The Bleeding Horse and other ghost stories

I've been a fan of Mr. Brian J. Showers' Swan River Press chapbooks ever since I first got hold of them at a Dublin convention a couple of years ago this time last year.

Brian is currently getting ready to launch his new book The Bleeding Horse and other ghost stories at the Phoenix Convention (Dublin) at the end of the month. After the launch, the Moonlight Theatre Company will present two tales from Edgar Allan Poe, "The Cask Of Amontillado" performed by Vincent Fegan and "The Black Cat" performed by Paul Kealyn, directed by Gary Egan.
Sadly, we won't be attending P-Con due to our heavy workload and lack of funds but we encourage anyone with the time and means to visit the con; it's always a good one and this year looks to be one of the best ever.


In the spirit of Le Fanu's classic trio of tales, Brian J. Showers' The Bleeding Horse and Other Ghost Stories infests his own Dublin neighbourhood with an authentic population of ghosts, ghouls, and goblins. Showers has filled each story with fascinating regional history, local atmosphere, and architectural details that are clearly visible today. While this gives the stories a factual flavour, the supernatural elements are entirely fictional. The result is a realistic and shadow-filled portrait of a modern neighbourhood, written in the traditional style of the classic literary ghost story.

Each story features a recognisable Dublin setting and infuses it with a spectral history. Among the mysteries you will be invited to unravel are: the origins of The Bleeding Horse pub's gruesome name ('The Bleeding Horse'); the mysterious events leading to the discovery of Jack B. Yeats' final painting ('Oil on Canvas'); the eerie and persistent repercussions of a tragic omnibus accident in 1861 ('Favourite No. 7 Omnibus'); the possible resting place of the stolen Irish Crown Jewels and what guards it ('Quis Separabit'); the identify of the strange entity that plagued a 19th c. curate ('Father Corrigan's Diary'); and more. The Bleeding Horse and Other Ghost Stories features black and white illustrations throughout by Duane Spurlock, an introduction by Le Fanu scholar Jim Rockhill, and a cover by Harvey Award winner Scott Hampton.

Read more and order your copy now at www.brianjshowers.com

Nevermore Anthology yet to come

www.selfmadehero.com/classical_eye/nevermore.html

Now then, we believed that the book was officially released on Halloween but it turns out that it was just a launch; the book will be on sale from the 22nd of November.

Self Made Hero have drummed up some fantastic press fro the book too...
"Nevermore and Richard III, new titles published by manga and graphic novel imprint SelfMadeHero, have been selected as two of three 'recommended reads' by The Book Show, presented by Mariella Frostrup on Sky Arts. A special programme on comics and graphic novels goes out on 22nd November, featuring the books."

and...
"[...]the Guardian are running a standalone review of Nevermore this Saturday by Canongate author Michel Faber, so do try and pick up a copy."

We have received our comp copies and it's a great little book. Hope you all enjoy it.

Nevermore Anthology coming this Halloween

The works of Edgar Allan Poe have enthralled and terrified readers for over 150 years. Their macabre blend of doomed romanticism, gothic melodrama and ghoulish destiny earned him a place at the top of the list of fiction’s greatest authors. Famous for his poems and short stories Poe, who was born in Boston in 1809, virtually created the detective story and perfected the psychological thriller.

Legendary writer Jamie Delano, the man who launched DC's Vertigo line with the critically acclaimed Hellblazer, reunites with frequent collaborator Steve Pugh (Animal Man, Preacher) to deliver a chilling modern twist on Poe's tale of arbitrary torture and imprisonment, The Pit and the Pendulum.

Ian Edginton and D'Israeli, having previously brought us the gothic delights of Kingdom of the Wicked, Leviathan and the War of the Worlds sequel Scarlet Traces, take us to a fantastical Paris of the future where genetic technology complicates the infamous case of Murder in the Rue Morgue.

The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar, an eerie story of life beyond death, is brought up to date by screenwriter Jeremy Slater and artist John McCrea, whose credits include high profile work for both Marvel (Spider-Man) DC (The Demon, Hitman, Superboy), 2000AD (Judge Dredd) and Wildstorm (Jenny Sparks).

Leah Moore and John Reppion, fresh from working with Alan Moore on the Wildstorm-published Albion, lend their unique vision to The Black Cat, along with artist James Fletcher (Negative Burn). Meanwhile, Leah and John's Albion artist, Shane Oakley, joins forces with writer Dan Whitehead (Star Wars: Attack of the Clones) to bring The Fall of the House of Usher screaming into the modern day, in a skin-crawling tale of madness, mania and decay.

You can order a copy today for only £7.79 by clicking on the link below.

 

Lots of things by us out this week!

Witchblade - Shades of Gray #1 came out last week and has been selling fast apparently, which is great to hear.

Reviews here: http://www.fanboycomics.biz/sandalareviews.php
and here: http://www.popsyndicate.com/index.php

More Info

Raise the Dead #1 came out in the US yeasterday and we already have a review: http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php

More Info

Savage Tales #1 also came out in the US yesterday too , Also reviewed at : http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php

More Info

We have already seen the last page of art for our story in Nevermore by Selfmadehero, we have seen the first four pages of coloured art for our Gene Simmons House of Horrors story, and we have seen lots and lots of beautiful art on the rest of the Witchblade and Raise the Dead issues. to be honest its getting a bit scary.

if you buy any of this stuff then please do come and let me know what you made of it. We always want to know how far off the mark (or how close to it) we have been.

L