King Charles III made a scheduled visit to the Market House in St Austell yesterday where Cornish comic shop impressario Wendy Frankcom was allowed to represent all things comics and Cornwall by gifting his royalness copies of Trystan Mitchell’s hilarious comic books, The Wicker Pasty and The Ankow’s Bain!
Rather star struck after her encounter Miss Frankcom, owner of Into the Realm, said “The King seemed delighted to receive them – the very tall and quite handsome security guard who vetted them for subliminal messages thought they were amazing … and the King told me he used to read the Eagle.”
“As something of a republican I’m still quietly thrilled by this comic book coup,” says Trystan, “and really grateful to Wendy for being such a great supporter of my work and books over the last few years via her shop.
“I don’t expect any royal comic book commissions on the back of this fun anecdote for the grandkids, though now Wendy has touched the hand of the King she is currently gifted with super powers and the ability to cure all sorts of common ailments, including scrofula.”
In The Wicker Pasty, a Cornish summer and the festival of Gool Hoggan is in full swing.
Researching an episode for his food and folklore series, podcaster Jack Cousens finds himself in the ancient Cornish harbour village of Pendu. There at the invitation of a maverick recipe hunter, he finds a community blessed with exceptional good health and long life, following a faith tradition as old as the neolithic monuments that crown the headland above the village.
But when his friend fails to appear, Jack learns more of local custom and folklore, and while the drums in the streets grow louder he wonders how, and to what purpose, a person could vanish from the knowledge and recall of an entire village.
Bound by ancient tradition, a lingering spirit haunts the shoreline of a drowned moorland village in The Ankow’s Brain.
Bound by ancient tradition, a lingering spirit haunts the shoreline of a drowned moorland village…
Into the Realm, an independent Comics and Science Fiction Books, Funko Pop! and Action Figure shop is situated in the town of St Austell, within the historic Market House building in Market Street, PL25 5QB. You’ll also find proprietor Wendy Frankcom at local comic-related events through the year.
An illustrator and pro-active paper meddler living and working in Cornwall, Trystan Mitchell, online as Bigfoot Studios, has scribbled and scratched away at one surface or another ever since realising he could do more with a crayon than chew it to a satisfyingly gooey pulp.
An early fascination for comics, classic Victorian illustrators, and the folklore and myths of Europe and the British Isles, fostered a love for narrative illustration and the power of story.
Trystan has provided graphics for a wide range of clients, from traditional sign writing for Rick Stein’s Seafood School in Padstow, to the logo and promotional artwork for the Hexagonal Phase of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for BBC Radio Four.
Currently, he provides freelance illustration to various European and international publishers, including Pearson, Ballon, Oxford University Press, Macmillan, McGraw Hill, De Agostini and Bolinda Audio.
• Get your own copy of The Wicker Pasty and The Ankow’s Brain here from The Bigfoot Studio Web Shop
• Bigfoot Studios is online at thebigfootstudio.com
• Into the Realm is online at intotherealm.co.uk | Facebook | Find Into the Realm at Unit 7 & 9 The Market House, Market Street, St Austell, Cornwall PL25 5QB
- 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, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
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