Futurequake Press Recent Releases offer huge range of indie talent

By John Freeman on November 14, 2019

Two recently-released Futurequake Press titles – Zarjaz #35 and FQP’s latest edition of their ace horror anthology, Something Wicked #2019 – are now available from the British independent comics publishers web site.

Another wonderful not-for-profit tribute to 2000 AD, Zarjaz #35, with a cover by Jon Davis-Hunt leads with an explosive Joe Pineapples ABC Warriors strip from writer Richmond Clements, artist Alex Paterson and letterer Bolt-01.

For just £3, you can also enjoy strips featuring Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Ro-Jaws and a bang-on-the money contemporary story starring Bonjo from Beyond the Stars, with cameos from Dash Decent and Captain Klep, no less, plus the latest chapters in “Feat of Clay”, a Harlem Heroes epic by John Farrelly.

ABC Warriors – Joe Pineapples – D1v0rc3 by writer Richmond Clements, artist Alex Paterson and letterer Bolt-01

The 48-page issue includes strips by Brett Burbridge, Ed Doyle, John Farrelly, Dave Hailwood, Matt Sharp, Michael Walters and Daniel Whiston; and lettered throughout by Bolt-01.

For me, it’s Richmond Clements and Alex Paterson‘s “A.B.C. Warriors” one shot and Dave Hailwood and Brett Burbridge‘s “Judge Dredd vs. The Slug” stories that are stand out this issue, but the work on Zarjaz is of a high standard, and it’s easy to see why some of the creators have found work in 2000 AD itself after appearing in it.

Judge Dredd Vs The Slug by writer Dave Hailwood, artist Brett Burbridge and letterer Bolt-01

Harlem Heroes – Feat Of Clay by John Farrelly

Brett’s art on “The Slug” is absolutely first rate – his visual storytelling has gone from strength to strength in the past couple of years; and John Farrelly has done a terrific job on his “Harlem Heroes” strip, too, with its obvious nod to Dave Gibbons that doesn’t detract from John’s own take on the characters.

Well worth a look – and I think most will love Matt Sharp and Ed Doyle‘s take on Bonjo!

Also out now is the 80 page anthology Something Wicked #2019. With cover art by Will Pickering, priced £6.50 for 80 pages of hair-raising thrills, pull up a stool and prepare to look at your cards – just don’t mind the chill in the air or the whispering behind you.

Pay no attention to the voices urging you to leave; you know your place is here, with the FQP team.

The line-up for this issue is wide-ranging, offering a delicious mix of straight horror stories, almost all with a barbed end, along with some hilarious one-off strips that totally poke fun at the horror genre. With so many creators involved, and such a range of styles it’s hard to ascribe a particular “style” to the stories of Something Wicked, but I have picked out some favourites from the issue, highlighted below. This is a fantastic, fun and sometimes thought-provoking anthology and it’s always great to see a new edition, even if it is just once a year.

• “A Zombie Calls” by writer Jonathan Stevenson, artist Matt Johns

• “Adoption” by writer Carlos Pozo, artist Brett Burbridge

• “Animals Of The New Forest” by writer Chris Denton and artist Steven Denton
• “Children Of The Night” by writer Pablo Iten and artist Daniel Bell

• “Dad Jokes” by writer David Tunis-Garcia artist, artist Samrat Das

• “Diabolis Rex Machina” by writer David Conway and artist JP Vilchis

• “Euryale’s Progress” by writer Alec Robertson and artist and letterer Edward Whatley

• “Matinee” by writer Emmet O’cuana and artist David Parson
• “Nine Gates” by writer Karl Brandt and artist Shaun Gillon
• “Red Stained White Knuckled” by writer Sam Silverii and artist Leonardo Vergari
• “Sense of Worth” by writer Dominic Teague and artist and letterer Will Pickering
• “Submission” by writer Adam Breen and artist Lyndon Webb•

• “The Cult of the Deathwatch Beetle” by writer Liam Howard and artist Uwe DeWitt
• “The Dream Again” by writer Alexi Conman and artist Matt Johns

• “The War Within” by writer Ed Whiting and artist Conan McPhee
• “Today’s the Day” by writer Joseph Matthews and artist Sam Hickson
• “True Possession” by writer Nick Bryan and artist Rich Waugh
• “Valley of the Dead” by writer Karl Brandt and artist Eddy Lyle

Except where stated, each strip is lettered by the font-crunching machine, Bolt-01.

FQP also publishes the Strontium Dog-inspired zine Dogbreath and the terrific SF anthology FutureQuake.

All titles regularly providing platform for global comics talent, they’re well worth your time checking out!

• These recent releases are both available direct from Futurequake Press direct online along with back issues of their other great titles: www.futurequake.co.uk | Twitter: @fqquake | Instagram: @fqp_bolt

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.