In Review: XIII - Full Red

Who is XIII?
Book 1 - presidential assassin?
Book 2 - special forces soldier?
Book 3 - psychotic murderer?
Book 4 - undercover spy?

In the fifth XIII book, Full Red, writer Jean Van Hamme and artist William Vance take readers back to that presidential assassination from the first book and the repercussions of exactly why it happened.

Leading on directly from the fourth book SPADS, Full Red sees XIII returning to the US with his ally the mysterious Lieutenant Jones and SPAD Sergeant Betty Barnowsky only to discover that the people behind the Presidential assassination are moving to take over the United States by tricking the new President and instigating a coup during a massive military exercise codenamed Full Red.

The previous book, SPADS, gave a lot of information about the character of XIII and just who he might be and was rather exposition heavy because of it. Full Red takes this one step further being virtually a book of two halves, both halves being violent and bloody. The first half is more languid and explanation heavy as the characters return to the US and discover that the military exercise is about to happen more quickly than expected, while the second half moves into 24 TV series mode as they have to quickly infiltrate the US military's Supreme Strategic Headquarters in an attempt to prevent the coup taking place.

While the book does feel uneven due to this spilt in how the narrative moves, this is a Jean Van Hamme story and he is more than capable of leaving the reader both satisfied with the conclusion but with enough threads hanging to want to get on with reading the next book. Indeed this fifth book brings the presidential assassination plot of XIII to a conclusion and provides a pause in the ongoing story of who XIII is, why he has a roman numeral tattoo and just who or what the organisation that uses tattooed agents is.

Cinebook have taken the XIII books beyond both the previously published CatCom and Marvel translations and will continue the series into the next batch of stories at their ongoing rate of one book every other month. XIII is one of my favourite Cinebook series and Full Red shows that while the initial story of XIII is complete, there is a lot more to be discovered about the man and, fortunately, there are plenty more books in the series to enjoy those discoveries.

• There are more details of the English language XIII books on Cinebook's newly redesigned web site: www.cinebook.co.uk

• There are more details of the original French XIII albums on the official XIII website (in French).

• The entire 48 page XIII Book 1, The Day Of The Black Sun (reviewed here), is available free with issue 5 of Comic Heroes magazine which is currently available in newsagents.

Marvel Comics scout to hold UK portfolio reviews in April

(updated 21/3/11, with thanks to Mark Stafford and David Lloyd) On Friday 8th April (the day before the London Kapow comic convention) London's Cartoon Museum will be hosting portfolio review sessions with Marvel Comics talent scout CB Cebulski, so anybody who thinks they've got what it takes should take along a selection of their work for an honest appraisal.

V for Vendetta artist David Lloyd and Cartoon Classroom guru Steve Marchant will also be in attendance.

Sessions are 12.30-2pm, 3-5.30pm, and 6-7pm. People will be seen on a first come first served basis. Entry is open to everyone at regular museum admission prices : £5.50 ( £3.00 for students.

The Cartoon Classroom, a non-profit making venture, aims provide information for all officially recognised organisations who seek professional cartoonists to lecture and teach. It was also established to provide basic advice and information to any member of the public wanting to study cartoon art, graphic novels, strip illustration and/or the specialised writing skills linked to such work.


"This event is the first physical manifestation of Cartoon Classroom's existence since its launch," David Lloyd told downthetubes, "and, because of that, it's of as much value to us as it is to those who might benefit from the event.

"This event is obviously a plus for folks who won't have a chance to see CB at Kapow," he continues, "and they can get help from me and Steve if they want it, too."

The event came about after David suggested it to CB in his role as Cartoon Classroom ambassador, to do as a one-off standalone for anyone within reach of London, which was planned for long before Kapow.

• The Cartoon Museum is at 35, Little Russell St, London, WC1.  Call them on 0207 580 8155 for any other details.

• To confirm attendance mail infoATcartoonmuseum.org or contact cartoonclassroomATyahoo.co.uk 

• More about Cartoon Classroom at www.cartoonclassroom.co.uk

• More about the Kapow Con at www.kapowcomiccon.com

Royal Weddings celebrated at London's Cartoon Museum

We don't always get the goods we bargain for in this sham old world! Arnold Taylor @ Bamforth Cards Ltd.

‘Marriage,’ as Elizabeth Taylor commented, ‘is a great institution’ - and she had more experience than most! As Prince William and Kate Middeleton prepare to tie the knot, London's Cartoon Museum is presenting a bouquet of barbed wit on the state of matrimony today and yesterday, with a new exhibition - Marriage à la Mode: Royals and Commoners in and out of Love.

Mel Calman, Marriage, © S & C Calman

The highs and - more often - the lows of marriage have provided a wealth of material for cartoonists over the last 250 years. The exhibition, which opens next week (Wednesday 23rd March) includes over 100 cartoons on many familiar themes: the hen-pecked husband, the all powerful mother-in-law, the irritating personal habits and the battles of the bedroom.

Since the 1960s, the divorce rate has climbed steadily and remarriage and ‘blended’ families have become more common. Royal marriages of the past have ranged from George, the Prince of Wales’s ‘illegal’ marriage to Mrs Fitzherbert in 1785 to Victoria’s idyllically happy marriage to Prince Albert. For almost 150 years cartoonists shied away from any hint of scandal and it was really only with the marriage of Charles and Diana in 1981 that the private lives of the royals became public once again. The ‘fairytale wedding’ excited unprecedented media interest, which lasted throughout the marriage, its intrigues and its dramatic demise.

Kate and William: A Very Public Love Story by
Rich Johnston, Mike Collins, Gary Erskine, 
 Owen Jollands. © Markosia

When Kate Middleton weds their son William on 29 April 2011, she will become the first ‘commoner’ to marry a royal close to the throne since 1660. Their relationship has inspired a number of cartoons, including Markosia's forthcoming book Kate and William: A Very Public Love Story, a graphic telling of the couple’s modern-day romance (see our news story), which is also featured in the exhibition.

The show also includes Posy Simmonds’ telling observations on the complexities of marriages both modern and historical; Andy Capp and Flo’s ups and downs; comic postcards by Donald McGill and Arnold Taylor; William Hogarth’s revealing commentary Marriage A la Mode (1745), as well as cartoons by Steve Bell, Grizelda, Mel Calman, James Gillray, and over thirty other artists.

• Marriage à la Mode: Royals and Commoners in and out of Love Wednesday 23 March – 22 May 2011 

The Cartoon Museum is open Tue – Sat, 10.30 – 17.30; Sun 12.00 – 17.30 Tel: 020 7580 8155 

Web: www.cartoonmuseum.org

Panorama © Peter Schrank Independent on Sunday, 19th November 1995

• Kate And William: A Very Public Love Story will be sold in bookshops, select comic stores, supermarkets and all good outlets from 2nd April.



• Order Kate & William - A Very Public Love Story from amazon.co.uk


Order Kate & William - A Very Public Love Story from amazon.com

• Markosia Enterprises: www.markosia.com

• Mike Collins Official Site


• Gary Erskine Official Site and Blog

Sydney Jordan lined up for Bristol Comic Expo appearance

Along with a host of special events and Expo exclusives, including a huge 2000AD panel featuring the likes of Patrick Goddard, Gordon Rennie and Sean Phillips, a preview of the new Alan Moore: Storyteller book by Gary Spencer Milidge, a special STRIP Magazine launch promotion with John Freeman, Jim Campbell, Jim Alexander and Jasper Bark - and much more - it's now confirmed that Sydney Jordan, the creator of the great Daily Express newspaper strip Jeff Hawke, will again be at the event in May.

"Last year's Bristol International Comic Expo was a great success for the Jeff Hawke Club and we're coming back this year," says the club's organiser, Will Rudling.

Sydney Jordan will be on hand to talk about Hawke and his other comics work along with Will Rudling,  Editor and Founder of the Jeff Hawke Club, and master model maker Chris Tubb.
 

Jeff Hawke original artwork will be on sale. 

The Club has almost completed reprinting all the early Jeff Hawke stories in its magazine, Cosmos, and is beginning to shift its emphasis on his transformation into Lance McLane/ Jeff Hawke. 

"We will be reprinting the Earthspace strips and subsequent stories in sequence," says Will. "The scenario is of a post-apocalyptic Earth struggling to survive and is very timely. Jeff and his android companion, Fortuna encounter fantastic adventures and deal with environmental issues. 

"This shows Sydney’s unique interpretation on the subject and the amazing plots he creates. It’s incredible how relevant they are now and so prophetic, they were since written 35 years ago!"

• For more about the Bristol International Comic Expo go to www.fantasyevents.org/bristolcomicexpo/index.html 

• Jeff Hawke's Cosmos is on sale by subscription, which costs £20 per year for three issues. Subscriptions can be sent to The Jeff Hawke Club, 6 The Close, Alwoodley, Leeds LS17 7RD, United Kingdom. Web: www.jeffhawkeclub.com