Tube Surfing: 6 February 2009

• The Rogue Trooper: Quartz Zone Massacre compueterr game based on the popular 2000AD character will be launched across Europe on Friday 27th February 2009. Rogue Trooper, a genetically engineered super-soldier, represents Reef’s first foray onto the Nintendo Wii platform. The supporting website www.roguetrooper.com is now live and provides a truly in-depth introduction to the game.

• Comics writer Tony Lee is in New York along with many British creators, with the New York Comic Con taking place this weekend. Aside from reeling at the cost of using his iPhone, the run up to the event has been a mix of business and pleasure: expect more bulletins on this massive event through the weekend on his blog.

• Andy Diggle is another British creator in New York, with several signings lined up during the weelend, as is Grant Morrison, who is one of several Guests of Honour, and Dave Gibbons, Brian Bolland, Dan Abnett, Dave Elliott, James Robinson and many others. Guest of Honour and Thor writer J. Michael Straczynski (who is not British, but freeely admits to being influenced by British TV shows) had to cancel his appearance due to his nomination for a BAFTA Award, so he's actually in London... Click here for more about JMS’s cancellation.

• Rufus Dayglo, is, as far as we know, not in New York, but is posting some fab new Tank Girl images on his blog.

• Frank Quitely, who is just one of many guests at next weekend’s HI-Ex 2 Comic Convention at Eden Court, Inverness, has just been interviewed by the Highland News, talking about his work on Electric Soup and The X-Men. "I’ve never been desperately into the whole superhero thing," he reveals. "It’s always been more about the quality of the story for me, so if people like Alan Moore or Grant were writing it, I would pick it up. But with the X Men, they wear these dayglo spandex jumpsuits with huge Xs on them. And I tried to argue with Grant that if I had superpowers, the last thing I would want would be to have to go out in a garish costume as well! But Grant said if he had superpowers, he’d want to wear an outrageous costume to show them off!” Read the inteview in full here

• The thought-provoking documentary about 2000AD artist Johnny Hicklenton, Here's Johnny, about his battle with multiple sclerosis, will air at 10.00pm on More4 on Thursday 17th February. As we reported early last year, previously renowned for his work in Judge Dredd and 2000AD, Johnny now lives in an increasing state of immobility and frustration. He escapes the confines of his front room by drawing, and through the expression of his brilliant, and sometimes troubled, imagination we learn about the disease that he is forced to co exist with. For Johnny, to draw is to live.

London Small Press Starts Weekly Gathering

London's small press creators have started a weekly event to do what they do best: "Draw sketches and get drunk."

While London Underground Comics is busy preparing its mysterious 176 project, the stall members who have done much to reignite small press comics activity in the Capital have organised a weekly get together at the Crown pub in New Oxford Street (quite close to Forbidden Planet London, Gosh and other comics stores), with the first event on Monday 9 February, starting at 6.00pm. For the latest info, check out their Facebook page

• Talking of Oli Smith, LUC's master of ceremonies has uploaded Fag Break with Daniel Radcliffe, a four page mini comic on his website: theolismith.com

Exclusive: TOXIC Comic Supplement Details

Egmont's TOXIC Comic is to publish a special comic supplement of an upcoming issue, featuring comic characters old and new in a move to, hopefully, bring more strip material to the bestselling British news stand title.

The line up for the 16 page supplement will feature nine comic strips – eight of which are completely brand new and original, whilst one, WereWilf, is a resurrected character from Egmont’s past given a modern day makeover.

The line up is:

Count Von Poo
By Jamie Smart (writer/artist)
Jamie is of course, perhaps best known for his 10-issue comic Bear and My Own Genie in The Dabdy.

Zombie Nation
By Luke Paton (writer) and Laura Howell (artist)
Luke is the creator of the web comic, The Adventures of Kez and Luke, while Laura is of course a firm favourite with TOXIC readers as the artist on Robin Hoodie for the title, and also draws Ratz for The Beano and strips for The DFC.

Spooks In Space
By Paul H Birch (writer) and Steve Harrison (artist)
Paul's the brains behind the Birmingham Mail's Speech Balloons blog, delivering the latest word on comics in the Midlands

Bovver Baby
By John Freeman (writer) and Paul J Palmer (artist)
As well as drawing strips for TOXIC and other comics, Paul also drew The Underversity, a six part story featuring characters from The Really Heavy Greatcoat.

HoaXers
By David Hailwood (writer) and Paul Harrison-Davies (artist)

WereWilf
By Paul H Birch & Shane Oakley (writers) and John Erasmus (artist)
Shane has worked on and off in the comics industry, writing and drawing for some of the big guys, and some of the microscopic. John Erasmus credits include Desperate Dan, Accident Man (for the original Toxic comic), Dervish Ropey in the Amazon, and much, much more.
WereWilf first appeared March 1976, one of three strips introduced to Whoopee! to mark the comic's second birthday. (The others were Smiler and Gook the TV Spook).

Clump
By Lew Stringer (writer/artist)
Lew should need no introduction to any British comics fan -- his credits include Combat Colin, Brickman and more.

Bad Robots
By John Freeman (writer) and Paul Harrison-Davies (artist)

Simon Spectacular
By Luke Paton (writer) and Stuart Arrowsmith (artist)
Stuart is a full-time Designer and Illustrator, producing work ranging from panel cartoons to natural history pieces for commercial use.

The supplement will come with issue 137 of TOXIC, on sale 1 April for three weeks. Readers will be asked to vote online for their favourite comic strip and the winner will potentially get a full-time slot in the magazine.

Tube Surfing: 5 February 2009

• Dickon Harris presents a trio of interviews recorded at last autumn's Comica festival in London at the ICA on Resonance FM (London) today, talking to the winner - Julian Hanshaw - and runner-up - Isabel Greenberg - of 2008's Observer / Jonathan Cape Graphic Short Story competition, which attracted some 240 entries. Julian won the second annual contest with his haunting seaside tale Sand Dunes & Sonic Booms, which you can read online on The Observer web site. He'll also be talking to Tim Pilcher about his books on Erotic Comics. The show is broadcast at 5.00pm, repeated on Sunday (8th) at 11.30pm and streamed at www.resonancefm.com and podcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com.
Also on air tonight, at 10.30pm Alex Fitch talks to director Julien Temple about his film of The Eternity Man, the modern opera by Dorothy Porter and Jonathan Mills. The film tells the true story of Arthur Stace who wandered the streets of Sydney for two generations, writing the word "Eternity" in chalk on a myriad of surfaces and Temple's film vividly brings to life this modern avatar of the Wandering Jew. Alex and Julien also talk about the director's other work, from Absolute Beginners to Pandaemonium and notions of combining fact and fiction on screen.

• Over on the Birmingham Mail's web site, Paul Birch has published a shortt interview with Duncan Fegredo in his latest Speech Balloons column. Fegredo talks about his current work on US title Hellboy, speaking enthusiastically of his creative relationship with its creator, Mike Mignola.
"As both a fan of Mike's work and a professional artist I couldn't be happier," he says. "I hesitate to gush overly as it'd embarrass Mike! I get to play in Hellboy's rich and textured world and even to expand it to areas we haven't visited yet, meet old friends and enemies, and make new ones too. As a fan that's exciting, as a pro it's enriching."
• For more information on Duncan Fegredo visit: www.fegredo.com and www.cafepress.com/fegredo and to purchase original art by Duncan Fegredo visit: www.splashpageart.com For more information on Hellboy visit: www.Hellboy.com

• Forbidden Planet International reports that many of the prize pieces from the extraordinary collection of science fiction, fantasy and horror memorabilia, props, books and collectables of the late, great Forrest J Ackerman will be auctioned off during April. Hollywood specialists Profiles in History will be handling the sale.