Fan letter written to Warrior #25. Transcribed text: Dear Dez and Co., I’ve just finished reading issues 14–16 and I guess the first thing I should say is that your foreign distribution hasn’t improved, at least not around here anyway. Warrior is still not carried by my local comics shop (I’ve asked and they say that their distributor doesn’t carry it), thus I must seek it out elsewhere (which is why I end up getting several issues at once). Also, as far as timing goes, the issues seem to appear about three months after the cover date here (however that compares to UK distribution). However, you continue to produce a publication that makes these inconveniences inconsequential in comparison. I was pleased to read in issue 16 that here is the possibility of releasing reprint series of Warrior features in the American market, as this will increase your exposure (and, presumably, revenues—which do come in handy at times). However, I was interested at your phrasing: ‘... the plan is to produce both the black and white Warrior for the discerning reader, and colour comic reprints for the U.S. fans.’ Does this mean that US fans aren't discerning? (Gosh, this is one of those times I’m glad I’m not an American; I might be offended.) But seriously, I think the relative lack of success of black and white publications can also be attributed to other factors. For instance, distribution is not as good (witness your own case) and because the market is geared to the standard format, the dealers can’t or won’t display the magazines effectively. It’s sort of a case of Catch-22 critical mass: Black and white isn’t successful as a rule because it’s not the standard (i.e., because it’s not successful). I must also disagree, in part, with your contention that non-standard publications don’t ‘register’ with the ‘Fan’. Cerebus and Elfquest, both black and white with the latter even being magazine-size, have been considerable fan successes, though not in the casual-reader market (largely, again, due to lack of distribution there). The strip showing the biggest improvement in the most recent three issues has been Shandor. These stories showed his courage and commitment but, even more, they gave a good appreciation of the nature of his enemies. Too often, supernatural stories portray demons as just another variety of Bad Guy, that have magical powers, but here we saw they are indeed in a class by themselves. Their power and treachery were very well portrayed, as were the peculiar restraints under which the ‘game’ is played. And the demons play the game like all people of ill will do: They obey the letter of the law as required and enforced but try at every turn to avoid the spirit of the law. That they were just toying with Shandor was a shocking revelation, but perhaps this is just one small learning experience for him in his struggle. The best strips have continued to be Marvelman and V, about which I am momentarily bereft of suitable laudatory words. Laser Eraser and Pressbutton seem to be on a bit of a sabbatical, with only one new story in the three issues, but it was a promising one. Twilight World is a welcome addition to the regular lineup. The key aspect that I would like further developed in it is the nature of the relationship between the alien and the human. It was called a symbiotic relationship in issue 14, but the exact nature of the benefits received by each partner have not really been explained. The behind-the-scenes text pieces have been both informative and enjoyable, if perhaps a little too ‘cutesy’ at times. Weston, Ontario, Canada

Fan letter written to Warrior #25. Transcribed text: Dear Dez, I have not written before because it didn't seem to be my business to stick up for another adult, who seemed perfectly able to speak for himself. But as Warrior continues its attack, and does not print replies, which from the character of the man revealed in his letters, he must be sending, I am doing so. Not only to defend him, but more importantly, to point out that the editorial attitude shown on the letters pages, if allowed to spill over into the rest of Warrior will poison it. Because the rest of Warrior is adult and beautifully balanced, which the letters pages certainly are not. In an early issue of Warrior you printed a letter from Francis Hertzberg which pointed out that many of the facts you gave about Marvelman were not facts at all. You snubbed him by saying you preferred to rely on Mick Anglo's memory. I have recently had the chance to see some of the last Captain Marvel and first Marvelman issues, and Francis Hertzberg is quite correct, Mick Anglo's memory was wrong, and so were your 'facts'. In a more recent issue he pointed out a few coincidences between Marvelman and other publications. I took these to be a rather pleasant child-like enjoyment of discovery, but your substitute editor went for him in a most vicious way, which was totally uncalled-for. I suspect you will not use this letter, as it goes against your grain, or if you do, that you will cut it to ribbons, or alternatively print the inevitable shoals of attacks from people who have not bothered to read it but think they know what it says without doing so. I hope in that case I shall have the strength of character not to waste another two hours writing a further letter! Liverpool

Fan letter written to Warrior #18. Transcribed text: Dear Dez and friends, I don't know if I approve of the new logo, and I know I don't approve of the cover painting on Warrior 13. Oh well. The new format is not to my liking. When I first saw issue thirteen I was convinced that it was an inch smaller around the edge and at last ten pages thinner. It took a direct comparison and page count to convince me otherwise. The old cover format was much more substantial than this one; Warrior looks cheaper now. Still, I won't try to second-guess you on sales and logistics; you'll know best what to do with Warrior. If it helps sales (I've heard that beautifully rendered covers sell badly), go ahead. Whatever works. The contents are as good as ever, so I'll keep buying. A year or so ago I saw a copy of Warrior 2 at a speciality shop. There was a recognizable version of Marvelman and the word "Kimota" in a flash of light, so I figured I knew all I needed to know. "They're reviving a '50s takeoff of Captain Marvel because he was a native product. It'll be a childish nostalgia trip of no interest whatever." A few months ago I more or less by accident bought a copy of Warrior 11. I read the Marvelman story therein first, cold to the series or to Warrior. Wow, I was impressed. I went in expecting "Holy Moley, wot?" and instead I got "... Dr Emil Gargunza." Interesting how effectively horror can be evoked by a silly little mad scientist. I'm not sorry that I ignored Warrior for so long (especially since I've been able to get a complete set since then), since that allowed me to be thrust headlong into that strange, awful episode. My feelings then were much like those I felt when I read the interlude in issue four. By the way, I want to congratulate Alan Moore for his strict and rational chronology in the Marvelman series. This is what 'Marvel Time' was supposed to be, rather than just an excuse for not allowing characters to age. Marvel's become caught in a 'deficit spending' trap: the writers borrowed time by having given stories separated by months in real time be 'a few days' or 'yesterdays' apart. By now they've fallen so far behind that I wouldn't be surprised if they introduced their version of Earth-II (which was DC's explanation and which also established a promise to continuity which was never kept). Corvallis, Oregon, USA

Fan letter written to Warrior #10. Transcribed text: Dear Dez, When Warrior first hit the book shelves I wrote a hasty, ill-judged and (thankfully) unpublished letter to you in which I dared to criticise Alan Moore's scripts for Marvelman and Vendetta. Well, I have to say it—it's time to eat humble pie, and offer sincere apologies to Mr Moore. Issues five and six contained dialogue which had me tearing my hair out with envy for his imagination and talent. What a fool I was to doubt him! Just one small thing, though—very small, in fact, and I'm not even sure if Alan Moore is responsible for it or not. Keep an eye on the spelling, 'Adolph', 'Wedgewood', etc. It's just a little thing, but it jars. I was heartbroken to hear that the phenomenal Garry Leach is shortly to drop Marvelman to be replaced by Alan Davis. While the artwork in issue six was still admirable, the underlying pencilling proved a shaky foundation on which to work—it lacked something. But if this strip is changing for the worse, another is given new life: Mick Austin's interpretation of Paul Neary's Madman is tremendous. I wasn't too keen on Neary's artwork and consequently the strip didn't interest me much—but I've been converted at last. Finally, I'm glad to read the appreciative mail you're getting from America—at last we're beating them at their own game. British television managed to overtake US pap some time ago, and it's great to see this happening in the specialised field of comic strips at last. Thanks for your dedication. Mayhill, Swansea, W. Glamorgan

Fan letter written to Warrior #10. Transcribed text: Dear Dez and Co., Is there an Eagle Award for letters pages? There should be and Dispatches would win it hands down. It’s the only letters column that I find interesting enough to read a couple of times over. ML Evans's letter in Warrior 6 concerning blasphemy and Alan Moore’s intelligent defence are a fine example of why I enjoy Dispatches so much. It’s great to have the creators answering queries as opposed to the editor all the time. Hawkwell, Rochford, Essex

Fan letter written to Warrior #10. Transcribed text: Dear Dez, I wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying Warrior which I have been able to purchase since issue one from my local comics dealer. I have particularly enjoyed Marvelman and all the information on his original run. Marvelman was always a character that I had wondered about but never had any hard facts until the article in Warrior 1. I wish you good luck and you can rest assured that I will purchase every issue. Longwood, Florida, USA

Fan letter written to Warrior #9. Transcribed text: Dear Dez, So Johnny Bates is responsible for his own defeat, by speaking the name of his ex-mentor, eh! Now why didn't I think of that, I mean, it's so obvious? Probably because I'm not Alan Moore. This man puts other comic writers to shame when it comes to presenting believable characters. Take Liz Moran, for example. Last issue Marvelman tells her to run to safety and that's just what she does. This month she cowers in a corner, having just been told that her husband is dead. Had this been a Superman story, Lois Lane would probably have hammered on the villains chest while screaming: "Go ahead, kill me if that's how you get your kicks—if Superman's dead I have nothing to live for! (choke)" Liz, however, reacts as would any of us. She begins to plead for her life. Marvelman and Johnny are similarly true to life. Unlike other heroes, Mike doesn't make long-winded speeches, he's far too busy being beaten to be defiant. Bates, on the other hand, rants to good effect (such as the final panel of page 8) and this too seems perfectly natural. Artwise, Alan Davis and Garry Leach made the story look as realistic as it read. I don't think I've ever seen a hero's face in such a mess, and the thirteen year old Johnny Bates, with that gormless rubber face of his, looked suitably pathetic. The art has been so good throughout this series that I'm disappointed at Garry's decision to leave after such a short time. Alan Davis is a good artist though, and improved steadily during his stint on Captain Britain, so I look forward to watching him develop on Marvelman. I look forward to next issue when Marvelman doubles up with laughter at the sight of Mr Cream, who is probably an ex-ice cream man whose teeth were mutated by exposure to radioactive disclosing tablets, right? No? Ah well — I did say that I wasn't Alan Moore! Darlington, Co. Durham

Fan letter written to Warrior #8. Transcribed text: Dear Warrior, The Warrior Summer Special Marvelman left me utterly bewildered. I like Marvelman. I think episodes one to three were the best strips in the first three issues of Warrior. Alan Moore and Garry Leach have done for Marvelman what The Movie did for Superman. Both take an archetypal superhero, strip away all the silliness accumulated over thousands of issues and arrive at the core of the character. The essence of that character is then presented in a way that is acceptable to adults (and Time Out readers, who seem to have dirty minds!). As a long term superhero fan, I was looking forward to episode four after the superb cliff-hanger in the previous issue. So what does the Summer Special give us? 'The mightiest man in the universe versus the one man he cannot defeat!' No. Instead we see Marvelman, with an ally we've never heard of, fighting an enemy we've never heard of, in a place we've never heard of. The scene keeps changing. The artist keeps changing. We learn that Steve Dillon can't draw Marvelman as well as Garry Leach, that Paul Neary can't draw Marvelman as well as Steve Dillon and finally that Alan Davis is the best substitute for Garry we're going to get in this incomprehensible episode. Will someone tell me what's happening? This is probably the first time that the final part of a story is presented before the first one, that three artists have worked on one story and that the author has deliberately destroyed his own surprise ending. The story wasn't bad, I just want to know why. East Barnet, Herts.

Fan letter written to Warrior #3. Transcribed text: Dear Dez, As someone who has followed your exploits through Fantasy Advertiser, House of Hammer, Starburst and Marvel and who missed meeting you in October 1979 at the New York Marvel offices by one week and a fellow Yorkshireman to boot, how can I refuse writing you a letter of comment? Warrior 1 cover was nicely drawn, but hardly representative of the content, more a "grabber" I'd say, to get the casual reader. Marvelman provided a very literate introduction to an old character. By firmly planting him in Earth-D (sorry) in the 1980s, by creating an adult relationship and a little pertinence in the opening story, what could have developed as "high camp" avoided the pitfall magnificently. Steve Parkhouse's "Spiral Path" was what I would call a pot-boiler. With the forthcoming Conan film, I think this will be presented as a cover feature very soon. How does one describe John Bolton's artwork? The improvement between "Father Shandor" and "Prester John" shows that John has learned a lot about the adult black and white comics medium. As for the story, the use of medieval imagery and medieval thought (based on precedence rather than rationality) worked very well. The characterisation of Ganelon was very subtle. "Father Shandor" was readable without being worthy of continuance. To tell the truth Soloman Kane is a better example of this type of strip, simply because it takes place outside the mythical Transylvania and involves people who do other things than merely fight demons. "V for Vendetta" was a mixture of "1984" and "Judge Dredd". The theatrical imagery and puritan cum Guy Fawkes led me to believe this an England where fiction is banned, and theatres have been closed. Let me change my opening sentence, "Fahrenheit 451" seems to be another source of inspiration, so does the Shadow. I'd better stop, the strip promised a great deal. Axel Pressbutton has always struck me as macabre, unless the tone of the strip is changed to a more subtle approach, I'm afraid you're going to get "hammered". Warrior might just succeed where Near Myths failed. It's just that little bit nearer to the 2000AD market. Southgate, London N14

Fan letter written to Warrior #3. Transcribed text: Dear Dez, Congratulations on Warrior. The cover on issue one was good, Steve Dillon and Garry Leach did a fine job. Not being a Sounds reader, I'd never heard of Axel Pressbutton before, so the "He's Back!" cover line was wasted on me. Even so, he is a striking figure, and the cover was certainly representative of the magazine's content. The inside cover was also well done, but I'm left wondering whether the woman was meant to be Mysta Mystralis or not. The "Marvelman" strip was very good indeed, a great way to start the magazine. I'm very glad you've included a superhero, especially glad that it's Marvelman. Virtually my only exposure to Marvelman and family has been a few articles and a couple of Young Marvelman comics. The story sets the mood for the whole magazine, creating an air of tension which culminates in the glorious rebirth of Marvelman. With this story sandwiched between Dez's editorial and Dez's article, Marvelman is given a historical perspective and a bright future. The strip itself was very good. Alan Moore paced the story well, with one scene leading smoothly into the next and constant reference to things atomic culminating in the inevitable transformation to Marvelman. Garry Leach did a fine job of portraying Marvelman who did not look at all out of place (read: silly) in the realistically rendered environment. I hope Garry will do a full cover soon, it would be great to see Marvelman painted in colour. "The Spiral Path" : the reference to first prologue tells us that this is only the beginning of a much larger tale, and as such cannot really be commented on except for a few small things. The sound effect on page 19 looked out of place, cartoonish against the highly detailed style of art. As with all epic tales, the names seemed a bit odd at first and caused confusion about who was who, but I'm sure we'll get used to them soon. I loved the way the rain stopped as the warriors accepted the druid and followed him. I'm looking forward to the next chapter. "A True Story?" : in the editorial you said you weren't really trying to compete with anyone. Of all the stories in the magazine, this was the only one that could have been found in any other comic or magazine. It was virtually a 2000AD Tharg Future Shock. Still, Steve Moore's dialogue was snappy and it was good to see Dave Gibbons' artwork. "The Legend of Prester John" was very nice and looked like a well-researched piece, both visuals and text. The artwork was a bit murky though. "V for Vendetta" David Lloyd's artwork was only marred by a murkiness that looked like it had been part drawn in charcoal. With Alan Moore, he did a find job of portraying a future England which is different enough to make a police state seem possible, yet familiar enough to make it uncomfortable. The 'voice of fate' was a good way of getting information across without having to resort to the cliché of characters spouting explanatory dialogue at each other. Having the caped figure associated with old movies, Shakespeare, fireworks and practical jokes tells us much about the society which he opposes. The Guy Fawkes costume and the V changed from Churchill's Victory to Vendetta hark back to real history, through this time the Houses of Parliament do get blown up. "Shador, Demon Stalker" was a welcome Steve Moore/John Bolton reprint as I'm sure there are lots of people who will have missed it in House of Hammer several years back. I look forward to the continuing new stories. "Laser Eraser and Pressbutton" : the last strip brings us full circle, with your cover stars in their own strip. I don't know these two characters and their creator (Pedro Henry seems a sick man, having someone hacked with a steel pin holding his leg together). Thankfully the artwork made up for the dubious character of the author, I especially liked Steve Dillon's use of groups of three frames, just don't let that degenerate Pedro Henry corrupt the poor innocent lad. The biographies of the creators at the back of the issue were quite interesting but I look forward to your letter column. Reader reaction should prove interesting as something like Warrior hasn't been available through such outlets as WH Smiths before. The name Warrior seems to imply that your comic would be filled with barbarian-type heroes, but the diversity of content should prove enough to satisfy everyone. It's just occurred to me that this is the first magazine of its type where there hasn't been something that I've actively disliked. If you decide to run any more articles, they should be about Warrior, Quality Communications, or the characters in the magazine. Personally, I'd like to see an article about Laser Eraser and Pressbutton, and maybe Alan Moore could interview Pedro Henry (hee, hee). I eagerly await the next issue and the beginning of Paul Neary's "Madman". Catford, London SE6.