Comics UK

Lew Stringer wrote:I didn't. The link I provided was to John Freeman's blog, not mine.

I know you didn't print the press release, Lew, but you did give me a link to it, which allowed me to read it before JT made good on his promise. I must have hidden rather too well the mild criticism of him inherent in my comment. Sorry about that. Frankly, it would have been better all round, in my view, if he hadn't raised the issue of his new version of The Black Sapper when he did. It would obviously have been far more sensible to wait until a much later stage in the negotiations with Thomsons.

Phoenix wrote:

Lew Stringer wrote:I didn't. The link I provided was to John Freeman's blog, not mine.

I know you didn't print the press release, Lew, but you did give me a link to it, which allowed me to read it before JT made good on his promise. I must have hidden rather too well the mild criticism of him inherent in my comment. Sorry about that. Frankly, it would have been better all round, in my view, if he hadn't raised the issue of his new version of The Black Sapper when he did. It would obviously have been far more sensible to wait until a much later stage in the negotiations with Thomsons.

Enthusiasm gets the better of people sometimes. No harm done. The main thing is the news is out there now and the first episode of InvisIble goes live on Friday afternoon. Let's hope it's well received.

Phoenix wrote:

Lew Stringer wrote:I didn't. The link I provided was to John Freeman's blog, not mine.

I know you didn't print the press release, Lew, but you did give me a link to it, which allowed me to read it before JT made good on his promise. I must have hidden rather too well the mild criticism of him inherent in my comment. Sorry about that. Frankly, it would have been better all round, in my view, if he hadn't raised the issue of his new version of The Black Sapper when he did. It would obviously have been far more sensible to wait until a much later stage in the negotiations with Thomsons.

Well, point taken Phoenix -note spelling! - and to an extent I agree. But frankly DCT have been so changeable in their views and desires regarding this project that it's hard to keep up with what they may or may not want on any given day. Your frustration, I assure you, is as nothing compared to the writer and artist of Trixie's Treasure Chest, who had their strip dumped at the very last minute after having been told it DEFINITELY would be included.

Anyway, hope you all enjoy what's coming, and even if you don't, all feedback is appreciated.

JT Mirana wrote:Well, point taken Phoenix -note spelling! - and to an extent I agree.../... Your frustration, I assure you, is as nothing compared to the writer and artist of Trixie's Treasure Chest, who had their strip dumped at the very last minute after having been told it DEFINITELY would be included. Anyway, hope you all enjoy what's coming, and even if you don't, all feedback is appreciated.

Agreed, JT. The Trixie's Treasure Chest team must have been gutted. My frustration was down to irritation, due largely to your reluctance to expand on your original 'tease'. I had actually assumed, you see, that you were going to talk on the Phantom thread about the original versions of The Black Sapper in The Rover, which was why I didn't expand further at the time, and still haven't, on my first post on the character.

Ah, I see. Now I get it. Apologies for the confusion, Phoenix.

I'd certainly love to see more Black Sapper, and indeed all of the old DCT strips, in some form other than online posts. A published collection might be an idea, but given my own experience with DCT, I won't be holding my breath for it. They're sitting on treasure but they can't seem to see it or exploit it.

At least DC Thomson are still in the game - which is more than you could say about IPC, et al.

(Hmmm, although I'm far too long-in-the-tooth to know much about those newfangled 'Grand Theft Mario Zombie Brother'-type thingummies I can't help feeling that properties such as the Black Sapper could still have enormous potential as computer games...!)

- Phil Rushton

philcom55 wrote:I can't help feeling that properties such as the Black Sapper could still have enormous potential as computer games...!

That would be a bridge too far for me, Phil. As far as story papers are concerned, I am remarkably content to stick with Thomsons' text output from 1921 to 1973, their boys' picture strip output between 1959 and 1992, and their equivalent output for girls between 1958 and 2001. What more could I possibly need?

JT Mirana wrote:A published collection might be an idea, but given my own experience with DCT, I won't be holding my breath for it. They're sitting on treasure but they can't seem to see it or exploit it.

I tried that myself a few years back after Hook Jaw. Either a collected Billy the Cat or Grant Morrison's Starblazer. My contact was very nice but felt it was a non-starter as DCT just wouldn't allow it. Maybe now a few years later with this and King Cobra, they might be a little more approachable.

starscape wrote:

JT Mirana wrote:A published collection might be an idea, but given my own experience with DCT, I won't be holding my breath for it. They're sitting on treasure but they can't seem to see it or exploit it.

I tried that myself a few years back after Hook Jaw. Either a collected Billy the Cat or Grant Morrison's Starblazer. My contact was very nice but felt it was a non-starter as DCT just wouldn't allow it. Maybe now a few years later with this and King Cobra, they might be a little more approachable.

That's a shame. There's probably not a large enough audience for that old material for Thomsons to do it themselves but it would be good if they'd allow independents to do it, as you tried to. The Dan Dare Corporation have just allowed Hibernia Books to reprint the whole Tower King saga from Eagle. Only 200 published, - too few for a big publisher to bother with, but ideal for licensing to an indie outfit. That's the only way we're going to see such classic material collected I think.

...And the advantage is that such projects keep the material 'out there' for prospective film directors and game developers to stumble across - the only way that Thomsons are ever likely to make big bucks out of it in the future.

(Though, as Phoenix says, I doubt if a Black Sapper computer game would ever set my joystick in motion! )

- Phil Rushton

Good point, philcomm55 - or may I call you phil?.

DCT got their fingers burnt before with the movie-making process, I heard. They hummed and hawed so long over the General Jumbo film that the studio gave up, went off, changed things around, and came up with 'Small Soldiers.'

You'd think they'd learn from that mistake.

Anyway, in my head the Supercats movie has already been cast.

JT Mirana wrote:Good point, philcomm55 - or may I call you phil?.

Please do! May I call you JT?

...Anyway, in my head the Supercats movie has already been cast.

Do tell...!



- Phil R.

Im still not sure what this is going on?,Is it new stories which are only going to be on the internet which for me will not work unless they are going to be collected in comic or book form a few weeks down the line.Have thomsons not learnt ANYTHING FROM DIGITAL DANDY.Dc comics have adventures of superman in digital format which is then put out in print so that is the route to go then as i will never try & read comics on a pc or ipad screen.

That art is so beautiful, it would be hard to come up with 4 actresses that would look as good as the Supercats art did.

big bad bri wrote:Im still not sure what this is going on?,Is it new stories which are only going to be on the internet which for me will not work unless they are going to be collected in comic or book form a few weeks down the line.Have thomsons not learnt ANYTHING FROM DIGITAL DANDY.Dc comics have adventures of superman in digital format which is then put out in print so that is the route to go then as i will never try & read comics on a pc or ipad screen.

Perhaps you missed the link with the info, Bri. Here it is again:
http://downthetubes.net/?p=14522

There's no point blaming DC Thomson. They aren't the publisher. They've just given their permission for a group of comic creators in Glasgow to do their versions of the characters. The first episodes of which will appear in Comic Review, a digital comic news mag published by Future, at 99p an issue. It sounds like whatever happens after that is dependent on the reaction the previews get.