Knockabout to release “The Magic Pen” by Dylan Horrocks

By John Freeman on November 11, 2014

Sam Zabel a husband, father and a cartoonist once renowned for his series Pickle; in the last few years his career has come to a stand still suffering from a bad case of writer’s block and depression. He now spends his days avoiding his editor on a frankly not very good overly sexualized superhero comic series.

Everything around him seems lacklustre, but an encounter with selection of long-forgotten comics and a young webcomic creator throws him into a new adventure. The comics he reads come to life leading him into worlds of virgin jungles and love starved Martian women. But when these fantasies suddenly become all too real, – Sam must make a choice of whether this illusion is really the ‘utopia’ he desires or is it the one outside of the comic books?

Sam Zabel & the Magic Pen, released next month by Knockabout is the latest work from Dylan Horrocks, a graphic novel writer and artist in Auckland, New Zealand. His most well known work is the previous graphic novel Hicksville (Drawn & Quarterly, 2002) that was listed as one of Rolling Stone magazine’s Fifty Best Non-Superhero Graphic Novels. He has also written comics for Vertigo and DC Comics (Batgirl and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight). In 2002 Hicksville gained an Eisner Award and his series Atlas wasnominated for a Harvey Award.

• Sam Zabel & the Magic Pen by Dylan Horrocks. ISBN 9780861662364 Cover Price: £14.99. On sale from 5th December 2014

• More about Knockabout Comics at www.knockabout.com or follow them on Twitter @knockaboutcomix

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.