Battle features book

[Lew Stringer]

Bit of an unexpected one. Egmont are going to publish a book reprinting some of the features, not strips, from Battle Picture Weekly:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Battle-Amazing- ... mazing+war

Not sure if comic fans will appreciate a book full of "filler material" as some call it, but perhaps it'll appeal to the wider audience of military enthusiasts.

[wilsia]

Thanks Lew for the info on the book, Interesting release and not one that you would expect.

I see Century are releasing a book In October titled "Roy of the Rovers" by Roy Race.
Im not sure if this is written text or the comic strips (I would prefer the later of course). Do you know anything about this book other than what is on Amazon.

[Lew Stringer]

Thanks Lew for the info on the book, Interesting release and not one that you would expect.

I see Century are releasing a book In October titled "Roy of the Rovers" by Roy Race.
Im not sure if this is written text or the comic strips (I would prefer the later of course). Do you know anything about this book other than what is on Amazon.

I didn't even know about it until you just mentioned it wilsia. Just took a look. It sounds like a fictitious autobiography so I'm guessing it'll be mainly text.

I see Titan have a 200 page Roy of the Rovers World Cup book coming out, so no doubt that will feature strip reprints.

I just wish someone would reprint something different than just war and football strips. Anyone new to the history of British comics would think that's all we had before 2000AD. Although I'm biased because those were the two subjects I usually skipped in comics when I was a kid. (Except for Football Family Robinson. That was fun when Joe Colquhoun was drawing it.)

[wilsia]

Thank you Lew for taking the time to reply, yes i wouldnt be hopeful of it being in strip fomat.

Incidently the Roy of the Rovers world cup special book that you mentioned is an exact copy of the one that they published 4 years ago for the 2010 world cup.(I queried it with Titan a few weeks ago)

I enjoyed Roy of the Rovers and still do. I also liked some of the IPC football strips
such as Billy Boots, Jiimmy and Jack and Bobby of the Blues maybe becaise there was lots of adventure happening outside of the football pitch as well. I hated the DC Thompson football strips that would crop up in Hotspur, Hornet etc. Yes Football Family Robinson was great really beautiful artwork and scripts.

Not a fan of the war stuff either and eventhough its great that DC Thompson are still publishing the Commando books I have no desire to buy them. Much rather have Adam Interno, Janus Stark, Steel Claw and the latter IPC material such as Hookjaw, Dredger from Action and Wolfie Smith from Tornado.

Alas unlikely to see those ever in print again, though thanks to Hibernian comics I got the beautifully drawn "Tower King" onto my comic shelf.

[Phoenix]

I see Century are releasing a book In October titled "Roy of the Rovers" by Roy Race.

It sounds like a fictitious autobiography

Well it will certainly be interesting to compare the obviously authorised autobiography with Mick Collins's unauthorised biography, which was published by Aurum Press in 2008.

[Phoenix]

I hated the DC Thomson football strips that would crop up in Hotspur, Hornet etc.

Well that's you off my Christmas card list, Wilsia.

[Lew Stringer]

Not a fan of the war stuff either and eventhough its great that DC Thompson are still publishing the Commando books I have no desire to buy them. Much rather have Adam Interno, Janus Stark, Steel Claw and the latter IPC material such as Hookjaw, Dredger from Action and Wolfie Smith from Tornado.

Alas unlikely to see those ever in print again, though thanks to Hibernian comics I got the beautifully drawn "Tower King" onto my comic shelf.

There's still a chance strips owned by Egmont might be reprinted, such as Action material, but the pre-1970 stuff owned by IPC seem very unlikely at present to see print again. And the longer it goes on, the smaller that nostalgia market for sixties strips becomes.

Plans for these things all move so slowly unfortunately due to costings and potential sales forecasts etc. I suppose Roy of the Rovers is considered a household name, so they go for that one every time. Also, war and patriotism have been in the news on a daily basis this century so I guess that's considered fair game to cash in on again too.

It would be nice to see a big cheap collection of funnies for some light relief though.

[big bad bri]

It would be nice to see a big cheap collection of funnies for some light relief though.

It would be lovely to see a nice thick telephone directory sized cheap black & white book every month of the various ipc or dct funnies.

[big bad bri]

Thank you Lew for taking the time to reply, yes i wouldnt be hopeful of it being in strip fomat.

Incidently the Roy of the Rovers world cup special book that you mentioned is an exact copy of the one that they published 4 years ago for the 2010 world cup.(I queried it with Titan a few weeks ago)

That one previously published was softcover & according to amazon this new one is a hardcover,I wont be buying it again though just for a hard cover even though i would rather a hard back over softback any day of the week.

[David McDonald]

Egmont are actively looking at their archive to get it out there, IPC's owned material is sitting unused for a good few years now. The Return of the Claw would be great to see.

[Michael Anden]

Egmont are actively looking at their archive to get it out there, IPC's owned material is sitting unused for a good few years now. The Return of the Claw would be great to see.

Absolutely. Didn't got the chance to read the like of Valiant the first time round, but love their whole non-war roster. First got introduced to some of these characters through Zenith, then Leigh and Reppion's Albion. Something so quintessentially British and quirky about them, especially in their original form. Maybe they'll have their time again.

[philcom55]

'Return of the Claw' may have been published after the cut-off point but I'd have thought that DC 'own' the character, making any reprint problematic.

- Phil R.

[Lew Stringer]

'Return of the Claw' may have been published after the cut-off point but I'd have thought that DC 'own' the character, making any reprint problematic.

- Phil R.

Anyone who doesn't have the story would be best to seek out The Giant Holiday Fantasy Album which reprinted it:
http://www.comicvine.com/giant-holiday- ... 050-46950/

[johnny_jane]

It would be lovely to see 'Garth' reprinted then but since it's not war or football-themed, I'm not holding my breath