The Van Domain

9

2011-11-29T21:33:00.008Z

The number 9 has been cropping up in my life quite a bit lately.

First of all, my daughter Halo celebrated her 9th birthday on the 9th of November just gone.

A couple of weeks after that we threw a belated birthday party for her that we themed around the movie '9', at which we had 9 guests, watched the movie, ate a birthday cake decorated with images of the movie's characters, made bookmarks and postcards featuring the characters and even got all crafty and made our own little sackdolls inspired by the dolls in the feature. (It was quite a hectic day. Especially when I realised I didn't have any glue with which to stick on the dolls' eyes and had to race around town on a Sunday afternoon calling at three damn shops - at least it wasn't 9! - before I finally found one that sold some. Sheesh.)

My mother also turned 9 in the last few weeks. Or should I say 09. Or should I say 60, which is what the card actually said, except that my five year old read it upside down and happily announced to everybody "Nanny is 9!" (She was happy to go along with this, I must add!)

Which brings me to another 9-related issue...an actual issue, the 9th in fact, of Super Awesome Eagle Award Nominated Small Press Anthology Paragon!!!! Here it is, look!

Behind this fantastic cover are pages and pages of comic brilliance, including the first episode of a cracking new yarn by Greg Meldrum and Davey Candlish, about cool-as-beans 1930's adventurer Spencer Nero (this issue's cover star) and his mysterious, mask-activated alter-ego Janus; the third high-octane installment of sci-fi epic Rise of the Mekko-Sapiens by Matthew McLaughlin and Vanguardian Louis Carter; a Roy Thomas/Conan-inspired episode of caveman-smushing madness in regular strip Jikan courtesy of(once again!) Matthew McLaughlin and James Corcoran; and the 3rd installment of my own tale, Icarus Dangerous with art as ever by the brilliant Stephen Prestwood, excelling himself on this episode with panels such as this:

As you can see, part 3 picks up where part 2 left off, with Icarus cornered by the Bonemen, silent inhabitants of the interstellar starship he finds himself trapped on having attempted to rescue the alien female who saved him from drowning. He's also struggling to come to terms with the fact that the wings his father constructed for him - previously destroyed by his plunge into the ocean - have miraculously repaired themselves, sprouting feathers where there were none before, feathers that have special, somewhat explosive, properties. His make-shift wings are not what they used to be, though he has no idea yet just how much they - or he - have changed. As he rushes to stay ahead of the Bonemen and free Meriope from captivity, he will come to realise just how different things are. And how he will never be the same again. This chapter introduces us to a whole bunch of new characters who are destined to play a massive part in future episodes' proceedings. It was in the writing of this episode, and the one that follows, that I realised Icarus is my Zenith, in the sense that, although he is the title character, he is just the eye of a crazy storm that's about to kick off around him. And I can't wait to bring it to you!

With all of this plus a set of extra, 'surprise' stories to really put the cherry on top of this ice-cream sundae of a comic, Paragon issue 9 is a mag you're sure to get your money's worth from! So head on over to the Paragon blog and read about how to pick yourself up a copy!

Enjoy!

D.

Hallowscream 2011

2011-11-03T21:28:00.008Z

It's here!
It's out!
It's awesome!

The 2011 edition of Back From The Depths' Hallowscream is now available to download FREE and its the biggest and best one yet. Hours of reading here, with some great tales and artwork to be found within these virtual pages. This is my second year contributing and once again I've been lucky enough to work with two fantastic artists. Check out Bhuna's superb full colour artwork on Speed Date 2: Cruz Control and Tony Rothwell's darkly atmospheric etchings on Wonderful World of Delight: Serendipity . The comic also contains a fantastic monster tale written by my old pal Matthew McLaughlin and illustrated by the wonderful stop-you-in-your-tracks-and-rip-your-jaw-right-off-your-face Ghostpockets, who I collaborated with for the original Speed Date in last year's edition.

Hallowscream 2011 - so bloody good it's horrifying!

Download from CLICKWHEEL or DROPBOX, or view online at MYEBOOK.

The things you should fear the most aren't necessarily the ones that are mad, screaming obvious...

2011-10-29T21:20:00.011+01:00

Last year, one of the very first comics I wrote "Wonderful World of Delight" appeared online in the 7th edition of Temple APA. Almost two years on, and this story remains close to my heart as one of my favourite creations, which is odd, as it was originally conceived as a throw-away strip, a quick tale with a gimmick that would be done and dusted in a couple of pages and that would be the end of it. Thing is, in the process of writing it, I created this bloke called Robin Baskerville...a larger-than-life nutter who somehow took on a life of his own and refused to get out of my head and leave me be.

It was almost as if he had taken up residence in my imagination. I could hear him whispering to me in the night: "Whaddaya mean, I only got one story to tell, are you outta your frosty, freakin' mind? I got a gazillion stories to tell! You might think you know me, but you ain't got no idea, chump. I've got stories to tell that you would not believe!"

It's true. Robin has since filled me in on EVERYTHING about him, his entire life-story and history, who he really is, what he really does...it didn't make for easy imagining. And I can't even tell anyone about it. Robin scares me. He's bad. The baddest of the bad. This guy, who created himself, is the nastiest, vilest creation that has ever popped into my head. I know I need to tell his story. All of it. I'm just not quite sure how I'm going to do it yet. I have made a start though. Robin's second adventure is ready for consumption and will appear in this year's edition of Hallowscream, just a couple of days hence. Here's a few panels from the story, with new artist Tony Rothwell more than filling the sizeable shoes left by Conor Boyle , who illustrated the original tale, and putting his own unique and darkly humourous stamp on things:

The new tale, Wonderful World of Serendipity, will give fresh insight into the depth of Robin's depravity...but it won't scratch the surface of the unthinkable horrors that are yet to be revealed. I didn't have the necessary gumption to get into all of that right away, thought it best to simply present another snapshot of Robin as he is in the here-and-now of his zombie-ravaged, apocalyptic Wonderful World, before delving into his past and opening up a Pandora's box of terror. That's for another time, another place, but Mr. Baskerville's tale will be told, and when it is, you may very well regret hearing it.

But not half as much as I regret being the one who has to tell it...

Mid-October Update

2011-10-14T13:26:00.023+01:00

Well! Where to begin? It's been a while since I've posted anything here. You might think that's because I've been working on looooooooooooads of new projects but, in actuality, I haven't. Nothing creative at least. Real life has been keeping my civilian alter-ego busy and hasn't left much time for Van Dom to strut his funky stuff, taking down criminal masterminds, saving damsels-in-distress and writing strange and messed up comic scripts. Nothing new anyway, though I have been tinkering away at certain works-in-progres. Nevertheless, there are a few things that have been happening.

First and foremost - Vanguard! My self-published comic has gone down pretty well, I'm happy to report. I've sold nearly all my printed copies and had some very good feedback, and have also gathered up a few industry reviews, all of which were pretty positive. (Nobody told me to STOP anyway, and that's always a good sign!) You can get the skinny on all of that - with links to all the reviews and some info about the upcoming issue 2 - over on the Vanguard Blog. There's still a handful of copies left too if you haven't gotten around to picking one up yet. Ordering info can also be found on the Vanguard Blog.

As a result of putting Vanguard together, I also found myself in a position to be nominated for the inaugural Irish Comic News Awards. Seemingly, to my surprise, some people did indeed nominate me and - to my even greater surprise - my name now appears on the short list for voting, in not one but two categories. So you can vote for me as best self-published writer, or Vanguard as best self-published comic. Obviously, I'm not going to win, or even come close (just LOOK at who is on the short list --- egads, what kind of whippersnapper am I even daring to have my name in there?!?) but it's definately an honour to be nominated and I'm very grateful. So a big, big thanks to anybody who did so. And, of course, if you DO want to vote for me, I certainly won't tell you not to!

Over in Paragon, my ongoing adventure series Icarus Dangerous seems to be going down pretty well also. I got a few good reviews for episode 1 and managed to more-or-less keep it going for episode 2, although the Forbidden Planet reviewer was a little disappointed that this episode wasn't as simple-and-straightforward as the first part. Not quite sure what to make of that really as this story, as a whole, is far from simple or straightforward! Hopefully episode 3 will get him back on board. Meanwhile, over at Comics Bulletin, the reviewer thoroughly enjoyed it, so go figure! What do you think of the story? I'd love to hear your views!

Do you remember Speed Date, a short, gorey horror tale I wrote for last year's Hallowscream? Well, a few points of interest in relation to it. First of all, there is a sequel. Of course there is a sequel. I couldn't, in good conscience, leave it the way it ended, not with that vicious bastard Tucker still on the loose, a threat to honest-to-goodness, soulmate-seeking Speed Daters everywhere. Common decency demanded that I revisit the character and present a 'what happened next' type epilogue to the tale...a full colour (and what colour!) tale of love and romance that is now in the can, courtesy of the wonderful Bhuna, and being lettered as we speak. Speed Date 2:Cruz Control is, like all good sequels, everything the first part had but MORE. MORE violence, MORE blood, MORE death, MORE twists. It is, honestly, the bloodiest 6 pages of comic I have ever witnessed. They don't come much more blood-soaked than this people, so keep an eye out for this year's Hallowscream at the end of the month to find out if Tucker gets his come-uppance or not. (Hint - Tucker will continue to appear in a 1 page, ongoing strip in Vanguard from issue 2) (Anti-hint - that doesn't necessarily mean what you think it does. Or does it?!) In the meantime - here are some sneak peaks from this blood-drenched tale...

The second item of Speed Date related news is that the movie version of Part 1 (renamed SPEED KILLS as a short movie called 'Speed Date' already exists) is finally finished, and it looks bloody great. Audience reaction at a test screening recently was overwhelmingly positive, which was lucky, as both myself (as the writer of the original story) and Alan Rogers (director, producer and star of the movie) were sitting there in nervous anticipation of being run out of town for coming up with something so nasty and vile! Alan captured Tucker's 'charm' perfectly though, and somehow this made the acts he commits in the film just that little bit more palatable. The really big news though is that the movie has been picked to appear as part of the short film showcase at this year's Horrorthon festival in the IFI in Dublin. It's being shown on October the 31st at 11am (part of the Short Film Showcase) so if you are in the area and fancy checking it out, please come along. More info about this can be found on the Horrorthon website HERE. Be warned - you will be subjected to images such as this. Yikes!

That's pretty much about all I have for you at the moment. It's too early to start previewing images from all the stories in the next issue of Vanguard, and everything else I am involved in is still in the early stages of W.I.P. I will be back before the end of the month though with news on another strip due to appear in Hallowscream, which features the return of another of my nastier creations, the jolly, jovial, jingle-singing zombie feeder/killer Robin Baskerville, this time rendered by the wonderful Tony Rothwell. Sneak peak below rounds out this entry. Ta-ta for now!

Icarus is Out!

2011-08-11T21:43:00.008+01:00

Yep, Paragon Issue 8 is finally out - and having received and read my copy today I can safely say it's a STONKER! Cosied up alongside wonderful scripts by Mark Howard, The Emperor and Matthew McLaughlin is Chapter II of my "Greek Legend Gone Interstellar" epic ICARUS DANGEROUS, in which our danger-prone hero Icarus says:

If you read Chapter 1 (and if you didn't, stop reading this NOW and go read the blog entry for Paragon Issue 7 instead) you'll know that Icarus has been saved from a watery grave by a strange amphibious female...who, seconds later, is captured and taken on board a monstrosity of a deeply submersed spacecraft! Icarus, helpful chap that he is (and nothing at all to do with the fact that some extremely HOT bikini-clad alien chiquita has just planted a whopper on his lips and might be up for offering a little more if he plays his cards right), decides to give chase in an attempt to rescue the damsel-in-distress who has just saved his life. A noble idea, if not the smartest one, but then Icarus never was the sharpest arrow in the quiver, so what do you expect? It all goes BADLY WRONG...and now Icarus finds himself marooned, millions of light years from Earth and even closer to that dag-blasted sun than EVER. And that's not even the WORST bit.

See? He's got VOICES IN HIS HEAD and everything. That's NEVER good!

Who is Meriope? What has she done to Icarus? Who are the alien creatures who have abducted them both and what do they want with Meriope? Find out the answers to SOME of these questions in "ICARUS OUT!", 8 pages of action wonderfully rendered in PRESTWOOD-VISION, appearing now in a PARAGON near you.

Go HERE to order! And get your Greek on!!!

New project!

2011-07-22T22:02:00.005+01:00

Got these images today from Neil McClements, who is hard at work on a brand new project we are collaborating together on. I'm very excited about this one. These two characters are two very different individuals who couldn't be further removed, by either time or space.

Meet Khiabit-Ka, of the Intefs of Thebes, son of Nebhepetre Mentuhotep and commander of the Egyptian Theban Forces:

And meet Mason Reeves, a young American and modern-day rookie cop who suffers from a highly advanced - and dangerous - form of Attention Deficit Disorder:

Somehow, these two guys' lives are about to become intertwined...and it's going to make things very interesting for both of them! More info on this one later!

Vanguard Unleashed!!

2011-07-07T21:31:00.006+01:00

It's here!

The culmination of several months work is back from the printers and looking awesome (if I do say so myself! :)

My collaborators on this project have put their all into turning in some fantastic looking pages and the whole thing sits together really well. The only thing to do now is attempt to sell a few copies of VANGUARD ISSUE 1 to you fine supporters of the small press comic arts, so stop wasting time reading this and go HERE for the full lowdown!!! You won't regret it!!

Paragon Issue 8

2011-06-18T22:59:00.003+01:00

Check out the cover to Paragon Issue 8 by the awesome CHRIS ASKHAM. It's a beaut isn't it? The comic is going to be available in the next couple of weeks, and it's got some great material inside by a bunch of really talented folk...and me! Returning on art duties for ICARUS DANGEROUS CHAPTER 2 is STEPHEN PRESTWOOD - and below you can get a preview of page 1.

For more info, check out the PARAGON BLOG, where you will be able to order a copy of this very soon.

Remember Alice?

2011-06-03T23:45:00.004+01:00

This poor girl fell foul of the evil TUCKER last year, when all she thought she was doing was going on a Speed Date with some specially selected, eligible batchelor elite. That's no good at all.

The bad news is, her situation hasn't really improved all that much, as this image - courtesy of BHUNA ROCHE - will attest to. But not to worry. Tucker still has a few girls to get through, ONE of them might be right for him, if they're lucky... But they'll have to play their cards right and answer his questions JUST so, to even be in with a chance. One thing's for sure, before this night is over, things are going to get worse before they get better...

Stay tuned for more nasty, blood-soaked, murderous speed-dating fun in SPEED DATE 2: CRUZ CONTROL! coming your way this Halloween!

Remember Tucker?

2011-06-03T23:22:00.009+01:00

Tucker Alert!!! This maniac is still on the loose and continues to stalk innocent young ladies in his misguided attempts to meet his perfect match and find his 'soul mate'! Word has reached me that he has now infiltrated VANGUARD! and will be plying his nasty trade there! Beware! Look out for this tucker! He is armed and highly dangerous! Do NOT be fooled by his charm and winning smile and do NOT attempt to approach him, under any circumstances. Especially if he asks if you want to go Speed Dating ...

Art from "Tucker's Romantic Escapes: Escape 1", by EL CHIVO !

Tales from the Emerald Isle 2

2011-06-03T22:45:00.005+01:00

Last year, David McDonald of HIBERNIA COMICS put together a really cool 2000ad fanzine which focused exclusively on characters from the comic that were of Irish origin. I contributed a Sinister-Dexter tale to the anthology, which went down well enough, apart from the too-specifically-Irish-by-far pun I included at the end, which lost most readers (as the majority of them weren't specifically Irish at all. D'oh!) So I learnt a lesson from that, so I did. Know your readers!!!

This second edition of the comic abandons the 2000ad angle and instead draws together random tales of fantasy and fiction, all of which are based in Ireland and contain Irish themes and characters. Designed as a "convention special", the stories are, as such, shorter and sweeter. Big fan of Slaine that I am, I wanted to do something in that vein, so decided to have a crack at bringing Fionn Mac Cumhaill to the, er, small page. I mean, come on, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, he got psychic powers from burning his finger while cooking a magic salmon for God's sake, and he stabs himself in the head with his own damn SPEAR to stop himself nodding off, how freaking awesome is that! If only I had the power to suck on my thumb and have all the answers to life's conundrums revealed to me in an instant...that would be SWEET. A big spear to poke myself in the head with when I was falling asleep while trying to get through "Shutter Island" for the twentieth time would also be convenient. But alas... I have neither. Sigh. Anyway, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, a bit of a brute and not very bright but he had lovely flowing white locks and...the Salmon Knowledge!! Here he is in action:

How indeed?? In this story, one of Fionn's most famous feats of derring-do (the outsmarting and slaying of fire-breathing underworld fairy Aillen at the Hill of Tara) comes back to haunt him when he encounters a foe hell-bent on taking revenge for this heroic act. Will Fionn manage to prevail this time? You'll have to read the story to find out!

Art is by FILIP RONCONE, who went above and beyond the call of duty and put this 3 pager together in just three days!!! Not only that, but he also managed to produce what is one of my favourite pages of artwork based on a script I've written so far.

Enjoy, and hopefully I will get the chance to write more Fionn adventures in the future. I had a lot of fun writing this one.

DVD

Temple APA Issue 9...

2011-06-03T22:16:00.010+01:00

...is now avaiable for download online. FREE! See that fabulous, summery cover? It's great, isn't it, and it's even better on the inside, so get it now, get it good, get it HERE!

You can also obtain it from CLICKWHEEL, MEDIAFIRE or view it as a MY EBOOK.

As usual, there's a nice collection of comic material from a wide variety of creators inside, including myself. This is the third issue I have been featured in, and although I don't have a new, complete strip appearing this time out, I do have preview pages from 4 of my forthcoming stories (3 of which will appear in Issue 1 of VANGUARD!), and also a brand-new one page strip featuring my cartoon character (and Vanguard 'frontman') Redbats. This fellow, here:

This strip, drawn by LOUIS CARTER and lettered by JIM CAMPBELL , serves as both an introduction to Vanguard's psychopathic 'editor' and sets up a bit of a running gag I am going to feature in the comic, about how "Van Dom" (ie, ME!) and my collaborators on the project are being held against our will and forced to create this comic at Redbat's behest. "Prison Break" shenanigans will ensue, mark my words! My money is on OWEN being the first to break out and take on the Red one....he has that Crazy Fox of his sniffing around after all... (I've seen it, and boy does it look crazy!) Yes, indeed, Owen Watts and the Crazy Fox versus Redbats, that's a feature for issue 2 brewing in my mind even as I write these words!!

So, yeah, Temple APA, check it out, give props where props are due. If you want to know more about Temple and what it is, or if you would like to contribute to a future issue, you can learn more HERE,

That Zit, keep it real!

DVD

UPDATE, MAY 2011!!

2011-05-13T23:01:00.012+01:00

So the old blogs been a bit dead of late, not because I haven't had anything to blog about, just because I've been so busy with work and family and all those kinds of things that tend to suck up every minute of free time. But such is life! This blog, like a plant, needs attention though, so with that in mind its time for some updates.

ITEM!!!

Icarus Dangerous seems to have gone down well in PARAGON. I've had a number of nice compliments on the first episode of the series. I can't take all the credit though, as Stephen Prestwood's fantastic art really brought the strip to life, so I'm happy to announce he will be back on art duties for the second installment, when things really get interesting and some strange characters start to appear.

Review-wise, there have been three official reviews of the issue and story, and all have been favourable, to my relief! Here are the links to these reviews, if you would like to read them!

FORBIDDEN PLANET REVIEW

GEEK CHOCOLATE REVIEW

LINE OF FIRE REVIEW

So who is the alien girl who saved Icarus' life? What was she doing in the ocean? Who are the cloaked figures in the ship that took her away? What exactly has she done to Icarus to save him? And what in the world is he going to do a million light-years from home? Find out the answers (maybe) in Chapter 2: Icarus Out! coming in Paragon issue 8!

ITEM!!!

You may remember from previous posts how I had a strip called "Chronoleech" being done up to appear in this Not-Quite-Doctor-Who fanzine, which is on the verge of being published. Sadly, my partner on the project, NICOLAS BANNWARTH, ran into some problems at the start of the year and was unable to finish the art in time to meet the deadline. It was disappointing for both of us but it couldn't be helped. Nevertheless, the show must go on and here is the glorious cover to the finished project.

I've been lucky enough to see a preview copy of this and it is one of the kookiest, most gloriously bizarre (and colourful!) comics I have ever seen! As soon as I have info on where you can order a copy from I will post about it here. If you are a Doctor Who fan you aren't going to want to miss this!

As for the fate of "Chronoleech"? Who knows? There's always Dr. WTF?! 2012!!

ITEM!!!

I currently have two new comic strips in production, both of which feature the return of two of my more homicidal creations. The first is a sequel to my horror short SPEED DATE, which appeared in last year's edition of HALLOWSCREAM. This time round, NEIL 'BHUNA' ROCHE is on art duties, and his interpretation of Tucker promises to be darker and grittier than ever. The amazing skills of GHOSTPOCKETS will be missed on this follow-up installment, but Bhuna is going to bring his own style to the table and the result will be nothing short of awesome! Will Tucker continue to terrorise and murder innocent young girls in his quest to find the 'perfect date'...or will he meet his match in more ways than one and get his come-uppance? You'll have to wait for this year's Hallowscream to find out! In the meantime, here are some character sketches of Tucker and one of the few surviving victims from the previous tale (let's call her Blondie) for your perusal.

As for the second sequel, well, can you say "zombies" and "ice-cream"? If so, you might be able to figure out that "Basking" Robin Baskerville is on his way back, with a new artist, and a new agenda. More info on this, along with teaser images, soon! In the meantime, it has come to my attention that Mr. Baskerville is posting on Facebook these days and you can follow what he has to say by visiting the True Zombie Apocalypse Stories page set up by LOCUSTSOFDEATH on Facebook. He seems to post there as and when he gets a chance to get online! :)

ITEM!!!

Back to PARAGON and I currently have a brace of Jikan stories being worked on for inclusion in future issues. The first of these, "Griffin's Bounty" sees Jikan journey to ancient Greece where he encounters a pack of thieving griffins. Taking it upon himself to rescue a young girl taken from her family by the griffins, Jikan sets off on the treacherous climb to reach their mountain-top eyrie...where a few surprises are in store. Regular Jikan artist ELCHIVO is providing the art for this strip and as you can see from the sample below, he is the perfect choice to bring Jikan's newest foes to life!

ITEM!!!

Last, but certainly not least there is ---- VANGUARD!!! Vanguard is...a little project of mine that I've been working on putting together with some wonderful artists for the last few months. It's an experiment really, a test run of my own anthology comic, which will hopefully go down well and lead to a regular publication. 4 strips per issue, 4 fantastic artists and hopefully a whole heap of fun, you need do no more than check out the offical blog for the comic to find out all you need to know. Do it. Do it NOW. What are you waiting for, go already!!!

And check back here again soon for updates on yet MORE new stuff coming your way soon!!!

The adventures of ICARUS continue! And they're more DANGEROUS than ever!

2011-03-18T14:47:00.009Z

We all know the legend of Icarus and Daedalus. Imprisoned by King Minos to prevent the secrets of the Labyrinth (which Daedalus built to hold the dreaded Minotaur) being revealed, they manufactured wings from bird feathers and wax in order to escape the island of Crete. Many years were spent on this endeavour, and when the day - and moment of truth - finally arrived whereupon they put their plan into action, the Gods smiled on them and the wings worked as they were meant to. As the duo fled Crete and made their way across the seas, however, reckless Icarus got carried away with his success and the elation of flying and grew over-confident of his abilities. Ignoring his father's words of warning as mere fatherly over-protectiveness, he allowed himself to fly higher into the mid-day sky, drawing so close to the sun that its heat melted the wax holding his feathers together. His wings came apart and he plummetted into the sea far below, where his story came to an abrupt and watery end. Or did it?

In "Icarus Dangerous", it's not quite where the adventure ends. In fact, it's just the beginning of a wild ride that will take Icarus closer to the sun - and beyond - than he ever imagined! Strange beings, out-of-this-world situations and a whole host of legendary foes await him on his journey. Before long, he's going to curse the reckless, danger-prone nature which caused him to ignore his father's words. And he's going to have to fly like he's never flown before if he wants to live to regret it!

"Icarus Dangerous" chapter 1 appears in Issue 7 of Eagle-Award nominated comic "PARAGON", with art by Stephen Prestwood and letters by JIM CAMPBELL.

You can buy a print copy of the comic (FOR €3.00) here or download a digital copy (FOR €1.00) here

Thanks for the support and enjoy!

Back in Business!

2011-02-02T14:40:00.021Z

Howdy folks and a belated Happy New Year to everybody reading. Been a bit quiet round these parts lately, due to A) my laptop packing it in before christmas and taking me an age to get repaired, B) complete and utter burn-out following the completion of my head-melting "Party Crash!" (which, I am happy to report seemed to go down pretty well with the good folk over at the 2000ad forums and has notched up an impressive 2000 page views since going live in December) and C) an extended stay over Christmas/New Year in my spiritual second home, Tokyo, during which little in the way of any new writing was done but fanciful plans were hatched and intriguing ideas were set in motion. It's 2011, baby, and it's gonna be good!

I have a few projects on the go but can't talk about some of them, as they are all in the early stages of production. I find that spilling the beans on things too soon can release the magic from them, scattering it to the four corners of the internet from which it can seldom be reclaimed, so hush hush is the name of the game. What I can do is give you an update on a couple of things. First and foremost:

Speed Kills (aka Speed Date the Movie) is complete! That is to say, the FILMING is complete. There is still the small matter of editing, adding a score, attaching credits, etc etc, but with the shooting of the exterior shots at the start of January, everything is now in the can and post-production can begin in earnest. Not long now. Tucker is coming! And this is how he travels:

Dr.WTF?! is getting perilously close to completion and is almost ready to be unleashed upon the world. That old crazy fox Owen Watts has been doing sterling work at the helm of this particular project, taking it safely from the land of Conceptopia across the hazardous seas to Comiconica, the land of the rising comic. My project "Chronoleech" with Mitahane, is developing nicely and features glorious time-warped panels such as this:

And here's the pic Mitahane put together as a "teaser" image for the story:

More info and teaser images can be found on the new Facebook page Owen set up to promote the comic.

I posted the cover image for Paragon 7 a few months back. That issue should be coming out soon, featuring the first episode of my first ongoing series, Icarus Dangerous. There's been a slight change to the artistic arrangements for this strip and regular Paragon contributor (and artist on that title's supercool strip "Battle Ganesh") Stephen Prestwood will now be providing the sumptious visuals to illustrate my wordage. Really excited about this, I will be posting some teaser images as and when I am allowed to!

Another project in the works is a new noir/pulp-fiction type webcomic that harkens back to the old pulp comics of yore. The brainchild of one Chris Cronin, it will feature lots of hardboiled detectives, dames in distress, and shady hoodlums, alongside a smattering of horror and adventure stories. I will be providing a short horror tale for this comic, a troubling tale that goes under the title "Weep". It will hopefully give you some interesting nightmares and make you look at something common to us all in a very different light. Art on this strip will be by Filip Roncone , who I collaborate with on Promise for Hallowscream last year.

I have also had a script accepted by Futurequake, though this one is probably a little bit on the horizon. It was really good working with the editors of the magazine, who gave me some good advice on scripting structure and enabled me to work on tightening up my scripts. The process took a few months but by the end of it the script for this particular story, "Five Minutes to Midnight" had changed dramatically from the initial draft and was a much, much stronger story as a result. I have no idea if an artist has been allocated to this strip or not yet, but rest assured I will be back with a progress report as and when I have one. This is my highest profile gig to date and I am really looking forward to see the completed story in print.

That's about all I can really talk about. I do have another BIG project in the works but its far too early to talk about it, as I said at the start. Rather than say anything, I will instead leave you with some teaser images...more details on all of these and what they are about later! Top 2 images below are by David Blankley, bottom two are by Louis Carter.

Vandemonium is coming!!!

Temple APA Issue 8

2010-12-22T19:03:00.007Z

PARTY CRASH! wasn't the only thing I worked on over the last couple of months. I also managed to put together a festive little comic script featuring Santa Claus, which David Blankley illustrated and which appeared in the latest edition of online comics showcase Temple APA. This is a (lightly) Christmas themed edition of the publication, so I scripted to suit and came up with something as Christmassy as you can get. David's full colour art on this is absolutely glorious so please do check it out and get your yuletide groove on!

Download - FREE - from:
Clickwheel
Mediafire

or view as an E-book at Myebook (will require user account to view).

Happy Christmas!

Party Crash!

2010-12-22T18:47:00.006Z

So they do this advent calendar thing on the 2000ad forum every christmas, where forum members put together 'gifts' to the board which are posted throughout the month of December. The gift can be anything from a single picture, to a full comic strip, or even a random act of kindness. I decided to take part this year and recklessly threw my name into the ring when the call for contributors came up. It was only after this that I realised I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do. I'm not much cop with drawing, being more the writey-type, so my first thought was...write a comic script, get someone to draw it. But when I found out my good mate LocustsofDeath (real name) was already doing that, I tried to think of something else. Somehow, I hit on the idea of doing a 'choose your own adventure' story. This took various formats at the initial planning stage, until I eventually settled on the idea of having a 2000ad christmas party, which the reader gatecrashes, mingling with various 2000ad characters and getting mixed up in all kinds of shenanigans. When I started writing it, I thought it was going to be a breeze. But as I got into it, and 1 option led to 2 options, and 2 options led to 4 options, and 4 options led to EIGHT options...I soon realised I had created a monster. I won't lie - keeping track of this was a monumental task, especially when I ended up with 4 individual story threads that started to criss-cross amongst each other! It was tough. But with various spreadsheets and roadmaps I was able to keep a handle on it. Just.

I realised early on that one thing I was definately going to need was pictures to accompany the text, just like the old books used to have, so I sent out a couple of mass emails to various guys from the forum who I had been interacting with throughout the year. Everybody was extremely supportive of the venture and with one or two exceptions where people were genuinely swamped with work, everybody agreed to help out. I ended up with 29 completely original illustrations to incorporate into the text, and completely awesome illustrations to boot.

The whole project took 6-7 weeks to complete -- my laptop packing it in mid-way through the work didn't help and meant I had to play Frankenstein and bring to life an old desktop PC I'd stashed in the attic a couple of years ago, in order to finish the writing. But somehow, I managed to meet the deadline and get it ready just in time for my allocated slot on the advent calendar. Phew!

So, having said all that, and without further ado, here's the link to the game. Hope you enjoy!

(cover mock-up by Malcolm Kirk - using artwork by Chris Weston)

PARTY CRASH! THE 2000AD CHRISTMAS BLOWOUT, 2010! BY INVITATION ONLY!

Tales from the Emerald Isle

2010-12-03T22:04:00.003Z

"Sinister Dexter: All Malone Again", my first ever script to appear in print format - that is, in actual ink, on actual paper! - appears in this brand new, supercool comic orchestrated and put together by David McDonald.

Its a 28 page black & white fanzine featuring 2000ad characters of Irish origin and I'm really excited about being a part of it. Apart from Sinister Dexter you will find tales featuring Judge Joyce, Maeve the Many Armed, Slough Feg and the Harlem Heroes, all accompanied by some fabulous art.

Only 100 issues have been printed and they are going fast so if you would like to support the venture (And me!) buy one - PLEASE! They won't last long!

More info about how to order can be found HERE.

So whaddaya waitin' fer! Go and buy one. Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go ON!!!! :)

Templeton Peck is Awesome!!!

2010-11-18T21:42:00.004Z

...but that's beside the point.

Temple APA is also awesome, and it's almost time for issue 8.

Last time, myself and CONOR BOYLE brought you a pleasant little tale about a very helpful Ice Cream Man named 'Basking' Robin, one of the survivors of an Earth-ravaging zombie apocalypse. This time, I have teamed up with David Blankley (who I recently collaborated with on a Sinister Dexter tale) to bring you...Santa!!!

Yes, Santa, the one and only...(or should that be, one of many..?)

The story is called "Claus Encounters of the Santa Kind" and here is a little preview.

Issue 8 of TempleAPA is due to go live on the 28th November. Be there!!!

Redbats, episode 4

2010-11-05T22:55:00.003Z

Enter the villain of the piece: Dark Bahts!

Previous Episode

Hallowscream 2010

2010-11-01T21:31:00.009Z

This time last year I was browsing the 2000ad forums when I saw a thread promoting the publication of "Hallowscream", a web comic which had been put together as a homage to the old "Scream" comic of yester-year, fondly remembered by many. I downloaded the comic and thought it was marvellous, and when I noticed it featured work by a lot of the guys I conversed with daily on the forum, I wondered why the Hell I didn't have anything in it! The answer was --- because I wasn't writing comic scripts at the time! That all changed soon after though, and when the call-to-arms (or pens) went out for the 2010 edition, I was ready and raring to go!

The new edition is out now and its a doozy. 84 pages of blood-curdling, spine-chilling, and occassionally laugh-out-loud funny tales from a variety of talented creators, its a beast of a magazine and a whopping good read. It's completely free to view also, you can't say fairer than that!

To make up for missing out on last year's premiere edition, I've managed to slip two strips into this years. The first, "Speed Date", I have already provided a teaser for HERE. The second tale is called "Promise", which features art by FILIP RONCONE. A teaser panel for this strip appears below, after which you will find a few links via which you can download the magazine.

So what are you waiting for?

If you haven't read it already...grab yourself a cuppa and go and read it now!

HALLOWSCREAM 2010 - MYEBOOK

HALLOWSCREAM 2010 - CLICKWHEEL

HALLOWSCREAM 2010 - DROPBOX

Redbats, episode 3

2010-10-28T21:22:00.002+01:00

The Story So Far...

In the Kingdom of Baht, there is only one who is Red. An outcast from society, this quick-tempered Baht with a homicidal mean streak and a propensity for ultra-violence lives in isolation, plying his trade as a Merc for Hire, the so-called "Red Bat-talion (of One)". Hired by the Blue Realm to retrieve Princess Flo Batina from the invaders who stole her from her Palace, Redbats now attempts to lead her to safety...

It's not going too well...

Previous Episode

Next Episode

Icarus...living dangerously!

2010-10-24T20:04:00.002+01:00

Wow.

That's all I can say about this.

I have a story coming up in PARAGON called "Icarus Dangerous", which starts where the classic Greek legend ends...and takes off from there. In big style. The series is due to debut in issue 7 of the comic, which should be out by Christmas, all going well.

I've been EXTREMELY lucky in that my story has bagged the cover slot for the issue. And I've been even luckier in that the artist signed up to realise it was "pencilmonkey" extraordinaire and all around great guy MATT SOFFE. Just look at this! How could you possibly improve on it? It captures the character better than I could have imagined and sets the tone of the piece - ie, DANGER, because this strapping young Greek chap (he's not gay) is going to be getting himself into a LOT of it in my tale - perfectly.

Feast your eyes on this little beauty!

Halloween is for Pussies.

2010-10-22T00:09:00.001+01:00

Who says Halloween has to be all horror and spookiness. Pfffft!!! That's for WUSSES. What you really want is some heartwarming, uplifting ROMANCE at this frosty time of year. ROMANCE, I tell you, to enliven the soul and sweep back those approaching tendrils of Winter. And ROMANCE is exactly what myself and LIAM "GHOSTPOCKETS" BYRNE plan to deliver in this year's edition of HALLOWSCREAM from BACK FROM THE DEPTHS, coming very, very soon to a computer near you.

ROMANCE, damnit!!!

It will make you feel all warm and mushy inside!

GUARANTEED!!!

Redbats, episode 2

2010-10-21T23:30:00.001+01:00

So far so good with sticking to the weekly schedule...but it's only the 2nd week so early days! Enjoy and feel free to leave your comments. I'm particulary proud of panel 2 here and will endeavour to include one such panel in every installment. (Told you it would get nasty!)

Previous Episode

Next episode

The boys are back in town...

2010-10-17T21:52:00.001+01:00

...but which town, exactly?

"Tales from the Emerald Isle" is a new 2000ad fanzine being put together by David McDonald, which turns the spotlight on those characters from the comic with Irish blood running through their veins. There are more of them than you would think! Being Irish myself I was eager to get on board with this project and offered my scribing services. The result - a short and snappy Sinister Dexter tale which revisits some places and faces from Finnigan Sinister's past.

It's ironic I've written a Sinister Dexter tale really. When the story first started in the pages of 2000ad I absolutely detested it. Abhored it. Couldn't stand the sight of it! I gave up on reading 2000ad around about then, and every time I considered returning to the comic over the course of the next 10 or so years, I would pick up a copy in the shop, have a quick flick through, find Sinister Dexter was still there...and walk away. Not for me, I thought. Stupid, pointless story.

Fast forward to 2006 and I did come back to the fold, for prog 1500, from which Sinister Dexter were relievingly absent. Or so I thought. In truth, a story called "Malone" which I really, really enjoyed, turned out to be a Sinister Dexter story in disguise, catching me completely off-guard...and making me interested in Sinister Dexter for the very first time. Fast forward again to 2010 and now I own all the Sin Dex trades and the series is one of my favourites ever to appear in the prog!!!! Go figure!!!

Anyway, while you all patiently wait for the release of "Tales from the Emerald Isle", here's a teaser panel from my story, with funting great art by David Blankley. Enjoy...and be sure to pick up "Tales from the Emerald Isle" when it comes out!

Hello Beautiful...!

2010-10-15T23:14:00.002+01:00

Here's a little teaser for the upcoming strip I wrote for "Dr. WTF?!", the Dr. Who-homage fanzine being put together by OWEN WATTS.

Art on this is by NICOLAS BANNWARTH and it's looking glorious! Looking forward to this one coming together!

Introducing...The Red Bat-talion (of One!)

2010-10-14T23:50:00.002+01:00

In an effort to make this blog a little more interesting for the casual viewer, I have decided to try a little experiment, namely, posting my very own newspaper-style cartoon strip as a regular feature.

Unfortunately I am really quite poor at drawing, and as I can't afford any fancy drawing software I'm going to have to rely on my old pal Microsoft Paint to produce it. On the plus side, this means the strip will be very colourful. On the down side, it means I am limited in what I can draw, so I'm dusting off this old cartoon character I created in my distant teenage past and putting him to work for me. It's all about recycling these days anyway, isn't it?

A handful of you (friends and family members) will remember ol' Redbats from a series of comic strips I did when I was 17 or so (2 of which appear in the very first post on this blog). This is going to be a much different take on the character though, as I put him into a proper story and turn him into a serious comic character. I have the story roughly mapped out and the first 6 - 7 installments fully plotted so...let's see how it goes. Don't let the colourful cartoony appearance fool you, things are going to get pretty nasty!

My INTENTION (hope) would be to post a new installment every week. How practical or feasible this is remains to be seen, and depends on a number of factors (mainly, how much free time I get during the week to work on it!) This first installment took 4 days to complete - with a max of 2 hrs per day being spent on it, I hasten to add - so it may end up being fortnightly...but, again, let's just see how it goes.

Anyway, enough blathering, here's the first brightly coloured episode of "Redbats", in which not very much happens but the scene is set for lots of fun things to happen in the very near future!

Dirk.

Next Episode

Doctor WTF?!

2010-09-29T22:11:00.002+01:00

Owen Watts, who posts on the 2000ad forum as Crazy Fox Machine, is putting together a Dr. Who fanzine, which will present a variety of stories featuring completely original "alternate" versions of the good Doctor. There's been a lot of interest and a lot of great artists and writers have signed up for the project. I was a bit late to the party but once I found out about it I was keen to get involved and contribute so I put the old thinking cap on and came up with an idea. The following is the result of a few hours messing around on Paint (my illustrative tool of choice!!) and will serve as my inspiration as I put the script together.

Weimaraner's eh?

Coolest. Dogs. Ever!

Thank You Carlos.

2010-09-29T22:01:00.001+01:00

This is the piece myself (writings),Ghostpockets (drawings) and Jim Campbell (letterings) put together for "Super Squirrel Undefeated", a"Secret Project" Mark Howard masterminded in order to produce a unique, one-of-a-kind "Get Well Comic" for the artist Carlos Ezquerra, to wish him well in his recovery following a major operation. Carlos has been drawing for 2000ad since the beginning and it was his work on Judge Dredd that first attracted me to comics in general and 2000ad in particular, making me the lifelong fan I am today. It was an honour to be part of this along with so many of Carlos' friends and fans(amateur and professional creators alike) and I still can't quite believe Mr. Ezquerra now has in his possession a one of a kind comic book that contains some work of mine! Strange and awesome. Here's to Carlos!!

Would you date this man?

2010-09-17T16:57:00.001+01:00

Well, not unless you're a lady, and even then, probably not.

This is "Tucker" (Tuckah!!!) Liam Byrne's rendition of the main character from "Speed Date" (ever so slightly based on the actor who will take the role in the short film...EVER so slightly...I don't really know somebody who looks like this! Honest!!) :)
Nice work Liam, looking forward to seeing more!

Different interpretation of Atomic Call's "Angie"

2010-09-17T16:52:00.001+01:00

This is a pretty cool version of my character Angelyna Cale, from my Atomic CALL series. Art by Johnny Boy Baptista, bringing to a close the set of 4 character studies he did for me. Always nice to see different artists' takes on your own characters!

Update August 2010

2010-08-31T22:13:00.000+01:00

So it's been a pretty productive year so far! I've now got quite a few projects on the go, and if you'd told me any of them would be happening back in January before I started all this, I would have laughed at you.

I've got a good few comic scripts currently being done up by various wonderful artists for inclusion in a variety of superb publications, both print and digital. As well as a few one-off horror tales and a strip based on some popular 2000ad characters being done up for a new 2000ad fanzine, I have a few strips in the pipeline for Paragon, some tales featuring that magazine's flagship character "Jikan" and also my own series "Icarus Dangerous", which will be drawn by Jikan creator Davey Candlish and will be very fun and awesome!

I also have my Atomic CALL short story lined up to be serialised in the new Starscape storycomic, of which the first issue will be launching imminently and for which the accompanying illustrations are developing nicely. My story won't be debuting until issue 2 or 3, depending on a couple of factors, but that's cool...good things are worth waiting for, after all! :) (I will post info about issue 1 of this magazine when it is officially launched). To coincide with the running of this prose Atomic CALL adventure, I have written a 7 page Atomic CALL comic strip, which serves as an introduction to the main character, Call Malone. Art on this will be by an amazingly talent artist called Richard Jordan, and the strip will appear as a webcomic on Starscape Online. Really looking forward to that one!

Along with this, things are progressing nicely with the short film adaptation of my comic script "Speed Date". A quick update on that first - unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond his control, the original artist on the strip, Kyle Smart, has had to - reluctantly - leave the project. It's a shame, as I was looking forward to working with Kyle on this, but these things happen and can't be helped. I'm sure we will work together on something else some time in the future. But never fear, ably stepping into Kyle's shoes is Liam Byrne, another artist I have recently collaborated with on a separate project (which I can't talk about yet, as it's still "secret" :). Liam's work is as awesome as Kyle's and I am looking forward to seeing what he comes up with for the strip. As for the movie - well, filming went ahead on Saturday the 28th of August with Producer/Director/Location Scouter/Prop Builder/Casting Agent/Make Up Artist and Set Dresser extraordinaire Alan Rogers at the helm (did I mention he also plays the lead role??!?) It was a one day shoot and was a great success with a couple of the - usual - hiccups along the way. So that project is one step closer to completion...next stop...editing Hell!!!

That's the end of August update for now! But I have a feeling I'll be posting a lot of tantalising tidbits over the coming months as all of these projects begin to take shape!

Cheers!

DVD

Speed...Date?

2010-07-29T16:04:00.000+01:00

So one of my little comic scripts "Speed Date" has been chosen by a small local production company (Big 10-4 Productions) to be adapted into a short horror movie. As there is already an Irish movie out there with the same name, the name for the film version has had to be changed and will be titled "Speed Kills" instead. Things are progressing nicely with this. Location has been scouted, auditions have been held, casting is imminent. The comic strip will feature art by Kyle Smart, who has agreed to let us use some of the finished panels in the end credits. Mike Marshall (a very nice guy who goes by the name LARF on the 2000ad Forum) and his company eatsleepthink design have kindly put together the title logo which appears above. We held a table quiz last night as a fundraising exercise (although most people involved are offering their services for free, there is still the minor issue of props and set dressing to be addressed) and it was an excellent night with a good turn out and a decent sum raised. Filming is due to occur on August 28th. Should be fun!

I will make further reports on the progress of this little venture as it becomes available! :)

The Ice-Cream Man Cometh...

2010-07-15T08:36:00.001+01:00

CHING-CHINGA-LING-LING-LING...
What's that sound?
That's the sound of Issue 7 of Temple APA, which is now online.
Lots of cool strips and artwork within, including the new comic strip myself and Conor Boyle put together.
Click on the link below and have a read - hope you enjoy! :)

Temple APA Issue 7

Call Malone

2010-06-16T10:51:00.000+01:00

And here she is, Call Malone, head of Atomic-CALL and my favourite creation. She's been living in my head for over 10 years and all I could ever visualise her as was a Winona Ryder clone... Now I finally have a real image of her, courtesy of Johnnyboy Baptista...and she's perfect. Nice one Johnny! :)

It's a Wonderful World...

2010-06-13T15:35:00.001+01:00

"Basking Robin's Wonderful World of Delight" is another new comic strip I've written, this one with art by Conor Boyle.

This 4 pager will form part of my entry in the new issue of Temple APA, a digital showcase for new comic writers/artists.
You will be able to download the issue here:

http://templeapa.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Its not online yet but I will be sure to let you know when it is! :)
In the meantime, here's a panel to whet your appetite!

Promise

2010-06-11T12:01:00.000+01:00

She's coming to geeeeeeeeeet you...
Here's a teaser panel from a new story called "Promise", which is due to appear in "Tales of the Supernatural" this Winter. Wonderful art by my partner on this project, Filip Roncone....

Sucked

2010-05-22T19:59:00.000+01:00

Heres the complete "Sucked", written by me for inclusion in a "talent search" comics writer Mark Millar started up on his blog, in search of material for a new publication he is putting together. The art is by Elchivo, and is clearly awesome. The letters are by Jim Campbell, and are also awesome. Whether or not this is interesting enough to capture the mighty Mark Millar's attention or not is another matter entirely. But even if it doesn't, I had a blast writing it and Chivo had a blast drawing it so .... its all good, eh!

Sucked teaser

2010-05-19T21:11:00.000+01:00

A panel from a little strip called "Sucked!", written by me, art by Elchivo, letters by Jim Campbell. With this strip I've finally been able to take a phobia I've had for a long time and put it to good use, in comic-strip form of course! This will be submitted to Mark Millar's search for new talent and will hopefully find a home someplace else as well. Elchivo definately needs someone to take notice of him soon! And Jim's lettering should be on everything!

Blood Monster

2010-05-08T11:15:00.000+01:00

Here's another pics from Atomic-CALL "Reign of Blood", which will appear in Starscape this Winter. This is a "Blood" monster, one of the girls enemies in their first tale.
Awesome art by Shane Collins.

Atomic-CALL's Mandy and Raquel

2010-05-08T10:54:00.001+01:00

Here's a couple of character studies of Mandy and Raquel from Atomic-CALL. The girls will appear alongside Angie in the "Reign of Blood" story which will be serialised in Starscape. Art on that will be by Shane Collins but these pics are commissions I got done by JohnnyBoy Baptista, to establish the look of the characters. Very cool stuff!

MANDY S.N.A (Surname Not Applicable)

RAQUEL WISEMAN

The Frog Commander (finished page)

2010-05-02T15:45:00.000+01:00

Here's the finished strip. Just a wee bit of froggy fun. :)
I wrote, Ryan Thomason drew and lettered. What WILL the Frog Commander do next???

The Frog Commander

2010-05-01T16:48:00.000+01:00

Here's a conceptual drawing of a little frog soldier, as drawn by Ryan Thomason for a one page comic strip I wrote for a competition on Millarworld. Isn't he cute! Will post the full strip as and when it is finished.

Atomic Call Update

2010-05-01T16:35:00.000+01:00

The first four illustrations for Reign of Blood are complete and in the can. Here's a sample. Great work by Shane Collins who has made Angie his own and is really bringing her to life. These pics will accompany chapter 1 of the story when it appears in the new Starscape storycomic towards the end of the year.

In other news, I have completed and placed four comic scripts so far this year, all of which should have appeared in print by the end of the year. First up is "Basking Robin's Wonderful World of Delights", art by Conor Boyle, to appear in Temple APA issue 7 in the summer. Then there are two horror stories due out around Halloween time, "Weep" in Back from the Depths' "Hallowscream", and "Promise" (my personal favourite piece) in Down the Tubes' "Tales of the Supernatural". Art on both of these by Filip Roncone. Finally, for the moment, I have written an episode for Paragon's Jikan entitled "Griffins Bounty" featuring my favourite mythological creature (and inspiration for my son's name) the gryphon.

I'm currently at work on an Atomic Call comic strip and a new story called Icarus Dangerous...more on these as they develop!

Cheers!

Angie Cale WIP

2010-03-01T20:24:00.001Z

Some more WIP of Angie from Atomic-CALL. Shane is finetuning her appearance and injecting some personality. Coming along nicely. Not inked yet as wanted to make some last minute changes. Looking forward to see the finished piece when inked and with the background added.

Escape from New York Comic Adaptation

2010-02-14T21:14:00.001Z

Escape from New York told in 6 panels
Script by me, art by Conor Boyle

Well chuffed with how this turned out.

I did this as an entry to a competion, the brief being to condense an entire movie into 6 panels, in such a way that the plot of the movie could be understood by somebody who had never seen the movie before.

Seeing as I can't draw for crap I asked for some help on the 2000ad forum and Conor Boyle stepped up to the plate, producing some amazing work. Look at that Ernest Borgnine in panel 3 for instance. Brilliant!

I tried to squeeze as many classic lines from the movie into the script as possible.

Reign of Blood Extract

2010-02-12T19:49:00.001Z

Mandy S.N.A (Surname Not Applicable) kicks some ass.
Extract from my new atomic-CALL novella "Reign of Blood".
This story will be published in 6 installments in the forthcoming Starscape storycomic.

*****

Secure the cockpit, she’d said.

Take out the bad guys.

Turn the ship around.

No gunfire.

Mandy scoffed as she studied her M.A.T’s digital display, glowing within the grip of her customised mobi-gun. A scan showed there were four targets on the other side of the door she was facing, a nondescript panel that sealed off the cockpit.

"Gimme a challenge, why dontcha," she sneered, pressing a button on the remote in her other hand and detonating the explosive attached to the door.

A muffled ‘thud’, an explosion of smoke, cries from beyond the threshold, the metal panel crashing to the ground... Mandy ignored all these things, tossing aside the bomb remote and rushing into the billowing smog.

One to the left, on the balustrade, four metres, she thought, entering the cockpit and lifting her left arm, letting her coat sleeve fall back to reveal the utility band around her wrist. She bent her hand back to activate her dart-gun and a single bolt spat forth, cutting through the swirling mists and finding its mark, a scream reporting her aim was true. She heard the man crash to the floor as she reached the railing at the edge of the walkway, slammed her free hand down upon it and catapulted herself out into open space.

She was falling then, towards the floor of the cockpit, dropping clear of the smoke and seeking out her other targets.

One at the bottom of the steps, she thought, aiming her gun and squeezing the trigger once, a single bullet slamming into the goon’s forehead and sending him reeling back into the wall.

One right below, she thought, as she came down on the third man, kicking him to the ground and landing astride him. She bent over, snaked an arm around his neck, squeezed hard and twisted.

His neck broke and his body convulsed violently.

And one more dead ahead, she thought, watching the last of the creeps rush her from the front of the cockpit, brandishing a rusty sword above his head.

Her mobi-gun spat once more and he took a bullet in the chest, which plucked him off his feet and punched him back like a battering ram.

Man and sword hit the ground and came to rest, and silence descended on the cockpit.

Mandy holstered her mobi-gun then strolled casually to the ship’s controls.

Secure the cockpit.

Take out the bad guys.

Turn the ship around.

What was the last one?

"Gimme a challenge, why dontcha," she said again, then set to work re-directing the Cruiser...

Angelyna Cale and Redbats

2010-02-12T19:45:00.001Z

First blog entry!

Realisation of Angie from atomic-CALL.

Art by Shane Collins.

This is Shane's first work on the character, just getting a feel for her...the tail was a bit of artistic license...Angie don't got no tail so tail she going bye-bye! (I'm keeping the stripes on the face though, another contribution by Shane which I didn't originally imagine - but which look great!)

Also, just to give these a home, here are 2 silly comic strips I did about 12 years ago, when I was seemingly all emo and shit. Although that term didnt exist then, so I didn't know it! (Thank God!)