Rough Cut Comics brings Freedom Collective to book

Rough Cut Comics will release its long-awaited new volume of Freedom Collective stories through the June edition of Diamond Previews.

The original one-shot title – which re-imagined the type of comic-books that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, could have created IF they had been born and worked in the 1960s Soviet Union – became a “sleeper hit” in the independent comic-book scene and has attracted fans such as Grant Morrison and Alex Ross.

It also received the backing of The Jack Kirby Collector and was one of new distributor UKonDisplay’s biggest selling titles at their launch earlier this year.

The new 76-page Compulsory Freedom Collective re-prints the original 20-page one-shot story and adds three brand new adventures featuring the titular Red Avengers, adding more ’Silver Age’ parodies in the shape of The Siberian Six and Ivan Karnage, Agent of KRUSH.

The original teaming of Dom Regan (A1) and Colin Barr are joined in this volume with the art of renowned Kirby enthusiast Dave Golding, award-winning Dave Alexander, Total Fear creator Curt Sibling, and Zenescope Entertainment colourist Derek Dow.

Creators Igor Sloano and Barr are again providing the scripts which truly capture the jingoistic style of the House of Ideas back in the sixties.

Publisher Ed Murphy said: “This is a tribute to a long-lost style of comic-book story-telling. It’s one which conveyed the action dynamics in five-to-nine frame panel pages; with cut-to-the-chase dialogue sometimes conveyed in the now-defunct style of ‘thought bubbles’.

“I’m so glad the original one-shot found its audience and continues to grow in popularity. I think this is a book for genuine comic-book fans and particularly of the Lee/Kirby style which should never be forgotten.”

Rough Cut Comics will attend the Glasgow Comic Con on 13-14th July at the city’s CCA, where they will preview the new Freedom Collective book. Artists Dave Alexander and Dom Regan are also expected to be in the attendance.

• You can find out more about Rough Cut Comics at www.roughcut-comics.com on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/roughcutcomicsuk or their twitter feed @roughcutcomics.

• THE COMPULSORY FREEDOM COLLECTIVE is solicited in the June edition of Previews for shipping August 2013. The product code is JUN131260 and is featured in Page 333 of the edition.

 

Rough Cut Comics gets 'Utopian' promotion

Scottish comic publisher Rough Cut Comics made its TV debut in the new Channel Four thriller, Utopia.

Kudos TV, the company known for hit-series Life on Mars and Spooks, chose the company’s titles to be used in the drama which follows a group of people who uncover the manuscript for a cult graphic novel whose author has signed a deal with the devil.

The producers contacted Rough Cut Comics during the shooting to use their comics and books as backdrop material in the series, and publisher Ed Murphy, who has been running the label for 12 years, says he is overwhelmed by the coverage of his comic-book titles in the drama.

“Our first Rose Black book has been featured prominently in the trailers promoting the show on Channel Four over the last few weeks,” he notes.

“We feature in the opening scene with a character reading our Rose Black title. We’ve got posters in the background of the comic-book shop. I know our other titles feature throughout the series.

“It’s a great acknowledgement of all the hard-work the writers and artists have been putting in over the last few years," he adds. "I think we’ve built up a strong following and it’s great TV producers of this scale are aware of Rough Cut Comics.

“The adverts for the series have been screened in the cinemas and there was the Rose Black front cover six feet high on the screen. I’ve received calls from customers from all over the country congratulating us.

“It looks like ‘product placement’, but we haven’t paid a penny for this. I think the producers were ‘aware’ of us because they phoned us up at the beginning of the year and asked us for specific titles. When I heard it was Kudos, a company whose work I follow avidly, I was very excited to be part of it.”

The Rose Black books, a horror series which has “re-imagined” vampire mythology, are being re-released through Amazon on the back on the Channel Four screenings over the next six weeks.

The company is currently working with artists Dave Golding, Dave Alexander and Dom Regan on a new volume of Freedom Collective strips, which will be unveiled at the first Edinburgh Mart on 20th April.

Rough Cut Comics will also be making an appearance at The Big Glasgow Comic Mart being held in Bacchus, Glassford Street on 3rd February.

• You can find out more about Rough Cut Comics at www.roughcut-comics.com or on their Facebook page