What Comic Would You Like Out There?

[Lew Stringer]

Ooih wasn't aware of that, do you know if thats a brand new Tank Girl strip or a reprint of the US comic that I think IDW are /were publsihing? - I dont suppose its by Jamie Hewlet is it?

As I said, brand new. By Alan Martin and Rufus Dayglo. A story called Skidmarks told in 9 page chapters. Started last summer.

Lew

[philcom55]

The most impressive thing about Warrior was the way in which Moore and Leach took a classic British character like Marvelman and re-imagined him for a new generation by adding an extra dimension without discarding or losing respect for the existing continuity. To my mind most other revivals over the years have either changed too much, thereby creating brand new characters with no backstory (eg. 2000AD Action Special and 2000AD's own version of Kelly's Eye), or changed too little, thereby producing lifeless copies of an outdated formula (eg. Classic Action Special and 2000AD's ill-fated Rick Random series).

Personally I'd like to see DC Comics hiring Dez Skinn to start a 'DCUK' imprint (along the lines of the old Marvel UK) to publish new stories of their Fleetway acquisitions, all written and drawn by exclusively British creators. The flagship title would, of course, be a revival of Warrior itself in which no more than five 'classic' characters would star at any one time, each appearing in monthly episodes of up to 10 pages.

The line-up for the first issue would be Zip Nolan by John Wagner (who counts as British) and Ron Smith, Paddy Payne by Pat Mills and Gerry Embleton (WW2 in the style of Charley's War), Dan Dare (by special arrangement with the copyright holder) by Alan Moore and Mike Noble, Spellbinder by Gaiman and Ranson and The Spider by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Waiting in the wings would be The Steel Claw, Roy of the Rovers, Mytek the Mighty, Jason Hyde, Sexton Blake, The Cloak, etc, etc. - all by suitably impressive writers and artists, and each issue would include two or three pages of humorous strips as well.

...And as this is all very much a pipe dream, the first free gift would be a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide motorcycle - just like Zip Nolans' !

- Phil Rushton

[Jonny Whizz]

I'd love to see Beezer return. I'm sure there are plenty of artists who could have a great new take on its classic strips (Colonel Blink being my favourite).

[Digifiend]

Beezer does seem to be the most logical of the DCT funny comics to be revived, since it was last to go. However, it wouldn't be able to have The Numskulls, as they're now long established in The Beano. Possible roster:
Ginger
Little Mo
Geezer
Adrian the Barbarian
Colonel Blink
Baby Crockett
Banana Bunch
Hungry Hoss
Hillies and Billies
Pop Dick and Harry
plus some new characters, and maybe some old Topper characters as well, such as Beryl the Peril and Tricky Dicky.

[AndyB]

If the Beezer were to be relaunched, they'd probably use the Numskulls for the purpose as they are established characters.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

BEEZER was/is a fantastic comic: I bought about 20 1960s editions recently [happily including 2 or 3 issues I actually remembered; ---always a bonus; ] the colour schemes [half of the comic is in full-colour] and sometimes epic, full-scale artwork stands up very well today.....I'd forgotten just how great this comic was in it's heyday.

[SID]

Ooih wasn't aware of that, do you know if thats a brand new Tank Girl strip or a reprint of the US comic that I think IDW are /were publsihing? - I dont suppose its by Jamie Hewlet is it?

Damn! Lew got in first.

No, it's all new and it's drawn by Rufus Dayglo (though he is very much like Jamie though so you should like). but it is still being written by Alan Martin so you should like the stories.

[SID]

The most impressive thing about Warrior was the way in which Moore and Leach took a classic British character like Marvelman and re-imagined him for a new generation by adding an extra dimension without discarding or losing respect for the existing continuity. To my mind most other revivals over the years have either changed too much, thereby creating brand new characters with no backstory (eg. 2000AD Action Special and 2000AD's own version of Kelly's Eye), or changed too little, thereby producing lifeless copies of an outdated formula (eg. Classic Action Special and 2000AD's ill-fated Rick Random series).

Personally I'd like to see DC Comics hiring Dez Skinn to start a 'DCUK' imprint (along the lines of the old Marvel UK) to publish new stories of their Fleetway acquisitions, all written and drawn by exclusively British creators. The flagship title would, of course, be a revival of Warrior itself in which no more than five 'classic' characters would star at any one time, each appearing in monthly episodes of up to 10 pages.

The line-up for the first issue would be Zip Nolan by John Wagner (who counts as British) and Ron Smith, Paddy Payne by Pat Mills and Gerry Embleton (WW2 in the style of Charley's War), Dan Dare (by special arrangement with the copyright holder) by Alan Moore and Mike Noble, Spellbinder by Gaiman and Ranson and The Spider by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Waiting in the wings would be The Steel Claw, Roy of the Rovers, Mytek the Mighty, Jason Hyde, Sexton Blake, The Cloak, etc, etc. - all by suitably impressive writers and artists, and each issue would include two or three pages of humorous strips as well.

...And as this is all very much a pipe dream, the first free gift would be a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide motorcycle - just like Zip Nolans' !

- Phil Rushton

Now I have a question. Have DC actually purchased the old IPC characters outright or just license to use them for a specific time?

[Phoenix]

Damn! Lew got in first.

No, it's all new and it's drawn by Rufus Dayglo

So he did. I read his post this afternoon. But where is it now?

[Digifiend]

Between Starboy's post at the end of page 1 and Philcom's post at the top of page 2. Remember the thread in which Elliotgc wanted info about the Dandy? Well, the problem we had on that thread has repeated itself. You can see Lew's missing post by going to the Reply screen, so I'll quote it.

Ooih wasn't aware of that, do you know if thats a brand new Tank Girl strip or a reprint of the US comic that I think IDW are /were publsihing? - I dont suppose its by Jamie Hewlet is it?

As I said, brand new. By Alan Martin and Rufus Dayglo. A story called Skidmarks told in 9 page chapters. Started last summer.

Lew

EDIT: Good - problem seems to be fixed.

[philcom55]

Have DC actually purchased the old IPC characters outright or just license to use them for a specific time?

Apart from a few named exceptions (like Dan Dare) they now own most of the Fleetway characters that appeared up to the end of the 1960s. I forget the exact details but I think this situation came about almost by accident as the result of a routine takeover by their parent corporation Time-Warner. Unfortunately, following the less than earth-shattering response to Albion, DC don't seem to have any further ideas about what to do with them - nor do they show any sign of caring.

- Phil Rushton

[Digifiend]

Then wouldn't it be a good idea to sell those rights to Egmont, thus reuniting most of the IPC/Fleetway back catalogue? At least they'd know what to do with them.

[Phoenix]

My new comic would have to be a 36-page text story paper from Thomsons, with a presentation and size similar to Adventure or The Wizard. I would, however, be prepared to compromise, so acknowledging the actual development of the story paper into picture form, by having half the pages in strips, along the lines of The New Hotspur, The Victor and The Hornet. As I am primarily interested in fiction, I would not particularly want the pages clogged up with an Editorial, columns of 'useful' information or panels of jokes. But is it possible even so for this new and exciting paper to seduce me into buying it?

A number of forum members have suggested old characters they would like to see return, indeed Sid presents a nice long list of his favourites. My gut reaction is to go along with them, and although my list would be rather longer than Sid's, I do see in both cases a rolling process to accommodate them all. In my case, though, it isn't actually that simple.

The trouble is that whereas a number of my favourite characters are timeless enough simply to return in new adventures, (Solo Solomon, H.K. Rodd, Strang the Terrible, Huck McFee, Morgyn the Mighty, Lionheart Logan etc.), there are many, many others, particularly those in school, detective and sport serials, who would be anachronisms because their milieu has either changed beyond recognition or virtually disappeared. Series about Red Circle or Tom Smith would be seen at best as quaint and at worst as irrelevant. It might just be possible to prod Wilson into 7.5 for the 100 metres to give Usain Bolt something to think about while he is partying, but Alf Tupper has been round the track too often I suspect, and cricket and football have changed so significantly since the Fifties that to resurrect Nick Smith, Cannonball Kidd, Ritchie, Rob Higson and their ilk would be an act of cruelty.

I'm not saying that there couldn't be school stories or football serials etc., just that they would have to present new protagonists, stars, call them what you will, who would reflect the way things are now. This would not be a bad thing, of course, but these new heroes would obviously not be the ones I would have preferred. Like most members of this forum I am regularly assailed by nostalgia and yet I was rarely seduced immediately at the time by these self same heroes, especially when they were replacing a particular favourite. I am still a little bit annoyed with Lanky Hutton for pushing Baldy Hogan out of Adventure in 1952. This means that all the new serials would have to be outstanding to win me over completely. I would, of course, place an immediate order for the new paper, but I am demanding and there are some big shoes to fill.

[Lew Stringer]

My fantasy comic would be That's Dandy 1964! It's Odhams' 1966 Smash! incorporating TV21 and Oink! and it's contents would probably be obvious from that title. Plus it'd also include new characters by Jamie Smart, Laura Howell, Nigel Parkinson and more.

It'd be as thick as a Manga weekly and would be delivered free by topless postwomen.



Lew

[Phoenix]

It would be delivered free by topless postwomen.

Hey, does this mean that we are all now allowed to post our non-comic-related fantasies on this thread? For the record, mine don't include postwomen. This may have something to do with the fact that the ones we have round here look as if they would come out on top in a one-to-one with a pit bull, and I don't just mean in looks.