Egmont launches "Brave" magazine

Egmont has just launched a new Disney•Pixar title, Brave, to tie in with the new animated movie.

Described as "a grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and signature Pixar humour", Brave uncovers a new tale in the mysterious Highlands of Scotland where the headstrong Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) defies an age-old custom and inadvertently unleashes chaos, forcing her to discover the meaning of true bravery before it’s too late.

According to Egmont, Brave Magazine will take readers further into the Highlands of Scotland and introduce them to all the colourful characters in Merida’s life; from her larger than life father King Fergus, her mother Queen Elinor and mischievous triplet brothers, to the unruly and uproarious lords of neighbouring clans: Lord MacGuffin, Lord Macintosh and Lord Dingwall.

On sale in all major retailers, the new magazine, featuring stories, fact files, puzzles, activities, drawing and colouring, it's aimed at girls aged four to eight. The magazine will be on sale every four weeks and has a launch cover price of £3.99, dropping to £2.99 from issue three onwards.

The first three issues carry covermounts including a Merida dress-up set of slippers & pendant, nail varnish, lip shine, bracelet and hair-bands.

“We are delighted to be extending our collaboration with Disney and bringing this new magazine to market," says Debbie Cook, Director of Magazines at Egmont Publishing Group.

"The film is fantastic and we are confident our content will deliver fun stories, games, dress-up and play value, extending the brand experience for fans.

"We are really excited to be adding Brave to our leading primary girls portfolio."

Egmont's new 'Bin Weevils' gets massive promotion

Egmont recently launched BinWeevils magazine, described by the publisher as the ultimate extension to the already successful online entertainment platform - and the second most visited website in the UK for children aged 7-13 and boasts a 91 per cent growth in users over the past 12 months.

The BinWeevils.com website was voted the website of the year at the children’s BAFTA’S last November, ahead of the Moshi Monsters and Club Penguin websites, with an average 105,000 visitors per day in December, according to Comscore. The brand is also set to further expand its physical profile with a range of toys and merchandising.

Egmont says Bin Weevils magazine will be “jam packed full” of exclusive content and secret hints that will enhance the online gaming experience and add a whole new level of interaction for fans. The magazine is also intended help experienced players and novices alike get more out of their virtual world.

The first issue launched on 15th February with six free gifts, and inPublishing reports the launch of the magazine has been backed with a substantial digital marketing campaign that will span the BinWeevils.com digital platform. The new title has also been promoted in other Egmont titles, including Go Girl and TOXIC, across miniclip.com and TV advertising on CITV and Nickelodeon channels.

“We are delighted to be adding Bin Weevils magazine to our market leading portfolio," commented Debbie Cook, Director of Magazines at Egmont UK.

"As well as sitting comfortably alongside other Egmont titles, Bin Weevils magazine is particularly exciting due to its hugely popular social gaming website (Binweevils.com) and the unique world that has been created by Bin Weevils Limited. We are proud that our magazine offers players an enhanced gaming experience and we see our magazine growing alongside the game.”

- Bin Weevils magazine is on sale now as a monthly title, priced at £2.99.

New Thomas the Tank Engine magazine trundles into newsagents

Egmont UK has just launchd a new monthly magazine, Thomas Express for younger readers this month, jam-packed with activities, two giant posters and a truckload of gifts.

The launch comes as part of a re-branding of their Thomas-inspired range following extensive market research.

The new monthly magazine joins the long-running bi-weekly Thomas & Friends title on British newstands and is priced at £3.99.

Meanwhile, Thomas & Friends will have a makeover with its issue on sale 15th February and come with even more Thomas facts, maps, puzzles and stories, plus an exclusive Thomas gift free with every issue. Standard issues retail at £2.45.

The Thomas & Friends brand has been supporting two magazine titles in the market for over 10 years - in fact, the first Thomas titles were published by Marvel UK in the 1980s - and Egmont says it has ambitious plans for growth with this new portfolio, which has an estimated annual retail sales value of £5 million.

The re-branding comes just as US toy giant Mattel completed its purchase of HIT Entertainment, the owners of the Thomas TV series, which is based on books first created by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry in the 1940s and continued by his son, Christopher.

As well as the new and revamped magazines, Egmont is also launching a new collectable series of Thomas story books, based on the latest season of the long-running TV series, aimed at 1–3 year olds.

Egmont's classic Thomas Story Library series has sold over nine million copies since its launch in 2003. The company has been publishing Thomas & Friends books and magazines for over 12 years.

“The appeal of Thomas is broad," David Riley, Managing Director, Egmont Publishing Group, told inPublishing. " It has both a strong traditional heritage and a TV series loved by younger children. Through both classically illustrated and contemporary CGI titles, including our new story book range and our magazine portfolio, Egmont is confident that our publishing caters for Thomas fans of all ages.”

It's been quite a period of change for the franchise. In addition to new owner Mattel, renowned visual effects and animation studio Arc Productions was recently announced as the new animation studio for the show. It's the first global television series the studio will produce, following a series of successful films including Gnomeo and Juliet and 9.

A live action film is also in the works, to be directed by Academy Award-nominated director Shane Acker who HIT Entertainment said had signed on to transform the Island of Sodor, home to Thomas the Tank Engine, into a next generation fantasy adventure film franchise.

Acker and the film's producers have assembled an all-star creative team, comprised of Weta Workshop and Mattel's entertainment properties design team, to "re-imagine" the core characters.

Have Team TOXIC met their match?

The latest issue of Egmont's TOXIC is in the shops now and it's packed with comics strips and comes with no less than three free gifts -- secret spy glasses, a water squirter and "Deadly 60 Trading Cards".


One of the strip highlights in this comic magazine is Team Toxic, written and drawn by Lew Stringer, who tells us that this issue's story sees the villainous Baron Spyboss (who he introduced back in January) put his ultimate scheme into action, and the Team finally meet their nemesis.

"Regular readers of TOXIC will know that in an earlier issue Spyboss stole Doc Shock's brain -- don't worry, Doc had a spare," says Lew on his blog. "Transferring Doc's technical knowledge to his own mind, Spyboss uses it to take on the Team."

How can Doc Shock defeat a foe who knows as much as he does, and what is the gob-smacking, jaw dropping secret of Spyboss?

• TOXIC 191 is on sale now from newsagents and supermarkets, price £2.75

• Go to www.toxicmag.co.uk/bigjoke to find out how YOU can meet Dick & Dom!

TOXIC © Egmont UK Ltd

TOXIC goes alien mad

Egmont's TOXIC Magazine has gone totally alien crazy for its latest issue, leading with coverage of hit Cartoon Network show Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, alongside its usual mix of puzzles, prizes and comics.

The title hasn't dropped its free gifts, either - this issues include a finger rubber, bogey pencil and pad.

• TOXIC is on sale now in all good newsagents (and some smelly ones). Check it online at: www.toxicmag.co.uk

Roy of the Rovers back in time for World Cup

(Via Lew Stringer and others): Egmont is joining in with the World Cup mania gripping the UK with the release of a 52-page full colour comic, All About Roy of the Rovers, which joins Titan Books fab new Roy collection as a couple of ace football goodies now on sale.

The publication is the latest of Egmont's regular All About... series, which are normally feature-driven so this Roy of the Rovers special is something of a novelty.

Lew Stringer reports there are five comic strips in all over on his ace Blimey! It's Another Blog About Comics blog, selecting material from the late 1970s to the 1990s. The issue kicks off with eight consecutive parts of a 1978 Roy of the Rovers story concerning Roy Race forming an England squad that includes real-life 1970s footballer Trevor Francis and, in a rare UK comics crossover, Nipper Lawrence (from Tiger's long running Nipper strip). The art is by David Sque, now the artist on the Mirror's Scorer strip. (David drew the Roy of the Rovers story from January 1975 to August 1986).

Two other Roy of the Rovers stories are included which, at eight pages in length each, possibly from old annuals or specials; a four part Goalmouth story by Tom Tully and John Cooper; and a four page Andy Steel Playmaker story by H.Manning and G. Marchetti.

"Football isn't really my thing and I hardly followed the old Roy of the Rovers comic at all but this is a very nice collection of strips," Lew enthuses. "The format is glossier than the Egmont Classic Comics of last year and I'm pleased to see the strips are more complete rather than the open-ended choices of those Classic specials."

Titan Books also have an ace Roy of the Rovers: World Cup Special out now - which includes work by the great artist Joe Coloqhoun, who's perhaps better known these days for his stunning art on strips such as Charley's War and the early Johnny Red strips. This lovingly put together title - hats off to series editor David Leach for another gem! - includes stories from four different decades as Roy Race strives to help England to relive the past glories of the 1966 World Cup.

Whether it's leading the British B team, or taking part in qualifiers, Roy was always at the forefront. The story of Roy's trials and tribulations in Australia, pitted against increasingly violent opponents both on and off the field, is simply priceless!

Back at Egmont, the latest issue of TOXIC continues the World Cup theme with a selection of World Cup Funnies alongside the usual assortment of strips and daft features. That's on sale now and comes with three free gifts.


• All About Roy of the Rovers is £3.99 and will be on sale from 16th June to 13th July.

• Read a 2006 interview with David Sque about his work on Roy of the Rovers and more. (Part 2 here)

• The Official Roy of the Rovers website

Tube Surfing: Marvel, Disney, Stan Lee and possible iTablet launch

• Marvel Entertainment stockholders approved the company's merger with Disney at a special meeting held last Thursday (31st December). Under the agreement, valued at an estimated $4.3 billion, Marvel becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of Disney. Whether this will ultimately have any impact on Panini's license to publish Marvel material in the UK, given that Disney's preferred European publishing partner would seem to be Egmont, remains unknown at this time.

• As well as acquiring Marvel, media site Cynopsis reports that Disney has developed its existing relationship with Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment (Purveyors of Wonder) by taking a 10% equity stake in POW! for $2.5 million. Disney entered into a first look deal with POW! in 2007, and under the new deal includes enhanced rights to the creative output of POW! and certain exclusive consulting services.

• Is Apple's long-rumours iTablet about to be announced? The Financial Times reported that the company has booked the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco on 26th January to make a special announcement to the media and is widely expected to unveil a tablet-style touch screen computer that presents videos, magazines and newspapers with a iPhone-like interface. The New York Times published some detailed titbits about the device just before Christmas, reporting that Apple supremo Steve Jobs is apparently very happy with the device - which may launch as iSlate.

Apparently, if you have an iPhone, you’re carrying around a mini version of an early Apple tablet. Expect the first iTablets/iSlates to be shipped in March, according to this rumour round up.

Buster Busts into WH Smiths

Egmont's latest Classic Comic collection - this time bringing Buster back to the shelves of WH Smiths - goes on sale soon, just in time to be a Christmas stocking filler.

This is the final special of four released this year, as well as the Egmont reprints, which included an edition of Whizzer and Chips, given away free with The Guardian newspaper back in September.

Buster ran for an astonishing 40 years between 1960 and 2000. A comic primarily aimed at boys, it was an anthology format with its own brand of anarchic and satirical humour, epiomised by Ken Reid's ever popular creation Faceache (which arrived in the title via a merged title, Jet).

While this new collection, comprising material published between 1974 and 1976, focuses on the comedy side with strips such as X Ray Specs, Faceache, Ivor Lott & Tony Broke and others, it also features samplings of some of the title's memorable adventure strips such as The Leopard of Lime Street and Pete’s Pocket Army. Sadly, the Leopard story is part of a larger story - a problem with the Roy of the Rovers and Battle Egmont Specials released earlier in the year - although Pete’s Pocket Army is better presented.

Commenting on the Special for his Buster comic web site, fan Matt Bowen argues that while the selected material is from a narrow window considering the title's longevity, "by the time I got to the end, my own fears of it being of too limited an appeal were well and truly quashed.

"Ok, so it might not be for you if you first picked up Buster in 1996 and never read the classics," he continues, "but I’d argue a high percentage of readers will enjoy getting nostalgic at their old favourites, whilst being introduce to some new friends.

"The only problem I had by the time I reached the back page, was the same problem I first experienced back in December 1999."

• Read Matt's full review of the special here on the Buster comic fan web site

Grab the new TOXIC!

The latest issue of Egmont's TOXIC title, featuring humour strips by Lew Stringer and others, is on sale now.

As well as strips and features, the issue comes with three free gifts: a Grabbing Hand, Star Wars Magnets and a Badge Making Kit.

"Grabbing Hands" can of course, be used not only to pick your nose (as suggested by the TOXIC team): you could, for example, pretend to be a specially-adapted laboratory Dalek (chase people shouting "Experiment! Experiment!").

Other suggestions include from Team TOXIC include grabbing sweets off your mates while they're not looking (we don't ever want to be sitting next to them at a convention); or see if you can play a video game using just the hand. Now there's a challenge...

• More TOXIC madness at: www.toxicmag.co.uk

Egmont Classic Comics: Misty

(Updated 21/9/09): The latest of the quarterly title Egmont Classic Comics featuring IPC's girls comic Misty is now available. As with the previous two titles, Roy Of The Rovers and Battle Picture Weekly, the issue is available exclusively on the high street from WH Smith at a cover price of £3.99.

WH Smith's placement of these titles on their shelves can make them problematical to find - Roy Of The Rovers was racked with the football magazines (which seems a logical choice) while Battle Picture Weekly was racked in the Military History section (go figure). Misty on the other hand has been racked in the Hobbies - Sci-Fi section which may seem a little strange but it does at least mean that the supernatural girls title, in some WH Smith stores at least, can be found sitting beside the current issue of 2000AD, much as it would have done thirty years ago when it was first published.

For anyone who cannot get to a WH Smith or cannot find it in their local one, Egmont have advertised back issues of Egmont Classic Comics in the Misty title. Anyone who wishes to get copies of the Roy or Battle, the price including P&P is £5.50.

The customer should send a cheque made out to Egmont UK Ltd together with mailing address to Melanie Leggett at Egmont UK Ltd., 239 Kensington High Street,
London W8 6SA.

At this point, Egmont can only send out Misty when it comes off sale (9th December) and Buster when it comes off sale, as Smiths have an exclusive slot until then. For further information e-mail comicarchive@egmont.co.uk for more details.

The next issue of Egmont Classic Comics will feature Buster and be available on 9 December 2009.

No More Poo in TOXIC

Sad news to report from Jamie Smart: Egmont's TOXIC have dropped his competition-winning Count Von Poo strip.

"The Count has had four adventures so far in their pages, with maybe seven or eight left to print," he reveals on his blog. "These however won’t be shown."

Regular downthetubes readers will recall Jamie won a competition to have a comic strip in TOXIC back in April (see news story), beating off stiff competition from the likes of Lew Stringer and Laura Howell.

"The reasons why CVP has been dropped, were an unease with the kid-playing-with-poo interface," says Jamie, "which I always anticipated but we’d been tweaking the strips so as to be careful, and I thought we’d found a nice groove.

"CVP was an immense amount of fun to write and draw, obviously. It’s a vampire who has imaginary adventures with faeces. How could that not be fun?"

Jamie's a bit mystified as to its cancellation. "A fair few people I’ve mentioned it to have suggested the recent wacky e coli outbreak over here in the UK this weekend, making the subject of kids handling poo maybe a bit sensitive. I dunno. What I can happily say is that TOXIC said there’d been no complaints about CVP. None. Again, it’s a vampire. Who has imaginary adventures with faeces. and no one complained? Brilliant."

Despite the loss of the Count, Jamie is discussing other potential ideas with TOXIC. However, given that Egmont own the copyright to other strips in the competition, perhaps they'll also look at those. As well as Lew and Laura, other contenders in the poll included creations from Luke Paton, , Paul H Birch, Steve Harrison, Paul J Palmer, David Hailwood, Paul Harrison-Davies, Shane Oakley, John Erasmus, and Stuart Arrowsmith.

Egmont's Misty Comic Special Content Revealed

Egmont UK's Comic Specials, which began with Roy of the Rovers earlier this year, continue next month with the release of its first collection dedicated to the popular 1970s girls horror comic, Misty.

The official Misty web site, which publishes online versions of fan favourite strips with the full permission of Egmont (the latest is here), has released details of the strips that will feature in the Special, some selected by fans after a poll.

Along with features from the original comic will be strips with great titles such as "Mrs Grundy´s Guest House", "The Haunted Barn", "The Governess" and "WolfsBane". Because of the number of short one off stories featured in Misty it seems Egmont won't be making the same mistake it made with its earlier collections, which featured episodes of continuing stories, which proved unpopular with fans.

The Misty site also reports that due to the surge of interest in Misty and other fan favourites, The Guardian will be running an article on the Egmont reprints. Along with discussions about the reprints, the Mistycomic.co.uk site and publications also receive an honorary mention.

Launched in early 1978, Misty was a weekly horror comic initially aimed at young girls. Presenting a crop of stories very unusual to that of other titles of the era, Misty told the tales of very different girls, such as "The Cult of the Cat", a rite of passage story which told of Nicola Scott's destiny to become a member of an Egyptian cult dedicated to the cat god; “Paint it Black”, in which Maggie Laker discovered a very special box of paints that had a tale to tell; and “Moonchild”, written by 2000AD co-creator Pat Mills, about a very special girl with telekinetic powers.

Along with the regular serials, one off “Nightmare” and “Beasts” stories were told on a weekly basis, stories in which not everything had a happy ending.

Running for 101 issues until January 1980, Misty delivered some terrifically spooky stories full of intrigue and terror, before being merged with Tammy, which featured the return of the popular Misty character Black Widow in the “Spider Woman”, along with one off weekly mystery tales and the humour of Miss T.

Sadly, the 'spooky' serials did not quite have the edge of those presented in the parent magazine and although the Misty logo remianed on the cover for over 80 isssues it was eventually dropped in the run up to Tammy's merger with another popular girl's title, Jinty, at a time when the girls' comic market, which once outstripped the sales of boys by thousands, was in steep decline. (More on the history of Misty here)

• The Misty Souvenir Special from Egmont goes on sale on the 16th September exclusively in all W H Smiths for 12 weeks, after which copies are available direct from Egmont.

TOXIC Wednesday

The latest issue of Egmont UK's TOXIC is on sale today in all good newsagents, with a cover promoting the new GI Joe film.

This issue comes with four free gifts, cool Bakugan stickers, super disc blaster, funny photo frame and two wicked spider poppers, and comes packed with awesome stuff including Wii Sports Resort and G.I. Joe Nintendo DS reviews.

Official web site: www.toxicmag.co.uk

In Review: The Rainbow Orchid

We plugged The Rainbow Orchid enthusiastically after its Foyles launch (see news story), but David Hailwood has just sent us this review, so here's another plug for the book!

The Plot: The Rainbow Orchid is an ambitious blend of classic storytelling and cinematic artwork in which adventure, historical drama and legend are seamlessly intertwined. In Volume One, follow the story's hero, Julius Chancer, as he embarks on a hazardous quest for the rainbow orchid - a mythical flower last mentioned by the ancient Greek philosopher, Theophrastus, and steeped in legend. His epic journey takes him from 1920s Britain to the Indian subcontinent and its mysterious lost valleys.

The Review: The Rainbow Orchid – a new graphic novel by Garen Ewing, published by Egmont - involves the adventures of Julius Chancer, the youthful headstrong assistant of historical researcher Sir Alfred Catesby-Grey, as he embarks on a quest to find the mystical rainbow orchid.

Finding a copy of the book just a few days after the launch turned out to be quite an adventure in itself. After globe trotting across several continents (Bognor, Lewes and Brighton), employing various exciting modes of transport (train, and a brisk walking pace), and getting into many hilarious scrapes with the natives (one lone sales assistant in Waterstones, who believed I was after something called ‘Rambo Orchard’), I finally managed to track down a massive towering display containing at least fifty copies of the rascal in Borders.

After four long arduous hours, my quest was finally at an end! But at what cost, eh? What cost?

Quite a reasonable one, actually: £6.99.

Thankfully, it wasn’t just the price that made it worth the trek. The Rainbow Orchid is what the Daily Star or some such tabloid might refer to as ‘A Rollicking Rip Roaring Roller-coaster Ride of Excitement, Adventure, Mayhem and Mirth!’

Garen expertly juggles a cast of dozens, all of whom ooze personality and sport brilliantly extravagant names (and in case readers forget who’s who, there’s a handy character reference sheet at the front of the graphic novel).

The artwork throughout is clear and vibrant; simple in style, yet detailed in scope. The story carries universal appeal; children will enjoy The Rainbow Orchid for its sense of fun and adventure, and adults will enjoy it for the nostalgic Tintin qualities and gentle English humour, with villains being dispatched using bags of flour and pots of paste in a true Jeeves and Wooster fashion.

There’s little to offend and plenty to enjoy, with lots of visual jokes and character laughs (my favourites involving a scene with a drunken lord waving his sword around on the roof whilst spouting a near Churchill-like speech, and the villainous henchmen getting their comeuppance when they’re set upon by a rowdy group of angry French clowns).

Although there are only 36 pages of comic strip inside, The Rainbow Orchid’s still a densely packed affair; sometimes as many as 13 panels are crammed into a page, and yet the storytelling’s so well paced it never feels like Garen’s trying to squeeze too much in.


Since this is only Volume One of The Rainbow Orchid, we’ll be seeing a lot more of Julius Chancer’s escapades. Good thing too, as it’s marvellously entertaining stuff, and a bally good read at that!

Web Links

• The Official Rainbow Orchid web site


• Podcast Interview with Garen Ewing


• Read an interview Matthew Badham conducted with Garen here on the Forbidden Planet International blog


More Reviews...


• Kelvin Green for Comics Bulletin


"Part of the joy of The Rainbow Orchid is that it has a massive nostalgic pull, taking me right back to the days when the only comics I could get from the library were these colourful cartoony things from artists with unusual Gallic names. Yet a greater part of my enjoyment of the book--enough to get me to buy it a third time--is that it's just very well put together. It's an exercise in a type of storytelling that we do not see too often in English nowadays..."

• Win Wiacek, The Comics Review


"Enchantingly engaging, astonishingly authentic and masterfully illustrated in the legendary Ligne Claire style, this is a wonderful tale that ranks amongst the very best all-ages graphic narratives and although the wait for the next volume might seem interminable the online presence and added value items which can be found at www.rainboworchid.co.uk should keep your bated breath puffing along until then."

• James Lovegrove, The Financial Times


"Ewing has mastered the ligne claire style which Hergé and his “Brussels school” pioneered in the 1950s. This means strong, clean visuals, no stippling or cross-hatching, artful use of colour to separate foreground from background, cartoonish figures set against realistic backdrops, and often wordy captions...

"... Yet The Rainbow Orchid is no mere homage. Ewing has crafted something at once reverential and joyous that has a life of its own. With the UK publishing industry slow to adopt the graphic novel form, it’s heartening that someone has given a book like this a chance. "

• Richard Bruton, Forbidden Planet International blog


"The Rainbow Orchid could be, should be, a huge hit for Garen and Egmont. The Tintin connection means it’s got an instant recognition factor, but beneath the obvious beauty of the artwork is an equally great, old fashioned adventure tale. It works for children and it works for us adults. An absolutely cracking adventure story."

• Julia Eccleshare, LoveRead4Kids


"The Rainbow Orchid is an ambitious blend of classic storytelling and cinematic artwork in which adventure, historical drama and legend are seamlessly intertwined. If you like your comics full of mystery and adventure and you love the worlds of H. Rider Haggard, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, Edgar P. Jacobs and Hergé, then you'll love this. The Rainbow Orchid is traditional adventure at its best."

New TOXIC On Sale Now, Complete With Bad Jokes!

The latest issue of Egmont's TOXIC is in the shops now and comes with a free electronic handheld game that the publishers say is guaranteed to keep readers busy on boring car journeys or when they're stuck round your nan's!

They've also kindly sent us some jokes you can tell over the summer holidays, so as a bit of midweek relief, we thought we'd pas 'em on...

Q. What do you call a fish with no eyes?


A. Fsh!

Q. What do vampires have at eleven o'clock every day?


A. A coffin break!

Knock Knock


Who's there?

Abbott!

Abbott who?

Abbott time you answered the door!

Knock Knock


Who's there?

Boo!

Boo who?

Don't cry it's only a joke!

Look, don't blame us - we just work here. Send TOXIC better jokes via www.toxicmag.co.uk

Rainbow Orchid Unfurls at Foyles

Comic creator Garen Ewing was mixing with other British artists and writers at top London bookshop Foyles on Monday night to celebrate the launch of the first volume of his three-part adventure story, Rainbow Orchid.

An original, award-winning 1920's mystery tale of Julius Chancer's search for a mythical flower mentioned by the Greek philosopher and botanist, Theophrastus, the first part of Rainbow Orchid has just been published in full colour in a stunning edition by Egmont Books and is available now in all good bookshops.

Initially published in Jason Cobley's Bulldog Adventure Magazine, the first chapter was then published as a small press book, before gravitating onto the web, where it picked up a considerable following.

Rainbow Orchid is very much in the spirit of European adventure stories, with Herge's Tintin a major influence, so, as Ben Dickson points out in his interview with Garen Ewing for the new digital edition of Redeye magazine, to find itself at Tintin’s English language publishing house is a major coup, and a clear indication of the story’s quality.

Welcoming the book's publication, Garen, who admitted he was initially wary of working with a big company on the collection, enthused about Egmont's commitment and support for his work, which sees the first volume of the story on sale now and will be followed by the second chapter early next year.

The first volume is a sumptuous re-packaging of the initial story, a version which Garen has spent some time "cleaning up" for this edition - including re-lettering the balloons and some artwork changes. The colour work throughout is simply gorgeous, lifting further Garen's finely-honed, detailed inks, his technical skill never detracting from the skilled storytelling as Chancer and gang in planes, trains and beautifully-realized 1920s automobiles.

With a complex, intelligent but far from bewildering script and a cast that includes adventerers, film stars, a femme fatale and scheming masterminds, it's great to see a title as enjoyable and finely-crafted tale as Rainbow Orchid leap from digital media back to the printed page in such style.

Roll on 2010 for Volume Two!

• Pictures from the event by Tripwire editor Joel Meadows to follow!

• Official web site: www.garenewing.co.uk/rainboworchid

Battle Picture Weekly Now on Sale

Nostalgia fans are in for a summer treat with the release of a special Battle Picture Weekly collection this week, marking the return of the classic war comic to new stands for the first time 21 years.

The second in the new Classic Comics series from Egmont, which kicked off with a special issue of Roy of the Rovers (see news story), is now on sale exclusively in WHSmith stores across the country.

Readers who grew up with classic characters such as D-Day Dawson, Rat Pack and the Bootneck Boy can relive the exploits of these fabled fighters in this classic collection of picture-strips. The special edition features several selected strips from the comic, including episodes of Johnny Red, The Sarge, Major Eazy, Hellman, Rat Pack, The Bootneck Boy and D-Day Dawson.

Also included is some of the original vintage advertising that featured in the comic.

Published between 1975 and 1988, Battle fired the imaginations of countless schoolboys, many of whom had a surviving relative from the war. This selection of classic strips is republished in the original, glorious black and white. The stories are uncut with many an “ARGH!” and an “URRGH!” standing between the reader and eventual victory.

"We’ve stayed as close to the original as possible with specially produced tactile paper," a Fleetway spokesperson told downthetubes.

Egmont acquired the Fleetway stable of comics in 1991 which included the four Classic Comics being released this year: Roy of the Rovers, Battle, Misty and Buster.

Fleetwway tell us that final sales figures for the Roy of the Rovers special are still being compiled.

"We’re still waiting for final numbers on Roy of the Rovers but we had great feedback especially in the first few days – it was flying off the shelves."

• The 52-page Battle Picture Weekly special edition costs £3.99 and is on sale now

Roy of the Rovers Print Offer

With Father's Day just a month away - on 21st June 2009 - many people may be racking their brains to think of the perfect present. Well, publishers Egmont may have the solution - the chance for your Dad to feature alongside the legendary comics football hero Roy of the Rovers in his own comic strip, and be the star.

Simply visit this dedicated page on the Egmont UK web site (www.egmont.co.uk/royoffer), pop in his name, pick a look, and your perfect gift should arrive in good time for Father's Day!

With 17 name checks and 12 illustrated features, your Dad should feel really special as he reads about himself as a super striker saving the day for Melchester Rovers, but as an added incentive, Egmont are currently offering everyone the opportunity to purchase a unique Roy of the Rovers personalised book with a discount of 20% using the code U09-FDP -- and extending the 20% discount to all products bought from the Egmont website at the same time.

That means you can continue shopping (using the 'continue shopping' button!) and buy more Egmont titles.

Of course, this offer might not appeal to the Father in your life, but you must know at least one football fan with a birthday -- or perhaps even Christmas if you're the kind of person who really plans ahead. The offer is valid until 30th June 2009: spread the word...

• Egmont website www.egmont.co.uk/royoffer Discount Code: U09-FDP

TOXIC Goes Star Trek

The latest issue of Egmont's TOXIC - out today - comes with free Green Alien Ears and an Outer-space Water Blaster, capitalising on the hype for the new Star Trek film. (We remember Spock having green blood, but not green ears, unless Kirk slapped him on the noggin in a cut scene...)

The magazine, one of the few kids titles on the UK news stand with at least some regular comic strip - in this issue, there's an all-new Team TOXIC adventure - The Return of Frankendrac - also includes a Star Trek preview, a Richard Hammond Blast Lab experiment, rates the top five dinosaurs in ITV's Primeval and challenges readers to a Monsters vs Aliens - Which Monster Are You? quiz.

We have heard on the grape vine that along with the arrival of Jamie Smart's Count von Poo strip, other changes are planned for the comic-magazine: more news when we get it...

• TOXIC web site: www.toxicmag.co.uk

As Rainbow Orchid Preps for Print, Parts go Offline...

Garen Ewing's full web version of his comic strip The Rainbow Orchid, is going to remain online for just one more week.

"Book publication of volume one (Egmont UK) is set for 4 August 2009, so after the bank holiday weekend (Tuesday 5 May) the online strip will become a preview," Garen told downthetubes, "with certain sections removed and the full
story available in print only."

You can start reading The Rainbow Orchid here: don't hang about, because you've got only a few days left to do so!

The Rainbow Orchid, a mystery adventure set in the 1920s, is being published in three volumes by Egmont UK. "It's partly inspired by the works of writers such as H. Rider Haggard, Jules Verne and Arthur Conan Doyle," Garen outlines, "mixed up with a very British version of the Franco-Belgian ligne claire school of graphic storytelling, luminaries of which include Hergé, Edgar P. Jacobs, Yves Chaland, Floc'h and Joost Swarte
to name just a handful."

Bryan Talbot (Grandville, Alice in Sunderland, The Tale of One Bad Rat etc.) has previously enthused about the work. "Tightly-plotted, well-researched and beautifully drawn, this book is
a real delight. Garen Ewing's mix of engaging characters, exciting old-school adventure, attractive ligne claire artwork and fluid storytelling makes The Rainbow Orchid easily one of the best graphic novels of the year."

• Visit the website: www.rainboworchid.co.uk