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Cinebook Ltd Newsletter 208 - April 2025

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Dear Reader, We hope you enjoyed reading the first two volumes of our Complete Blake & Mortimer Collection as much as we enjoyed putting them together! Now, how about two more, hmm? Volume 3 is a full-on science fiction fest, with Atlantis Mystery going all out on lost civilisations, prehistoric monsters, and futuristic machines and technology. Jacobs gives free rein to the wilder side of his imagination, and the result is a classic romp worthy of Jules Verne and Conan Doyle's best 'lost world' adventures. Meanwhile, in S.O.S. Meteors, the whole story takes place in and around Paris, as mundane a setting as can be imagined - yet the author's genius lies in delivering a stunning yarn of weather control and evil schemes as entertaining as if it took place in some exotic locale! Volume 4 continues the science fiction sequence with a captivating story of time travel: The Time Trap. With Mortimer visiting prehistoric times, medieval France, and the distant future, there's plenty for Jacobs to showcase his mastery of storytelling as well as the effectiveness of his painstaking research into anything he chose to illustrate and include in his stories. The Affair of the Necklace, however, is an unexpected straight crime caper with no sci-fi involved, and its uniqueness among Jacobs's body of work makes it an intriguing read all by itself - beyond the inherent quality of the story! And of course, both books come with 32 pages each of extra material - essays, analyses, illustrations, history of the comics' creation, and more! April with Cinebook: gotta read them all! Good news for Lucky Luke afficionados: volumes 5 (In the Shadow of the Derricks), 18 (The Escort), and 33 (The One-Armed Bandit) are back in print! Read what you might have missed and complete your collection! Blake & Mortimer Edgar P. Jacobs The Complete Collection 3 The two stories contained in this third volume are firmly within the realm of science-fiction. And yet, Atlantis Mystery, with its prehistoric monsters, futuristic machines and subterranean lost civilisations, stands in stark contrast with S.O.S. Meteors, the action of which takes place entirely within Paris and the surrounding countryside … Read more Blake & Mortimer Edgar P. Jacobs The Complete Collection 4 With The Time Trap, first of the two titles in this fourth volume, Jacobs tackles a quintessential science-fiction trope: time travel. Dinosaurs, medieval knights and an apocalyptic future make it a fabulous adventure, and who cares if, for the first time, Olrik isn’t there? The Affair of the Necklace, on the other hand, is a pure crime story … Read more No new titles available in Previews in May. North-American readers, to locate a comic book shop near you that stocks or can order these titles and many more, use this handy Read more   Or, if you're a retailer yourself, please go to: Read more Blake & Mortimer The Complete Collection 3 Blake & Mortimer – The Complete Collection 4

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What Fleetway Wanted To Replace The Supernaturals -The Paranormals

 What "The Paranormals" is about.

In the mid 1980s Fleetway had a comic featuring the toys from ACTION FORCE -the comic title being BATTLE ACTION FORCE in case you didn't know. But things went awry when Marvel purchased the comic rights and Fleetway had to rush to get a replacement feature.

On 13th November,1987,Fleetway launched No.1 of  The Supernaturals, again based on a set of toys from Tonka. But by issue no.6 there was talk of Marvel UK going for a deal with Tonka Toys that would leave Fleetway in a deep hole again.

I was working on scripts and project ideas and was asked if I had anything that could fill the gap IF the worst happened? Well, I was working on a series of toy designs that had led to nothing and the games manufacturer who had shown interest in a game based on the idea also opted out to produce yet another TV show oriented game.

My project was "The Supernaturals I: The Spectral Realm".

In short, I said "yes!".

Having travelled on the London Underground system on trips to London I was struck by how eery some of the stations were -probably brought on by recollections of the film "Deathline" with Donald Pleasance, Christopher Lee and others (basically, Alan Moore -well, it looks like Alan Moore- is a psychotic underground dweller killing people in a gory way while shouting out "Mind the doors!"]. I got into looking at the history of the system and soon found out about the haunted areas and even claims of real derelicts living in abandoned areas.

The Underground is, after all, the oldest in the World; opening in 1863; so many burial pits and graveyards have been cut through that the possibilities are endless. The deepest tube line is, I believe, 300 feet? But there are others, some unmapped...perhaps even deeper below London?

I had the idea that, rather as in The Supernaturals comic, there was this power or force, neither good nor evil but maintaining some kind of balance of the two. This power chose warriors or people and placed them in The Spectral realm where they were given various powers/abilities. There was no returning to "Mortal World". These people were stranded in Spectral Realm until the end of time or until they died.

There would be Realm Dwellers, ghosts and the like to assist one side or the other. There would be the occasional enigmatic figure able to bridge both worlds. And I thought why not have one of the deepest, abandoned [around 1900] stations as the breach between Spectral Realm and Mortal World?

Then I was asked for some character designs...but to bear in mind the toy market possibilities. A friend suggested a games manufacturer that was looking for a Role Playing Game [RPG].

Although received enthusiastically, the scripts and much more vanished along with the idea -about a month after The Supernaturals had ceased publication. What happened? No idea but I'd guess the legacy of Robert Maxwell had something to do with it, Fleetway was later taken over by Egmont.

Above: characters from the proposed animated series

The gaming people jumped ship.

Briefly, around 1993, I thought the idea was going to be picked up by an animation company but no.

I was looking for a project from my dusty old files to revive the hefty box with The Paranormals material in fell on my head. I could not refuse what was obviously a decree from the Great Power!!

Which leads me on to this...

 Part 2

The Paranormals: My Non-Existent Pencilling and Paul Brown's Inking and Retirement From Comics

 As I mentioned The Paranormals, that should have replaced Fleetway's The Supernaturals, in the last post I checked the Spectral realm yahoo group on which there are a lot of old and cranky character sketches.  Awful in fact.

However, The Paranormals first story was finally published in Tales Of Terror III in 2013.  My pencils are hardly "existing" as I tend to do a rough sketch  panel, ink and move on.  However, I was asked whether I could show what my rough pencils looked like so I scanned pages 1-5 and compared to my usual pencils these are detailed!

Corrections and additions are made as I ink.

So I nabbed these and then saw another file: "Paul A. Brown decided to ink pages 1-7 of the strip --what do you think?"

I could not resist these.

Once he completed his inks, Mr Brown looked at me all humble and said: "Terry, I cannot compete.  You are THE master. I shall no more draw comics. Good day to you, Sir"  and...he never has....well, he did some "great" stuff like Donald Hamilton, Defective Comics, Browner Knowle and...mumble mumble

Lesson to be learnt: if you work with me you will NEVER want to work in comics again.

That...doesn't sound....quite right... 

Anyway, it is odd but these pages -the story- fit right in with the whole Return Of The Gods but I never realised!

D-Gruppe and Two Rotkappchen and a Big Wood Guy

   Long story but survivors from other parallel Earths of the Zeitgeist threat ended up on "our" Earth so two different Rotkappchens!

all art (c)2025 T. Hooper/BTCB

What Was The Trial?

 

This story was written/drawn in 1995 for a proposed Egmont UK project but by that time they were losing things with more people coming in who had no idea what a comic was!  The Project title was "Jag 96".

The story takes place after the whole D-Gruppe Zeit-Geist Saga and sees five heroes -three of them D-Gruppe members- whisked off to The Cosmic Fulcrum and placed on trial -hence the title.  There is a lot more involved but origins are revealed for the first time and that of German hero Wavell should be a pleasant surprise.

When originally written, there were hints and clues that would evolved into the original Return of the Gods.  There was also a hint at what was then a VERY embryonic idea -"The Days of Darkness" which has since become The Green Skies.

Mentioning Zeit-Geist and hinting at The Return of the Gods is not all you will find when Black Tower Super Heroes 2-7 appear.  There are hints at and build up to The Green Skies and all of this new or up-dated (totally re-lettered) material is intermixed with some great UK Golden Age strips and some took a very long time per page to clean up, re-letter and make printable -remember some of these strips are over 80 years old and not printed on the best paper in the first place!

D-Gruppe comics and trade

  All the fun action (and deadly threats) you need for your day and these editions are in English.

A4
B&W
31pp
£6.00
https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/d-gruppe-vol1/paperback/product-159nejq4.html


Germanys first super team created in the 1970s when there were no German created super heroes. 

D-Gruppe first saw print in the 1980s in this story "The Revenge Of The Ice Queen" written and pencilled by Terry Hooper-Scharf and inked/lettered by Ben R. Dilworth. The back-up strip is Deutscher Michael in "Carnival of Death" by John Erasmus.

A4

B&W

22pp

£5.50
https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/d-gruppe-2/paperback/product-1j98pnmm.html

Following the events of issue 1, Kopfmann has strengthened D-Gruppe but when confronted by a series of unusual events and equally unusual abductors, can the team face the threat of the world destroying Zeit Geist?

Part 1 of the Zeit Geist story arc.

note:events in D Gruppe 1-6 take place BEFORE the Return Of The Gods story in BT Adventure.

A4
B&W
24pp
£5.50
https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/terry-hooper/d-gruppe-3/paperback/product-19q4q74d.html

Now gathered at The Place Of The Gods, D-Gruppe meet heroes from other worlds that have been attacked or face attack by the Zeit-Geist. 

Sent to seek out the enigmatic being, the group realises that something is wrong -and Zeit-Geist strikes from within!

A4
B&W
34pp
£6.00
https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/d-gruppe-4/paperback/product-15g4ye7v.html

This is it! The final showdown with Zeitgeist -but with heroes already dead can D-Gruppe and the other heroes stop the world destroyer?? 

Plus -Kopfmann's first appearance before D-Gruppe and the origin of The Mummy -and a new feature The D-Gruppe Fact File. 

You want more???? 

You ain't getting it!

A4
56pp
B&W
£6.00
https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/d-gruppe-annual-2012/paperback/product-1pey2pg5.html

For D-Gruppe, Germany's first and only super team, things seem to have gone quiet since the Cross-worlds Zeitgeist event. 

However, Tarot, the mystic, detects a great evil below D-Gruppe's very own HQ. 

The ultimate evil has returned and this time it isn't just a question of whether D-Gruppe can stop it but how many of them will die trying?

Part 2 of the Zeit Geist saga contained in that volume

A4

B&W

164pp

£12.00

http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/d-gruppe-the-zeit-geist-saga/paperback/product-21156613.html

Germanys first super heroes have fumbled along since the “Externsteine Event” One day something crashes into forestry followed by a “white out” event and the appearance of the Pied Piper of Hameln and then the appearance Frederick Barbarossa seemingly out of history at D-Gruppe headquarters and his calling them into action. 

At the Place of the Gods, D-Gruppe meets heroes from other German parallels –all targeted and some destroyed by a seemingly all powerful being known as “Zeitgeist” and the race is on to find and stop “It” But there is a traitor amongst the heroes. 

They were Germanys first. Germanys best heroes. But will they live long enough to succeed in their task? 

This book collects together the first adventure of D-Gruppe –Revenge Of The Ice Queen– along with the three part Zeitgeist saga and the 2012 annual that concluded the German super hero epic— plus other features! Art by Ben R. Dilworth and Art/Stories by Terry Hooper-Scharf