Introducing... The Babble Project

Over on the Babble blog, we're kicking off something new and, hopefully, fun in the shape of The Babble Project. What is it, I hear you ask? Well, here's an edited version of the original post:

While we were getting our SDCC promo material together, we mistakenly believed that Andi Ewington’s Blue Spear (the first spin-off from the acclaimed Forty-Five) was also getting released at the con, and a silly idea took root: what if we were to do a "parody" of our SDCC postcard, but with Blue Spear replacing Carrie? Both books were due to be published by Com.X, so it could make for a bit of fun cross-promotion.

Even though Blue Spear wasn't actually due to get its release at SDCC, Andi still agreed to let us use the character, but the idea began to evolve... One of the key points of Babble is that everyone can be brought together under a single idea – in this case a universal language – but if we could unite Babble and Blue Spear in a similar fashion, could we apply it to other comic characters, too? Could we actually bring together more creator owned characters, from different publishers, in the same way? It's often been said that the comics scene is a close knit community, but could we really convince people to take some time out and have some fun with this?

So, we put the idea to some friends and collaborators – not just from the UK, but around the world – to see what would happen…

The response was absolutely unbelievable. People really took to the idea and we found ourselves flooded with a stunning array of artwork from some of the finest small press and indie creators from across the globe, all of them bringing their own characters to the table to join the fun.

...through September and October, we'll be unveiling a new character image every Wednesday. A gallery has been set up for all of the pictures we've received, so if you miss any of them, you can find them there. Hopefully, you'll enjoy what we've got lined up, and possibly even discover some new creators and titles in the process.

To kick everything off, though, here's the first image, our very own Carrie Hartnoll:

Carrie Hartnoll © Copyright Lee Robson & Bryan Coyle

We've got some amazing creators lined up and ready to take part in this, some of whom I never thought we'd be able to convince to come on-board! Who did we convince? Well, you're just going to have to bookmark http://www.babblecomic.com/ and keep checking back, aren't you?

Portal: No Escape

Realised how quiet the blog's been of late, so I thought that I'd share this...

Predators and Previews

After a long set of delays, Predators, the latest themed anthology from Accent UK has finally made its way into Previews - and I'm in it!

Once again, the guys have pulled together another collection of talent from around the world to tell 25 self contained tales of a distinctly predatory nature - and, for some reason, they've let me and Bryan Coyle do a six page strip called Just Like You, which looks a little like this:

Predators is our third collaboration for Accent UK, and it's also something a little different for both of us that will, hopefully, leave you with a little chill when you read it. Or it might not. I guess we'll have to wait and see. Either way, I can honestly say that Bryan knocked it out of the park with the art, and proves, once again, he's a star in the making.

Anyway, the book can be found on page 224 of this months Previews:

As ever, the important thing is to get shops to order the book. So please, if you want a copy, head down to your local comic book emporium and get them to order a copy for you (order code: STK449777). I can tell you from past experience that the sheer quality of the work on display in these anthologies is phenomenal, and well worth a look if you're after something new and interesting. With past contributors including John Reppion and Leah Moore, Dwight MacPherson and current X-scribe supreme Keiron Gillen, each and every graphic novel is a self-contained hothouse of talent waiting both established and emerging.

Alternatively, if you can't wait until Previews ships it, the book will be available to buy at BICS at the end of August, so, if you're there, go and grab one!