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Marineman creator Ian Churchill first announced guest for Malta Con 2013

By John Freeman on August 17, 2013

Wicked Comics has announced the internationally renowned British creator Ian “Marineman” Churchill as the first guest for this year’s Malta Comic Con, which will be held on Saturday 30th November and Sunday 1st December at St. James Cavalier (all floors), Valletta, Malta.

The convention’s poster features Ian’s creator-owned character and hero Marineman (published by Image Comics) with a backdrop of the Maltese Grand Harbour and a view of Valletta, which is scheduled to be the Cultural Capital City of Europe in 2018.

“As anyone who has ever read Marineman can attest, one cannot help but be impressed by this book! ” enthuses Chris Le Galle, co-founder of Wicked Comics, the events organisers. “Not only does it show that with hard work dreams do come true as it signals the transition from Ian as an aspiring comic artist to the renowned and much loved creator he is today, but is as entertaining as it is educational. It’s one of those all ages gems that anyone can take something from.

“Consequently we feel that Marineman perfectly captures both Wicked Comic’s philosophy and the spirit of the Malta Comic Con, and we cannot but feel honoured and thank Ian and his wife Sacha for accepting our offer to be guests to our show and for letting us make Marineman the staple of MCC 2013.

“In addition to this, when one considers that Malta is a beautiful Island surrounded by the magnificent Mediterranean Sea with numerous picturesque beaches and interesting diving spots, we feel that Marineman the character would feel right at home here”, stated

Ian Churchill has worked professionally in the comic book industry for the past 20 years. Debuting on Marvel’s X-Men titles, he went on to illustrate titles such as Cable, Deadpool, The Avengers, The Uncanny X-Men, Superman, Richard Starkings’ Elephantmen and his own group of supernatural heroes The Coven.

His creator-owned character, Marineman, published by Image Comics, launched in 2010 to immediate critical acclaim and received an Eisner Award nomination for ‘Best New Series 2010’.

The series – written, drawn and co-coloured by Churchill – was collected and published in trade paperback format in July 2011 and was shortlisted for the 2012 Stan Lee Excelsior Award. The Marineman trade paperback has also been translated into a French hardback by Glénat Comics.

Outside the comic book industry, Marineman has featured in various diving magazines including Diver magazine and Sport Diver – the official magazine of the PADI organization.

Churchill’s recent output saw him as penciller for DC Comics’ new 52 title – The RavagersS. He also acted as editor and consultant on the Image Comics sell-out hit, No Place Like Home by Angelo Tirotto and Richard Jordan.

He is currently working on collaboration with acclaimed broadcaster and comic-creator Jonathan Ross called The Revenger, due to be published by Image Comics later this year and is also working hard on Marineman volume two which is also due to be published by Image Comics.

As customary, Wicked Comics have designed a number of packages for fans wishing to travel to the Malta Comic Con from abroad, which include heavily discounted accommodation rates and local transport from hotel to convention. Similarly Wicked Comics have a number of packages tailored for foreign creators who wish to exhibit at the Malta Comic Con including heavily discounted tables.

• Anyone wishing to know more about these packages is kindly invited to email Wicked Comics for more details on info@maltacomic-con.com

• Malta Comic Con: www.maltacomic-con.com

• Ian Churchill/Marineman: www.ianchurchillsmarineman.com/ianchurchillsmarineman.com/Marineman_webpage.html

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.