Accent UK's WESTERN anthology in June Previews!

Accent UK's 2009 anthology WESTERN will be solicited through Previews!

Editor Dave West posted this on the Accent UK website:

"We've been in contact with Diamond over the last month or so and it appears that the delay in hearing from them is because of the new review process that they have in place. We've now heard that they will be listing WESTERN :o) DIAMOND US have seen the copy we sent and are comfortable with the quality.

"This is really great news as we are all aware Diamond have been a lot more selective in the last month or so, which has been reported in the press - well, on the Internet although bizarrely there has been no mention in Comics International - so it's an aknowledgement of all the hard work put in by creators and the Accent UK core team that WESTERN has been 'approved'.

"We can't just sit back now though, as we need to work out just how we get the right number of orders in the US.

"UK sales are sufficient, and increasing year by year, but it's the US market that makes the difference with regards hitting the Diamond benchmark. If we don't get the right number of orders in the US, then they won't bother shipping any across to stores over there.

"Colin, Andy and I have been discussing this over the last few weeks and we've decided that one thing we can do is send a 'sample copy' to the Independent Comic friendly stores, in the hope that they will be impressed enough to order a few more through DIAMOND. We'll be doing this shortly after the Bristol convention, so that the receipt of WESTERN is followed shortly after by the JUNE PREVIEWS.

"We also ask any people in the US who read this, and are interested in seeing Accent UK books, to go into your local stores and request a copy, or at least raise the owner's awareness of our books.

"I guess the bottom line is that if we don't start getting more sold in the US then our work each year in getting DIAMOND to list our books in the US will be that much tougher, and ultimately they'll close the door on us.

"So, a request for everyone everywhere to do what you can. If you know of a shop in the USA that you think would be interested but haven't seen our books before then let us know and we'll send a copy to them ... obviously there is a limit to how many we can afford to send, but we'll do our best.

"Also, if anyone has any other ideas then please mail us and let us hear them. A great start ... but plenty still to be done."

So, there you have it. If you're a retailer in the US, please get in touch with the Accent UK guys and see if you can work something out. The book is a brilliantly put together collection, with a high benchmark when it comes to quality, and it's well worth a place on your bookshelf - and I'm not just saying that because I'm in it!

Remember, Western is currently available via Accent UK's own website. It's 192 pages long and costs £7.99 ($11.99), and it features a plethora of new and established talent, including Kieron Gillen, John Reppion & Leah Moore, Andy Bloor, Dwight MacPherson, Kirk Manley and Steve Bissette. You can find a the complete list of contributors at the Accent UK website.

And if the Wild West ain't your thing, Accent UK's previous anthology, ROBOTS (pictured left), is still available (Previews order code: MAR083379), which just happens to feature a a piece called Loose Ends from me and Bryan Coyle. Shameless self-promotion? Me? Nah...

Into The Archives Part 2: Box

Box was originally published in FutureQuake #7 and marked not only my debut with FutureQuake, but also my debut into the world of small press comics. The art was by the incredibly talented Lonny Chant, who I had the good fortune to work with again on the upcoming Dogbreath #20.

Click the thumbnails for readable versions.

As with most of my early strips, I can look back and see the flaws in them. Here for example, I should've tightened the narration a bit, and taken a heavier hand in the lettering. That said, it's still one of my personal favourites.

The complete FutureQuake #7 is now available to read - FREE - on the FutureQuake Strip Viewer. Issues 10-13 of FutureQuake are still available to buy.

Some of the other strips penned by me can be found at my ComicSpace page.

Previously:

• Into The Archives Part 1

"I Can Read Movies!"

Part of the inspiration for Littlepixel's Lost Gramaphone Recordings image set, Spacesick's "I Can Read Movies" is another one of those things you find on the Internets that just make you forget all the irrational hate-mongering and complete rubbis that inhabit the web, and make you grin like a loon.

Well, they made me smile, anyway...

You can see the full collection at Spacesick's Flickr Pages.

Into The Archives Part 1: Gifts

Lately, I've been going through some of the old strip that I've been lucky enough to get published, in a vain attempt to build a portfolio, and I thought it would nice to share them again...

Gifts was originally published in Something Wicked #2 - my first appearance there - with art by the rather awesome Dunk! Nimmo...

Click the thumbnails for readable versions.

Something Wicked #2 is now available to read - FREE - on the FutureQuake Strip Viewer. Featuring 10 tales of blood curdling horror, all packaged under a gorgeous cover by Julia Bax (based on Gifts, no less!), it's a must read for all horror fans!

Remember, Something Wicked #3 & 4 are still available to buy!

Some of the other strips penned by Yours Truly can be found at my ComicSpace page.

Swear Wars...?

Ever wondered what Darth Vader would be like if he was an East End gangster?

No, me neither, but thank fuck for Brick Vader...

...And All This Were Fields...

You've got to love the Internets. Really, you do. Swimming amongst the seemingly endless tide of ill-informed opinion and hatred for, well, anything, you'll stumble across something that will make you...just smile for no reason that you can ever work out.

Littlepixel has managed to make me do just that with his collection of Lost Gramaphone Classics, where he's decided to "‘reimaginitize™’ some well loved records as if they were published neé released in the modernist sixties on the classic grid in the fifth dimension of alternate reality Donkle."

No, I have no idea what he's one about either, but just look at these...

You can find Littlepixel's complete collection at his Flickr pages.

"All of those moments will be lost, like tears in rain..."

Over at B3ta, they sometimes do a '3pm draw off', where the various board members knock together images based on a certain character or theme and posted at, oddly enough, 3pm.

The latest one centred around Blade Runner, and, for my money, board member HappyToast came out on top with his depictions of Roy Batty, Deckard and Leon...

You can find more of HappyToast's work over his blog.

WESTERN Preview Part 4: "There are two types of people in this world..."

Accent UK's 2009 graphic novel WESTERN is available now, and features a strip by myself and Bryan Coyle called A Fistful Of Steam Valves, a 6 page Steam Punk Spaghetti Western.

When it came to scripting the story, I took my favourite Spaghetti Western - and possibly my favourite Western - as the inspiration: For A Few Dollars More. This allowed me to make one of the most blatant movie references in the entire script with the character of The Colonel, but it was Billy Armstrong who breathed some unique life into him...

The Colonel (click for a larger view)

For the 'hero' of the piece, it was tempting to just directly copy The Man With No Name, but I decided to leave it with Billy and see what he came up with - and what he came up with blew me away!

Rhinehart... (click for a larger view)

With the two bounty killers in place, it came down to slotting in the last major player in our little drama, The Professor. All I knew about this guy was that he wore a flying cap for some reason. Once again, though, Billy stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park with his design...

The Professor... (click for larger view)

So, there you have it. The three main players in A Fistful Of Steam Valves have been introduced, but what part do they play in the unfolding drama? To find out, you're going to have to pick up a copy of WESTERN...

The graphic novel is available via Accent UK's own website. It's 192 pages long and costs £7.99 ($11.99), and it features a plethora of new and established talent, including Kieron Gillen, John Reppion & Leah Moore, Andy Bloor, Dwight MacPherson, Kirk Manley and Steve Bissette. You can find a the complete list of contributors at the Accent UK website. Go and buy a copy or two, and help the UK independent scene!

And remember, Accent UK's previous anthology, ROBOTS, is also still available (Previews order code: MAR083379), which features a piece called Loose Ends from me and Bryan Coyle!

Something Wicked #2 Is Now Free To Read!

Something Wicked #2 is now available to read for FREE on the FutureQuake Strip Viewer!

Featuring 10 tales of blood curdling horror, brought to you by various writers and artists from across the small press scene, Something Wicked #2 features a glorious cover by Julia Bax - based on Gifts, written by little old me, with art by Dunk Nimmo!

Keep watching the FutureQuake website for more updates to the Strip Viewer!

WESTERN Preview Part 3: "I've got six more bullets in my gun..."

A short post this time, with yet more shameless self-promotion. Accent UK's 2009 anthology WESTERN is available now, and it features A Fistful Of Steam Valves written by me, with art by Bryan Coyle.

The story is a Steam Punk Spaghetti Western, so it became paramount to create some stand out characters that would be both recognisable and completely unique. Fortunately, we had the amazing Billy Armstrong on hand to help us out with that....

A rough design for Rhinehart, the 'hero' of our story... (click for larger view)

The strip is littered with references to various Western movies, and Billy incorporated some of those into the designs for the main players. For instance, with Rhinehart, the lead character, there's a rather blatant reference to Hang 'Em High. Can you spot it?

WESTERN is available at Accent UK's own website now. The book is 192 pages long and costs £7.99 ($11.99), and it features a plethora of new and established talent, including Kieron Gillen, John Reppion & Leah Moore, Andy Bloor, Dwight MacPherson, Kirk Manley and Steve Bissette. You can find a the complete list of contributors at the Accent UK website. Go and buy a copy or two, and help the UK independent scene, and tell 'em how much you love Fistful!

And remember, Accent UK's previous anthology, ROBOTS, is also still available (Previews order code: MAR083379), which features a piece called Loose Ends from me and Bryan Coyle!