FOR THE RECORD at THE AWESOME COMICS PODCAST

Dan Butcher, Tony Esmond, and Vince Hunt discuss For the Record on their latest episode of The Awesome Comics Podcast.

Have a listen here: https://awesomecomics.podbean.com/ (The For the Record chat begins around 1hr 47mins).

The book is available here:https://fredeggcomics.bigcartel.com/

FRED EGG COMICS REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2025

I knew at the start of 2025 that I was going to do more comics work than ever before, and because of that I was going to put out less work to the public in terms of contributing to anthologies.

The work I concentrated on was a book concerned with my love of music through the years. I was going to draw all of it myself, no guest artists this time around. I aimed to have this completed by the end of the year, so had to concentrate. Between 2nd January and 2nd February, I wrote and laid out every idea I could think of related to music, as they came to me. I would sort out the running order of the pages once they were completed. I had 24 pages to do, and I planned to make sure I complete a page every weekend. I would get to go to sleep on Sunday night when I’d completed it. Although I had no guest artists, I wanted to included stories from my immediate family, so that was a further 7 pages. I also knew I’d have more ideas as I went along, and indeed I did. As the months went by a further 11 ideas presented themselves to me.

So I had 43 pages to complete, alongside front and back covers. Doable, but I couldn’t sit around waiting to begin, as I’d used up January now and had to leave room at the end for production. As I went through the year doing the work, I decided to post updates of Work in progress online. Layouts, pencils, and inks were posted on this blog, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, X, and over at the Awesome Comics Podcast substack. While this took up the majority of my time, I took part in some other comics related activities.

In February I had a comic in Ryan Ewing’s Pocket Thoughts Annual #7.

In March, That Comic Smell podcast had an episode on Science Fiction comics. Incidentally, our third comic is still in production and will hopefully be completed next year.

In April, I had a comic in Bob Corby’s Contains No MSG or AI.

In May, I appeared on Marvel Star Wars Explorers podcast, discussing Indiana Jones comics #29 and 30.

In August, I wrote about AI in comics as part of the Broken Frontier article Raging Against the Machine. As I explained, I successfully did the entire For the Record comic in one year. Now I aim to try to fund it on Kickstarter. I haven’t done this since 2021, when I published The Tay Bridge Disaster comic. A lot’s changed since then, so I’ll see how it goes. As an incentive, I have an idea for a compilation zine of Fred Egg Music comics from throughout the years. Thanks for all your interest, feedback, and comments throughout the year. It’s much appreciated. Have a great 2026!

BOOZE HA HA at AWESOME COMICS PODCAST

Dan Butcher, Tony Esmond, and Vince Hunt have released the latest edition of their podcast.

They discuss Booze Ha Ha, starting around the 1 hour 15 minute mark. Have a listen here.

DUI - Drawn Under the Influence

DUI - Drawn Under the Influence is out now. It's an Awesome Comics Podcast community anthology.

It features the talents of Kevin Couling, Clifford Cumber, Pete Doree, Damian Edwardson, Helena Edwardson, Tony Esmond, Jordi Perez Estevez, Martin Feekins, Forpe, Jason Garrattley, Sarah Harris, Alan Henderson, Garry Hill, Dave Hingley, Gareth A. Hopkins, Neil Johnson, Rob Jones, JWC, David Livens, Alan Purdie, Ken Reynolds, Matt Simmons, Zeke Simmons, and Joseph Simons.

I've written a couple of stories for it, too. “Syd Cleans Up” is drawn by Andy Hanks, and “Journey to Vilcabamba” is drawn by Susie Gander.

Here are a couple of previews:

The comic is available now here.

FRED EGG COMICS REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2020

Here's my annual overview of what I've been up to comics wise this year. Writing this for 2020 was never going to be as straightforward as my previous efforts. Usually I list the comics and comics-related projects I've been involved with as they were released throughout the year, and say a little about each of them.

This time around, things were significantly different, due to COVID-19 and the impact it's had on the country, and the world. 

As the year got going before it hit, I knew I wanted to put out another anthology, and I knew it was going to be called Mount a Rescue. I'd completed or mostly completed a number of strips for it, and sent out scripts to many artists for them to draw guest comics. I'd started painting the cover and things were mostly going along nicely when coronavirus started to take hold. 

Around about March, I paused for a couple of weeks to consider. What does this mean? Is it appropriate to put out a comic in the middle of a pandemic? With an unknown number of people dying? I decided I was going to continue. Not doing comics as some form of solidarity, or in case it was in very poor taste, didn't make sense to me.

I was furloughed at work. Now, I do not make comics as a way to earn a living. Quite the opposite. I view it purely as an artform in which I am free to do and try whatever I want, and make the best comics I can. The negative side of this is that I spend a lot of my time at my place of employment, unable to get to work on my comics. I have been quietly resenting this for years, and sometimes just outright moaning about it to anyone who’d listen. But it is the deal I have made with my comics practice.

So when I was furloughed, you better believe I was not going to waste this extra time I had been granted. I worked on many comics projects throughout the year, and with all but one of them, they are fully coloured, either digitally or hand painted. Seven of these have yet to see print with their respective publishers. I can’t control that part of the process.

Mount a Rescue did come out in July and I was pleased with it. Everything had changed in a short period of time, and I hadn't mentioned the pandemic in the comic at all. I did a story called "Clap" for the back page, concerning the weekly applauding of the NHS.

As we got into the final third of the year, I proposed an idea I'd had for a while to my That Comic Smell podcast buddies. I reckoned I had enough time to work on putting together an anthology featuring work from all of us. I knew Mike was really getting up and running with his comics (see "The Real Prehistoric Beasts" - his first comic book), Tom would be up for writing scripts for us to draw (he ended up doing artwork too), and I'd always been intrigued by Nando's mention that he used to draw, but decided to stop and commit to reading instead of making. It was great to have him come out of retirement and do a comic for us. I worked hard on getting the comic assembled, completing it a few days before I returned to work. Then it was back to doing comics on a day off or odd hours here and there.

The TCS podcast itself has morphed into an online get together instead of the actual meet-ups we've traditionally had. These and Tony Esmond's regular Never Iron Anything have been great sources of pleasure, allowing me to chat comics with pals.

In any case, here’s how 2020 played out in comics land for me.

In January, Barnstormer Comics’ Star Jaws #30 continued running my Blade Runner tribute comic, “Los Angeles, November 2019”. Over the next six months it carried the whole story. I did my 25th Tay Bridge Disaster comic strip, and That Comic Smell podcast discussed European comics.

In February, I did my 26th Tay Bridge Disaster comic strip, and March presented two episodes of That Comic Smell; on Justice League International Vol 4, and “Holy Grails and Intention Fails”, in which we discussed the comics we really really want, and the ones we have but haven’t managed to read yet.

In April, I appeared for the first time on Tony Esmond’s Never Iron Anything podcast discussing Warlock by Jim Starlin. I did a comic for the Awesome Comics anthology, marking their 250th episode. That Comic Smell were busy, having our first remote meet-up discussing what we’ve been reading, and discussing the Top Three Comics Creators of all Time on video as part of Sparkcon. 

In May, I did “T-Minus: Not Happening”, a comic about The A-Team’s adventures in outer space, for Star Jaws #34.

In June, That Comic Smell discussed surreal / weird comics, and a marathon length movie chat was split into parts one and two. I was happy to go back on Never Iron Anything, this time to discuss The Cute Manifesto by James Kochalka.

In July, my latest comic book Mount a Rescue was released. That Comic Smell discussed heavy comics. I was delighted Star Jaws #37 featured a pull out middle section devoted to it. On Never Iron Anything, we talked Star Wars #80 by Mary Jo Duffy and Ron Frenz.

August was a busy month for podcasts. That Comic Smell covered comics aimed at children, Dark Horse, and “You Make Comics?” – comics created by people known for other things! I was on the Awesome Comics Podcast for their Brainstorming comics episode, and discussed Starblazer #69 “Nightmare Planet” on Never Iron Anything. 

In September Iestyn Pettigrew interviewed me about my influences and inspirations for the Zine Love website. I did my 27th Tay Bridge Disaster comic, a story called “Bunker Destruction” for Star Jaws #39, and artwork for the cover of Marc Casilli’s Liget #3. That Comic Smell did an episode called Who are you again?, on comic character changes, and a “bootleg” episode of The Lakes Comic Art Festival.

In October I did a couple of spots on Never Iron Anything; one on Peter Bagge, and another with Tom Stewart on Kent State by Derf. I also did a comic for Funtime Comics #33, the anthology from New Zealand (congratulations to them for dealing with COVID-19 effectively).

In November, I did a guest comic for Olivia Hicks’ Sarararara, and a story called “Journey into Space (interrupted) for the Race into Space! Anthology. I also discussed Mary Fleener on Never Iron Anything.

In December I had a David Prowse tribute comic in Star Jaws #42, then a couple of Christmas themed podcasts; a discussion of Christmas with the Super-Heroes from 1988 on Never Iron Anything, and the annual That Comic Smell Christmas do comparing our favourite comics of 2020.

I've completed work on my ongoing Tay Bridge Disaster comic, and will be releasing that next year in a natty landscape format. First time I've tried that.

That Comic Smell Comic will be out in early 2021.

There are a lot of comics completed for my next anthology, which I do know the name of, but am not telling yet. And I have started writing a longer narrative, which I aim to have completed over the festive period, and then get to work drawing.

Thanks for reading. I hope 2020 has been good to you, and let's try to make next year a good one!

AWESOME COMICS PODCAST: Brainstorming Comics!

I had a great time on the latest episode of Awesome Comics Podcast, available online now.

Have a listen here.

From the website:

"A whirlwind of creativity abounds, as the Awesome gang try out a creativity exercise using the awesome Narrata playing cards to brainstorm a bunch of comic book pitches! From dinosaurs, death row, sex crazed villains and tragic love stories involving tortoises and horses - this ones got it all! Not only that but the amazing David Robertson (Break the Cake, Bell Time) joins in on the fun and helps recommend some awesome indie comics you should check out too!

Great stuff to check out this week - David Robertson, Fred Egg Comics, Mount a Rescue, Bell Time, That Comic Smell, Narrata Storytelling Cards, Humanoids Humble Bundle, Knockout & Tiger Style, Skrawl, Knights vs Pirates, Sappy Flu Year, Tim Kelly, Usagi Yojimbo - Bunraku, The Boy Who Became a Dragon, Hedra"

MOUNT A RESCUE at THE AWESOME COMICS PODCAST

Dan Butcher, Tony Esmond, and Vince Hunt discuss Mount a Rescue on their latest episode, around the 1hr, 34mins mark.

Have a listen here.

AWESOME COMICS 250

The Awesome Comics Podcast has reached its 250th weekly show, and to commemorate this, Aaron David Rackley has put together an anthology.

It features Zachary Cobb, Kevin Couling, Cliff Cumber, Tom Curry, Damian Edwardson, Alan Henderson, Dave Hingley, David Kennedy, Russell Olson, Tom Sparke, Kieran Squires, Tom Stewart, Gustaffo Vargas, and Sam Webster,

I'm in there too. Here's a wee preview:

You can read the whole thing here.

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.

AWESOME COMICS QUIZ OF THE YEAR

The Awesome Comics Podcast Quiz of the Year has gone online.

This time they went head to head against That Comic Smell.

Not since Duran Duran battled Spandau Ballet on Pop Quiz has there been a media square-off like this!

Have a listen here.

BELL TIME at AWESOME COMICS PODCAST

The latest Awesome Comics Podcast discusses webcomics.

Around about the 1.38 mark, Tony reviews Bell Time.

Have a listen here.

AWESOME COMICS PODCAST #186

Have a listen here to the latest Awesome Comics show as Tom Stewart guests.

They discuss the creation of their Awesome Comics anthology series, That Comic Smell podcast, and make reading recommendations (including my own "Break the Cake" - thanks, Tom!).