ADDITIONAL NEWS LINKS

• Chris Weston reports on the 2006 Lille comic convention on his blog

• Eddie Campbell has taken to writing mini-essays about From Hell over at his blog

Archived News: December 2006

THE NAKED ARTIST EXPOSED!
27/12/06 (with thanks to Bryan Talbot): It's the book you've all been waiting for! The Naked Artist, available from Moonstone sometime in June or July 2007, is an outrageous collection of the unreported exploits of comic creators, the stories only usually told late at night between the hallowed walls of convention pro bars!
Eisner Award winner Bryan Talbot brings you the anecdotes, funny, shocking and downright weird, told about your favourite comic writers and artists, from Simon Bisley to Neil Gaiman, from Grant Morrison to Jeff Smith!
"Heroes! Villains! Action! Suspense! Humor! Alcohol!" says Dave Gibbons of the book, summing up the content, while David Lloyd advises “this book will do nothing to alter the general public's perception that many of those working in and around the comics medium have not merely been touched by the gods but have been comprehensively groped by them."
Wrapped in a superb cover by Hunt Emerson, who also provides several interior ilustrations, The Naked Artist will soon begin to be offered via bookshops and online retailers. ISBN 1-933076-25-9.

COMICS INTERNATIONAL SOLD
22/12/06: After months of behind-the-scenes negotiations Quality Communications' flagship title, Comics International has been sold for an undisclosed sum.
After 16 years under the editorship of the magazine's founder Dez Skinn (who credits also include House of Hammer, Doctor Who Weekly and Warrior) the award-winning title will now be published by a film, TV and comics consortium fronted by author and CI news editor Mike Conroy.
"I feel that Issue 200 was a fantastic one to bow out on," says Dez, "and with an increased workload of exciting new challenges for the company, I thought it would be wrong to let the magazine suffer when it would no longer be our top priority."
Skinn told downthetubes he has several film and TV properties in development which are taking up much of his time, and it's a new career path he wants to concentrate on for the forseeable future.
Several companies expressed interest in buying Comics International over the past few months, including Titan Magazines and Striker 3D.
A familiar face in the comics industry, the magazine's new editor Mike Conroy has a string of credits to his name. The founder of the prestigious Eagle Awards, he is also a contributor to comics-related titles from such publishers as Eaglemoss and Panini as well as author of Collins and Brown's books, 500 Comicbook Action Heroes and 500 Comicbook Villains.
"CI is well respected throughout the industry, by publishers and retailers as well as fans and creators," Conroy commented. "That's all down to Dez's drive and vision. We want to build on that."
Remarking on Skinn's 16-year tenure, Conroy added, "He has made CI into Britain's longest running comics news magazine by a mile. He's kept it going far longer than Comic Media News and Speakeasy put together. We're in it for the long haul too. I'd love to beat his record, but I'm not so sure I'd still want to be the editor when I'm 84!"
"Many people have told me how crucial CI has become to the industry," says Skinn, who has been asked to stay on as a columnist and will be involved in the handover issues due in the next few months. "I think it really has become a onestop shop for everything to do with comics. One way or another, Mike has been associated with CI for its entire run, so I feel the magazine will be in good hands as he now steps up to take on the top job."
In fact Skinn's working relationship with Conroy dates as far back as the pioneering days of the mid-1970s, from comics auctioneering and the Fantasy Film Festivals through to the ground-breaking importer Maya Merchandising and The Edge of Forever comics shops.
"It's been a tumultuous 16 years on CI, following the growth of the direct market, the implosion of competitive distribution, and the increased creative freedom as many new publishers have taken on the status quo," Dez commens. "Plus it has been fascinating reporting on the storm of short term booms and fads which the industry has somehow survived, through to the current wonderful situation where comics are acknowledged as a prime source for major hit films and graphic novels have taken off in high street bookshops."
• Look for the first issue from the new publishers (#201) to be on sale in January 2007. Web Link: www.comicsinternational.com

BATTLIN' MIKE
12/12/06 (thanks to Matthew Badham) There's a new issue of the popular indie title Sgt Mike Battle on the stands from Preston-based creator Graham Pearce. Sgt Mike: Battle: The Greatest American Hero! #7.5 is an exclusive comic which previews what Graham describes as the epic two-part story "The Last Admin Hero".
"Just think of it as a movie trailer, although you'll have to imagine the deep, gravelling voice-over saying 'it was a time of War' etc.," says Graham.
This is a free comic: if you want a copy, just send an SAE to Graham Pearce, 42 Talbot Rd, Penwortham, Preston LA1 9QX.
• For more about Sgt Mike visit: www.sgtmikebattle.co.uk

STEEL CLAW AUDIO FOR 2007
11/12/06: An established production company best known for their Batman, Superman and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy audio dramas is planning to release podcasts starring the Steel Claw next year, in partnership with BBC Audiobooks.
BBC Audiobooks announced a landmark deal with one of the world's leading audio drama directors, Dirk Maggs, and his partners at Perfectly Normal Productions (PNP) last week. The partnership aims to create compelling, high quality audio podcasts featuring original material by leading science fiction and graphic novel authors of today, mixed with much-loved titles including cult British comic characters licensed from IPC Media's Fleetway library, such as The Steel Claw.
Also resurrected in a new series of tongue-in-cheek adventures will be the legendary British detective Sexton Blake, featuring Simon Jones, the star of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
Dirk Maggs is an acknowledged master of dramatised audio, winning numerous awards and commercial success for his “movies for the ears" including BBC Radio's Batman, Superman and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
With fellow audio specialist Paul Weir and interactivity expert Richard Adams, PNP is building a network of creative talent to produce "movies without pictures" in Maggs' unique style, featuring powerful scripts, layered sound effects and full music scores.
"Podcasting should be so much more than a platform for stand up comedy and audio diarists", says Maggs. "And video on a handheld device will never rival the storytelling experience of a big screen. But we can fill the gap. In our hands mobile entertainment bypasses the optic nerve and hotwires the imagination, with a widescreen experience you can enjoy anywhere - in the car, the train, or on the sofa with your eyes shut." “More and more people listen in this easy to use format," feels BBC Audiobook's Publishing Director Jan Paterson. "Our deal with Perfectly Normal will provide listeners with audio like they've never heard before, specially made for commercial digital delivery."
There's a hungry audience wanting quality entertainment on the move," added PNP's Richard Adams, "and they're not going to believe their luck. This will break the mould of how people think about downloadable audio."
The Perfectly Normal team are firing up the production engine now, and releases are planned for 2007.

Web Links:
• BBC Audiobooks
• www.perfectlynormal.net

ALTERNATE DIRTY DOZEN BACK ON SALE
11/12/06 (thanks to Jeremy Briggs): The alternative version of Carlton Books' colection of Commando war stories, Commando: Dirty Dozen, is back in the bargain bookshops. This is the Sevenoaks version with the Ian Kennedy cover art that is just subtitled The Best 12 Commando Books Ever. It was in a few bargain bookshops before Christmas last year, but disappeared very quickly. The cover price is £14.99 but it is always sold at £6.99.
Sevenoaks is an imprint for Carlton in the same way that Prion, who publish the Best of Jackie reprint books, is also Carlton.

UP AND COMING TALENT 2007
7/12/06: As 2006 draws to a close and we look back on another inventive and successful year for British talent, I wondered who British creatives thought were "up and coming" for 2007.
An appeal on various comic boards including Comics International and EFA Yahoo groups confirmed some of my thoughts and turned up several talents I'd not heard of... Read More...

GO WEST
6/12/06: Texas, 1887. West dislikes Texas, where everything always seems to be more complicated than it ought to be. While transporting a coffin to the backwater town of Big Creek, West finds himself the solution to someone else's problem. If, that is, he can manage to stay alive long enough to realise what that problem seems to be...
The creation of Andrew Cheverton and Tim Keable, West: Texas Drama costs £2 and is also available in a signed and numbered Limited Edition of 25, with an alternate, full colour cover, priced at £3.
Buy the comic at: www.angrycandy.co.uk

STARSCAPE GOES MARVEL MAD
5/12/06: UK indie online comics 'zine Starscape has gone Marvel mad this month. Not only can you enjoy the first installment of the fan fiction starring Thor as he begins his journey to the multiple Earths of the DC Universe (firstly, against the classic Kirby creation of Orion and the New Gods) but you can also view the moments after the gamma radiation overdose of Bruce Banner in Hulk: the Aftermath fanfilm.
Dek Baker's first contribution to Starscape comes in the form of the short horror story, Monster! Plus, there's a terrific poster of Starscape's Guard Dogs by Argentinean artist, Renzo Podesta while a new superteam hits the title -- The Abnormals!
Ever wondered about Starscape? The name, the origin, the new tales, the reprints, the switch from printed to webcomic? No? Oh well, they're in the History of Starscape anyway. And it's all free, from: www.starscapecomic.co.uk

O MEN NEWS: WHATEVER HAPENED TO MOLLY?
4/12/06: Issue 2.2 of superhero-soap The O Men hits UK small press shelves this month and is set to focus on ex-villain and new O Men member Molly Valentine.
"Basically," says O Men creator/writer/artist Martin Eden, "we find out what Molly has been been up to for the past year, and what brings her to the O Men. Plus, the new team will be hunting down the old team-members and trying to find out exactly what happened to them -- and they're going to be shocked by what they find..."
It's been six months since the last issue of O Men, a situation that Eden isn't very happy with. "I don't know what happened! I work differently now -- I use a lot of Photoshop -- but I never thought it was all that time-consuming. At one stage, the more I worked on the issue, the more it seemed that I needed to do – it was like some twisted Tales of the Unexpected storyline. I will try harder for Issue 2.3, which will be a doozy, as two old favourites get reunited."
• Look for The O Men 2.3 in the Spring, and keep checking out the recently revamped website -- www.comix.org.uk/theomen -- for updates.

FAMOUS COMIC FAN REVEALED
3/11/06: BBC Breakfast presenter Bill Turnbull revealed a boyhood love of both Lion and Victor comic today, during a round up of Brtish newspapers which included coverage of the Obeserver's report on the high sales of comics annuals this year.
The Observer reported today (regsitration required) that from Dandy to Smash Hits, children's comic annuals are making a comeback under the Christmas tree. Following the unexpected runaway success of The Best of Jackie annual, fondly reproduced by Prion last Christmas, publishers are now taking this corner of the market very seriously. The annual, complete with its kitsch pin-up of David Cassidy, was one of the surprise hits of 2005, selling 35,000 copies in the run-up to Christmas.
Turnbull probably doesn't have much time to flick through old back issues of Lion, though. In addition to his job, in his spare time he looks after chickens, and rather more hazardously, four hives of bees.
Several celebrities, including BBC presenter Jonathan Ross, are big British comics fans.
• Know any more celebrity British comics fans? Let us know!

STARSHIP TROOPERS CONTINUES AT MARKOSIA
3/12/06: British publisher Markosia is to continue its US-format Starship Troopers title.
Starship Troopers has been the benchmark for military science fiction for years with Heinlein's award-winning book birthing movies, television shows, toys, computer games, boardgames and miniature wargaming scenarios – and of course comic mini series, with stories by Dark Horse (including one by Warren Ellis) and the Japanese Anime Uchu no Senshi.
In recent years however, the comic torch has been passed to Mongoose and Markosia Publishing for the critically acclaimed trilogy Blaze Of Glory – three, four-issue stories, Alamo Bay, Dead Man's Hand and Damaged Justice that chronicle a war between humans and insectoid aliens through the eyes of Tamari's Tigers, a platoon in the Mobile Infantry, fighting the Bugs wherever needed.
"It's become a cult hit." Richard Emms, EIC of Markosia explains. "And as we were starting the third book, we were already having fans ask us what was next. We decided to give them what they wanted."
With more Starship Troopers required, Tony Lee (Doctor Who, X-Men), the award-nominated writer of the original trilogy was called back into service.
"When they told me they wanted to return to the Tigers, I wasn't sure if I could," Tony Lee admitted. "The original trilogy was totally self-contained. But they showed me the sales figures and the letters, proved to me that the fans wanted more – so we did a brand new comic, an episode #0, with a fresh, eight page story drawn by Andie Tong (Spectacular Spider Man) inside."
That eight page story led to Markosia and Mongoose agreeing on a new, ongoing Starship Troopers series, starting in April 2007 that continues the story of the Tigers and explores the world of the Mobile Infantry in more detail. And this time, Tony was immediately on board, with Chris Dibari (The Hunger, Robin) taking over the monthly art duties.
"This is the first time ever that Heinlein's book has been created for an ongoing, monthly comic audience." Lee stated. "The problem with the trilogy was it was written two years ago. We weren't allowed to use things that hadn't been agreed at that point with Sony, or used by Mongoose, and so we couldn't use exosuits, Skinnies, a whole load of things from the novel. But now, two years later – the game has progressed and so have the characters. We're now able to look past the Tigers, expand the universe, show the M.I Grizzly and Cougar Exosuits in design, follow the Pathfinder squads, the Canine NeoDog brigades, delve more into the minds of the Sensers – the stage is far greater than before. And when they explained that to me, I had to return."
But with fears of an expanded universe taking the story away from the Tigers, Richard Emms quickly answered concerns.
"People bought the trilogy for Will Tanner and the Tigers." He said. "And as such, the Tigers will always be an integral part of the story. But we also used characters like Zim, Rico, Carmen and Zander, we showed the flight decks of the battle cruisers and we involved family back on Terra. So it will never be solely a 'Tigers' comic. That said, Tony has been reading a lot of War comics and watching Platoon, Full Metal Jacket and Band Of Brothers – so who knows what'll happen next!"
• Starship Troopers #1 is released in April 2007 with the four part story 'Marooned'. The third book in the original trilogy, 'Damaged Justice' is on sale in December from all good comic shops.

NIGHT WARRIOR IN PRINT
3/12/06: Raging Psycho Comics has just published the first ever print issue of the popular online comic book Night Warrior.
The limited special edition release of Flame and Fury, a 48 page issue written by Paul Burke and drawn by Steve Bentley, is backed by the bonus story, Choices, written and drawn by the Children Of The Grave team of Tom Waltz and Casey Maloney, as well as an extract from prose story Metro's Finest.
Flame & Fury, availble from Forbidden Planet International's online store and other outlets, is taken from the online comic book Night Warrior (www.nw-comic.co.uk), a unique cross genre free to view multi-story universe which so far has seen over 20 full colour issues released across both Night Warrior and Night Warrior: Chronicles. Boasting thousands of unique hits per week, Night Warrioris an online comic book built around an expansive five year arc story and follows the story of insomniac Jeff Winters, martial arts instructor by day and deadly vigilante Night Warrior by night. Utilising some of the best unsigned and independent artists and writers from across the globe, Night Warrioris a truly global project.
Priced at just £2.99 ($4.50), Flame & Fury will continue the ground breaking work of Raging Psycho Comics, taking the company into independently produced small press genre comic books for the first time .

BUGPOWDER REVAMPED
3/12/06 (with thanks to Matthew Badham) Longtime indie press-supporting web site BugPowder has recently evolved into a self-sustaining noticeboard for the British small press community. It was originally developed and run by Pete Ashton (http://peteashton.com) from 2000 to early 2006. The power behind the throne is Jez Higgins (http://www.jezuk.co.uk/cgi-bin/view/jez) who also looks after the TRS2 reviews.

LOOK AND LEARN GIVEAWAY
3/12/06: The Look and Learn company, which is publishing a limited edition reprint of the 1960s and 70s comics and features magazine Look and learn, has partnered with the Guardian newspaper and will give away a free copy of the first issue on Saturday 9 December.
The Look and learn company is publishing, for a limited run of 48 issues, a magazine made up of the best of the original Look and Learn, and printed to have the same look and feel as the original. Conceived as a rich miscellany of the original magazine's wide-ranging contents - spanning history, legend, literature, art, philosophy, nature, science and geography - the best of Look and Learn will showcase the work of the brilliant illustrators and writers who worked on the original magazine during its 20-year history.
The magazine also contains a small number of extraordinary comic strips, including Don Lawrence's famous The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire. Those with subscriptions will receive a welcome pack before Christmas, including a facsimile of the first ever issue of Look and Learn complete with its beautiful 'Where and When' presentation booklet. This will be followed by 24 issues of the new magazine in calendar 2007, and 24 in 2008.
The annual subscription price for those based in the UK is £29.99, postage included. The price for the full 48 issues is £54.99. Alternatively, you can pay by Direct Debit at a rate of £9.99 per 8 issues. Gift subscriptions, including a Look and Learn greetings card for you to give or send to the recipient, are available at varying rates to anywhere in the world. Finally,
The company is also offering red, gold-embossed binders manufactured that are exact replicas of those supplied for the magazine in the 1960s. Each will hold 24 copies of the new 24- page magazine. These binders can be ordered now for delivery in February (UK addresses only) for £9.99 each, postage included.