THE FLEETWAY FILES

With Rebellion's acquisition of a horrendous amount of back catalogue from Fleetway, there's a renewed interest in the output of Britain's legendary comics group. A perfect time, then, for this smart publication to be released, delving as it does into Fleetway's golden years (and some rusty ones, too). Publisher Hibernia has already impressed with previous publications, but have outdone themselves with this 100 plus page perfect bound love letter to our youth.

For your money you certainly get a rounded selection of features. There's one on girls comics and their surprising depth (and popularity), a 'Roy of The Rovers' piece, plenty on the relaunch of Eagle in the 1980s, a stunning piece of unpublished art from Massimo Bellardinelli's 'Mars Force', and interviews galore with major figures from the UK comics scene, all of whom seem really lovely! Gil Page, Scott Goodall, Dez Skinn, David Hunt and the great Barrie Tomlinson are a few of them, and every one has plenty of stories to tell in their own way. One linking theme (apart from comics) os that they all seem to have loved what they did, which is nice to know.

Also inside is a sixteen page example of the sort of strips that came out of Fleetway, like the wonderful 'Hot Shot Hamish', the unusual 'Glory Knight: Time Travel Courier' and the downright awful 'Amazing Three'. As a single company now owns them all, it's exciting to wonder what they may put out as a collection next, following on from the wonderful 'One Eyed Jack', 'Leopard From Lime Street', 'Misty' and 'Marney The Fox' to name a few. Rest assured they will all be reviewed here!

The Fleeyway Files is not a cheap purchase at fifteen quid including postage, but if, like me, you have an interest in British comics of the latter half of the last century you will absolutely adore it. Lovingly put together and resaeched by people with a genuine affcetion for the maerial, The Fleetway Files is a must for anyone who has ever dreaded the words 'Great new for all readers inside'...

SLAUGHTER HAWK VOLUME 1

'Corporatism has a new foe' reads the tagline on this brand new IP set to launch officially this September. It looks like David Broughton (Solomon Kane, Spectre Show) certainly knows who the real bad guys are, and he has delivered a new hero for us poor, downtrodden masses.

Impressively bound, Slaughter Hawk volume 1 sees Broughton take a step up in the self publishing world. The solid spine means this and future instalments will sit nicely on a bookshelf rather than iside a comic box, and whilst it isn't cheap you can see where the money has gone. Broughton handles everything himself, as befits a true veteran of the self publishing world and, as ever, it's a pretty solid read.

In a near future where the Unites Corprorate States Of America shits over a growingly disgruntled populace, a mysterious vigilante fights against Da Man. Why does he do it? Dunno. Who is he himself working for? Dunno. Where does he get his wonderful toys? From inside his secret submarine base, naturally. His futuristic suit has all sorts of lovely, violent upgrades that allow him to spill the blood of corporate lackeys, and Broughton delights in what can only be described as really fun violence, with some rather sweet action sequences and plenty of claret.

This 48 page, high quality introduction to Slaughter Hawk is destined to be a guilty pleasure.Whilst not that innovative it retains a charm that's undeniable, boosted by a smart, easy to follow story and Broughton's always welcome clear, uncluttered art. As with any decent story about power mad corporations you can imagine Bad People doing exactly what they do in the book, and that makes it all the sweeter and enjoyable. I zipped through this quite quickly, pausing to take in the exposition that effectvely creates a bleak world. For the most part I had a smile on my face, though, as Slaughter Hawk is a serious comic that manages to be plenty of fun at the same time. The biggest compliment I can pay is that at the end I wanted to pick up another issue straight away to see what happens and learn more about the protagonist and the world he inhabits.

After many years of grinding away at the cliff face, David Broughton may just have stumbled accross a winner with Salughter Hawk, so do yourself a favour and check it out.

David Broughton's Blog