Posted in: Comics | Tagged: alan davis, Cyrbirg Gerbils, John Higgins, kickstarter
The Cyborg Gerbils Are Back After 40 Years And Are Bringing Alan Davis
The Cyborg Gerbils Are Back After 40 Years. No, Seriously… and they launch on Kickstarter from Volcano Comics tomorrow
Article Summary
- Cyborg Gerbils are back after 40 years with The All-New Cyborg Gerbils, launching on Kickstarter from Volcano Comics.
- John Jackson and Paul Duncan reunite the classic UK indie comic with a new origin story, fresh characters and humour.
- The original Cyborg Gerbils debuted in the 1980s via Trigon and Harrier, earning a cult following in UK comics history.
- Kickstarter rewards include variant covers by Alan Davis and John Higgins, plus original sketch cards by John Jackson.
British independent publisher Volcano Comics will launch a brand-new Kickstarter for the Cyborg Gerbils tomorrow. After 40 years, it’s not just the Cyborg Gerbils – it’s “The All-New Cyborg Gerbils! Rebuilt, reimagined and ready for action!” Originally created by John Jackson and Dave Ashcroft, the Gerbils return with an all-new story by artist John Jackson and writer Paul Duncan (best known today for his Star Wars Archives books for Taschen), with embellishments by Kenneth Wilson.
The Cyborg Gerbils began their long, if erratic comic life back in the 1980s. They were first published by Dave Ashcroft’s Manchester-based Trigon Comics in 1986, the company that also brought us their flagship title, the sci-fi comic Totally Alien, and CLINT (no relation to the Titan Comics anthology of the same name). Trigon was the first independent UK comic publisher at the time to get direct sales in the United States, thanks to Mike Lake at Titan Distributors. Harrier Comics then published Tales of the Cyborg Gerbils #1 in 1987, featuring scripts written by Brian Cuffe, after the collapse of Trigon Comics. Trigon was one of the many smaller publishers caught in the explosion of independent black-and-white comics, which led to lower, less profitable order numbers for many titles that had ridden the wave.
All-New Cyborg Gerbils is a brand-new origin story that brings fans both old and new a mad scientist, a psycho alligator and lots of wonderful Easter eggs. “This isn’t simply a trip down memory lane, as it’s a new team! The new team is based on another reimagining of Fat City Films’Cyborg Gerbils. They took a shine to the gerbils, and Jezz Hall redesigned them for animation. Unfortunately, they didn’t take up the option; however, I created two sample comics for the producers, which were unpublished.” But now the Gerbils are back, and to make it extra special, the Kickstarter options will include variant covers by Alan Davis and John Higgins, along with original hand-drawn sketch cards by John Jackson, giving backers the opportunity to own a completely unique piece of Cyborg Gerbils artwork.
“It seems a long time since those days hawking Albert the Mouse at comic conventions,” says John Jackson, “but one thing that hasn’t changed is my passion for creating comics.” Paul Duncan remembers those early days too. “I remember reading and loving John Jackson’s Albert the Mouse comics in the 1980s, and then meeting John at marts and conventions. He was a fun and cheeky presence in my life, and he added a much-needed sense of humour to ARK (Arkensword news fanzine) with a series of strips where Albert the Mouse interviewed famous comics characters. When John asked me to write a script to reboot the Cyborg Gerbils, to help sell them as an animated series, I jumped at the chance. Although we didn’t discuss it, I took my cue from the Danger Mouse animated show, which was a mixture of bad puns and good action scenes. ‘Dare to be silly,’ I told myself, and, as you will see in the comic that has resulted all these decades later, I’ve been very silly indeed.”
Now, after all these years, John is delighted to see the project finally coming together. “I’m genuinely excited to see this new comic finally come to fruition,” he says. “There have been days along the way when it felt like it was never going to happen! I’ve also been very lucky to have Paul Duncan writing an amazing script and Ken Wilson working on the finishes, helping me bring the Gerbils back after all these years. I’ve wanted to bring the Gerbils back for quite some time. People remember them so fondly. There are 30,000 copies of the first issues out there, so somebody must remember them! The fact we have variant covers in the Kickstarter mix by Alan Davis and John Higgins shows how popular they were! I really want people to get behind the Kickstarter, as it is a comic done with love, and I hope people will appreciate the effort the team has put in.”
Volcano Comics is a Manchester-based comic house rooted in the city’s creative spirit. Inspired by Manchester’s energy, grit and culture, they champion local talent and craft bold new stories. The brainchild of John Jackson and Brian Clarke, they have previously published two marvellous annuals – Wallop and Spitfire – simply crammed with British comic talent.
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