UPDATED: Clive Barker's 'Hellbreed' - Marvel UK

Michael Carroll's timeline of Marvel UK comics (here) has an array of interestingly short-lived comics on that I thought I should create cover galleries for them. Sometimes this is easier said than done but let's look at the 3 issue Clive Barker's Hellbreed comic from 1995.

UPDATED with a better image for issue 2 and a better image for issue #3.

Clive Barker's 'Hellbreed' - issue #1, May 1995, £1.95

Clive Barker's 'Hellbreed' - issue #2, June 1995, £1.95

Clive Barker's 'Hellbreed' - issue #3, July 1995, £1.95

This appears to have then be collected in this volume (published under the Epic imprint) - or at least the cover has been re-used on this volume! Cover art by Mike Mignola.

Ganjaman presents

Not really my cup of tea but a recent ebay listing gave me a chance to easily grab some cover images. Some high profile contributors and even a Judge Dredd cover for issue #4.

Ganjaman presents #1

contributors include Gilbert Shelton, Alan Grant & Bryan Talbot

Ganjaman presents #2

contributors include Gilbert Shelton, Alan Grant, Bryan Talbot & Hunt Emerson

Ganjaman presents #3

Ganjaman presents #4

Ganjaman presents #5

Carlos Ezquerra art up for sale this week

These pages are up for sale tonight, good luck if you bid!

Catawiki auctions are running an auction this week called 'From the vaults of the Book Palace' - they ran one before that I covered on the blog here. Anyway, this 2nd auction also features a number of Carlos pages (and loads of other great stuff too but I'm just going to focus on the Carlos pages)...

This page from 'The Moses incident'

This page from 'The Moses incident'

This page from Durham Red

This page from Durham Red

Carlos Ezquerra art up for sale this week

Catawiki auctions are running an auction this week called 'From the vaults of the Book Palace' - they ran one before that I covered on the blog here. Anyway, this 2nd auction also features a number of Carlos pages (and loads of other great stuff too but I'm just going to focus on the Carlos pages)...

Auctions close on Sunday 21st July.

This page from 'The Moses incident'

This page from 'The Moses incident'

This page from Durham Red

This page from Durham Red

Shockwave - 1991

I've looked before at some DC reprint titles that appeared in the UK...

DC action! here

Zones here

and now the third and final title - Shockwave - published by London Editions magazines in 1991 for 4 issues. Here's my covers gallery...

Shockwave, issue 1, 1991, 95p, London Editions magazines

Dave McKean cover art

Shockwave, issue 2, 1991, 95p, London Editions magazines

cover art by Brian Bolland

Shockwave, issue 3, 1991, 95p, London Editions magazines

cover art by Joe Brozowski (AKA JJ Birch)

Shockwave, issue 4, 1991, 95p, London Editions magazines

cover art by David Lloyd

the cancellation of the title must have been quite sudden as the cover of this (final) issue carries a banner for part 1 of an interview with Alan Grant.

The Bogie Man - Chinatoon; by Atomeka Press

A couple of recent purchases (and the death of Garry Leach) has spurred me on to look at Atomeka Press. A look at the Grand Comics database (here) is helpful (thanks for the images!) but incomplete. So, I thought I'd try and rustle up my own complete (?) list of Atomeka publications.

I've looked at the original A1 series (from 1989) here

The Epic comics anthology (from 1992) is here

A1 series (from 1992) is here

Damien Darke is here

Atomeka miscellany is 

A1 True life bikini confidential is here

Bojeffries Terror Tome is here

Eddy Current by Ted McKeever is here

The Bogie man - Chinatoon by John Wagner / Alan Grant and with art by Robin Smith ran for 4 issues backin 1993 (in classic US comic format).

The Bogie man - Chinatoon by Atomeka; art by Robin Smith, script by John Wagner & Alan Grant, issue 1

The Bogie man - Chinatoon by Atomeka; art by Robin Smith, script by John Wagner & Alan Grant, issue 2

The Bogie man - Chinatoon by Atomeka; art by Robin Smith, script by John Wagner & Alan Grant, issue 3

The Bogie man - Chinatoon by Atomeka; art by Robin Smith, script by John Wagner & Alan Grant, issue 4

UPDATED: Alan Grant & Jon Haward

Updates in red below...

A random ebay search last week highlighted this item - it's copyrighted to (artist) Jon Haward and (writer) Alan Grant.

The question is - what was the series? Was it something that was (un)published? If it was just an example of Jon's fantasy art (as the back cover of the image attests) then why in Alan credited on the front of the image? Is this some sort of universe that they came up with together?

The big white character with the looooong arms and the traffic cone hat must ring some bells with someone???

I can now, thanks to friend of the blog Reuben Willmott share the following information

As you can see this is issue 7 (dated July 1999) of Frank Frazetta fantasy illustrated and it contains a complete 16 page story by Haward and Grant (both of whom are name-checked on the cover) called "Hell comes to Elf-town"

Perhaps the original image I highlighted was intended as a print? Thanks again Reuben!

UKCAC87 - Judge Dredd strip

 I spotted this Judge Dredd strip in the UKCAC87 brochure (cover art by Jim Baikie, below) and wondered if it had been shared more widely or not?

Anyway, here it is again - art is by Robin Smith & script is by John Wagner & Alan Grant

Alan Grant & Jon Haward

A random ebay search last week highlighted this item - it's copyrighted to (artist) Jon Haward and (writer) Alan Grant.

The question is - what was the series? Was it something that was (un)published? If it was just an example of Jon's fantasy art (as the back cover of the image attests) then why in Alan credited on the front of the image? Is this some sort of universe that they came up with together?

The big white character with the looooong arms and the traffic cone hat must ring some bells with someone???

DNA Swamp #2

I looked here at issue #1 (of 3) at 1997's DNA Swamp comic. I recently acquired a copy of issue 2. It's A4 sized, 52 pages, black & white throughout (apart from the covers and centre pages). 

Highlights are as follows...

Cover by Philip Blythe

There's a 4 page (plus this cover) interview with Frank Quitely (note that the pages are printed in the wrong order). A fun interview nonetheless. 

Alan Grant provides 2 pages on his tips on writing for comic strips.

PJ Holden provides the art for the Witchunter strip

Here's a picture from the launch party - picture left to right are...Glenn Fabry, Alan Grant, Christian Kotey, Frank Quitely & Will Simpson 

For all other mentions on the blog for Glenn Fabry click here

For all other mentions on the blog for Alan Grant click here

For all other mentions on the blog for Frank Quitely click here

For all other mentions on the blog for Will Simpson click here

The 13th floor volume 3

Just a reminder that the 3rd (and final) volume of the 13th floor books comes out today...

The Treasury of British comics imprint have announced the publication of the 3rd and final volume of The Thirteenth floor. As it says on their site it says...

The epic horror comic concludes with this third terrifying tome!
The Thirteenth Floor is one of the best remembered series of the 1980s, a cornucopia of chilling comics from the pages of Scream! and Eagle by writers John Wagner (Judge Dredd) and Alan Grant (Batman), and artist Jose Ortiz (Creepy).

In this third and final volume, Max the maniacal computer is back in Maxwell Tower, dishing out his twisted form of retribution on anyone who dares to cross his beloved residents! From a conniving milkman to thuggish street urchins, anyone who enters Max’s territory looking for trouble is going for a one-way trip to the thirteenth floor!

However, Max's past exploits have not gone unnoticed. The K.G.B. have sent their own super-powered computer called Boris to make Max an offer – help them conquer the world or face obliteration!
Don't miss the thrilling conclusion to this classic strip, beautifully rendered by Ortiz in his atmospheric black and white art.

You can order the regular edition paperback here for £14.99

and the webshop exclusive hardcover here for £19.99

The book is scheduled for release on Wednesday 15th September 2021

The 13th floor volume 3

The Treasury of British comics imprint have announced the publication of the 3rd and final volume of The Thirteenth floor. As it says on their site it says...

The epic horror comic concludes with this third terrifying tome!
The Thirteenth Floor is one of the best remembered series of the 1980s, a cornucopia of chilling comics from the pages of Scream! and Eagle by writers John Wagner (Judge Dredd) and Alan Grant (Batman), and artist Jose Ortiz (Creepy).

In this third and final volume, Max the maniacal computer is back in Maxwell Tower, dishing out his twisted form of retribution on anyone who dares to cross his beloved residents! From a conniving milkman to thuggish street urchins, anyone who enters Max’s territory looking for trouble is going for a one-way trip to the thirteenth floor!

However, Max's past exploits have not gone unnoticed. The K.G.B. have sent their own super-powered computer called Boris to make Max an offer – help them conquer the world or face obliteration!
Don't miss the thrilling conclusion to this classic strip, beautifully rendered by Ortiz in his atmospheric black and white art.

You can order the regular edition paperback here for £14.99

and the webshop exclusive hardcover here for £19.99

The book is scheduled for release on Wednesday 15th September 2021

Wasted magazine - a primer

I didn't get Wasted when it originally came out, being put off by the drugs-based content, it seems hard to acquire these days and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality in issue #1.

So to celebrate here's what you should be looking out for... 

Wasted, issue 1, September 2008, cover by Frank Quitely

Contributors include Alan Grant, Jon Haward, Mark Stafford, John Wagner, Simon Bisley, Gary Erskine

Wasted, issue 2, 2009, cover by Alan Kerr

Review from Down the Tubes is here

Wasted, issue 3, 2010, cover by Simon Bisley

Review from Down the tubes is https://downthetubes.net/?p=2034

Wasted, issue 4, 2010, cover by Dave Taylor

Review from Down the Tubes is here

Wasted, issue 5, 2010, cover by Neil Beattie

Review from Down the Tubes is here

Wasted, issue 6, 2010, cover by Cam Kennedy

Review from Down the Tubes is here

Wasted, issue 7, ??, cover by Alex Ronald 

Wasted, issue 8, 2011, cover by Gibson Quarter

Review from Down the Tubes is here