BLIMEY! The Blog of British Comics: Toxic

Showing posts with label Toxic. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 02, 2018

Preview: TOXIC No.305

Here's a preview of the opening panels to my latest Team Toxic story, entitled Eye Robot, which appears in Toxic magazine No.305, in the shops today.

This edition of the long-running boys' magazine includes features on Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, Iron Man, Adventure Time, and more. Available from newsagents and supermarkets across the UK.
http://www.toxicmag.co.uk

Here's the package to look out for, as it comes bagged with gifts...

Friday, March 23, 2018

TOXIC no.303

The latest issue of Egmont's Toxic magazine is out now, packed with features, activities, and even a few strips. Team Toxic encounter their old foe Frankendrac again in Going Batty (written/drawn by me), Captain Gross meets Ghost Master, by Russ Carvell, and there's a Ruined Ronaldo strip drawn by Steve McGarry.

From their website...

TOXIC IS AVAILABLE AT ALL GOOD SUPERMARKETS AND NEWS AGENTS.
OUT NOW: ISSUE 303
FEATURING:
Super Facts of the bigggest Marvel Superheroes
The top 10 coolest Cartoon Networks TV shows
The secrets behind Pixar movies
6 competitions to WIN Awesome prizes: Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and LEGO City play set
… PLUS …
5 AMAZING free gifts:
1. One Double Blaster
2. UEFA Champions League Stickers
3. Hot Wheels tattoos
4. One double sided giant poster feat. Spidermand and Black Panther

5. Tox-sic Sour Sweet

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

TOXIC gets a new look

The latest issue of Egmont's long-running successful boys' magazine Toxic has had a design makeover. The refresh sees the introduction of a tweaked logo, new layout, and a bigger page size. (Bit of trivia for collectors: Toxic is now the same dimensions that Oink! and Wham! used to be.)

The strips also get a new look, with new logo designs and colour in the gutters and margins to make the pages brighter than before. This month, Team Toxic face the return of their old enemy Sick Squid! Story and art by Lew Stringer. (Hey, that's me!)

Captain Gross finds it's tough to be the grossest hero in town. Story and art by Russ Carvell...

Features in this 40 page issue include articles on the movies Black Panther, Thor: Ragnarok, and Coco, an interview with Chris MD, space exploration, items on the Teen Titans Go! cartoon, the latest games, and more.

The mag comes bagged with four free gifts: Disc Shooter, bonus shooter, Last Jedi stickers, and Tango Poppin' Candy.

Toxic No.302 is out now from all good newsagents and supermarkets. £3.99

Visit the Toxic website for more info:
http://www.toxicmag.co.uk

Friday, February 09, 2018

New issue of TOXIC out now

There's a new issue of Egmont's Toxic magazine out now, in a foil polybag with five gifts. Yes, I know adult collectors refer to the gifts as "bagged tat", but it is aimed at children after all, and what kid can resist a bow and arrow or Pokémon Cards?

Inside the magazine you'll find a new Captain Gross strip by Russ Carvell, plus Team Toxic by me...

There's also news on new cartoons and movies, plus many other features and fun pages...

Toxic No.301 is available from newsagents and supermarkets across the UK. £4.99.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

TOXIC reaches issue 300 today!

These days, it's rare for a children's magazine to have such longevity, but Egmont's Toxic magazine for boys has just reached a milestone of 300 issues. The magazine began publication in September 2002, and is published every three weeks (it was originally monthly) so a run of just over 15 years (and counting) is very impressive for a contemporary publication. A top selling publication for its target audience, Toxic has spawned several rival imitators over the years. Even the legendary Dandy had a makeover at one point, as Dandy Xtreme, in an less than successful bid to try and capture the magic.

Originally edited by Matt Yeo, then Andy Davidson, Frank Tennyson, and Simon Ward, Toxic's current editor is Paul Lang with Matthew Pratt as his Deputy Editor. Contributing artists and writers over the years have included Laura Howell, John Short, Alex Paterson, Jasper Bark, Paul Palmer, Nigel Kitching and Jamie Smart. The premise of Toxic is to provide its young readers with breezy news and features on the latest movies, toys, games and suchlike, with a strong sense of fun and irreverence.

"Gross" humour abounds, particularly in the comic strips. Team Toxic has been in the mag since the very first issue, with its core characters Doc Shock, Bog, Sludge, Kid Zombie, and Krunk initially created by Matt Yeo and original artist John Rushby. I was invited to script the comedy adventures of Team Toxic from issue one, and also became the artist from issue 15 when John left the strip. I've been writing and drawing it ever since. The Team protect the city from numerous bizarre villains that I've created, such as Sick Squid, Frankendrac, Techno Troll, Antimatter Hari, and Butt-Face. The solutions usually involve the aforementioned "gross humour" such as Bog unleashing a mighty fart or Kid Zombie bowling the villains over with his detachable head. The style of humour, with monsters, crazy villains, and cringe-inducing puns, is similar in style to my old Combat Colin strips, but with more jokes about bodily functions. It's been a pleasure to write and draw Team Toxic for all these years, and long may it continue.

The latest Team Toxic story, Birthday Bash, sees Butt-Face and Sand-Witch steal the Toxic collection from comics critic Grumpy McGrumpyface, which interrupts the Team having a slap-up feed to celebrate the magazine's 300th milestone.

Also in this issue, stinky superhero Captain Gross, by Russ Carvell, who has also worked for the magazine for years, plus Ruined Ronaldo, drawn by Steve McGarry.

Apart from the Team Toxic strip, the magazine doesn't make a fuss about the 300th issue, focusing instead on features on superhero movies, Star Wars, a Thor Ragnarok pull-out poster, and puzzles.

As is expected of kids' magazines these days, Toxic comes bagged with a mixture of toys, cards and stickers. Here's what to look for in the shops...

Toxic No.300 is on sale now from newsagents and supermarkets. £3.99

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

The Christmas TOXIC

The Christmas issue of Toxic is published today, and you'll find it in a shiny foil bag in newsagents and supermarkets all over the UK. This festive issue comes complete with several gifts including a blaster and powder to make your own green slime.

The magazine itself has 40 full colour pages packed with features, activity pages, and strips.

The long-running Team Toxic, written and drawn by myself, is entitled Green Christmas and features the debut of Grumpy McGrumpychops, Comics Critic...

The villain of the story is Mister Nostril, using his never-ending runny nose to create bogie snowflakes! Can Team Toxic stop him?

The other two page strip is Captain Gross by Russ Carvell, with the stinky superhero visiting the North Pole, and there's also the Ruined Ronaldo strip drawn by Steve McGarry, plus fun features on Greatest Minions Moments, When Animals Celebrate Christmas, Thor Ragnarok, and more...

Toxic No.298 is on sale from today until 19th December and costs £4.99.
http://www.toxicmag.co.uk

Monday, March 20, 2017

Team Toxic in space!

Team Toxic begin a three-part adventure that has them head into space in the next issue of Toxic, on sale Wednesday 22nd March. Signal from Space sees the team respond to a distress call in deep space. What will they find? A bloomin' great Space Shark for one thing!

Toxic No.286, available from newsagents and supermarkets from Wednesday.

Wednesday, February 08, 2017

In the shops now...

It's self-promotion time. (Hey, I promote other people's work so why not my own?) Freelancing for various comics and magazines that have different frequencies means that sometimes new issues all come out in the same week. This week being an example, where I have eight different strips in print across four titles.

Toxic No.284 sees the return of Frankendrac in the two-page Team Toxic story. (That's Frankendrac above.) Published by Egmont UK.

The Valentines Day themed issue of the Beano is also in the shops, for which I did Pup Parade and Ivy the Terrible...

There's also Epic No.128, which features four strips drawn by me (written by Niall Murray). Two pages of Hygiene High, plus mini-strips featuring Zombie Sports, Eric Fail, and Terrible Movies...

...and Doctor Who Magazine No.508 includes The Daft Dimension...

Toxic, Beano, Epic, and Doctor Who Magazine are all available from newsagents and supermarkets across the UK.

Friday, January 20, 2017

Comics and mags out now...

My apologies for not updating my blog since Monday. Between work and having a heavy cold I haven't been online so much. Catching up today a bit with a quick rundown of a few recommended titles that are in the shops now.

Kicking off with The Phoenix No.263, this issue sees the conclusion of the John Blake serial by Philip Pullman and Fred Fordham. Other strips include Trailblazers by Robert Deas (who also drew the cover), Bunny vs Monkey by Jamie Smart, Pow! by Alexander Matthews, Corpse Talk by Adam and Lisa Murphy, and more.

The Phoenix is mainly subscription based, but you'll also find copies in selected branches of WH Smith and Waitrose.
(https://www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk)

The Beano No.3868 features an eye-catching Numskulls / Dennis cover by Nigel Parkinson relating to the story inside, and other contents include a four page Bash Street Kids tale, and all the regulars including my Pup Parade and Ivy the Terrible strips. Never Be Without A Beano; you know it makes sense.
https://www.beano.com

A journalist recently asked me if today's children's publications could even be called comics anymore. Well, the term "comic" has always been flexible, as even the first comics of the 19th Century such as Comic Cuts only had 50% comic strips (sometimes less) and that format lasted for 50 years with everyone referring to them as comics. British comics have always evolved, and today's magazines, with limited comics content, are kind of a modern equivalent of those early titles. Realistically though, I think publications like Toxic are most definitely "children's magazines" rather than "comics", but that doesn't mean those strips aren't part of our comics industry. Decide for yourselves in Toxic No.283 which features the regular strips Captain Gross, Ruined Ronaldo, and my Team Toxic.
http://www.toxicmag.co.uk

By the way, this issue of Toxic has a free full colour 16 page A6 sized mini-comic, Hilo, by Judd Winick, to promote the comic books published by Random House.

The latest issue of Comic Heroes has been out for a couple of weeks now but it was impossible to find in the towns and cities near me. Therefore I bought a copy directly from the publisher. It only took a few days to arrive second class and I'd recommend that option rather than trudging around the newsagents (and a certain comics shop that refuses to stock it). It's post-free if you buy it direct too. Here's the link:
https://www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/film/Comic-Heroes-Print.html

This issue of Comic Heroes (No.30) is another bumper 132 pager designed to pass the time over the next three months until the next issue. Contents include features on 2000AD's 40 years, Commando's upcoming 5,000th issue, a tribite to Steve Dillon, and numerous items on American comics such as the all-new Iron Man, Ironheart. (I'm enjoying some of the changes that Marvel have implemented in their comics. It keeps things fresh and unexpected and I look forward to reading Ironheart's adventures when she appears in Marvel Legends.)

That's just a handful of titles that may interest you. If you have any thoughts about any of them, drop a comment below.

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

The Christmas TOXIC is here

It's a very festive foil bag for Toxic magazine this week as it contains the Christmas issue. There are a few festive features inside, although unfortunately I didn't know this was going to be the Christmas issue so my Team Toxic story contains not a flake of snow or one sprig of holly. (But I hope you'll enjoy it anyway!) In fairness, the other strips in the issue don't have a seasonal flavour either, so perhaps we were all unprepared this year.

However, the strip in the following issue (which will be on sale 21st December) will have a Christmas and New Year theme, so I'll show you a preview of that at a later date.

Back to the current issue, which, along with a 40 page Toxic mag, contains no less than six gifts including two "Battle Blasters" and trading cards for Marvel and Minecraft.

Toxic No.281, out now from Egmont UK. £4.99

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Out now in newsagents...

Another stack of titles have arrived in UK newsagents. Here's a quick rundown of the British comics out this week starting with Viz No.253. Another 52 pages of fun for adults of all ages and still the funniest comic on the top shelf.

2000AD Prog 1967 came out on Wednesday with a cover by Patrick Goddard. Inside, strips continue by some of the best creators in the UK. Not to be missed!

On to comics for all ages, The Beano No.3821 comes bagged with gifts to keep kids occupied during the school break. The comic itself is again packed with great material by some of Britain's best cartoonists.

Toxic No.267 is also bagged, with a toy crossbow and more. Inside the mag is my Team Toxic strip plus Captain Gross by Russ Carvell and another Ruined Ronaldo strip.

There are also four issues of Commando out this week. I covered the details the other day and you'll find that post here:
http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/this-weeks-commando-comics.html

From Titan Comics there's Tales From the TARDIS: Doctor Who No.3, with a cover by Lee Sullivan and 100 pages of strips featuring the Ninth and Tenth Doctors. Creators include Nick Abadzis, Elena Casagrande, Cavan Scott, Rachael Stott, Neil Slorance, Rachael Smith and more.

A new issue of The Phoenix will be in WH Smith this Saturday and I'll add a scan of the cover here then.

On to British comics reprinting American material and there's quite a few on sale this week. From Panini UK there's The Mighty World of Marvel No.22 continues the adventures of Daredevil, Agents of SHIELD, and the Silver Surfer...

The Astonishing Spider-Man No.29 features Spider-Man plus new sagas begin for Silk and Spider-Woman...

Essential X-Men No.21 guest stars Miles Morales Spider-Man...

...and from Titan Comics there's Batman No.48, reprinting recent DC Comics stories, and Supergirl No.3 featuring Supergirl, Black Canary, and Batgirl.

This of course just covers comics on sale in newsagents and doesn't include ones only available in comic shops or digital comics. (Speaking of the latter, don't forget Aces Weekly! http://www.acesweekly.co.uk/)

USE OF IMAGES. PLEASE READ:

Please note that artwork and photographs on this blog are copyrighted to the relevant owners or to myself. Please do not take images to use on your websites, blogs, sales pages, illegal discs etc without permission from the copyright holders.

About this blog:

NOTE: THIS BLOG IS NO LONGER BEING UPDATED. You can leave comments but no new posts will appear.

Please visit my other blog lewstringercomics.blogspot.com which will continue.

Running from 2006 to 2019, BLIMEY! was dedicated to British comics past and present. The images of old comics on my blog are copyright their respective publishers and are only used here for review purposes. They have been scanned from my own personal comics collection, in over 50 years of collecting.The prose articles, with the exception of press releases, are Copyright © Lew Stringer and must not be reproduced without permission.