Comic Book Postal Auction News

The latest Comic Book Postal Auction is underway with bids now being accepted, the closing date is 8pm on the 11th of September.

Malcom Phillips has highlighted a few choice items...the Beano is represented by a near complete run of issues from 1940. There's also a Beano Book No 1 on offer in VG grade with no major defects and a good selection of 1940s Dandy and Beano Books as well with a rare Magic-Fun Book from 1942, along with a Rupert Annual from 1942, its Fine grade making it one of the best ever offered at auction. It's at lot 53.

The artwork section is bolstered by a rare Leo Baxendale board of Clever Dick from a 1972 Buster as well as Charlie Chaplin by Terry Wakefield, the front cover of Cracker No 1 by Alf Soporito in colour and Lion's Robot Archie by Ted Kearon. The usual Dudley Watkins stalwarts of Lord Snooty, Desperate Dan and Oor Wullie also star with the penultimate Broons board from the single owner collection selling out over the last three years.

Find all the details here

Comics Britania

There's been some interesting repsonses to the upcoming BBC4 series Comics Britannia on various comics boards.

As usual, anything like this is bound to be dissected and judged before it has even aired but in general, response seems positive, which bodes well for the series which will offer a general history of British comics and more.

I think those of us who have been involved in any way with TV production recently and in the past know that what we get on screen may well be at odds with the detail that we, as fans might hope for. But the very fact that the BBC commissioned something like this is great news. I also know that the team behind the series worked very hard finding the right people to talk to because they picked my brains often enough and I was pleased to be able to help.

If ratings are good, perhaps it will spur on further commissioning: more one-to-one interviews with top creators on both sides of the pond would be good; perhaps even a look at some of the European comics that have been a success here (or not, but are a success elsewhere that we should take an interest in).

We live in interesting times for comics. I'm having near daily chats with TV and animation people who are looking at the medium, keen to exploit its "short form" as a way to better deliver message on an increasingly more visual web, where despite the success of video, faster digestion of a message is seen as required (I'm not saying that's necessarily a good thing, just that it's happening).

Some organisations are taking an interest in comics purely for their potential to exploit them in other media, but there does seem to be an increasing awareness that comics offer a good means to deliver campaign and advertising messages, as well as entertain and provoke.

Sweeney Todd from the Titan Squad

Titan Books has acquired the worldwide publishing rights for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, the new Tim Burton movie slated for UK release on 25 January 2008.

The film, which stars Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter is based on the hit Broadway musical which tells the infamous (but fictitious) story of Benjamin Barker, a.k.a Sweeney Todd, who sets up a barber shop down in London which is the basis for a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett.

Titan's companion hardback, slated for US release in December and UK release in January, will be written by Mark Salisbury, the only journalist on the movie's set and will include interviews with Burton and the cast and crew, extracts from the shooting script, over 200 photos, plus concept drawing and production designs.

• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street from amazon.co.uk
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street from amazon.com

Dalek Invasion of Earth Art Auction

Doctor Who and Dalek fans reading this blog might like to know I have just begun an ebay auction of Alister Pearson's original artwork for the 1990 Target Book and BBC Video Dalek Invasion of Earth.

The painted artwork measures 49 x 37 cm in frame. The art was originally used on the BBC Video release.

The "On Target" web site notes the art originally did not feature Big Ben, but BBC Video requested the famous landmark be added. Alister kindly gave this to me on my departure from Doctor Who Magazine but I no longer have a place to hang it. It was my idea to make the time on the clock (checked with Andrew Pixley!) the time of the screening of the original brodcast of the show.

And yes, that is my fridge.