Ben-Hur part 3

(* Ben Hur artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Ben-Hur part 2

(* Ben Hur artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Ben-Hur part 1

Something a little more literary for a change. Ben-Hur is based on the novel by Lew Wallace, first published in 1880. I'm going to point you to Wikipedia for more information on the background of the book and its author to save myself some effort (I'm writing this on Sunday evening and I've a bunch of shows recorded off the TV crying out to be watched). Even if you've not read the book, most people will know the title, made famous by the 1959 movie starring Charlton Heston. You know, the one with the chariot race.

It's a spectacular story and Ruggero Giovannini's artwork does great justice to it. Giovannini's probably better known in the UK as the artist of "Olac the Gladiator" in Tiger (1959-65, 1968-69) and for his adaptation of "The Three Musketeers" in Look and Learn (1967). "Ben-Hur" was originally published in Look and Learn in 1969, and I think Giovannini decided to pull out all of the stops for this, his last original work drawn for the UK. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

(* Ben Hur artwork © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Luan Ranzetta

The oddly named Luan Ranzetta was a pen-name used on a series of four science fiction novels published by Digit Books in 1962-64, all uniformly bad as SF and not especially good as novels. The SF Encyclopedia sums them up as "routine sf adventures, which focus on alien invasions and great disasters".

The author behind the name—Luan perhaps an anagram of Luna, which was thought to be suitably science fictional when coupled with the gutteral Ranzetta, which harks back to the days of ghastly SF pen-names Vektis Brack, Volsted Gridban and Vector Magroon—has never been revealed. The Ranzetta name--as V. Ranzetta--had been used previously on another Digit original, The Uncharted Planet (1961), which I don't have.

I was planning to use Luan Ranzetta as an example of an unsolved mystery... the pen-names, biographical and bibliographical details that have bugged me for years without any sign of resolution. Ranzetta is an example of the former. I picked up one of his books at the recent ABC Show and, discovering I now had all four, thought it might make for an entertaining cover gallery. As someone who is masochistically entertained by bad science fiction, I even started reading one of them. The Yellow Peril has come in for some stick elsewhere, notably in Neil Gaiman & Kim Newman's Ghastly Beyond Belief, which extracts a number of passages for mocking. One of my favourites occurs early in the novel where top space-ship pilots Barry and Paul are discussing the latest scientific discovery: the met boffins are, apparently "quite upset by the earth's behaviour". Barry "sobered instantly":

"... but you're right about the boffins. They say the earth is shrinking at the poles. That makes it feasible that it will bulge in the middle, doesn't it? I can't visualise how that affects us, but I do understand that it slows up the earth's revolutions. That could be important."
__Paul Duffy grinned. "Just shows you how much we depend on the Sun, doesn't it? Though last summer he must have taken his holidays the same time as I had mine!" He closed his eyes thoughtfully. "God! That camping business!"

From scientists (sorry, boffins) predicting the destruction of Earth to memories of a miserable camping trip in one easy paragraph. But even this kind of bad writing has a certain charm to it (well, I think it has charm) and makes you wonder if the author hasn't misremembered something he's heard about global warming and shrinking ice caps (and this way back in 1962).

All four books are as bad. The Maru Invasion, for instance, begins with two pilots struggling to get their rocket back to earth. We learn that they, Don Winters and Gavin Carter, have been involved in a secret project to drop off 100 men on an uncharted planet, Maru; now, returning to their home planet, the rocket 's systems have died. Despite promises from the boffins back home that nothing can go wrong, Don is worried that the rocket could continue its journey until the "super-fuel" runs out or the rocket's walls deteriorate and allow cosmic rays to penetrate. His solution to the problem:

"Gavin, old man. What about trying another look-see out of the window? Might be something new."

They reach Earth, parachuting out of the rocket to land on an atoll that appears to have suffered the effects of an atomic bomb blast. Eventually, Don discovers that the Maruans have invaded for that time-honoured reason: they need to steal some women:

"The Maruan women, for some time, had been given all the privileges of men. They were equal, they had the same rights. Of course they bore that children; that was the catch ... The women rebelled against what they called 'the servility of child-bearing'. It was a farcical situation, and executing them had not made matters any better..."
__"That's where you made you mistake, old boy! We've never let our women know that they were our equals!"

...says Don. Before we descend completely into misogynistic claptrap, I will say that the paperbacks of the era were full of this kind of casual sexism, although few go quite as far as executing feminists. Actually, the book has lost its charm long before that point and starts to drag after the first 20 or so pages. But it does have a surprisingly down-beat ending for this kind of pulp writing; the books usually end with the hero and his girl looking forward to a bright future. In The Maru Invasion, it's as if the author suddenly remembered the cover and thought he'd better write in an explanation for it. Thus we have a silver alien spaceship approaching the hiding place of a small group of earthmen on the nuclear blasted surface of an atoll and Don's final words are: "Well, here they come, the bastards!"

Here are the covers and blurbs for all four of Luan Ranzetta's novels:

The Maru Invasion by Luan Ranzetta (Digit Books R606, Jul 1962)

He leapt back as a wide jet of crimson flame scorched forth from the blunt barrel, hitting Argos full in the face. There was a loud, inhuman scream. The others were transfixed with terror, but Don could take no chances and turned the gun on them as they stood there, eyes stark with fear. Flame belched again and they fell to the ground, their hands clawing at their faces and throats...

The World in Reverse by Luan Ranzetta (Digit Books R618, Sep 1962)

Lanny stood still, his eyes glued on that crumpled form by his feet. He wanted to run back downstairs, to safety and sanity, but he had to know what it was. He stopped to examine the upturned face and gasped, in horror, as the ghastly picture fixed itself in his mind...
__It was a woman. A woman with blonde, wavy, luxuriant hair. Hair that was matted with dark, red, glistening substance. Blood. Across the face which had once been beautiful, there ran a gaping wound, filled with congealed blood. He put his hand out to turn the poor bruised head towards him, and, as he did so, the whole face seemed to slide sideways, as it it were some dreadful, artificial mask.

The Night of the Death Rain by Luan Ranzetta (Digit Books R717, Jun 1963)

The ominous, leaden sky brooded threateningly over the earth: the sultry heat became daily more stifling. What was the cause of these oppressive clouds which came ever closer and for which the scientists could hazard no explanation? Then it came, a blinding, havoc-wreaking death storm: relentless, tearing rain and the earth's surface gouged with craters, shattered beyond recognition...
__A small party of survivors find themselves on an alien planet, hurled there by the cosmic force of the earth's upheaval. Can they ever escape from this bleak world with its stern silent inhabitants? Their plans are dependent on a second even more violent nuclear storm, and they are flung once more into a hostile universe—to safety? or total destruction?

Yellow Inferno by Luan Ranzetta (Digit Book R836, Mar 1964)

A party of scientists have been sent on a mysterious journey to Tibet. None of them knows why.
__As they step from their space-ship none of them could be aware of the terrifying dangers that lay ahead.
__They must prevent the sinister Doctor Chung-Yin from carrying out his threat to destroy the entire Western World. Either they are successful, or they die a horrible death themselves.

As I mentioned above, I've been planning an occasional series on unresolved mysteries concerned with my research into old British paperbacks and Luan Ranzetta was going to be one of the subjects as I'd managed to pick up the set (I'm ignoring V. Ranzetta for the moment).

But after putting myself through speed-reading the four books, I had a feeling that I recognised the writing style. Now, I can't say this is the case with 100% certainty, but I'm pretty sure the four Luan Ranzetta books were all written by a guy called T. C. P. Webb—Thomas Charles Packham Webb to give him his full name. Virtually unknown to anyone but the hardiest researcher, Webb was a very prolific writer of Westerns, with at least 90 novels to his name—or names, as he wrote under a variety of pseudonyms. In the mid-1960s, he had found a steady market for Westerns with John Grisham and Robert Hale, but I doubt even they could keep up with Webb's output, so a handful of novels for Digit Books could easily have come from his typewriter. Webb, incidentally, also wrote comic scripts for Micron's western libraries.

I don't know much about him: he was born in Stourbridge in 1908, began writing (to my knowledge) after the war and pounded out dozens of original stories for most of the cheap paperback publishers of the era. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he was an editor at Brown Watson but probably left around 1963. He moved to Hove in around 1964/65 and was married in 1968 to the wonderfully named Kathleen Lady Maud Marge Viola Maxwell Bullen (nee MacIntosh) who had once been a singer under the name Billy Maxwell. In 1969 he was living in Kent and he died in Oxford in 1973.

So Luan Ranzetta is possibly now a resolved mystery.

Comic Cuts - 7 November

Last Sunday's trip up to the ABC Show was the usual tale of travel woes—this time we ended up in Newbury Park via bus from Ingatestone; better than the show last March where we were diverted to Basildon, I guess, but still annoying when you've paid for a service that the railways just can't seem to provide.

That moan out of the way, the day was pretty good for everyone concerned. It was tipping it down when I arrived at the Royal National and there was some fear that it would put people off. Thankfully, the crowd that did turn up were spending like crazy, and I heard no complaints from the dealers.

I picked up a few odds and ends—nothing spectacular but a few items I thought looked interesting. I did finally find a copy of City of the Hidden Eyes, written by J. L. Morrissey, someone I'll revisit in one of these columns some day. Some of the other books are for columns yet to be written, so I'll leave those for now. But if I get time, I'll put together another paperback cover cavalcade column to show off some of the others.

Work is progressing on the Eagles Over the Western Front volumes. Mostly artwork cleaning, although that came to a grinding halt when my glasses broke (the tiny little screw holding the glass in place, this time, rather than the arm falling off, just for variation). I've a second pair, but they're for travel rather than reading, so not much help with close-up work. I did learn at the show of another two pages of original Eagles artwork that have survived the years, so we're now up to 57 pages that will be reproduced from Bill Lacey's original drawings.

That's about it for news. With 223 pages to scan and clean up, plus 55 pages of original artwork to sort out, I've not had much time for anything else. Most of volume 1 is done but that still leaves volume 2. Incidentally, I hope people who have been following the strip noticed the vast improvement of the episodes published during the week. I'm now working from my own scans which are a lot better than the rough scans I was previously posting.

Talking of strips to be posted, next week we begin something of an epic: Ruggero Giovannini's interpretation of Ben Hur. In colour. I thought it would make a nice change from the black & white strips I've been running for some months.

Peter Edgar

Cities of the Dead is a novel of the future, but the message it holds could apply equally well to the present day. A series of nuclear tests in the Pacific Ocean have affected certain species of sea creatures, with the result that they grow to more than ten times their original size. People living on the western seaboard of America are terrorised by these hideous leviathan-like monsters and a group of scientists are dispatched to the area to exterminate this menace to civilisation.

Although credited to Peter Edgar, Cities of the Dead was the debut novel of Peter King-Scott, an engineer by profession. Born Peter Edgar King Scott on 8 September 1918, he officially changed his name to King-Scott in 1943. He served as a Captain with the Worcestershire Regiment and as an intelligence officer during the war and returned to industry in 1946, later becoming a full-time lecturer in engineering and management subjects. In partnership with his wife, Margaret P. (nee Stonham), he also ran a small management-consultancy business.

King-Scott died in Portsmouth, Hampshire, in 1993, aged 74.

Non-fiction
Industrial Management. London, Pitman, 1966.
Industrial Supervision. London, Pitman, 1969.
Production Control for Supervisors. London, Collins, 1971.
The Institution of Industrial Managers: A History 1931-1991. London, Institution of Industrial Managers, 1991.

Novels as Peter Edgar
Cities of the Dead. London, Digit Books, 1963.

The Best of Battle

It's hard for me to believe that Battle Picture Weekly first debuted almost 35 years ago. To me it still feels like something that happened, if not the other day, at least fairly recently. It wasn't until the early '80s that I became a regular reader after I rediscovered comics following a roughly seven year gap (although, as I've said many time before in these columns, I never really gave up because there was always some comic—Top Secret Picture Library, Starblazer, etc.—that I was buying). Battle I caught up with via a massive boot fair find and it was an incredible thrill to be reunited with some of my favourite artists doing some of the best work they'd ever done: Mike Western on "Darkie's Mob", "The Sarge" and "HMS Nightshade", Eric Bradbury on "Joe Two Beans" and "Crazy Keller", and Joe Colquhoun on "Johnny Red" and "Charley's War". And there was a ton of other stories that I found incredibly gripping as I read through episode after episode: the Mike Nelson stories ("Day of the Eagle", "Death's Head Dossier", etc.), "Major Eazy", "Fighting Mann", "Deathsquad", "Clash of the Guards", and many others. Gaps in the run were cursed soundly because I didn't want to miss a beat.

The Best of Battle selects 18 strips from Battle's heyday, the late 1970s. The format—extracting four or five episodes from strips that sometimes ran for years—can be a little frustrating, although at least with extracts of 12 to 15 pages you get more out of the stories than in the recent Best of Battle special released by Egmont. It's still only a sampler for the books we all actually want, but it's at least a substantial sample.

Favourites... that's a tricky one. I've already nailed my colours to the mast by telling you the names of some of my favourite artists and, inevitably, that colours my appreciation of some strips, but I don't think anyone is going to deny the quality of John Wagner's writing on "Darkie's Mob" or "Joe Two Beans", or Pat Mills's on "Charley's War". Eleven of the eighteen strips on display here were written by Gerry Finley-Day and Alan Hebden (with two more by Eric Hebden), which is an astonishing hit rate as there isn't a duff story on display here. I've always had a soft spot for the Mike Nelson yarns (beautifully drawn by Pat Wright) and I'd forgotten how good "Fighting Mann" was—and how good Cam Kennedy's black & white art was.

The simplified credits given in the book mean that one or two writers and artists don't get a mention: the first episode of "D-Day Dawson" was drawn by Annibale Casabianca, the second, third and fourth reprinted here were by Geoff Campion and only the fifth was drawn by the credited artist, Colin Page; three of the five were written by Wagner/Mills rather than the credited Gerry Finley-Day. But the occasional glitch is to be expected in any book.

Instead, let's concentrate on the positives: the reproduction is uniformly superb and the flexiback format means you can get over 280 pages for a knock-down £9.99. As a sampler of one of Britain's best war comics, you couldn't ask for better... except for full reprints, and some of those are definitely on the way.

The Best of Battle: Volume 1. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848560253, 25 September 2009.

(* Artwork © Egmont UK Ltd.)

Eagles Over the Western Front part 73

(* Eagles Over the Western Front © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Eagles Over the Western Front part 72

(* Eagles Over the Western Front © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Eagles Over the Western Front part 71

(* Eagles Over the Western Front © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Comic Cuts: Upcoming Releases

October 2009. A round-up of forthcoming books relating to or reprinting British comics and cartoons, along with some selected original graphic novels.

NOVEMBER 2009

• The Canterville Ghost (Original Text). Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332273, 1 November 2009.
• The Canterville Ghost (Quick Text). Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332280, 1 November 2009.
• Captain Britain Vol. 4: The Siege of Camelot by Alan Moore & Alan Davis. Panini UK ISBN 978-1846534331, 5 November 2009.
• Century 21: Escape from Aquatraz, ed. Chris Bentley. Reynolds & Hearn ISBN 978-1904674085, 30 November 2009.
• Charley's War: Underground and Over the Top. Titan Books ISBN 978-1845767976, November 2009 [originally announced for 23 October 2009].
• Dan Dare: Safari in Space. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848563728, 27 November 2009.
• Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Vol. 14. Rebellion/2000AD ISBN 978-1906735296, 15 November 2009.
• Knights of Pendragon Vol. 1: Once and Future by Dan Abnett & Gary Erskine. Panini UK ISBN 978-1846534317, 18 November 2009 [originally announced for 8 October 2009].
• Nikolai Dante: Amerika by Robbie Morrison. Rebellion ISBN 978-1906735128, November 2009 [originally announced for 15 August 2009].
• Tales of the Dead Man by John Wagner. Rebellion/2000AD ISBN 978-1906735197, 15 November 2009 [originally announced for 15 June 2009].
  

DECEMBER 2009

• Judge Anderson: The Psi Files. Rebellion/2000AD ISBN 978-1906735227, 15 December 2009.
• Robo-Hunter: The Droid Files Vol. 1. Rebellion/2000AD ISBN 978-1906735210, 15 December 2009.

JANUARY 2010

• ABC Warriors: The Volgan War Vol. 2 by Pat Mills & Clint Langley. Rebellion/2000AD ISBN 978-1906735234, 15 January 2010.
• Frank Bellamy: The Complete Swift Years [limited edition]. Book Palace, November 2009.
• Frank Bellamy's The Story of World War 1 by Mike Butterworth & Frank Bellamy. Book Palace ISBN 978-1907081002, January 2010 [originally announced for November 2009].
• Judge Dredd: The Mega-City One Archives Vol. 1: The Justice Department by Aaron Dembski-Bowden. Rebellion/Mongoose Publishing ISBN 978-1906508883, 11 January 2010.
  
• Strontium Dog: Blood Moon. Rebellion/2000AD ISBN 978-1906735241, 15 January 2010.
  

FEBRUARY 2010

• Dracula (Original Text, abridged). Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332259, February 2010 [originally announced for October 2009, then 30 November 2009].
• Dracula (Quick Text). Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332266, February 2010 [originally announced for October 2009, then 30 November 2009].
• Johnny Red: Falcon's First Flight. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848560338, 26 February 2010 [originally announced for 25 September 2009].
• Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Vol. 0 by John Wagner et al. Rebellion/2000AD ISBN 978-1906735333, 15 February 2010.
• Judge Dredd: The Mega-City One Archive Vol. 2: Lawbringers by August Hahn. Rebellion/Mongoose Publishing ISBN 978-1906508890, 8 February 2010.
  
• Rogue Trooper: Tales of Nu-Earth Vol. 1 by Gerry Finley-Day. Rebellion/2000AD ISBN 978-1906735340, 15 February 2010.
• Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet by Ian Edginton & Ian Culbard. SelfMadeHero ISBN 978-1906838010, February 2010 [originally announced for 8 October 2009].
• Tank Girl: The Apocalypse [Anniversary Edition]. Titan Books ISBN 978-1845767655, 26 February 2010 [originally scheduled for 28 July 2009].

MARCH 2010

• Button Man: The Hitman's Daughter by John Wagner & Frazer Irving. Rebellion/2000AD ISBN 978-1906735425, 15 March 2010.
  
• Good Dog, Bad Dog by Dave Shelton. David Fickling Books ISBN 978-0385618250, 4 March 2010.
• James Bond: Nightbird. Titan Books ISBN 978-1845765163, 26 March 2010.
• Judge Dredd: Mega-City One Archives Vol. 3: Lawbreakers by August Hahn. Rebellion/Mongoose Publishing ISBN 978-1906508906, 8 March 2010.
  
• The Road of Courage & The Shepherd King: The Stories of Jesus Christ and King David. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848565258, 26 March 2010.
• Slaine: Demon Killer by Pat Mills. Rebellion/2000AD ISBN 978-1906735418, 15 March 2010.
  

APRIL 2010

• Century 21 Vol. 4: Above and Beyond, ed. Chris Bentley. Reynolds & Hearn ISBN 978-1904674252, April 2010.
  
• Hit the Dirt: Six of the Best from Battle Picture Library, ed. Steve Holland. Prion Books ISBN 978-1853757594, 1 April 2010.
  
• Mezolith by Beg Haggarty & Adam Brockbank. David Fickling Books ISBN 978-0385618267, 1 April 2010.
• Modesty Blaise: Death in Slow Motion. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848561083, 23 April 2010 [originally announced for 27 November 2009].
• No Surrender! Six of the Best from War Picture Library, ed. Steve Holland. Prion Books ISBN 978-1853757600, 1 April 2010.
  
• Spider Moon by Kate Brown. David Fickling Books ISBN 978-0385618274, 29 April 2010.
  
• Sweeney Todd (Original Text) by Sean M. Wilson & Declan Shalvey. Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332792, 30 April 2010.
• Sweeney Todd (Quick Text) by Sean M. Wilson & Declan Shalvey. Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332808, 30 April 2010.
  
• Wings of Death: Six of the Best from Air Ace Picture Library, ed. Steve Holland. Prion Books ISBN 978-1853757587, 1 April 2010.
  

MAY 2010

• Roy of the Rovers: The World Cup Special by Tom Tully & David Sque. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848566712, 25 May 2010.
• Tank Girl: Skidmarks by Alan C. Martin & Rufus Dayglo. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848566811, 25 May 2010.
  

JUNE 2010

• Darkie's Mob by John Wagner & Mike Western. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848564428, Spring/Summer 2010 [originally announced for 27 November 2009].
• A Midsummer Night's Dream by John McDonald & Kat Nicholson/Jason Cardy. Classical Comics, June 2010.

JULY 2010

• Wuthering Heights (Original Text) by Sean M. Wilson & John M. Burns. Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332877, 31 July 2010.
• Wuthering Heights (Quick Text) by Sean M. Wilson & John M. Burns. Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332884, 31 July 2010.

AUGUST 2010

• Julius Caesar (Original Text) by John McDonald & Sean O'Connor. Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332945, 31 August 2010.
• Julius Caesar (Plain Text) by John McDonald & Sean O'Connor. Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332952, 31 August 2010.
• Julius Caesar (Quick Text) by John McDonald & Sean O'Connor. Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332969, 31 August 2010.

SEPTEMBER 2010

• Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future: A Biography by Daniel Tatarsky. Orion ISBN 978-0752888965, 17 September 2010.

OCTOBER 2010

• The Best of Misty. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848560277, October 2010.
• The Importance of Being Ernest by John Stokes. Classical Comics, October 2010.

NOVEMBER 2010

• Dan Dare: Trip to Trouble. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848563667, November 2010 [originally announced for 5 January 2010].

LATE 2010

• Richard III (Original Text, abridged). Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332228, 14 May 2010 [originally announced for 1 March 2009, then 1 September 2009].
• Richard III (Plain Text). Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332235, 14 May 2010 [originally announced for 1 March 2009, then 1 September 2009].
• Richard III (Quick Text). Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332242, 14 May 2010 [originally announced for 1 March 2009, then 1 September 2009].

UNSCHEDULED

• The Bumper Book of Battle. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848560291, unscheduled [originally scheduled for 23 March 2009].
• Roy of the Rovers Archives: Season 1954-55. Titan Books ISBN 978-1845769499, unscheduled [originally scheduled for 20 December 2008].

Please note: All dates are subject to change.

Comic Cuts: Recent Releases

Here's a round up of recently released titles reprinting or relating to British comics. Some title announced for publication in the past few months have been delayed; these titles can be found on the Upcoming Releases listing.

Star ratings are from Amazon.co.uk where books have been reviewed.

OCTOBER 2009

• The Best of Alex 2009. Prion Books ISBN 978-1853757457, 5 October 2009.
• The Broons' Book of Gairdenin' Wisdoms. Waverley Books ISBN 978-1902407982, 22 October 2009.
• Commando: Battle of Britain Scramble!. Carlton Books ISBN 978-1847324214, 1 October 2009.
• Doctor Who: The Widow's Curse. Panini UK ISBN 978-1846534294, 8 October 2009.
  
• Grandville by Bryan Talbot. Jonathan Cape ISBN 978-0224084888, 15 October 2009.
• Judge Dredd: Mechanismo. Rebellion/2000AD ISBN 978-1906735180, 15 October 2009.
• Judge Dredd: Stranger Than Truth. Big Finish ISBN 978-1844354153, 31 October 2009. Audio adventure (scripted by David Bishop) featuring Toby Longworth as JD.
• The Second Bumper Book of Roy of the Rovers. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848564435, 2 October 2009.
• Sinister Dexter: Money Shots. Rebellion/2000AD ISBN 978-1906735173, 15 October 2009.

SEPTEMBER 2009

• 70 Years of the Dandy & Beano. D. C. Thomson ISBN 978-1845353810, 2 September 2009.
• Alec: The Years Have Pants by Eddie Campbell. Top Shelf ISBN 978-1603090254, 29 September 2009. Also available in hardcover (ISBN 978-1603090476).
• The Best of Battle: Volume 1. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848560253, 25 September 2009 [originally announced for 24 October 2008, then 27 February 2009, then 26 June 2009].
• Broons & Oor Wullie: Glory Years, 1956-69. D. C. Thomson ISBN 978-1845353940, 2 September 2009.
• Bunty Classic Collection. D. C. Thomson ISBN 978-1845353841, 2 September 2009.
• Eagle Annual: The Best of the 1960s ed. Daniel Tatarsky. Orion ISBN 978-0752888958, 3 September 2009.
• Flesh by Pat Mills. Rebellion ISBN 978-1906735111, September 2009 [announced for 15 August 2009].
• Football's Comic Book Heroes: Celebrating the Greatest British Football Comics of the Twentieth Century by Adam Riches. Mainstream Publishing ISBN 978-1845964085, 3 September 2009.
• James Bond: Omnibus Volume 1. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848563643, 25 September 2009.
• Maw Broon's Remedies An' Suchlike: My Wee Book o' Bits and Pieces. Waverley Books ISBN 978-1902407951, 17 September 2009.
  
• The Misadventures of Jane. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848561670, 25 September 2009 [originally scheduled for 24 October 2008 as Jane: The Misadventures of a Bright Young Thing, then for 24 April 2009].
• Modesty Blaise: The Scarlet Maiden. Titan Books ISBN 978-184856107-6, 25 September 2009 [originally announced for 28 August 2009].
• Romeo and Juliet (Original Text). Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332198, 9 September 2009 [originally announced for August 2009].
  
• Romeo and Juliet (Plain Text). Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332204, 9 September 2009 [originally announced for August 2009].
  
• Romeo and Juliet (Quick Text). Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332211, 9 September 2009 [originally announced for August 2009].
• Sexton Blake, Detective. Snowbooks ISBN 978-1906727413, 1 September 2009. Not comics but classic stories from British story papers.
• Tamara Drewe by Posy Simmonds. Jonathan Cape ISBN 978-0224078177, 3 September 2009. Softcover edition of the award-winning graphic novel.
• Tank Girl: The Odyssey (Remastered). Titan Books ISBN 978-1845767631, 25 September 2009 [originally scheduled for 27 March 2009].
• The Tempest (Original Text). Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332297, 16 September 2009 [originally announced for 1 May 2009, then 12 June 2009, then August 2009].
• The Tempest (Plain Text). Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332303, 16 September 2009 [originally announced for 1 May 2009, then 12 June 2009, then August 2009].
• The Tempest (Quick Text). Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332310, 16 September 2009 [originally announced for 1 May 2009, then 12 June 2009, then August 2009].
• When the Comics Went to War by Adam Riches, with Tim Parker & Robert Frankland. Mainstream Publishing ISBN 978-1845965549, 3 September 2009.

AUGUST 2009

• ABC Warriors: The Volgan War Vol.1 by Pat Mills. Rebellion ISBN 978-1906735029, August 2009 [originally announced for 15 July 2009].
• Absolute V For Vendetta by Alan Moore & David Lloyd. Vertigo ISBN 978-1401223618, 25 August 2009.
• The Best of Judge Dredd. Prion ISBN 978-1853757181, 3 August 2009.
• Defoe: 1666 by Pat Mils & Leigh Gallagher. Rebellion ISBN 978-1906735104, 15 August 2009.
• James Bond: The Girl Machine. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848561120, August 2009 [originally announced for 30 June 2009, then 24 July 2009].
• The Rainbow Orchid: The Adventures of Julius Chancer Vol. 1 by Garen Ewing. Egmont Books ISBN 978-1405248532, 4 August 2009.

JULY 2009

• Captain Britain by Alan Moore, Alan Davis, etc. Marvel ISBN 978-0785137603, 29 July 2009 [originally scheduled for 1 April 2009].
• Strontium Dog: A Traitor to His Kind. Rebellion ISBN 978-1906735036, 15 July 2009.
• Tank Girl 3 (Remastered). Titan Books ISBN 978-1845767617, 24 July 2009 [originally scheduled for 23 January 2009].

JUNE 2009

• ABC Warriors: The Meknificent Seven (reissue). Rebellion ISBN 978-1906735081, 15 June 2009.
  
• Aces High: Air Ace Picture Library Vol. 1, ed. Steve Holland. Prion ISBN 978-1853757037, 11 June 2009.
• The Best of Roy of the Rovers: The 1970s. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848560246, 21 June 2009.
• The Broons' Day Oot. Waverley Books ISBN 978-1902407944, 4 June 2009 [originally announced for 1 May 2009].
• Button Man: Harry's Game by John Wagner & Arthur Ranson. Rebellion ISBN 978-19067350908, 15 June 2009.
  
• Judge Dredd: Necropolis by John Wagner. Rebellion ISBN 978-1906735012, 15 June 2009. [New edition]
• Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Vol. 13. Rebellion ISBN 978-1906735074, 15 June 2009.
• Punch: All Creatures Great and Small, ed. Helen Walasek. Prion ISBN 978-1853757167, 11 June 2009.
• Punch: All in the Game, ed. Helen Walasek. Prion ISBN 978-1853757174, 11 June 2009.
  

MAY 2009

• Comic Book Design by Gary Spencer Millidge. Ilex ISBN 978-1905814442, 25 May 2009.
• Commando: D-Day Fight or Die, ed. George Low & Calum Laird. Carlton ISBN 978-1847323729, 14 May 2009.
• The Complete Ace Trucking Co. Vol. 2 by Wagner/Grant & Massimo Belardinelli. Rebellion ISBN 978-1905437986, 15 May 2009.
• Doctor Who: A Cold Day in Hell. Panini UK ISBN 978-1846534102, 4 May 2009.
  
• The 86ers by Gordon Rennie. Rebellion ISBN 978-1905437993, 15 May 2009.
• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century: 1910 by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill. Knockabout ISBN 978-0861661602, 27 May 2009.
• Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Ian Edginton & I. N. J. Culbard. Sterling ISBN 978-1402770005, 6 August 2009.
• War Comics: A Graphic History, ed. Mike Conroy. Ilex ISBN 978-1905814473, 18 May 2009.

APRIL 2009

• Captain Britain Vol. 3: The Lion and the Spider. Panini UK ISBN 978-1846534010, April 2009 [originally scheduled for 2 November 2008].
• Hamlet by Kathy McEvoy. Book House ISBN 978-1906370107, April 2009 [originally announced for 1 March 2009].
• Jane Eyre by Penko Gelev. Book House ISBN 978-0764161421, April 2009.
• Judge Dredd: The Complete Heavy Metal Dredd by John Wagner & Simon Bisley. Rebellion ISBN 978-1905437962, 15 April 2009.
• Modesty Blaise: The Lady Killers. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848561069, 24 April 2009.
• The VCs: Down by Dan Abnett. Rebellion ISBN 978-1905437979, 15 April 2009.
• Tank Girl 1 (Remastered) by Alan Martin & Jamie Hewlett. Titan Books ISBN 978-1845767570, 24 April 2009 [originally due 28 November 2008].
• Tank Girl 2 (Remastered). Titan Books ISBN 978-1845767594, 24 April 2009 [originally due 27 February 2009].
• Up And At 'Em! War Picture Library Vol. 3, ed. Steve Holland. Prion ISBN 978-1853756986, 6 April 2009.
• Wuthering Heights by Jim Pipe. Book House ISBN 978-1906370138, April 2009 [originally announced for 1 March 2009].

MARCH 2009

• ABC Warriors: Shadow Warriors by Pat Mills, Carlos Ezquerra & Henry Flint. Rebellion ISBN 978-1905437948, 5 March 2009.
• Alan Moore by Lance Parkin. Pocket Essentials ISBN 978-1842432846, March 2009 [originally scheduled for 20 November 2008].
• Dan Dare: The Phantom Fleet. Titan Books ISBN 978-1848561274, 27 March 2009.
• Century 21: Classic Comic Strips from the Worlds of Gerry Anderson Volume 1: Adventure in the 21st Century ed. Chris Bentley. Reynolds & Hearn ISBN 978-1905287932, 31 March 2009.
• Century 21: Classic Comic Strips from the Worlds of Gerry Anderson Volume 2: Invasion in the 21st Century ed. Chris Bentley. Reynolds & Hearn ISBN 978-1905287949, 31 March 2009.
• Great Expectations (Original Text, abridged). Classical Comics ISBN 978-1-906332-09-9, March 2009 [originally announced for 3 November 2008, then 30 January 2009].
• Great Expectations (Quick Text). Classical Comics ISBN 978-1-906332-11-2, March 2009 [originally announced for 3 November 2008, then 30 January 2009].
• Jackie Special Collectors Edition. D. C. Thomson ISBN 978-1845352707, March 2009.
  
• Sinister Dexter: Eurocrash by Dan Abnett & various. Rebellion ISBN 978-1905437931, 5 March 2009. [originally announced as ISBN 978-1904265504 for 7 July 2007].

FEBRUARY 2009

• The Classic Era of American Comics by Nicky Wright. Prion Books ISBN 978-1853756948, 2 February 2009.
• Dan Dare by Garth Ennis & Gary Erskine. Dynamite Entertainment ISBN 978-1606900277, 15 February 2009. [originally announced from Virgin Comics for 1 October 2008]
  
• Nikolai Dante: The Beast of Rudinshtein by Robbie Morrison. Rebellion ISBN 978-1905437924, 5 February 2009.
• Thrill-Power Overload by David Bishop. Rebellion ISBN 978-1905437955, 15 February 2009. Softcover edition.

JANUARY 2009

• Erotic Comics: A Graphic History, Volume 2: From the 1970s to the Present Day. Ilex Books 978-1905814374, 8 January 2009.
• Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files Vol.12. Rebellion ISBN 978-1905437917, 15 January 2009.
• Kingdom: The Promised Land by Dan Abnett & Richard Elson. Rebellion ISBN 978-1905437894, 15 January 2009.
• Shakara: The Assasin by Robbie Morrison & Henry Flint. Rebellion ISBN 978-1905437887, 15 January 2009.
• Trigan Empire: The Invaders from Gallas. Don Lawrence Collection ISBN 978-9088860256, January 2009.
• Trigan Empire: The Green Smog. Don Lawrence Collection ISBN 978-9088860270, January 2009.