Meanwhile… Issue One Cover by Gary Spencer Millidge
This weekend sees the launch of Meanwhile…, a superb-looking new bi-monthly British comics anthology from Soaring Penguin Press.
On sale at this weekend’s Lakes International Comic Art Festival, the new magazine features the long-awaited, eagerly-anticipated return of Gary Spencer Millidge’s cult classic series, Strangehaven – and along with the other strips in this impressive first issue it looks positively gorgeous, re-capping the storyline and weaving in new threads in the process with some gorgeous art.
Gary will be at the Lakes Festival signing copies at the Soaring Penguin Press table in the Comics Clock Tower over the weekend.
The opening page from “Strangehaven: Destiny” by and © Gary Spencer Millidge
Millidge’s acclaimed idiosyncratic magical reality comic was self-published from 1995 until 2005 in 18 issues, collected into three graphic novels, gaining numerous international award nominations including Eisners, Eagles and Ignatzes. Meanwhile… features the exclusive serialisation of the fourth and final volume of the series, “Strangehaven: Destiny”.
With issues releasing every two months, Meanwhile… will bring readers an eclectic mix of established, legendary talent and future superstars, acting as a launchpad for the biggest names of tomorrow.
Alongside Strangehaven, the first issue introduces “The Bad, Bad Place”, a new series by David Hine and Mark Stafford; Chris Geary’s future spy-story, “Melody Baker”; “10 Minutes” by Yuko Rabbit; and Sally Jane Thompson’s “Heavy”. We’ve featured a page from each story below to give you a taster of this new title.
Rounding out the first issue of Meanwhile…, and cementing Soaring Penguin’s commitment to rising talent, are the 2014 British Library & Arts Thread Comics Unmasked Competition Winners.
“Our mission at Soaring Penguin is to bring readers the kind of talent and series that few major publishers are willing to take a chance on these days,” says publisher John Anderson. “So stick with us and get to say you were there from the beginning, ‘cause we’re just getting started and we’re going to be around for a long time to come!”
• Meanwhile... Issue One is available now, available in comic stores & online. Subscriptions for Four issues are £20 (UK) /£24 (USA & Canada). For more information visit www.soaringpenguinpress.com
• Diamond Distributors will be carrying Meanwhile… in the US and it will be listed in the December cover dated Previews under the Soaring Penguin heading
• Read Antony Esmond’s review here
All artwork © respective creators
A page from “10 Minutes” by and © Yuko Rabbit
“The Bad, Bad Place” by and © David Hine and Mark Stafford
Chris Geary’s future spy-story, “Melody Baker”
“Heavy” by and © Sally Jane Thompson
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as 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, downthetubes Comics News
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