The publishers of British comics magazine Crikey! have reluctantly decided to close the magazine."We tried until the last minute to keep going," editor Tony Ingram told downthetubes, "but unfortunately a couple of guys who seemed serious about buying into the mag ultimately didn't come back with anything in time and Glenn Fleming feels that he cannot afford to continue it alone.
"To just drift along until we run out of money and then disappear without a proper final issue would be doing a disservice to our readers," he adds.
Crikey! 16 features an exclusive interview with none other than 2000AD artist Mick McMahon, the magazine takes a peek at the Look-In strip you never saw, dtb contributor Ian Wheeler shares his thoughts on Action Force and Rab Smith entertains with a nostalgic look at the fab Sparky character 'I Spy'.
There's also a feature on Alan Moore and Steve Parkhouse's The Bojeffries Saga, Jamie Hailstone remembers Stingray in TV Century 21, Cranston McMillan speaks softly about his Grandma and Glenn B Fleming gives us his tribute to the late Joe Colquhoun. And as if that isn't enough, apart from the four extra pages the publishers have thrown in at no extra cost, Tony Ingram is caught on his knees again looking through a certain lady's keyhole before setting a few things straight with Rogue Trooper.
Plus, John Devaney concludes his 'Spooks' feature and Tony pops up again with the latest report on the 20th century's least favourite dictator, Adolph Whatshisname. And finally, Crikey's resident cartoon character 'Hatch', who graces the cover of this final issue, looks like he's heading for trouble as usual but we're told he may be appearing in other places soon.
Crikey! was side swiped by the loss of its major distributor last year and, despite numerous attempts to secure new sales routes, it did not recover. Sadly, some potential distributors simply considered the magazine nothing more than a fanzine.
"It was never that for Tony and I," Glenn told downthetubes. "Crikey!'s passing is a very sad moment for me. I've had a great time working on it, meeting people in the industry and more."
The Crikey! team are thanking their loyal readers and promoters for their help, noting the Crikey! website and will continue.
"I hope it was as good a product as I thought it was, and that it was as much fun to read as it was to write/edit," says Tony. "It is the single thing I am most proud of having been a part of."
Here at downthetubes, where our raison d'etre is the promotion and support of British comics talent old and new, we're very sorry to hear this news: we know from publishing a smaller-run title, Eagle Flies Again, some years back, how hard it is to publish this kind of title. It will be much missed.
• Check out the Crikey! website
1 comment:
I just received a copy of the last Crikey! and it just confirms what I felt already - it's sad that it's come to a close.
After some awkward editorial hiccups in past issues - some of which we highlighted here - it's a darn shame that just as the team get a great combination of articles and writers, the magazine closes.
For me, the highlights have to be the interview with Mick McMahon, tributes to Joe Coloqhoun and TV21's Stingray and a detailed look back at Sparky's brilliant I-Spy. If you're faced with having to do a last issue you may as well make it a good one - and this edition is a gem.
There's also some good news in the editorial - not only is the Crikey! web site going to continue, but an online-only comic magazine, Comics Unlimited, is in development. Tony Ingram says that if it's a success it may well go to a print edition. Fingers crossed!
Post a Comment