Comic Bits 4

 

A4

80pp

colour and black and white

Perfect bound

£12.00 Until December 1st 2026 then £20.00

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/comic-bits-4/paperback/product-nv555mq.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Celebrating the British Platinum, Golden, Dark and Silver Ages of Comic Art and the long forgotten masters of comic book art and in this issue we look at George H Heath, Jack Greenall, Hugh Stanley White and John R Turner who are mostly forgotten. Their work from the 1930s to 1960s shaped the face of British comics.

And lost or forgotten characters? We hve those. Who remembers Dick Gordon The Bat-Man? Cyclone? Even though he was a long lasting character who remembers The Falcon? If that isn't good enough how about delving into the early 19th century and the first indisputable pop culture icon Dr Syntax. Educational and entertaining Comic Bits 4 is for the comic historianb as well as lovers of comics.

panellogy 580 - comics by german cartoonists

 

As An Angel I Shall Be Monitoring Sales.....I Will be an angel, right?

 I had a bit of a debate with someone last night. I write "debate" but it seemed to be all one-sided from the person concerned. You see, he had been discussing with others on some forum my books. Now h had never bought any of them and neither had those discussing this with him.

What they decided was that myu claim that when I finally cease this mortal coil my books are gone was pure bovine excretia.

I will state here what I stated to him: my family has absolutely no intertest in my comic work nor in my wildlife books/work. It has been made clear that a skip or, most likely a fire, will get rid of my "paper mountain". That's it. There is no massive business gold mine and no one will gety any monery from sales and I will be dead anyway so beyond caring.  My solicitor has the authorisation to close my online bookstore when my toes curl. End of story.

I'm sorry, folks but that's how it goes. It is all print on demand (POD) so no stock held in boxes. Gone. Finito. Even selling 100 copies of a book will still mean it is very rare. About 2019 (I think) a fella wrote on a blog that "POD books are great investments because there will never be thousands of copies floating around. Invest now for a payoff later" and he actually did!  One copy of each book -my biggest sale in a long while.

I explained all of this to the fella who appeared to be getting more over heated and then I quit the chat. Seriously, he and his chums (there was obvious discussion going on as I was answering his questions!) decided that there must be boxes full of my books that would survive me and that the store would never close. Not sure how I would make money from that sitting on a cloud somewhere😏

Comics is a funny old business and some 'comic fans' are...."odd"

Cinebook Ltd Newsletter 226 - October 2026

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NEWSLETTER 226 – OCTOBER 2026 Dear Reader, This month, we have two very different titles for you – yet both of the highest quality as usual! First we bring you the second half of Redbeard’s latest adventure, after Hunter of Men last month. When the dreams of freedom of escaped slaves collide with the harsh realities of 18th century life in the Caribbean, it makes for an exciting and tragic adventure. What path will Redbeard, a former pirate, choose? Meanwhile, Yakari must deal with a wolverine driven to new heights of anger by the pranks of a colony of flying squirrels. Sure, the predator isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he’s big, crafty, and revengeful. Outwitting him will require some work – even some teamwork! October with Cinebook – exciting stuff for all!   Previous Month’s Bestsellers 1 Blake & Mortimer 31 Threat from Atlantis 2 Blake & Mortimer The Complete Collection Volume 6 3 The Bluecoats 20 Bloomers and Bone Saws 4 Yoko Tsuno 21 The Celestial Boat 5 Redbeard 4 Hunter of Men On Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November, we will be at Thought Bubble, the Yorkshire Comic Arts Festival in Harrogate, UK! You can find us at tables A20 to A22 in Redshirt Hall, Harrogate Convention Centre. We’ll have comics for all tastes and ages, and the best deals a comic lover can dream of. New to European comics? Long time fan of bandes dessinées? Either way, we’ll have something for you! Redbeard 5 Stefano Carloni & Jean-Charles Kraehn The Island of Illusions Having rescued his daughter, who’d been kidnapped to blackmail his father Redbeard, Eric joins him on the island where the ‘maroons’, runaway slaves, have sought refuge. Their plan is still to find Baba, who left the crew to assist the maroons, but in no time they find themselves caught in the locals’ infighting … Read more Yakari 24 Derib & Job The Wolverine’s Revenge A wolverine, having been the victim of a prank by a group of young flying squirrels, swears to get revenge. Soon, he kidnaps one of the young squirrels – who happens to be a cousin of Linden’s, Yakari’s beaver friend. The wolverine’s plan is to torture his prisoner by starving him, then gobble him whole to acquire his ability to glide through the air … Read more Redbeard 5 The Island of Illusions Yakari 24 The Wolverine’s Revenge Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November 2026: Cinebook will exhibit at Thought Bubble, the Yorkshire Comic Convention, in Harrogate, Yorkshire, UK Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival Comic Bits Online – Terry Hooper Lucky Luke by … Appollo and Brüno – Dakota 1880

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974) | FULL FILM in 4K | Hammer's Swashbuckling Vampire Classic

 

The Charlton Comics Docu-Movie

 Back in May I asked whether anyone knew what happened with the Charlton Comics docu-movie. Nothing had been heard since 2019 and every avenue I have tried has led to...nothing. 

comic bits online: Was The Charlton Comics Documentary Ever Made?

If anyone has any information please let me know as more than a few people want their money back. If you know the two producers please pass this along to them.

Thanks

Dodgem cars, Marrows and Stone Monuments

 Well, it seems I opened a can of worms withthe Anglo-Marvelman-Marvel deal. It's very complicated BUT it appears Anglo did not own the rights to the character. Let sleeping dogs lie (but maybe an article for Comic Bits 5?).

Anyway, reading Marvelman 358 was fun. "Marvelman In Blackpool" is aboutr as British as you can get...apart from a story about stolen marrows.  Don't get me wrong because I have had my characters duke it out with someone in Weston-Super-Mare as well as the Cheddar Gorge, Bristol Downs and mt Cabot's Tower and the Bristol Suspension Bridge.

I was shocked back in the late 1980s when the German publisher of Watcher magazine hadno idea about Externsteine...he even had the name re-lettered as "Extern Stein". I think it is important that if you are producing a story based in Germany or Britain that you at least know the places you intend to include.

Or is that just me?

One person asked me a few years back: "That looks exactly like Exztersteine and Herman's Denkmal -how do you know about those?"   Well, my family ion Germany lioved in that area. We referred to the monument as "Oncle (uncle)  Herman" and, well, I am 54% German so I know my German history!

Yeah, getting too serious about locations is boring and takes you away from the marrow stealers and dodgem cars -rather like the fun of the Narri Narro festival in Germany in the past.

Just enjoy fun comics.

Merriwether Not All Monsters Are Evil

 

Tales of Terror 6

 

 56pp

A4

Black and White

£10 UK (outside UK check store for cost)

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/tales-of-terror-6-2026/paperback/product-gjzzjv7.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Contributors: Terry Ford, Darron Northall, Terry Hooper, Ben R Dilworth

The Annual Black Tower feast of Horror is here! The Reverend Merriowether ("God's Demon thumper") faces evil in two tales: Bastet and Varney the Vampyre! Will the Right Reverend succeed in his goal to wipe "the horrible things" from the Earth? Lady Silana, Tarot, Kotar and Sabuta combine forces in the now legendary mini epic: The Curse of the Lycanthrope" but fear not if one epic story was too little from his monastery retreat Ben R Dilworth brings us three tales of lycanthropy: Wolf. Werewolf and Wolf: Scream Life and what more could you ask for? Oh, a peek into The Black Files of Q Bureaux? An old case from 1898 maybe? Okay, babies you got it! All tales introduced by Black Tower's own stalwarts in the fight against vampires, werewolves, demons and...we'll not mention the psilocybin mushroom tea. Really.

NEW COMIC BOOKS RELEASING OCTOBER 28TH 2026 MARVEL COMICS PREVIEWS COMING OUT THIS WEEK #comics

 

NOT in comic shops

Pierre Labbat

22 pages

Black and White

£8.00

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/charcoal-1/paperback/product-84m9ee7.html?q=&page=1&pageSize=4

Labbat is back!

Charcoal is a long awaited new book written and illustrated by the mystery comic pro people are guessing about but never guess right. Then again if you held up a photo of him people would still look blankly and ask "Is it...."

Charcoal is a classic drawing medium made from carbon It lets artists create deep blacks, soft shades, and bold lines. It is great for quick sketches, portraits, and big landscape drawings. Why am I telling you this? To show of that I did art at some point in my life and I wanted to0 show off dammit!

"Footie is Life" "Corporal Religion" "Angel's Share" and more. ("more" is NOT a clue....?) For lovers of street level Independent comics and zines this one is for you!

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

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/black-tower-super-heroes-the-ultimate-game/paperback/product-95d9z68.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 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!

The Blood Beast Terror | Full Movie | Flick Vault

 

FRIDA GOLD - BEWEIS feat. JUPITER JONES (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

 

Let's Incite Snoring On A Sunday Afternoon

 

I hate boring people so let me just point out that the 35 Year Rule used by Skinn re Marvelman was used widely in British comics going back to the 1940s (although it was not called such back then).

If you have seen any paperwork contracts between L. Miller and Son and Mick Anglo let me know -if you have copies. Long boring story.

Jerry Siegel created and wrote a lot of characters during the 1960s. He had what one might term a "bad experience" with a company over one of his characters once. Can you guess which one?  Certain characters from the 1960s in British comics are clearly his.  I know for sure that The Spider involved a contract with Amalgamated Press and as Gil Page put it "Everyone was excited that the man who created Superman was working for us".  Even after 46+ years with Amalgamated, Fleetway, IPC and Fleetway again, Page had seen few contracts as "everything was considered what the Yanks call work for hire".

A lot of documentation may have been transferreed to the secret warehouse the company kept for storing art, etc. but I was told (Page plus others at Fleetway in the 1990s) "apart from financial records you'll bve hard pressed to find anything else" -sell off after sell off made that all very easy.  One thing you had to do as a writer with Fleetway was send in two copies of your script. I once asked why two?  "To prove to accounts someone had genuinely done the work" and the stories that followed that statement were an eye opener!

I should note that even though I own my characters I put in writing, going back to 1988, that the artist OWNS their artwork and can sell it or whatever (just not make a comic out of it).

Even sales figures were, uh, "adapted".  Rather like the "sell or return" scheme arranged with distributors -it was a massive tax dodge.

If anyone out there has examples of contracts (not invoices) with any UK company from 1939 on please let me know because as a comic historian I am interested and 40+ years od f searching I have not come up with any and I recall the late Denis Gifford responding to my quest with "Oh, good luck on that one!"

Characters -It Seems To Be My Night for Notes!

 There is a two part strip (the whole work would have been six parts) that no one other than three tight lipped people have ever seen. It is, however, legendary: Outlaws of the Urban Forest.

It was created in the early 1980s and set in the 21st when a mystery disease had wiped out a lot of the world's population. Yeah, I saw Covid 19 coming if you didn't😎 basically the world had fallen back to a near Medieval period. Later parts of the story would flash back to "The Red Star" and Middle East wars which led to the total breakdown of society.

In England one man's life was almost following the legend of Robin Hood. A resistance (as in rob people with wealth for your own purposes) formed around him and so the story progressed. I mention this as someone asked elsewhere how modern comic creators would treat characters from myth and legends. Almost all the ideas were very -VERY- derivative of TV shows and movies and one wasliterally The Dark Knight storyline featuring an old pulp character.

For me the fact that thses characters are legends or myths means that is all you need to know. "Hey, these characters were loved in the 1960s so let's bring them back -just change them so they are not what made them popular!"  The UK and US have prime examples of this. You should know what I am talking about. The same things apply to cult movies and TV shows.

Heracles is Heracles and Thor is Thor. Gilgamesh is Gilgamesh and these, and many others, have had their stories last thousands of years and they are still popular. Put them in super hero suits .... no.  You can feature these characters in stories without messing them up -Gilgamesh turned up for a cameo in Return of the Gods -as did the Monkey King. Really, each writer should have a good enough creative brain to be able to adapt such characters to modern events.

Rather like British Platinum, Golden and Dark ages comic characters I do not suddenly make them cold, dark killers or having dirty secrets.  I just add to their historic stories and in some ways it really works well. Take Krakos the Egyptian; I never found his origin story but I read all of the strips (Swan the publisher could not even remeber him) and gave his back story. Twenty or so years later (actually more than 30 years!!) I found the original story and it tied in so well with what I wrote that it was claimed that I must have seen the origin story!

I read as many Iron Warrior strips as I could and buying the albums featuring the stories cost a lot of money but I was correct based on what I had learnt before that, far from Alan Moore and other 'knowledgable' comic writers claims; Rodney Dearth the IWs creator was not a "son of the empire" out to suppress native peoples and gain as much wealth as possible -in the strips he is the complete opposite.

You need to know your characters and stay true to what they have always been while introducing them in new stories.  

Marvelman -some notes

 

I've had some conversations with a few old comic peopl;e about Marvelman/Miracleman since my last post on the subject. It does not really matter sincle Miracleman is NOT Marvelman and I think that was part of the deal betyween Anglo and Marvel. His pure fun character was not to be this nasty dark character.

As it is written in the comic history books when National (DC) sue Fawcett over Captain Marvel (Shazam) and the character's likeness to Superman Fawcett stopped publishing Leonard Miller and his son, Arnold, were in a bind since the Captain Marvel comic was a good seller. What they did was ask Mick Anglo to create a similar character to take over. Now contracts in comic companies were few and far between -Gil Page when starting out at Amalgamated Press was excited to be carrying a copy of the contract with Jerry Siegel who created The Spider for them and even in the 1980s no contracts were given out). Anglo designed and created Marvelman and that was it.

Now, when Anglo was getting out of comics he was known to have sold the character (I am not getting into an argument on British comics and copyrights!). I was told Samuel Assael (John Spencer) "was said to have purchased the character" -interesting since Samuel (rather like Gerald Swan) was not keen on comics which is why my deal with him was quick and cheap.  Others thought Alan Class (Class Comics) might have purchased the character but he only dealt with US reprints and had no interest in new material.

The best company that seemed far more likely because of their publishing output was Top Sellers. I was told in the 1980s that they had "agreements" with Anglo but never specified what exactly -it was why, when I saw Warrior magazine in a newsagents I asumed it was a Top Seller book.

Really, it comes down to Marvel purchased (contract not specific) Miracleman from Anglo. Unless you were in a company at the time when Anglo "sold" Marvelman, in which case I would love to hear from you, the actual goings on will never be known.