Prisoners of Time: An Interview with artist Gary Erskine

IDW's yearlong celebration of Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary Prisoners of Time features the work of many British creators, with Phillip Bond providing art on Issue 5, on sale soon. Issue 4, the Fourth Doctor issue, was drawn by Gary Erskine, with assist from Mike Collins.

Put on your scarves and munch on some jelly babies, as we talk to Gary about his work on the fan-favourite Fourth Doctor...

downthetubes: Prisoners of Time is, I believe, the first time you have drawn an official Doctor Who strip - although you were commissioned to draw some illustrations of the Fourth Doctor for Doctor Who Magazine some 20 years ago. Is he your favourite Doctor?

Gary Erskine: Technically my first Doctor was Jon Pertwee with [Sarah Jane Smith] and Planet of the Spiders but my first vivid memory was the end of that particular episode and his regeneration into Tom Baker. He made for an astounding debut and was crazy as Hell. Leela proved a very memorable companion too and their episodes remain my favourite part of childhood television.

downthetubes: Can you tell us which companions feature in the story?

Gary: My episode of Prisoners of Time features Leela [in her classic leather outfit] She was always a favourite companion and I was fortunate to meet Louise Jameson in Edinburgh around the early 1980s when she was filming The Omega Factor at Edinburgh Zoo. I was twelve years old at the time and on a school trip and she was very sweet. I had such a crush on her too and could barely speak.

downthetubes: How do you approach the thorny issue of 'capturing likeness' - always an issue with licensed series based on real actors?

Gary: I have worked on a number of comic book licenses before and the likeness capture always proves a tricky area. The main area we had to concentrate on was the balance between Tom Baker's quirky and individual appearance and the delicate beauty of Louise Jameson. Not always an easy task and there was a lot of BBC approval edits and changes over the course of producing the book. It goes with the territory of working with licenses and actor/agent approval but we were very pleased with the end result.

downthetubes: Were there any particular aspect to working on this story that proved a particular challenge (and why?)

Gary: Not really. I love Doctor Who and any opportunity to work with the characters was welcome. The Judoon make an appearance and they have proved a new favourite alien species for the series. Leela's interaction with them is particularly memorable but saying anything more would be a spoiler.

downthetubes: you've also drawn another great British SF hero, Dan Dare - are there any other British heroes you'd like to tackle given the chance?

Gary: I remember an old Sydney Jordan story called Lance MacLane which was serialised daily in the Daily Record in Scotland for years in the late 1970s to 80s. It followed on from his work on Jeff Hawke and had a European sci-fi vibe to it and I really enjoyed following it. Several artists worked on the series and would change almost daily but the stories were fun and entertaining. I would probably wish to reboot that character somehow if the opportunity arose.

downthetubes: Why do you think Doctor Who has proven such an enduring success over the past 50 years - in print as well as on TV?

Gary: Doctor Who works because it is good wholesome sci-fi with clever story-telling featuring likeable characters. It is a combination that has proved (nearly) timeless.

Everyone seems to have an affection for a particular Doctor but very much like James Bond, the overall legacy remains strong and the audience will always be there for the show (in whatever form it takes). I look forward to more.

dowthetubes: Would you like to draw a longer Doctor Who series, given chance, and which minsters would you like to feature?

Gary: Sylvester McCoy's portrayal of the Doctor always intrigued me and Ace proved herself to be a feisty companion. I would hope to work with them at some point but a longer return to Tom Baker (with either or both Leela and Sarah Jane Smith) would be a sweet opportunity. I might pester my editor Denton Tipton and the writers Scott and David Tipton later this year and see what we can come up with?

I have a wee idea of a story that could work quite well. I can say no more at the moment.

downthetubes: You have your own 'franchise' you're working on right now, The Roller Grrrls - can you tell us what that's about and your plans?

The Roller Grrrls project is something my colleague Anna Malady and I have been working on for over 18 months now by building up an audience and trust with the roller derby community to create an on-going serial featuring the girls in a local league.

Part soap opera, part sporting comic, Roller Grrrls actually references an earlier comic legacy of British comics such as Tiger, Champion, Action and other boys comics where sporting scenarios and characters were the popular focus, which featured football stories and strips like Roy of the Rovers, Hot Shot Hamish and Billy's Boots. Elsewhere there was Formula 1, wrestling, boxing, speedway and many other sporting stories. Even Action  and 2000AD gave a nod to the reading audience's interest in sport with the Harlem Heroes, Speedball and Inferno stories.

Girls comics too would feature sporting activities like hockey or netball and we are hopefully echoing that previous trend and pushing it to a new audience [both comic and roller derby fans] with Roller Grrrls. Granted, some of the themes we will be tackling involve more mature themes but the spirit of the earlier comics is still there.

I am also working up Incendiary.US which is an apocalyptic road movie (The Driving Dead?) and a horror western called Zachariah Gunn: Dakota, with colleague Dominic Regan, which references Once Upon A Time In The West and Hellboy. Both are to follow later this year after the Roller Grrrls launch in July. Stay tuned and follow them all on Facebook!

downthetubes: Above anything else, what one piece of advice would you offer aspiring comic artists?

Gary: Work hard.

• Gary Erskine's official web site is at: http://garyerskine.blogspot.co.uk/

• Print editions of the IDW Doctor Who titles are not officially on sale in the UK but you can purchase the digital editions

• Buy Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time #4 for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch

Scotch Corner Art Blog Celebrates Its 3rd Birthday

The Scotch Corner daily art blog is celebrating its third birthday and, like last year, has called on a number of guest artists to give a short holiday to the Scotch Corner regulars, artdroids Graeme Neil Reid, Gary Erskine, Simon Fraser and Alex Ronald, and artists Jon Hodgson, Andy Hepworth and Thomas Crielly.

The first guest for July is artdroid Henry Flint who provides the illustration of a 2000AD cover for the current Judge Dredd saga 'Days Of Chaos'. In addition to several images, each guest will answer a series of questions and Henry reveals that his first published work wasn't in 2000AD but actually in The Dandy where he, as a reader, sent in a picture of Deperate Dan which won him Star Letter and a jigsaw.

Further guests to come in July include Paolo Rivera, Mike Austin, Paul Bourne, Simon Gurr and INJ Culbard.

The Scotch Corner art blog is here.

Comics Creators At Hi-Ex 2012: Part 1

Having taken a lot of photos of the various creators at the Hi-Ex comics convention, which took place at the Eden Court complex in Inverness last weekend, there was never going to be enough room in the main downthetubes review of the con to include all the images. Instead we present a selection of those images of the creators along with links to their websites, blogs and/or Facebook pages. They are in no particular order, but let's start with "A" anyway.

Dr Chris Murray's distinctive shirts are now well known around comics events in Scotland and, along with fellow Dundee University lecturer Phillip Vaughan, had the Anthology One book on sale. It presents the work of the students of the 2011-2012 University of Dundee's DJCAD Comics Art and Graphic Novels module as well as the winner and runners-up of the 2011 Tartan Bucket Prize that was run as part of last year's Dundee Comics Day.

Details of ordering Anthology One by post are available by e-mailing : universecomic@gmail.com

Dr Chris Murray and Phillip Vaughan are interviewed on downthetubes here and here.

Colin MacNeil is a former student at Dundee University's Duncan of Jordanstone College Of Art And Design where Phillip Vaughan lectures and supplied the rather excellent cover for Anthology One. As can be seen here, he uses chalks on a black background for his convention sketches.

Colin MacNeil's professional website is here and his Lambiek entry is here.

Another title that Colin provided the cover for is the 2012 edition of the A5 size Doctor Who comic Doctor WTF?! Contributor James Feist (left) and editor Owen Watts were there to sell both issues of this title which chronicles short adventures of 'other' incarnations of the Doctor.

There are more details of Doctor WTF?! on the title's Facebook page.

From Doctor Who to Star Wars and Star Wars: The Clone Wars artist Tanya Roberts who has been working on the junior title for some four years now. It was good to see former Star Wars Dark Empire artist Cam Kennedy comparing notes with Tanya during the weekend and it will be intriguing to she what comes of her ideas for non-licensed work in the future.

There are more details of Tanya Roberts art on her Enolian Slave DeviantArt page.

Hi-Ex co-organiser Richmond Clements is a creator in his own right as well as being an editor for Futurequake Press. As well as writing for Strip Magazine, Rich wrote the two part Turning Tiger for Renegade Arts Entertainment which is just about to be released as a special edition graphic novel.

There are more details of Richmond Clements' writing on his blog and his FQP work of the Futurequake website.

Rich's co-creator on Turning Tiger is artist Alex Moore and she was at Hi-Ex as well showing of the new title and her small press work. Alex is currently working on The Liberty graphic novel due from Markosia.

There are more details of Alex Moore's work on her website and blog.

There are more details of Turning Tiger on the Renegade Arts website.

Writer and artist Dave Shelton's comic strip Good Dog, Bad Dog was originally published weekly in The DFC and then collected into one of the hardback DFC Library titles. New episodes are due to appear in The Phoenix, a comic that he had copies of to show prospective readers which was a good thing considering that the nearest Waitrose to the venue was 155 miles away in Edinburgh. He also had copies of his new illustrated novel A Boy And A Bear In A Boat.

There are more details of Dave Shelton's work on his blog.

Manga artists Chie Kutsuwada (left) and Inko (right) were some of the hardest working of the creators over the course of Hi-Ex's two days. Both seemed to have a never ending stream of attendees wanting their portraits drawn manga style with Inko even having Cam Kennedy sit for her.

There are more details of Chi Kutsuwada's work on her blog.

There are more details of Inko's work on her blog.

Artist Graeme Neil Reid as well as having his own blog is the founder of the Scottish daily art-blog Scotch Corner. Graeme normally does his sketches before conventions which allows him to relax more during the events, as well as using them on the two blogs and compiling them into limited edition convention sketchbooks. However as the Sqaxx Dek Thargo know that he is an artdroid, he was convinced by several Hi-Ex attendees to draw them Dredd while one little girl even managed to get him to draw her a dinosaur.

There are more details of Graeme Neil Reid's work on his website, blog and on Scotch Corner.

Artist Gary Erskine is another member of Scotch Corner as well as being Eagle Award nominated this year in the Favourite Artist: Inks category. He is also rather well known nowadays for liking girls in roller skates and is working with his wife Mhairi on the Roller Grrrls title which has manifested itself before publication with rather a lot of comic conventions now having female Roller Derby teams attending - including Hi-Ex.

There are more details of Gary Erskine's work on his blog, on Scotch Corner and on the Roller Grrrls Facebook page.


The second and final part of Comics Creators At Hi-Ex will follow soon.

The Hi-Ex website is here.

The downthetubes review of Hi-Ex 2012 is here.

Classical Comics goes Chinese!

(with thanks to Clive Bryant and Jon Haward): Classical Comics adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, is to be re-published in China by its Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, along with a number of other titles from the successful range.

First published in 2008 with art from Jon Haward and Nigel Dobbyn, the artist tells us he is "amazed and pleased" for Classical Comics.

FLTRP have produced a two-volume edition for teaching English, with one edition in simplified English and the other in Chinese Language. This allows students to use both to enjoy the story and to learn English better.

The English volume is in colour, while the Chinese volume is in black and white.

Presenting William Shakespeare's full and unabridged "Scottish play" in comic book form, the British edition was published in three formats - in original and unabridged format, and plain text and quick text editions. Set in 11th century Scotland, the story centres on Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, one of King Duncan's greatest war captains. Returning from a battle with the rebellious Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth and Banquo encounter three witches, who prophecy that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and then King - and so begins a descent into villainy, involving murder, hauntings, suicide and "walking woods".

The Classical Comics range has enjoyed plenty of deserved praise since it launched, not least from classical actor Patrick Stewart, who told publisher Clive Bryant he was "fascinated" by the publisher's approach. "I find them gripping, dramatic and, although for me the original Shakespeare is always my reason for turning to these plays, I think that what you are doing in illuminating and making perhaps more lucid, especially for young people, is clever and meaningful."

Macbeth has been Classical Comics top seller since its release, Jon tells us. "I'm very proud for the team," he says. "We all worked hard on that book."

"We're hugely excited about the publications and working with FLTRP in China," publisher Clive Bryant told downthetubes, "and it's thrilling to think that our books are not only helping with the learning of English but are also forming mental imagery of the characters and scenes within these original plays and books. The image of Macbeth drawn by Jon Haward, or Miss Havisham by John Stokes, or Frankenstein's monster by Declan are all entering the minds of Chinese readers. It's mind-blowing!"

This isn't the first foreign publishing deal for the title, either. "We have had editions of our titles published in other languages, too - Swedish, Croatian, Turkish and Portuguese, plus we've had a lot of interest from other territories that we are pursuing," says Clive.

"Macbeth sold out in Turkey in six weeks and it's now out in Sweden," adds Jon. It's going global, which is fab news, not just for us but for British talent being seen abroad. Awesome, exciting times!"

Upcoming British releases from Classical Comics include Staz Johnson's adaptation of Dracula next month, with An Inspector Calls (adapted by Jason Cobley with art by Will Volley) soon after.

Next year should see the release of Sweeney Todd (drawn by Declan Shalvey) and The Importance of Being Earnest (drawn by John Stokes, who did a wonderful job on Great Expectations), followed by Julius Caesar: Original Text, with stunning art by Sean O'Connor, inked by Gary Erskine.

• Classical Comics web site: www.classicalcomics.com

Comics Creators At The Glasgow Comic Con

The inaugural Glasgow Comic Con took place on Saturday 25 June 2011 in the Mackintosh Church Arts and Heritage Centre in Maryhill, Glasgow. The downthetubes review of the event is here but with more photos available we have decided to take a quick rundown of some of the comics creators that were at the event complete with links to their websites and blogs.


The Scotch Corner daily art blog was well represented with both Graeme Neil Reid (left) and Gary Erskine (right) behind tables while Thomas Creilly and Alex Ronald popped in during the day. Alex would go on to win the Scottish Independent Comic Book Award for Best Artists that evening for his work on the Vampire Vixens Of The Wehrmacht in Wasted.


Graeme produced sketches beforehand to sell on the day with them appearing on Scotch Corner and his own blog...


...while Gary had a stream of people watching him sketch for them throughout the day.


Other artists behind tables on the day were Jon Haward showing off his Panini/Marvel UK artwork and who, like Gary Erskine, is a Dan Dare artist...


... and Beano and Dandy artist Stevie White, or Stref, was doing humour sketches on the day as well as showing off his new anthology book Milk+.



Digital inker and colourist Jamie Grant (left) was on hand to look over people's own work as well as signing his own...


... while artist David Lloyd (left) was signing copies of his graphic novel Kickback and, remembering that he is involved in Cartoon Classroom, was also speaking to Dr Chris Murray (right) of Dundee University's Dundee Comics Day and that Masters degree in Comics Studies.


Chris is well known for his sartorial choices although Sha Nazir gave him a run for his money with this shirt on the day. Sha is the creator of Black Hearted Press' humour title Laptop Guy and was remarkably relaxed and cheerful during the convention despite being one of the organisers.


Sha's co-organiser was John Farman seen here with the cover to his forthcoming title also from Black Hearted Press, The School Of The Damned...


... while the other Black Hearted Press creator there was David Braysher creator of on-line anthology Black Hearted Love.


Other small pressers there included writer/artist Graham Pearce (left) showing off his many Sgt Mike Battle comics along with writer Daniel Clifford (right) of the anthology title Sugar Glider...


...while Ed Murphy of Rough Cut Comics had one of the most impressive of the small press displays showing off his comics The Freedom Collective, The Surgeon and Society: Party Animal as well has the impressive graphic novel Rose Black written by Tom Campbell, pencilled by Jaeson Finn and inked by Colin Barr.


Last, but by no means least, in our round-up are the Team Girl collective, including Gillian Hatcher (left) and Coleen Campbell (right). Their Team Girl Comic anthology has reached its third issue and with an exhibition at Orbital in London along with appearances at some of the London small press fairs, the team had run a free workshop and event about their work at the Glasgow venue in the run-up to the convention. We hope to hear more from Team Girl in the near future.

The Glasgow Comics Con website is here.

Scotch Corner @ Kingdom Of Adventure in July

The daily Scottish art blog Scotch Corner made up of professional artists Thomas Crielly, Gary Erskine, Simon Fraser, Andy Hepworth, Jon Hodgson, Graeme Neil Reid and Alex Ronald, is celebrating its second birthday in style by, er, taking a break. Instead of posting themselves over the course of July they will be handing the blog over to a selection of guest artists including top names such as Roger Langridge, Anton Emdin, James Ryman, Bob Eggleton, Chris Weston and Mick McMahon.

However the Scotch Corner gang are not leaving their fans high and dry as they will be appearing at the Kirkcaldy comics and RGP shop Kingdom Of Adventure on Saturday 2 July 2011 beginning at Noon for a signing and sketching session which will then be followed by the recording of a podcast. Thomas Crielly, Gary Erskine, Andy Hepworth, Jon Hodgson and Graeme Neil Reid will be there in person while Simon Fraser will be appearing via Skype.

There are more details of the event at the Scotch Corner blog and more details of the venue on the Kingdom Of Adventure website.

More comic talent joins London MCM Expo line-up

With the cream of comic book talent gathering at its famous Comic Village, the MCM Expo London Comic Con is the only place to be on 27-29 May if you’re a fan of comics, graphic novels and manga.

Over 100 top comic artists and writers are coming to the show, including a rare UK appearance by Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, The Authority, Fell); Jamie McKelelvie (The Uncanny X-Men: Heroic Age, Phonogram, Iron Man); Gary Erskine (Judge Dredd, Dan Dare, Knights Of Pengragon); Becky Cloonan (Demo, Northlanders and American Virgin) and many, many more.

Not only can you meet all the artists and writers on their stands, but the Comic Village features its own dedicated stage hosting panels from some of the comic world’s top names, giving you insights into their newest creations, offering invaluable advice and participating in audience Q&A sessions.

And that’s not all – Friday 27 May sees the MCM Expo play host to the prestigious Eagle Awards, the comic industry’s most prestigious fan-selected awards.

• For more on the Comic Village, visit www.londonexpo.com/comicvillage

• For London MCM Expo tickets please visit: www.mcmexpogroup.com/store

In Review: Kate & William - A Very Public Love Story

On the day of The Wedding it seems appropriate to review Markosia's Kate and William: A Very Public Love Story, their take on the story that will climax in Westminster Abbey round Noon today. Written by Bleeding Cool's Rich Johnston and illustrated by Mike Collins on the bride's side and Gary Erskine on the groom's side, the book version of the tale combines the two separate comics, Kate Middleton: A Very Private Princess and William Windsor: A Very Public Prince, into one double length flipbook.

It is a safe bet that you already know the plotline so suffice to say that the book takes both its hero (beginning at the "back" of the book) and heroine (beginning at the "front") from their childhoods to their appearance on the steps of Westminster Abbey as a married couple, which is shown as a centrespread in the middle of the book. Writer Johnson tells the two separate stories as snippets from their lives with Kate's in a girl's diary format and William's as newspaper style headlines. As the story reaches St Andrew's and their lives intertwine, so the two stories show some of the same incidents from both sides including the now famous fashion event with Kate in the see-through dress.

The Kate story works better, possibly because it is less familiar, but more likely because it seems to have fewer jumps in the narrative showing as it does Kate falling for William while in the William version they are apparently suddenly a couple.

It is interesting to see how the two artists deal with the similar subject matter. Collins take on the Kate story makes the characters more elegant than Erskine's more accurate style on the William story, but they are well assigned to their stories as I can't imagine the book working at all if the two had have been swapped around. Indeed the one major event that they both cannot get away from is that dress and Erskine's take is typically accurate, based on the available photos and showing what the audience saw, while Collins take is rather more glamorous and possibly more in keeping with what William thought he saw.

The book is good, not great, but good and an interesting addition to the biographical comics that are becoming more prevalent nowadays. Personally I think that my interest in it will increase in the years to come as a record of how the couple were perceived today, much in the same way that I find DC Thomson's Princess Margaret: Told In Pictures, that was issued in time for her wedding over half a century ago, fascinating as a period piece.

In the end it doesn't really matter what any reviewer says about this book. If you are already sick of hearing about the wedding then you won't be touching it with a barge pole (but still no doubt making the most of your Friday holiday) while if you are sitting in front of your TV with your union flag ready to wave as the couple recreate the book's centrespread and step out onto the Abbey steps as man and wife, you probably already have it.


• There are more details of Kate & William: A Very Public Love Story, and the two separate comics it comes from, on the Markosia website.

Panel Borders: Dan Dare in the 20th Century

Continuing Panel Borders month of shows about collectives and anthologies, the team have a recording of a panel discussion from Sci-Fi London in 2010, celebrating the continuing popularity of the iconic British Space Hero Dan Dare, whose first appearance in The Eagle was published in April 1950. Comics editor and writer John Freeman (The Science Service / Ex Astris) talks to a quartet of artists and writers who have created new adventures for the lantern jawed pilot in more recent years.

These include: Garry Leach, who drew Dan’s return to print in 2000AD, ten years after the end of the original Eagle, in the late 1970s and more recently covers for Virgin comics’ revival of the ‘Pilot of the future’ in 2008; Rian Hughes, who drew the Eagle inspired comic The Science Service in 1989 and then the Mekon’s final revenge in the Thatcherite satire Dare in the adult comics Revolver and Crisis a year later; Gary Erskine, who drew Dan Dare’s most recent official comic book adventures in the Virgin Comics periodical of the same name; and
Rod Barzilay, the then editor and one of the writers of Spaceship Away, the officially licensed Dan Dare magazine that has continued the original adventures of Spacefleet where the 1950s Eagle left off over the past decade.

This recording covers Dare's appearance in print from the 1950s to the 1980s. (Recorded and edited by Alex Fitch).

• Panel Borders: Dan Dare in the 20th Century airs at 5.00pm today on Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com

Tube Surfing: Weddings, Selling, Voting and Recovery

At the time of writing the royal wedding is less than two weeks away and Markosia's Kate and William: A Very Public Love Story written by Bleeding Cool's Rich Johnston and illustrated by Mike Collins (on the bride's side) and Gary Erskine (on the groom's side) has hit the shops. It also looks like finishing the book was not the end of wedding bells for Gary as he is now on extended leave from the Scotch Corner art blog to attend the wedding - not the one in London however but his own which is rather further away. We wish Gary and Mhairi all the best (and William and Kate as well, of course).

Staying with Scotch Corner, blog founder and artdroid Graeme Neil Reid has opened an online shop for his work. Named Original Scribbles, the shop features both artwork and and the type of sketches that Graeme features on his blog I Got No Work Done Today Because... and also sells at conventions. Artwork currently available ranges from Doctor Who to Ghostbusters and Battle Picture Weekly to Marvel superheroes. Graeme will be at the Macintosh Church on 18 June as one of very few non-Glaswegians to have a sales table at the Glasgow Comic Con, along with Gary Erskine and quite possibly the majority of the rest of the Scotch Corner artists.

Staying north of the border and with an election due just after the royal wedding writer Mark Millar has nailed his colours to the mast and unsurprisingly they are tartan. Millar is backing the Scottish National Party and endorses its leader Alex Salmond who's claim to fame (from a comics point of view) is that he has appeared in The Broons. We can only assume that Mr Salmond does not endorse 10 year old female vigilantes roaming Scottish cities.

And finally our best wishes for a speedy recovery go to Lew Stringer over at Blimey! With his work appearing in the current issues of Dandy, Toxic, BeanoMAX and Viz Lew should be recovering from a celebration rather than an illness. Thanks for the kind words mate - now hurry up and get better otherwise where are we going to read all the latest behind the scenes happenings on British humour comics?

Markosia publishes Royal Wedding tie-in comic by Johnston, Collins and Erskine

British graphic novel publisher Markosia Enterprises is proud to present to the nation a dramatic retelling of the lives of Prince William and Kate Middleton in their new graphic novel Kate & William - A Very Public Love Story.

Written by Rich Johnston, it tells the life story of the happy couple in two directions.

Mike Collins, perhaps best known for his Doctor Who and Star Trek work, tells Kate's story in the manner of a 1970's girls comic book, with some very modern touches. Each event is given added depth and resonance by the use of a fictional diary.

Meanwhile, Scottish artist Gary Erskine delivers a more bombastic story, following William from the rugby pitches of Eton to army officer training at Sandhurst before his army and RAF exploits, all the time narrated by newspaper headlines and mission briefings in a style more familiar to the army and sports comics for boys.

Markosia Enterprises say they've set out to tell the story of Prince William and Kate Middleton's romance in a very different way, offering a dramatic biography with two separate stories told from either end of the comic, coming together in the middle with a fictional look at the wedding day itself, with a kiss. How could it end any other way?

Rich Johnston, a major contributor to the comic news site Bleeding Cool, is a well-known comics industry figure, with appearances on The One Show, Channel 5 Movie Shows, and Radio 4's The Today Programme. His previous work, The Flying Friar and Watchmensch received rave reviews, as did his stint on IDW's US Doctor Who comics.

"I suggested the idea to the publisher on Instant Messaging," says Rich Johnston, who tells us the biggest challenge for him in doing this book was "taking out books about the royal couple from the library while still appearing to be male."

A panel from Mike Collins
Kate Middleton story

"Gary Erskine suggested me to Harry as a good 'girl' artist," says Mike Collins, who has been illustrating comics and working as a graphic designer for over 25 years and whose adaptation of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol selected as one of the top ten graphic novels back in 2008 by The Sunday Times. "Rather than take that as some kind of Alpha Male challenge, I ran with it, embracing my inner Jackie!

"The biggest challenge on this job for me was realising that these are real people, not actors playing roles."

"Harry Markos called me last year and said that he had a special project in the offering and asked me if I was interested," says Gary Erskine, who has been illustrating comic books for 18 years of his role. "Rich had recommended me as a perfect choice for a 'real book about real people' and felt it played to my strengths (or lack of superhero strength?) It also needed to be grounded visually and my realistic work had helped secure the job! It certainly was an offer I couldn't refuse."

"Thankfully I was given the opportunity to work on the William book (leaving the lovely Kate Middleton in Mike Collins more sympathetic artistic hands) My approach was more of a Boys' Own adventure book to compliment Mike's Mandy girl comic style for Kate."

"The biggest challenge for me on this was trying to remain respectful to the subject matter but still producing a good looking book," he adds.

In addition to his comics work, Gary has contributed character designs and storyboards for television, commercials and games development, working with various companies including DC, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse, Virgin Comics and Titan Books and, like Mike, is used to working with licensed properties and ensuring he's delivered an accurate likeness, but feels that when you're dealing with real people as opposed to licensed characters or even actors there is also a responsibility to portray them well.

"Having dealt with licensed properties (and actor and agent approvals) it is always better to flatter the principals," he feels. "Both Mike and I will be honest to a degree, but never cruel.

"Besides, the two books are basically romances and that will be our primary focus for the art.

"This book is a celebration of Kate and William's lives leading up to their engagement and we have tried to remember that. We'll leave the salacious gossip and snooping to the red tops and celebrity rags.

"I'm not really a Royalist but I respect what they do to promote the country abroad and welcome their charitable work. William's continuation of his mother's landmine work is particularly admirable."

A panel from Gary Erskine's story

How do the creators think it will be received? "With cynicism, suspicion and mockery," feels Rich, until they start reading it."

"I think we've got real cross-over potential with this," feels Mike, "getting comics into the hands of an audience that has neglected the medium, maybe has never read a comic. Whether we're just the four-colour equivalent of a decorative plate, we'll see."

"There will no doubt be cynical naysayers and public sniping for our books from certain comic buyers and parts of the general public," Gary feels, "but to be honest... there's enough of that crap around anyways. We're producing a celebratory edition and would hope that most readers will see past their own personal cynicism and enjoy the book for what it is. There's darker books out there if that's their choice.

"We would only hope that we got it right and it is found to be popular and welcomed everywhere.

"I think Rich has done a great job with the script," he adds, "balancing the very public perception of William and allowing for a little creative license. It's always a delicate matter when dealing with real people and the obvious sensitivities that come with their history. He has written a very good script for all that and I am delighted to be working with him on the story."

But what does the man who greenlit the project feel about it - publisher Harry Markos?

"How do I feel? Well, I am about as excited about a book as I have ever been as a publisher,' he told us, "recognising the possibilities and success that it could have. The response we have had from all over the world has been overwhelming, it hasn't stopped!

"Put simply, if we are able to negotiate viable terms this could be one of the best selling graphic novels in the UK in years," he continues, "so you can imagine I am somewhat nervous as well as excited!"

Asked if they would be doing more royal projects in future if  the graphic novel is a success, Mike is cautious but hopeful.

"When Rich and Harry came up with this project, I think they both understood this was one of those zeitgeist moments," he says. "With all the other misery and bleakness in the world here was a shiny, upbeat tale. It's a love story, it's corny but that's that. Whether that moment comes again, I really don't know."

"Maybe when it's time for their eldest to get married!" says Rich.

"Are you suggesting a Royal Markosia imprint? Great idea!," Gary says, laughing. "We could create our own universe and run with that on a monthly series. The Windsor's are basically a large family with constitutional powers and plenty of history and constant interest to the public. All we need is to spandex them!

"Seriously, this is a one-off special project. Harry and Rich saw an opportunity and grasped it. Very much of the moment. There may well be similar books in the future but I don’t see it becoming a staple for the current market."

"We have discussed the possibility of releasing other books that are more suitable for a wider audience," hints Harry Markos, "as opposed to the more niche comic market, and we are not letting anyone know in advance what they are!

"What I can assure you is that they will be tastefully produced by quality creators for as large an audience as possible, so watch this space..."

• Kate And William: A Very Public Love Story will be sold in bookshops, select comic stores, supermarkets and all good outlets from April 2nd.



• Order Kate & William - A Very Public Love Story from amazon.co.uk


Order Kate & William - A Very Public Love Story from amazon.com

• Markosia Enterprises: www.markosia.com

• Mike Collins Official Site


• Gary Erskine Official Site and Blog