More Frank Bellamy "Garth" under the hammer at Heritage Auctions

Heritage Auctions is offering this Frank Bellamy Garth daily comic strip first published in the Daily Mirror in 1975 in its latest auction

J214 dated 8-29-75 sees Garth use a pilot's trick to throw the bad guys around.

The strip was produced in ink over graphite on illustration board with an image area of 20.5" x 5.5" and is in excellent condition, an item from the Ethan Roberts Estate Collection.

Other art offered in the auction, which takes place this weekend online, includes work by Jack Davis, Gil Kane, Stan Sakai and many more.

• View the lot here on Heritage Auctions | View the auction

Garth © Daily Mirror

Spaceship Away 28 Available In Time For Christmas

Spaceship Away, the A4, full colour glossy magazine that covers original Dan Dare as well as a selection of other classic strips, has released issue 28 in time for Christmas.

Priced at £7.95, including UK postage, the 44 page issue features a new Marooned on Mercury cover from original 1950s Dan Dare artist Don Harley as well as a special one off Christmas Dan Dare story entitled The Tannenbaum Caper in which Eagle's Dan Dare and the Daily Express' Jeff Hawke meet for the first time. This fully licensed strip was written by Jeff Hawke creator Sydney Jordan and illustrated by Don Harley.

The other comic strips in the issue include the latest episode of the Dan Dare story Parsecular Tales written and drawn by Tim Booth, the continuing reprint of the Jet Morgan/Journey Into Space strip Shadow Over Britain! from Express Weekly illustrated by Ferdinando Tacconi, a Ron Turner strip The World That Dissolved published for the first time in colour, and the continuing reprint of the Garth story Finality Factor from the Daily Mirror also published in colour for the first time.

Spaceship Away continues its features on little known Dan Dare spin-offs with a piece on the pilot episode for a live action Dan Dare TV series featuring Robert Bathurst as Dan and Geoffrey Hughes as Digby. Other features include an appreciation of artist Ferdinando Tacconi, who passed away in 2006 along with a tribute to him from Jeff Hawke's Sydney Jordan, a career spanning interview with Sydney himself, and a piece on that other 1950s comic strip spaceman Swift Morgan whose adventures were illustrated by Denis McLoughlin.

The centrespread of the issue is a special preview of the new cutaway by Graham Bleathman of the J Series Space Station from the original Dan Dare strip in 1950s Eagle which will be featured in the Dan Dare Spacefleet Operations Manual due to be published by Haynes in 2013.

There are more details of Spaceship Away on the Spaceship Away website.

Spaceship Away 27 on sale now

Issue 27 of the Eagle-inspired comic magazine Spaceship Away is available now, this time with a background theme drawing on the Dan Dare story The Red Moon, featuring a number of paintings relating to that story from both Don Harley and Tim Booth.

Most importantly, aside from ne Dan Dare and other comic strips, the issue pays tribute to, and has last words from artist Bruce Cornwell, who sadly passed away earlier this year.

The strip line up is as follows:

• "Dan Dare: Parsecular Tales" by Tim Booth - part four of an epic new adventure continuing the original Dan Dare legend
• "Shadow over Britain", a Journey into Space story by Charles Chilton, based on the 1950s radio show
• “Thoughts That Kill” by Ron Turner, coloured by Martin Baines, a short one off story of the danges of telepathic civillisation
  
• "Dan Dare: Amberlint" (Part One) written and drawn by Nick Spender, an ex-student of Dan Dare's original creator Frank Hampson
• "Garth: Finality Factor" (Part Four) by Jim Edgar and John Allard, art by Martin Asbury

Alongside tributes to Bruce Cornwell, features this issue include 

• ‘Diego Valor’: downthetubes contributor Jeremy Briggs reveals the history of a Spanish spin off of Dan Dare.
  
• Graham Bleathman has produced a cutaway of Dan’s apartment, based on Eagle published frames and notes by Greta Tomlinson, who was a member of the strip's original studio
  

Looking ahead, the editorial team tell us they have some amazing items coming up in our autumn issue, including a Jeff Hawke / Dan Dare strip by Sydney Jordan and Don Harley. Issue 28 is due in November.

- To get Spaceship Away delivered to your door, head over to the official website: http://spaceshipaway.org.uk

British Newspaper Strip Club changes hands

There's a change of command at the All Devon Collectors Club, longtime archivists of British newspaper strips.

An offshoot of the old South West Comic Collectors Club, the ADCCC, mainly centred on the Exeter area, has members far and wide - and continues the relentless search for prime quality images for the (complete) British story booklets that is their raison d'etre.

The desire of elder members to see old newspaper strips again, linked with the poor quality of the yellowing photocopies that were doing the rounds, provided the impetus for the club to decide to track down and reprint 'lost' Garth strips. A search for other British titles naturally followed, such as Romeo Brown and Paul Temple.

Unfortunately, longtime co-ordinator Dave Westaway's health has deteriorated recently and as a result, he is no longer able to continue his duties with the ADCCC.

Luckily another member of the ADCCC, Paul Trotter, also editor of the the bi-monthly Newspaper Strip Gazette, has taken on  the administration role and is as enthusiastic as Dave about the old newspaper strips.

"Although I will see through to the end any correspondence, already started all future orders for the club's limited edition newspaper strip collections (listed here on the main DTT site), suggestion and offers of help should now be directed to Paul," Dave tells us.

"The club will continue to run very much as it has done for the last few years," he adds.

"I would like to thank all members for their enthusiastic support and help over the last eight years. Many of them have given time in searching, cleaning, providing colouring and artwork... I've been very grateful and would much appreciate it if you can give the same support to Paul."


Dave has long supported our work at DTT and offered help on British comic collections I've edited on a freelance basis for Titan Books. I wish him all the very best and offer a heartfelt thanks to him for his dedicated service preserving our British comics heritage.

• To contact the ADCCC, write to Paul Trotter, ADCCC, DSC Publications, 20 Wreake Drive, Rearsby, Leicester LE7 4YZ or email him via dsccomicsATaol.com

Pass the cheese Gromit, while I listen to our podcast!

This week's Panel Borders, now available as a podcast, continues this month’s theme of shows about newspaper comics, with Alex Fitch talking to a couple of creators working on newspaper strips featuring popular British science-fiction characters.

Richy K Chandler is a member of a writing team penning new adventures of 'Wallace and Gromit' for The Sun newspaper, drawn by Mychailo Kazybrid, including this week’s story ‘Paper Hound’ and talks about his interest in humour strips and writing licensed characters.

Alex also chats with writer / artist Huw J Davies, who was approached by the Daily Mirror in 2007 to update their classic adventure strip 'Garth' for the 21st Century and he talks about his problems in achieving this goal and how it lead to a re-imagining of the character in his graphic novel Freeman.

• Panel Borders: British Newspaper Strips is podcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Garth returns to the Mirror

Garth - The Mirror's newspaper strip hero returns to the national British newspaper next week.

(Updated, 23/2/11): National newspaper The Mirror has announced it will be reprinting some of the best of Garth stories featuring the time-travelling British hero who featured on its pages for over 50 years, and whose creators included Frank Bellamy and Martin Asbury.

Garth will again flex his rippling muscles to battle evil from next Monday – after what the paper says have been "countless requests" from readers.

Garth, the brainchild of Stephen Dowling, made his Mirror debut in July 1943 when, with his ship torpedoed, he was washed ashore with amnesia on to a remote island.

And, long before the last of his 165 adventures in 1997, he had become firmly established as one of Britain’s most iconic fictional heroes, reprinted in France, Norway, Australia, India, Spain and many other countries.

The strip was revived briefly a couple of years back by artist Huw-J and featured on the Mirror's web site, but the revamp appears to have proved unpopular with his fans, who clearly hankered for the swashbuckling, daring do original.

Over the years, Mirror readers learned he had been adopted by a Scottish couple who found him on a Shetlands beach. Garth went on to become a navy captain and military genius, then discovered his ability to travel through time after finding a ringed helmet that gave him that power.

“The time-travelling side of Garth influenced Doctor Who without a doubt in my opinion,"  former Mirror cartoon editor Ken Layson told the Mirror.

Layson says that his popularity even saw fans christened their daughters Dawn, the name of one of Garth's many girlfriends down the years, out of their love for the comic strip.

Garth really became a hit in the early 1970s, when Frank Bellamy, whose credits include Dan Dare, Thunderbirds and Doctor Who illustrations for the Radio Times, took over the strip.

“When Bellamy took over, the character of Garth took off," Ken recalls. "His artwork was dynamic with strong shadows and beautifully sculpted figures.”

 “Garth is synonymous with the Daily Mirror," feels artist Martin Asbury, who brought him to life between 1976 and 1997. "And he’s the stuff of legend because he goes back so far. He evolved from an enormously strong hero used to inspire troops during the war to a time-traveller with psychic abilities who could influence history.

“He’s essentially a good character, always fighting evil and one of England’s only pure homegrown superheroes.”

Update, 23/2/11: In terms of the strips that will feature, we're told the Mirror plans to focus on the Frank Bellamy and Martin Asbury periods, the strips chosen by the paper's current strip editor. It's unlikely that the more SF-oriented stories from earlier periods will feature.

Spaceship Away will conclude its colour reprint of 'The Bubble Man' in their next issue, out in March. The team there are already working on colouring up another Garth story.

• Martin Baines is interviewed about his work on Garth and other projects here on the Blimey! It's Another Blog About Comics blog


• There's more on Garth's return on The Mirror's web site here - the online version of a full page feature in the paper published on 18th February 2011

Happy Birthday, Peter O'Donnell - 90 Today

(With thanks to David Westaway): Happy Birthday today to veteran British comics creator Peter O'Donnell on attaining his 90th birthday today (11th April).

Born in 1920 in Lewisham, Peter, who began writing professionally at 16, is, of course, most famous for his wonderful Modesty Blaise strips and books, but he also wrote newspaper strips such as Romeo Brown and the best of the Garth stories.

In a three-part article about O'Donnell, Kristy Valenti notes O'Donnell's body of work, featuring bold and capable heroines — primarily in the genres of spy thriller and gothic romance, and in the forms of comic strips, short stories and novels — has had millions of readers. Quinten Tarantino counts among O'Donnell's fans, but his most loyal audience is women and, especially and to this day, girls.

"As such, it makes a curious sense that the catalyst for his greatest creation, the criminal-turned-spy Modesty Blaise, was a girl," says Valenti. "In 1942, among the refugees fleeing from German troops through the mountains bordering Iran, was 'a little girl no more than seven.'Posted nearby was a unit of the Royal Corps of Signals, of which O'Donnell was a member.

"The war ended, and O'Donnell freelanced on projects like writing serials for women's magazines and a few comic strips — Garth, Tug Transom and Romeo Brown — for the next 21 years, while carrying with him a mental image of this child, who became a symbol for a 'tough survivor.'"

After a first failed attempt with Dan Dare artist Frank Hampson, O'Donnell paired with his Romeo Brown collaborator Jim Holdaway — and unleashed Modesty Blaise as a daily comic strip in the pages of the The Evening Standard on 13th May 1963. The strips are currently being collected by Titan Books, with the latest volume, Modesty Blaise: Death in Slow Motion, on sale on 23rd April.

The official web site for Modesty Blaise offers Peter's best advice for aspiring writers. "In 1948, I was working freelance and, amongst other things, was writing two, 3,000 word stories a week for Film Fun," he recalls.

"The editor was a tough but fair man, a big horse racing enthusiast always reading his racing paper, even when we were discussing stories. I used to go into his office each Thursday morning, about 10, with the ideas for that week’s stories. He would be sitting behind his desk reading his racing paper.

"I would give him the general plot of each of the stories, he would OK them and go back to his paper. I would then write one of the stories during the rest of that day, the other one on Friday and deliver both to him by Friday evening.

"On one occasion, I had been very distracted. My wife was giving birth to our second daughter by caesarean section, not a common occurrence in those days, and I was very worried about her. On that Thursday, when I went into his office I had no ideas in my head. I told him I had been very distracted due to personal circumstances and said that I really needed a little bit of help. I asked if we could go around a few ideas.

He lowered his paper slowly, fixed me with a stony eye and said: 'You’re supposed to be an author aren’t you?'

"I started to mumble an apology but he broke in: 'Well f*** off and auth' and raised his paper."


• More about Peter O'Donnell on the official Modesty Blaise website: www.modestyblaiseltd.com

• 'Girl Walking: The Real Modesty Blaise' - Peter O'Donnell on Modesty Blaise for Crime Time Magazine.

• Peter O'Donnell - Modesty Blaise Check List 

• Kristy Valenti's three-part article on Peter O'Donnell - Part One; Part Two and Part Three at comiXology

The Dark, Freeman titles from Markosia

(Before any hardcore fans of this blog get hugely excited, we should point out that Freeman is the name of one of the books due soon from Markosia, not the name of one of its creators...)

March will see the introduction of two new original Graphic Novels from publisher AAM/Markosia, following hot on the heels of recent successes From the Pages of Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Harker, Serpent Wars and Kong: King of Skull Island.

The Dark, written and created by Chris Lynch with art by Rick Lundeen, is a super-hero sci-fi thriller that challenges the reader’s very perceptions of reality versus fiction. It's the story of Daniel Abbot, a brilliant young scientist on the fringes of the establishment and the creator of Memetech - a technology that encodes information and memories into a liquid form, allowing anyone to literally "drink" the encoded knowledge.

Terrified that his invention will be used for military purposes he decides to destroy his research, but not before he takes one last trip... with disastrous results.

Two years on and the genie is out of the bottle. Abbot, having perfected his own version of the technology, fights a one-man war against the spread of his own invention and the collapse of our information culture in the guise of ‘The Dark’.

“We've hidden lots of coded messages throughout the book,” explains Lynch, “Both in the dialogue and in the artwork. From the symbol on The Dark's chest to adverts in the background, everything is there for a reason. Hopefully people will get a kick out of trying to solve the mystery, or at least from looking back after they've read the book for the first time to find all the clues they missed.

"Either way, we wanted to create something with enough depth to bring people back to re-read the story time and again.”

Also shipping in the same month is Freeman of the Armed Services, written and drawn by industry veteran Huw-J. Freeman is a true archetypal British hero of old, a cross between James Bond, Doc Savage and Captain Britain without the spandex, from the artist perhaps best known for re-iventing Garth for the Mirror newspaper - to mixed reviews.

This new book is packed with action and adventure throughout as Freeman takes readers back to the good old days, where the spirit of adventure and good old-fashioned action reigned supreme. You join Captain Freeman in his search of a mysterious Viking treasure in the frozen north (a re-working of the Garth story published online by the Mirror) and battling an evil Chinese drug lord alongside Irish gangs in prohibitionist era New York, in a non-stop action-packed adventure akin to the old Saturday morning pulp shows.

“When I decided to take the successful Garth strip down from the Mirror website it was with both sadness and excitement,” explains Huw-J. "Re-branding the character as 'Freeman' was easy as I wanted the character to be 'a homage' to all the creators who went before me, so buckle up and enjoy the ride!”

• The Diamond order codes for both books are:


JAN10 0699 THE DARK Graphic Novel

Read an 18 page preview online here on Mysebook

JAN10 0698 FREEMAN OF THE ARMED SERVICES Graphic Novel

Read an 28pg preview online here on Myebook

Frank Bellamy Art Auctioned

The Winter 2009 auction at British auction site Compalcomics is now open and includes a mix of gems, including rare Frank Bellamy artwork from Eagle and more.

Issues of Beano, Dandy and Wizard from the war years are again on offer in this auction, and there are further complete years of Beano bound volumes for 1947, 1950, 1956 and 1968. Also on offer are the first issues of Hotspur, published in 1993 and Tiger Tim Weekly, published in 1920; bound volumes of the 1930s Modern Boy title, featuring Biggles stories; plus a complete 136-issue run of Lion Picture Library and the rare Front Line Picture Library one lot ahead of it.

Artwork offered includes the usual appearance of pages featuring Desperate Dan, Oor Wullie and The Broons, but some Garth strips by Martin Asbury and two magnificent boards by Frank Bellamy of Montgomery Of Alemein and Heros The Spartan, both published in the Eagle, are sure to catch the eye of the artist's many fans, just as Dan Dare fans are sure to bidding to buy the Dan Dare Walkie Talkie on offer - an item produced by Merit.

However your favourite could be an early Dennis The Menace artwork by Davy Law in which he hilariously... no, we'll let you enjoy wander over to the auction site itself to enjoy it.

Girls comics continue to sell well and Diana (featuring The Avengers TV series strip) Princess, Schoolgirl's Own, June And Schoolfriend are all hockeying for your attention.

Marvel UK fans have something to vie for, too, with first issues of several 1980s titles on offer in one lot, all with free gifts - Future Tense, Marvel Action, Marvel Team-Up, Super-Adventure, Star Wars, Captain Britain and Thor.

Also available is a selection of the first British Superman reprints in Triumph comic (lot 59) and a rare Australian first edition Superman without the 'No 1' printed on the cover.

The US section profiles a rare All Star Comics #21 and a fine selection of 1940s-60s Batman and Detective Comics issues, all CGC encased. There's a fresh looking Brave And The Bold #28 at lot 233, a full run of Vampirella and a The Incredible Hulk #181.


• Bids will be accepted until Tuesday 24 November at 8 PM UK time.To go directly to the main page for the catalogue, click here

• You can now access Comic Book Auction's 11 year, 45 catalogue run of comics, annuals and artwork in our searchable database. Over 15,000 lots of comic titles, prices, issue numbers, years and grades all readily available. Just go to the top of the site's home page, click on ComicSearch and find what you need.

Garth Debuts in New Spaceship Away

The latest issue of the Dan Dare-inspired comics magazine Spaceship Away is on sale now via the official web site, and as previously mentioned, features the first installment of the Frank Bellamy Garth story The Bubble Man, beautifully re-coloured by John Ridgway.

Spaceship Away Part 19 - the title's sixth birthday issue - also includes articles on Frank Hampson's Epsom College days and the creation of comic strip Nick Hazard, drawn by Ron Turner, which also features in the comic magazine (also re-coloured by John Ridgway); plus new artwork from John M. Burns and all-new original Dan Dare comic strips - Green Nemesis and The Gates of Eden, both drawn by Tim Booth.

• To get the magazine delivered to your door, go straight to Spaceship Away Order Page

Compal Launches Lot Search, Garth Art Up For Auction

The Autumn 2009 auction at British comics auction site Compalcomics, which has just announced an online search facility for all its past lots, closes soon.

This catalogue's star lot is The Beano Comic No 1 with original advertising flyer, an eight-page mini comic in its own right - expected to sell for some £5,000-5,500 - which is closely followed by a Fine copy of Beano Comic Issue 3.

There are also some extraordinary high grade 1930s comics including Boys' Broadcast Issues 1-36, Buzzer 1-36, Crystal / Girls' Crystal 1-62, Detective Weekly 1-97, Hotspur complete years 19-70 and 71-122, Knock-Out 11-20, Radio Fun 11 & 12, Scoops (The UK's first Sci-Fi Weekly, pictured above) Issues 1-20 complete with never seen before No 1 free gift and Wild West Weekly 1-50. All in all a bronco-bustin' 1930s line-up bristling with free gifts.

Beryl The Peril, Black Bob, Dennis The Menace, Beano and Dandy feature 'rare-in-condition' high grade annuals and there are several 1960s Beano bound volumes in complete years.

This auction's artwork section stars Desperate Dan, The Broons and Oor Wullie - and introduces the superb artwork of Martin Asbury who took over Garth from Frank Bellamy in 1976.

The US section highlights some 1950s lurid covers of Crime SuspenStories, Captain Marvel Adventures and a spasmodic run of Detective Comics from 1949 to the 1960s. Amazing Spider-Man #1 and early issues of Fantastic Four, Hulk, Silver Surfer and X-Men mutate for your attention.

In a major revamp to the site ComPal have also created their own online search facility. Comic Book Auction's 11 year, 45 catalogue run of comics, annuals and artwork can be accessed in one searchable database, featuring over 15,000 lots of comic titles, issue numbers, years, prices, grades and descriptions.

• Bids will be accepted until Tuesday 1st September at 8 PM UK time.To go directly to the main page for the catalogue, click here

• Visit Compal at www.compalcomics.com

Garth in Colour: Exclusive Sneek Peek!

Spaceship Away, the British science fiction comic anthology publishing all-new adventures of the original Dan Dare, adds Daily Mirror action hero Garth to its line up next issue (Click on the image or here for a larger version).

First published in 1943, Garth's time-travelling adventures lasted for over 50 years and covered 167 stories: the character has recently been revived online by the Mirror in partnership with comics artist Huw-J (read our interview with Huw here)

Featuring a range of time travel, contemporary and space adventures, Spaceship Away's initial re-presentation of the character begins with "The Bubble Man", drawn by the late Frank Bellamy and lovingly coloured by Commando and 2000AD artist John Ridgway.

First published in late 1975, the adventure sees Garth captured by a Mekon-like alien hellbent on conquest. The story, contrary to our earlier research, has never been reprinted widely in English and certainly never in colour: John has done a stunning job, with full respect for Frank Bellamy's detailed, crisp line work.

• Spaceship Away 19 goes on sale in October: you can subscribe to this high quality three-yearly title at www.spaceshipaway.org.uk

• Frank Bellamy Newspaper Work List

• Garth © 2009 The Daily Mirror

Ex Astris: Homecoming on myebook

In addition to publication of Ex Astris on ROK Comics and Clickwheel.net, a web version Ex: Astris Homecoming, a 10-page strip which first appeared in the British comic in Bulletproof Comics #2, is now available via myebook. Click on the image on the right to view the comic or follow this link.

This standalone story, written by John Freeman and drawn by Mike Nicoll, links with the strips published on ROK Comics and Clickwheel.net.

Included in this myebook is a one page article with some background on the origins of the strip, recently commissioned for an ongoing run in Spaceship Away for 2010.

myebook aims to revolutionise the way you can create, publish and share ebook content online. Built on a feature-rich social platform, complete with free-to-use powerful, browser-based, builder software, and a slick reader environment, it's an easy way for anyone and everyone to 'get it out there', and several independent publishers are using the platform to promote their projects. You'll find books such as new Garth by Huw-J, The Fat Man by Thomas Cochrane, previews of Marksoia titles, and comics from Orang Utan Comics, Insomnia Publications, Unico Comics and many others.

If you want to read Ex Astris: Homecoming in print, then head over to the Bulletproof web site and order a copy of #2, an 80-page anthology which also features strips such as Slumbertown by Rik Hoskin & Thomas Crielly, Simba Khan by Paul Birch & Jon Haward, Love Hurts by David Hailwood & Stuart Giddings, Sideburns by Jim Alexander & Jon Haward and Redstitch by Lee Langford & Klaus Belarski.

• Bulletproof Comics: www.bulletproofcomics.co.uk

• Read Ex Astris: Homecoming on myebook.com

Spaceship Away 18 Arrives!

After a few printing delays, we're pleased to report that Spaceship Away Part 18 - the British comics SF magazine inspired by space hero Dan Dare - is now available, and most prepaid subscriber issues have been posted.

Apart from its regular three Dan Dare strips - with Keith Page's Rocket Pilot prequel story reaching a conclusion this issue - artist Bruce Cornwell writes about his work on the Dan Dare comic for Eagle, artist Don Harley provides artwork of the 1960 Dare team and both Gerald Palmer and Harley have delivered an impressive 1960's Dan Dare centrespread while illustrator Gragam Bleathman provides a Zylbat spaceship cutaway and top Commando and Starblazer artist Ian Kennedy a painting of Dan Dare's ship, the Anastasia.

The issue also sees the final part, for now, of Ex Astris by John Freeman and Mike Nicoll, but the the strip will return to the Magazine next year - and this time, it will be for an ongoing run. (more on this on the Ex Astris blog)

It looks like it's going to be an interesting year ahead for the SF comic magazine: in addition to continuing Dan Dare stories and more, Issue 19 will see the arrival of the Daily Mirror's classic strip Garth, coloured by John Ridgway - a story that has never been reprinted in the UK.

• Spaceship Away Part 18 is being distributed to existing subscribers. For more about the issue, click here

• To order Spaceship Away, click here

Tim Quinn on Tour

Comics writer Tim Quinn is back on the cartoon workshop and lecture circuit, appearing at The Brindley in Runcorn tonight and elsewhere in the UK (see current dates below).

Tim, whose credits include The Beano, Doctor Who Magazine and The Guardian and was editor of Marvel UK's Spider-Man and X-Men titles, offers would-be creators the chance to learn about comics creation in the workshop and become part of this unique method of visual storytelling.

Celebrating "42,0000 Years of Comic Books" in the evening , Tim Quinn takes you on a highly nostalgic trip down memory lane and takes you behind-the-scenes from his days working for The Beano, Sparky, Bunty, Playhour, Jack & Jill, Buster, The Topper, the Daily Mirror's Jane and Garth, and America's finest, Marvel Comics, to running his own comic book company.

• Tim Quinn - Cartoon Workshop takes place tonight on Tuesday 9 June at 3.30pm - 5pm in the Education Room, The Brindley. Places £5 to book

• The Mighty Quinn presents ARGH! The Ups and Downs of Life as a Comic Book Creator, Tuesday 9 June at 7.00pm in the Studio. Tickets £8, £6 concessions

• Web Link: www2.halton.gov.uk/thebrindley/content/whatson/607947/

Future Dates:
If you are travelling, please check with the venue prior to the concert in case of changes. Check Tim's site (www.mightyquinnmanagement.com/Tim%20cartoon/tim.htm) frequently as new dates are being added all the time.

Friday 12th June 2009
The New Cut Arts Centre, The Cut, New Cut, Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 8BY Tel: 0845 673 2123
Web: www.newcut.org

Saturday 13th June 2009
Morning Workshop, 10.00am New Cut Arts Centre. The Cut, New Cut, Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 8BY

Sunday 14th June 2009
Cartoon Workshops (2.00pm and 4.00pm) The Chelsea Arts Festival, London - venue details TBC Tel: 0845 890 2435 Ticket Price: TBC.
Web: www.chelseafestival.org

Friday 19th June 2009
Afternoon Cartoon Workshop (4.30pm) and Evening Lecture (8.00pm) Ludlow Assembly Rooms, 1 Mill Street, Ludlow, Shropshire SY8 1AZ Tel: 01584 878 141. Tickets: Workshop, £3.50 Show £10/9 concessions
Web: www.ludlowassemblyrooms.co.uk

Saturday 27th June 2009
Afternoon Cartoon Workshop (2.00pm) and Evening Lecture (7.30pm) Hull Literature Festival, Artlink Gallery, 87 Princes Ave, Hull HU5 3QP Tel: 01482 22 66 55. Ticket Price: Workshop £5, Show £5
Web: www.humbermouth.org.uk

Saturday 4th July 2009
The July Project: Afternoon Cartoon Workshop (12 noon) and Evening Lecture (7.30pm) Square Chapel Centre for the Arts 10 Square Road, Halifax,Yorkshire HX1 1QG
Tel: 01422 349 422 Ticket Price: TBC
Web: www.squarechapel.co.uk

Saturday 11 July 2009
Tamworth Assembly Rooms, Corporation Street, Tamworth, Staffs B79 7RD Tel: 01827 709618
Web: www.whatsontamworth.co.uk

Saturday 23rd July 2009
Evening Lecture 7.30pm Tavistock Wharf Theatre, Canal Road, Tavistock, Devon PL19 8AT Tel: 01822 611 166
Web: www.tavistockwharf.com

Friday 21st August 2009
Cartoon Workshops (10.30am and 1.30pm) and Afternoon Lecture (4.00pm) Seven Stories, The Centre for Children's Books, 30 Lime Street, Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 2PQ Tel: 0845 271 0777 ext 715 Ticket Price: Workshop, £2, Lecture £3. Plus Admission Fee: £ 5.50 Adults/£4.50 Concessions
Web: www.sevenstories.org.uk

Saturday 19 September 2009
Morning Cartoon Workshops (11.00am - 1.00pm) and Afternoon Lecture (3.00pm) Crawley Library, Crawley Library, Southgate Avenue, West Sussex RH10 6HG Tel: 01293 651 751. Ticket Price: £3.00
Web: www.westsussex.gov.uk/libraries

Tuesday 6 October 2009
Afternoon Cartoon Workshop (2.00pm) and Evening Lecture (7.30pm) Arlington Arts Centre, Mary Hare, Snelsmore Common, Newbury, Berks RG14 3BQ Tel: 01635 244231. Ticket Price: Workshop, TBC, Lecture £6.50 (£5 as part of lecture series package)
Web: www.arlingtonarts.co.uk

Thursday 15 October 2009
Evening Lecture 7.30pm Derby Assembly Rooms, Darwin Suite, Market Place, Derby DE1 3AH
Tel: 01332 255800. Ticket Price: £9.00 adults/ £6.00 for under 16s
Web: http://www.derbylive.co.uk

Saturday 12 December 2009
Morning Cartoon Workshops (10.00am) and Evening Lecture (7.30pm) Limelight Theatre, Queens Park Arts Centre, Queens Park, Aylesbury, Bucks HP21 7RT Tel: 01296 431 272. Ticket Price: 8 adults / 6 concessions / 4 children (under 14). Show + children's workshop ticket offer: 6 (children)
Web: www.qpc.org

(Thanks to Chris Williams for finding this info)

New Garth on MyEBook

The first new adventure of longtime Daily Mirror hero Garth, which has already been published on the British newspaper's web site, have now been collected and are available in an online format from British e-publisher myebook.com.

As noted in an interview with artist Huw-J on the main downthetubes web site, Garth returned after a long retirement in August 2008 - albeit only on the Mirror's web site.

The return of Garth, a newspaper strip adventure hero first created in 1943 by Stephen Dowling for what was then The Daily Mirror, is the work of Hayena Studios, and in particular, the determined efforts of artist Huw-J.

The new Garth project revamps the often time and space travelling hero for a modern audience in several different formats. The first strip, now on myebook, The Gold of Ragnarock, finds Garth summoned to the Arctic for a mission of dangerous exploration.

Speaking to downthetubes last year, Huw-J describes the story as "more of an online graphic novel, possibly the first of its kind in an official way as it's full page colour toned, and will run for 65 pages.

"It was originally conceived as a strip," he revealed, "but the guys at the Mirror's syndication department looked at it and really liked the way it read but felt it lacked something 'extra' for the re-launch, so it was decided to vamp it up and ramp it up to the format you see online at the moment."

Reaction to the new interpretation of Garth has been mixed - no surprise considering the original featured the work of artists such as Frank Bellamy and Martin Asbury, and some scripts by Modesty Blaise creator Peter O'Donnell.

Some longtime fans have openly stated their preference for the original, while younger readers have welcome Huw-J's distinctive take on the square-jawed hero.

"We have tried hard to create something for old and new readers alike," notes Huw-J in response to comments about the strip posted on myebook, "but we know we cannot please everyone."

Also available on myebook is The Art of Garth, offering some behind the scenes designs and an insight into the remaking of the character.

• Read the downthetubes interview with Garth's new keeper, Huw-J

The Return of Garth

Earlier this month, after a long gestation period, adventure hero Garth returned to British newspaper The Mirror - albeit, for now, only on the publication's web site.

Now, in an exclusive interview for downthetubes, artist Huw-J of Hayena Studios talks to John Freeman about the new strip and his many plans for the character's ongoing revival, including graphic novels.

The feature includes behind the scenes designs and other images by Huw-J, plus revelations about the next steps for the revival.

• Read the interview
• Discuss this feature in the downthetubes forum

Garth Returns!

Sneaked onto the Daily Mirror web site with very little publicity is something pretty momentous for British comics fans -- the return of the adventure strip Garth!

Artist Huw-J called us earlier last week to tell us of its long-awaited arrival but this is the first chance I've had to report on it, so apologies to him and the team at Hayena Studios for the tardy reporting.

The new Garth project, revamping the often time and space travelling hero who first appeared in the Daily Mirror in 1943, has been in the offing for a while. (some readers will recall advertisements for the new Garth in Comics International many months ago. The Gold of Ragnorak, what will eventually be a 64-page story (which will be collected by an as-yet-unannounced publisher on completion), is now up and running, with Garth summoned to the Arctic for a mission of dangerous exploration.

Quite apart from the lack of fanfare -- unless it was noted in the Mirror itself -- publicity for the return of one of Britain's finest comics heros, previously drawn by the likes of Frank Bellamy and Martin Asbury, has been sadly lacking, so pass the word around and perhaps the Mirror will give it some better promotion in due course. The presentation of the strip is also a little disappointing but it's great to see the strip back. (The Mirror also offers online presentation of its other comics such as Andy Capp and Scorer).

The art for the new version of Garth is by Huw-J, who has his studio over at the Animation Art Gallery in the Movieum of London at County Hall, Westminster, also home of the Masterclass where he teaches the foundations of character and comic related art and storytelling.

Huw says he lives on a diet of old Edgar Rice Bourroughs, Arthur Conan-Doyle , Jack Kirby and an unhealthy dose of Silent Bob. "I draw everything with my 1 favorite clutch pencil and have a strange attraction to snow globes," he reveals via his MySpace site.

"One of my favorite comic book mini series was Hero Bear and the Kid by Mike Kunkle, because it took me back to the newspaper funnies and Calvin and Hobbes."

• Read Garth at: www.mirror.co.uk/fun-games/cartoons/garth
• Read other Mirror strips such as Andy Capp and Scorer
• More about Garth on and more links on the downthtubes site