Wednesday, 22 April 2026

Cinebook Ltd: The Bluecoats 19 - Drummer Boy

 



 Authors: Lambil & Cauvin

Age: 8 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 48 colour pages
 ISBN: 9781800441774

£8.99 incl VAT Buy direct from Cinebook at https://www.cinebook.co.uk/bluecoats-drummer-p-4592.html

After yet another bloody battle, the Union Army organises a recruiting drive during which Blutch attempts to dissuade an obviously too young boy from signing up. To no avail, though, and before long the kid, Pucky, joins them as … a drummer boy! 

While Chesterfield is tasked with looking after him, Pucky begins to practice his drumming – much to the displeasure of the troops, who are eager to get some rest before the major engagement looming on the horizon.

There is one thing that I have pointed out before and I will point it out here once again. The creators do not hide the fact that the American Civil War was BAD but around this they produce stories that are quite funny. In this book the first page deals with the aftermath of a battle and the commanders on both sides reacting to casualty figures. The book then ends with....the aftermath of a battle and the commanders on both sides reacting to casualty figures!

Sadly, men were cannon fodder and The Blue Coats tend to show this. That written; the humour, which can be slap-stick at times, always works with two characters you might call "Dumb-ass" at one point and "Total ----" the next but that makes them and their adventures even more fun -they are flawed characters who will even fight like two tom cats in a field hospital.

There is NOTHING gory shown. I will admit that at one point I thought they were going to have the drummer boy shot down in battle. He wasn't.

I always recommend The Blue Coats and there are now 19 volumes for you lucky folk to collect!

Cinebook Ltd: Amazonia 5 - Episode 5 (Finale)

 


Authors: LEO & Rodolphe; illustrated by Bertrand Marchal
Age: 15 years and up
Size: 18.4 x 25.7 cm
Number of pages: 48 colour pages
Publication: January 2026

ISBN: 9781800441781

£7.99 incl VAT
 

Kathy Austin and her Brazilian Navy partner have finally stumbled upon the lost German submarine but quickly discover that they aren’t the first to set foot in it since it was abandoned. When Reinhart and the doctor, the two Nazis looking for the gold hidden in the U-boot, arrive in turn, bringing with them Jo, the albino with otherworldly powers, secrets will be revealed, old debts will be settled, and the British spy will finally be able to close her investigation – for now.

Part 4 (july 2025)  https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2025/07/cinebook-ltd-amazonia-4-episode-4.html

Part 3 (March 2025) https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2025/03/cinebook-ltd-amazonia-3-episode-3.html

Part 2 (October 2024) https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2024/10/cinebook-ltd-amazonia-1-episode-1-and-2.html

I can never find a fault in this series as it is very well written, drawn exceptionally well and the colour work adds a great deal to the overall work. However, and as I am getting older it matters, three years to publish five volumes can be seen as a bit of a stretch, The problem is that we, the readers, do not know what goes on behind the scenes and, importantly, the translation has to be carried out and that is not quick.

I wonder whether there is more of Jo's story to be told. From suspected extraterrestrial to genetic experiment his story has been quite bumpy..in fact, in this volume I thought "That's it. He's dead"..but that is where the reader gets fooled (damn writers!!!).  There are a few surprises and a snappy ending for someone (you will laugh hysterically at that if you've read it...no, you will).

I suspect Kathy has not seen her last mission for British Intelligence and this creative team keeps things nice and fresh so we'll see!

There are five volumes in Kathy's first mission, Kenya and five in her second outing, Namibia. All three volumes together ought to keep the X Files fans out there happy as well as the sci fi buffs.All series are still available via Cinebook and their web site -the best way to order. 

Purchase direct from Cinebook: https://www.cinebook.co.uk/amazonia-episode-p-4591.html

Black Tower Super Heroes The Ultimate Game

 

A rather  heavy book envelope arrived today and I thought "this is going to take a while to read and review!" but on opening I found it was MY book.  The fact that I always opt for premier paper and printing really pays off  But the book is done so I will only ever check it for back issue referencing.  Cover came out far better than I expected!

Story Terry Hooper-Scharf

Art Terry Hooper-Scharf, Thorroe Prey, P. Beard, Tomas Scharf
Pages
188
Binding Type
Paperback Perfect Bound
Interior Color
Black & White
Dimensions
A4 (8.27 x 11.69 in / 210 x 297 mm)
£15.00 UK  see online store for outside UK price

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/black-tower-super-heroes-the-ultimate-game/paperback/product-95d9z68.html?page=1&pageSize=4

 The mystical traveller of the realms, The Thinker, meets a stranger while travelling along the Path of Counter Actuality. But this stranger is a different type of traveller: he is Illuyanka and he has been charged with on sworn duty –to destroy specific Earths in the multiverse.

Finding that Illuyanka is partial to gambling the Thinker risks all by challenging him to a cosmic game pitting heroes against various challenges: they lose then their Earth dies. The Thinker has no doubt that with all of his knowledge he can win. But Illuyanka is not what he seems.

A story that throws in as many super heroes and villains as you could ever want plus an Earths parallel crossing storyline that will have you wondering who the real bad guy is!

Wednesday, 15 April 2026

Final Cover For The Ultimate Game

  I started this at 1100hrs this morning and had various cover designs worked out but one thing after another led to them being thrown away.

Here are the three cover designs I went with..


This one (above)  I did not like "The Ultimate Game" font. Really not happy with it.



The above has a bold and brassy font BUT it just did not seem  right -I tried 40 different fonts with cover 1 and this one. Almost gave up.

The cover below will be the final one. Not what I wanted but "The Ultimate Game" font seems to work. I am NOT a cover artist but with a small company now having everything done by one man (me) it simply has to do.


The storyline:

The mystical traveller of the realms, The Thinker, meets a stranger while

travelling along the Path of Counter Actuality. But this stranger is a different type of traveller: he is Illuyanka and he has been charged with on sworn duty –to destroy specific Earths in the multiverse.

 

Finding that Illuyanka is partial to gambling the Thinker risks all by challenging him to a cosmic game pitting heroes against various challenges: they lose then their Earth dies.

 

The Thinker has no doubt that with all of his knowledge he can win.

 

But Illuyanka is not what he seems.

Tuesday, 14 April 2026

The Return of the Gods and Green Skies Invasion Earth Series

  "I read the original quote from that German blogger and thought it was a lot of hot air. When Return of the Gods: Twilight of the Super Heroes arrived I thought "thick book" and knew you'd taken it from 96 pages to 360+...it looked impressive. I read through it in two days and -robots, aliens, "gods", super heroes, sorcerers, alien invasions and more and world-wide. And you tell me this was done without a script?! It's the only one I can think of so, yeah, the greatest British super hero graphic novel fits as a description." Pete Clark

"You say this is your final big story? The Green Skies was fantastic and everything laid out into chapters was a great touch!"

David Stephens, Comic Reviews

" 'Holy ******* ****!' was all I could say. I even tried counting the number of characters and how the **** you produced all of this without a script beats me. Return of the Gods: Twilight of the Super Heroes and The Green Skies could only have been better if George Perez had drawn it!"

Dan's Comics

"I have no idea why you are not pushing this even harder. The books Return of the Gods: Twilight of the Super Heroes and The Green Skies I would love to see in German or at least get German fans to read since it has a good number of German heroes in it. Next big comic event over here send me copies and I'll sell them on my table!"

Gerd Hammer, German comics historian and trader

Selected comic readers were also chosen to review copies and, obviously, two of these were people from Hong Kong who I corresponded with on Manhua over the years.

"I just wish someone like Tong Li would publish this in Chinese -I mean there are Chinese heroes in this so why not?"

Wang Xiuying

"There HAS to have been a script and more than one person working on this! Brilliant!"

Mike Wayne, Australian comic dealer

Generally, these comments were all similar and I only quote these as any more would be very egotistical. The books should speak for themselves.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEv-kM7AC7yJMLPwHp89n42-UyCRG6T9gA6vkZWrnUjUp7ey9ysCHUf-iOXrn4XLe3jouLGUWQnpx9nxnQalTlPWEVc8WbiUTUg9kTpIHYLYwL96St3K00SmvbM2UEE76C-QZnY2wDPLY/s1600/NEW+RETURN+Front.jpg


Paperback
A4
Black & White
331 Pages
Price: Reduced to £21.89 

It begins slowly.  It always does. It's a deception that everything in the world is as it should be and that never changes.

Earth’s heroes and crime-fighters are going about their daily tasks –fighting a giant robot controlled by a mad scientist’s brain, attackers both human and mystical -even alien high priests of some mysterious cult and their zombie followers and, of course, a ghost and a young genius lost in time. 

Pretty mundane. 

But psychics around the world have been sensing something.  A "something" that sends feelings of sheer terror through their psyches.

There is a huge alien Mother-ship near the Moon. Undetected by deep-space radar and other instruments, only a few on Earth have sensed it and they cannot penetrate the hull but only feel psychic screams and....worse.

And then it begins: strange orange spheres isolate and chase some of Earth’s heroes who then vanish into thin air –are they dead?  An attack by an old foe or foes -?

Black, impenetrable domes cover cities world-wide. 

Then it becomes clear to those within the domes what is going on: Alien invasion of Earth! 

A war between the Dark Old Gods and the pantheons that followed! 

Warriors from Earth’s past having to battle each day and whether they die or not they are back the next day! 

No one suspects the driving force behind the events.  One single evil guiding events.  Events that could cause destruction and chaos throughout the multiverse.

Assaulted on all fronts can Earth’s defenders succeed or will they fail...is this truly the end? 

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvq4Vv-CqvFy1E0PUFTEUAsznmIVhuLUP88Ch_jIkAdeifpHbigj6ZUExvEoNIhTHVcGLXbywf4pv4ESRLy3VFUpMrUGQ4rSHUq80CNF8wsPzrufO3EtkJvyIhCwgjxL0FVA-pAmQR6U/s1600/CROSS+EARTHS+CAPER+COVER.jpg
The Cross-Earths Caper: Part II of the Invasion Earth Trilogy

Paperback, 
A4
Black & White
107 Pages
Price: £12.00

Following the events on Neo Olympus and the Boarman invasion of Earth, many heroes and crime-fighters have withdrawn from activity. Some are trying to recover from injuries while others are fighting the mental scars left by the events.

But things have to go on.  As heroes from other parallels who helped during the recent events return home, members of the Special Globe Guard are shocked at the sudden appearance of Zom of the Zodiac. Never a sign of good things a-coming!

Very soon, a group of heroes mount a rescue mission and find that a quick rescue mission can turn sour equally quickly. As they overcome one challenge the the heroes become lost between parallel Earths and face new threats.

 Sometimes one Earth just is not enough. The complete story published in issues 7-10 of Black Tower Adventure now in...one handy dandy book!


A4

B&W

124pp

£15.00

https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/terry-hooper/the-green-skies-vol-3-part-1/paperback/product-5j4y7e.html?page=1&pageSize=4

It all began in 1987 and the Black Tower Universe has seen alien attacks, heroes kidnapped to be put into the middle of a war of the gods. 

Despite the deaths and losses the heroes -crime fighters, super powered and members of the magical union have come back but now unaware that alien races are escaping through the Sol system and that a mysterious space fleet is heading towards the inner planets, they find themselves trapped or distracted. 

The Many Eyed One is finally coming. 

The Multiversal Council has quarantined Earth and forbidden any to help. 

The evil has spread and there is treachery striking at the very core of Earth's defenders

A4

B&W

126pp

£15.00

https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/terry-hooper/the-green-skies-vol-3-part-ii/paperback/product-nj7wqr.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Following on from events in Green Skies V. 3 Part I the Clone Zone Boyz are increasing in number while those who created them, the Vampirons, continue to plot and await the arrival of their 'God' -The Many Eyed One. 

The Druid finds that his physical and mental state are deteriorating and even the Rev. Merriwether cannot help him. 

Shockingly, the Clone Zone Boyz claims someone close to Merriwether and this leads him to team up with two 'unsavoury' characters. 

In space Krii and Tyn hrrn face a seemingly unstoppable enemy. 

On The Moon the Selenites and representatives of other worlds meet and decide that Johnny Apollo, the Z-Man, is the only one who can lead the counter invasion fleet. 

With the enemy striking Mars and then the Moon things look grim

 A4

B&W

208pp

£16.00

https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/terry-hooper/the-green-skies-vol-3-part-iii/paperback/product-kj6r7r.html?page=1&pageSize=4

The gathered Sol Defence fleet is prepared to make its final stand led by Johnny Apollo the Z Man. If it fails to halt the invaders then the doomsday weapon will be detonated and destroy the entire Sol System. 

Meanwhile, unaware of the threat in space, Jack Flash, the Avenger and others prepare for a final show down with the Many Eyed One; a final confrontation they know they do not have the power to win. 

Is this Humanity...the Earths...final day?

woven into The Green Skies is the story of the harbinger of destruction: the story of Varik Dann -The Man Who Walked Through a Door and Into Another World













Varik Dann is but one character as we follow the attempts of heroes and adventurers as well as the military as they try to confront the Clone Zone Boys with no idea of who or what is behind them. And in space the very existence of not just the Earth but the solar system rests on efforts to stop an alien invasion fleet and if it cannot be stopped them there will be no conquest: the entire solar system will be destroyed by a doomsday device.

Hexagon Comics STRANGERS #14: WORLDS WITHOUT END.

 



STRANGERS #14: WORLDS WITHOUT END. 

stories by Jean-Marc Lofficier; art & cover by Roberto Castro. 

7x10 squarebound. 

96 pages b&w. 

$14.95

https://www.hexagoncomics.com/


HOMICRON, a NASA scientist whose body is possessed by a mysterious alien from planet Alpha. STARLOCK, a servant of the Towers, supremely powerful cosmic entities. GOLDEN BOY, champion of Urth, “brother” of Futura, empowered by the Great Mind... ARIANROD, a princess from the ancient Fomore race, who is also the Mistress of the Sword of Fire and Ice...

 These characters, all “strangers” to Earth, are brought together by TANKA, a former jungle lord who has been recruited by entities from our planet’s farthest future to be their agent and is now empowered to protect our world from extra-terrestrial menaces. 

This fourteenth volume of Strangers opens our fifth “season”, in which our heroes  face a terrifying new menace, one that threatens many parallel Earths: the mysterious Pentacle. This issue introduces a new superhero group: The Lightning Lords. 

This parallel Earths thing is really catching on, isn't it?  Castro gets to handle a full book of art here -in four different stories. The stories work well and it is interesting to see Tanka again and not running about the jungle. It can be quite difficult to find new stories that are original  for a jungle lord so him being used by a "higher power" here is interesting.

Lightning Lords was interesting and Londinium as the centre of resistance was an interesting touch (presumably a far better governmental n body than we've had in the last 30 years in the UK -oooh. Bit of politics there!).  

Throughout there are some very nice panels and with Strangers you never know what you are going to get from volume to volume. My guess is that if you have one person plotting, scripting then it makes it easier to draw in so many diverse characters and create a cohesive universe to mix with. With characters stretching back over 50 years there is a good enough history to build on -it is making it all seem seamlessly "one" where you might trip over but Lofficier knows his stuff!

There is far more to Strangers than that Image Comics series from...a long time ago now.  There are 14 volumes now and I would always say, if unsure, go buy the first two volumes and see if you like what you see because you would then know the next 12 volumes should be fun!

Now...my PC is making noises so off to set up the new one!

Monday, 13 April 2026

Hexagon Comics STRANGERS 13: THE CHILDREN OF ZADE

 


by Jean-Marc Lofficier;

 art by Alfredo Macall, Juan Roncagliolo Berger, Alfonso Ruiz, Benoit Picard and Manuel Loayza; cover by Alfredo Macall.


7x10 squarebound trade paperback, 
94 p. 
b&w
ISBN-13: 978-1-64932-380-4 - US$14.95

Contents:
- Foreword by J.-M. & Randy Lofficier
- THE CHILDREN OF ZADE story by Jean-Marc Lofficier; art by Alfredo Macall.
- ZHUD’S LAST HOPE story by Jean-Marc Lofficier; art by Alfredo Macall.
- THE WEAPON MAKERS OF ZADE story by Jean-Marc Lofficier; art by Juan Roncagliolo Berger.
- DICK SPADE REVENANT story by Jean-Marc Lofficier; art by  Benoit Picard.
- BATHY-09: FIRST MISSION story by Jean-Marc Lofficier; art by Alfonso Ruiz.
- THE BLACK LYS story by Jean-Marc Lofficier; art by Manuel Loayza.
- LAYOUTS by Alfredo Macall

HOMICRON is a NASA scientist whose body is inhabited by a mysterious alien from planet Alpha. STARCYB is a servant of the Towers, supremely powerful cosmic entities. FUTURA is a mysterious woman from a parallel dimension. JALEB is the secretive agent of a Galactic Federation of telepaths. JAYDEE is a teenage, alien metamorph, abandoned on Earth as a baby, and who may well be the deadliest killing machine in the universe... These characters, all “strangers” to Earth, are brought together by TANKA, a former jungle lord who has been recruited by entities from our planet’s farthest future to be their “time agent” and is now empowered to protect our world from extra-terrestrial menaces.

This thirteenth volume of Strangers concludes our fourth “season”, in which our heroes face Jaydee’s and Glory’s “brother”, the deadly Salamandrite No. 17 and work together to thwart his plan to bring to its ancient masters, the alien Hemocrats, to Earth. This issue also includes four shorter stories starring The Weapon-Makers of Zade, Dick Spade: Revenant, Bathy-09: from the International Oceanic Force. and The Black Lys, French superheroine and founding member of the Hexagon Group.


Really love that cover and the image does not do it justice!  I've said it so many times: I love Macall's art style -some pencil pages are reproduced in the back of this book.

The Children of Zade story is fun; starting quietly then moving into action and...guess who pops up at the end of the story? Buy the book and find out! If you have a combination of story by Lofficier and art by Macall you really can't expect anything other than a classic comic strip.Which means you get more than your money's worth.

The Weapon Makers of Zade -we'll just accept that it is a good read. Berger's art is nice and clean and that splash pages are just something you want to keep checking out. Thew amount of detail in each is amazing. Believe me; I have looked them over a lot!

Dick Spade -Revenant with art by Picard is a complete change of style showing Lofficier can handle the detective genre. This one I was not expecting and was fun to read.

Bathy 09:has an art style by Ruiz I was not sure about but it grew on me Dagoth looks really menacing and was a worthy opponent for a first mission.

Black Lys was another enjoyable adventure and the lesson I took away from it was NEVER call Black Lys "a weak woman" -someone will have to pick up all the pieces and mop up after. 

Thankfully, my PC lasted long enough today! Strangers is certainly a series that presents different characters so it never gets stale. And as always; I recommend the title. Take a chance and see what you are missing because if you are not buying...you are missing out!