SMALL PRESS COMPILATION CD PLANNED
25/10/04: Shane Chebsey of UK indie ‘zine distribution organisation Smallzone is compiling a CD of artwork from UK small press artists which will be distributed free with his Incoming magazine as well as at upcoming conventions.
The deadline is 8 November 2004. For more info go to: www.smallzone.co.uk/incoming.htm
MIXED REACTIONS TO SECOND LONDON COMICS FESTIVAL
25/10:04: Comics fans from across the country descended on the Holiday Inn in London’s Bloomsbury Square this past weekend for the second one day Comics Festival in recent years. Many creators – although sadly, not headline creator Grant Morrison, who called off his appearance, apparently at the last minute – were in evidence including mainstream artists Dave (District X) Hine, Gary Erskine, Dougie ( Punisher) Braithwaite, David Lloyd, Hunt Emerson, Lew Stringer, Andy Lanning and comics writers such as Dan Abnett, Steve White and many others. In addition to stalls from publishers like Titan Books and Knockabout, manga publisher TokyoPop also made their first UK appearance.
The UK indie zine was very well represented at the event by many small publishers, including Tozzer, 2000 Leagues, the Accent UK Collective, Solar Wind and many more. As usual, for me, it was good to see many familiar comics faces the Festival.
Feedback for those at the event not coming to see their creator friends seems mixed – there certainly didn’t seem to be huge numbers of attendees, but I may be wrong. The weather was pretty terrible which will almost certainly have put off many casual visitors. There had also been quite a lot of negative fan press about the organisation of the festival in the run up to the event, which may well have had an impact on attendance.
Gary Spencer Millidge (creator of Strangehaven) says of the event: “It was a very good show for me. Takings [on my table] were double last year’s, and weren’t far short of takings over two days at [the] Bristol [Comics Festival] in May. Organisation was faultless from my point of view. Lots of new faces in attendance, a higher proportion of ethnic groups and females by my estimation.
“Can’t vouch for any of the panels as I was far too busy – and I won’t pass comment on anything I haven’t attended.”
My friend Ian Wheeler’s Eagle Flies Again table, where I was largely to be found proved a bit quiet, but the new collection (see story below) sold steadily. I think the big mistake was having old British mainstream comics on it! Apart from Titan collections on sale on the Forbidden Planet table, only one other stand was selling British comics – not including the many small ‘zines on display, of course. As DC Comics’s Bob Wayne told us, he always finds it weird to come to a different country and find a convention dominated by comics on sale he could pick up in his local store.
Some good news for UK indie sales, though. Talking to the indie creators, the top selling indies seem to be selling in the region of about a thousand copies an issue. Not too shabby in a country where such publishing gets minimal mainstream press coverage! However most fanzines like Martin Eden’s O-Men and the old British comics satire Solar Wind sell about 100 copies an issue.
I’m delighted to report that there remains a real confidence and enthusiasm among many indie creators for their work despite low sales and minimal, if any, financial reward. (Redeye Magazine – the third issue is now on sale – offers a terrific snapshot of the UK scene: you can order it from the Accent web site).
Apart from the enthusiasm of the manga guys and gals on the indie Sweatshop table, the best looking indie items on sale were, for my money, the Commercial Suicide album – £5 a book and definitely not for minors! – Warpton’s Confessional with its stunning art by Lee O’Connor and cool story by Chris McCay, and Sancho’s Last Case from 2000 Leagues.
After all the recent acrimony about the organisation of the Comics Festival it generally seemed to go well, although losing your top guest (and star interviewer Jonathan Ross) means the event was far from the “total success” desc ribed on the Festival web site just after the event. It’s also worrying that there seemed very little press interest in the event – comics still don’t get high profile reporting the talents involved deserve in the UK.
Comics writer and columnist Rich Johnston reports that this was organiser Kev Sutherland’s last UK convention that he’s running, although he’ll still be involved in a presenting/PR form in future conventions. Comics International’s Dez Skinn and Mike Conroy will do a followup in Bristol next year, but then expect the show to move to Brighton with some big local backing.
To sum up the event – and my feeling about recent comics events I’ve attended in the UK – I think someone, somewhere, needs to take comics events in the UK away from being souped up Comic Marts and try and make them more mainstream – no easy task, as the organiser of this event, Kev Sutherland, has discovered.
These events can’t just be fun for people going to meet other comics mates: they need to be Events with a capital ‘E’, grabbing media attention and causal punters, not preaching to the comics converted. Events organised by someone who does have time to do all the paperwork associated with applying for Arts Funding and getting good, solid commercial sponsorship that in turn enables the kind of profile-raising comics desperately need here in the UK.
That person isn’t me, I hasten to add! Thanks to Kev and his team for a fun day in the Big Smoke.
• Pics of Winterfest by Barry Renshaw at: www.flickr.com/photos/barryrenshaw
• Read Rich Johnston’s report on the convention on Comic Book Resources:
www.comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=13
• Q& A Session following US panel (Windows media Player format):
http://xpstream.winisp.net/greengoblin/USsession.wma
• Comics festival Message Board:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Comics2000
BEST OF EAGLE FLIES AGAIN RELEASED
16/10/04, updated 25/10/04: The Best of Eagle Flies Again #1, a compilation of the best interviews from the first ten issues of the fanzine devoted to British comics, is now available.
With a stunning original ‘Doomlord’ cover by top comics artist Liam Sharp, the compilation features interviews with such British comics talent as artists Mike Western (whose work includes “Darkie’s Mob” for Battle), John M. Burns (“The Fists of Danny Pyke” for New Eagle, “Space:1999” for Look-In), John Gillatt (currently drawing “Scorer” for the Mirror), Gerry Embleton (“Dan Dare” for New Eagle), Ian Kennedy (“Dan Dare”, Commando), editors David Hunt (Battle), Barrie Tomlinson (Tiger) and writers Pat Mills, Alan Grant, and an all-new bonus interview with New Eagle writer James Nicholas aka James Tomlinson, who among other things, now writes “George and Lynne” for The Sun. The collection has been designed by former Marvel UK editor John Freeman.
If you can’t make the Festival, you can order by post. £3.25 including postage and packing from editor Ian Wheeler, 54 Hartwith Drive, Harrogate HG3 2UY. Cheques payable to Ian Wheeler.
POLITICAL CARTOON GALLERY OPENS IN LONDON
16/10/04: On Wednesday 15 September 2004, the Political Cartoon Society created history by opening London’s first ever permanent centre for cartoon art at The Political Cartoon Gallery‚ 32 Store Street, London WC1E 7BS.
The Political Cartoon Gallery is the world’s only centre dedicated to political caricature and opened with an exhibition on the work of one of the 20th Century’s greatest cartoonists and illustrators, Leslie Gilbert Illingworth (1902-1979). At the Gallery you will find the country’s only “Cartoon Café”, where today’s leading cartoonists have produced a unique mural featuring their best-known political creations. The Gallery also sells original artwork by leading cartoonists, both past and present, as well as a range of exciting cartoon ephemera.
Leslie Illingworth’s strength of draughtsmanship and mastery of technique put him in the top rank of cartoonists and illustrators and he was perhaps the last of the great practitioners of penmanship. He was also an undisputed master of scraperboard drawing and a fine colourist. According to James Gillray’s biographer, Draper Hill, Illingworth was “simply the finest draughtsman to have devoted himself to editorial caricature”. Illingworth began his career as political cartoonist for the Western Mail in 1920. Within a few years he was also supplying illustrations for weekly publications such as Nash’s, Strand, Good Housekeeping and Passing Show.
In 1927, he submitted his first cartoon to Punch. Thereafter, he became a regular contributor. The commission to draw the first “big-cut”, Punch’s weekly political and social comment, came in 1937. Illingworth continued to supply Punch with big-cuts until his retirement in 1969.
In 1939, Illingworth succeeded POY, Percy Fearon, at the Daily Mail. His association with that paper lasted over 30 years and spanned nine editorships. As a result of upsetting Hitler during the war, the Nazis placed his name on a hit list. This list contained the names of many other so-called official enemies of the Nazi state living in Britain. At the end of the war some of Illingworth’s cuttings were even found in a safe in Hitler’s bunker.
After his retirement, Illingworth worked as guest cartoonist on the Sun and News of the World between 1974-76.
The Leslie Illingworth Exhibition opened to the Public on 15 September and runs until 20 November. Free to the public. The Political Cartoon Gallery is open Monday to Friday 9am – 5.30pm and on Saturdays between 11am – 5.30pm.
STORM 3 RELEASED… AND OTHER DON LAWRENCE NEWS
7/10/04: Steve Holland has announced that the third volume of Storm – The Collection has just returned from the printers and copies are being distributed now. This third volume, containing ‘The Battle for Earth’ and ‘The Secret of the Nitron Rays’, wraps up the Azurian invaders storyline and sets up the situation for Storm’s next adventure as he travels further ahead in time.
The next title to be released by the Don Lawrence Collection will be Don Lawrence – The Legacy. This is a new project gathering together many of Don’s sketches, roughs and paintings for the first time, most of them found lurking in drawers and cupboards at Don’s home in Jevington. At the moment there are three volumes planned, produced to the usual high standards of the Don Lawrence Collection. Book 1 of the series gathers together sketches relating to Storm, Ember and their friend, the red prince Nomad. Amongst the artwork presented is a 12-page, unfinished Storm story Don began writing for himself and the partly finished artwork Don was planning to complete as his final, fond farewell to Storm after 25 years working on the series.
Don Lawrence – The Legacy will also be available in a very limited edition format which will include the book, plus each of the pages printed separately as a portfolio and the purchasers choice of one of 70 pieces of original artwork. This edition is limited to 50 copies and is understandably very expensive, priced between £500-600 depending on the artwork selected. Orders can be made through the Worlds of Don Lawrence website, www.donlawrence.co.uk.
This month will see the release of the latest Worlds of Don Lawrence newsletter and a second set of trading cards for members of the Don Lawrence Fanclub.
The second volume of Trigan Empire – The Collection will be released in January 2005. The fourth volume of the English-language Storm – The Collection is also almost finished, containing books seven and eight of the Storm series, ‘The Legend of Yggdrasil’ and ‘City of the Damned’.
“I’m hoping to start work on the third volume of Trigan Empire stories in a couple of days time,” says Steve. “After that it will be the fifth volume of Storm, books nine and ten, where we finally get to Pandarve. To my mind, the Pandarve saga was the best sequence in the whole series. Martin Lodewijk took hold of the series by the scruff of the neck and produced the kind of stories he’d envisaged for Storm since the beginning and Don responded with the best artwork he ever produced. The earlier volumes are just a teaser… books ten and on are the payoff.”
HEUFEMANN DIES
7/10/04: Jorge Heufemann, artist on Boychild Productions Angel of the Woods died in Buenos Aires on September 4th. Heufemann, from Argentina, had been working professionally for several years in Italian comic books.
He had been producing work for Mad Yak Press in the USA, the first graphic novel — Subatomic — receiving some excellent reviews. His second title, The Supernaturalists, was announced for release this month.
A preview can be found here: www.madyakpress.com/supernaturalists.pdf
HELP THE NORM AND WIN AN I-POD!
2/10/04: Online ‘everyman’ strip The Norm created by Michael Jantze deserves support. He’s just stopped drawing the strip for syndication, frustrated with the way he’s been treated for the last time, and his wife is behind a campaign to try and get enough members of ‘the Norm commnity’ so Michael will continue to draw strips online — and earn money from it. They reckon they need 4000 members at $25 a year to make it pay. So far, and the drive has only just ebgun, they have 668 including me.
The strips are observations on working life and relationships and the drawing style reminds me a little of Bill Watterson. His online store — he publishes his own collections and other related merchandise is a very good example of capitalising on your own creations, I think, and what I’ve ordered from it has been delivered quickly.
If you like what you find on the free part of the site, there’s an added incentive to join: a generous member has donated up to four iPod Minis as part of their membershiip drive. They’ll give one away each time they reach a 1000 membership plateau. All members who have donated $25 or more will be entered into the contest.
The site’s a great example of trying to make the web work for a comics creator, not just in terms of promoting work but it would be great to see this actually succeeed, as it might prove encouragement to others.
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