Comica Comiket: Independent Comics Summer Fair gathers pace

(with thanks to Paul Gravett): Independent publishers, small presses, zinesters and self-publishers are gathering under a marquee for the first ever summertime Comica Comiket Fair in Battersea Park, London as part of the Hypercomics Exhibition at the Pump House Gallery and kindly sponsored by the wonderful Gosh! Comics.

A dazzling range of comics big and small will be on offer - and of course there's the chance to  meet the artists and creatives behind them. Exhibitors should include graphic novel outfits Blank Slate and Accent UK, innovative groups Nobrow (whose line up includes artists Brecht Vandenbroucke, Nishant Choksi and Rose Blake, among others), Solipsistic Pop and Danish group Aben Maler, zine collective Alternative Press, Phonogram team Kieron Gillen and James McElvie, and solo creators like Paul Rainey and Timothy Winchester (sample below).

Indie comic publishers interested in joining in should download an application form (Word format) fast - there are only a few tables left. The organisers say they’ll do our best to get you your share of space.

Throughout the day there will also be live events, workshops, Hypercomics artist tours, with admission and all events totally free. And to top it off, a scrumptious barbecue too! Come rain or shine, it’s going to be an unmissable Hypercomics time!

• Comica Comiket Summer Fair is at the PumpHouse Gallery, Battersea Park, London SW11 4NJ on Sunday 22nd August 2010 from 12.00 to 6.00pm. Online info: www.comicafestival.com/index.php/events/detail/comica_comiket

• Stall Booking: Download an application form - deadline 1 August 2010.

Build Your Own Miniature Hadron Collider!

Wacky comic creator Paul O'Connell is up to more zany antics, this time offering advice on how to join in with Europe's Mega Science revolution...

Can't wait to find out what will happen when they finally get the Large Hadron Collider working properly? Well, now you dont have to! Simply follow the step-by-step instructions to build your very own Miniature Hadron Collider and in a Flash! you too will be able to enjoy all the thrills and spills of particle science without ever having to leave your armchair... all for just the ridiculously low price of just £1.50!

This sounds like just the kind of title you'd expect to find on sale at Caption next weekend...

Paul O'Connell is a writer and graphic artist whose work has appeared in various international books, magazines and comic collections as well as in his self published comic series 'The Sound of Drowning'. He's often seen working with other crazy comic creatives such as Nelson Evergreen, Alex Sheikman, James Corcoran, Leo Hartas, Faz Choudhury and many others.

To change the way you think about the world forever go to: www.soundofdrowning.com/books.html

Titan Books revamps web site - interviews, background features added

Titan Books has re-launched titanbooks.com, expanding coverage of their published and upcoming illustrated books, fiction and graphic novels.

The revamped site has launched with exclusive video interviews with Kick-Ass’s Mark Millar and comics legend Joe Simon.

Also added is a new blog, run by Titan’s Bookseller Awards short-listed marketing team, plus guest blogs which will be compiled by authors and experts in the entertainment world such as spoken word artist Scroobius Pip and Zodiac author Robert Graysmith.

There's the now-expected features of book publisher web sites, too - sample chapters from new titles, exclusive sneak previews, video clips of games and films, quizzes and behind-the-scenes news from the Titan staff.

Look out for competitions to win stuff later in the year, too - for 30 days from 2nd August there will be a new competition featured on the site daily. Prizes include an XBox 360, original artwork, props from hit TV shows such as CSI and Firefly, as well as a plethora of signed books, DVDs and CDs.

Timed to coincide with San Diego Comic Con, the revamp comes as part of Titan Books’ over-arching digital strategy, which has included the launch of iPhone and iPad apps earlier this year. The aim is to offer up-to-the-minute news on much-loved brands published by Titan, including The Simpsons, Supernatural, Batman, Star Wars and Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass.

The website will also collaborate with related sites and use social media to communicate with the comics and entertainment community. A weekly newsletter is offered to keep regular site users up-dated with developments on Titan’s titles.

• Visit the new site at: www.titanbooks.com

Tube Surfing: Chief Judges, Troll Bridge and 100 Days of Winter

Just spotted this ace 'brief history' of the various chief judges of Mega-City one over at the 2000AD Covers Uncovered blog. Well worth a read.

Cartoonist Sean Azzopardi sent me his 100 Days of Winter collection. It's great and reviewer Richard Bruton of the Forbidden Planet International blog agrees with me:

"It’s Azzopardi’s skill in communicating the day to day ups and downs of everyday life, his worries and his eventual withdrawal from the project, that really makes the whole thing," writes Bruton, "especially the difficult and heartbreaking task of being forced to find a home for his aging and ill cat, incredibly engrossing and absorbing. As Azzopardi opens up and reveals himself he delivers a very touching and interesting autobiographical comic."

The Forbidden Planet International blog also draws our attention to this fun strip by Tom Gauld. Tom's work is always worth your time...

Johnathan Ross has interviewed comics legend Jim Steranko for the Guardian. Ross will also be blogging from the San Diego Comic-Con for that paper this weekend.

Something else I've only just noticed. Steve Holland has posted two beautiful illustrations by Mark Buckingham over at Bear Alley. These were published in Comic World,(edited by Steve) in 1994 to accompany Troll Bridge, a story by Neil Gaiman.

And finally, have you checked out the (previously mentioned) Fractal Fiction web-comic yet?

Bye for now!