It's the past coming atcha

There’s an exciting bit coming up in a second, which is why this week’s news section isn’t like the movie 300 in any way. Instead, you’ll find a news update that is internally consistant, non-repetitive and doesn’t make you want to leave half-way through. So let’s get on with it, shall we?

First up! New pages of The Silent Choir are now posted for your delight. There were a fair few people came up and asked about the choir at the Thing last week, and the questions seemed to all run the same way. How long is it going to be, and when will it be finished? Well, I reckon that the complete choir will be one hundred pages in length, which means there’s still around twenty-five weeks of strips to run, at two strips a week. Do remember to have a poke around the pictures, by the way, there are a lot of hidden links that should help you understand the story with a little more clarity. Or perhaps deepen your confusion…

The Thing, by the way, went well. It was a great little show, with a fun atmosphere. I’m not going to embarrass myself by attempting to name all the people that made it so much fun. You all know who you are. Probably the most wondrous part of the whole endeavor was all the comics with me in them. Two of which were on the table I sat at. This tidily leads us on to the paragraph.

Here’s the exciting part: if you go on over to the shop section of this very website, you’ll be able to purchase for yourselves the newest issue of Strip For Me, which made it’s debut at the Thing last week. It looks a lot like this:

Actually, it pretty much looks exactly like that. The latest issue is one long story entitled Empty Canvas, as the cover suggests, and it’s a little different that usual. Oh, there’s scars and art and tragedy, like there always is, so don’t you worry. Some people have said that it feels a little lighter than usual, and maybe that is true. I’m still getting used to it, to be honest. I’ll be able to tell you exactly what I think about it at some point in the future, no doubt. It’s all new, and not on the site, so order it with all haste. You won’t regret it!

Also in the shop section you will be able to find the first issue collecting The Rule of Death, the strip that I have been illustrating over the top of Mr Goodbrey’s scripts. This one looks a lot like this:

Again – it’s thee to buy, people! You can find the newest episodes of Rule of Death at serializer, or on this very site, every Friday.

So that’s your lot. Get on over to the shop and stop bothering me. I’m off to work on the next newest thing to delight your eyes.

All raise your glasses!


baboomba

Hey folks, I’m writing this before popping on a train to London to go to the Thing today. you should already know all about it, of course, as I’ve been trailing it for some time, so I hope to see you there! Just so you know, there’ll be a new issue of Strip For Me today: it’s a single story called Empty Canvas and it’s one of my least dark pieces of work. Make of that what you will. Also by me is the first issue collecting Rule of Death, written by Mr Goodbrey, with whom I am sharing a table. Lazarus-style Western goodness in that one for all the kiddies. As I mentioned on Monday – I’m also in the new issue of Synchronicity with Andrew Cheverton, and there will be a story by me in the Thing show anthology too! That’s plenty me to go round, hopefully!

Right – see you all in a bit!


Review: Skullboy’s Laugh Riot by Jacob Cabot

This is the sixth issue of The Mighty Skullboy Army, and at this time the army has grown to precisely three, including Skullboy himself, a petty would-be despot with the face of a skull. Imagine Doctor Doom in playschool and you’ll get the idea.

This is a pretty funny little book. Cabot’s art is slick, and while splitting four panel strips up over four pages may not be the greatest format, the package as a whole is pleasing, with nice spot illustrations between each strip. If there is a problem it is that the characters cry out for a little more room to breathe, and I’d like to see them in a longer story sometime. Of course, wanting more isn’t that much of a problem, all things considered

No price on this one, but there’s a website address, of course. Nip on over to www.beetlebugcomics.com and have a nosey around.


Planning For Tomorrow

Well, today saw another nice update to the site, with the addition of a batch of new links over in the biblio and strip sections. With a bit of luck we’ll be seeing some new, absolutely web-exclusive stories coming shortly. I’ve just finished out the roughs for a story called The Solitary Heart that plays in the same kind of areas as Porcelain did in the last issue of SFM. When it gets finished is another question, as it joins the increasing list of written stories awaiting art, but look for it at some point in the near future. Keep checking back through the week too, as I’m aiming to get at least one page from every issue up on the site before the end of the month.


Hey there folks, and a Happy New Year for all of you. Provided, of course, you are using the same ca lender as myself. There are two new pages up for you to read today, both a new page of the Silent Choir and a new short strip called All Distractions are Demons. Enjoy, why don’t you?

Also up at the site is a quick rundown of some of my highlights of the year, in comics, music and TV. I should probably have added film in there, shouldn’t I? Well, if I had it would have been Children of Men, as I’ve already discussed here, I think. Anyway go on over and take a read. I am right.

I’m intended to have a bit of a clear out of the site next week, and I’ll be getting rid of a bunch of stuff that’s seen print in various places. I’ll also be streamlining the Silent Choir to make it a little more reader friendly. The changes are already happening, actually, The shop page is all fixed now, so nip on over and spend some money on me.

Anyway, see you next year.


Hello again, my fine comics-reading buddies. I’m back again with another update for your delectation. Please direct your loving browsers to these two new entries in the story of The Silent Choir. I’m going to press on toward the end of the this particular tale in the new year. It’s been hanging over my head for too long now, and it’s about time I finished drawing the end of it

Also, remember that the newest issue of Strip for Me is now available. That’s issue 22, in case you weren’t paying attention last week. You can go over to the Shop and order it now. That button works, at least. I’m not sure about the other ones. Ah, it’ll all be sorted out in the year-end clean that I’m intending to do. I’ll be getting rid of some strips and reorganising some pages too.

I was going to weigh in with my opinions on the inaugural Birmingham Comics Show, but both Ade Brown and the rascally David Baillie have beat me to the punch with far more detailed reports than I had planned. My advice is for you to go to them for your fact finding, and good luck to you. You’ll find both accounts illuminating, although only Baillie delves into the secret details of the dreaded Argento Chamber, hidden in the mirror behind us.

I should say that I enjoyed myself immensely, and hello to all who greeted me, with a special extra hello to all those of you who bought one of my comics, or in some instances, a number of same. The attention is appreciated, as it is all that I crave, as you well know. Certainly I appreciated many of the kind comments that I heard over the weekend.

My thanks go out especially to the lady who presented me with a copy of Guh! For my money, Guh! was the stand-out comic of the show, as anyone who got within earshot was quickly told. A sizzling, fizzing mix of Johnny Ryan-esque horrors and humour, this one’s a great read, right through to the sexy pin-up of Mark Lawson. So, thank you, lady, whoever you were. I’ve reviewed that on bugpowder, with more reviews to come soon.

Now, quite apart from all that – have you done gone and got yourself a Comicspace profile yet? I have, and you can find me here. It really is quite the modern thing, and even though it is functionally useless at the moment, it promises to become an interesting hub for comics. Already Rob Liefeld is there. I expect the offers of friendship to come pouring from all directions.


Strip For Me 22

Blame Andrew Cheverton. If he hadn’t been so kind over the weekend I’d never have done it. I felt ashamed, you see, that I’d be letting down my audience, and that people would be coming up to me with smiles and walking away with downcast eyes. You see, I hadn’t planned on doing a new issue of SFM for the coming weekend, at the Birmingham Comics Show. But, like I said, Mr Cheverton shamed me into doing a new one.

So, without further ado, Strip For Me 22!

Those brave explorers of the site may recognize the image, and to be honest you’ll recognize some of the contents too, but there’s enough new stuff and rare stories to make it worth anyone’s money. Plus, you can roll it up and stick it in your back pocket, and I don’t see any of you doing that with your PC…

So, I know I said it at the weekend, but hopefully I’ll see you all on Saturday and Sunday in Birmingham. Should be fun. And now you know what you need to get for all your friend’s and fiend’s Christmasses. What else could they possibly want?


Two new pages of The Silent Choir have been put up on the site today, including the very first, which was originally done back in seeming prehistory now. It’s been a while in production, this one, which is one of the reasons that I’m pushing ahead with it at the moment. Lots to come, and more in past issues of Strip for Me. Next week, hints of what happened in these small and simple stories.

More exciting news: Eddie Campbell has a blog! If you’ve been hiding under a rock all week you’ll not know, so let me enlighten you. The creator of Alec and Bacchus has turned to the interweb once more (after letting his last site languish and drop off the net) to dispense gems of common sense to the lot of it. My only worry is that it keeps him away from writing more comics, because there are still not enough Eddie Campbell comics in the world.

Birmingham next week! Yes indeed, it’s the latest comic show to hit the scene, and I’m going to be there. As has become somewhat traditional, you’ll be able to find me with the reunited team supreme, as Mr Baillie and Mr Goodbrey and myself join forces for a selling extravaganza of our various endeavours. I hope to see you there!

Also! Inland Empire now has a trailer!


Hello, my people. Welcome once more to the exciting on-line world of Strip For Me. One more new page of The Silent Choir this week, as we move forward with that toward its eventual conclusion. As ever, there’s also The Rule of Death at serializer.net or here for the latest installment.

Quick thought – as I write this on Sunday evening, Torchwood, the BBC’s new science-fiction series, has just finished. I’ve just put on a DVD of Quatermass 2, also by the BBC and first shown in 1958. The difference is frightening. Unfortunately, things haven’t got better in the last 50 years or so, but rather quite the opposite. I’m not sure why Torchwood seems so offensive to me, as it’s relatively harmless. I suppose it might be something to do with the dreadful sense that it’s a wasted opportunity – the dreadful feeling that there are no new ideas being used in the series. I anxiously hope that I’m wrong. Ah, well. In fifty years time we’ll still be watching Quatermass on the holo-players in our jethomes, and Torchwood will likely be no more than CD-boxset landfill.


Judge Dredd Madness

Another one page update this week, as the Silent Choir continues to spill its secrets out at an alarming rate. Remember to seek out the hidden connections between the troubled singers. It’ll help you understand what really went on…

There’s also this week’s installment of The Rule of Death, new every Friday at serializer.net. As ever, it can be found over there on serializer, as well as the latest installment right here at home. It’s a western about a man that refused to die. What else do you need to know.

Right – on to this week’s news – Which of you went out and got the new issue of the Judge Dredd Megazine – issue 252 to be precise? It’s the one that has a cover that looks like this:

Anyway, those of you who did surely skipped past all of the lovely Colin McNeil artwork to gaze in an astonished fashion at the two panels of borders that pop up about halfway through the magazine. These little nuggets of art delight accompanied a short appreciation by Matthew Badham, who is far too kind. Anyway, a heartfelt thanks from all here to Mr Badham. If this is your first time here, and you’ve come via the Meg’s recommendation, you’re very welcome. Look around and have yourself some fun.

More excitement soon.