Merry Christmas: 2 Days To Go

Two days to go to Christmas and a slight cheat on our Christmas cover today in that it is the cover of an annual rather than a weekly title. That said Christmas covers on war comics are few and far between and it is an Ian Kennedy painting on the Warlord annual for Christmas 1984.

It is set forty years before in Christmas 1944 and Royal Marine Union Jack Jackson is fighting the Germans in post D-Day Europe. By this point in the stories he was still attached to the US Marine Corps but by his own choice rather than by circumstance.

The idea of Santa charging with a fixed bayonet is certainly one of the more unusual Christmas covers.

Hinton Memorial Anthology Released

Shelf Life, the tribute anthology dedicated to Doctor Who author Craig Hinton, who sadly died two years ago, is now available.

The memorial anthology, edited by Factor Fiction's Jay Eales, David McIntee and Adrian Middleton is an unofficial collection of illustrated fiction inspired by the Doctor Who fiction of Craig Hinton, who passed away suddenly in 2006 and is dedicated to his memory. All profits will be donated to the British Heart Foundation.

Craig, who passed away on 3rd December 2006, was best known for his Doctor Who spin-off works, which included the novels The Crystal Bucephalus, Millennial Rites, GodEngine, The Quantum Archangel and Synthespians, as well as the Excelis Decays audio play.

Such was the love and affection felt for Craig in the world of Doctor Who that many of his friends and fans felt the need to do something special to remember him by. The result of that need has now been realised in the form of Shelf Life, which contains stories and illustrations from people all around the world, writers and ordinary fans alike.

The list of contributors is enormous, featuring stories by a huge number of SF and Who authors, and includes illustrations by several British comics creators such as D’Israeli, Vince Danks, Jay Eales, Garen Ewing, Laura Howell, Tim Keable, Lee O’Connor, Graeme Neil Reid, Dave Windett and others.

With so many contributions, and so many breakthrough writers, and with each story accompanied by full-page artwork, the editorial team explain it has taken the best part of two years to bring this project to fruition. With slipping deadlines fluctuating between his birthdays and the anniversaries of his death, they're finally in a position to make our tribute available.

Shelf Life is currently available in the following formats via the project's web site:

• A low resolution .PDF file (9.19MB) available by email (The Shelf Life team are not currently able to provide this in downloadable form). Price £5. Please ensure that your email host has the capacity to receive files of this size.
• A high resolution electronic .PDF file (49.8MB) burned onto CD. Price £5 + £1.50 post & packaging. Please note high resolution .PDFs cannot be despatched until after Christmas.
• A 624-page hardback book. Price £18 + £4.40 post & packaging.

To buy any version of the book or for overseas see rates visit the Shelf Life web site: shelflife.wetpaint.com

• Parents of younger Doctor Who fans should note that while none of the content in Shelf Life could be considered offensive, this anthology is aimed at an older readership, and as such may not be suitable for younger readers. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at jptales@gmail.com.

New Thunderbirds Merchandise in 2009

It's just been announced that Gerry Anderson's classic puppet series Thunderbirds has been re-licensed to Sci Fi Channel UK.

SCI FI has renewed its license for the 32-episode show, for launch in the spring, and has also taken two additional Gerry Anderson series: all 30 half hour episodes of the junior spy adventure series Joe 90 and the earliest Anderson colour series, Stingray.

New Gerry Anderson series-related merchandise inspired by Thunderbirds, Joe 90 and Stingray is also in development, for release next year.

The three series will broadcast from spring 2009 as part of the network’s primetime line-up.

Meanwhile, BBC Two will re-air Stingray: The Reunion Party at 4.00pm on 28 December, a special compilation episode first shown earlier this year utilising footage found in Japan.

The screening will be followed by the one-hour documentary All About Thunderbirds also screened earlier in 2008. In it, Anderson, together with the show's cast, crew and fans, reflect back on the series and its legacy. The documentary will be followed by a screening of the Thunderbirds episode Attack of the Alligators.

Both Thunderbirds films are set for early morning showings on Channel 4 on Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th, with another chance to catch Attack of the Alligators on New Year's Day on BBC2.

The British TV activity comes as ITV Global gears up to relaunch the Thunderbirds consumer-products campaign next year and launch new products for Joe 90 and Stingray.

"Thunderbirds has been entertaining the world for decades and the trusted brand continues to deliver new and dedicated fans to all it touches, including consumer products -- which currently features fashion, toys, Blu-ray DVD and gaming," said Giles Ridge, the head of brand and product development at ITV Global Entertainment in a press release. "We're looking forward to developing new and exciting licensing partnerships with Thunderbirds for 2009."

As we reported earlier this month, the new merchandise includes collections of strips from the classic 1960s comics TV Century 21 and Lady Penelope, which are being published by Reynolds and Hearn in the UK.

• Thunderbirds fans may be interested in joining Fanderson, the Gerry Anderson fan club. More info: www.fanderson.org.uk

Merry Christmas: 3 Days To Go

Just when you though that there couldn't possibly be any Christmas covers that Lew hadn't used in his mammoth, and excellent, coverage of Christmas comics over on Blimey, let us bring you just a few more in this countdown to Christmas (and Doctor Who and Wallace and Gromit).

With three days to go, a big step back in time to Christmas 1936. The Gem was one of the story papers published by Amalgamated Press that pre-date the more modern style of picture strip comics that we are more used to. While its cover image does not appear to tie-in to Christmas, its logo has the inevitable snow and it even goes as far as adding holly into the top corners.

The Hidden Hand was a 19 page text story of Tom Merry and the schoolboys of St Jim's which did take place during the school's Christmas holidays - "Thrill follows thrill throughout this gripping Xmas yarn of Tom Merry & Co on holiday".

The most interesting advert inside is for the batch of AP annuals with 1937 cover dates complete with its schoolboy in double breasted jacket, tie and slicked down hair. "Packed with stories of thrilling adventures, this Annual is splendid value. Its hundred and ninety pages of specially selected fiction provide many hours of wholesome entertainment for the healthy boy of today."

Well it was a different millennium.