Tripwire spotlights Slaine, Blueberry and X-Men in latest free digital edition

The July 2011 digital issue of ace comics and other media magazine Tripwire features a host of goodies - and you can download it free from the official web site (www.tripwire-magazine.com).

The  Eagle Award-nominated and acclaimed magazine launched a digital version earlier this year -  a bi-monthly version of its popular Annual print publication. Described by Michael Moorcock as "the best mag of its kind that I've seen", editor Joel Meadows tells us readers can expect to see online the same depth of features and quality packaging as in the print version only in a slimmer, slicker format available for free download on the magazine's blog site

“With the exciting opportunities that the various digital platforms now offer both readers and publishers, we felt that it was the perfect time to launch,” he says.

“The bi-monthly schedule allows us to be a regular presence out there, offering us a greater range of content for readers and taking nearly twenty years of expertise to a wider audience. 2011 is going to be the year of Tripwire,” Meadows continued.

This latest issue includes a look at the publication of Rebellion’s classic Slaine: The Horned God in hardcover with its creators Pat Mills and Simon Bisley; an examination of Moebius’s seminal western series Blueberry and why it deserves to be back in print in the English language; a background feature on the genesis of bringing X-Men First Class to the big screen plus a chat with screen writers Miller and Stentz; and its Stripwire section includes a preview of BOOM Studios Elric by Chris Roberson and Italain artist Francesco Biagnini, the creator of Dingo.

As ever, it's a beautifully designed magazine and well worth the download. Check it out.

• Download Tripwire from www.tripwire-magazine.com

Harvey Award Nom for Sean Michael Wilson and Mitsuhiro Asakawa's 'Ax'

Ax: Alternate Manga edited by Sean Michael Wilson and Mitsuhiro Asakawa and published by Top Shelf Publishing, has been nominated for a Harvey Award for Best American Edition of Foreign Material.

"The Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards," says Sean, who was born in Scotland but now lives in Japan and has several British titles to his credit, including A Christmas Carol for Classical Comics and Iraq: Operation Takeover, which was drawn by Lee O'Connor, as well as published work for Kodansha and NBM.

"The Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories," he continues. "They are the only industry awards both nominated by and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. So, it's very pleasing for us all that Ax has been selected by comic book professionals, hopefully recognising the significant step forward it is in showing the work of individual, mature style manga artists from Japan.

"Past winners in this category include Lone Wolf and Cub, Moebius, Akira and Persepolis - good company to be in!

"Just to get the nomination, from out of hundreds of possible books, is great, especially as this is a kind of democratic vote system choice, not a 'panel of judges' way. So, hopefully that should help with also getting interest in our other book plans."

Britain-based talent also up for an award includes New Zealander Roger Langridge for his work on BOOM! Studios The Muppet Show (and also for best writer, on Thor: The Mighty Avenger); Duncan Fergedo for his work on Hellboy; Frank Quitely for Best Cover Artist (for his work on Batman and Robin); and Northern Ireland's Garth Ennis for The Darkness.

• Any comic book professionals who feel like voting for Ax book for the final winner can do so on the Harvey website: http://www.harveyawards.org/The deadline for voting is 6th August 2011

FutureQuake blasts from the hip with three 2000AD-inspired titles

Ace Eagle Award finalist publisher FutureQuake Press have just released the latest issues of of their superb comics featuring a host of raw British talent, both new and established - including the likes of Liam Sharp - yes, Liam Sharp! - and Nigel Dobbyn. Here are the details...

Behind an awesome cover by Neil Ford, FutureQuake 18 features

• Addicts by William Tennant, art by James Feist, lettered by Bolt-01
• Spirit Leveller by Lawrence Conquest art Conor Boyle, lettered by Bolt-01
• Praxis by Rob Burton, art by Roland Bird, lettered by Bolt-01
• Counter Reality Incident by John A Short, art and lettering by Alex Paterson
• Sam by Mark Woodland, art by Steven Denton lettered by Bolt-01
• In His Kiss by Lawrence Conquest, art by Jack Davies lettered by Bolt-01
• The Replacement Heroes: Butch Stone by Mike Moreci, art by Andy Scordellis, lettered by Jim Campbell
• Not this time Johnny Tomorrow by Robert Ferrie, art by Simon Hayes, lettered by Bolt-01
• Social Engagement eXperiment by Steven Fraser, art by Will Pickering, lettered by Bolt-01



Dogbreath 24 has been a long time coming but the Strontium Dog-inspired title features 48 pages of stone cold classic Search/Destroy action.

Behind the rather awesome cover by the ever talented Nigel Dobbyn is the following:

• Strontium Dog - Death of a Mutant by Mark Pexton, art by Toby Philp, lettered by Bolt-01
• The Gronk - Small Universe 2 written and drawn and lettered by Nigel Dobbyn - completing the tale bagun last issue!
• Strontium Dog- A Moment's Hesitation by Miles Reid, art by Bruce McLaren, lettered by Bolt-01
• SD's - Catch Of The Day by Matthew McLaughlin, art by Ryan Thomason, lettered by Bolt-01
• Impetigo Jones - The Big Scab by Greg Meldrum, art by David Broughton, lettered by Bolt-01
• Interview: A question of Rage: Shaun Avery talks to John Wagner & Alan Grant!
• Case File Interludes: Leigh Shepherd looks at the tales from various annuals and specials!
• Strontium Dog- Served Cold by Richmond Clements, art by Matt Soffe, lettered by Bolt-01
• M06 - Reservation Dogs by The Emperor, art by James Feist, lettered by Bolt-01
• Star Scan - Durham Red by Mark Pexton



The awesome- award winning Alex Ronald provides the cover for Zarjaz issue 12, and sees the first annual Judge Dredd summer cover! Inside, there's a top line up, including...

• Constable Dredd - The Cursed Beat by Richard McAuliffe, art by Mark Chilcott, lettered by Bolt-01
• Zenith - Invasion by Chris Denton, art and letters by David Frankum
• ToM-C1- Fat Chancers by Alexi Conman, art and letters by Luis Chichon
• Judge Fish by David Withers, art and letters by Phillip Vaughan
• Slaine - Tattered Wings by Liam Sharp (Yes, Liam Sharp!)
• Judge Dredd - Moon in the Undercity by Paul Glasswell, art by Dave Thomson, lettered by Bolt-01

• The new issues are available from the FQP Webshop (http://www.futurequake.co.uk/shop.php) and previews will be available soon.

• More information at: http://thequaequamblog.blogspot.com/

V for Vendetta Original Art on eBay

The artwork for V for Vendetta
offered on eBay

I'm selling an original piece of art from Alan Moore and David Lloyd's classic story V for Vendetta on eBay.

With the byline "We shouldn't have to live like this" - a line from the page - the art was first first published in Warrior Issue 19 (June 1984) and forms part of Book 2, Chapter 6: Variety.

The art came to me via David after I helped him with some pre-production work for another of his wonderful comics, Espers, back in the 1980s.

Initially appearing in Dez Skinn's Warrior, V for Vendetta was ultimately completed as a ten-issue dystopian comic book series published by Vertigo. It's a story set in a dystopian future United Kingdom imagined from the 1980s to about the 1990s in which a mysterious revolutionary calling himself "V" works to destroy the totalitarian government, profoundly affecting the people he encounters.

The page as it appeared
in print in Warrior

The series depicts a near-future Britain after a nuclear war, which has left much of the world destroyed, though most of the damage to Britain is indirect, via floods and crop failures. In this future, a fascist party called "Norsefire" has exterminated its opponents in concentration camps and now rules the country as a police state.

"V", an anarchist revolutionary dressed in a Guy Fawkes mask, begins an elaborate, violent, and intentionally theatrical campaign to murder his former captors, bring down the government, and convince the people to rule themselves.

On the page being auctioned, after watching another gangster get beaten to death for the crime of speaking the truth, Evey asks her companion, Gordon, "We shouldn't have to live like this.  Should we?"

Gordon's answer:  "No, kid, we shouldn't.  What are you going to do about it?"

"In one of the best word-image juxtapositions in a comic that's loaded with them, V watches over this exchange," notes fan Marc Singer on his blog, "departing silently after hearing Gordon's complacent, defeatist answer."

Detail from the page for sale from V for Vendetta

This is original art by David Lloyd in very good condition. Be warned: I set a high reserve on this, which it has already met, given the amounts past pieces have sold for - and I will be making a donation to from the hoped-for sale to "Cartoon Classroom", a project I know is dear to David's heart.

The ambition of the Classroom is to provide a means of centralising all information available on the study of cartooning and sequential art in the UK and Ireland, and to facilitate easy access to tutors in these subjects for all recognised educational institutions.

• View the item here on eBay


• More about V for Vendetta on 'The Shadow Gallery'