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REDEYE Magazine’s return on course for launch at Thought Bubble

By John Freeman on October 22, 2023

REDEYE 2024 Annual - Cover by Gustaffo Vargas

Now at the printers, the highly regarded magazine REDEYE, dedicated to promoting independent comics, returns next month. Following up on previous announcements, editor Barry Renshaw has confirmed copies of the 60-page REDEYE 2024 Annual will be on sale at this year’s Thought Bubble Festival in Harrogate.

Originally launched in November 2003 from Engine Comics and the Accent UK collective, REDEYE Magazine ran for six print issues and one digital edition, garnering praise for its news coverage, previews, articles, interviews and reviews. It had an explicit mandate to treat the smallest self published comic with the same respect and interest as other magazines would afford releases from mainstream publishers like Marvel and DC.

Editor and publisher Barry Renshaw placed Engine Comics on hiatus in 2009, and later began work as a freelance production editor, artist, designer and writer for magazines such as Comics International, Multiverse Magazine and others. SFX Magazine called it “Excellent” and “a vital read… it has never failed to impress”; Aintitcool called it “a must have”; and here at downthetubes, we said it was “simply brilliant.”

The lineup for the latest incarnation of REDEYE magazine includes: cover star Gustaffo Vargas, the spicy Peruvian talking about returning to the streets of future Lima City in Anticucho; Time Bomb Comics chiefs, David Morris, Steve Tanner and Dave West talk about bringing independent anthologies back to the newsstand; writer Joel Meadows and artist Andy Bennett talk their alternate history graphic novel Sherlock Holmes and the Empire Builders, Rhiannon Griffiths MBE, the co-founder of Comics Youth, talks about how comics are saving lives in marginalised communities; and artist Beck Kubrick and writer Christof Bogacs cross timezones to talk making friends on Twitter, crowdfunding and intense work ethics on Meat4Burgers: Welcome to Burgatory.

Barry Renshaw has been a regular face at UK comic conventions for the past twenty years, and recently provided art for the launch title from publisher Cutaway Comics, the four issue fully painted Doctor Who spin off series, Lytton.

The Annual is a test of the waters for the editor to see if there is an appetite still for this type of magazine, and if so future issues will include more interviews, reviews and articles. Renshaw asks for readers and creators alike to get in touch via email and be involved.

“Ultimately the magazine is there to highlight the most interesting new work being done, while also putting that in the context of what has come before. There are great champions of this online with the likes of Andy Oliver and Broken Frontier, and John Freeman with downthetubes.

“REDEYE is just one of a very long and distinguished line of news and reviews magazines, and I think it’s important to look at the past as well as the future with retrospective articles alongside interviews and previews of the newest kids on the block.”

The latest comics titles launching from Engine Comics will be the ashcan edition of Aphelion: The Rise of Calvus, by writer Troy Martin and series artist Barry Renshaw, a violent horror set during the time period of the Roman occupation of Britain. The US format series follows the journey of a centurion willing to lose everything for power, an empire with something to prove, an island refusing to be conquered, and the eldritch horror from beyond time and space willing to destroy them all.

The limited edition ashcan will have a preview of the first issue out in December, a sketchbook section and blank sketchbook flip cover. It will be available at the Thought Bubble 2023 Engine Comics table with every purchase while stocks last, and artist Renshaw will be able to do a custom sketch on the flip cover.

Any readers who tags @EngineComics in their social media with a copy of the ashcan in hand before 1st December 2023 will get the first issue of Aphelion sent to them free upon release.

Also available from the table will be the second issue of Run (£2/$3), the ongoing revenge thriller from writer and artist by Ace Renshaw, which follows young escapee Alma who has recruited a nameless assassin to help her track down the mastermind behind the fallen Red Castle organisation, responsible for training children across the world in secret schools.

Dealing with their own traumas at the hands of the vicious cult, they find themselves chased by remnants of Red Castle’s loyal operatives…

• Engine Comics can be found at Thought Bubble at Redshirt Hall, Row D, Table 26, Saturday 11th – Sunday 12th November 2023 | Web: thoughtbubblefestival.com

REDEYE, Aphelion and other titles will also be available digitally from enginecomics.com. The publisher can be emailed direct at info@barryrenshaw.co.uk

Engine Comics is also making scans of the previous issues, long out of print, free to download “in all their messy, typo-filled, naive but well intentioned glory,” says Barry.

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.