BLESSED BE THE ELO FANS

A detail of the page I've been pencilling today.

SOMEONE ELSE'S STORY

Today, I'm drawing another writer's story.

An interesting exercise.

You don't decide what's in the story, but put your efforts into deciding where everything goes.

I'm used to doing both.

Here I am sorting out how I'm going to tackle the script.

LOCKDOWN - JUST BEFORE LAUNCH

Well, firstly, I hope everyone is well in these strange times.

I’m drawing the last two stories for my next comic, Mount a Rescue. It’s 80 pages, around 20 stories varying in length from 1 to 26 pages long. 

I’ve been working on this comic for well over a year (the earliest story is from October 2018). 

Suddenly, I feel somewhat removed from the entire contents. The stories are from a different time. The time we were in 2 weeks ago. So many things look a bit odd now. People hugging, crowd scenes. It’s having an interesting effect on the reading of the stories.

It's also making me think about what I’ll do next in a new light.

THAT COMIC SMELL: Holy Grails and Intention Fails

The latest episode is online now.

From the web:

“If at first you don’t succeed, wait a couple years and come back to it I guess ”
Hello! Hello! Welcome to another edition of That Comic Smell. This time we are discussing the books that we have sought after. The ones that have sat on the shelves with a proverbial halo around them and angel chorus. We are talking about our absolute holiest of “Holy Grails” but in the same breath we are also discussing the ones that have sat on our shelves dormant and unused, waiting for us just to pick them up one day and actually flick through without putting them straight back and declaring them “Intention Fails”

This and all the usual comics chat on…

That Comic Smell!

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Mike: Holy Grails
• De Cape et de Crocs (Cloak and Fangs) (Alain Ayroles, Jean-Luc Masbou)
• Marvel Heroes Annual
• Secret Wars #1
• Captain America #308

Nando: Holy Grails
• Corto Maltese: The Ballad of the Salted Sea by Hugo Pratt
• Kamandi omnibus by Jack Kirby
• The Contract with God trilogy by Will Eisner
• From Thorgal by Van Hamme and Rosinski : Arachnea, The Blue Plague, The Kingdom beneath the Sun, The barbarian, Kriss of Valnor, The Sacrifice, Los tres ancianos del pais de Aran, La galera negra.
• From Blueberry by Charlier and Giraud: Sombras sobre Tombstone, OK Corral, Los montes de la supersticion, Dust, Geronimo el apache.
• Master of Kung-Fu issues: 59,60,64,66,68,71,72,74-76,79-82,97-101

David: Holy Grails
• Black Hole [La Trou Noir] (Jack Kirby) (GOT!)
• Incredible Hulk #1 (Stan Lee/Jack Kirby)
• Star Wars Contemporary Motivators (Linda A.Cadrain/Charles Nicholas)
• Original art: Kirby page from Hulk.

Giuseppe: Holy Grails
• belt up - thelwell's motoring manual
• Valiant or vulcan annual
• Groo the Wanderer, 1 to 3, 5 to 8, 10 and a few more...
• other Aragones stuff i'm missing such as a few Louder Than Words and a few Actions Speak
• Some master of kung fu from Gulacy period
• Missing Vigilantes 19, 25 and 50 of this series www.comics.org/series/2728/
• Sandman 1 to 4, 6, 74 and 75. issue 1 cheapest on ebay just now £35 i think, then it's up to 90 and up
• some shade the changing man

Tom: Holy Grails

• All Calvin and Hobbes! (GOT!!)
• An original Calvin and Hobbes page
• The Complete works of Paco Roca
• The Fourth World Series
• Eightball (Dan Clowes)
• Omega Men #3

All of our Intention Fails:

Potugal (Cyril Pedrosa)
Blankets (Craig Thomson) [COMPLETED! YAS GIUSEPPE! ;) )
Killing and Dying (Adrian Tomine)
Secret History Omnibus Vol.1 (Jean-Pierre Pécau, Igor Kordey, Carole Beau, Marshall Dillon)
Joe Kubert Presents (Various DC + Joe Kubert)
The Dumbest Idea Ever (Jimmy Gownley)
Last Gig in Shnagrlig (Gilbert Shelton)
Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow? (Brian Fies)
Black Hole [La Trou Noir] (Jack Kirby)
The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage (Sydney Padua)
King (Ho Che Anderson)
Flesh: The Dino Files (Various 2000AD)
Marvel Super-Heroes Omnibus (Various Marvel)
JLA: Year One (Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn, Barry Kitson)
Robin: Year One (Chuck Dixon, Scott Beatty, Javier Pulido, Marcos Martin)
Batman: Black and White (Various DC)

PHAGWARA comic pencils page 2

Another day, another page of pencils.

My son wrote the script for this, and boy, he's given me a lot of work to do. 24 panels over 2 pages, with most of them requiring reference photos.

I'll be taking the pencils to him for approval. Got to get those airplanes exactly to his liking.

PHAGWARA comic pencils

My son has written a comic for me to draw for my next book Mount a Rescue. It's twenty-four panels over two pages.

I've been pencilling it today.

BREAK THE CAKE free PDF

With many comics folks stuck at home in mind, here is a free pdf of my comic Break the Cake, featuring  Marc Casilli, Zu Dominiak, Olivia Hicks, Rebecca Horner, Védís Huldudóttir, Paddy Johnston, Tim Kelly, Francesca Mancuso, Norrie Millar, Neil Paterson, Ludi Price, Katie Quinn, Mike Sedakat, and Pam Wye.

Have a read here.

TAY BRIDGE DISASTER COMICS inks and tones

Tay Bridge disaster comics. I'm getting down to some inking and adding tones today.

THAT COMIC SMELL: Justice League International Vol.4

The latest episode is online now, where we discuss Justice League International volume 4 - or as I prefer it, Justice League issues 23 to 30.

Yes, the thorny issue which first reared its head with volume two - that of whether these comics function well as book collections - comes up once again.

There is also a short discussion on Columbo, and why it's among the best TV shows ever made.

First though, I make good on numerous promises I made to bring in comics which were previously discussed.


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and most places you find podcasts.

TAY BRIDGE DISASTER COMIC latest pencils

A sneaky look at some pencils I was working on today.

ZERO SUM BUBBLEGUM at THE AWESOME COMICS PODCAST

Tony Esmond recommends my comic Zero Sum Bubblegum on the latest episode.

He specifically discusses the stories A Book with Death in the Title, Tiddlywinks, No-One is Keeping Score, and Junior Scrabbl.

Have a listen here.

STAR JAWS #32

The new Star Jaws issue 32 is out now from Barnstormer Comics, featuring work from Robin Barnard, Martin Hand, and myself!

More information at the Images Degrading Forever website here.