Super Comics Adventure Squad - a loose collective of comic creators involved in The DFC

The Phoenix

2012-01-07T23:45:00.000Z

Today sees the launch of issue one of The Phoenix! It's a fantastic issue with amazing comic creators such as Daniel Hartwell, Neill Cameron, Ricardo Tangle, Jamie Smart, the Etherington Brothers, Patrice Aggs, Kate Brown, Ben Haggarty, Adam Murphy, James Turner and Chris Riddell - and there will be many more to come as The Phoenix appears weekly.

It is a worthy and natural successor to the much-loved DFC, and with that I think this blog kind of comes full circle and it seems a good time to close things down here as a bright new chapter in British comics begins.

There was some consultation and most contributors seemed to agree that the Super Comics Adventure Squad has slowed down quite a bit over the past few months and that with The Phoenix now risen from the ashes of The DFC, with its own website and new direction, it would be a good time to move on to pastures new - which may mean a new website/blog for UK kids' comics ... let's see!

In the meantime - huge thanks to all you readers, and also to everyone who contributed such fantastic comics news, content, drawings and links over the life of this blog. It's been brilliant :-)

Please keep up your support of the vibrant UK comics scene and keep visiting the creators' links over there to the right, and subscribe to The Phoenix, if you haven't already - it's British comics at their very best!

The Phoenix Launches Tomorrow!

2012-01-06T09:35:00.002Z

Click it to go BIG!

NEW YEAR'S EVE EXCLUSIVE: Long Gone Don Character designs...

2011-12-31T08:42:00.000Z

Get Ready for January 7th!

Lorenzo!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T15:25:00.001Z

From me, my daughter and a robin

WIN: a giant robot!

2011-12-20T13:31:00.003Z

... to your own personal specifications!

Read all the details about this fun Christmassy Competition over on my blog, and then go enter the contest on the Mo-Bot High Facebook Page! Thank you. And Merry Christmas, everyone.

Merry Christmas everyone!

2011-12-20T12:06:00.001Z

More- Mo-Blogs!

2011-12-19T09:15:00.003Z

After a slight chickenpox-related delay, Mo-Bot Blog Week rolls on over on my blog! More fun stuff and even I think a little competition, coming up this week!

Mo-Bot Blog Week!

2011-12-13T09:32:00.003Z

Hey, all this week I'm posting various fun Mo-bot High-related sketches and new art over on my blog and on the brand new Mo-Bot High Facebook Page! Go click 'Like' and get a FREE MINCE PIE*

- Neill

*This offer is in fact a TOTAL LIE. But go anyway!

Baggage makes it into the Irish Independant's round up of top books for Christmas!

2011-12-13T08:49:00.000Z

Yup, Randall and the gang have made it across the water! Whoop!

Lorenzo!

Peek at Chris Riddell's studio & sketchbooks!

2011-12-11T18:22:00.002Z

Hi, this is Vern and Lettuce's Sarah McIntyre here. I just got to go to Brighton to visit Chris Riddell in his studio, and he let me post a whole bunch of amazing images from his sketchbook! Here's his pencil drawing for Sauron's Bedtime, a cartoon you might have spotted in the back of The Phoenix Issue Zero. I saw distinct proof that he has a whole load of treats lined up for you in upcoming Phoenix editions!

Click here to visit Chris's studio, over on my blog.

Etherington book signing in Waterstone's Saturday 17th December...

2011-12-08T08:19:00.000Z

If anyone's in town, come see us! More details on the blog!

Lorenzo!

Baggage chosen by the Guardian as one of its Children's books of 2011!

2011-12-05T08:10:00.000Z

Whoop!

Lorenzo!

New Stranski Print released!

2011-12-02T07:45:00.003Z

Hey folks! My brand new Stranski print from Ink-Dot and Hello Blue is now available for purchase through our store! Go HERE and scroll down the prints section on the right to check it out and purchase!

Lorenzo!

A FREE COMIC FOR EVERYONE!

2011-12-01T07:48:00.000Z

Yes that's right! The free issues of The Phoenix issue ZERO are now available for you to get your greedy mitts on! All you have to do is visit thephoenixcomic.co.uk/waitrose enter your address details and the Waitrose Offer Code - PHOENIX1 - and a FREE copy of the comic will be posted to your home!

Here's a Sneaky-peek at Long Gone Don...

Lorenzo!

The Leopard of Lime Street

2011-11-24T19:10:00.003Z

As Garen points out, it's been quiet here, so here's a pic for a dream project. This would be how I'd revamp classic comic strip 'The Leopard of Lime St'. Set on a council estate and giving it a parkour feel rather than a radioactive leopard.

SCAS - what shall we do now?

2011-11-23T20:54:00.001Z

Hello Super Comics Adventure Squad!

As you know, the SCAS blog was started as a place to keep alive the creative spirit and camaraderie that was instigated by The DFC upon the news of its then-imminent demise.

The blog has been a fantastic fountain of British comics goodness since then, especially in its first year, though, perhaps not surprisingly, it has dwindled somewhat in past few months (largely kept alive by those magnificent Etheringtons!).

So, with the arrival of The Phoenix - for all intents and purposes a re-birth of The DFC - I have a question for you and some related possibilities …

Should The Super Comics Adventure Squad keep going?

Here are some options:

1) We close it down but keep it online as an archive that can no longer be posted to. This is probably better than it limping along with just a monthly post from one or two creators - no new audience will come for that and the effort of posting will outweigh the return in readers, who will diminish. It was good, but things move on - that's okay!

2) We keep it as it is and try to encourage more people to post their news and drawings and see if we can kick some life back into it. I think this may work for a short while, but I don't know how sustainable it is.

3) We revamp and redecorate and connect ourselves more closely with The Phoenix, including inviting new creators that will see their work in the comic. The good thing about this is that it will bring the blog back to life probably for a longer period than option 2; the other side of the coin, however, is that there may not be a need for the blog with The Phoenix being a living thing with its own site as a point of focus.

4) Never mind The Phoenix - we open it up to any UK comics creator and it becomes a central blog/hub for ALL UK comics creators to highlight their news and post sketches and stuff. This might get a bit manic (if it works) or it might die an even more dramatic death (if it doesn't)!

What do you think? Please post your thoughts in the comments and we'll see what the consensus is (readers as well as creators, let us know what you think).

Thanks very much for reading this, and for all your support now and in the past :-)

Best wishes -

Garen (SCAS blog admin)

PS - no apologies or feeling guilty for not posting allowed - we're all busy with stuff and have our own blogs and social networks to take care of - it's okay! :-)

The Phoenix - you can now subscribe!

2011-11-23T12:20:00.001Z

The Phoenix website has graduated from being a 'watch this space' news page to an (almost) fully functional site with news, previews, details and subscription details (and deals!).

Go and check it out!

Here are just a few little snippets of what you can expect to see - I think you'll agree that it looks rather fantastic (click for bigger version) ...

Brand new exclusive BAGGAGE strip in the TIMES newspaper today!

2011-10-27T15:24:00.001+01:00

Read about this uber-exclusive Etherington treat HERE!

Etherington Brothers Sign Television Develpoment Contract!

2011-10-24T11:19:00.004+01:00

Announced HERE!

FRONTIER: Dealing with Demons

2011-10-22T10:56:00.000+01:00

Thanks to those fabulous guys at PRINTMEDIA the entire run of the Frontier strips that appeared in the DFC is now being presented as a Graphic Novel. The book will contain never before seen pages of comic strip art as well as the contents of Daisy's Diary and an article by artist Andrew Wildman about how the art for Frontier was produced.

The book can be ordered on Amazon and will be available on the 1st November.

Rocky's Horror Show in The Dandy

2011-10-07T13:08:00.000+01:00

Just a quick heads-up for my new strip in The Dandy -- it's called Rocky's Horror Show, and is a different horror story spoof each week. This week it's

It's already easily the most talked about individual comic page I've ever produced! Thanks to all those who've tweeted, or sent other messages and comments of appreciation.
And if that's got you curious -- get down to Sainsbury's and buy yourself a Dandy!
My other strip Mr Meecher The Uncool Teacher is also in there, plus a load of other great strips by Jamie Smart, Alexander Matthews, Nigel Auchterlounie, Andy Fanton, Lorenzo Etherington and the rest of the Dandy team.

Once Upon A Time Machine

2011-10-07T09:48:00.000+01:00

I thought you fine people might be interested in this lovely looking comics anthology, a selection of classic folk and fairytales re-routed through a sci-fi filter, all wrapped up in packaging by the great Farel Dalrymple - see title page above. I did my own bit for it (artwork for a delightful re-telling of 1001 Nights by Tara Alexander) a good eighteen months back, so it's great to now see the entire collection very nearly finished and officially on the lookout for a potential publisher.

Naturally there's a big online promotional push going on, via the likes of Bleeding Cool and Facebook; do please stop by and have a peek for further info and artwork previews.

World War Weird: TWO

2011-10-07T09:14:00.000+01:00

You know what today is?

2011-10-06T09:02:00.001+01:00

Baggage: Exclusive peek inside the book!

2011-09-28T08:51:00.000+01:00

More shots on the blog HERE!

Lorenzo!

World War Weird: One

2011-09-27T14:32:00.001+01:00

Etherington Brothers Original Art Auction is now LIVE!

2011-09-26T14:40:00.000+01:00

Hey folks, the one and only Etherington Brothers Art auction is now live, you can check it out on Ebay HERE!

In the meantime, here's a shot of the original art, along with all the bonus swag the lucky winner gets!

Baggage: sneak peek!

2011-09-19T08:53:00.001+01:00

17 days to go until the release of BAGGAGE!

Lorenzo!

Baggage Book Launches: Bristol and London

2011-09-15T10:09:00.000+01:00

Hey folks! You're all invited to the Baggage book launches next month! Details on the flyers below, and get more info on our blog HERE!

Brand New Art: AMBUSH

2011-09-13T09:42:00.002+01:00

As you may well know, Robin and I are currently waist-deep in an Epic New Series. The complexity of the world in said series is throwing up lots of exciting new art challenges, and so I'm simultaneously creating technical experiment sketches, which allow me to tackle new and unusual textures/lighting/materials etc before I approach them on the page. Here is one of them. It will appear in the next one of these.

Lorenzo!

One time only...

2011-09-12T12:09:00.001+01:00

Here's something we've never done before/may never do again (click the image to read the details)...

2011-09-10T11:05:00.003+01:00

As part of the upcoming Bath Festival of Children's Literature (which we're appearing at on Sunday 2nd October with Baggage!) we were asked to write a chapter for a remarkable children's story that is being created live, day-to-day, by 20 fantastic authors. Each chapter will appear on a different blog, so you have to follow the links to read the entire magical story.

Seriously, the guys involved in this are huge, anyone heard of Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell?!!

GO HERE To read our chapter, then be sure to follow the links to the other chapters as they go live!

Lorenzo!

The Meadowvane memorial lecture

2011-09-09T14:21:00.002+01:00

Leo and I are running daily previews of Mirabilis season two all this week. After working in secret all these months, it feels good to be taking the covers off, even for just a tiny sneak peek. And Dame Belchamy's lecture on daily life under the green comet is also an ideal catch-up for new readers. Hope you'll pop over and say hi!

2011-09-08T15:42:00.002+01:00

Exciting news today, as we are finally able to announce that the National Literacy Trust (in conjunction with Renaissance Learning and we Etherington Brothers) has just launched a quite frankly AMAZING countrywide comic creating competition. GO HERE to learn how you can win YOUR STORY drawn by Lorenzo!

Malcolm Magic DUNNY

2011-09-06T09:33:00.002+01:00

Well, I finally got the ole' paints out and did myself a Malcolm Magic Dunny!

Malcolm Magic is a 320 page comic book epic which can be bought HERE. Dunnys are bespoke vinyl figures by Kidrobot which can be bought either custom painted or blank HERE.

More soon!

Lorenzo!

Excelsior!

2011-09-04T21:25:00.005+01:00

So, as requested, here's that Stan Lee Awards video as an embed. Thanks to Ben for pointing it out - and for the nice words about Mirabilis. But I think my brain would go into meltdown if I won an award with Stan Lee's name on it, he's so totally the guy who fired up my interest in storytelling as a kid.

I just have to add that, hugely as I admire Bryan Talbot, for my money Mezolith should've won it hands down. Everybody always talks about whether comics can stand up as both entertainment and as serious literature that says something profound, and Mezolith is the perfect example of both. But anyway, congrats to the top two and to all the rest of the creators on the short-list. You're all winners!

Stan Lee Awards Promo Vid

2011-09-02T12:41:00.003+01:00

Here's a link to the promo video for THE STAN LEE AWARD filmed at the inaugural event in Sheffield on July 1st.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5t1Chy1sz4&feature=youtu.be

Could one of you kind techno whizzers get it showing on here too? ;¬)

I think it makes quite a succesful piece of advocacy for the use of comics in secondary schools... We need to get our librarian and teacher contacts circulating it.

(And let's get Mirabilis shortlisted for 2012!)

Ben

"Echoes of Tintin" (he said)

2011-08-30T15:02:00.004+01:00

Here's the first ever glimpse (well, almost) of Mirabilis Book 3, which Leo and Nikos and I are working to get ready in time for release in March next year. And as added encouragement, we just got a marvellous review for Book 1 from the discerning Mr Richard Bruton on the Forbidden Planet blog.

I'm looking forward most of all to the feedback from the kids in Richard's school library, but in the meantime comparisons to Tintin, Bryan Talbot, Bret Blevins, Jacques Tardi and Jules Verne are certainly making our work go with a swing today. Heigh-ho, heigh-ho...

Back in the Saddle

2011-08-22T10:05:00.001+01:00

Hey folks, here's my first piece back at the drawing board after 4 weeks. Painted for the folks who helped me get better! Click to see it in it's massive original form!

Lorenzo!

First look: BAGGAGE!

2011-08-19T10:53:00.004+01:00

Well, after a month in and out of hospital I'm finally taking my first steps back into the real world, and what better way to return than with one of the most exciting things that's dropped through the mailbox in, like, forever! Yes, as Robin is showing in the photo above, those lovely folks over at DFB sent us through our first two super-advance copies of BAGGAGE, and boy is it a beauty! The book is released in just under six weeks time, so stay tuned for previews, exclusives, and news of launch party goodness!

Thanks to all who have helped me during my illness, I'll be doing a proper post on that next week!

Lorenzo!

Mirabilis in da house

2011-08-18T13:06:00.003+01:00

...in the Print Media Productions warehouse in Lancaster, to be precise. I don't know exactly how many copies are there - but a lot. Good job it's got a reinforced floor, coz those hardbacks are heavy. And that's not even all of the Volume 1 batch. Volume 2 is on the way in time for the autumn and here's a sneaky peek at Volume 3, due out next spring.

So behind the times...

2011-08-17T18:18:00.004+01:00

Hey all - I know this is usually Lorenzo's job but unfortunately the poor boy has been in and out of hospital for the past three weeks. He's been through the mill and back (I won't go into any details but things were pretty dicey) and is on the brink of finally coming home so hopefully he can resume his web-based blogging responsibilities.

I am HOPELESS at keeping things updated.

That said I thought you might like to check out the video for the first of our Phoenix projects. Some of you have probably caught this by now but for anyone who hasn't, Lorenzo has been busy...

Von Doogan Trailer from thephoenixcomic on Vimeo.

All the best!
- Robin

The dragon has landed!

2011-08-17T00:37:00.004+01:00

Finally! The first Mirabilis hardcover that I mentioned a while back was starting to look like a mythical beast itself, thanks to a banking snafu that left several thousand copies stuck in a Customs warehouse near Heathrow. But that's all sorted and the books are now at large in the UK. There's been a sighting in SFX magazine and now, at long last, a listing on Amazon. (Don't be put off by the "out of stock" notice; you can pre-order now and they will have copies by the end of the week.)

Volume two will be out before the end of the year, with volumes three and four following in March and September next year. Leo and Nikos and I better get our skates on!

Pirates of Pangaea - first look!

2011-08-01T14:12:00.004+01:00

Yarrrr, comin' atcha in January 2012! Read more about it over on Neill's blog!

Previously unseen Bodkin and the Bear pages...

2011-07-20T12:43:00.001+01:00

...and lots more, on my newly revamped web home

Stanskis

2011-07-18T12:20:00.001+01:00

Few more Stranski works...

2011-07-17T20:11:00.002+01:00

Some drawings I did inspired by my daughter.

Draw Giant Robots! It is FUN.

2011-07-12T11:44:00.002+01:00

Hey squaddies! I've taken some Giant Robot Design for Beginners worksheets that I've used at events this year and stuck 'em on the Mo-bot High website, so YOU TOO can learn how to draw Giant Robots!

Actually, *you* guys pretty much know already. But perhaps you have a friend or offspring who would like to learn.

More details over on my blog!

On the Move

2011-07-03T17:40:00.003+01:00

Hey folks! Finally got the ole' scissors and glue out and made the attached change of address card, thought you might like to see it!

Lorenzo!

Stranski - The Loose Tooth

2011-07-01T08:17:00.001+01:00

New artwork from my Stranski book....

Pirates!

2011-06-29T17:51:00.004+01:00

Here is a sneaky teasery trailer for a comic I'm working on for The Phoenix: The Pirates of Pangaea!

I can't even begin to tell you how much I'm enjoying working on this. I do hope it is half as enjoyable for you chaps to read as it is to draw.

More - much more - anon!

MeZolith Animations

2011-06-24T10:18:00.012+01:00

Here are two animations done by French students as promos for the Soleil edition of MeZolith.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g3nCZLfRyk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhfDUKtu7lc

We think they're pretty cool.
Ben

Sheep Swap is baaaack!

2011-06-20T14:29:00.004+01:00

More woolly escapades from Derek and Vern at The Fleece Station blog!

turn of the Moon

2011-06-20T14:25:00.003+01:00

Following on from the previous post there is now a turnaround of 'Moon', Ali's toy rabbit.

These are the two main characters in the book HORIZON.

More soon

Ali turnaround

2011-06-20T09:04:00.003+01:00

Always a good idea to have a turnaround of any major characters. We do these all the time in animation and many artists do it in comics as well. So, that in mind I thought it would be a good idea to sort one out for Ali, our lead character from HORIZON.

This is as a rough guide and not as accurate as you would do it for animation. In animation turnarounds every line counts and needs to be consistent with each of the views. This turnaround just acts as a reference to get a sense of how the character looks from any given angle.

2011-06-15T09:03:00.001+01:00

A couple here, one I posted up on the blog last week to celebrate 10 1/2 years of going out with my girl, and one from my new series of Professor Popalop Puzzles. May be my last post for a bit, as I'm moving, which you can read about HERE!

See you soon!

Lorenzo!

Rubbish dumps, park banches and burning castles...

2011-06-08T08:41:00.001+01:00

AKADEMIA

2011-06-06T10:37:00.003+01:00

Dundee University are launching a new programme in comic studies. You might know folk who'd find it interesting...

http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/34050

;¬) B

More Yore!

2011-06-01T08:11:00.003+01:00

Here's some more bits from YORE...!

The Rainbow Orchid volume 3 preview

2011-05-31T11:47:00.005+01:00

I have just published the first strip of a short preview extract for The Rainbow Orchid volume 3. A new strip will appear every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the next five weeks. Click here to read the first one.

Also, if you like adventure films and need something to occupy your ears for an hour, my brother Murray and I have just started a short series of podcasts dedicated to ten of the best adventure films ever committed to celluloid, starting with the original 1933 King Kong. See here!

More Professor Popalop

2011-05-25T09:20:00.007+01:00

A little more artwork form the second season of my Professor Popalop puzzle pages, coming soon to the Dandy...

Artwork for DFB Project

2011-05-20T08:45:00.004+01:00

Okay, so those of you with a keen memory will remember THIS POST from July last year, in which we talked about a brand new series of fully illustrated novels we'd just signed to Random House/DFB. Well, the books are coming on well, and I just wanted to pop in here and show you a teeny-tiny bit of artwork. The series is a little way off being ready yet, but stay tuned to the blog for more news...!

Lorenzo!

El Sketchbook Lorenzo Volume F.I.V.E. on sale now with 20% off!

2011-05-16T07:50:00.002+01:00

The first 30 sold out at the Bristol Expo this weekend, now it's your last chance to get a copy. Just 30 copies available (delivered anywhere in the world!) through our store HERE. If you order before 31st May and enter the coupon code MAYBOOK at checkout, you'll get an additional 20% off!

Take a SEAT...

2011-05-11T06:55:00.004+01:00

Dandy day! Dandy Day! Yeah, that's right, fellow adventurers, the latest issue of the Dandy comes out today, and within it's papery walls you'll find the latest episode of YORE! in which our brave heroes come face to face with the Black Mage!! Oooh! Here then, is a recent environment I've been working on for the series...

And it's three days until the Bristol Comic Expo!

Lorenzo!

One week until Bristol Comic Expo!

2011-05-06T08:28:00.003+01:00

MONSTERS!

2011-05-04T07:37:00.001+01:00

This week's episode of YORE! comes out today, only in the Dandy, let's celebrate with some monsters, shall we...? Oh, and a shot of our new Baggage banner...

Quick Plug for 'Sounds Of The Past - Wild West'

2011-05-03T13:05:00.003+01:00

Templar Publishing (UK)/ Silver Dolphin (US)

Hello all, hope this finds you extremely well. Just wanted to share/plug this book I illustrated recently - my big box of comp copies arrived last week, which is always the best part of any job, but even more so with this one. It pops up! It makes noises! It's ace!

Due out August 1st - you can pre order it from Amazon UK.

Special Offer ...

2011-04-29T08:19:00.004+01:00

TAKE COVER!!

2011-04-28T10:32:00.004+01:00

The soon to appear FRONTIER book has now had all the pages reformatted. this is due to the fact that the page size and proportion is different to that of the DFC. Writer Jason Cobley and myself have also decided to remove all the episode headings so that it reads as one long story. Not only that but there are three, count 'em, three pages of additional art. All this plus background information and supporting material and it should be a very satisfying read.

And here.... is the cover to the book. All being well and with a good tail wind it should be on sale at ThoughtBubble

Professor Popalop Season 2 coming...

2011-04-27T07:52:00.001+01:00

I'm currently working on the second season of my Perniciously Perplexing Professor Popalop Puzzle Pages for the Dandy, one episode of which will feature this "bugs begone" insect repellent cannon...!

The green album

2011-04-24T16:35:00.004+01:00

I took advantage of the sunny weather to get a few shots of my wife looking at the Mirabilis Volume One hardback, now just weeks away from UK release. These photos don't really do justice to the quality of the colour printing, which is the best I've seen. And look at the size of it - this is a real whopping great European album! More pics over on our blog. (And by the way, did you notice that t-shirt?)

Zombie Skeleton Army!

2011-04-20T08:10:00.001+01:00

Wednesday! Dandy Day! More new bits and bobs HERE!

By the miracle of modern technology

2011-04-19T18:06:00.003+01:00

Gadzooks! These two nice American chaps called me up and impressed my voice on wax cylinders or something, and there I am nattering away on their podcast blog Guys Can Read, dedicated to the thesis that... er, there are indeed readers out there of the male persuasion. It felt quite nostalgic to be talking about the great days of The DFC though I dumbly failed to get in a plug for the new comic. (I guess in the States it wouldn't matter, though.) Their other talks are all worth a listen, with subjects such as steampunk, comics, thrillers, and so on. Spiffing.

Brand New SERIOUSLY Limited Edition Sketchbook Coming!

2011-04-15T07:56:00.002+01:00

Right, here we go. El Sketchbook Lorenzo volume F.I.V.E. is coming, and it's going to be a VERY limited edition...

We're making just 60 copies of this book, and they're going to be released in two batches of 30. The first 30 will go on sale at the Bristol International Comic and Small Press Expo on Saturday 14th May, where I'll be sketching and signing 'em. The second 30 will go on sale online (available for delivery anywhere in the world) through our STORE on Monday 16th May. Once they're gone, they're gone, that's it, they won't be on sale at any other show, and will never go on sale online again.

This brand new sketchbook weighs in at 140 glorious pages in eyeball twitching black and white, is full to the brim with character designs, environment concepts, unpublished secret projects, Stranski artwork and and a host of other good stuff. It will retail at a recession-friendly £9.95.

So, stay tuned, and I'll tell you more very soon, including a VERY special offer we're going to be running at the Bristol show!

Lorenzo!

Dandy Launches YORE! Design a monster competition!

2011-04-14T10:14:00.005+01:00

The current issue of the Dandy features a very special competition in which YOU get your chance to show what a truly awesome monster creator you are!

That's right, you get to design a creature from the world of YORE! Whoop! So what are you waiting for? Get down to your newsagents, pick up a copy, draw something AMAZING and mail it in to the Dandy! Yeah!

Stuff!

2011-04-13T08:36:00.001+01:00

More bits from the blog this week!

Dear Diary...

2011-04-11T17:13:00.003+01:00

Thing are looking set for a return of the much loved Daisy Adams. A few nips and tucks to the old FRONTIER strip and the addition of some new material should put us in good shape for the upcoming FRONTIER book. All being well it will be ready for a launch at ThoughtBubble later this year

Stand by for more news

W!LDMAN

Spirit Of Hope

2011-04-10T20:38:00.005+01:00

The Comic Book Alliance recently put out a call for people to contribute to a charity comic to raise money for the Japan / New Zealand earthquake disasters. I've contributed two 2 page strips, one called RUMBLE with fellow DFC-er Andrew Wildman, and another called TRAWLER with Warwick Johnson Cadwell of The Dandy fame. Here's a couple of tantalising previews, the Trawler page unlettered so as to give as little away as possible, story-wise. I believe the book is out in June.

Fish + Chocolate & Orbital exhibition

2011-04-06T15:47:00.007+01:00

Hi guys! Sorry for the long absence...!

My self-published book, Fish + Chocolate, finally came back from the printers! Woohoo! Which means it's now TOTALLY UP FOR SALE! I would post previews, but I am aware that this is a family-friendly blog, and the book is most definitely adult-rated. If you'd like to support it, you can either...

>>> Get it from my site here: http://danse-macabre.nu/shop.htm
>>> Catch me at Bristol Comicon: http://www.spexpo.co.uk/
>>> Catch me at MCM Expo: http://www.londonexpo.com/
>>> Come along to mine and Paul Duffield's exhibition at Orbital Comics, sponsored by MCM Expo! More details below...

The Orbital exhibition's private view is an open invite, so if you're in or around London on the 30th April, do drop by between 7pm-9pm! If you can't make that evening, the displays are up from 1st May - 29th May. For further details, check out my blog post here.

Hope to see some of you at MCM Expo, Bristol or Orbital on the 30th!

Arrrr me' hearties!

2011-04-06T09:23:00.001+01:00

New bits from YORE!

A-Z of Awesome Japan

2011-04-01T16:28:00.006+01:00

Hello! Just to let people know I've started a month-or-so-long charity drawathon thing on my blog, where I'll be posting a picture a day based on people's suggestions, to raise money for the Japan Tsuaami & Earthquake Relief Fund.

You can follow along the fun on my blog or on Facebook, and you can sponsor me here:

All donations, and all suggestions of awesome things to draw, very welcome!

Superkids in SuperSoftware!

2011-04-01T11:23:00.002+01:00

Taking time out from a hellish deadline to post an image from an epic series of books for slow reading 15-16 year olds. The brief for these books was fairly open in terms of costume design, so I just went for it and to my amazement the editors actually gave me a thumbs up on all the Goth gear with bondage overtones.

The work itself is all created digitally working from a scribble in Manga Studio, which then provides the underpinning for the rest of the work which is all executed in Illustrator. I used to regard Illustrator as just way to klunky and labor intensive to make any sense with regard to meeting deadlines. But five years ago and with my work beginning to look more than a little tired I gave up working in Photoshop after doing a half hour illustrator tutorial creating a Manga Rabbit in Adobe Illustrator via a free CD from Computer Arts magazine.

After that there was no turning back and I have stuck with Illustrator ever since. In fact I love this friggin' software. It is amazingly alive and tactile in a way that Photoshop can never be. Not only can you blow up your images to epic proportions with no pixellation evident (that's because there are no pixels to pixellate - it is a vector programme), but it is very easy to adapt and adjust literally at the click of a mouse and the twiddle of a pen tool.

So here are some images including screen captures to give you an idea of how this all comes together.

We need your vote...TODAY!

2011-03-31T10:25:00.001+01:00

Okay guys, I never usually ask for anything like this, but a little help here would be VERY much appreciated! My bro has a strip in the Dandy which is in a Last Man Standing style knockout contest with 4 other strips, and we need your votes to help him win! Please go HERE and follow the link to vote! It is literally the click of a button and we'd really appreciate it! If you could do it today that would be aweeeeeesome!

Cheers guys! More new stuff soon!

Lorenzo!

Argh! It's got TENTACLES!

2011-03-30T09:07:00.002+01:00

A little break-down of a panel from YORE! today, seeing as it's DANDY day! Read more about it and see a few more sneak peeks, including Doombar going through a wall feet first HERE!

This one needs clicking for the DEETS!

New Vern & Lettuce strip from Nigel Dobbyn!

2011-03-29T16:48:00.002+01:00

Have you seen Vern and Lettuce's online magazine, The Pickle? And did you know that YOU can contribute to it? Look what Nigel Dobbyn just sent it! Read more here....

More Yore!

2011-03-23T07:55:00.001Z

A few character process breakdowns from YORE! Oh, and did you hear? Monkey Nuts has sold out of it's first print run! More HERE!

More coming very soon, including news of a BRAND NEW and EXTREMELY limited edition art book...!

Lorenzo!

Interviewed on We Do Write

2011-03-18T16:04:00.000Z

Flattered this week to be let out of my usual box and interviewed by Dorothy Dreyer on her really cool writing site. Goodness knows what the respectable literary aficionados there will make of all the stuff about comics!

A few more bits of YORE!

2011-03-16T08:25:00.006Z

Booga-wooga!

2011-03-09T08:48:00.001Z

Another pic from YORE! here, seeing as it's Dandy day. Over on the blog we have reports from our week-long Monkey Nuts tour last week, as well as an invite to an exhibition and various other bits and bobs, enjoy!

Big lebowski/Sesame Street

2011-03-03T19:53:00.003Z

Sorry to lower the tone with my silliness, but I thought it might appeal. The Big Lebowski meets Sesame Street.

Digital take-off

2011-03-03T12:38:00.005Z

I know there was some other big news this week... wasn't there? ;) but didn't want to miss out on telling everybody about us launching on Graphic.ly. Got an iPhone? Or an iPad? Or an Android mobile? Want to sample the cool streamlined viewing of Adobe AIR for PC/Mac? Or even just plain ol' web? There's an app to fit your device of choice, and Mirabilis #1 and #2 are hanging ripe 'n' luscious on those digital branches just waiting to be picked right now for free, with six more issues coming up on Graphic.ly and Comics+ too over the next six weeks.

What I really like about digital comics is that it's like coming down off the stage and mingling with the audience. Traditional publishing is thud, there's your comic, and unless you really want to plunge in to a life of fandom, the stream of community tends to pass you by. But digital platforms like Graphic.ly and Comics+ are really making comics collecting and reading into an easy participatory experience. Nothing very new in this (it's what Stan Lee did with Marvel, ably imitated in this country by Alf & Cos and later, of course, the Mighty Tharg) but digital comics make it so sweet. More on this here.

The Phoenix

2011-03-02T13:07:00.010Z

There are already a few news items and rumours circulating, but for a couple of blog posts from comic creators who were actually at last night's DFC/Phoenix gathering have a little look at these pieces by David Morris and Andrew Wildman.

Another thing to add, from editor Ben Sharpe, is that The Phoenix is independent of both Random House and David Fickling Books. More to come ...

Firebird sweet

2011-03-02T11:08:00.001Z

So unless I am very much mistaken. That little flaming bird at the bottom of the logo wasn't there before. Was it? ;-)

Captain Powerchord and stampiness

2011-02-28T10:14:00.005Z

A quick mention of a couple of things I've been doing recently (besides The Rainbow Orchid volume 3 ... it is coming, I promise!).

Firstly, I've been posting up some old comics that you might enjoy - the short, funny (?) adventures of Captain Powerchord which appeared in the entertainments guide 5D back in 1994-96. As well as the strips there are posters, a fun page and even a History of Rock'n'Roll board game!

Secondly, last week Royal Mail released their newest set of stamps, these having the theme of British musicals and including my 2005 design of the poster for Return to the Forbidden Planet. More info and pics here.

Mirabilis arrives in hardback!

2011-02-25T18:56:00.004Z

Wheee! Down The Tubes has news of the upcoming Mirabilis hardbacks that will be rocketing like little magic comets into UK stores any day now. This is the whole 200-page first season in two volumes, and although I said "little" they're actually European album-sized (a whopping 235 x 315 mm) so they should be kind of hard to miss.

There's a glimpse of the Volume One endpapers here and a little more background info (and another sensational painting by Martin) right here, while the full story is over on the Strip Magazine blog. The first Mirabilis book is due in March, with Volume Two following hard on its heels a month later. Hope you'll join us for the adventure!

New mini puzzle series in the Dandy this week!

2011-02-23T13:57:00.002Z

News HERE!

Fun Times in Devon!

2011-02-16T18:15:00.002Z

I'm going to be doing some fun public talks and workshops in various libraries around Devon over the next couple of weeks, so please do come along if you're in the area / spread word to any Devonians of your acquaintance! Full details over on my blog.

Thanks!

Dandy Daaaaaaay!

2011-02-16T09:10:00.002Z

Yes yes! This week's Dandy comes out today and BOY! What a monster! A whopping 44 pages of comic goodness, including epsiode 2 of YORE! Whoop!

Add to that no less than SIX pages of Jamies Smart's glorious comic goodness, along with strips by Nik Holmes, Andy Fanton, Wilbur Dawbarn, Lew Stringer and Nigel Parkinson, and you have yourself a serious bundle of goodness! To celebrate the launch of the new issue, here's some previews of environments and character concepts for episode 13 of YORE! Enjoy!

a new HORIZON

2011-02-15T09:07:00.005Z

FINALLY! managed to get to a point where project Horizon can go to pre-order. What does that mean? well, the characters are designed, the book is (for the most part) written and we have a publishing plan. The pre-order campaign is a chance for interested groups and individuals to join in on the development of the project. Over at INDIEGOGO we have a number of amazing incentives for people to choose from. A simple sign up, a pre-order of the graphic novel, a 2'x3' original canvas of our main character, and many more. Lots of goodies.

Take a look at INDIEGOGO and express your interest, or not, up to you. Let me know your thoughts though.

W!LDMAN

Baggage cover and Smoochie card...

2011-02-14T09:00:00.001Z

A couple of things today, first up the cover to our new comic book BAGGAGE which is published by Random House later this year. Lots more about the book HERE!

Then a little piccie for my wonderful girl, who continues to be my best friend and my greatest inspiration. I love you, baby!
x
Lorenzo!