Young Gods Arrive for Seconds

The second part of Orang Utan Comics sci-fi action/adventure comic Young Gods is now available free online via the digital publishing site myebook.com.

“We’ve had a great response to the release of Part One and interest in the book is continuing to grow,” says Young Gods creator, Ian Sharman. “Hopefully with the release of Part Two people will see that we’re making an ongoing commitment to keep this series going.”

Written by Sharman, Young Gods is drawn by Argentinian artist Ezequiel Pineda and coloured by Mauro Barbosa. The story is set in 2086, a time when humanity faces a new threat -- Extra Humans. The government is struggling to cope with the growing number of mutants, aliens and supernatural beings who are living amongst us. People are beginning to panic and so, in 2050, the Department for Extra Human Affairs was established with a remit to try and contain the problem. By 2086 the situation has escalated, so they have formed a new rapid response strike force, the Young Gods. Who better to police the Extra Human community than Extra Humans themselves?

Orang Utan Comics say they now have plans to continue Young Gods on beyond this initial release, with a six part follow up, entitled Young Gods: Betrayal already in the works.

“The whole series is fully plotted out and the art team are hard at work on the first issue at the moment, and I’ll be handing them the script for the second issue any day now,” Sharman reveals.

“We’re hoping to maintain a bi-monthly schedule with the book as we don’t want to keep people waiting too long between issues.”

Orang Utan Comics have also announced plans to produce a print version of the as yet digital only Young Gods. A 48 page graphic novel collecting parts One and Two in one volume will be available soon through Indy Planet and they’re also hoping to offer the book through comic stores via Ka-Blam’s new ComicsMonkey initiative.

“These are turbulent times for the comic industry,” notes Sharman, who also functions as Orang Utan Comics’ managing editor, “but they’re also throwing up some exciting new opportunities for smaller independent publishers such as ourselves. We’d love to see the full six issue series of Young Gods: Betrayal in print through 2009 and hope to have a trade-paperback collection available in time for Christmas.”

The first part of the Young Gods OGN is also still available to read online for free (link on your left), so if you’ve missed it, be sure to catch up before checking out Part Two!

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

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

Monkeying about with Young Gods!

Ground-breaking British indie publisher Orang Utan Comics Studio have released the first part of their Young Gods Online Graphic Novel onto an unsuspecting world this week, aiming to bring the title to comics fans in new -- and free -- ways.

An action packed adventure tale, Young Gods, in part previously serialised in 'newspaper strip' form on ROK Comics, is a stunning looking book that's certain to appeal to a wide range of comic book fans. The series sees OUCS make the bold leap from the printed page into digital media, with Young Gods being available to read completely free online, via the digital publishing site myebook.com.

OUCS were the first organisaton to sign up to myebook’s publishing partnership plan when it went live last year.

“I think we recognized the huge potential of myebook about thirty seconds after first being shown it,” said Orang Utan Comics Studio’s Managing Editor and Young Gods’ creator, Ian Sharman. “It’s an ideal solution for small studios like ourselves who want to get our work in front of as many people as possible but don’t have the capital to finance large print runs.”

With the recent policy changes at speciailst comics distributors Diamond reducing the opportunities for small press and independent publishers to reach a wide audience through traditional print publications, OUCS see online digital publishing as an essential tool for distributing their comics to a wider market.

Ian Sharman has been working on Young Gods since he was a teenager, gaining the initial inspiration while listening to the Little Angels album of the same name. However, the road from original idea to the comic book page has been a long one, and finding the right creative team to bring his ideas to life proved very challenging.

“I think we went through seven artists, including at one point myself, before we found Ezequiel Pineda," he reveals. "His unique style was exactly what I was looking for, allowing the focus to shift from the overblown superheroics to the diverse characters that make up the team.

"The addition of Mauro Barbosa on colours proved that lightening can strike twice, as his dynamic colours proved to be the perfect complement to Ezequiel’s art.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate,” Ian continued, “finding not only one, but two extremely talented artists with the same passion for this comic that I have.”

The first part of the Young Gods OGN, which introduces the team and sets up plot points that will be continued in a six issue series that the creative team are currently hard at work on is available to read FREE online right now, and the second part will be released on 28th February. Be one of the first to read this exciting new comic, and share it with your friends online, just as you would a YouTube video!

However, for people who prefer to read their comics on the move, rather than sat at a computer, Orang Utan Comics Studio are also exploring other areas of the digital revolution in comics, making Young Gods available to download to your mobile phone via ROK Comics.

• To find out more about Young Gods, read character bios and creator profiles, please visit www.younggodscomic.co.uk
• For more information on Orang Utan Comics Studio visit them online at www.orangutancomics.co.uk

• Promote Young Gods!

The success of Young Gods will almost entirely depend on fan support, on word of mouth and the book spreading across the internet in a viral fashion. With this in mind, Orang Utan Comics Studio have produced a promotional video which they are encouraging their fans and supporters to put on their blogs and web sites in order to spread the word about this ground breaking release.