March 2011 Archives

THE SECOND 52-page issue of Multiverse - the all-new British comics magazine - is imminent!

Alongside the £2.50/$3.99 magazine's regular news and reviews sections and Frame to Frame, Multiverse #2 also includes exclusive interviews with Garth Ennis, Frank Quitely, David Lapham, Mark Waid and the new Silver Surfer creative team of Greg Pak and Stephen Segovia. Plus, newcomer Ross Mackintosh talks about his new com.X graphic novel, Seeds, while Dave West discusses Fall of the Wolfmen and the burgeoning British small press scene.

Multiverse #3 is scheduled to hit shops on April 21. Among exclusives lined up for the issue are Missy Suicide and artist David Hahn talking Suicide Girls; Peter Milligan, Tomm Coker and editor Sebastian Girner discussing Marvel's latest Wolverine saga, 5 Ronin; writer Chris Roberson discusses Michael Moorcock's Multiverse and Elric: The Balance Lost; and Christopher Monfette reveals all about resurrecting Clive Barker's Hellraiser.

Iznogoud Book 7: Iznogoud the Infamous

Cinebook

Having been a big fan of Asterix the Gaul I'd often wondered how many of Goscinny's wordplay puns and double entendres were the down to his English translators, a lot I'm sure and done well, but Iznogoud's appear to be playing in the same ballpark, so obviously all are derived from the great late writer's original works.

Goscinny's game plan for Iznogoud was to have his grand vizier of Baghda hit upon a scheme "to be the caliph instead of the caliph!" and then watch that dream fall apart, piece by piece, with a corny punchline being pummelled time and time again and then stopping abruptly before the joke wore too thin.

The result of this is that strips tend to be off differing lengths and its works better for it, Tabary's cartooning adding both literally, and sometimes as subtext, in a clear bigfoot styled manner.
Tales of magic run high on themes for this collection ranging from The Sinister Liquidator, a demonic djinn who lives in a swamp, being taught how to make things turn invisible and then how to really vanish - through a bill poster!

Iznogoud has also appeared as a successful TV animation series watched internationally, and was made into a 2005 live-action French movie, from which a Youtube video clip can be seen below:

For more information on Iznogoud visit: www.cinebook.com

MARVEL COMICS' top talent chief, CB Cebulski, will be conducting portfolio reviews over the course of the day on Friday, April 8th, at London's Cartoon Museum.

The reviews will take place over three sessions: 12.30-2pm, 3-5.30pm and 6-7pm.

David Lloyd and Steve Marchant will also be on hand throughout the day to give any extra advice and information those attending may require.

A Cartoon Classroom event in association with The Cartoon Museum, entry is open to everyone at regular museum admission prices of £5.50, and £3.00 for students.

The Cartoon Museum can be found at 35 Little Russell St, London, WC1.

Those wishing to attend should email:contactcartoonclassroom@yahoo.co.uk or info@cartoonmuseum.org.

For more information visit: www.cartoonclassroom.co.uk.

The Bluecoats Book 4 - The Greenhorn

Cinebook

My initial assumptions of The Bluecoats was that it would be a Gallic take on Mort Walker's classic newspaper strip Beetle Bailey taken back in time to America's civil war. Certainly there are undertones of that in both the cartooned art and the broad-stroke characterisations of its humour but in inspection one suspects there's a wider depth of influences as work.

In it readings, one might draw comparisons to Robert Altman's MASH for it uses the folly of war (unless you're in the business of profiting from it) as a backdrop to dealing with life's really serious matters, while fronting it all with a joke to offset despondency - or maybe it's to point out that live's too short to take even despair seriously all the time. Maybe it's just a scenario tell a fun little adventure, because that's how most folk reading it will take it, certainly the young.

The Bluecoats focusses on two soldiers in particular: Corporal Blutch, if not a potential deserter certainly a man not ready to stand in the firing line on the words of any pompous general's say-so, and his sergeant, Cornelius Chesterfield, a big man with a big heart that's beats strong for their commander's daughter, Emily.

Alas, Chesterfield doesn't always pack common sense along with his military paraphernalia and when the two return to their fort and find Emily dancing in the arms of a handsome young lieutenant named George things hit the fan... From a drunken saloon fight (which might well be a recurring theme in the series, the way it reads), to discovering George's true identity and the affects that has on all their lives, pro and con.

There's a feeling that like many a European cartoon adventure series, from Asterix on, themes may repeat themselves and the status quo remains the same no matter what, but on this first showing for me as a reader the Belgian writer and artist involved have produced a nice little album with some wry comments to boot.

For more information on The Bluecoats visit: www.cinebook.com

CARTER'S COLUMN... Incoming!
Click above on Episode 5 and it will expand to fill your screen.

As an added bonus click below to see samples of how this week's special splash page episode has evolved: we are including both Jon Edwards pencilled art, and Mats Engesten's finished inks.

If you're new to Carter's Column head over to the Search button and check out the previous online serials where you'll find previous featured artists have included John Royle (Wolverine: Evilution, Spider-Man) and Gary Crutchley (2000AD, Death Race).

What's more it's not just the previous serials you'll find but features about the series along with exclusive character sketches and special interviews with the various creators and news about their other current projects.

For more information on the creators:

For Paul H Birch: www.myspace.com/paulhbirch

For Jon Edwards: www.facebook.com/MightyJonE

For Mats Engesten: www.go.to/engesten

For Andrew Dodd: www.andydoddartoons.co.uk

Don't miss next Sunday's exciting installment - Subscribe free today by clicking on the RSS feed!

CLICK ON the Farmageddon strip below for it to fill your screen and have your morning fill of corny yokes!

Farmageddon is here every Saturday... Click on the RSS feed to make sure you don't miss out!

Below is a preview video for the Farmageddon animation series that is in development!

For more on Farmageddon visit: www.farmadeggon.tv

For more on Gordon Fraser visit: www.freewebs.com/gordonfraser/

XIII Book 6: The Jason Fly Case

Cinebook

Take any ten comic book artists at random, lock them in a room with an envelope each randomly containing a separate page each from the first ten of this book, and come back some 24 hours later. Three of them will have to be taken away in gibbering in straightjackets, at least two will have had to have the wet patches they've made on the floor mopped up, one of those along with another two will be busy drawing, attempting to replicate some of the images they've seen, there will probably be a couple of them surfing the internet looking to find any evidence of photo reference used in the individual panel drawings, and the rest will be doing what a lot of comic book artists do - chatting among themselves when they should be working.

Ouch! That's lost me some friends.

Does it have a certain dated look? Well, only if you think quality drawing + genuine storytelling are old hat. But far many people internationally would disagree with you than are reading the latest issue of X-Men, no matter how good that might be.

Even if I am overstating the case, the first batch of pages in this book are incredible - Vance's art in this series has always demonstrated a keen draughtsman technique and a presumed penchant for photo-realism, but he pulls out all the stops here. It's both overwhelming when you sit there and take all the different panel images in, each with a differing detailed scene using various levels of perspective too, but also easy on the eye as consummate sequential art when, simply, just read.

If the work is photo-referenced I don't care, Vance has altered them to fit in with his storytelling, nothing's apparently strained or askew because of it. What's more the pages drawn are packed with both figuratively transparent emotional value and symbolism too.

The fifth comic page, numbered 7 in the book, features 14 panels that need not have a single word lettered across them; in fact it might well have worked even better as a silent page: we know implicitly what's going on: like sad voyeurs we witness the former Major Jones, looking sexy as hell, but we know emotionally she's been kicked in the teeth, the presence of a cat makes us consider that maybe we humans think too much, and then the final panel jolts us from our creepy viewing to witness the all too real presence of someone who's going to cause a serious problem for the woman right here and now.

Meanwhile, XII is off in yet another American countryside town, trying to uncover his true identity - I have to say who he is has become more of a distraction for me; it's the adventures he gets up to when he hits a town and gets involved in having to sort out some criminal affair or other. In this book he goes to Green Falls to find out who Jason Fly, the latest identity he wears, really was, and soon finds there are people who want that left a forgotten mystery.

A good read, that continues with the next book, but it's the art that sings so gloriously for me in this one!

If you're a fan of the series, and even if you're not, here's a Youtube video regarding XIII that's pretty darned dramatic:

For more information on XIII visit: www.cinebook.com

SPIRIT OF Hope is the official title of the anthology comic featuring an all-star cast of contributors, due to published via The Comic Book Alliance.

As was revealed by The Birmingham Mail's Speech Balloons on March 17th, Spirit of Hope is being produced as a fundraising comic whereby all profits made by the sales will go towards those who have suffered from the recent tsunami tragedies that have struck both Japan and New Zealand.

To this end all of the contributors - including the likes of Mike Allred, Mark Buckingham, Darick Robertson and Liam Sharp - have donated their creative services for free. To that already prestigious roll call the name of Chris Weston can also now be revealed as being involved in Spirit of Hope.

Featured above is an exclusive Speech Balloons preview of the art Weston produced for the comic. It should be noted that as potent as the illustration is, it is still only a low resolution image, and the piece will be seen in all its true glory when printed in Spirit of Hope.

Chris Weston's comic book artwork has appeared in such fan favourite titles as Britain's 2000AD, and for US publishers on books such as Ministry in Space, The Invisibles, and Enemy Ace: War in Heaven. He has also illustrated record covers, produced the design for the latest Dan Dare action figure, and been involved in the film industry; notably producing concept art and storyboards for the Denzel Washington movie The Book of Eli.

"Occasionally I get asked to create art for charity, and I usually have the excuse of being too busy to get involved," said the artist. "However, the scale of the disaster in Japan made my deadline concerns seem trivial in comparison. I also couldn't bear the feeling that I was gawping at the horror from the sidelines and not pitching in and helping somehow."

Commenting on the actual artwork he produced, Weston revealed:

"I wanted to create a symbolic piece that captured the quiet dignity and strength of the Japanese people; a tribute to their constant resilience in the face of adversity. My pictures shows a mythic samurai representing the Land of the Rising Sun, bloody but unbowed after his battle with a water demon. It's called The Sun Rises Higher than the Waves."

Other writers and artists now known to be contributing to Spirit of Hope include Jason Cobley, Gary Crutchley, Gary Erskine, Mats Engesten, Lew Stringer and Anthony Williams.

For more about The Comic Book Alliance visit: www.comicbookalliance.co.uk

For more on Chris Weston visit: www.chrisweston.co.uk

Lucky Luke Book 27: Lucky Luke Versus Joss Jamon

Cinebook

With the civil war over, six mean individuals pool their crooked resources together to rob banks and steal innocent town folk of their every last cent... When they frame Lucky Luke for a bank job their days are numbered, for he promises the town of Los Palitos that if he hasn't brought those criminals to justice within six months he'll return and they can hang him high and dry instead!

It's out in Frontier City that Joss Jamon and his gang can now be found, robbing and a stealing for all their worth until Luke hits town. Thereafter politics rears a crooked head and Joss elects himself mayor, and all sorts of tomfoolery ensues until Luke can figure a - highly convoluted - way to sort it all out once and for all.

The raised smiles become longer for the reader of this all-age book, filled as it is with some finely observed stereotyped bad guys.

Below is a Youtube video exert of the animation adaptation of Lucky Luke Versus Joss Jamon:

For more information on Lucky Luke visit: www.cinebook.com

THE cream of Midlands comic talent is taking part in the Memorabillia Show at the NEC this weekend.

The London MCM Expo's famous Comic Village is taking comics around the country and the first stage of the tour is Memorabilia on March 26-27.
 
"We're really pleased with the excellent take-up we've seen for the Comic Village at Memorabilia," commented MCM Group's Paul Miley. "We believe that the twice-yearly Memorabilia Show can become the focal point for the comic book talent and community in the Midlands."

Comic creators attending this weekend's Memorabilia include Lee Bradley; John McCrea; Kat Nicholson; Jason Cardy; Laura Howell; Liam Shalloo; Al Davison; Keith Burns; MC2; Matthew Craig; Lizz Lunney; Philippa Rice; Dylan Cook; Tony McGee; Markosia; Alice De Ste Croix; Ian Sharman; Josh Clarke; Linh Ha; Scot Stanford; Lyndon White; Ty Wilson; Sean Azzopardi; Lily Mitchell; Howard Hardiman; Toonikun and Minyi.

It returns to the Midlands for the Winter Memorabilia Show on 19-20 November.