Burke and Hare first editions on sale from creators

With the news that Insomnia Publications, the company behind graphic novel Burke & Hare, has ceased trading, its creators Martin Conaghan and Will Pickering can now offer out copies for sale of the first edition of the book.

"Will and I are in the process of negotiating a deal with a new publisher," says Martin, "which will necessitate a new cover and some amendments/additions to the book in the second edition. This means the first edition will never be seen in print again in its current form.

Fortunately, I have around 300 copies that were sent to me by the Insomnia distributor when the company landed in financial trouble."

Burke & Hare delves into the  12-month period from 1827-1828 in Edinburgh, Scotland, when two Irishmen by the names of William Burke and William Hare murdered 16 people and disposed of their bodies to the eminent dissectionist Dr Robert Knox.

Delve into the murky, misquoted history of Scotland's most notorious serial killers with a research-based graphic novel that unravels a ghoulish story of medicine, murder and money.

The price of the book is £10+£2 P&P. if you live in the UK. If you're outside of the UK, contact Martin via sales@burkeandharecomic.co.uk and he will give you a price on postage.

• If you want a copy, you can send Martin the money via PayPal to sales@burkeandharecomic.co.uk and he will get it sent out to you as soon as possible.

• Read David Hailwood's review of Burke and Hare

Phoenix to rise from Insomnia's ashes

Comics collective The Sleepless Phoenix is now taking pre-orders for its 192-page black-and-white anthology on creative seed site Kickstarter.com.

The planned collection - born from the demise of  British publisher Insomnia Publications - will feature the work of more than 50 up-and-coming creators from the UK and the US including Martin Conaghan (Burke & Hare), Ben Bates (Sonic the Hedgehog), Jim Boswell (KiCk!), Lauren Anne Sharp (Kronos City), Adam Grose (Cosmogenesis), Michael Moreci (Quarantined), Peter Forbes (Oz: Fall of the Scarecrow King) and more.

The collective was born out of the seeming (and abrupt) end to Insomnia earlier this year. On 30th June, Insomnia publisher Crawford Coutts filed to cease trading with the UK Companies House. Coutts never officially informed his creators and, until last week, had remained out of contact.

(On Friday, Coutts sent out an e-mail releasing creators from their Insomnia contracts. Previously, downthetubes understands that anyone who'd signed a contract was still tied to Insomnia due its status as "inactive" rather than insolvent, and couldn't take their books elsewhere unless the company was formally wound up, or the contracts were officially cancelled. Now that the latter has happened, people can go looking for new publishers).

Rather than allow their work to fall to the wayside,  creators banded together, fast building a mutual admiration for the short comics that will appear in this anthology - and everyone involved is determined to see it get the release it deserves, with the project's Kickstarter appeal pegged at £2320 ($3600) to pay for printing.

Supporters can pledge as little as one dollar to the cause to help get the book printed, although those that pledge more will be entitled to perks such as a limited edition print along with their copy, or an original sketch from one of the artists.

Mike Carey (The Unwritten, Lucifer) has called the book "a kaleidoscope of graphic stories--mostly in the darker colours of the horror palette, but all the better for that".

In addition to selling signed limited-edition softcover editions of the anthology, The Sleepless Phoenix is offering several unique opportunities for donors to snag original art, have their likeness illustrated in the book, and be acknowledged in a special thank you section.

Money raised from anthology pre-sales will pay for the printing and shipping of the anthology. All profit will go to providing funding for the Comic Book Alliance, an organization that works to settle creator disputes in the comic publishing industry.

• Visit the Sleepless Phoenix page on Kickstarter for all the latest news, previews, and updates

Oxfam Comic Event Tickets Now Available

Following on from last year's event, tickets are now available for the snappily entitled Oxfam Bookfest Comic Event in Edinburgh - Issue 2. This discussion based event will take place on Saturday 17 July 2010 in Edinburgh's MacDonald Road Library which is only a 10 - 15 minute walk from the city's main bus and train stations.

After last year's discussions about Scotland in comics and Scottish comics in general, this year's theme will be, like the Dundee Comics Day three weeks beforehand, the evolution of a comic from original idea to writing, art and publishing. As with last year the day will feature contributions from Marvel Heroes and Commando writer Ferg Handley, writer and former 2000AD editor David Bishop and Insomnia publisher Crawford Coutts. The four hour event begins at Noon with tickets costing only £3, the same as last year.

Tickets are now available from the Morningside Oxfam Bookshop which once again is organising the event. It is located at 210 Morningside Road, Edinburgh, EH10 4QQ, and the telephone number is 0131 4469169. The shop can also be contacted by e-mail via oxfamshopf5808AToxfam.org.uk.

The fun poster for the event is the work of Edinburgh based artist Ben Morris who is a regular illustrator on Doctor Who Magazine and the junior Doctor Who Adventures.

There are more details of the 2010 event at the Oxfam BookFest website and on the Oxfam Morningside Twitter feed.

There are videos of Ferg Handley and David Bishop at the 2009 event on YouTube.

Richmond Clements: One Highly Explosive Writer!

Above: Richmond Clements (Richmond is on the left. Picture courtesy Richmond Clements)

Richmond Clements is one of the busiest men working on the British independent comics scene today. While holding down a full-time job, he manages to (co-) run the successful Hi-Ex Comic Convention in Inverness, co-edit several small press anthologies and has even, recently, been scripting various comic projects.

Matt Badham caught up with him recently to talk about organising Hi-Ex!, finding time to write and why most people that are interested in comics just want to see "Hulk Smash!"...

downthetubes: Please tell us a little about yourself and your previous and current involvement in the British comics scene.

Richmond: About five years ago, I was asked to come on board the FutureQuake team as an editor. I've been there ever since.

We've added to the stable too: we now publish a horror book, Something Wicked, two 2000AD-inspired fanzines, Zarjaz and Dogbreath, and a Manga book called MangaQuake, although we've decided to shelve that one after the next issue.)

In addition to that, I'm currently writing two full-length graphic novels for Insomnia and co-organising Hi-Ex!, The Highland International Comic Convention.

I'm sure there's other stuff too...

downthetubes: How did your new comic, Turning Tiger from Renegade Arts Entertainment, come about?

Richmond: Well, first, I'd better give you a quick outline of the plot. Sarah Smith is a nine-year-old girl. JEN is a multi-billion dollar war robot. When JEN malfunctions and kidnaps Sarah, the military find themselves in desperate race against time to save the child and to stop her parents going public with the story.

As with a lot of things, it began with a couple of different ideas. I had a couple of particular images that kept popping into my mind featuring a young girl and a giant robot. One of these turns up as a panel in issue two. The other thing I can't talk about as it would spoiler the story in an enormous way!

So yeah, I one day realised that these two separate things were not actually separate but parts of the same story. Suddenly, Turning Tiger was born!

downthetubes: What have been the benefits of working for small press titles, in terms of writing and networking opportunities, and your life generally?

Richmond: In terms of writing, it's good practise!

What the small press can do is take a script that might not be anywhere near ready, but has perhaps just the spark of a good idea in it and work with the writer for as long as it takes until the script is ready. It also gives a writer or artist the undeniable thrill of seeing something you created in print.

In my life? Phew! Well... I can start with meeting my partner through working on comics and work down from there! I've made some incredibly good friends through my involvement in comics. That, and it gives me something to do with what little spare time I have!

Networking... I'm not sure how to answer this without coming over as terribly mercenary! It's great fun to meet pros and to have become friends with some. And to then have some of these guys agree to do covers for us is a real thrill.

On a personal level: sitting in a bar with an editor at a convention is a damned good way to pitch a story!

downthetubes: How did you develop your ideas? Do you bang away at a script or plot and write a synopsis first?

Richmond: Turning Tiger arrived pretty much fully formed.

Some things, the graphic novel Corvus I'm writing for Insomnia, for example, start off as an idea (a superhero story set in Roman Britain) and have to be worked into a plot. However, with Turning Tiger, once I had the original thought, it was more or less all there from the off. There have been a few very minor changes made, but that's all.

downthetubes: Corvus sounds interesting. Please tell us about that.

Richmond: Corvus is set in Roman-occupied Britain in 30AD.

The Brits are held in subjugation by the mighty Roman army, helped by their own superhero, Gladius. But the British have a hero too; a 15-year-old girl called Callie, who must become the Corvus, legendary guardian of the people... It's basically a rip-roaring adventure, with some awesome action set pieces in there, as well as, I hope, telling a good story.

The art is by the brilliant Kevin Levell, who has produced some cracking concept sketches already.

downthetubes: You seem to have a lot of irons in the fire at the moment. Are you doing all this stuff on top of a day job?

Richmond: Yes, I have a day job too! I'm lucky though, in that I'm a pretty fast writer once I get started. Also, I drive a lot in my day job and get a lot of time to edit in my head, so by the time I get to putting it on paper a script or story can be more or less fully mapped out.

downthetubes: It seems in one way that British comics are going through a bit of a golden age, with a thriving small press scene, lots of stuff happening online and lots of indie companies springing up. On the other hand, there seem to be few opportunities to actually make money from comics in this country.

Can you give us your perspective on the pros and cons of being a fledgling comics writer working right here, right now and also as a con' organiser, who perhaps gets a bit of an overview of the scene that way?

Richmond: The small press scene is indeed thriving.

In truth it's always been that way, but it's just that the 'top end' of the market, if you want to call it that, has all but disappeared, so now folks are starting to notice the small and mid-sized press more.

You're right though, there are a limited number of 'slots' in the industry where a writer or artist can expect to make a full-time wage -- to put it mildly! Frankly, though, if you're mental enough to get into comics as a way of making your fortune then you deserve everything you (don't) get! I think there's too many people who look at writers like Grant Morrison or Alan Moore and assume that everyone in the industry can make that kind of money. Which is of course stupid.

Every author doesn't make Rowling or King money. Every musician is not going to reach the earning level of U2 or Springsteen. You have to accept that the chances are you will not make your fortune writing or drawing comics unless you are very, very lucky.

On the convention organising front, we were delighted and surprised by the interest shown by the general public. Our first Hi-Ex! was all but snowed off, with only half the guests being able to make it because of the weather, yet we saw hundreds of members of the general public turn up, many of them in family groups, to join in. There's a massive market out there of 'ordinary' people who are interested in the medium.

The industry needs to focus on bringing them in and not on keeping an ever-diminishing number of hardcore fans and continuity whores happy. Most people want to open a comic and simply want to see Batman thwart the Joker or Hulk Smash. They don't care if Cyclops did such-and-such in a comic written 25 years ago. They just want entertainment.

downthetubes: What's next for you, in terms of your writing?


Richmond: Next up will be finishing off writing both Pinkerton and Corvus. There will be, if everything goes to plan, a collected edition of Turning Tiger available in print sometime in April, and after that I'll start writing the sequel. In between this I'd love to finish the children's book I'm writing, and we'll have new issues of all the FutureQuake books to get out, including an ABC Warriors special, which, if it all works the way we've planned it, will be very special indeed.

downthetubes: Please give the latest Hi-Ex! a pimp. Tell us about the guests and events...

Richmond: HiEx 2010 is on the 27th and 28th of March at Eden Court in Inverness. We've got an enormous number of guests with something for everyone. We've got a children's corner with some fantastic artists there. Kev F Sutherland is bringing his socks, the Beano guys are going to be doing their stuff and as always, we'll have a brilliant charity auction (and if you're not coming, you can still bid! Check out our website for details on the lots!). This year we're also running a games room, where the public can try their hands at things like the Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog and Doctor Who roleplaying games. And as if that's not enough, the one and only Cam Kennedy is coming!

downthetubes: And in terms of Zarjaz, you guys seem to have been very good at getting pros to contribute/let you work on their characters. Tell us about working with the likes of Pat Mills and Kek-W...

Richmond: Yup, getting to work with these guys is a great bonus! Pat's been very helpful and generous - not only by allowing us to use the characters, but in offering us pointers and advice on them. Kek-W has given us an awesome Rosie O'Rion story that I guarantee will make you want her back in the prog!

We've also been very fortunate with everyone from Simon Coleby to Rufus Dayglo doing covers for us! You can't imagine the thrill of seeing a specially drawn Kingdom cover by Richard Elson arriving in your inbox. And we've got a couple of very cool cover artists lined up for the next few issues of Zarjaz and Dogbreath...

downthetubes: Richmond, thank you very much for your time and the best of luck with all your projects.

• Hi-Ex Comic Convention Official Site

• Futurequake Official web site


This interview has been simultaneously cross-posted at both the Forbidden Planet International blog and downthetubes.

Comic creators to deliver serial killer talk in Edinburgh

Martin Conaghan and Will Pickering, creators ofnew graphic novel Burke & Hare, will be at the Edinburgh Central Library in the Edinburgh Room on 28th January presenting a talk on the history of the serial killers and the production of the book for Insomnia Publications bio-graphic novel imprint, Vigil.

If you’d like to book a place at the talk, please contact the Fine Art Library in the Central Library Tel: 0131 242 8040 as numbers are limited.

After the talk, there will be a siging session of the book where guests can talk with the creators.

There will also be option to join West Port Tours popular, Burke and Hare Murder Tour for free, which will start just outside the entrance of the Central Library. For more details of the tour please visit West Port Tours official website

Tube Surfing: Wallace and Gromit, Insomnia on PSP, Free Digital Comics and Christmas Covers

• Titan Publishing's Wallace & Gromit digital comic has taken the iPhone by storm with over half a million downloads of its first free app - and the company is surely hoping to repeat the success with its release on the new PSP comics service. More on this story on the downthetubes Mobile Comics Blog

• Talking of digital comics, Insomnia Publications is one of a handful of UK comic publishers featuring on the launch offering for the PlayStation Network's Digital Comics service, which enables you to download the comics directly to your PSP over Wi-Fi or you use your PC to transfer the files. Although there's bound to be more coverage of both Marvel and Disney's offerings on the platform, this is a major coup for the independent publisher: titles on offer include Cancertown Burke and Hare, Cages and more. (Click here for a full list of titles on offer on the Insomnia blog).
The service is also being supported by IDW Publishing and iVerse Media, among others and over 550 comics were made available at launch with more to be added as the service develops.

• Forbidden Planet International reports that audio recordings from the Women in Comics conference, which took place a few weeks ago in Cambridge, are now available on the New Hall Art Collection site, including Sarah McIntyre, Asia Alfasi, Nicola Streeten and others, with more audio to follow in due course.

• Matthew Badham has re-posted an interview with comic creators Adam Cadwell (left, as visualised by cartoonist Marc Ellerby) and Jim Medway that disappeared into the ether when his previous blog bit the dust. Matthew sasy both Adam and Jim say a lot of interesting things about comics and art, and make some good observations about the Brit' small press scene, as well as offering their insight into the failure of The DFC and much more. Jim, it seems, by the way, has a phobia about comic shops, arguing many are "awful" (with some notable exceptions, such as Nottingham's Page 45. "You can’t expect anyone else to go into a shop with goblins on the window," he feels.

• Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited is to give away 1,000 free one-year subscriptions of its digital comics to enlisted US military personnel from Monday through 7th January. Air Force Times reports the offer is on a first come, first served basis. A year’s online subscription would normally cost $59.88, she said. Enlisted personnel who want to sign up for the free subscription can send an e-mail to marveldigitalpromo@sunbeltfs.com to receive a promotion code.

• And finally... as you've noticed, Jeremy Briggs is once again plunging us back into British comics history with various Christmas covers here on downthetubes - expect one post a day in the run up to the Big Day - and Lew Stringer is also offering his annual Christmas comics posting, which started with a Valiant and TV21 cover and will focus on just four comics in depth this year. It's a real treat to see Leo Baxendale’s ‘The Swots And The Blots’ once again. View all Lew's posts over on Blimey! It’s Another Blog About Comics.

British Comic Creator Interviews on SciFiPulse

Longtime downthetubes readers know this site trades news items with the superb science fiction TV, film and genre site SciFiPulse, but what with recent holidays here in the tubes, we've missed some of their coverage of British comics. So here's a quick round up of some of their recent interviews, with links, courtesy of Ian Cullen that site's webmaster and owner ...

In May, SciFiPulse Radio took its first steps into Brit Comics with two cracking interviews with Martin Conaghan, writer of Insomnia Publications' Burke & Hare, and Tony Lee, who talked about Markosia's From The Page’s Of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’: Harker. "This was still early days for the radio show and was before it had established any sense of format," says Ian of these early forays into audio, pointing out he only began the podcast in March - although he's had something of a baptism of fire with the project with the occasional 'missing guest'.

In July the podcast struck once again and produced a somewhat informal and comical interview with artist Simon Wyatt who is hard at work on his book Unbelievable for Insomnia Publications.

In October, after having done a fairly strong interview with them on the scifipulse website, Ian opted to bring Peter David Douglas and Neil Van Antwerpen on to the radio show and sink his fangs into some of their thoughts about the work process then went through for Harker with Tony Lee.

In November, just one week after interviewing Amanda Tapping of Stargate and Sanctuary fame, Ian took another step into the world of comics and spoke to Ian Sharman, owner of Orang Utan Publishing.

Of course, it goes without saying that the British Comics business owes much to the talents of Bryan Talbot for bringing us the first official British Graphic Novel, The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, as well as Grandville. Ian caught up with him and managed to produce an insightful interview with the writer and artist, which was the first show to air in December.

Although many interviews were done on the radio show in 2009. Ian still found time to post a few interviews at the main website, including an abbreviated version of the audio interview with Bryan here.

Prior to having them on the radio, Ian first interviewed Peter David Douglas and Neil Van Antwerpen for SciFiPulse.net, where they spoke about their work on Harker. You can read this interview at:

Ian also spoke to publisher Harry Markos of Markosia Comics, and tells me has many more British comic creator interviews coming up, including Leigh Gallagher, artist for 2000AD and, sometime in the new year for the radio show, and is also planning a website Q&A with Dan Dare and Knights of Pendragon artist Gary Erskine.

• You can download episodes of the radio show at www.blogtalkradio.com/scifipulse or through iTunes store by typing in scifipulse and clicking on subscribe.


• Visit ScifiPulse.net

Win a PSP 3000 thanks to the Geeks!

To celebrate the launch of the Sony Digital Comic Store, top British comics and SF news site Geek Syndicate has teamed up with Sony and Insomnia Publications - publishers of titles such as Cages, Cancertown and Burke and Hare - to bring you an awesome competition to win a Sony PSP 3000 supplied by Sony.

The PSP 3000 will come with the a selection of graphic novels provided by Insomnia Publications, who are one of the first British publishers on board to take advantage of this latest digital comics delivery platform.

To be in with a chance to win all you need to do is send the Geeks an email with the title “Going digital with Geek Syndicate, Insomnia and Sony!” to geeksyndicate@hotmail.co.uk.

The first entry they pull out of the hat will win. The closing date for entry is 1st December.

For folks heading to the Thought Bubble convention in Leeds this weekend you can enter by heading over to the Insomnia Publications stand and filling in an entry form. Please note, this competition is only open to entrants who are 18 or over and have a UK Postal address.

The new Digital Reader on PSP kicks off Sony's Digital Comics service, with the company proclaiming it will revolutionise the way you read and open up a whole range of media to your fingertips.

Sony's Digital Reader service will start with Digital Comics in December 2009, offering a brand new way to read comic books via a huge library of digital comics you can download from PlayStation Store to your PSP – both classic and new comic titles.

The new service will offer content from Marvel Entertainment and IDW Publishing, as well as graphic novels and comics from a variety of local publishers and the latest underground sensations such as Insomnia.

Currently, Insomnia are the only UK indy
who will have books in the Sony Playstation Networks Digital Comics store when it launches in December.

More titles will arrive on PlayStation Store with monthly content updates, offering a huge choice of quality titles at your fingertips, allowing you to take your favourite comic characters with you on the move.

"This is a great new service that offers PSP owners even more options for entertainment on the go and makes PSP a must for comics fans,” says Isabelle Tomatis, European Marketing Manager, Hardware and Platforms, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

“Digital Comics will sit alongside the new PlayStation Network video download service as yet another way that PSP offers a whole world of entertainment in your hands.”

"We are incredibly excited to be partnering with Sony in the launch of the Digital Comics Service," says Crawford Coutts, Managing Director of Insomnia Publications. "Insomnia is committed to nurturing the very best new art, new writing and new concepts in its original graphic novels and the unprecedented scope of this Comics Store will connect independent publishers and readers around the globe."

• Full details of the Geek Syndicate competition here

• More about Insomnia's Digital Comics Plans here on their official blog

Fifth Temple Spotlights Comics Talent

The Temple Issue 5 is now complete and available to download for free from the British comic creators group's forum.

Compiled by John Kirkham, at 80 megs and over 160 pages it's the biggest issue yet, with class contributions inside from British talents such as Stuart Giddings, Simon Mackie, Adam Grose, Tony Suleri, Steve Tanner, Dave Evans, Malcolm Kirk and Paul Eldridge.

Intended to be a platform for new talent, the issue also features a huge feature on rising publisher Insomnia Publications.

• Download Temple APA Issue 5 free here

Tube Surfing: Pitching at Conventions, Classic Tempest and Comic Domination

• Anyone planning to attend the British International Comic Show to pitch work might be interested in Insomnia Publications Guide to pitching to them, which they hope will give creators a bit more help and confidence when it comes to knowing what they're looking for. downthetubes also has some advice about portfolio preparation and pitching here. Hope it's useful.

• Also at BICS this weekend are Classical Comics, who have just released their adaptations of William Shakespeare's The Tempest
and Romeo and Juliet. They've very kindly sent us review copies of both and I'll run a full feature next week - once I've read them - but on first look, both do the plays proud. I shouldn't really pick favourites, but given that The Tempest is, perhaps, Shakespeare's most original play - it was apparently the last he wrote - I have to say the art job Jon Haward has done on it is simply stunning. If he doesn't get a Doctor Strange or Doctor Fate commission on the back of this, the world's gone mad... If you're going to BICS, check out the books there.

• And if you do visit the Classical Comics stand, be sure to check base with colourist team Kat Nicholson and Jason Cardy, who have recently taken the helm on Draw the World Together, an organisation created to unite arts communities in providing possibilities for children who live in communities where they do not have the opportunity for basic healthcare and education.

Comic creator Andrew Wildman who has been running DwTT for the last four years, recently stepped down from the position. "It feels like the right time to do what was always my intention, hand it over to someone who can bring something fresh to the project," he says.

"Throughout the last four years there have been many amazingly talented people who have helped out with the project and together we have raised tens of thousands of pounds to help street children in both Cambodia and India. Two of those who have shown dedication to the project and a keenness to be involved at a higher level are Kat and Jason, whose willingness to contribute their time and talent at comic conventions has been a major contributor to the work of DtWT."

Kat and Jason's first real gig at the helm is at BICS, so if you are going to be attending pop along and say hi to them on the 'Classical Comics' stand.

• The first part of a brand new, huge interview from Pádraig Ó Méalóid with comic artist Bryan Talbot is now live on the Forbidden Planet International blog. As with his Alan Moore sessions its pretty big so editor Joe Gordon has split it into two parts, with the second part to follow soon. The first installment most touches on earlier material, from selling Oz Magazine and doing illustrations for the early Tolkien Society through Brainstorm Comics, The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, The Tale of One Bad Rat, 2000AD and Sandman. The second part will bring us up fully to Alice in Sunderland, Metronome and Grandville. Read it here.

• There are lots of web comic hubs out there, but this one just might offer something a little different. Comic Domination (www.comicdomination.com) is a webcomics publishing site designed for both creators and readers. "The most viewed comic for the week gets featured, so it gives readers a chance to discover new comics, and they can add comics to favourites, comment, and a lot more," explains site runner J.T. Blevins, who's also involved in online animation site Toonjet. "There are tools for creators so that all you have to do is upload and publish comics, and the system creates a webpage for it automatically. The system allows you to install and create your own templates for unlimited options."

• And finally... over on the Birmingham Mail's brilliant Speech Balloon column, they're reporting that the UK'S Classic Comic Store (not be confused with Classical Comics, above) is currently busy reissuing a number of classic comics from around the world. Notable releases include English language versions of the Greek and Joint European Classics Illustrated and a special version of The Grapes of Wrath.

"This is an adapted version of the Philippines National Classic Comics series," explains publisher Jeff Brooks, "a very good adaptation in black and white,' Jeff Brooks revealed. Classic Comics also have a number of other releases, and again, if you're at BICS this weekend, you can find out more there - or visit their web site at www.classiccomicstore.com

Crawford Coutts On The Spot

Insomina Publications is fast becoming something of a rising star in the UK indie publishing press, with graphic novels such as Cancertown and the upcoming Burke & Hare just some of its well-received titles. As the company prepares to launch its much-anticipated Vigil range - graphic novels re-telling the events, lives and stories of famous men and women - David Hailwood chats with with Crawford Coutts, Insomnia Publications Managing Director...

downthetubes: When was Insomnia first formed, and how did you get involved?

Crawford Coutts: Since as long as I can remember, I’d always wanted to start-up and run my own business. When I was completing my degree at Dundee University back in 2005, Alasdair Duncan approached me with a screenplay script. I had been reading a lot of independent comics, such as 30 Days of Night from IDW, by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, and The Red Star by Archangel Studio’s by Christian Gossett and noticed that there was an increase in creator-owned work which was being aimed at mature readers with more novel-style themes and content, which was appealing to a wider audience.

By the time I'd graduated, I suggested to Alasdair that we should adapt his script into a six-issue mini-series and try something different with it, but first of all, we had to undertake a huge amount of research to ensure we were starting from the strongest possible position.

I began my comics career by illustrating our first series, Daemon, which was released in January 2007. Unfortunately, due to the demand on my time required to run the business, I had to stop only three issues in to the six issue series.

We wanted to emphasize that Insomnia was not just another indie "company" which would produce one product and then disappear like so many people trying to self-publish, I wanted the company to grow into a publishing house, and with the interest and success of our Layer Zero anthology series we had started this process.

The decision to take on the role of "Managing Director" rather than "artist" was very difficult, but incidentally came at a crucial time and has since enabled us to get our products into the high street bookstore as well as online shops like Amazon and we are becoming more accepted by the general public rather than purely comic-book fans.

downthetubes: What type of material is Insomnia most likely to publish? Is there any particular genre you would avoid, or have a personal disliking for?

We produce a wide range of Urban Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror titles. With each of our products, we look to publish something which is unusual, literate, challenging and thought provoking. Most of our books are aimed at teen/mature readers and most have an 18+ age rating so we're not limiting our content and restricting character development.

We're pretty open to most genres, as long as it's meets some (or all) of the above criteria. Readers of the likes of From Hell, A History of Violence, Road to Perdition, Fell and Nightly News will undoubtedly like our titles.

downthetubes: Which small press/independent titles would you recommend, and why?


Crawford: Unfortunately, I don’t really get a chance to read many other titles these days, and if I do it's mainly researching what the "competition" is up to! I do have a huge "to-read" pile sitting by the bedside, which is ever increasing!

I’ve been paying close attention to C2D4 and their new Graphic Novel, Jack in the Box, which looks stunning. I picked up some of the individual issues by Tony Wicks and Martin Buxton and I’m looking forward to seeing how the full book has turned out. Martin’s created a wonderful mix of sci-fi and the surreal complimented by Tony’s exceptional art style.

There’s some pretty good looking books from Studio 407 which I’d like to get my hands on as well, along with (Bob) Heske Horror's award winning Bone Chiller Anthology series which I’ve heard great things about.

Incidentally, Bob is currently producing another anthology, entitled 2012 which will be one to watch out for. Many of the Insomnia creators have been involved with this project, including Stephen “Cancertown” Downey. In fact many of the Insomnia creators have lots other projects on the go, either self-published or with other indie companies.

downthetubes: What advice would you offer aspiring comic artists and writers?


Crawford: Keep writing, drawing, inking, colouring, and generally "creating" as much as possible. Practice when you can and don’t be afraid to submit your work to publishers. Be sure to check out submissions guidelines and look at the current products they have to see if your ideas will fit in with what they produce.

There are many small press and indie publishers out there who are looking for contributions to anthology series, showcases, magazines etc and they’re great places to get initial feedback, constructive criticism and hopefully exposure which unfortunately the larger, mainstream publishers just can’t do.

downthetubes: Which of the upcoming Insomnia releases are you most excited about?


Crawofrd: There’s so many books currently in production it’s very hard to pick any particular titles, and to be honest, I’m very excited about them all. Next month, we're launching our first title from our new Bio-Graphic Novel imprint, Vigil (which is very exciting in itself).

Burke & Hare will be released at the British International Comics Show (BICS) followed closely with several signing events in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The book is completely research-based on the historical facts, written by Martin Conaghan, illustrated by Will Pickering, with letters by Paul McLaren and a cover by Rian Hughes.

It also has a wonderful foreword from Alan Grant where he says, "Martin and Will have produced something of which they and their publisher - the relative newcomer, Insomnia - can be very proud. As well as being educational and entertaining, they've gone one better and given us something important. Hopefully, the Universe will ripple and change for a great many of their readers."

We'll be releasing a Special Convention Edition of Buskers at BICS. Earlier in the year we were approached by Sean Michael Wilson and Jeymes Samuel with this offbeat tale set in contemporary London with an array of odd but realistic characters.

The comic book is based on a story by Jeymes (who incidentally is the brother of the singer SEAL), which is being created both in graphic novel form and as a film. Buskers is written by Sean and illustrated by Michiru Morikawa, an incredibly talented Japanese artist who won the International Manga and Anime Festival Award a few years back.

Jeymes is currently working on the film version of Buskers with a cast including Kevin Spacey and Mos Def, and the different versions will complement each other. [Read our news item on this project here - Ed]

The Special Signed Convention Edition will be limited to 100 copies and includes a CD with exclusive music from the OST and bonus features.

downthetubes: Could you tell us a little about the new Vigil imprint?


Crawford: Vigil specifically deals with historical graphic novels and stories of a biographical nature. Think along the lines of Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s From Hell or Frank Miller’s 300; we’re looking for rich stories based on fact, not facts dressed up as fiction.

The stories published under Vigil can be about a significant global event, the life of a famous personality or historical figure, cultural events, political scandals, wars, assassinations, rock stars, miscarriages of justice, cover-ups, conspiracies or inspirational tales from ordinary lives.

Biopics like Ali, Ray, Valkyrie, Frost/Nixon, JFK, Persepolis, Braveheart, Wyatt Earp, Apollo 13, Gandhi and Chariots of Fire are all similar to what we’re publishing. Each one tells a story about the life of someone unique, or chronicles events so dramatic and inspirational that they almost seem entirely fictional or unbelievable.

Historical accuracy was paramount in the development of Burke & Hare. Martin and Will spent much of the last year waist-deep in research material: original documents, biographies, contemporary maps, portraits, street scenes, architectural drawings, fashion illustrations, photos of antique furnishings and fireplaces - all to ensure that the representation of history in a comic offers something that cannot be achieved in any other medium.

This amount of effort is put into each Vigil title so that every book is as much a work of scholarship as entertainment and readers will almost be able to smell the setting every time they turn a page.

The next books we have signed for the line are Crowley: Wandering The Wastes by Martin Hayes, and Allen Pinkerton by Richmond Clements. We'll have more information on these at BICS.

downthetubes: Do Insomnia’s publications have a following in the US and other countries, or are you mostly concentrating on building up a UK fan base first?


Crawford: In the UK our titles are available in Waterstones, Borders and other good book stores, most of the independent comic shops including Forbidden Planet International and available online from Amazon.co.uk.

In France, our titles are available from Album and exclusively on sale from our independent stockist - Librairie Delvaux, 17 rue du Val, 77160, Provins.

Now that we're one of the largest Independent publishers in the UK and we have a pretty solid grounding in the market, we're currently researching distribution avenues to tap into the North American market - speaking with various shops, distributors and shipping companies. By early 2010, readers will hopefully be able to purchase our books from many of the book stores and comic shops.

Of course our books can currently be bought for international delivery from various online stores. If you want an excellent personal service, try Whatever Comics who are not only a fantastic comic shop providing international shipping, but who are also the sponsors of Cancertown.

downthetubes: I believe you also have plans to option movie rights for various comic projects; any luck generating interest so far?


Crawford: With the huge amount of interest from film studios in the comic industry, especially with the recent news of Disney and Time Warner acquiring Marvel and DC respectively, we believe our titles are well suited to adaptation into these areas.

We have a dedicated Agent based in New York who actively looks into optioning Film and TV rights for us so we’ll keep you posted of any news further down the line!

• A list of Insomnia's creators and their personal sites and blogs can be found on the official Insomnia blog: www.TheRedEye.co.uk


• Read David Hailwood's review of the upcoming Burke & Hare


• Read David Hailwood's review of Milk by Stref


• Read the downthetubes review of Cancertown

In Review: Burke & Hare

Reviewed by David Hailwood

The Plot: Over a 12-month period from 1827-1828 in Edinburgh, Scotland, two Irishmen by the names of William Burke and William Hare murdered 16 people and disposed of their bodies to the eminent dissectionist Dr Robert Knox.

Delve into the murky, misquoted history of Scotland's most notorious serial killers with a research-based graphic novel that unravels a ghoulish story of medicine, murder and money.

The Review: As Martin Conaghan, writer of Burke & Hare, states in the appendix, 'Burke and Hare does not attempt to solve the crimes or analyse the behaviour of Burke and Hare, but merely to present the facts in as straightforward a fashion as possible, given the available historical and anecdotal information'.

Martin never gives in to the temptation to over dramatise events in a bloodthirsty Hammer Horror sort of way, even when there's ample opportunity to really play up the blood and gore angle. For example, in the space of just two pages, Martin has Burke and Hare dispose of seven people 'in the same manner'. By downplaying their deaths, moving swiftly through the murders rather than choosing to dwell on them, Burke and Hare's actions seem all the more chilling; they're businessmen who deal in death, selling corpses to medical science for a tidy profit. The fact that they have to murder people to obtain these corpses (usually by getting their victims drunk and smothering them) is a mere detail.

Burke & Hare is illustrated by Will 'Something Fast' Pickering, who employs delicate inking and well-researched visuals to capture the feel of 19th century Scotland, treating the readers to sweeping scenery, and moody crosshatching for those darker moments (of which there are many).

The graphic novel also comes with a sizeable thirty page 'companion' at the rear, written by Martin Conaghan, which gives a page by page breakdown of the comic, including precise details of research undertaken, and highlighting which parts are fiction and which are based on fact. Judging by the bibliography, a vast amount of research has gone into creating Burke & Hare, and it's worth anyone with a passing interest in the story, whether they're a comic fan or not, picking it up for the scholarly companion alone.

There's also a terrific gallery containing interpretations of Scotland's most notorious serial killers, as illustrated by Scotland's most notorious serial artists (and several artists of Irish descent) such as Frank Quitely, Dave Alexander, Stref, Gary Erskine and many more.

In summary, Burke and Hare is well paced, beautifully illustrated and painstakingly researched. A very impressive launch for Insomnia's new Vigil imprint.

• Burke & Hare ((ISBN-10: 1905808127; ISBN-978-1905808120) is 120 pages, b/w paperback, priced at £12.99 with a colour cover by Rian Hughes and an introduction by Alan Grant.


• Burke & Hare will be launched at the British International Comics Show 2009 on Saturday 3 October 2009. Writer Martin Conaghan and artist Will Pickering will be available at the Insomnia stand to talk about the book, sign copies, and provide sketches. There will also be guest appearances by some of the gallery contributors.

• If you're interested in the world of Burke and Hare, check out burkeandhare.com, a website apparently related to another book, The Anatomy Murders by Lisa Rosner. The site's full of background information on the pair.

Tube Surfing: Marvel Mash Ups, XIII and a Dalek Competition

• Those Marvel-Disney mash ups just keep on coming. Two locations for growing collections of these on the Super Punch blog here and here. This Buzz/Iron Man mash is by Dave Mott.

• Indie creator Adam Gregory has started releasing the animated versions of his popular comic, The Flowfield Unity.
"They're micro-animations, all under one minute in length," he tells us. "I'm planning on releasing one every week, based on the existing strips and I'm taking requests too." You can view the first one here on YouTube

• Hot on the heels of the news of Cinebook's upcoming publication of cult classic XIII, here's the cover to their first volume, which will be released next year.

Launched in 1984 by two Belgian authors, Jean Van Hamme and William Vance, XIII has been turned into a video game by Ubisoft as well as a TV miniseries starring Stephen Dorff and Val Kilmer, which premiered on France’s Canal+ in October 2008 and on NBC in the US in February 2009.

Such is the popularity of the graphic novel that a gallery of its characters drawn by Vance was used to illustrate special-edition XIII scratch card tickets in France since 2000. Read our new story here

• Paul Anthony Long will be appearing at Red Lion Books in Colchester on Friday 11th September to launch his debut novel Joe Fury and the Hard Death. While it's not strictly the normal fare for downthetubes, we're told the book is written very much in the style of a comic/graphic novel, but presented in the form of a text novel. Among those who have commented positively about it so far are 2000AD's Pat Mills - so hopefully it may be of interest to readers here. Paul will also be signing copies of his book at Red Lion Books, Colchester, Essex, 7.00pm to 10.00pm on Friday 11th September and at Waterstone's in Portsmouth on 3rd October from 12.00pm to 3.00pm.

• Talking of events, Stref's "Free comic book art exhibition of work from his graphic novel, Milk for Insomnia, at the Fine Art Library (Located in Central Library), George IV Bridge, Edinburgh has now opened and runs until 29th September.

• Another reminder: the latest issue of the mystic detective comic Harker 7 is now available - you can buy it direct from Ariel Press's online store or it'll be available in the shops listed here. It's the beginning of our new six part storyline.

• And finally - there's a new Doctor Who-related competition on ace creator site Scotch Corner. The winner gets a large original inked illustration, an A3 print of the finished illustration and a copy of Remembrance of the Daleks on DVD. What are you waiting for? Head on over there now. Don't dally!

Who Wants To Be A Zombie?

Rich McAuliffe and Mark Chilcott, the slightly unhinged creators of Insomnia Publications' Damaged Goods, are currently on the prowl for victims... umm...I mean willing volunteers... to immortalise within the pages of the dark and twisted story The Bride. All you need to do is send a photo of yourself doing your best zombie or victim expression.

Should you be one the three that make the cut (sorry, we tried to resist doing that, but we were weak) and be chosen as the model for either a zombie or a wedding guest then you'll appear in the story, get a full name credit in the book, have your original photo appear in the back matter and receive a free copy of the book.

• Full details of how to enter can be found over on Rich McAuliffe's
blog

Insomnia Joins "Buskers" Project

Popquiz, hotshots: What do Mos Def, Kevin Spacey, former Blur front man Damon Albarn, musician Ian Brown, comic writer and publisher Sean Michael Wilson and Japanese cartoonist and illustrator Michiru Morikawa have in common with Insomnia Publications?

Answer: the fledgling British publisher has just announced all of the above are involved in some way in with Jeymes Samuel's multimedia Buskers project: some with the comic, some with the music, some with the independent film.


Buskers is an offbeat tale set in contemporary London with an array of odd but realistic characters. The comic book is based closely on a screenplay written by singer and writer Jeymes Samuel (who might be tired of being refered to as the brother of the singer Seal, but just so those not familiar can get an idea) .

It's written by Sean Michael Wilson and is illustrated by Michiru Morikawa, an incredibly talented Japanese artist who won the International Manga and Anime Festival Award a few years back.

Jeymes is currently working on the film version of Buskers and the different versions will complement each other.

"I was a comic geek since I've been able to read," he says, "so it was an absolute necessity for me to have a graphic novel of Buskers, whether I was making a film or not.

"I liaised with Mike Lake [co-founder of Forbidden Planet and now engaged in several top secret comic projects - Ed], who then introduced me to the the cult pen-man Sean Michael Wilson, who in turn brought on the IMAF Award winning Manga artist Michiru Morikawa. Thus began the creation of Buskers: The manga graphic novel."

You can find out more about the film version, and its soundtrack, on the Buskers Movie Blog, but this is how Jeymes summarises the story:

"Timothy Book is considered a big success amongst his peers - a high ranking job in banking, plush city apartment and trophy girlfriend to top it off. He's on top of the world - until he crashes back down to earth with an almighty bang!

"After underhand dealings at work lead to a police escort off the premises and a botched suicide attempt on the Thames, he turns up on the doorstep of ex best friend Cabbage, a streetwise busker who Timothy fell out with many years ago.

"Cabbage inhabits the exciting underbelly of London's colourful busking scene and Timothy is introduced to a side of life that he has never experienced.

"As he tries to claw his way back to his previous self he becomes embroiled in Cabbage's eventful and often dangerous lifestyle and begins to fall for the lovely Variniana - Cabbage's beautiful girlfriend.

"Timothy falls deeper into the busking scene and is forced to re-evaluate his former existence, friendships and relationships while embarking on an eventful journey back to the real Timothy Book."

Buskers the comic will be launched at British International Comic Show 2009 in Birmingham in October, where Insomnia will have a very special edition of the book (signed and limited to 100 copies), including a "Buskers Demo CD", with previews of a number of songs from the incredible soundtrack by The Bullitts.

If you can't get to the show this year there will a number of books set aside for pre-order by Paypal. You will need to email Insomnia at nichola[at]insomniapublications.com for details.

Also, if you want to be sure of getting your hands on one at the show, you can reserve your copy for pick up on the day.

The creators will be on the Insomnia stand at various points throughout the weekend: Sean is a special guest of the show and will also be speaking on a panel showcasing his AX: Alternative Manga work for the godfather of indie publishers, Top Shelf.

• Insomnia Publications Official Web Site: www.insomniapublications.com

• Insomnia Publications Blog: theredeyed.blogspot.com

Tube Surfing 6 July 2009: Scotch Corner, Harker, Tom Baker, Bodysnatchers and Cricket

• Those pesky Scottish creators are attempting another coup of downthetubes with a reminder that Scotch Corner, a collection of Scottish artists, is up and running. The fine team from north of the border include Thomas Crielly, Gary Erskine, Andy Hepworth, Jon Hodgson and Graeme Neil Reid.
"Every day there will be a new piece of art posted, each artist posting on a certain day," says Thomas" We kicked off last Wednesday so have a look and feel free to comment on the images."
The blog will also feature the work of guest artists: on Sunday, Leigh Gallagher kindly provided this splendid 2000AD-inspired image.

• A quick reminder that the London Film and Comic Con takes place later this month (Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th July) at Earl's Court 2. As well as media guests such as Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap, Star Trek: Enterprise), Tom Baker (Doctor Who), Bruce Boxleitner (Babylon 5, Heroes) and Eve Myles (Torchwood), comics creators such as Spider-Man artist Lee Townsend, The Beano's Henry Davies, Doctor Who Magazine's Mike Collins, John Charles and Al Davison are also on the guest list, as well as publishers such as Orang Utan Comics. More info via www.londonfilmandcomiccon.com/.

• ComicBitsOnline has a round up of all the new Classics Illustrated titles now on sale in British newsagents, which include digitally enhanced editions of Mutiny on the Bounty, Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. You can also subscribe to the series online via the official web site at: http://www.classicsillustrated.co.uk

• Brilliant British cartoonists news site Bloghorn - for some reason, often a breed apart from comics artists, although I'm never sure why or how that happened - reports the Chris Beetles Gallery in London will stage A Celebration of Cricket: From Ashes to Zooter from 15th July 15 until 8th August.
Encompassing 200 years of cricket and featuring illustrations and watercolours, more than half the show will be devoted to cartoons, including the work of Glen Baxter, Mark Boxer, Tony Husband, Jak, John Jensen, Larry, Nick Newman and many more.
The Chris Beetles Gallery, is at 8 and 10 Ryder Street, St James’s, London (nearest Tube Green Park or Piccadilly Circus) is open Monday to Saturday, 10am – 5.30pm. The gallery’s website can be found at www.chrisbeetles.com

• 2000AD and Star Wars artist Colin Wilson reports he's got his own web site. "After 14 years of maintaining a website, I've finally got myself a domain name. With my old ISP cutting me off a lot quicker than expected, thanks to Wolfgang at Gestalt my comic work, in all its glory, can now be found here (http://web.mac.com/wilco440). Who knows, I might even have the time to update the site one day...."

• Over on the Forbidden Planet International blog, Richard Bruton has given a glowing review to the latest issues of indie detective comic treat Harker, the work of York-basd publishers Ariel Press, which we had no hesitation in plugging earlier in the year. "Harker issue 1 & 2 were reviewed a few weeks back. The verdict: I thought it was great," he opens. "So with issues 3 & 4 I was really hoping it was going to live up to the promise of the first issues. Well, [Roger] Gibson & [Vince] Danks have taken that promise and really gone for it. If 1 & 2 established the characters and setting and dastardly plot, then 3 & 4 are where they relax and open out into the story some more. It’s still completely fantastic genre stuff but it just gets better and better and better here."
Issue 5 is already on the shelves at Traveling Man in York and is winging its way to the other stores Ariel supply over the next day or so. If your local comic shop doesn't supply it, please ask them to drop me an email: roggibson1@aol.com - we'd be very happy to supply them, and will make it very easy for them (and even offer them a really good rate). Read the full review here or find out more about the comic at www.arielpress.com

• Talking of indie publishers, head over to Insomnia Publications blog where, after a whole host of new titles and projects were announced last week, various art trailers for them also now feature. Upcoming titles include Burke and Hare by Martin Conaghan (interviewed about the project here) and Will Pickering, Oz: Fall Of The Scarecrow King by Barry McGowan, Damaged Goods: Manifestation by Mark Chilcott and Butterflies and Moths by Jennie Gyllblad. Head there now, or take a gander at their Burke and Hare preview on myebook...

Ex Astris: Homecoming on myebook

In addition to publication of Ex Astris on ROK Comics and Clickwheel.net, a web version Ex: Astris Homecoming, a 10-page strip which first appeared in the British comic in Bulletproof Comics #2, is now available via myebook. Click on the image on the right to view the comic or follow this link.

This standalone story, written by John Freeman and drawn by Mike Nicoll, links with the strips published on ROK Comics and Clickwheel.net.

Included in this myebook is a one page article with some background on the origins of the strip, recently commissioned for an ongoing run in Spaceship Away for 2010.

myebook aims to revolutionise the way you can create, publish and share ebook content online. Built on a feature-rich social platform, complete with free-to-use powerful, browser-based, builder software, and a slick reader environment, it's an easy way for anyone and everyone to 'get it out there', and several independent publishers are using the platform to promote their projects. You'll find books such as new Garth by Huw-J, The Fat Man by Thomas Cochrane, previews of Marksoia titles, and comics from Orang Utan Comics, Insomnia Publications, Unico Comics and many others.

If you want to read Ex Astris: Homecoming in print, then head over to the Bulletproof web site and order a copy of #2, an 80-page anthology which also features strips such as Slumbertown by Rik Hoskin & Thomas Crielly, Simba Khan by Paul Birch & Jon Haward, Love Hurts by David Hailwood & Stuart Giddings, Sideburns by Jim Alexander & Jon Haward and Redstitch by Lee Langford & Klaus Belarski.

• Bulletproof Comics: www.bulletproofcomics.co.uk

• Read Ex Astris: Homecoming on myebook.com

In Review: Cancertown

While regular downthetubes readers are well aware there are plenty of "graphic novels" on the market, they also know many are actually collections of monthly comics, better known as "trade paperbacks", perhaps complemented by additional material such as pin ups and background "extras". It's actually quite rare to pick up a graphic novel that truly exploits the opportunities afforded by the longform equivalent of a novel, slowly but surely delivering a story over many pages rather than in bite-sized, previously-published material.

Cancertown is one of those exceptions.

It's the story of Morley, a former mental patient with an inoperable brain tumour who conducts search-and-rescue missions into a monstrous, alternate version of London. Except that, if you're reading Cancertown without the advantage of press previews, even this nugget of information only becomes apparent as you read the story - and that carefully strung out, steadily-paced unfolding of the story is just one of the appeals of this horror tale, a book I described to someone asking me what it was about as a "rip-roaring mindf***".

Morley suffers from a rare mental disorder that causes him to believe a number of weird things about himself and his relationship to the outside world. The major upshot of this is that his delusions manifest themselves in a twisted alternate world he calls Cancertown. The real fun for Morley began when dispossessed people - those who were lost or who had a diminished sense of their own identity - started to fall into Cancertown and Morley decided that his purpose in life was to find those people and return them to the real world before they became permanent residents.

Cancertown is no easy read: you have to pay attention as Morley's adventure and encounters with warped characters such as Corpsegrinder and Piecemaker unfold, and what may be the truth of the origin of Cancertown is revealed. The overall feel of the book is distinctly unsettling but rivetting -- a graphic novel you'll find yourself wanting to read in one sitting.

Speaking personally, I think I would rather have had a little more exposition than unasnswered mysteries, but that isn't to denigrate Cy Dethan's script, which successfully delivers a powerful horror story, ably complemented by Stephen Downey's creepy otherworld art, the Cancertown elements juxtaposed by very realistic "real world" sequences the artist reveals in background notes are based on photo shoots and other reference. While this is still early days for Downey, with the right guidance I can easily see him making the jump to, say, drawing for Vertigo or other publishers. Good luck to him -- and Cy, too, whose potential as a writer is, frankly, enormous.

Considering that all the creators involved in this project are, for the most part, relative newcomers to the professional comics industry, and the opportunities to break into the maintstream these days are scarce, they can all can be proud of their work on this book. In his introduction, veteran comic creator Bryan Talbot, whose talent for creating longform graphic novels himself is well known, suggests we're seeing the first outing of creators who will make their mark in future on the wider comic industry: and I can fully agree with that sentiment.

A tip of the hat too, to newcomer publisher Insomnia Publications for publishing Cancertown: they're nurturing some fine new talents that would otherwise find publishing opportunities in short supply, and if this first title is any evidence of intent, then we can expect further treats in coming months.

• Cancertown is written by Cy Dethan with art from Stephen Downey, with colour by Melanie Cook and lettering by Nic Wilkinson and is introduced by Bryan Talbot. It's available from specialist comic stores and the Insomnia Publications web site: www.insomniapublications.com /

Enter Burke and Hare...

After critical acclaim for Cancertown, Burke and Hare by writer Martin Conaghan, artist Will Pickering and letterer Paul McClaren is the next book from Insomnia Publications, which will be launched at the British International Comic Show) in early October.

The book, which features a cover by Rian Hughes, also marks the launch of the company's Vigil imprint, Insomnia's line of "bio-graphic novels".

Over a 12 month period from 1827-1828 in Edinburgh, Scotland, two Irishmen, William Burke and William Hare, murdered 16 people and disposed of their bodies to the eminent dissectionist Dr Robert Knox at 10 Surgeon's Square. This new book delves into the murky, misquoted history of Scotland's most notorious serial killers, offering a research-based graphic novel that unravels a ghoulish story of medicine, murder and money.

"We got to stare into the face of William Burke himself," reveals Martin of their background work for the book, "when the medical faculty at Edinburgh University granted us permission to view his skeleton." Creepy...

Burke and Hare also features a foreword by Alan Grant and its picture gallery will be graced by contributions from Gary Erksine, Frank Quitely and Colin MacNeil, among others.

• Managing Director Crawford Coutts joins the line up of comic creators at this year's Dundee Literary Festival (see previous news story) on the 27th- 28th of June and Insomnia will have a stall, offering the first previews of the new book.

• Catch some internal art images here on the Insomnia blog

• Martin Conaghan on SciFiPulse.net radio, talking about the book

CancerTown Signings Announced

Cy Dethan, writer of Insomnia Publications new graphic novel Cancertown, has revealed several signings are planned for the book, which features art by Stephen Downey, colours by Melanie Cook and letters by Nic Wilkinson.

The first to be announced are:

• Forbidden Planet, Belfast 2 - 4.00pm Saturday 30th May
Signing by artist Stephen Downey who will be offering a free, unique sketch to anyone who buys a copy. Official Forbidden Planet announcement here

• Whatever Comics, Canterbury 11.00am - 4.00pm Saturday 6th June
"Whatever Comics is unquestionably my all-time favourite comic shop," says Cy, "and its owners have been among my strongest supporters throughout my adventures in the comics business, so this one's a lot like coming home for me. Nic Wilkinson, Insomnia's Creative Director, will also be at the signing.

• Waterstones, Chelmsford Saturday 27th June

More details and dates to follow, including signings in Dublin and Newport on the Isle of Wight.

Cancertown centres on Vince Morley, a man with big problems and a brain tumour like a baby's fist, living with one foot in a monstrous alternate world he calls Cancertown.

When the lost and dispossessed of London start tripping over the same cracks in reality he spends his life avoiding, Morley realises he must confront the residents of Cancertown - and risk finding his place among them.

• Order Cancertown from Amazon