STRIP Magazine Issue 2 on sale for IPad now, print edition in newsagents tomorrow

Slightly ahead of its print release, the digital edition of STRIP: The Adventure Comics Magazine #2 is now on sale for iPad in the iTunes store.

The print edition goes on sale in newsagents across the UK from tomorrow (Friday).

Wrapped in a Crucible-inspired cover by Benard Kolle (colour by Sebastian Cheng), the second stunning issue of Britain’s newest action adventure anthology includes strips from John McCrea, Stephen Downey, John Freeman, Smuzz and more.

• BLACK OPS EXTREME (written by Richmond Clements, art by Stephen Downey) The anti-terrorist team run into trouble in the American Bayou – with survivalists and an angry alligator!

• WARPAINT (by Phil Hester and John McCrea) Re-told from the very beginning - Mia learns more about an ancient war between gods!

• CRUCIBLE (by John Freeman and Smuzz) Trouble on the streets when our adventurers set out to recover a mysterious artifact sought by the Temple of Orlyth!

• OPERATION INFERNO (by Richmond Clements and Nick Dyer) Steampunk spy Ryuu heads to Paris as the British Empire faces a deadly new peril from a dangerous rogue scientist!

• DENIZENS (by Miljenko Horvatic and Maxim Simic) Modern civilisation has been wiped out and the world is a greener, deadlier place...

Plus: KING COBRA SECRETS REVEALED – a special guide to the new incarnation of King Cobra, a hero who first appeared in DC Thomson’s Hotspur! KING COBRA MINI POSTER by Wamberto Nicomedes; and an interview with author Benjamin Read, writer of the highly acclaimed new graphic novel fairy tale, Porcelain!

• Buy the digital edition of STRIP: The Adventure Comics Magazine from the iTunes store (iPad only)

'Creator Owned Day' Challenge Returns Next Week

The Troll of Tower Bridge, Stephen Downey's 2012 entry for 'Creator Owned Day Challenge' © Stephen Downey. More info on the Troll here

You might remember that last March, artist Stephen Downey and others came up with the 'Creator Owned Day' Challenge, where comic creators would create a wholly new, creator owned concept and post it on their blogs, Twitter etc.

The Challenge ended up a trending topic on Twitter (and indeed, has its own Twitter account), with lots of artists and writers taking part, readers celebrating their favourite creator owned books and, people like Steve Niles and Jimmy Palmiotti using the event to announce their Creator Owned Heroes book.

The challenge is running again next Tuesday, 5th March and we're more than happy to help spread the word about it and circulate the Challenge details, which are as follows...

Create a sketch of an original character or concept and and post it on your Blog, Twitter etc on Tuesday 5th March. It should be a concept completely owned by the artist (or co-owned with the writer/collaborators permission to post).

Why? A number of reasons:

1. A lot of reader and creator focus is on characters owned by larger corporations. Let's bring a little spotlight on creating brand new, creator owned concepts.
2. Bringing a little awareness to the business side of co-creating original content. Take a look at Jeff Parker's 2012 article on co-creation and follow up comments on the subject. Co-creators can take this opportunity as a little trial run, just make sure to have a mutual agreement in advance.
3. Fun! A few creators discussed the idea on Twitter and thought it was a great opportunity to create something entirely new, while bringing attention to these sketches. 

The details:

1. Create an sketch of a new character/character you own. The creators who set this up are doing this primarily to get their imaginations - and all other creators running, so a concept specifically created for Creator Owned Day is probably ideal.
2. It should NOT be a character owned by either a company eg. Marvel's Wolverine, OR owned by other creators e.g. Todd McFarlane's Spawn. It also shouldn't take distinct features from characters owned by others e.g. Wolverspawn You must own the character.
3. Post it on your blog, or Facebook, Twitter etc.
4. Share your post using the Twitter hashtag #CreatorOwnedDay.
5. Help spread the word by retweeting your favourite new characters.

• You can follow Creator Owned Day on Twitter or Stephen Downey's own account on Twitter to see retweets of the best from the day. Here's more info on Stephen's creation from last year, the Troll of Tower Bridge, if you need a little inspiration.
• More details are on Stephen's blog: www.stephendowneygallery.com/2013/02/creator-owned-day-2013.html

Atomic Diner prep lauch of 'Noe the Savage Boy'

Atomic Diner will be hosting a launch of their new book Noe The Savage Boy #1 in Forbidden Planet Belfast on Saturday February 9th from 1.00 to 3.00pm.

On hand will be the title's creators - Rob Curley (plot) Malachy Coney (script) and Stephen Downey (art) - and copies of the comic on sale will feature a Forbidden Planet Belfast Exclusive Cover.

Noe’s story begins in the village of Baltimore, Cork in 1631 in which the entire community is kidnaped by Barbary pirates and brought to Africa as slaves. Noe’s faith lies in the hands a group of clandestine monks who help train him to become a true warrior and overcome is dark faith.

Noe The Savage Boy is Coney’s first work for Atomic Diner after a career in comics that featured work at Top Cow/Image Comics The Darkness book and titles at Harris Comics and Fantagraphics, among many others.

Atomic Diner was set up in 2004 by Robert Curley, primarily to produce and publish a line of cross genre titles from horror to detective and of course good time super heroes. The company is 100% independent and prides itself on good story telling from Ireland's top creators. Over the past six years they have helped launch the careers of artists such as Stephen Mooney, Declan Shalvey, Will Sliney, Stephen Thompson and Bob Byrne and are proud to continue this tradition by working with people such as Terry Kenny, Maura McHugh, Stephen Daly and Gareth Gowran.

• Atomic Diner web site: www.atomicdiner.com

• Malachy Coney's Blog

Comicbook Creators Interpret 'Magic Mike' in Male Stripper App

Comicbook artist Stephen Downey (Torchwood, Jennifer Wilde) draws hunky muscly men, and this time they're not superheroes, but males strippers.

Together with comic podcaster Scott Grandison (Comicbook Outsiders), they designed, developed and published Magic Mike: The Moves app through their Outsider Games studio to coincide with Lionsgate's Home Entertainment release of the Channing Tatum movie.

Magic Mike was co-produced with Northern Ireland Screen as part of their Games on Film initiative, which also included the free Grabbers game app by Iglu Media/Billygoat Entertainment.


The comicbook style art really appealed to Lionsgate UK, who wanted a fun, visually interesting game that would appeal to a mass audience.

The Magic Mike film features Channing Tatum, who sizzles in the role of the irresistible Mike, the shining star act in a steamy men’s dance show. The game develops the stripping theme as the player becomes an ‘Endless Dancer’, performing touch-screen gestures in time with music, enabling their dancer to perform provocative dance routines. Increasing the Strip Power and completing achievements will allow the dancer to strip off items of clothing, revealing their hunky forms!

In true comic artist fashion, Stephen had to draw every angle and move that the exotic dancers make.

“Magic Mike: The Moves translates perfectly to the casual gaming market with its edgy concept, interesting visuals,and signature dance moves”, says Stephen.

“Working with Lionsgate UK was fantastic," he adds. "They are extremely open to new and interesting ideas, with their refined approval and feedback process creating a smooth and fun development environment that we think will be evident while playing Magic Mike: The Moves.”


Lionsgate’s Nicola Pearcey, Managing Director of Home Entertainment and New Media, commented, “Magic Mike is one of the most fun and entertaining movies of the year. Magic Mike: The Moves provides fantastic content to further the immersive experience for fans – and will create exposure to a new audience for the film.

"Outsider Games have been a pleasure to work with and this app demonstrates their innovation, creativity and understanding of what our audience wants.”


• Magic Mike: The Moves can be downloaded FREE on IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/magic-mike-the-moves/id578743312?mt=8 or, on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.outsidergames.magicmike

It's also available on Kindle Fire and the Amazon App Store

 

In Review: Jennifer Wilde Issue 1

Set in 1921 Jennifer Wilde is the Eagle Award nominated lightly supernatural title from Atomic Diner, written by Maura McHugh, illustrated by Stephen Downey and based on a plot by Maura McHugh and Robert Curley.

Jennifer Chevalier is an artist based in Paris who is visited there by her father. As Jennifer walks to the restaurant the next day to meet him for lunch, she discovers that he has been knocked down by a car and killed. While the French police accept this as an accident, Jennifer believes that he may have been pushed. Visiting her father's hotel room she discovers more about her father than she ever knew before - secrets that her mother had kept from her - including his male lover.

Dublin's Atomic Diner Comics have been putting out a selection of US format comics that in the last year or so have included the WWII team title The League Of Volunteers and the Victorian horror title Roisin Dubh.

The supernatural part of the Jennifer Wilde plot is that Jennifer sees ghosts and this is presented in such a matter-of-fact way that it does not strain the reader's credulity. Jennifer's ghost partner is the Irish writer and poet Oscar Wilde, who died in Paris in 1900, who joins her because her dead father's locket, as shown on the front cover, contains a picture of him as well as Jennifer. Stephen Downey uses a much more pencil-like style when drawing the spectral Wilde as opposed to the harder blacks that he uses for his living characters.

A letter to her father from London and written in Gaelic intrigues Jennifer and sets her and Wilde off to London to investigate. Quite where the story is leading plot wise I'm not sure, but that is a good thing as it makes me want to read on. Geographically the plot is heading from France to England and apparently onwards to Ireland at a time when the region that is now the Republic Of Ireland was separating itself from the rest of the United Kingdom and was about to descend into civil war.

To describe Jennifer Wilde as Adele Blanc-Sec meets Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) is an apt, if somewhat brutal, description of what is a lovingly crafted comic. Maura McHugh's script mixes intrigue, scandal and the supernatural in fairly equal measures which, along with Stephen Downey's moody artwork, makes sure that I am already looking forward to future issues.

There are more details of Jennifer Wilde on the title's website

There are details of other Atomic Diner titles on their website.

There are more details of Maura McHugh's work on her website.

There are more details of Stephen Downey's work on his website.

Maura McHugh will be appearing as a guest at the Hi-Ex comics convention in Inverness on Saturday 31 March and Sunday 1 April 2012.

Stephen Downey guest artist on STRIP's 'Black Ops Extreme'

A sketch of BOX characters Karlita and Nero
by Stephen Downey

Print Media Productions has announced that Stephen Downey will be joining the STRIP - The Comic Magazine creative team - as a guest artist on two upcoming episodes of Black Ops Extreme.

Stephen, who's temporarily stepping up to the plate in place of the series regular artist PJ Holden, is already at work on the first story set in Eastern Europe, the first BOX tale written by Richmond Clements. Richmond will be the regular writer on the series from the title's first news stand issue, on sale 31st May, taking over from John Freeman.

Belfast-based artist and game maker Stephen has worked with Insomnia Publications, Titan Publishing, AAM/Markosia, Heske Horror, Comic a Gael and Beserker to bring his comics and artwork to the masses.He is the co-creator of Cancertown and Slaughterman's Creed, both with Cy Dethan and has worked on the Torchwood comic strip for Titan Magazines.

Most recently, he's been busy with the historical mystery adventure Jennifer Wilde, an original three-part comic book series published by Ireland's Atomic Diner, from a story by Robert Curley and Maura McHugh, with a script by Maura McHugh. Stephen provides art, lettering and covers.

Richmond Clements, from Larne, County Antrim, is a writer, editor and colourist for the small press publisher FutureQuake Press. He has also written Wild West Wendy, a supernatural western drawn by Vicky Stonebridge, and Turning Tiger, a two-part science fiction comic drawn by Alex Moore, for Renegade Arts Entertainment.

Richmond is also writing Operation Inferno for STRIP - The Comic Magazine, drawn by Nick Dyer, a steampunck action adventure starring the ninja secret agent Ryuu who debuted in STRIP Issue 3.

Operation Inferno is part of the new line-up for the title when it goes news stand in the UK at the end of May. Recovery Inc. by Michael Penick and Dean Deckard also makes a welcome return and completing the new strips in the first issue is a new science fiction tale, Crucible, by John Freeman and Smuzz.

• Stephen Downey's web site: www.stephendowneygallery.com
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenmdowney


• Richmond Clements's Blog: http://richwriting.blogspot.co.uk
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/richclements

Wild about Jennifer Wilde

On sale now from Irish independent publisher Atomic Diner is the first issue of a three-part series Jennifer Wilde, written by Maura McHugh (from a story by Rob Curley & Maura McHugh) with art, lettering and covers from Stephen Downey.

Set in Paris in 1921, the tale is an engaging mystety story, centring on a young French artist, Jennifer Chevalier, who becomes embroiled in death, espionage and revolution taking her across the three nations of France, England and Ireland – ably assisted by the ghost of Oscar Wilde.

The story opens as Jennifer gets a visit from her estranged father, only for him to die in a street accident. His death raises many questions about her father, who has left behind items suggesting he was a very different man to that of his public persona as a war hero.

In a Randall & Hopkirk-style twist, Jennifer's talent for seeing ghosts brings her into contact with the spirit of Oscar Wilde, who offers to help the young artist solve the mystery of her father's untimely death.

The book is an intriguing tale with some deft charecterisation and gorgeous art from Stephen Downey, and the 1920s setting offers rich, largely untapped setting.

This is a great first issue and a title fully desrving wider reading. Check it out via the links below.

Atomic Diner, which also runs the 'Free Irish Comic Day' events in Dublin, was set up in 2004 by Robert Curley, primarily to produce and publish a line of cross genre titles from horror to detective and of course good time super hero's. The company is 100 per cent independent and prides itself on good story telling from Ireland's top creators.

Over the past seven years it has helped launch the careers of artists such as Stephen Mooney, Declan Shalvey, Will Sliney, Stephen Thompson and Bob Byrne and the publishers say they're proud to continue this tradition by working with people such as Terry Kenny, Maura McHugh, Stephen Daly and Gareth Gowran.

To date they have released titles such as Freak Show, Atomic Rocket Group 66 and Gerry Hunt's In Dublin City, all to positive sales and reviews. Other projects include Roisin Dubh, Glimmer Man and The Wyndham Twins, with many more in the pipeline.

- Jennifer Wilde Issue 1 is on sale now in SubCity Comics, Dublin or online via the comic's official web site: http://jenniferwildecomic.com

- Read a review of Jennifer Wilde #1 on Irish Comic News by Hilary Lawler

MCM Expo attracts host of comic creators

The first MCM Expo in Manchester, taking place tomorrow (Saturday 30th July) has gathered a strong line up of comic creators alongside its TV and film guests.

Warpaint and 2000AD artist John McCrea, artists Leigh Gallagher, Stephen Downey, Al Davison and writer Antony Johnston are just a few of the creators expected at the event, along with indie creators such as Lizz Lunney, Sergeant Mike Battle creator Graham Pearce, Rob Jackson and Adam Cadwell.

Joining them will be independent publishers such as Time Bomb Comics and Accent UK.

Taking place at the Manchester Central venue, the event will also see appearances by Red Dwarf star Craig Charles; Sarah Jane Adventures actress Anjili Mohindra and actors Warwick Davis and Kenny Baker.

• There's more info on the event at: www.manchestermcmexpo.com

Absence comic offers insights on epilepsy

Writer Andy Luke and artist Stephen Downey have recently released Absence, a comic book based on Andy's experiences over 30 years adapting to a life with epilepsies: puberty, first jobs, college and “sorting it out”.

10,000 copies of the booklet have been produced and distributed with funding from the UnLtd Millennium Award Scheme and the strip has also been adapted as a digital application free-of-charge by OxiComics.com and can also be read online at www.absencecomic.com

Andy Luke is a Belfast resident, a writer who draws. He mostly self-publishes with works including Bob’s, TRS2, Gran, Optimus and Me and Don’t Get Lost, and sells his comics direct to the public at locations around the UK.

Stephen Downey is a Belfast based comicbook artist and illustrator who has worked with Titan Publishing, AAM/Markosia, Atomic Diner, Heske Horror, Comic a Gael, Insomnia Publications and Beserker to bring his comics and artwork to the masses. He's the co-creator of Cancertown and the recently-released Slaughterman’s Creed, both with Cy Dethan.

Order a print edition or download a copy here

You may also wish to contact the organisation Epilepsy Action: www.epilepsy.org.uk

It's a ¿@#!*$ exhibition and comics events thing in Belfast, innit...

¿@#!*$ 

What this unpronounceable series of symbols stands for is; ‘an exhibition and series of events incorporating the artistic mediums of Comics, Illustration and Zine making'.

Exhibiting Artists are Malcy Duff, who will also be appearing, Travis Millard, Tom Gauld, Simone Lia, Chris Ware, Fionnuala Doran and Phil Barrett.

Alongside the visual treat that is the work of the exhibiting artists, Belfast-based Catalyst Arts will also play host to a library full of zines and comics from all over the place - "Basically anything we could get our hands on," say the orgaaisers.

Then as if that wasn’t enough, there will be series of events running throughout the duration of the exhibition to keep things interesting, details of which can be found below.

• Catalyst Arts presents ¿@#!*$: 15th April – 7th May; Preview Thursday 14th April, 7pm – 10pm; 5 College Court, Belfast, BT1 6BS

Events
• ‘Absence’ Launch Party
7.30pm – 9:30pm, Thursday 21st April, Catalyst Arts Gallery
Local Artists Andy Luke (Gran, Don’t Get lost) and Stephen Downey (Cancertown, Slaughterman’s Creed) launch their latest work ‘Absence’.

• Secret Cinema
Location and Time: Unknown
Follow ‘Sweet Or Salted’ on facebook. If you want any more information… don’t be silly, it is a secret isn’t it.

• Comic/Zine fair
12pm – 5pm Saturday 23rd April, Catalyst Arts Gallery
On Saturday 23rd April the Gallery space will be handed over to creators of comics, zines and all things illustrative. Stalls will be set up pedaling wares ranging from cakes to comics, posters to bags, zines to doodles on pieces of paper… you get the idea.

Stalls are FREE but spaces are limited, so if you are interested in reserving one then please contact catalystarts@gmail.com

• Pretty Circus presents ‘Live Music & Live Drawing’ 7pm – 1am, Sunday 1st May, Catalyst Arts Gallery
The collective Pretty Circus arrange a night of live performance with music and illustration combining for a unique take on the collaboration of the two art-forms.

• ‘The Simpsons’ live comic performance by Malcy Duff
8pm Thursday 5th May, Catalyst Arts Gallery, Belfast

• ‘The Dog Walking Technique’: Drawing/Comic Storytelling Workshop
11am – 3pm, Saturday 7th May, Catalyst Arts Gallery, Belfast
Lunch Provided free
On Saturday 7th May, Artist Malcy Duff will be running a free workshop based around;non-traditional approaches to drawing, and comic storytelling, exploring new possibilities in form and narrative. Malcy uses sensory drawing to create ideas and/or characters, and have specific techniques that he has designed to lead these into making comix

Spaces are limited, if you are interested in taking part please RSVP to catalystarts@gmail.com to book a place.

Take a Butcher’s at Slaughterman’s Creed

Markosia Enterprises have just announced their new graphic novel, Slaughterman’s Creed - a surreal London gangland thriller which combines the vicious intensity of British crime fiction with the structure and spirit of a Samurai revenge drama in a nightmarishly compelling urban fantasy.

The book re-unites writer Cy Dethan with artist Stephen Downey, the creators of the 2009 indie hit, Cancertown: An Inconvenient Tooth. Set in a world where an ethical knife-edge is all that separates hero from villain, the story combines a strong British crime aesthetic with mythological overtones and a distinctive noir edge.

“What you will find is a nasty, dark tale which cuts into the underbelly of gangland London," enthuses Laurence “The Punisher” Campbell in the album's foreword. "Think The Long Good Friday meets No Country For Old Men.

"... Cy Dethan pushes the boundaries. No, not pushes them - casually disregards them and walks right over them.”

Definitely not a book for the squeamish, as you'll gather from this free 12-page preview, the story centres on Sidney,   a professional killer working for Big Lenny Addison, a London ganglord specialising in human trafficking. He is almost completely uneducated except in his family’s trade at which he is an unparalleled expert.

When he's called upon to breach his code and bring a pregnant woman to slaughter, Sidney's world is changed forever. Betrayed by those he has served his whole life, the Slaughterman embarks on a bloody vendetta - determined to put Addison's entire monstrous empire to the blade.”

Described by writer Cy Dethan as “a story of the fall and rise of monsters”, the book is already carving a name a name for itself on the independent comic scene.
"My plan was to take my time and read Slaughterman’s Creed over a few days, but pretty much by page five I was in for the long haul and ended up reading the whole thing in a single sitting," says  Barry Nugent of The Geek Syndicate, while over at Sci-Fi Pulse, it gave reviewer Wayne Hall a case of the night terrors - although, strangely, he seems to have enjoyed them. "If Mr. Dethan keeps delivering this kind of novel perspective on the world, I’ll have trouble sleeping at night, says Wayne. "... But I was gripped from the first page, so please keep it up!"

Slaughterman’s Creed is published by Markosia Enterprises and will launch on 14th May  at the Bristol Comic and Small Press Expo, as part of the Markosia Madness event, which will include signing, sketching and facepainting.

A limited signed edition, costing £10 (RRP Price £12.99), is available to pre-order, which also includes entry into a draw to win a piece of original art by Stephen Downey and Vicky Stonebridge.

• Pre-order details can be found at Cy Dethan’s blog. The book can be ordered through the March edition of Diamond Previews in the usual way using order code MAR11 0811.

• Slaughterman’s Creed is also available digitally on the Sony Playstation Network with audio commentary by Cy Dethan, and will be available on Comixology and Graphic.ly, with other formats to follow.


Slaughterman's Creed - Credits
Writer: Cy Dethan
Pencils & colours chapters 1-2: Stephen Downey
Inks: Andy Brown
Colours: Vicky Stonebridge
Letters: Nic Wilkinson
Cover: Ryan Brown
Foreword: Laurence Campbell

• More info at: www.slaughtermanscreed.com

Cancertown joins Markosia publication line up

Cancertown - one of the books published by now defunct publisher Insomnia - has found a new home with Markosia.

Written by Cy Dethan with art from Stephen Downey, with colour by Melanie Cook and lettering by Nic Wilkinson, Cancertown was well received on publication (downthetubes enthused about it here). It had a very successful launch weekend at the 2009 Bristol Comic Expo; a the string of bookshop signings  followed and earned  consistent top-ten status on the PSP download charts.

"Cancertown: An Inconvenient Tooth was always a book with a much higher profile than we had any right to expect," notes Cy Dethan in a recent blog post. With the echoes of the apocalyptic Insomnia Incident still ringing in our ears, the Cancer Cell (that is, Nic, Stephen, Mel and I) started trying to work out precisely where the book now stood. It was at this point that Markosia stepped in and saved the day once again.

"Right from my first steps in comics, Markosia has been nothing but good luck for me," Cy enthuses, "so when Harry Markos signed Cancertown up it was a significant, even hazardous amount of joy to dump on me all at once. Right now we're looking at getting the book back up on the PSP store as soon as possible, with other formats to follow."

• The Cancertown team will be at the British International Comic Show next weekend - catch them there to find out about the plans for the future

In Review: Cancertown

While regular downthetubes readers are well aware there are plenty of "graphic novels" on the market, they also know many are actually collections of monthly comics, better known as "trade paperbacks", perhaps complemented by additional material such as pin ups and background "extras". It's actually quite rare to pick up a graphic novel that truly exploits the opportunities afforded by the longform equivalent of a novel, slowly but surely delivering a story over many pages rather than in bite-sized, previously-published material.

Cancertown is one of those exceptions.

It's the story of Morley, a former mental patient with an inoperable brain tumour who conducts search-and-rescue missions into a monstrous, alternate version of London. Except that, if you're reading Cancertown without the advantage of press previews, even this nugget of information only becomes apparent as you read the story - and that carefully strung out, steadily-paced unfolding of the story is just one of the appeals of this horror tale, a book I described to someone asking me what it was about as a "rip-roaring mindf***".

Morley suffers from a rare mental disorder that causes him to believe a number of weird things about himself and his relationship to the outside world. The major upshot of this is that his delusions manifest themselves in a twisted alternate world he calls Cancertown. The real fun for Morley began when dispossessed people - those who were lost or who had a diminished sense of their own identity - started to fall into Cancertown and Morley decided that his purpose in life was to find those people and return them to the real world before they became permanent residents.

Cancertown is no easy read: you have to pay attention as Morley's adventure and encounters with warped characters such as Corpsegrinder and Piecemaker unfold, and what may be the truth of the origin of Cancertown is revealed. The overall feel of the book is distinctly unsettling but rivetting -- a graphic novel you'll find yourself wanting to read in one sitting.

Speaking personally, I think I would rather have had a little more exposition than unasnswered mysteries, but that isn't to denigrate Cy Dethan's script, which successfully delivers a powerful horror story, ably complemented by Stephen Downey's creepy otherworld art, the Cancertown elements juxtaposed by very realistic "real world" sequences the artist reveals in background notes are based on photo shoots and other reference. While this is still early days for Downey, with the right guidance I can easily see him making the jump to, say, drawing for Vertigo or other publishers. Good luck to him -- and Cy, too, whose potential as a writer is, frankly, enormous.

Considering that all the creators involved in this project are, for the most part, relative newcomers to the professional comics industry, and the opportunities to break into the maintstream these days are scarce, they can all can be proud of their work on this book. In his introduction, veteran comic creator Bryan Talbot, whose talent for creating longform graphic novels himself is well known, suggests we're seeing the first outing of creators who will make their mark in future on the wider comic industry: and I can fully agree with that sentiment.

A tip of the hat too, to newcomer publisher Insomnia Publications for publishing Cancertown: they're nurturing some fine new talents that would otherwise find publishing opportunities in short supply, and if this first title is any evidence of intent, then we can expect further treats in coming months.

• Cancertown is written by Cy Dethan with art from Stephen Downey, with colour by Melanie Cook and lettering by Nic Wilkinson and is introduced by Bryan Talbot. It's available from specialist comic stores and the Insomnia Publications web site: www.insomniapublications.com /

CancerTown Signings Announced

Cy Dethan, writer of Insomnia Publications new graphic novel Cancertown, has revealed several signings are planned for the book, which features art by Stephen Downey, colours by Melanie Cook and letters by Nic Wilkinson.

The first to be announced are:

• Forbidden Planet, Belfast 2 - 4.00pm Saturday 30th May
Signing by artist Stephen Downey who will be offering a free, unique sketch to anyone who buys a copy. Official Forbidden Planet announcement here

• Whatever Comics, Canterbury 11.00am - 4.00pm Saturday 6th June
"Whatever Comics is unquestionably my all-time favourite comic shop," says Cy, "and its owners have been among my strongest supporters throughout my adventures in the comics business, so this one's a lot like coming home for me. Nic Wilkinson, Insomnia's Creative Director, will also be at the signing.

• Waterstones, Chelmsford Saturday 27th June

More details and dates to follow, including signings in Dublin and Newport on the Isle of Wight.

Cancertown centres on Vince Morley, a man with big problems and a brain tumour like a baby's fist, living with one foot in a monstrous alternate world he calls Cancertown.

When the lost and dispossessed of London start tripping over the same cracks in reality he spends his life avoiding, Morley realises he must confront the residents of Cancertown - and risk finding his place among them.

• Order Cancertown from Amazon

Cancertown To Get Expo Launch

When Bryan Talbot, multi-Eisner award winning creator of The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, the first British graphic novel, reads the first ever creator-owned work from a new creative team and says its the first outing of creators "will make their mark on the future comic industry," it's time to sit up and take notice.

Here at downthetubes we've been playing close attention to developments at Insomnia Publications, and the fast-developing acclaim writer Cy Dethan and artist Stephen Downey, two of over 100 creators the company has been working with, have been getting.

We've also plugged Cancertown, written by Cy with art Stephen Downey and we're delighted to report the book will be launched at the Bristol International Comics Expo next month.

Cancertown is the story of Vince Morley, a man with big problems and a brain tumour like a baby's fist, who lives with one foot in a monstrous alternate world he calls Cancertown. When the lost and dispossessed of London start tripping over the same cracks in reality he spends his life avoiding, Morley realises he must confront the residents of Cancertown - and risk finding his place among them.

The book is the first creator-owned title by Cy Dethan from Edinburgh-based Insomnia Publications, tipped as “ones to watch” in the Forbidden Planet blog’s “Best of the year 2008” roundup.

"Cancertown will disorientate you, suck you in, chew you up and spit you out and you might well be in need of a change of underwear by the end," warns Bryan Talbot in his introduction for the book, enthusing of the creative team behind it. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

“Unusually for a book from an independent publisher we have had to increase the initial print run by 50% based on pre-orders alone,” said Crawford Coutts, Managing Director of Insomnia.
Cancertown is the second title to be released this year by the publishing company which now is now working with over 100 creators, many of whom have worked for Marvel, DC, 2000AD, Image, DC Thomson & Co. Ltd. Heavy Metal, ImagineFX, IDW, Caliber Comics and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

“The buzz surrounding the launch is incredible,” continues Crawford, “and credit is due to all the other Insomnia creators who have been doing a fantastic job promoting each other's work around the web, on Twitter, at events etc. This mutual support by creators is exactly what we were aiming for when Insomnia was founded. The results of this have been unbelievable and will only get stronger as we grow.”

Formed in 2006 by Dundee University graduate and former DC Thomson & Co. Ltd employee, Crawford Coutts, Insomnia Publications will release six titles in 2009 and has more than 20 further titles already in development by international creative teams, scheduled for release over the next two years.

The company has already gained critical acclaim for anthology title Layer Zero and the graphic novel Cages and the company was recently selected to be a part of Scottish Enterprise’s Growth Pipeline, to assist Insomnia develop and grow.

“Insomnia’s books are aimed at older teen and adult readers," says Crawford. "With each of our products we look to publish something which is unusual, literate and thought provoking and Cancertown succeeds in meeting all three dead on.”

• Cancertown will be launched at the SPExpo, part of the Bristol International Comics Expo on 9th May 2009. Visitors to the show will be able to get the 176 page, full colour book at a special price of £10. Cy Dethan, creator and writer and Stephen Downey, artist, will be at the Insomnia stand at the SPExpo in the Mercure Hotel to talk about the book, sign copies, and sketch characters (better ask Stephen to do that, we've no idea what Cy might draw...)

Insomnia Publications titles are available from all good bookshops, comic shops and online from Amazon. In France their titles are available from Album and exclusively on sale from independent stockist Librairie Delvaux, 17 rue du Val, 77160, Provins.

Web Links:

• More About Cancertown: www.cancertown.co.uk

• Free Chapter one preview on MyEBook.com

• Insomnia Publications: www.theredeye.co.uk

• Keep up to date with all the latest news and products every Monday at Midnight on the official Insomnia Publications blog: www.TheRedEye.co.uk

Talbot Praises Insomnia's CancerTown

To the delight of new British indie comics company Insomnia Publications, top British comics creator Bryan Talbot (The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, Alice in Sunderland) has written the foreword for their upcoming title Cancertown, written by Cy Dethan with art from Stephen Downey.

"This is seriously the best thing that has happened to us since we began our adventures in comics," Insomnia's Creative Director Nichola Wilkinson told downthetubes.

Cancertown - previewed on myebook, click image right - centres on Vince Morley, a man with big problems and a brain tumour like a baby's fist, living with one foot in a monstrous alternate world he calls Cancertown.

When the lost and dispossessed of London start tripping over the same cracks in reality he spends his life avoiding, Morley realises he must confront the residents of Cancertown - and risk finding his place among them.

Cancertown will be released in May, and is currently available to pre-order from Amazon.

"For a first graphic novel from a new creative team, Cancertown is remarkable," says Bryan. "Cy Dethan’s concept alone is brilliant. Is the protagonist, Vincent Morley, a cynical knight in tarnished armour battling unspeakable monsters in a gonzoid Chapel Perilous or a dying sad bastard besieged by visions generated by his terminal brain tumour?

"... Moreover (do people still say that?) Cancertown actively embraces horror, the genre of horror fiction," he adds. "It’s not trigger-shy... It sets out to horrify, and it succeeds. Although Cancertown owes more to Clive Barker than Ramsey Campbell, it still, like Campbell, has its roots in H.P. Lovecraft and its evocation of genuine creepiness is undeniable. This is in no small part due to the visceral, hallucinogenic art of Stephen Downey working in tandem with the hard-bitten script, the atmospheric colours of Melanie Cook and inventive lettering of Nic Wilkinson.

"We’re seeing here the first outing of creators who will make their mark on the future comic industry."

"The eye-opening experience of reading Luther Arkwright as a kid was one of the key reasons I wanted to start writing comics in the first place," says Cancertown writer Cy Dethan, "so to have an introduction from its creator is simply unbelievable."

• If you're going to be at the Bristol International Comic Expo and the Small Press Expo 2009, you'll be able to pick Cancertown up (along with its Insomnia brethren, Layer Zero 3 and Cages) at special convention prices or by pre-ordering directly from Insomnia before 9th May (either to pick up at the convention or to be posted to you if you can't make it). Just email Nichola at nichola@insomniapublications.com and let her know what you need.

• You can read Bryan's full foreword here on the Insomnia Publications official blog.

• Insomnia's website: www.insomniapublications.com