Tuesday 31 October 2023
Halloween Is Cancelled
Someone asked whether I was doing anything on CBO for Halloween this year.
No.
CBO was online in 1997 apparently. I just found some of the material from back then though I cannot remember what the service we we on. Initially the first version ran from 1997 -2005 which is when I jumped to Yahoo360. FreeServers, MySpace etc., and then Word Press where at its very height of 10-12000 views a day the blog was ...well, those in the know are aware what happened and I am not stirring up bad memories (it was all a third party's fault).
Google Plus was fun as views reached 4 million then, as with Yahoo 360 and Yahoo groups, Google ("We are NEVER closing these down") closed them down.
I jumped to Blogger and despite problems here that were beyond my control we have reached 9 million views since 2011 (I gave up counting the views a year ago now).
But on each of these versions of CBO there was a constant; Halloween Posts. I used to take days to find video links and much more to cover "the three days of Halloween". LOTS of views. Lots of pinching items by other bloggers then, in 2021 I announced that there will be no more Halloween Specials on CBO.
You see there were the views and pinching material but the one thing that never happened was anyone saying they had enjoyed all of the posts and work that went into them. Not a word. Same thing with all of the Mega Posts that took days to put together. Why put in all that time and effort if no one appreciates it and others steal from them?
So if anything Halloween-ish pops up it is pure coincidence. IU do not get paid for this you knbow.
Monday 30 October 2023
Sunday 29 October 2023
Saturday 28 October 2023
Thursday 26 October 2023
Wednesday 25 October 2023
Dark Night Detectives: Everything Is Under Control
50 Pages
Price: £6.00 (excl. VAT)
http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/the-dark-night-detectives/paperback/product-21975325.html
Its a world where if you stand up for what is right you'll be lucky if its just a beating you get.
A world where people are starving (if poor) and the rich live in luxury.
A world where you have to have birthing Rights.
Where sacrificing someone to the Devil is acceptable -as long as they pay the wages.
A world where if you DO NOT take that bribe you WILL be made an example of.
This shows off Dilworth's skill at writing dark and brooding stories with a hint of satire but just too true to modern life! It also shows his skill as an artistic story teller and designer. Some of Ben Dilworth's most provoking and dark work in ages.
The Dark Night Detectives 2: The Ministry of Safety
A4
28pp
B&W
£7.00
Its a world where if you stand up for what is right you'll be lucky if its just a beating you get. A world where people are starving (if poor) and the rich live in luxury. A world where you have to have birthing Rights. Where sacrificing someone to the Devil is acceptable -as long as they pay the wages. A world where if you DO NOT take that bribe you WILL be made an example of.
This was the dystopian world set up by Ben Dilworth in Small Press publications in the 1980 and some strips in Black Tower books and led on to The Dark Night Detectives: Everything Is Under Control.
Now Detective Inspector Black and Special Constable (Community Policing) Jones are back and it is still dar, bleak and depressingly familiar in a way.
The ending will make you ask more than a few questions.
In Pursuit: Things Known and UNKNOWN
62pp
A4
B&W
£7.00
Fact NOT fiction journal looking at trange creatures and stories from around the world
Contents:-
A "Cold Case" Too Old? The Beast Of Faudiere –Mystery Killer
The Strange Creature in Repton Woods
Cry Werewolf ! and The Curious And Frightening Case Of The Hull Werewolf
On The Scientific 'Need' To Kill A Sasquatch
The Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy group has blood on their hands?.
On Gathering Hard Evidence
The Strange Case Of The Gotherington Gargoyle
Photographic Evidence That Dinosaurs Exist
The Monster of the Forest of Mouliere
Tuesday 24 October 2023
It's All Here, Baby
From comic albums, graphic novels, illustrated horror/ghost and Sci Fi stories, UFOs, Cryptozoology, Bigfoot/Sasquatch, crime action, adventure and much more.
https://comicsshopsnews.blogspot.com/
Black Tower Silver Age Volume 1 -Electroman featuring Electro Girl
A4
B&W
52pp
£8.00
1951 at the start of the UK Silver Age of comics appeared Electroman!
Then he vanished to become a legend.
After 70 years he is back -Dan Watkins a criminal wrongly accused of murder and given the electric chair by the State.
But then...Dan did not die. He was a reformed person and what is more he had a double existence as newspaper boy Dan Watkins and righter of wrongs - Electroman!
This collection contains:
The Birth of Electroman
The Treasure of El Chimborazo
The Million Dollar Robbery
3 Ring Circus
Electroman and Tim meet Benjamin Franklyn
The Great Train Robbery
plus - Electro Girl Battles the Gremlins' Pot-War Plot
Monday 23 October 2023
Yokai, Yokai Everywhere And Not A Spook To See!
A4
Black & White
31pp
Text-illustration
Prints in 3-5 business days
http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/dilworth-western-yokai/paperback/product-13211537.html
Ben Dilworth recounts his favourite stories of ghosts, demons and other Western Yokai -all accompanied by his own stylish illustrations!
A4
Black and white
32 Pages
Price: £6.00 (excl. VAT)Prints in 3-5 business days
http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/dilworths-japanese-yokai/paperback/product-15386437.html
The follow-up to Dilworth's Western Yokai is here!MONDAY, 2 JULY 2018
Japanese Yokai ~Preview
Benjamin R. Dilworth
Paperback,
A4
Black and white
32 Pages
Price: £5.00 (excl. VAT)Prints in 3-5 business days http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/dilworths-japanese-yokai/paperback/product-15386437.html The follow-up to Dilworth's Western Yokai is here!
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The Green Skies Vol. I -III
A4
B&W
124pp
£15.00
It all began in 1987 and the Black Tower Universe has seen alien attacks, heroes kidnapped to be put into the middle of a war of the gods.
Despite the deaths and losses the heroes -crime fighters, super powered and members of the magical union have come back but now unaware that alien races are escaping through the Sol system and that a mysterious space fleet is heading towards the inner planets, they find themselves trapped or distracted.
The Many Eyed One is finally coming.
The Multiversal Council has quarantined Earth and forbidden any to help.
The evil has spread and there is treachery striking at the very core of Earth's defenders
A4
B&W
126pp
£15.00
Following on from events in Green Skies V. 3 Part I the Clone Zone Boyz are increasing in number while those who created them, the Vampirons, continue to plot and await the arrival of their 'God' -The Many Eyed One.
The Druid finds that his physical and mental state are deteriorating and even the Rev. Merriwether cannot help him.
Shockingly, the Clone Zone Boyz claims someone close to Merriwether and this leads him to team up with two 'unsavoury' characters.
In space Krii and Tyn hrrn face a seemingly unstoppable enemy.
On The Moon the Selenites and representatives of other worlds meet and decide that Johnny Apollo, the Z-Man, is the only one who can lead the counter invasion fleet.
With the enemy striking Mars and then the Moon things look grim
A4
B&W
208pp
£16.00
The gathered Sol Defence fleet is prepared to make its final stand led by Johnny Apollo the Z Man. If it fails to halt the invaders then the doomsday weapon will be detonated and destroy the entire Sol System.
Meanwhile, unaware of the threat in space, Jack Flash, the Avenger and others prepare for a final show down with the Many Eyed One; a final confrontation they know they do not have the power to win.
Is this Humanity...the Earths...final day?
Streamline and Moon Man #1
Dennis Holmes Wilberton & Friends
80pp
A4
black and white
£8.00
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
Comic Bits: THE British Golden Age of Comics magazine!
A4
B&W
80pp
Text, comic strips and some rare photographs!
£8.00
The return of THE British Golden Age of Comics magazine!
Interviews with Mike Western, John Cooper and Jon Haward plus a look at Ally Sloper on film, Defining the Ages of British Comics, William McCail plus a lot of art and stripwork.
Comic Bits No. 2
Ed T Hooper-Scharf
A4
B&W
80 pp
£8.00
https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/comic-bits-no-2/paperback/product-2ed6pe.html?q=&page=1&pageSize=4
The second issue of the magazine celebrating creators, titles and characters of the British Platinum, Golden and Silver Ages of comics.
In this issue William A. Ward finally gets some long deserved recognition for his contribution to comics John McCail gets "bigged up" something rotten!
We look at comedian and actor Bob Monkhouse's comic creation career
Steve Dowling -Father of the Garth newspaper strip speaks to Denis Gifford (the ONLY interview he ever gave)
There is a look at Dennis M. Reader and his comics work that spawned some of the UKs first super heroes.
also a look at William Fletcher Thomas, Ernest Wilkinson, Jos Walker, Mary Byfield and William H A Chasemore... oh, and LOTS of lovely art and stripwork!
Sunday 22 October 2023
Kult Creations: Shokwave 3
SHOKWAVE BOOK 3 is now on sale from this very blog! You'll find it in the bar to your right - just under Shokwave Books 1 and 2! It's £9 (including postage) for UK customers, £12 for European customers and £17 in the rest of the world.
https://shokwavecomic.blogspot.com/
As with the first two books of Shokwave you'll find it's American comic sized, 48 interior pages, both black and white and colour. It contains a quartet of ten page strips plus lots of support material.
Want it in digital to save on postage? See our digital comic blog at: http://kultdigital.blogspot.com
Brand new THE CLOCK STRIKES! (the return of Golden-Age hero the Clock!) Written by John A. Short and illustrated by LONGPIG's own Adam Jakes. This issue the masked hero tangles with femme fatal Trixy Malone and uncovers a plot to corner the drug market in 1936's New York.
The sequel to the 1922 horror movie classic continues with NOSFERATU II. Written by John A. Short and illustrated by HEDREK's David Hitchcock. This issue we meet the cult of Orlok and learn of a plot to make the count live again.
Crazy alien sci-fi chaos in ANNA KEY. Written by John A. Short and illustrated by SWITCHBLADE STORIES' supremo Chris Askham. The newly appointed (and totally unqualified) Sheriff finds herself trying to talk a leaper down from a high ledge. How is this all her fault?!
And our near-future robot rebellion story RESISTORS. Written by John A. Short and illustrated by Eros Comix's Richard Pester. Robot rebel Jez finds herself on an island where they hunt droids for sport.
My first reaction was "Shokwave 3? What happened to number 2??" Actually I did review number two so if you want to see what I had to say about these first two issues (of course you do) the links are below.
For me the first strip of the comic, Resistors, is what made me stop what I was doing (NO! I was drawing so don't be so dirty minded).The layout and design was eye-catching as was the colour work and Pester is getting better at this all the time. The story had action and was fun. A good move having this as the lead strip.
Now The Clock I am still 50-50 on. It seems almost static with characters head talking and what is really distracting is that photos are used for characters and and I end up playing "name the Hollywood actor" which takes the mind off the story. Of course if you are not as ancient as me then you'll spot no one! I can see what Short is doing with the Clock but the character was always pro-active vigilante at a time when the Mid-West/Chicago gangster boom was seen as out of control and some police corrupt. Dillinger being gunned down outside a cinema basically shows how bad things had gotten (look it up -ande, NO, I was not there!).
Nice black and white art.
Shokwave 1
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https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2023/01/kult-creations-shokwave-book-1.html
Shokwave 2
https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2023/05/kult-creations-shokwave-book-2.html
Saturday 21 October 2023
Hexagon Comics: The Guardian of the Republic: The Birth of a Legend
7x10 squarebound comic,
ISBN-13: TBA.
Art: Nathaniel Legendre + Benjamin Blasco-Martinez;
Colors: Bryan Wetstein.
cover: Mike Mignola
English adaptation: Jean-Marc & Randy Lofficier
For countless generations, the Guardian of the Republic has been the ultimate rampart against evil, always defending the weak and the oppressed, always fighting when France and its people are threatened, and forever holding true to the eternal values of the French Republic: liberty, equality, fraternity and solidarity.
Throughout the centuries, many brave heroes have worn that proud uniform. Now discover the history of the first Guardian, forged in the fire and fury of the American Revolution, and that of his successor, struggling during the bloody Reign of Terror and the epic years of Napoleon’s reign.
Friday 20 October 2023
Hexagon Comics: Kabur #5: Arianrod
KABUR #5: ARIANROD
by Jean-Marc Lofficier; art by Manuel Martin Peniche, Juan Roncagliolo; cover by Philippe Xavier.
7x10 squarebound comic,
76 pages
b&w
ISBN-13: 978-1-64932-226-5.
US$12.95.
https://www.hexagoncomics.com/shop-kabur-5-arianrod.html
21. THE DEMONS OF ARKHANAL
22. THE COMING OF ARIANROD
23. THE CAULDRON OF THE SESSEVAR
Portfolio: by Caza, Ladrönn, Mike Ratera.
As this “season” of Kabur opens, the beautiful Lagrid is kidnapped by monstrous beasts sent by Selinor Psah, the Sorcerer-Sultan of the far-off city of Arkhanal, located at the other end of the Earth, on the southern tip of the Gondaxan continent.
Kabur embarks on the long journey that will require him to cross mountains and jungles, deserts and seas, to rescue his beloved. But as soon as he has begun, he already faces new, terrifying dangers, such as the renegade Fomor Ghool, maker of men, and the beautiful Arianrod, mistress of the sword of fire and ice…
This classic, epic, heroic fantasy saga continues under the pens of writer Jean-Marc Lofficier and artist Manuel Martin Peniche and Juan Roncagliolo Berger.
My expectation is that this series should be successful if enough of the barbarian fans know about it. The stories and art are what you expect from a quality publisher and the overall production from paper quality to binding is also top notch -it may be something you expect in this day and age but often rarely get.