Birmingham Con Helps Realize Creators Dreams

This year's British International Comic Show in Birmingham has announced the publication of the first winner of the BICS Got Talent Writing contest.

The lucky winner, John Howson, has had his Future Shock story “9 to 5” illustrated by the talented artist Ben Willsher in the latest issue of the world famous science fiction anthology magazine 2000AD, which is available now in all good newsagents.

Last year, two artists where also picked up by DC Comics when Editor Mark Chairello visited the show, and this year the organisers plan to keep helping to establish that career path from creator to publisher by working with artists, universities and publishers very closely.

This year - once again – artists will have the chance to show their work to DC Comics editor Michael Wright and other editors who will be attending the show.

As always, the UK’s largest event devoted to the medium of comics will also play host to a weekend long schedule of great events including an exclusive interview with visionary comics creator Howard Chaykin who will be flying over to take part in many other events over the weekend.

Visitors will also get the chance to meet artists from as far a field as Japan, Spain, and America including fan favourite artist Pasqual Ferry, who will be helping to celebrate 70 years of Marvel Comics along with other creators such as Alan Davis, Paul Cornell and Doug Braithwaite.

Along with the huge comics fair featuring the UK’s most reputable dealers and publishers and an eclectic and vibrant presence from the thriving UK indy scene this year’s BICS is sure to be the premiere event for all comics fans in 2009.

• To find out more about BICS visit: www.thecomicsshow.co.uk

• To find out more about 2000ad visit: http://www.2000adonline.com


All artwork © Rebellion BICS logo © International Comic Shows

'Nana Rocket launched by Forbidden Planet!

This is just a bit of Friday fun! In 1988, Forbidden Planet commissioned the young Rian Hughes to create the world famous rocket logo and typeface still used today.

Now you can own a piece of history with this vinyl replica, brought to 3D life by Matt ‘Lunartik’ Jones based on the acclaimed artist, designer and typographer Rian Hughes original logo design. This variant version comes complete with Lunartik Banana design!

• More pics and info here on the FP web site

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

Pasties Are Better Than Comics

Oh all right, that's not really true, but you'd be hard pressed to find more enthusiasm for the pastry-based food, created by the Cornish and whose reputation is frequently ruined by bakeries across the UK who simply have no idea how to make one*, than in Rob Jackson's fun new comic anthology devoted to them.

Celebrating this lunch time staple of Cornish miners, students and many others, indie British creator Rob Jackson has just launched the 28-page The Pasty Anthology, which features contributions from downthetubes contributor and new Dad Matt Badham, Jim Medway,
Steve Butler, Francesca Cassavetti, Dave Hughes, Ant Mercer and of course, Rob himself.

The Pasty Anthology available from Rob's web site, priced only £2.50 (PayPal accepted), free postage in the UK.

"I mentioned a random idea on my blog for a Pasty based story ('The Story of Greggs' – which was a Viz-style story, thinking of those pages in Viz every so often that are called things like ‘The Story of Honey’ or ‘How We Get Milk’)," explains Rob of the anthology's origins. "Dave Hughes was very keen and started drawing pages for it so I thought I’d better actually make it."

Rob admits it's a pretty off-the-wall theme for a comic, "but everyone likes pasties. I was happily surprised at how all the artists have gone for very different takes on the vague theme.

Rob tells us he hopes his fans and newcomers to his work and the other creators will enjoy the title, which he's been working on since February. "It's very funny," he enthuses, "and has lots of very diverse stories."

Despite creating a Pasty Anthology, Rob admits he's never made one of his own. "Cheese and onion is my favourite, or Greggs Vegetable pasty," he admits, "but Dave Hughes did masses of research for his two stories (which are very funny). He's like a method actor in his diligent research!"

• Buy The Pasty Anthology via www.robjacksoncomics.com

• Sample Pages and more info on Rob's blog: www.robjacksoncomics.blogspot.com

* (I once gave a proper Cornish pasty recipe to the now defunct bakery chain Birketts, which had a shop on the Lancaster University campus, but it did no good, they never produced a decent one).