Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Opportunities

* LETTERING progress on Septic Isle is slow but steady. I've got the week after next off work and plan to have it all finished and ready for Diamond to see by the end of that break. To be honest, I find lettering slow and laborious, even though it gives me the opportunity to tinker with the script a bit.

* I WAS in London yesterday, having been invited to pitch some ideas to a newly-formed Los Angeles-based film production company. This is the first time I've pitched anything to anyone but the meeting went pretty well and they definitely liked a few of my ideas. I've agreed to work up more detailed outlines of three of my pitches (including Septic Isle and Kurse) and we'll see what happens from there.

* IT looks like Moonface Press will be publishing its first comic series written by someone else (i.e. not me). It's a six-issue superhero-based mini-series. As well as publishing the book, I'm going to be lettering it and doing a bit of script editing, too. More news when everything's 100 per cent confirmed...

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Vote for James

IT'S Eagle Awards time again and you can now nominate your favourites for the eventual short list here: http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/nominate.asp

A vote for mine and Keith Burns' Blood Psi one-shot in the Best Black & White Comicbook: British section would be most appreciated. If you haven't seen Blood Psi, you'll find a 10-page preview here: www.bloodspi.com

More important than that, though, is a vote for James Redington in the Roll Of Honour category (it's right at the bottom of the online voting form). As I'm sure you'll all remember, James died last July at the horribly young age of 28.

He was a champion of the small press in this country as well as being a very talented writer and publisher in his own right. Adding his name to a Roll Of Honour that includes comicbook legends such as Alan Moore, Stan Lee and Will Eisner would be a truly wonderful way to honour his memory.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

A man of letters

* MICK Trimble's art for Septic Isle is finished and I'm just waiting to receive scans of all 42 pages so I can get on and letter it. The finished book will be 52 pages in all but some of that will be backmatter featuring Mick's character sketches plus the story's original opening four pages that ended up on the cutting room floor. It'll be a nice little package when it's all printed and very similar in format to Warren Ellis's Crecy graphic novella.

* WRITING-wise, the first 17 pages of Kurse are pretty much how I want them but, as ever, it's clear the project is going to run to more pages than originally envisaged. I think we're talking around 42-44 pages, which is what Septic Isle and Brothers came in at too. It's a story length I seem to be increasingly drawn to because it means you can pack a lot in - characterisation, action, plot - without sacrificing the "done-in-one" philosophy underpinning it.

* THE rather brilliant Bob Byrne has a new graphic novel out, called Mister Amperduke. You can read all about it and buy a copy from here: http://clamnuts.com/rants/new-mr-amperduke/amperduke-launch/

* AND while I'm recommending things - check out Tommy Lee Edwards' gorgeous Doctor Who inspired cover for this year's Tripwire annual. It's right here: http://joelm1-joelmead.blogspot.com/