10 Questions: Russell Willis, publisher of SEQUENTIAL and Panel Nine

Russell Willis - Publisher of Panel Nine

I've known Russell Willis since the 1980s, first encountering him at the Fast Fiction stall run by Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury at the now-legendary Westminster Comic Marts when he was publishing INFINITY, a zine that included many interviews with leading comic creators back then such as David Lloyd and others.

Russell has worked in publishing for over 25 years, specialising in digital media. In 1993 he set up a multimedia development company in Japan which produced customised language-learning software for Canon and published a large number of successful language-learning software products, including Finding Out, a joint venture with Macmillan described by Modern Education as the "best language- learning software for children available".

He has created products for TIME, the British government, Oxford University Press, and many others.

Russell’s audiobooks, podcasts, and iOS apps have all reached the Number One spot in Apple’s iTunes charts in Japan.

He is the publisher at Panel Nine (which has previously sponsored downthetubes), who have just launched SEQUENTIAL, a new digital store for a range of graphic novels. 

We'd like to thank him for taking time out of a busy schedule to answer our questions...

downthetubes: Tell us what SEQUENTIAL is and what you hope to achieve?

Russell Willis: SEQUENTIAL is a digital graphic novel storefront app for that iPad, that is primarily designed for people who would read Persepolis or From Hell or something by Eddie Campbell or Alison Bechdel, but would never think of going to a typical geeky comic shop. It's a place to put together all the quality material that's out there and provide an environment where a mainstream reader can feel comfortable and not have a virtual She-Hulk scaring them off at the door. This time, we want to be on the main street of culture with our underwear worn *under* our trousers.

SEQUENTIAL has just launched in the UK and Ireland, and will launch in the US and the rest of the world at the end of June. It's free to download with the ability to purchase graphic novels from within the app.

downthetubes: How did the project come about? 

Russell's early publishing
venture, INFINITY (#5)

Russell: As you know, I have been fascinated by sequential art since my teens when I was publishing INFINITY. About 18 months ago, I found myself running a software development and publishing company and realised that I had the ability to do something exceptional in the area of digital graphic novels. 

Having always talked about how graphic novels should be marketed and presented I had the opportunity to put my time and money where my mouth was. 

Right time, right place, it just seemed the right thing to do.

downthetubes: What are the initial titles being offered through SEQUENTIAL?

Russell: We have 21 graphic novels, coming from Blank Slate, Knockabout and Myriad Editions. We've got From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, Bolland Strips by Brian Bolland, Lady Chatterly's Lover by Hunt Emerson, Science Tales by Darryl Cunningham, Hugo Tate by Nick Abadzis, Kickback by David Lloyd… it's a great list and we'll be adding lots of new titles every week. 

We've also got a new "Sequential Mode" reader that is a bit like what Alex di Campi and Mark Waid have done with digital comics but with a few tweaks. There's a story drawn by Terry Wiley that can be downloaded for free from the app (which is also free to download).

downthetubes: How do you see the project developing over the next year?

Russell: The addition of more graphic novels, publishers like Self-Made Hero, Jonathan Cape, Walker Books, Abram Comic Arts coming on board, we'll be creating "Expanded Versions" of many titles, by adding audio commentaries by the creators along with interviews, production sketches, etc. and we'll be marketing graphic novels as a mainstream choice of entertainment, untainted by superheroes.

downthetubes: How will SEQUENTIAL impact on your other publications so far - will they merge with this new platform?

Russell: Yes, the four existing Panel Nine titles are on SEQUENTIAL.

downthetubes: You're busy developing a comics platform based on British and Western comics but Panel Nine is based in Japan... is there interest in the comics SEQUENTIAL will carry there?

Russell: The market for western graphic novels in Japan is quite small, but we are talking with Japanese publishers about doing some things.

downthetubes: What do you think are the main advantages for creators and publishers publishing their work digitally?

Russell: Availability -- in theory anyone with an iPad can purchase one of our titles, and creators can more effectively promote their own titles by directing their fan base straight to SEQUENTIAL to purchase immediately. 

downthetubes: Growing a digital comics audience isn't easy, despite the hype for digital publishing. Are we in an age of 10 per cent perspiration, 90 per cent promotion to compete with all the other offerings out there - legally free comics, other media and the pirates?

Russell: The ubiquitous availability is there as mentioned above, but just because you have a phone number doesn't mean everyone calls you. The promotional aspect of digital comics is, as you suggest, extremely important, and is a demanding ongoing exercise. With printed books, once they are in the shops then the shops are out selling them for the publisher every day. With digital the publisher (or platform owner, in our case) has to be doing that -- through advertising, social media, events, promotions etc.

downthetubes: While generating revenues on the iPad and related Apple platforms seems a given, purchases on other platforms (Android, for example) seem slow in comparison. Do you think there's still a resistance to the concept that digital creations have intrinsic value?

Russell: The stats at the end of last year indicated that for every four iOS apps sold only one Android app was sold. And this is despite Android having a larger installed base. The demographics of Android device owners and iOS device owners has been quite different, and simply put, Android owners tend to buy less stuff, are younger, and more inclined to settle for free stuff.

With regard to digital creations having less intrinsic value, I think that part of the reason for that is that so much digital is of less intrinsic value. Publishers shovel stuff into ePubs or put out apps that work incredibly badly. One point of pride that we have about our apps is that they are often described as "deluxe" "coffee table" apps, which is exactly what we intended. Getting them like that involved sweating hundreds if not thousands of details. 

I think when people use our apps, they do perceive the value. Our problem is that all the crap that gets put out means that people are very wary. 

SEQUENTIAL, being a container app, should partly solve that problem as they can download it for free, try out a free app and get a real sense of the value that we are providing before they purchase.

downthetubes: What one piece of advice do you regularly give new comic creators?

Russell: I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to give a new comic creator any advice. But if I am in that position, I would suggest that people ensure that they have a strong social media following. If there are two artists of equal merit and one has 10,000 Twitter followers, then choosing which artist to publish just got a lot easier. (And that advice is advice I need to take too!)

• Download SEQUENTIAL for free from the iTunes here

• Read an interview with Russell about SEQUENTIAL by Paul Gravett

• Read our 2008 interview with Russell about his early days publishing INFINITY

Bristol Comic Expo 2013: A Creator's View

Peter Rogers offers his 'creators view' of last weekend's Bristol Comic Expo, which we're hearing many good things about, marking a return to form for Britain's longest-running comics event...

They say you always remember your first love, and when it comes to Comic Conventions for me, that means Bristol. Back in 2002 it was the first convention I ever went to, and at the time the UK Comic Festival was the only major event in Britain.  

Some big moments have happened for me in Bristol, in '04 I won the Writer's Pitching Session, in '06 the concept of Orang Utan Comics was born and in '08 our collective of creators attended the Eagle Awards as expectant, but ultimately disappointed nominees. So it seemed the perfect place for my new imprint Dapper Chimp Press to launch our first book Chris Smith and the Nazi Zombies from Hell.

From an exhibitor's perspective, being back in Brunel's Old Passenger Shed by Bristol's railway station made a big difference. The room is brighter, airier and far more welcoming than being in a hotel.  Our stand was at the far end of the hall, opposite the food stall and next to Sgt Mike Battle and my old friends from Orang Utan Comics.

Saturday started very well, with a good number of people in attendance from the minute the doors opened.  But one thing was really noticeable: this was a different crowd, not the same faces you've seen at conventions up and down the country for years. All these new people and fresh blood helped make the atmosphere across the weekend extremely buoyant.  There wasn't even a hint of cynicism, and with so many creators and fans in one place that's quite an achievement. 

Not only were people smiling, they were extremely engaged and I've never had so many conversations from one side of the table to the other. People who said they'd come back and buy a copy did just that, and those who decided the book wasn't for them still found time to ask about the process and to wish us luck.  A younger crowd also meant more cosplay, from superhero and anime characters to genre movie staples, we even managed a Nazi Zombie of our own.

Saturday evening in comparison was a bit of a damp squib,. As night outs go it was good fun but it missed that sparkle of comic convention magic. There was talk of a cosplay event somewhere, but there didn't seem to be an aftershow epicenter. The official hotel, newly refurbished and now known as the Doubletree by Hilton, wasn't busy until after the nearby Wetherspoons closed. At £5.10 a pint it's not hard to see why, especially with no organised entertainment on site. It had me longing for the days of Scandanavian Ska Punk bands and Dez Skinn not realizing Matt Smith from 2000AD was in attendance.

Sunday was relatively quiet, with far less eye contact and minimal conversation from the passers by, meaning sales were relegated to much more of a trickle.  My hangover was actually quite grateful for the respite. The only real negative I can level at the convention was the decision to have the cosplay parade and button mashing contests right in front of the gents' toilets.  I'm pretty sure this Kessel Run of lavatorial journeys wouldn't have made it through even a half-baked attempt at a risk assessment.

In 2013 Thought Bubble in Leeds and the collective might of the growing number of London conventions, seem to have the biggest draw for creators and publishers. Ian Gibson and David Lloyd were among the most luminary names at Bristol this year, and having Vertigo Executive Editor Shelly Bond presenting a panel and reviewing portfolios did elevate proceedings somewhat. 

So, is a Bristol without such stalwarts as Hypotheticals or Bob Wayne's flamboyant shirts still a viable proposition? I definitely think so. This year's Bristol Comic Expo struck me as a totally honest one, proud of its new position as a regional show, complete with a newer, younger and no less enthusiastic crowd.  I'm already looking forward to 2014 and rekindling my love of Bristol once more.

• For latest news on nest year's Expo bookmark www.bristolexpo.co.uk or follow them on Facebook

•  Multi award winning advertising creative Peter Rogers - http://peter-rogers.com - came to comics via a series of screenwriting courses at Raindance in London. 

He burst onto the scene in 2004, winning the Writer’s Pitching Session at the Bristol Comic Expo. In 2007 he co-founded Orang Utan Comics, publishing anthology title Eleventh Hour featuring his own short stories alongside the work of other rising talent. A year later the book was nominated for an Eagle Award. 

In the years that followed he’s had a wide variety of work published about a variety of subjects including soldiers, vampires, vikings, superheroes, footballers and demon hunters. A qualified teacher he also lectures and runs workshops on writing for comics. 

Currently working on a number of mini series proposals to be pitched to publishers later this year. He lives in Cardiff with his wife and daughter.

More Expo Reports

•  Rai at Blargle Fargle
"It was my first real con and a little bit overwhelming if I'm honest - a fairly small room with lots of people in it, though I did enjoy the cosplays dotted about..."

• Comic Bits Online 

• PCG 
"Speaking to various indie press guys and gals it also seemed that while they were enjoying the good natured socialising that accompanies every Bristol Comic Expo, their success rate at selling the fruits of their hard work was down a little on previous years, though those regular attendees with brand spanking new works on sale - Ronin Dogs creator Mark Pearce for one - reported that business had been good."

• The Adventures of ZIP
- Day One Report - Day 2


Photographs

• Tumblr Tag

• Dizzy Dee's Expo 2013 Pics (Facebook album)

• Star Wars Fun (Facebook Link)

Cooking up a treat: Busiek, Hine, Lloyd and Emerson join Lakes International Comic Art Festival line-up

Kendal's Lakes International Comic Art Festival has revealed more of the writers and artists who will be taking part in the event later this year.

The festival, which will run from 18-20 October 2013 in Kendal in Cumbria, now has a guest list running to more than 50 writers and artists from the United States, Europe, South America and the UK.

The latest guests announced by the festival again show the diversity of the medium including superheroes, comedy, adaptations of historical novels and innovative new story-telling.

American Kurt Busiek has won over two dozen industry awards for his work.  He has had runs on Avengers, Spider-Man, Superman, Conan and others, and has co-created books such as Thunderbolts and Arrowsmith.

He is best known for his work on the multiple-award-winning Astro City and Marvels.  A commercial and critical hit, Marvels tells the story of superheroes like Spider-Man and the X-Men from the point of view of an ordinary man on the street.  Stan Lee described it as 'a giant leap forward, bringing us to a new plateau in the evolution of illustrated literature'.

David Hine is a British writer who has worked with Marvel on comics such as X-Men and Spider-Man, as well as writing Batman comics for DC.  He is currently working with fellow festival guest Doug Braithwaite on Storm Dogs and has also worked on a comic adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel The Man Who Laughs, illustrated by Mark Stafford, which is published this week by SelfMadeHero.

Hunt Emerson has received several comics industry awards and in 2000 was named one of the 75 Masters of European Comics by the CNBDI, the noted French comics Academy.  He has produced witty adaptations of stories such as The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, as well as two books based on the ideas of Victorian philosopher John Ruskin. His latest book is a riotous take on Dante's Inferno.

David Lloyd, who launched a new digital comic Aces Weekly, last year, is the well-known illustrator and co-creator of V For Vendetta. He has also produced stories for the Hellblazer series, Aliens, Marlowe, War Stories, and the acclaimed crime thriller, Kickback.

Pete Doherty is an artist and colourist who is particularly known for his work on Judge Dredd.  He is currently colouring Jupiter’s Legacy, a new epic tale by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely.

Stephen Collins began cartooning for The Times in 2003, and has since won several awards, including the Jonathan Cape/Observer Graphic Short Story Prize 2010. He contributes regular comics to the Guardian Weekend and Prospect magazine. His first graphic novel The Gigantic Beard that was Evil is published by Jonathan Cape next month.

Warren and Gary Pleece’s Montague Terrace, published by Jonathan Cape last month,  is a series of surreal vignettes based in and around a decrepit London block of flats. The Observer's Rachel Cooke said the Pleece brothers' black and white drawings are 'brisk and economical, they have an energy that pulls you along. Their story gets under your skin.'

Steven Harris is a British cartoonist and writer, based in London. His first graphic novel Eustace was also published by Jonathan Cape last month.

Artist Rob Davis is best known for reinventing Roy of the Rovers and for drawing Judge Dredd. He has recently finished illustrating a second volume of Don Quixote stories, which will be published by SelfMadeHero in May.

Belgian Ivan Petrus is the author of The Nieuport Gathering, a moving historical comic book on World War One, in which a Belgian, French and English soldier meet each other on the front line, starting a friendship that will transcend life and death.

Nicola Streeten is an illustrator and the co-creator of Laydeez do Comics, a graphic novel forum with a focus on the new wave of comic work based on the drama of everyday life.  Her first graphic book, Billy, Me & You, was published by Myriad in October 2011.

Gareth Brookes is known for his unusual approach to materials, using embroidery, textiles, lino-cut print, stenciling and even pressed flowers in his work.  In 2012 he was the winner of the First Graphic Novel Competition. Myriad Editions is due to publish his book The Black Project in September 2013.

The guests who have already been announced include Ed Brubaker, Jose Munoz, Posy Simmonds, Viz creators Simon Thorp and Graham Dury, Judge Dredd creators John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, comics journalist Joe Sacco and Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard. The founder patrons of the festival are Bryan and Mary Talbot, and Sean Phillips.

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival aims to make the whole town of Kendal part of the festival, like the popular festivals on the continent in places such as Angouleme.

There will be a wide range of talks, special live drawing events, workshops, films, exhibitions and a kids’ zone.  Some of the events, including the exhibitions and the kids’ zone will also be free.

The festival's Comics Clock Tower will champion breaking talent from all styles and genres.  Many of the big name writers and artists visiting the festival will also be appearing in the Comics Clock Tower over the weekend.

Festival Director Julie Tait says: “We want to turn Kendal into a comics town for the festival weekend and we are looking forward to welcoming all the writers and artists who will be coming here from across the UK, the US and Europe.

"Whether you call them comics, graphic novels or sequential art, this is a medium that is growing in popularity, so this new festival couldn’t be starting at a better time.

"We want to give the comic fans the chance to discover something new and encourage others who think comics are just for kids to pick up a graphic novel and find out what they're missing.

"We'll be celebrating people like Kurt Busiek and David Hine who have made their names taking forward the stories of some of our most famous superheroes.  We'll also be exploring the work of the many talented young British graphic novelists who are using comic art to tell a huge range of exciting and innovative stories.”
​
More details about the new event are available at www.comicartfestival.com.  It is also possible to keep up to date with plans for the festival by following @comicartfest on Twitter or by liking the Lakes International Comic Art Festival Facebook page. Tickets will go on sale 13 May 2013.

Aces Weekly Volume 4 now online

Aces Weekly, published by David Lloyd, stuffed with creator-owned strips is now running its first week of the fourth collection of their great, exclusively digital, online comic art series which is appropriately called  - Aces Weekly Volume Four!

"It's our biggest volume yet," says David, "and with an extraordinary mix that I hope readers are all enjoying."

This Volume - which runs forseven weeks of seven issues  - contains the excellent Phoenix by Jimmy Hoxton and Guy Adams; Firehawks by the legendary Herb Trimpe; Dark Utopia by Mark Montague; and Just Force by Stephen Baskerville, amongst other beautifully-crafted pieces of the dramatic and the comedic.    

"Phoenix is the second of our contributions thus far in Aces Weekly to explore some of the possibilities of digital storytelling outside of venturing into the dismal areas of ' motion comics'", David enthuses. "What Jimmy and Guy have done with Phoenix in this volume is what Mark Wheatley and Jeff Vaughan have done in our previous volumes with Return of the Human (which is returning soon...) - i.e. use the advantage of unlimited, non-printed-page-restricted space to show the growth of a concept rather than playing with rudimentary technical trickery to elaborate and decorate!  

"We are very proud and very pleased to present the inventiveness and creativity of these excellent creators, and wish our readers great fun in seeing it all develop in front of your eyes as time passes over our period of running these excellent works.

"Aces Weekly continues to reach out into the world," David reveals. "I just came back from a trip to a comics show in Italy last weekend where the response to what we're doing in this new world of publishing on the net was warm and welcoming despite the fact that it came from an audience that was accustomed to a market of healthy and regular newstand print sales.

"Each country I visit on the quest to spread the message of what we're doing with Aces Weekly has its own history and customs, but not one of them is less than a welcoming.  Some are more open to the new than others, but none are rejecting.  And every one of them recognizes that what we are representing with Aces Weekly is the future.  I am glad to be a part of it (despite all the hard work attached to it...)"

• Subscribe to Aces Weekly here: www.acesweekly.co.uk

Photo Review: Dundee Comics Expo 2013

Saturday 30 March saw the inaugural Dundee Comics Expo at the University of Dundee. The university had been running the event that is now known as the Dundee Comics Day since 2008, a day of creator talks normally tied into an artwork exhibition plus one or two sales tables for attendees to buy books relating to the guests. It crosses the divide between a comics convention and an academic conference and is often highly social with guests chatting to the attendees in the university foyer between talks.

The Dundee Comics Expo came out of an idea the university lecturers had to run a Dundee comic mart but, with the desire to have an education element of workshops or talks, coupled with their contacts within the industry, that comic mart idea soon grew into a small convention. The university Tower Building where the Dundee Comics Day takes place provided the lecture theatre for the guest talks and the Baxter Suite (above) for workshops and sales tables, indeed they even managed to squeeze extra sales tables into the suite, more than were shown on the event’s map, without it feeling crowded.

The university’s College Hall (above and below), a bright and airy hall that was very reminiscent of the Harland and Wolff drawing offices that the RMS Titanic was designed in, and just at the rear of the Tower Building, provided the rest of the sales table space. Indeed given that so many comics conventions have their sales tables in places with no windows, the College Hall with its high ceiling and large windows was a very people friendly space.

The guests included Costa Award winners Bryan and Mary Talbot, along with artists David Lloyd, Hannah Berry, and Nigel Dobbyn, all of whom gave talks and were happy to sign books. Local creators there included Gary Erskine, Alex Ronald, Team Girl Comic, Jim Alexander and Jim Stewart all selling their wares plus DC Thomson put on a Commando display including some of the merchandise that is normally only available directly from the DC Thomson shop. Needless to say, since it was a University of Dundee event, the students of the MLitt in Comic Studies and the DJCAD Comics and Animation courses were there promoting their UniVerse titles including the new Anthology Three which was launched on the day.

The Baxter Suite area also provided a small exhibition of original artwork although I wonder how many attendees actually realised that there was original artwork on display from adventure artists like Steve Yeowell and Colin MacNeil or humour artists like Ken Reid and Dudley D Watkins as they walked into the main suite area. Above is original artwork for Faceache from a 1972 issue of Buster by the master of the humour comic strip, Ken Reid, while below is the original artwork for Oor Wullie from the 19 November 1944 edition of The Sunday Post by Dudley D Watkins, one of the finest all round comics artists the UK has ever produced.

The day ended across the road from the university in the Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) venue where the excellent Judge Minty was screened with two Judge Dredd art-droids in attendance, and was then followed by DeeCAP, a performance event for comic creators. The DCA bar also provided the main evening meeting place for those who did not rush off to see the new Doctor Who companion.

The Dundee Comics Expo had a constant stream of people throughout the day but never seemed that busy perhaps due to it being split over three areas. As the first event of its kind taking place on a cold Easter Saturday in Dundee outside of term-time it was perhaps understandable that it was not as busy as it could have been but with big name guests and completely free of charge, it deserved a bigger turn-out than it seemed to get. However that benefited those attendees that were there as no long queues for any given guest or sellers tables meant that there was time to chat to all and sundry and that it made it a laid back and friendly event.

Art-droid Alex Ronald and his new self-published title Outpost: Black Sun, a prequel to the second Outpost film, with sepia art by Alex and written by Rae Brunton and Steve Barker. There are more details of the title at Alex’s blog.

Team Girl Comic show off their latest issue, TGC 7, which is available from their website which also has the beginning of their new weekly web-comic.

Nigel Dobbyn sketches his latest creation, the children’s story book character Dave The Diver. There are more details of this and Nigel’s other work on his website.

David Lloyd promoted his on-line comic Aces Weekly with a special deal of a free sketch when people bought a subscription to volume 1 – it proved rather popular.

Jim Alexander shows off his latest title Planet Jimbot title, Amazing And Fantastic Tales, which he launched on the day. There are more details of this and his other titles on his blog.

In disguise on the Commando table, deputy editor Scott Montgomery and editor Calum Laird with some of the Commando merchandise available from the DC Thomson on-line shop.

There are more images from the Dundee Comics Expo 2013 courtesy of Joe Gordon on the Forbidden Planet International blog.

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

Free Dundee Comics Expo on 30 March

The first Dundee Comics Expo will be opening its doors to the public in two week's time at 11am on Saturday 30 March 2013 and entry to all its talks, workshops and sales rooms will be free.

Held in the University of Dundee, and building on their experience from running the annual Dundee Comics Day as part of the Dundee Literary Festival, organisers Chris Murray and Phil Vaughan have promised an impressive line-up of both guests, small press and dealers.

The full event programme is as follows:

11.00am - Doors open to public
11.30am - Sha Nazir - Workshop in Baxter Suite Foyer (Tower Building)

All following talks are in the Darcy Thompson Lecture Theatre (Tower Building)

Noon - David Lloyd (Aces Weekly, V For Vendetta)
12:30pm - Comics Studies at Dundee and UniVerse Publishing
1:30pm - Laura Sneddon
2:00pm - Hannah Berry (Britten and Brulightly, Adamtine)
2:30pm - Bryan and Mary Talbot (Dotter Of Her Father's Eyes, Grandville)
3:00pm - Nigel Dobbyn (2000AD, Beano, Transformers)
4:00pm - Doors close

The evening events at Dundee Contemporary Arts complex (a 2 minute walk from the Tower Building) are as follows:
6:00pm - Screening of Judge Minty- A Judge Dredd Fan Film
7:00pm - DeeCAP, an hour of comics, performance and entertainment hosted by Damon Herd.

Note that entry to evening events at the DCA is free but ticketed. For tickets contact the DCA box office on 01382 909 900.

There are more details and update on the Dundee Comics Expo Facebook page.

Comics and graphic novels in the Resonance FM charity auction

Resonance FM, the London based radio station which Panel Borders is broadcast from, is currently running a fundraiser that's going on until 21st February.

The Arts Council funding of the station only goes so far (and no programme makers, including Alex Fitch and Marks Pilkington and Stafford, are paid for their time in making shows), so the station has an annual fundraiser the week following Valentine's Day to raise additional cash for studio refurbishment, new equipment and so on.

Currently on offer: a Marvel Superheroes Secret Wars hardcover omnibus, in which David Lloyd has sketched The Hulk (chosen with thanks for the task, since he drew Hulk Comic back in the late 1970s):
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/a1-A-sketch-by-David-Lloyd-V-for-Vendetta

A variety of signed comics, including Batgirl and Firestorm signed by Gail Simone, America's got Powers signed by Jonathan Ross and Bryan Hitch, Bedlam signed by Frazer Irving, The Secret Service signed by Dave Gibbons and more (all in plastic frames):

Bundle 1: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/b3-Comic-book-bundle (Firestorm / America's got Powers / The Secret Service)

Bundle 2: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/b4-Signed-copy-of-issue-1-2012-of-Batgirl-comic (Batgirl / Bedlam / Black Panther / The Hunter)

John Higgins has sketched in a first edition UK TPB of Watchmen (awaiting image as the book is currently somewhere in the post between his home in Sussex and Resonance's studio in Borough)
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/b2-Paperback-1st-edition-copy-of-Watchmen-w-sketch-by-colourist-John-Higgins

An original comic book page from Shoot by Paul Trevillion (Roy of the Rovers) - www.ebay.co.uk/itm/a4-An-original-You-are-the-Ref-artwork-from-Shoot-early-1960s


Other auction items include:

A fragment of The Wicker Man - www.ebay.co.uk/itm/o2-An-original-piece-of-the-Wicker-Man

A painting by Pete Fowler (Monsterism) - www.ebay.co.uk/itm/a2-An-original-bespoke-painting-by-legendary-Monsterist-Pete-Fowler

...and loads of records, holiday experiences and weird and wonderful items; full list here: resonancefm.com/auction2013

If people would prefer just to donate a few quid via paypal, that's very much appreciated too, info here: resonancefm.com/support

Aces Weekly announces line up for next digital volume

Aces Weekly, which showcases some of the brightest new and established talent from across the globe in an exclusively digital weekly comic art magazine, begins its seven-issue, seven-week runon Monday 4th February.

Volume Three of the revolutionary digital comic art weekly created and published by David Lloyd, features a further seven-week installment of Mark Wheatley and JC Vaughan’s, fantastic Return of The Human; Roger Langridge’s Fez; Antonio Bifulco and Giuseppe Rungetti’s Warrior Exorcist; Steve Marchant's Six Minutes Past Midnight; and a hymn of hope and a very special tribute to New Yorkers from the great creator of the Third World War series Seth Tobocman – One City.

Also in the mix are Marc Hempel, Martin Griffiths, Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque and much more: even weekly issues and up to 210 pages of great serials, shortstories and extras for just over a dollar a week from www.acesweekly.co.uk

• If you'd like to know any more about any of this great stuff coming up from the title, and why they all love doing it, David Lloyd will be at Paris Manga (www.parismanga.fr) on February 9-10th with some of the Aces Weekly crew - Yishan Li, Kev Hopgood and Rory Walker - at booth 100.

They'll also be at the London Super Comic Convention, at the Excel Centre on 23rd - 24th February. (www.londonsupercomicconvention.com)

Artwork featured copyright 2013 respective creators

Radio show on 25 years of Hellblazer featuring Delano, Diggle, Lloyd and Milligan

Panel Borders - 25 years of John Constantine: Hellblazer

Panel Borders returns after the Christmas break for a new series in an earlier slot on Sunday evenings. Starting a series of shows about the 25th anniversary of the occult detective John Constantine's first appearance in his own solo comic book, Alex Fitch talks to writers Jamie Delano, Andy Diggle and Peter Milligan, and artist David Lloyd, about creating issues of Hellblazer from its first issue to the present day. 

Jamie and David discuss the early days of the comic, launched as a spin off from Alan Moore's acclaimed run on Swamp Thing while Andy and Peter talk about bringing the character into the 21st Century.

(Recorded in front of a live audience at SCI-FI-LONDON, Apollo Piccadilly Cinema, April 2011)

6pm, Sunday 13th January 2013, repeated at 4.30pm, Tuesday 15th January, Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / extended podcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Bringing V for Vendetta to the stage: an interview with Dean Thackeray

Daniel Thackeray as V. Photo: Laura Evans

V for Vendetta is writer Alan Moore and artist David Lloyd's seminal comic series from the 1980s. The story depicts a near-future police state in which a Fascist party called Norsefire hold power. It is against this backdrop that V, an anarchist revolutionary, undertakes a campaign to bring down the government.

Next week, a new stage adaptation of V for Vendetta is being performed at the Lass O'Gowrie pub in Manchester as part of Lassfest (an arts festival featuring comedy, drama and music, as well as various other cultural events). Adapted by Sean Mason (who also adapted Ballad of Halo Jones), we're delighted Matt Badham decided to find out more about this premiere of this new adaptation of this prescient tale of a struggle against oppression in the surveillance society.

In this interview, Matt talks to Daniel Thackeray, who will be portraying V in the new production.

 

Matt Badham: You've said to me that staging V for Vendetta was your idea, although it's Sean Mason who's actually written the script.

Daniel Thackeray: I decided pretty early on that I wanted to act in it, so I stepped back from the production side of things.

Sinead Parker as Evey Hammond and
Daniel Thackeray as V. Photo: Laura Evans

MB: Why do you think the comic is a good choice for a stage adaptation?

DT: We wanted a good quality follow-up to [our adaptation of] The Ballad of Halo Jones, which is also an Alan Moore property. We're on quite good terms with Alan Moore and some of the rights-holders for his various works. 

Both Halo and V have similar points to make and they were both written at roughly the same time, in the 1980s. There's criticism of consumerism, capitalism, the herd mentality of people and the way that governments can be somewhat uncaring when it comes to the needs of their citizens. It seemed logical that if people enjoyed Halo and engaged with it as a stage adaptation -- and we did get some good reviews for it and positive feedback from audiences -- they would like V for Vendetta as well. Possibly more, because I think it's arguably more relevant to our current times.

MB: What specific challenges have there been in putting V for Vendetta, a comic, on stage?

DT: V is an unusual comic in that it's actually very verbose. This is one of the reasons I thought it would be good as a stage play. It's dialogue-heavy and the art style is quite deliberately grim and gritty. That's a good stylistic choice when it comes to representing this slightly drab life that everybody is living in the comic. It's a world that can be presented quite easily on stage.

MB: I suppose the term that could be used is kitchen sink…

DT: Yes. However, one challenge was that V for Vendetta does have quite a few action sequences in it that we've had to change or remove. We've either placed those off-stage or simplified them. There's a big scene where V takes down five cops and we couldn't do it. You could do it on-stage - but you can't do it on-stage in a small space, which is what we've got to work with.

We're taking the opposite approach to the film adaptation, which I think emphasised and even extended the action sequences and turned V into an action hero. We imply that he is a capable fighter but we don't see most of the fights themselves. Instead, it's mainly his theatricality and his politics that are emphasised in our version.

V Police: Creedy (Brian Gorman), Finch (Marlon Solomon) and Stone (Michael Whittaker) Photo: Laura Evans

MB: Can you give me a specific example of your approach to the action sequences?

DT: There's a scene in the comic on a train where V appears and kills two cops and kidnaps [Norsefire propagandist] Lewis Prothero. That's totally gone. Prothero just wakes up in V's lair.

Larkhill's Dr. Surridge (Carly Tarret), Lewis Prothero (Jeremy Smith) and Bishop Lilliman (Stuart Hudson)

MB: And that works?

DT: In the comic, you have a later scene where police officers talk about what has happened and the fact that Prothero has been kidnapped. And that is actually a bit pointless because you've already seen it all. But in the play, it works well for us as a device to explain the detail of the kidnapping.

MB: Are we still going to get that sense of V as a deadly figure? As someone to be feared?

Photo: Laura Evans

DT: Yes. In the dialogue we emphasise points that are mentioned in the comic, like the fact that he kills with his bare hands. He does have a thing of using knives but there is also this detail that he will sometimes 'stab' people with his fingers, which indicates both his physical power and his terrifying determination.

MB: I suppose the police procedural elements that exist in parts of the comic are a bit of a gift in that they offer valuable opportunities for exposition.

DT: Yes. Like I said before, it is all very 'talky'. But there are some striking visuals there too, of course. Theatre needs strong imagery and V, if you get him right, provides that with his mask and the way he talks and the way he moves.

MB: Just before we finish, it's probably worth mentioning that Halo Jones is coming back to the Lass and that there will be a V for Vendetta and Ballad of Halo Jones double-bill.

DT: Yes. It will be both plays on the same day with a two-hour break so people can grab a bite to eat and mingle.

Photo: Laura Evans

MB: That seems as good a place as any to end this short chat. Thanks for your time, Dan, during what I know is a fairly frantic rehearsal period as you gear up for your first show.

DT: No worries. Thank you.

• V for Vendetta at the LassFest features V, played by Daniel Thackeray; Evey Hammond - Sinead Parker; Creedy - Brian Gorman; Finch - Marlon Solomon; Stone - Michael Whittaker; Dr. Surridge - Carly Tarret; Lewis Prothero - Jeremy Smith; and Bishop Lilliman - Stuart Hudson.

• All photos by Laura Evans

• For more on V for Vendetta and Lassfest, please go to http://lassfest.co.uk/?p=750

Creating Aces Weekly: Behind the Scenes with editor Bambos Georgiou

Interest in Aces Weekly, a new weekly digital comic conceived by David Lloyd, has accelerated now the title is up and running, with the project attracting plenty of press attention at last weekend's New York Comic Con.

downthetubes caught up with Aces Weekly editor (and comic book inker) Bambos Georgiou and creator David Lloyd to get the latest on the project.

David Lloyd

As the co-creator of V for Vendetta and creator of the graphic novel Kickback, David Lloyd should need no introduction to regular downthetubes readers. He originally trained as a commercial artist in an advertising art studio before becoming a strip cartoonist in 1977 and his numerous credits include Night Raven and Doctor Who strips for Marvel UK, Hellblazer, Slaine, War Stories, Global Frequency, Aliens, Marlowe: The Graphic Novel and much, much more. Aces Weekly is his latest project, breaking new ground in the digital comics field.

Bambos Georgiou

A comic professional for over 20 years, who has read comics since age of 5, Bambos Georgiou worked as an editor for Marvel UK and has a string of creator-owned projects to his name.

"This project is fairly unique, as it's been set up by a couple of creators to benefit their fellow creators," explains Bambos of Aces Weekly's origin.
"The whole thing was David's idea and he asked me what I thought back in October 2011. I looked at his basic premise, put in my two cents worth and we took it from there, gradually laying the ground work.

"Fairly early on, we established that it should be weekly and available on home computers as well as on an iPad."

Progenitor © 2012 Phil Hester and John McCrea

It's an ambitious project that has attracted some top line creators across the globe, including Phil Hester, John McCrea, Kyle Baker and many more. "I don't think creators will get too many opportunities like this," Bambos enthuses. "They get to keep their copyright and the majority of the revenue is paid to the creators.

"The pages are all landscape," he says of the title's format, "as Aces Weekly is tailored for the screen ratio of all digital delivery devices. We want to reach everyone - at home or anywhere else they happen to be.

"Aces Weekly is readable on both home computers and tablets," he adds. "Our web designer has made it compatible with every device. You just need an internet or wifi connection.

"We have gone for straight comics without any technological tricks such as panel to panel progressions," he expands on the project's presentation mechanic.
"David and I both wanted to just make comic strips available exclusively digitally," he adds. It's very much about the strips as opposed to any technological gimmicks.

"I believe in the comic strip medium, I don't think it needs 'improving', he expands. "If you link content with technology, like computer games, the technology moves on and your content becomes old fashioned. You can still read V For Vendetta and it's a very good (make that great) comic, but people don't play Pacman any more because it's old fashioned, the technology's moved on.

"For me, digital media is just another way of getting comic strips in front of readers. It's up to our web designers to make it work – I'm just interested in the comics!"

Talking generally about the move to digital comics, "We looked at what had been done and realised that most comic companies were merely making their print books available in digital formats as well.

"We wanted to produce something that was only available in a digital format, exclusively. To sell that to the established comic market we knew we needed names that comic fans recognised and trusted. We know they'll be taking a leap of faith, but it's a bit easier when you've got well known, popular creators providing the content."

How did were the initial creators chosen for the first issues of Aces Weekly?

"David gathered together the talent, which comes from all over the world," Bambos reveals. "He's been going to comic conventions for years and has met lots of comic creators, many of them wanted to be involved with his project.

"Once people like Kyle Baker, John McCrea, Phil Hester, Mark Wheatley, Billy Tucci, Yishan Li and Alain Mauricet were involved, I knew it had a good chance of success. That was the first wave to say they were willing to sign up, so it really was a very positive response from the start.

Legion Zero, an upcoming story for Aces Weekly. © 2012 Kev Hopgood and Ferg Handley

"We've got creators from all over the world contributing, UK, US, France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, China and the Philippines. It's a pretty incredible line up."

As to the title's planned frequency, "we're publishing Aces Weekly in volumes, seven weekly issues to each volume and a volume costs £6.99/$9.99/EU 7.99. There are two-week breaks before each new volume begins - this is to give those creators producing stories across volumes maximum time to deliver, whilst not keeping readers waiting too long for the following volume.

"Each issue has up to 30 pages of brand new comics including extras such as pencils and sketches which builds up to 210 pages per volume - a very good deal.

"In most volumes six stories are serialised through the seven issues, but in Volume 1, and other volumes coming up, we'll also be featuring self-contained three-pagers, that are previews of upcoming stories or comedies, or one-off dramas."

Paradise Mechanism © 2012 David Hitchock

The initial serialised strips are Valley Of Shadows by David Lloyd & Dave Jackson, Shoot For The Moon by Alexandre Tefenkgi & Mauricet, Return Of The Human by JC Vaughn & Mark Wheatley, Progenitor by Phil Hester and John McCrea and Paradise Mechanism by David Hitchcock.

"The self contained three pagers feature some well known characters making a welcome comeback; Combat Colin by Lew Stringer, Thrud by Carl Critchlow, Psycho Gran by David Leach and Gimbley by Phil Elliott. There are also strips by Spanish creator Esteban Hernandez and UK creator Rory Walker.

"I've teamed up with Mychailo Kazybrid to produce a three pager called Dr Queer. Mychailo and I work on the Wallace & Gromit strip which appears in the Sun newspaper."

And will any of the strips be returning in future volumes or will we see a change of line-up?

"Smash Mannix, Progenitor and Return Of The Human are all set to return," Bambos reveals."Any of the strips could make a comeback: it depends on the creators and the reader reaction, but those two strips are already booked in for future volumes. The self contained three pagers will also be appearing semi-regularly, which I think helps to break things up a bit."

Of course, despite the digital presentation of the comics, there are many who still like their comics on paper - so are there any plans for collected editions of the strips that feature in Aces Weekly?

"The title was designed to be exclusively digital, so we have absolutely no plans for print versions," says Bambos. "These creators are involved in the future of comics because the future of comics, and most media, is digital."

That digital new world remains something of an unknown and Bambos and David - and the creators - know the long term eventual success of Aces Weekly is not just down to great comic storytelling but letting people know the comic is available and encouraging subscriptions. But they also know it will be some time before they know if all the hard work they've put into the project so far has paid off for all concerned.

Art © David Lloyd

"In the direct sales market publishers and creators know how many copies they've sold three months before the comic's been printed," he acknowledges. "With digital comics it's a long term proposition, we'll still be on sale in three months or three years.

"It's down to us to get the message out there to the general market, you know the 99.99 per cent of the population that don't read comics in the UK and US. Now that's a prize worth going for and it's not going to be attained by turning a comic strip into a graphic novel and putting it into a direct sales comic shop."

Despite these unknowns, there is one positive for the creators concerned, Bambos reveals.

"The money our creators get from a single sale of Aces Weekly is greater than the royalty from most graphic novels – and that's just on 21 pages of material! "It's a sweet deal," he opines. "David and I are creators – so, as I've said many times, the whole project is geared towards the creators."

Initial reaction has been very positive, the title's creator, David Lloyd, tells us. "I had an excellent time promoting Aces Weekly at the New York Comic Convention over the weekend," he reveals. "There was no quiet moment from the beginning to the end - a dozen interviews with everyone from Canadian tv to the Wall Street Journal and including the trusty Bleeding Cool. Visitors to my table every minute were reacting with enthusiasm to my enthusing about Aces Weekly."

"Readers can subscribe now and get all the issues that have been published up to that point in our first volume," Bambos reminds us. "We're trying to make it as simple and attractive to buy the comic as possible."

• Head over to www.acesweekly.co.uk now and check it out for yourself. Issues 1 - 3 are now available!

Interview compiled with help from 'The Emperor'. Thanks to Bambos and David for their time providing this interview.