Cor!! Buster Easter Special 2020: Gums is back, just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water!
15th April 2020
Yes, it’s time for another interview from the talents behind the Cor!! Buster Special, featuring some of the greatest characters from Britain’s golden age of humour comics, all here in brand-new strips from some of the best names in comics today!
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This time round, we’re chatting with Lizzie Boyle and Lew Stringer, writer and artist on the latest tales of toothless terror with Gums!
The Cor!! Buster Easter Special 2020 goes on sale Wednesday 8th April 2020 from all good newsagents, whatever comic shops may still be open (please support them however you can!), and through the 2000 AD and Treasury of British Comics web shops.
What can we expect from the story this year? Is it more of Gums v Bluey?
LB: This year’s Gums strip is, of course, more Gums vs Bluey… but this time they encounter a new villain and need a little bit of help from some aquatic friends…
This year’s strip will be drawn by Lew Stringer, although I believe Abi Bulmer was originally meant to be on art? Have you had the chance to see Lew’s work yet?
LB: I’m really excited that comics legend Lew Stringer has drawn the strip. He brings so much energy and excitement to everything he draws – I hope I haven’t created too much of a challenge for him!
Lew, you’re also doing your bit in the Special this year with Gums. Was this a last-minute change, as I believe Abi Bulmer was meant to be on art duties?
Lew Stringer: Yes, very much last minute. I think it was the last strip to be done, and I sent it in only three weeks before publication! I was sorry that Abby couldn’t do it as I thought her pages were one of the highlights of last year’s special, but the extra work was appreciated. I hope I’ve done it justice.
Yes Lew, you’ve definitely done it justice!
How’s it been for you continuing the saga of Gums for a new generation of fans with both the Cor!! Buster Special and the Treasury of British Comics?
LB: Honestly, it’s such a privilege to be allowed to delve into the archives and see what you find. I love the challenge of writing different characters, drawing on the earlier stories and trying to be faithful to them whilst also bringing things up to date.
Have you had any feedback from people indicating that we’ve seen new readers picking the comic up?
LB: I definitely heard from people whose kids read and loved the Cor!! Buster Special last year and from others who read the Tammy & Jinty Special. It was great to read so many comments from families where parents and children were both getting enjoyment out of the Specials.
I had a lot of questions too about what other comics are available for youngsters: adults tend to know about the classics like the Beano but were really pleased to learn about some of the newer titles that are available like The Phoenix.
We’ve seen Rebellion and the Treasury begin the process of opening up to new and younger readers with comics including the 2000 AD Regened issues and this Cor!! Buster Special. What are your thoughts on where comics for children are going and where they need to be to flourish?
LB: Firstly, you don’t know how today’s media-savvy kids will respond to comics until you produce a few. That’s the risk that publishers like Rebellion have to take. It’s not cheap to produce and distribute printed comics and we should actually be proud and supportive of a UK publisher that has the scale and the courage to push some things out into the market, take the risk and see what happens.
Secondly, every comic convention I’ve ever been to has been full of children, exploring comics, getting sketches of their favourite characters, going to writing and drawing workshops and generally having an amazing time. These are the same media-savvy, tech-addicted kids that people would say don’t care about comics.
Lastly, let’s perhaps let children decide what they’re interested in rather than making those decisions for them. Saying “oh no, they won’t like that” is the route to a very limited diet of entertainment and culture. Saying “let’s try it” creates much more rounded young people – and perhaps some adults who learn a few things too.
I think you have to give people options, whatever their age. We are lucky to live in an era where the barriers to publishing are very low and we’ve seen an incredible flowering of self-published comics, indie books and mainstream publishers. Some children will fall in love with three-panel webcomics; some will want weekly serials; some will dive into graphic novels. Some will do a mix of all of these. What I’d like to encourage is more experimentation and more diversity of styles, not less.
On a smaller note, what do you hope to see happening with both the Treasury of British Comics reprint collections and these new re-workings of classic characters in the Cor! & Buster Special and T&J Specials?
LB: I hope that the reprints and the specials continue. There’s so much in the archive still to explore and we’re only starting the process of (re-)introducing characters to a wider audience. Perhaps there’s scope to publish some of the archives digitally as teasers to see if there’s an appetite for printed collections? Perhaps spin-off webcomics? Maybe just hook us with some awesome T-shirts featuring classic characters of the past!? Calendars? Mugs? Get your comics merchandise here!! (I’ll go now…)
