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Thursday, 5 October 2017

Cold War Commando!


Here's the intel on the latest issues of Commando (Issues 5059-5062) from DC Thomson, on sale now in all good newsagents across the UK and various digital platforms. Expect Cold War espionage, Battle of Britain aerobatics, lost Napoleonic treasures and despicable acts of Nazi treachery in this week’s bundle!


Commando 5059: Home of Heroes: Target: ARMAGEDDON
Story | Iain McLaughlin | Art | Rodriguez & Morhain | Cover | Janek Matysiak

After Germany surrendered in 1945, many Nazis fled to South America, choosing to live out the rest of their days in peace, but one U-Boat captain, Heinrich Kessler, had other ideas. Disgusted by his government’s surrender, Kessler’s hate for western culture burned through the decades until he decided to strike back. He might not be able to destroy his enemies – but he would push them to destroy each other!

Now, in the heat of the Cold War, the Russian and American navies must work together if they are to defeat a greater evil that threatens the world…

Iain McLaughlin’s nautical narrative is filled with stunning seascapes from Rodriguez and Morhain, who detail the various warships and submarines that battle on and beneath the surface, carrying over from Janek Matysiak’s moody submarine cover. 


Commando 5060: Gold Collection: The Fighting Few


Story | Maitland | Art | Gordon C. Livingstone | Cover | Gordon C. Livingstone
Originally Commando No 386 (February 1969) Reprinted No 1123 (May 1977)

“No-one would deny that the Battle of Britain produced more heroes than any other action of the Second World War.”

A Golden Age classic, ‘The Fighting Few’ follows three pilots who formed one of the closest units the war had ever seen. Spending every minute to spare in the air, Flying Officer Gavin Roberts’ team was nigh on unstoppable. The only thing that held them back was Squadron Leader Connor, who, duplicitous and cowardly, took every chance he could to run away – even at the cost of another pilot’s life. So, facing Connor’s self-preservation and the relentless Luftwaffe, Gavin’s trio must train and fight harder if they are to survive and help Britain on the road to victory!

Bringing Maitland’s story to life, Gordon C. Livingstone provides the cover and interior artwork, making it easy to see why his designs are so beloved by comic fans.


Commando 5061: Action and Adventure: Fenshire Silver


Story | George Low | Art and Cover | Keith Page 

Uncovering a crate of silver finery from French soldiers in the Peninsula War, Fenshire Rifle Lieutenant Adrian Seacombe could not believe his luck, that is, until he perished on his return to British soil. But that silver would stay with the Seacombe line, eventually reaching his descendant who fought with the Fenshire Rifles regiment in the Second World War. But does this new Seacombe care more about the treasure than his men?

With art and cover design from Keith Page, George Low’s ‘Fenshire Silver’ is an adventure through the ages, from flintlock face-offs in Spain 1810, to the iconic Lee Enfields of World War Two.

5062: Silver Collection: Time to Pay!
Story | K. P. MacKenzie | Art | C. T. Rigby | Cover | Ian Kennedy 
Originally Commando No 2648 (March 1993)

Sent to join the Italians at the front, Strumbannfuhrer Gustav Braun was an evil and cowardly man. Panicking at the first sight of the action he had avoided so far, he ordered a unit of Italians shot down so he could steal their trucks and flee. But Captain Mario Celini would never forget this. Even after Italy surrendered, Mario joined the Allied fighters to push back the Nazis and maybe even get his revenge on Braun…

A different perspective on the war from K. P. MacKenzie, this ‘90s classic builds the perfect villain before introducing us to the heroes who will try to take him down. With beautiful depictions of the Italian countryside in C. T. Rigby’s artwork and a striking cover from Ian Kennedy, this is not one to miss!





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New Lakes International Comic Art Festival "App" offers artwork rewards


Heading to the Lakes International Comic Art Festival? Get the Festival app on your iPhone, iPad or iTouch - and grab some artwork rewards as you explore Kendal.

Created by Mobetrics, a Cumbrian mobile technology and app development company, the app, designed by Joe Lethbridge at Cactus Creative, will enhance your Festival experience by providing event information, assistance in finding venues.

With Bluetooth enabled, the app also offers the option to collect artwork on your as you go along, by artists such as Duncan Fegredo, Aimee de Jongh and Christian Ward, among others.

This is the first phase and the Festival is looking for your feedback on what will make the app, and the Festival, even better!

Based in Cockermouth, Mobetric's work designing apps for IOS, Android and Blackberyy includes Stolen Lives,  a learning resource featuring an illustrated comic book, which builds upon extensive research into the use of visual content and mental exploration to aid learning as well as employing the principles of transformative learning techniques.

Cactus Creative - a team of eight - are based in Kendal in The Factory – an independent, creative hub which is home to other talented creatives and artists. Their work includes Kendal's own web site (visit-kendal.co.uk) and work for Keswick's Theatre by the Lake.

Download the app from iTunes here (requires iOS 10.3 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch)

• Comic Art Festival www.comicartfestival.com

• Mobmetrics: mobetrics.com | Follow Mobetrics on Twitter @mobetrics

• Cactus Creative: cactuscreative.com | Follow Cactus Creative on Twitter: @cactuscreative

Monad Journal Launch Symposium at the University of Northampton

The University of Northampton  is to host the launch of a new peer-reviewed open access online journal MONAD next month - and comics writer Alan Moore is among invited guests for the Launch Symposium.

The Monad Journal Launch Symposium on Thursday 9th November is a free one-day research symposium to officially launch the Monad project and journal at the University of Northampton, Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology.

This event will feature a selection of excellent speakers (programme below) addressing various of forms of transformative practice in relation to progressive change. The event is free for the first 50 registrants. A lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Following the Symposium a 'Transition' event format will be making a very special return to the Phoenix Bar in Northampton. Special guests include: World-renowned author Alan Moore; legendary ska-punk band Inner Terrestrials; comedian, musician and writer Andrew O’Neill; and writer-poet Sophie Sparham.

Transition events aim to bring innovative, independent and academic research, about methods of realising progressive change, to the wider community,” explain organisers Roy Wallace and Cavan McLaughlin, "while providing a safe, shared, creative, recreational space for everyone. We will continue to investigate the principle of transformative practice, over a beer or two with performances from our special guest, all of whom are both hugely entertaining and inspiring examples of how you can 'be the change you want to see in the world."

Symposium Programme

10.00-10.45: Registration and coffeeNewton Grand Hall, Newton Building, Avenue Campus, University of Northampton
10.45 Introductions
11.00 Panel 1 – Transformative Practitioners
Stephen Godfrey (Artist) & Cavan McLaughlin (University of Northampton)
Phototerragrams: Organic and photo-chemical collaborations with the earth.
Arte Artemiou (University of Northampton)
Imagining a Transformative Performative Education
Anne Crossey (Artist & Independent Scholar)
The Emperor is Wearing No Clothes: Clothing as metaphor in Thomas Carlyle’s Sartor Resartus
Carlos Ruiz Brussain (ERAM Escola Universitaria – University of Girona)
Nailing the Snake: Dealing with the elusiveness of liminal experiences in self-transformative creative practice and research.
1.00 – 2.00 Lunch and film screenings
2.00 – 4.00 Panel 2 – Transformative Practices
Luc Robene (University of Bordeaux) & Solveig Serre (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)
Negotiating borders between hegemonic culture and the restricted culture of subversion: How to write the history of the punk scene in France (1976-2016)?
Alasdair Gordon-Finlayson (University of Northampton)
Title TBC (presentation on meditation)
Peter Duchemin (Memorial University of Newfoundland)
Designing a Transformative Chronology: Experiments in calendar construction.
David Luke (University of Greenwich)
Psychedelics as Transformative Praxis
4.00 – 4.30 Coffee break
4.30 – 5.30 Panel 3 – Monad Journal Launch Discussion Panel
Roy Wallace (University of Northampton), Cavan McLaughlin, Carlos Ruiz Brussain, Helena Blakemore (University of East London), Luc Robene, Solveig Serre
• To register for the Monad symposium visit: http://monad-launch.eventbrite.co.uk | To book your tickets for Transition (after party) visit:http://makersofchange.eventbrite.co.uk
• To find out more about the Monad Journal and Project visit: http://www.monadjournal.com

Call For Papers: Storytelling Conference 2018

The organisers of the Storytelling Conference 2018 (10th - 11th July) at the University of Suffolk have announced the call for papers is now open.

They are inviting papers that theoretically and empirically engage with a broad range of disciplines reflecting the diverse nature o storytelling and stories substantively and methodologically.

The conference aims to bring together established academics, early career researchers, PhD candidates and students.

Topics covered by this call could include but are not limited to:

• Stories as a research method(ology)
• Storytelling in the workplace
• ‘Storied organisation’
• Stories of place, space, movement and migration
• Archaeological and historical stories
• Children, stories and storytelling
• Health and wellbeing
• Stories in and of education
• The organisation of story
• The storytelling business
• Sex and sexuality
• Ethnographic stories
• Disability and activism
• Cultures and communities
• Stories and popular culture
• Stories, leisure and sport

Welcome are traditional presentations of 20 minutes with additional time for questions, pre‐formed panels of speakers, and posters; as well as alternative modes of presentation including performance, film, photography etc.

Please send 250-word abstracts for a 20-minute presentation, 500-word abstracts for panels and 150-word abstracts for posters: storytellingpapers@uos.ac.uk

 • For further information please visit the website | The deadline for submissions is Monday 30th March 2018

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