Did Panini UK miss a trick with Marvel’s mini-series Union Jack? I was hoping the likes of Panini or Titan would have published the miniseries, as is, with perhaps some classic ( or new! ) Captain Britain. Black Knight, Night Raven, etc. Once the US material ran out, produce home-grown stuff and, kerr pow! We’ve a rebooted UK comics industry and 2000 ad has competition again! By UK comics industry, I mean a publishing model closer to the 1970’s in terms of original material, as opposed to the glut of licensed titles with a gift taped to the cover. It’s great that such a wide range of kids are catered for, so my issue isn’t with what’s available - it’s more about what I, and most comics fans, would like to see out there in addition to the present range. What has this to do with indie comics? Stick with me, it’ll become apparent.

Panini and Titan have filled a gap in the UK newsstand market, one that was vacated with the demise of Marvel UK, and they have cleverly adapted the US format by running two or three full strips ( or the equivalent of two or three US books ) in a single issue, therefore maintaining that ’anthology’ feel for the UK market, for a decent price tag. Obviously the editorial overheads are minimal in comparison to the US counterparts in that they are not commissioning the material but paying for the license to publish in this country and, presumably, the rest of Europe. That said, the quality of the product far exceeds any comics I recall that Marvel UK published, however much I enjoyed them, and consequently I believe fans of Spider-man and Batman are well served in Britain at the dawn of the 21st century. I’ve always been a bit of a Spider-fan but if I was a kid looking for something new I wouldn’t find it at WHSmith. Licensed material reigns supreme and I wonder why the ‘adventure’ comics market hasn’t been more aggressively tackled. It doesn’t necessarily follow that these comics have to be US format per se but as the aforementioned publishers have started the ball rolling, why not expand on their good work?

For instance, Paul Grist’s ’Jack Staff’ - I would have thought material like this would be ideally suited to target the eight to twelve year old reading market. Admittedly there are many characters based upon old IPC creations ( though the titular hero is modelled on Union Jack, a Marvel creation ) and there are many nods and knowing references to comics culture that would whiz right over a ten year old lad’s head. However, taken on face value, Paul’s comics are superbly entertaining and accessible in a way that blends US/UK formats, story telling and subject matter. I’m sure that most of you know that Mr. Grist self published the first twelve issues of ’Jack Staff’ ( available as a trade, ’Everything Used To Be Black and White’ ) until Image Comics in the States liked what they saw and snapped him up. Well, not a signing on a football transfer scale, but you catch my drift. I reckon there is room on UK stands for a British creation that appears to be good enough for the US market. Your average kid is not going to discover newer stuff unless he or she ventures into a comic shop and I believe that exposing youngsters to material that isn’t confined to the Marvel/DC realms would be a progressive move that would ensure the survival, success and development of the comic book industry outside the USA.

You could extend the ’Jack Staff’ example to other, more established properties - a US format ’Judge Dredd’ to hook in those kids that exclusively buy ‘X-Men’. ‘Dan Dare’, which despite being an iconic British creation is now published from Virgin’s New York offices, would be a definite shoe-in. After all, how many granddads would pick that up out of sheer nostalgia for their Playstation / Wii obsessed grand kids? Despite the failure of ’Striker’ a football themed adventure comic would add nice depth and variety to the SF and superhero fare currently on offer, I know my son would dig it. Kids are more discerning than we as a culture give them credit for. If you check the book stores there are hundreds of titles ranging from ’The Hobbit’ to ’The Famous Five’ that remain constantly in print and I know my eleven year old gets as much joy from reading Enid Blyton ( yes, I was a bit surprised at that, but then he loves the music of ’The Clash’ just like his old man, talk about diverse tastes! ) as he does from playing ’Burnout’ on his PS2.

War comics, now there’s a thorny subject. Probably one for another time, but I don’t see why this genre, which has dwindled to a couple of ‘Commando’ titles and a few books aimed at the nostalgia market, couldn’t return to the levels of the 1970’s. The PC brigade would have something to say about that, no doubt some of you reading this would also. I don’t think for a minute that a creator today would approach a new war based strip in the same manner that his predecessors in the last half of the twentieth century would have done. Having said that, the most fondly remembered strip from ’Battle’ is Pat Mill’s and Joe Colquhoun’s ’Charley’s War’, which was a sensitive, yet frank account of the experiences of the main protagonist’s experiences during the Great War. Like I said, perhaps a subject for another time.

So, I hear you ask - fed up with my evasive waffle, what does this have to do with indie comics??? Well, simply put, it’s to do with new and established creators having an outlet and perhaps decent career opportunities. As it stands, a talented writer, artist ( colourist and letterer, for that matter ) or editor who wants to make the kind of comics that we, who are attracted indie publications due to the paucity of material in the mainstream, would like to see have limited options. Succumb to the mainstream to enter the industry, keep bashing away at proposals that will hopefully entice US publishers or self publish.

I suppose the case I’m making could be construed as self serving, considering the fact I self publish and hope one day to have a project picked up by the likes of Image and Markosia. I accept that, though it is only a part of my reasoning. I genuinely believe that there are many excellent creators in the UK that will not get the exposure they deserve due to the way publishing has evolved and I wish that wasn’t the case. Perhaps my ideas are not financially viable and who wants to throw away dosh on an untried concept, or one that has had limited success at a much lower level? Maybe there is another way, be it a collective of indie self publishers, with increased clout as a result or a new approach that merges comics with other media.

Whatever, I look forward to seeing the subject covered on Indie Review.

Chris Atkins writes a column for RedEye magazine and has self published comics himself, as is currently working on "Urban Serial" with Ed Doyle.