'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

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David McDonald
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'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

Post by David McDonald »

Hello all, I hope no one minds me plugging this, It might be of interest to some.

'On sale at last here at last! http://www.comicsy.co.uk/hibernia/

The third in Hibernia's 'Comic Archive' series is here, taking a look at the dark underside of British comics with 'It's Ghastly, the untimely demise of Scream!'

Scream! comic appeared on the newsagents shelves for just 15 issues in 1984 but managed to leave a fearsome reputation behind.

Featuring the work of, to name a few, John Wagner, Alan Grant, Simon Furman, Alan Moore, José Ortiz, Eric Bradbury and Brendan McCarthy, Scream has built up a cult following over the years, with back issues and Holiday specials now highly collectable.

Scream's sudden disappearance from the newsagents led to rumours of it being removed because of parents complaints, or being the victim of a strike.

'Its Ghastly' delves into the murky world of Scream with contributions from all of its editors, Barrie Tomlinson, Ian Rimmer and Simon Furman to uncover the truth of its demise.
Scream's six Holiday Specials come under scrutiny and uncovers the origins of such stories as 'Black Beth' and Dave Gibbons 'The Nightcomer' and also included is a cover recreation to issue 16, and the actual covers to 17,18, and 19.

The highlight is a complete 16 page Nightcomer's tale that was due to start probably in issue 18 of Scream but lay unpublished until now. Join Rick and Beth for one last supernatural adventure by Simon Furman and José Gonzales and much more in 'Its Ghastly', the ultimate Scream companion.

64 pages (10 in colour)

Saddle Stitched
Image

Shiner
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Re: 'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

Post by Shiner »

Sounds a compelling read David. I'll be placing an order at the weekend.

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SID
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Re: 'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

Post by SID »

Thanks for the heads up, David. I was a reader of Scream! when it was originally published and I have been a fan ever since so of course I've ordered a copy.
Reading comics since 1970. My Current Regulars are: 2000 AD (1977-), Judge Dredd Megazine (1990-), Spaceship Away (2003-), Commando (2013-), Monster Fun (2022-), Deadpool and Wolverine (2023-), Quantum (2023-).

wilsia
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Re: 'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

Post by wilsia »

Great news David, I've just ordered my copy. Well done in getting the views of people like Barrie Tomlinson. Keep up the good work

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Michael Anden
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Re: 'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

Post by Michael Anden »

I have very fond memories of Scream from being a eight-year old, reading the comic with friends outside the newsagents over the handlebars of our parked BMXs and freaking out over the glow in the dark free gift in the ubiquitous glaring sunshine.

ET was at the cinema, I was with my first girlfriend- sort of- she'd bought me a pencil case (the equivalent of being engaged at the age), and all was right with the world... what with the Falklands War just being some esoterically abstract conflict that may as well have been on the moon, the Cold War surely an allusion to AT ATs attacking on Hoth, and three million unemployed presumably just meant that adults got to rake in lots of free dosh with which they could buy sweets and records without having to work- surely the equivalent of a permanent school holiday.

Needless to say, the reason we're paying the price now with environmental collapse, Brexit, Trump, Putin, Assad and Isis is because of my childhood self's willful complacency in making a pact with the Devil, when I swapped the delightful dayglow parochialism of the Beano in favour of Scream's scratchy monochrome phantasmagoria (it was too little too late for the world when the title was safely segued, 'Great News For All Readers'-style, in an unceremonious cut-and-shut into the 80's Eagle's own ever waning fortunes). Since we're already on the express elevator to hell, I will be picking this collection up, an act bound to seal the world's fate by ushering in an age of omniscient and omnipresent psychopathic apartment block computers! :D
Last edited by Michael Anden on 02 Nov 2016, 20:59, edited 1 time in total.

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koollectablz
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Re: 'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

Post by koollectablz »

Sounds good.

Ordered it.

Westy
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Re: 'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

Post by Westy »

Ordered!

I'm off now to dig out my old Scream issues over the Halloween weekend in anticipation...

Shiner
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Re: 'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

Post by Shiner »

Ordered!

comixminx
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Re: 'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

Post by comixminx »

Looks great! Have also ordered.
jintycomic.wordpress.com/ Excellent and weird stories from the past - with amazing art to boot.

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colcool007
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Re: 'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

Post by colcool007 »

John has just put a plug for it on Down The Tubes too.
I started to say something sensible but my parents took over my brain!

big bad bri
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Re: 'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

Post by big bad bri »

ordered last night but went through twice for some reason :lol:

comixminx
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Re: 'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

Post by comixminx »

Quick review of it on the Jinty blog:
https://jintycomic.wordpress.com/2016/1 ... ly-review/
jintycomic.wordpress.com/ Excellent and weird stories from the past - with amazing art to boot.

David McDonald
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Re: 'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

Post by David McDonald »

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

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SID
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Re: 'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

Post by SID »

A very interesting read and quite a sad one as it wasn't really ever given a chance.

I must admit, I can't see the point of IPC's management wanting to publish certain types of comics only to be against them from the offset.

Saying that, if they did always play safe then we wouldn't have had the new generation (Action, Battle and most particularly 2000AD.

I still maintain that had it survived and matured like 2000AD then it could have still been around today. Look how well vampires, zombies, etc..., fare in other media. The Walking Dead being a good example as it originated in comic form and then migrated to TV.
Reading comics since 1970. My Current Regulars are: 2000 AD (1977-), Judge Dredd Megazine (1990-), Spaceship Away (2003-), Commando (2013-), Monster Fun (2022-), Deadpool and Wolverine (2023-), Quantum (2023-).

big bad bri
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Re: 'It's Ghastly', a Scream! comic history.

Post by big bad bri »

it was a great read and i got the replacement thanks david.

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