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Wednesday 7 November 2018

Get Woke Cover Concept

In Get Woke news, the comic is now fully inked and lettered, and is currently with the colourist, who is making progress on beautifying the pages. The art team on this have been exceptional and I wouldn't have even got this project off the ground without their input. Huge thanks to them.

Initially, I had hoped to be launching this year but time has moved too fast for that. We were going to self-publish through Kickstarter but the comic is sooooooooooo good that we're going to submit it to several publishers and hopefully pick up a deal. This seems to be the best route to try and get the most eyes on the comic and we can always fallback on the Kickstarter route if there's no interest. (I'll blog about all this as it happens).

In the mean time, take a look at a very rough concept cover for the first issue. We wanted something 'conspiracy', and this fits the bill perfectly.


Can't wait to show the world this comic. It's going to be huge.

Wednesday 31 October 2018

Hallowscream 10

Read any evil books lately?


The terrifying tenth edition of the annual Hallowscream! Hallowe'en Special has been discovered on a dusty shelf in a dark corner of an out of the way second hand bookshop has been released as a totally free pdf file! 76 pages packed with peculiar and paranormal (paperback) perils for your perusal!

Here Are The Download Links (right click and 'save as') :
Lo-res Version (file size = 29.5mb) :       MEDIAFIRE     DROPBOX

Hi-res Version (file size = 91.6mb) :       MEDIAFIRE     DROPBOX

You can also read the issue online at :      ISSUU

These are the full contents behind the repellently retro cover by
Malcolm Kirk...

Page 3 : It's A Living  Script by Christopher R Matusiak, Art by Mohamed Rezk & Andre Short, Lettering by Nikki Powers
Page 9 : Lost A Piece  Story by Daniel Valenti, Art by Nick Purvis, Lettering by Nikki Powers
Page 13 : A Lousy Halloween  Story & Art by Rick Perez, Lettering by Malcolm Kirk
Page 16 : Mr. Giggles  Story by Tim West, Art by Vince Karter
Page 19 : Double Exposure  Written by Troy Vevasis, Art & Lettering by Joseba Morales
Page 23 : Bestiary of Beasties : Bogle Bee / Bigfoot  Text & Art by Malcolm Kirk
Page 24 : He Said She Said  Story by Rob Stanley, Art by J.C. Grande, Letters by Nikki Powers
Page 29 : Mr. Ayeliss In Room 214  Story & Art by Rick Perez
Page 35 : Dependents  Story by Dan Tappan, Art by Brian Benjamin, Letters by Justin Birch
Page 45 : The Welcome Party  Story by Paul Bradford, Art by Allen Byrnss
Page 46 : Tell-Tale Signs  Story by Malcolm Kirk, Art by Carol Kewley
Page 51 : Kaligono  Script by Andrès Briano, Art by Ken Best, Letters by Tim West
Page 57 : Snitcher's Ditch  Written by Time West, Art by James Guinnevan Seymour
Page 61 : Turdnado  Story & Art by Gordon Innes
Page 63 : No Strings  Written by Kyle Lawrence, Art & lettering by Nick Cagnetti
Page 67 : Terror of The Sheep II Chapter 2  Story & Art by Malcolm Kirk
Page 71 : The Graverobber  by Tom Burleigh
Page 73 : Grim Gallery  Artwork by Carol Kewley & Malcolm Kirk
Page 75 : Deadvertisements  by Malcolm Kirk ...and...
Page 76 : Back Cover Skull  by Malcolm Kirk


Previous issues of Hallowscream are available to download from www.hallowscream.net or you can buy real-life monochrome paperback versions from Lulu.com.

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!

Wednesday 24 October 2018

One Week To Go

Comic time is currently being devoted to finishing off the first series of Get Woke and making sure everything is just right for October 31st. Why? That's when we launch the 10th issue of indie horror anthology Hallowscream!



The countdown clock is ticking over on www.hallowscream.net with the comic going live and FREE to download at some point during next Wednesday. Just remember, it's not for the nervous! 

Tuesday 2 October 2018

Inktober 2018

With October underway it's time for Inktober, the month long, daily challenge, to create one piece of inked artwork based on a different theme every day. I'm going to create a little gallery below of all my attempts. Hopefully this year I'll actually manage to last the course.

EDIT: Ultimately, real life hit me with a project I couldn't ignore and I had to gracefully bow out of Inktober. I made it 10 days! which is a personal best for me. You can see all my entries below.
Day 10: Flowing

Day 9: Precious

Day 8: Star

Day 7: Exhausted

Day 6: Drooling

Day 5: Chicken

Day 4: Spell

Day 3: Roasted


Day 2: Tranquil

Day 1: Poisonous

Thursday 27 September 2018

Latest Update #8

Time to squeeze in a quick post before September slips in to the night. I would have liked to have posted more these last few months but I'm in comic limbo at the moment as I wait for the completion of artwork for Get Woke.

The project began back in January and is slooooooowly moving forward. It is possibly the most exciting yet painful creative experience I have ever lived through!

As of writing this post, the 36 pages issue one is currently fully pencilled, with 25 pages inked and 3 pages coloured. That's definite progress and I'm pleased to report it looks fantastic. That, dear reader,  is half the problem...

Thanks to its awesomeness, we're going to explore option for professional publication rather than self-publish, which was our original plan. However, this can't be done until more is completed and this is preventing me from moving forward.

I was hoping to use this blog to take you all on the journey of getting a comic published. I still plan to do that but as you can see from the numbers on the right of this page, I haven't been posting here that often in the last few months. Maybe next month I'll have more to show.

October is always busy anyway:

  • Hallowscream will be launched at the end of the month so I'll be bust editing, lettering and promoting the comic with my co-editor pal Mal Kirk.
  • October is also Inktober, an online art craze of doing one ink drawing a day the entire month. Hopefully I'll last longer than the measly 5 days I managed last year. Take a look at the graphic below for this year's daily themes.
  • I've landed a lettering job (paid) for a series, but it could be a while before that starts, so more news on that later.
  • I'm also midway through writing Issue 3 of Get Woke


Tuesday 11 September 2018

Mika and the Godheart Preview

Received these stunning pages in my inbox today and they're just to gorgeous not to share. I'd previously posted some concept sketches for this story as a taste of what was to come. Artist Rafael Romeo Magat has now delivered the finished artwork and I am blown away. Here's a couple of pages to feast your eyes on.



When writing for anthologies I always try and keep the page count as low as possible. This is because, as a editor myself, I understand how tricky it is to find artists to draw long scripts when most are looking for a 4 pager. (More pages = lots more time to draw)

An interesting development during the illustrating stages is that Rafael has taken two of the pages and expanded them in to double page spreads, turning the seven page script in to a 9 pager. This is great as it means he's enjoying drawing it, and when an artist is enjoying themselves, that's when they produce they're best work.

Raf is using this story in his art portfolio which he has shown to Marvel. So, yay, someone at Marvel has seen my work too!

Friday 31 August 2018

Something Wicked 2018

Just time to squeeze in a new post before the end of the month, and what a post to end on...




Indie comic legends FutureQuake Press will tomorrow release Something Wicked 2018, a 22 story-strong anthology of tales of terror and ghoulish goings-on. Included among these fine and fiendish stories is Mummy's Little Helper, a 4 page twisterific tale, illustrated by RoboMonkey147 and written by one Tim West.

Cover (above) looks the bollocks. Teaser image from my story below.




You can purchase a copy of Something Wicked 2018 via their website.


Tuesday 14 August 2018

The Mega Meaty Monster Comics Giveaway



I'm currently involved in an exciting new promotion organised by writer/editor Dave Hailwood of 100% Bio-Degradable fame. Along with 10 other comic authors, we have combined forces to form the The Mega Meaty Monster Comics Giveaway an online two week event where we're all giving away our work for FREE.



This promo uses the InstaFreebie platform, which allows creators to upload their digital wares and give them to interested readers in return for their email address. The idea is you can use the emails as part of a mailing list to promote new products in the future. Sounded like a worthwhile venture.

Now, InstaFreebie is primarily used for fiction books so doing comics on there is fairly novel (no pun). Books being quite 'wordy', uploading massive tomes of text is an easy thing to do, but getting comics uploaded, which are quite 'picturey', is much trickier as InstaFreebie has a tight 10MB limit on the size of the files allowed for upload.

I had intended to place my first anthology Killer Bytes in the Giveaway but as the file size of this is much to large I have removed all the non-horror stories to create a kind of Killer Bytes LITE. I also have a few stories kicking around (all shown on this site previously) which I've packaged together in a new mini anthology called Terror Bytes.



Both of these are now available through The Mega Meaty Monster Comics Giveaway. Hope fully I can get a few downloads and potential customers through this.

You can view this cool comic promotion here. Be sure to go download some FREE comics.





Tuesday 31 July 2018

Latest Update #7

Only 2 posts on the blog this month so I'm squeezing in an update before the month's end to let you know I'm still busy. So, what's occurring...

  • Get Woke continues to move forward. I now have all the pages pencilled and lettered so it's great to see the story in a fully readable state. Chatting with the artist, Kevin and I have agreed that rather than jumping straight to self-publishing we're going to try and get it picked up by a publisher! Should be an exciting adventure in itself.
  • 3 months to the day, Hallowscream 10 will be launched so I'm bust reading submissions and trying to find artists for accepted scripts.
  • On that note, my 3 page story Mr Giggles is now complete and will be included in Hallowscream.
  • A second story, a 4 pager titled Snitcher's Ditch, is in process. It's being drawn by Irish artist James Guinnevan Seymour who, if his DeviantArt page is anything to go by, will be a most excellent addition to this year's Hallowscream.
  • Mommy's Little Angel and Mika and the Godheart are being illustrated by their respective artists and should hopefully be ready for next year's run of Something Wicked and FutureQuake.
  • Writing-wise, I've recently started scripting Issue 3 of Get Woke. I've also has a new idea for a brand new series, which I've started to flesh out the plot and characters for. Very exciting.
  • I've also signed up to letter a second story for Mother Udder comics. I'll post more on that nearer the release date.

Busy, busy, busy...

Friday 13 July 2018

Sole Mates

Not strictly comics but animation, which is close enough to me. This is an old project I created for Uni several years ago. The story of what happens to lost socks.


Friday 6 July 2018

Mr Giggles WIP

With Halloween 3 months away I thought I'd better get a few stories created for Hallowscream as time has a deceptive habit of moving quickly when you're not watching your deadlines. So, I wrote a new script for a 3 page strip titled Mr Giggles. Then, I went fishing for an artist.

As a new approach I posted the full script on Reddit along with this message:

[UNPAID] Artist for 3 page horror script
As per title, I'm looking for an artist to draw a 3 page horror story (B&W or colour).

Sadly, I can't pay but I run a small annual horror anthology Hallowscream, which the story will definitely be included in, due for release this coming October.

As a fun experiment, I'm going to include the whole script below so you can try before you buy. If you likey, please send me a PM with a link to some previous work. The script is one of those that would benefit from having the 'right' type of artist.
Me: I've had over 30 short stories published in various indie anthologies and am currently working with a fantastic artist, found on these boards, to create a series we're planning to launch later this year.
Thanks for looking.

After dangling the hook for a day I was direct  by two artists who were interested in illustrating the script. Not an amazing response but successful nonetheless. While I was pondering which artist to choose (an artist's style needs to match the story) I received a direct email from a third artist who had found my email via the Hallowscream website and took it upon themself to sketch the first page of the story.
I've been doing this for ten years so was surprised at the artist's pro-active approach which I've never experienced before.  The artist got my seal of approval and was awarded the "job". It just goes to show that getting yourself out there and showing an eager attitude can help you win pieces for your portfolio. Mr Giggles will appear in Hallowscream 10, due for release October 31st 2018.





Monday 25 June 2018

Logo and Lettering Service

I've been lettering comics for years and, in my job as a web/graphic designer, I've been making logos for years too! So, I've compiled a selection of comic logos and lettering samples and added them all to a single site.




Moving in comic circles, I often see posts online requesting lettering or logos for comic series. I intend for this site to work as a portfolio of my previous work and hopefully, help me land a few more paid jobs. I really enjoy doing it so why not try and get paid as well.

If you need a shiny new comic logo or your pages lettered visit www.comicbooklogo.com

Monday 18 June 2018

The Travelling Salesman

Comic strip time. This story, from the vaults, dates back to 2014, when it appeared in Issue 25 of sci-fi anthology FutureQuake. Drawn by Matthew Harrower, written by Me!




If you want to see it in print, you can purchase a copy via the FutureQuake website.

Monday 11 June 2018

Mika Concept Sketches

My eyes exploded yesterday after receiving a fantastic email containing concept sketches from the super-talented Rafael Romeo Magat.

Raf is working on a 7 page story titled Mika and the Godheart which is set to appear in an upcoming issue of sci-fi anthology FutureQuake. Take a look at the gallery below...

(Warning: Clicking on the images below may result in the explosion of your eyes)











Monday 4 June 2018

The Psychedelic Journal of General Wizardry

The mystical Psychedelic Journal slithers out of the ether for 2018, this time shining its warped light on the world of Wizardry. This fabulous anthology contains 50 pages of magic and mayhem including a 4 page story, titled The Wizards of Westside, drawn by Jonathan Scott, lettered by Chris Mole, and written by one Tim West.

Here's the lovely cover below, illustrated by SKD and coloured by Owen Watts.



The Psychedelic Journal of General Wizardry was launched at the Cardiff Independent Comic Expo last weekend! You'll currently only find it on the comics circuit so make sure you get out there and visit some conventions.

Here's a little teaser panel from the strip just to whet your appetite. Westside!


Thursday 24 May 2018

Hallowscream 10 Submissions Now Open

For those not in the know, I co-edit a yearly horror anthology comic called Hallowscream. Details have been released regarding submissions for the 10th issue which will be released on 31st October 2018. Full info below...



It’s the time of the year, (Beltane, apparently), when we at Back From The Depths are once again looking for contributors for our freaky free annual pdf horror comic, HALLOWSCREAM, so here are the submission guidelines…

Submissions should be horror orientated and must be weird or spooky to make the final cut.

We are mainly looking for completed comic strips between 1-7 pages in length. Anything already completed is far more likely to make it into the comic.

Script submissions should also preferably be around 1-7 pages in length.

Eerie illustrations and artwork along with interesting horror/comic articles, scary short stories, petrifying poems or anything just plain creepy will also be considered.

To get an idea of the sort of stuff we’re after, you can download previous issues of Hallowscream here.

If you’re looking to illustrate something, get in contact and we’ll give you details of available scripts to see if anything suits your fancy.

We’ll also consider material previously published elsewhere, as long as the contributors own the copyright.

Completed artwork can be either colour or black and white, and should preferably be A4 (21cm x 29.7cm) 300 dpi jpeg or png.

Submissions can be sent to merjeagles@yahoo.co.uk or ghastlymcnasty@backfromthedepths.co.uk

As this is a non-profit, small press publication, contributors will not be paid but they will retain copyright on any material submitted.

DEADLINES :

Scripts, articles and text submissions : Monday 30th July 2018

Artwork : Tuesday 16th October 2018

Completed strips : Tuesday 23rd October 2018.

The finished issue will be available online as a free pdf by October 31st, with a physical copy becoming available via Lulu.com, soon afterwards.


You can also keep up to date with Hallowscream news via the Facebook Page.

Tuesday 22 May 2018

Mommy's Little Angel - WIP

I received a little slice of joy in my inbox this morning in the form of a photo from artist Darren Chandler (AKA RoboMonkey147) who is currently working on the art for Mommy's Little Angel, a 4 page horror story written by me. Check it...



This strip should hopefully be completed in time to appear in Something Wicked 2018 from the ever-awesome FutureQuake Press.


Tuesday 15 May 2018

Get Woke Awakens

Need to post more, need to post more, need to post more. Posting private conversations between myself and the artist? Sure, what could go wrong. Apologies Kevin. I'm just trying to keep the content on this blog fresh and share the experience of making comic with the world.

What follows is the online conversation between myself and Get Woke artist Kevin McCullough on the ComicBookCollabs subReddit. Short version: I got lucky, mixed with right place, right time, brandishing a bad-ass fucking script.

I'm an artist looking for a fun side project (not looking to make money, at least not the primary goal), so if you are a writer who has a script ready to go then we may be a match. I don't really want to wait around for weeks/months while a writer works on a new script, as I'd like to get started asap. Ideally I'd like the project to be in the 1-4 issues, or maybe a ~100 page GN. And like I said I'm not looking to make money off this, so I do not require any upfront payment. If by chance the project gets sold or makes money upon completion then I'd just want to be fairly compensated (at least 50/50).

I'm fairly open to what type of story, can be anything from horror to superhero, just as long as its something interesting to draw and is a good, original story. I'd prefer something on a bigger scope (bigger cast, lots of locations, quick pace).

I'm an animator by day but like to draw a lot in my free time. You might recognize me from my caricatures I've done for the r/roastme subreddit for the past two years or so. But I've also done a couple reddit comic collabs before, one before this sub even existed! Samples from that comic are in my portfolio here. Here's also a link to my instagram where I post a lot of the art I do for fun.

I don't feel like I really have a distinct personal style and am open to and interested in trying new styles. My main comic influences are Greg Capullo, Sean Gordon Murphy, Skottie Young, Francis Manapul, Joe Madureira, Siya Oum and Kevin Shah.

Kevin
Hi Kevin

I saw your post on ComicBookCollabs and thought I'd get in touch. I would imagine you've been swamped with requests as your portfolio looks great and desperate writers outnumber artists by a zillion to one.

I've a 40 page 1st issue written and ready to rock, which would totally suit your style. There is a catch, the characters in the story are all real people so making money is not really an option. But hey, I make comics for the love of it.

I'll drop this link here. I had a cool artist sketch up a cover to encourage me to write the script which has turned out to be marvelous.

COMIC NAME: Get Woke
CONCEPT: Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Princess Diana, Bigfoot and the disembodied brain of JFK battle evil in a world where all conspiracy theories are true.
STYLE: Comedy, Action, Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror.

If interested, please get in touch.

Tim
Haha damn that is an awesome concept, it sounds hilarious. I'd really like to read the script if thats okay with you. You can email it to me at itstopsecretmotherfuckers

Kevin
I've attached the script plus a little character guide. Apologies if the script pages appear a little unformated but the document was written in Word and has been warped slightly as the computer I'm on has an older version.

Hope you enjoy.

Tim
Hey just gotta let you know I'm all in on this. Awesome script and I'm really excited to get started. Just going to take the next week or two to draw the crap out of the main characters to get a feel for them and figure out exactly what the books going to look like.

Just curious though about how you mentioned that its not a project that can make money, but reading the script it seems to me like it would easily fall into the fair use/parody laws that things like Family Guy and South Park rely on. Again my main goal in all this is not to make money but I think its an interesting enough story that it could at least be sold digitally. I'd be just as happy to put it up for free but I think compared to a lot of the indie stuff I see its much more accessible and original.

Cheers,

Kevin
That is absolutely fantastic news, thank you, I'm looking forward to creating something special with you.

I'm delighted with this as I think you're the perfect fit for the comic style and your skills in caricature means you'll be able to tackle a project that's filled with celebs.

With regards to the money making, I personally agree with everything you've mentioned. I did some research in to copyright and stuff and, to me, it does seem totally in the realms of parody and the fact they're all dead gives us an added bonus too. I think the problem is that these are some of the biggest icons of all time and are quite well known for having legal teams that have an 'enthusiastic' approach to maintaining the estate of the names. I've tried to keep the tone positive, portray the characters as heroes, and keep well away from casting any shadows on their names (NO Michael Jackson pedo jokes!).

That said, I'm fully prepared to go balls deep with commitment and am happy to get it printed and sell it at some conventions. It is a solid and highly accessible concept with serious legs and I think 'conspiracy theory' is so very very zeitgeist right now that it could be hit. I've no problem with indie but on the chance it does take off, (and I'm no fool, getting lucky in comics requires a miracle these days so expectations remain grounded) if the cash does start to flow, then and only then, would the lawyers step in. They have no interest in a couple of dudes making indie comics. Also, happy to go fully 50/50 on any future profit.

Take as long as you need for prep. I'm going to quickly wave the story under a few editor friend's noses to iron any issues and get it as mint as it needs to be. There's a couple of clangy bits in the script but I can't foresee any major changes and I'll keep tweaking the script until you're ready to begin. There's always new tweaks and ideas that pop in to my head on every reading.

Very exciting times,

Tim
Just checking you received my last email and I haven’t scared you off. I’ve been trying to play it cool but I’m too excited to not confirm that you’re still in.

Tim
Oh yeah I'm still in, haha, just been sketching away. I'm all good with those plans, we'll make the best book we can and see where it goes. Your're right though, if it does get to the point where a publisher is interested then thats when the lawyers can take it off our hands and figure out any potential issues.

Don't worry about me dropping out at this point, I'm just as excited as you haha.

Kevin

Tuesday 1 May 2018

FutureQuake 2017

The latest issue of FutureQuake has now been launched by the legends at FutureQuake Press. The 2017 issue contains 20 scintillating sci-fi tales to get your teeth stuck in to. One of those lovely tales is a cheeky little 1 pager titled Misery Business, written by Tim West, with art by Jerome Canty. Take a googly-eyed gander at the cover by legendary comic artist Gibson Quarter...



You can purchase a copy of FutureQuake 2017 via their website.


Friday 6 April 2018

Latest Update #6

Only one post last month as I've been busy resting on my laurels and generally slacking in the comic creation department. So, what has been going on...

  • I've just received an email from FutureQuake Press regarding a recent submission, a seven page futuristic tale titled Mika and the Godheart. The email confirmed the story has been assigned an artist, which is none other than Rafael Romeo Magat, the artist who superbly illustrated a previous FutureQuake submission London Rocks. This is a quality development as I know Raf has the skills and creativity to really do this story proud.
  • The Kickstarter for Sliced Quarterly Vol.2 was a success and I've received my copy of the  graphic novel in the post. Great to see my story The Passenger, featured inside, in actual glorious physical print.
  • I've just completed a lettering job for a 4 page western titled 'Drifter'. I'll post a bit more on this when it's released.
  • FutureQuake again! And another story of mine, Misery Business, is now complete and in the line up to appear in the 2018 issue of FutureQuake. It's only a cheeky one-pager but artist Jerome Canty has done a sterling job with the ever-estimable editor/letterer Bolt-01 on hand to make sure everything is copacetic.
  • Get Woke is coming along very nicely indeed. Artist Kevin McCullough has so far pencilled the first 11 pages and they look fucking amazing! |I've been lettering each page as it comes through to make sure it all fits together nicely. It's been a really cool collaborative experience and I'm itching to show you more...but I'm not going to. Yet!

Friday 23 March 2018

100% Biodegradable #20

Coming to issue 20 of 100% Biodegradable...Rumblebot Rampage by Tim West and Edward R. Norden. A robotic rags to riches story, that packs plenty of punch!

Delighted to have made it in to 100% Biodegradable and ecstatic that my story has got the cover of the issue. Take a look below, Edward has done a great job.



You can purchase 100% Biodegradable #20 via Comicsy or Drivethru Comics.

Monday 26 February 2018

Full steam ahead

So yeah, seems the internet gods have read my previous post and nudged the artist in to gear. I'm now delighted to announce Get Woke is definitely happening and before the end of the year I will have an entire and compete Issue 1 ready to sell. Aaaawooooooooooooooooooooo!

Canadian artist Kevin McCullough got in touch over the weekend with a big fat show and tell of what he's been up to. He's set up a Google Drive area for uploading pages and art so we can see progress and work collaboratively to bring issue 1 to fruition. Happy days.

I'm not going to post too much progress in this blog as I need to keep some mystery surrounding the project but here's a sneak peak of some process for page 8 of the comic.


Marvelous work from Kev. Looking forward to seeing the comic develop.

Friday 23 February 2018

The long wait

I've been holding off posting as I've been waiting for something really solid to show you regarding Get Woke. But with this wait I'm failing to deliver the whole adventure experience of making comics that this blog is supposed to be about. If you want to enjoy the highs, you've got to experience the lows.

Basically, I'm in total emotional agony (drama queen). After replying to a post on Reddit's Comic Book Collabs section from an artist hoping to connect with a writer and make some comic, I sent my script to said artist who liked what he read and we agreed to make (at least) issue 1 of Get Woke. All this happened roughly a month and a half ago.

It's now been 3 weeks since the last email from the artist in which he sent me a sample of the first page - check it out below.





Now, I love it. It's a great style that really suits the tone of the comic but all this has done has made be feel sick inside.

One page is a great start but the eternal pessimist in me needs to see just a couple more pages, including one involving the main characters, before I can completely accept that this project is going ahead. All I can do is worry that the whole thing is going to fall apart and that's completely unreasonable of me.

3 weeks is nothing in the grand scheme of comic making. Art takes time to do and I'm sure the Canadian based artist wants to get things looking just right. He has a full time job and 2 kids. I've only got one and I can barely find time to breathe. I know he's utilising a colourist friend from Indonesia, which involved a whole new level of complexity and communication. We're creating this comic across 3 different continents!

I refuse to email him because he rightly deserves the time he needs to do what he thinks is right. It would be uncool of me to pester him and I'm trying to forge a trust based relationship - and no one want s to team up with an asshole.

It's fucking killing me though. Thought you'd all like to know.

Friday 9 February 2018

Sliced Quarterly Vol.2 Kickstarter



The Kickstarter campaign for the Sliced Quarterly volume 2 is nearing completion with just under a week to go. Editor Ken Reynolds has brought together a fantastic collection of stories, including my very own 2 pager The Passenger, written and drawn by me. With only £200 left to reach the target it's getting rather tense, so get your ass over to Kickstarter and help push this project over the finish line.

You can back the project by clicking this link.

Wednesday 7 February 2018

Strange Romance 3

Apologies for the delay in posting anything. I've been busy writing the second issue of Get Woke and it seems that I can only find time to either draw or write, but not both. Meanwhile...



I have a two page story in the latest issue of Strange Romance, launched today on Comixology. Strange Romance is an annual anthology, edited and masterminded by Adam Prosser, who with 2 successful previous issues under his belt, has now launched a third. My lunatic love-story Made for Each Other concerns a young scientist who decides to build himself a girlfriend and was ably drawn by Canadian based artist Stephany Lien. Here's a sneak preview below.




This story actually paid a page rate for writers earning me a whopping £18.00. There's fewer finer feelings than being paid to make comics, so while retirement may be a just a dream at the moment, I'll take every penny I can get. You can download the digital version of Strange Romance 3 here.

Friday 12 January 2018

Latest Update #5

I made almost as many posts on this blog in 2017 as I did in the previous 4 years combined! Hopefully that shows momentum and an upward trajectory, meaning 2018 is going to be a successful year in the world of comics.

  • Massive, massive news alert! I've found a fantastic artist who I will be working with to produce the first arc of Get Woke (and hopefully beyond). This will begin in the next few weeks so you can expect to see more pics posted on the blog as this slowly comes together. I'll do an in depth post on this soon but fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkk yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhhh! This is beyond exciting! Must try and remain calm though. Breathe, breathe. It's still very early days and it could yet fall apart but...no, hang on...here it goes again...fuuuuuccccckingggg yeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssss! The highs and lows of making comics are a drug I suggest everyone should take.
  • 'Made for Each Other' a 2 page story of mine set to appear in Strange Romance 3 this Valentine's Day. The digital version will be available via Comixology and they'll be a Kickstarter to get it printed somewhere down the line
  • 'Misery Business' a sweet little 1 page story for FutureQuake Press has been assigned an artist. Illustrating the script will be Jerome Canty, an artist with plenty of experience in the indie scene. Hopefully, this will completed in time to appear in FutureQuake 2018 - potentially on the back cover!
  • Biomekazoik have announced that they'll be ending the popular comic anthology 100% Biodegradable in 2018. Sad news as they had gained a good reputation for being solidly entertaining, so I'm delighted to have a 4 page story, 'Rumblebot Rampage' appearing in the comic before its demise.
  • Ken Reynolds, editor of Sliced Quarterly is putting together a Kickstarter that will contain 'The Passenger', which appeared in a previous issue of the comic. More info when launched.
  • Finally, I've had another 7 page story 'Mika and the Godheart' accepted by FutureQuake Press. No artist for this yet so it'll be at least 2019 before this goes to print.


So, as you can see, still very busy. The Get Woke news is exceptional but I'm trying not to get too excited as the road to comic creation is littered with the shattered dreams of writers who have teamed up with artists on the web. If this does work. 2018 is going to be amazing!

Sunday 7 January 2018

Character concept sketches

While I'm still practising and learning to draw I thought I'd take a shot at one of the characters for Get Woke. I thought I'd focus on Bigfoot first as this character needs a body type that is physically different to the other characters, giving me almost a free run in making a character rather than being forced to stick to a body shape.

FYI: There's a serious potential development regarding Get Woke that, if it does happen, could be a total game-changer. Keep tuned and keep fingers crossed.







Turned out I was wrong. I need to finalise the look of the human characters first before drawing a fantasy based character. It was fun trying though.