Sunday 25 June 2017

So you are a fan of 70s comics?


Anyone else seriously impressed by the reprint of One Eyed Jack by Rebellion?
British comics were full of that sort of thing back in the 70s.
Relive those halcyon days of British anthology comics by buying the latest PARAGON

It barely takes twenty minutes to read an American comic these days but for much the same price you could have a lot more fun reading a good old fashioned British anthology. This isn't an homage or a pastiche. This is a continuation of the fine style of comics I grew up reading in the 70s and 80s

You know, there are professional publications that don't last this long and yet here we are with issue 20, still going strong with a fantastic line up of stories. Recurring characters in stand alone stories so you don't need to know what has gone before as long as you know the basic premise;

Jikan - a double length episode - what if the time-hopping demon-hunting samurai landed on the Titanic? And he's not there to ice his drink...
Spencer Nero - Spencer Nero in India, and as enlightened and sympathetic to the people whose country it actually is as you'd expect an agent of the British Empire to be...
Bulldog - the anthropomorphic protector of the skies of Blighty! Bulldog has been going for over twenty years now - PJ Holden is a previous artist for his adventures. This issue, the Queen is dead and there's a search for a successor...
Not only do we have the regulars this time around but a one off, light hearted quest for a ragtag bunch of adventurers in A Star Falls

How many other small press comics can boast it has had contributors of the calibre of Si Spencer, Shaky Kane, PJ Holden and Garen Ewing? (I can only think of one!) Pro letterers Jim Campbell and HdE give it a professional sheen and the likes of Chris Askham, Steven Denton and Matt Soffe have all worked on covers over the years.

As one blogger said,
"No, it's not mainstream, its not glossy, its not full colour, it doesn't feature superhero types in gaudy-coloured spandex costumes pounding 50 shades of inconsequential sh*t out of each other, or female characters who have nothing going for them other than big tits and improbable asses. What it IS, is an old-school, no-bullshit, boys-own action/adventure comic reminiscent of the 2000ads and Eagles and Warlords and Battles and other glorious black-and-white comics that were so, so cool in the 80's. Its hard to find a comic nowadays that inspires the same kind of feeling picking up one of those comics back then did, but Paragon comes pretty close and it keeps on getting better. If nothing else, its got a lot of heart and its clear everyone involved has a great passion for the medium.  If you don't like the stories, you might like the art. If you don't like the art, you might like the stories. If you don't like the stories OR the art, you might appreciate the effort and enthusiasm that has gone into every page. If you don't like that either, well, hey, at least you can say you tried!"