Malta Comic Con 2013 Annoounced

Malta Con organisers Wicked Comics have just announced the 2013 show will run the weekend of Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December at St. James Cavalier Valletta.

The guest list has yet to be revealed, but, says Chris Le Galle, "Fans can look forward to another killer roster of foreign creators who are not only gifted but are also really nice folks,, more local creators and locally created comics, cosplay events and competitions, gaming events and competitions, free movies and animations showing during the whole duration of the convention, impressive exhibitions and a healthy number of talks, workshops and discussion panels. There will be something for everyone!"

If you've never been to Malta Con, then check out comic creator and guest Richmond Clements review of last year's event, posted here on downthetubes back in December).

"There is a vibrant and exciting comics community in Malta," he noted. "What they need now is support to help make it grow. So, buy their comics and visit their convention! And don’t think it’s out of your price range either. It cost me less to go to Malta than to the Bristol Convention..."

Inside the Malta Comic Convention 2012 at St James Cavalier in Valletta. Photo courtesy Malta Comic Con

His enthusiasm for the event is echoed by fellow 2012 guest, legendary comic artist Herb Trimpe, whose comments suggest that while this event may be outside the UK, it's also one well worth getting to.

"I have to reiterate and say what a great time we had in Malta, and all because of your show," he enthused to the organisers. "Selling points:  great people; great location (the fort); great environment (your country, five+ stars, fantastically beautiful); hospitality tops; weather; the Med; oh, yeah, and... the food!  If I left anything out, you can add it, as we're sure it's the best of whatever. I honestly can't think of anything you could do better!”

The sun-soaked venue for Malta Comic Con. Photo courtesy Malta Comic Con

As customary, Wicked Comics have designed a number of packages for fans wishing to travel to the Malta Comic Con from abroad, which include heavily discounted accommodation rates and local transport from hotel to convention.

Similarly, Wicked Comics have a number of packages tailored for foreign creators who whish to exhibit at the Malta Comic Con including heavily discounted tables.

• Anyone wishing to know more about these packages, and local creators/retailers wishing to exhibit at the Malta Comic Con 2013 are kindly requested to email us for more details on info@maltacomic-con.com

• For more details visit: www.maltacomic-con.com

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

Paul Cornell: Hanging with the Captain

Back in 2008, during the publication run of Captain Britain and MI13 by Marvel Comics, downthetubes regular contributor and Judge Dredd: The Megazine feature writer Matt Badham conducted an interview with novelist, comics and TV writer Paul Cornell, as research material for an article about Captain Britain that subsequently appeared in the the Megazine.

Although various quotes were used in the Meg, and a highly edited version did previously appear in Tripwire, downthetubes is pleased to now present a full version of the interview, recorded during Captain Britain and MI13's run and before its cancellation.

It offers a fascinating insight into Paul's approach to writing (and indeed, re-inventing) Captain Britain for the 21st Century - while building on the work of many creators before him.

"Alan Moore and Alan Davis do loom hugely over the title," says Paul, also paying tribute to the work of original Captain Britain Weekly artist Herb Trimpe back in the 1970s, and other writers such as Dave Thorpe. "So much so that the only thing to do when I took over was to move it out of their sphere of influence, because a character that is being influenced by previous versions to an undue degree is not a living character.

"I tried to do what I think Ed Brubaker has done spectacularly on Captain America, which is to find what would work for the character now and move it out of the shadow of previous interpretations..."

• Read the interview with Paul Cornell on the main downthetubes web site