New comics publisher Borderline Press has announced a number of new books for 2014, following up on its first two titles, 556 Frames, the breakout Eastern European graphic novel by Dennis Wojda and ZOMBRE, an undead anthology, released last year.
The company is a new publishing house created by Phil Hall, the award-winning editor of the internationally revered Borderline Magazine and respected news and features editor in the 1990s for the magazine Comics International. Based in the comics industry’s spiritual home of Northampton, Phil tells us he intends to produce high quality material from all over the world as well as the best of British.
First out of the traps this year, available this month, is Zombies Can’t Swim, a comedy horror comic by one of San Francisco’s up and coming comics talents – Kim Herbst. She asks a question that surely any self-respecting fan of The Walking Dead would ask – what would you do in a zombie apocalypse?
Next month sees the release of two more titles, City of Crocodiles by Knut Larsson and Hunger House by Loka Kanarp & Carl-Michael Edenborg.
City of Crocodiles is a post apocalyptic surreal fantasy by one of Sweden’s brightest talents: a mystic and mythical tale of one man’s search for something he wasn’t aware he needed.
Beautifully rendered, Knut Larsson is a unique talent and was recently described by someone as ‘Beryl Cook on acid’, and the book will be highlighted in the Free Comic Book Day release from Borderline Press. This wordless drama draws you in and keeps hold of you, protecting you from the cold and slimy embrace of this world of crocodiles…
Hunger House is a ghost story by two of Sweden’s brightest talents, a tale of two sisters wrenched from what they know and placed in an alien environment. Feeling neglected and isolated, they do what two kids would do; they go and explore all the places their foster parents warned them to avoid. Sometimes, regardless of how horrible an adult might be, there is a reason for their warnings…
Phil tells us he’s proud to have this book, which since its initial publication in Sweden is now available in France, Denmark, Germany and many other European countries.
Out in June is a new Verity Fair title by Terry Wiley and a new anthology title, Beastly.
Who is Verity Bourneville? She’s a bit-part actress and occasional drunken buffoon, with sticky-out ears, a heart of gold and too many miles on the clock, in search of a decent role and a good night’s sleep.
Custard Creams and Pink Elephants is a story that will trip you up, surprise you and warm the cockles of your heart, even though that’s not where cockles come from…
Wiley is renowned for Sleaze Castle, Borderline Magazine’s Miffy and many other UK favourites.
The seventh Borderline Press release is Beastly, a collection of stories with an animalistic theme, whether that is revenge seeking birds, the curse of the bat, or the psychological effects of a mythological minotaur – this is a pithy anthology, in a different style, with quality creators from as far afield as Weymouth, Prague, Warsaw and Torshavn and acts as a showcase for some of Europe’s best up and coming creators.
Starring: Nathan Castle, Joanna Sanecka, Jamie Lewis, Seb Carey, Mal Earl, Tomáš Prokůpek, Sylwia Restecka, Tomáš Kučerovský, Ash Fielder, Chrissy Derbyshire, Petr Včelka, Bartosz Sztybor, Joe Lombardi, Maciej Wódz, Sarah Hardy and Tom Box.
Later in the year, Borderline has also revealed it will publish Robotz by Joanna Karpowicz and Phil Hall; and Santa Claus versus the Nazis by Ben Dickson and Gavin Mitchell.
An impressive list for a new publisher and we wish Phil every success.
Borderline Press: http://borderline-press.com
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.
Categories: British Comics, British Comics - Graphic Novels, Featured News
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