downthetubes.net news blog

SelfMadeHero talks adaptations at the Institut Francais

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:38:00 +0000

A panel from SelfMadeHero's The Man Who Laughs - art by Mark Stafford

The world of adaption is the focus of a SelfMadeHero panel discussion at this year’s BD & Comics Passion event at the Institut Français, London on 2nd June.

What are the difficulties involved with turning a classic book into a graphic novel? Three top writers and artists reveal magical process they adopt towards a trio of very different stories.

Artist Mark Stafford tackles Victor Hugo’s The Man Who Laughs, a satirical tale of 18th century Britain that also inspired the creation of The Joker; INJ Culbard takes on the challenge of H.P Lovecraft’s gothic tales including his latest volume, The Shadow Out of Time, and writer David Zane Mairowitz explores the Kaftaesque world with adaptations of The Trial and soon-to-be-released The Castle. The event is chaired by Resonance FM’s graphic novel expert, Alex Fitch.

SelfMadeHero has championed many graphic novel creators in the French language. These include David B (Black Paths, Best of Enemies), Margaux Motin (But I Really Wanted To be An Anthropologist), Jérémie Dres (We Won’t See Auschwitz) and Frederik Peeters (Pachyderme, Sandcastle and the recently acquired Aâma series). Full details can be found at: www.selfmadehero.com

• From Classic to Graphic panel discussion - Sunday 2nd June Time: 3.30-4.30pm. The BD & Comics Passion runs 30 May – 2 June at Institut Français, London. Full details: www.bdandcomicspassion.co.uk

British Comic Sales Figures page moved, Creating Comics blog launched

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:40:00 +0000

As regular readers know the main downthetubes web site is currently down due to excessive data charges. I'm in the process of securing a new ISP and we've had a very kind offer from a UK publisher to host the site which will enable us to get back up and running at some point in the next couple of months.

In the mean time, I'm finding alternate homes for some of the features I know get a lot of visits from comics fans.

A very special thank you to those of you who responded to our hopefully temporary crisis by sending donations, which will help fund the current costs of the site - the forum and other services used to promote the site via social media. I was very touched.

My Current British Comic Sales Figures is now on GoogleDrive. I hope you find this useful, although it is always depressing to read compared against these figures for 1960s and 1970s Comic Sales.

I often get asked questions about the state of the British comics industry, and I've moved my very general and opinionated piece to a page on this blog. If you're a journalist looking for more information on our energized but, it would seem to the outsider, embattled industry as it competes for the pounds in teenagers wallets, I hope this remains a useful resource.

My resources for colleges and course teaching comics in the UK is also a page on this blog: Learning the Comics Art

My guide to writing comics is slowly being moved to a standalone blog: Creating Comics: http://creating-comics.blogspot.co.uk. Be warned, I'm not expecting to update this very often - there are a lot of other great, although US-oriented comic creation bogs and websites out there which are much more active, including Tim van de Vall's impressive site.

If you're interested in the new comic strip, Crucible, which I'm co-creating with Smuzz for STRIP: The Adventure Comic Magazine, there's a behind the scenes blog here and some additional stories from the world of Crucible at http://crucible-comic.blogspot.co.uk

Discussion of British comics and creating comics continues on the downthetubes forum: new members welcome!

Thunder Brother: Soap Division Issue 5 is go, Go GO!

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:00:00 +0000

The fifth issue of Paul Rainey's Thunder Brother: Soap Division is available to order from his online shop now. Just like the previous four issues, copies of which are still available to buy, it features a complete Thunder Brother: Soap Division episode, "Mind Your Language", plus rare and previously unseen comics...

Too hot for Shakespeare! "XXIII", Paul's comic strip interpretation of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 23.

Each issue of Thunder Brother: Soap Division is 24 pages long, is full colour throughout and costs only £3! (Price includes free P&P to the UK.) Please click the Paypal button below or contact me for alternative methods of payment. International customers, please visit my online shop.

Immediate Media readies new girls title, Blossom

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Immediate Media Co, publishers of several BBC-related comics and magazines, has announced the launch of Blossom magazine, a new girls title, packed with educational content, aimed at 4 to 6 year-olds.

On the newsstands from 29th May this four-weekly title, produced by Immediate’s award-winning youth and children’s editorial team, combines popular girls’ TV, book and toy brands with all seven areas of the Early Years Curriculum.

Tailor-made for the way girls learn, Blossom magazine will be pretty pastel in design and packed with things to make, art pages, challenging puzzles, and interactive stickers to be used in a special sticker section. Featuring its own four girl characters that will guide readers through the magazine, Blossom will show girls how to shine at different activities such as ballet, learning French, playing soccer and bug spotting! The magazine will also look at different jobs that young girls may aspire to.

Every month Blossom will carry an exclusive, high quality cover-mount designed to appeal to young girls. The launch issue comes with a design your own flip-flops kit and features popular book, toy and TV characters: Poppy Cat, Chloe's Closet, Ella Bella Ballerina, Little Princess, Emily Button and Tickety-Toc.

Pauline Cooke, Publisher of Immediate Media’s Pre-school titles, said: “Producing this exciting new title has been great fun. Each issue will give young readers the opportunity to explore their favourite books, TV programmes and toys whilst reinforcing what they’re learning at school. We’re looking forward to working with even more licencees and great brands to develop fantastic content to inspire little girls.”

Andrea Turton, Editor of Blossom magazine, adds: “Blossom provides pre-school girls with age-appropriate content that they understand, plus the sparkly cover-mount they love. Capturing little girls’ love for imaginative play, the title will keep readers busy and thoroughly entertained whilst pleasing parents by being an excellent learning resource.”

Blossom magazine will be priced at £2.75 and will be available at all major retailers and independents around the UK from 29 May.

Be Pure, Be Vigilant... Be the first to get some great signed Nemesis prints from 2000AD

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:30:00 +0000

2000AD has announced that copies of the special ‘Termight’ edition of the forthcoming colour Nemesis the Warlock book will include two exclusive art prints signed by creators Pat Mills and Kevin O’Neill.

The hardback, with its two editions, is the first ever collection of the extremely rare Eagle Comics editions from the 1980s, with Kevin O’Neill (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) colouring and adapting his original artwork.

The standard ‘Deviant’ edition, without art prints, is now available for pre-order and will be available through book and comic stores in September. Both editions include the hard-to-find ‘Nemesis Poster Prog’ story 'The Tomb of Torquemada'.

However, the ‘Termight’ edition is available only through the 2000AD online shop. Each copy will be individually numbered, carry a marker ribbon, have a different cover and dust jacket, and is strictly limited to only 200 copies, with many of those already reserved on pre-orders.

One of 2000AD’s most successful and famous characters by two of its greatest creators - and black-and-white bestsellers for decades - this colour limited-edition collection of the original Nemesis stories is an absolute must for new and old fans alike.

VS Comics #3 preview now online

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:45:00 +0000

Mike Garley, TV and film’s James Moran edit a monthly digital comic called VS Comics, an all-genre, creator-owned, monthly digital comic.

The team currently have a 1p preview issue on sale (vscomics.bigcartel.com) which features a bunch of cool comics including Eponymous, which Mike wrote (art by Martin Simmonds and letters by Mike Stock).

In Eponymous #3 Gridlock, a terrorist cell takes a hostage in a busy London Underground and refuse to talk to anyone except Casey forcing the police to leave this potentially volatile situation to her!

"This action packed issue is a great jumping on point (not that one’s needed just yet)," says Mike, "as we start to get down to business and focus on the characters that make up the world of Eponymous.

VS Comics #3 also includes Day and Night, Swan Song and Ghost Club, which are all worth checking out. Other creators featured are Paul Alexander, Nadine Ashworth, Luke Butland, Ned Hartley, Rebecca Morse, Barry Spiers, Nicolas Vial and Patrick Walsh.

Paying for the preview is simple via Paypal. Tthe only reason they’re taking a payment for the preview issue is that bigcartel requires a minimum payment of 1p.Or, for a measly £2, you could simply bite the bullet and buy the whole comic, available as a downloadable PDF for only £2 here.

• For more information on VS Comics go to VSComics.co.uk

Bristol Comic Expo 2013: A Creator's View

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Peter Rogers offers his 'creators view' of last weekend's Bristol Comic Expo, which we're hearing many good things about, marking a return to form for Britain's longest-running comics event...

They say you always remember your first love, and when it comes to Comic Conventions for me, that means Bristol. Back in 2002 it was the first convention I ever went to, and at the time the UK Comic Festival was the only major event in Britain.

Some big moments have happened for me in Bristol, in '04 I won the Writer's Pitching Session, in '06 the concept of Orang Utan Comics was born and in '08 our collective of creators attended the Eagle Awards as expectant, but ultimately disappointed nominees. So it seemed the perfect place for my new imprint Dapper Chimp Press to launch our first book Chris Smith and the Nazi Zombies from Hell.

From an exhibitor's perspective, being back in Brunel's Old Passenger Shed by Bristol's railway station made a big difference. The room is brighter, airier and far more welcoming than being in a hotel. Our stand was at the far end of the hall, opposite the food stall and next to Sgt Mike Battle and my old friends from Orang Utan Comics.

Saturday started very well, with a good number of people in attendance from the minute the doors opened. But one thing was really noticeable: this was a different crowd, not the same faces you've seen at conventions up and down the country for years. All these new people and fresh blood helped make the atmosphere across the weekend extremely buoyant. There wasn't even a hint of cynicism, and with so many creators and fans in one place that's quite an achievement.

Not only were people smiling, they were extremely engaged and I've never had so many conversations from one side of the table to the other. People who said they'd come back and buy a copy did just that, and those who decided the book wasn't for them still found time to ask about the process and to wish us luck. A younger crowd also meant more cosplay, from superhero and anime characters to genre movie staples, we even managed a Nazi Zombie of our own.

Saturday evening in comparison was a bit of a damp squib,. As night outs go it was good fun but it missed that sparkle of comic convention magic. There was talk of a cosplay event somewhere, but there didn't seem to be an aftershow epicenter. The official hotel, newly refurbished and now known as the Doubletree by Hilton, wasn't busy until after the nearby Wetherspoons closed. At £5.10 a pint it's not hard to see why, especially with no organised entertainment on site. It had me longing for the days of Scandanavian Ska Punk bands and Dez Skinn not realizing Matt Smith from 2000AD was in attendance.

Sunday was relatively quiet, with far less eye contact and minimal conversation from the passers by, meaning sales were relegated to much more of a trickle. My hangover was actually quite grateful for the respite. The only real negative I can level at the convention was the decision to have the cosplay parade and button mashing contests right in front of the gents' toilets. I'm pretty sure this Kessel Run of lavatorial journeys wouldn't have made it through even a half-baked attempt at a risk assessment.

In 2013 Thought Bubble in Leeds and the collective might of the growing number of London conventions, seem to have the biggest draw for creators and publishers. Ian Gibson and David Lloyd were among the most luminary names at Bristol this year, and having Vertigo Executive Editor Shelly Bond presenting a panel and reviewing portfolios did elevate proceedings somewhat.

So, is a Bristol without such stalwarts as Hypotheticals or Bob Wayne's flamboyant shirts still a viable proposition? I definitely think so. This year's Bristol Comic Expo struck me as a totally honest one, proud of its new position as a regional show, complete with a newer, younger and no less enthusiastic crowd. I'm already looking forward to 2014 and rekindling my love of Bristol once more.

• For latest news on nest year's Expo bookmark www.bristolexpo.co.uk or follow them on Facebook

• Multi award winning advertising creative Peter Rogers - http://peter-rogers.com - came to comics via a series of screenwriting courses at Raindance in London.

He burst onto the scene in 2004, winning the Writer’s Pitching Session at the Bristol Comic Expo. In 2007 he co-founded Orang Utan Comics, publishing anthology title Eleventh Hour featuring his own short stories alongside the work of other rising talent. A year later the book was nominated for an Eagle Award.

In the years that followed he’s had a wide variety of work published about a variety of subjects including soldiers, vampires, vikings, superheroes, footballers and demon hunters. A qualified teacher he also lectures and runs workshops on writing for comics.

Currently working on a number of mini series proposals to be pitched to publishers later this year. He lives in Cardiff with his wife and daughter.

More Expo Reports

• Rai at Blargle Fargle
"It was my first real con and a little bit overwhelming if I'm honest - a fairly small room with lots of people in it, though I did enjoy the cosplays dotted about..."

• Comic Bits Online

• PCG
"Speaking to various indie press guys and gals it also seemed that while they were enjoying the good natured socialising that accompanies every Bristol Comic Expo, their success rate at selling the fruits of their hard work was down a little on previous years, though those regular attendees with brand spanking new works on sale - Ronin Dogs creator Mark Pearce for one - reported that business had been good."

• The Adventures of ZIP
- Day One Report - Day 2

Photographs

• Tumblr Tag

• Dizzy Dee's Expo 2013 Pics (Facebook album)

• Star Wars Fun (Facebook Link)

New Venue and More TIckets for Jaime Hernandez Comica Conversation

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:15:00 +0000

We knew Jaime Hernandez was popular, the celebrated co-creator of Love & Rockets and author of some of the greatest graphic novels ever, but the response to his exclusive speaking engagement in London at the end of this month has been phenomenal.

Due to massive demand for tickets which have almost sold out already on WeGotTickets, Comica have moved Jaime Hernandez's Comica Conversation with Woodrow Phoenix to a bigger venue, the fantastic Ciné Lumière Cinema at the Institut Francais.

This lets the team offer a further batch of tickets through their own Box Office - here is the booking link - or ring the box office on 020 7871 3515 - these will also be snapped up fast!

New venue address: Institut Français, 17 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2DTNearest tube station: South Kensington on the Piccadilly, Circle & District lines
New Earlier Start Time: 6.00pm to start 6.30pm SHARP on Thursday May 30th! Runs till 8pm, followed by signing.

"We're thrilled that this extra-special Comica Conversation is being hosted by the third BD & Comics Passion Festival," says Paul Gravett.

• Full details on the Comica Festival website: www.comicafestival.com

Dez Skinn reveals the origins of Vulcan (the comic, not the Star Trek planet)

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:30:00 +0000

Longtime British comics fan and indie publisher David McDonald, whose projects under his Hibernia Comics imprint include One Eyed Jack and the Death of Valiant and a fab Doomlord strip collection, writes to tell us he is busy working on his next Comic Archive title, provisionally titled Beyond 2000.

In the process, he's gathered a motley assemblage of interesting material, some of it he's unable to find space for in the final Archive - so is instead running items of note on his blog and Facebook page, starting with this fascinating piece about the 1970s Vulcan comic, which he's kindly given us permission to publish on downthetubes.

Vulcan was a weekly comic published by IPC from 1975 to 1976, reprinting strips such as Mytek the Mighty, Trigan Empire and Steel Claw from other IPC titles. Unusually, the comic was originally published only in Scotland, but switched to nationwide publication after 30 issues, lasting for 28 more issues before merging into Valiant.

Bizarrely, longtime editor Dez Skinn, who was working at IPC when Vulcan was published, tells David Vulcan wasn't really an IPC product.

"In his spare time [Valiant editor] Sid Bicknell put it together editorially for Europe, with Jan Shepherd as art editor.

"It came about because Syndication International was making an absolute fortune for IPC by selling Fleetway strips abroad," Dez reveals, "even though their success was foolishly never costed into the viability of titles. So some bright spark had the idea of selling an entire comic to foreign publishers, instead of individual strips. The big gimmick being the low cost price to each because they'd all be printed at the same time (in Italy, I think).

"So it was an early co-production for various countries (hence all the words, including the cover masthead were in black, so the fifth (language) plate could be changed easily when printing all at the same time for different languages without need to change any of the colour plates. They'd print off from the full four colour plates for everybody including a black artwork plate, giving it a print run beyond a million, then overprint different languages from a second black plate, a different one for each individual territory.

"This way, you could have a full colour comic, even in a territory which could only support a print run of only 25,000 or so. (Very cost effective).

"Because it was so cheap (and nasty, on horrible flimsy paper which usually fell apart at newsagents), it was an easy job to run-on copies in English for the UK with a ridiculously low breakeven, provided it sold well enough abroad to keep going. I seem to remember the German edition, Kondor, proved very popular.

"But it wasn't liked in-house, not being a "proper" comic, with no full time staff or any origination, and on that awful cheap paper! Everybody felt it undermined their work, being a cheap little reprint, the thin end of the wedge, and Sid and Jan weren't very popular for agreeing to do it.

... so now you know!"

• Keep track of Hibernia Comics releases at http://hiberniabook.blogspot.co.uk

• Visit Dez's excellent site dezskinn.com for the lowdown on all his titles

Brighton Festival offers graphic novel events with Woodrow Phoenix, Laydeez Do Comics

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:45:00 +0000

Yes, yes, we know it's short notice. (We probably did get an email. Have you seen my inbox?)

There are two comic-related two Brighton Festival graphic events this week on Wednesday evening, at the Brighton Dome Studio Theatre, put on in association with Myriad Editions.

When is a graphic novel not a comic? When it's a... starts at 8.00pm and features Nye Wright (Things to Do in a Retirement Home Trailer Park; Sprout's Book Club), Hannah Berry (Britten & Brulightly; Adamtine), and Woodrow Phoenix (Rumble Strip; Nelson) - plus special guest, Woodrow's giant book, She Lives. The debate will be curated by Tim Pilcher (mentor of the comic ALT-Brighton).

A panel debate at the Brighton Festival exploring the dimensions of narrative art.

"The graphic novel as a literary form is really coming into its own at the moment, and we're very lucky that we have one of the best graphic novel publishers here in Brighton – Myriad – so we're putting on an event with them that I'm very excited about" says Mathew Clayton, Literary Programmer, Brighton Festival.

Woodrow Phoenix produced a giant comic for his MA at Brighton University, exploring – literally – the dimensions of what a comic is. Co-winner of Best Book in the British Comics Awards, he and fellow graphic novelists Nye Wright and Hannah Berry debate the different ways of creating narratives: whether pen and paper, ceramics, embroidery or sculpture. Art schools are now hot-beds of new cartoonists, and the traditional US comic is giving way to a more modern, domestic graphic memoir. How did this sea-change come about? What makes a comic, when does it become a graphic novel, is it all just marketing? A panel debate at the Brighton Festival, chaired by comics guru Tim Pilcher and in association with Myriad Editions.

• Tickets: £10 More info here: http://www.myriadeditions.com/events?item=294&itemoffset=3#.UY-urqV8sy8

• Visit the Brighton Festival website to book tickets

Laydeez Do Comics at Brighton Festival starts at 9.00pm - or as soon as they can start. This is a free event in the Studio Bar, in association with Myriad Editions, and featuring the artists, authors and organisers of Laydeez Do Comics, Nicola Streeten and Sarah Lightman, with guests: illustrator and manga artist Chie Kutsuwada and artist curator Kim Pace.

Taking place after the panel event in the Studio Theatre, the audience is invited to join the legendary Laydeez Do Comics, the UK’s first women led graphic novel forum – get along and have your eyes opened to some of the amazing work going on in the comics world.
Laydeez Do Comics regularly attracts more than 100 guests at its monthly meetings in London, and groups have now set up in Chicago, San Francisco, Bristol and Leeds with pop-ups in New York - and now, for the very first time, Brighton!

Nicola Streeten's first graphic book, Billy, Me & You, was published by Myriad in October 2011. It first appeared in serialised form in Liquorice Magazine.
Sarah Lightman's first graphic book The Book of Sarah will be published by Myriad Editions in 2015.
More info here: www.myriadeditions.com/events?offset=0&item=319&itemoffset=4#.UY-uzqV8sy8

• For full event details, visit the Brighton Festival website

Prisoners of Time: An Interview with artist Gary Erskine

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:00:00 +0000

IDW's yearlong celebration of Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary Prisoners of Time features the work of many British creators, with Phillip Bond providing art on Issue 5, on sale soon. Issue 4, the Fourth Doctor issue, was drawn by Gary Erskine, with assist from Mike Collins.

Put on your scarves and munch on some jelly babies, as we talk to Gary about his work on the fan-favourite Fourth Doctor...

downthetubes: Prisoners of Time is, I believe, the first time you have drawn an official Doctor Who strip - although you were commissioned to draw some illustrations of the Fourth Doctor for Doctor Who Magazine some 20 years ago. Is he your favourite Doctor?

Gary Erskine: Technically my first Doctor was Jon Pertwee with [Sarah Jane Smith] and Planet of the Spiders but my first vivid memory was the end of that particular episode and his regeneration into Tom Baker. He made for an astounding debut and was crazy as Hell. Leela proved a very memorable companion too and their episodes remain my favourite part of childhood television.

downthetubes: Can you tell us which companions feature in the story?

Gary: My episode of Prisoners of Time features Leela [in her classic leather outfit] She was always a favourite companion and I was fortunate to meet Louise Jameson in Edinburgh around the early 1980s when she was filming The Omega Factor at Edinburgh Zoo. I was twelve years old at the time and on a school trip and she was very sweet. I had such a crush on her too and could barely speak.

downthetubes: How do you approach the thorny issue of 'capturing likeness' - always an issue with licensed series based on real actors?

Gary: I have worked on a number of comic book licenses before and the likeness capture always proves a tricky area. The main area we had to concentrate on was the balance between Tom Baker's quirky and individual appearance and the delicate beauty of Louise Jameson. Not always an easy task and there was a lot of BBC approval edits and changes over the course of producing the book. It goes with the territory of working with licenses and actor/agent approval but we were very pleased with the end result.

downthetubes: Were there any particular aspect to working on this story that proved a particular challenge (and why?)

Gary: Not really. I love Doctor Who and any opportunity to work with the characters was welcome. The Judoon make an appearance and they have proved a new favourite alien species for the series. Leela's interaction with them is particularly memorable but saying anything more would be a spoiler.

downthetubes: you've also drawn another great British SF hero, Dan Dare - are there any other British heroes you'd like to tackle given the chance?

Gary: I remember an old Sydney Jordan story called Lance MacLane which was serialised daily in the Daily Record in Scotland for years in the late 1970s to 80s. It followed on from his work on Jeff Hawke and had a European sci-fi vibe to it and I really enjoyed following it. Several artists worked on the series and would change almost daily but the stories were fun and entertaining. I would probably wish to reboot that character somehow if the opportunity arose.

downthetubes: Why do you think Doctor Who has proven such an enduring success over the past 50 years - in print as well as on TV?

Gary: Doctor Who works because it is good wholesome sci-fi with clever story-telling featuring likeable characters. It is a combination that has proved (nearly) timeless.

Everyone seems to have an affection for a particular Doctor but very much like James Bond, the overall legacy remains strong and the audience will always be there for the show (in whatever form it takes). I look forward to more.

dowthetubes: Would you like to draw a longer Doctor Who series, given chance, and which minsters would you like to feature?

Gary: Sylvester McCoy's portrayal of the Doctor always intrigued me and Ace proved herself to be a feisty companion. I would hope to work with them at some point but a longer return to Tom Baker (with either or both Leela and Sarah Jane Smith) would be a sweet opportunity. I might pester my editor Denton Tipton and the writers Scott and David Tipton later this year and see what we can come up with?

I have a wee idea of a story that could work quite well. I can say no more at the moment.

downthetubes: You have your own 'franchise' you're working on right now, The Roller Grrrls - can you tell us what that's about and your plans?

The Roller Grrrls project is something my colleague Anna Malady and I have been working on for over 18 months now by building up an audience and trust with the roller derby community to create an on-going serial featuring the girls in a local league.

Part soap opera, part sporting comic, Roller Grrrls actually references an earlier comic legacy of British comics such as Tiger, Champion, Action and other boys comics where sporting scenarios and characters were the popular focus, which featured football stories and strips like Roy of the Rovers, Hot Shot Hamish and Billy's Boots. Elsewhere there was Formula 1, wrestling, boxing, speedway and many other sporting stories. Even Action and 2000AD gave a nod to the reading audience's interest in sport with the Harlem Heroes, Speedball and Inferno stories.

Girls comics too would feature sporting activities like hockey or netball and we are hopefully echoing that previous trend and pushing it to a new audience [both comic and roller derby fans] with Roller Grrrls. Granted, some of the themes we will be tackling involve more mature themes but the spirit of the earlier comics is still there.

I am also working up Incendiary.US which is an apocalyptic road movie (The Driving Dead?) and a horror western called Zachariah Gunn: Dakota, with colleague Dominic Regan, which references Once Upon A Time In The West and Hellboy. Both are to follow later this year after the Roller Grrrls launch in July. Stay tuned and follow them all on Facebook!

downthetubes: Above anything else, what one piece of advice would you offer aspiring comic artists?

Gary: Work hard.

• Gary Erskine's official web site is at: http://garyerskine.blogspot.co.uk/

• Print editions of the IDW Doctor Who titles are not officially on sale in the UK but you can purchase the digital editions

• Buy Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time #4 for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch

Image Duplicator exhibition opens this week at Orbital Comics

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:24:00 +0000

Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein currently has a show on at the Tate Modern. While the public is
intimately familiar with his work, what they may be unaware of is that many of his images were directly “appropriated” from comic artists like Irv Novick, Russ Heath, Jack Kirby, John Romita and Joe Kubert, who received no fee or credit.

Is this an act of brilliant recontexturalisation? The elevation of commercial “low” art to “high” art? Art world snobbery? Artistic licence? Gallery shortsightedness? Cultural annexation? Or something else entirely?

Image Duplicator, a new show at Orbital Comics in London which opens later this week, brings together real comic-book artists and other “commercial artists” – illustrators, designers, cartoonists – to ask these kinds of questions and share their views, via their work.

Each artist was asked to “re-reappropriate” one of the comic images Lichtenstein used: to go back to the source material and twist it into something interesting and original, and in the process to comment on the act of appropriation.

Money raised from selling prints and originals will be donated to the Hero Initiative, which helps down-on-their-luck comic book veterans: www.heroinitiative.org.

Take Back the Art!

“I’ve spoken out in the past about my dislike, on both aesthetic and ethical grounds, of the “appropriation” of comic strip images by 'pop art', says Dave Gibbons. "The feeling amongst the comics community is pretty much unanimous: we feel patronised, and we feel that several of our revered elders have been, frankly, robbed.

“To us, their creativity and skilled labour has been discounted by considering their work as being merely, in the jargon of the art world, “found”, and they have received no credit or recompense for what amounts to celebrated and expensive copies of their creations.

“The current exhibition of such images at the Tate Modern in London has prompted a new
consideration of these matters, and I was invited to speak on a recent TV show about my views.

”However, it was Rian Hughes, another vociferous critic of the art establishment’s attitude who came up with the brilliant idea of our comic community using its own medium to make the point. Under the title Image Duplicator, the response has been very heartening and we are staging an exhibition of several dozen images in the gallery space at Orbital Comics.

“Naturally, I’m very pleased to support this project and have created an image for exhibition and subsequent auction sale. (Artwork above).

"Entitled “WHAAT?”, it’s framed in diptych format, measuring 41" x 94", and is my very own “re-reappropriation” of an image originally created by Irv Novick.

“Whilst he and nearly all of the artists mistreated in the past are no longer with us to benefit, all profits from the Image Duplicator venture will, appropriately, be donated to the Hero Initiative.

"This is a US-based charity which exists to help living comic artists and their families who find themselves in financial difficulty due to age or ill-health.

“So, not only will IMAGE DUPLICATOR make a cultural statement on behalf of the medium which we love but will also have a positive and practical benefit for those in our community who have given of their creativity for often poor rewards.”

Prints of WHAAT? will be available as a signed and numbered edition up to 16th May. Dave Gibbons will also be signing copies at the IMAGE DUPLICATOR launch night at Orbital Comics. After this date, the print is still available in an unsigned, unnumbered edition, but the numbered and signed version will be no longer available.

All prints will be shipped and dispatched week commencing 20th May. For print sales and enquires, please email blam@print-process.com

• Image Duplicator: 16 to 31 May 2013, Orbital Comics Gallery, 8 Great Newport Street, London WC2H 7JA

Opening night: 16 May 7.30 - 9.30pm
Tel: 0207 240 0591
Web: www.orbitalcomics.com
Image: Dave Gibbons after Irv Novick
Curated by Rian Hughes and Jason Atomic

Digital prints kindly provided by Mark Blamire at www.print-process.com

Prints of the images areavailable for purchase: http://tinyurl.com/ckxtjwf

For catalogue enquiries, please email infoATdevicefonts.co.uk

2000AD partners witb Plastic Head for new t-shirt, tote-bag range

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Mon, 13 May 2013 07:10:00 +0000

With summer fast approaching now is the perfect time to get yourself a funky fresh new look-or some new t-shirts and bags, at least!

Plastic Head, in conjunction with 2000AD have a fabulous line in tees-long and short,hoodies and even tote or shoulder bags,ideal for the beach or town.

Sporting your favourite 2000AD characters by all the top creators,and very high quality,you’ll be the envy of all your friends and family...

Currently ranked the UK’s 10th largest distributor, Plastic Head has come a long way in its 15 year existence. Started from Director Steve Beatty’s bedroom at his parent's house, the company currently employs 40 people, exclusively handles sales and distribution in the UK for 170 record and DVD labels (over 30,000 titles), a range of over 3,000 titles of merchandise and 4,000 titles of specialist vinyl from limited edition 7 inch box sets, picture discs to electronic 12’s.

• Prices start at £7 for cotton tote bag,up to £40 for a heavy cotton hoodie,with t-shirts about £15-so don’t be a grexnix and stand out from all the jealous non-scrots!!

Comic Creator Ian Sharman pirates his own title

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Mon, 13 May 2013 07:03:00 +0000

Not sure if you want to pre-order Marksosia's Hero: 9 to 5 - Quietus because you haven’t read the first book?

You want to read the first book but for any one of a million perfectly legitimate reasons you can’t buy a copy or legally download it?

Then you can always download a pirated copy here.

Yes, you read that right. Creator Ian Sharman has published a link to illegally download his work.

"Shocking, eh?" challenges Ian, Managing Editor of Orang Utan comics, on his tumblr. "But, hey, you have Google, you could find it anyway, if you really wanted. And if it persuades just one of you to pre-order the new book then I think it’ll be more than worth it. And, hey, maybe some of you will love it so much you’ll want to own a copy."

So, once you’ve read the first book, how can you pre-order the new book?

Well, you have until 18th May to pre-order Hero: 9 to 5 - Quietus from your local comic shop.

If you want a copy then please don’t just assume your retailer will order it in and you’ll just be able to pick it up when you see it on the shelf in July, because odds are that you probably won’t. If you want it, pre-order it.

To aid you in this, here’s a handy form that you can print out and take along to your local comic shop. It includes all the details that they need to order the book for you. It’s as easy as that.

Alternatively, order it from your regular online retailer, such as:

TFAW - $12.79
Forbidden Planet - £8.27
Westfield Comics - $12.79
Mail Order Comics - $11.99
Midtown Comics - $11.19
SciFi Genre - $12.80

Judge Minty takes the Long Walk to YouTube success

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:30:00 +0000

Judge Minty is a fan film, inspired by the world of 2000AD's Judge Dredd, based on an old story from the comics and follows a Judge forced to take the ‘Long Walk’ into the irradiated, post-apocalyptic wasteland of ‘The Cursed Earth’.

The project has been in the works since 2008. Starring Edmund Dehn as Minty, It's a great-looking movie and has the blessing of 2000AD's owners Rebellion - and it's already attracted nearly 59,000 YouTube viewers since its release earlier this month.

Judge it for yourselves...

Cast:

Judge Minty Edmund Dehn
Judge Dredd Greg Staples
Director Steven Sterlacchini
Director of Photography and Digital Imagery Stephen Green
Prop and Costume Creator Daniel Carey-George of Custom Creations
Storyboards & Concepts Barry Renshaw
Written By Steven Sterlacchini & Michael Carroll, based on the work of John Wagner

Judge Minty is a NOT FOR PROFIT fan film, shown with the kind permission of 2000 AD and Rebellion Judge Dredd® is a registered trademark, © Rebellion A/S®, All rights reserved. Judge Dredd is the Creation of John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra.

Adam Cadwell's Northern Slacker Vampires head back to the shelves

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Great Beast Comics has announced that the long awaited third issue of Adam Cadwell's Northern Slacker Vampire series Blood Blokes is due to be released on 15th May after debuting at Toronto Comic Arts Festival. It will be available in both print and digital editions from the Great Beast store and on Comixology shortly after.

Blood Blokes #3 sees Vince awaken in the vampire house with more than a few questions. When he discovers the hard way that going home isn't an option he finds the life of a vampire to be alarmingly familiar, yet Vince still longs for a certain someone.

Great Beast was founded in April 2012 by UK based cartoonists Adam Cadwell and Marc Ellerby to provide fun and creative stories to as wide an audience as possible. All of our titles are creator owned and self published to a professional standard; these are comics brimming with passion and imagination. Great Beast takes it’s name from the very first Monster In My Pocket released in 1990 because we thought it sounded cool.

• Find Great Beast online, on Twitter, on Facebook and on Tumblr.

Latest Commandos feature first ever female lead for title

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Thu, 09 May 2013 09:39:00 +0000

Here's details of the latest Commando war comics, on sale now in all good newsagents - and in a first for the title, Operation Nachthexen features their first-ever female lead character – the first part of a trilogy.

Based on the online preview the story echoes some of the themes first featured in Battle's Johnny Red and veteran creator Carlos Pino delivers a strip that certainly echoes the look of that classic tale - but the story soon takes its own course.

(Russia's Nachthexen have of course been a rich source of stories for other war comics, including issues of Garth Ennis much-praised Battlefields, released by US publisher Dynamite, reviewed here on Comic Book Daily).

Commando No 4599 – Operation Nachthexen
Story: Mac MacDonald Art: Carlos Pino Cover: Carlos Pino

The German forces that invaded the Soviet Union had much to fear once the Russians’ fightback got into its stride. For the Russians are fearsome warriors when roused.

But what the Germans feared more than anything was the night. For that was when the Nachthexen — the night witches — flew. Because, you see, when the Nachthexen flew, they carried death on their wings...

Nachthexen was the German nickname for the female military aviators of the Soviet Union Air Forces 588th Night Bomber Regiment, known later as the 46th "Taman" Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment. The regiment flew harassment bombing and precision bombing missions against the German military from 1942 to the end of the war, in nothing but wood and canvas Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes, a 1928 design intended for use as training aircraft and for crop-dusting.

At its largest size, the Regiment had 40 two-person crews and A Dance with Death: Soviet Airwomen in World War II notes they flew over 23,000 sorties and is said to have dropped 3,000 tons of bombs. The most highly-decorated female unit in the Soviet Air Force (and, indeed, one of the few female fighting forces during the war), each pilot had apparently flown over 1,000 missions by the end of the war and 30 of its members died in combat.

• Read a Preview on the official Commando web site

Commando No 4600 – Von Krieger’s Vendetta
Story: Bill Styles Art: Rezzonico Cover: Janek Matysiak

As the Germans rolled into Yugoslavia in 1941, with them came a particularly nasty Major by the name of Von Krieger. Arrogant and overbearing, he singled out one particular Yugoslav teenager as a particular target for his venom - Ancic Miro.

After an attempt on his life, he was determined to catch and kill Miro.

Ancic Miro, for his own part, was happy enough with that. After all, he had several personal reasons for meting out justice to Von Krieger...

The Axis invasion of Yugoslavia was another episode during World War 2 that proved catastrophic for the invaded as well as heroic rebellion from local partisans. The United States Holocaust Museum notes that more than 67,000 Jews were murdered on Yugoslav soil (including more than 3,500 Jews from other countries who had found refuge in Yugoslavia before the Axis invasion) between 1941 and 1945. Around 14,000 Jews survived, many by hiding with friends or neighbours or by joining the partisans. More than 4,500 Jews served in the partisan resistance movement; around 1,300 died in combat.

Approximately 27,000 Roma were also killed: the Ustasa, the Axis allies, killed about 20,000 at the Jasenovac camp system and perhaps as many as 6,000 more on the Croatian and Bosnian countryside. German military and police authorities shot most of the remainder, between 1,000 and 2,000, in Serbia.

After the war, many of the leaders of the German occupation authorities in Serbia were extradited to Communist-led Yugoslavia to stand trial.

• Read a Preview on the official Commando web site

Commando No 4601 – Rogue Bomber
Originally Commando No 88 (October 1963).
Story: Stainton Art: Sostres Cover: Ken Barr

R For Roger was her name... but the air-crews called her R for Rogue.

There was something sinister about this four-engined giant, something uncanny that made brave men shiver with fear when they had to fly in her. For every pilot who sat at her controls came back dead!

Night after night she sat there waiting… waiting for her next victim!

"It’s very hard to capture night scenes in black and white," feels editor Calum Laird, talking about this re-presented Commando tale. "With colour you can use deep blues to help define the scenes but with monochrome, objects and people are either there or they’re not.

"Our inside artist, Sostres, doesn’t have any problems with this though. His use of heavy blacks and broad, bold lines gives the impression of everything being seen in the darkness that bomber crews would have experienced in wartime skies.

“Add that to a brooding cover and a tale of a hoodoo plane — always a Commando favourite — and you have a 1963 winner."

• Read a Preview on the official Commando web site

Commando No 4602 – A Traitor In The Cockpit
Originally Commando No 2199 (July 1988), re-issued as No 3675 (December 2003)
Story: Ken Gentry Art: Gordon Livingstone Cover: Jeff Bevan

The roar of four mighty Merlin engines powering each Lancaster, the crump of flak bursting close to the planes, the rumble of bombs exploding far below — it was all in a night’s work for the bomber boys.

But for one Lancaster crew, on one particular night, things were going to be different — because their pilot intended to land at an enemy airfield and hand his aircraft and its secret equipment over to the enemy.

"It's been said that espionage stories are not ideally suited to Commando’s text-and-pictures format and to some extent this is true.,” notes deputy editor Scott Montgomery of A Traitor in the Cockpit. "Cloak-and-dagger antics usually require a great deal of thought balloons for characters to explain the twisty-turny plot.

"However, this book blows that theory out the (cockpit) window — because it’s a thrilling air espionage adventure tale that just never lets up, populated by plucky British spies, tough Resistance men and nasty Nazis. Fantastic stuff, we hope you agree."

• Read a Preview on the official Commando web site

• There are more details of Commando titles on their official website, www.commandocomics.com, and Facebook page.

COMMANDO SUBSCRIPTION OFFER

downthetubes is pleased to offer a discount on a subscription to DC Thomson's Commando comic, entitling readers to save 50% by ordering using our special discount code!

Follow this link to DC Thomson's subscription page.

When prompted, enter this unique code COMDT - then make your payment and your subscription will be up and running. The price quoted offers a 50% discount for three months at £12.50. That’s £68.50 off the shop price.

Please note, although the offer is not restricted to UK delivery (you need a UK bank account), the price increases for overseas delivery although the offer of 50% discount for three months is the same.

* Saving based on discounted Direct Debit price compared with shop price. First quarterly payment discounted by 50% at £12.50 and £25 per quarter thereafter. UK bank accounts only. One year discounted subscription rate of £99.

Tickets go on sale for the first Lakes International Comic Art Festival

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Thu, 09 May 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Grandville by Bryan Talbot

Tickets for the first Lakes International Comic Art Festival, which will feature top talent from both sides of the Atlantic including Kurt Busiek, Ed Brubaker, Bryan Talbot and Jose Munoz, go on sale on Monday (13th May).

The festival will run from 18-20 October 2013 in Kendal, Cumbria with an exciting line up of more than 50 writers and artists including some of the biggest names in comic art from the United States, Europe, South America and the UK.

The range of guests show the diversity of comics, including biography, political cartoons, comics journalism, satire, superhero comics, comedy, adaptations of historical novels and innovative new story-telling.

Astro City 2 by Kurt Busiek

There will be more than 35 events including panel discussions, interviews, live drawing events, films and workshops. As well as the ticketed events, there will be a number of free exhibitions, including work by founder patrons Bryan Talbot and Sean Phillips, and free activities in a special Family Zone.

The organisers also aim to make the whole of Kendal part of the event, like the popular festivals on the continent in places such as Angouleme, so people can expect to find comic art around every corner.

One of the opening events on the Friday evening will be The Big Comic Draw, with Doug Braithwaite (X-Men and Storm Dogs), Carlos Ezquerra (Judge Dredd), Duncan Fegredo (Hellboy) and Jose Munoz (Alack Sinner).

They will be followed by The Write Comic Stuff, a chance to hear from two hugely popular American writers Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Criminal and Fatale) and Kurt Busiek (Spider-Man, Marvels and Astro City).

Other events over the weekend include 2000AD: An On-Earth Odyssey, a special celebration of the evolution and influence of the ever-popular British comic 2000AD with Judge Dredd creators John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra.

Another event will provide a rare chance to hear Viz creators Simon Thorp and Graham Dury discuss their work.

Festival patron Bryan Talbot will talk about Grandville and the Anthropomorphic Tradition. Gilbert Shelton (The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers) and Hunt Emerson (Dante’s Inferno) will be talking about their work from the underground comix of the sixties to the present day. And there will be a discussion on The Art of Crime and Noir with Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, Jose Munoz and David Lloyd (Kickback).

British political cartoonist Steve Bell will be interviewing the ground breaking American comics journalist Joe Sacco. Steve will also be discussing his own work in a separate event.

Other interviews with guests will provide opportunities to learn more about the work of writers and artists like Ed Brubaker, Kurt Busiek, Posy Simmonds (Tamara Drewe) and Andy Diggle (The Losers and Doctor Who).

A key feature of the festival will be the special live Watch them draw events. Artists featured over the weekend will include Charlie Adlard (Walking Dead), Glyn Dillon (Nao of Brown), Spanish artist Pau and Hunt Emerson.

In Quick Strips, a myriad of comic artists, some famous, others emerging, will talk about and present an aspect of their work-in-progress for a maximum of six minutes each.

There will be a chance to see Alan Moore and David Lloyd's seminal graphic novel V for Vendetta brought thrillingly to life on stage.

Festival patron Mary Talbot will be part of a panel for a discussion on The Art of the Memoir. A group of innovative new wave comic creators who are published by Jonathan Cape will take part in a discussion on the Caped Crusaders and writers published by Selfmadehero will discuss adaptations in Re-imagining the Classics.

Nobrow writer and artist John McNaught, who won the award for the best newcomer at Angouleme earlier this year, will be interviewed together with Luke Pearson, the creator of the popular Hilda series of books. Both men have been nominated for Eisner awards this year.

Writers and artists will be running workshops including Al Davison (The Spiral Cage), manga artist Inko (Milk The Cat Comix), Karrie Fransman (The House That Groaned) and Hannah Berry (Adamtine).

The Brewery Arts Centre is putting on a special film programme including American Splendour, Tamara Drewe, 300, V for Vendetta, A History of Violence, and manga films My Neighbour the Yamadas and Oldboy.

The Comics Clock Tower will be the festival’s version of the marketplace. Based in Kendal Town Hall it will champion breaking talent from all styles and genres. Many of the big name writers and artists visiting the festival will also be appearing in the Comics Clock Tower over the weekend and new adventure anthology STRIP: The Adventure Comics Magazine, which launched last month in newsagents, will also have a stand there.

A Weekend Pass will cost £25 and provide unlimited access to the Comics Clock Tower plus four daytime events (starting before 7pm).

A day pass on the Saturday or Sunday will cost £14, providing unlimited access to the Comics Clock Tower plus two daytime events.

Tickets for additional events can be bought separately.

Organisers are emphasising that places need to be reserved for most events, including the wide range of talks and discussions. So if people buy passes, they also need to plan which events they would like to attend and some of the events are expected to get booked quite quickly.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.breweryarts.co.uk or by phoning 01539 725133.

Festival patron Bryan Talbot says: "Our aim is to make The Lakes International Comic Art Festival like the European comic art festivals rather than the conventions that many fans will be used to.

"We think there's something for everyone in the wide range of events the team have put together, both the fans of different genres but also people who may not have read a comic book for many years.

"As well as being able to see artists drawing in our version of the comics marketplace there will be special live draw events, one of the most popular elements of European festivals. There will be interviews with some individual writers and artists as well as discussions on topics like the art of the memoir, horror and adaptations.

"People will be able to book their seats at events rather than having to waste time queuing. We also have a lot of free events including exhibitions and activities for children, so there's no excuse for not coming to find out what it's all about."

Fellow festival patron Sean Phillips says: "I'm really looking forward to this first event. Not only is it on my own doorstep but it's modelled on events like the Angouleme comic art festival, which is something I've long wanted to see in the UK.

"In countries like France and Italy they take comics very seriously and huge numbers of comics are sold every year, most of them to adults. This event is a great opportunity to find out more about comic art and the writers and artists working in the medium."

• More details about the new event are available at www.comicartfestival.com. It is also possible to keep up to date with plans for the festival by following @comicartfest on Twitter or by liking the Lakes International Comic Art Festival Facebook page.

STRIP Magazine Issue 2 on sale for IPad now, print edition in newsagents tomorrow

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Thu, 09 May 2013 06:42:00 +0000

Slightly ahead of its print release, the digital edition of STRIP: The Adventure Comics Magazine #2 is now on sale for iPad in the iTunes store.

The print edition goes on sale in newsagents across the UK from tomorrow (Friday).

Wrapped in a Crucible-inspired cover by Benard Kolle (colour by Sebastian Cheng), the second stunning issue of Britain’s newest action adventure anthology includes strips from John McCrea, Stephen Downey, John Freeman, Smuzz and more.

• BLACK OPS EXTREME (written by Richmond Clements, art by Stephen Downey) The anti-terrorist team run into trouble in the American Bayou – with survivalists and an angry alligator!

• WARPAINT (by Phil Hester and John McCrea) Re-told from the very beginning - Mia learns more about an ancient war between gods!

• CRUCIBLE (by John Freeman and Smuzz) Trouble on the streets when our adventurers set out to recover a mysterious artifact sought by the Temple of Orlyth!

• OPERATION INFERNO (by Richmond Clements and Nick Dyer) Steampunk spy Ryuu heads to Paris as the British Empire faces a deadly new peril from a dangerous rogue scientist!

• DENIZENS (by Miljenko Horvatic and Maxim Simic) Modern civilisation has been wiped out and the world is a greener, deadlier place...

Plus: KING COBRA SECRETS REVEALED – a special guide to the new incarnation of King Cobra, a hero who first appeared in DC Thomson’s Hotspur! KING COBRA MINI POSTER by Wamberto Nicomedes; and an interview with author Benjamin Read, writer of the highly acclaimed new graphic novel fairy tale, Porcelain!

• Buy the digital edition of STRIP: The Adventure Comics Magazine from the iTunes store (iPad only)

Team MOBILE #3 audio comic on sale now from iTunes

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Thu, 09 May 2013 06:33:00 +0000

The Team MOBILE #3 audio comic from ROK Comics is now on sale in the iTunes store for Apple devices.

The adventures of Team M.O.B.I.L.E. continue! They are the undesirables, the no-hopers, misfits… the teenagers who don’t fit in, who flunk every school test and often end up on the wrong side of the law.

But these teens have a secret – they are secret agents for a mysterious international organisation – the Mindmerge Organisation Bureau – International Law Enforcement. Selected using secret tests, they're gifted with skills to tackle any threat to the world, anywhere and any time!

In Game World, the teen agents investigate the disappearance of children from a major theme park - and uncover a sinister plot - the work of deadly Cyboks!

Team M.O.B.I.L.E. is a ROK Comics production from Ferg Handley (script), Andrew Chiu (art), Kris Carter and Kirsty Swan (colour) and Jim Campbell (letters), backed by a full UK-US voice cast and soundtrack. This issue also includes a background feature on the world of Team M.O.B.I.L.E. and the Cyboks.

• Now on sale in the iTunes store for Apple devices

downthetubes.net: Main Site Closed, for now

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Owing to rising costs - in part, it appears, due to a dramatic rise in "hot linking" to images on the site, which results in excess bandwidth charges of £50 per month - we have been forced to temporarily close down the main downthetubes.net web site.

downthetubes normally costs some £500 a year to operate - in part to pay for hosting of the main site. The site is run by volunteers. I cannot currently justify that cost in the current economic climate.

Our news blog is still active and will continue here at: http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.co.uk/

Our forum is still live at: http://downthetubes.ning.com - members welcome!

We are very grateful to our 2012-2013 sponsor Panel Nine for their support,
without whom we would not have been able to continue publishing the site for the last 12 months.

John Freeman, WebMaster

Breaking talent to be showcased at Kendal-based comic art festival’s Clock Tower

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:30:00 +0000
Some of the UK’s best emerging and established comic art talent will be showcasing their skills at the specially-dedicated Comics Clock Tower venue as part of Kendal's The Lakes International Comic Art Festival in October, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Print Media, publishers of STRIP: The Adventure Comics Magazine.

The festival will run from 18-20th October in Kendal in Cumbria. Held beneath the landmark tower of Kendal Town Hall, the Comics Clock Tower venue will be a vibrant mash-up of writers and artists from a wide variety of styles and genres, who will be signing, sketching and selling their original creations.

Occult antiquarians will rub shoulders with urban teen vigilantes. Slacker vampires will size-up the romantic poets in a venue that promises to have something for comic fans and those who may not have read comics since they were kids.

The aim of the Lakes International Comic Art Festival’s Comics Clock Tower is to champion some of the breaking talent of comic art, as well as some of the industry’s more established names. The focus is on writers and artists who are pioneers of new styles in the field of comics and graphic storytelling. The venue will celebrate and introduce their work to a new audience.

Owen Johnson, co-ordinator of the Comics Clock Tower, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to reveal some of the comic creators and publishers taking part in the three-day marketplace. These are some of the brightest, freshest names in British comics and it really is a privilege to present them to a wider audience.

“In the lead up to the show, we plan to use our various social media platforms to present interviews and artwork from these guests in order to explore them and their work in graphic novels.”

There will be an emphasis on creators working or living in the North of England. These will be joined by a selection of cutting-edge names from across the country, as well as leading UK publishers.

Guests who will be appearing at the Comics Clock Tower include:

Emma Vieceli, 33, from Cambridge, who has worked on the Manga Shakespeare series for SelfMadeHero, Girl Comics for Marvel, Violet for The DFC, My Little Pony for Hasbro, and Comic Book Tatoo for Image Comics.
Her more recent work includes The Avalon Chronicles, the award winning Vampire Academy and the graphic novel adaptations of the Anthony Horowitz Alex Rider series.

Great Beast, a publishing house which is dedicated to making fun, creative, accessible and pop-culture inspired comics.

Black Hearted Press – Scotland’s leading independent comic book publisher. The publisher’s leading title School of the Damned has been optioned to be made into a motion picture.

Andrew Tunney (aka 2hands) – Manchester-based, Andrew’s debut self-published comic GIRL&BOY was nominated for Best Comic in the first ever British Comic Awards in 2012. He is also the colourist for Peabody & D’gorath.

Nich Angell – Nich has been drawing explosive, vibrant and colourful comics for clients such as Mattel, Hasbro, WWF, Titan and the BBC for more than seven years. He has also recently produced concepts and games for an animated series for Nickelodeon UK.

Many of the more than 50 special guest writers and artists who will be appearing at the festival will also make appearances within the Comics Clock Tower., which will give an opportunity to people to buy from a wide range of new and existing comic art of all genres.

Names already announced as attending the festival include founder patrons Bryan and Mary Talbot and as well as Sean Philips, Ed Brubaker, Charlie Adlard, Posy Simmonds, Kurt Busiek, Joe Sacco and many others.

Julie Tait, festival director, said: “We want to give comic fans the chance to discover something new and also encourage others, who may perhaps think comics are just for kids, to pick up a graphic novel and find out what they are missing.

“The Lakes International Comic Art Festival wants to highlight the diversity of the UK comic arts community. One of the ways we will be doing this is through the Comics Clock Tower – our version of a comics’ marketplace.”

• More details about the new event are available at www.comicartfestival.com.

In Review: Thorgal - Ogotai's Crown

noreply@blogger.com (Jeremy Briggs) — Tue, 07 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Thorgal - Ogotai's Crown picks up directly from where the previous book, Brand Of The Exiles, left off. However this Thorgal title is very different to the more traditional Viking tale of exile and slavery of the preceding book as writer Jean Van Hamme and artist Gzegorz Rosinki give readers a major dose of time-travelling science fiction.

After Thorgal lost his memory, the treacherous Kriss of Valnor convinced him that he was a merciless pirate called Shaigan as well as her husband. Shaigan and his men have been roaming the seas terrorising all travellers, including Thorgal's own people, the Vikings, ever since. When one Viking survived to tell his tale, Thorgal's true wife, Aaricia, was branded an exile and with his two children Jolan and Wolf Cub, set out to find him. When Aaricia was recognised by Kriss, Kriss had her and Wolf Cub imprisoned and taken to Shaigan's castle as slaves. Meanwhile the young Jolan buys a boat and with two friends sets out to rescue his mother and sister.

Losing his boat and friends to a storm, Jolan is washed up on an island with a man who seems to know rather too much about him - a man who turns out to be from the far future and who uses a sword-like device to time travel. He displays his ability by retrieving the lost crown of Ogotai. a device that increases Jolan's own psychokinetic abilities giving him a fighting chance to free both his mother and sister from Shaigan's castle and also to free Thorgal from Kriss' influence.

As with the previous Thorgal time travel story, The Master of The Mountains, the plot gets very complex very quickly as time lines are crossed and and an older Jolan is recruited to help his younger self. However at the core of the story, and its strength, is Jolan's single-minded determination to rescue his family from the injustice foisted upon them in the previous book.

It is worth pointing out that for all the stylistic differences between this and the previous Thorgal book, they are two halves of the same story and you really need to have read The Brand Of The Exiles to appreciate fully what is going on in this book. It may not be as brutal as the 'one story = two books' of Van Hamme's modern day series Largo Winch, but like the Largo books it gives him plenty of time to set up his situations and secondary characters which is always to the benefit of the story.

As the second part of the story begun in The Brand Of The Exiles, Thorgal - Ogotai's Crown was not how I was expecting the story to continue yet, as ever, Jean Van Hamme weaves a masterful story with more than enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing its outcome right through to its conclusion.

• There are more details of the English language Thorgal books at the Cinebook website.

• There are more details of the French language Thorgal albums at the official Thorgal website (in French).

New 9th Art Award: Submission Details announced

noreply@blogger.com (John Freeman) — Mon, 06 May 2013 06:57:00 +0000
Graphic Scotland and the Edinburgh International Book Festival have announced that submissions are now open for the inaugural 9th Art Award for graphic fiction.

The 9th Art Award will choose the best work of graphic literature originally written and published in English between May 2012 and July 2013, from anywhere in the world.
Judging the prize will be:

graphic fiction historian Paul Gravett

acclaimed arts critic and writer Hannah McGill

Freight Press publisher Adrian Searle

Costa award-winning writer of Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes Mary Talbot

A casting vote will be given to Graphic Scotland chair John McShane in the event of a tie. The award will be presented during an event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August.

Graphic Scotland Co-Director Gordon Robertson believes the prize could become a fixture on the international arts scene, and as important to sequential art as the Man Booker Prize is to literary fiction. “The 9th Art Award will be a significant annual award for recognition of excellence in the field of Graphic Literature," he says. "Its introduction as part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival recognises graphic literature's rightful status as an art form.”

Graphic Scotland is an independent community interest company aiming to bring together Scottish-based writers, artists and publishers in international collaborations to create diverse and innovative new graphic fiction.

Every August, Charlotte Square Gardens in the heart of historic Edinburgh, the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature, becomes the home to the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Founded in 1983, the Book Festival is the largest festival of its kind in the world and has become a platform for audiences to debate with leading thinkers from the worlds of science, politics, business, economics and journalism as well as literature.

This year, from 10 - 26 August, the Book Festival will play host to authors, playwrights, poets, politicians, journalists and thinkers from around the world. Over 200,000 visitors will come to join the debate, meet the authors, browse the bookshops or just enjoy an ice cream in the tranquil setting of the beautiful gardens. To complement the adult programme there is a full children’s programme with events, workshops and debates for every age from toddler to teenager.

Nick Barley, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, says of the 9th Art Award: “We have featured graphic novel authors and illustrators in our programme at the Edinburgh International Book Festival for a number of years now and I believe that this new Award will give the genre the wider recognition that it deserves.”

• The deadline for entries is 31st July 2013.
More details: www.9thartfestival.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/9thartfestival
Twitter: @9thArtAward

In Review: Thorgal - Brand Of The Exiles

noreply@blogger.com (Jeremy Briggs) — Mon, 06 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Cinebook may have completed Jean Van Hamme's XIII series of books but they still have others from the bandes dessinee master and one of them is the Viking fantasy series Thorgal. Illustrated by artist Gzegorz Rosinski, The Brand Of The Exiles takes readers back to some characters the series hasn't dealt with for a while, Thorgal's wife Aaricia and their children Jolan and Wolfcub.

In their village the women, children and old men wait for their men to return home from a raiding expedition with food and treasure but instead a lone survivor of the ships appears. He tells the story of their ships being attacked by a pirate known as Shaigan The Merciless who killed or enslaved all but him, a pirate that he recognised as the missing Thorgal.

Because of this the women of the village turn on Aaricia demanding blood money for their dead menfolk. She is tried under Viking law and literally branded an exile, the brand on her cheek meaning that she must forever be shunned by all. Taking her children, Aaricia has no choice but to leave and make the dangerous trek to the coast in an attempt to find Thorgal and understand what has happened.

It has been some four books since we last saw Thorgal with Aaricia when she gave birth to Wolfcub and, in that time, while we have been following Thorgal's adventures, his family have been getting on with life, so it is good to have Van Hamme return to these characters. Indeed it is also good to see one of his books written from the underdog's perspective and, with her very visible branding, her young children, winter weather, and little rations, Aaricia is most definitely the underdog here.

As we discover more about the situation when the ever treacherous Kriss Of Valnor appears, it is Thorgal's son Jolan who comes to the fore and quickly becomes the hero of the piece. As his mother is captured and he is faced with the choice of watching her and Wolfcub sail off into slavery or attempt to free the Viking slaves to help him, he shows his resourcefulness.

Rosinski's rich artwork shows off the Viking village and its population before the story moves on to the family's trek through the forest and mountains, before he his given the chance of a night-time battle between the slaves and their jailers. As ever Rosinski's artwork reminds me of John Ridgway's colour work and it never disappoints.

While Thorgal himself appears in only a single panel of The Brand Of The Exiles, this should not put potential readers off as this is a book that shows off Jean Van Hamme's ability to write just as well for his secondary cast of characters in this series as he can for its hero.

• There are more details of the English language Thorgal books at the Cinebook website.

• There are more details of the French language Thorgal albums at the official Thorgal website (in French).