Jody: It goes without saying that you're a huge comic fan… what was your first introduction to comics?
Glenn: I remember things like the Eagle and the Beano, but I didn't buy them. My two older brothers would fight over them and then leave them lying around, so I'd look at this stuff as they were being told off by our dad. I always looked at the artwork, probably because I couldn't read at that point! I'd only be four or five. But I've always drawn stuff. I don't think a person 'learns' to draw; I think it's a gift, and that you can either do it or you can't. How well is another thing...

J: What were your favourite comics at different ages?
G: I didn't really enjoy Beano and Topper and what I would call 'cartoon' comics, though I did look at them. What made me really take notice was the Marvel invasion of the mid-60s. Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and later John Romita Snr held me in their grasp for years. Those people could really draw. Then TV Century 21 came along with Stingray, Fireball, and Thunderbirds. Suddenly I was bombarded with Frank Bellamy, Ron Embleton, and Mike Noble. Their strips were 'real', like their American counterparts. I loved that they could draw, and they could tell a story. The stuff around now seems to consist of pinup pages; no storytelling. They should be made to look at Jack Kirby's stuff to learn about how to tell a story in pictures: he was the best of them all.

J: What is it about comics that made you love them above other media?
G: When I was growing up in the '60s there wasn't much TV, certainly not the coverage there is today. TV was magical. We all watched Fireball XL5, Doctor Who, and just about anything else. We'd even watch the news, because that was all there was! We were mesmerised. I loved those Gerry Anderson shows (and still do). Then, later in the week, I could read them all in TV Comic and TV Century 21 whilst waiting for the next episode on TV. I read a lot, too: I found Philip K. Dick and Arthur C. Clarke early on, so I was introduced to 'hard' Sci-Fi way back then. Asimov, Heinlein, those people - the best.

(Right): Me with Jack Kirby - the King! (California, 1988).

J: Which comic do you own the most of?
G: Anything to do with Jack Kirby. He's the best storyteller ever; no one comes near him. I was also fortunate enough to visit him twice at his home in California. I've been lucky enough - or pushy enough - to meet a lot of my 'heroes'. A good while later I interviewed Gene Cernan, the Commander of Apollo 17 and the last man to walk on the moon. But that's another story! I also have a lot of the TV21 stuff. Frank Bellamy and Ron Embleton were really illustrators and not just 'comic artists'. Fabulous work - and painted in full colour!

(Right): In the mid 80s I, too, was caught in what became one of Britain's not-so-finest hours - a deluge of 'fan' comics appeared briefly before being consigned to – oblivion! (idiom comics ©1984 Glenn B Fleming)

J: Have you written or illustrated any comics yourself? (This includes any done at age nine, and hidden away in a drawer…)
G: I have written and drawn many comics. I have even been paid for some! The earliest I have saved is a character called 'The Black Diamond'. This dates back to when I was 14 or 15. He was basically a 'Marvel' type character, and heavily influenced (in the art) by Kirby. They're in colour, too! The last I drew professionally was - wait for it - Postman Pat! I loved working on Pat!

J: When did you decide to start Crikey! and how did you go about it? Were you concerned about starting a print magazine in the internet age, when so many magazines are struggling?
G: There were a number of people involved in the creation of Crikey!. The story is too big to cover in this article! So I'm hoping to produce a Crikey! documentary on DVD soon that will show how Crikey! came about: interviews, lots of artwork, everything. It'll be fascinating. As for the internet, that isn't a problem; Crikey! was, and still is, aimed at people aged 35 and upwards who like to actually hold a magazine in their hands. The whole point to Crikey! is nostalgia - you don't have much of that when you're ten!

J: Did you have any previous publishing or editing experience?
G: I have worked in advertising all my working career, so have been published quite a bit, and have experience editing. But I'm a writer/artist rather than an editor. Make that artist/writer! I have had two books published, and have written many others.

(Far right ): My first published book - we missed Gary Lineker writing the foreword by two days (Britespot, 2002)
(Right): The result of almost 30 years research produced this novel – (2003)

J: Tell us more about your books!
G: The first 'book' I wrote was about Stingray. And that was when I was about eight years old. I remember it being close to twenty pages in a typical school-sized homework book…not bad for an eight year old! I've written many stories over the years, and my first 'real' book was published in 2002 by the title of '10 Tens'. It's about the ten best footballers who have worn the number ten shirt in the World Cup Finals. At least, the ten I think are the best! My second book was a 'faction' novel called 'The Two Faces of Lee Harvey Oswald'. Doesn't take much to work that one out. Both are available from me at the Crikey! website… so buy them - I'll even sign them if you want! I have written many Sci-Fi books that are still looking for a publisher (hmm, I'm a publisher…) and a couple of children's books (cartoon books).
The list goes on. I should be rich, but I'm not!

(Far right): I drew this aged 15 for the cover of my character 'The Black Diamond' –pretty good hand! (Dec 1970) and (right) one of the most influential sci-fi writers ever published. Asimov's work had a profound effect on me and my writing style–he also stretched my imagination a couple of light years further on!

J: Crikey! is the great BRITISH comics magazine (which I love)… what made you decide to focus on British comics rather than including other countries?
G: We decided to make Crikey! 'The Great British Comics Magazine' because we felt that the British comics scene offered so much and had such a fantastic history. The history is a story in itself, and would be illustrated with some of the best artwork of its kind the world has ever seen. We have some wonderful art and writing out there, and a good deal of it has been forgotten, so we decided to remind everyone. I've learned so much about our history from producing this magazine.

(Far right): I created this little man in 1989. He's called 'Hatch' and he lives alone on a small planetoid, floating through space. Even though he is alone, strange things happen to him. You can follow his 'adventures' in Crikey! from now on. (Right) the one, the only–Jess the cat!

J: Two whole years of Crikey!… you've come a long way! Tell us about your experiences working on Crikey! so far. What have been the highlights, the challenges, the greatest moments of joy?
G: Two years! The magazine has changed so much, especially since I became the sole publisher. I believe it's better than it was (with respect to the previous members of the team). It definitely has moved onwards and upwards. That was my first big challenge when I took over Crikey! –could I even get the next issue out? I did that. Could I maintain its very high standards? I believe I have: sales and the letters/emails I get certainly point to that. Crikey! has changed, but very gradually. It's been a very deliberate move on my part. Crikey! is so diverse now, and I particularly like to interview people, or at least publish interviews. You see, I was always more interested in how the strips were produced rather than worrying if the hero would survive. Now I can ask those questions directly (if the guys are alive). I'm proud of the Romero interview (see Crikey! 9). I have some fantastic interviews coming up, people I wouldn't have believed I could meet all those years ago. I didn't even know if they were 'real'! If only Bellamy, Embleton and Lawrence were still with us. Now, they would have stories to tell...

(Right and bottom): Inked & pencil sketches of Rogue Trooper. I love this character and drew these samples to send into 2000AD back in 1989 in the vain hope they might take me on - even though they had some guy by the name of Cam Kennedy already working for them on the strip! Why i never sent them I can't remember...

J: Can you tell us about the process of putting together a Crikey! issue?
G: Basically, I get the text from the writers, and drop it into the master pages to get the feel of how much room I have. I rarely ask the author to cut the text. Next, I get all the available artwork and scan it (unless it's provided). Then I work out any montages, cut-outs and stuff, and drop them in. It's mostly instinctive. For example, when I was harangued into doing this interview (!), I knew that if the large illustration of Hatch was to go in, he would have to fill the page. I try to use spectacular and visually appealing illustrations to put in the article. After all, comics are a visual medium, so I try and put in as much artwork as I can. Having said that, I try to keep all articles under six pages. The 'Wright & Day' article in Crikey! 11 has such beautiful artwork, I simply had to give it eight pages. It's great being the editor! But, phew! - it 's not easy. I've had to cut back my writing since taking over; there's so much to do. And so, what did I recently decide to do? Just about doubled Crikey! in size, and go back to a bi-monthly schedule! I love it. My right-hand man, Tony Ingram, is a good friend, a great writer, and knows more about comics than I do, so he's an integral part of the Crikey! machine. Tony has never let me down.

(Right): In the early 90s I also co-wrote and designed a magazine about a little known, short-lived television soap...and (Far right) the one, the only–TV Century 21! (issue 1, january 1965)

J: Working on Crikey! must have put you in touch with many of your comic creator heroes… whom were you most excited to meet?
G: Romero. His artwork is some of the best I've ever seen. He draws the most beautiful women. I didn't meet with Romero to do the interview, but hope to go and see him out in Barcelona sometime soon. He's invited me over, and I'm working out the trip. My Spanish is not good enough to conduct an interview, and neither is his English, so a friend of mine who lives in Spain is coming to act as interpreter. It'll take some planning, but I'll get there. Then that will be another interview for either the magazine or the DVD - probably both. And Dave Gibbons did 'My Comicy Saturday' in Crikey! 4, which was a bonus, although we didn't actually 'interview' him. Just to have him on board is great, and hopefully there will be more to follow.
I'm also in touch with Pat Mills of 2000AD/Judge Dredd fame. He even emails me! I didn't realise, years ago, that I'd have a 'conversation' with the creator of so many great British strips. But then, how could I? Pat created 2000AD and Charley's War amongst others - great pieces of British comic history. It's a privilege to 'speak' with him. And he's agreed for me to interview him, so look out for that in the near future.

J: Whom do you still hope to meet?
G: Mike Noble. His work enthralled me when I was ten, when he drew Fireball XL5, and then later, his depiction of Zero-X and Captain Scarlet gave me goose bumps. It still does! I'm hoping to see him in the next few months and Tony and I hope to meet with some DC Thomson people for an interview up in Dundee. Now that will be interesting!

J: What do you think the future of comics is, in the electronic/video age? Or is it better than ever, given how many comics are now made into films?
G: I think it depends on the sales. The talent is out there, so if the companies use it, then comics will live on. I hope so. Don't forget, we humans are very tactile creatures - you can't smell a computer like you can smell the print in a book or magazine or comic. People like to do that. I believe there's a place for pretty much anything in the world, as long as it's good, and comics are good. In terms of comics being made into films, it bothers me that they change them so much. That's why Watchmen was so good. It was like reading the graphic novel.

J: Could you ever see a comic going as huge as, say, the Harry Potter novels?
G: I couldn't see a comic going that big because people latch onto the word 'comic' and assume they're all like the Beano. I'm always trying to get people to take a look at Watchmen and The Dark Knight, but they think they'll find Korky the Kat somewhere in there.

J: What comic would you line up round the street for?
G: I'd line up to take a look at the original art of Superman 1 - does that count?

J: What's your vision/wish for the future of Crikey!?
G: For Crikey! to grow and grow. To sell more so that I can publish different magazines. People want Crikey! and as long as they do and as long as I am able - I'll give it to them!

J: Thank you very much!