With Thought Bubble only a week away, I thought I'd share some news/plans with everyone. Firstly, if you're not planning on going to Thought Bubble - GO! It really is the finest convention the UK has to offer. Just the right kind of focus for anybody's tastes, just the right kind of atmosphere to make creators, guests and families feel welcome. This will be my fourth time exhibiting and I'm more excited about it than ever before!
I'll be sharing table 169 in New Dock Hall with P M Buchan, who I've been collaborating with for 8 years, since the first issue of our and Phil Marsden's collaborative anthology Blackout. They were humble beginnings, and we've periodically released 3 more issues since that first one, as well as completing a slew of other strips that Bucky has written and I have drawn, which have featured in, among other places, Starburst and SCREAM magazines. Meanwhile, Marsden has surpassed even himself, managing to weasel his way into illustrating for NME and Kerrang! magazines.
But none these accomplishments even remotely resemble the magnificence of our latest effort, which also features work by the incredible Andrew Waugh, some splendid colour and design work by Michael Barnes, and a guest strip and pin-up by Harley Poe's Joe Whiteford... ladies and gentlemen, I give you Blackout #5. In fact, so much does it eclipse the other issues that we've done away with the issue number and simply christened it BLACKOUT. It is a completely stand-alone, monolithic behemoth of pain, filth and gore. Within its confines, I have a silent, four-page strip entitled "Wages of Sin", written by Buchan, coloured by Barnes, and a seven-page romantic tragedy soaked in blood, affectionately named "What's Inside A Girl?" after the mini-comic of the same title that Bucky produced some 6 years ago. I was also roped into doing the cover, much like the first time we ever put an issue of Blackout together.... typical!
Bucky will also be releasing issue one of his Gothic-horror series La Belle Dame Sans Merci, and has work featured in the anthology Disconnected vol. 2 - read more about these delights on his website. As for moi, I'm disappointed to say no new issue of The Big Bang this year, as it's been all kinds of busy. But I do plan on putting out a beastly issue (if not a concluding issue) next year to make up for it. I will be doing some super sweet deals on comics and prints though:
The Big Bang Issues One, Two and Three - £6.00
John Henry Split My Heart - £2.50
The Gentleman Ghost - £1.50
Costume Party - £2.00
One print - £5.00
Two prints - £9.00
Three prints - £12.00
And I will be offering my customary "Anything you Like" A4 b/w commissions for £5.00 too!
The price of Blackout is yet to be announced, but you're looking at about £3.00 for 32 full-colour pages, on sexy uncoated stock - the only comic that come with a 100% guarantee that all contributors are going straight to hell! Blood sacrifices, hearts of virgins and other offers may be accepted.
