Comics UK

Lew Stringer wrote:

Digifiend wrote:

tony ingram wrote: What about Commando? It's been running since about the late Jurassic and is still totally unchanged. Isn't that 'traditional'?

Technically, it's the first of the Comic Libraries.

It's not I'm afraid. Fleetway beat them to it with War Picture Library in 1958.

Lew

That wasn't either i'm afraid, Super Detective Library started in 1954! (or maybe even before that, i'm going by the back cover of the Rick Random book).

The format of the comic library was the same as the "pocket library", which contained text stories (either originals or complete serials from weekly story papers). I don't know when the first one of those came out but apparently it was in the 19th century. The Boys' Friend Library was certianly around in the 1900's and the famous Sexton Blake Library began in 1915 (but became paperback format in 1963)

Oh, incedentally the first page of the current 2000AD (issue 1645) is, for me, a perfect example of the creativity and outlandishness of British comics.

"That tears it! I been sittin' in this lousy seat three hours ya stinkin' finks! I can't take it any more!... It's pronounced 'scone' dammit!"

I noticed that in a very recent 2000ad that Johnny Alpha has just been risen from the dead!

Not sure how this came about or even if it is a good thing, though Middenface McNulty was involved.

He came back, ooh, must be about 6 or 7 years ago. Basically, if John Wagner didn't write it, then John Wagner feels free to ignore it. Hence, it's just assumed to be a lost tale (Wulf and the Gronk are also part of Alpha's group) but never declared so.

Well, yes, but those were stories that happened before he died. In the most recent story he was raised from the dead as in actually taken out of his coffin and bought back to life XD

2000AD has always been the Number 1 comic in my book ever since it came out in 1977.

I'm glad that they are rectifying the mistake (even John Wagner has admitted to this) of killing Alpha off and the storyline is quite a good one. Looking forward to the next instalment.

SID wrote:2000AD has always been the Number 1 comic in my book ever since it came out in 1977.

I'm glad that they are rectifying the mistake (even John Wagner has admitted to this) of killing Alpha off and the storyline is quite a good one. Looking for the second instalment.

Just so long as they haven't actually killed off Middenface in order to save Johnny...

tony ingram wrote:

SID wrote:2000AD has always been the Number 1 comic in my book ever since it came out in 1977.

I'm glad that they are rectifying the mistake (even John Wagner has admitted to this) of killing Alpha off and the storyline is quite a good one. Looking for the second instalment.

Just so long as they haven't actually killed off Middenface in order to save Johnny...

Agreed! I never forgave them for killing off Wulf.

SID wrote: Agreed! I never forgave them for killing off Wulf.

Dat vos an unforgiveable crime indeed, old cucumber.

On the other hand, if they have killed him off to bring back Johnny it would add a whole new dynamic to the character, deep regret that his friend had to die for him to live, like extreme survivor's guilt.

It would be actual character development and not, as one writer to the letters page put it, "just pressing the reset button"

Just in case anyone's interested, there's a piece, by yours truly, on Zenith in this months' SFX. Over and out.

http://www.sfx.co.uk/2010/11/11/sfx-issue-203/

Who loved Prog 2011? I did.

SID wrote:Who loved Prog 2011? I did.

I did too-though bringing back Rogue for yet another pointless flashback story was something I could've done without. When are we going to find out what happened to Friday, Venus and the boys? Or even Tor Cyan?

I think they were consigned to the bin of things that sounded like a good idea at the time (like killing off Johnny Alpha) but didn't really work out so well.

Actually, if killing Johnny did one bit of good, it was that it allowed the likes of Middenface, Durham Red and the Gronk to take the spotlight, so it's not all bad

SID wrote:Who loved Prog 2011? I did.

Why do they use following year as the issue number for the last issue of the year? Eventually, the regular numbering sequence will catch up, and those numbers will be duplicated.