A Chronicle of Doom: The Walking Deadhead....

Deadhead artwork by Graham Manley.

Timely emergency visit to Edinburgh yesterday to catch Deadhead Comics before it closed its doors for one last time (in its present Candlemaker Row incarnation at least). Imagine my complete surprise to find Agent Johnny on 'Guard Duty' whilst Agent Austin took care of essential business elsewhere. Of course, I didn't have long to wait before Gaf made a welcome return to the fold, and I waited even less time before we were safely ensconced in the Oz Bar fer a quick 'view to a swill'....

Agent Johnny and Deadhead Comics in better days (if you can believe it!).

Thanks to the locally made Electric Man the shop has been preserved on film for future generations to own and enjoy at home forever (isn't that how the blurb goes...?). In fact, if you look closely enough Agents Austin and Rob, as well as Graham Manley and countless others, were immortalised on (um, digital) celluloid in the process. Alas there was nothing as valuable as a copy of Electric Man #1 lurking on the shelves or buried in the back shop to save the day....

Yep, the missing tooth's on the other side, I know....

Agent Rob can dimly recall a childhood visit to Deadhead in the previous Victoria Street location, carefully stretching his pocket money to buy several comics (including the Captain America issue below) only to be informed of 'import costs' on the cover prices at the till, his parents having to hastily supply the extra few quid to keep their young 'un happy....

Captain America's 50th (NB. actual price may differ to that advertised....)

It's been in my head for days, so as a fitting send-off here's some Cream - special in a sense as one evening post-Ice Station Gaf fired this up to 11 as requested by some foreign customers. As to whether he told them to "f*ck off out of my shop!" before or after that I can't rightly recall....

Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love

Finally, I think it's only fair to give a suitably eternal shout-out to Kirsty Wilson, Gary McLean and Tim Coombs, all essential cogs in the Deadhead machine (as I've known it - I'm sure there's been plenty others over the course of the past 26(!) years).... Hail Odin!

Happiness

William Boyd - Solo

James Bond....

Leonard and Lou....

Funny how further tweaks to the Star Trudge: Extrafranchise book's "bonus content" should bubble up in and around the passing of Leonard Nimoy, thereby ending up as something of a belated (and unselfconscious) tribute....

Tried to capture the fact that (aside from "The Cage" and the conclusion of "Amok Time") Mr Spock rarely smiled his dazzling smile in Star Trek: The Original Series. Funnier still is that in chasing that feel, and trying to tie the "actor's" post-series look back to the oversized glasses of the character from Trudge, I seem to have stumbled across something that harks back to the late Lou Reed's classic attire as well, making it something of a tribute to him too....

Oh, and the partially cropped character to the right is perhaps just a little bit like Klaus Kinski....

The Incredible Hulk: Silent Screams

Dr. Bruce Banner....

Steve Martin - Born Standing Up

Steve Martin....

A Chronicle of Doom....

Another visit to Ice Station yesterday, Agent Rob arriving with vital swill 'n' grub supplies just in time to sit down and enjoy the "I, Mudd" episode of Star Trek. The bonafide classic "Amok Time" and "The Doomsday Machine" episodes, both shown recently, were then discussed in passing. Thereafter, and once Agent Johnny had shown off his final page of Evil Hollywood (next to no visible progress, though a completed script of sorts has been resolved), it was time to fire up the 'rekkid' player and settle down in earnest to a 'View to a swill'. Contented chuntering ensued, 'Our Man In Pester Whailes' talking at length about The Living Daylights, The Incredible Hulk and his recent reading of Silas Marner by George Eliot. The imminent arrival of The Horror Channel, seemingly in place of CBS Action on Freeview Channel 70, caused some consternation, somewhat placated when Agent Rob mentioned their perpetual scheduling of Wonder Woman, The Incredible Hulk and (classic era) Doctor Who....

Sights: Star Trek: The Original Series

Sounds: Rolling Thunder by Mickey Hart: Scepter Studios Sessions by The Velvet Underground: Anthem of the Sun by The Grateful Dead: Vendetta theme by John Barry....

John Barry - Vendetta

A Decade Dent In Existence....

Adam Smith's oblique Transformers' comic reference.

How about that, ay, Khaki Shorts hits 10 years old this week (and that's discounting the 4 earlier issues dating back to 1999)! 10 years since the title returned for its second (of three) runs!

The plucky "mascot" (never to be seen again until the final issue).

It was a chance meeting in Futureshock in July 2004 that sealed the comic's fate, both Adam Smith and Rob Miller's (familiar faces from SCCAM meets of '99) trains of mutual thought colliding on the spot. "We should do a comic!". Against all the odds of sanity this conversation then continued....

Elexender Browne, page 1, "Straight in with the inks".

It'd be that winter that Rob'd settle down to conjure up what'd morph/escalate/drag on into the long running Elexender Browne (a strip Smith credits as inspiring him, showing the possibilities of what could be achieved). Of course, this then inspired Miller to rattle out/carefully craft even more pages right away. Over those initial 7 Browne pages - intended to be printed 1 per issue, but eventually bundled together as a full block - you can see the work gradually morph from the tried and untested "straight in with the inks" approach to, er, the more forgiving "actually pencilled" norm....

Elexender Browne, page 7, "actually pencilled".

As a comeback it was certainly a very mixed bag - the comic would take a few more issues to successfully find it's feet, the core of other creators, including Neil Bratchpiece, Iain Smith and Mark Murphy (noted as being on holiday at the time) taking an issue or two to really hit their stride. Baz and Gaz (by Neil), The Amazing Adventures of Karn (by Iain), Ballboy and Colin Cornflake (by Adam) all put in rough around the edge appearances....

From "Cool and the Gang" by Adam Smith

The interiors wrapped with another strip that would become a mainstay over the comics' run, Star Trudge (by Rob), which introduced us to the crew of the U.S.S. Cancellation, "....caught in a boring story-arc destined to run a minimum of 1,000 strips" (it lasted a modest 50 pages in all).

Captain Reddy Meel makes his debut!

Rounding off the issue was Adam's intepretation of his band, The Plimptons, song "Jolly Top Hat" (the video should be embedded here but' y'know how it sometimes is or indeed isn't....). This strip in itself would inspire Glasgow's mighty underground force of nature, Curt Sibling, who delivered a cracking JTH cover and "reboot" of the strip for the 9th issue....

As to which of these strips have made the cull for the - DRUM ROLL PRECEDING INCREDIBLE IMPENDING ANNOUNCEMENT! - The Khollected Khaki Shorts, well, you'll just have to buy it this summer and find out. Early days yet, but here's a sneak peek at the *not final artwork* cover, featuring another eventual mainstay, Boy Mindless (by Adam)....

Philip K. Dick - Minority Report

John Anderton....