London SuperCon announces fourth wave of guests

The London Super Comic Convention, running 23rd - 24th February 2013, has just announced a fourth wave of guests at the event, joining names such as Neal Adams, J Scott Campbell and Brian Bolland previously announced.

The latest comic creators set to attend are:

• Dan Slott - Writer of Amazing Spider-Man, Mighty Avengers, Avengers: The Initiative, She-Hulk, Arkham Asylum: Living Hell, Batman Adventures, Looney Tunes, or Ren & Stimpy
• Neil Edwards - Artist on Fantastic Four, Squadron Supreme, Captain America, Mighty Avengers, Herc, Spider-Man Season One and current artist on Dark Avengers
• Kieron Gillen -Writer of Uncanny X-Men, Thor, Journey Into Mystery, Generation Hope. Currently writing Iron Man and Young Avengers
• Jamie Mckelvie - Artist on Secret Avengers, Siege: Loki, Invincible Iron Man, Wolverine, Ultimate Spider-Man, Generation Hope, and is currently working on the forthcoming X-Men: Season One Graphic Novel
• Simon Furman - Writer of Alpha Flight, Death's Head, Doctor Who, Dragon's Claws, Robocop, She-Hulk, Terminator, Torchwood, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and What If?  He is currently writing Transformers: Regeneration One, 
• Al Davison - Artist on Doctor Who by IDW, Hellblazer, House of Mystery and The Dreaming
• Simon Davis - Artist on covers of 2000AD over the past 20 years, Sinister Dexter', Stone Island and Ampney Crucis Investigates
• Ian Edginton - Written Leviathan, Stickleback and, The Red Seas as well as one-off serials such as American Gothic. He worked on Top Cow's Pilot Season and Stormwatch: Post Human Division
• Adi Granov - Has provided covers for X-Men, Nova, Avengers, and interior artwork for Iron Man
• Erik Henrix - Writer of SideShows and the upcoming The Evil Tree, Champions of the Wild Weird West, Deadly Harvest, The Book, The Slave Trade
• Peter Hogan - Writer of Crisis and Revolver, Terra Obscura and The Dreaming. Ongoing adventures of Tom Strong and Resident Alien
• Kev Hopgood - Artist for Iron Man, 2000AD and Games Workshop
• Frazer Irving - Artist on Klarion, The Witch Boy, Azrael: Death's Dark Knight, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne and Batman and Robin as well as covers for Bedlam by Image
• John-Paul Bove - Colourist on Godzilla, Doctor Who, Transformers, GI Joe.
• Marco Santucci - Artist on Secret Invasion: Spider-man, X-factor, Siege: Spider-man and Captain America: Forever Allies
• Ralph Tedesco - Writer on Se7en, Salem’s Daughter and Grimm Fairy Tales’ Inferno
• Marco Turini  - Artist on Squadron Supreme, Marvel Comics Presents and a new Top Cow comic to be released in February
• Chris Weston - Artist on Swamp Thing, The Invisibles, Starman, JSA, Lucifer, and The Authority. More recently he worked on The Filth,  Ministry of Space and The Twelve. 

More info: www.londonsupercomicconvention.com

Titan Magazines readies Matt Hatter Chronicles title for New Year

There's been good news for fans of TV show The Matt Hatter Chronicles in the past couple of weeks, as the show's success continues to grow. New Zealand's TVNZ recently picked up the CGI HD animated boy-targeted series for its free to air commercial channel, TV2. The series is set to bow on TV2 as part of its spring line-up on the 2Kids weekend programming block in 2013.

For those who don't already know, Matt Hatter Chronicles, which launched last year, is an adventure-comedy series about Matt, an ordinary boy who discovers that his family defends a gateway to a dimension called the multiverse. To save our world and the multiverse, Matt and his friends must battle and capture infamous villains from movie, myth and legend.

Produced by Pinewood-based Platinum Films and Dream Mill and animated by Toronto's Arc Productions, the show uses state-of-the-art 3D animation designed to bring the story to life and to make children feel as if they are part of the action. It airs on ITV and can also be seen on Nicktoons in the UK, Teletoon (in Canada), RTE (Ireland), SABC (South Africa) and Al Jazeera's Children's Channel (Middle East). It was also recently acquired by Network Ten (Australia) for its free-to-air channel, Eleven.

And why are we mentioning this? Because many of the creative team are names downthetubes readers will recognise - and there's a licensed comic based on the show on its way from Titan next year.

Top of the creative mentions has to be for Transformers guru Simon Furman, who works behind the scenes as Script Supervisor, overseeing the other writers and other scripts, making sure the show is as good as it can be. He's working with Andrew Wildman again, another Transformers name and co-creator of the cowboy fantasy Frontier, who is lead concept artist on the show, overseeing work by the likes of London-based Spanish talent Ana Bermejo.

If those aren't enough of a Comic Connection for you, then the upcoming launch of a Matt Hatter Chronicles magazine is. Back in July, Platinum Films announced the forthcoming publication of a range of official comic magazines based on the hit 3D CGI children’s show, which will see a series of magazines published by Titan, all featuring bespoke comic art created by the company.

The core demographic for the comics, as for the television show, is boys aged 5-10. The series will start with a bumper special launching in early 2013 and will be available in both hard copy and digital editions.

“Titan is very excited to be publishing the official comic magazine of Matt Hatter," says Chris Teather, Titan Magazines Publishing Director. "The show has been a huge commercial and critical success, and I am sure that the new title will be a hit with all of the series’ loyal fans.”

Nigel Stone, CEO of Platinum Films, says: “Titan, a respected name in books and comics with years of experience, is the ideal partner to adapt Matt Hatter Chronicles for the comic magazine format. The Titan comics will be welcomed enthusiastically by Matt Hatter’s legions of fans.”

ITV Studios Global Entertainment is representing UK, Eire, Australia and New Zealand for consumer products merchandise, home entertainment and promotional rights for Matt Hatter Chronicles.

• Official Web Site: www.matthatter.com

Brit team bring Transformers fans biggest ever Optimus Prime-Megatron clash

Simon Furman, the comic creator who single handedly has probably done more to shape the mythology of Hasbro's Transfomers than any other over the past two decades (and counting) is promising an epic battle in #85 of IDW's latest Transformers title, Transformers Regeneration.

Out on Wednesday (7th November) Simon acknowledges that with this climax to his "Loose Ends" story arc "Pretty much everyone now knows it features what I hope is the most titanic and revealing Prime/Megatron clash ever.

"I’d always felt vaguely unsatisfied that the two towering titans of Transformers-dom had never really had an appropriately epic smackdown in the (original) comic series," he reveals in a blog post. "Circumstances and story direction just seemed to have them in different corners of the storyline, or the clashes would end in stalemate. When I came on the (US) book, with issue #56, the first thing on my mind was to get Megatron back in the fray. But through twists and turns (of my own devising) somehow I could never get them face-to-face, toe-to-toe (if you discount the Mega-Ratchet combo fight with Prime, where it’s fair to say Megatron wasn’t exactly feeling himself).

"So uppermost in mind when we got to continue the saga beyond its abrupt conclusion in issue #80 (in Regeneration One), was to put that to rights, to accelerate Optimus and Megatron into a showdown where all bets are off, the stakes and surrounding elements too mighty to brush off with an inconclusive draw (another stalemate was just not on the cards).

"In one corner, you’ve got Prime, who’s been head in the sand for the past 20 years, in the other Megatron, who’s been laying waste to Earth with almost the sole aim of sticking it to Prime and getting his attention. Well, now he’s got it — big time. The gloves are well and truly off.

"...As well as a totally titanic battle, I really wanted to get under the skin of the truly time and space-spanning grudge these two characters have," says Simon of the issue, which features art from Andrew Wildman and Stephen Baskerville. "I wanted to understand this strange, almost symbiotic relationship a little more, before, well, it ends. Forever.

"All I can say is, whatever you might think you know from the covers and forums and whatever else has engendered a mountain of speculation, think again. Nothing can be taken from granted. And the Prime/Megatron clash is just one part of this packed issue!"

• Read more about the issue, created by a near all-Brit team, on Simon's blog here



 

Furman, Roche signing at Dublin City Comics

Simon (Transformers) Furman and Nick ((Maximum Dinobots, Last Stand of the Wreckers) Roche will delivering their popular script-to-page presentation at the Dublin City Comics on 27th October, as part of a whole day in-store event.

The presentation takes a page of Spotlight: Shockwave through all stages from outline/script to sketch/breakdowns/finished art and also includes a gallery of rare/unseen Transformers artwork.

It will be followed by a Q&A session.

As always, Simon will have rare/signed original scripts, comic/script packs and more with me for sale.

• For more information and updates, check out the DDC facebook page here.

Transformers return, Marvel UK style!

Picking up the story 21 years later, IDW Publishing, in association with Hasbro, has released more information about Transformers: Regeneration One, an all-new monthly series continuing from the original Generation One Transformers comics originally published by Marvel UK.

 

IDW will kick off the event by offering fans a free Transformers: Regeneration One #80.5 for Free Comic Book Day, 5th May 2012, as a Gold Sponsorship comic - then continue with Transformers: Regeneration One #81 in July.

Writer Simon Furman and legendary Transformers artist Andrew Wildman (who will be signing at London's Orbital Comics on FCBD, see earlier story), are back to their original roots with all-new stories. Starting after 1991’s Transformers #80 comic epic conclusion, the free issue picks up as Optimus Prime watches over a Cybertron that hasn't faced Megatron for decades. But that peace shudders to an end and dives headlong into July's new series.

“The original Transformers saga is back - with a vengeance!” enthuses Simon Furman. “‘Epic’ doesn’t cover it!”

Transformers: Regeneration One #81 comic will feature many fan-favourite Generation One Transformers characters including Optmus Prime, Grimlock, Kup, Rod, Ultra Magnus and more.

Marvel UK's licensed Transformers was one its most successful news stand tiles, running new stories originated for the UK market that writer Simon Furman carefully dovetailed into the US comic stories also published into the title. These early stories have since been re-published as albums by Titan Books.

“It's always nice to complete unfinished business, even after 20 years,” says Andrew Wildman. Artist Stephen Baskerville, the original inker on the classic issues, joins Wildman on interiors as inker, as Wildman also provides eye-catching covers.

“Transformers: Regeneration One comic is an important book to Transformers fans,” IDW Senior Editor John Barber commented, “and expectations are high. Fortunately Simon, Andrew, and Stephen have only gotten better since the last issue!”

- Transformers: Regeneration One #80.5 (Free, 32 pages; full colour) will be available on May 5, 2012 as part of Free Comic Book Day. Transformers: Regeneration One #81 ($3.99, 32 pages; full colour) will be available in July 2012. Visit IDWPublishing.com to sign up for updates and learn more about the company and its top-selling books.



 

Larry Hama Rolls Out for Acton Force Roll Call

All The Cool Stuff has just announced the third Roll Out/ Roll Call, the UK Fan Show Convention dedicated to Transformers, Action Force and GI Joe - and that one of its star guests will be top US writer Larry Hama, making his first-ever UK appearance.

Hama is best known as writer of the Marvel Comics licensed series G.I. Joe, based on the Hasbro line of military action figures. He has also written Wolverine, Nth Man: the Ultimate Ninja, and Elektra. He created the character Bucky O'Hare, which was developed into a comic book, a toy line and television cartoon.

 

Hama had previously pitched a Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. spin-off series, Fury Force, about a special mission force, which was then used as the concept for the back-story for G.I. Joe. He included military terms and strategies, Eastern philosophy, martial arts and historical references from his own background. The comic ran 155 issues (February 1982-October 1994).

 

Hama also wrote the majority of the G.I. Joe action figures' file cards; short biographical sketches designed to be clipped from the G.I. Joe and Cobra cardboard packaging. 

 

Also on the guest list is another legendary comic writer, Simon Furman, whose name wil forever inextricably linked to Transformers, the 1980s toy phenomenon (yes, forever, Simon! You'll never escape...)

 

Simon has written literally hundreds of stories about the war-torn ‘robots in disguise’, for Marvel Comics (US and UK), Dreamwave and most recently Transformers: Infiltration, Escalation, Devastation & Revelation, Maximum Dinobots, Beast Wars: The Gathering/The Ascending, Transformers: Stormbringer and Transformers: Spotlight for IDW Publishing.

He's currently lead writer and script supervisor for the upcoming animated TV show The Matt Hatter Chronicles. Gold Circle in the US has recently optioned a feature script co-written by Simon and film journalist Mark Salisbury titled Devil’s Due.

 

More guests will be announced shortly.

The event will also feature special presentations and panels on the toys, comics and cartoons from special guest presenters, plus show exclusives and trading affiliates, who will be attending the show will show off a host of the latest, and in some cases, unique range of merchandise.

Tickets will be on limited availability, so please book in advance to avoid disappointment. Tickets will go on sale soon.


• Roll Out for Roll Call 3 will run 10th-11th March 2012 at Southampton's largest hotel, Jurys Inn overlooking East Park. More info from All The Cool Stuff here - or follow them on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/RollOutRollCall

Doctor Who Classics: Planet of the Dead re-mastered

US publisher IDW is currently publishing early Doctor Who stories from the Seventh Doctor era and the latest issue, on sale now in the US, features a rather special anniversary story by none other than myself and the wonderfully talented Lee Sullivan.

First published in Doctor Who Magazine in 1988, 'Planet of the Dead' (not to be confused with the more recent Who TV movie) was commissioned by then Doctor Who strip editor Richard (Elephantmen) Starkings to mark the 25th anniversary of the show. As my first Doctor Who story, you can imagine a tale featuring all the Doctors was something of a challenge, but thanks to Richard's editing and Lee's smashing art it turned out well, I think, and proved popular with readers.

Now coloured by Charlie Kirchoff, the story features alongside another great tale, 'Keepsake' by Simon Furman and John Higgins.

I'm pretty sure that this new edition is the first time my name has ever appeared on the cover of a US comic, so I'm pretty chuffed to be up there with such illustrious company.

'Planet of the Dead' was a two-part story featuring several past companions and the first seven doctors - in likeness, if not as the originals - and was intended as an anniversary tribute. The monsters of the piece were the Gwanzulum - shape-changing aliens that were also slipped into several other Marvel titles in the same month, to see if readers noticed their secret invasion.

Working with editor Richard Starkings was valuable experience for me - not just on this story but other titles such as The Real Ghostbusters and Thundercats. Richard devoured writing and comic art books and was, and is, a mine of information on the comics form. He taught me how to edit my strips, shape them better.

There was one instance on a Thundercats story I wrote, where economic circumstance force the cutting of a strip from 11 to five pages overnight and I argued it couldn't be done. He did it with consummate ease -- it was a very useful lesson!


Lee Sullivan, who also drew illustrations for a text story, 'Scream of the Silent', for the Doctor Who 25th Anniversary Special at around the same time, recalls that 'Planet of the Dead' was the first strip he’d drawn extensively featuring humans.

"I’d only just done a couple of strips for Transformers, he notes. "In one of those I had drawn a likeness of Richard Branson and that proved to be a 'career-moment' because, as a result, when Richard Starkings was assigning Who scripts to artists, he swapped mine to 'Planet' from 'Time and Tide', which Dougie Braithwaite ended up drawing. Suddenly I was having to deal with likenesses of all the 'dead' companions and all the Doctors, as well as being very aware of all the great artists I was following!

"It was a dream come true, though. I had followed Who in strip form since the first appearance of the Neville Main 'Hartnell' in TV Comic.

Of all the Doctors he had to visualize, the Seventh proved the most elusive to capture. " I think everyone found him hard – his face has an infinite variety of expressions," Lee says. "I find that I have to build a ‘virtual model’ of the character in my head, so that the drawings look consistent from panel to panel, but every photo of Sylvester shows a different face."

IDW's Doctor Who Comic Classics aren't officially distributed in the UK, but IDW told us earlier in the year that the digital edition will be available here, so look out for it when it's launched. 'Planet of the Dead' was, of course, also published in black and white by Panini, in their collection of early Seventh Doctor strips, A Cold Day in Hell.

They've done a great job on this Classics collection. I just wish more people in the UK could see it!

• IDW Comics is at: www.idwpublishing.com


• Lee Sullivan's Official web site


• More about Planet of the Dead on the TARDIS Index File

Wales Comic Con features Simon Furman in line up

One of the fastest growing events of recent years, the next installment in the Wales Comic Con saga lands in Wrexham this Summer.

"We plan to bring fans more of 'everything' trying to make the show the best possible day out for all the family," say organisers.

Along with a host of guests covering all fields including; Chris Barrie of Red Dwarf, comics creator Simon Furman, voice actor and professional Thundercat Larry Kenney and of course Hollywood legend Ray Stevenson (star of Rome).

The usual mix of free talk sessions, photoshoots, stalls selling all the cool stuff, cosplay and more will also be happening throughout the day as well as giveaways from heavyweight associates - Games Workshop, Blizzard Inc (World of Warcraft) and ODEON Wrexham.

• Wales Comic Con 2011 takes place on 5th June 2011 at Glyndwr University in Wrexham, North Wales. For more details visit www.walescomiccon.com. They're also on Facebook here or you can follow them on Twitter here

Roll Up for Roll Out with Furman, Senior and more this Sunday

Transformers comic writer and ace scripter in his own right Simon Furman, artists Geoff Senior, Andrew Wildman, John Higgins and Martin Griffiths be in Fordingbridge, Hampshire on Sunday (6th March), for All the Cool Stuff’s combined Transformers/Action Force mini-con(vention), Roll Out/Roll Call 2.

"I can’t remember the last time Geoff, Andy and I were all together at an event," says Simon, "and John Higgins (who provided amazing Transformers covers and posters — anyone remember that amazing snowy Dinobots scene he painted for TF-UK?). It makes it a line-up not to be missed."

Roll Out is the UK show dedicated to Transformers, Action Force & GI Joe and the organisers say they are "very proud" to have Simon Furman return to the event along with some very special guests from the world of Transformers, Action Force & GI-Joe.

Simon's work with Transformers has spanned across Marvel UK, US, Dreamwave, Titan Magazines and IDW comics, while both Geoff Senior and Andrew Wildman have helped visualize some of Simon's best known work.  Both Geoff and Simon were the creative force behind Simon's cult bounty hunter character creator Deaths' Head, and Andrew worked on many other MUK favourites including Galaxy Rangers, The Real Ghostbusters and Thundercats.

All three worked on Action Force during the 'International Heroes' era.

John Higgins might best known for his work on 2000AD and as the colourist for Watchmen, however he was also involved with Marvel UK's bid for Action Force during the Palitoy years and, as Simon notes, provided many covers for the Marvel UK Transformer comics.

A late addition to the line up is artist Martin Griffiths, a legend for the Marvel UK Thundercats comic, but who also worked on Transformers.

Joining them will be colourists Liam Shalloo and John-Paul Bove, the current regulars for IDW comics, having worked on Transformers titles.

Also at the event will be James Eatock, the editor of cereal:geek magazine (currently hyping its upcoming seventh issue) and the fountain of all knowledge on cartoons of the 1980's, who will be on hand to showcase the publication and its truly amazing artwork.

• Tickets for the event will be available on the door. For more information on event art exclusives and trading affiliates, check out the All The Cool Stuff site here

IDW's Doctor Who Classics reaches Seventh Doctor era

The first issue of US comics publisher's latest Doctor Who Classics volume went on sale earlier this month across the pond, featuring re-coloured Seventh Doctor stories by a slew of creators I've worked with down the years.

The Seventh Doctor's initial adventures were edited by Richard Starkings, and originally hit the ground running in Doctor Who Magazine Issue 130 back in 1987 with the four-part Ice Warrior story 'A Cold Day in Hell' written by Simon Furman with art from John Ridgway and Tim Perkins. It's the first episodes of that story that feature in this issue of Doctor Who Classics: The Seventh Doctor, which features an all-new cover by Robert Hack and new colours by Charlie Kirchoff.

'A Cold Day in Hell' featuring the Ice Warriors – used with the full permission of Brian Hayles’ estate, the use of TV monsters in the strip requiring such approval – saw the departure of John Ridgway as regular artist, as well as an end to shape-changing Frobisher’s journeys in the TARDIS. For many DWM readers neither decision was popular, and there were appeals for both John and Frobisher’s return. This was the last regular appearance for the shape-changing Frobisher, however, who had been stuck as a penguin for some time and although making an appearance in the Colin Baker-penned comic special Age of Chaos, wouldn't return to DWM until Issue 329, in Where Nobody Knows Your Name, a story by Roger Langridge, in which it turns out he now runs a pub!

Panels from 'A Cold Day
in Hell', re-coloured by
Charlie Kirchoff.

Writer Simon Furman was determined to have a TV villains the Ice Warriors in the story, which required clearance from (and payment to) creator Brian Hayles' estate. "My first two Who strip stories had obeyed the unwritten directive 'thou shalt not use established villains straight out of the gate,'" he recalls, "but with my third story, the first to feature the Seventh Doctor in strip form, I felt a grade A Who villain was called for.

"I’d always loved the Ice Warriors, back from when I was a little kid (I caught the original Troughton Ice Warriors story when he was partnered with Victoria and Jamie and it blew my whatever-year-old mind), and the chance to do a new Ice Warriors story was simply too tasty to resist."

 Tim Perkins recalls feeling rather daunted by the opportunity to work with John Ridgway on the story, but his inks proved very popular with readers, who voted him their favourite back in 1988. "Working on Doctor Who meant working with John, whose work I really admired, although I’m still not sure I was ready for it,” he says, "but John was brilliant and lent his advice where it was needed and made me feel I was doing it right. I had a ball on the series and was pretty much left to ink it the way I saw fit.

 "John basically draws with ink, with very sparse pencils, but everything is there, so even though he was pencilling more for me than he would for himself, there wasn’t as much on the pages as some of the other artists I had worked with at the time, which also meant there was more of me in the art.

"I think I can now do a good impersonation of a John Ridgway ink job, but back then it was just me inking like I would anything for anyone. I was learning such a lot.“

Next month, Issue 2 completes the Ice Warrior story and features 'Redemption' by Simon Furman, Kev Hopgood and Tim Perkins, and Death's Head's first appearance in Doctor Who - 'The Crossroads of Time'. Simon Furman again scripts that story, with art by Geoff Senior.

The story was designed to free the robot bounty hunter from his battles with giant robots in Transformers comic and, eventually, get him into his own US-style title.

“It was an enjoyable experience to pit Death's Head against the Doctor,” recalls artist Geoff Senior, “mainly because I didn't expect it to happen! I never thought they would ever meet, so when they did I was pleasantly surprised.

Geoff had no problems realizing a battle between the giant Death’s Head and the diminutive Doctor. “The scale didn't really cause me a problem. It was something that may have troubled Simon more – he had the problem of figuring out a way to shrink DH down in size.

“Death’s Head was initially a 'throw away' character who proved too valuable to throw away,” Geoff notes. “It was important to find an excuse to reduce him in size, so that he could interact with other more normal sized Marvel characters.”

Issue 3, on sale in April, features 'Claws of the Klathi' by Mike Collins and Kev Hopgood, with inks by Dave Hine.

“I was going through one of my 'more writer than artist' phases,” recalls Mike Collins of 'Claws', “doing scripts for various licensed books and Future Shocks for 2000AD. I'd written one Who story before – Profits of Doom – which sowed the seeds for a major arc featuring the Sixth Doctor who unfortunately got 'moved on', so it never got completed.

“I was lured back to Doctor Who by Richard Starkings,” he continues, also admitting the commission, like many others, “may have been in a pub and may have involved Guinness.

“I love Victoriana,” the artist-writer, who has since written modern-era Who for DWM, reveals. “Talons of Weng Chiang is one of my favourite ever Who stories, and I wanted to do something with that vibe.

Mike wasn’t the only person enthused by the strip’s Victorian setting. “I did do a load of research for that one, I was really fired up by Mike’s script,” says Kev. “I’m really into Victoriana, too, which I think Richard knew from our time 'working' in fanzines. It was great having Dave ink my work on this job as well. Although he’s now gone more into writing, he’s one of the few inkers that I’ve been absolutely happy with.

“It was a bit of a jolt to go onto the good Doctor after having drawn Zoids and Action Force.”

"This strip was very different to my previous collaborations with Kev Hopgood," recalls David Hine. "I was used to producing a slick brush line but this strip called for a very different style because of the Victorian setting.

"This was shortly after Berni Wrightson's illustrated Frankenstein had appeared: his illustrations recalled the pen-and-ink work of American illustrators like Joseph Clement Coll, John R. Neill and Franklin Booth. Intricate pen work that looked almost like etchings.

"Kev and I were both big fans of Wrightson and we set out to emulate that work. I ditched the brush, took up the pen and spent long days and nights finishing the job to deadline. It was a lot of work, but I think we achieved the look we were after and I remember that story going down very well with the readers."

The stories pace and shorter episode count marked a major change from previous Doctor Who comics which, during the Fifth and Sixth Doctor eras, had  more of an 'epic' feel to them.

“I wanted to do whatever I could to make the strip more reminiscent of the show,” editor Richard Starkings reveals of his approach to the strip. “I loved Steve Parkhouse's stories for the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Doctors, but felt that he was very much doing his own thing – toward the end it was practically autobiographical.

'Planet of the Dead', coming in May
(Issue 4) features seven Doctors

“The one thing I wanted to avoid was a lame duck companion slowing the strip down,” he reveals, “so we got rid of the heat vampire, Olla, Simon Furman introduced in Cold Day in Hell and I asked writers to focus on characters in each story that could fill the companion role.” (That device is of course one recently employed in more recent Doctor Who TV Specials such as The Christmas Invasion and The Runaway Bride).

Looking back on the strips now, Richard feels many stand the test of time. “I think Kev Hopgood and Dave Hine's art for 'Claws of the Klathi' is amongst the best work either of them produced to date,” he argues, “and even though I got a lot of stick for crossing over with Death’s Head and The Sleeze Brothers, they still make me giggle, and I think, along with the Keepsake story, they're the equivalent of 'Doctor Light' episodes in the recent series."

• On downthetubes: A Cold Day at Marvel UK
An extended feature going behind the scenes on the early Seventh Doctor stories featuring interview material with many of the creators

• IDW Doctor Who Classics - Official Information. IDW's Doctor Who comics are not officially available in the UK but they tell me they will be available as digital editions later this year

The original Death's Head returns in Marvel Heroes

A page from the new Death's Head
versus Hulk story by Simons Furmsn
and Williams. Via Simon's blog

(with thanks to Simon Williams): One of Marvel UK's most popular characters, Death's Head, is set to return in an all-new story for Panini Comics Marvel Heroes.

Issue 33 of the newstand title, on sale in March, will see the original Freelance Peacekeeping Agent Death's  Head back in action – and fighting none other than the Incredible Hulk.

"For the past month or so, I've been making hints on both my Facebook and Twitter accounts in regards to a certain project that I've been working on," says Simon on his official web site on deviantart, "a project which I truly believe is the most exciting thing I've worked on since breaking into the comics business in 2003.

"Well, after numerous weeks of teasing the masses, I can now finally spill the beans... Death's Head is back! The original Freelance Peacekeeping Agent is returning to the pages of of a UK comic, in the pages of Panini Comics' Marvel Heroes, in a tale written by original Death's Head creator Simon Furman, with art by yours truly.

"It's the second part of a two-part story (both parts in the same issue), the first written by Ferg Handley with art by John Ross. Death's Head grand entrance however isn't until our part of the tale."

"Amazingly, this marks my first work on the original Death’s Head since the early 1990s," says Simon Furman, "when he guest-starred in the likes of She-Hulk, Marvel Comics Presents and Death’s Head."

A page of Simon Williams'
fan fiction tale featuring
Death's Head and Hulk

For Simon Williams, this is a dream come true - the accomplished artist even created his own Hulk versus Death's Head strip just for fun some time back, which features in his online gallery.

"It's no secret that I've been campaigning for the return of Death's Head since I broke into comics," Simon enthuses, "so I can't begin to tell you how excited and proud I am to be part of this."

For him, the fact that Death's Head will be fighting none other than the Hulk is "icing on the cake".

"Honestly, my job could never get any better than this," says Simon. "I know for sure that a lot of Marvel UK and Transformers fans out there are going to be very pleased with this news!!

• Marvel Heroes Issue 33 is on sale in all good UK newsagents from 24th March 2011. Death's Head is back... and it's about time, yes?

• Simon Williams blog is here: http://soulmaninc.blogspot.com

Draw the World Together Transformers Auction launches

In case you haven't seen it yet, comics charity Draw the World Together has launched its promised Transformers Auction. It offers an amazing array of goodies from the world of Transformers.

Some of the comics and books on offer include the only known copies to be signed by the complete creative team of writer Simon Furman, artists  Andrew Wildman and Stephen Baskerville, and Nel Yomtov (the colourist of every single issue of the original Marvel US Transformers comic book).

It's a real rare treat for any serious Transformers comics collector.

Also on offer is a limited edition NightBird toy and exclusive items from those Movie Magic Geniuses, Digital Domain.

Draw the World Together is an organisation that has been created to unite arts communities in providing possibilities for children who do not have the opportunity for basic healthcare and education.

• You can check it all out at www.drawtheworldtogether.com
or go straight to the eBay list at http://shop.ebay.co.uk/drawtheworldtogether/m.html?_nkw&_armrs=1&_from&_ipg=25

Panel Borders: Making Marvels in the UK (Part 2)

Continuing radio show and podcast Panel Borders month long look at British creators who have written and drawn superhero comics, (in a panel recorded in front of a live audience at the London Science-Fiction Film Festival) Alex Fitch concludes his talk with a quartet of Marvel UK luminaries who were responsible for some of the best British action / adventure titles in the 1980s and 90s.

Alex discusses with artist Gary Erskine and writers Dan Abnett, Simon Furman and John Freeman, the decline in fortunes of Marvel UK as a publisher in the 1990s – despite their creation of memorable titles such as Knights of Pendragon, Dragon’s Claws and popular Transformers spin-off title Death’s Head - due to changing market pressures.

Alex did a fab job of making sense of what must have been a fairly chaotic panel with Part 1 last week, so I'm looking forward to listening to this second part.

• Panel Borders: Making Marvels in the UK (Part 2) airs at 5.00pm, Thursday 16th September, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com and now on itunes (http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/id390974029)

Panel Borders: Making Marvels in the UK

Continuing podcast and radio show Panel Borders month-long look at British creators who have written and drawn superhero comics for both the American and domestic markets, in a panel recorded in front of a live audience at the London Science-Fiction Film Festival, Alex Fitch talks to a quartet of Marvel UK luminaries who were responsible for some of the best action-adventure titles in the 1980s and 90s.

Dan Abnett and Gary Erskine co-created The Knights of Pendragon (along with John Tomlinson), a series which gave UK superhero Captain Britain a new, darker spin in the 1990s by adding him to an Arthurian team of heroes. Simon Furman was (and still is) the primary writer of Transformers, as well as the scribe behind a dozen installments of the Doctor Who comic strip, plus many of Marvel UK’s most memorable SF titles including Dragon Claws and Death’s Head. John Freeman helped create many of Marvel UK’s early 90s titles such as Death’s Head II, Warheads, Killpower and Motormouth and edited Marvel UK's intended rival to 2000AD, Overkill, for much of its run.

Alex and the four creators discuss the rise in popularity of Marvel UK as a producer of original material in the 1980s and some of the memorable comics they founded along the way.

• Panel Borders: Making Marvels in the UK (Part 1 of 2) airs at 5.00pm on Resonance 104.4FM (London) / www.resonancefm.com, on Thursday 9th September 2010. For further information visit http://podcasts.resonancefm.com/archives/4477

• The podcast is available here on archive.org - or just play it via this embed...

downthetubes John Freeman at Sci-Fi-London

A quick reminder of two panels I'll be appearing on tomorrow (Saturday 1st May) at Sci-Fi-London...

60 Years of Dan Dare

A panel on 60 years of the lantern jawed space pilot. Alex Fitch will be talking to: Garry Leach, who drew Dan’s return to print in 2000AD, ten years after the end of the original Eagle, in the late 1970s and more recently covers for Virgin comics’ revival of the ‘Pilot of the future’ in 2008.
Rian Hughes, who drew the Eagle-inspired comic The Science Service in 1989 and then the Mekon’s final revenge in the Thatcherite satire Dare in the adult comics Revolver and Crisis a year later; Gary Erskine, who drew Dan Dare’s most recent official comic book adventures in the Virgin Comics periodical of the same name; Titan Books Dan Dare collections editor John Freeman, who previously wrote The Science Service and now writes the strip Ex Astris in the Dan Dare magazine Spaceship Away; and Rod Barzilay, the editor and one of the writers of Spaceship Away.

• 60 Years of Dan Dare runs from 10.30am on Saturday 1st May

30 years of Marvel UK


Alex Fitch hosts a panel on the British arm of the American Superhero publisher, featuring: Dez Skinn, a pioneering Marvel UK editor who launched titles such as Hulk Comic and Doctor Who Magazine , which featured early licensed work by Alan Moore, David Lloyd, Pat Mills and Dave Gibbons; Dan Abnett, who gave Captain Britain a new, darker spin in the 1990s by adding him to an Arthurian team of heroes with Gary Erskine, co-creator of the Knights of Pendragon; John Freeman, who edited many of Marvel UK’s early 1990s titles such as Death’s Head II, Warheads, Killpower and Motormouth, contributing strips to several issues as well, and also edited Doctor Who Magazine; and Simon Furman, primary writer for Marvel’s Transformers, and a dozen issues of Doctor Who Magazine. He created some of Marvel UK’s most memorable SF titles including Dragon Claws and Death’s Head.

• 30 years of Marvel UK runs from 11.45 am, Saturday 1st May

All the events - there are plenty more comic-related events - take place at the Apollo Piccadilly Cinema, 19 Lower Regent Street, London, SW1Y 4LR. More info at www.sci-fi-london.com

More Screaming Artists Wanted!

Back from the Depths, a group of horror comic fans inspired by the fondly-remembered but short-lived British title Scream! needs your blood...

Creative blood, that is: the group is looking for artists and contributors for the new Back from the Depths Hallowscream 2010. There are plenty of good stories from quality writers and Scream! fans that need bringing to life.

If you can help in any way or want to be a part of this project then please get in touch via the Back from the Depths forum at: http://backfromthedepths.ning.com.

The original Scream! included Simon Furman and Alan Moore among its many contributors.

Sci-Fi London Lines Up Comic Creator events

Garry Leach, Rian Hughes, Dez Skinn, Gary Erskine, Emma Vieceli and Simon Furman are just some of the comic creators who will be appearing at this year's SCI-FI-LONDON event on Saturday 1st May.

At last year’s SCI-FI-LONDON (www.sci-fi-london.com) the organisers added the notion of Sci-Fi Labs to the festival line-up: panel discussions which mixed artists, writers, scientists and cultural commentators to explore various SF themed topics. This format and a screening of Hardware introduced comic book creators such as Kevin O’Neill, Bryan Talbot, Paul Cornell, Daniel Merlin Goodbrey and Paul Duffiel to SCI-FI-LONDON in 2009 and this year's event sees an increase in the number of events featuring top British graphic novelists which are sure to interest downthetubes readers.

Now in its ninth year, SCI-FI-LONDON is the UK's only dedicated Sci-Fi and Fantasy film festival, screening world and UK film premieres, documentaries and a selection of classic SF titles. SCI-FI-LONDON also has a strong international shorts programme and screens a short film with every feature screening. It also holds a film school and filmmaking competitions to encourage more science fiction films to be made in the UK.

This year's comic-related events are as follows:

Screening: The Hospital Of Transfiguration - Thursday 29 April 6.30pm

Country: Poland, Year: 1979, Dir: Edward Zebrowski, Runtime: 90mins, Language: Polish/English subtitles
Format: 35mm, Source: Polish Cultural Institute

Set in 1943, this film is based on Stanislaw Lem’s first novel, and chronicles the experiences of a young doctor starting out in a mental hospital. But who is more crazy here the patients or the doctors? Semi-autobiographical, the controversial nature of the story led to the book being suppressed by the authorities in the 1950s.


Introduction and Q&A with Andrzej Klimowski, a world-renowned film poster designer and graphic novelist. In the UK, his visual style proved too controversial when his poster for Luis Buñuel’s The Phantom of Liberty was banned by the London Underground. As a writer and artist, he has authored three graphic novels, The Secret, The Depository and Horace Dorlan. With his wife, Danusia Schebal he has adapted Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde and The Master and Margarita to comic book format. Andrzej and Danusia were active participants in the Warsaw film scene in the late 1970s and Professor Klimowski chose The Hospital Of Transfiguration from our ‘Focus on Poland’ to introduce, as an example of how genre films from that period stand up today.

Girl Geek Dinners: British Women Of Manga Panel – Thursday 29th April 7.00pm


Although there have been notable and successful female comic book creators on both sides of the Atlantic over the last half century, it is the translation of Japanese Manga in the West that has seen considerably more female comics creators join the medium in recent years. This is possibly a combination of Manga having a greater female appeal than traditional Western comics and original Japanese Manga being already created by women in Japan.

To discuss these issues SCI-FI-LONDON have a trio of up and coming UK Manga creators:

• Kate Brown illustrated the Manga Shakespeare adaptation A Midsummer Night’s Dream


• Emma Vieceli is contributing to the comic strip adaptations of the songs of Tori Amos, Comic Book Tattoo and continues to draw an online Manga story, Dragon Heir.

• Karen Rubins found early acclaim for her selfpublished graphic novel The Dark,

Chair: Judith Lewis, one of the founders of Geek Girl Dinners is a veteran of anime conventions and has hosted Shinnenkai events

This is a free event for women only. Men are allowed as guests of a LGGD member. To get your tickets register at http://scifi-london.eventbrite.com

60 Years of Dan Dare - Saturday 1st May 10:30am


Celebrating the continuing popularity of the iconic British Space Hero whose first appearance in the Eagle was published in April 1950, Sci-Fi London presents a quartet of artists who have created new adventures for the lantern jawed pilot in more recent years. Panellists include:

• Garry Leach drew Dan’s return to print in 2000AD for two stories: "The Doomsday Machine" and "Visco", ten years after the end of the original Eagle in the late 1970s and more recently covers for Virgin comics’ revival of the ‘Pilot of the future’ in 2008.

• Rian Hughes drew the Eagle-inspired comic The Science Service in 1989 and then the Mekon’s final revenge in the Thatcherite satire Dare, written by Grant Morrison, in the adult comics Revolver and Crisis a year later.

• Gary Erskine drew Dan Dare’s most recent official comic book adventures in the Virgin Comics periodical of the same name.

• John Freeman is a comics historian and writer, webmaster of downthetubes and the current editor of Titan Books Dan Dare collections. He previous wrote The Science Service and now writes the strip Ex Astris in the Dan Dare-inspired magazine Spaceship Away.

Chair: Duncan Nott historian and presenter on Resonance 104.4 FM, the Arts Council radio station.

Manga Mashup: Make A Comic In A Couple Of Hours - Sat 1st May 11:00am


Inspired by Manga? Want to make a comic of your own? You can do it in just a couple of hours - and you don’t have to draw a line unless you want to! Come and try out comic-making hints, tips and techniques that work for any kind of artist and any style of art. Letraset has provided all the materials, Helen McCarthy provides the method and oils the wheels of your genius if you get stuck, and you bring whatever’s in your head for inspiration. Solo artists/writers, duos and small circles welcome.

FREE EVENT at Project Space, BFI Southbank Limited to 15 places.

What A Marvel - Saturday 1st May 11:45am


With Marvel comic book heroes such as Iron Man and Spider-Man more popular than ever, we look at home-grown additions to the Marvel Universe. Marvel UK was founded in the early 1970s as a British affiliate to the US company, but in 1976 they added original material to their newsagent reprints, starting with Captain Britain and a new pantheon of popular characters over the next three decades. Panellists include:

• Dez Skinn is a pioneering Marvel UK editor who launched titles such as Hulk Comic and Doctor Who Weekly, which featured early work by Alan Moore, David Lloyd, Pat Mills and Dave Gibbons.

• Dan Abnett gave Captain Britain a darker spin in the 1990s by adding him to a new team of heroes with:

• Gary Erskine co-creator of the popular SF / Arthurian themed Knights of Pendragon.

• John Freeman was editor on many of Marvel UK’s early 1990s titles such as weekly comic Overkill, Death’s Head II, Warheads, Killpower and Motormouth, contributing strips to several issues, and was one of the longest-serving editors on the award-winning Doctor Who Magazine.

• Simon Furman was the primary writer for Marvel’s Transformers, a dozen issues of Doctor Who Magazine and creator of Marvel UK’s most memorable SF titles including Dragon Claws and the original Death’s Head.

Chair: Alex Fitch, presenter of the UK’s only weekly radio show on comics, ‘Panel Borders’, broadcast on Resonance 104.4 FM, the Arts Council radio station in London.

Future Publishing? - Sat 1st May 1:00pm


The publishing industry is coming under assault from all sides. Are Kindles, iPads and smartphones signalling the end of traditional paper publishing? Customers no longer believe publishers can justify the prices they charge, not just for books, newspapers, magazines and periodicals are also suffering. How will the publishing industry re-shape itself for 2050? Will Apple and Google become the new big publishing houses? And if ubiquitous digital delivery means anyone can be a publisher, will we even need the big guns anymore?

• Paul Graham-Raven is a freelance writer, editor and webgeek, genre fiction reviewer and editor-in-chief of the near-future science fiction webzine Futurismic.

• Paul Rainey is a cartoonist, illustrator and creator of diary-comic-strip-in-list-form Book of Lists. He is currently serialising his graphic novel, or ‘thick comic book’, There’s No Time Like The Present.

• Mark Charan-Newton is a Blogger, Tweeter and author of debut novel Nights of Villjamur, one of the most critically acclaimed fantasy works of 2009.

• Dave Bradley is Editor-in-Chief of SFX magazine, Europe’s best-selling sci-fi and fantasy title and a fan of all forms of science fiction and fantasy.

Chair: Tom Hunter, Award Administrator for the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Science Fiction Literature.

Comics And Film - Mon 3rd May 4:00pm


While the cinema seems to be obsessed with comic book adaptations in recent years, this panel looks at the more general phenomenon of the dialogue between comics and film as comic book creators help design movies and draw storyboards for moving pictures and in turn, film has started to dictate the format of modern comics. Panellists include:

• Woodrow Phoenix started off as a small press comic book creator in the vibrant British scene of the 1980s before becoming a popular kids illustrator that lead to such unlikely collaborations as with Mark (Kick-Ass) Millar on Sonic the Comic and lettering Alan Moore's A Small Killing. More recently he has seen his comic Pants Ant turned into an animated pilot by The Cartoon Network and produced the acclaimed graphic novel Rumble Strip which was influenced by film noir and road movies.

• Howard Webster is an award-winning photographer who has combined film and sequential art in the web comic. The Many Worlds of Jonas Moore, which combines comic book art with both images and action movie sequences starring Colin Salmon.

• Cyriak Harris is one of the hottest viral animation creators in the UK and an ident designer for E4. He comes from a background drawing underground comics and sees a direct link with the creation of his CGI cartoons.

Chair: Alex Fitch

• With the exception of the MANGA MASHUP event, all events and screenings take place at the Apollo Piccadilly Cinema, 19 Lower Regent Street, London, SW1Y 4LR.

• Web Link:
www.apollocinemas.com/apollo-piccadilly-circus.aspx

Transformers assume iPhone disguise

After the global success of their Wallace & Gromit iPhone comic app (see news story), Titan Publishing has announce the arrival of its first Transformers iPhone comic.

Based on Hasbro’s Transformers brand, each comic download includes an awesome action packed story and is bursting with fun facts and trivia about the characters, movies and comics.

The digital comic is free and can be downloaded for iPhone by visiting www.titanpublishing.com/digital or the iTunes app store (comics are available in the UK and Eire only.)

The first download includes "Optimus Prime", a story written by Transformers legend Simon Furman and featuring artwork by fan favourite Geoff Senior. The tale sees the heroic Autobot leader trying to survive an assassination attempt when he attempts to send the Allspark into space.

Titan Publishing Group has already seen global success with the release of its first digital comic, Wallace & Gromit, and this new Transformers title is expected to follow suit. With over 650,000 downloads of the comic for iPhones, Wallace & Gronit has been topping app charts all over the world and has even been described as ‘the world’s first e-Book bestseller’.

"Transformers on your iPhone - wow!" enthuses Simon Furman. "It's a simply incredible chance for fans of the warring ‘Robots in Disguise’ to experience stories that expand upon and underpin the incredible movie universe. The stories, written by me and drawn by a host of old and new Transformers artists, bring the movie characters to life as never before, and now they can be seen as never before!

"So get ready for tales of Cybertron and Earth that spotlight your favourite characters... and probably a few you know only by name... beamed direct to your iPhone.’

• Transformers Comic #1 is available to download for free on iPhone via www.titanpublishing.com/digital. More Transformers comic stories released over the coming weeks so check back soon!


• For a sneak peek at the Transformers iPhone comic check out this Youtube clip, right here:

Tube Surfing: Hi-Ex, CD24, Classical Comics and Barefoot Zombies

• The Hi Ex elves may have been quiet but they tell us they've been busy behind the scenes rushing around the country banging on doors and jumping through hoops to get their next Highlands convention shipshape.

"We're working hard to try and get funding to put on more, bigger and better," says co-organiser Vicky Stonebridge. "We hope to get outreach events throughout the year and in the lead up to the event... watch this space." In the meantime they are now on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/HiExComicCon. Plus, a member of the 2000ad online message board has come up with a transport solution, if you want to travel to Hi Ex 2010 in style... although we're not really sure a minibus really counts, what about a stretch limo for the weekend?

• Indie publishers tell us that since putting our graphic novel Jack in the Box on digital books service Myebook six weeks ago, which includes links to the HD trailer and the full Jack in the Box website, 3,000 visitors have checked out the page. It's impressive but again, aside from a promotional tool, where's the revenue stream for publishers?

• There's a great new interview with Rainbow Orchid creator Garen Ewing over on the Forbidden Planet International blog, which includes a peek at some artwork from volume 2 to enjoy.

• Transformers comic book writer Simon Furman has teamed up with Titan Magazines' TotalSciFiOnline.com to launch 'Comics Candy', a monthly blog where he casts his eye over the latest comic releases. Read his first 'Comics Candy' post, which includes his thoughts on titles such as 28 Days Later and DC Comics Doom Patrol #1 and Batgirl #1 reboots, here.

• Part 10 Paul Rainey's comic There’s No Time Like The Present is now available. It still costs only £2.50 and, if you live in the UK and buy it from his website: that includes postage to destinations in the UK.

• Top artist Jon Haward reports there are now lettered preview pages of The Tempest (drawn by Jon) and Will Volley's Romeo and Juliet to view in the Previews section of the Classical Comics website. They look gorgeous: Romeo and Juliet graphic novel is out to buy now in three versions - Original Text, Plain Text and Quick Text. The Tempest graphic novel will be out 24th September, also in three versions, and Jon will be signing copies of The Tempest and Macbeth plus posters on the 25th and 26th sept at the Ace Comic Gallery in Colchester, his only sigining this year. More details on his blog here.

• And finally, talking of trailers and promotions, there's a promotion for comics writer Jaspre Bark's new novel, Way of the Barefoot Zombie here on Youtube.... great fun!



(Comopiled with thanks to Matthew Badham and Joe Gordon)

Tube Surfing: Comic Cutbacks, San Diego Schedules, Dinsoaurs and Weird Fishes...

• Filming has started on the new series of Doctor Who that will see Matt Smith will take on the eponymous role. Matt is seen here in costume, side by side with Scottish actress Karen Gillan who plays new companion Amy Pond.

Arriving on set in Cardiff for his first day of filming, Smith commented: "I feel very privileged and proud to be part of this iconic show.

"The scripts are brilliant and working alongside Karen, Steven and the rest of the crew is an inspiration because their work ethic and passion for the show is so admirable."

• Talking of Doctor Who, the new free to download Big Finish podcast is a Bernice Summerfield special, the companion created by Paul Cornell for Virgin's New Adventures novels and who went on to star in Doctor Who comics and get her own audio adventures. David Richardson and Lisa Bowerman discuss all things Benny.

• The Guardian newspaper has come under fire for cutting The Comic, its supplement created in partnership largely with the sadly-defunct The DFC comic. The paper's Readers' editor, Siobhain Butterworth, reports today that people have noticed that the newspaper has slimmed down - a response to economic woes affecting all newspapers - and more than 200 print readers have been in touch about the demise of The Comic, reduced radio and TV listings, and the disappearance of environment pages from the weekly Society section. Of these, 80 specifically complained at the loss of The Comic, but this was not the only part of the paper to be hit by cuts. Education and Society have dropped from 10 and eight pages of editorial, respectively, to six, and G2 has also become slighter. Sad times for the paper.

• Talking on the Guardian, artist Eddie Campbell notes that Gemma Arterton has reportedly been cast as title character in movie adaptation of Posy Simmonds's comic strip Tamara Drewe , featured in the paper.
The strip centres on a beautiful columnist who ruffles feathers in a rural writers' retreat.

The director of The Queen and The Grifters is reported to have cast former Bond girl and St Trinian's graduate Gemma Arterton as the title character, a newspaper columnist whose recent nose job transforms her into a seductive flirt, to the chagrin of the quiet village's womenfolk. Tamsin Greig and Roger Allam are also said to be attached to the project.

• Artist and writer Adam Grose reports that the dedicated website for his imprint, Clown Press, has closed down, but all content has shifted to www.adamgrose.com. "This site will be fully up and running from August and will expand over the coming months with the galleries to upload," says Adam. " In the meantime check out the Phoenix: A Warrior's Tale preview on the news page or from the shop. This book is set for release in October."

• Wildstorm have just published the cover of Warren Ellis' Planetary #27, drawn by John Cassaday. The issue is out in October. Warren will be at the San Diego Comic Con and post his schedule here, appearing at the event under the exclusive aegis of Sony, Madhouse and Marvel Anime.

• Talking of Warren, he's just plugged Jamaica Dyer's new graphic novel, Weird Fishes. Pre-order it at this link direct from the publisher and read a bunch of her work here. "The only explanation for Jamaica Dyer is that she was built by aliens and dropped here to show us all how crap we are compared to her," he enthuses.

• ... and talking of San Diego schedules, writer Tony Lee posts his appearances here; Transformers guru and top writer Simon Furman has posted his here; brilliant artist Liam Sharp (Death's Head II, Gears of War etc. etc.) has announced his plans here; and David Lloyd has his schedule here.

• Even Tharg will be in San Diego: well, a sampler of the comic, anyway! Kudos to Rebellion for flying the flag! (with thanks to Chris Weston)

• Lew Stringer has a great post charting the history of the rise and fall of the British comic Summer Special, complete with gallery. It was prompted by a Guardian feature by David Barnett bemoaning their disappearance. Although the Summer Specials are no more, some publishers have launched the Summer Annual in its place - hardback books in the traditional children's Christmas annual format, albeit thinner. Egmont currently have several out, tied into licensed properties, including, this year, the Power Rangers Super Legends Summer Annual and the Disney Princess Summer Annual.

• Comics artist Neil Cameron has just posted some intriguing drawings from a new project, The Pirates of Pangaea, on his blog. It's the sort of posting that really makes you want to know more but apart from the tidbit that it's being written by Dan Hartwell, Mr Cameron is playing coy...

• Also at San Diego will be artist Colin Wilson, making his first visit in 15 years. He'll be appearing at Dark Horse Comics (Booth #2615) from 3 - 4pm on Friday afternoon, and again on Sunday morning from 11 - 12am, so everyone is welcome to call past and have a chat.
"I will be also handling a limited commissions list while I'm at the Con, so grab us while you can as this will be our first, and only, US appearance for the year."

• And finally... the Sunderland Echo has a report on artist Bryan Talbot's recent promotion to Doctor. Bryan was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts at Sunderland University's graduation ceremony at the Stadium of Light – the first time a doctorate has been given to a comic book artist.
The paper reports that Bryan was delighted to accept the honour on behalf not only of himself, but his profession.
"This doctorate, a first in the UK for work in the comics medium, is an indication of the growing recognition of the graphic novel as a respectable vehicle for entertainment, education and communication and the medium itself as a legitimate art form," he said.

"There's still a lot of prejudice and preconceived notions of what comics are but we're getting there."