CHRISTMAS IS A COMIN'...

Single frame from WINKER WATSON - The DANDY Annual 2004

Received a Christmas card from comics legend TERRY BAVE and his wife SHIELA this morning.  It's great to be so honoured by someone whose work I was reading and enjoying as a kid, from the glory days of WHAM!, SMASH!, WHIZZER & CHIPS, COR!!, KNOCKOUT, SHIVER & SHAKE, MONSTER FUN, and many more comic publications.  It was a thrill when I got to letter some of Terry's pages back in my freelancing days - and it's still a thrill when I think about it today.  Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year (when it comes) to two sterling stalwarts of some of Britain's finest comic periodicals.

FACEACHE VOLUME ONE...

Images copyright REBELLION

I already have every FACEACHE strip by KEN REID ever published (plus a copy of the strip he was working on at the time of his death), but it's still good to see this new volume from REBELLION, reprinting the first hundred pages of RICKY RUBBERNECK from JET and the combined BUSTER & JET, when the former was merged with the latter after only 22 issues.  Looking for the ideal Christmas gift for that someone you love?  (In my case, that's me!)  Then rush out and buy a copy of this tasty volume today.

KLASSIC KIRBY KOMIC KOVERS...

Images copyright MARVEL COMICS

Take a look at these these two beauties, frantic 'King' KIRBY fans.  Originally splash pages, they've been pressed into service as alternate covers on recent issues of The HULK and SILVER SURFER.  Did you miss 'em?  If so, it's a good thing you've got enough good taste to visit this 'ere blog then, ain't it?  Otherwise you'd have had to do without seeing them, thereby impoverishing the quality of your life as far as your comicbook experiences go.  Hell, no - don't thank me - I live to share!  (But buy your own copies.)