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Happy Hellboy Day!
It’s Hellboy Day around the world – with comic book shops promoting the anniversary of the arrival of the first Hellboy comic created by Mike Mignola. Here in Ireland it’s been fun watching the excitement and buzz via Twitter on the hastag #Hellboy or #HellboyDay. I’ve also created a Mignolaverse twitter list that contains most of the creators who have worked on any of the titles in the Mignola world. There have been a lot of articles and interviews published about the titles online, and today on the 13th Dimension web site Kim Newman and I discuss our influences for our forthcoming Witchfinder: The Mysteries of Unland mini-series within the…
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my favourite Hellboy comic(s)
Tomorrow is officially Hellboy Day, when comic book retailers around the world will be celebrating 20 years of Red’s arrival on the comic book scene for the first time. There have been a variety of promotions on various web sites in the lead-up to this event, and today Multiversity Comics has published a piece called Creators Share Their Favorite Hellboy Stories After 20 Years. It includes my picks – and I say plural because it was pretty impossible to narrow it down to one, even though I looked exclusively at Hellboy titles, and didn’t include any of the B.P.R.D., Abe Sapien, Lobster Johnson, or Witchfinder stories… One of the great…
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some lights lengthen, as some go dark
It’s the equinox, traditionally the day when Spring really kicks off (although some parts of the world are still iced under). Today we’ve had a proper Spring mixed bag – a tantrum of angry hailstones tossed about on moody winds, followed by sunshiny winsomeness. The gorse is in full bloom now and its coconutty fragrance is being wafted in the woods by the Spring gusts. I snapped this photo the other evening, when the light was a sleepy orange. For me it captures the joys of the lengthening days. Yet, life is fickle, and this morning I was deeply saddened to hear of the death of the author Lucius Shepard.…
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daffodil season
I’ve never had much time for Saint Patrick’s day since I became an adult. When I was younger I used to march in my town’s parade, as I was part of the marching band in primary school. Later on I participated as a Girl Guide. My memories of the parades are usually about the weather: numb fingers stiffly trying to play along to the beat, getting drenched by rain whipping in at just the moment we were due to head off, and figuring out inventive ways to wear layers of clothing under the uniforms so to stave off hypothermia. I’m less fond of being in a crowd watching a parade,…
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Irish Comics Chat
I’ll be a guest at an event called Irish Comics Chat, which will take place at the Rua Red arts centre in Tallaght in Dublin from 12.30pm – 6pm on Saturday, 29 March , organised by Lightning Strike. I’ll be on a panel with Darrin O’Toole, Ruth Redmond, and Rob Curley, during which we’ll be discussing our career thus far and our comics. More information about the other events planned for the day will be released very soon. Check out the Facebook event page for further updates.
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bird on a wire
I took this long-distance shot recently of a pigeon sitting on a cable because I liked the colours, and the symmetry of the lines bisecting the image. Afterwards, when I examined it on my computer I realised it reminded me, in a metaphorical way, of one of the most frustrating aspects of writing: the waiting. So much of what you do is hanging about to hear from other people. The sitting on your own creating worlds is just one part of the work. After that there’s the waiting to see if your work will find a market. And since rejection is also your constant mistress (I’ve learned to accept her…
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It's good to be alive
Spring has arrived in its full glory in Ireland, which means you have to get out and enjoy it in case it only lasts a few days… Cue appropriate music: this is the video for Imelda May‘s latest song ‘It’s Good To Be Alive’. I’ve been a fan of May’s work since I bought her More Mayhem album a few years back. What makes video even more perfect is the Frankenstein & Bride of Frankenstein theme (remember, I love monsters), and the fact that it’s directed by my über-talented friend Prano Bailey-Bond. I’m off to boogie in the sunshine…
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I love monsters
In the recent interview with Comic Book Resources about the Witchfinder comic book I’m co-writing with Kim Newman for Dark Horse Comics I mentioned that I love monsters – the likes of the classic Universal film monsters, or Godzilla, etc. Writing monsters, and seeing an artist bring them to life, is a thrill. I stated that I even had the t-shirt. I wasn’t joking. I decided to take a photo of me in it after that interview. It’s a beloved top. I’ve bought it in Dublin maybe a decade ago, and I have to be careful not to wear it out. The handy thing about monsters is that they don’t…
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pancakes and beer
Last night I raised a glass of rosé in celebration of the release of the news that Kim and I are writing a Witchfinder comic book together. When I saluted Hellboy with it he recoiled like he’d been offered the throne of England. ‘Son of a…!” he growled, and unholstered the Good Samaritan. To prevent carnage I offered him pancakes, and later beer, and we made up. So much so that he was willing to give our team a ringing endorsement! Thanks to everyone who has left comments on my Facebook page and Twitter about the news – it’s been great to receive such a positive reaction. Hopefully you’ll enjoy…
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The Mysteries of Unland
I’m very pleased to announce that I’m co-writing a comic book mini-series with Kim Newman which is part of the Hellboy universe created by Mike Mignola, and published by Dark Horse Comics. It will be a five-issue Sir Edward Grey: Witchfinder story called The Mysteries of Unland, with art by Tyler Crook, coloured by Dave Stewart, covers by Julian Totino Tedesco, lettered by Clem Robins, and edited by Scott Allie. The story revolves around Sir Edward Grey’s reluctant investigation of a mysterious death in the town of Hallam, which turns out to be far stranger than he expected… This March marks 20 years of the Hellboy franchise (often referred to…
