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30 June 2020

Judge Dredd: Uprising - the live experience

Over here it's just been announced that a Judge Dredd immersive experience is set to launch in London next year...

Register for updates here at 
https://judgedredduprising.com/

and follow @DreddUprising on twitter

Let's check out what they had to say...
It has been announced that an immersive experience set in the universe of comic book character Judge Dredd will open in London next spring. Judge Dredd Uprising: The LIVE Experience will include immersive live theatre, five zones of mental and skill challenges, a laser tag combat arena, a series of different narratives, and more. The uncompromising lawman Judge Dredd first appeared in the pages of U.K. science fiction comic 2000 AD in 1977. The character has inspired two films, 1995's Sylvester Stallone-starring Judge Dredd and 2012's Dredd, which was written by Devs creator Alex Garland and starred Karl Urban. The immersive experience will last 150 minutes and take place in a dystopian version of London named "Brit-Cit."

"This show is insanely exciting!" said Tom Lionetti-Maguire, Founder and CEO of the immersive experience's creators Little Lion Entertainment, in a statement. "The experience is part comic book, part sci-fi film, part immersive theatre, part escape room, part action adventure, and part indoor theme park."
"The world of Judge Dredd is the greatest imaginative universe to come out of British comics and we're proud to bring it to ever wider audiences," said Jason Kingsley, CEO of Rebellion Entertainment, which owns the Judge Dredd intellectual property.
See the trailer for Judge Dredd Uprising above and images of what the immersive experience will look like below.


Phantom 2040 (Phoenix press)

A rare departure for me today as I highlight a US comic series...The reason? Well a while ago I looked at the Iznogoud comic series (here) and realised that I didn't know much about the publisher Phoenix Press. Some quick googling brings up the title Phantom 2040. Its wikipedia entry (here) gives details of the series. There was a 4-issue series produced May-July 1995, covers below...


These covers look like they'd been used for the Phoenix Press issues (below) - they're undated (but the copyright date is for 1996) but here's the cover to issue 1...
Phantom 2040, Issue 1, Phoenix Press Ltd 

Phantom 2040, Issue 2, Phoenix Press Ltd 



Phantom 2040, Issue 3, Phoenix Press Ltd 

The Phantom wiki page (here) notes that the US 4-issue series became a 3-issue series here in the UK. One and a half stories were squeezed into UK issues 1 & 2 and the 4th story was reprinted in issue 3.

Phoenix press also produced a "VR Troopers - 3D" comic - but that's a post for another day but I wonder if they produced any other titles - let me know if you come across anything else.

29 June 2020

2003 deck of cards - Bristol comics festival (part 1 of 3)

A while ago I looked at the charity deck of playing cards that Kev Sutherland produced to tie in with the 2001 comics festival he organised in Bristol.
The hearts suit of cards is here
The diamonds suit of cards is here
The clubs suit of cards is here
The spades suit of cards is here

He then repeated the exercise just once more - in 2003 
Part 1 of the 2003 set looks like this...



If you want to acquire this lovely set of cards there's one currently for sale here

28 June 2020

UPDATED: Paul Temple library by Micron

In 1964 digest publisher Micron produced 10 issues of the 'Paul Temple library' reprinting newspapers strips from the Evening News. I own issues 1, 2 and 4 and the reprints are very scarce indeed. 

I've added in one new cover image (#6) and added titles to the missing volumes.

Paul Temple library (Micron) issue 1 - Paul Temple and the magpie mystery

Paul Temple library (Micron) issue 2 - Paul Temple and the gun runners

Paul Temple library (Micron) issue 3 - Paul Temple and the nerve gas gang

Paul Temple library (Micron) issue 4 - Paul Temple in Operation Shrike

Paul Temple library (Micron) issue 5 - Paul Temple plays with fire
image not to hand - can you help?

Paul Temple library (Micron) issue 6 - Paul Temple meets his double

Paul Temple library (Micron) issue 7 - Paul Temple and the safari mystery
image not to hand - can you help?

Paul Temple library (Micron) issue 8 - Paul Temple in the charge is murder!
image not to hand - can you help?

Paul Temple library (Micron) issue 9 - Paul Temple and the Q.40 mystery
image not to hand - can you help?

Paul Temple library (Micron) issue 10 - Paul Temple and the missing Van Gogh
image not to hand - can you help?

If you love Paul Temple why not head over to 'Bear Alley' (here) as Steve has reprinted a number of the strips.

27 June 2020

Warhammer monthly comics - focus on other cover artists

Recently I've been working my way through the cover artists who graced the cover of Warhammer monthly comic back in the late 90s / early '00s...

Issues 1-10 is here


Issues 11-20 is here
Issues 21-30 is here
Issues 31-40 is here
Issues 51-60 is here


Issues 61-70 is here
Issues 71-80 is here
Issues 81-86 is here

But obviously if you're after a particular artist I realised that it'd be a bit of a slog going through all those links, so instead I'm going to do a bit of a short-cut selection here and just look at the covers of a single artist at a time.

I looked at Clint Langley's covers here 
I looked at Colin MacNeil's covers here
I looked at Kev Hopgood's covers here
I looked at Kev Walker's covers here
I looked at Simon Davis's covers here

Next up is a selection of artists whose names you might not normally associate with the title - maybe a bit more familiar if you're a 2000AD reader...

Warhammer monthly comic - issue 63, cover by Patrick Goddard, Lee Townsend and Len O'Grady

Warhammer monthly comic - issue 73, cover by Dylan Teague

Warhammer monthly comic - issue 76, cover by Patrick Goddard

Warhammer monthly comic - issue 77, cover by Patrick Goddard

Warhammer monthly comic - issue 84, cover by Frazer Irving

26 June 2020

Brian Bolland - BEM interior art

For any Brian Bolland fans out there here's a quick guide to the issues of BEM (Bug Eyed Monster) fanzine you should be looking to collect...

I looked at the BEM covers here

As well as these covers his artwork also appeared in the following issues...I'll highlight some of his less well-known work (rather than just lots of copies of the well-known 'People like us' advert)...

20 - (full page) Forbidden Planet advert (People like us...)
21 - (full page) Forbidden Planet advert (People like us...)
22 - (full page) Forbidden Planet advert (People like us...)
23 - (full page) Forbidden Planet advert (Hey! put that down...)

24 - (small sketch) 2000AD Conrad Conn, Mega-City One's foremost vid-pic star and "handsomest man in the world, introduced in Judge Dredd's 'The Day The Law Died' part 13, 2000 AD Prog 101 by Wagner & Bolland

25 - no contribution
26 - (quarter page) Forbidden Planet advert (People like us...); Judge Dredd sketch accompanying advert for interview with Brian in Masters of Infinity #2

27 - Judge Dredd sketch

28 - no contribution
29 - (quarter page) Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan the barbarian
30 - (full page) Comic Showcase advert (Joker)
31 - (full page) Comic Showcase advert (Joker)
32 - (full page) Comic Showcase advert (Joker)
32 - (full page) Comic Showcase advert (Joker) 
33 - (full page) Comic Showcase advert (Joker)
34 - (full page) Comic Showcase advert (Joker)
35 - no contribution
36 - no contribution

25 June 2020

UPDATED: Swift comic merchandise quide

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

UPDATED IMAGES HERE...
Swift paintbox! 


Previously seen images...

Swift club membership card...

...and here are the club details...

...and details of a particular exhibition



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...




The second Swift Birthday Book

the seller noted...
This is A RARE VINTAGE 1957 RELATED TO SWIFT YOUNG CHILDREN'S COMIC - THE SECOND SWIFT BIRTHDAY BOOK OF PUZZLES COMPLETE WITH THE ORIGINAL ENVELOPE SENT TO RECIPIENT FROM BINN'S ROAD LIVERPOOL.

Apart from rusty staples in fabulous clean and unused condition for a 63 year old booklet as it has been kept in a drawer in it's original envelope since receiving on 09.07.1957.






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

Over on 'Dan Dare info' (here) I've spotted an extra Swift birthday card




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...



24 June 2020

UPDATED: Eagle, Girl, Swift "Match-the-pairs"

Friend of the blog Norman Boyd has kindly supplied me with some adverts from the original Eagle - I'll present a selection over the coming days, here's a few to get you going...all are from 1961 and are based around the "Match-the-pairs" from Quaker Puffed Wheat...updated material is in red

Original Eagle artist John "PC49" Worsley also draws an advert...




Nick Symes posts on youtube (here) so why not check out some of his videos about cereal packet collectables? He's kindly sent me the image (below) of what the actual cereal packet looked like