Although humbly calling itself a fanzine, Vworp Vworp! is easily on a par with any professional magazine. I'd go as far to say that the editorial and design talent is actually of a higher standard than some High Street magazines. Volume 3 has just been published and it's the best yet!
What I wasn't expecting was how chunky this issue would be. There are 208 pages here! That's not a typo. Two hundred and eight pages! Quality paper, full colour throughout, and packed with information and interviews.
If you're unfamiliar with Vworp Vworp! it's a publication dedicated to the history of Doctor Who comic strips. The amount of research is amazing. These guys do their homework and the fascinating features are accompanied with artwork and rare photographs from over the decades.
It'd take a blog post almost as lengthy as the magazine itself to do justice to all of its contents but here's a selected few:
• New interview with Alan Moore discussing his scripts for Doctor Who Weekly.
• Interviews with comic artists John Stokes, David Lloyd, Lee Sullivan, John M. Burns, Barrie Mitchell and more.
• A new Robot Agent 2K strip written by Tim Quinn.
• Features on veteran Doctor Who / Dalek illustrators such as Gerry Haylock, Richard Jennings and Ron Turner.
• Interviews with editors of Doctor Who Magazine past and present.
• Ron Turner's unfinished Daleks strip, with brand new episodes drawn by Lee Sullivan to complete the saga.
Plus much, much more and a free CD containing a new audio adaptation of the 1960s Dalek strip The Mechanical Planet with actors David Graham (as The Dalek Emperor) and Sasha Mitchell.
The TV21 style cover variant comes withy the free CD plus a 7 inch vinyl version too (with retro style sleeve)!
Vworp Vworp! isn't published very often, (this is the first one for nearly six years!) so you can take your time reading this 208 page giant and savour its contents. How can you resist? To order your copy, set your coordinates for this website now:
http://www.vworpvworp.co.uk
Although humbly calling itself as a fanzine, Vworp Vworp! is actually on a par with any professional magazine. Well written and superbly designed, it's dedicated to features on Doctor Who strips past and present. It's only published every now and then, but each issue is eagerly devoured by its readers. (If you didn't already know, "Vworp Vworp!" has been used as the sound effect of the TARDIS in the comic strips for decades.)
The latest edition, volume 3, is available to order now, and you have a choice of three covers. There's a great TV21 inspired cover (above) highlighting the new Daleks story within, where artist Lee Sullivan has completed the last unfinished Daleks strip by Ron Turner.
There's the regular cover (below) by Martin Geraghty, which is a wraparound...
...and an EC Comics inspired cover by Adrian Salmon...
As you may have noticed, this issue comes with a free gift; a new Daleks audio adventure The Mechanical Planet on CD (or 7" record with the TV21 variant issue) including the vocal talents of David Graham and Sasha Mitchell, adapting a comic strip from an old Dalek Annual.
Set your TARDIS co-ordinates to land on the Vworp Vworp! website to order your copy now!
http://www.vworpvworp.co.uk
I still see comments in the media and online saying that UK comics are dead. In fact I can remember some cynics even saying it back in the 1990s. A simple bit of research proves otherwise. Here's a quick selection of just a few of the British comics that are in the shops now. Today saw the publication of 2000AD Prog 1972 which wraps up all the current strips ready for a Spring revamp with all new stories next week.
Also out today is Judge Dredd Megazine No.370. A great issue with five lengthy strips including the brilliant Goldtiger 2000 by Louis Schaeffer and Antonio Barreti, the classic 1970s strip you never knew you'd forgotten!
Viz No.254 arrived on the shelves today too. Another 52 pages of mirth and filth for adults of all ages.
Comics aren't just for adults these days of course, and The Beano is still going strong on this, the 65th anniversary week of Dennis the Menace!
The Phoenix No.219 is still on sale, with the next issue due in WH Smith and selected Waitrose shops on Saturday. Another good issue of light adventure serials and humour.
Tales from the TARDIS: Doctor Who Comic No.4 is a rather long-winded title but a great value for money package of three Titan Doctor Who comics in one 76 page publication.
The UK edition of Batman No.49 is a 100 page bumper edition with a cover that reflects the upcoming Batman v Superman movie.
All of the above are available in newsagents (albeit only WH Smith in the case of The Phoenix). However, if you visit a comics speciality shop this week you can pick up a copy of Rivers of London: Night Witch No.1, the start of the second series of the comic based on the Ben Aaronovitch books. Good stuff by Aaronovitch and Andrew Cartmel with artwork by Lee Sullivan.
Also still available from comic shops is Johnny Red No.5 by Garth Ennis and Keith Burns. This revival of the classic Battle character in new adventures has proved to be a cracking comic.
There are numerous other comics around of course, such as Commando, Doctor Who Adventures, and loads of titles from Titan, not to mention some strip pages in magazines such as Toxic, Epic, and Doctor Who Magazine. While it's undeniable that what some might dub "traditional" British comics have mostly faded away (your Eagles and your Funny Wonders) there is still a UK comics industry. Ignore those who claim otherwise. The proof is out there on the shelves, as evidenced by the cover images above! Misinformed nonsense vs the evidence of your own eyes. What are you going to believe?
British comics have always changed and evolved. The comics of the 1960s bore little resemblance to those of the early 1900s, and the comics of today are considerably different to those of 50 years ago. Such is life. Nothing stays static. It's saddening that each new generation has less interest in comics (and seemingly has less inclination to buy comics on a frequent basis) but comics are not dead yet! Make sure you support the titles that interest you to keep the industry alive. In the words of Radio Fun's Arthur Askey, "I thenk yow!"
I enjoyed my day at the Sheffield Film and Comic Con yesterday. The event is in its second day today but I was only there for the Saturday. As always it was good to catch up with fellow comic pros and chat with readers. Thanks to all of you who asked for a sketch. It was also nice to chat with Doctor Who's Sophie Aldred and Frazer Hines who briefly dropped by my table. (As many of you will know, Sophie provided the voice for Dennis the Menace in the 2009 Dennis and Gnasher cartoon TV series).
I was at my table most of the day but here's a few photos I took whist having a break.
It was great to catch up with artist Lee Sullivan again after several years. I've known Lee since the Marvel UK days. A fantastic artist. Here he is with a sketch of Peter Capaldi he was working on for a fan. Check out Lee's work at his website:
http://www.leesullivanart.co.uk
My table position was sandwiched between two major talents, with Lee Sullivan on my left and the fantastic Yishan Li on my right. Here's Yishan doing one of her superb portrait sketches of one of the many who stopped by her table yesterday. Visit her website here:
http://www.liyishan.com/
The mighty Paul Grist was there too. I haven't seen him for a long time so it was good to chat and purchase the copies of The Weird World of Jack Staff that I'd missed. It's an excellent comic that homages the classic comic heroes of the past and is a must buy for every UK comic enthusiast. Copies of Paul's books are available on Amazon.
Cosplayers are a big thing at these events now, with many spending hours designing their costumes in preparation for a show. I particularly liked this Dan Dare outfit. (Sorry I didn't catch your name. Email me if you wish me to add it.) In retrospect perhaps I should have chosen a better background for the photo rather than outside the Ladies! Sorry Colonel Dan!
Two people were inside a Star Wars walker they'd designed out of card! Here it is, striding off to encounter the Hulk!
While not as packed as the London Expo, the Sheffield event was still very busy. Here's a few shots I took of the hall...
This was the first Sheffield event but there's already one scheduled for next year, on 15th / 16th August 2015! Here's the flyer...
The organisers, Showmasters, (http://www.showmastersonline.com) also have many other events on the calendar for the next 12 months. Here's the list for you to keep the dates in your diaries...
My thanks to Mike Conroy and Cassandra Conroy for the invite and hospitality. Good to see you both again.