Results tagged “Jon Haward” from Birmingham Mail - Speech Balloon

CLASSICAL COMICS has two new Shakespeare adaptions in print for the discerning purchase at BICS 2009 this weekend.

Both books feature script adaptations by John McDonald, with art by Will Volley on the romantic tragedy that is Romeo & Juliet, and art by Jon Haward with inking assistance by Gary Erskine on The Tempest.

Each of the titles are available in Classical Comics' now familiar Original, Plain and Quick Text versions, and reviews will be featured here at Speech Balloons in due course... featuring a young guest critic!

Editor-in-Chief Clive Bryant will himself be taking part, as will I, in the Steve Green hosted Adapting the Classics panel on Sunday morning... It promises to be a vigorous discussion with Ian Edginton and others also taking part.

For more on Classical Comics visit: classicalcomics.com

For more on BICS 2009 visit: thecomicsshow.co.uk

THE WINNERS of the Indepependent Publisher Book Awards 2009 have been announced and include one by Birmingham-born publisher.

The results in the Graphic Novel/Drawn Book - Drama/Documentary section are as follows:

Gold: The Red Star: Sword of Lies by Christian Gossett (Archangel Studios).

Silver: Hatter M: The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor with Liz Cavalier (Automatic Pictures Publishing).

Bronze(tie): Macbeth: The Graphic Novel script adaptation by John McDonald, art by Jon Haward (Classical Comics Ltd.) and Good and Evil by Michael Pearl (No Greater Joy Ministries, Inc.)

This is one in a growing number of awards that Classical Comics has received since it was created only a few years back by Clive Bryant and Macbeth's artist Jon Haward announced: "I'm so chuffed that Macbeth has won another award!"

For more on Classical Comics refer to previous posts here at Speech Balloons and by visiting: www.classicalcomics.com

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S The Tempest will be published in May, courtesy of Classical Comics.

Pencil artist Jon Haward kindly forwarded these advance pages to share with The Birmingham Mail's Speech Balloon readers.

The Tempest has been inked by Gary Erskine and coloured by Nigel Dobbyn.

Wisely foregoing the direct comics sales route, like other Classical Comics it should be available in all good bookstores, and can be ordered direct from www.classicalcomics.com plus www.amazon.co.uk and www.amazon.com

FORGET THE weather while you're warm inside, ignore the recession for a moment and join Speech Balloons in some celebrations.

Today is Alan Grant's birthday - This prolific writer and one time editor has been responsible for many comics and characters that continue to entertain readers immensely. More so, he has been responsible for encouraging and fostering the talent of many artists who have gone on to become fan favourites just like himself.

Happy birthday, Mr Grant!

The above card was created by Jon Haward, one of those artists who value his friendship and continued sage advice (For more on Jon visit: www.jonhawardart.com).

It may be a tad late, but who cares, here's an email card Andie Tong sent us to celebrate the Chinese New Year - Here's to it still turning out to be a good one (For more on Andie visit: www.deemonproductions.com).

BRITISH INDEPENDENT publisher Bulletproof Comics is gearing up for some hefty publishing action in the months to come.

Bulletproof Comics began publishing the first of its comic books last year, with the self-titled 80-page anthology Bulletproof.

Various one-shots are intended as is a four-issue mini-series Redstitch: The End. There are also various ongoing web comic series that are unique to the publisher's website.

The latest issue of the anthology is imminent, according to editor-in-chief Matt Yeo, and a 16-page sampler Bulletproof # ½ already is.

"It's another 80-page beast of an issue, with a fantastically diverse range of stories from many super-talented creators. Best of all, this issue has a whopping 33-pages in full colour!" Yeo said of the second issue.

Contributors include Jim Alexander, John Freeman, Jon Haward and Rik Hoskin, with the colour pages featuring another episode of Funguys, scripted by Alan Grant & drawn by Alan Burrows.

Mr Grant of course is renowned for his work on many 2000AD series, Batman, Lobo and countless other best-selling titles, while Burrows' art has featured in Commando, The Eagle, Red Dwarf, various daily newspapers, European magazines and over at Dark Horse in America.

Alongside the web comics and an online stores where their comics can be purchased direct, there's actually an old interview I did with the Burrows featured on Bulletproof's website.

Yeo himself grew up in Halesowen and Stourbridge and still has family in the area. He has been living in London for a number of years though; initially editing computer magazines and since its debut the best-selling IPC kid's magazine Toxic (that has featured work by Nuneaton's Lew Stringer since day one and more recently Wolverhampton's Laura Howell), adding Bulletproof to his own cv along the way.

The editor-in-chief returns to the Midlands this October 4-5th for the Birmingham International Comics Show (BICS) . Bulletproof has a stand at the show where t-shirts, badges, comics, including a limited BICS edition of Bulletproof ½ and quite possibly the third issue of the anthology, will be available.

"The great news is that issue # 3 is nearly complete too!" said Yeo. "I've been squirreling work away while I was putting issue # 2 together, and we're already looking at around 70 completed pages."

I should note that the Simba Khan adventure promoted on the back cover of Bulletproof #2 (illustrated by Jon Haward and coloured by Tim Perkins) will be appearing in a future issue of the anthology other than #3, as and when Haward's schedule permits. Authored by yours truly, it was created with Jon uniquely in mind and I'm happy to wait on this.

Whereas with Snowstorm, that debuted in Bulletproof #1, I'm on the lookout for a suitable replacement (original pencil artist Michael Perkins is busy adapting Stephen King's The Stand for Marvel, and sadly his replacement, Joe Ahern, passed away). Such a person would need to be of their high standards.

Still, if you're a glutton for punishment and would like to read material I'm involved with Bulletproof #3 should be featuring Switchblade by the previously mentioned Alan Burrows on story and art with additional scripting from yours still truly. Its 24 pages are best described as a darkly surreal sci-fi comedy-adventure, and not just because we like to have our cake and eat it! Switchblade also pays homage to the late popular entertainer and comedian Bob Monkhouse who was a comic book artist himself in his youth, and who Burrows got to know. There's also a short story I wrote that Mr B should be drawing for a future issue of Bulletproof.

But more than enough about me, Bulletproof Comics will be at Birmingham International Comics Show (BICS) and its more worthy creators will be in attendance signing and sketching for your pleasure!

For more on Bulletproof Comics visit: www.bulletproofcomics.co.uk