Out next month from SelfMadeHero is the eagerly- anticipated Apollo, written Dead Canary Comics founders Chris Baker and Matt Fitch with art by Mike Collins – and this story of the first moon landing is looking absolutely stunning.
Apollo is a full-length graphic novel published by SelfMadeHero and part-funded by Arts Council England, recounting the story of the first men on the moon, unpacking the urban legends, the gossip and the speculation to tell a story about life, death, dreams and the reality of human kind’s greatest achievement in exploration.
In 1969, mankind set foot on the moon. Neil Armstrong, Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin and Michael Collins carried the fire for all of humankind. Backed by the brightest minds in engineering and science, the three boarded a rocket and flew through the void – just to know that we could.
In 150 pages of full-colour sequential art, Apollo weaves public information, records and recordings relating to the mission into a fact-filled odyssey, with creative interpretations of key events hypercharging the motivations, fears and excitement surrounding this bold voyage led by three astronauts: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins.
I’m really looking forward to reading this, and judging from the reviews from the likes of Publishers Weekly, my enthusiasm (driven in part by being TV witness to the real landing, back in 1969, and all the excitement that surrounded it) is not misplaced. Mike Collins work looks amazing, as you can see from the samples here, complemented by gorgeous colour work by Kris Carter, lettered by Ian Sherman.
From sinister origins writing and producing TV commercials and other branded content, Matt Fitch and Chris ‘C.S’ Baker turned their creative powers to good, co-founding indie-publisher Dead Canary Comics and quickly becoming a staple of the UK indie scene before landing this, their first ‘proper’ graphic novel deal with SelfMadeHero.
Along the way Matt and Chris have worked with such talented artists as Jacen burrows, Shaky Kane, Conor Boyle and Caspar Wjingaard to name just a few and have received deserved high praise from reviewers for their imaginative characters, wicked twists and deep moments of human emotion.
The creative team behind Apollo at London’s Science Museum – Mike Collins, Matt Fitch and Chris ‘C.S’ Baker
Mike Collins should need no introduction to downthetubes readers: his numerous credits include Spider-Man and X-Men for Marvel; Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman for DC Comics; and for 2000AD, “Judge Dredd”, “Sláine” and “Rogue Trooper”, among others.
Aside from his commercial comics work, Collins is a regular storyboard artist on the BBC’s Doctor Who television series and has both written and drawn Doctor Who strips for Doctor Who Magazine.
Apollo, art in progress, from inks to lettered art, to colour
The NASA missions of the 1960s are hardwired into Mike’s life. Not only was he born the same day Alan Shepherd made his first Sub-Orbital flight, but he also shares a name with the Command Module Pilot of the Apollo 11 mission…
SelfMadeHero is an independent publishing house committed to producing ground-breaking work in the graphic novel medium. They commission independently minded, commercially successful work while championing the very best graphic novels in translation.
• If you’re interested in this project, head on over to the official blog – apollocomic.com – where you’ll receive behind-the-scenes access to every aspect of the book’s production, from script and art development right through to finished product and beyond. You can also follow the project on Twitter @apollo_comic
• Follow Matt Fitch on Twitter @Mattfitch81 | Follow C.S. Baker on Twitter @csbakercomics
• Mike Collins official site: www.freakhousegraphics.com | Find him on Facebook
• Check out this preview on the SelfMadeHero web site
[amazon_link asins=’1910593508,B01KU8HM3O,B0797NG7KP,1785210653′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’downthetubes’ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’ce92c2a4-5945-11e8-8406-65e98b59d4c1′]
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
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, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comic Previews, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
Related Articles
-
Second “Coming Home” anthology from Re-Live shares stories from LGBTQ+ military veterans
-
New Year, New Commando Comics – featuring the return of Warlord’s Sergeant Rayker
-
Kelvin Gosnell and Oliver Frey’s “Terminal Man” to be completed in SHIFT magazine
-
2000AD Sláine: The Definitive Edition details released