Post-Thing Post

To everyone who took a flyer or bought a comic and now find themselves here, cheers for coming.

Thing was a worthwhile outing, perhaps not financially, well, definitely not financially, but it was rather cool meeting the artists behind the comics we've been reading the past couple of years. That kind of sounds like we're slow readers. Anyway, it was good to see all of you guys, and apologies if we were overly miserable or inadvertently offended any of you, we got the 0431 train from Newcastle that morning.

Nightbus sold quite well, as did Aide-Mémoire, which has the cute factor going for it, but a lot of people got enough out of it in one quick flick through. It's all something to bear in mind next time I do another one, which should hopefully be soon.

The real star of the table was Gentleman Ghost. Captain Jack Fallows gave us ten copies, which sold out swiftly, but we could have easily sold much more. There'll be a second printing as soon as Fallows can sneak into a small office and find a photocopier.

Here's some stuff from the day, York at about six in the morning.
















Mr Jones guarding the table.
















That's me marking off a sale, or more likely moving paper around to give the impression of a hive of industry.















Chris reading a copy of Guide Dog Detective 2, only one of our mighty small press haul. Reviews may be in the offing.

Simultaneous Release

We're off to London Village!



Nightbus is getting a proper simultaneous release at the UK Web & Mini Comics Thing in London Tomorrow and at Travelling Man in our lovely hometown of Newcastle. The first collected Nightbus features all 4 of the free snapshots we dished out in pubs and that last year, as well as an all new fifth snapshot and additional comics segues to tie all the goodness together. The comic boasts wonderful card covers and due to cheaper printing costs than we projected, it'll only set you back £1.20








Also debuting at Thing will be Aide-Mémoire, a little collection of drawings and comics I've done over the past few years. This one's got various paperstocks and lino print covers. It's a bin lid.














Small Press Baron, Jack Fallows has also given us peasants a few copies of his new comic, "The Gentleman Ghost", amongst his many other collaborative ventures. They're all £1.50, as is the latest volume of "...And That", Newcastle Comics Forum's anthology.





















If you're around the capital, drop in and say hello. We're on table 2. Be gentle, we're getting the 04:31 train from the Toon. And Chris travelled down from Aberdeen yesterday.

Rodeo, Stewart Lee and Art

Travelling Man Newcastle had a Small Press Comics Rodeo last weekend, apologies for not mentioning it earlier, but you were busy. Tom Cassady who does the anthology "Outline" was there, as was helmsman Jack Fallows (check the flyer!), and I dished out some advice and vigilante justice. Well, not the last bit.

I did do a comic with a 10H pencil though. Intense.

Comedian Stewart Lee turned up to add a surreal double take to the proceedings and the day was a success. We're planning on doing another one with a bit more planning soon.

Got booked up for Thing finally this week, so we'll see you there if you're going. Who's going?

And finally, after about a year of waiting for the Cult Fiction touring exhibition to come up north, we hopped on a Carlisle bound train to go see. It was great to see work by Plender and Pettibon alongside Clowes and Crumb. I saw work that I'd known about and had never see before, Adam Dant, and other stuff that was completely new, Jon Pylpchuk. Shriggers surprised me. I saw some work of his that was rather enjoyable. This review is somewhat disappointing, must grumble more. I kept feeling that there was something missing from the show, but couldn't put my finger on it. I felt like I wanted more work from some of the artists, but there was a shedload represented here. We did get into the usual curatorial hissy fit over the tape squares on the floor arounf the sculptures.

Oh, and we had sausage in the Sausage County.

Sketches

It's been more than a week, and I haven't done a lot of actual art, per se, unless you count these pages from the sketchbook. Which I don't. Chris got a job this week, which is good for him and stuff, but it may mean we won't be able to go down to London on the Megabus ("it's canny rough") and spend in excess of a hundred notes just to sell three or four comics. So, anyone fancy helping me man a table at Thing 08?

Save the Arcade

Andrew Owen Johnston announced today that he's no longer going to be doing the Zine Arcade project. For anyone who doesn't know, and I'll try and steer the tone away from obituary, Zine Arcade is a website and anthology centred around self-publishing. The site's main offering was a number of well sourced and informative articles and interviews from self-publishers and retailers who involved themselves in the small press scene. It's not actually a scene. That word just slipped out. Apologies.

In the same way that a fist fight accompanies a night at the opera, the words on the site were complemented with the publication of Zine Arcade #1, an anthology of self published fiction, faction, poetry, art, photography, and comics. This is where you should get involved. If you can muster a few free moments, go over to the site and purchase yourself a copy of the antho, hopefully the influx will convince Mr Johnston to kick his 16th Century era printing press back into action.

Well, maybe not, but it's a quality publication anyway, and a shame to see something with so much promise depart.

EDIT

I like to think it's as a result of this post, but it's clearly not. Andy's reconsidering the end of Zine Arcade! The website will stay alive if people contribute articles, musings, rants and reviews. The Facebook group is a good place to get in contact.

24 Minute Comic

Did another 24 Minute Comic at the Comics Forum last Thursday. To rock everyone's worlds this time, a third word was introduced into the mix. This is Obtuse Canon Moon.

Go on, have a click and enlarge. I love brush pens, me.

Requests, Resolutions and Medium Pimpin'

We'll kick off the first post of the year with some nostaglia. About this time last year I was in Germania, and talk of holiday preparation this year had led to a request for this drawing to be pasted up on the shabby corner of the internet that I lay claim to.

I had to edit Amy out of this because she has to approve every drawing I do of her, and she's at work now. Then that's Amy H on the left, Michael and Alison. I did it over two pages which is why there's a big gap in the middle.

Of the new year's resolutions that involve comics and the blog, there are only two, namely, to blog more, at least once a week with pictures and that, the requests thing is part of that. Secondly, go to at least one comics convention/get together/gathering/goat sacrifice/whatever the kids are calling them these days. By virtue of it being the most appropriate and the soonest, we may be having a jaunt down to London Village for the UK Web and Mini Comics Thing 2008, or, as it's more aptly named Thing.

...Well, that is if Chris e-mails me back before the exhibitor tables fill up.

And the pimp this week, or something, is for my fellow 19th century explorer and leftist agitator, Mr Matthew Briggs. He's got some rather contentious and well crafted tirades over at his new site. Get offended and leave a comment.

And don't go on Facebook on New Year's. Long story.