For Mr Schiltz

 

Terry Hooper-Scharf (often known professionally as Terry Hooper) is a highly prolific British comic book creator, editor, and historian who founded Black Tower Comics & Books in February 1984. Dubbed Europe's largest independent publisher of black and white comics, Black Tower operates as a prominent small-press outfit that keeps the legacy of classic British comic styles alive while publishing original fiction, historical studies, and anthologies. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Profile of Terry Hooper-Scharf

Hooper-Scharf has over 40 years of experience in the international comic industry. Aside from his extensive self-publishing through Black Tower, his background spans decades of diverse freelance and agency work. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Attribute	Details
Industry Roles	Scriptwriter, illustrator, freelance editor, comics packager, publisher, and creators' agent.
Freelance Contributions	Worked between 1984 and 1994 for major UK and US publishers including Fleetway, IPC, MU Press, Blue Comet Press, and Fantagraphics Books.
International Work	Packaged comic content for companies in India, Hong Kong, and China. Produced single-panel gag cartoons for European agencies like Germany's Boiselle-Lohmann.
Other Specialties	British historian specializing in Pre-Roman, Celtic, and Roman Britain, alongside wildlife research and industry trend analysis.
Digital Platforms	Runs the long-standing blog ComicBitsOnline and manages active storefronts.

Black Tower Comics & Books Overview

Originally started to kickstart a late-1980s UK small-press boom through the industry zine Zine Zone International, Black Tower has grown into a vast portfolio of niche independent publications. The group primarily focuses on keeping classic, black-and-white indie British comics alive while archiving forgotten golden-age history. [1, 2, 3]

Core Publishing Category	Description & Major Titles
Original Comic Series	Character-driven action and indie horror sagas including The Bat Triumphant, Krakos: Sands of Terror, Return of the Gods, and Black Tower Comic Fun.
British Comic History	Dedicated archival volumes like the Black Tower British Gold Collection, preserving 1940s and 50s comic strips that have been out of print for over half a century.
The Strange & Esoteric	Books and prose collections chronicling real-world mysteries, paranormal interviews, and cryptozoology, notably Some Things Strange & Sinister.
Character Creations	Original figures like Sergeant Wilderforce, D-Gruppe, Xengragon, and Merriwether: God’s Demon-Thumper.

Books and graphic novel collections from Black Tower are currently made available to the public via their direct Lulu Spotlight Storefront and updates are shared directly through the official Black Tower Facebook Page.