The 77 #3

The latest issue of small press comic The 77 arrived earlier this week but I've only just got around to reading it spurred on by the arrival of three, yes three packages of comics several of which will be up for review in due course. My tastes in comics may be changing and diamond going out the window but there'll always be comics in my life!

This is the third issue of The 77 which is funded by Kickstarter and is an anthology of various strips with varied art & writing but always entertaining which after all is the reason we actually read comics. Although the collective are managing to get stuff out and printed having continuing strips in anything less than monthly does sometimes leave the reader having to try and remember what has gone before in one or two case.

The top strips in my opinion (and in no particular order) are:

Division 77 by Dave Heely (w) & Sinclair Elliot (a)a science fiction story about human soldiers serving a master that simply destroys life everywhere it goes unless they serve is finally picking up pace and I await further installments with interest. 

The Screaming Hand by Kek-W (w) & Conor Boyle (a) is also picking up speed and promising to be an interesting adventure as physicist Paul Stoneman pursues the people who kidnapped his wife. The strange hand appears and kills those hindering him and seemingly helps but is it actually on his side?

Penny Pentagram appears in Part One of Howling Moonshine by D.Thomas (w) & J. Roydon (a). A werewolf is loose in London and penny needs a book about the curses that makes men werewolves. Trouble is when she gets to Camden it's in the hands of a handsome stranger. Is he friend or foe....

I also thought Matilda Atkins and the Amulet of Destiny by Michael Powell (w) & Sarah Millman was a cute read and hope for more of this one.

There quite a few other stories though the two funnies don't really appeal. Maybe I just read them on the wrong day. This bloody pandemic is getting me down since I have to be extra careful. 

Overall this comic is a sterling effort by Benksy & his team of creators and comes recommended as solid read.

Rating 4 Stars.

Available from: getmycomics.com/The77

Doctor Who - Time Lord Victorious: He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not (Big Finish Audio)

Time Lord Victorious is a multi-media Doctor adventure that began in Doctor Who Magazine last month as a comic strip featuring the Ninth Doctor (and is continuing) plus a second comic adventure published by Titan (in an American format) featuring the Tenth Doctor. I will get around to reviewing these in due course but am a bit behind and anyway this sixty minute features the Eight Doctor who is only known from one BBC film and a short special some years back.

The Eight incarnation of the Doctor was or is played by Paul McGann and Big Finish have produced a large range of audio adventures on CD featuring him and his various companions, the best known being Charlie rescued from the crashing Airship 101 but that is a story for another day even if in the past. Time travel can be confusing.

This Doctor has of course not yet met the Ood but then he's just decided  land on a planet called Atharna to revisit one of the seven hundred wonders of the universe but somethings wrong. The place is bare, a desert where an ocean should be and there are two people in need of his help.

Photo: CC Swamp Dragon

The Doctor is about to meet Brian a rather nasty assassin and bounty hunter who is on the trial of two lovers. One to bring home the other to kill. Did I mention he's one of the Ood?

Part one of  a story to be continued in next months release My Enemy Of My Enemy featuring the Doctors most dangerous opponents?

Watch out for further comics, books, Big Finish audio CD's and a five part You Tube BBC Animation as Time Lord Victorious continues over the coming months.

Available from Big Finish 

Sentinel #4 Out Now!

Sentinel #4 (Sentinel Publishing)

Alan Holloway (w) Ian Beadle (a)

The latest issue of the small press Sentinel arrived in the post today and when I had finished my chores I sat down listening to Porridge Radio and relaxed with their latest effort and a worthwhile read it turned out to be!

Sentinel is a "pocket sized" comic, a format which will be familiar to readers of Commando and contains one complete story. Sub-titled "The Sci-Fi, Fantasy Horror Comic"  Misty Moore certainly fits the bill as a horror story. Presumably set in the West Country Misty moves to Yeotown after an "incident" that is not explained to a large shared house with two other families.

Setting off for school Misty soon becomes the target of the bullies that prey on the weak and though manages to find a friend in Roberta the bullying makes her life a misery especially when she takes a place on the school hockey team.

After being severely beaten up Misty swears revenge out loud and something happens....

With a well written script and art that matches this comic is well worth picking up. Comes in two covers. I ordered the variant cover edition.

Sentinel can be found on Facebook: here: 

Rating: 4 Stars (Recommended)

The next issue promises to be a full colour special. It will be on my "to buy list"!

The Kickstarter will begin in November!

Doctor Who: Fanfare for the Common Men (Limited Vinyl Release)

Doctor Who: Fanfare for the Common Man (Big Finish) (Limited purple vinyl edition) 

Starring Peter Davison & Sarah Sutton.

Standing with Nyssa at the airport the Doctor is waiting to see the biggest British band in the sixties. A world wide phenomenon and then off the aeroplane step...the Fabulous Three known to everyone as...... The Common Men.....?

As the Doctor (played by Peter Davison) tries to figure out what is going on a mysterious figure with a gun appears in the crowd and tries to shoot at the band. He's stopped by the Doctor but only just and as the potential assassin disappears (literally) from sight taking young Nyssa with him.

History has been changed. The Beatles have been replaced and National Service continues disrupting the youth scene. Exactly what is going on just who is responsible? 

And where has Nyssa gone? The adventure is on!

This special limited edition vinyl release is not a new story having previously appeared on CD back in 2013 as part of Big Finish's range of Doctor Who audio adventures. This edition was limited to just 1,000 copies via Asda. 

I originally failed to grab a copy from my nearest participating store however somehow my girlfriend managed to get a copy for my recent birthday. There are copies at higher prices available on e-bay from poeple who grabbed a copy for the wrong reason, to make money out of fans but this is still availble as a CD if you like the sound of the story.

Is it any good. Hell Yes!

I've just got around to listening to it and it is certainly one of Big Finish's best! If you want to grab a copy of this and their other releases (I've been collecting these on/off for years and they are well worth the price of entry). 

CD Available here: www.bigfinish.com

Two new CD's arrived this morning and I'll review in due course.  Watch this space!

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Howie's World of Comics is expanding it's coverage from just comics and comic related films & cartoons to encompass fantasy, horror and science fiction and this is now reflected in the blog's description. Doctor Who audio's were previously reviewed over at my other blog Howie's Corner.

Previews no more.....

 

When I returned to collecting comics around 1998 after a ten year break I originally went to the comic shop I usually did, the Forbidden Planet in Central London. A weekly trip every Saturday day to collect a pile of comics as they were released. 

After a year or so I happened to notice in Comics International that there was a comic shop, Avalon Comics just slightly off my route home after work on Lavender Hill and after making a detour there to pick up Fathom #1 I eventually made this my regular stop every Thursday. Sometimes it was a bit of a rush but with a standing order made through the use of Previews this was how I purchased comic books up until it closed.

I had occasionally used 30th Century Comics for back issues up until that point and like many of Avalon's ex-customers switched to them. Again Previews was my one stop shop every month and all I had to do was add a few back issues, especially British ones and my collecting bug was satiated for the week.

30th Century Comics took a decision some time back to stop stocking new comics and only accept standing orders. This was not a problem for me. I always ordered (perhaps too much!) via Previews and rarely if ever took anything off their shelf and was only interested in what old comics were available as extras.

Now in part because of the pandemic but mostly for business reasons 30th Century Comics are no longer taking orders for new comics and are only trading in back issues. I fully understand their reasons for doing so it did cause me to sit and think about the future of my hobby. 

Firstly I will need to make a couple of visits to the Forbidden Planet some time in late November to pick up a few stray issues simply ton end a couple of series and/or story lines. Whether I will take much interest in buying new American periodicals remains to be seen. I may turn to the occasion graphic novel/paperback collection.

One of the reasons for this is my disillusionment with the main two companies. I am primarily a DC fan and have been since I started reading. There are some gaps in my my collecting over the years due to other interest, personal problems or the nineties nonsense which led to me almost abandoning the hobby forever. Only by a chance visit to a comic shop in Croydon did I return.

Marvel pissed me off with its increasingly impossible to collect and read crossovers. After the nonsensical ending and events in Secret Invasion  I simply stopped except for the Fantastic Four.
As for DC I went with the New 52 despite some misgivings but their comics line has become a complete mess and the Future Line they are proposing in January next year is the final nail in the coffin for me.

I had already given up on Batman because the crossover were too much and retirement has meant I had to cut back to just a handful of their titles but less than envisaged as DC's Metal whatever nonsense has also meant I have lost interest in what's going on I was more interested in Archie, Sabrina, Red Sonja and Vampirella to be honest. 

It is likely that Archie and Dynamite collections will be my first choices for future collecting as I can order by post. I may make the occasional trip into the West End for a look but with my health and age it will be a bit of a trek.

That I will no longer shop by Previews is something I sort of never envisaged but times change. Retirement and ill health has inevitably led to changes. I tire easily which is why my blogging is a bit more erratic than it was. 

However I have taken a really big interest in British Comics and besides subscribing to 2000AD & Judge Dredd Megazine I have been indulging in the Small Press and albeit only for small amounts have been supporting several interesting projects via Kickstarter! I'll blog about that later.

This blog will continue! I do have some new stuff and due to delays there will be new comics up until the end of the year. Then there's always back issues! I have thousands of those so please continue to join me in my journey through the wonderful world of comics!

I Love Lucy Comics (World Distributors/1954)

Although both this comic and the shows were from before my time (I wasn't born until 1957) I do remember Lucille Ball in The Lucy Show and other programmes as I grew up. She was at one time the highest paid female on US TV and certainly was a trail blazer in her won right. Of course some of the humour, particularly that of the fifties has dated I'm still keen on watching the odd programme when the opportunity arises.

I Love Lucy ran from October 1951 to May 1957 for a total of 180 half hour episodes and is the archetypal sitcom for many. Of course it was inevitable that a comic company would pick up the show and in the USA Dell produced a series which ran from 1954 for 35 issues and was picked up in the UK by World Distributors who reprinted the comics in black & white for a run of 16 issues.

 

These comics reflect the comedy and social attitudes of the time but remain at heart just like the show a charming platform for Lucille Ball's quirky comedic skills. These are great programmes and it's worth picking up something to remember her by.

SHIFT - a new UK Anthology Comic! In newsagents from 29th October!

It's a difficult time for everyone at the moment given the pandemic and the economic & social uncertainties that have arisen a result with no end insight so it's very brave for creators to launch a new British monthly comic aimed to get mass market attention!

The news of the launch of Shift! arrived in an e-mail last night and for those of you who are not aware of the project but ought to be the details are copied below. There are some big names involved so I've ordered my copy. 

Let's help make this a success. 

Support British Comics!

We are very proud to announce something we've been working on for some time - a new monthly comic which will be launched in newsagents and comic shops around the country on October 29th.

Featuring the best in independent creator owned stories from new talent and seasoned veterans (including Jim Krueger, Brian Haberlin, Steve Yeowell, Simon Furman, Scott Morse and many more) - there's something for everyone with a a diverse array of exciting and thought-provoking stories.

SHIFT is now available to pre-order

Out 29th October 2020, packed full of phenomenal talent. 90 + pages Seven stories, ongoing titles, creator interviews, articles and more..

Foot Soldiers - Jim Krueger (Earth X, Justice, Marvels X), Steve Yeowell (Zenith, The Invisibles, Sinister Dexter)

To The Death - Simon Furman, Geoff Senior. Acclaimed Transformers creative team, and creators of Marvel's Death’s Head

Kora - Chris Geary (Ace’s Weekly)

Soulwind - Scott Morse (Littlegreyman, Elektra: Glimpse and Echo, Catwoman, Sam and Twitch)

Shifter - Brian Haberlin (Witchblade, Aria), Brian Holguin (Spawn), Skip Brittenham, Geirrod van Dyke, Kunrong Yap

Tiny Acts of Violence - Martin Stiff (The Absence)

Hungerville - Warwick Fraser-Coombe (The Shadow Constabulary, Interzone)

SHIFT is now available to pre-order at https://theshift.store, or add to your regular subscriptions at GetMyComics.com - 5 or 10 issue pre-pay subscription offers are available.

The first 250 orders places will receive a free poster of Geoff Seniors amazing cover image!

Zarjaz: The 2000AD Fanzine #37

 

Although published back in July I've only just got my copy of the latest issue of the rather good 2000AD fanzine Zarjaz. My bad, I must keep an eye out new issues as I rather like this little publication which had a whole swathe of readable stories starting off with Judge Dredd in Great Escapes by Kev Hopgood and the ever excellent artist Dave Broughton. The trick is to get more than planning permission guys!

In total there are nine stories several set in in Mega City One with the Judges on-call including an appearance by those awful twins in Children of the Apocalypse by Robomonkey. But actually my favourites were Lulu Romanov: Iron & the Maiden By  Santiago  Mayaud & David Thomson                    and Robo-Hunter - Game for a Bath by David Fenn & Gail Nedry.

There's also an appearance of Slaine by Alan Holloway & Ed Doyle a character I miss from the main prog though I gather there may be an adventure upcoming. Not before time.

The issue ends with a warning about camping in Mega City One and almost shows a soft side to Dredd in Monsters by Micahel Crouch& Jim Lavery.

Rating: 4 Stars A solid read.

Available from: www.futurequake.co.uk

Support British Comics!

iZombie (Season One)

It was not so long ago that The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman spawned a whole industry of zombie comics including the rather frightening and somewhat gross Crossed series from Avatar that really did cross boundaries and took us a step further away from the sort of mindless zombie plague that was the normal far in both films and comics.

Then DC Vertigo came up with something a little different with a short lived Vertigo series iZombie by Chris Robertson (w) & Michael Allred (a) that featured Gwendoline Dylan as a zombie who worked as a grave digger who had to consume a human brain once a month to keep her humanity. Her job allowed regualr access to the recently deceased  and in consuming these organs inherited part of their memories.

The comic series lasted 28 issues. I dropped out after just 7 mainly because I was reading too many zombie comics and this one wasn't really working for me. However as I've started watching and enjoying other DC comics turned into TV shows I thought I'd give this one a try.

The TV programme is inevitably a little different with even the main character going through both a name and career change to become Dr Liv Moore who after being turned into a zombie decides to take employment at a police mortuary.

Liv cuts off her engagement and high flying medical career much to the consternation of those around her. Nobody seems to question her change of appearance too much including her very white complexion. She's certainly the sexiest zombie we've ever seen.

The first thirteen episodes see her use the ability to use the deceased brains to help track down their killers claiming she has visions. Sometimes her personality is quite affected by the people she has eaten but this is seen by those around Liv as an eccentricity of sorts.

The first season was pretty predictable and the villain Blaine who turned her into a zombie at a party is a right piece of work who has a zombie gang working for him as they feed their rich zombie customers the brains of the cities homeless. It helps to have a butchers shop.....

I thought it was pretty average TV to be honest and felt it a bit of a struggle to get through to the final episode which has many cliff hangers waiting for the next season. However for me I think that's the end of the road. iZombie ran for 5 seasons and 71 episodes until 2019

As for what's next for me......more Lucifer. Season four in fact. Now that's TV!