FondJoy Robert Pattinson The Batman 1/9 Scale Action Figure

A Comment on a Miserable Day

 I have just finished having a conversation with someone who used to work in comics up until 2015.  Nothing unusual there but the turn the conversation took was a little unexpected. He mentioned how all the news on the scandals involving certain UK creators had suddenly vanished and thought that was weird.  

He also mentioned a certain former UK comic editor/writer who thought he was a bit of a ladies man. "Did you hear how he chatted up and propositioned *********** wife at the comic event?" I told him that the artist -sadly gone now- had told me the story himself. He then asked if I knew about another artist whose wife was propositioned by the same person? I did, vaguely, but it seems that was acceptable back in the late 1990s/early 2000s.

It turned out that the person I was chatting to was one of those who reported two comic creators trying to get into a young woman's hotel room in Bristol during a comic event (both were typically drunk). I told him that was well known but covered up by other creators -what I did not know was that the young woman was not even 18 years old.

The online comics media tends to brush over these things or keep quiet about them but I am hoping that one day soon people are going to come forward and report what they know or things that happened. Names that could be mentioned  would make the Neil Gaiman scandal look like a picnic in Brighton.

Black Tower Comic Fun Album 1

 

A4

32pp

Black and white and colour

£12.00 UK -outside the UK the online store will show you cost in your region

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/black-tower-comic-fun/paperback/product-w4ynq4r.html?q=&page=1&pageSize=4

It's FUN! FUN! FUN! All the

way (except for the action). Black Tower Comic Fun reprints some of the strips that are now going on for three decades old. Starring Dr Sterno: Man of Science as he attempts to stop a seemingly out of control cyborg from rampaging into Finland...and is betrayed! Dru gives advice on getting a job. The Thinker offers his thoughts on things in general. The Legendary Wrecking Crew pop up. The Iron Warrior gets to work with his huge chopper. Garza shows why he is the jungle boss. And...Garbage World in which intergalactic demolition decides the Earth is a waste tip of sorts. Just one big bundle of fun in black and white and colour!

Streamline and Moon Man #1

 

Dennis Holmes Wilberton & Friends

80pp

A4

black and white

£8.00

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/streamline-and-moon-man/paperback/product-2p9q7y.html?q=&page=1&pageSize=4

Streamline the Golden Age British speedster and Moon Man get the Black Tower treatment in this one off comic with a difference. These are new stories and art and not Golden/Silver Ages reprints

Black Tower: Streamline 2 The Dr Rose Agenda

 

Ben R Dilworth writer/artist

24 pages

A4

Black and white

£8.00 UK

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/streamline-2/paperback/product-yvyd549.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Keenan King aka Streamline of Earth Parallel 669 meets agent Grimes of MI5 in Westminster Abbey for a briefing. A briefing that seems to indicate that the man who helped King and gave him his powers, Dr. Rose, has mass produced the formula used on him.

If the man who helped give him the powers of Streamline has turned rogue for money or other reasons he has to be stopped.

An army of Streamlines would be unstoppable and a threat to not just the UK but the world.

DC Multiverse Collection: Professor Zoom

New Avengers 8, FF 7, Dr Strange 2 and Avengers 34 (800) -Is This really what Marvel Has Become?

 

For me The Avengers, Fantastic Four and X-Men were the team books with the best writers and artists.  We know for a fact, because if you have read and studied comics everything you need as proof is there, that comics declined in the 1990s. Hack writers with no knowledge of characters or their history were cheap to hire by a company like Marvel that had fallen into decline from the top on down.  

 The last good run of Fantastic Four was likely the early 2000s when old hands were brought in. Reboot after reboot after reboot after reboot has seen the stories decline. The current incarnation just fell flat but I persevered and now it is just poor.  It might have been bearable were it not for the fact that there have been some lousy artists involved. In the past I have had no problem with Ramos's art but in this Fantastic Four run it is ugly with no saving grace and I know Ramos fans will be outraged by my writing that but I do not care because the story is bad enough but the art has pushed me to the point of ending decades of reading the former Marvel flag ship title.

Please tell me New Avengers is going to end soon so that standing order can be cancelled. There is some nice art in the book but the story seems to be all over the place and while I am sure that the writer thinks they are being clever it is all wearing a bit thin now and seems to be going nowhere.  It is issue 8 but I feel like we are back with issue 4.  

 Winter Soldier and Black Widow have to take turns in tying each other up and torturing one another. to see who is the traitor....more like the writer trying to get their kinks out there. Honestly, at one point I just asked out loud "What the  *****  is supposed to be going on?"

And the cover is awful.

The Avengers was the title others tried to emulate. It was another title that just went wrong in the 1990s, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope and return to form when Busiek, Davis and then Perez revived it with Heroes Reborn and Avengers Forever seemed to indicate Marvel was returning to form, They dumped Perez and Busiek and....oh gods.   I have a run of Avengers from the 1960s to present and there have been some awful -AWFUL- reboots with bad stories and equally bad art.   

The current run has been notable for bad writing and also the fact that the Avengers rarely feature in the title and at best we've had two members in an issue. That's a lovely old feel cover to the book and as an 800th issue (don't worry they add and remove the "legacy numbering" whenever they think it might sell something) and all Marvel has been stating you think this is going to be a treat for fans.   

Well, that pipe dream hit the crapper fast.  Bad characterisation, messy story and while there is some good art it is all over the place and I had to keep double checking.  Do I quit with this at 800?  Honestly, I can see why some fans will not consider there being an Avengers comic after 500 and why a lot were complaining about this big anniversary issue.

Nice cover.

Dr Strange is another nice cover and anyone who knows me will tell you that my all time favourite solo characters are The Sub-Mariner and Dr Strange.

Sadly, Dr Strange has been rebooted and messed up so much that I resorted to trades to keep up with it but then it just died for me.  When it was stated that this new series was "a return to form" for the character I did not realise they meant "bad form".  After issue 1 I stated I would see what happened in issue 2....

I am not buying issue 3. Some of the art was just ugly.  When you look at a long established character and have to ask "why does he look so awful now?" you know things have gone wrong. 

I actually hate saying how bad a company I have followed and supported with my money since the 1960s has gotten.  This constant swapping around of writers and artists is not keeping things fresh but actually destroying characters and titles. I think the best example is The Ultimate Universe  line. Marvel is showing the universe end while publicising its revival (AGAIN).

I know Disney does not care about Marvel Comics as they only bring in a pittance while the movies are the big earners. I gave up on DC because of what happened over and over again and now it looks as though modern Marvel is about to join it.

"It's okay for you -you can get work in comics easy!"

 People have said that bot realising they are talking absolute rubbish. Yes, I have been writing everything from comics, technical and general intertest articles since the 1970s. I have been involved in editorial work, publishing comics and magazines as well as books since the 1980s. I heavily promoted MU Press, Blue Comet Press and other companies in the 1980s-1990s and before they became "cool" for a short period I promoted and pushed Archie Comics before they decided to just stop for no reason. 

I did scripts for Marvel UK, Fleetway and others over the years and I get more ideas for comic strips and series in my head daily.

However, none of that means that I can just "walk into" comic work with a company because experience is not valued as much as ticking the right trendy boxes.

It is that simple.  I was asked the other day whether I had ever submitted project ideas to Archie since I have never made a secret of the fact that I am a big fan of the companies action characters?  Yes, I have. Last time was December 2025 and as usual not even the "professional courtesy" of a response.

I hate the shatter illusions but that is just how it goes these days. There are things I regret  such as backing and supporting and heavily pushing companies who tell you how grateful they are that you are supporting them but then, when it all pays off, it's a case of "Terry who?"  I've even had artists who I helped get into the industry do similar and even claim they've never met me when there are interviews I carried out with them in print.

Comics have always been a back-stabbing industry as Louise H. Diamond and others have found out over the decades. A contact with Fantagraphic Books in the U.S. showed that even written contracts are worth nothing if a publisher wants to screw you over with illegal sales of rights to foreign publishers against the contract. Money is the only interest people have so I learnt early on.

New ideas are NOT valuable while rechurning the same stories and events over and over again are. How many "Crises", how many "Secret Wars" how many "This worked and sold in the 1979s/1980s" and the saps will still buy it can companies churn out -they are doing it again now. 

I have to put all the ideas have into Black Tower comics because, putting aside bigger companies, I have tried smaller Independent companies/publishers. No deal.

So please get the idea out of your head, if you ever think it, that I can make a living through other companies as a writer, etc. I cannot.

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"Brave & the Bold" comic book series, 1 through 200 (Well, #124 anyway!)

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A Note

 

Having completed two books I am set to start lettering the third which is a graphic novel (over 100pp) and then I have to finish art on another project then letter some other books.

Since Mr Dilworth became ill BT has become a one man show and no one seems interested in working on projects for the fun of it (I certainly do not get paid!).  So things can go fast or slow. I will update on projects as and when I can.  

Just awaiting the ordered proof copies of CB3 and BTSH 2/1 then I can post how to order.

DC Multiverse Collection: Superman and the Authority

Black Tower Super Heroes 2/1 Final Cover