You may think it odd that a person of my age is still interested in comics. If you've read anything else in these pages, you probably shouldn't be surprised. Some of the best science fiction writing can be found in the pages of a comic, and the likes of the Watchmen graphic novel truly merit the label novel. The graphic bit is just a bonus. If you think comics are just kid's stuff, then you're not reading the right comics. Try picking up a copy of When the Wind Blows. I studied it for A Level English.

I think my first comic experience was probably the Beano. I was definitely a member of the Dennis the Menace fan club at some point, because I remember the furry Gnasher badge. After that it was Transformers for a very long time, which introduced the Death's Head character along the way. The freelance peace-keeping agent, yes?!

My interest in comics came of age with 2000AD and Judge Dredd. Looking back on it now it seems incredible that such an outright portrayal of violence was available to children. It's probably where I got my love of Quasar, a laser tag game, from. It let me play the role... At the same time as I was getting into 2000AD the graphic novel market was beginning to pick up. 2000AD collected issues were available from Titan, but not a great deal else. I also noticed that some of the backup strips which had appeared in Transformers were starting to appear as stand alone American comics in WHSmiths, but very rarely. I was finally exposed to the variety of the American scene in, of all places, a tiny newsagent in Rhyl, North Wales. For some reason it carried piles of American comics and back then, in the '80s, they were dirt cheap, about the same price as 2000AD in fact.

Initially I went for variety in what I was buying, as you may guess from the listing of my collection; there are seldom multiple copies of the same American title. I gradually started to look for first issues of comics almost instinctively, before I'd realised that they were the ones which were going to appreciate more. 2000AD and related titles were the only ones readily available, so I carried on collecting them and only bought US comics when I had the opportunity. Gradually more anthologies started to appear, the Aliens comics being among them. As I had the opportunity to go on holiday to bigger towns I started to find the specialist shops, the Forbidden Planets and the like, which was where my fascination could really take off.

The late '80s brought with them the more adult themed comics like Crisis. I was just about old enough to start picking up on the real messages these comics were putting across by then. British comics have never pulled their punches when it comes to hitting the establishment. In a sense it was sad to see the after effects of the popularisation of Judge Dredd by Hollywood. Although I'd stopped buying 2000AD by then, I picked up a copy of one of the newly sanitised 2000AD issues. It was odd that this new Judge Dredd wasn't shooting to kill in a comic which was supposedly being aimed at children of the age I was when I was reading the old style Dredd. This was a Dredd brought down to the level of Tom and Jerry, or the Robocop TV series.

I suppose I ought to mention at this point that I've actually met some of the 2000AD crew. On one of my visits to Forbidden Planet in Newcastle I happened to pick up a copy of, I think it was Comics International, which was advertising a competition to play Quasar in London, 2000AD team vs Comics International team. I entered for a laugh and won. So I got myself down to London and the Trocadero Centre (now Sega World apparently), went on the E-Maginator and legged it through the Alien War adventure, before finally engaging in laser combat with the bad guys. I can't actually remember whose team I was on, but afterwards I went for a quick drink with the 2000AD crew before heading back to the station. Not anywhere near as bizarre looking as you might expect!

Anyway, right now I'm really just getting the odd American comic that catches my eye when I visit a specialist shop, and otherwise feeding my habit with graphic novels which are now far more readily available than ever before. Titan have really done well in creating the market. At the moment I enjoy the Dark Horse Aliens compendiums, and the Sandman series by Gaiman. I don't really bother with Marvel much any more. They were OK when I was younger, but they're a little too happy happy for my taste now. I also have no idea of what the hell they did with Spider-Man..! My favorite character? Well, I've always had a soft spot for Death's Head, as I saw him in his first comic with Galvatron and Ultra Magnus along for the ride. I haven't seen him much since his run in his own comic, and his run ins with Dragon's Claws, a 10 issue Marvel UK comic which I thought was brilliant, but then I liked Geoff Senior's artwork. I understand he's now more fluid; no more need to lose a hand to stick a weapon on, he just grows what he needs..! Beyond that, Batman has to be my main favourite. I actually wish he'd kept the initial Azbats armour, the style Azrael wore to take down Bane; I thought it brought the character bang up to date.

If you'd like to chat more about old comics or new, feel free to E-Mail me. I have some useful reference books for pricing if you have a query about an old comic you happen to have discovered whilst clearing your attic out. I'll leave you with a monologue of Batman's from the incredible graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, copyright acknowledged.

The rookie's safe for the five seconds it will take him to find his pistol.
I play the shadows, forcing the hood to come close. He makes less noise than a truck.
There are seven working defenses from this position.
Three of them disarm with minimal contact.
Three of them kill.
The other--
--hurts. FX: KRAK

Andy Thomas
Last updated 31 January 2002