D-VOID

Uncoloured

INDIOVISION!

 "D-VOID of Pashun is a stick-figure in a gimp suit. He has black visor goggles and the focal point of his outfit is a six foot sentient strap-on with razor-blade centipede legs and a skull face. 
D-VOID of Pryde is a twisted Venus Demilo wearing a long wedding dress of tissue paper. There is a massive hole punched through her chest  and there’s a veil over her head.

D-VOID of Punch is a life-sized Judy puppet from the Punch & Judy show, complete with little baker's outfit and petticoat, maid’s hat, and cracked porcelain face (see reference drawings). The creepy thing about her is the legs – the hairy legs of an adult male. On the feet, Dutch clogs."

These are our Henchmen.

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival

Since January I’ve been on the organizing committee for the first ever Lakes International Comic Art Festival, to be held in my home-county of Cumbria between 18^th-20^th October. One glance at the festival website will give you a clue as to the caliber we’re aiming for with this show, all spear-headed by the magnificent Julie Tait and founder-patrons Bryan & Mary Talbot as well as local hero Sean Phillips. Here’s Bryan’s wonderful festival poster to whet your appetite.

  

Off the back of my work on the Megacon event last year (see below), I was approached to join the team, and what a team it is! Everyone’s been ridiculously supportive and I’m very excited to be part of what is shaping up to be a truly special event.

My designated role is that of Independent Talent Co-ordinator, and involves working closely with media, marketing, and logistics (as well as the hundreds of astounding artists, writers, publishers who have been in touch) to curate a British festival in the mould of European comic’s celebrations. I will also be facilitating the Comics Clocktower; an independent and small-press marketplace taking over Kendal town-hall for the whole weekend. Here’s a snippet from my website press release: -

The mission of this portion of the festival is to champion breaking talent of all styles and genres. We believe these creators are pioneers of a new wave of innovation in the field of comics and graphic storytelling. We are striving to celebrate them, and in the process introduce their work to a whole new audience. For Cumbria, The Lakes International Comic Art Festival is an event of unprecedented scale, held in an area of outstanding natural beauty – an area largely unfamiliar with the exceptional art being produced on its doorstep. We aim to change that, for good. Accessibility and originality is encouraged, and there is an emphasis (although not exclusivity) on creators working or living in the North of England.

Details on how to become part of the Comics Clocktower, and the festival in general, can be found on the contact page of the website. 

There is bound to be more on this in the coming months, but for now, I’d like to express my gratitude to Julie, Bryan, Mary and Sean, as well as the rest of the great Comic Art Fest team for being so welcoming and generous. A lot of work to be done, but I’m thrilled to be involved with this. 

Hope to see many of you there

OJ

OX

Announcement: Raygun Roads

I’ve gone atomic so get all these tourists out the fuckin’ way,

 My electronics are busted and fried on re-entry tonight,

Entombed in your twenties, you feel like you’re dead,

The nail in your coffin is staying in bed,

And when you think that it’s over, sing suck on my supernova. –

Suck on My Supernova, Raygun Roads & The Kittelbach Pirates

My next comic book is called ‘Raygun Roads & The Infinity Loop Death-Trap of Ullysses Pomp’, and it wants to kick you in the teeth.  

Raygun Roads kept Frederick Wertham up at night.

Raygun Roads is the answer to all of your problems.

Raygun Roads is a pop-art cluster-bomb that will rot your girlfriend and steal your brain. 

Here’s a handy synopsis…

Raygun Roads is a psychedelic science fiction comic concerning an imaginary pop-culture icon who – along with her cosmic punk band The Kittelbach Pirates – kidnaps Vince Paradise; the teenager that concocted her.

Exploding through the wall of the job-centre in their Suicide Machine, The Kittelbach Pirates rescue Vince from murder at the hands of his personal spiritual virus, D-Void. Raygun and Vince take a road trip through his psyche with the intention of assassinating Ullysses Pomp – head of D-Void and mastermind of The Infinity Loop Death-Trap, a mechanism with the power to destroy all teenagers. 

A full-colour 7’’ flip-book, Raygun Roads & The Infinity Loop Death-Trap Of Ullysses Pomp is our love letter to vinyl records, outsider ‘beat’ culture, and the transformative power of pop music. It’s a satire on the state of youth unemployment and the government’s failure to take responsibility.  It’s just a piece of candy-floss nonsense.

Do you feel neglected? Then it’s time to get infected! 

Ripping up the pages on this little bastard: one of my favourite artists of all time. INDIO! Set awe-receptors to stun!

We’re joined by Andy Bloor on design. Andy’s design work has always floored me, so it’s a real boon he’s kickin’ out the jams with us. And then there’s Mike Stock – a relatively new discovery for me. His work for ‘Dead Roots’ and ‘Vs Comics’ is killer, so hit the guy up ASAP.

We’re in talks with a few publishers about putting out Raygun but if none seems like a right fit (or no one wants to buy it) we’ll go self-published, embracing the DIY ethic of punk rock!

The comic is the source, the vendetta, and the cure. Having said that, disciples of our day-glo little cult shall be rewarded with viral marketing! Merch! Trans-media treasure!

Cover for Birds Vs. Planes EP 'Narrow Angles'

 I’m working closely with Ben Johnston, the guitarist of the band Birds Vs. Planes, to create a soundtrack for the project that will be available to download free on the internet. This came about during the writing process, when the desire to listen to an album by The Kittelbach Pirates became so strong we decided to invent them. Consuming both the comic and the album will not be essential to the enjoyment of them separately (they function independently) however the music compliments the visuals and timeline dictated by the book. In theory...

Here, have some more art!

Raygun Roads & The Infinity Loop Death-Trap of Ullysses Pomp is scheduled for launch at Glasgow Comic Con in July.

I sincerely hope you want to get kidnapped.

Drops the mic

OJ

OX

El-Ee-Ottt

Yes. Yes, that is an E.T. reference. 

Page from my work-in-progress graphic novel, Reel Love. I am currently a third of the way through, and having a ball.

East Coast embrace.

This starts out as a convention review and deviates into ruminations on the creative impulse. You have been warned. Get out, while you still can.

Yesterday I hauled ass to Newcastle for the annual Canny Comic Con - held in the City library. After the mega-event that was Thought Bubble, I have to admit I didn't expect an explosive show out of this one. Boy was I wrong. 

With winter raging on, this gig - hosted by the wonderful team of Alex and Stacey Whittle - was a genuinely warm surprise. This was a free event. This was a small event. But this was by no means a 'cheap' event, or one of limited quality. There was an authentic joy about the days proceedings.  It all seemed...well, effortless. At least, that's how it appeared. A lot of hard work went into making it so relaxed and friendly. To Alex and Stacey, as well as all the staff who volunteered, you have my highest recommendation. 

Happiest point-of-view: Coffee, Comics & Copics.

Let's put this straight up front. This was my first solo show. Previously I had hitched a ride on the Accent UK  circus-train. They are the best. All my con experiences with them have been astounding (and freeing, as I was able to dementedly flit, bat-like, around the other stalls). Although I was primarily there to sell the company's book, at Canny Comic Con I was on my own.

 I. Freaking. Loved. It. 

This was a great deal to do with having such talented and supportive table-buddies like Tom Boyle, Gary Bainbridge, Andrew Waugh, the ever genial (and forever smiling) Daniel Clifford (seriously, the guy's teeth are perfect) beside me.   

Manning a table alone is HARD WORK. You don't get to coast. You can't wander off to stare at other people's comics (at least, not for the most part). You are there to meet the people you do all this for: comic book readers. Although I've been writing comics for a while, it wasn't until the last couple of years that I felt it was time to actively sell my material to others. This was partly to do with self-confidence (first attempts were, and should be, pretty embarrassing for creators who seek to develop) and partly to do with fear. I can't express accurately how energizing it is to have others lay down money to read your work. 

 Despite refusing to get my hopes up, the copies of Thaddeus Mist I brought sold out! Thanks must go to the last-minute-purchase gentleman for my clean slate. People seemed to really dig the book, many commenting on the design by Danielle Horton. My favorite response seems to come from Northern folk: "It's like a proper book, isn't it?" 

I also secretly loved sketching the Turtles, Ben 10 and Dennis The Menace for the young ones. There were loads of them! Many of them weren't old enough for our book, but it's really encouraging to see children at shows like this. They are the ones that are going to be buying the best-selling comics of the future (with jetpacks!) after all, so best to get on their good side.  

In the family.

Brilliant chats were had with Al Ewing and Bryan Talbot, both of whom offered sage advice.

One of the highlights, however, for me (and this is totally unrelated to comics) was meeting a real-life Thaddeus Mist -  Dr. Charles Davis: international adventurer and gin sampler (as his facebook page will attest) - the nom de plume of reenactment agent Andy Davis. Shortly after the show he left his condolences for the death of a fellow eccentric. He was a joy to wax lyrical about reenactment (the trick, with the Victorian's is to wedge one's tongue firmly in one's cheek), fiction and the British Empire (a topic synonymous -at least in my head - with my grandfather, who traveled in search of Bengal tigers at a young age). As I type that sentence and think on that meeting it appears to perfectly symbolize what making Thaddeus (and writing for me in general) is about; that weird blurring of the lines between fact and fiction - what we live and what we choose to create.

Dr. Charles Davis: International Adventurer & Gin Sampler

Without getting all soft and cuddly about it (I'm a sickeningly sentimental blogger at the best of times) I believe art and writing are the only forms of practical magic currently available us - beyond the realms of scientific discovery. Meeting a flesh and blood character called Charles Davis, whom I am convinced would have sat down for opium and biscuits with a character I created, gives me a strange shiver of delight. The wall between our two worlds is only so thin...

Peace
OJ
OX

Canny Comic Con- Newcastle

I haven't even had time to write about the utter genius that was Thought Bubble (more in my end of year round-up) before another convention comes along!

I'll be a guest at the Canny Comic Con in Newcastle tomorrow - Saturday 8th December - it's my first show with a table, so I'm pretty jazzed for it. Much thanks to the ever-welcoming Stacey Whittle and Alex for letting me join the party.

Canny Comic Con Cuttlefish

The Canny Comic Con is a free event held at the Newcastle City Library, and seems to be an affair for the whole family. Hope to see some familiar faces there!

OJ
OX