Issue #6 marked quite point in Crikey! history. Making issue 6 our homage to that great publishing house north of the border has led to some fulfilling feedback. In that issue, we celebrated the great impact DC Thomson has had on us all over the years.
(the great Dennis the Menace from the immortal Beano as seen on the last issue of Crikey!, (c) DC Thomson)
The chaps up in bonnie Scotland let us use that fantastic artwork of Dennis the Menace on the cover. All in the Crikey! shed believe this to be our best cover yet – and it’s going to take some beating. We can only try! I’ve said before that working on Crikey! is a joy, never work, and I believe that all who read and contribute to its growing success believe that too. The British public have a tremendous legacy here – British comics have influenced the genre (hate that word!) throughout the past hundred years or so and that legacy is recognised throughout the world. This is why Crikey! works – because of the depth of past work; the writers, artists and, it must be said, publishers who have held British comics up like a beacon through the past century(s). We have all their efforts to look at – I’m already looking forward to Crikey! 1000 – which, at the present rate of publication, is about 83 years off!
(Mike Butterworth’s the Trigan Empire, which first appeared in Fleetway’s Ranger in the mid 60s)
It’s interesting to learn that people are being turned onto British comics again because of Crikey! That fact alone makes it worthwhile as I was one of those people who deserted for American comics a lifetime ago. In the late ’80s I dropped comics altogether. Following the publication of Crikey! I find myself searching for The Numbskulls, General Jumbo and The Trigan Empire again, having rediscovered my enthusiasm for this kind of entertainment. The artwork, the daft stories… they’re all coming back to me. I also find myself searching the comics I never got in the first place. For example, Tom’s Misty article from issue 1 (published over a year ago!) showed me something I’d missed along the way. Some of the girls’ comics were better than the boys! Check them all out if you can – they really are worth reading (here, here and publishers – including DCT – please take note, there’s a wealth of classic British comics material languishing in your archives which there’s a real desire for among readers – Joe).
(getting all Misty-eyed, published by Fleetway back in the day and I think now (c) Egmont)
So. This blog is not so much a blog post as a thank you to all our readers who are buying Crikey!, making it the success it is, but also a BIG thank you to all our contributors, regular or otherwise – keep those articles coming! The letters column is one of the best parts of the magazine and one Brian and I always look forward to putting together, so keep those letters coming and we’ll keep answering! Here’s to the next issue of Crikey!
Glenn B Fleming
Crikey! issue 7 is on the way soon and available from your local, friendly, neighbourhood FPI store and via the official Crikey! site. Glenn is currently cursing the mighty Rain Gods of Albion and pondering if there is a market for waterproof comics.
Sat, Sep 6, 2008
Comics and cartoons, Crikey! It's Saturday!