The Brits are coming...

This is really a plug for my good pals at Accent UK. Editors will be arriving in New York next weekend to show off the goods at Mocca (Museum of Cartoon and Comic Art, for those not in the loop).

I believe their new title 'WesterNoir' is being printed in time for the event. I've seen it and I can attest that it's pretty freakin' excellent. This will also be the only convention the higher ups at Accent UK will be attending this year, therefore the only chance US fans can get a glimpse of the mega-graphic novel 'Who On Earth Was Thaddeus Mist?' before proof and review copies are sent out prior to release. Dave West himself it taking some samples and previews to the event so if you ask him nicely - and perform the secret hand-shake - I'm sure he will welcome you into a smoky gentleman's club and unveil some of the mysteries... ...or get him really drunk and he'll probably tell you how the whole thing ends, and sing a Bowie Station to Station track until you both get thrown out! OJ OX

Reel Love

So, I started writing and drawing a new comic book.

This one kinda came out of nowhere. I had been having idea-sketches happen for a while with these characters but had no clue my brain would force me to work on it so soon.
I don't want to tell too much because I'm not sure there's much to tell yet, I'm not sure what it wants to be (I work that way) or how long. I'm not sure whether I'll self-publish or look for someone to put it out. It's a really personal story with ten foot witches and ray-guns. Absolutely all of it is true.

It also has a tentative title, but knowing me (I decide pretty quickly and stick with it) that is going to be the final title; Reel Love. It's about having a relationship with the entity of cinema, as told from the point of view of the art-form. It's got people I've known and people I want to know.

I've been working on it purely for fun, as a sort of experiment, and for some reason those always turn out to be projects I rate most highly. A lot of my time is taken up making sure Thaddeus Mist happens, but I've managed about ten pages of this in downtime before working on new scripts. Writing and drawing together, it's a much more intangible and rewarding process than I was expecting.

OJ OX

Zombies 2 in Previews March!!!

Zombies 2 (featuring 'Fever Dreams' by myself) is now available to pre-order through your March Previews catalogue. Get your candy ass into your local comic store and order one, pronto. Indie comics do not survive without people like YOU laying down the benjamins. We appreciate it more than you will ever know.

Thanks!

Thaddeus Mist and related treasures

The artist team on 'Who On Earth Was Thaddeus Mist?' have been working hard to bring the whole thing alive in recent months (and a comic book is never really alive until an artist magics them out of thin air with just paper and ink). I thought I'd take this opportunity to share how excited I am. Every single one is knocking it out of the park.

Thaddeus Mist by M.D.Penman


Over at his blog, the brilliant Grant Perkins has done a marvellous pin-up for the book.
http://thegrantperkins.blogspot.com/2012/03/grey-britain.html

I believe the plan is to release a smaller volume of pin-ups, process notes, and other juicy material to coincide with the release of the main graphic novel. There were so many great artists and friends that for whatever reason (scheduling, length etc.) couldn't make it into 'Thaddeus Mist' so it would be great to still have their work feature in some way.

Also over at Rhys L Reed's blog you can see the thumbnails for his contribution to the comic. Find those here: http://applejackandreed.blogspot.com/

Rhys I met at Thought Bubble last year and knew right away that he'd be great for this. His art is just amazing and gives a texture and whimsy that the book was lacking before he jumped onboard.

Finally, Conor Boyle gives us Thaddeus Mist...



Conor is the main artist on Thaddeus Mist (our narrative frames the other stories - almost like flashbacks). It's been a true joy working with Conor, and so far I've been humbled by his work-ethic. Everything I've thrown at him art-wise he has embraced, and even brought more to the table than I'd imagined, making suggestions and making even a hack and a pretender like me look much, much better than I am. On top of this, Conor's stepped in to oversee the art direction on the book, in order to make sure the transitions and stories mesh together correctly (no easy task when there are so many artists involved in telling one continuous story). Follow the dude on twitter (@pencilmonkey), read his blog, generally worship at his feet. He is a damn fine artist.

Press!

Thaddeus Mist features in issue 374 of Starburst magazine (The Walking Dead cover) and there will be some attention given to Accent UK books in an upcoming issue of Comic Heroes, thanks to Rob Power. Comic Heroes is a great magazine I've been reading for a while so it would be nice to have Thaddeus Mist feature in there at some point in the future.

We're still shooting for a tentative release at the end of summer (but with comics, I've learnt, many things can and will go wrong. In short, don't hold ya breath, folks! If the Mayans are right we'll all be toast before this baby hits the racks!)

In search of Golems...

It has been way too long since my last blog post. So now's a good a time as any.

I skipped over to Prague in February. Having worked on 'Who On Earth Was Thaddeus Mist?' for a good few months it was time to take a break.

Prague has a lot of history, and it was a thrill to get to know it a little. There is a great cafe/bookshop called The Globe that does the best coffee and apple strudel I've ever had. If it were not frowned upon by nutritionists I would do this 24 hours a day. Without even stopping.

We went to the National Theatre to see a Czech play (yes, it was a magnificent building - no, I didn't understand what the actors were saying), tried to find the landmarks mentioned in my favourite book: Michael Chabon's 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay', took pictures, and generally tried to blend in (not easy when your pronunciation of Czech sounds like you're coughing up a particularly troublesome furball). Being a fan of Mike Mignola, witches and general spookiness, I got a huge kick out of the Charles Bridge...



...and the Old Synagogue, in the rafters of which the famous Rabbi Loew is rumoured to have hidden the Golem, monstrous and enchanted figure built of clay taken from the banks of the river Moldau..



...but the Nazis were evidently shit at looking, because in every tourist cavern my girlfriend found a million of the little devils in the form of adorable keychains, notepads and other delightful novelty items.

Prague's a great friendly city, and I left completely inspired.

Hermit and Kermit

Wow. It's been a while.

I've been working full-tilt through December and January to secure artists for the Accent UK project 'Who On Earth Was Thaddeus Mist?' It has been a crazy, challenging but ultimately rewarding experience (at least on the writing side, there's still so much to do!) When I cranked out those final words on the script I emerged feeling like The Thing - it's taken a while to come back to the real world.



For a full low-down on the project, there is a lovely press release from Dave West on the Accent UK blog. http://www.accentukcomics.blogspot.com/

The book, in my hands and trying to weave all the threads together, has become a kind of Gothic novel - more intense and intricate than I had originally anticipated. It includes all the Victorian flavours that my fellow mad scientists have brought to the table; gentlemen's clubs, and lavish balls, and (as any Victorian drama must contain) diabolical secrets hidden in the family! I'm genuinely having a blast, as exhausting as I'm finding the organization. I am completely proud of it :)

It's been super-awesome working collaboratively (something I always get a kick out of) and I've added a ton of these co-conspirators into my links. Check them out they're truly talented folks, and they taught me a LOT about storytelling, and making comics, and working on something with a team rather than a duo.

In other news, 'My Maker & I' (delayed until this coming year) is the book Burnt Weiners most look forward to in 2012!! (see link right). Their show is great - you can never have enough dick jokes...or can you? - they clearly have fun and I almost snorted my cereal hoops across my monitor a couple times. I'm honored the book got a mention with them, it means a lot.

Taking some time out the next few days to recharge, then jumping back into something new.

But first, I am totally dying to watch the new Muppet's movie. Two words...fart shoes.

OJ
OX

New articles and new friends.

Recently my involvement with pop-culture site Comicbooked (see right for link) kicked up a gear. As well as an article celebrating the birthday of Steve Ditko, I submitted an extended interview with Frank Quitely which was part of a visit to Hope Street Studios in Glasgow. Both can be viewed here: -

http://www.comicbooked.com/studio-sessions-frank-quitely/

http://www.comicbooked.com/happy-birthday-steve-ditko/

The studio visit, and Quitely's generosity, was a highlight of the year for me. The Glasgow artist is a personal hero of mine so it was a very big deal, and I came away inspired in the work I'm doing inside and outside comics.




Now working in a bookshop in Carlisle, I've made some new friends and helped man a graphic novel and manga evening in-store, which was a lot of fun and opened my eyes to the desire for more of these events in the North. Over 200 attendees proves that, even in such a rural area, there are people out there who respond to comics and need to see more events like this staged.