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My copy of this arrived today, a whole week before I was expecting it. And by crikey, it's a lovely thing. Yes, its "magazine format", not a "proper paperback", but yes it does have a spine. Sadly though the spine is just solid black with no identifying text. But at least it's there. And that is literally the only thing even a grumpy old tossed like me can moan about because everything else is beautiful. Even the heavy paper stock is gorgeous.

Obviously I've not read it yet, because i want to savour it and currently my wife is wobbling about giving up Gregg's sausage rolls and going to Argos.

When I've read it, i will comment. At the moment suffice to say it features the strips from Smash! 15th March to 7th June 1969. And its lovely.

SBT

So, insects then...

No, I joke.

I was fortunate enough to recently be asked to have a read of a friend's debut novel. It's a Sci-Fi story, and by lucky hap I've really enjoyed it. And yes, it references 2000AD at one point, so I'll be mentioning its name when I'm done with it. He asked me to basically proofread, point out errors and watch for any anachronisms, it being set in the early eighties, and featuring teenage boys- as I lived then and I was one. 

Along the way this has brought up a conversation about the etymology of the phrase "fuck-off" as used as an adjective. As in "that is one big fuck-off spaceship". I want to know when that particular adjective became commonplace, as I don't recall hearing it in my youth. Google is not my friend in this instance, and I had hoped I would be able to track down its first usage in either literature or film/tv, but to no avail

Anyone with a better education/ filthy mouthed older brother know the answer to this?

SBT

Bear with me on this. How much of a single issue of an American comic would you get away with reproducing in a printed magazine *for review/ critical purposes*?

I really love comics, as many of you know. As a "thought experiment" I was wondering about all the different editions of the same 20+ page comic strip I have in my collection. Multiple versions of The Night Gwen Stacy Died from ASM #131/122 for example. I was wondering what would be my "ultimate edition" as it were, and realised that if Marvel were ever to release every issue of ASM/ FF etc, individually (hardback or perfect bound) but with an equal amount of pages given over to critiques/ interviews etc, I'd probably buy each and every edition.

Now, Marvel aren't likely to do that. But imagine an enterprising fan publisher were to do something similar (much like in the world of Dr Who IN VISION released A4 magazines for each and every story back in the 80s, eventually covering the whole 1963-1989 period of the series. 

Obviously the imaginary publisher couldn't reprint the whole issue, but how much could they? Is it a percentage of pages? Panels? Could they reprint consecutive panels, or even a page if critiquing that sequence? Could they print an entire scene, maybe running 2-3 pages? At what point they receive a Cease & Desist?

Any ideas? 

SBT

I was sure we had a thread somewhere about mentions of 2000AD in other publications and other media, but I can't find it. If it exists and a mod would like to merge this into there,  I'd be grateful.

Anyway, Steve Moore- known to us predominantly as writer of Tales of Telguuth and various one-offs in the prog, as well as many other seminal British strips going back (for me) as far as Warrior magazine, receives a two page article in the current Fortean Times. Written by his lifelong friend Bob Rickard, FT'S founding editor, it goes into some detail about his life and beliefs, his work and obsessions, as well as revealing what happened to his frankly astonishing library after his death, and the contents of said library.
Absolutely worth the £4.50 cover price alone, but when taken with the major feature on the resurgence of Folk Horror, it makes for a package that no squaxx of this parish will wish to miss.

SBT

Apologies if this has been addressed elsewhere by those in the know. Seeing as how the "Eagle Comics" Dredd reprint title was so seminal in bringing Dredd to a US audience back in the 80s, it seems odd to me that we don't have a modern equivalent. Rebellion don't seem inexperienced or catastrophic in putting out US format titles (most reprint, some not) and IDW have a license of some sort, with an inferior Dredd strip that seems to continually miss the mark, despite a host of seriously good creators and all the best will in the world. 

So why isn't the 2000AD/ Meg strip itself reprinted on a monthly basis for the American market? Has the strip finally succumbed to 42 years of continuity and become "too reliant on backstory" for there to be an easy start point?

Is it just financially not worth the outlay?

Personally I'd love to see it, reformatted for the US dimensions, printed on cheap paper to undercut the cost of regular comics, and starting from "some point a couple of years ago".

Anyone have any idea why it's not happened?

SBT

Hive Mind:
Does anyone have a link to any site that details showings of horror films on UK terrestrial TV?

Basically, I've just watched classic Cushing/Lee/Savalas film 'Horror Express'- which I remember being on TV in my youth (between 1978 and 1982 I guess), but which I've always had (I now find) confused with 'The Creeping Flesh'. So now I need to know a) when both those films were shown on TV, and b) were they ever shown in a double-bill. See, I remember my dad watching it downstairs, and the sound of the TV being enough to scare me witless... but from the bits I saw through the crack in the door, it was set on a train (Horror Express) and when my dad explained the plot to me the next day, he told me the story of The Creeping Flesh.
So, did he just get it arse about face? Were they both on that night? Or was he just making shiz up? I need to check listings!

Any links or help gratefully received.

SBT

Hivemind, I have just received the following message from an old friend, and my memory is failing me. Can any of yous guys help him out?

"hello mate, my Strontium Dog collection is buried in the garage and you're the only person I can think of that might know the answer to this. There is a SD prog where Jonny and Wulf enter a competition which is essentially last man standing in an enclosed environment to win a prize and they enter because they'll get bounties on many of the people in the competition. It's driving me nuts and it doesn't Google. IF this even vaguely makes sense let me know. Cheers."

Many thanks in advance
SBT