Comic Expo Countdown...

There’s just one week to go until the 2009 Bristol International Comic Expo (featuring the Small Press Expo) at the Ramada Plaza Hotel on 9th and 10th May 2009 (and Mercure Holland House Hotel (Sat 9th only) and whilst the full allocation of two-day tickets are long gone, a very limited number of other tickets: SPExpo-only tickets for Saturday 9th, and ComicExpo-only tickets for Sunday 10th can be obtained from the relevant websites.

The organisers stress these extra tickets are strictly limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis – it's possible that a few will be available on the door at one or other event, but it’s recommended to reserve your ticket online to be safe and avoid disappointment on the day.

The websites listed below also contain full panel, signing and exhibitor details, but here’s an update on the very latest news from a number of attendees:

Factor Fiction will be selling the 10th Anniversary issue of Violent!, which was originally launched by Mike Sivier at the Bristol Comics Festival in 1999. They will also have the latest issue of The Girly Comic, featuring not one, but two Terry Wiley strips, including his new series Verity. The issue also includes regular strip Space Girl and brand new Lee Kennedy strips.

If you haven't already picked one up then don't miss out on your chance to pick up a copy of The Girly Book Volume 1, which collects strips from the first nine issues. It's a lovely hardback edition and a "very reasonable price of £15" according to the review on the Forbidden Planet International blog. For newcomers to The Girly Comic, the publishers will have bargain packs featuring early issues of the comic.

Classics Illustrated (www.classicsillustrated.co.uk) will bring their latest pair of titles – Jungle Book and Goldilocks – to the show, as well as having great show-only offers on all of their books – check their website out for full details of all titles available in the series so far.

Self Made Hero will be bringing Emma Vieceli and Ilya to Bristol for signings of special advance copies of their latest Manga Shakespeare books (Much Ado About Nothing and King Lear respectively). Rob Deas will also be in attendance on Saturday to sign copies of his Macbeth book. They will also be bringing Ian Edginton and INJ Culbard along for a special Sherlock Holmes panel and signing.

Insomnia Publications will be bringing the third volume of their anthology series, Layer Zero (cover by Scott James, colours by Jason Millet, above). Choices features work from an incredible range of new talent alondside experienced professionals from the world of comics (with work under their belts for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image, Calibre, Heavy Metal, 2000AD, to name a few) and some bold individuals experimenting with crossing over from other creative fields such as journalism, animation, screenwriting, sculpture, fine art and graphic design.

(Talking of Insomnia, the creators of their new book CancerTown, just reviewed by Geek Syndicate, have just been interviewed by JazmaOnline, so you can read more about what on earth they thought they were doing in creating this monster: Cy Dethan Interview here,
artist Stephen Downey interview here, while another of their creators, Simon MILK Wyatt is interviewed by Jazma here).

Finally, May 2009 and the Bristol Expo sees the release of Fetishman issue 9 'Space!', a rude rollicking romp across the final frontier and beyond decency!

• For SP Expo Tickets and Info see: www.spexpo.co.uk • For ComicExpo Sunday tickets only and info see: www.fantasyevents.org