New Stories...

So... The new look for this here blog, then. Like it? I do, and that's all that matters, really.

I've customised the template, and taken advantage of Blogger's new static page feature, to add my "official" biography (or the one that I'm currently using, anyway), and a new portfolio that lists every comic strip I've had published, as well as some that are coming up. I may actually go back and list some of the prose stuff I've had published, too, but we'll see.

Not much more I can add, really. Hope you enjoy the new look blog. And if you don't, tough.

Crouching Gordon, Brown Dragon

The video of the Taiwanese take on Gordon Brown's bullying did the rounds on the internet...

But you may not be aware of the parody...

"I've never voted Tory..."

Call me Dave - Exposed!

It's been said before, but it bears repeating: Armando Iannucci is made entirely of win.

They might be the most evil people in the galaxy...

...but even THEY have their limits...

Bill Hicks...

Bill Hicks died sixteen years ago today.

It's almost become cliche to say this now, but he was one of my heroes.

I don't mean that in the way that most kids who've only just discovered him do. He's not my hero because he's "cool" at the minute "and funny" (which he was). He was my hero because he had conviction. He meant what he said and he didn't give a fuck who he offended saying it; he made you think about what was going on in the world around you, verbally grabbed your shoulders and shook you awake.

There's never been anyone like him and I doubt there'll be anyone who could fill his shoes. So, here's a little tribute to the man himself...

If you ever forget the words...

...just try this...

This video - originally posted by Robert Popper - will no doubt become the next big Internet meme, which we'll all be sick of come the end of the week...

Star Wars and sea chicken...?

"He thinks he's people..."

Sexy Monday... Kinda...

I just love the look of joy on his face...

Embrace Life

This is a pretty original, and rather stunning, approach to road safety advertising from the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership.

The Osmands do Star Wars...?

This is just all kinds of wrong...

Accent UK is Chosen...

I've been sitting on this one for a what seems like forever and a day, but I think I can safely put the news out there now: I'm putting together an original graphic novel for Accent UK called Chosen, due to be published under their Blessed/Cursed line!

To whet your appetite, here's the basic breakdown:

Assigned to investigate a strange anomaly around the sun, the Icarus IV suddenly loses contact with Earth. When communications are restored, it's revealed that most of the crew are dead or dying.

A year after the mission returns home, the ship's first officer, Jeff Anderson, finds himself gradually picking through the pieces of his life. Recently divorced and unable to find his place in the world, he resolves to find the remaining survivors to finally get to the bottom of what happened to them - even if it means exposing the terrifying secrets they've been hiding from the world...

I've been fortunate enough to work with Accent UK before, having contributed to some of their past - and upcoming - anthologies, so it's actually pretty exciting to have the opportunity to take the next step with them and produce something full length for their line. They've set a level of quality with their books which is pretty high, so I'm hoping I can match that with Chosen and make it a worthy addition to their growing library.

There's not really much more I can add this point, because it's all still in the early stages of development and there's a long way to go. The story's plotted and I've scripted about a quarter of it so far, but that's about it. No artist is on board and no release date has been set.

Needless to say, though, I'll be posting more about Chosen when I the wheels are more fully in motion.

Cats + Star Wars =

Absolute Justice

Following on from Bryan Coyle's scathing review of the much hyped Absolute Justice episode of Smallville, I thought I'd actually watch it and see if it was as bad as he reckons...



I'll admit, anything that starts with a bloke who looks like Patrick Swayze's brother turning up out of nowhere as the ageing Star Spangled Kid, trying to be Jack Knight complete with a staff that looks like it's escaped from an old Doug McClure movie and his own star-spangled mobile is going to get a watch (I assume they couldn't get the real Don Swayze to step in and play the role).

The writing is pretty much what you'd expect from Geoff Johns: no subtlety, but plenty of angst and a lot of references to things that only fans of DC Comics will get (his rather amazing comic book recap about The Secret City of Kandor and How John Jones Helped People By Becoming A Police Detective is rather good - and I mean amazing as in "amazingly clunky"). The first ten minutes pretty much sets the tone for the episode, with some terrible acting from the would-be Star Girl, portrayed by an actress who is clearly 10 years older than the character she's playing. And this is before we actually see the fucking awful sub-par cosplay costumes they make the JSA wear. Those, I shall get to in a minute...

Unsurprisingly, the characters soon fall into the usual TV tropes - displayed clearly with Hawkman and Dr. Fate. It's interesting to note that the version of Dr Fate used here appears to be based on the recent Steve Gerber version, but, rather than the emotionally troubled Kent Nelson that Gerber gave us, we get a Generic Mad Person. This is down to either Johns' lack of subtlety (hey, Dr Fate talks about people's fate!), or it's TV's usual desire to use simple, cardboard cut out characterisations (check out tough guy Hawkman - we can tell he's tough because he wears a leather jacket and doesn't shave). Personally, I think it's both. And, keeping with the usual TV Way Of Doing Things, the "Old Men" of the Justice Society all look as if they're in their mid-thirties, rather than their fifties or sixties - which you'd expect them to be, given the time frame that's been imposed on the episode.

With Geoff Johns, you can pretty much guess where he's going to take a plotline, and this is no different. It pretty much screams the twists in your face long before they even arrive. Of course, this may be a thing with Smallville, I don't know; I haven't watched the show since the first season, largely because it was dull as hell.

Special mention has to go to the villain of the piece: Mr Freeze The Icicle, who likes to make big, phallic looking icicles and then stab people with them, all the time reciting lines from the awful Batman & Robin film that we'd all but forgotten about. Or tried to. It's not helped by the fact that The Icicle actually looks like Arnie in that film - or more accurately, Ron Howard looks as if he's dressed as Mr Freeze.

As for the costumes... I mean, take a look at them for yourself. Go on. Hawkman looks as if he's borrowed his costume from Brian Blessed in Flash Gordon (don't get me started on how weedy he looks!), and the less said about Star Girl's outfit the better. I mean, really, guys? Really?

I should try and find something nice to say about this episode, so...um... Alison Mack has a really cute smile. Oh, and Pam Grier as Amanda Waller (although surely CCH Pounder would've been the more logical choice).

All in all, though, if this is the best that TV can do for superhero shows, then the genre is in trouble...

The Smiling Dog...

2001: Deleted scene...

The Day Of The Dolphin

My only question is: How have I never seen this film?!