Rok the God Kickstarter ends this Friday

Still mulling over whether to back the Rok the God Kickstarter (here) but want even MORE bang for your buck? 

Never fear! John Wagner is here to explain all... 

We've been chided by backers for not offering enough options - Kickstarting is a steep learning curve for this old dog - so here are some optional add-ons to Rok your Socks!  I'm told you just add the extra cost onto your pledge and we sort it out at the survey stage.  Hope so.  I'm relying on you to know what you're doing, cos I don't!

ADD AN EXTRA £4 for postage UK,  £7 Europe, £10 RoW

Rok of the Reds graphic novel                   £20

Rok the God graphic novel                          £20

Rok the God graphic novel (BOLLAND cover)    £35

Signed John Wagner Judge Dredd script           £25

BRIAN BOLLAND A3 Poster                                    £15

SIMON BISLEY A3 ROK Poster                               £15

RADFORD REDS SHIRT - NEW LASER TOOLS LOGO - £40

We'll do the shirt in any size.  Weren't going to do shirts at all but it will look so good with the new logo we couldn't resist.  We've also added a new pledge at a lower level so you can book the Rok the God graphic novel with the great Simon Bisley Rok print.

So those are add-ons on top of the original list of pledges that are avialble - seems like a great way to get hold of a Brian Bolland or a Simon Bisley print. The best kickstarter out there is here

Rok the God - issue 1 now available

I've been a fan of Rok of the Reds ever since it came out, so I was delighted to see this news from his Rokness when it appeared on my facebook feed yesterday...  

TIRED OF WAITING FOR ROK THE GOD?

A FREE digital version of CHAPTER 1 will be accessible to all on Rok's forthcoming Kickstarter (October 2nd - mark the date!) but for those who JUST CAN’T WAIT we’ve printed a special PREVIEW ISSUE - Chapter 1, 20 strip pages, full colour. Available NOW - just message Dan Cornwell and he’ll send it off, £4 plus p&p. 

And here’s better news - we’ll even include a voucher for £4 off the eventual graphic novel. This won’t be valid for any Kickstarter reward, so don’t forget to check out the ROK THE GOD KICKSTARTER. Some AMAZING goodies available including:

* BRIAN BOLLAND variant cover!

* Poster and ORIGINAL ART from SIMON BISLEY!

* Amazing Neil Blackbird Sims ROK statuette - one of maximum 13 only!

* Original Dan Cornwell SKETCHES and much more!

AND the first five subscribers to the Rok Kickstarter will earn a chance to win an ORIGINAL ALAN GRANT BATMAN SCRIPT. Five names in the hat, one lucky winner!

This is the Dan Cornwell you're looking for on facebook...

ROKTOBER

Rok of the Reds - website updated

To (nearly) celebrate the start of the new football season Rok of the Reds has updated his website (here) and it's full of Rok goodies, including a forum, a (bigger) shop and the opportunity for you to sponsor the strip! 

Head over there now to get your hands on some of these goodies...

Rok of the Reds trade paperback is announced

I've been a fan of 'Rok of the Reds' for ages (here's my plug for issue 1 here) and it's been a pleasure to see Dan's artwork go on to grace the pages of 2000AD, BHP comics are now gearing up to publish the trade paperback version, collecting all 6 issues together (complete with previously unseen additional bonus material). The cover has just been released and looks like this...

It's available to pre-order here for £18.99 plus postage (£3 in the UK). The release date is 16th April 2018.

What are you waiting for? Go pre-order it!

Rok of the Reds issue 6 - coming very soon

Rok of the Reds issue 6 is now available for pre-order from Dan Cornwell (find him on facebook here). This is the final issue of this great series, Dan Cornwell, Alan Grant & John Wagner are attending the Enniskillen comic festival (more details here) this weekend and it sounds like the first copies will be available there. The rest of us will have to wait until next week to get the mailed out to us :(

Don't forget you can also get yourself a Radford Reds t-shirt...

You can also still buy prints from Dan...

And if you are quick there's still time to bid on Dan's rejected (by himself) cover for issue 6, it can be found here

More details about published BHP comic can be found here

My review of issue 4 of Rok can be found here

My review of issue 3 of Rok can be found here

My review of issue 2 of Rok can be found here

My review of issue 1 of Rok can be found here

Next stop for Dan is drawing Judge Dredd, can't wait for that...

Comics update 2

After yesterday's post I realised I'd missed a few things out, so don't forget about the following...

1). Rok of the Reds - part 6 (the last part, sob!) is out at the end of the month and it's already available for pre-ordering

https://tictail.com/s/bhpcomics/rok-of-the-reds-6-pre-order-released-late-april-2017

2. The latest issue of 'Tales from the Tardis' came out on Thursday...copies already available on ebay and in those few branches of WHSmith that stock it

3). last one's a bit different...but for those of you who loved Smash Hits...

It's gone but it's clearly not forgotten so we're about to reboot the world of the disco lungsmith, the cut-out-and-keep song lyric, the fright-haired video and the liberal application of Pan Stik, a sacred swingorilliant place where Jed out of Howard Jones forever discards his mental chains.

On Monday April 24 we’ll be celebrating the magazine that bestrode the ‘80s like a big bestriding colossus, the irreplaceable Smash Hits, the Party On Paper™ unafraid to ask pop stars like Alan Ant, Madge, Ver Bros and Lord Lucan of Mercury if they’ve ever been sick in a gumboot or warn Beyoncé never to marry a man called Mister Castle. “Next issue – a duck, some tractors and a pound of lard!”

David Hepworth and Mark Ellen both edited this magnificent pop bible and will be joined by friends and fellow workers for an unmissable evening of tear-stained reminiscence.

Kicks off at 7.15pm in the usual place, the Islington pub in N1. Who knows, we may give away a Johnny Hates Jazz promotional t-shirt.

Keep the dream alive! etc. Tickets are available here - currently priced at £10

http://www.wiyelondon.com/events/wiye-presents-memories-of-smash-hits/

Comics update

There seems to be a ton of comics stuff going on at the moment so I thought I'd try and round-up the new developments..


1). Frontline UK will be officially out of print tomorrow - really, really last chance to buy

http://bearalleybooks.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/frontline-uk-special-offer.html

I've just bought this and am enjoying it so far




2). Arena will be officially out of print tomorrow - really, really last chance to buy

http://bearalleybooks.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/arena-special-offer.html

3). Titan books will be reprinting Hookjaw in mid-September 2017

I go the Spitfire comics reprint when that cam out a few years ago and even met Ramon Sola at the ICA in London, about 10 years ago, must see if I can fish his autograph out..


4). HookJaw issue 4 (of 5) is now out

as ever there are 3 different covers to collect...


5). I knew that 'The Leopard from Lime Street" was coming soon...

what I didn't know until I read (https://bearalley.blogspot.co.uk/) this morning was that "...Rebellion will be publishing The Leopard from Lime Street Volume 1 in July in a regular softcover edition with a limited hardcover from Rebellion Publishing".


6). Steve Holland also notes that this is the second book in the Treasury of British Comics line following on from the release of One-Eyed Jack in June.

7). And don't forget that Rok of the Reds #5 is now available (and issue 6 is not that far away)

8). BHP publishing are also publishing this...

this is a companion to Frank's exhibition - and this is due out 1st April

Recent publications (3) - When Saturday Comes

Issue 360 of When Saturday Comes is now out, this is the February 2017 issue and costs £3.50.
Thought I would just flag it up here because in amongst all the football talk you might expect there's 2 pages dedicated to recent developments in football comics

So Rok of the Reds gets reviewed...

you can keep up to date with all the action over of Rok's facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Rok-of-the-Reds-1518059935157279/


Also featured is a new comic from American publisher IDW featuring a fictional West Ham player. I'll certainly be checking this comic out



Barrie Tomlinson's book also gets a fair review



and 'The rise of the Invincibles', the new book about the early days of Preston North End (illustrated by former Roy of the Rovers artist David Sque) also gets a review

Rok of the Reds - issue 4

September saw the publication of issue 4 ("sentence of death") of Rok of the Reds

note that not all copies are defaced by John Wagner and Dan Cornwell :)


Industry legends John Wagner and Alan Grant (Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Judgement on Gotham, A History of Violence) team up once again to bring you Rok of the Reds alongside stunning art by Dan Cornwell.
Rok of the Reds is a six part series showing what happens when the lives of a dangerous intergalactic outlaw and an arrogant footballer collide. With his home world destroyed, Rok of Arkadi is on the run and needs a hiding place. And that hiding place happens to be troubled football star Kyle Dixon.
A black comedy about revenge, redemption and the ‘beautiful game’.


Here's my spoiler free review...
As Rok/Kyle start to consider the future via a classic Roy of the Rovers style cup run, trouble is brewing behind the scenes via the 4th estate and his own parents! Rok's days of sitting on the comfy flowery armchair in his slippers appear to be numbered, but only once the cup semi-final is out of the way surely?


One of the best independent comics out there right now.


http://bhpcomics.tictail.com/product/rok-of-the-reds-issue-4


You can tweet them via @BHP_comics or facebook them up via

Rok of the Reds - issue 3

ok so I'm coming to the Rok of the Reds party late but I'm trying to make up for it by having a Rok week here ok? Anyway, August 2016 saw the publication of Rok of the Reds issue 3

Industry legends John Wagner and Alan Grant (Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Judgement on Gotham, A History of Violence) team up once again to bring you Rok of the Reds alongside stunning art by Dan Cornwell.

Rok of the Reds is a six part series showing what happens when the lives of a dangerous intergalactic outlaw and an arrogant footballer collide. With his home world destroyed, Rok of Arkadi is on the run and needs a hiding place. And that hiding place happens to be troubled football star Kyle Dixon.

A black comedy about revenge, redemption and the ‘beautiful game’.


My spoiler free review...
In this chapter ("The beautiful game") Rok/Kyle get the hang of football "...it is principally a matter of contact. The swifter the rotation, the greater the deviation. Ball construction, atmospheric conditions, wind direction and velocity also play their part. there are many variables" - as he explains the physics of free kicks to a bemused team-mate. Rok/Kyle also experience problems maintaining his secret identity and gets to grips with football corruption in his own inimical way. This is still looking like the Tiger/2000ad strip that time forgot. And I mean that in the best possible way.
Production values continue to be top-notch on this independent comic.


Issue 3 on its own
http://bhpcomics.tictail.com/product/rok-of-the-reds-issue-3-pre-order-release-date-3-august


Issue 1-3 bundle
http://bhpcomics.tictail.com/product/rok-of-the-reds-3-issues-for-10


tweet via @BHP_comics
facebook via https://www.facebook.com/bhpcomics/?fref=ts

Rok of the Reds - issue 2

Rok of the Reds issue 2 was published by BHP comics in July this year and for those of you coming to it late, this is what you've missed...

Industry legends John Wagner and Alan Grant (Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Judgement on Gotham, A History of Violence) team up once again to bring you Rok of the Reds alongside stunning art by Dan Cornwell.

Rok of the Reds is a six part series showing what happens when the lives of a dangerous intergalactic outlaw and an arrogant footballer collide. With his home world destroyed, Rok of Arkadi is on the run and needs a hiding place. And that hiding place happens to be troubled football star Kyle Dixon.

A black comedy about revenge, redemption and the ‘beautiful game’.


My spoiler free review...
In this issue ("Alien Blood") the alien Rok tried to get to grips with the purpose of football "...yes. a pointless pastime, and yet...something strangely pleasing about it. Difficult not to feel a certain sense of...exhilaration. No doubt it will pass" while at the same time trying to maintain the pretence of living in a boarding house in the suburbs (shades of early Doomlord stories in the new Eagle here). But is his secret about to be revealed?


@BHP_comics
https://www.facebook.com/bhpcomics/?fref=ts

Rok of the Reds - issue 1

BHP comics are the publishers of 'Rok of the reds' the sci-fi football mash-up comic that looks like the editors of Tiger and 2000ad had a row about and couldn't decide who should publish it. Because they would both want to publish it I mean. It's that good.

Industry legends John Wagner and Alan Grant (Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Judgement on Gotham, A History of Violence) team up once again to bring you Rok of the Reds alongside stunning art by Dan Cornwell.


Rok of the Reds is a six part series showing what happens when the lives of a dangerous intergalactic outlaw and an arrogant footballer collide. With his home world destroyed, Rok of Arkadi is on the run and needs a hiding place. And that hiding place happens to be troubled football star Kyle Dixon.
A black comedy about revenge, redemption and the ‘beautiful game’.


More details here...
http://bhpcomics.com/rok-of-the-reds/


Here's my spoiler-free review...
There's a lot of exposition in issue 1 (of 6 issues) as we move from a sci-fi setting to a more domestic, British football game based adventure. It's no easy task but it's accomplished easily by comics experts John Wagner & Alan Grant. I love the commentary on the football matches by the crowd, this is so redolent of old Roy of the Rovers comics as to bring a retro glow to this old school comics fan. We meet Rok (the alien) and Kyle Dixon (obnoxious football player) and how their lives collide as Kyle's life spirals out of control. More please!


Issue 1 is for sale here
http://bhpcomics.tictail.com/product/rokofthereds1


Issue 1-3 issue bundle is available here
http://bhpcomics.tictail.com/product/rok-of-the-reds-3-issues-for-10