Topics

1

Books & Comics / Rayguns and Rocketships pulp sci fi art kickstarter

« on: 18 February, 2022, 10:07:17 PM »

I've never backed a Kickstarter before, but I love sci fi art, especially the older stuff and this is one I decided to back.  Looks interesting and good value.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/estrus/rayguns-and-rocketships-0?ref=user_menu

2

Books & Comics / Nostalgia time:Harry 20 on the High Rock

« on: 30 June, 2020, 04:48:32 AM »

I'm sure a lot of us have been very affected by the whole lockdown, and without trying to sound self pitying, for me it's felt even worse because I have been diagnosed as clinically depressed with suicidal tendencies for some time now (even pre lockdown).  As a consequence I seem to find it difficult to focus on the stack of novels I have to read.

Therefore, I've been rereading a lot of my graphic novel collection.

The last one I did was "Harry 20 on the High Rock".  When I first joined this forum some time back I remember asking about it being reprinted and was lucky enough that someone was gracious enough to point out the US reprint.

Anyway.  For anyone who has read it, what are your opinions?

For me the story is a mixed bag.  If it was done today I think it could have done with more depth.  The guards like Chief Thrower, Pusser and the Warden, Worldwise could be given more characterisations, and some of the convicts wouldn't be quite so stereotyped, I mean...Swede 16?

Nevertheless, I do enjoy rereading this from time to time, but I don't know if this might be true, like a lot of stories I wonder if this was getting abruptly cancelled as it seemed that the ending was rushed.  I understand that there was a floppy follow up set some years later but I do not have that.

3

Books & Comics / Looking for....Dan Dare

« on: 06 July, 2019, 10:19:56 PM »

Hello, I'm not aware if I'm breaking any rules here, but I'm wondering if anyone has Hawk Publishing editions of two Dan Dare books they'd be willing to sell.

I'm looking for Prisoners of Space, and the Terra Nova Trilogy.  I have everything else bar the Dossier which I'm not fussed about, but those two are the last I need.

Thanks in advance.

4

Books & Comics / 80's Dan Dare

« on: 21 March, 2018, 09:29:44 PM »

I'm not 100% sure if this is the right place, but was any of the Dan Dare from the 'new' Eagle ever reprinted in trade form?  I know there were mixed opinions about it, and I do have some Dan Dare collections, both the Hawk and Titan ones of the original Dan Dare and the Garth Ennis one, but I did remember enjoying the 80's one.

5

General / Harlem Heroes/Inferno

« on: 30 December, 2017, 07:21:46 PM »

When I first joined this forum I remember asking about the availability of Inferno as I had the Harlem Heroes in the 2000AD Extreme Editions.  I did eventually get the large case files size reprint.  However, I recently reread it and I did find Inferno in some ways largely inferior to HH.  First off, my main issue is why did they have to retread the tiresome Artie Gruber again, as I felt he wasn't a particularly wonderful addition to the Aeroball strip in the first place.

Secondly, and my biggest issue was the pacing.  Did the prog suddenly decide to wrap up the strip for some reason due to maybe popularity issues or something.  The reason I ask this is that is seemed every other 'main' character gets wiped largely off frame in the last issue.  It seemed a rushed and largely undeserved ending pacing wise.

I had actually enjoyed the Aeroball strip funnily enough due to not being a sports fan (never read Mean Streets or Mean Arena or whatever it was called), but the Inferno strip although had potential didn't seem to do as well.

6

Suggestions / Enquiries

« on: 20 November, 2016, 09:52:36 PM »

Not sure if this is the right place to put this, but I have three Bill Savage books.  Invasion, Taking Liberties and The Guvnor.  Are there going to be anymore?

Ditto with The VC's.  I have "You're Hit you're Dead" and "Back in Action" but it looks like there should be further stories.

I also have the Rogue Trooper smaller collection books, Rogue Trooper Future of War, Fort Neuro, To the Ends of Nu-Earth, Eye of the Traitor, Re-Gene and Realpolitik.  Barring buying the case file sized books is there any way of getting any more stuff?  I do have the 2000AD Extreme edition with Cinnabar.  Also, was there a continuation of the 86ers?

7

Books & Comics / Comic Recommendations

« on: 23 July, 2016, 09:51:27 PM »

I'm looking for some recommendations, preferably something that's available in graphic novel form.  I'm not really a big fan of the standard superhero comics, though I don't mind Batman stuff, but not really into Superman, X-Men, etc.

I like sci-fi, steampunk, futuristic type stuff.

My graphic novel collection to give you an idea of what I read is.....

Rogue Trooper classic era and Realpolitik book.  Basically the first 6 non case files sized books
The 86ers
Invasion, Savage:Taking Liberties, and The Guvnor
Complete Don Lawrence Trigan Empire
Dan Dare Hawk books "Pilot of the Future (the first Venus story), Red Moon Mystery and Marooned on Mercury, The Man from Nowhere and Rogue Planet and Solid Space Mysteries.
Virgin Garth Ennis Dan Dare
Ministry of Space
Ignition City
Harry 20 on the High Rock
Ro-Busters
Complete Nemesis the Warlock
VC's "You're Hit you're Dead", "Back in Action"
Meltdown Man in 2000AD Extreme Edition
Harlem Heroes in Extreme Edition (contemplating getting the collection with Inferno)
Batman, Red Hood and Hush
A few Star Wars graphic novels
Wanted and Kick-Ass
Mass Effect and Dragon Age collections
Oh, and of course the ongoing Judge Dredd Mega-Collection.

That's what I can remember off hand.  Any recommendations based on that style of reading?

Also, a couple questions.  Are there going to be any more VC's books, or any more Savage books?  Both seem to hint that there are more to come but so far nothing.

8

Classifieds / Wanted:Classic Dan Dare

« on: 30 March, 2016, 11:23:33 PM »

Preferably the Titan Print.  I'm wary of the Hawk books as I had a Hawk book of the Trigan Empire one time and the story was drastically cut, so I'm wary of the Dan Dare ones.

I'm not interested in the Garth Ennis one as I've managed to source it from someone, and I also have the Red Moon Mystery.

Also, any of the Spaceship Away issues would be nice as I've heard they're original stories but the old style.

Thanks.

9

General / The VC's book 3

« on: 05 November, 2015, 12:17:41 AM »

Does anyone have any idea if and when the third VC's collection will be released.

I've got "You're hit, You're Dead", the original stories from way back in the day.

Also got "Back in Action".  At the end of the trade paperback it says there's a third book due, but as far as I know this has never been released, same as a fourth Bill Savage book after the events of The Guv'nor.

10

General / Harlem Heroes 'Case Files' style print

« on: 11 October, 2015, 07:29:49 PM »

Some years back I asked about the Harlem Heroes and was directed to 2000AD Extreme Edition.  This I managed to get.

However, I never did read Inferno, and I hear it was in the Harlem Heroes Case File style print.

This book however seems to be out of print.  Perusing Amazon, Abebooks, even the cursed E-Bay seems to indicate a lot of silly prices.

Forbidden Planet online has it advertised at nearly 12 quid, but it's the usual with them "Waiting on stock", and since FP stiffed me on a Mass Effect figures, a Space:1999 graphic novel and some other item I can't remember I'm VERY leery of ordering off them on a promise.

Soooo...does anyone know if Heroes is going to get another print run?

11

General / Worst Chief Judge?

« on: 09 September, 2015, 11:42:47 PM »

Except for the obvious nomination of Judge Cal, who would you say has been the worst Chief Judge that Mega City One has had.

There are large gaps in what I have read, and I am catching up with the Mega-Collection, but so far I would say Silver.  While the position does need a lot of hard decision making, Silver seemed at times to cause more harm than good.  His brutal suppressing of the Democracy movement and his catalogue of screw ups prior to Necropolis being the main ones.

What do the rest of you thing, and reasons.

12

General / Savage-Any more books?

« on: 15 August, 2015, 07:17:16 PM »

Okay, I have Invasion, Savage-Taking Liberties and The Guvnor.  I was reading an entry somewhere online that started indicating that the storyline has went a lot further than those books.

Are there plans to print any more Savage collections?

I have to admit that reading them in order, that Invasion while still enjoyable does look a wee bit dated, especially with the stereotypes.  The Scots that talk about Bonnie Scotland and wear Tam O Shanters, and the opposing Oil Workers and Forest workers.  I'm Scots and don't find it offensive, but just a bit amusing.

One question, was Shirley Brown originally Shirley Williams in the first print?  I know that according to Invasion they were going to use Margaret Thatcher and the newsreader was to be Angela Rippon and that was nixed.  I might just be misremembering as I'm sure at one point in 2000AD there was one of these mini reprints of the first prog, something that happened with a few comics in that era.

13

General / Two strips I'm trying to remember

« on: 12 August, 2015, 11:12:07 PM »

I remember the first 2000AD annual I got was the 1980 one.  I'm sure round about then there were two strips running and I can't remember the name of them.

One is a flooded Britain with two characters going from place to place in a DUKW amphibious vehicle.  For some reason I seem to think it's Bill Savage and Silk from Invasion, but I'm probably wrong.

Another one was a time travel strip.  A motley group of British soldiers find a time machine and are trying to get back home.  I think there's also a German U-boat commander or crewman with them who initially causes trouble.  Again, any idea on a name?

14

Books & Comics / The VC's

« on: 15 April, 2012, 02:44:26 AM »

Were there any more releases of VC's graphic novels after the You're Hit,You're Dead and Back in Action books.  The inside cover of my Back in Action notes that a book called Old Soldiers was due to be released but no joy finding it.

15

Books & Comics / Another old comic strip question

« on: 24 January, 2012, 12:39:31 AM »

I remember years ago buying this book



It was cheap out of something like Woolworths or whatever.  Inside were three strips with really nice artwork of a retro style, in some ways like Trigan Empire or elements of Dan Dare.  The strip was Jason January-Space Cadet.  The stories were a bit kitsch but I remember looking on them fondly.  Basically like an Air Training Corps in space (or military school for our US residents).

Information on this seems rather sketchy, no pun intended, and I've tried to find out more.  Even the ever useful Wikipedia doesn't seem to have any real information.

Was it first printed in a comic/magazine like Trigan Empire or Dan Dare, or was it just an experimental thing.