OOH. Someone pointed out that everything I have done in and for British comics and small press since 1995 has, again,. has been deleted. I am used to this and we KNOW who in what used to bve the comics 'community' is behind this.
You will note that my name as owner and publisher on ZZ and ZZI as well as Black Tower Comics has been removed.
"Between 1983 and 1995 Zine Zone (later Zine Zone International), a Bristol-based company specialising in mail order, comic mart service and publications, focused international attention on UK small pressers and helped a number go on to mainstream comics, including D'Israeli and Duncan Fegredo."
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Quiet on CBO? Yep. A LOT going on that need not concern anyone.
I did try -a lot and failed- to do a long spread of Black Tower characters to use to create a poster. I liked the look of this one from Marvel Comics and in my BT version the Iron Warrior would be standing tall in the background.
Avenger, Jon Future, Gilgamesh, "Bob", Cast Iron Chris, Mayfly, The Bat, Krakos, (a young)Madam Foretell, Jack Flash and one of the "X's" -IW in background.
I may try again but....
I was asked why no updates on the projects that were due out this month?
The answer is simple: I have done no work on them. There are almost 200 titles on the online store and to be perfectly honest nothing is selling despite combined views of book related posts being over 3 millionon this blog and that's before looking at the stats on the opther blogs.
It could not be simpler to browse and buy but no one is interested so I have to ask myself whether working on another couple hundred pages of art is worth the time and effort. I have scrapped scheduling for "When I feel like it". People are only interested in what they are told is worth buying and are still led to believe that Image are "Independent comics" and that Marvel and DC are the only real comics.
So, when I feel like it.
You should all know where the store is by now.
Author: Roger Leloup
Age: 12 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 48 colour pages
£8.99 incl VAT
ISBN: 9781800441873
https://www.cinebook.co.uk/yoko-tsuno-celestial-boat-p-4603.html
Yoko and her adopted daughter Morning Dew are on their way
to
After consulting a local historian, they learn that the Tooth is a mountain, and the ‘treasure’ is, in fact, the tomb of an emperor’s wife who died in the 11th century, at the age of six. A sad tale that will soon have Yoko and Dew travelling to the past once more!
When I got the first Yoko Tsuno book to review I wanted to get it out of the way. It was a"Kiddies book with a feamle character" and one that I thought not that worth bothering with. So quick review and move on.
I was wrong of course.
Space travel. Time travel -there is a whole universe of unique stories and characters. If you want to put it in simple terms Yoko gets up to the sort of thing Dr Who does! Leloup's work is getting even better and the colours are so nice and easy on the eye. Look at the cover. Not a single fault in the art that I can see and I really do think more people need to startknowing about Yoko Tsuno.
We have time travel; hang gliding -in the 11th century of course!-, ships colliding and the "fourth wife" not turning out to be quite who Yoko thought. If I write too muchit is going to give away the whole ending but I'll just say that this story is an example of a Consistency Paradox as we interested in Temporal Paradoxes call it. Buy the book. Read the story and you will see what I mean.
Just for kids? Well if I enjoyed it at my age then I'll just write "A comic book adventure for all ages" (that is not even a reference to time travel!).
Authors: Appollo and Brüno
Age: 8 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 64 colour pages
£11.99 incl VAT
ISBN: 9781800441927
https://www.cinebook.co.uk/lucky-luke-dakota-1880-p-4601.html
In this homage to the legendary Lonesome Cowboy, Appollo and Brüno, through seven short stories linked together in a single narrative, give us a glimpse of Lucky Luke’s life before he became the righter of wrongs we all know.
As a mere employee of a stagecoach company, he embarks on a dangerous journey from Dakota to California during which he’ll meet several remarkable characters, several of whom will make it into the history books – and alter his life forever. edes him, and when the townspeople ask him to investigate a hold-up in place of the sheriff – none other than James Bone – the tension ratchets up another notch …
I have no idea what "nd alter his life forever. edes him, " in the Cinebook site means! Might be "His reputation precedes him"? It would make sense.
Now, if you are a fan of Lucky Luke then this book may come as a bit of a shock to you -if you read Wanted: Lucky Luke you might be prepared!
https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2022/05/cinebook-wanted-lucky-luke.html
The art style is what can only be described as very European in style and that is not a bad thing. Lots of colour use to enhance scenes The art also relies a lot more on solid black than the more traditional Luke books do.
When I opened the book first I thought "Oh bloody hell what have they done?" and put it back down. In fact, picking it up again two days later I quite enjoyed it. This is not the gag riddled Luke but a slightly more serious take on the character -at one point we see him having been "neck-tied" to a tree. The stories all build up a back story of Lukes life although I do wonder if old time fans will like this? I suppose the easiest way of readsing this is to say the Luke in these stories are an alternative universe version. For me I immediately switched off any connection with the more humorous Lucky Luke and read this as a grit-and-all Western.
The stories are all well written and paced and build up the character well. I kept seeing him as a young James Stewart! Luke's interaction with indigenous people that looked like it was heading to violence...you'll have to see. Nice twist. The hanging, the teaching a young man to use a gun all works in well with traditional Western tropes and gave a fascinating read.
Talking of which: the text feature is an interview with Gustav Frankenbaum about the old dime novel Westerns and their connection to Lucky Luke.
All-in-all it was a good read and if you are a Luke fan give this a try as you may have heard the wrong things about this t6ake on the character. Recommended and, PLEASE, order direct frokm Cinebook!
On Saturday 19 September, we will be at 
Saturday September 19th, 2026: Cinebook will exhibit at 
