Space Ace No.4 just published

Ron Turner's Space Ace volume 4 turned up today and it's another great issue. Where the previous edition had featured several short stories, this one contains a long 24 page strip plus an 8 page back up. 

The longer story, The Island Universe, was originally a six part serial in Lone Star comic in 1954 and was Turner's first Space Ace story. For this collection, John Ridgway has carefully edited out the title banners and recap captions of each episode so the story flows better as one uninterrupted strip. John has also colourised the strip and re-lettered it. A controversial move perhaps, as hardcore Turner fans might prefer to see the strips exactly as they were originally presented as black and white chapters. On the other hand, the colouring is excellent, so I can see the argument for both sides really. 

The back up strip is The Raiders from Space, which originally appeared in Lone Star Volume 3 No.1 in 1957. The first short Space Ace story.  

The stories are good standard SF tales typical of the period. The sort of yarn where our heroes think the obliteration of an entire alien "heathen" planet is justified because some of its inhabitants pose a deadly threat to Earth. "They asked for it!" says Ace. I suppose we're expected to believe the whole alien species was evil, but to modern eyes it's a bit like destroying the Earth because of Nazis. Of course it's all just lighthearted fun really and we're not expected to think too deeply about it. The selling point of the book is the artwork and light entertainment. 

Publisher John Lawrence tells me that although copies of the original editions of Space Ace and Lone Star frequently turn up on eBay, the copies that feature The Island Earth are very rare. Therefore I'm sure this modern edition will be very collectible! 

This beautifully produced edition also includes a two page interview with Ron Turner about the story within, plus a three page letters section. It really is a must-buy for fans of Ron Turner's work and of classic UK comics. 

Ron Turner's Space Ace Vol.4 is available for £8.95 (UK) or £14.00 (overseas) including postage via PayPal to spaceace.54@virginmedia.com or cheque or postal order to John Lawrence, 39 Carterweys, Dunstable, Beds. LU5 4RB. 

Birmingham Comic Art Show 1986 Booklet

Across the weekend of May 31st and June 1st 1986, the third Birmingham Comic Art Show took place, organized by Phil Clarke and the staff of the city's long-established comic shop, Nostalgia and Comics.

The venue for the event was the National Motorcycle Museum near the N.E.C., so quite a journey from outside the city centre but I seem to recall a good time was had by all. A small A5 booklet was produced for the show and I'm showing a few pages from it here. Above is the splendid cover, drawn and designed by Mike Higgs.

Inside, the intro by Phil and his team, accompanied by an illustration by James Hodgkins (who would later go on to organize comic events in Birmingham himself, as well as being a top comics artist of course). 

On page four, a Brickman strip I'd forgotten about! Brickman Saves The Day is set in Nostalgia and Comics, with caricatures of the staff, and I'm afraid is very in-jokey!

There were a good range of events across the weekend, with various guests including Chris Claremont, Alan Moore, Tony Isabella, Denis Gifford, Dave Gibbons and many more. Here's the timetable...

As was traditional back then, guest artists were invited to produce an illustration for the booklet. Here are several pages that were published...

Mark Farmer...

John Bolton...

Kevin O'Neill...

Alan Davis...

Brian Bolland...

John Ridgway...

Dave Gibbons...

After all these years I've forgotten most of what happened that weekend. I remember a bunch of us piling into a taxi to get there from Birmingham to the venue. I remember Tony Isabella being hilarious in his talk, and Alan Moore, Kev O'Neill and co. being good company as always. Denis Gifford's slideshow presentation was an interesting tour through the history of Penny Dreadfuls. I can't remember anything about the panel I was on with my old pal Mike Collins! This is when Oink! had just been launched so I must have been promoting that, but the memories have faded into the mists of time unfortunately. 

However, don't you forget that there's a new convention this year in Birmingham on April 18th! The Birmingham Comics Festival has now added more guests to the list and you can find out all the details here:

http://www.thecomicfestival.com/

Ron Turner's SPACE ACE Volume 3 published

John Lawrence, longtime fan of the late artist Ron Turner, has published another collection of classic 1950s strips by the illustrator. Ron Turner's Space Ace Volume 3 is an A4 sized 40 page softback book featuring four complete stories featuring the comics character Space Ace. 

The strips originally appeared in Lone Star magazines and annuals in 1958/59 in black and white. For this collection, artist John Ridgway has carefully restored and 'colourised' them. More than a simple case of colouring, John has breathed new life into the strips. The results are very impressive indeed.

The book also contains a three page interview with Ron Turner regarding his work on Space Ace, and a two page letters column. 

This is marvellous stuff. The plots and hardware may seem somewhat dated perhaps but that's irrelevant to collectors and enthusiasts of Ron Turner's artwork. In fact it's part of the attraction of such material. We really need more old strips archived like this before they're forgotten forever. 

Ron Turner's Space Ace is a labour of love for John Lawrence. Although the price may seem slightly expensive it has to be remembered that the print run is very limited and that this is a non-profit venture. The printing and paper quality is excellent and its sturdy laminated cover makes the book look very classy indeed. 

Copies are available priced £8.95 each (UK), 13GBP (Europe), 14GBP (International) including postage and packing. Order your copy via PayPal at:
spaceace.54@virginmedia.com