downthetubes.net News Archive: April 2007




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Detail from a page of Jon Haward and Nigel Dobbyn's work on Macbeth, to be released by Classical Comics in 2008

BRINGING CLASSICS TO LIFE
30/4/07: Just launched this month is a brand new UK publisher creating graphical novel adaptations of classical literature – and they are on the hunt for more creators.
Classical Comics intends to be true to the original intentions of the authors and playwrights, and has assembled an excellent group of creators to work on its books, including Neill Cameron, Bambos and Jason Cardy who have produced a new version of Shakespeare's Henry V, due for release in October 2007, Jon Haward and Nigel Dobbyn on Macbeth (January 2008) and John M Burns on Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and John Stokes on Charles Dickens' Great Expectations (Spring 2008).
There have been many fine British comics adaptations of classical literature in the past, including Shakespeare and Charles Dickens adaptations in The Children's Newspaper, and the recent new edition of Kidnapped by Alan Grant and Cam Kennedy. Classical Comics, spearheaded by Clive Bryant hopes to continue a long tradition of top quality new work crafted using the finest artists, aiming to "bring a truly wonderful reading experience."
In addition to the announced titles many more are planned for publication in 2008 and Classical Comics is currently recruiting artists to complete that work.
"We’ll be using the Bristol International Comic Expo to help in recruitment," says Clive, "and will be conducting a portfolio review at 3pm on Sunday (13 May).
"Our intention is for our books to cross the boundary into the mainstream arena while staying true to our comic book origins."
Clive, who became hooked on comic strips while writing his self-help book POP Success, which included cartoon illustrations, is confident that with funding secured, and a large number of contacts established, his new company is well on its way to success.
• For sample more artwork, visit www.classicalcomics.com

MOONFACE PRESS LAUNCHES BLOOD PSI WEBSITE
30/4/07: To help promote its Blood Psi one-shot comic, announced last month, British indie publishers Moonface Press have today launched a website at www.bloodpsi.com The site contains all-new character sketches by Blood Psi artist Keith Burns, and a downloadable PDF preview of the book's first 10 pages.
Blood Psi – solicited in this month's Previews (order code: MAY073621) and shipping in July – is written by Andy Winter, drawn by Keith Burns and boasts a cover by Declan Shalvey. The US format book has a full-colour cover, and black and white interior art. The 32-page title has a 24-page main story, a sketchbook section and an A-Z of British vampires feature. It retails for $3.50 (£2.20).
The story is a vampire murder mystery set in gothic London. When her best friend in the capital's close-knit vamp community is slaughtered, Ruby vows to track down the killer – but the hunt may just unearth painful memories from Ruby's human past she hoped would remain buried forever...

The Lumbering Dead #1 LUMBERING DEAD
29/4/07: UK independent publisher Broken Voice Comics has just launched Issue 1 of Lee Munday’s frighteningly funny and painfully British slice-of-life comic The Lumbering Dead, offering it complete and online at www.brokenvoice.co.uk.
Written and illustrated by UK artist Lee Munday, The Lumbering Dead is a five-part mini-series telling the story of a group of typically British lads living life in suburban Staines. Not that Ali G would recognize it as such -- this Staines is the real deal!
In this first introductory issue the story follows Den and Scott and their motley collection of friends from video shop to pub -- Den still haunted by the loss of his first true love and Scott by the promise of a trip to the cinema to see his favourite horror film (the Lumbering Dead of the title!)
"Unlike many of the comics so often labeled “slice-of-life”, The Lumbering Dead is no collection of three panel gag-strips, populated by caricatures of geeky teen fanboys or angsty twenty-something female singletons," says publisher Dave Berner. "Lee Munday’s characters are real people living real life, the way it is really lived. And it’s all the funnier for it! "
Lee is currently working on Issue 2. Until then, signed print copies of Issue 1 are also available to buy from the author at leeroy_tw@yahoo.co.uk.

Tripwire Annual 2007 TRIPWIRE RETURNS
29/4/07: Between 1992 and 2003 Tripwire was considered the UK’s premiere comics features magazine, covering graphic storytelling and related fields in detail, with a contributor and interviewee line-up that included the likes of Alan Moore, Frank Miller and Will Eisner, among many others, before ceasing publication as a periodical.
Now Tripwire is back, this time in full color book format, to be published annually each July to coincide with America's San Diego Comic Con. Publisher and editor Joel Meadows told downthetubes the title will reflect both industry and artform in the same incisive, intelligent and unique manner that the magazine did for over a decade.
"After a four year publishing break, we thought it was time to return and the annual format adapts to the changed market very comfortably. Tripwire Annual will be published every summer to reflect the comic book industry and its related fields," he explained.
The first annual has an impressive and diverse line-up: Guillermo Del Toro and Mike Mignola talk about Hellboy 2; Frank Miller discusses 300 - the movie, Sin City 2 and his unique interpretation of Will Eisner's classic The Spirit on the screen in 2008; Jeph Loeb and Bryan Fuller spill the beans on The SciFi Channel’s hit superhero TV series Heroes; and, in the year that Homer and family reach the big screen, the annual will examine how The Simpsons have sustained their massive appeal for nearly two decades.
The annual also passes a critical eye over events in the comics industry over the past year and offer some predictions for the next, Alan Moore discusses Lost Girls and his new novel and Judge Dredd's 30th anniversary will also be celebrated.
Graced with a brand new Hellboy cover by Duncan Fegredo, Tripwire Annual 2007 will be distributed to bookstores in and the direct market in the UK and US. Cover price £9.95/ $14.95 US, 128 pages full colour, shipping in August and is being solicited in the May issue of Diamond's Previews catalogue.

2D FESTIVAL SUCCESS
27/4/07: David Campbell, organiser of Northern Ireland's first ever major comics event the recent 2D Festival has been in touch to report it went really well and attracted a good turn out.
"The exhibition, workshops and panels were all a success and it was good to see a wide mix of people at the open day," says David. "The guests and attendees all enjoyed themselves and we will definitely be back next year so I'll keep you posted. Some of the guests have been writing nice things about it on their blogs, which is very encouraging."
While exact numbers of visitors have yet to be finalised, the event's four workshops each had between 28 - 40 people in them and were booked out beforehand, with standing room only. The exhibition and open day held a good crowd all day and David feels the event had a real buzz about it.
"Obviously, there are things we would like to improve," says David, "but it was most definitely a positive start." Nice one!
• For more information vist www.2dfestival.com

TITAN TAKES ON LOVE AND ROCKETS
27/4/07: In 1982, brothers Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez created Love & Rockets, an astonishing mixture of magical realism, science fiction, and meditations on the human condition, which became one of the most critically acclaimed series of all time and influenced many British comics creators at the time, and since. Now Titan Books has made the welcome move of reissuing the series, complete with previously uncollected stories.
Published in May, Jaime Hernandez's Maggie The Mechanic follows the adventures of the spunky Maggie Chascarillo, her annoying best friend and sometime lover Hopey and their circle of erratic friends. You can order it from Amazon.co.uk now
Also to be released in May, is Gilbert Herndandez's Heartbreak Soup, a story set in the mythical Central American town of Palomar that takes a look at Luba, the larger-than-life mayor. With tales weaving in and out of Palomar's entire population, Heartbreak Soup is a complex tapestry of Latin American life. You can order it from Amazon.co.uk now

Heretic #1 MARKOSIA MERGES, OFFERS NEW SERVICES TO CREATORS
25/4/07: UK comic book publisher Markosia Publications, publisher of such books as Starship Troopers, Heretic and Kong - King of Skull Island will be merging with sister company Associated Arts and Media (AAM) with immediate effect.
"It's something we've been looking at for a while now," Harry Markos, Managing Partner and Publisher of Markosia explained. "AAM has been working alongside Markosia for a while now -- and with the recent changes in our company, the evolving Markosia that people like new E.I.C Brian Augustyn are creating and the new outlook and attitude we now have, added to the fact that many Markosia creators are already involved with AAM, it seemed right to bring both entities under one umbrella."
A global production studio, AAM is a talented pool of creators who assist in either putting packages together for submission to other agencies, producing books for other publishers (including book adaptations for mainstream publishers), and for putting flash or other animation trailers/teasers together. Additionally, AAM are currently creating packages together for other media -- television, film and radio, as well as promotional material for non-comic businesses.
"With AAM we can target all areas," Harry Markos continued. "There are a lot of businesses out there who need quality scripting, art and design. Animation companies in both the U.S and Europe are interested in us developing non comic projects with them. We have book publishers who are interested in us creating graphic novels for them rather than through Markosia. And of course we have a variety of projects that we will be putting through Markosia itself, which is why we're combining the two."
With a talented pool of creators already involved including Chuck Satterlee, Tony Lee and Harry Gallan, Ryan Stegman, Dan Boultwood, Sam Hart, Chris Dibari, Jose Torres, Thomas Mauer, animator Rob Freeman and colouring studio Oran Utan Studios, AAM is building in size daily with new creators coming on board every month.
As for the name change, Harry Markos doesn't feel that such a change would affect Markosia's presence. "We have a lot of loyal fans, and a lot of retailers are buying more and more from us each month. With a daily comic at Newsarama and thousands of hits on our website daily, whether we're Markosia or AAM/Markosia really won't affect the products we release. We'll still be bringing out top-notch licenses like Kong – King Of Skull Island, Heretic and Starship Troopers as well as great new titles like Breathe, Vengeance of the Vapor, The Witness and Hope Falls. And that's not including the big announcements we have coming up over the next couple of months."
"Whatever our name – we're here for the duration."
• For more information on what Associated Arts and Media can do for your company, or to discuss future projects, email aam.markosia@gmail.com.
• For more information on Markosia, go to www.markosia.com

Spectacular Spider-Man 150 SPECTACULAR SPIDEY HITS 150!
19/4/07 (with thanks to Ed Hammond): In just a few weeks time Marvel's webbed wonder Spider-Man will be swinging onto cinema screens across the country in the third instalment of the box office busting Spider-Man movie saga. Meanwhile here in the UK, spider-fans have got another reason to celebrate as Panini UK's Spectacular Spider-Man magazine celebrates its 150th Issue.
On sale from today (19th April), this issue sees Spidey pitted against his old foe the Sandman. But this will be no easy fight for Spidey, as the Sandman has stolen a vial of Pym Particles and is currently on a giant sized rampage through New York! This action packed tale is written by long time Spec Spidey scribe Ferg Handley, with pencils by John Royle.
On top of a great strip, this issue also features all the normal puzzles, posters, competitions and games, plus an exclusive sneak peak at the Spidey 3 movie. Just in case you need any more convincing, you also get a free Spider-Man 3 sticker album and stickers with each issue!
• In other Panini UK news, there's a new MySpace site dedicated to the company's Pocket Books. Check it out at: www.myspace.com/marvelpocketbooks

DAVID LLOYD ART FOR SALE
16/4/07: Artist David Lloyd has some for sale at www.planetacomic.net - the website of a store in Barcelona he's signing at on the 23rd April. "No V or Kickback," David says, "but three Hellblazer pages, one Chaplin, one Nightingale, one Global Frequency, one Doctor Who (a page from the Ice Warrior strip DeathWorld), and 13 Territory. All at 300 Euros each.
"I'm planning to put sale art on my site -- lforlloyd.com -- eventually, but only got time to think about it doing it now." In other news from David, we're pleased to report his fab graphic novel Kickback is now available from German publishers Ehapa, who have published the crime noir story in English.

Fight for the Falklands - Battle cover FALKLANDS 25: OPERATION CORPORATE IN COMICS
9/4/07: 25 years ago, Britain was at war over islands in the South Atlantic many Britons had never heard of – and some at the time even thought were part of the Shetlands. Jeremy Briggs examines the comics that featured the 1982 Falklands conflict between Britain and Argentina...

Jusctice League Legends preview cover #1 LEGENDS FROM TITAN TOWERS
08/0407: Who says British comics are dead? Certainly not the staff of Titan Magazines and Panini UK,who are filling the newsagents shelves with their publications.
True, a lot of the material is reprinted from US comics, but the strips are lovingly repackaged for a British audience in beautifully printed collector's editions, in full colour with quality card covers -- and now, a third Titan DC Comics-inspired title is in the pipeline. Ian Wheeler reports...

Travis Millard - Sally

ARTS COUNCIL SEEKS MINI COMICS
2/4/07: Britain's Arts Council is looking for mini-comics made by young people aged 25 years or under to accompany the Hayward Touring exhibition Cult Fiction, which explores the relationship between comics and contemporary art.
If you use words and images to communicate subjects of importance to you - be they real life experiences, unlikely heroes, politics, humour or offbeat ideas - then they want to see your work. Selected mini-comics will form part of the resources for the exhibition and will be made available at one or more of the following venues the exhibition will be appearing at (see our events listing page for dates).
The Arts Council are accepting submissions until 15 February 2008. Please submit two copies of your mini-comic to: Cult Fiction Mini-Comics, Public Programmes, Hayward Touring, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX enclosing your name, address, email address and telephone number.
Please note that the Council is unable to return any submissions, so you are advised not to send originals.
• For more information on the exhibition visit www.southbankcentre.co.uk and search for Cult Fiction. For information on submitting mini-comics email cultfiction@southbankcentre.co.uk

Spider-Man vs. Sub-Mariner SNEEK PEEK!
2/4/07: Check out this sneek peek at an upcominf Spider-Man comic cover from Panini UK, courtesy of John Royle. "It's a good story by Ferg Handley," John reveals, with "pencils m,e marvellous inks by comic legend Joe Rubinstein and fab colours by James Offredi." John's also just started work on a two part Fantastiuc Four story.

THE EAGLES: VOTE FOR YOUR 2006 NOMINEES
2/4/07: Earlier this year tens of thousands of comics fans from around the world nominated their 2006 favourites in each of 28 categories. With the results finally collated, counted and ratified, voting is now open for the 2007 Eagle Awards. To vote for your candidates, simply log on to www.eagleawards.co.uk/vote.asp
Polls close at midnight (BST) Sunday, 22 April, 2007. The winners are to be announced at the Bristol International Comic Expo on Saturday, May 12 2007. The highlight of Britain's premiere comics event, the awards are to be held at Bristol's Ramada Plaza Hotel where the ceremony is to be hosted by top comedian Norman Lovett, the original Holly from Red Dwarf.
The presentation is to be preceded by the traditional gala dinner. With demand for tickets always high, early booking is highly recommended. Reservations can be made through Martin 'Biff' Averre, who can also provide further details. He can be contacted via email at martin@acecomics.co.uk or by telephone on 01206 364140 (011-44-1206 364140 from North America).

CAUSING A COM-MOTION
2/4/07 (with thanks to Matthew Badham): This summer Stripsearch, the project that seeks out and nurtures comic and graphic illustration talent in the West Midlands, is running a bunch of free professional illustration courses under the banner Com-Motion.
Budding cartoonists aged 13 to 19 can create their own comic or animation with professionals including John McCrea, Hunt Emerson and The Brothers McLeod. Click here for more information on the Created in Birmingham web site

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