Graphic Novel Night in Polmont

To tie-in with World Book Night, Meadowbank Library in Polmont near Falkirk will be holding a free Graphic Novel Night on Saturday 21 April 2012.

Running from 1900 -2130 the event will bring together graphic novelists and artists to discuss their work and will also include a workshop on comics, small press publishers selling their novels, artists and writers signing sessions, an exhibition of art work and, as part of World Book Night, a free book giveaway.

Creators currently scheduled to appear are David Bishop, Edinburgh based writer and former editor of 2000AD, writer John Chalmers and artist Sandra Marrs of Glasgow's Metaphrog who produce the Louis series of graphic novels, Ed Murphy of Glasgow publishers Rough Cut Comics who publish Rose Black and Demon Seed, and James Lundy of Armadale's small press Emancipation Studios whose current title is Wired.

There are more details of the event on the Falkirk Community Trust website.

There are more details of the venue on the Meadowbank Library website.

Comics @ Glasgow Book Festival

Aye Write!, Glasgow's Book Festival, run by Glasgow Council's libraries department at the Mitchell Library is much smaller than Edinburgh's International Book Festival but normally turns up some comics talks and this year is no exception.

Writing For Graphic Novels
Friday 9 March
1300-1400
£15
After a poorly advertised, and hence poorly attended, talk with Pat Mills at last year's Edinburgh BookFest, writer Rodge Glass "discusses the process of writing a graphic novel: the challenges of collaboration between writer and artist, and gives tips and advice on making your graphic novel a success."

Martin Rowson: Guliver's Travels
Tuesday 13 March
1800-1900
£8
Guardian and Independent political cartoonist Martin Rowson "follows Gulliver’s descendant in a new book that is both a homage to the original and an entirely up-to date indictment of the same, enduring human idiocies that enraged Swift so magnificently and memorably."

In addition to the main programme the festival also runs schools events at which Sandra Marrs and John Chalmers of Metaphrog will be running two graphic novel workshops on Thursday 15 March for secondary school year 1 and 2 pupils.

There are more details of Aye Write! and how to buy tickets on the Aye Write! website.

Comics @ Glasgow Film Festival

Comics fans in Scotland have until now been looking at a prolonged dry spell when it came to major comics events in the country in the first half of 2011 with the postponement of the Hi-Ex convention expected in March by a year and the date change of the Dundee Comics Day from June to November.

However the Glasgow Film Festival, previously a mere bit part player on the Scottish comics scene, has come to their rescue helped along no doubt by GFF Ambassador Mark Millar. While it has yet to mutate into the Millarworld Film Festival, this year the Glasgow Film Festival has an impressive selection of both comics based films being screened and comics creators giving talks and workshops.

The highlight of the film screenings must be Luc Besson's live action version of The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec based on the Jacques Tardi bandes dessinees, a film that has yet to be UK classified by the BBFC and is technically part of the Youth Film Festival. As for the talks, workshops and discussions, the highlight is expected to be the illustrated talk by Dave Gibbons to be held in Screen 1 of the Glasgow Film Theatre.

Tickets are £7.50 per event (£6 for concessions) and there are more details of the events as well as their locations and booking details on the Glasgow Film Festival website.

PEOPLE

Mark Millar Workshop
Wednesday 23 February
CCA 5
1430
Mark Millar, the Coatbridge-born comic-book writer and filmmaker will lead this workshop which will examine the art of writing for graphic novels. Cutting his teeth writing for 2000 AD and DC Comics, Mark Millar graduated to Marvel Entertainment ten years ago and in that time has written some of the most successful comic books in the English language. His Civil War event is the industry’s highest-selling comicbook series since the millennium, his Ultimates book provided the template for the current crop of Marvel movies and he was named by Time Magazine last year as global comic-book writer of the decade. After writing everything from the X-Men and Spider-Man to Superman and Batman, he started the Millarworld company to create and own his own material (in tandem with his artists). The first two of these books, Wanted and Kick-Ass, have been blockbuster movies as well as outselling even established characters like Spider-Man. Millar is currently hard at work on a sequel to Kick-Ass, the Superior movie and directing Miracle Park, his first full-length feature film.

Frank Quitely Workshop
Wednesday 23 February
CCA 5
1430
Internationally renowned Glaswegian graphic novelist Frank Quitely, aka Vincent Deighan, will examine his approach to visual storytelling in this involving workshop. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with Grant Morrison on titles such as New X-Men, WE3, All Star Superman, and Batman and Robin, as well as his work with Mark Millar on The Authority.

Metaphrog: Graphic Novels & Adaptations
Thursday 24 February
CCA 5
1430
Acclaimed Glasgow-based duo Metaphrog will discuss graphic novels and adaptations involving different media in a lively and interactive illustrated session. Metaphrog are the authors of the Louis graphic novel series, which has been nominated for multiple awards, and have recently adapted Edwin Morgan’s poem The First Men on Mercury into comic form.

Portfolio Review with CLiNT Magazine
Thursday 24 February
CCA 5
1630
Join the team behind CLiNT magazine and get a unique opportunity to present your own portfolio for feedback and get expert advice on how to break into the comic-book industry. The 50s had The Eagle, the 70s had 2000AD and now we have CLiNT. Edited and co-published by Mark Millar, CLiNT is the first mainstream news-stand comic-book launched in a generation. Synthesising the best of comics, movies and television, this is the one monthly magazine where you will see Jonathan Ross, Frankie Boyle, Kick-Ass, Jimmy Carr, Samuel L Jackson and Quentin Tarantino all under the same cover. The comic also acts as a recruitment drive for new creators, not just established names from the world of movies and television, but newcomers working from home and looking for an opportunity to shine.

ComicCamp 11
Friday 25 February
CCA
1100 and 1400
Free but ticketed.
GFF11 brings you ComicCamp, a two-part event exploring comics, animation, gaming and film, and the increasing blurring of the boundaries between these practices. The first session (11.00–13.30) focuses on emerging innovation, giving the floor to those working within these fields to present current projects or exciting new aspects of their work. The afternoon session (14.00–15.30) is a round table discussion featuring big hitters from comics, gaming and film speaking about crossovers between the three mediums and tackling the questions: What works and what doesn’t? Is this a golden age for film adaptations of comics and games? Can increased collaboration create new opportunities and ideas? Aimed at freelancers, creatives and those working (or studying) in the wider gaming, publishing and moving image industries, ComicCamp is an event inspired by the spirit of BarCamp (www.barcamp.org) – a free, ‘un-conference’ designed to facilitate the sharing of ideas in an open environment. The event will end with an opportunity for networking and refreshments.

Dave Gibbons in Conversation
Friday 25 February
GFT Cinema 1
1600
Dave Gibbons discusses his extensive career in this lively illustrated event. An English comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer, Dave Gibbons is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story For the Man Who Has Everything. He was also an artist for the UK anthology 2000 AD, for which he contributed a large body of work from its first issue in 1977. Works other than comics include providing the background art for the 1994 computer game Beneath a Steel Sky and the cover to K, the 1996 debut album by psychedelic rock band Kula Shaker. In 2007, he served as a consultant along with John Higgins for the film Watchmen adapted from the book, released in March 2009.

Note: The event "Amruta Patil Interview with Paul Gravett" listed in the printed brocuhure and scheduled for Thursday 24 February at noon has been cancelled.


FILMS

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec
This subtitled French film has not been certified by the BBFC and the Festival considers it suitable for a 12+ audience.
Show Times:
Monday 7 February GFT Cinema 1 1000
Wednesday 9 February GFT Cinema 1 1300
Thursday 10 February Cineworld Parkhead 1015
Acclaimed French director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, Leon) returns to the big screen with his smash hit adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novels by Jacques Tardi. Adèle Blanc-Sec is an aspiring journalist who fears nothing and no one. So when a pterodactyl from the Jurassic era mysteriously appears in the skies of Paris, she must use all her wits and charm to stop it. An exciting Gallic take on blockbusters like Indiana Jones and The Mummy, this is perfect entertainment for genre enthusiasts.

Superman II - the Richard Donner Cut (PG)
Show Times:
Tuesday 22 February Cineworld 18 1830
This screening will be introduced by GFF Ambassador Mark Millar. Never before shown on a cinema screen in the UK, the Richard Donner version of Superman II is a fascinating lost treasure. Donner worked on the original Superman and its sequel at the same time and is thought to have completed between 70–80% of Superman II when he was informed that his services were no longer required. Donner’s material has now been edited into something much closer to his original vision of the film in which Christopher Reeve’s definitive Superman is under threat from both a trio of Kryptonite rebels and his feelings for Lois Lane. Highlights of Donner’s cut include previously unseen footage of Marlon Brando that deepens the father-son relationship at the heart of the story. A unique chance to see a rare piece of film history.

Crumb (18)
Show Times:
Wednesday 23 February CCA 4 1200
An acclaimed 1994 documentary from Terry Zwigoff (Ghost World, Bad Santa) about cult underground comic book artist Robert Crumb. A prominent member of the underground comic movement of the 60s, Crumb is known for his critical and subversive view on mainstream American culture. Zwigoff’s much-loved portrait of the man captures his unique outlook on life, charts the rise of his career and also takes a look at his troubled family and personal relationships. It’s a fascinating insight into a remarkable artist as well as a snapshot of a vibrant slice of American counter-culture.

Heavy Metal (15)
Show Times:
Wednesday 23 February Cineworld 17 1900
Thursday 24 February Cineworld 17 1515
Heavy Metal was originally released in 1981 and whilst not an instant commercial success it soon became a cult favourite, regularly showing at midnight screenings. This Canadian animation is made up of a collection of science fiction and fantasy stories adapted from Heavy Metal, an adult illustrated magazine famed for its blend of fantasy and erotica. This tale of a glowing green orb from outer space that spreads destruction throughout the galaxy also has a memorable soundtrack featuring Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Devo and Journey.

A Distant Neighbourhood
This subtitled French film has not been certified by the BBFC and the Festival considers it suitable for a 15+ audience.
Show Times:
Wednesday 23 February Cineworld 17 2100
Thursday 24 February Cineworld 17 1300
Who wouldn’t want to relive the past with the benefit of hindsight? That’s the appealing notion at the centre of this time-travelling tale inspired by a manga from Japanese graphic artist Jiro Taniguchi. Pascal Greggory is Thomas, a fifty-something graphic artist suffering from a creative block. He takes the wrong train to a book signing session and soon finds himself back in the town where he grew up. He faints and then wakes up to discover it is the summer of 1967, he is fifteen all over again (Leo Legrand now takes the role) and it is just a few days before an event that would change his life forever. His newfound dilemmas prove to be clever, believable and surprisingly touching.

Battle Royale 3D (18)
Show Times:
Thurday 24 February Cineworld 5 2100
Just when you thought a ‘solid gold cult classic’ couldn’t get any better along comes the 3D version. Never theatrically released in America, Kinji Fukasaku’s edge-of-the-seat chiller celebrates its tenth anniversary with a 3D conversion in preparation for a fresh assault on delicate American sensibilities. The story remains the same but the impact is more intense. In response to a wave of juvenile delinquency, a class of school pupils is kidnapped and transported to a remote island where they must wage war against each other until one person is left standing. If they choose not to fight the explosive collars they wear will be detonated. Clever, controversial and now bursting from the screen. 3D glasses 80p at venue.

Griff the Invisible
This Australian film has not been certified by the BBFC and the Festival considers it suitable for a 15+ audience.
Show Times:
Thursday 24 February Cineworld 17 1830
Friday 25 February Cineworld 16 2045
The gap between mundane reality and the daredevil antics of a costumed superhero has rarely seemed so wide or so poignant as it does in Leon Ford’s zestful feature debut Griff the Invisible. By day Griff (True Blood’s Ryan Kwanten) is a bumbling office worker who serves as an easy target for a bullying colleague. By night he takes to the mean streets of Melbourne to fight crime and save lives. The more exciting and fulfilling his time as a superhero, the more real life disappoints. Then, he meets beautiful, gauche scientist Melody (Maeve Dermody). Can these two lost souls find true love in a world that fails to understand them? A smart, heart-warming, fun-filled delight.

Danger: Diabolik (12)
Show Times:
Thursday 24 February CCA 4 1630
Saturday 26 February Arches 1730
An outlandish, tongue-in-cheek action movie from 1968 inspired by the Italian comic book character Diabolik. Directed by horror maestro Mario Bava and produced by Dino De Laurentiis (of Barbarella fame) Danger Diabolik is the story of an audacious thief – living in a lavish hideout with his lover Eva – who is intent on embarking on ever more challenging heists. But will the daring Diabolik continue to elude the authorities? This often hilarious, fun-filled and action-packed flick has been cited as an influence on, among others, Austin Powers and will especially appeal to fans of the B-movie genre.

More details of the events with their locations and booking details are on the Glasgow Film Festival website.

Tube Surfing: Comic Heroes, Jon Haward, Dragons and Night Salad

We've run Mr Matthew Badham ragged with our demands on his multi-layered brain, so he's taking a little break. You will, instead, have to put up with my meanderings around various British comic creators equally meandering (at times, anyway) web site... Special thanks to Matt for doing such a great job - check out his ace article on independent press comics in the UK in the latest Comics Now mag from Future Publishing!

(Which also features a great column on the loneliness of the long-distance comics freelancer by Dez Skinn)

• Jon Haward is one of Britain's best comics artists, with credits aplenty for his work for almost every British comics publisher. Sadly, he's the latest victim of the economic downturn and he's giving up on his freelancing and is looking to relocate to find a full time job. Anyone after an in house concept illustrator /storyboard artist or art director should contact him via his Facebook page before he gets snapped up.

• The Forbidden Planet International blog reports that American cartoonist and respected commentator on the scene Daryl Cagle recently posted a comment about US editorial cartooning and ‘the rest of the world’ which has stirred some debate, not least on the blog of the UK professional cartoonist’s association, the Bloghorn, who have taken exception to Cagle painting the rest of the cartooning world outside the syndicated US mainstream with the same brush, his post appearing to infer that ‘world cartoonists’ spend all their time doing relatively obscure works with the aim of getting them into international competitions, while US cartoonists are busy earning a wage and creating cartoons that use both words and pictures to make a point and create humour.

• Emma Viceli's fab manga adventure Dragon Heir: Reborn is now available to buy online from the Sweatdrop store. For direct copies, you can either contact Emma via her blog, or get along to shows like the MCM Expo, London, where she'll be selling the book at the Sweatdrop stand. "If you pick up a copy, whether online or in person, you have my heartfelt thanks and sincere hopes that you enjoy your purchase," she says.

• Warren Ellis joined in with the 'Influence Map' meme that has been doing the rounds among creators for a few weeks now. While he didn't create this one himself, he says it's "very close"...

• A quick plug now for the latest issue of the newly Hugo Award-winning StarShipSofa Stories (volume 2) which features an illustration by Leigh Gallagher. "Quite a while back Dee Cunniffe got in touch to see if I'd like to do an illustration to go with one of the many prose pieces, of which I picked a story called 'Bitterseed' written by Ted Kosmatka," he reports via his blog. "They have an impressive line up of talent of this book -- Neil Gaiman for one -- but what's also cool is this nifty trailer which you can find on Youtube here!"

• Metaphrog reports their new graphic album Louis - Night Salad was featured in The Scotsman on Saturday.

• Writer Dan Abnett clearly had a great time at Games Day along with Jim Swallow and many other ace creators and has written up a photoblog entry here.

• And finally... Sarah McIntyre's Vern & Lettuce has just been voted a young girl's favourite comic of the moment over on the Forbidden Planet International blog, which is good enough for us. It's out soon and we've interviewed Sarah here and will be posting our own review later this week...

Metaphrog's Louis – Night Salad graphic novel gets YouTube trail

A trailer for the Louis – Night Salad graphic novel, created by Scotland's fab folks metaphrog, is now live on YouTube.

"Our friend hey from Berlin has made an amazing soundtrack inspired by Bach's beautifully emotive "Air on a G-string" and also by Delia Derbyshire's version," the team tell us.

Due for release in Octobr, Louis - Night Salad is a brand new stand-alone graphic novel, the moving tale of Louis’ quest for a cure to save his friend FC. It's descibes as a simple story of friendship, heart-warming and genuinely transporting.

metaphrog are the duo Sandra Marrs and John Chalmers, creators of the critically acclaimed, multiple award nominee Louis series of graphic novels. Other titles include Strange Weather Lately and The Maze. They've also contributed short stories and illustrations to various publications, and enjoy spreading the word about comics at festivals, libraries and schools.

• Louis - Night Salad is now available to order from Diamond Previews, item code AUG101077 LOUIS NIGHT SALAD HC (C: 0-0-1), page 297. More info here on the metaphrog web site

Forfar 'Phrogs

The Glasgow based graphic novelists Metaphrog, who are artist Sandra Marrs and writer John Chalmers, are a busy pair when it comes to giving talks and demonstrations of their work on the Louis graphic novel series. Most of the events take place in schools and are therefore not open to the general public but from time to time they do events that are.

Their next event that is open to the general public is at the Forfar Library on West High Street, Forfar at 6pm on Tuesday 30 March 2010. The event is free and while Metaphrog are the first graphic novel creators to give a talk in the library it is hoped that if it proves to be popular enough the library will continue the talks with other local creators in the future.

There are more details of all Metaphrog's Louis books and their talks on their website.

Hard Working 'Phrogs

For Glasgow based graphic novelists Metaphrog, who are artist Sandra Marrs and writer John Chalmers, 2009 has been a busy year. As part of National Poetry Day in October they adapted the poem The First Men on Mercury by Edwin Morgan into a four page, full colour comic of which over 32,000 copies were given out free to Glasgow's school children while they also have continued work on the fifth of their Louis graphic novels, Louis Night Salad.

In addition to this writing and illustrating they have also regularly given workshops on their work and on comics creation in general and this year to date they have presented some 26 workshops to the general public as well as both primary and secondary school pupils.

On 16 January they were at Oldmachar and Harlaw Academies in Aberdeen for two separate workshops for secondary school children and they were back to Aberdeen on 30 January at Bridge of Don Academy. 6 March saw them take part in the Big Book Bonanza at Perth High School while their first public workshop of the year was for teens at Johnstone Library on 26 March. 8 March saw them do their only non-Scottish events with two workshops at Cardiff Central Library before returning to Scotland and another two workshops on 15 May at Alexandria and Duntocher libraries as part of the West Dunbartonshire Festival of Words. On 19 June they were at Glasgow's Hillpark Secondary School Book Week before a run of six public workshops for 8-14 year olds from 7-9 July in Dalmuir, Parkhall, Balloch, Dumbarton, Clydebank and Alexandria libraries.

26 August brought perhaps their most significant event of the year when they sold out the Edinburgh International Book Festival's RBS Workshop Tent with a teen workshop entitled Design Your Own Comic. 21 September took them to Bellshill's Cultural Centre Library for two workshops for late primary pupils while 30 September to 2 October saw them give five workshops to teens as part of the school orientated WESTWord Festival section of the Wigtown Book Festival at Stranraer Academy, Newton Stewart's Douglas Ewart High School and the main Wigtown Festival marquee. On 23 October they were near Edinburgh at Kirkliston library for a children's workshop while on 6 November they finished off their 2009 workshops with one at Edinburgh's St-Thomas of Aquin's High School.

October's Kirkliston workshop has just been featured in the City Of Edinburgh council's Edinburgh Outlook newspaper with a picture of Sandra looking over the illustrations that the Kirkliston children produced. The article is also available on the Edinburgh Outlook website.

For libraries, schools or other organisations wishing to discuss putting on comics workshops with them, Metaphrog's details are available on the Scottish Book Trust website along with other Scotland based comics creators such as Alan Grant, David Bishop and Denise Mina. Metaphrog can also be contacted directly through their own website.

The full version of The First Men on Mercury comic is available here.

More details of Metaphrog and the Louis series of graphic novels are available on the Metaphrog website.

Comics, science fiction and poetry

Next month sees the return of National Poetry Day in the UK, with a theme sure to appeal to comics as well as poetry fans - Heroes and Heroines.

To mark the day, the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, has written a special poem to celebrate this theme and in Scotland, to try and encourage more poetry reading the Association for Scottish Literary Studies has teamed up with Glasgow’s Metaphrog, creators of the wonderful Louis comics, to make a four page comic adaptation of The First Men on Mercury by Edwin Morgan.

The hope is that the project will prove a way of interesting children (and adults) in poetry, visually. The story spans four, full colour A4 pages and has had the blessing of the poet himself and will be made available in print (32, 500 copies) to all pupils in Glasgow secondary schools on National Poetry Day, 8th October, and will also be made available on the web at www.metaphrog.com/mercury.

The metro newspaper ran a full page feature on the project this week; the National Poetry Day website will be linking to the online version and the Forbidden Planet Blog will also be running the strip.

This is a brilliant way of getting people excited about both poetry and comics, and, not for the first time, the Scots seem streets ahead of English arts organisations when it comes to supporting comic creators (notwithstanding the NPD supporting this idea and the Arts Council grant which was recently awarded the British International Comics Show).

"We’re thrilled to be working on this," Metaphrog told the Forbidden Planet International blog. "Adapting poetry into comics is proving to be a really interesting project, and The First Men on Mercury, being largely dialogue-based, is ideally suited to this."

Bristol Expo Sells Out, No Tickets on Door

With four weeks still to go, tickets for this May’s Bristol International Comic Expo (featuring the Small Press Expo) at the Ramada Plaza Hotel on 9th and 10th May 2009 (and Mercure Holland House Hotel (Sat 9th only) have completely sold out.

Oranisers warn no tickets will be available on the door, and the only way to get tickets now is to ask to be put on the reserve list (details below).

The Expos websites www.fantasyevents.org and www.spexpo.co.uk contain fuller details of the latest additions to the line-up … including Mike Conroy and the Comics International team, Accent UK, Moonface Press, Sgt Mike Battle, Futurequake, Factor Fiction Press, Scar Comics, Ablaze Media, Orang Utan Comics, Small Zone, Self Made Hero and Genki Gear all booked into the Ramada Jarvis for both days … so here’s a short update on some of the books available at the Expos, with website details for those unable to make the event or unlucky to miss out on a ticket:

Massacre For Boys are bringing their brand new anthology title, Massacre For Boys In Colour. It's got war heroes, super heroes, Edwardian heroes, football heroes, animal hatmaking heroes, future heroes and an extra dose of war heroes. There are also some villains for balance. They will also be selling our Eagle-award nominated comic Walking Wounded.
• More details at www.massacreforboys.co.uk

TOKYOPOP will return once again to Bristol Comic Expo with a selection of best selling manga from one the world’s largest publishers of manga . They will have some special offers only available at shows and some yet to be released new titles . Make sure you drop by and if you’re new to manga, let them recommend one of their series that might appeal to you.
• More at www.tokyopop.co.uk

Time Bomb Comics bring their new, full colour, one shot, The Sisterhood: Morningstar, to Bristol – Space Nuns With Guns – the creative team of writer Steve Tanner and artist Dan Barritt will be at their table to sign and sketch throughout the Saturday.
More info: www.timebombcomics.com

As we reported earlier this week, Insomnia Publications (www.theredeye.co.uk) will launch Cancertown (the book Bryan Talbot says “will disorientate you, suck you in, chew you up and spit you out and you might well be in need of a change of underwear by the end”) at Bristol, with writer Cy Dethan and artist Stephen Downey at the Insomnia booth to talk about the book, sign copiesand sketch characters. Chapter one is available for free preview via MyEBook

ITCH will be at the SPExpo with lots of good stuff, including Leek and Sushi's Manga Show, a chunky anthology with short manga around the themes of Friendship, Japan and the UK. They'll also be selling the environmental fantasy Final Blossom, and dark fairytale Amaranth. The books are also available from www.itchpublishing.com , although if you come to the SPExpo you get a sticker with your purchase!

Metaphrog - creators of the critically acclaimed and multiple Eisner and Ignatz award nominee Louis graphic novel series - will be signing copies of their books at SPExpo, as well as selling original art from the acclaimed series. The books can be checked out at www.metaphrog.com plus their regularly updated blog is available at metaphrog.blogspot.com

After a few years away from the scene, Asia Alfasi is back with a bang with a brand-new book and a whole new website – for now, exclusive previews of her beautiful art are available at lady-respect.deviantart.com – more details to follow!

The Astral Gypsy, aka Al Davison, is artist on the new Doctor Who comic from IDW, he will be on hand for Manga portraits, character sketches and signing. As usual a great range of graphic novels, manga and graphic art material will also be available from the Astral Gypsy table.

Unico Comics (www.unicocomics.co.uk) are bringing three new books:
The Legend Known As… #1 (of 4)” is set in 2027 and 13 years after the Kato environmental disaster. The world has changed, Governments have fallen, and society is holed up in the ruins of whatever cities are left. This is a superhero comic with a twist. It shows how people react to an unknown person saving their lives and not knowing anything about him.
Borderliners #1 - Think Spooks meets Philip K Dick with television influences including The Avenger, The Professionals, The Champions and The Prisoner and you’re close to the feel and direction of this comic. As we said last year when the book was first announced, with its beautifully realized British setting and characters, it’s offering a complex but intriguing plot that is sure to appeal to fans.
Finally from Unico comes Uncle Tickle #1. Once upon a time there was a beloved TV kid’s show host named Uncle Tickle. When his show was cancelled after many seasons he lost his mind and killed everyone in the studio as it was filmed in during his live TV finale. Now he travels the country dispensing his own sickly humorous brand of retribution to all!

Futurequake also bring three new books along: the latest of its popular anthology FutureQuake 13, featuring the finest in the Small Press with another 48 pages of strips to thrill and astound: make sure you pick one of these up first as it's a top seller!
Dogbreath reaches the amazing issue 20 with the usual mix of strips and features based in the world of 200AD's Strontium Dog. Plus, how can we not mention the excellent Zarjaz: Issue 7 sees the results of the recently lifted Pat Mills character embargo! Underneath a wraparound cover by Dave Kendall the mix of strips and articles ever includes a strip from Sancho's Al Nolan and an interview with Pat Mills himself. Check out their blog for more covers: futurequakepress.blogspot.com

Lastly, but not leastly, Moonface Press who, as we again reported earlier in the week are also bringing three new books along: Tim Skinner: Total Scumbag, a scabrous parody comic that takes satirical pot-shots at The Boys, Blankets, Lost Girls, Judge Dredd and Jack Kirby by the Eagle Award-winning team of Andy Winter (writer) and Declan Shalvey (artist). Plus there's the 64-page launch issue of BritForce, the first of an ongoing series featuring the UK's No.1 superhero team, written and drawn by Andrew Radbourne and the cover comes courtesy of Glenn Fabry. Last but not least is Brothers, another UK-set superhero title, this time featuring two warring siblings, a dark government conspiracy and a truly monstrous final battle at Canary Wharf. It's a 56-page one-shot courtesy of Andy Winter (writer) and Andrew Radbourne (artist).

It sounds like a it's ging to be a great event -- if anyone is going and would like to write a report for downthetubes, please get in touch as personal and work commitments mean we won't be there (sob!)

• Ticket updates will be posted at www.fantasyevents.org/index2.html if any more become available – details on who to email to be put on the reserve list are available there now.