Pre Glasto

I wrote a blog entry back in 2010 about Glastonbury - it was a magic year that one. In only a MATTER of hours I'll be back in that place and I can't say it better than I did three years ago...

"Mostly it is known for being host to hordes of corporate-approved superbands and flash-in-the-pans that attract thousands upon thousands of musical fucks who think Scouting for Girls are the best thing that happened since MOZART FUCKING DIED - which makes it appear to unknowers as just a fatter corporate shindig like Reading or Leeds. Which it clearly isn't. Those who dollop their betrilby'd forms exclusively in front of the main pop stages are depriving themselves of what makes me love Glastonbury festival. I love it so utterly that were I to cop it at this moment I could think of no better place to summarise the happiest days of my existence than that sprawling valley - the dust and the mud and the moments and the people. I'm always happy there. The dicks swarm - the terrible bands play - and I grin on, knowing that for a week out of the year I am home."

Although I probably would use a different example than Scouting for Girls now.

Anyway. More about that next blog - what's been happening up until this point?

Well as you all know Rory Kinnear has been officially announced as the new Doctor. 

Ahaha. No he hasn't. But did you think it for a minute then? No? Oh well. This is what it'd look like and it would be marvellous. Who do I really think will be the next Doctor? I don't care, I just want it to be written by people who are actually capable of telling stories that aren't shit.

Here's the twenty third page of Flaubert written by Geoffery Crescent - here revealing the origin of Laura Dora and her Siamese pig. The whole thing before now can be seen here.

My Dreddheads aren't as frequent as they once were but hopefully they still have their value - I have a request list longer than the written-out human genome so it'll probably be actual Dredd timeline by the year I've finished. 

My reading pile is still FIRMLY stuck in all the things I bought at Thought Bubble last November...

Lilly MacKenzie & The Mines of Charybdis (Self Published) Simon Fraser

I'd previously read this serialised as a webcomic Judge Dredd Megazine but in one lump it's eminently readable and brilliantly structured. Fraser, one of my favourite artists of all time, delivers a solid sci fi tale with many a twist and turn. Accompanied by the gracefully subtle colours of Gary Caldwell (who collaborated so brilliantly with Fraser on the majority of Nikolai Dante) and the progworthy lettering of 2000ad's Simon Bowland. Here's hoping the follow-up gets a similar physical tome that I can plop next to this 'un on the shelf.

The Lovecraft Anthology Volume II (Selfmade Hero) Various

Despite being unfamiliar with Lovecraft's work this anthology is absorbing, unsettling and almost infinitely readable. If not for the stories then for the sheer mind-buggering wealth of talent on show. Particular highlights being Spurrier & Timson, Lockwood & WJC, Mills & Futaki and a collosally amazing turn from McMahon & Ben Dickson. Worth getting, worth reading - worth eating. I mean... well, don't eat it. I get the feeling tentacle'd beasts might start spawning from ye.

MOA-192B (Self Published) Tesemberidis

I saw premier art droid Dave Taylor flicking through Stathis Tsemberlidis' pile of comics at Thought Bubble which was a bit of an indicator - they're really weird. Moebius like. Crammed with detail and mind-buggering but gloriously drawn. Recommended.

Rainbow Orchid, The Complete (Egmont) Garen Ewing

Thick with detail and remarkably well told - a ripping yarn and easily one of the best adventure comics I've ever read. Like his style of art the story is simple, edible yet deceptively dense. Every character, no matter how briefly they appear, are brilliantly rounded. Hugely fabulous.

The Scorpion 1 - The Devil's Mark (Cinebook) Marini/Desberg 

Despite some unnecessary censorship, The Scorpion is a rollicking tale - recommended to me by the redoubtable Bolt-01 I'd heard of this long before I'd even investigated Cinebooks. It is pure swashbuckle with Vatican conspiracies and heaving bosoms - damned men and thrilling setpieces. Marini's artwork is enthralling - every bit the model of French sequential excellence - his environments and archicture in particular are breathtaking. I long for more.

Stiffs # 1 (Formerly Dead Star) Davies/Montgomery/Glass/Mitchell/Cadwell

Smartly told fresh zombie story featuring talking monkeys and some foul-mouthed Welshmen. It's well paced and manages to introduce quite a lot without seeming overwhelming. Mitchell's artwork is irrestiably expressive as always and Cadwell's flat colours suit it well. A confident and fun book.

Achilles Last Stand

Yeah I'm back to doing titles that have bugger-all to do with the blog itself, what of it?!

Here we go - my page from a multi-artist story written by Chris Mole for the second Professor Elemental Comics. I was following the absurdly brilliant Jennie Gyllblad and being followed by the ridiculously amazing Neil McClements. So... no pressure. The script called for a "psychedelic eye" and I couldn't get the 13th Floor Elevators out of my mind.

Yes that's Billy Gibbons. Gibbonsyes.

Above is the winner of the May 2000ad Forum Art Competition - the extremely talented and ridiculously ridiculous Jon Taylor. The nigh-on twentyfour entries we got in May are literally all fantastic and can be seen over on the FB group here. June's new competition is here. 

Here's a chameleon in a hat from a Jimmy Baker Animal Hatmaker story I'm drawing for small pressers Massacre for Boys masterminded by mssrs. Denton & Denton. I'm in love with chameleons, and have been for some time. I used to dream of having a house with glass walls in which chameleons would live. Which is as practical as it is feasible. 

Finally here we go... I'm still getting through my reading pile this week actually snuffling through things I bought at Thought Bubble last November. Phew! Still got a way to go.

Town Mouse (Zine) Graham Johnson

A pleasant small format zine biographically documenting the author as a mouse 

on holiday in Much Wenlock. Charming and meandering the art is bold and honest.

The Un-Manned Manned Craft (Zine) Nick Soucek 

Easily the most narratively clear and the funniest of the four full Soucek comics I've read yet still very melancholic and otherworldy. Cleverly told and featuring my favourite of all subjects: TIME TRAVEL!

Afterlife Inc. - Near Life and Other Stories (Self Published) Lock/Jackson/Tempest

An absurdly slick and confident volume - a profoundly readable and 

open world full of stories and characters. Lock has managed to deftly lasso an 

absurd amount of talented creators, whose varying styles all fit into his 

brillantly realised world perfectly. Irresistable.

 - Writing -

Jon Lock is a versatile and enthusiastic creator. His stories are brimming with

 imagination and crucially he's able to turn out both long and short scripts of high quality. His

 conviction to his creation is what makes Afterlife the treat it is.

 - Art - 

Ash Jackson is the star of the volume, with vibrant well-coloured cartoony artwork of great consistency. A bit of a coup to get him for so much of it. On the Dead Days story where he's inked 

by the brilliant Nadine Ashworth you can see the possibilities if he chose to reign in his pencil lines.

Jade Sarson provides a lovely cityscape in Dead Days but her colouring is

 markedly rougher than others in the volume

Mark Pearce's clean kinetic art is hugely edible - I recommend his RONIN DOGS comic 

completely - he works a dream in this world I'd love to see him do more

Warwick Fraser-Coombe's Dead Days art is arguably the brightest gem in here - reminiscent but distinct from of a good handful of the most striking 2000ad artists - Siku, Jock, Cam Kennedy... bold intricate and beautifully coloured. WHERE IS HE FROM, SPACE?

Grant Perkins has a fantastically individualistic style of art and is a perfect match for 

Temperance. Nadine Ashworth's colouring works particularly well here - and again is deployed

 brilliantly on Ochroid's story.

Jack Davies is quite chunkified artwise but the subtle flat colours give it a nice nineties air and it's reminiscent of Marc Hemple's work in The Kindly Ones (Sandman)

Will Tempest's sombre realism works brilliantly in the final Dead Days - and makes the

 "real world" quite a stark one. I wonder what'd be like if all the real world was drawn by realistic

 artists and everything on The Empyrean by bright cartoony ones? 

Sean McSorley's intricate indie art is a dream here - and another bold and clever stylistic 

interpretation of Lock's world. The first page alone is a masterpiece.

Jack Tempest is the perfect foil to Ash Jackson's bombastic Afterlife world - and his flat 

simplicity heralds doom in the final tale of the book... I really can't wait for more of this

- Lettering & Design -

Michael Stock deserves much credit for his consistent and solid 

lettering and bold book design. A treat to read.

Disconnected Vol. 2 (Disconnected Press) Various 

A thoughtful and melancholic short anthology featuring dark and moody tales of "small towns" - 

every story is perfectly illustrated and the standard is incredibly high throughout. All stories lettered 

by the superb and peerless Jim Campbell.

- Cover (Matt Soffe) -

Masterfully handled by the magnificent Soffe, like issue 1's Timson cover it is bleak 

and mysterious. On the heavy card stock it's practically edible. 

- All Roads Lead to Hell (P.M. Buchan & Martin Simmonds) -

A satanic road trip - the realistic art is breathtaking and the Buchan's story strikes a bleak 

parr with Jon Lock's as the most chilling of the issue. 

- Plans (Alexi Conman & Nadine Ashworth) - 

Afraid this one left me rather cold - despite reading the story through a few times I just didn't seem to get it - and despite being a fan of Nadine Ashworth's colouring her mangastyle artwork left it all feeling rather flat. A change of pace perhaps but not for me.

- Pests (Matthew Craig & Neil McClements) - 

The versatile Neil McClements who's ironically produced some amazing dark and shadowy stories for me over the years gives a remarkable turn as a bright and breezy cartoonist in this hilarious centrepiece written by Matthew Craig. It might seem utterly out of place surrounded by the contemplative and eerie but I think that only serves to enhance it. Brilliant.

- The Remarkably Normal Man (Jon Lock & Sarah Jones) -

Transcendentally dark greywashed horror from Lock & Jones - the art is incredible

 and the story is bottomlessly creepy. Provoked a strange mood - which is a good sign.

- No Sign of Nathan Keeler (Liz Boyle & Conor Boyle) -

A rather open ended story but atmospherically realised by Boyle & Boyle. Conor Boyle's art continues to climb steadily into the realms of greatness, the bleached colours are incredibly effective.

Futurequake #22 (Futurequake Press) Various

A strong issue with lots of variety - my favourite small press anthology and absurdly consistent. 

Edited by Dave Evans & Richmond Clements, two of the most passionate people in the small press - 

they know what they love and it shows in everything they do. 

- Cover (Jim Lavery) -

Jim Lavery's cartoony style looks a little stretched and rough across A4 here and the colours are very basic. Not the best cover Futurequake's ever had but bold enough.

- Incarnation Shift (Dirk Van Dom & Jim Lavery) -

            Dirk Van Dom's script is caption-heavy but smart and the Lavery's art works much 

better here - solid and shadowy. A well constructed spin on time travel. 

- The Ndoki (Alec Robertson & David Broughton) -

Alec Robertson's script is cumbersome with terms and the ending is a little flat but Broughton's bold art pulls it through and makes this a striking little tale of rural African mysticism. 

- X=21 (Alec Charles & Neil McClements) -

Alec Charles' script is dark and ponderous and only very slightly different from an old Alan Moore Time Twister from 2000ad. It's brought to life by Neil McClements' (this time with his serious hat on) outstanding layouts and bold graphics. I love that man.

- Evolutionary Psychology (Alec Charles & Jared Souza) -

This second Alec Charles script, on the other hand, took me completely off guard. 

Very cleverly structured short intricately illustrated by the brilliant Jared Souza. 

- Spike (Derek Hammill & Jon Taylor) - 

Derek Hammill's Spike is a straightforward sci fi invasion tale and made stunning by 

Jon Taylor's remarkably detailed artwork. A large splash of his partway through would've worked 

wonders as a cover - simply breathtaking.

- Self-Psych (Virgil Yendell & James Evans) - 

Generally wonky in both art and story - could've done with editor Bolt's

 fine lettering (which is on all other stories in the issue) 

- The Day the Earth Struck Back (Paul L Mathews & Jim Lavery) - 

Jim Lavery's art is again solid here and Mathew's script is full of chunky retro sci fi (Captain Swagger is a brilliant protagonist name) but I'd anticipated an entirely different ending - the one here seemed a little flat.

- Love Is Hell (Alec Charles & Bruno Stahl) - 

The third Charles story in the issue is slightly heavy handed (the Morrison & Millar gag groan) but the setting is original and atmospheric - ably brought to life through the demented and gloriously characteristic art of the marvellous Bruno Stahl. 

- And Death Will Have His Day (Ed Berridge & George Coleman) - 

Berridge's straight-up noir thriller is a remarkably strong change of pace and works brilliantly. 

Helped in no small part by the flawless, insane, incredible art of George Coleman - one of my favourite artists of all time, let alone the small press. Colours on the back are mine.

The Last Days of Man (Omnivistascope) Scott/McCaffrey

Absurdly professional - this is a compilation of Scott & McCaffrey's work from the peerless 

Omnivstascope. I'd learned from Keegan Jask that Scott's writing was dense and brimming with character - and coupled with Paul McCaffrey's outrageously stunning art it makes for an absorbing and unforgettable read. Highly recommended.