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Terry Hooper-Scharf

Thursday 30 April 2020

The Nightmare Fuel of Kenner's 1979 Big Chap Alien - Oddities #27

Hong Kong 1980s curio? Update

Note:  Since posting this I have heard -in a very roundabout fashion- that the figure may be from a Japanese set.  News to me but if anyone knows for sure let ME know!


One of the 1980s curios is this figure. Found while going through my clean up before painting spree.They were in a shop and there were 4? of them. This is the only one I have left and it's a bendy 54mm/1.32nd scale. I'd guess made in Hong Kong. Anyone know anything about it or the set?


Wednesday 29 April 2020

Will Digital Comics Rise?

Cinebook the 9th Art: Newsletter 148 - April 2020


Dear Reader,
In these continuingly strange and difficult times, we hope that you’re all staying safe, and preferably inside if you’re not needed out there. We know that cabin fever is definitely a thing, and we would like to suggest again a clever way to stave it off: reading! Grab a pile of comics, make a nest somewhere out of the way and escape for a while.
Yes, we have a vested interest in advocating this method!
Anyway, let’s start this month with maximum escape: the fourth volume of Distant Worlds is now available, and what started as a family matter on a far-away planet is now turning into a potentially life-saving quest for every Human colonist on Altair …
Spirou and Fantasio tend to stay on our planet, but they do take us to some remarkably remote corners of it. This time, though, they’re spectators, like us, to a documentary film on the life of Marsupilamis in the wild. Read this, then raise your hand if you feel Sir David Attenborough should be narrating the audio book version!
Finally, Lucky Luke is hired to protect a rich heir from none other than the Daltons. The twist? It’s Rin Tin Can – the dumbest dog in the West is also the wealthiest after some crackpot’s last will bequeaths half a town to him. The main question, though, is who the main danger to the canine’s life will be: irate tenants, the Dalton brothers … or his own dim-wittedness?
April with Cinebook – doesn’t escapism sound like a great idea, now?


Distant Worlds 4
Icar & Leo
Episode 4
Paul has learned that his father died in an accident — then, a few days later, he’s seen him pass by in a car, alive and well! Shaken by the discovery, the young man continues his investigation and eventually manages to track him down... Read more

Lucky Luke 75
Morris & Goscinny
Rin Tin Can’s Inheritance
When a former convict at the penitentiary where Rin Tin Can ‘works’ passes away, he leaves his entire fortune to ... the stupidest dog in the West! The inheritance includes multiple buildings in Virginia City, including most of Chinatown, which isn’t to everyone’s taste... Read more

Spirou & Fantasio 17
Franquin
The Marsupilamis’ Nest
Spirou and Fantasio are famous — among other things — as the official discoverers of that legendary creature, the Marsupilami, one of which often accompanies them on their adventures. So when one of their conferences is cancelled in favour of a documentary film from an unknown author, they are understandably irritated... Read more
The May issue of Previews was cancelled due to the current emergency, and content reported to the next month.

North-American readers, to locate a comic book shop near you that stocks or can order these titles and many more, us this handy Read more 

Or, if you're a retailer yourself, please go to: Read more

Sunday 26 April 2020

Black Tower Store Front -Where is It??

If you look you will not find it. You can order books via links but the POD just "upgraded" its system and it is a NIGHTMARE.

Three hoursto try to get a book published and there are now multiple steps in publishing the interior let alone the cover. I was working on this until 0130 hrs and started back at 1100 hrs.  I then tried publishing a second book and that just confirmed how bad the system now is.

You can order easily but the publishing side takes....well...

Old system to upload the interior....5-10 minutes
Upload the covers....2-4 minutes.

Looking at what I just did the previous 7-14 minutes is now just over an hour.

As soon as I have checked proof copies of the two new books I will post details.

Friday 24 April 2020

The Old Projects


I was asked whether my sharing the old projects such as Voyagers meant that I was thinking about using them again. The simple answer is both yes and no.

You see, Power Women (I have found and mislaid 20pp in the space of three days so that is why those pages have not been posted yet) was a thing of its time. 1989 and you had to have been there to understand what was going on in the real world and the comic. More of that another time.

Voyagers. Odd to think that John and Joan would be in their mid-40s by now!  The dialogue contained a lot of references from 1989. Judge Pickles, the then WWF Wrestling and so on. It could be updated but the art would have to have that same quirky sort of feel to it.

The Traveller, well that was so far out there that it could be used again but the art would need to be of a similar style.

The Looking Glass -well, no problem there since the series was supposed to be surrealistic and there are no real cultural references dating it.

There are two big problems.

The first is that I would need to try to remember what was supposed to happen since the original scripts vanished with the artists. Not insurmountable but the stories would not be the original ones.

The biggest problem is that there is no money to pay artists. Back in those days it was a 50-50 project. I wrote, the artist drew the story and I took on all the expenses in trying to sell the project and if it was taken up we both got paid and the artist had extra income from selling their art pages.

If I had the money then, yes, I might give it all a try and that includes Invaders From Demos -written many years before the movie Independence Day or even The Survivor.

I never say never but at this moment in time I have a lot of other projects I need to finish.

Hope that is all clear...or not!

Hamelin: Nuove Frequenze: un progetto digitale per giovani lettori

Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword - Cracking Unboxing and Review

Updated: Voyagers -2 more pages found


W -T Hooper-Scharf
A -Becky Pearce
c 1990/2020
Professor Randall, along with John and a very reluctant Joan, are casting off into space and soon find them on the newly named "Randall's Planet"!

More Details on The Traveller and four more art pages!

I can offer more pages from The Traveller -originally planned as a 4 issue mini series. Again, looking in an archive box I found one of the old type writte, submission synopsis sheets with some pages attached and credits!

The artist was Martin Bagshawe and the year was 1991 (if I dated it as 1991 that means it was actually produced in 1990).

This is it -all the pages that exist.

I hope Martin continued drawing. Loved the style and, yes, that is President George Bush Snr!
I am adding below the four pages that started the strip so now it may flow better!