Barry Windsor-Smith Storyteller Collection Slipcase

Script and art by Barry Windsor-Smith, with inking by BWS and Alex Bialy. All material is ©Barry Windsor-Smith.

This custom archival slipcase for Barry Windsor-Smith Dark Horse series Storyteller, was proposed to readers in April 1997, between issue #6 and #7. Storyteller was an oversized 32 pages comics (12.5 x 9 inches or 32 x 23 cm) with thick cardboard cover that ran during 1996 and 1997, and was cancelled after 9 issues.

this picture is for size comparison with a regular floppy comics

All issues featured three series, The Freebooters (heroic fantasy), The Paradoxman (Sci Fi) and a Jack Kirby's funny homage Young Gods. BWS has used an ongoing page numbering associated to each story. In issue #9 Freebooters had reached 90 pages, The Paradoxman 93 pages, and Young Gods 91 pages. All these stories were really entertaining, with lots of humour in them.

The firsts 40 pages issue was launched in October 1996, with an introduction by Mike Richardson. Diana Schutz was credited as editorial liaison with BWS Studio for Dark Horse.

issue #1

Barry Windsor-Smith on issue #1 back cover

Mike Richardson foreword for issue #1

issue #2

back cover for issue #2

each story was always preceded by a newly previously in

issue #3

back cover for issue#3

issue #4

back cover for issue #4

each issue ended with a coming next month section/full credits page

cover for issue #5

back cover for issue #5

issue #6

back cover for issue #6

interior art for Young Gods (BWS coloring)

Issue #6 was the first to feature a letter column. It was there that the slipcase was first advertised for preordering (separately it seems).

Issue #7

back cover for issue #7

issue #8

stunning back cover for issue #8

interior meta-art of The Paradoxman, featuring BWS himself

final issue #9

back cover for issue #9

The size ratio topic of this unusual comics (with a cover price of $4.95), was first discussed in issue #7 (there were no letter col in issue #8). In issue #9, the correspondance has been replaced by a "word" from BWS, explaining the difficulty of his series due to poor sales. This issue published in July 1997 was not supposed to be the last. BWS statement was dated April 1997, and at that time he was confident that he will be able to push his comics the way it was up to issue #12 (hence the slipcase spine numbering), although without sticking to a monthly schedule. In fact, BWS had planned to finish his first story arcs in 14 issues. But if the comic had not been cancelled, BWS would have been forced to make concession regarding its format.

Nevertheless, in the credit page, another note from the author is less optimistic, as BWS feared that issue #10 could be the last. Eventually the plug had been sadly pulled after issue #9.