More About Lost: Boys!

The other week I talked about the forthcoming release Lost: Boys. Well, now we are in the future, and the forthcoming release has become an unleashed upon the world leaving chaos in its wake release. A few days ago, my copy landed on the door mat and I got to enjoy the fruition of everyone's work. It really is a wonderful little package; quality stories, quality art, quality paper stock. Why not check it out for yourself? They're working on a super swish interweb ordering service, but until then you can find out how to get a copy here.

Lost: Boys cover by Conor Boyle

Viking Family Fun

Following a little bit of a laptop meltdown, I may well be absent from the net for a short while. While I'm away, please enjoy these sketches of an Anglo-Scandinavian family that I have been drawing for a project at work.

Lost: Boys

Disconnected Press is an independent publisher of comics and graphic novels, headed by Lizzie and Conor Boyle. You may remember that I worked with Lizzie last year on Storage, a comic for Hallowscream. This weekend, she's back with not one, but two new comics, both being released at Bristol Comic Expo. You can find out more by following that link at the start of the paragraph, but just to whet the apatite, let's talk about the one that I've drawn some art for.

Remember when you got your first bike? There was something about that first bicycle that mattered. You could go further, faster than ever before. You were free to roam. You lived in a bigger world.

But a bigger world can be daunting, harsh. A bigger world can lead you to things you never expected. In a bigger world, it’s much easier to be lost.

This is Lizzie's introduction to Lost: Boys. The stories all focus on young lads who find themselves wandering from the more oft-trodden paths of life. Lizzie says she wanted to work "with a group of artists who are starting out in comics and whose work merits a wider audience." It feels pretty good to have found a place among such a number. Over on their site, you can learn more about my fellow collaborators, as well as checking out my first ever interview!

If you want a copy, get in touch with Lizzie at lizzie@disconnectedpress.co.uk

Dr WTF?! 2012

Colin MacNeil's cover

Dr WTF?! 2012 is complete, and has already been seen hitting the conventions. Neither time nor space is big enough to contain the awesomeness that is Colin MacNeil's colourtastic cover, and the contents within are pretty good too!

I went trawling the internet for quotes, and I found that people had the following things to say about it:

"I RATE THIS COMIC 10/10... IT BE AWESOME!" - Alan Lewis

"The Nazi version of the Doctor was my favourite." - Mike Donachie

"Dr WTF is the most psychedelic Doctor Who anthology in existence. Crammed to bursting with amazing artists, glorious writers and RIDICULOUS LETTERING." - Owen Watts (Editor and Letterer)

The next stop in the Dr WTF?! 2012 tour is Bristol Comic Expo on 12-13th of May. Should you wish to beat the crowds, get £4.50 ready, give drwtfcomic@gmail.com a shout, and soon all this shall be yours!

Ron Smith

Ron Smith is an artistic exemplar. Many readers will already be aware of this fact, but I thought I should throw it out there just to be sure we are all on the same page.

Ron has recently retired; compelling comic fans from across the galaxy to rally together in celebration of fifty-five years of brilliance. The ever legendary Mark Howard has defied the difficulties inherent in collaborative artistic endeavour to create a comic expressing our gratitude. It is a comic containing uncontrolled, gushing praise, thoughtful well-wishes, and plenty of pictures of Judge Dredd. It is a comic you can see here, and one that Ron himself has recently received in hard copy.

The other day, Mark Howard sent all the contributors an email, and I feel the following extract speaks for itself:

"I have just received a 'phone call from The Man himself, Mr Ron Smith, and what a lovely gentleman he is to speak to.

He has received the tribute comic we put together for him and is overjoyed with it. He has asked me to pass on to you all his deep and enduring gratitude for putting so much talent, work and love into this project and said he was "overwhelmed" by your generosity and regard. (I must admit to having a little tear in my own eye as I put down the 'phone.) With fifty five years in the comics business under his belt, Mr Smith said that this was one of the highlights of his comic career and was deeply moved by the comic..."

So go follow that earlier link, and check it out for yourself. Here is my contribution to get you started.

Cut Out And Keep Halo

If you have checked out the free online copy of Vanguard 2, you will have seen this page, which I drew to homage the sort of cut out pages that you used to see in 2000ad annuals.

This is the full colour version. I was going to give it different text to justify this internet doubling up, but decided instead to stick with what I originally submitted. This is largely so we can all have a little laugh at my first attempts at mastering Redbat's voice. Dirk Van Dom* changed the first line in the completed edition, probably because "Bat greetings, batlings!" sounded a little too Adam West.

*Oh wow, I have only just realised the full brilliance of the blog title "Van Domain", and the reason for that photo of a van. Jeez, I'm slow!

Halo And The Gryphon And The Salmon of Wisdom

Continuing this month's theme of shouting out for Vanguard, we'll be talking about the free gifts! Everyone loves a postcard right? You might think you are not fussed about postcards, I know, I thought the same about the 2000ad ones. But then you get them in your hands and you think "Oooooh, this is quite nice." Must be something about the high quality gloss finish to the art. Let's all pause a moment to consider high quality gloss finishes on art. Hmmm, sexy!

So now we are probably all really excited for the postcards that accompany the Real Paper Copies of Vanguard issue two! Every story in the comic is represented by a full colour piece of art, and you get the complete set just by buying the one comic! None of that needing to buy lots to complete your collection nonsense! Here is my contribution, and I was pleasantly surprised to find it looks even better in the flesh. Must be the high quality gloss finish.

The next piece was drawn as a birthday present for a friend of mine. I have found that people who have seen it have are compelled to create a story around the picture. Personally, I think young Zephyr is about to eat himself some lunch, but others have been much more imaginative. What do you think is going on?