The recession may be bad news for most, but it has its silver lining. Case in point: it’s given Dublin-based comic creator Alan Nolan the chance to publish At Hell’s Gate, the kind of thing he’s always wanted to do but never had the time.

“Thanks to the global recession I’m now in a position to spend some time doing something I have always loved,” Alan told downthetubes, “writing and drawing comics.

“This is the first ever published work I have done and it came to life as a short story I put together one lazy afternoon.”

Reaction has been positive so far. “I believe that this is the first comic I have ever had in my hands that has been entirely produced by one person,” comments ComicRelated reviewer Daniel O’Leary. “That sheer fact alone is very impressive. Dubcity Comics is Alan Nolan and this first title from him is a doozy.

“…This is a well thought out book and Nolan has a great sense in his writing of where to reveal what at exactly the right moment. But as writer he does double duty on pencils and he uses the art to supplement his story effectively.”

“At Hell’s Gate is based around the real events at Bobby Mackeys Music World, seemingly America’s most haunted site,” he reveals. “I’ve elaborated on the story to involve my own characters and scenarios.”

As for the origins of the macabre story, “It’s possible I was watching too many paranormal reality shows at the time,” Alan confesses, “but this formed the idea for me.”

A chilling horror tale, Alan’s pleased with this first outing. “All in all, I think it works as a general horror yarn,” he enthuses, “not too taxing on the brain, the way comics where when I was a good deal younger.”

• Find out more via http://alannolan.wordpress.com

• Read the full ComicRelated Review of At Hell’s Gate #1

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.

Categories: British Comics

Tags: Alan Nolan