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Viva cartoons!
Chris O’Halloran from the Irish Comics News web site contacted me recently about contributing to ICN’s series, ‘Art Picks’, in which comic book creators talk about work that has influenced and inspired them. You can see my choices up on their web site now. One of the things I talk about is how illustrated books formed my interest in artwork, not just comic books. But I didn’t even get a chance to talk about cartoon strips, which were still appearing in newspapers back in the day. When I lived in the USA I loved the tradition of the Sunday Funnies – i.e. full-colour cartoons with extra panels that was its…
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Octocon 2015
September is in its twilight now, which means the annual Irish science fiction convention, Octocon, which takes place in the Camden Court Hotel, Dublin from 9-11 October, is almost upon us. This year I’m one of the two co-Guests of Honour at the convention (along with Emma Newman), which is something I’m still humbled about. As usual it should be a fun weekend, full of lively panels and wonderful conversations about an array of topics across literature, film, comics, TV, videogames, and cosplay. The other guests who will be along to offer their expertise and insight on the subjects are: Paul Bolger, Michael Carroll, Rob Curley, Celine Kiernan, Ruth Long,…
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Kildare Readers Festival 2015
I’m very pleased to be part of the Kildare Readers Festival 2015, which is taking place in Newbridge from Thursday 8th – Sunday 18th October. At 8pm on Thursday, 15 October Kim Newman and I will be talking about ‘Things That Go bump in the Night… and why we love them!’ at the Riverbank Arts Centre. Horror fans, and those who appreciate monsters, do come along and celebrate all that’s spooky – it will be a good time of the year to be chatting about fiendish stories. There is also an array of talented writers taking part throughout the week, so there will be plenty to interest you at the…
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Return to Derry
I’m delighted to see the return of a comics-focused festival in Derry/Londonderry after the demise of the much-lamented 2D Comics Festival. The ComicCity: Comics and Creative Arts Festival is happening this weekend, and features a huge array of talent from north and south of the border in Ireland, along with visitors from abroad. These special guests, exhibitors and dealers will be in attendance throughout the weekend and there will also be a full programme of talks and workshops. I’ll be selling a very limited number of full sets of the five single issues of the Sir Edward Grey: Witchfinder mini-series which I co-wrote with Kim Newman, with art by Tyler Crook, coloured by Dave…
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Bugs at 75
I learned from a Variety article by Tim Gray that Bugs Bunny is 75 today. He first appeared in ‘The Wild Hare’, directed by Tex Avery, on 27 July, 1940. https://dailymotion.com/video/x20s0p3 When I was a kid I watched a lot of vintage cartoons, but Bugs Bunny was by far my favourite. I loved his sense of humour, and the madcap ways he managed to evade capture (mostly). Bug got out his scrapes through his imagination and smarts, which is what appealed to me most. This is a photo of a plastic model of Bugs I’ve owned since I was a kid, which I took this afternoon. He’s getting extra carrots,…
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Bone Mother teaser trailer
I’ve mentioned that my short story ‘Bone Mother’ is being adapted into a stop-motion animated short film by See Creature animation company in Canada. It’s a long process and it won’t be complete until 2016, but I was thrilled to see them release a tiny teaser trailer for the short film. Official teaser for Bone Mother @onf_nfb #stopmotion #animation #dontmesswithbabayaga A video posted by Bone_Mother (@bone_mother) on Jul 21, 2015 at 7:00am PDT //platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js You can follow the Bone Mother project on Instagram, and See Creature update their blog with information about it quite regularly.
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Witchfinder Vol 3 en français
Youpi! At the beginning of the month Delcourt published a French translation of Witchfinder volume 3, which has the cooler-sounding subtitle: Les Mystères d’Unland. Here’s the French synopsis of the story: Sir Edward Grey est envoyé à Hallam pour enquêter sur la mort d’un officiel qui était en mission pour le compte de la Couronne. Une fois sur place, on lui raconte la légende d’Unland, une zone marécageuse qui entoure la ville, où des créatures mystérieuses se terrent. Les doutes de Grey disparaissent lorsqu’il les rencontre et qu’il comprend que Hallam est une ville pleine de secrets. I don’t know who handled the translation, but I’ll attempt to uncover that…
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British Comic Awards 2015
I’m pleased to be part of the British Comic Awards selection committee again this year – it’s a lot of work reading comics, but someone’s got to do it! The official Call for Entries is now open. Please visit the new Entry Form to submit your favourite British comic published since 1 September 2014. READERS: tell us about the best comic or graphic novel you’ve read in the last 10 months. Do you know a great comic for kids? Let us know! Have an idea for who should be in our Hall of Fame? Tell us! CREATORS: don’t be shy, submit your own work for consideration, or put yourself forward…
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Cassilda’s Song anthology
Check out the gorgeous cover for Cassilda’s Song, the anthology of stories inspired by Robert W Chambers The King in Yellow mythology, and edited by Joe S. Pulver. The artwork is by Steve G Santiago. The book will be published by Chaosium Inc. in time for the 2015 NecronomiCon Providence convention in August. Here’s the Table of Contents: Black Stars on Canvas, a Reproduction in Acrylic … Damien Angelica Walters She Will Be Raised a Queen … E. Catherine Tobler Yella … Nicole Cushing Yellow Bird … Lynda E. Rucker Exposure … Helen Marshall Just Beyond Her Dreaming … Mercedes M. Yardley In the Quad of Project 327 … Chesya…
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Song of the Sea picture book
The latest animated feature film from Irish company Cartoon Saloon is Song of the Sea, which is finally getting its theatrical release in Ireland this coming Friday. The screenplay was written by Will Collins based on a story by Tomm Moore, and it was directed by Tomm. Just in time for the Irish release the Song of the Sea picture book has gone on sale. I edited this book, which was an fun job thanks to Will Collins’ lovely text and the beautiful accompanying artwork. It’s €12.95 from the web site, and suitable for ages about 7 and up.
