Comic Expo Countdown...

There’s just one week to go until the 2009 Bristol International Comic Expo (featuring the Small Press Expo) at the Ramada Plaza Hotel on 9th and 10th May 2009 (and Mercure Holland House Hotel (Sat 9th only) and whilst the full allocation of two-day tickets are long gone, a very limited number of other tickets: SPExpo-only tickets for Saturday 9th, and ComicExpo-only tickets for Sunday 10th can be obtained from the relevant websites.

The organisers stress these extra tickets are strictly limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis – it's possible that a few will be available on the door at one or other event, but it’s recommended to reserve your ticket online to be safe and avoid disappointment on the day.

The websites listed below also contain full panel, signing and exhibitor details, but here’s an update on the very latest news from a number of attendees:

Factor Fiction will be selling the 10th Anniversary issue of Violent!, which was originally launched by Mike Sivier at the Bristol Comics Festival in 1999. They will also have the latest issue of The Girly Comic, featuring not one, but two Terry Wiley strips, including his new series Verity. The issue also includes regular strip Space Girl and brand new Lee Kennedy strips.

If you haven't already picked one up then don't miss out on your chance to pick up a copy of The Girly Book Volume 1, which collects strips from the first nine issues. It's a lovely hardback edition and a "very reasonable price of £15" according to the review on the Forbidden Planet International blog. For newcomers to The Girly Comic, the publishers will have bargain packs featuring early issues of the comic.

Classics Illustrated (www.classicsillustrated.co.uk) will bring their latest pair of titles – Jungle Book and Goldilocks – to the show, as well as having great show-only offers on all of their books – check their website out for full details of all titles available in the series so far.

Self Made Hero will be bringing Emma Vieceli and Ilya to Bristol for signings of special advance copies of their latest Manga Shakespeare books (Much Ado About Nothing and King Lear respectively). Rob Deas will also be in attendance on Saturday to sign copies of his Macbeth book. They will also be bringing Ian Edginton and INJ Culbard along for a special Sherlock Holmes panel and signing.

Insomnia Publications will be bringing the third volume of their anthology series, Layer Zero (cover by Scott James, colours by Jason Millet, above). Choices features work from an incredible range of new talent alondside experienced professionals from the world of comics (with work under their belts for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image, Calibre, Heavy Metal, 2000AD, to name a few) and some bold individuals experimenting with crossing over from other creative fields such as journalism, animation, screenwriting, sculpture, fine art and graphic design.

(Talking of Insomnia, the creators of their new book CancerTown, just reviewed by Geek Syndicate, have just been interviewed by JazmaOnline, so you can read more about what on earth they thought they were doing in creating this monster: Cy Dethan Interview here,
artist Stephen Downey interview here, while another of their creators, Simon MILK Wyatt is interviewed by Jazma here).

Finally, May 2009 and the Bristol Expo sees the release of Fetishman issue 9 'Space!', a rude rollicking romp across the final frontier and beyond decency!

• For SP Expo Tickets and Info see: www.spexpo.co.uk • For ComicExpo Sunday tickets only and info see: www.fantasyevents.org

Factor Fiction on Facebook

Factor Fiction, the publishing brainchild of Jay Eales and Selina Lock, now has a Facebook group. Check it out here if you're a Facebook member

As previously reported, Factor Fiction's The Girly Comic and Violent! are now webcomics.

Both web comics will debut new strips, threaded alongside their ongoing project to put the entire Factor Fiction strip archive online.

Check them out at: factorfictionpress.co.uk/webcomic/

VIOLENT! Gets Virtual - and Girly Goes Global

This Saturday (22nd March 2008) sees the official launch of British indie press publisher Factor Fiction's The Girly Comic and Violent! titles as webcomics (factorfictionpress.co.uk).

To celebrate the launch, a brand new full colour comic strip Sisters of the Head will start on The Girly Comic site on Saturday. It has been written by Doctor Who novelist Daniel O'Mahony and illustrated by small press supremo Terry “Sleaze Castle” Wiley.

Factor Fiction will also be visiting The London Underground Comics Camden Market Stall, and The UK Web & Mini Comix Thing to promote the new site.

Both webcomics will debut new strips, threaded alongside our ongoing project to put the entire Factor Fiction strip archive online.

"Going online will enable us to continue our mission to bring new and established comic creators to a wider audience," explain publishers Jay Eales and Selina Lock.

"For those who have never picked up a copy of Violent!, you'll be able to read serials such as The Flatworm, Spare Parts, MageWorks and Knuckles from the beginning. Plus, we're featuring a brand new four panel strip series: The Silent Service by Jay Eales and Paul McCaffrey."

UK Small press and Girly Comic fans will be aware that all sixteen print issues of The Girly Comic include work by autobiographical comic goddess Lee Kennedy, and Jay and Selina are very proud to be compiling an online archive of her work as part of The Girly Comic website.

"We're also excited to announce that over the coming months we'll be making all the Oddcases strips by Alistair Pulling & Bevis Musson available on The Girly Comic site. This will not only be the stories published in the comics, but also the early uncollected Oddcases strips, and hopefully some new ones."

Fans of print comics shouldn't worry - Factor Fiction has no plans to go completely digital. As part of the publishers overall plan they'll be producing book collections, including The Girly Comic Book, an as-yet unnamed Lee Kennedy Collection and compilations of the new strips featured on the sites. In the meantime, you can still buy copies of issues 1-16 of The Girly Comic and 1-13 of Violent! from the online store.