Been sitting on this one for a while, but, now The Quaequam Blog have broken the news, I can finally talk about it. As I've already mentioned, Zarjaz #14 will feature Devlin Waugh: A Night In Casablanca by me and Jaye Franklin (with Bolt-01 on letters), and the guys at The Galaxy's Greatest Fanzine chose ol' Devlin to be the cover star for the issue - and they only went and got Colin MacNeil to do the art for it!
Looking at that cover, I kind of wish I could write a whole new Devlin Waugh strip to accompany it... Anyway, this is the second cover the lads at Zarjaz have had from Mr MacNeil, the first being for #5 - the first issue under the FutureQuake Publications banner (which you can still buy from the FutureQuake Shop):
I'll post more about the issue - and the Devlin Waugh story - closer to the final release.
Blimey! 2012's barely even started and it's looking like I'm going to have a fair chunk of work appearing in various anthologies being released over the next twelve months. As much as I'm chomping at the bit to show off some art for them (and spill the beans on some new projects), I'm having to restrain myself and keep things under wraps for the minute. So, in the meantime, here's something I can share: the cover to Stacey Whittle's long awaited anthology, Into The Woods:
Myself and Simon Wyatt (with Filip Roncone on lettering) are doing a version of a Northumbrian folk tale, The Lang Pack, a weird little tale that's kept people fascinated for years. If you want to know more about the original story, Linda Stratmann has a detailed version on her website here and England's North East has a slightly different version here. Alternatively, you can buy Joseph Crawhall's book about the story from Amazon here.
It's safe to say that this year was...well, it was a mixed bag of stuff, really, with the crap pretty much outweighing the cool. I barely made a dent in the list of things I wanted to make happen this year and ended up learning some harsh life lessons in the process. I've been on the verge of packing in the writing game more than a few times over the course of the last twelve months, but then I think that's something every writer comes up against; it's what you choose to do when you hit that point that defines you.
For me personally, I don't think quitting's an option any more. Given the current economic and political climate of the UK, there doesn't look to be a rosy future in a comfy 9-to-5 job until retirement waiting for me, so I may as well fill my spare time with writing and see what happens. But, then again, maybe David Cameron will surprise the world and prove he does actually know what he's doing and really isn't just some rich boy who thought it'd be a lark to finish what Thatcher started in the 80's. And we may also see pigs learning how to pilot jets.
As it may have been all to obvious from the rather unsubtle paragraph above, I've noticed that I've become more aware of the UK political landscape and my place in it. I have no love for our current coalition Conservative government and their wrong headed approach to...well, pretty much everything, but I'm becoming acutely aware that most of their policies are nothing more than policies left over from the previous government, but given a makeover to make them look new and shiny. It makes me wonder if the only thing that's changed between the two governments is the colour of their ties.
Of course, not being obscenely wealthy or part of the "squeezed middle", my opinions and feelings on the political make up of the state of the UK are irrelevant. Probably better to just put my head down and get back to writing, really.
I've tried to rediscover my confidence when it comes to prose over the latter half of the year, but the vast bulk of my "writing year," for want of a better term, has largely been concentrating on comics, sprinkled with some wee bits of copywriting here and there.
I did hit a bit of a personal milestone in early November, though, when I realised that I'd made twenty-one submissions to Zarjaz and Dogbreath and had twenty of the them accepted (the failed one was before the "Pat Mills Embargo" was lifted, but can't be re-submitted as it featured Nemesis The Warlock, who's off limits by special request of Mr Mills himself). Admittedly, that's not really anything of any interest to anyone, but, y'know what? I'm damn proud of that little achievement.
If you're so inclined, there are several issues of Zarjaz and Dogbreath, featuring stories by me, still available from the FutureQuake shop:
All of these comics feature Ghafflebette stories from the finest small press creators in the UK scene right now, and are well worth a look - especially given the rather unique place Zarjaz now holds in the current comics scene. With Disney's decision to put a stop to Panini/Marvel UK generating original material based on the Marvel canon earlier this year, Zarjaz and Dogbreath are now the only comics in the UK producing original content, with licenced characters, "approved" by the licence holders (or, if you prefer, "overlooked" by the licence holders).
Not only have Zarjaz and Dogbreath provided me the opportunity to write Judge Dredd in some capacity (probably the only way I'll get to do it), it's also given me the chance to work with a truly incredible range of artists over the last year. I've been fortunate enough to collaborate with Chris Askham, David Broughton and Jaye Franklin, and I've also got stuff boiling away with Kevin Levell, Stephen Downey, Stuart Giddings and Steven Denton. It's been a pleasure and privilege to have had the chance to do stuff with them.
But my relationship with Zarjaz doesn't end there, because there's some incredibly cool stuff coming from them and me in the new year. I've already blogged about the fact that Zarjaz #14 will feature a cover based on my Devlin Waugh strip, but I now know who is actually providing the art for cover... Unfortunately, my lips have to remain sealed for the moment - as they do about a couple of things that'll hopefully be coming from me and Dunk Nimmo for Zarjaz in the new year...
As I said, you can buy several issues of these fine publications from the FutureQuake shop, all of them priced £3.00 (+ p&p) Earth money.
It'd be remiss of me not to mention that there are other titles in the FutureQuake stable, with strips by me, that are still available to buy - two issues of Something Wicked to be exact. Something Wicked #5 features Key To The Kingdom by me and Caroline Parkinson:
Something Wicked #7 features The Path from me and John Cahill:
This year also saw the release of Accent UK's Predators - and some positive reviews for the strip I did with Bryan Coyle, Just Like You.
For me, the story was a bit of a break from the norm, and I was never sure if it would work, given that having a character break the fourth wall and talk directly to the reader doesn't always work. This time, though, it seems to have paid off... The reaction to the strip has been pretty solid and it's started to get people excited (or more interested, anyway) in Babble, which is pretty cool and all kinds of flattering.
You can order Predators by taking the Diamond code (STK449777) to your local comic shop, or you can buy a copy directly from Accent UK. Their other anthologies, Robots and Western, are also still available (order codes can be found further up your screen, if you're so interested).
I've also taken receipt of the finished artwork for my contribution to Accent UK's next anthology, Zombies 2, the follow up to their best selling Zombies collection. The story is called Dead Harvest, and art is being provided by Valia Kapadai.
The story isn't your typical zombie story - in fact, I actually gave away a big hint as to who the star of the story is and maybe even what's going to set Dead Harvest apart from the hoards of zombie tales out there, but it seems to have passed everyone by... Valia and I will be teaming up again for the 2013 anthology, Victoriana, with a piece called The Eyes Of The Ripper, a little chiller inspired by the works of Robert Bloch. I'll no doubt be posting more about that in the new year. You'll be able to see more Valia's work in White Knuckle, due next year, and the much talked about Womanthology.
While Babble didn't emerge this year as planned (due to various reasons, including - but not limited to - re-writes, illness and technical problems), things on that front took some, frankly, jaw dropping turns - the biggest being, of course, managing to secure a small presence at San Diego Comic Con.
Com.X partner Ben Shahrabani was kind enough to send me one of those postcards from San Diego:
I don't mind admitting, when I went back to that page to get the URL, I had a big silly grin on my face when I realised that the piece was still there (even though my bio is now a bit out of date).
The reaction to Babble so far has been very strong; people seem quite taken with the central premise of the story, and the bits and pieces of art we've released on the net have got people excited to see more of Bryan's work. I'm truly grateful for the fact that so many people seem to be chomping at the bit to get their hands on the finished product, but I'm also kind of scared by it... It's partly the anxiety of wondering if it's not going to live up to peoples expectations (if they have any), but it's also down to the fact that Babble has been part of my life for so long, in a lot of different forms, and it's difficult to let it go and be judged by the world at large.
Since we moved to Com.X and, essentially, brought Babble out of the small press, we've been forced to re-assess and bring our game up a few notches, and with it has come additional anxiety about the reaction it'll garner when it's finally released. But, seeing Bryan's work on it, my - probably conceited - belief that this is going to be something just a little bit good has been bolstered considerably. The guy knows his onions, it has to be said. And how to draw a damn fine comic strip.
Another cool thing that came out of Babble this year was The Babble Project. While it didn't quite work out as I'd hoped, it still provided the opportunity to reach out to some fantastic comic creators from around the world and bring them together under a single banner, as it were.
You can, if you're so inclined, click on the above images to see the full gallery. Also, I'd like to say a big thanks to everyone who agreed to get involved. Guys: you're all stars.
Babble is on schedule for a release next year through Com.X. I will, no doubt, be plugging it at every opportunity.
Another piece I'm looking forward to seeing in print is my contribution to Stacey Whittle's Into The Woods anthology. Not only do I get to rub shoulders with some of the cream of UK small press talent, but I also got the chance to try something I've never done before: adapt an existing story into comic form. In this case it's an old Northumbrian folk tale, The Lang Pack (or The Long Pack, for all you southerners). Simon Wyatt has provided the art (with Philip Roncone on lettering duties), and, it has to be said, it's looking pretty damn good.
You can see more of Simon's art in his debut graphic novel Unbelievable: The Man Who Ate Daffodilswhich is out now.
Into The Woods will be launched at Cardiff Comic Expo next year. I'll post more about price, page count etc. when I have the details. For now, here's a sneaky peek of the logo, courtesy of Andy Bloor:
2011 also saw my second ever convention with Thought Bubble in Leeds. Although I was only their for a day, it was great to catch up with some people and finally meet some others in the flesh. And I actually signed my first ever book... It was kind of surreal being asked to do it (and, I have to say, it was just a case of me being in the right place at the right time, rather than someone hunting me across the con floor), but I'm just glad I actually remembered how to sign my name...
I was all signed up to make an "appearance" at The Canny Comic Con in Newcastle earlier this month, but had to drop out due to illness - a fact that I'm still utterly gutted about. I've often said that the north east could do with an event like that, if only to promote the burgeoning comic scene in the region but I'm immensely disappointed I couldn't be a part of it this year - and finally get some previews of Babble out into the world.
Hopefully, the event will be back next year - and come hell or high water, I'll be there!
For the last few months, I've found myself making some pretty tough decisions about the writing side of things (not just deciding against the aforementioned quitting), but - as pretentious as this sounds - they've been based on trying to lay stronger foundations of a career, rather than just chasing publication credits. I guess it's the age old question of quality over quantity, and I'm planting myself in the former camp. Or trying to, anyway. Time will tell on whether I succeed or not.
Whatever the result on that front, though, it's become clear my attitude to writing has changed over the last twelve months. I've found myself taking it more seriously - not that I never took it seriously, but I've become more focused about it, more determined to hone whatever writing skills I may or may not possess. Admittedly, that's more of an ongoing thing, but this year, it feels like I've turned a corner. I know I've still got a long way to go, but I feel I've inched a little closer.
One pretty big - and quite personal - thing happened this year, too: The Stone Roses announced they were getting back together. While that may not be the most exciting news to anyone reading this blog, to me it really was a special moment. The Stone Roses hold a special place in my life; they provided the soundtrack to some of my formative years, and I'm genuinely excited to see what they do next. For now, though, here's probably my personal favourite Stone Roses song for reasons that would need an entire blog post of their own:
As for 2012... Well, I don't know, to be honest. I've got some irons in the fire, which could go either way at the minute, but I'm refusing to get excited about them until I know for certain what's going to happen. I've got a few things I'd like to do, or make happen (or at least try and take the right steps to make them happen in the future), but we'll have to see how it all works out. I've got enough comic material stacked up to see me in print through 2012 (and possibly into 2013), but I guess it's all about rolling that into new opportunities - and the right opportunities - and see what happens.
So, I think I'll be entering 2012 with some caution...
Yeah, OK, so it was completely shameless, but that first Batman/Judge Dredd is one of my favourite comics of all time - hey, it's a comic starring my two favourite characters, written by two of my favourite writers - and that scene in particular has stuck with me since the day I first read it, so it just felt right to pay homage to it in some way. I have no idea if Dunk or Bolt-01 were aware of the original, but I'm surprised no one noticed - but then I'm surprised that anyone actually read Death To The Future in the first place. Still, even though it's a "swipe", I don't think it'll be troubling Bleeding Cool any time soon.
Death To The Future blitzed its way through Zarjaz #10 and Dogbreath #23, both of which are, of course, still available to buy now via the FutureQuake Shop or your local Forbidden Planet International stores, priced £3.00 in Earth money.
For all your Zarjaz and Dogbreath news, check out The Quaequam Blog - but remember to set your browsers for maximum Thrill Power!
Admittedly, this is a bit late, seeing as how it would've been Frank Sinatra's 96th birthday earlier this week- and you should read this rather lovely piece about Sinatra by JM DeMatteis - but, every year, it seems like a bit of a struggle to get into the Christmas spirit, but every year, I manage to do it with the help of one album: Christmas With The Rat Pack.
I make no bones about the fact that I love The Rat Pack. To me, they just encapsulate the gloss and glamour of the period; they are - or were - the coolest cats on the block, with a catalogue of songs that they simply own (I mean, really, is there anyone who can top Sinatra doing Fly Me To The Moon?). For me, Christmas With The Rat Pack is the quintessential Christmas album, the one record that, once it's on, will not come off until it's time to switch on the TV and veg out in front of it. Every single track on it just screams Christmas to me, and every time it goes on, it feels like a bunch of old friends have turned up for a visit, and I never want them to leave.
Without a doubt, my favourite track is Dean Martin's version of Let It Snow:
But, I really defy anyone not to listen to Sinatra doing Hark The Herald Angels and not feel ridiculously Christmassy:
And if that doesn't work, then how about Dean Martin doing Silent Night?
Forget your Michael Buble Christmas album or the latest re-release of Now Christmas, and go and buy this album. And then thank me later.
A short while back, a friend of mine sent me some links to The RPF, a forum dedicated to props, costumes and models. When I opened the first one, I saw this:
There's also some close-ups of Blackblood's mask at the above link.
I'm no fan of Cosplay, I'll admit, but when people are prepared to put this kind of effort into their costumes, it really does deserve some kind of recognition...
It was pretty gutting not being there, it being on my "home turf", as it were. I've often said that the north east could really do with an event like this to raise the profile of the burgeoning comic scene the north east has. Anyone who's familiar with the current scene in Newcastle will know about the "comic marts" and their ever decreasing size and quality (and anyone who isn't familiar, think of the memorabilia fair scene from The Wrestler), so something like the CCC was long overdue. I'm immensely disappointed I couldn't be part of it this year - and even more disappointed that I couldn't get the first Babble previews out there into the world.
Still, if you're interested, here's a sneaky peek of what I would've had with me:
If there's any justice, The Canny Comic Con will be back next year, and I'll be there with bells on...
Well, maybe not bells, as such, but I'll be there come rain or shine.
As I've already mentioned, this December will see the first ever Canny Comic Con, a little festival of comics and sequential art, being held at Newcastle City Library.
Comics, comic strips, comic books, graphic novels, manga, sequential art - however you want to refer to it, the CCC wants to celebrate everything about telling stories in pictures. While the even won't be on the same scale as some of the UK conventions from this year, they've got some big plans being laid out that'll put the event on the calendar. Alongside panels, talks and workshops, some of the finest comic creating talent from the north east will be in attendance - and if that wasn't enough for you, also in attendance will be 2000AD writer Al Ewing, Viz co-founder Simon Donald, Dandy artist Nigel Auchterlounie, DC & Marvel superstar Doug Braithwaite and the legendary Bryan Talbot!
I - Lee - will be there, too, showing my support, and I will actually have some Babble previews with me... If you're attending and you want to know anything about Babble, just come and ask me.
UPDATE: Unfortunately, I won't be there on Saturday due to illness. I can't even begin to describe how gutting this is, considering the north east is my "home turf". If anyone's interested, though, here's a wee sneak peek at what I would've had with me:
The Canny Comic Con will be held at Newcastle Central Library on December 10th (admission is free). To keep up to date with the latest news - including the unfolding guest list and schedule - check out their blog, follow their Twitter account and "like" their Facebook page!
I'm a writer based in the north east, trying to make a go of it. Written for numerous UK comic anthologies, and currently working on the graphic novel Babble for Com.X (with Bryan Coyle). Will write for money. Contact me: lee AT imaginarystories DOT co DOT uk.
ABC Warriors: Broken Dreams by me and Bryan Coyle can be found in the pages of Zarjaz #13, available now from the FutureQuake Shop, priced £3.00 (plus P&P), or from your nearest Forbidden Planet International - and now Orbital Comics in London.
The Path by me and John Cahill can be found in the pages of Something Wicked #7, available now from the FutureQuake Shop, priced £3.50 (plus P&P).
Tin Man by me and Chris Askham is in Zarjaz #11, available now from the FutureQuake Shop, priced £3.00 (plus P&P), or from your nearest Forbidden Planet International - and now Orbital Comics in London.
Xtras: Judge Dredd by me and Brett Buckle and the first part of Death To The Future by myself and Dunk Nimmo are both in the giant sized Zarjaz #10, available now from the FutureQuake Shop, priced £3.00 (plus P&P) Earth money.
The concluding part of Death To The Future by myself and Dunk Nimmo is in the extra sized Dogbreath #23, available now from the FutureQuake Shop, priced £3.00 (plus P&P).
Xtras by myself and Lonny Chant appears in the Strontium Dog fanzine Dogbreath #20, available now from the FutureQuake shop priced £3.00.
A stupid little t-shirt I threw together for conventions and the like. Grab yourself one over at Spreadshirt. Explicit versions also available.
Coming Soon
The Lang Pack by myself, Simon Wyatt and Fillip Roncone features in Into The Woods: A Fairytale Anthology, due for release in February.
Devlin Waugh: A Night In Casablanca by myself and Jaye Franklin will appear in Zarjaz #14, due for release in March.
Dead Harvest by myself and Valia Kapadai is due to appear in the Accent UK anthology Zombies 2, due for release in 2012.
Babble by myself and Bryan Coyle is an original graphic novel due to be published by Com.X later this year. Check out the progress over at www.babblecomic.com
Please note, I am a participant in the Amazon Europe S.à r.l. Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk/Javari.co.uk/Amazon.de/Amazon.fr/Javari.fr/Amazon.it.
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