October 2011 Archives

IT WAS written in the stars... That Farmageddon would be here this Saturday!... Click on the strips below for this Saturday's bout of starry-eyed madness.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/

ERNIE COLON's Inner Santum is released by NBM this December.

Colon made his name drawing comics for such diverse publishers as Harvey and Warren, plus DC Comics where he was also an editor.

With Inner Sanctum he brings to comics life tales based on one of the most fondly remembered mystery and horror radio shows in American history.

The black and white collection includes:

The Horla: A man is haunted by a mysterious, grotesque being only he can see... It seeks to enslave him, but in the end reveals its true intent - to destroy him.

Death of a Doll: An unidentified corpse in the morgue intrigues a reporter, who sets out to identify her and how she died. On her was a doll that cries "Kara Nana", another name for the devil.

The Undead: A young woman discovers an obituary for her living husband.

Alive in the Grave: Seeing a man collapse in an alley, our hero rushes to help only to find that the man is dead. Jobless and desperate, he takes the man's wallet, only to find out later he may not have been dead! He rushes back only to find that the man has been removed and buried...Perhaps alive.

For more on Inner Sanctum visit: www.nbmpub.com

FILM ACTOR Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade, Bad Santa) received a copy of the new Flesh and Blood graphic novel early the night before its release to stores yesterday (Wednesday, 26th October).

Flesh & Blood is a four book new series of horror graphic novels written by Robert Tinnell and illustrated by Neil D. Vokes (The Black Forest, The Wicked West), published by Monsterverse.

Pictured above is Billy Bob Thornton with Monsterverse publisher Kerry Gammill (left), writer Robert Tinnell (with his top film crew) and (right) Monsterverse West Coast Editor Sam F. Park with Book One of Flesh and Blood.

While in the photograph below Billy Bob Thornton proudly displaying his advance copy of Flesh and Blood and one of Vanguard Press's Basil Gogos Artist, with Kerry Gammill and Robert Tinnell also in camera.

Thornton was also filmed in an exclusive interview for Robert Tinnell's new documentary on growing up a "monster kid" in America and how it has affected the imaginations and careers of many of those now proliferating today's pop culture.

For more information on Flesh and Blood visit: www.monsterverse.com

Pandora's Box: Volume 5 - Envy

Cinebook

For those into the paradoxes of conspiracy theory and a penchant for the work of Phillip K. Dick this book might just be for you.

Tibor and Eva work for a software engineering corporation wherein an accident occurs and their own worldview falls in upon itself.

Too many ideas, not enough time for resolutions, and losing the thematic message of envy along the way. It didn't work for me as a story though its cutting pace will probably appeal to a younger modern movie-fixated audience as will its tendency towards a cuter American art style in places.

For more information on the Pandora's Box series visit: www.cinebook.com

BBC RADIO 4 will be broadcasting a 30 minute show looking back on 70 years of the Classics Illustrated comic book series at 11.30am today, Tuesday 25th October.

Actor Bill Paterson marks the anniversary by exploring the publication's impact and recent revival on Britain's bookshelves.

Classics Illustrated, the comic book adaptations of classic literature, began in America in 1941, starting with an adaptation of The Three Musketeers, followed by Ivanhoe and The Count of Monte Cristo, and soon became a favourite reading material for children and many adults.

Paterson (featured in the photograph above holding his own first edition of Jane Eyre) reveals his lifelong passion for the comic as he charts the fortunes of Russian Jewish immigrant Albert Kantner, who conceived the idea of a comic book series as self-contained abridgments of a literary work into a single comic book.

Over a thirty year period a vast range of literary classics were adapted; from The War of the Worlds, to Sherlock Holmes, Moby Dick, Treasure Island, Faust and Dr No. These publications later became popular in Britain but the series regularly came under fire for distracting children from reading the original stories.

Contributors include Professor John Sutherland and British bookseller Jeff Brooks who in recent years revived the comic book versions using the original artwork with new covers.

Readings are provided by Buzz Hawkins, Jayne Ashbourne and Barnaby Gordon.

The programme is written by Roger Dobson and produced in Manchester by Stephen Garner.

For more on Classics Illustrated published in Great Britain visit: www.classiccomicstore.com

STATELY HOMES of England featuring Hunt Emerson held a launch reception for Seven Curses, their latest CD.

The event took place at The Endwood, Hamstead Road, in Handsworth, Birmingham last Friday October21st with Beano cartoonist Hunt Emerson himself present.

Those in attendance could buy CDs, t-shirts, Spritely Records aprons, prints hear the very first playing of Stately Homes of England's soon-to-be-available Christmas single.

For those who couldn't make it (or those like this half-soaked reporter who got the date mixed up in his diary) there's a great little promotional animation video for the record that you can click on and play above.

You can purchase all Stately Homes of England featuring Hunt Emerson CDs by visiting: www.spritelyrecords.com

IT'S BUSINESS as usual for Carter's Column this Sunday.... Click on the episode below for it to expand to fill your screen with the latest episode!
Carter's Column will be updated in full digital colour soon.
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.

Below is a video of the 2011 B.C. convention held in Birmingham made by Matthew James. Among the many events shown are clips of Paul H Birch's on stage interviews with Peter Hogan, Chris Sprouse and Doug Braithwaite:

Here is another video by Matthew focussing specifically on Birch's interview with Doug Braithwaite:

Birch assisted Martin Tierney in the making of his animation video The Seed. Click on the Youtube link to watch it, and yes that voice narrating it is none other than TV personality Jonathan Ross:

Donald Jackson who lettered the Carter's Column: Seek & You Will Find series has recorded a video on inking. Click on the Youtube link below to watch it:

Meanwhile, regular letterer John Robbins has a new, mainly fiction, collection out titled The Well Below and other stories, that can be ordered through his website and our own inker Mats Engesten's latest installment of Bloodstid can be viewed at: http://www.fivesmellcitycomics.com/

For more information on the creators: