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Talking comics again on Arena
I’ve been on the RTÉ Radio 1 arts and culture show, Arena, twice recently. On Monday, 25 June I was discussing the 2000 AD Special Sci-Fi Magazine, and on Monday, 2 July I was reviewing the new Cambridge Companion To The Graphic Novel. I always enjoy being on Arena, and chatting to presenter Sean Rocks, but I particularly love talking about comics and expressing my passion for this artform to a wider audience.
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Hammered Podcast
I’ll be taking part in an on-going podcast called Hammered, dedicated to examining the more ghoulish output of the British Hammer Film Productions studio. Starting with The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) and ending (maybe) with To the Devil a Daughter (1976), the discussions will be hosted by J G Byrne and aided by a rotating guest list. Each episode will work through one film from the studio’s horror releases. The original music for the podcast is created by David Blake. The first batch of films I’ll be chatting about with John are: The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), The Mummy (1959), The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960), The Curse of the Mummy’s…
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Unland 2 out
Today issue 2 of Witchfinder: The Mysteries of Unland is out from Dark Horse Comics. You can buy it online, or in any good comic book shop. This comic is part of a five-issue Sir Edward Grey: Witchfinder story, which I have co-written with Kim Newman, with art by Tyler Crook, coloured by Dave Stewart, covers by Julian Totino Tedesco, lettered by Clem Robins, and edited by Scott Allie. All set in the Hellboy universe created by Mike Mignola. If you’re thinking of hopping onto the series, then here are reviews of issues so far: Unland 1 reviewed on All-Comic Unland 1 reviewed at Multiversity Unland 1 reviewed at Newsarama Unland 1 reviewed at SciFi Pulse…
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Tyler’s Sir Edward Grey
The reviews for issue 1 of Witchfinder: The Mysteries of Unland, have been rolling in and so far the team has been delighted with the response from the critics and the fans. I’ll put up a blog post listing them all soon, rather than detailing every single review as it comes in. Although, I will note that the comic got a Pick of the Week from the DC Women Kicking Ass Tumblr, as that’s a site I’ve been following for years, and I’m thrilled our title earned a mention. In the meantime, here’s an interview with me on ComicMonsters.com called Maura McHugh Discusses Witchfinder. Finally, above is a terrific drawing…
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The Green Book – issue 3
Today I received my contributor’s copies of The Green Book: Writings on Irish Gothic, Supernatural and Fantastic Literature, issue 3. The Green Book is a handsome anthology of essays and reviews published regularly by The Swan River Press, edited by Brian J. Showers. Issue 3 is devoted to examining the work of Ireland pre-eminent 19th century supernatural writer – Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. It’s the 200th anniversary of Le Fanu’s birth this year, so it’s quite right the work of Dublin’s ‘Invisible Prince’ gets a proper celebration. This issue comes with a postcard as a lovely extra – it’s a rare image of Le Fanu’s death mask (© Anna &…
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best of 2013 – games
This is the final section I put together for the ‘Best of 2013‘ post for the Forbidden Planet International blog, which never appeared due to length. I play various video games, but not as much as my husband Martin, who has offered a selection of titles he’s enjoyed this year, which are mostly PC-based and/or Indie. BioShock Infinite was considered (and not included – and we were both fans of the previous games), and we haven’t played The Last of Us. I can certainly vouch for the first game on the list. Tomb Raider Genre: Action/Adventure Designer: Darrel Gallagher Writer: Rhianna Pratchett Developer: Crystal Dynamics; Publisher: SQUARE ENIX, Eidos Interactive…
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best of 2013 – TV
Here’s my unedited selection of picks of the top TV from my ‘Best of 2013‘ post on the Forbidden Planet International blog. This is the category I found the hardest to cut down – television is producing some of the best dramas currently. Hannibal Developed by Bryan Fuller I came to this sceptical as I didn’t think new life could be breathed into the franchise based on the Thomas Harris books, but Hannibal defied all my expectations and offered me some of the most memorable television in 2013. Apart from the intense central performances by Hugh Dancy as Special Agent Will Graham and Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and…
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Best of 2013 – films
Here’s my unedited selection of films from my ‘Best of 2013‘ post on the Forbidden Planet International blog. Of course, this is just what I enjoyed, and your mileage might vary… Cheap Thrills Directed by E.L. Katz, and written by Trent Haaga & David Chirchirillo This dark film with streaks of black comedy is an astonishing debut from E.L. Katz, which basically consists of four people in a room for the majority of the piece. It’s a riveting drama about how the wealthy can manipulate the disadvantaged for their jaded entertainment. There are outstanding performances from the entire cast, and combined with effective direction and strong writing makes this one…
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Off again…
I haven’t even had time to write up about my time at World Fantasy Convention in Brighton (it was big, busy, and fun!), and I’m off again to Leeds this weekend for the Thought Bubble Comic Art Festival. Stephen Downey, the artist on Jennifer Wilde, the comic I write for Atomic Diner, will have a table at the convention, so make sure to drop along, say hello, and perhaps buy a comic! He’ll be at table 120 in New Dock Hall. A funny thing happened en route to World Fantasy Convention – I was at the airport and got a phone call from the producer of RTÉ Radio 1’s art…
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Jennifer Wilde 3 review
I had a nice start to the day when I discovered that David Ferguson reviewed the third issue of Jennifer Wilde on Irish Comic News. It takes a lot of work to bring any creative project into existence, but when you write comics it’s a particularly collaborative experience that requires dedication, co-operation, and passion. It’s a delight to see the script I wrote brought to life in such a meaningful way by Stephen Downey‘s art, and then it’s further joy to hold the finished product in my hands. As much as I do this from my own need to create, part of the drive also is to entertain other people.…
