New Blood

I love introducing new people to comics, waxing passionate and knowledgable to someone eager to learn with no clue where to start, watching my enthusiasm encompass them! Showing them that's there's so much more to comics than what the movies touch upon and that the fourth wall doesn't just close in superheroes. Though finding someone who takes a passing interest in comics into a fully fledged love affair is like finding gold in a handful of dirt, I have recently had that pleasure. The force is strong in this one, as is her growing love affair, so much so that I've invited her to share and write her thoughts and new comic experiences on my lil' blog. I'm sure Gemmar can take it from here with a post of her own. Click Here to Read More..

BICS Sketches and Goodies

It's been a long weekend, my feet are sore, my legs ache, I've spent several hours driving with my Sat Nav woman chirping in my ear and I've spent my home time unpacking and sorting through all the sketches, things that I'd bought, cards, leaflets, badges and all sorts of things I was given. Yet I just couldn't wait to show off some of what I got over the weekend, there will be several posts of reviews and tales, but I thought I'd start with a few pictures of my sketches and goodies.



From the top left is an Identity Crisis, Deadshot figure and a Green Goblin Titanium Marvel Heroes figure. Under that from left to right is the DFC.co.uk kids comic, Robots from Accent UK, Phonogram from Image, signed by artist Jamie McKelvie, Ragamuffins and Dick Turpin from Time Bomb comics and then Tony Lee's Makosia comics, Hope Falls issues 1-5. Again from the left is Accent UK's The Wolfmen, Carol Roswell's Spider Cafe, The Adventures Of Ninja Bunny, by Philip Spence, with my pirate, ninja bunny figure just above that, The Shark Of Wisdom by the brilliant TOM McNally, B.ex issues 1-5 and The Elementals comics are both from a new company called Reaper comics with some great digital artwork, two Who Watches The Watchmen bookmarks and finally on the far right from 2000AD Bison.

These are the sketches I managed to get done during the weekend.



A little sketch and autograph from the fantastic Paul J Holden.



A sketch of the star of the title, on the inside cover, of Kid Eternity by the very funny, Duncan Fegrado.



I had to wait a while for this detailed sketch of DC's Zoom, but time flew by chatting to Phil Winslade and his wife, talking comics, music and cosplay!



This the first of three Wildstorm characters, Grifter drawn by Sean Philips, who also signed my copy of Sleeper and agreed with me that if Tom Cruise is to star in a movie version, he'd make a great Tao.



An excellent sketch of Midnighter by a man who is rapidly becoming one of my favourite artists, Lee Garbett. Wildstorm...keep a tight hold on this guy.



My last sketch of the post, was the last sketch of the con and one I very nearly didn't get done. I had to queue for over an hour and a half and the queue was cut off just a few people behind me, but this was well worth the wait! The brilliant Elijah Snow, by the ever so polite, patient and one of my favourite artists John Cassaday.

More posts to come, so stay tuned!
Click Here to Read More..

To Read...

I've been reading alot and ordering less the last month or so, mostly due to more work and less cash with only three pay days until Christmas left! I thought I'd made a reasonable cut into my pile, considering my preorders tend to continue to turn up at scattered times throughout the month. That was until I piled them all together...

Take a look at this...



..and that's before I've even left for Birmingham International Comic Show! Click Here to Read More..

Birmingham International Comic Show

Birmingham ThinkTank, this weekend. My first real Comic Con and I cannot wait. The closest I've come to a Comic Con was Manchester Collectomania a couple of years back which had about three artists I hadn't heard of at the time (meaing in my newbishness I missed meeting some guy called John McCrea?!) and involved me getting my photo taken with Face and Murdock from the A-Team and meeting Robert Englund outside before the show. This time it's just comics man. Comics.

I'm really looking forward to seeing some of my favourite writers and artists, trawling through back issue boxes (I still need Flex Mentallo 3/4!), chatting with like minded individuals and generally geeking out. Oh, and watching The Dark Knight in IMAX!

So I'm going to go through some of the main people I'm hoping to meet and get autographs from.

Charlie Adlard. I've enjoyed his work on one of the few 2000AD books I've managed to fit in my budget, Nikolai Dante. Though is perhaps most well known for the interior artwork on the best zombie piece outside of Romero's head, Image's The Walking Dead.

Doug Braithwaite. A breathtaking artist, who's work with Alex Ross has resulted in epic storylines for both Marvel in Universe X and DC in Justice. Personally I'm hoping to get my copy of Justice signed, though I have a large box set including issue 1 of Justice and action figures of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern. Unfortunately it's just too big to take down to get signed.

Mark Buckingham. Writer of one of my favourite series, Fables. Taking all your favourite classic story characters, from the Big Bad Wolf to Pinocchio and Prince Charming and sticking them in our world while facing a war with their own homeland. Absolutely brilliant and yet filled with characters you thought you already knew.

John Cassaday. One of the few overseas creators at BICS, also happens to be one of the greatest artists working in comics. His Captain America was real, dignified and strong enough to make me wish I was American so I could get behind him even more. The Captain America shield you would see as you walk in my room, or the Captain America ring on my finger wouldn't mean as much had it not been for Cassadays timeless artwork. If he can do that to an icon, seeing him create original characters such as Elijah Snow, Jakita Wagner and The Drummer for Warren Ellis acclaimed series Planetary is even better.

Andy Diggle. A British writer and editor who brought back traditional values to 2000AD before conquering the States. Teaming with artist Jock (who I'm also looking forward to meeting at the show) on Vertigo series The Losers and then reinventing the origins of Oliver Queen in Green Arrow: Year One before moving onto bigger and better titles with Hellblazer and his first work for Marvel taking over from Warren Ellis on Thunderbolts. All of which I love and I'm hoping to get both Diggle and Jock to sign my copy of Green Arrow: Year One!

Duncan Fegredo. Currently working with Mike Mignola on Hellboy, I'm more familiar with his earlier work, particularly his team up with Grant Morrison to create the DC/Vertigo title Kid Eternity.

Lee Garbett. There are very few comics I actually get, I much prefer trades. I've been collected much of the event stuff from DC for Final Crisis, but, also being a huge fan of Wildstorm, I collect Midnighter and DC/Wildtsorm crossover, Dream War. Thanks to Mr. Garbett, the artwork to both of these books is fantastic.

Dave Gibbons. Watchmen. The epic, opus of the comic book world and the man tasked with bringing Alan Moore's world to the printed page, Dave Gibbons. What more can you say? Well he's also currently working on one of DC's most successful current ongoing series Green Lantern Corps, especially coming off the back of the excellent Sinestro Corps War.

Sean Philips. I love Wildstorm, I've said that before and Sean Philips has tackled some of my favourite Wildstorm stuff with the WildC.A.T.S and the just picked up to be made into a film, Sleeper with Ed Brubaker. Continuing his work with Ed Brubaker is the creator owned Criminal series and the series I'm most looking forward to Incognito, a twisted mash of noir and supervillains.

PJ Holden. Artist on Judge Dredd the innovative iPhone comic Murderdrome.

David Lloyd. Art on V For Vendetta.

Leah Moore. Daugter of Alan Moore and wife of John Reppion whom she worked with both on Albion for Wildstorm.

Liam Sharp. Derby artist currently doing the Gears of War comic adaptation.

John Watson. Excellent painter who did the Civil War and Hulk Frontline covers.

Chris Weston. The Twelve, The Filth.

Phil Winslade. Flash: Blitz.

Well, I have some packing to finish up and hopefully my next post will include many more images, including photos of my time at the con. Hope to see you there! Click Here to Read More..

The Nightly News

This is one of the best thing I have read all year and I have read ALOT this year. This is less a comic and more an experience, right from the get go the way you're addressed, the style and form of the art is completely different to your standard four colour panels.

The good guys, aren't good and are mostly getting what they deserve, the bad guys are a cult who actually talk a lot of sense. The aim is to take down the media, make the super powers sweat and bring some truth to the people.

The key to a great story is to make you think, to inspire you and to do it all while making you say "cool". Nightly News most definately fits that criteria and is a perfect study for anyone from teen neo-anarchists to the more jaded and cynical amongst you.

After reading this I wanted to do something different, something I'd never done before, so I emailed Jonathan Hickman just to say thanks and it's good to say he replied and reciprocated.

So have a look for yourself, take in the artwork and the envigorating, refreshing style with the first few pages.
LINK Click Here to Read More..

HELLO!

Yes I still exist! Despite my poor beleagured, maltreated blog lieing dormant for about a month!

My laptop died and apparently took many weeks to fix, though I think I actually just got jumped by cowboys, least that's how it felt when I saw the bill! Though anyway, it's fixed...for now, though I was warned it may work for days or years. Yay?
Anyway hopefully I'll get chance to post more now, the only posts I've made over the last few weeks have been me whining on Twitter about my poor laptop being in the clinic.

For now, let me just say...if you're not reading Brian Woods DMZ you're doing something wrong. FIX IT. Click Here to Read More..

Comic Related Part 2

Ok, so I put forward my thoughts on the best DC properties that could and should make it to fil, but now for something different, looking at non-DC/Marvel properties and seeing what out there would make for a decent TV series. With so much quality TV out there from Dexter to Mad Men, it's time for comic properties to break live action TV. Will any of these get taken up? Unfortunately, I doubt it, it just depends on who's willing to take an expensive risk. Not something production companies are really known for.


1) Preacher

Preacher was briefly touted as a TV series when HBO bought the rights a few years ago, but unfortunately that has since been forgotten and any sign of a Preacher series/movie/anything seems long gone.

Preacher, Jesse Custer, a man with the literal voice of God and seemingly fists of Chuck Norris. Coupled with the love of his life,the gun toting Tulip O'Hare and Irish vampire Cassidy. They set out on their mission to find and confront God. Preacher is infamous for its off taste brand of humour and violence, but the heart of the graphic novel and for any potential TV series is the relationship between these three characters and their personal journeys up and down, with and without each other. The characters, like the storyline have a definitive opening and ending, but the journey between the two could be told in various ways, tweaked and tuned for more appropriate television. With various groups of villains looking to get their hands on Jesse Custer including being stalked by one of the greatest comic book characters ever created, The Saint of Killers...kinda like the Terminator meets The Man With No Name. Add to that their original mission and you've got space for several seasons worth of storylines.


2) Powers

Cop shows, work. Whether it be humour, drama or even reality, you can change the setting and the time and you can shift focus from on the street to homicide to forensics, it doesn't matter, because cop shows work.

Deep down, being a damn good cop drama is what makes Powers so good and addictive. Throw in the hook that these cops work in a homicide departemnt that deals specifically with people who have "powers" and investigate these crimes through down to Earth police procdeural work.

With the right casthing Powers could be as successful as something like The X-Files. Like The X-Files, for many it wasn't the aliens and freaks that kept them tuning in it was the relationship between Mulder and Scully and the way they took to investigating each case. The same is true of powers, you want to see the character side of things, see how they investigate the crime and handle the wild card of powers being thrown into the mix.


3) DMZ

DMZ stands for demilitarised zone and in this case, New York City. Set in the near future where America is split by a civil war between the United States of America and the Free States. Now, I haven't read much of this as yet, but the premise alone gripped me straight away and would make for a great TV series given the right budget, bringing war back to the US, following an intern reporter as he tries to aclimatise life in the New York City no-mans land, which is treated like another character in the storyline. Creating a powerful drama and running the gamut of emotions as the lead character Matty Roth goes from being abandoned to finding his own place.


4) Ex Machina

I recently picked up the first HC collection and I am totally hooked from the get go. Murder, mystery, politics and...superpowers. All centered around one man, Mayor of New York City , former super hero The Great Machine, Mitchell Hundred.

Written by the brilliant Brian K. Vaughn who already holds sway with a successful TV series credit under his belt as a writer on the hit show, Lost. There are few similarities between Ex Machina and Lost, though one of which is telling the story through Hundreds time in office and the filling in and updating the story through flashbacks to his time as The Great Machine which works effectively woithout damaging the pacing of the story. Ex Machina would probably make more a cross of The West Wing and Lost than like anything in particular. The storyline is exciting and fast paced for such a political drama.


5) The Boys/The Authority

The Boys and The Authority seemingly couldn't be more different, but I consider them two sides of the same coin. Both attempting to better humanity by dealing with power, abuse and control. The Boys would probably be easier to produce for a TV series, with more black ops work and less super powers, just plenty of sweary violence. The Authority would be high budget, special effects, taking on other heroes, whole armies and interdimensional monsters, which as fun as would be to see and to see The Authority issuing their own brand of arrogant, brutal smackdown it just wouldn't quite work on a TV series budget. The Boys is less superhero centric and you could pull off the occasional hardcore throwdown between The Boys and a group of superheroes without blowing a seasons budget on one episode.

The Authority is something I personally would love to see, but realistically The Boys has a much more apt chance of hitting the screen. Being the guys who take down the superheroes who get beyond their station leaves an open ended storyline suitable for a TV series, but would possibly work better as a big budget film (throw in Simon Pegg as Lil' Hughie). Click Here to Read More..