UK COMICS FESTIVAL SUCCESS

26/5/03: The UK Comics Festival, which took place over the weekend of 24th – 25th May, as part of Britain’s National Comics Week (17th – 25th May 2003), proved better organised and better publicised than ever this year, attracting new and old comics fans alike to Bristol for a weekend of panels, signings and frantic back issue hunting. Of course, for professionals and would-be professionals alike it was also an annual opportunity to catch up with old friends and work colleagues, swap information and (hopefully) hatch new ideas and publishing plans.

Guests were numerous including David Lloyd, Bryan Talbot, Duncan Fegredo, Alan Davis – and many more, a veritable litany of the UK comics industry. Throw in US creators such as Jim Lee, Rod Ramos and Bob Wayne and you soon had a melting pot of talent more than happy to share some time with a huge number of fans.
The event also proved an even bigger platfom for small press publishing than last year, rubbing shoulder with profesional publisher stands from the likes of Rebellion (2000AD), ComX and DC Thomson.

Slipping quietly under many fans’ radar were big names such as Panini UK Managing Editor Alan O’Keefe, on a quiet look out for new talent, and British talents now better known for their foreign comics work such as Roy of the Rovers artist Barrie Mitchell.

The only disappointment of the weekend was the near-complete lack of British comics on sale.

Organiser Kev Sutherland seemed more than happy with the event, having generated plenty of PR in local magazines and on TV and Radio, including a mention on BBC News 24. The 2004 event is already in preparation…

• Sequential Tart: Comics 2003 Review by Anna Jellinek

NATIONAL COMICS AWARDS 2003: RESULTS

COMICS INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR COMIC OF THE YEAR

1 2000AD
2 The Dandy
3 Warhammer Monthly
4 The Ultimates
5 The Beano
6 Dredd Megazine
7 League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen
8 Fables
9 New X Men
10 Daredevil
11 100 Bullets
12 Batman
13 Hellblazer
14 Alias
15 Lucifer
16 Three Days In Europe
17 Y The Last Man
18 Amazing Spider-Man
19 The Filth
20 Ultimate X Men

BORDERS BOOKS AWARD FOR GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR

1 Daemonifuge (Kev Walker & Jim Campbell) – Black Library Press
2 League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen
3 Rosemary’s Backpack (Drew Gilbert & Antony Johnston)
4 Thirty Days Of Night (Steve Niles & Ben Templesmith)
5 The Ultimates Volume One
6 Dark Knight Strikes Again/Back/DK2
7 Catwoman – Selina’s Big Score
8 Fables – Legends In Exile
9 Redeemer (Pat Mills, Debbie Gallagher, Wayne Reynolds)
10 After The Snooter (Eddie Campbell)

SFX MAGAZINE AWARD FOR BEST COMIC-BASED FILM or TV

1 Spider-Man
2 Daredevil
3 X Men 2
4 Smallville
5 Road To Perdition
6 Blade II
7 Justice League
8 American Splendor
9 Birds Of Prey
10 Dan Dare Pilot Of The Future

KNOCKABOUT AWARD FOR BEST SELF-PUBLISHED OR INDEPENDENT COMIC

1 Jack Staff by Paul Grist
2 Zarjaz
3 Fred The Clown
4 The Girly Comic
5 Miranda
6 Oddcases
7 Strangehaven
8 Thirty Days Of Night
9 Bone
10 Devilchild

BEST NEW COMIC

1 Y The Last Man (DC Vertigo Comics)
2 Fables
3 Jack Staff
4 Three Days In Europe
5 The Filth
6 Lady Constantine
7 Courtney Crumrin
8 Pop London
9 League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 2
10 Dredd v Aliens

TRIPWIRE AWARD FOR BEST NEW TALENT

1 Andy Diggle (writer, Lady Constantine for DC, “Snow Tiger” for 2000AD)
2 Karl Richardson
3 Simon Spurrier
4 Andy Clarke
5 Antony Johnston
6 Fraser Irving
7 Brian K Vaughan
8 Jai Sen
9 Dom Reardon
10 Bruce Jones

BULLETPROOF COMICS AWARD FOR BEST ONLINE STRIP

1 Fred The Clown (Roger Langridge)
2 Oddcases
3 Nowhere Girl
4 Red Meat
5 Bash Street Kids
6 Juniper Crescent
7 PVP
8 Astounding Space Thrills
9 Death Takes A Holiday
10 Miffy (Borderline)

DIAMOND PREVIEWS AWARD FOR BEST SPECIALIST MAGAZINE OR WEBSITE

1 Comics International
2 2000adonline.com
3 Borderline
4 Ninth Art
5 Tripwire
6 Black Library
7 Beanotown
8 Newsarama
9 Silver Bullet Comics
10 Sequential Tart

BEST SUPPORTING CHARACTER

1 Big Yellow Dog (from Blinky, in The Dandy, by Nick Brennan)
2 Gnasher
3 Ukko The Dwarf
4 Wulf Sternhammer
5 Scabbs (Kal Jerico)
6 Chief Judge Hershey
7 Chesters Aliens
8 Jekyll/Hyde (LOEG)
9 Joe Pineapples
10 Beryl The Peril’s Dad

BEST CHARACTER

1 Judge Dredd (2000AD)
2 Blinky (Dandy)
3 John Constantine
4 Batman
5 Kal Jerico
6 Nikolai Dante
7 Spider-Man
8 Wolverine
9 Desperate Dan
10 Slaine

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

1 John Wagner
2 Stan Lee
3 Alan Moore
4 Will Eisner
5 Pat Mills
6 Rich Johnston
7 Carlos Ezquerra
8 Frank Miller
9 John Buscema
10 Alan Grant

INCOGNITO COMICS AWARD FOR BEST ARTIST EVER

1 Jack Kirby
2 Carlos Ezquerra
3 Brian Bolland
4 Dave Gibbons
5 Colin Macneil
6 Will Eisner
7 Mike McMahon
8 Simon Bisley
9 Bryan Talbot
10 John Buscema

ACE COMICS AWARD FOR BEST ARTIST NOW

1 Bryan Hitch
2 Henry Flint
3 Jock
4 Nick Brennan
5 Fraser Irving
6 Frank Quitely
7 Jim Lee
8 Karl Richardson
9 Steve Dillon
10 Carlos Ezquerra

RED ROUTE AWARD FOR BEST WRITER EVER

1 Alan Moore
2 John Wagner
3 Grant Morrison
4 Stan Lee
5 Dan Abnett
6 Neil Gaiman
7 Alan Grant
8 Frank Miller
9 Gordon Rennie
10 Pat Mills

BEST WRITER NOW
1 Dan Abnett
2 John Wagner
3 Grant Morrison
4 Alan Moore
5 Brian Michael Bendis
6 Mark Millar
7 Garth Ennis
8 Mike Carey
9 Gordon Rennie
10 Andy Diggle

ALAN MOORE SPEAKS OUT

26/5/03: Award-winning comic writer Alan Moore has given an extensive interview on writing for comics fanzine to British fanzine Zarjaz, running over #3 and #4 of the title. In the interview he outlines his approach to comics writing, offering useful guidance on formatting, characterisation, plotting and more.

• More about writing for comics on downthetubes

LAST MAN FILM NEWS

20/5/03: Hollywood Reporter (registration required, paid) has reported New Line Cinema has acquired feature film rights to DC Comics’ Y — The Last Man, with a pair of studio-based production banners, David Goyer’s Phantom Four and Benderspink, on board to produce.

The comic book, created by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra, is a post-apocalyptic tale set in the near future, after a plague of unknown origin has wiped out the world’s male population except one man named Yorick Brown. He sets out to discover why he is the only man to survive.

Goyer, who penned Blade 2 and the upcoming Blade 3 for New Line, is also is writing the next Batman film.

‘CHRISTIANS’ ROUND ON COMICS CONVENTION

17/5/03: The Pittsburgh Comicon has become centre of controversy. The Make-A-Wish Foundation chapter which an annual fund-raiser there has become the target of a nationwide e-mail protest organized by a family values organization that claims the comic book convention is a “celebration of pornography, witchcraft, demonology and the occult.” Being so intolerant of other lifestyles doesn’t sound very Christian to me… Read More here on Zwire

Update: Frank Humprhis wrote to me after this posting, to say that “As a Christian who is interested in comics (I do some of my own little ashcans and stuff) I found the ”’Christians’ round on comic convention” article interesting.

“There is a lot of stuff out there in the comics world that, as a ‘Christian’ I can’t go along with, but that’s the same with real life. I’m involved, albeit in a small way, with the Christian comics scene. We as a group are trying to produce some stuff that’s more in line with our beliefs but is still ‘good comics’. A couple of good examples would be: Megazee Online; Jesse Hamm’s Modern Tales (try here, too); and Christian Comic Artists. Just to let you know there are some of us ‘Christians’ out there who are trying to show a different side to things. God bless.”

Thanks Frank!

ANIMATED ADVENTURE DELGO — WEB SITE LAUNCHED

Atlanta-based, Fathom Studios has launched a new Website (www.delgo.com) for its computer animated adventure film, Delgo, the first independently produced computer animated feature in the United States The new site features additional content, including production artwork, a new trailer, images from the film, contests, and a character scrapbook.

A fantasy adventure combining a magical world and heart-pounding action, Delgo‘s initial Website launched in 2001 and has drawn a substantial following due to the Digital Dailies, an online message board where the studios‚ artists post and comment on selected works-in-progress. This “making-of” in-the-making enables site visitors to view the creation of the film while still in production.

“We’ve been very fortunate to have struck a chord with audiences who are interested in watching the making of Delgo” says Marc F. Adler, producer and co-director. “The Digital Dailies offer a glimpse into the process of computer animation — the good and the bad, the mistakes and the triumphs — all in an effort to provide audiences a greater understanding of the realities film production while developing a personal connection to the picture.”

The Delgo Website has seen worldwide traffic from animation enthusiasts, artists, movie-lovers, families and educators — some of whom use the postings as a teaching tool in their classrooms. Of the nearly 500,000 visitors each month, 35% of them spend more than an hour on the site and 63% have been to the site multiple times.

Delgo has been in production for several years and recently announced its first cast member, Oscar nominee, Michael Clarke Duncan (Daredevil, The Green Mile). Additional voice cast are to be announced in the coming weeks.

JETSONS CREATOR’S SON WORK ON WIRELESS FUTURE

21/5/03: William Hanna of Hanna-Barbera fame brought the world The Jetsons, the cartoon family that whizzed through rush hour on a skyway and kept robot friends. Now, the New York Times (registration required) reports that Mr. Hanna’s son David plans today to introduce a more attainable vision of the future.

David Hanna is the chief executive of Tropos Networks Inc., which has equipped a one-square-mile area in downtown Half Moon Bay, a Northern California coastal town, with a network technology that gives mobile computer users Internet access.

• Read More at The New York Times (registration required)