STARSCAPE STORYCOMIC is a pocket book, aimed at telling comic-style stories in a prose format with illustrations.

STORYPAPER 1 UK £1.50 EU £2.50 US/Can £3.00 Aus/NZ/SA £3.50 PDF £0.75

STARSCAPE STORYPAPER #1 sci-fi, fantasy, superpower & horror tales Cover: Alex Ronald / Back: Matthew Soffe     the Knights of Eternity Chris Smillie-Alex Ronald-Alex McCarthy Merlin conquers time but what does the Son of the Devil need the Ankh of Time for? Find out as we meet Seth as he becomes The Eternal - 'The Man Cursed To Live'! Extermination Theory Matthew McLaughlin-Dustin Parr Even in the future, pest control is a nasty business - especially when it's Mankind versus gruesome alien bug! Identity Unhidden Shaun Avery-Ivan Eight Dressing in longjohns and fighting supervillains isn't the career most mothers want for their son but has the Attendant met his match as he confronts the Big Boss? ONLY £1.50 inc. UK p&p for OVER 50 PAGES!!! See a review here

What is a storycomic? Penny Dreadfuls and Storypapers

Back in Victorian times, comics were pretty rare - some would argue even non-existent.  What was popular, however, were Penny Dreadfuls (aka Penny Bloods).  These 4-page booklets featured a startling cover, plus text stories packed full of excitement.

Stories were usually filled with real-life villains, such as Dick Turpin or Ned Kelly, although a number of 'heroes', like Buffalo Bill also appeared.

Possibly of more interest were the horror books, starring such luminaries as Spring-Heeled Jack, the Monk and all sorts of spooks and ghosts.  Derided by the educated classes, these were a great favourite of kids and the lower class.  However, they eventually mutated into the story paper.

Click here to read a Spring-Heeled Jack penny dreadful from 1886.

Storypapers were a little more respectable.  These generally featured heroic actions, such as big-game hunters, stiff-upper-lipped soldiers or cunning detectives.  Being British of course, there was always a few naughty schoolboys around too!

If you were around in the before the 1980s in Britain, you may remember the Hotspur comic.  Actually, that was officially, the New Hotspur.  The original Hotspur was, you guessed it, a storypaper.  Mostly these were tales of Red Circle School but there was also a sci-fi horror bent in many stories.

The Magnet is another, with Billy Bunter being the most famous creation.  And of course, the biggest detective star of the early 1900s was also originally in story papers.  Nope, not Sherlock Holmes.  He came a poor second to the now largely forgotten Sexton Blake.

Click here to read a Sexton Blake adventure in Union Jack 771 from 1918 (pdf; 7.5 Mb) or click here for lots more classic storypapers, such as the Magnet and the Marvel.

What is Starscape Storypaper?

Starscape Storypaper is an update on these features.  Basically, it's an A6 pocketbook of around 50 pages (very handy for the train or bus).  Stories are aimed at the teen to adult market (i.e. comic shop clientèle) and of the sci-fi, fantasy, superhero and horror genre.  The pocketbook contains both serials and one-shots with a fair splattering of awesome covers and spot illustrations.

As well as a paper copy, there's also a means to download digitally.  So, if you fancy reading it on your Kindle, eBook reader or tabloid...no problem!

Sorry it won't cost as little as a penny!  By average earnings, that would now be over the equivalent of £3/$4.50!  But you can't get much better than 52 pages of action for only £1.50, including UK p&p.

What characters will be appearing in Starscape Storypaper?

Some of the characters from the Penny Dreadful era will be revisited, as well as mythological and legendary characters from Egypt, the Norse and Celtic lands, Ancient Rome and oh so many more.  There will also be many original ghost hunters, superheroes, cosmic warriors and barbarians - some of them you may have already encountered in our comics.  All in all, a great little read.

Hope to see you there!

Chris Smillie
(Starchief)

SUPERHEROSTORE MULTIMEDIA