Indie comic creator and publisher John Charles of Sunday Lunch Comics and co-creator of Technofreak has hit target for his all-new magazine of Comics, Illustration and Graphic Design, INSOMNIAX Magazine – but there’s still time to climb aboard.
He kindly sent us a sneak peek of this great-looking new title, its title borne from, mostly, having been put together in the middle of many, many sleepless nights, and it’s well worth checking out over on Kickstarter, because it has a fantastic line up of interviews and features in the very first issue. The more support it gets, the greater the war chest to get it distributed as far and widely as possible, including to the UK newsstand.
You may know John from his work drawing and colouring for 2000AD (he’s also illustrated six covers for the title), but his talents clearly extend well beyond those creative arenas. INSOMNIAX Issue One – a project encouraged by Adrian Clarke, over at SHIFT – offers a terrific mix of articles, including comic strips, and, design wise, it’s absolutely superb.
It features a wide range of articles and exclusive interviews with comics luminaries, including Brian Bolland, Mike Carey, Jock, DaNi, Mike Collins, Glenn Fabry and Mike Perkins. It also showcases some of the very last works by the sadly departed Butch Guice, including “Kent Menace” material, which John had the privilege of colouring.
And to top it all off, there’s an article about classic American illustrator J.C. Leyendecker, written by no less a luminary than Howard Chaykin!
Don’t miss out, either, on “The Green T.V.“, Glenn Fabry’s first published comic book work, reprinted with his kind permission from the fanzine Workin’ Klass Superhero, circa 1979; or an article putting AI in the spotlight, with plenty of views shared.
Oh, and as if all that wasn’t enough, there’s an exclusive new Technofreak story, too, written by John and brilliantly illustrated by the mighty Adrian Bamforth.
“Making INSOMNIAX has been a labour of love,” says John, “and I’ve had a ball doing the graphic design for the magazine.
“Adrian Clarke, of SHIFT magazine fame, has been encouraging and supportive throughout its development,” he adds. “Adrian loves comics, and so do I – and hopefully that deep affection shines through in INSOMNIAX. (Adrian and SHIFT will be handling print and fulfilment. I need to get me some sleep!).
Seeking funding ultimately to take INSOMNIAX to the UK newsstand as a SHIFT Presents issue, the Sunday Lunch Comics team are also using Kickstarter as an ordering platform for backers.
This first issue is all but finisihed INSOMNIAX, with several Kickstarter rewards – see the campaign page for information – to be fulfilled using a print-on-demand service.
“However, if the campaign exceeds its target we may well go to a longer print run and litho, and INSOMNIAX will go into newsagents for wider distribution,” John hopes.
• Check out INSOMNIAX here on Kickstarter
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as 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 - Current British Publishers, Comics, Crowd Funding Projects, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Magazines, Other Worlds
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