Crikey! regroups after Borders collapse

The editor of British comics magazine Crikey! has revealed the recent collapse of Borders UK has proved a bit of a catastrophe for the magazine, as the loss of that chain and its affiliates took away about 70% of its distribution.

No alternative distributive possibilities are available to the title at this stage, which means a 'regroup' for the title. The title's sales are too small for Diamond to consider distributing it, for example - and the money the magazine has lost from the Borders collapse means they can't currently afford to go into another high street chain.

"So we're retrenching and regrouping and in the meantime going back to our old format for #13," says editor Tony Ingram in a post to the downthetubes forum, "but there is one bit of positive news; we've been adding content to the website at www.crikeyuk.co.uk, and we now have our own brand spanking new Crikey! forum there, too.

"All are welcome, so please don't leave us talking to ourselves."

• More about Crikey! at www.crikeyuk.co.uk

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.

Don't Get Lost webcomic blog launched

Andrew Luke has launched his strip blog, Don't Get Lost, which he describes as a 300-page tale of abuse and survival through the self and friendship.

The tale begins as a man flees from potential violence at the hand of teen gang members, and the story so far reflects many of the worries and frustrations a lot of folk have in modern Britain.

"I'll be posting seven pages a week in 2010," says Andy.

• Check it out at dont-get-lost.blogspot.com

Félicitations - Anthea Bell OBE

Our belated congratulations to Anthea Bell for receiving her Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours list for "services to Literature and Literary Translations."

Anthea is best known to us for the English language translations of the Goscinny and Uderzo Asterix books along with her translating partner Derek Hockridge. However the duo have translated many more bandes dessinees albums than just the Asterix books, from the cowboy adventures of Lt Blueberry to the Arabian humour of Iznogoud (now published by Cinebook).

She discusses her work on the Asterix books in an excellent article on The Art Of Translation written for the British Council's website as well as her love of the character on the Asterix International website.

In addition to these comic strips she has also translated many novels into English and is interviewed at Writer Unboxed about her work translating Cornelia Funke’s children's novels from German into English.

However for us she will always be part of the translation team who turned a Gallic Bard, who's original name translated as "Comprehensive Insurance", into the wonderful Cacofonix.