In Review: Dead Space - Liberation

By Ian Edginton and Christopher Shy
Publisher: Titan Books
Out: Now
Warning: Contains violence and swearing - not for younger readers

The Book: Following the events of the video game Dead Space 2, we follow Earthgov Sergeant John Carver whose wife and son are attacked by fanatics trying to liberate the Marker site where she works. Racing to solve the clues his wife left behind, Carver teams up with Ellie Langford, survivor of an earlier Necromorph outbreak on the Sprawl, and EarthGov Captain Robert Norton. Together they unlock deep secrets about the Markers in an epic adventure that will determine the fate of mankind.

The Review: For the benefit of non-gamers, Dead Space is a series of best-selling games centering on a carefully crafted mythos in which humanity is being influenced - and distorted - by alien 'Markers', whose 'technology' includes the gruesome ability to turn the dead into slavering, murderous zombies. In short, it's Aliens meets Dawn of the Dead, but the makers of the games have, I'm told, taken this concept and made it an impressive saga.

In the games, the chief protagonist, systems engineer Isaac Clarke, takes on not just space zombies but the might of a dangerous religion that has protected and actively sought out the deadly 'Markers', a cult that has backers in high places.

Promotional art for Deep Space: Liberation - an example of all the right things about the art on this book...

This third graphic movel - Titan have also re-released the first two - is something of a curate's egg as it blends an ongoing comic story with the overall narrative. In this prequel to the latest game, Ian Edginton offers more character building to the story's main characters and, as the race to find Marker secrets hots up, there are some great insights into the battle hardened, emotionally-scarred Carver and his companions.

Christopher Shy also delivers an atmospheric take on the tale, with some genuinely impressive scenes, particularly those involving spacecraft and aforementioned 'space zombies'. The panels where the parasitic, visceral zombies spring from some dark corner are truly haunting and visually impressive.

There's a fantastic sequence, also, in which Carver returns from a foray against his enemy bathed in what I assume is the blood of his foe, that emphasizes how far he's prepared to go to defeat them.

-- but the lettering style proves a major stumbling block in terms of best presentation of the tale

Sadly, though, these impressive elements of the art are let down by the static, wooden, possibly photo referenced figure work in scenes where characters discuss tactics or helpfully move the plot forwards. There's little or no animation to the faces - although perhaps this is a deliberate choice, suggesting the human characters are as dead as their enemy. But the results are rather disappointing and stilted.

What really lets down the whole story, for me, is the lettering. In dispensing with traditional word balloons in favour of a chalk marker, which lack much emphasis and sensible placement at times, this jars with the storytelling rather than enhances it. Good lettering should be 'invisible'; that is, it should complement and not distract from the art and story. This design choice fails achieve that objectives and consequently mars the delivery of this Dead Space tale.

A good game tie in? Yes. A good comic? In part yes, in terms of script and some of the art - but largely, could be better.

Dead Space Liberation a top seller for Titan Books

Titan Books new graphic novel, Dead Space: Liberation hit The New York Times Best-Sellers List at Number 3 in the Hardcover Graphic Books category this week.

Following the events of the smash video game hit Dead Space 2, the new adventure by Ian Edginton and Christopher Shy, a prequel to the Dead Space 3 video game launched last month,  follows Earthgov Sergeant John Carver, whose wife and son are attacked by fanatics trying to liberate the Marker site where she works. Racing to solve the clues his wife left behind, Carver teams up with Ellie Langford, survivor of an earlier Necromorph outbreak on the Sprawl, and EarthGov Captain Robert Norton.

Together they unlock deep secrets about the Markers in an epic adventure that will determine the fate of mankind.

The title is the third release in the Dead Space saga, and Titan have also re-released both Dead Space and Dead Space - Salvage in new editions.

• New York Times Graphic Novel Bestsellers: March 3 2013

Confess, creeps - you want to buy the new 2000AD...

On UK newsagents shelves, online, and via iOS app –  2000AD Prog 1802 is on sale now.

The steely glare of Dredd stares out from this latest Prog, which lands today, and Dolman is settling his differences with the Marines in Judge Dredd: Payback by Michael Carroll and PJ Holden.

Cadwallader meets a fiery end in Brass Sun: The Wheel of Worlds by Ian Edginton and I.N.J. Culbard, while Hammerstein heads back to the mother planet in ABC Warriors: Return to Earth by Pat Mills and with glorious old school hand-drawn art by Clint Langley. Diplomatic immunity gets pushed to its limit over tea and biscuits in Grey Area: This Island Earth Dan Abnett and Lee Carter, while Bob Byrne returns to 2000AD with another of his Twisted Tales.

And after an unfortunate production error (for which the droid in question has been melted down and turned into colostomy fittings), Tharg the Generous is giving fans a free download of last week’s episode of Judge Dredd: Payback by Michael Carroll and PJ Holden!

• Prog 1802, now available worldwide: www.2000adonline.com

Guest Post: Al Ewing Tells you why we should be reading 2000AD

Last month, comics writer Al Ewing (who's writing a series of increasingly regular reviews and musings for the Travelling Man website) gave the thumbs up to 2000AD, urging readers past and present to give it a try. 

With Al's permission, we're cross-posting his enthusiastic feature here...

2000AD 1753 - on sale now

So! I’ve put this off long enough. Let’s talk about 2000AD – the UK comic that exploded onto the scene in 1977, kickstarting the careers of dozens of top-flight writers and artists, and is still going strong today. I started reading it when I was nine, and – barring a couple of hiccups – I’ve read it ever since. Around ten years ago, I sent them in a five-page horror story. Now I make my entire living from writing of one sort or another. 2000AD has been very good to me.

So excuse me if I get a little evangelical.

Now, there are lots of good reasons for not reading 2000AD. You may, for example, be unable to read, although if you’re reading this I’ll assume that’s not the case. You might dislike the medium of comics in general, although again, if you’re here reading this that’s probably not true. Or, possibly, you might have sustained a terrible head injury that’s destroyed certain parts of your brain with the result that every time you enjoy something you violently defecate all over yourself, your immediate surroundings, and the cat.

These are all excellent reasons not to read 2000AD. However, if you can read, if you like reading comics and if you like enjoying things, you really should try it.

For a start – it’s a deal, it’s a steal, it’s the sale of the century et cetera. If you’re in the UK – or on the internet – it’s cheaper than just about any American comic, and you get more and bigger pages of story. And the savings don’t end there! Because individual episodes are usually around five pages long, there’s literally no room for padding. So you get more story per page compared with your favourite American comic too.





Which all means nothing if the stories aren’t up to scratch – but the quality has been on a consistent high since at least… well, the year 2000 AD. (At this point, the name of the comic is a trusted brand of excellence rather than a far-off future date. It’s an idiosyncracy fans happily turn a blind eye to, like the regular insistences by alien editor Tharg that I – and everyone else who ever worked at 2000AD, including Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Jock, Duncan Fegredo and Chris Weston, to name a few – am in fact a robot.)

Low Life by Rob Williams and D’Israeli, which started in Prog 1752

Case in point – the current run of 'Low Life', a strip set in the world of Judge Dredd and dealing with Justice Department’s undercover agents. Rob Williams, on script duties, is busy crafting one of the greatest stories of his career, bringing new depth to his great comedic creation Dirty Frank as the undercover Judge explores the underbelly of a future Tokyo in search of a missing fellow officer.

I hope Rob will forgive me for saying that – while I love all his work – 'Low Life' is, in my opinion, his best. Every panel – every line of dialogue – is packed with intelligence, life, heart and soul, and any fans of his, or of good writing in general, need to be reading it.

Matt Brooker – alias D’Israeli – is on art chores, and as usual his elegant, emotive, perfectly composed clear-line style knocks every page out of the park. I don’t know why the Big Two aren’t fighting each other in some kind of Octagon for his services, but their loss is 2000AD‘s gain. Words can’t describe how good his art is, so let’s pay a quick visit to his blog, where you’ll find many posts dedicated to his painstaking process – this one is a nice introduction to the kind of beautiful vistas on display in the strip.

That’s one story, out of five. In addition, in the latest crop of stories – the first prog of which, 1750, is available digitally from the 2000AD website, and 1753 is now on sale at the better newsagents, or (cough) at your local Travelling Man – you have top cop and future film sensation Judge Dredd, at the seasoned hands of creator John Wagner and Henry Flint; stiff upper-lipped paranormal investigator Ampney Crucis, by Ian Edgington and Simon Davis; the unfolding mystery of Angel Zero, by Kek-W and John Burns; and the mind-exploding, reality-warping strangeness and charm of Indigo Prime – yes, it’s back at long last – by John Smith and Edmund Bagwell.

And, sooner or later, I’ll be back in the prog myself. But I’m not just shouting 2000AD to the rooftops because I’m in it – I’m promoting it because I love it, because it does astonishing things that other comics can’t, because it fosters incredible talents that other publishers won’t, because week in, week out, after thirty-five years, it’s still the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic.

Bar none.

Try it.

• Official 2000AD Web Site: www.2000adonline.com

• If you're a comic creator and would like to write a Guest Post for downthetubes on some aspect of British comics, please get in touch. 

2000 AD Prog 1750 - Start Reading Here...

Greg Staples cover for 2000 AD 1750. © Rebellion

2000 AD Prog 1750 is a big jumping on point for potential 2000AD readers, on sale today (7th September)

Lowlife by Rob Williams and D'Israeli

The issue comes wrapped in a fab Greg Staples cover (above) and features a new Judge Dredd by John Wagner and Henry Flint (and with a shock ending for Dredd in Issue 1749, the issue is worth picking up just to find out what happens); Indigo Prime by John Smith and Edmund Bagwell; Lowlife by Rob Williams and D’Israeli - a new 12-part adventure - and Ampney Crucis by Ian Edginton and Simon Davies.

These are all new strips, all starting in one new issue. Give it a go!

• More preview pages of Lowlife on Bleeding Cool here

2000AD Christmas Special on the Way

The yuletide season is upon us again, and Tharg the Mighty One is making sure all Earthlets have a very happy Christmas with another 100-page special. Prog 2010 goes on sale 16th December 2009, priced £4.20, and features a stunning line-up of stories, including:

• Judge Dredd: Tour of Duty by John Wagner and Colin MacNeil

• Nikolai Dante: Hero of the Revolution by Robbie Morrison and John M. Burns

• Stickleback: London’s Burning by Ian Edginton and D’Israeli

• Zombo: Merry Christmas, Mr Zombo by Al Ewing and Henry Flint


As well as being on sale in all good UK newsagents, you can also obtain both 2000AD and Judge Dredd: the Megazine in electronic from via Clickwheel and other online stores such as comics.drivethru

Tube Surfing: Dave Gibbons, Digital Awards and Zombies!

downthetubes has been having some behind-the-scenes computer woes: we apologize for the lack of posts in recent days. We're grateful to Jeremy Briggs for his review of Cinebooks' Rameses' Revenge.

Digital Artist 2009 Masterclass #1 - Dave Gibbons from Intel Digital Artist 2009 on Vimeo. News story below

• Artist Dave Gibbons has been interviewed for The Guardian, talking about how computers have liberated him as an artist – and the dubious honour of inspiring the Comic Sans font... Dave is busy promoting the Digital Artist 2009 awards, backed by Intel and Future Publishing. Gibbons is a judge in the competition to find the digital artist of the year, and has contributed a masterclass video (above) on how he uses digital media.

• A re-design of the official 2000AD web site is underway - expect some modifications to unfurl next week. The official forum is still accessible. Talking of things 2000AD, word is that the latest Meg' (out today) carries the first part of a two part interview with artist Ron Smith.

• Still on 2000AD, the 2000AD Review Site has had a revamp. It looks rather nifty, with the news section now more of a blog featuring 2000AD news and much anything 2000AD related that might be of interest to 2000AD readers.

• Want some great original comic art by a very talented British cartoonist? Lizz Lunney is doing a comic a day for August and selling the original artwork in her online shop.

• Lew Stringer reports that the Pathetic Sharks are back in Viz for the summer, and that to mark the humour magazine's 30th birthday, an exhibition of original artwork will be shown at the Cartoon Museum, Little Russell Street, London from 4th November 2009 to 24th January 2010 (www.cartoonmuseum.org).
Viz No.188, which also features favourites such as Roger Mellie, Eight Ace, Millie Tant, and Meddlesome Ratbag is £3 and on sale now in all good newsagents, supermarkets -- and even some bad ones. Viz website: www.viz.co.uk

• Ian Edginton is writing a six part zombie series for DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint: Victorian Undead, is set in a 19th Century London overrun by zombies, and only Sherlock Holmes can save the day. The series is illustrated by Star Wars and Brothers In Arms artist Davide Fabbri and will launche in November.

• DC Thomson is to launch a Scottish football magazine in October. AllMedia reports Eleven aims to report all levels of the game in Scotland, including the national men's team, the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League, all the way to Highland League and East of Scotland leagues and women's football. Priced £2.75 it will be on sale in newsagents and promises - for its launch issue - news from each of the 42 SPL and SFL clubs, plus a report from the Major League Soccer scene in the USA. No word on whether it will include any comic strip.

• Despite this launch, AllMedia also notes DC Thomson, like all UK publishers, is not having the best of times. It stable of magazines and comics has suffered across-the-board drops in its sales, according to figures published recently, the ABCs indicating the average net circulations of the likes of People’s Friend and the Dandy all experienced sales falls between the end of December, last year, and the end of June this year.

Sales of The Beano average at 53,964 between December 31 and June 30, down 12.8 per cent on the previous six months, and sales of My Weekly average at 145,676, down 4.6 per cent. Read the full report

• The Geek Syndicate web site have a 45-minute chat with British International Comics Show organiser Shane Chebsey, where Shane "reveals what events people can expect at this years show as well as a look back at lessons learned from previous years. There is a look behind the scenes at what goes into the preparation of the show and what their plans are for the future."

• And finally... Jason Cobley reports for the education market, Classical Comics have got together with Heinle Cengage Learning to publish an ELT (English language teaching) version of their Frankenstein graphic novel. "It's quite similar to the Quick text version, with some changes to the language for clarification, the intended readers being learners of English as an additional language," says Jason. "It's interesting to compare the three versions alongside each other.

"I know which I prefer as a straight read - for a general reader I'd recommend the Original Text, for younger readers the Quick Text, and a mix of the two for use in schools, emphasising the original text. But the ELT version is a really good tool for schools also, the best thing about it being the audio version that comes with it. It's a great reading, with a variety of voices and sound effects for key scenes - a narrated audio play that I heartily recommend whether using it in school or just to listen to in the car."

• Buy Classical Comics: Frankenstein

Compiled with thanks to Matthew Badham

Comics International Specials Go On Sale

Two Comics International Specials are now on sale in comic shops -- but the regular magazine is still in limbo, the next announced as not due until August.

The Star Trek Special celebrates the recent released JJ Abrams’ Star Trek movie reboot, looking back over four decades of the comicbook adventures of the Starship Enterprise. Charting the course of Star Trek comics from the very first 1967 issue from Gold Key all the way to IDW’s latest titles and taking in alternate realities, multiverse crossovers and more, this latest CI one-shot takes you on a warp speed tour through some of the strangest new worlds and civilisations you’ll never see on TV.

Heavily illustrated and showcasing unpublished artwork and more, it features interviews with key Star Trek creators, including British contributors to the Trek mythos - Dan Abnett, Mike Collins and Ian Edginton - as well as creators such as writers Mike W Barr and Diane Duane along with artists Gordon Purcell, David Messina and Scott Tipton. Star Trek fans who aren't even that interested in comics may be persuaded to pick up the £4.99 Special by the inclusion of interviews with Walter Koenig, who played Chekov in the original Star Trek series and Voyager‘s Doctor, Robert Picardo.

The Magazine is well designed - although perhaps with even more pages, the creator interviews could have been given more space and additional visuals - but this is a mere nitpick. It also includes a feature on the British Star Trek material created for the 1960s title Joe 90: Top Secret and later issues of TV21, material that many US Star Trek fans are unaware of. Definitely one for Trek fans to check out.

Also out now is Comics International Horror Special, going behind the scenes on some of the goriest and scariest titles in recent months. Designed more like the 'regular' Comics International title, it includes interviews with Tim Bradstreet, Alan Grant and other writers and artists responsible for such fear-drenched comics as Stephen King’s The Stand, Age of Desire, Savage, The Dead, Golly and Zombie Cop.

Also featured are Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch (sadly, in what looks like a print error that also seems to have affected the alignment of pages, the interview with Si Spurrier is unexpectedly truncated, simply cut at the bottom of the page, mid-sentence, never to be returned to) Superman and Batman vs Vampires and Werewolves.

The 52-page issue costs just £2.50 ($4.99) and is again on sale in many comic shops.

While it's great to see these Specials on sale -- particularly the Star Trek title, which is an impressive piece of work in terms of interview material and breadth alone -- along with these Specials comes the perhaps grim news that the next regular issue of Comics International (#208) is now currently not set to appear until early August. The continued delay is not helping the magazine: even loyal readers who've been in touch with downthetubes are in despair over its missing-in-action status.

"I'm a bit miffed at CI's attitude to be honest to its customers," said one on the downthetubes forum. "I think it's really poor - and having 're-discovered' [Diamond trade catalogue] Previews, it has all I need really and can be counted on month after month to be on the shelves

"If Comics International gets back on track properly I may go back to it, or if #208 is a good relevant up to date issue I may pick it up."

While we're aware that there have been many behind the scenes problems that have sadly combined, through no fault of those directly involved in the magazine's production, to sabotage attempts to re-establish a monthly frequency, the future of Comics International still seems far from secure. Let's hope the naysayers fears are, however, unfounded...

• More about Comics International at: www.comics-international.co.uk

In Review: Torchwood - Rift War

When Titan Magazines launched Torchwood The Official Magazine in January 2008, they chose to follow the example of Panini's Doctor Who Magazine and include a comic strip. While the Doctor Who comic strip is an historical remnant of Doctor Who Magazine's beginnings as the Doctor Who Weekly comic, a comic strip in the magazine of the more adult orientated Torchwood was seen as a brave move on editor Simon Hugo's part. It did raise a few eyebrows when in the first issue's comic strip The Legacy Of Torchwood One artist SL Gallant drew the story's main guest star as actor and comedian Bill Bailey while the lack of a comic strip in issue 2 left readers wondering just what was going on. However it was back in issue 3 while issue 4 began the ten part Rift War story arc. Titan's Rift War graphic novel is the first compilation of that comic strip and features the ten part story of the same title plus Jetsam, the Brian Williamson written and illustrated story from issue 3 concerning gigantic alien motorcycles.

Despite the photographic front cover only featuring the season three cast, the stories are set before the deaths of Owen and Toshiko in season two. Cardiff is attacked by the Harrowkind alien warriors who came through the Rift and as the Torchwood operatives battle them they soon realise that it is a diversionary tactic to steal the Rift Manipulator from the Hub. Tosh recovers the manipulator with the help of the alien Vox who remains at Torchwood as he is on the run from the Harrowkind's masters, the Sanctified. After a few less violent Rift disturbances the Sanctified attack once again and Torchwood have to decide if their enemy's enemy can really be called their friend.

While the ten episodes are all called Rift War this is more of a story arc than one subdivided story with some of the episodes in the middle having little to do with the main plot. Of the different episodes the odd Funhouse, in which a giant alien baby is cared for by Gwen and Rhys, sits most uncomfortably amongst the rest while Dino Crisis, as fun as it is, would have made a better Primeval story that a Torchwood one. However the stories are at their best when in full Rift War mode with each eleven page monthly episode becoming part of the greater story as our heroes battle their unseen enemies. The stories here depend more on the full team than the TV series, with its emphasis on Gwen's character, does and while some episodes feel that they could be made on a television budget others are deliberately more outlandish.

The original publication in the then monthly magazine was A4 size but here the pages have been reduced to an American size for this softcover graphic novel. While it therefore sits comfortably with the modern American IDW Doctor Who reprint books, it feels out of place beside the British Panini Doctor Who Magazine reprints that you would have expected it to fit better with. In addition to this, while the creators of the strips are all credited at the front of the book there is no credit breakdown per episode. Since most episodes are preceded by an effectively blank page it would have taken little extra effort to credit the writers and artists at the beginning of each section that they worked on the in the same way that, for instance, Rebellion does in their Nikolai Dante reprint books.

The credits are not as straight forward as you would expect, with Paul Grist illustrating six of the ten parts while only writing four, Simon Furman providing the scripts for the others, while one of Ian Edgington's three stories is with SL Gallant rather than long time collaborator D'Israeli who does the other two. Wikipedia provides a better credit source than Titan do for the reprints in this book.

No doubt the photographic cover will have more people in shops picking the book up to browse through it than a comics cover would have, while the changing of artists throughout the book may prove to be a drawback for the non-comics fans. SL Gallant's art would be the most accessible while Paul Grist's and D'Israeli's more extreme styles may prove to be a turn off to the non-comics reader, yet for the comics reader the opposite will probably be true. Indeed the story is at is best when Paul Grist is both writing and illustrating and this book really should be considered a must-buy for Grist fans.

Overall, the book makes a welcome addition to the comics Whoniverse particularly for those who are not quite interested enough to pay the monthly magazine's cover price just for the comic strip.

Sherlock Holmes Battles Mr. Hyde!

Well, not exactly, but nothing would surprize me after seeing this trailer for the Robert Downey Jr. version of the detective...



No, this item is a plug for Strip!: Sherlock Holmes vs. Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, the latest radio show from Alex Fitch on ResonanceFM, talking to the illustrators of some new and recent literary adaptations in comic book format.

Self Made Hero is a relatively new publishing company who have made a name for themselves with their range of Manga Shakespeare adaptations and are now doing European style graphic novels of literary classics. Alex talks to Ian Culbard, artist of Ian Edginton's adaptations of the Sherlock Holmes stories The Picture of Dorian Grey and The Hound of the Baskervilles and to Andrzej Klimowski and Danusia Schejbal, illustrators and adaptors of The Master and Margarita and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

• Strip!: Sherlock Holmes vs. Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde airs at 5.00pm on 21 May, repeated 11.30pm 24 May on Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com, with an extended podcast online at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Strip! Radio Show News

Continuing adaptation and inspiration month on the show, Alex Fitch talks to writers Leah Moore and John Reppion for his latest radio show, Strip!: Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula, on London's Resonance FM. He chats to the pair about their two current comic book projects, adapting Bram Stoker’s Dracula for sequential art and continuing the adventures of Sherlock Holmes in a new comic for Dynamite Entertainment.

Leah and John talk about the process of condensing Dracula into five 32 page comics, which features art by Colton Worley and covers by John Cassady, while including Stoker’s often neglected prologue Dracula’s guest plus adding to the saga of Sherlock Holmes by putting the Master Detective on trial for murder and terrorist activities…

Coming soon is Strip!: Sherlock Holmes vs. Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, with Alex talking to the illustrators of some new and recent literary adaptations in comic book format. Self Made Hero is a relatively new publishing company who have made a name for themselves with their range of Manga Shakespeare adaptations and are now doing European style graphic novels of literary classics. Alex talks to Ian Culbard, artist of Ian Edginton's adaptations of The Picture of Dorian Grey and The Hound of the Baskervilles and to Andrzej Klimowski and Danusia Schejbal, illustrators and adaptors of The Master and Margarita and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

• Strip!: Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula airs later tonight at 11.30pm (17th May) on Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com, with an extended podcast online at www.panelborders.wordpress.com tonight…

• Strip!: Sherlock Holmes vs. Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde airs at 5.00pm on 21 May, repeated 11.30pm 24 May on Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com, with an extended podcast online at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Tube Surfing: Saturday 9 May

• During a short interview for an upcoming issue of Star Trek Magazine about his new IDW comic, Alien Spotlight – Romulans, Ian Edginton also gave me a quick run down on his other current projects. As usual, the acclaimed writer of series such as Scarlet Traces is as busy as ever. "I’m part way through new series of Stickleback, Red Seas and Ampney Crucis Investigates for 2000AD, and I’ve also just finished a four-part Judge Dredd that’s been drawn by Dave Taylor and it looks just astonishing!" he reveals.
"I’m also writing Stormwatch for Wildstorm and I’m partway through adapting the Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet for Self Made Hero. Artist Ian Culbard and I have already done The Hound of the Baskervilles. It’s part of a rolling program to adapt all the Holmes canon, starting with the novels first."
I took the opportunity to ask him: if he has one piece of advice he gives would-be comic writers, what is it?
"To write, plain and simple. Work at it," he replies. "I started out trying to emulate the authors I respected and there’s nothing wrong with that because you have to start somewhere, and it gives you a toe hold, something to work with. It sounds prosaic I know, but you then have to go off and find your own voice. It’s an on-going process."

• Talking of comics writing, Richard Starkings, former Marvel UK editor and now First Tiger at US lettering company Comicraft as well as writer of hit US comic series Elephantmen, reports he is working on Doctor Who comic strip once again. Richard, who edited (and wrote some of) the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip in the 1980s, is scripting a
story entitled Cold-Blooded War plotted by former DWM editor Gary Russell and illustrated by Adrian Salmon.
Funnily enough, it has the Ice Warriors in it - the very same monsters that starred in the first strip Richard edited for DWM, A Cold Day in Hell, just published in a collection by Panini UK.
• Buy A Cold Day in Hell from amazon.co.uk
• Buy A Cold Day in Hell from amazon.com

• All three parts of Pádraig Ó Méalóid's major interview with Alan Moore are now availabel to read via the Forbidden Planet International blog: Part One is here, Part Two here, and Part Three - well, you know how this going to go, don't you... The final part includes questions from fans.

• If, like me, you're not in Bristol for the Comic Expo, Geek Syndicate (www.geeksyndicate.co.uk) tell us they plan is to have live audio blogs and mini podcasts going out from the event... "if we can get it all to work!" Follow them on audioboo, a social networking site that allows you to record up to 5m of audio and upload it. "It’s fantastic because literally a minute after you’ve recorded its on line," say the team. And, of course, just like others at the event such as Tony Lee, Simon Gurr, Cheryl Morgan, Paul Cornell, they'll also be twittering all weekend – http://twitter.com/GeekSyndicate. There's even a robot Re-Tweeting all messages people post about the Bristol Comic Convention on Twitter - http://twitter.com/BristolConBot. (You can also use this search string if you are a Twitter member). Hmm, if you do follow all this you could really give the impression you were there, except judging by many of the posts, the lack of a four day long hangover would give you away...

Tube Surfing: 28 April 2009

• In his latest Lyin in the Gutters column, Rich Johnston reports Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's Fantastic Four run for Marvel has had an altered schedule due to personal issues for both creators. The last double-sized edition, #569, has been co-written by Jo Ahearne and pencilled by Stuart Immonen, while Bryan Hitch works on his new project with Ed Brubaker, Reborn.

• Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill are signing copies of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century: 1910 at Gosh London this Saturday, 2nd May. 500 copies are being flown in almost a month ahead of the official UK release date and attendees will be able to buy one or two copies to be signed - and no copies, signed or otherwise, may be reserved. More from the Gosh comic blog

• Talking of Gosh, 'tis they that report that the creative team behind Eye Classic’s The Picture of Dorian Gray adaptation are back with The Hound of the Baskervilles, the first book in a series adapting the complete Sherlock Holmes stories into graphic novel form. It's written by Ian Edginton, who among other projects, has an issue of IDW's Star Trek: Alien Spotlight out soon, unsurprisingly focusing on those pesky Romulans, the villains of the new movie out 8th May.

• More events: this time it's the London Zine Symposium, "a day celebrating zines, comix, self publishing and DIY culture" on Sunday 3 May betwen 12 noon and 6.00pm at London's Rag Factory, 16-18 Heneage Street, E1 5LJ. More info via Facebook... (thanks to Jimi Gherkin)

• Titan Books next Roy of the Rovers collection will be published on 21 June. The Best of Roy of the Rovers: The 1970s celebrates another momentous decade in the career of soccer's greatest player, Roy Race, as he competes to win the £30,000 Goal Rush Challenge, teaches how to play American Football, tackles the problem of hooliganism head on and struggles to control Melchester's latest signing - the fiery, arrogant but highly talented Paco Diaz.
Titan says this volume also features a selection of features and articles taken from the original Roy of the Rover comic, including a 2 page feature written by Eric Morecambe. Also included is a selection of period ads for legendary toys including Chopper, Dinky, Corgi and a variety of Kellogg's long defunct breakfast cereals.
This British comics release is quickly followed, at last by Best of Battle Volume 1, out on 26 June. Over 300 pages of relentless action are collected from the top-selling war comic of the 1970s and 80s, from the desperate dogfights of Johnny Red to the down-and-dirty Rat Pack, the reflective, critically acclaimed Charley's War and the uncompromising Hellman of Hammer Force. Featuring work by Pat Mills and John Wagner , Joe Colquhoun and more.

• And finally... check out this great visual gag featuring a certain wall-crawling superhero by French cartoonist "raphaelb". As if Corden and Horne weren't being cruel enough... (Thanks to Matt Badham for this, via Comics Reporter and Lying in the Gutters, which is where we came in and where you should go now if you want to read Rich's review of Wolverine...)

Tube Surfing: 15 April 2009

• Insomnia Publications publisher Crawford Coutts has just done an interview on Jazma which covers how he came to found the company, his views on the comics industry and his big plans for the future. Read it here. The company also has two new previews of its titles on myebook.com: Damaged Goods by Richard McAuliffe and Mark Chilcott (right) and MILK by Stref, which has been earning plnety of attention, nit least from 2000AD scribe Alan Grant who describes the book as containing "some of the most beautiful, expressive art that I've seen in a long time. It deserves to be a huge commercial success".

• We missed Dave Gibbons "significant birthday" yesterday, but fellow professional Chris Weston didn't and marks it with a fab Birthday Card on his blog. "Dave Gibbons is The Governor," he insists, revealing the Watchmen, Martha Washington and Dan Dare artist and "has been a consistent inspiration and role model to me throughout my life and career." Hope it was a good one, Dave!

• Radio Times are running a promotion with iTunes where you can download 'Last of the Timelords' from series three of the new Doctor Who for free: www.itunes.com/drwhofree

• Darryl Cunningham is working on a new web comic, The Streets of San Diabolo, which you can read over on act-i-vate.com, along with Mugwhump the Great by Roger Langridge and many others...

• Forbidden Planet London will play host to a group signing to mark the release of the Torchwood: Rift War comic collection: Simon Furman, D’Israeli, Ian Edginton, Paul Grist and Brian Williamson are all due to appear on Saturday 25th April between 1 and 2.00pm.

• Tony Lee has confirmed he's writing a Land of the Lost comic with Sean O'Reilly for Arcana/Universal. The book will launch in June... that's the last we'll be hearing from him for a while, then... The story, based on the film, centres on Rick Marshall, his son Will, and younger daughter Holly, trapped in an alien world inhabited by dinosaurs, monkey-people called Pakuni, and aggressive, humanoid/lizard creatures called Sleestak. Geshundheit!

• Glenn Carter has posted a review of the much-lauded Tim Skinner: Total Scumbag on Comics Village.

• In the words of artist Shane Oakley (more about his latest project later): "If you're going cold turkey waiting for the next issue of Jack Staff, or never heard of the ridiculously talented Paul Grist, then drop everything and hurry your arse over to: http://www.bigcosmiccomic.blogspot.com". Don't argue with Mr Oakley. Go, go...

Compiled with thanks to Graeme Neil Reid and Nic Wilkinson. What, you're still here? Paul's waiting!

Tube Surfing: 16 January 2009

• The Cybermen have taken over and 'upgraded' Doctor Who Adventures. Issue 98, out now in newsagents, features an extra-tall cover, a free set of Cyberman figures and the second part of a double-sided poster. There's plenty more Cyber-stuff inside, along with the usual comic strip.

• Frazer Irving is interviewed by the Barking and Dagenham Record this week, the interviewer, Navtej Johal, noting 37-year-old "Frazer is something of an enigma - he is renowned for being a comic artist who works with elements of horror and, in his own words 'the dark and diabolical', yet throughout our interview he remains candid and is constantly breaking into a beaming smile.' The artist is conscious of how quickly life as a freelance artist can change. "I have made so many epiphanies," he says. "You know that saying 'you don't know what you got 'til it's gone'? Well, I always thought that applied to objects or people, but it can also be applied to artistic ability. The fuel for my art, my motivation, was taken away last year when I was going through a rough time. So now I put a lot more into my work."

• 2000AD have posted a teaser of the D'Israeli's Lowlife series this week. "This one stars my (and Dr. F's) favourite, Dirty Frank," the creator reveals on his blog. "A bit daunting to be following in the footsteps of Henry Flint and Simon Coleby, but it's huge fun, and I've been trying to work with Rob Williams for a couple of years now.
"As of writing, I'm finishing episode 5 of 8, and it's madder than a snake's armpit with a bag of hammers, I can tell you. I don't think I've ever laughed out loud so many times reading a set of scripts."

• Talking of D'Israeli, and we are, the collected Torchwood: Rift War is now on pre-order from Amazon.co.uk. Due for release in April, the Titan collection comprises the whole of the Rift War story arc that ran in Torchwood Magazine, the work of Paul Grist, Ian Edginton, D'Israeli, Brian Williamson and Simon Furman.

• The London Underground Comics website has a new look, and a mysterious teaser, above. LUC had its last stall ever in Camden Market in December and seems set for a change of direction in 2009 while still doing its best to promote comics. We're looking forward to developments.

• David Bishop has just posted a short but useful post offering advice on writing story treatments. "Treatments are something that vex a lot of writers," he notes. "They resent spending time on treatments, let alone polishing a treatment until it shine. Audiences never see treatments, the logic seems to be, so why bother making them exciting or fun? But treatments are seen by those with the power to advance your work - editors, script executives, producers and literary agents." Read the post

• Al Ewing is among the guests at Hi-Ex 2 convention in Inverness next month "...where, presumably among other duties, I'll apparently be doing a panel on How To Break Into Comics with Frank Quitely and Graham Neil Reid." For details of more guests and the charity auction, see our earlier story

• Anthony Johnson's Wasteland #23, Hounds of Love, is now on sale. Johnson urges his fans not to forget to pre-order issue #25, a special double-length, full colour anniversary issue. Anine-page preview of the issue can be found on Comic Book Resources.

• Writing team Leah Moore and John Reppion have been technomaging and fiddling with spells that means the domain name www.moorereppion.com is now showing a placeholder. "We have switched from Godaddy to One.com for our domain name hosting, and from Geocities for our web storage," Leah explains. "We discovered we were paying tons to Godaddy and Geocities for all the different bits and bobs of the website, and it was cheaper and simpler to have it all in one place.
"We should have a proper placeholder up soon, and then we can get the new website underway. In the mean time, the forum is still the same, and this blog will be the same so we can let you know whats going on as it happens." So all you really need to know is, they're doing there technomagic and the Reppion-Moore mayhem will continue...