Starts Today! Strawjack in "Figggerty's Gallop"

Grab yourself a pot of ale. I have tellings to share. And while you're at it, hide your gold and burn your maps! The smuggler king is among us once again and he's hungry for devilment...

Strawjack! That's the lad. As the 19th century dawns and the Act of Union creates a United Kingdom, another sort of commonwealth plants deep roots in the bubbling mire of Romney Marsh. A man of many names, Strawjack controls an army of smugglers that run King George's men ragged, plying their crooked trade between here and France. Is it Frog brandy you desire? Silks from the faraway east? Stinky cheese from the high lowlands? The latest wonky hat from Florence? Forbidden books from never-you-mind? Jack's your man! Duty-free!

The forces of the law have moved against the Marsh. Some of them have even lived to tell the tale. As England dreams of empire, the strings of power pulled by the men with the money, such a rogue realm as Jack's cannot be tolerated.

Berfore we forget: our man's a bit of a scientist as well. He consorts with tinkers and tinkerers, magic-shouters and conjuragos. He has constructed a ship that swims beneath the waters and is right on the brink of making another that will FLY!

He approaches his researches with the thirst and recklessness of the pint-killer that he is. Of course he makes mistakes. Who among us has not unearthed an ancient star from deep beneath the swamp and by its power accidentally set loose a legion of long-dead Romans? Who can honestly say they have not excited the ire of a mad genius, long-resident in the Bedlam, who swears vengeance over the loss of his marbles? And we've all sensed that crack in the Real that slyly winks at us of a hungover morning between one pint and the next.

Which reminds me. Me tankard's empty. Whose shout is it?

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We will be publishing Strawjack: Figgerty's Gallop here weekly, the first few episodes free, then only available to paid subscribers. Stay tuned to subscriber details!

"Like many of you I enjoyed the heck out of Keith's first Strawjack yarn," says writer Stephen Walsh, who provided the introduction of the all-new story, "Figgerty's Gallop" above. "For my money, there's nobody to touch him for artfully unleashing a very British kind of madness on the comics page. We've worked together quite a bit at this stage and I make no bones about the fact that the plotting of the stories has often turned upon my desire to see the world as only Keith can draw it.

"We've had Victorian space stations, miniature squadrons of Mosquitos flying through the sewers of London and a motorcar race against aliens in which the future of Earth is at stake (again!). So you can imagine my feelings when he dropped me a line and asked if I'd like to have a crack at the script of the second Strawjack story.

"The character, as conceived by Keith, is the perfect vehicle for many of the things that interest him: history, gadgets and richly comic characters that evoke the great weird spirit of long-gone popular culture. I had a fine time spinning this new tall tale and coming up with fresh insanities for Strawjack to navigate, and for Keith to draw. His work creates a wonderful delirium that makes one wish more comics were like this. Jump in and you'll see what I mean."

Strawjack: The Terror of Romney Marsh

Available now in print and digitally, the first Strawjack story,  Strawjack: The Terror of Romney Marsh was written and illustrated by Keith Page, lettered by Robin Jones and edited by John Freeman, with invaluable support from David Hailwood and a smashing series logo created by Jim Campbell.

Strawjack: The Terror of Romney Marsh is the creation of Keith Page. Inspired by the great British comics artists of the past such as Frank Hampson, Don Lawrence and Joe Colquhoun, he’s worked full-time in comics and illustration for almost 30 years. Subjects have ranged from television-related material such as Thunderbirds, science fiction, and war stories of all periods for Commando.

Keith is also the creator of several The Adventures of Charlotte Corday projects, some available online as well as those previously released in print. His published works also include The Casebook of Bryant and May: The Soho Devil, written by Christopher Fowler, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, written with Stephen Walsh, the story of comedian Tony Hancock, published by B7 Comics.

• Strawjack – The Terror of Romney Marsh is available now from Crucible Comic Press, from AmazonUK, in print and as a digital edition | Paperback: ‎44 pages | ISBN-13 9798531575012| Also available from Amazon.com

• Find out more about The Adventures of Charlotte Corday | Read the stories for free on Tapas

• You can find out about other Crucible Comic Press titles here on downthetubes

Declaration: Crucible Comic Press is owned by John Freeman, editor and publisher of downthetubes | Strawjack is © 2026 Keith Page