Sunday, 26 April 2026
Black Tower: Dene Vernon -Ghost and Mystery Detective
A4
B&W
24pp
£7.00
https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/terry-hooper/dene-vernon-mystery-detective/paperback/product-124edpvm.html
After more than 70 years John McCail's ghost and mystery detective, Dene Vernon is back.
In this Classic Comic Fun reprint four of Vernon's terrifying cases
-The Burning Heart!
-The Terror of Steinlitz Castle!
-The Evil From The East!
and The Silent Pool Mystery.
A must buy according to my contact, The Monk!
Black Tower -The Ultimate British Comics Gold Collection
A4
Paperback
B&W
405 pages
Price: £25.00 (excl. VAT)Prints in 3-5 business days
Combining volumes 1-6 (still available as individual issues but that works out far more expensive) of the BT Golden Age British Comics Collections (minus adverts) this is the ultimate for any Golden Age collector or historian or just plain comic lover.
Features....
Ace Hart
TNT Tom
Electrogirl
Wonderman
The Phantom Raider
Captain Comet
Acro Maid
Phantom Maid
Dene Vernon
The Iron Boy
The Boy Fish
Professor Atom
The Tornado
Powerman
Wonder Boy
Slicksure
Masterman
Dane Jerrus
Alfie
Tiny Tod
Maxwell The Mighty
Back From The Dead
Zeno At The Earth's Core
Colonel Mastiff
Ally Sloper
Super Injun
Super Porker (oo-er, no, Madam, ooh),
Tiger Man
King Of The Clouds
Captain Comet
and MANY others!
Plus text features defining The Ages OF British Comics (Platignum, Gold, Silver), the artist William A. Ward and more.
If you knew nothing about British comics of the Platinum, Golden and Silver Ages then once you buy and read this book you'll be a goddam omic intellectual dinosaur! Yipes!
All in that beautiful Iron Warrior cover exclusively drawn for Black Tower by that meta-gargantuoso talented Ben R. Dilworth!
I sold my family to be able to get this book out! Help me buy them back by purchasing your very own
Melmoth The Wanderer-Often cited Rarely Read!
Melmoth the Wanderer, by Charles Robert Maturin (1770-1824), published in 1820 and considered the last of the classic English gothic romances. Maturin was a Irish playwright, novelist and clergyman born and died in Dublin (then Ireland now Eire) and the book appears to have been, if biographers are correct, written in haste to meet a deadline from a publisher.
The novel offers social commentary on early 19th-century England, which would have raised some eye-brows at the time, It also and denounces Roman Catholicism in favour of the virtues of Protestantism which would be expected at that time thanks to religious intolerance.
The story, a complex weaving of tales-within-tales, is set in the early 19th century, when John Melmoth learns the fate of his ancestor, the title character, by reading a secret document and through his contact with a Spanish sailor.
When this is listed anywhere online it is obvious that the person behind the post has not read the book itself but has "borrowed" the whole thing from someone else who has not read the book.
It chronicles the adventures of a man who sells his soul in exchange for prolonged life. There is an excellent synopsis on Wikipedia:
John Melmoth, a student in Dublin, visits his dying uncle. He finds a portrait of a mysterious ancestor called "Melmoth"; the portrait is dated 1646. At his uncle's funeral, John is told an old family story about a stranger called Stanton, who arrived looking for "Melmoth the Traveller" decades earlier.
A manuscript left by Stanton describes his first finding Melmoth laughing at the sight of two lovers who have been struck by lightning, and hearing of a wedding at which Melmoth was an uninvited guest: the bride died and the bridegroom went mad. Stanton's search for Melmoth is deemed to be madness and he is sent to a madhouse. Melmoth visits him there, and offers to free him, but Stanton refuses and escapes.
Following his uncle's wish, John burns the Melmoth portrait. He is visited by Melmoth in a dream, and later sees Melmoth laughing at a shipwreck. John tries to approach him, but slips and falls into the sea. He is saved from drowning by the sole survivor of the wreck, a Spaniard named Alonzo Monçada.
Alonzo Monçada tells his story (The Tale of the Spaniard), in which his family confines him to a monastery. He is mistreated by the monks, and his brother Juan arranges for him to escape with the help of a fellow monk, a parricide *the killing of a parent or close relative -TH). The escape plan is a trap and Juan is killed. Monçada is taken to the prison of the Inquisition. There he is visited in his cell by Melmoth, who says he will help him escape. A fire breaks out, and in the confusion Monçada escapes. He meets a venerable Jewish scholar, Adonijah, who lives in a secret chamber decorated with the skeletons of his own family. In exchange for food and shelter, Adonijah compels Monçada to transcribe a manuscript for him: the Tale of the Indians.
Isidora's father encounters a stranger at an inn who tells him the Tale of Guzman's Family. Guzman is a wealthy Spanish merchant whose sister marries a poor German musician, Walberg. Guzman decides to make Walberg's family his heirs, but his will leaves everything to the church, and the family sinks into poverty; almost insane, Walberg decides to end their poverty by killing them all – but before he does so news arrives that the true will has been found and the family is saved. By this point in the story, Isidora's father has fallen asleep, and wakes to find the stranger at the inn replaced by Melmoth.
Melmoth tells him the Lovers' Tale, about a young woman in Yorkshire named Elinor, who is jilted at the altar and is subsequently tempted by Melmoth, but refuses his help.
The Tale of the Indians resumes: Isidora returns to her family, but she is pregnant with Melmoth's child. She has a presentiment that she will not live, and gets Melmoth to promise that the child will be raised as a Christian. Isidora's father finds a husband for her, but in the middle of the wedding celebrations, Melmoth tries to abduct Isidora. Her brother tries to intervene, and Melmoth kills him. Isidora falls senseless and Melmoth escapes. Isidora reveals that she is already married, to Melmoth. She gives birth, but she and her baby daughter are imprisoned by the Inquisition. The inquisitors threaten to take away the child, but find that it is already dead. Isidora, dying of grief, remembers her island paradise, and asks if "he" will be in the heavenly paradise.
Monçada and John are interrupted by the appearance of Melmoth himself. He confesses to them his purpose on Earth, that his extended life is almost over, and that he has never been successful in tempting another into damnation: "I have traversed the world in the search, and no one to gain that world, would lose his own soul!" Melmoth has a dream of his own damnation, and of the salvation of Stanton, Walberg, Elinor, Isidora and Monçada. He asks John and Monçada to leave him alone for his last few hours of mortal existence. They hear terrible sounds from the room, but when they enter, the room is empty. They follow Melmoth's tracks to the top of a cliff, and see his handkerchief on a crag below them. "Exchanging looks of silent and unutterable horror", they return home.
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The story is complex, yes; but it is written in a style that so many people find difficult to read but, if like me, you are an archivist and your other avenues of work include reading works from pre 20th century sources...you'll do fine!. When I finished reading the book it left me thinking that this was an "open ending" -the reader had to decide whether Melmoth was dead or..... but that might just be me (it usually is).
I once tried to synopsize the story and it is very difficult but it would make a great graphic novel!
Saturday, 25 April 2026
38 to 47 Thousand Views Per Day
CBO is averaging views of 38-47K each day.
Here is my question: WHERE are the advertisers and HOW do I make money from this???
Psst! I publish comics and graphic novels so if you look to the right there is a link to the online store.😁
No. The Phantom was NOT The First!
The 1930s saw "the first costumed and masked character launching the American super hero type"...read it many times and for the USA maybe. The rest of the world? Nope/
As I have shown on the British Golden Age and UK Golden age blogs; we had them in the UK long before 1936. One of the better known costumed anti-heroes/heroes (depending on who was writing about the character, was Spring Heeled Jack.
Spring-Heeled Jack #2, Aldine Publishing, 1904 illustrator Robert Prowse Jr. (1858–died circa 1934)
Illustration of Spring-heeled Jack, from the serial Spring-heel'd Jack: The Terror of London
Also, in the 1920s we had the illustrated story of The Iron Man and you may be surprised to hear that there were tech suit wearing heroes and villains.
The Black Whip appeared in The Ranger 45 19th December 1931. It goes on and on so next time someone mentions the Phantom point out that there were others BEFORE him.
Friday, 24 April 2026
Ah, The Old "Send Me Free Copies" Game
I have had three people try to cadge free books from me this week. Not the cheaper books either but the more expensive ones.
Never going to happen.
In the last year I have sent 20 books out to people who wanted to review them. How many were reviewed? ZERO -this includes known comic blogs.
One complaint I get is that Black Tower titles are available around the world and in local currency and printed locally. What's the problem there? None. It is when it comes to paying postage that the moaning starts "I would buy your books if they were post free" -ahem. I hardly make a profit from a book so I should now pay for people's postage? I have absolutely no control over postal or courier services!
I thought it was funny when someone asked if he could buy direct from me. I keep no stock. A book is printed when ordered but I said he could and gave him the postal rates to choose from and "I have to pay postage?"
Publishing is not making money hand over fist every hour! I certainly do not. I keep my book prices very low as I am not a mega corporation. If the actual commercial value of books was reflected in the cover price people would see what a good deal they are at the moment.
Thursday, 23 April 2026
Get A German Publisher For D-Gruppe?
It's a long and depressing story but Bastei Verlag were supposedly going to until Egmont bought them and comic projects were cancelled.
Another German company expressed interest but after 6 months they just went silent and vanished within a year.
I have tried but it seems US and Japanese reprints are of more interest so, although it would be nice to have a publisher who could publish, distribute and take care of all the other stuff... I really cannot see it happening.
"Premium Printing?"
I was asked what I meant in a previous post when I wrote that I choose Premium Printing for my books.
You can have a book printed on a standard paper and with standard printing. It's a basic look and the quality can vary. I choose white paper stock and premium ink which means the black and white art is crisp and clean -the quality is far better than the original artwork.
The reason why I made this choice is simple. Old fashioned as it may be, I think that if someone is going to spend their money on one of your books then they deserve the best printing you can give them. That simple.
The Masked Marshal: Life by the Gun
A4
B&W
24pp
£7.00
It's the Wild West and one man, his identity hidden by a mask, has been made a United States Marshal with a remit to travel where ever he needs to and an even more secret remit: rid the West of the outlaws and killers and make it safe for American citizens -use any and all methods.
The toll A Life By The Gun will take is unknown to the Masked Marshal but is inevitable.
Ben Dilworth guides Stransky & Labbat to bring us stories of gun law:
Bad Law
Bushwackers
The Old Man of the River
Snowball
Clayton Gang
Some times even hitching up your horse while you take a drink can lead to death.
Black Tower Super Heroes No. 8
A4
B&W
84pp
£7.00
This is it! Issue number 8 and Rodney Dearth and his Iron Warriorface...DEATH! 1995 and Major Victory, Hero of the Soviet Union confronts a would be alien invader!
The Zine Zone Zoot Suit Crew BEFORE the Dark Crisis!
The Purple Hood needs to find the DoubleAgent!
Halcon needs to track down and fight the man-killer!
In Texas yet another would be alien invader lands!
In Germany D-Gruppe's Panzer handles another extra terrestrial biological entity....
One month in and Captaion Cosmic is under assault again by aliens wanting the Di of power!
All this and The Boy Fish, Bring 'Em Back Hank, Presto, Crasher Cave, Argo Under The Ocean, The Werewolf, Wavell and more.
All leading up to...The Green Skies! and no one asks WHY all these aliens are coming to Earth.
Wednesday, 22 April 2026
Cinebook Ltd: The Bluecoats 19 - Drummer Boy
Authors: Lambil & Cauvin
Age: 8 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 48 colour pages
ISBN: 9781800441774
£8.99 incl VAT Buy direct from Cinebook at https://www.cinebook.co.uk/bluecoats-drummer-p-4592.html
After yet another bloody battle, the Union Army organises a recruiting drive during which Blutch attempts to dissuade an obviously too young boy from signing up. To no avail, though, and before long the kid, Pucky, joins them as … a drummer boy!
While Chesterfield is tasked with looking after him, Pucky begins to practice his drumming – much to the displeasure of the troops, who are eager to get some rest before the major engagement looming on the horizon.
There is one thing that I have pointed out before and I will point it out here once again. The creators do not hide the fact that the American Civil War was BAD but around this they produce stories that are quite funny. In this book the first page deals with the aftermath of a battle and the commanders on both sides reacting to casualty figures. The book then ends with....the aftermath of a battle and the commanders on both sides reacting to casualty figures!
Sadly, men were cannon fodder and The Blue Coats tend to show this. That written; the humour, which can be slap-stick at times, always works with two characters you might call "Dumb-ass" at one point and "Total ----" the next but that makes them and their adventures even more fun -they are flawed characters who will even fight like two tom cats in a field hospital.
There is NOTHING gory shown. I will admit that at one point I thought they were going to have the drummer boy shot down in battle. He wasn't.
I always recommend The Blue Coats and there are now 19 volumes for you lucky folk to collect!
Cinebook Ltd: Amazonia 5 - Episode 5 (Finale)
Authors: LEO & Rodolphe; illustrated by Bertrand Marchal
Age: 15 years and up
Size: 18.4 x 25.7 cm
Number of pages: 48 colour pages
Publication: January 2026
ISBN: 9781800441781
£7.99 incl VAT
Kathy Austin and her Brazilian Navy partner have finally stumbled upon the lost German submarine but quickly discover that they aren’t the first to set foot in it since it was abandoned. When Reinhart and the doctor, the two Nazis looking for the gold hidden in the U-boot, arrive in turn, bringing with them Jo, the albino with otherworldly powers, secrets will be revealed, old debts will be settled, and the British spy will finally be able to close her investigation – for now.
Part 4 (july 2025) https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2025/07/cinebook-ltd-amazonia-4-episode-4.html
Part 3 (March 2025) https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2025/03/cinebook-ltd-amazonia-3-episode-3.html
Part 2 (October 2024) https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2024/10/cinebook-ltd-amazonia-1-episode-1-and-2.html
I can never find a fault in this series as it is very well written, drawn exceptionally well and the colour work adds a great deal to the overall work. However, and as I am getting older it matters, three years to publish five volumes can be seen as a bit of a stretch, The problem is that we, the readers, do not know what goes on behind the scenes and, importantly, the translation has to be carried out and that is not quick.
I wonder whether there is more of Jo's story to be told. From suspected extraterrestrial to genetic experiment his story has been quite bumpy..in fact, in this volume I thought "That's it. He's dead"..but that is where the reader gets fooled (damn writers!!!). There are a few surprises and a snappy ending for someone (you will laugh hysterically at that if you've read it...no, you will).
I suspect Kathy has not seen her last mission for British Intelligence and this creative team keeps things nice and fresh so we'll see!
There are five volumes in Kathy's first mission, Kenya and five in her second outing, Namibia. All three volumes together ought to keep the X Files fans out there happy as well as the sci fi buffs.All series are still available via Cinebook and their web site -the best way to order.
Purchase direct from Cinebook: https://www.cinebook.co.uk/amazonia-episode-p-4591.html
Black Tower Super Heroes The Ultimate Game
- A rather heavy book envelope arrived today and I thought "this is going to take a while to read and review!" but on opening I found it was MY book. The fact that I always opt for premier paper and printing really pays off But the book is done so I will only ever check it for back issue referencing. Cover came out far better than I expected!
Story Terry Hooper-Scharf
Art Terry Hooper-Scharf, Thorroe Prey, P. Beard, Tomas Scharf
- Pages
- 188
- Binding Type
- Paperback Perfect Bound
- Interior Color
- Black & White
- Dimensions
- A4 (8.27 x 11.69 in / 210 x 297 mm)
- £15.00 UK see online store for outside UK price
The mystical traveller of the realms, The Thinker, meets a stranger while travelling along the Path of Counter Actuality. But this stranger is a different type of traveller: he is Illuyanka and he has been charged with on sworn duty –to destroy specific Earths in the multiverse.
Finding that Illuyanka is partial to gambling the Thinker risks all by challenging him to a cosmic game pitting heroes against various challenges: they lose then their Earth dies. The Thinker has no doubt that with all of his knowledge he can win. But Illuyanka is not what he seems.A story that throws in as many super heroes and villains as you could ever want plus an Earths parallel crossing storyline that will have you wondering who the real bad guy is!
Tuesday, 21 April 2026
Thanks For The Views And....
For the now over 46K people who visited today...I have over 200 comics, comic albums, Graphic novels and books at the online store!
Most are list on the Black Tower Comic Shop News page (see blog roll).
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