Wallace & Gromit Game Peek

It seems to be a day for Wallace & Gromit news - no surprise, perhaps, given the ratings success for the pair over the festive season.

Telltale Games have just released the first in-game screenshots from their upcoming new series, Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures, which is based on the award-winning franchise.

This new series of interactive Wallace & Gromit stories will be launching in 2009, with players assuming the roles of both the quirky inventor and his faithful canine companion as the duo embarks on a series of ambitious business ventures, then scramble to pick up the scattered pieces when plans go awry.

We’ll have a lot more details later in the year – including the release timeframe and platform announcements – but for now, here's a couple of in-game screenshots...

• For more imagery, information and a game trailer visit: www.telltalegames.com/wallaceandgromit

Shades of Yesteryear!

Over on social community Facebook, former 1980s fanzine editor Russell Willis, who now lives in Japan, has posted a huge number of covers to some fondly-remembered British fanzines of the period, including this example of SCAN, edited by me, John Freeman.

The cover was provided by John Tomlinson and Richard Starkings who then worked for Marvel UK, and their support for SCAN eventually helped me join the company.

SCAN, which was put together by me and Matthew Badham over a couple of years had a huge range of contributors including Mike Collins, Mark Farmer, Bryan Talbot, Andy Dodd, Dave Jones (of Viz fame). We satirised British comics of the time ruthlessly, much to the delight of many industry professionals, including Alan Moore who was one of our (few) subscribers.

Russell's collection features 180 scans of fanzines and small press comics from the 1980s (and a few from the 1970s that he collected at that time) including Lew Stringer's Brickman, Supercook, Paris Man of Plaster, Ratman, The Owl's Effort, Fantasy Advertiser, BEM (including BEM #1) Paul Gravett and Pete Stanbury's Fast Fiction and many more.

You don't have to be a member of Facebook to view these albums, which offer a fascinating snapshot of a very inventive time for the British small press.

• Album One
Includes covers of Paris Man of Plaster, Supercook, Ratman, Vigilante Vulture, Brickman, The Owl's Effort and more

• Album Two
Includes covers of Fast Fiction, Myra, Warren Ellis early work Doctor Death, The Alternative Headmaster's Bulletin and more

• Album Three
Includes covers of BEM, Graphic Sense, Fantasy Trader and more - some from the 1970s

• Album Four
Includes covers of Infinity, Fantasy Advertiser, Fusion, Hellfire and more

Cracking Contraptions!

(with thanks to Katie Bleathman): London's Science Museum has announced a new Wallace & Gromit-themed exhibition, which will run from Friday 27 March until Saturday 31 October 2009.

From Techno-trousers, the Telly-scope and the Shopper 13, Wallace is famous for his wacky contraptions and now he and Gromit will guide visitors through the world of well-known inventions to discover how simple ideas can transform into life-changing devices.

Intended as a fun family experience, it's an opportunity to see some of the greatest objects ever invented, from the printing press to the telephone, plus some of the first ever patented inventions from the Science Museum's collection. The exhibition has been put together by the Science Museum in collaboration with Aardman, supported by the UK-Intellectual Property Office and produced by SGA.

What device in your house could you not live without? Let Wallace's expertise inspire you in the 'create your own' workshop and develop your own idea for the next big thing.

• You can book your tickets online from 7 January 2009, cost of tickets yet to be announced. More info on the Science Musuem web site.

Really Heavy Greatcoat Review of 2008

Art and script by Nick Miller. We haven't been doing many Greatcoats lately, maybe there will be more opportunities in 2009...

• More Really Heavy Greatcoats on the main downthetubes website
• Check out Nick Miller's fab work over on his blog: www.teamsputnik.co.uk/blog