Radio interviews with Russell Willis and Charles Kriel about webcomic apps

Panel Borders: Digitising comics

Concluding a month of shows looking at web comics, Alex Fitch talks to two experts in web based technologies about their dissemination methods aimed at bringing comics to tablets and other devices. Russell Willis discusses his Panel Nine range of graphic novels for the iPad which include titles by Eddie Campbell and David Lloyd and are about to be joined by a new digital store front for British book publishers.
Also, in a presentation recorded at Cartoon County in Brighton, Charles Kriel talks about his Indiegogo campaign to fund a new app designed to be the equivalent of iTunes for comics allowing collectors to combine their existing digital comics collections with newly bought titles to fill in the gaps, with questions asked by Alex Fitch, David Lloyd and members of the audience.

6pm, Sunday 31st March, repeated 4.30pm, Tuesday 2nd April, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / extended podcast at panelborders.wordpress.com

Radio interviews with postmodern webcomic creators, including Paul O'Connell

Panel Borders: Collage and reappropriation

Continuing a month of shows looking at webcomics, Panel Borders examines the work of a quartet of creators whose online strips and cartoons reinvent retro images and iconic characters from film and TV to beguiling effect. In a pair of short interviews recorded at Thought Bubble, Leeds 2012, Alex Fitch talks to American creators Scott C - about his webcomics Double Fine Action Comics and The Great Showdowns -  and Becky and Frank about Tiny Kitten Teeth, cartoons which utilise imagery from toys, cereal packaging and children's literature.

Also, Alex looks into the varying merits of print and web-based comics with British writer / artist Paul O'Connell, in an interview recorded at the University of Brighton. Paul's postmodern fumetti mash-ups mix comedy and horror via strips such as A Muppet Wicker Man and The Seinfeld Matrix, and the artist discusses his collaborations with other Brighton based creators, including Lawrence Elwick on Charlie Parker, Handyman, plus his aspirations for using the medium of online comics to its full interactive potential.

6pm, Sunday 24th March / 4.30pm, Tuesday 26th March, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Radio interviews with James Moran and VS Comics creators

Panel Borders: James Moran Vs Comics

Continuing a month of shows about webcomics, Alex Fitch talks to screenwriter James Moran (Cockneys vs Zombies, Torchwood) about his new webcomic Day + Night, an urban vampire tale that casts the creatures of the night as 'sharks on legs' rather than the sparkly urbane figures found elsewhere. Also, in a panel recorded at Thought Bubble 2012, Vs Comics editor Mike Garley talks about the strip he's writing - Eponymous - and introduces creators Nich Angell (Tabby and Trout), Ned Hartley (Ghost Club), Adam Christopher (The Sentinel) and Sally Jane Thompson (Happy Birthday) who present the strips they're contributing to the online anthology comic, with the help of designer Mike Stock.

6pm, Sunday 17th March 2013 / 4.30 pm, Tuesday 19th March, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / extended podcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Steampunk Radio with Panel Borders

Panel Borders: Steampunk Geniuses

Continuing a month of shows looking at webcomics, Alex Fitch talks to the creators of a popular online steampunk strip that combines Victoriana, mad scientists, fantasy and strong female characters. Phil and Kaja Foglio discuss the history of Girl Genius, their careers before the start of their most famous comic and why they prefer the term 'gaslamp fantasy' for their niche in the science-fiction subgenre. (Recorded at Congenial, Role-Playing Unicon, Cambridge 2012)

6pm Sunday 10th March, repeated 4.30pm Tuesday 12th March 2013, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Radio shows on experimental animation / British webcomics

I'm ready for my close-up: Animating the city

Alex Fitch talks to the directors of two new cutting-edge animated films which mix animation and live action footage to beguiling effect. Zoltan Sostai discusses his film Cycle, a spiritual successor to Tron and The Matrix, which sees an astronaut trying to escape a bleak urban landscape which twists and loops back on itself, creating a maze he can't escape.
Also, British animator Paul Bush talks about his first feature film Babledom which looks into the layers of history and potential future that are unearthed by explorers of the modern city.
Cycle was released in Hungarian cinemas on 21st February 2013 following its London première at SCI-FI-LONDON in 2012 / Babledom is released in UK cinemas on 8th March 2013.

5pm, Friday 1st March 2013 / repeated 8am Tuesday 5th March, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Panel Borders: Young British Webcomic creators

In the first of a series of shows looking at comics serialised on the internet, Alex Fitch talks to a quintet of young British webcomic creators about their work. In a Q and A recorded at Comica Comiket (2011), John Allison discusses his webcomic Bad Machinery, his reasons for choosing the internet as a form of delivery and the lessons he's learned as a comic book creator over the last decade.
Also, at the end of the first Webcomic Artist Swap Project week (February 25th - March 3rd, 2013), Nich Angell (Cat and Meringue), Zarina Liew (Le Mime), Naniiebim (Mephistos) and project originator Richy K. Chandler (Lucy the Octopus), talk about their musical chairs experiment which saw thirteen creators write and draw each others' strips in order to bring new readers to stories they may not have previously encountered, and raise awareness of the British webcomic scene in general.

6pm, Sunday 3rd March 2013 / repeated 4.30pm Tuesday 5th March, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Windett Joins Comic Book Mafia!

Preston-based comics artist Dave Windett - whose credits include work on a variety of animated characters from Fox and Warner Bros. and his illustrations for the Norwegian book series, Magic - has joined the Comic Book Mafia.

Lest you think mild-mannered Dave has taken to threatening editors with a machine gun pulled from a portfolio case, we hasten to add we mean the webcomic project, The Comic Book Mafia, part of a number of projects featured on the Webcomic Factory, the brainchild of creators Christian Beranek and Tony DiGerolamo.

Both creators Christian and Tony have worked in print comics for many years. An early advocate of webcomics, Tony convinced his friend Christian that webcomics were the way of the future and have created a webcomic “hub” of high quality comics from a variety of artists, most creations of Christian and Tony.

The Comic Book Mafia centres on characters CB and Tony D, who would like to invite you to the offices of Lead Pipe Studios where they conduct perfectly legitimate comic book business. Get a behind-the-scenes look at how CB and Tony D make very legal comic books and never beat up comic book store owners, abuse fans or make satirical jabs at the comic book industry.

The first episode is live now, and for comic creators, we can see this becoming something of a regular bookmark to return to - just in case they get featured, perhaps. With Dave a regular attendee at many British comic conventions, we're sure he has plenty of potential reference!

Remember, there is no such thing as the Comic Book Mafia...

Initial strips featuring on the Factory include Post Apocalyptic Nick (Can a man who knows nothing about survival survive without his iPhone, Chinese Take Out and Cable TV?), The Gentlemen’s Club (Welcome to Boobopolis, a typical sleazy strip joint off the New Jersey Turnpike); and Japanese School Girls in Love (Saving the Universe right after class).

• Check out at the WebComic Fatory at: www.thewebcomicfactory.com

CD24 Launches Alameda Web Comic

UK indie publisher CD24 has just launched Alameda, a new weekly web comic by Tony Wicks.

"John Higgs is no longer a participant in the rat race," says Tony of the story. "He's living the life he always wanted, with his family and his music on an island paradise. But nothing ever seems to last forever.

"Something bad is waiting just around the corner, and in his extremity John will be given a life line. Will he be able to lay old ghosts to rest and listen to the one who can help him, before it's too late?"

CD24, also publishers of projects such as Jack in the Box and Last of the Chickenheads hope a new page will be uploaded on a weekly basis(ish) -- work and real life permitting!

Check it out at: www.alameda-comic.co.uk

Girly Comic Website Returns

Via the Forbidden Planet blog, we're pleased to report that the Girly Comic website is once again back in business and being updated.

A hacker attack back in 2009 caused severe setbacks for the website, but now it's back in action and the Girly Comic team is going to concentrate on the site rather than the printed version for the time being.

Comic strips will be posted every Monday, a mixture of stories from the print version and brand new material. On Wednesdays there'll be reviews of comics of interest to Girly Comic readers and on Fridays, Selina Lock, the editor, will be blogging about the world of comics in general.

Further good news is that the Girly Comic is on the long list for the British Fantasy Award for Best Comic/Graphic Novel 2009

This is a welcome return for an old favourite.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tube Surfing: Billy the Cat, Cradlegrave and Cla$$ War for iPhone

• Over on his brilliant site Bronze Age of Blogs, Pete Doree has posted a short article on DC Thomson's much-loved teen hero Billy the Cat, prompting artist Sean Phillips to respond with this fab drawing of William Grange in action...

• Cradlegrave, from John Smith and Edmund Bagwell, has proven to be one of the most popular stories in 2000AD for years. Over on the 2000AD Review Siet, thanks to John Smith, you can now read the script for episode 9 - so you can see how it made the transfer to the page. Warning: there are spoilers and there is bad language...

• Geek Syndicate is running a competition to win a signed copy of ComX's upcoming superhero-styled Forty-Five comic, due for release in December.
Forty-Five is a series of Superhero interviews documented by James Stanley. As a soon-to-be father, James wants to find out what lies in store for his family if his unborn child turns out to have a Superpower.
Forty-Five features Forty-Five different industry artists, all having just one page to capture the essence of each interview. More info on the Com.X web site: www.comxcomics.com

• Talking of Com.X, a company never averse to innovation, they've just announced, in collaboration with Iconology, Inc., that Com.x comics are now available for download from the iTunes store. The first wave of releases features Cla$$war #1, #2 and Path. These will be followed by the rest of the Cla$$war series and other, soon to be announced, titles.
The application is available for £0.59 or ¢99, dependent upon your location. Once you have purchased the app, which enables you to read the comics, you will be able to download Cla$$war #1 and the first chapter of Path free of charge. If you like what you see, you can then download the rest of the books for 59p/99¢ and £1.79/$2.99 for Cla$$war and Path, respectively.

• 2000AD #1646 features a new Future Shock with art by the legendary John Cooper, from a script by Mike Carroll.

• David Hine and Shaky Kane are working on a new Image comic called Bulletproof Coffin.

• Over on the BBC web site writer Mark Gatiss and radio producer Simon Hollis offer a revealing insight into their love of Doctor Who Target books, the focus of their recently-aired Radio 4 documentary, recent Radio 4 documentary, 'On The Outside It Looked Like An Old Fashioned Police Box'. They rightfully sing the praises of those with painted art covers...

• Over on the Coventry Telegraph's web site, David Bentley has an interview with Coventry-based artist and author Al Davison, who is taking Tennant's popular Time Lord to a whole new dimension. Al's new Doctor Who comic for IDW Publishing will consist of alternating two-part and four-part stories, all written by Tony Lee.
Al is drawing the two-parters while the artist on the four-part arcs ironically has the same name as the new Doctor Who, Matt Smith.

The ongoing series is launched with Al's first story arc, called Silver Scream and sees the Time Lord investigating an unearthly mystery in 1920s Hollywood.

"The first arc has already had a very good response, it's a very strong Doctor Who story," Al says. "Tony has really captured David Tennant's voice and personality: you read it and it really does sound like Tennant. Read the full interview, which covers much of Al's prestigious comics career Coventry Telegraph - The Geek Files.)

• Swindon will play host to the Swin City Comics Retro Fair on 26 September, to be held at Wharf Green. More details here on Facebook.

• After a few months concentrating on his The Spine Chillers webcomic, artist Ben Clark has moved hisMagic Beans! to a new location on Blogger. Expect the usual Clark madness to ensue in the coming days!

• Talking of web comics, Forbidden Planet International honcho Kenny Penman has been talking to Richard Cowdry and Daniel Locke recently, with the result that they’re going to be doing the new resident strip for the FPI blog. First Somersault went live recently and should be every Tuesday, just like they did with Darryl Cunningham’s Super-Sam.

• Complied with thanks to Matthew Badham

BVC's Shades Enters Spirit World

British Web comic publisher Broken Voice Comics has just released Chapter 12 of its flagship title, the online graphic novel Shades online, plus some of the first pages of Chapter 13 have just been launched at its website. For the first time, the new chapters allow readers a glimpse of the story's mysterious spirit world.

Written by David A J Berner (whose adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Oval Portrait” was included in the Self Made Hero anthology Nevermore in 2007) and illustrated in full colour by E.C. Nickel, Shades is both a timely examination of the characteristics and traits that have come to define the British national character and an appreciation of the super hero genre, from a particularly UK perspective.

Until now, most of the action in Shades has taken place in a very real-world version of the UK, but the spirit world has always been hugely important to the story.

"We learn very early on that the Shaman (a prehistoric mystic) relies on the spirits for his knowledge, and that the energies of that world are the source of many of the characters’ unique abilities," reveals Berner. "From this point in the story, however, events in the physical world and the spirit world start becoming increasingly intertwined."

In Chapter 12 a demon spirit known as Thrawn manifests itself in the physical world. Able to twist and manipulate a person’s self-doubts and insecurities, the demon finds plenty of material to prey upon in the troubled minds of the British heroes who people Shades.

In Chapter 13, readers are finally given their first glimpse of what the spirit world is actually like.

"Technically," Berner elaborates, "we only make it as far as the Fringes – a kind of buffer zone between the physical and spirit worlds. But then, it’s not the most inviting of places so perhaps that’s as close as we want to get!"

"The art team has done a fantastic job of rendering the nightmare landscape of the Fringes," David enthuses. "E.C. Nickel has really been able to demonstrate his love of surreal detail in these sequences, and the sombre, brooding colours by Muamal Khairi add a dimension that wouldn’t be out of place in an H.P. Lovecraft novel!”

Formerly the Senior Editor of webcomics studio Midnite Comics, David formed Broken Voice Comics in February 2006. Since its launch, Broken Voice Comics has been home to Berner’s own comic projects including Shades and his two four-part fantasy mini-series, The Spires and Hunted along with Guest Titles such as recent arrival G.A.A.K. by Darryl Hughes and Monique McNaughton.

Behind the scenes on the project, Berner informs us that work on this graphic novel is now nearing completion. "The script for Shades was written back in 2003,” he says, “so it’s been a long haul, but the end is finally in sight. The art team is already working on the last two full-length chapters (15 and 16) and then we just have a short epilogue to do, before we have to start looking at the options for putting together a collected print edition!”

• For more on Broken Voice Comics and its titles visit: www.brokenvoice.co.uk

Ten Questions: An Interview with Comic Creator Amy Pearson

Last year, DC Comics Zuda Comics showcased a stunning new adventure strip by hot new comics talent Amy Pearson. Now, the 22-year-old Sussex based artist has started publishing an updated, revamped edition of the strip on its own dedicated web site - www.mathemacomic.com - and downtheutbes caught up with her to ask her about the strip...

downthetubes: Briefly, tell us what Mathema is about. How would you pitch it to a comics publisher?


Amy: In Mathema, a mathematician has found a way to copy the skills of the ages - dreaming that everyone should have the gift of magic. But the discovery of Mathema forces those with Natural Born Power into the open, desperate to protect their ancient gift by whatever means necessary...

downthetubes: How did you come up with the story?

Amy: I love my fantasy stories but I'll admit I'm pretty selective about the kind of magic I 'buy-into'. Mathema is built on ideas for a magic system – making this work for me personally has taken a long time in the development. Emery appeared first and generally the rest of the story has been constructed around that.

The time period is important to the magic too. I was really influenced by the sense of discovery alongside interest in illusion as entertainment, also particularly new ideas opposing traditional religious forms.

downthetubes: Is this the first time Mathema has been published?


Amy: Mathema was first online over at Zuda. Being in the October 2008 competition. It finished second, and considering the competition I was very happy with that, but it was encouraging to see how divided some people were about the voting.  It was a great competition and experience, and a privilege to be put along side some really great creators.

Visually, the comic has changed a lot since then, I took on a lot of advice from the pros.  

downthetubes: Why have you chosen to publish on the web rather than in print?


Amy: Publishing the comic online was really the only way to go for me personally; obviously it'd be amazing to see Mathema in print one day(!) but I've never thought to try and sell it. For me it's about telling the story and sharing it with people – the web is the best way to do that.

downthetubes: What’s your background as an artist? How did you get into creating comics?

Amy: After Uni I went straight into a CG job in London as an animator.  I've always had a great interest in illustration as well and decided to try freelancing. Mathema started shortly after I made the change and most of my comic work has come from exposure during the Zuda competition. Changing to comics has been a real learning curve, but I'm really excited about Mathema being told this way.

downthetubes: Do you have any favourite creators or influences?


Amy: I can be pretty eclectic with the kinds of styles I like reading but to focus on influences for Mathema I think a couple of my favourite works are 'La Licorne' and 'Blacksad': the art in these is always an inspiration. On a purely story level it'd be wrong not to mention a personal Lovecraft influence.

downthetubes: What’s the most challenging thing about working on Mathema?


Amy: Patience! I always have remind myself to be very patient when creating any kind of art; there are so many specifics to the way comic art needs to be done this is even more the case for me and Mathema. (I also have to be patient about the story! There's so much of it I know and can't tell anyone about it yet!)

downthetubes: And what’s the best part about working on it?


Amy: Seeing my characters come to life and sharing that with other people.  I'm sure a lot of story tellers will say that they live with their ideas/characters 24/7, and this is true for me. Mathema has quite a few sides to it, I'm really looking forward to bringing these out along the way too.

downthetubes: What one valuable lesson have you learnt creating comics that you apply to your work now?

Amy: Again patience, but more specifically one of the things I've had to work on most is lettering. It was really the weakest point in the old version and a lot of problems have been solved in the re-release. Mathema is a sole project and previous feedback has really helped make the comic what it is.

downthetubes: What are your plans for the strip — and your — future? (Okay, that’s probably two questions!)

Amy: The plan for the strip is onwards and upwards! Now the comic has it's own space online I'm working on letting people know about it and settling into a regular update time, so people know when they're going to get their next instalment.  The first 'book' of Mathema is underway at the moment but eventually I hope to see the full project completed in three parts...

We'd like to thank Amy for her time answering our questions and strongly advise heading over to www.mathemacomic.com and check it out. And if you want to know more about the strip's development and news on its progress, visit Amy's blog: http://mathema-comic.blogspot.com. Mathema © 2009 Amy Pearson. All images used with permission.

Future Shocks Re-Worked for iPhones

For the first time ever, a selection of Alan Moore’s earliest comic-strip creations Future Shocks from 2000AD are now available globally via the Apple iTunes App Store.

Alan cut his teeth writing comics for Marvel UK and on this series of ambitious and innovative short stories, and they've now been re-worked by digital comics publisher Clickwheel.net and will be available in eight parts over eight weeks.

The aim of the adaptation, says Clickwheel, is to bring Alan Moore’s Future Shocks to thousands of comic fans who have never had access to these stories before. Available now, each episode is priced at $0.99/£0.59.

“We’ve been waiting a long time to get our hands on this material," says Tim Demeter, Clickwheel’s Editor, "and as a comic fan myself, I can confidently say that if Alan Moore is one of your favourite creators, you need this!"

Quite what Alan Moore may make of this, we're unsure: there has been many a dispute between early writers on 2000AD and publishers Rebellion over reprint rights on paper, let alone iPod -- behind the scenes, Rebellion has been engaged in laying claim to all rights over material published in early issues of the comic that creators laid some ownership to for a while now to make the most of its assets. Some creators have point blank refused to sign away rights, which is why some 2000AD strips remain unreprinted.

We'd be interested to know how Clickwheel swung this deal...

• Download Alan Moore's Future Shocks from the iTunes App Store Today

As Rainbow Orchid Preps for Print, Parts go Offline...

Garen Ewing's full web version of his comic strip The Rainbow Orchid, is going to remain online for just one more week.

"Book publication of volume one (Egmont UK) is set for 4 August 2009, so after the bank holiday weekend (Tuesday 5 May) the online strip will become a preview," Garen told downthetubes, "with certain sections removed and the full
story available in print only."

You can start reading The Rainbow Orchid here: don't hang about, because you've got only a few days left to do so!

The Rainbow Orchid, a mystery adventure set in the 1920s, is being published in three volumes by Egmont UK. "It's partly inspired by the works of writers such as H. Rider Haggard, Jules Verne and Arthur Conan Doyle," Garen outlines, "mixed up with a very British version of the Franco-Belgian ligne claire school of graphic storytelling, luminaries of which include Hergé, Edgar P. Jacobs, Yves Chaland, Floc'h and Joost Swarte
to name just a handful."

Bryan Talbot (Grandville, Alice in Sunderland, The Tale of One Bad Rat etc.) has previously enthused about the work. "Tightly-plotted, well-researched and beautifully drawn, this book is
a real delight. Garen Ewing's mix of engaging characters, exciting old-school adventure, attractive ligne claire artwork and fluid storytelling makes The Rainbow Orchid easily one of the best graphic novels of the year."

• Visit the website: www.rainboworchid.co.uk

Orang Utan Moves to Light Speed

British indie publisher Orang Utan Comics have just released two new comics, both available to order online - and which will be on sale at the Comics Expo in Bristol next month.

FTL#1, available from Indyplanet, is the first issue of their brand new black and white anthology featuring 32 pages of beautifully greyscaled art and new stories by Orang Utan Comics veterans Ian Sharman, Peter Rogers and Trey Wickwire, along with a brand new story from the exceptionally talented Dwight L. MacPherson (creator of the web comic, The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poo).

The first senses shattering issue of FTL will take you to a future Earth ravaged by a war between humans and robots; you’ll see a young girl seduced and corrupted by the darkness of vampirism:you’ll ride with a group of vampire hunters as they hunt the last true vampire; and you’ll see terrifying beasts return from myth and legend to lay waste to mankind!

Also released today is the Alpha Gods graphic novel, previously available to read online in ebook form. Since its online launch via myebook.com, the in excess of 8,000 views in the three months since its release have persuaded Orang Utan Comics to release the entire 48 page, full colour graphic novel in print.

Wraped in a cover by John Charles, Alpha Gods follows in the foot steps of many a superhero comic, charting the gathering of an all-new superteam to battle threats to the world. Like Marvel's X-Men characters (particularly Nightcrawler and Beast), some are outcasts from society, untrained loose cannons whose mettle has yet to be tested. Against this, writer Ian Sharman weaves an unsettling background tale of fallen gods with Machiavellian plans for the world, with some accomplished if in places still-developing art from Ezequiel Pineda. (The good, I hasten to add, more than outweighing the occasional composition glitch: his design and visual sense is superb, influenced I suspect more by George Perez Teen Titans than the X-Men artists I can think of, although Paul Smith also springs to mind).

This graphic novel is effectively a scene setter for a wider story to come, but it's an entertaining and intriguing scene setter nevertheless, offering a depth to many of the characters often missing from many superteam books.

Both FTL and Alpha Gods will be available at the Orang Utan Comics stand at next month’s Bristol International Comic Expo, and also at the London MCM Expo later in the month. You can also order both titles online via the print on demand service, IndyPlanet (see links below).

“May is going to be a big month for Orang Utan Comics," enthuses Ian. "Not only do we have two great new titles to promote, but we’re also looking forward to getting out and meeting our fans.”

• There will be an Orang Utan Comics panel at the Bristol International Comic Expo next month. The panel will be held at 4.00pm in the Park Suite at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Bristol on Saturday 9th May, where the OUC team will be celebrating their second anniversary of creating what Ian calls “comics for a strange new world."

• Order Alpha Gods from IndyPlanet

• Order FTL #1 from IndyPlanet

• To find out more about Alpha Gods, read character bios and creator profiles, please visit www.alphagods.co.uk

• For more information on Orang Utan Comics visit them online at www.orangutancomics.co.uk

Mirabalis Continues Online

New episodes of Mirabilis, which ran in the dead-but-just-resting The DFC, have just been posted online: www.mirabilis-yearofwonders.com/Episodes.html

The creation of Dave Morris and Leo Hartas, Mirabilis was originally intended to appear in episodic form in Random House's weekly comic, before being collected for publication in book form. As the DFC has gone (although it may resurface next year), you'll now have to wait for the graphic novels – the first of which, Winter, is planned to be 160 pages long.

The creators will announce the release date for that as soon as they know it.

"We're hoping to get all the earlier episodes up online eventually, but for contractual reasons that isn't possible just yet," says Dave. You can read the first four episodes, and episode 1, “Stung!” in both English and French.

DFC readers who were left on tenterhooks with Estelle plummeting through the train window at the end of episode 10 (“Outside Looking In”) can now find out what happened. Those further two episodes, “Murders to Dissect” and “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants” may only be online for a limited time, however, so read them while you can!

Incidentally, of the many Flash readers for online comics I've used, the engine for Mirabilis is excellent, if a little requiring of instinctive clicking on first use. There's no clutter of uneccessary bells and whistles to help read the strip. Check it out.

• www.mirabilis-yearofwonders.com/Episodes.html

Paul Grist's Big Cosmic Comic

(with thanks to "The Cap): Paul Grist, whose other credits include the fabulous Jack Staff comic, has begun to run his Big Cosmic Comic, subtitled "The Continuing Adventures of the Eternal Warrior", as a blog.

The strip is a homage, of course, to a well known immortal British comics hero and other things...

"This is something I've had in the back of my head for a year or so now, and I keep coming back to it then going away again.

"This a work in progress - all comments are welcome - I hope to add at least one new page every week, depending on what else I'm doing! We'll see how it goes."

Bostin Heroes seek an Artist

A British webcomic team is urgently seeking a new artist as it looks to begin its second story.

"I've recently been writing a webcomic set in the West Midlands called Bostin Heroes," Shropshire-based writer and small-press creator Matthew Craig tells downthetubes. "We've enjoyed a little bit of coverage here and there - local TV, newspapers, the FPBlog, etc. - but we've found ourselves in need of an additional artist."

Bostin Heroes, the creation of Donato Esposito, is the story of four ordinary people defending the Black Country and beyond on the eve of the Second Industrial Revolution.

The Bostin Heroes team are looking for an artist with a clean, friendly style to work in conjunction with series creator Donato Esposito and writer Matthew Craig to create short (8-16 page) stories starring the Black Country champions. Stories will be serialsed online at a rate of one to two pages per week, then collected for print.

The assignment would suit someone looking for their first comics job, or wider exposure for their work. As the stories will largely be based in and around the Midlands, artists should have some familiarity with the region.

For further information, please contact Donato Esposito via the team's contact form and be sure to include links to online portfolios or other work.

Originally hailing from Telford, Bostin Heroes writer Matthew has been described as “a perfect example of the breadth and passion of today’s British small press scene” by Richard Bruton on Forbidden Planet International’s comics blog. His books range from the canine courage of Hondle to the zombie romance of Vitale, as well as the unconventional superhero stylings of TroubleBruin and Trixie Biker.

The artist on the first story, Jack Davies, has been drawing since the age of four and counts the X-Men among his influences. A graduate of Hi8us Midlands’ Strip Search programme, with an exhibition at Birmingham’s Mailbox under his belt, Jack is currently studying illustration and animation.

Bostin Heroes was created by Donato Esposito, an IT and Business Consultant living in Rubery who has trekked across Peru for the British Heart Foundation, climbed Mount Snowdon, and started the Bostin t-shirt company from his back room. He says he founded the Bostin Group to promote positivity and regional pride, and this is his first comic ever.

• For more about Matthew's Black Country champions, check out this YouTube Trailer... found here:



... And the adventure starts here: www.bostinheroes.com/?p=114

New art team tackles villains for BVC's Shades

Briitsh onlince comics publisher Broken Voice Comics has just published Chapters 9 and 10 of its flagship title Shades on its website (www.brokenvoice.co.uk).

Written by David A J Berner, the new chapters of the comic continue BVC's timely examination of the characteristics and traits that have come to define the British national character and are the first to be illustrated by the new art team of E.C. Nickel and Muamal Khairi.

“The fact that its story is set in the UK means that Shades is able to re-examine the super hero genre in a way that US comics usually don't,” suggests Berner. “The conventions and norms of the genre are so well-established in the US mainstream that they often seem to be taken for granted or self-consciously spoofed.”

The first half of Shades (Chapters 1 - 8) was illustrated by Harsho Mohan Chattoraj and is available to read in its entirety online. It tells the story of retired tailor Stanley Miller as he attempts to reunite a group of faded British heroes - a group which includes a prehistoric shaman, a World War 2 fighter pilot and the First Century warrior queen Boudicca!

Covering some five centuries of British history, these opening chapters pitch this motley group against an evil mystic, a giant experimental super-bomber and a demonic serpent.

In the second half of the story (Chapters 9 - 16), the stakes are due to be raised even further, as our heroes are forced to confront a threefold threat to the nation.

The new art team for this part of the story comprises Brazilian artist E.C. Nickel (pencils and inks) and Indonesian colourist Muamal Khairi. The challenge for them was to retain something of the distinctive style set by Chattoraj while bringing something of their own to the title.

“Nickel and Qoiri are already doing a fantastic job,” says Berner. “Anyone familiar with their work will know they each have a distinctive style of their own but that they both share Harsho's love of detail and character.”

As for the future plot, Berner explains that readers can expect the action levels to increase significantly from here on in. “Shades was always designed to be a single-story graphic novel,” he says. “And so Chapters 9 - 16 will essentially be building towards the climax of that story.

“Without giving too much away, I can reveal that we'll be seeing a lot more of the bad guys in the new chapters. We'll be getting to understand just how they became the people they are and, as their evil plans unfold, you can be sure the action will start ratcheting up through the gears!”

Broken Voice Comics was founded in February 2006 by David Berner, formerly the Senior Editor of webcomic studio Midnite Comics which ceased operations at the end of 2005.

Since its official launch in March 2006, BVC has been the new home of Berner's own comic projects, notably his online graphic novel Shades and his two four-part fantasy mini-series, The Spires and Hunted. In addition, the site also hosts a small number of Guest Titles which initially comprised three titles previously featured at Midnite Comics (Rob Jones's Perfect Storm and two titles by E.C. Nickel, Immortality and The Long Vigil). More recently, the site has added Lee Munday's The Lumbering Dead to its line-up, as well as Thy Will Be Done, another title by E.C. Nickel, created in collaboration with Alexandre Lobao.

Established fan favourite G.A.A.K. by Darryl Hughes and Monique McNaughton is the most recent addition to the line-up.

• Shades is updated every Monday on the BVC web site. It is also serialised at the Graphic Smash (www.graphicsmash.com) and Drunk Duck (www.drunkduck.com) websites.

Marvel Reveals some Digital Costs

The Paid Content website recently reported that Marvel Comics plans on investing upwards of $10 million in the digital media aspect of their company, including digital comics.

Despite the initial investment’s affect on their current profit loss, Marvel forecasts a profit as a result of this investment beginning in 2011. Last month, the company announced that Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited features over 5000 digital versions of its back catalogue, as well as new material created for the web.

Peter Cuneo, vice chairman of the board, told analysts in today’s Q3 earnings call that the company is making a substantial investment in it's digital publishing effort. "We’ve noted in our press release today (PDF Format) that the out-of-pocket in 2009 we anticipate will be around $6 million for that effort," he commented, according to the transcript (via Seeking Alpha). "So when you look at the publishing segment as a whole, you will see a decline in the profitability.”

The company has invested $2.5 million to $3 million so far this year and plans to finish at $4 million. That would bring the total digital media investment for 2008-09 to about $10 million.

Asked to flesh out the digital initiatives, CFO Kenneth West added: “I would imagine that probably in the year 2011, we are going to see the first real positive contribution associated with digital media. That would be a combination of ad revenues, digital subscribers picking up on the subscription of comic books but not until that period, because we’ll continue to invest in that and it’s going to take some time and the dollars that we’ve built into our forecast.” He wouldn’t project the 2010 level of investment but said “we would anticipate the continuation of the digital investment for our future.”