Signings at Gosh comics for FCBD

Gosh comics have announced an amazing array of talent will be at Gosh on Free Comic Book day from, basically, dawn to dusk

more details here and here are the posters for the rest of the day...

To the death signing is announced

The London branch of Forbidden Planet have announced (here) that Simon Furman and Geoff Senior will be in store for a signing of their new comic, To the Death

As it says on the website, on Saturday 22nd June 2019, from 1pm this new comic will be launcjed...

Earth, 2674: career soldier Aleksy Dryagin comes home to a hero’s welcome… and a death sentence.

Thrust into a maelstrom of power plays, betrayal and entrenched last stands, Dryagin finds enemies at every turn, even within his own Pacifier squadron, and a malignant conspiracy that threatens the lives of his wife and son… and countless billions of others.

Simon Furman is a writer for comic books and TV animation, his name inextricably linked to Transformers, the 80s toy phenomenon. He has written literally hundreds of stories about the war-torn ‘robots in disguise’, for Marvel Comics (US and UK), Dreamwave and most recently for IDW Publishing. His other comic book credits include Doctor Who, Dragon’s Claws, Death’s Head, Alpha Flight, Turok, She-Hulk, Robocop and What If?

Geoff Senior has been a professional artist and illustrator for over 35 years. Although most notorious for his work on Transformers comic in the 1980s, he has provided artwork for many comic titles including Action Force, Dragon’s Claws and Judge Dredd. Geoff also created the Death’s Head character for Marvel in 1987 with Simon Furman.

more Free Comic Book Day signings announced

Forbidden Planet in London have announced 2 further upcoming signings...

As it says here...
As part of our celebrations for Free Comic Book Day, Forbidden Planet are delighted to announce a special TITAN COMICS signing, with Jessica Martin and Simon Furman, taking place at our London Megastore from 3 - 4pm on Saturday 4th May!

Jessica Martin has had a glittering career in theatre, comedy, television and radio. She’s been a teenage jazz singer, a cult Doctor Who guest star, a West End musical theatre actress and has become a comic creator and published graphic novelist. Jessica will be signing our EXCLUSIVE cover of the FCBD title Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor.

We will also have the normal cover available to be signed.

Simon Furman writes comics and TV animation, and is best known for his work on Transformers. He’s written (literally) hundreds of titles for the ‘robots in disguise’ for Marvel, in both the UK and US, for Dreamave and for IDW Publishing. He’s also written Doctor Who, Dragon’s Claws, Death’s Head, Alpha Flight, Turok, She-Hulk, and What If? His television titles include Beast Wars and Dan Dare. Simon oversees the editorial content of Titan Books’ Transformers titles and ‘Comics Creators’ series. He will be signing the FCBD title RoboTech.

2000ad Villains takeover special - a signing is announced

Forbidden Planet London have announced a 2000ad 'villains takeover special' signing...details below... 

As is says (here) on the Forbidden Planet website...

As part of our celebrations for Free Comic Book Day, Forbidden Planet are delighted to announce an event with Droids Matt Smith, Greg Staples, Keith Richardson and Pye Parr for the 2000AD Villains Takeover Special, taking place at our London Megastore from 1 - 2pm on Saturday 4th May!

The bad guys are taking over the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic - with a nefarious special one-shot full of criminal capers and villainous ventures!

We have the very best forbidden felons and outlandish outlaws, the lawman of the future faces a familiar rictus grin in Judge Death: The Judge Who Laughs by Rob Williams and Henrik Sahlstrom; there’s fiendish fantasy with Lord Weird Slough Feg: Lord Of The Hunt by Pat Mills and Kyle Hotz; there’s chem-wreathed criminality in the world of Rogue Trooper in Brass and Bland: The Professionals by Karl Stock and Kael Ngu; there’s the malefactory mutant-bountyhunters-turned-bad-guys, The Stix, from Strontium Dog in Stix: Sleeping Dogs Lie by Matt Smith and Chris Weston; and all rounded off by Terror Tale: Last of the Hellphibians by that master of the mendacious Henry Flint!

Matt Smith, alias Cyber-Matt, is a British comics editor. He became editor of 2000AD in January 2002, and took over as editor of the   Judge Dredd Megazine in February 2006. Smith is 2000 AD's ninth Tharg, and its longest serving. He has written several Judge Dredd novels, several one-off Dredd stories for FCBD and instalments of the syndicated Dredd newspaper strip, as well as Top of the World, Ma-Ma, a comic strip prequel to the movie Dredd. He won Eagle Awards for favourite editor in 2007, 2008 and 2011.

If  you can't make the signing then you can order a signed copy of the comic right here

ACP#200 - thank you

Thanks for your donation in support of the to Little Heroes - you can find out more by heading over to their website here

Tony, Dan and Vince also say 'thanks' - you can follow their weekly antics in the world of comics just here

Dave Gibbons' Jet Jason - a new episode

At the end of last year I revealed a 'lost' character (Jet Jason) that had been created by Dave Gibbons whilst he was still working in British comics in the early '80s (i.e. before he started drawing mainly for big US publishers).

Up until now I knew that Jet Jason appeared in the official magazine of British Airways Junior Jet Club as follows...
1979 - July (here); October/November (here)
1980 - Spring (here); Summer (here); Winter (here)
1981 - Spring (here); Summer (here); Winter (here)
1982 - Spring (here); Summer (here); Winter (here)
1983 - Spring (here)

...but I didn't know what happened after that, as the Spring 1983 issue only had a pin-up rather than a comic strip I surmised that was maybe the last of Jet as by then Dave would have been too busy with his work for the US market. 

However. a further issue of Fleetwings has now come to light and it DOES contain a Jet Jason strip...this is the Winter 1983 issue (thus suggesting that there is a Summer 1983 issue out there as well as this would fit the publishing pattern seen in 1981 and 1982)...

and this is the Jet Jason strip and while the style may be similar to Dave Gibbons' work there's no denying that the strip is by another hand - the mysterious S King 

There is one bit of good news for 'proper' Jet Jason fans though - the chance to spend £2.50 on a Fleetwings Jet Jason pencil wallet and 2 ballpens (one blue, one red)

Here's the image blown up a bit more

Jet appears to be saying "Look out Stellar! I'll pacify that space monster with the neutralizer" 
Stellar [woman] appears to be saying "He only wants to talk Jet"
Digit [robot] says "A friend in need is a friend indeed"


This frame had not been used in any of the episodes previously (theoretically it MIGHT have come from the Summer 1983 issue of Fleetwings but until a copy of that turns up it's impossible to verify).


Another example of Jet Jason being used on promotional material

So there you go then my contender for the most obscure piece of Dave Gibbons merchandise ever produced - have you got anything that can beat it?

Swift birthday books and other Swift comic merchandise

For those who aren't aware Swift was a companion title to the original Eagle - it was a 'feeder' title if you will - and in fact it eventually merged with Eagle. Launched on 20th March 1954 it ran until 2nd March 1963

All images taken from this eBay listing. I'd heard of these but not seen them before - unfortunately, I can't even tell you how many 'issues' of the Swift birthday book there were. So I swiped these from the seller and if I ever find out any more I'll add it in...

Compalcomics (part illustrated lot 107 in their Summer 2013 sale (British comics section)) with birthday book 3 & 4 (plus other items) for £181 (incl. buyers premium)

and then (lot 101, part illustrated) in their Autumn 2012 auction (British section) this lot went for £150

And then I thought I'd stay on the Compal website and look at what other interesting Swift items they might ever have sold...

From the auction in Summer 2012 (British section, lot 88) there were Girl / Swift / Robin Birthday and Membership Cards & Badges (early 1950s) Girl: 2 Birthday Cards Club Membership Card Badge and Compliments slip Swift: 6 Birthday Cards Club Membership Card Club Badge and six envelopes Robin: 4 Birthday Cards Birthday Club Card Club Badge and Happy Birthday postcard Birthday cards and Club cards [vfn] (26) Winning bid incl. 10% Buyer's Premium: £143

Lot 101 in the Spring 2010 (British section) is described thus...Swift (1954-56) Vol 1: 1-41 Full year missing issues 11 15 22 and 26; Vol 2: 1-53 complete year and Vol 3: 1-18. With 28pg Swift Quester's Books 1 2 and 3. Vol 1 issues 1-29 front/back cover split [fr/gd] balance 79 issues [vg/fn-] (111) Winning bid incl. 10% Buyer's Premium: £121. The lot is unillustrated so I can't tell you what the Swift Quester books are, but they sound intriguing.

And a Tarna the jungle boy birthday card

There are some Swift comic free gifts shown here

Swift jigsaws
There were a LOT of Dan Dare / Eagle pieces of merchandise, especially jigsaws so I figured there must be some Swift jigsaws out there - here's the only one I've found so far...

The last planet by David Pugh & Simon Davies - issue 2

David Pugh's art graces the cover for the second (and final) issue of The last planet.

This is what you've missed so far...

A VERY distinctive David Pugh gun...

And here's another typically understated David Pugh creation...

The last planet by David Pugh & Simon Davies - issue 1

The other title that Mindbenders produced was The last planet - again it only lasted 2 issues

Back cover...

Signed copies were also available

And here's some very distinctive art by David Pugh...

And some more...

The story is summarised this...Earth, the last inhabited planet in a dying universe. The hedonists have taken over and are ruthlessly having a good time - can a single Shoalin warrior save her city from destruction?

Striker comic - cover gallery part 4

Pete Nash's Striker comic (volume 2); covers gallery part 4 - issues 19-24. Thanks for the comics Pete.

Issue 19

Issue 20

Issue 21

Issue 22

Issue 23

Issue 24

Striker comic - cover gallery part 3

Pete Nash's Striker comic (volume 2) - issues 13-18; cover gallery part 3