“Rejected” comics anthology project returns with “Future Shock” focused edition

Comic creator Baden James Mellonie has announced plans to publish a second volume of strips based on rejected pitches to professional publishers – this time focusing solely on “Tharg’s Future Shocks” proposals turned down by 2000AD.

The project, which Baden plans will feature some 12-15 stories brought to life by a variety of artists, will be the focus of a crowdfunding campaign early in 2022. Baden is factoring in a £40 per page rate for accepted scripts into the new project.

Last year, Baden – perhaps best known for the independent horror comic project, Edge of Extinctionreleased Rejected, a one shot anthology featuring “scripts, abandoned projects, character designs, letters of rejection and tales of what might have been”.

Rejected Anthology cover by Steve Sampson

Wrapped in a cover by Stephen Sampson, the anthology features a range of stories, including rejected “Tharg’s Future Shocks” from Baden and art from Steven Austin, Patrick Goddard, David Hitchcock, David Millgate and Karl Richardson, letters by the late Bolt-1.

Now, Baden, who’s working on a number of comic projects, including a collected edition of Edge of Extinction, has issued a script only Call for Submission – specifically seeking rejected “Tharg’s Future Shocks” script submissions for a second volume.

“I’m only looking for rejected ‘Future Shocks’, Baden emphasises, “not brand new script submissions.

“Submissions will not be considered without the rejection letter from Tharg himself.”

In most cases, the traditional route to pitching a ”Tharg’s Future Shocks” for consider is a four page script and synopsis. But it appears the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created a backlog of submissions.

“The submissions pile must be huge, as no one is hearing anything currently,” Baden tells us.

Confirmed creators whose work is being lined up for the the new anthology include writers Michael Carroll and Jim Alexander, with John Charles and Paul Williams among the artists who will bring the ”rejected” stories to life.

“The idea is that 2000AD droids will draw all the scripts,” Baden explains. “I had intended that Volume II would be all scripts from 2000AD writers that had been rejected, but that was proving a challenge, to be honest.”

So if you’ve ever pitched a Future Shock to 2000AD and been rejected, and still have the synopsis, rejection letter and script, and would like to see it in print, then email them to badenmellonie@hotmail.com – for consideration for Rejected Volume II.

The deadline for submissions is 31st January 2022 “or when I am swamped!” Baden declares.

More about the Rejected anthology project here on Facebook

Read our review of Rejected Volume One

• More about Edge of Extinction and Eighth Continent Publishing here at www.edgeofextinction.co.uk

Follow Baden James Mellonie on Twitter @melmellonie



Categories: 2000AD, British Comics, Comics, Creating Comics, Crowd Funding Projects, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Discover more from downthetubes.net

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading