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Fun at Thought Bubble 2019
I’ve returned from a terrific Thought Bubble: The Yorkshire Comic Art Festival in Harrogate, England.
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Interview on The Thin Air
Today I’m interviewed on The Thin Air by Loreana Rushe, where I discuss comics, influences, and in particular my forthcoming work for 2000 AD.
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Reviewing Marvel’s The Defenders
I had a whirlwind return from Helsinki as I was scheduled to review the new eight-episode Netflix show, Marvel’s The Defenders, on Arena today. I was able to watch the first four episodes of the new show before the radio interview with Arena host Kay Sheehy. Fans of the four series, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, should not be disappointed. I’m eagerly looking forward to watching episodes 5 – 8 when the entire season debuts on Netflix on 18 August. Episode 4 ends on a climatic note, so be prepared to want to watch the next episodes immediately!
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Worldcon 75
I’ll be attending the 75th World Science Fiction Convention in Helsinki, Finland from 9-13 August 2017, which is the first time a WorldCon has taken place in a Nordic country. It looks like it’s going to be a terrific event with a huge array of programming items. It will be my first time visiting Finland, and in a bonus coincidence, a new Moomin Museum has opened in Tampere. Here is my schedule for the event: Wednesday, 9 Aug, 2017 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM | Messukeskus, 206 ‘Coffee, Pie and Murder: 25 Years Later’ The cult television show Twin Peaks makes its return in 2017. Is this a good idea,…
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Writing Lola
I’m delighted to announce that I’m doing another collaboration with my pal Stephen Downey, with whom I worked on Jennifer Wilde. Stephen’s other job is co-founder of Outsider Games, which is developing a new title called Wailing Heights. It’s described as: “A coffin-rocking, body-hopping, musical adventure game, set in with a horrific hamlet of monsters, with a story by Kevin Beimers (Hector: Badge of Carnage) and glorious 2D artwork from a host of illustrious comic book talent.” I was given the task of coming up with the background of Lola, the vampire character in Wailing Heights, and writing a short script detailing her history for a comic that will appear…
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FantasyCon in York
I’ve just recovered from the double-header of Worldcon followed by Eurocon, and I’m off to York today, this time for FantasyCon – the annual convention of the British Fantasy Society. I last visited York about 20 years ago during May, and have good memories of of the city. So, I’m looking forward to returning to the town to be in the company of fellow horror and fantasy writers. Some of whom I haven’t seen lately despite the multitude of conventions. Here’s my schedule of events, all taking place on Saturday, 6 September: 10.00am – From Page to Screen What’s different about books and film and how can you make your…
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Octocon 2013 schedule
It’s that time of the year again, which means I’ll be in The Camden Court Hotel in Dublin this weekend (12-13 October) attending one of my favourite conventions: Octocon. There are two terrific guests of honour that I’m very excited about meeting: comic book writer Gail Simone, and author Richard K Morgan. Both of them have created work I both enjoy and admire, so it will be a privilege to hear them talk about their interests. Here’s my schedule: Saturday 13:00 – Masterclass in Contemporary Fantasy (Pavilion) with Peadar Ó Guilín and Liz Bourke 15:00 – I Don’t Believe It, But It’s True (Abbey) with Ruth Frances Long, Leann Hamilton,…
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a whole new world…
I’m not new to the concept of Cosplay and multi-media conventions. Last year I attended MCM Expo in London, along with Rob Curley and Stephen Downey, because our comic Jennifer Wilde was nominated for an Eagle Award. It’s one of the biggest cons of this type in the UK, and they got about 60,000+ people through the door. I thoroughly enjoyed the event, even if it was overwhelming at times due to the sheer volume of people attending. And at 2D Comic Book Festival in Derry there’s been an increasing Cosplay presence over the past three years. ArcadeCon is the first convention of this type I’ve attended in the Republic…
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Hay Festival Kells 2013
The Hay Festival has a heavyweight reputation in the world of literary events, so it’s pleasing to see a chapter open up (appropriately) in Kells, home to one of the most famous books in Ireland. This did not come about by chance, as I discovered over the weekend. The town has been working hard for some years to bring the event to Kells, and it’s a perfect match. Kells is just big enough and has enough facilities to host a variety of events, and small enough so the entire town becomes the Hay Festival in a very intrinsic fashion. Irish people are notorious for their hospitality and charm, but even…
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Octocon 2010
This weekend I’ll be a guest at the 2010 Octocon convention in the Camden Court Hotel, Dublin. The Guest of Honour is George R.R. Martin, best known as the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novels. The first novel in the series, Game of Thrones, is currently being filmed in Northern Ireland as a HBO mini-series. Its tone has been described as ‘Sopranos with Swords’, and since HBO rarely does anything badly, this could be the fantasy television series of a generation. It’s a considerable coup for an Irish convention to have such an established author as a guest, and I hope there will be a…
