Green Skies: The Fight For Mankinds Survival And Soul Begins

If you have not yet smelt the decay of Man. If you have not yet seen the increase in terror, chaos and anarchy in the world.  If you have ignored the freakish weather and geological upheavals.  If you have not yet seen the green tinted skies.

It is too late for YOU.

The Improbability Of The British Super Hero

AND I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT ANY MASKED CRIME-FIGHTERS I PERSONALLY KNOW. JUST SAYING.

 

I was asked if I still had the link to this article (from March,2012) by a number of people.  Here is a re-posting with more art!

“Hmm. Don’t you understand?  Think about it –we have no skyscrapers!  How can you have American style super heroes in England?”

Those were the words of a Marvel UK editor (Dave White) back in the 1980s as I sat across from him having travelled from Bristol to London at his suggestion to discuss new projects.  About a month later a very senior Marvel UK editor responded in the same words but adding “That is why UK comics have never had super heroes.”

Firstly, as I pointed out to Dave White, we are the UK. Britain. You think of characters for a comic as being English you are excluding Wales, Scotland and Ireland.  Why?

My response to the senior editor is probably why things went a little “odd” work-wise.  My first response was “So, what exactly is Marvel UK publishing? And Power Comics (Odhams) before it? And…” I went on to rattle off a very, very long list of British super characters going back to the 1940s.  I think I ticked him off.  Really, he should have known better though, in one respect, he was right.

 

 

British comics never had super heroes.

Before you start thinking that I’m on new medications and answering “Yes” and “No” at the same time allow me to explain.

Tim (Kelly’s Eye) Kelly travelled the world and even in time and space at one point and was totally indestructible.  He was not a super hero.

Clem Macy, television news reporter had a costumed archer alter ego…The Black Archer.  He was not a super hero.

Cathy had amazing cat-like abilities and wore a costume.  She was not a super heroine.

William and Kathleen Grange were incredible acrobats and wore costumes as Billy the Cat and Katie The Cat.  They were not super heroes.

In fact, for my graphic novel featuring many old IPC and Fleetway costumed characters, The Looking Glass, I noted several times that the characters were not super heroes.  In the UK we tended to call them “costumed adventurers” or even “masked crime fighters” but not super heroes.

Some, of course, were…uh..”revived” for the Wildstorm Studios Albion mini series which had great art but, sadly, showed a lack of any real knowledge of the characters by the writers –which they admitted to.  In comics you get paying work you take it!

Characters such as Adam Eterno, the focal point in the Looking Glass story had no choice and were at times almost anti-heroes.  Whereas The Spider had a choice of being a master crook and then changing sides (basically all ego driven), Eterno did not.  He was cursed to be taken by the mists of time from one period to another where he encountered Spanish Conquistadores, pirates, sorcerers and even modern day (well, 1970s) crooks.

Olaf (“Loopy”) Larsen a rather meek school teacher found the Viking helmet of one of his ancestors and, donning it (that’s putting it on his head) became a super strong, flying Viking hero…The Phantom Viking.  There are stories of The Phantom Viking rescuing ships and much more and not a skyscraper in sight.

The great exponents of British roof-top crime-busting were, first, Billy The Cat and later Katie The Cat.  Running across the rooftops and leaping the often not so great gaps between one row of terraced houses and another, the duo were the fictional ancestors of today’s urban free-style runners/jumpers –examples found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ0YDF9bpZ8&feature=player_embedded#!

To most people who never get to see the rooves of terraced houses they assume they are all steep and sloping.  However, having on two occasions chased someone across terraced root-tops I can tell you there is plenty of room to move about (though at my age I now look back and get nauseous over that memory!).

Later, in the 1970s, William Farmer became the costumed crime-fighter known as The Leopard From Lime Street.  As one Fleetway boss told me (later confirmed by artist Mike Western) “Thomson had a schoolboy who fights crooks in a costume and if Billy the Cat was popular I was sure we could do better!”

Interestingly, in the Billy The Cat series he was later to be hunted as a vigilante by authorities who did not like what he was doing.  Likewise, The Leopard was also hunted down at one point.  In fact, a number of British comic crime-fighters found themselves not just ducking the crooks out for revenge but also the very side they were fighting for!

Towns, cities, villages, countryside, coastal locations –all featured in some very fun stories that endure in the memory to this day.  And not a bloody skyscraper in sight!

When UK creators were recruited to save the ailing US comic companies such as DC in the 1980s (I was at those UK comic art conventions watching how desperate they were to recruit British talent –and in some cases introduced both parties to each other) the idea of outlawing super heroes and tracking them down so they could be arrested was a new concept.  In the UK we’d been doing that since the 1940s ( thanks to the creators who churned out material for publishers such as Gerald Swan)!

The mistake in the minds of publishers is that they equate costumed crime-fighters with skyscrapers and the United States.  Despite the long history of such characters in the UK going back to the Boys Papers of the 1900-1930s.

What it says, really, is “This is just a job.  I don’t care about comics history.”

D. C. Thomson (may they be forever cursed in the hallowed halls of British Comics Hell) have enough characters to produce good costumed-crime-fighter comics.  The same applied to IPC who appear to have now taken the stance (a letter to me from senior management dated 19^th July, 2011) “We were once publishing comics but that was over 30 years ago and have no further interest in comics.” Of course, had a rich stable of characters.

I have no doubt at all that a good “super hero” comics could work in the UK but so few Independent Comics writers/publishers seem to be able to produce an obscenities free scriptthat does not also include over the top violence and rape –the “Millar-Ennis-Morrison Legacy (MEML).”

But let’s mention, I really must, two shining examples of British “Super Heroes” by British creators that have excellent plotting, story and action without having to resort to the MEML.

The first is, naturally, Paul Grist’s Jack Staff.  Okay, he’s never accepted my offer to interview him in the last decade but I’ll not hold that against him!  When I first saw Jack Staff I thought “**** that anatomy is really off!”  I bought a copy.  I’m a comics bitch, I just can’t help it.

I read through issue 1 and do you know what? I..I..deep breath…I enjoyed it!  There it’s out now!  The anatomy did not put me off and, as the manager of Forbidden Planet (Bristol) said “It doesn’t make a blind bit of difference –it’s so enjoyable!” With references to old British TV comedy series and so much more each issue of Jack Staff was a must read. There was, I must point out here, a major flaw in each issue. There were not enough pages!

And while Grist takes a break from Jack Staff he came up with a new series –Mud-Man (which should not be confused with my German character Schlamm Mann –mud-man!).  Lovely stuff but, again, the major fault of not enough pages but maybe that is why this works: it is almost episodic like old British weekly strips…but with more pages…okay. Grist wins.

Then we have, and I have to say this on bended knees and in very humble tone…Nigel Dobbyn. When someone told me that he was drawing Billy The Cat I remember thinking to myself “I wonder whether his art style is any different than when he was drawing for Super Adventure Stories?”  (a 1980s comic zine).  I opened up the comic and a big thought balloon appeared above my head in which was written in bold Comic Sans “WOW!”

The style and colouring I had not seen outside of European comics (say Cyrus Tota’s work on Photonik).  After that I never missed an issue and I made a point of grabbing The Beano Annual as soon as it appeared in shops. But with this incredible talent working for them did Thomson take advantage?  No, they did something ensuring he would not work on new strips for them.  The story can be found here:

http://www.comicbitsonline.com/2010/12/12/nigel-dobbynbilly-the-cat-and-d-c-thomson/

You want to see how good Dobbyn is?  Visit his website which has great art on show including Billy The Cat colour pages:

http://www.nigeldobbyn.com/

Dobbyn even re-introduced (with help from scripter Kev F. Sutherland, of course) General Jumbo but as The General.  In fact, you go over those issues and I can see why so many people were telling me that they only bought copies for Billy The Cat. I could drool on and wax lyrical for hours about Dobbyn’s style and colouring.

Now here is the real kicker.  Two talents such as Grist and Dobbyn whom any UK publisher (I know –“Who??”) should be fighting, spitting and kicking to get their hands on but are they?  Nope.  And while Grist publishes his books via Image Comics you have to wonder why Marvel or DC have not tried to get him on a title?  Could it be his style is just not understandable by people in US Comics such as Joe “I’ll sell that for a Dollar” Quesada or Dan “I’ve had another brilliant idea on how to destroy DC” Didio?  What of Dobbyn, then?

I know that if as a publisher I had the money I’d be employing both full time!!

I need to stop mentioning Dobbyn now as my knees hurt (a lot) and it’s hard typing from this position.

What both creators have shown is that there really do not have to be skyscrapers for a “super hero.”  There is enough car crime, drug crime…violent crime of most types going on in the UK and believe it or not none involve a single skyscraper.  Incredible, isn’t it?

Also, the UK is rich in legends, myths, fairy tales and much more that are just crying out to be included in storylines.  The reason the Americans and other comic readers world-wide like UK strips is because they are uniquely British.  In India, particularly in Southern India, The Steel Claw, Robot Archie, The Spider and many others are still very popular in reprint form over 35 years since they last appeared in print here.

Of course, now that the Evil Empire (Disney) has extended its stranglehold on Marvel (Panini) UK nothing new from the UK is allowed –though why doesn’t Panini with all its international branches pull in some new characters/books of their own?  Oh. Its cheaper tp publish reprint material, isn’t it? I can be so silly!

Black Tower Comics has published a wide range of comics and the costumed crime-fighters (or even non-costumed in the case of Krakos) are the most popular.

So the market is there but where are the moneymen, the backers needed to help revive the corpse that is British comics so that it can proudly boast an industry once more that takes advantage of talents such as Grist, Dobbyn and Jon Haward?

However improbable British super heroes might seem to sum I can tell you they are not.  There is a history going back 80 years and even longer if you include the Penny Dreadfuls of the Victorian era.

Here endeth the sermon.

Dark Child Trilogy II: Maeve -ONLY Officially Approved Version!

Writer: Terry Hooper
Artist: David Gordon
Paperback
87 pages
Black & white
20.98 wide x 29.69 cms

Price: £8.00

Ships in 3–5 business days

Available (discreetly) http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/maeve/paperback/product-17971862.html

Part II of The Dark Child Trilogy Maeve longs for the exciting, fast-paced life of the big city. However, she has a greater destiny ahead of her.

While travelling on a train, Maeve is attacked by a servant of The Dark Disciple but is rescued in time by none other than M and J (Two Hot Girls On A Hot Summers Night). The duo have been guided there by the goddess and Maeve takes refuge with them. “Communing” with a pagan witch wasn’t enough and, under M and Js tutelage, Maeve finds herself in Otherworld and becoming lover of the goddess herself. 

Drawn by “The British Manara”, David Gordon, this was his first graphic novel and it abounds in adult adventures in bondage, action and much much more. STRICTLY ADULTS ONLY

Sadly, not allowed to show the more, uh, "racy" images as this is a family friendly site. However, the low res scanned pages that follow are some nice tasters.  As noted, this was David Gordon's first ever graphic novel and he turned the work in so fast -even if his eye-sight was failing through research!

This is the official, Hooper-Gordon published book along with text feature so DO NOT accept lesser copies from any other publisher. Like Two Hot Girls this was a best seller because it was not just for "clunk heads" as the Eros editor called his readers!

And although Maeve is a stand alone book, you can get volumes I and II in one complete book in the same format but 171 pages for £15:

http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/shafts-in-time/paperback/product-20304571.html

Maeve and 2HG -Foreign Editions. -Help Stop Creators Being Ripped Off

I'd like to ask all you good folk who visit this site for help.   I am told that, like Two Hot Girls On A Hot Summer's Night that was reprinted in Spanish. So, to make things a little clearer a couple of older articles!

I Still Think It’s A Funny Old Business!

Apparently,illegal downloads of my Eros book Two Hot Girls have reached over 200,000.  For Maeve it’s said to be similar -far higher than I’d previously thought.

Well,even 50p for each illegal download would make me happy.   Apparently the three French editions [THREE??!] and Spanish collection are all  above board and legal contracts signed between the companies and Fantagraphics [the Eros publisher] -two French editions published in France and one in Canada. The contract between myself andFantagraphics clearly reads they have first English language edition rights but no foreign language rights as I’d stipulated.  Anyforeign language editions I was not consulted about or paid for.

Let me make it very clear,my series were reprinted several times against the terms of my contract -I was never told.  The collected books were without my knowledge.

I was told in writing and by phone [before the internet became common usage] that copies of the books had been seized and destroyed in Canada,Australia,New Zealand and the UK so were a financial loss to the company.

Incorrect.  I’ve been checking with customs authorities in those countries on seizure issues and mentioned the series involved.  Some checked back as far as 1989 [?] but all say that no such comic title or book was ever seized and destroyed.  Asking comic industry experts in those countries I learn that the Two Girls series sold “very well” and there was never a shortage of copies.

Myself and Art Wetherell never got royalties for those sales.  Fantagraphics said they weren’t sold there.
Someone asked me whether it was worth publishing your own comics or trying to get a publisher? My response:publish yourself.
 
It is so annoying that so many individuals make money from a creator while the creator makes a pittance.  Is the comic industry more above board these days? No.

Think very seriously before going into a comic creating career and get everything in writing [even though I did it hasn't helped!].

I’ve found no fewer than six fax copies, four letters and notes on phone conversations to/with Eros Comics re. ‘pirating’ of the books I wrote for then. When I complained that Eros/Fantagraphics were letting these people get away I was told “Fantagraphics is too small to mount a legal pursuit of these people”.  When I got responses from two of the companies stating the books were published under license Gary Groth responded with “More Hooper hyberbole!!”

And then.....

It Was Dead Easy To Be Ripped Off By Publishers

above:Kiss Comix carried a serialisation of Two Hot Girls as Dos Chicos Calientes

Every single ‘illegal’ printed version of the Eros Comix series/graphic novel Two Hot Girls I have come across have all got indeces stating that the books were published under license from Fantagraphic Books (Eros being an imprint).

Quite by accident I have tonight learned that Fantagraphics took money for other foreign editions but never gave Art Wetherell or myself a single cent -they never even told us.

Now, the contracts we had stated that Fantagraphics only had first edition English language rights.  That didn’t stop them from printing second, third or, later, the collected book without telling us or renegotiating.
The contract says, very clearly, that Fantagraphics has NO FOREIGN LANGUAGE RIGHTS. Had their been enquiries we should have been told as the creators.

Apparently Two Hot Girls was published in parts in Kiss Comic. I’d have loved a copy for the archives.  There was a Spanish language collection that missed out the vital link in the story!!

You see, prior to the internet publishers, even if you had a legal contract, got away with a lot and probably hoped never to be caught out.

Every time I found ‘pirate’ editions I told Fantagraphics who told me there was nothing they could do legally. Right.  I’d certainly like to track down other foreign editions…if anyone knows of them (I know about the French editions but there was also a French Canadian edition) let me know please.

below #9 with Two Hot Girls


 

Now Maeve was published in 1997 and Kim Thomson informed me by email in 2005, when I suggested re-promoting the books, that it, like 2HGs "has had its day"....but Fantagraphic Books, as Eros Comix has continued to sell it and it is STILL listed in Previews catalogue.

Totally without the permission of David Gordon or myself and certainly with no contract and no monies having come from Fantagraphics for years.  Now I learn there was a French edition of Maeve and one in Spanish -possibly under another title but using the original cover image (below).

PLEASE if you know of any non-English versions of these books get in touch -if you know the publisher or have a cover scan that would be great.

Please help support the stopping of creators being ripped off by publishers.

Black Tower and Comic Books For India…My Attempts!

Hmm. Someone pointed out that this old WordPress CBO posting was on the new CBO but not here. Okay.

Looking back at it all now I would never have passed any of these pages fit for print but they were okay as roughs.

*************************************************************************

So, it was a cold August night and I got an email from an editor at Diamond Comics in India. He had read through a proposal I’d sent to bring Diamond up-to-date and into the super hero age.”Great!” I thought, but then he said: “We need new characters 48 pages in colour” then came the “we’ll need it in four weeks”!

I worked and worked, re-thought some old characters and then told the editor I would produce colour guide roughs for approval before doing final colours -I also lettered everything so Diamond’s translators could see what they would need to translate.

THREE weeks later I sent everything off. Nothing. Sent an email. Nothing. Then phoned…someone would call me. They never did. Gulshan Rai the top man at Diamond was supposed to have okayed this.

The special delivery package HAD been received…after two months I gave up and I never even got paid.

What follows are SOME of the rough colour pages plus, where strips are not complete, the black and white versions plus an assortment of specials for you!

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 Sabu the Mystic and his small assistant, Piku, was a bit of fun. I didn’t want everything to

be just dark.

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Insecto-Kid. Any resemblance to a certain Fly-man is totally coincidental. In the concept

pages sent to Diamond were the up-dating and costume change due for the character in

issue 2.

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Couple of pages of India’s own Fantastic Four…plus 1….India 5. Other pages are

somewhere.

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All I can remember about Power Shield is that it fitted in with Black Tower continuity -

characters, etc. Other than that I HATED it. I think it was because I drew and re-drew that

feckin MiG.

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I think these were Diamond or Raj(?) comic characters. More of the old project roughs.

Sharp eyed Indian friends will recognise most of the characters. What might have been!!!

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Black Fox which was meant for Muthu Comics in Southern India (Tamil). They took my

scans of Robot Archie versus The Spider (sent as a favour to the publisher) then nothing.

meh.

Big rule I’ve learnt: never EVER take anything for granted until the contract and a pay cheque is in your hand!