Paragon 13 - pulp action adventure from cover to cover!

Issue 13 of the long running acclaimed British anthology comic Paragon is on sale now.

With a great cover by Bhuna, read Oor Ganesh - the Hindu god (as if drawn by Dudley Watkins!); the further adventures of Jikan - the time travelling demon hunter by Chris Cronin and Dave Candlish; two Spencer Nero stories by Greg Meldrum, one drawn by and Bhuna and the other by James Corcoran - the pulp British adventurer with secrets behind his mask; The Anti Social Network by Tim West and Dave Candlish - a one-off story; and Icarus (part 7) by Dirk Van Dom and Stephen Prestwood - the boy who fell to Earth and was rescued by Aliens!

• Paragon 13 is available from Lulu.com here

Paragon back with twelfth jam-packed issue

Issue 12 of the long running indie British anthology comic Paragon is on sale now from lulu.com and sees the return of Jikan the time-travelling, demon-hunting Japanese warrior Dirk Van Dom and El Chivo, along with Li'l Ganesh and his li'l monkey chum, Hanuman by Dave
Candlish and Jim Cameron.

Not to mention the plucky British Tommy, Ginger Perkins by Jim Cameron. or the pulp adventurer Spencer Nero (Script by Greg Meldrum, Pencils by Tom Newell and inks by Dave Candlish) and part six of Icarus Dangerous.

The issue, which features some great looking and often funny strips, is available in print or online.

• Paragon #12 e-edition on lulu.com (download immediately)

• Paragon #12 Print edition on lulu.com

Zombies invade Paragon comic!

Behind this fantastic cover for the latest by edition of indie comic Paragon by El Chivo and Matt Soffe are 32 A4 pages of some the world's most wonderfully weird heroes!

Issue 11 includes:

• El Bigote by Locustsofdeath, El Chivo and Bolt-01 
You’re South of the Border now, the border between Life and the Afterlife. Welcome to Undead Mexico, where El Dia De Los Muertos never ends… Living dead banditos and ghoulish conquistadores, cannibalistic muertoads and spectral sessquatches prowl Mexico’s haunted prairies – and it’s up to Undead Mexican Mustache-Quillslinger El Bigote to put them back in their tequila worm-infested graves!

• Spencer Nero, written by Greg Meldrum with pencils by Mike Kennedy, inks by daveycandlish and letters by John Caliber
There's alchemical athletics, competitive cantrips and transcendental track-and-field in this issue's 'Spencer Nero', as our pulp hero goes for gold at the Berlin Olympics! Can he keep his shorts on and foil a nefarious Nazi plot?

• Ginger Perkins by Jim Cameron 
In which the plucky World War Two Tommy finds himself in the desert looking for the secret of eternal life!

• Icarus Dangerous by Dirk Van Dom, Stephen Prestwood and Dan Bell 
Following his plunge into the murky depths after 'flying too close to the sun', reckless Greek teen Icarus is rescued from his watery grave by Meriope, an alien female who saves his life and bestows his damaged wings with magical properties. When she is subsequently captured and drawn aboard a submersed alien vessel, Icarus gives chase in an attempt to return the favour, soon finding himself millions of light years from home in an alien galaxy.
Freeing Meriope from her captors, the Bonemen, Icarus learns she is an Artist with the ability - via a special brush and a substance called Mythica - to 're-draw' living beings in a form of her choosing, transforming them into Mythicals. Icarus unwittingly frees a number of these creations - also retrieved from Greece by the Bonemen - little realising he, himself, is now one of them.
Confronting Dax, leader of the Bonemen, Meriope learns the reason she has been captured is not to stand trial for a past indiscretion, as she believed, but to save her universe from destruction. And Icarus is going to have to help her?!

• Paragon Issue 11 - only £2.50, print edition available by Paypal payment; and for all you young dudes who like techno-comics you can download an e-version for only 99p at www.lulu.com/spotlight/PARAGONcomic (anyone outside the UK who wants a paper copy can buy one here too) 

Special offer! Anyone who buys a paper copy via the paypal link gets their own cut-out-and-wear El Bigote facial hair!

Paragon team release new Jikan collection

Indie comic creator Davey Candlish has announced the release of a second volume of Jikan stories, a character featured in Paragon comic.

"It looks even better than Book One (as if that's possible!)," he enthuses.

Featuring nearly 90 pages of time travelling, demon hunting samurai action featuring some of the best small press talent around for only £5, if includes scripts by Dirk Van Dom, Matt McLaughlin, Chris Cronin and Mark Howard and the artistic talents of El Chivo, Chris Askham, Dustin Parr and Davey Candlish.

• Buy it from lulu.com here

• More about Paragon comic: http://paragoncomic.blogspot.co.uk

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

Vatican hitman, Japanese warriors and more in Paragon 8

Issue 8 of the indie comic anthology Paragon is just out featuring a complete 15 page adventure starring the time-travelling demon-hunting Japanese warrior Jikan, ending the current story arc written by The Legendary Shark and drawn by Davey Candlish.

Also in the issue is the second episode of Icarus Dangerous by Dirk Van Dom and Stephen Prestwood - Icarus didn't plunge to his doom but was rescued and now finds himself trapped on an alien spaceship... and just who is Meriope?

James Corcoran takes over on art for G127 this issue as the action hots up in Rise of the Mekkosapiens, written by Locust of Death.

Finally, there's the long awaited finale to Undertow - the Vatican hitman is determined to kill the goblin Messiah - but the underworld aren't finished yet... This is the last chapter of a weird and wonderful tale by the regular team of The Emperor and Davey Candlish.

All wrapped up in a time warping Jikan cover by Chris Askham, it's the biggest issue yet at 36 pages!

- All for only £3.50, available via paypal through http://paragoncomic.blogspot.com, or for non-UK residents, through http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/paragon-issue-8/10996406 (from where you can also buy a PDF version for those who prefer to read on a tablet)

Icarus flies into Paragon 7, out now

The latest issue of British indie title Paragon is out now - so here's a chance to find out why it has been nominated for an Eagle award as best British black and white comic book by buying the latest issue.

With a full colour cover by the fantastic Matt Soffe, publisher Davey Candlish tells us this issue makes a great jumping on point for those who want to see what all the fuss is about, as it includes two new stories.

What if Icarus hadn't plunged to his doom as his wings melted? Read his further adventures in Icarus Dangerous by Dirk Van Dom, Stephen Prestwood and Jim Campbell

Plus there's Rise of the MekkoSapiens... in which the question asked is - is G127 a robot? Human? Both? Does G127 even know? By Matthew McLaughlin, Dave Candlish and Matt Brown.

Alongside these new tales there's the terrific Jikan (by Mark Howard, El Chivo and Matt Brown), in a a double length 16-page complete adventure starring the time-travelling, demon-hunting Japanese warrior.

• Paragon #7 is on sale in print for £1.50 direct from the Paragon blog site - or as a digital edition via Lulu for just 99p

• Current Jikan scribe Mark Howard is auctioning off some original Jikan art for charity, namely to help those affected by the Japanese tsunami, and wrote a four page script for the occasion. More info here at http://genreforjapan.wordpress.com

In Review: Paragon Issue 6

The latest issue of indie comic zine Paragon is out now, an anthology title featuring the work of creators Mark Howard, Dave Candlish, the Emperor and Stephen Prestwood.

There's also a fab 'guest pin up - a gruesome demon by artist Matt Soffe which will feature in the title's 'Jikan' strip in a future issue.

The range of strips has dropped again - just three strips, as opposed to Issue 5 - but once again, 'Battle Ganesh' is my favourite art-wise, a fun modern re-telling of Indian mythology.

Script-wise, I'd argue Mark Howard's 'Jikan' is the best of the title, and Dave Candlish's clean line is rapidly gaining confidence. His storytelling still needs work - key moments could be better served by more energy and action, and but it's a distinctive strip and shows promise, if he develops his limited backgrounds.

All in all, Paragon continues to display an enthused energy and the creators all show promise. Check out the title's blog or track it down at the Smallzone stand at the next big comics event.

• Copies will be available from http://paragoncomic.blogspot.com/ to order any day now. You can also check out the ongoing adventures of 'Jikan' as a three frame web comic there


• Read our review of Paragon #5

• Read our review of Paragon #4

In Review: Paragon 5

The latest issue of UK indie title Paragon, Issue 5, edited by Dave Candlish is out now.

Featuring the work of artist Stephen Prestwood and writers Dave Candlish (who also provies some art) and The Emperor, with additional contributions from Steven Denton, it's not quite got the variety of Paragon 4 but it still has the energy and exuberance of past issues.

Highlights for me are the ongoing modern re-telling of Hindi legend, Battle Ganesh, and an "Oor Wullie" parody featuring the same character. The Emperor's slick scripting on the main Battle Ganesh story for the issue kicks the proverbial out of the interminable version of the Hanuman myth I recently had to read as part of my day job formatting Indian comics for mobile.

As ever with anthologies, some strips miss the spot for me, let down by disappointing art - although the writing throughout has plenty of promise. One strip that definitely caught my eye was "Julian Ruby", an intriguing tale that has plenty of promise, although for an irregular magazine it could perhaps have moved along a little faster - but there's lots set up for next issue, so we'll see how this one pans out.

Paragon again has the same rough edges I mentioned last time, but it's well worth tracking down for the Battle Ganesh story alone. This is British small press well worth your support.

• Paragon Issue 5 is available for a cheque for £3 sent to Dave Candlish, 5 Cedarway, Whitehills Tyne& Wear, NE10 8LD. Or for more information and to order by PayPal visit the official Paragon blog: www.paragoncomic.blogspot.com


• In Review: Paragon 4

In Review: Paragon 4

Just released is UK indie title Paragon 4, edited by Dave Candish, a 32-page anthology comic featuring the work of Stephen Prestwood, Dave and Alan Candlish, The Emperor, Terry Wilkinson and Paul Harrison-Davies.

It's an eclectic mix, with "We're on Our Way to Wembley", a humourous "soap-styled" strip drawn by Dave Candish, set in a club bar as six Geordie football fans prepare to head off a major match, rubbing shoulders with a fun update of Indian legend, "Battle Ganesh", drawn by Prestwood. The issue rounds out with "Undertow Part 2", again by Candlish, drawn in style that reminds me of Rian Hughes' work posing the question: just how do you kill a man who is already dead?

Combining a soap opera-styled strip with all-out action, followed by a strip that evokes memories of Twin Peaks (particularly the odd-looking dwarf that turns up) and Alias is the kind of thing only an indie publisher would risk. Of the three, Battle Ganesh, up against some nasty-lookig crab men, is the most 'mainstream' and seems to have proven the most popular strip if the Paragon web site is anything to go by. (I loved this interchange as elephantine-looking Ganesh more human-looking parents arrive: "They don't look very trunky"; "Long story. I had an accident as a baby". That's one way of condesning a massive part of Indian mythology!). "Battle Ganesh" makes mincemeat of the more po-face approach to Indian myth taken by defunct Virgin Comics, and definitely has none of the worthy look and feel of Indian publisher Raj Comics adaptations of the stories!

Art-wise, "Battle Ganesh" by Prestwood (creator of "Hardboiled Hitler", which featured in Violent! Comic) is the most pleasing on the eye: I enjoyed Candish's simpler line and storytelling style on "We're on Our Way to Wembley", but I think he's still developing this style, but I don't think it will have as wide an appeal.

The issue features a fab Battle Ganesh cover, drawn by Dave and coloured by Steven Denton (better known for his work for Massacre for Boys and Futurequake) and also includes an article on forgotten hero, actor Buster Crabbe (the original Flash Gordon) and two ace pin-ups by Paul Harrison Davies, of which his Peter Cushing is my favourite.

If there are rough edges to the issue, they come in the editing of the article about Buster Crabbe, which could have done with another sub, but any comic that features Paul Harrison-Davies is all right by me!

• Paragon Issue 4 is available for a cheque for £3 sent to Dave Candlish, 5 Cedarway, Whitehills Tyne& Wear, NE10 8LD - or you can pay by PayPal.

• Read and interview with Steven Denton