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Saturday 14 April 2012

Panel Borders: Depicting the personal

Please God, Find me a Husband

Continuing Panel Borders month of radio shows looking at British comics, they have a pair of interviews about artists who examine their personal life and feelings as a subject for their art.

Cartoonist Richy K. Chandler talks to Simone Lia about her new graphic novel, Please God, find me a husband!, which explores Simone's faith and search for a partner.

Critic and writer Columba Quigley talks to fine artist Josephine King about her paintings which combine self portrait with text and references to Renaissance narrative art.

- Panel Borders: Depicting the personal airs at 8pm, Sunday 15th April, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

 

Thursday 12 April 2012

2000AD blows into the Windy City

2000AD is making its first appearance at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo this weekend.

The comics publishers say they are delighted to be working with Super-Fly Comics & Games, who are the event’s official 2000AD retailer.

The Galaxy’s Greatest Comic is teaming up with Ohio-based comics retaile to bring a heady dose of Thrill-power to the massive convention, which takes place from 13th to 15th April and is now in its third year.

They will be at Booth 469 with a selection of 2000AD graphic novels from Rebellion's range designed specifically for the North American market.

A selection of 2000AD graphic novels will also feature in the special showcase at the show’s entrance, where visitors will be able to browse titles such as Judge Dredd: Crusade, Judge Anderson: The Psychic Crime Files, Judge Dredd: Mega-City Masters 01, Hondo City Law, Alan Moore Future Shocks, Sláine: Book of Invasions 01, Lenny Zero and the Perps of Mega-City One, and Zombo: Can I East You Please?.

Other titles being stocked at Super-Fly’s booth include Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 01, Judge Death Lives!, Kingdom, The Ballad of Halo Jones, and DR & Quinch.

The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo – also known as C2E2 – is a convention comics, movies, television, toys, anime, manga and video games in downtown Chicago. Taking place at the North Building at McCormick Place at 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, the show receives tens of thousands of visitors every year. More info at www.c2e2.com

ROK Comics releases first iPad audio comic, Team MOBILE

ROK Comics, Britain's dedicated mobile comics publisher, has published its first originated audio comic title for the iPad – TEAM M.O.B.I.L.E.

Featuring a fully authored audio soundtrack and its own theme tune, TEAM M.O.B.I.L.E. is the exciting story of teenage secret agents battling dangerous enemies across the globe.

An ongoing adventure story, the first issue of TEAM M.O.B.I.L.E. centres on the story of misfit duo Maisy Brown and Sam Thompson, who are recruited into a secret organisation to battle crime, terrorism and other dangers.

TEAM M.O.B.I.L.E. is the creation of ROK Group PLC co-founder Jonathan Kendrick.

Jonathan has long harboured an ambition to marry comics with sound and published on mobile devices including the iPad and iPhone. Inspired by a love of James Bond and comics, he came up with the back story for the comic, including its top secret 'MindMerge' technology and gadgets.

"We are really pleased with the originality and quality of our first audio comic which has just been published on the iTunes store and we look forward to developing the story further," said Jonathan.
 The strip is written by John Freeman from storylines by Jonathan Kendrick, with art by Andrew Chiu. Kris Carter is colouring the title, with Jim Campbell providing lettering and logos.

John's credits include work for Marvel, Judge Dredd Megazine and Black Ops Extreme for STRIP – The Comic Magazine, but he's perhaps better known as an editor, for ROK Comics and titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, STRIP and many others.
Andrew's credits include 2000 AD, the mainstay of the British comics industry, DC Comics, Vertigo Comics and ILEX Press.

Kris Carter's credits include Transformers and Doctor Who while Jim Campbell has worked for pretty much every major British comic publisher and some American companies, too.
The soundtrack, which complements the strip action, features the voices of both British and American actors, produced by Sneaky Snake Films in New York. The Team M.O.B.I.L.E. theme tune was created by accomplished composer Bob Townley, who's worked with a number of established chart artists in the US and UK.

ROK Comics is also publishing strips for mobile under license, including an Andy Capp iPhone app in partnership with the Mirror newspaper and a Viz iPhone app in partnership with Dennis Publishing, and Print Media's STRIP - The Comic Magazine.


Three iPhone apps published in partnership with individual creators – Ligeia the Vampire by Rodrigo Diaz Ricci, The Mobile Gospel by Rich Diesslin and Madd Science by Steve English – are also available.

Further comics are in development.

ROK Comics, part of ROK Global PLC, continues to provide mobile comics content for WAP subscription services across the globe and is currently working with partners in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

• Team M.O.B.I.L.E.online: www.theteammobile.com

• Visit ROK Comics at: www.rokcomics.com 

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Falklands War commemorated in new Commando comics


The latest Commando comics from DC Thomson - on sale now in all good newsagents - include the first of two books with a Falklands theme to mark 30 years since the Task Force sailed to liberate the islands in the South Atlantic.

Commando No 4487: Mission To Patagonia
Story: Alan Hebden Art: Benet Cover: Benet

November 1982, a British Geological Survey team in the Antarctic make an extraordinary find - a downed Vulcan bomber. News of this amazing discovery brings Lieutenant Nick Tarrant of the SAS to the scene. There soon emerges the story of a clandestine operation that took place during the height of the Falklands War.

The top secret tale of the... Mission To Patagonia!


 Commando No 4488: Triple Whammy!
Story: Mac MacDonald Art: Carlos Pino Cover: Carlos Pino

Remember the antics of Hitler and Monty…? Or to give them their proper names, Fuhrer and Field-Marshal lookalikes Max Singer and Sid O'Brien. Well, they're back for another madcap (mis)adventure - this time involving the SS, Soviets, Scotsmen and even Scousers in South America. Don't worry it'll all make sense… probably.

Our death-defying doubles are in triple the danger and triple the trouble. But will this be their finest hour, or their final fling…?

Commando 4489 - The Gold Collection: Gun Fury
Originally Commando No 24 (May 1962)
Story: Elliot Art: Ortiz Cover: Ken Barr

Red is the colour of courage. Like the ribbon of the Victoria Cross; like the blood that heroes spill; like the famous Red Beret of the Parachute Regiment, whose amazing story this is.

Meet in these pages Cobber Kane, tough, wise-cracking Australian; Sergeant. Jim Parker, steady as a rock; “Blood 'n' Guts” Sanders, the hard-bitten RSM, whose one aim in battle was a VC to pin next to his MM…the kind of heroes who have made the Red Beret the badge of courage it is.

"Ken Barr's cover sets your expectations for this story" says Commando Editor Calum Laird of this re-presented tale. "The single figure, gun in hand, grenades at the ready and with a thick black outline to throw the image out, lets you know this is going to be an all-action story. If you were in any doubt, though, the first page, by Ortiz, with its dramatic title lettering underlines the cover's promise.

"The story, penned by Elliot, doesn't disappoint - any story where members of the Parachute Regiment capture and take over a Tiger tank has to be a winner.

"And yet, it doesn't shy away from war's darker side. In this story good men die, friends are lost, as conflict takes its toll. And that's maybe not what you would expect."


Commando 4490 - The Silver Collection: Full Speed Ahead!
Originally Commando No 2077 (April 1987)
Story: Malcolm McDevitt Art: Keith Shone Cover: Jeff Bevan

The Channel war against the German E-boats was a tough one and Andy Simpson relished the task. From the chaos of Dunkirk to the Battle of Britain he was in the thick of the action. But he had an even more difficult problem ahead of him - to admit he could make mistakes.

"This is a traditional sea story, which Commando has always done well," notes Commando Deputy Editor Scott Mlontgomery. "In the aftermath of Dunkirk, Lieutenant-Commander Andy Simpson, a motor torpedo boat skipper who has to make a split-second decision - and may well have made the wrong one - must face up to what he has done, however difficult this may be.

"Artist Keith Shone's thick black lines are reminiscent of the style of our Spanish veterans, like Manuel Benet, for example. While Jeff Bevan proves once again that he was king of the sea covers - with those pale, watery colours offset by a striking explosion."

• The Draw Your Weapons exhibition featuring art from Commando continues at the National Army Museum in London until 30th April 2012. For the latest information visit: www.nam.ac.uk/exhibitions/special-displays/draw-your-weapons-art-commando-comics

• Official Commando web site: http://www.commandocomics.com

 • Commando Official Facebook page

• Click here for subscription information or write to: D.C. Thomson & Co Ltd, The Subscribers Department, Commando Library, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL or Freephone (UK only) 0800 318846

Commando is also available for iPad and iPhone. The apps are free to download through the Apple iTunes App Store and a digital subscription is priced at £4.99 per month, compared to a £99 annual print subscription. For those not sure there are four free issues to download prior to making a purchase.

Commando Comics iPhone App on iTunes

Commando Comics iPad App on iTunes

Tuesday 10 April 2012

New Comics Talent Competition Reaches Final Pair in Eagle Awards

It’s time to make your voice heard as the two finalists of the Huntsman’s Challenge new comics talent competition go head-to-head to win a prestigious Eagle Award.

Inspired by upcoming Universal Pictures movie Snow White And The Huntsman, the competition challenged comic creators to come up with a fully finished, coloured and lettered five page story with a plot relevant to the film’s dark fantasy setting.

The panel of judges – Titan Publishing senior editor Steve White, bestselling writer Tony Lee and Eisner-winning artist Mark Buckingham – have selected ‘Land of All Sorts’ in the Best Story category and ‘A Life of Death’ for Best Art and Design.

Now you can read both comics on www.eagleawards.co.uk and decide know whether ‘A Life of Death’ or ‘Land of All Sorts’ should win the MCM Expo Award For New Visionaries at next month’s Eagle Awards ceremony at MCM London Comic Con.

“It’s wonderful to see so many talented comic creators taking up the Huntsman's Challenge,” commented MCM co-organiser Paul Miley. “The artwork and writing of the entries has been of an amazingly high standard, so it’s a great achievement for Land of All Sorts and A Life of Death to make the final pair.”

“I'm thrilled by the enthusiasm the participants have shown and the quality of the work submitted,” added Eagle Awards chair Cassandra Conroy.

Both stories will also be printed in the MCM Expo London Comic Con show programme, and the creative teams will be invited to the awards ceremony and after-party on the Friday of the event and receive industry passes and signing slots for the full London Comic Con weekend.

‘HUNTSMAN’S CHALLENGE’ COMPETITION JUDGES’ SHORTLIST

BEST STORY versus BEST ART

1. Land of All Sorts versus        1. A Life of Death
2. Sleeping King versus            2. Land of All Sorts
3. The Edge Of The Village   =3. Time of Reflection
=4. A Life of Death                =3. Long Live The Emperor
=4. Time of Reflection              5. Flint Tinder

• To buy tickets for the MCM London Comic Con at Excel London on 25-27 May visit: https://www.mcmexpostore.com/store/


• Follow the MCM Expo on www.twitter.com/mcmexpo and www.facebook.com/mcmexpo or visit their YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/mcmexpo

Blank Slate pride at Eisner award nomination for 'Nelson'

Nelson
Comic-Con International have announced that Blank Slate's Nelson has been nominated for the Best Anthology honour in the 2012 edition of the the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards.


Created by a team of 54 of the UK’s most prominent comic creators, Nelson was devised as a celebration of the incredible diversity of talent within the rapidly growing British comics industry. Envisioned and edited by veteran UK creators Rob Davis and Woodrow Phoenix, the book unites a dynamic range of literary, mainstream, independent and small-press talent to tell the story of protagonist Nel Baker from her birth in 1968 to the present day.

Comprised of yearly snapshots, Nelson combines a myriad of stylistic approaches and decades of British history in one compelling, beautifully-rendered graphic novel.

For Blank Slate, Nelson presents a great opportunity to promote the rapidly expanding comics scene in Britain. Speaking on the book's Eisner nomination, Editor Rob Davis states “It's great to see Nelson getting this recognition, not just because it shines a light on the mind-boggling profusion of talent in British comics right now, but because it's a unique experiment that takes the anthology format and uses it to create a genuine novel.

"Everyone involved has a shared belief in the power of comics to make stories come alive."

Co-editor Woodrow Phoenix added "I'm really proud of what we achieved with this book. It proves that you don't need guns, superpowers, zombies or swords to make a story compelling”.

Met with international acclaim from both mainstream and specialist book reviewers when released in November 2011, Nelson quickly sold out of its initial run, all profits from which will be donated to Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity.

- ISBN: 978-1-906653-23-1 | 252 pages | 236 x 178mm softcover with flaps, full colour | £18.99

More about Nelson on the Blank Slate web site herOrder Nelson from Blank Slate

Sunday 8 April 2012

Comics Creators At Hi-Ex 2012: Part 2

Having taken a lot of photos of the various creators at the Hi-Ex comics convention, which took place at the Eden Court complex in Inverness last weekend, there was never going to be enough room in the main downthetubes review of the con to include all the images. Instead we present a selection of those images of the creators along with links to their websites, blogs and/or Facebook pages. They are in no particular order and the first part of this photo feature is here.

Artist Nigel Dobbyn has an eclectic selection of titles to his credit from The Beano's Billy The Cat to 2000AD via Thunderbirds and Transformers. The image he is showing here is entitled Primeval Priest and is available to buy from his website.

There are more details of Nigel Dobbyn's work on his website.

Glasgow's small press Team Girl Comic have four issues to their name as well as a selection of individual contributors' own titles and did a good trade, particularly on the Saturday. Shown here are editor Gillian Hatcher (left) with contributors Coleen Campbell (centre) and Clare Yvette (right).

There are more details of Team Girl Comic on their website and Facebook page.

French artist Michel Rodrigue is currently resident in Scotland and having been at the previous Hi-Ex was back this year on the Cinebook stand. His Cinebook titles are the two modern Clifton titles Jade and Black Moon which he was signing and sketching over the weekend. He is also the writer of the French series Sybil La Fee Cartable which is on its third book in France and the first book of which has just be translated into English by Papercutz as Sybil The Backpack Fairy and he was more than happy to sketch and sign copies of it as well.

There are more details of Michel Rodrigue on Lambiek.

There are more details of Sybil The Backpack Fairy on the Papercutz
website and of Clifton the the Cinebook website.

From pink fairies to something rather darker and artist John Higgin's RazerJack, the death-bitch from the Twist Dimension. To promote RazerJack, John produces illustrations at each of the conventions that he attends and here is the image that he was working on on the Sunday at Hi-Ex.

There are more details of John Higgin's work on his website and of RazerJack on its Facebook page.

Write and artist Ian Sharman is also editor of Orang Utan Comics and AAM/Markosia as well as writer of Alpha Gods and Hero: 9-5. He took part in the Hi-Ex Pitching and Portfolio session on the Sunday. His latest title, as seen above, is Hypergirl.

There are more details of Ian Sharman's work on his blog and on the Orang Utan Comics website.

Perhaps the most unusual graphic novel available over the weekend was writer and animator Leslie MacKenzie's Gaelic title Cuir Stad Ak An Stoirm Shneashda which translates as Stop The Snow Storm. With art by Shona Shirley MacDonald, it uses the idea that the first peoples of Scotland were not from the south and Europe but from the north and the Arctic regions. As part of the publishing deal with the Gaelic Books Council the title will not be published in English for several years.

There are more details of Leslie MacKenzie's work on her website while Cuir Stad Ak An Stoirm Shneashda will be available from the Gaelic Books Council website.

A comic strip with killer STDs in it just sound like the sort of thing that should be in CLiNT magazine and the editorial team of CLiNT obviously thought so too. As can be seen above, artist and writer Monty Nero's Death Sentence started life as a small press comic but will get a new lease of life, and a lot more exposure, when it begins in CLiNT Vol 2 No 1 very soon.

There are more details of Monty Nero's work on his website and blog.

Artist Will Pickering worked on the Burke and Hare graphic novel published several years ago as well as contributing to a number of Glasgow based small press titles. He was also displaying Black Hearted Press' Gabriel title written by Jim Alexander.

There are more details of Will Pickering's work on his blog.

Londonderry's Uproar Comics came together through the city's 2D Comics Festival and its 2D Collective offshoot. They publish the Zombies Hi title which is an anthology of the main ongoing Zombies Hi story backed up with short zombie text stories and comic strip and has reached its fourth issue. Set after a zombie apocalypse within the defensive walls of the City of Derry, the comic is widely distributed within Northern Ireland. Artist Kevin Logue (left) drew attendees as zombies while writer Danny McLaughlin (centre) drummed up support and artist John Campbell (right) worked on pages for forthcoming issues.

There are more details of Zombies Hi on the Uproar Comics website.

Last and by no means least, especially since one of her titles is Eagle Award nominated this year as Best European Comic, is Irish writer Maura McHugh. Her two titles for Dublin's Atomic Diner Comics are the Eagle Award nominated 1920s mystery Jennifer Wilde and the supernatural Roisin Dubh as seen above.

There are more details of Maura McHugh's work on her website.

There are more details of Jennifer Wilde and Roisin Dubh on the Atomic Diner
website.


The first part of Comics Creators At Hi-Ex is here.

The Hi-Ex website is
here.

The downthetubes review of Hi-Ex 2012 is
here.

30 Years of the New Eagle


Thirty years ago last month, a new incarnation of one of Britain’s most famous comics burst on to the news-stands (ok, we're a bit slow off the mark with this one, but the down the tubes office is a busy place ok?!). Eagle, the Rolls Royce of comics during the 1950s, was back in a new format for a new generation. In some ways it was a completely new title - only Dan Dare survived from the previous version. Many purists hated the re-launched publication but for a new generation, Eagle became the comic of choice.

How to mark this landmark anniversary? Well, we could tell you about Doomlord and the other photo-stories. We could tell you about the wide range of features in the comic including columns by major personalities of the day. We could tell you about the interviews with people as high-profile as Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott and… Cannon and Ball. (Actually, that’s a cheap shot - Cannon and Ball were major stars in their day). We could even tell you about the free space spinner in issue one. But you know all that. Instead, let’s look at what made Eagle different. What made it special, unique, pioneering… And no, we’re not talking about the Glamorous Teacher feature!

Here’s how -

New Eagle Did It First!



The magazine format

A lot of boy’s comics today aren’t really comics at all. They are magazines with puzzles and all sorts of features and information for children to enjoy. Eagle was effectively a magazine and was ahead of its time in being so. Sure, there were comic strips but there were also columns written by major sporting personalities, radio DJs and comedians of the day. Eagle was so much more than just a comic.

Predicting/showcasing new technology
Eagle used to have lots of features about up and coming technology and gadgets, some real and some imagined, be it wrist watch radios or shiny little discs which music could be recorded on called CDs (wonder if they caught on?). They didn’t always get it right. In January 1983, Eagle suggested that by the year 2000 the skies might again be full of airships! And in February of that year they suggested that Dalek-style security robots would be available within 2 years and that they could replace security guards! Now, I know some security guards might act like Daleks but even so…

Amazing 3D

In February 1983, Eagle promised us a ‘super new picture-story and features in 3D’. Using red and green glasses that came free with the comic, readers could enjoy stories and photographs in three fabulous dimensions. Ok, 3D had been around for decades and is commonplace today, but in the 80s this was an exciting new development for young comics reader who knew nothing of the craze for 3D movies in decades past.

Showcasing new talent

A lot of very talented people did early work on Eagle and there’s no better example of this than writers Alan Grant and John Wagner who went on to become international comics legends achieving the dizzying heights of, amongst many other things, writing Batman for DC. And the 30 April 1983 issue featured a rather splendid Dan Dare drawing by reader Jonathan Haward - he actually went on to draw the Dan Dare strip for the comic in future years.

Ideas which cropped up in TV/films years later

Eagle’s writers were very, very imaginative. And some of their ideas were used in movies and films years after they had been in the comics. That’s not to suggest plagiarism - two writers can come up with the same idea independently and you will often see an idea in one programme that’s been used in a film years before. Even so, it really is remarkable how some of the concepts in Eagle have been recycled.

Yes, Doctor Who fans may say how original their favourite programme was introducing a flying shark in the first Matt Smith Christmas special, A Christmas Carol, in 2010. A flying shark - who would have thought of that! In fact Dan Dare introduced a flying shark in 1982. The sinister mercenary Star Rider had his own flying pet shark, Zarkuda. Once off its leash , it was a deadly killer. And very cool. Keeping on the Doctor Who theme, the next series is going to feature a cybernetic cowboy it seems - Eagle did a robotic cowboy years ago in - you’ve guessed it - Dan Dare (mind you, that was arguably a homage itself to the 1973 film Westworld). Then there was The Mask of Evil strip which featured a mask which, once worn, merged with the wearer’s face and changed their personality - eat your heart out Jim Carrey! And here’s what Alan Grant said to the fanzine Eagle Flies Again about the Eagle story The Thirteenth Floor (which had begun in the short-lived horror comic Scream): ‘I’ve seen several movies based on the same concept - one of which was actually called The 13th Floor (I think it was Australian, and I bet the writer or director had seen Eagle as a kid).’

Truly, the 1980s Eagle was a comic ahead of its time!

Comics Creators At Hi-Ex 2012: Part 1

Having taken a lot of photos of the various creators at the Hi-Ex comics convention, which took place at the Eden Court complex in Inverness last weekend, there was never going to be enough room in the main downthetubes review of the con to include all the images. Instead we present a selection of those images of the creators along with links to their websites, blogs and/or Facebook pages. They are in no particular order, but let's start with "A" anyway.

Dr Chris Murray's distinctive shirts are now well known around comics events in Scotland and, along with fellow Dundee University lecturer Phillip Vaughan, had the Anthology One book on sale. It presents the work of the students of the 2011-2012 University of Dundee's DJCAD Comics Art and Graphic Novels module as well as the winner and runners-up of the 2011 Tartan Bucket Prize that was run as part of last year's Dundee Comics Day.

Details of ordering Anthology One by post are available by e-mailing : universecomic@gmail.com

Dr Chris Murray and Phillip Vaughan are interviewed on downthetubes here and here.

Colin MacNeil is a former student at Dundee University's Duncan of Jordanstone College Of Art And Design where Phillip Vaughan lectures and supplied the rather excellent cover for Anthology One. As can be seen here, he uses chalks on a black background for his convention sketches.

Colin MacNeil's professional website is here and his Lambiek entry is here.

Another title that Colin provided the cover for is the 2012 edition of the A5 size Doctor Who comic Doctor WTF?! Contributor James Feist (left) and editor Owen Watts were there to sell both issues of this title which chronicles short adventures of 'other' incarnations of the Doctor.

There are more details of Doctor WTF?! on the title's Facebook page.

From Doctor Who to Star Wars and Star Wars: The Clone Wars artist Tanya Roberts who has been working on the junior title for some four years now. It was good to see former Star Wars Dark Empire artist Cam Kennedy comparing notes with Tanya during the weekend and it will be intriguing to she what comes of her ideas for non-licensed work in the future.

There are more details of Tanya Roberts art on her Enolian Slave DeviantArt page.

Hi-Ex co-organiser Richmond Clements is a creator in his own right as well as being an editor for Futurequake Press. As well as writing for Strip Magazine, Rich wrote the two part Turning Tiger for Renegade Arts Entertainment which is just about to be released as a special edition graphic novel.

There are more details of Richmond Clements' writing on his blog and his FQP work of the Futurequake website.

Rich's co-creator on Turning Tiger is artist Alex Moore and she was at Hi-Ex as well showing of the new title and her small press work. Alex is currently working on The Liberty graphic novel due from Markosia.

There are more details of Alex Moore's work on her website and blog.

There are more details of Turning Tiger on the Renegade Arts website.

Writer and artist Dave Shelton's comic strip Good Dog, Bad Dog was originally published weekly in The DFC and then collected into one of the hardback DFC Library titles. New episodes are due to appear in The Phoenix, a comic that he had copies of to show prospective readers which was a good thing considering that the nearest Waitrose to the venue was 155 miles away in Edinburgh. He also had copies of his new illustrated novel A Boy And A Bear In A Boat.

There are more details of Dave Shelton's work on his blog.

Manga artists Chie Kutsuwada (left) and Inko (right) were some of the hardest working of the creators over the course of Hi-Ex's two days. Both seemed to have a never ending stream of attendees wanting their portraits drawn manga style with Inko even having Cam Kennedy sit for her.

There are more details of Chi Kutsuwada's work on her blog.

There are more details of Inko's work on her blog.

Artist Graeme Neil Reid as well as having his own blog is the founder of the Scottish daily art-blog Scotch Corner. Graeme normally does his sketches before conventions which allows him to relax more during the events, as well as using them on the two blogs and compiling them into limited edition convention sketchbooks. However as the Sqaxx Dek Thargo know that he is an artdroid, he was convinced by several Hi-Ex attendees to draw them Dredd while one little girl even managed to get him to draw her a dinosaur.

There are more details of Graeme Neil Reid's work on his website, blog and on Scotch Corner.

Artist Gary Erskine is another member of Scotch Corner as well as being Eagle Award nominated this year in the Favourite Artist: Inks category. He is also rather well known nowadays for liking girls in roller skates and is working with his wife Mhairi on the Roller Grrrls title which has manifested itself before publication with rather a lot of comic conventions now having female Roller Derby teams attending - including Hi-Ex.

There are more details of Gary Erskine's work on his blog, on Scotch Corner and on the Roller Grrrls Facebook page.


The second and final part of Comics Creators At Hi-Ex will follow soon.

The Hi-Ex website is here.

The downthetubes review of Hi-Ex 2012 is
here.

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