the physical means of that process of control, and their material consequences for the lives of the people. It also examines the ideologies which determined, and determine, those means and those ends.

I've only ever seen a paperback version (priced at £3.95 apparently) but there was also a hardback version (with dustwrapper) for £8.95

This was for sale here, Gerald Duckworth & Co, 1978, 136 pages 

Alan Stranks - John Bull magazine, 1952

Care of friend of the blog Norman Boyd here's a couple of pages from John Bull magazine (dated 17 May 1952) all about scriptwriter Alan Stranks. Stranks worked as a scriptwriter for PC49 and Dan Dare in Eagle. His daughter was TV presenter Susan Stranks. 

Orbital comics - Image duplicator

Here's a shout out to the much missed Orbital Comics. I went to plenty of their exhibitions but I didn't realise that they'd ever produced any brochures for them. Well, they produced at least one brochure and here it is. 

This copy was for sale via the Gosh! comics facebook sale group (here - well worth joining) a few months ago but I missed my chance to grab this, boo! Ah well, the search continues.

OBBC silver jubilee - 1973

A rare souvenir from the Old Boys' Book Club - from 1973. Measures 21cm x 14cm, 20 pages.