Anne Neggen

Well...that was a long gap.

That's June for you; filthy filthy month with all it's doings. Grim I call it - TIME FOR A ROUND-UP

Norts vs Southers for TAB - a bit of a sketch really. Although I've never drawn either before, whey!

Drawn by Lorenzo Fiorini and coloured by me - which has been done before. I do enjoy colouring other people's stuff!

Challenged by the superlative Emperor after a request for sketch ideas on Tumblr went awry and it became apparent that I'd invited requests for nude hobos. Dirty Frank is from "Low Life" which is currently drawn by my favourite artist in the history of the world.

This is another clutch of digital doodles for digital purchasers of Dr WTF?! The image in the centre is "Stringer Bell at the Earth's Core" an idea that still causes me vast happiness by Ben Clark. You can still buy digitals or reserve physicals but there's no more appropriate method than contacting me personally at this point. SORRY. Also there's big news regarding my haphazard anthology - see below!

Remastered version of an old image that I'm quite fond of for TAB. But it does raise a VERY IMPORTANT question. Did the Red Baron travel in time?

No. It's not likely.

Pete Townshend. Who's songwriting skill, energy and vast capacity for pretentiousness is unsurpassed.

Batman floating in Nega Space. Another shameless rehashing of a years-old image that I've always liked. He looks fucking ridiculous. Silly Batman.

Here's a bit of a thing - image for Weston Super-Mare based alternative studios "Kewsound" ran by Jack, what a nice chap. The image was my thought and (again - god I've got no imagination) is based on a much older idea.

Finally here's a bit of a GROVELLING TRIBUTE to my fellow small-presser and bit-of-a-legend Nich Angell - it was a drunken idea and the joke was meant to be much funnier. It just didn't come out that way LOL. You can find Cat & Meringue over here.

Glastonbury

Just a few words on this year's festival - which was possibly the most exhausting experience of my miniature life. I went in with no plans and got what I deserved. Knackered. Although it was my lady Jazz's first visit and I'd hope that she enjoyed it. Even though a lot of it was staring at a crumpled fat person sweltering in the heat. There was also a hell of a lot of japery including (and not limited to)

- A jolly tree pirate

- Witnessing the legendary BB King, Duane Eddy & Angelos Epithemiou.

I still actually have to decipher many anecdotes and experiences from a web of tired hallucinations and fevered dreams that I had whilst on site. So stay tuned for more.

Remastered Crabcake

Oh yes I've remastered all parts of Crabcake. Which basically involved making sure everything was the same size and the lettering was at least vaguely correct, and MAJORLY REWRITING sections so that it made more sense and doesn't sound so bloody stupid. This is all gearing up to attempting to flog it for tuppence at Birmingham/Leeds. See them (receiving a rapturous reception) here

Dr WTF Submissions

Yes it's that time again - Submissions are open for Dr WTF! Get your thinking caps on, send me some stuff - !

- - Guidelines - -

"It must be about Doctor Who.

But not as you know it. A one-off adventure for an alternate Doctor - no canon, no arcs, no melodrama, no familiar faces - as surreal and as a curious as you can make it. Returning writers must come up with a new Doctor - NO ARCS I SAY!

Writers: One to five pagers - with a summary included. Deadline ISN'T the first of September but that IS when I'll be sending stuff off to artists, so aim for that. I shouldn't imagine I'll be taking stuff beyond October.

Artists: Register your interest with me, I'll send you scripts that suit you. Or I won't, I might just LAUGH AT YOU AHAHAHAHAHAHA*

*this isn't likely.

If you want to work with someone in particular then run it past me first, I'm not reluctant to put people in the same teams they were last issue but I must stress we won't be going with the same Doctors. "

!!!!!

For the Greater Stewart of Lee

Good day!

Well no, it is rather a bruised and battered day for your scrumpy-loving author. It turns out balance is the first thing to go when full of cider - who knew? Anyhow - it's been a relatively active fortnight - the major thing being a journey up to London courtesy of the miraculous Jazz where we observed:

- a three-hour Stewart Lee live marathon

- a duck

- jars full of foetuses next to a gift shop
- real-life ACTUAL mods

- a talking plastic tree

- extreme coincidence

Anyway - on with the art!

"Peak Fighters" a thing I did for TAB describing the noble art of battlin' up the top of stuff. Entirely digital and with some sneaky sneaky textures in there TO EMPHASIZE STUFF. Moon was originally going to be yellow but I think I thought the weird peaks and the yellow moon looked a little too much like an image from Nightmare Before Christmas. So I redified it.

Drawn by the fantastic Lorenzo Fiorini and coloured by me. There's still a touch of the 'gaudy' about it (the colouring that is) and I'm really not happy about the hair. Sigh. I'm doing another for him shortly - here's hoping I can improve on the things I'm not 100 percent about. Colouring is fun.

Digital sketches done for the various buyers of the digital version of my cosmic anthology, Dr WTF. If you're interested in a PDFtacular roam through time and space give me a shout and some pounds (two) and I'll also do you a doodle of your choice. Sound good? TO ME IT SOUNDS AMAZING.

Finally something done for Laurelio and the Sheffield anarchists. Neat. Although not my idea. Nor are the book covers my own. AND I DIDN'T CONSTRUCT THAT FONT. I'm a fraud!

Next fortnight you'll probably finding me moving to Bristol and preparing for (or coming back from) Glastonbury festival. Glorious.

Bristol

G'day you exceptionally gorgeous blog-reader you,

It's been an incredible fortnight AND A BIT as I've done several noteworthy things

- drawn some stuff

- sold my comic at Bristol International

- officially aged another year

- recorded the last Owen in Rock

First, let's just catch up with what my orrible hands and mind have been collaborating on, NORMALLY WITHOUT ME NOTICING.

This is, clearly, Dredd in the guise of Raymond Briggs's The Snowman. For the 2000ad art competition of May which involves interpretations of 2000ad characters as children's books. You can check the rest of the entries here - WARNING: The majority are better than this.

Here is something for phenomenal cat and extraordinary teacher of piano Richard "The Jenk" Jenkins - who recorded a new song with reputable man-about-town Dan Shandy ....

Movement by Crazyfoxmachine

By the way, it should be noted that the idea of a keyboard zebra or Zeyboardebra (?) was thought up by my girlfriend Jasmine, who literally comes up with everything interesting.

More from the Jenk, who is the nicest man in Glastonbury - him and the extraordinarily effervescent Amie Pendarves have a jazz group goin' on and I recommend it for those not afraid of joyous soul, funk and jazzy boogie.

Little wild west image for the immutable TAB. Constructed entirely digitally and with a cheeky texture flung in there to make it look INTERESTING.

Crabcake... returning... MY DOK. What do you mean you've never read Crabcake, ARE YOU MAD?! I can't help you with your growing insanity but I can fill in your Crabcake needs.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Here, the partial fruits of my Spring Slog - page one of MAMMOTH JACK for Van Dom's Vanguard anthology. Look out for that showing up in the future. Click on those words to find the full image of the thing. Gorgeous. The script that is.

Finally - the cover of my portfolio that sat gamely on my table at the Bristol comic con.....

Here is Dave Thomson & I - flogging our wares and looking extremely sceptical. Bristol was my first comic event as a seller (his too) and I was entirely terrified. My travelling companion was Chris Nolan-Rennie, an artist in Dr WTF and a thoroughly excellent man. This weekend was entirely about slotting myself awkwardly into a glorious scene that I've been on the outskirts of for a billion years. The last time I went to a convention (and it was Bristol) it was 2001 and I was fourteen. Ten years later, I was there with my comic under my arm and a tardis full of jelly babies...

FRIDAY

I bumped straight into Dr WTF contributor Mike Bunt (artist of "The Secret of Comedy") and his extraordinary posse - and I proceeded to sit there and babble away as if I was watching the end of the world through a telescope. Overawed but powerless. The lettering machine Jim Campbell was the first to approach and say hello - seeing his bluntness on the forum made me anticipate severe grumpiness but he was extraordinarily chatty and had much to say on the hot topic of the "Crossbar I" in lettering. I'd never had an involved discussion about lettering comics before. This was a brave new world. A brave new world and a bar more expensive than Dubai. Seriously, each round seemed to cost about eighty percent more than I anticipated. I hate you Ramada. It was then I spied Richmond Clements and decided to run up to him excitedly (because a man who's flown down from Scotland needs noobs all up in his face). He introduced me to his chatting companions - Michael Carroll and John Higgins. URG. Michael Carroll, who designed the Dr WTF logo (as well as writing a recent run on Judge Dredd and a series of excellent books - seriously, click on his name back there), was charming and disarmingly interested in my tiny little small press anthology. Mr Higgins was involved in a conversation with Mr Clements about some such but I was so incredibly in the deep end of starting to feel quite overawed that I slunk (?) away to the bar to buy another seven billion pound drink. So overawed was I then that I instantly forgot my pin number and near locked my card. Out to the smoking area with me, where I had an animated discussion with NatWest. A familiar man watched me throughout as I explained "I had forgotten my pin number out of excitement". Only when the mess had been sorted and I wandered aimlessly back to Bunt and co did I realise it was Henry Flint. Balls. The night wore on - and the long-travelled Mr Thomson and his companion arrived (from SCOTLAND). I believe I met ... Dandontdare - ? I think - it became a slight blur. The final unfortunate comic thought (before taxi, garlic bread, and a hell of a lot of pin-number guessing ensued) was willing myself to talking to Bryan Talbot at the bar. I was under the impression I would wing it and it would work - however my mouth produced ultragash and all I said was that he was very good - and then proceeded to list everything I owned by him - followed by a reinstatement that he was very good. Gracious he was, although terrified was I.

Saturday

After a brisk start my companion & I made our way to the con and sheepishly put together our table - cue alternate view - !

It was... amazing, to say the least. Rooms stuffed with artists, writers, floggers - all vying for attention, appreciation and sales. Costume'd gadabouts trawled the walkways - in all manner of guises -

Who goes that far and doesn't bother wearing a wig? That's a level of non-commitment I'm not even willing to think about. We sold a lot of Dr WTFs that day - thanks to the astounding level of artwork and the extraordinary loveliness of 2000ad forum folk. The most interesting purchase was to Johnny "I'm David Knight" Alpha (Writer of Dr WTF's "Quarry Planet") ...

Those aforementioned boarders mostly congregated around a table hosted by these lovely folk -

My two mentors - Mr Dave Evans & Mr Richmond Clements - editors of Dogbreath, Futurequake & Zarjaz - the premier British small press anthologies. Mr Evans was the man who gave me my first constructive criticism - and commissioned me to appear in Futurequake way back in...

*works it out*

the past. Don't click on that!!! Needless to say, he's the reason I was sat at the table down the way and flogging my own stuff. A glass raised to the man - as long as it's within his limit!

The sketches I got that day were from Kev Crossley - a supremely underrated bod who's portfolio brimmed with all manner of glorious physical goodness. I mean, the WHOLE THING was hand-drawn.

After the show, Chris & I took our ill-gotten gains into Bristol - seeking cider! We supped mightily at The Apple and The Orchard - finding many excellent apple-tinted beverages. Also we bumped into an extraordinary bistro, some fantastic houseboats and Aardman animation studios - before raggedly returning to the Ramada bar close to midnight. A lot of the big names had depleted after Azerbaijan's now-famous victory and only the dedicated remained. Bunt and a reduced posse, a slightly-squiffy but still-terrifying Bryan Talbot, a knackered Clements & Evans - The wonder group of that evening were LIZ & CONOR BOYLE, KERRIN and THE EMPEROR. Liz and Conor are extraordinarily lovely folk and contributors to Dr WTF (Liz wrote 'Canine' Conor drew 'Berlin') - Kerrin is a hilarious boardman who looks like an amazing mix between Eddie Izzard and Oliver Reed - The Emperor (Dr WTF writer of "The Secret of Comedy") stood as sober witness to the dregs of an evening where many MANY a man was presumed to be Charlie Adlard and I backed out of an impromptu meeting of great writing minds (Cornell, Ewing & Williams) I MUST DASH. More pizza, more taxi and a tiny bit of Doctor Who before sleep took poor Chris & I.

Sunday

Apart from this sight, Sunday was a slow and sober affair. Barely any Dr WTFs were sold and browsers were pensive or uninterested. Such as it was - I spent most my time harvesting sketches of Doctor (s) from fellow panellers - you can see the results over on the Doctor WTF Facebook group . My eternal regret is that I didn't get a Doctor from Sean Phillips who WAS JUST OVER THERE - and from Nich Angell who was super lovely and basically a bit of a con beast. Coneast?

The primary thing I've learnt is that - SKETCHING IS HARD. Dave Evans asked that I drew my Anderson (which, by the way, is the partial subject of a Forbidden Planet post in which I preposterously get drawn alongside Boo Cook) in a sketchbook full of comic heroes. I freaked out and re-drew it a billion times and it was the most terrifying thing I've ever done. I've been sketching forever and convention sketching is... fucking tough.

Right. That's Bristol over with. If you weren't someone that I met or weren't involved, and you stuck with the whole thing, I'm bloody grateful that you read it. It took ages to write but it's basically been the pinnacle of my comic life so far - it deserves that kind of report really.

Also, it was my birthday on Tuesday. My endlessly excellent lady Jazz got me tickets to see a Stewart Lee stand-up marathon in London next weekend which should be EXTRAORDINARILY BRILLIANT if not clever, cynical and endearing. I love that man. He shouldn't pile his website with negative reviews though, eh? Silly sod. My main man Chris bought me Michael Palin's Around the World in Eighty Days and I spent the afternoon doodling and watching his adventures. Which is possibly the most calming bit of television ever recorded - a world were everyone is a bit silly and very human AKA the world we live in. Reassuring.

Other lovely men bought me quantities of cider and I have been slowly ingesting them and writing EXTREMELY lengthy blogs.

Sigh. Finally - I have put together the last ever Owen in Rock - with the now-familiar Richard Jenkins inputting a jazz corner - GIVE IT A LISTEN BY CLICKING ON THESE CAPITAL LETTERS HERE - thank you for all the requests and listens you beautiful bunch -

There'll be LESS in a fortnight. Thank you so much for reading it all if you have. Have a coconut.

O x

During Donkey Intervals...

I have been drawing other things. Not many things though - largely self promotion and jam.

MAYBE I SHOULD DRAW JAM TO PROMOTE MYSELF.

...let's just let that go now, shall we?

Oh also before we pop on I'll just slap up a panel from THE OTHER THING I've been drawing this fortnight -

Watch out for a page of the Mammoth Jack epic - (written by Dirk van Dom) in Temple APA later this week. Very pleased to be drawing things that will get seen by people again. Also horses - but I barely draw them. Chunky legs.

"A Younger Sun" for The Weekly Themed Art Blog (or TAB) - the theme was dinos/monsters and I longed to draw a Brachiosaurus. They are my favourite dinosaurs because they were awesome and also they had long awesome necks and they were green.

THEY WERE FUCKING GREEN. They didn't have a feathery spine, wikipedia. THEY WEREN'T GREY AND BLOTCHY THEY

WERE

FUCKING GREEN.

I'm not writing a thesis about it, I'm not discussing it with anyone. I'm not telling you how I know they were green. Clue: It involves time eggs. Also - who knew the atmospheric composition was different in the Jurassic era and humans couldn't breathe it?! I certainly didn't. Nearly died.

This was, I believe, for a young man called Daniel Madley who became eightieth like for the ever-swelling Dr WTF Facebook page. Do pop along - ! Someone suggested I added Christ into the mix and I was like NO WAY Jetsharks I can believe, Invisible Bears I can believe - but Jesus?! You must be out of your cake.

Profound apologies for my second TAB this fortnight - specifically to the superlative mind of Henry Flint who I desperately aped to produce this testicular monstrosity. Shakara is in his little ship there and he's plunging through a giant eye made up of giant eyes. Instead it looks like a pierced ball sack. Sorry. I recommend Henry Flint.

"That Darn Masterchief" aka "Achievement Unlocked" aka "I can't draw licenses very well" - for Richmond Clements - who became the ONE HUNDREDTH LIKE for Dr WTF. A million thank yous - much beyond my shaky paltry Master Chief. I never understood Halo. It's like - there's this planet, and like, you're shooting, and like - then you're not. What's the deal with that. - and as for my Doctor Who anthology - it's in it's final stages and the digital version goes on sale

NEXT WEEK (PROBABLY)

Very exciting - and the print version? Well just turn your pretty eyes downward...

Finally - the third TAB entry is my interpretation of Judge Anderson. A bit Bibi Andersson, a bit ... androgynous ... stern and not at all busty or nipply or any of that shit. It genuinely irritates me. I mean - this shit is what makes the glorious unique world of Judge Dredd that little bit more bland. SHE WOULD AT THE VERY LEAST WEAR A BRA.

SERIOUSLY. PUT ON A BRA ANDERSON WE'RE TRYING TO STOP A DEATH CULT FROM KIDNAPPING THE DAUGHTER OF A WEALTHY INDUSTRIALIST.

IT'S NOT EVEN COLD IN HERE. HOW ARE YOUR NIPPLES PUSHING THROUGH LEATHER?!

Right, little finger off shift - little mind off rant, little bum off the chair - and back to the donkey violence - !

O

Kapowhoops

I must say, I intentionally didn't go to Kapow! convention in London this weekend because it seemed quite horrendously shallow to bring the leviathan American con format over here - replete with the vacuous stars of screen and blockbuster dullcomics. I see now that I was being very silly. Although Millar seems like a douche. Anyhow - I didn't go and I missed encountering some genuinely nice internet folk in real life, and copped out on staring gazedly at some of the best artists in British comics. And any platform for them is not a terribly bad thing at all.

On to Bristol International, anyway!

I was extremely proud to be part of an amazing comic - written by Mr Mark Howard (WHAT A CHAP) and co-drawn by the fantastic Davey Candlish, El Chivo, Filip Roncone & Lee Bates - with letters by the EXCELLENT Jim Campbell. This was then auctioned off by 'Genre for Japan' and we raised fifty quid! Many thanks to the kind wallet of author Toni Kelner and Wayne Simmons for calling us all to arms. It was an amazing auction featuring some of my favourite artists and writers - and we collectively earned over eleven thousand for Japan! Crikey.

I urge you to do or give. Japan still needs help.

Although the modest Feistmouse was extremely embarrassed by this pictorial birthday tribute, it was my pleasure to produce it. Do check out his Sun & Moon stories in Dogbreath, or visit the man himself on DeviantArt - or march into Portsmouth Ink and place down your arms bellowing "I COMMAND YOU TO TATTOO ME, FEIST". He is a true fella.

Drawn for The Weekly Themed Art Blog - on the subject of non-2000ad British Comics - this is my tribute to Jimmy and His Magic Patch. A Beano story in which a boy had his torn shorts repaired with a CHUNK OF MAGIC CARPET and thenceforth voyages across the winds of time. A majestic concept and one that was treated with such an appealing old school silliness that I've always gone back to it. I mean, so much time travel these days is all about the mystery of the mechanics - I loved it when it was like "look, he's travelling time - fucking deal with it" BUT WHY "Magic shorts is why, NOW SHUT UP THERE ARE DINOSAURS".

The first of two photo-traces I did this fortnight. I'll go into my anxieties over the method in the next one - but this was a brilliant concept for the brother of Lowri Ann Davies who is clearly an insanely silly child and deserves as many comics as the world can throw at him. I have no opinion or interest in Aston Villa or football - twas a requirement of the brother and nothing more!

My second was for Mother's Day/My Mother's birthday which fell on the same day this year. It's a portrayal of my grandmother who was a powerfully brilliant lady and will be remembered. Here though I must explain that I find the idea of photo-traces very cheap. People seem very impressed and excited in them - and they are the simplest and best way to capture a likeness. The awesome Staticgirl said that she thought mine were justified and contained enough of my personality to carry them through - and even though they take me as long as any picture to draw and colour - if not a little longer - I feel like I've got to the final image through a shortcut. Will do more observational drawing.

Finally - and WITH NO TRACING (disappointing without, isn't it) I pay tribute to the marvellous madcap doodlings of our Pal in Canada; Liam "Ghostpockets" Byrne. Who remains one of the nicest and most enthusiastic artists I've ever met on the internet. I urge you to seek him and his work out - it's fucking glorious.

OH and finally CLICK ON THIS WHOLE PARAGRAPH - because there you will find the Dr WTF?! website set up by my brother. Teasery and very VERY excellent. For an extra giggle view page source and see the HILARIOUS signature he implanted there.

That's it - I'm off. But beware ... DONKEYS are on their way ;)

O x

Morning Dew

....and we're off.

Another fortnightly update on my going-ons and adventures. I'm considering making them a little more frequent - BUT WHO HAS THE TIME?!

This is 'Junkyard Dog' an image for Mr Mark Corbett of Shoot the Moon - for becoming seventieth (!) like for Dr WTF on Facebook. Are you reading this and haven't liked it? THEN YOU ESSENTIALLY HATE ME. I don't mean to be needy BUT IT'S JUST HAPPENED.

Here, the first of two drawings for the Weekly Themed Art Blog images what it would be like if the Judges were in Tron. Thrilling thought. So thrilling I am now dancing.

This is the image for the 'editor' page of my Dr WTF anthology. It's me drinking out of a cup. I want you to guess which pun I've made/nicked from Joe Quesada. Actually don't. Don't guess. Just be quiet.

Dennis at sixty - I loved the Beano as a child (but scandalously I actually read the Dandy more - they had fucking Smasher!) -- Raise a glass to the nation's most treasured bully. That isn't Thatcher. OHOHOHOHO SATIRE.

Finally another image for the Weekly Themed Art Bloggity Blog. It's my favourite ever game. I bloody love it - so evocative, so heartbreaking, so fucking fantastic I'm going to cut short this blog and go and play it. But first...

The magnificent twelve stories in my anthology - go on - go and like it on Facebook. GO ON.

O x