| Bubbling Up |
[Nov. 17th, 2009|07:14 pm] |
As previously mentioned, I'm attending Thought Bubble in Leeds this Saturday. If you don't know it, TB is fast becoming one of the premier comic conventions in Britain — it's comics-focused, creator-friendly, and very well organised.
You can view the full programme here (the one-day con is part of a larger festival over three days), but here's the relevant info for me:
The con is in Saviles Hall, at the Royal Armouries, from 10am till 5pm.
I'll have a table, where I'll be signing and selling my books, including WASTELAND hardcovers and COLLECTED SCRIPTS. I don't have a booth number for you, but Saviles isn't so big that you won't be able to find me if you just look around for the big red banner with my name on it. [ADDENDUM: Apparently my table number is 22.]
My erstwhile partner in crime Ben Templesmith will also be there, at the table next to mine, and we'll be more than happy to jointly sign any DEAD SPACE or WASTELAND stuff you might have.
At 12.45 Ben and I are both on the Do Zombies Read Comic Books? panel, along with Charlie Adlard, Sean Phillips and host Martin Grund, discussing the horror genre in comics.
At 3.20 I'm on the Computer Games and Sequential Art panel, this time with Duncan Fegredo, Peter Doherty, Liam Sharp and host Kieron Gillen, to discuss the links between games and comics.
I'll also be at the after-show party in the evening, where Al Ewing, Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie are all DJing at some point. Bring your dancing shoes!
Two other brief snippets of news today: First, there's a very nice review of WASTELAND up at sci-fi site io9.com.
Second, as you may have already heard, I'm co-writing DAREDEVIL #505-507 (“Left Hand Path”) with Andy Diggle. We've wanted to work together on something for a long time, and now we finally have the chance. More on that soon, no doubt. |
|
|
| WASTELAND Book 05 on sale |
[Nov. 16th, 2009|07:59 pm] |
 WASTELAND Book 05, “Tales of the Uninvited”, goes on sale this week.
This is a collection people have been asking us about for a long time — it contains all the interlude issues thus far, which don't appear in the other trade paperback collections. So you get issues #7 (drawn by Carla Speed McNeil), #14 (Joe Infurnari), #20 (Chuck BB) and #25 (the double-length colour issue, drawn by regular series artist Christopher Mitten).
These stories are set in different places and times to the main story, shedding light on the people and places of WASTELAND — some familiar, some not-so. One of the things I love about the book is that it allows me to write stories like this on the side, delving into the mythos without disturbing the larger narrative.
It's $13.95 for 128 pages (48 of them in colour), the Diamond order code is SEP090939, and the ISBN is 978-193496429-3.
And this is probably as good a time as any to apologise for the delay of issue #27. It's due to personal circumstances outside of our control, and that's about as much as I'm prepared to say. Rest assured that no-one is more frustrated about the delay than us, but these things happen, and we beg your patience for a few weeks more. |
|
|
| COLD CITY |
[Nov. 10th, 2009|12:39 am] |
Twenty years ago today, the Berlin Wall fell.
Those of us old enough to remember it, especially Europeans, will never forget that historic night. The Cold War had been going on for decades, since long before I was born, and the idea that it would ever end was almost inconceivable.
Even Gorbachev's initiatives of glasnost and perestroika, while helping thaw East-West relations to a degree, never seemed likely to end the Cold War (much less bring about the end of communist Russia). By 1989, the Cold War had been underway for forty-four years.
Throughout that time, Berlin — and the Berlin Wall itself — grew in significance to become a symbol of the entire East-West geopolitical divide. Unlike the metaphorical Iron Curtain, the Berlin Wall was literally a wall, and thus an easy shorthand for political discussion of the times.
When the East Germans finally broke through and celebrated into the night, we all hoped it would usher in a new age of freedom and brotherhood. Sadly, we weren't so successful at that. Nevertheless, the fall of the Berlin Wall will always be remembered as a testament to the power of public will, and a moment nobody who witnessed it will ever forget.
...All of which is preamble to say that today, I'm officially announcing COLD CITY, which I've so far only mentioned here in passing.
COLD CITY is a Cold War spy thriller, set in Berlin during the last days before the Wall came down. More John Le Carré than James Bond, it's a down-to-earth espionage story that revels in the paranoia and mistrust boiling over at the epicentre of the Cold War. Here's a synopsis:
November 1989. Communism is collapsing, and soon the Berlin Wall will be torn down by both the East and West.
But before that happens there is one last situation for MI6, Britain's intelligence services, to resolve. Two weeks ago, an undercover MI6 officer was killed in Berlin. He was carrying information from a source in the East — a list that allegedly contains the name of every espionage agent working in Berlin, on all sides.
No list was found on his body.
MI6 sent in Lorraine Broughton, an experienced spy with no pre-existing ties to Berlin, to root out the list. But she walked into a powderkeg of social unrest, counter-espionage, defections gone bad and secret assassinations. Then, on the night the Wall came down, her superior — MI6's chief officer in Berlin — was shot and killed in the street.
Now Lorraine has returned, to tell her story. And nothing is quite what it seems
Illustrated by Sam Hart (JUDGE DREDD, STARSHIP TROOPERS) and Published in 2010 by Oni Press, COLD CITY will be a digest-sized hardback that sits very comfortably next to your Le Carré and Deighton novels (insert winking smiley here).
There'll be a full press release soon, but I wanted to get the news out on this momentous anniversary. So, all shilling aside, let's take a moment to remember that even the most powerful government can't deny the will of the people... providing that will is strong enough.
[Addendum: The full press release is now online.] |
|
|
| October Round-up |
[Oct. 29th, 2009|12:57 pm] |
MCM Expo was great. Thanks to everyone who came out to the Comic Village, and the panels I appeared on, and especially to the many people who picked up WASTELAND for the first time. Getting there and back with my stock of books was somewhat of a pain, but definitely worth it, and I hope to return next year.
Next month, however, I'll be at Thought Bubble in Leeds. The full programme for the festival is now online; I'll have a table, plus I'm on two Saturday panels, and I'll list it all here closer to the time.
WOLVERINE: PRODIGAL SON has made it onto two prestigious shortlists: The American Library Association/YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens, and the Texas Library Association Maverick Graphic Novels Reading List. Libraries are one of the largest and fastest-growing sectors for graphic novel reading in the USA, so this is awesome.
Movie news: THREE DAYS IN EUROPE has a writer attached, and F Gary Gray talks about his take on JULIUS.
I've been recruited to work on another of those 'out of left field' projects I seem to fall into with some regularity. This one's a bit closer to home than most, but still quite a surprise. More details very soon, I should think.
Finally: my good friend Drew Gilbert — animator, traveller, artist of ROSEMARY'S BACKPACK and all round great guy — is attempting this year's Tough Guy challenge in celebration of impending fatherhood. Drew is doing this in aid of Free Arts NYC, so he needs sponsorship, and is offering cartoon portraits for donations of $35+. Follow his training progress, and please consider helping him out. |
|
|
| MCM Expo, October 24-25 |
[Oct. 13th, 2009|02:22 pm] |
Once again, I'm attending the MCM Expo in London this month, where the nascent comic village is rapidly growing in size and attendees with every event.
For once, I'll have my own table — I'm at booth C21, which as you can see from that link is just across the aisle from Avatar Press. I'll also be appearing at the main signing area next to the comic village info booth, taking part in a couple of panels, and likely signing at Avatar's booth too. So if you're attending and you want to seek me out, here's where I'll be:
General
My booth is number C21. When not at one of the following events, I'll be there with a selection of signed books for sale, including a small supply of COLLECTED SCRIPTS: VOLUME ONE.
Saturday
11.40-12.20 Signing in the main area. From 12 onwards I'll be joined by DEAD SPACE artist Ben Templesmith.
3.15-4.00 I'm on the Comics Without Frontiers panel, discussing comics' influence and integration with movies, videogames, cartoons, novels and all the rest of it.
Sunday
2.00-2.40 Comic Village Showdown, a panel game wherein two teams, one each of writers and artists, go head-to-head to determine which is best. Our victory is inevitable, of course, but you have to let the artists at least have a go.
3.20-4.00 Signing in the main area. Ben will be joining me once again, this time from 3.40 onwards.
I really enjoyed the Expo when I attended last autumn, and with the sheer number of quality guests, it looks to be even better this time around. Well worth the trip if you're anywhere near London.
(I'll also be appearing at Thought Bubble in Leeds next month. More details on that closer to the time.) |
|
|
| Dead Space: Extraction on sale |
[Sep. 29th, 2009|03:56 pm] |
 DEAD SPACE: EXTRACTION is released today in America (Friday in Europe).
In case you've been hiding under a rock for the past few months, EXTRACTION is a prequel to last year's DEAD SPACE game, made exclusively for the Wii. And it's getting rather good reviews, pretty much ticking all the boxes that I predicted.
Everyone involved with EXTRACTION, from the producers to the coders to the artists to the voice actors (and, of course, me!) put a hell of a lot of work into making it a worthy successor to DEAD SPACE. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say I hope you enjoy it. |
|
|
| Manchester Mini-Con, Sep 26 |
[Sep. 24th, 2009|10:19 am] |
I'm appearing at the Manchester leg of Travelling Man's We Love Comics Con this Saturday, 26th September, in the store.
Also present will be Ian Edginton, Steve Yeowell, Al Ewing, Dave Taylor and Leigh Gallagher (spot the odd one out... I'm the only one who's never worked for 2000AD).
We'll be signing, of course, I imagine the arty types will be sketching, and I'll have copies of COLLECTED SCRIPTS to sell, too.
The event starts at 12 noon and runs through till 3pm, at Travelling Man Manchester. That said, I don't know about any of the others, but I'll probably stick around for a bit longer anyway, just to catch up with the Manchester crowd.
Hope to see you there! |
|
|
| WASTELAND #26 & HC on sale |
[Sep. 21st, 2009|04:04 pm] |
 If we'd tried to plan it this way, it would never have happened, but happening it is; both issue #26 and the first Apocalyptic Edition hardback of WASTELAND hit stores this week.
Issue #26 kicks off a brand new story arc, “The Enemy Within”, which takes us through the six months in Newbegin following the Sand-Eater attack, and Golden Voice's call for Sunner freedom. Each issue will focus on a different character, and we start with Yan, son of the late ex-Primate Heddor.
The order code is JUN091043, and here's the solicit:
BRAND NEW STORY ARC! Six months of chaos and turmoil following the Sand-Eater battle, as the city struggles to cope with upheaval. Each issue follows a different character. This month features Marcus' precocious young charge Yan, as he is sent to work for Artisian Neelan — but discovers a side to life, and perhaps himself, that he never dreamed existed.
 As for the Apocalyptic Edition, well, I've talked about this several times already. It collects the first thirteen issues in their entirety, including the Walking the Dust text pieces and Ben Templesmith's original covers.
Suffice to say that the production values are gorgeous, the new art for Walking The Dust is amazing, the colour cover gallery is awesome, and we all couldn't be happier with how it's turned out. We knew going in that only the serious fans are going to pick up a hardback, so we worked around the clock to make sure it's worth every penny.
The Diamond code for the Apocalyptic Edition, Vol. 1 is MAY090998, and the ISBN is 978-1934964194. |
|
|
| Key Extraction |
[Sep. 8th, 2009|03:27 pm] |
 SKELETON KEY is now on sale in the UK and Europe (an American edition, published by Philomel, will follow soon). I received my advance copy this weekend, and it looks fantastic.
As with POINT BLANC, this graphic novel is based on the original book, and as always, it's drawn by the dynamic sisters Kanako and Yuzuru. Here's the blurb:
Reluctant teenage superspy Alex Rider is useful to MI6 in ways an adult could never be. Now they need his help once again. But a routine reconaissance mission at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships sets off a terrifying chain of events for Alex that sees him on the run from a murderous Chinese triad gang. Forced to hide out, Alex is sent to Cayo Esqueleto — Skeleton Key — an island near Cuba. Waiting for him there is General Alexei Sarov — a coldly insane Russian with explosive plans to rewrite history. Alex faces his most dangerous challenge yet. Alone, and equipped only with a handful of gadgets, Alex must outwit Sarov as the seconds tick away towards the end of the world...
The UK ISBN is 9781406313482. As soon as I have details for the Philomel edition, I'll post them here.
I've mentioned before that this book required a bit of jiggery-pokery with Sabina's character, seeing as in the novels Alex doesn't even meet her until this book! But I think it worked out pretty well, and it sets us up nicely for EAGLE STRIKE, which will hopefully hit shelves in 2010...
 Also this week, according to Diamond's shipping list, the DEAD SPACE: EXTRACTION one-shot comic goes on sale. That's a little earlier than most of us expected, but now you get even more time to pore over Ben's lovely art before the game hits later this month. Here's the solicitation:
Take a step further into the horrifying world of DEAD SPACE with EXTRACTION, the special edition comic of the forthcoming Wii title, from the same creative team behind the original DEAD SPACE comic! Senior Medical Officer Nicole Brennan gets the chance of a lifetime when she's assigned to the USG Ishimura... but before long, the necromorph infection breaks out and Nicole must race to unravel the horrifying clues she finds in a very special young girl!
You can read a huge 9-page preview at Newsarama, and order it with the code JUL090350. |
|
|
| Excellent Birds |
[Aug. 30th, 2009|08:44 pm] |
Two things to announce today:
WASTELAND Book 05
 I don't often mention solicitations for the collected editions of WASTELAND, but this one deserves your attention.
Book 05: Tales Of The Uninvited is a collection of ‘interlude’ issues — the one-shots by guest artists that we run between the main story arcs, and which aren't collected in the regular book editions.
There's a good reason we don't do that, which is outlined in my FAQ. But despite our (oft-repeated) assurances, we still regularly get people asking us why they're not collected, whether we're going to put them in their own collection, or what?
So, we decided to put this collection together. Never let it be said we don't listen to our fans.
The book includes issues #7 (with art by Carla Speed McNeil), #14 (Joe Infurnari), #20 (Chuck BB) and #25 (regular series artist Chris Mitten, working in full colour paints). It goes on sale in November, and can be preordered now from your comic retailer with the code SEP090939.
LAST DRINK BIRD HEAD
 “What an odd title!” You may be thinking, and if so, you're thinking exactly what I was when Jeff Vandermeer first approached me about this project.
LAST DRINK BIRD HEAD is a flash fiction (i.e. ultra-short stories) anthology benefitting charities working to promote literacy. It's edited by Jeff and his wife Ann, who gave contributors a single editorial directive. It went like this:
Last Drink Bird Head.
Don't think; just write.
So I did. And so did Peter Straub, Stephen R Donaldson, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Caitlin R Kiernan, Brian Evenson, Nicholas Royle, Gene Wolfe, and many, many other writers substantially more talented and famous than I.
I've read the manuscript, and it's chock full of great, imaginitive pieces. Plus, you know, charidee. Keep an eye on Jeff's blog for more updates, and I'll announce here when the book is available. |
|
|
| Ground Zero |
[Aug. 26th, 2009|02:20 pm] |
It was my birthday yesterday. I spent it working, as is often the case, but I'm off to Paris next weekend, so that'll do me. Briefly, then:
WASTELAND: THE APOCALYPTIC EDITION, Vol I is en route from the printers. The Oni web site had it scheduled for arrival in stores today, but with hardcovers (which are printed outside the US) these dates are only ever an estimate, especially as the books have to clear customs. But it's definitely on the way, and of course I'll announce it the moment we know when it will reach stores.
I finished the script for WASTELAND #29 this week, and we sent WASTELAND #26 to press, so expect that in stores soon. Issue #29 is all about Dexus, and he's always fun to write.
I'm also very close to finishing the 'Zero Draft' of cold war spy thriller COLD CITY, which I've mentioned before.
Allow me to explain what a 'Zero Draft' is.
The first stage of any story is the outline. I tend to lengthier outlines than some writers, but it's inevitable that things will change as I write, no matter how detailed the outline is.
The next stage is writing basic dialogue and blocking out major scene directions; this often consists of rough, on-the-nose speech and just an indication of where the scene takes place. It's the writing equivalent of a guide vocal, if you will. If something major happens, like a character shooting someone, I include that. But if it's a talking heads scene, with no real need for detailed action description, I just write the dialogue.
Why not write all the panels in full? Because things change. I might get halfway through, then come up with a great idea that necessitates altering scenes in the first half. I might get to the end, only to realise I need to set something up halfway through. Whole characters and scenes can appear, disappear or be changed wholesale. But if you start making those changes immediately, before finishing the rest of the script, more often than not you'll get bogged down, lose momentum, and never finish. Instead, I just make a note about what I want to change and press on.
So the Zero Draft allows me to get the skeleton of the script finished. It's much easier to look at a story and see what needs revising once the whole thing is in place, even if you know a lot of it will change.
And a big advantage of this method is speed; in the Zero Draft stage, I can power through twenty pages in a good day. Of course, it's a complete mess, and not fit for anyone but me to read. It wouldn't even make sense to most people. But it gives me a whole story to look at and start revising... which is the next stage, followed by writing all the panels out in full, then polishing and polishing again until the first true draft is ready.
Anyway. Happy birthday to me; have an amusing Internet site to celebrate. |
|
|
| Detuned Comics |
[Aug. 14th, 2009|10:25 am] |
There's a new interview with me up at BleedingCool.com. It's quite long and covers a multitude of subjects including WASTELAND, my background in roleplaying games, adapting LIGHT OF THY COUNTENANCE, writing WOLVERINE, making music, writing for videogames with DEAD SPACE, the advent of digital comics and more. I also coin the term “detuned comics” to describe WASTELAND, and the more I think about it, the more I think it's a really good fit...
The interview was conducted by Matthew Dick from the comics blog Exquisite Things, where the interview is also reprinted along with his original intro.
(Matthew is also the guitarist and main songwriter for Analysis of Bison Kills, an awesome British doom/sludge metal band. If you like the kind of stuff I do for the WASTELAND soundtrack, you should check them out.) |
|
|
| Unquiet Slumbers |
[Jul. 31st, 2009|02:41 pm] |
I'm back from San Diego — no thanks to British Airways and Heathrow Airport, but that's a whole other story.
It was, overall, a good con. Interesting Future Things™ may come of it. Or may not, who knows. I'm not going to give a rundown of everything that happened, as it would be rather boring to anyone who wasn't there anyway. So, briefly:
 Oni sold a lot of WASTELAND, including all of the hardcovers that we had at the show;
EA sold a lot of DEAD SPACE: EXTRACTION, and the lines for our signings were never-ending;
I met director F. Gary Gray for the first time, and instead of discussing JULIUS we spent much of the time chatting about our dogs;
I sold almost all of the scriptbooks, which surprised me. So I think I might make them a regular con item.
Thanks to everyone who came out to see me and Chris, or me and Ben. And especially to those crazy guys who bought the super-limited black cloth edition of WASTELAND.
Now, I go to sleep for a week. |
|
|
| Con Job |
[Jul. 20th, 2009|03:32 pm] |
San Diego Comic-Con beckons once again. I have three books premiering at the show this year, so here's a rundown of where I'll be and what I'll be doing.
New Books
 First is WASTELAND: The Apocalyptic Edition, an oversized, cloth-bound hardback collection of the first thirteen issues (yes, including #7). It also includes:
— The Walking the Dust text pieces from those issues (with illustrations from Chris Mitten, Sam Kieth, Brian Hurtt, Robbi Rodriguez, Joe Infurnari and Joëlle Jones)
— A full colour gallery of Ben Templesmith's issue covers
— A brand new introduction by Jeff Vandermeer
The book is 384pp, and now you can see why. It's a real brick.
As if all that wasn't enough, the edition we're selling at San Diego is a special ultra-limited “black cloth” edition — signed and numbered, with a sketch plate, and it comes in an exclusive WASTELAND hemp bag. First come, first served, available only at the Oni Press booth.
 Next is the DEAD SPACE: EXTRACTION one-shot comic.
This special issue focuses on Nicole Brennan, a character players of the original DEAD SPACE will be familiar with, in the days before Isaac Clarke was called out to the Ishimura.
Like the original comic series, it's drawn by Ben Templesmith, and Ben and I will both be at the EA booth throughout the weekend to sign copies (see below for times).
You'll also be able to try the game out for yourselves, if you're so inclined. You might even get to hear some of my character dialogue, assuming you can hear anything over the noise of the con floor...
 Finally, the first ever collection of my scripts (cunningly titled COLLECTED SCRIPTS: VOLUME ONE) will be on sale.
It collects seven scripts in total (at least one from each year of 2002-2007), features an introduction and notes on each script by myself, and clocks in at a fairly whopping 264pp.
COLLECTED SCRIPTS will only be available directly from me at Comic-Con 2009. It will not be made available in stores. I may consider selling copies direct from this site if there's enough interest, but for now my intention is to sell the book at conventions only.
Signing Times
THURSDAY
12.00-1.00: Longbox Panel. I won't actually be on this, sadly. I was asked to, but I probably won't even be in town until it's finished, so the ever-articulate Jamie McKelvie is standing in, for which I'm grateful. If you're even mildly curious about the future of digital comics, you should attend this panel. Room 32AB.
3.00-4.00: Oni Press panel. Chris and I will be there to talk about the Apocalyptic Edition, and WASTELAND's future (which looks rosy, rest assured). Room 10.
5.30-6.50: Signing at Oni Press. Booth #1833.
FRIDAY
11.30-12.50: Signing at Oni Press. Booth #1833.
1.00-2.00: Signing at EA. Booth #5213.
6.00-7.00: DEAD SPACE: EXTRACTION panel. Myself, Ben and producers Steve Papoutsis and Chuck Beaver will be there to talk about cross-media storytelling, what's in store with the game, and how we all work together. Room 2.
SATURDAY
11.30-12.50: Signing at Oni Press. Booth #1833.
1.00-2.00: Signing at EA. Booth #5213.
SUNDAY
11.30-12.50: Signing at Oni Press. Booth #1833.
1.00-2.00: Signing at EA. Booth #5213.
...And that's your lot. Hope to see you there! |
|
|
| WASTELAND #25 on sale |
[Jul. 6th, 2009|04:16 pm] |
 WASTELAND #25 goes on sale (finally!) this week.
As I mentioned before, this is a double-length, full-colour issue (with painted art from regular series artist Christopher Mitten) that delves into the history between Michael and Sultan Ameer.
The Diamond order code is JAN094382, and here's the solicit text:
Michael and Sultan Ameer were once friends. So why are they now so hostile? The answer lies in the city of Waters Meet. Ten years ago, Ameer's machine caravan rolled into town — and Michael found himself at the centre of a whirlwind of love, lust, tragedy and betrayal! Don't miss this special double-length, full color anniversary issue!
Once again, I can only apologise for the delay. This is the first time we've done a full colour issue, and we miscalculated how long it would take to finish. That wouldn't have been so bad, but as a result we subsequently missed our printer slot, which pushed it back even further. We screwed up, plain and simple, and we're sorry.
But hopefully you'll agree it was worth the wait — and don't forget there's a huge interview plus 13-page preview at CBR to (big) whet your appetite.
The good news is, we'll be back on track in no time. I'm currently writing issue #29, and Christopher is already halfway through drawing #26, scheduled for an August release. As for July, we'll all be at San Diego, and more on that soon. |
|
|
| As The Day Is Long |
[Jun. 22nd, 2009|05:55 pm] |
So you may know that I've spoken before about digital comics piracy, and the need for an iTunes-like solution if we're to avoid the same fate as the music industry.
What you don't know is that for the past year or so I've been advising the makers of Longbox, a digital comics reader and store that intends to be that solution.
Rantz Hoseley, comics creator/editor and Quicksilver Software head honcho, unveiled Longbox at Heroes Con this past weekend. Comic Book Resources has a lengthy write-up, and iFanboy has also weighed in with a thoughtful piece.
For the record, my part in the process was small, I wasn't paid, and I have no financial or legal involvement whatsoever with Quicksilver Software. But I sincerely believe this is the way of the future, and I'm heartened that someone is finally taking it seriously. |
|
|
| A Few Good Artists |
[Jun. 20th, 2009|07:17 pm] |
 This year's Oni Press talent search is now underway. If you're an artist trying to break in to comics, you should know that this is for real; the previous iteration in 2006 led directly to both Joe Infurnari and Mike Holmes getting their start in the industry.
Once again, I've contributed a sample script — this time it's the first five pages of COLD CITY, an espionage thriller I'm currently writing. I make no promises that drawing my script will get you a job on the finished book, of course! On the other hand, it was Joe Infurnari's excellent rendering of my script last time around that led to him drawing a WASTELAND interlude issue, so you never know.
Just so there's no confusion, you should know that I, and the other contributing writers, are not the judges here. That's entirely the domain of Oni's editorial staff. We just provide the scripts for you to draw. With that in mind, it's pointless me trying to give any advice, or tell you how to “succeed” at this. Just do what you do, and do it well.
That said, there is one way I can guarantee you won't succeed, and that's by ignoring the rules. Don't try to be a smartass and ignore them, thinking that your talent will get you through regardless. It won't. Talent and the ability to follow submission guidelines, on the other hand, will get you far.
Good luck! |
|
|
| Crazy Dogggz |
[Jun. 17th, 2009|09:43 am] |
 WASTELAND BOOK 04: DOG TRIBE goes on sale today. Collecting issues #21-24, this volume tells the story of how Michael and Abi's quest for A-Ree-Yass-I is almost stopped before it starts, as they find themselves caught between two rival Dog Tribes fighting for supremacy.
The ISBN is 978-1934964170, and for comic stores the Diamond order code is APR090964.
In other WASTELAND news, the double-sized, full colour anniversary issue #25 goes on sale next week, the 24th June. That's a fair bit later than we solicited for, and no-one is more embarrassed about that than me, but I promise you it's worth the wait. Chris' painted art is gorgeous, and even seven months after I wrote it, I'm still pretty pleased with the story. [ADDENDUM: I've just been told it's likely to actually be the week after, owing to distribution delays. Sigh.]
You can read an interview with us about WASTELAND #25, and see an exclusive 13-page (!) preview, at Comic Book Resources.
You may also have noticed a couple of recent additions to the Coming Soon sidebar, over there on the right; DEAD SPACE: EXTRACTION goes on sale, exclusively for the Wii, in September. Before that, though, you'll be able to get your hands on the EXTRACTION comic, a one-shot issue that ties in with both EXTRACTION and the original DEAD SPACE game, once again featuring the inestimable Ben Templesmith on art duties.
And finally, the new comics blog Exquisite Things asked me to contribute to their Simple Headphone Mind section, wherein creators reveal what music they've been listening to recently. No surprises there for anyone familiar with my Last.fm page, but fun nevertheless.
(Blog founder Matthew Dick is also part of UK noisemeisters Analysis of Bison Kills, by the way, and if you're into a bit of grind and doom you should check them out. Because they're brilliant.) |
|
|
| Date With A Skeleton |
[May. 29th, 2009|11:03 am] |
Walker Books have announced a publication date for SKELETON KEY, the third Alex Rider graphic novel. It's scheduled for release in the UK on September 7th.
As with the previous books in the series, SKELETON KEY is ably illustrated by sisters Kanako and Yuzuru, it's 176pp, and will be available in bookstores everywhere. If events follow past form, readers in the US should be able to get hold of an edition a few months afterward.
Like POINT BLANC, this book is based directly on the novel, and is very faithful. I had to do a bit of jiggering with “The Sabina Situation” again, and anyone familiar with the novel will notice those changes, but they were unavoidable and I think it worked out well. It also sets us up nicely for EAGLE STRIKE, the fourth graphic novel, which I finished writing at the end of last year and will hopefully be out in 2010. |
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
| |
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
antonyjohnston's journal