Three new comic star websites

Not one, not two, but three brand new comic book superstar websites have just been launched. We advise you pay them a visit.

www.JHWilliams3.com
is the website of artist extraordinaire J. H. Williams III.

You probably know him from his work on Promethea or Desolation Jones or perhaps a little series called Wild Girl from a few years back?

www.NakedFatRave.com
is a "collection of fully-dressed comic book artists".

The collective is comprised of Arthur Adams, Joyce Chin, Amanda Conner, J Scott Campbell, Michael Golden, Gene Ha, Phil Noto, Tim Sale, Bruce Timm, Matt Wagner and JH Williams III. Impressive, no?

www.KleinLetters.com

is the website of legendary letterer and winner of 90% of all lettering awards ever, erm, awarded: Todd Klein.

Todd's site is packed with info about his career, tutorials, images, links... he's even selling albums! Some people seem to get more than their fair share of this "talent" stuff, don't they? Still, I'm not bitter.

J.

Actually reading some comics for a change

When people ask us about what comics we're currently enjoying we usually look a bit embarrassed and mumble something about "not having much time" or some such. The truth is, we don't read a hell of a lot of new stuff or, more accurately, we don't read it while it's still new; we're pretty relaxed when it comes to getting our hands on comics.

However, one man who tries his best to keep us up to date is Mike McLean, proprietor of Asylum Books and Games up in Aberdeen. Disappointed at our lack of commitment to the medium, Mike occasionally sends us big fat boxes of comics and today was one of those days where the postman wakes me up with such a parcel.

The latest two issues of Elephantmen were in there (which we are both big fans of) as well as tonnes of zombie comics; some good, many terrible and at least one that was so very terrible it was almost back to being good.

He also included Your Round #1 - Tequila


"Your Round, the new pub story anthology comic book series from Olive Press Comics is now available to buy. The first issue, Tequila, features the talent of Declan Shalvey (Hero Killers), Bob Byrne (2000AD) and James Hodgkins (Batman/Aliens)."

Declan actually illustrates a story from Mister McLean himself (sometimes known as Tequila Mike, and for good reason). This is a very cool comic (probably our favorite from the lot); drunken pub stories in comic book form is really a genius concept.

You can order the book for £2.50 >>HERE<<.

So, cheers Mike and, if you looking for a good online comic shop (or if you happen to be in Aberdeen) we recommend you pay a visit to Asylum Books and Games .

Other comics we've managed to get our mitts on recently and have enjoyed include all four books of the Luna Brothers' Girls. (actually, I still need to read 3 and 4 but 1 and 2 are brilliant!).


And Bryan Talbot's Alice in Sunderland which is truly wonderful.


J.

New comics out now/soon/in the future

Raise the Dead #3 - "Thicker Than Water" came out on the 6th of June and the reaction seems to be very positive so far. We certainly like it anyway. Only one issue to go now; how time flies.

Witchblade - Shades of Gray #2 - "The Enemy of My Enemy" will arrive in shops in the USA tomorrow (the 20th of June) and here in the UK on Thursday (the 21st). Hopefully, the slight delay between the first issue and this one won't have put too many of you off *crosses fingers*.

Savage Tales #2 (featuring part two of our Battle for Atlantis mini) is also out as of tomorrow/Thursday. People seem to be loving this; it's a really old fashioned adventure/sword and sorcery type anthology title and that's obviously something that's very appealing to a lot of readers.

We're currently working on another four issue mini for Dynamite (which we've already turned in the first script for) as well as researching the hell out of a prospective adaptation project for them. Busy as ususal.

J.

Coming Soon...

A very busy few weeks.

Over the last few weeks we seem to have been up to all sorts and now that we're into June it's time to stop, take a breath and, well, Blog...

Over the weekend of the 12th and 13th of May we missed the Bristol Comic Expo (for the first time in something like four years) because we had a family wedding to attend.

Lots of people have since informed us that is was the best Bristol ever (which, we hope, had nothing to with our not being there).

Lots of images and even videos (isn't modern technology marvelous?) of the convention can be found here, here and here (and probably loads of other places):
http://flingk.com/10dh84jz
http://flingk.com/15fei7fi
http://www.ndcomicsmag.com/bristolcon/

On Saturday the 19th of May Leah and I headed down/over to Stoke on Trent where our old chum Shane Oakley had somehow managed to wangle us a day as extras in a zombie film called Out of Space. Ostensibly, this was so that I could write a piece for www.RevenantMagazine.com about the film and whole experience (which will be appearing online very soon) but it was also a very good laugh. Very nice popping into the pub over the road for last orders still dressed as zombies afterwards too. The bar man's reaction: "Alright, you doin' a film are you?".

The wife and myself (with photoshop enhanced eyes)

Sickly Suzanne and Icky Oakley

Sunday the 27th of May saw us over in the historic market town of Market Weighton for Giant Bradley Day which I will be writing an article about that will hopefully appear in Fortean Times during the next few months.


In addition to all the historical giant stuff (which I'm saving for the article, obviously) not only did we see what was professed to be the world's biggest garden spade...

...we also had a dream opportunity to take loads of photos of classic cars and produce the following Coop style post (with a uniquely British twist)...



That's right my friends, Morris Minors by the dozen. Look at the engine on this little bugger; that's an Austin designed 0.8 L overhead valve A-Series, unless I'm very much mistaken. A top speed of 63 mph. What a beauty, but I digress.

In addition to all the above mentioned shenanigans we've also completed (this very evening... or is that morning now?) the script for the very first issue of a brand new Dynamite Entertainment/Top Cow crossover series. Details coming soon.

Oh and don't forget, Raise the Dead #3 is out this week so make sure you pick up a copy before it sells out (did that sound too cocky?).

That's it I think. Time for my supper.

J.

John in SteamPunk Magazine #2

"SteamPunk Magazine is a publication that is dedicated to promoting steampunk as a culture, as more than a sub-category of fiction. It is a journal of fashion, music, misapplied technology and chaos. And fiction.
It just may be the most spectacular magazine to ever fight against the spectacle, and it is free. Or as cheap as we can possibly get it to you. Using the latest in Creative Commons technology, we undermine the fascism of copyright while protecting ourselves from direct co-option."

Issue two is entitled "A Journal of Missaplied Technology"

Contents:

Narratives
Uhrwerk: The Incredible Steam Band by John Reppion
Mining Medusa by Donna Lynch
Unbound Muscle by The Catastrophone Orchestra
An Unfortunate Engagement (part two) by G.D. Falksen
Yena of Angeline (part two) by Margaret P. Killjoy

Interviews
I-Wei Huang - contraptor extraordinaire

Features
To Electrocute An Elephant - how Edison killed a century on Coney Island
Steam Gear - a fashionable approach to the lifestyle
The Lady Artisan’s Apron - how to sew this functional, fashionable piece
The Pennyfakething - how to build an ingenious bicycle
A Steampunk’s Guide to Body Hair - how to find the hairstyle that suits you best
O Coal, You Devil - the environmental impact of coal
A History of Misapplied Technology - exploring the history of the steampunk genre
Earth Sea & Sky - an excerpt from an antiquated book of natural science

SteamPunk magazine #2 can be downloaded for free (in various , differently sized PDF documents) here http://www.steampunkmagazine.com/downloads.html

Or a printed copy can be ordered for just $3 (+ P&P) here http://www.steampunkmagazine.com/subscription.html

Accent UK's Zombies competition

Hooray! It's an actual Moore & Reppion competition! To celebrate the release of Accent UK's Zombies anthology (OUT NOW!) we're giving away two copies of the book.

Since there are two copies of Zombies up for grabs, to make this fair to both arty and non arty types, we'll have two different methods of deciding who gets the book.

Non arty:

Q: In which zombie classic did the now infamous zombie vs. shark scene take place? Email answer (marked Zombies competition) to Moore_Reppion@btinternet.com.

(all correct entries will be put into the hat of fate a winner picked at random)

Arty:

Best picture of myself and/or Leah (or Leah and/or myself... if you see what I mean) as zombies (we don't have to be fighting sharks), posted here in this thread wins the book. There are pictures of us on our Biographies page and probably elsewhere too.

You can enter both the arty and the non arty but you can obviously only win one book. The closing date for entries is Tuesday the 5th of June.

Good luck!

J.

Dynamite say: "No Reprints"

"Dynamite currently does not have plans to offer second prints of either issue, but does encourage retailers to check their orders on subsequent issues - and fans to reserve their copies as well. Issue #2 for Raise the Dead shipped this past Wednesday (5/2/07) and issue #2 of Savage Tales (MAR073340) is being prepped for shipping later this month." - originally reported by Matt Brady on Newsarama, (and thankyou Danielle for pointing us to it! :D )

I don't know if this is good news or bad news really, i imagine that it means there will be a trade paperback, which is always nice, but it might mean if you missed the first one that you'll have to scour Ebay for a copy. If you want to send the chaps at Dynamite a link to a review you've done, or you want to ask them about the trade, or ask what merchandise will be available, you can do all that and more by emailing letters@dynamiteentertainment.com

We are currently working on a small eight page story for an Image Anthology, which we are very excited about, and then we're starting on the next mini for Dynamite. Its all go at the moment!

we are sadly not going to be able to make it down to the Bristol comics convention this weekend, we have been the last four years in a row, but this year we have a family wedding to attend, so anyone who does go, have a pint for us!

We have just seen the pencils of the the first four pages of Battle for Atlantis part three, and they look great. I'll miss writing those zany Atlanteans! ;-)

L

Raise the Dead #2 out today!

Raise the Dead #2 - "The Road to Hell" arrives in shops across the USA today (UK tomorrow).

So far, people seem to be really enjoying the series and we're very happy with the reviews we've read. Some people are trying to put it down a bit, saying that it's "just another zombie book" but they almost always then go on to say that, for a genre book, it's solid, well drawn, well written and works really well. We couldn't ask for more really; we never set out to re-write the book on zombies, we just tried to do the best zombie series we could and we're pretty proud of how it's come out. That's thanks in no small part to our fantastic artist Hugo Petrus of course and our colourist Ivan Nunes. Cheers guys.

You can check out six preview pages from the new issue over on Newsarama.com now.

Make sure you get your copy early, the last issue sold out remember. ;-)

J.

Thunderbolt Jaxon TPB out now!

"From the world of Albion"...

Written by Dave Gibbons; Art by John Higgins; Cover by Gibbons

Collecting the 5-issue re imagining of a classic British hero! Jack, Billy and Saf are three ordinary, adventurous kids who make a startling discovery: a mystical Norse relic from the fourth century. All is well as they take their newly found treasure home — unaware that it will lead to the rebirth of legendary British hero, Thunderbolt Jaxon!

Wildstorm Signature Series | 128pg. | Color | Softcover |

Buy it now in >>OUR AMAZON SHOP<<.

Rtd #1 & ST #1 SOLD OUT!

Yes that's right, the debut issues of both Raise the Dead and Savage Tales (featuring Battle for Atlantis part one) are completely sold out! Not bad, eh?


Raise the Dead #2 will arrive in stores on the 2nd/3rd of May with Savage Tales #2 coming in June - don't forget to reserve your copies.

House of Horrors previews/interview

Read the interview and see the preview pages >>HERE<<

Leah Interviewed on DragonsKeep.com

Click >>HERE<< to read the interview.

Raise the Dead and Battle for Atlantis commentaries

The entirety of Battle for Atlantis part one is now online with a page by page commentary by Leah.

>>CLICK HERE TO READ THE STORY AND COMMENTARY<<

You can also read part one of Mike Raicht's fantastic story The Elder Things That Fell To Earth (also from Savage Tales #1) complete with commentary >>HERE<<.

There's also a six page preview and commentary from your truly for Raise the Dead #1.

>>CLICK HERE TO READ THE PREVIEW AND COMMENTARY<<

J.

Gene Simmons' House of Horrors coming in July 2007

Here's a little teaser for our story courtesy of that sick, sick man Jeff Zornow.

Click to enlarge image

Visit www.simmons-comics.com for more info and look out for previews and interviews coming soon on www.comicon.com/pulse

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

We Want You for the Zombie Army!

This is a classic example of how things can get out of hand on the internet...

A while back Leah and I were interviewed for the Forbidden Planet International Blog and our interviewer, Joe Gordon, made some reference to my zombie army. Actually... It must have started before that, but even I can't remember how or why now... Anyway, as a result of these references John Freeman put together the above logo/design using some artwork by Paul Harrison Davies.
The joke was that there were going to be t-shirts made for members of the Army to proudly wear. The thing is, now they actually exist...

John Freeman is selling them in his Cafe Press Shop!

I have to say that I'm a little bit scared by the whole thing and find it hard to imagine people actually wanting to join my Zombie Army but it takes all sorts doesn't it?

Therefore, I make the following pledge: I promise to buy a pint (or other beverage of choice) for anyone who comes up to me at a signing/convention wearing one of these t-shirts and if you want to send us a picture of yourself wearing your RZA t-shirt then we'll happily display it on our website.

Just don't hurt me...

J.

Witchblade - SoG #1 Release Date(s)

According to the Diamond Shipping List for 21st of March 2007 issue one of Witchblade - Shades of Gray should be hitting the stands in the USA in one weeks time (arriving in the UK and Europe the next day).

Hope you've pre-ordered your copy. ;-)

Post P-Con 4

Last weekend saw the fourth annual Phoenix Convention take place in Dublin, Ireland and I'm happy to report that it was even better than last year's event.

Kim Newman.

2007's guest of honour was Kim Newman and somehow I ended up being the interviewer. Sadly, the dictaphone which I ordered specially to record the interview didn't arrive in time so I haven't actually got any way of transcribing the thing. Anyway, rest assured that it went very well.

John interviewing Kim.

Other guests included the editorial team from Albedo 1, Michael Carroll, Paul Cornell, Raven Dane, George Green, Conor Kostick, Oisin McGann, Juliet E McKenna, Ken MacLeod, Deborah J. Miller, C E Murphy, John W Sexton and Charlie Stross. And there were many, many very enjoyable and informative talks on subjects as varied as "Around the Writer's Block" and "Zombies".

C. E. Murphy and her husband Ted.

Leah and Paul Cornell.

Micheal Carroll, Leonia and Danielle.

There was even an "Alan Moore Show and Tell" curated by our old friend Mr. Pádraig Ó Méalóid which Leah was roped into (as a helper, not an exhibit).

Pádraig showing off.

During a weekend of meeting lots of new people and catching up with old friends I was especially pleased to make the acquaintance of Mr. Brian J. Showers whose Swan River Press chapbooks and Literary Walking Tours of Gothic Dublin I now heartily recommend.



All in all we had a fantastic time (for which we thank new P-Con chairman and organiser Frank Darcy) and sincerely hope that we get asked back again in the future.

If you can get over to Dublin in early April (when I believe the con is being held) next year then you should definitely check out P-Con 5 with guest of honour Catie Murphy.

J.

Accent UK Zombies Update

Cover by Steve Bissette.

Comic book legend Stephen R. Bissette is amongst the contributors to the upcoming Accent UK anthology (now scheduled for release in May 2007) and has just posted his truly awesome cover for the volume over on his Blog.

"Hey, folks, Bissette horror comics are back!

Well, sort of.

Here's my cover art for the upcoming Accent UK anthology Zombies, just in from editors Dave West and Colin Mathieson. Their designer Andy Bloor took my black-and-white original (after Dave and Colin chose their favorite of the three potential cover images I submitted) and dressed it up with this straightforward bullseye-to-the-cornea use of color, which works beautifully.

Kudos to you, Andy! I love it." [READ MORE]

There are lots and lots of preview pages already online at www.AccentUKComics.com with new stuff being added every day.

Are you excited? We are!

J.