Vanguard 2 anthology now online for free

The second issue of the UK indie anthology comic Vanguard is on sale now, continuing the stories that began in issue 1.

As before, art duties on the International Woman of Mystery tale "Atomic Call" are by David Blankley, while Louis Carter continues to produce some brilliantly bizarre artwork on the sci-fi, fantasy epic Halo and the Gryphon. This issue's violent installment of 1800's When Good Donkey's Go Bad tale "Mammoth-Jack" features a change of artist however, as El Chivo takes over pencilling duties from Owen Watts. (However, Watts is still on board providing some fantastic lettering work for the six page tale...and that's not his only contribution to this issue).

Apart from this there is another Tucker story, featuring glorious, blood-soaked, full colour artwork by Bhuna.

"This tale features a change of direction for the psychopathic character originally created for Hallowscream," says editor Dirk van Dom, "bringing a fantasy-based twist to proceedings in order to 'lighten' the serial-slashing tone somewhat.

"I've also got another two wonderful pages of art featuring the comic's fictional editor 'Redbats' by David Withers, who also provides lettering for two of the strips herein. And, of course, it would be remiss of me not to mention that lettering master Jim Campbell has also deigned to grace us with his presence lettering David Blankley's noir-tastic Atomic Call pages.

Vanguard is 24 pages of cover to cover action, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, alien creatures, ass-kicking babes, angry donkeys, demons and deceased serial killers. You can read it for free online - just make your way here and enjoy the comic, but be sure to leave some comments in return.

If you enjoy Issue 2, then you might want to buy Issue 1. "Only issue 2 is available to view," says Dirk. "I didn't think it would be fair to those who purchased a copy of issue 1 to then make it available for free, so I haven't done so."

Of course, you might still want to buy a print copy of Issue 2 - and that's avialable too and comes with free gifts, including a copy of "Speed Date", a 16-page full-colour A5 comic that collects together both parts of slaser-serial killer story "Speed Date", which originally appeared in Hallowscream's 2010 and 2011 issues. Art on part 1 is by Ghostpockets and on part 2 by Bhuna.

You'll also receive a set of four, full-colour, gloss laminated artcards featuring art by some of the comic's contributors. There's an unlettered version of Liam Byrne's groovy issue 1 cover art, an unlettered version of David Blankley's issue 2 cover and brand new images by Owen Watts and Louis Carter, featuring 'Mammoth-Jack' and 'Halo and the Gryphon' respectively.

If you would like to support us by purchasing a copy, you can order via paypal at the below rates:

For ROI orders, the cost is 3.35 Euros, including p&p.
For NI orders, the cost is 3.00 Sterling, including p&p.
For UK orders, the cost is 3.75 Sterling, including p&p.

Payments should be made to vanguardcomic@gmail.com.

• There are also copies of the comic on sale in Sub City, Exchequer Street, if anybody Dublin-based wants to check that out.

Paragon Issue 9 now on sale

The enthusiastic creative team producing the indie title Paragon have a new issue on sale,  available from lulu.com for only 99p.

Paper copies are also available from there for those outside the UK, and for those within these shores, click on the image to the right to order through Paypal for £3.50 (this will save on P&P costs but take a little longer to arrive).

Edited by Davey Candlish, strips include Jikan: Caves of Death, by Matthew McLaughlin and James Corcoran (lettering by the legend that is Jim Campbell); No Compromise by Alan Holloway and Davey Candlish; Rise of the Mekko-Sapiens by Matthew McLaughlin, art by Louis Carter and lettered by Dave Withers; and Icarus Dangerous Part 3 by Dirk Van Dom, art by Stephen Prestwood, also lettered by Jim Campbell.

If you've not read Paragon, then for a limited time the team are offerin g a package deal on back issues - so if you want to get your hands on issues 2, 3, 4 and 6 for only £3, nip over to the paragon comic blog now for details: http://paragoncomic.blogspot.com

British indie comic anthology Vanguard debuts

Comic creator Dirk van Dom and a few others from the 2000 AD forums have put together their own anthology title - Vanguard - and issue 1 is now on sale.

Vanguard features four (would be) on-going serials, written by Dirk and illustrated by some of the best talent working in the UK small press arena.

The title follows the 2000 AD formula of offering a varied menu of tales, and will hopefully feature something for everyone, with sci-fi action and butt-kicking heroines, fantasy adventure featuring Gryphons and Smoke Angels, a modern-day supernatural mystery thriller featuring a cast of cursed, tragic heroes with strange abilities -- and a retro-style "animals on the rampage" tale starring one very angry donkey!

As well as Dirk, other creators involved in the new book include David Blankley, Louis Carter, Brigonas Mac Giolla Chomhaill, Owen Watts and Liam Byrne, who provided the cover.

"My collaborators on this project have put their all into turning in some fantastic-looking pages and the whole thing sits together really well," says Dirk. "With this first issue, our small-press adventure is off to a fine beginning, and I can promise that it will only get better from here.

"The first issue of Vanguard is very much an experiment, to test the waters and get some feedback on the stories, see what works and what doesn't. The aim is to produce a regular - if infrequent! - comic that will develop the stories and characters within and allow them to reach their natural conclusions.

"The plan is that there will be two issues of Vanguard published each year, probably Summer and Winter editions, though how feasible/workable this is all remains to be seen... Issue 2 is certainly going to happen by the end of the year."

• For more information and how to order visit: http://vanguardcomic.blogspot.com/