Reports of the Eagle Awards Death “Greatly Exaggerated”

May 31, 2012 by Leave a comment

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While live tweeting the Eagle Awards last Friday I reported the shock announcement by MCM’s Brian Cooney that the Eagles would be ending their 30 year run with immediate effect. Well, it turns out that things are not quite what they seem.

Eagle Awards organiser, Cassandra Conroy issued the following press release today, stating that not only was the announcement false but that MCM had made it without the permission of the Eagles themselves.

I wanna say quickly that full credit for this story goes to the guys at Geek Syndicate. I’m merely passing on the press release they were sent. The Eagles’ relationship with MCM is something of a quagmire and I’m trying not to be one of the many people who has a loud opinion on the matter, but I figured since I was one of the people who broke the original story, it was only right to report the response.

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release

Thursday, May 31, 2012

EAGLE AWARDS CONTINUE TO FLY HIGH

“People often say ‘Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet’ and this is one of those times,” announced Eagle Awards chair Cassandra Conroy.

Referring to an announcement made by MCM Expo’s Bryan Cooney at the conclusion of 2012 Eagle Awards ceremony on Friday night, she added, “To paraphrase Mark Twain: The reports of the Eagles’ death have been greatly exaggerated.

“Neither my father (Eagle Awards founder Mike Conroy) nor I attended Friday night’s ceremony, which we were boycotting in response to actions that are now being reviewed by my lawyer. Thus we don’t know exactly what Bryan said,” she explained. “However, with Bleeding Cool posting that Friday night’s ceremony was ‘the end of the road for the Eagle Awards after 30-some years and from next May, there’d be something called The MCM Awards instead.’ and others suggesting that next year the Eagles would be transformed into entirely new awards. I feel the need to put the record straight…

“The Eagles are neither dead nor morphing into anything else. MCM Expo is in no position to announce, imply or indicate otherwise,” Conroy stated. “In fact no third party can casually discard what my father has developed over the past 36 years. The Eagles will continue to soar into 2013 and beyond. We’ll be announcing further details of our plans for next year in the near future.”

I imagine we’ve not heard the last of this rather messy situation. It’s a shame to see two organisations that I like very much going at it like this but I guess all’s fair in love and comic book awards.

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A New Unseen Shadows Comic From Dan Thompson

April 29, 2012 by Leave a comment

Those of you who follow us week in and week out will already know that we had a really nice time at Demoncon last Sunday. The part that we didn’t mention at the time was that I had a meeting with Barry Nugent while we were setting up. Barry approached me a few months back with regards to maybe doing another Unseen Shadows comic for the second US anthology, “Tales of the Forgotten” and obviously I said yes because I’d had such a blast working on Band of Butchers last year. I finished the script a couple of months back but we’ve been keeping it quiet while we search for an art team to make the book a reality and that’s where chap called Peter Mason comes in.

Peter is currently in the process of drawing the second book in Cy Dethan’s outstanding Cancertown series and had gotten talking to Barry during the opening stages of the convention. He showed Barry some of his portfolio, Barry passed it on to me and both of us were utterly blown away by the kinetic energy and sheer quality of his work. Long story short, we pretty much offered him the job on the spot, he said yes and just like that, we have a new comic in the works!

The book is called “Ashfall” and it’s a one shot comic about a veteran paranormal investigator called Nathan Ash. Nathan is the mentor to Unseen Shadows poster boy, Napoleon Stone and features heavily in Barry’s best selling novel “Fallen Heroes.” In this story we’re going to be exploring the relationship between the two men, as well as creating a kick ass adventure story which you can enjoy whether you’ve read the novel or not.

I don’t have a release date for the book yet but I’ll keep you updated on any major developments. You can also follow the project over at the Unseen Shadows Website.

Now why not enjoy some of Peter’s incredible character sketches for the book?

Napoleon Stone by Peter Mason

Nathan Ash by Peter Mason

 

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Moon Digital Comic Update

April 17, 2012 by Leave a comment

Those of you who follow such things will know that there have been some changes in the world of digital comics recently. A couple of weeks ago, Graphicly announced that they were moving out of digital comics distribution and instead focusing on the wider world of digital publishing. It’s a smart business move as Comixology pretty much has the comics market all sewn up but it does have certain implications for our operation.

As you may know, Graphicly were our partners in terms of bringing Moon onto digital devices and for a time you were able to buy a very nice digital copy of the book for a mere 99c. Sadly with Graphicaly closing that part of its business, this has come to an end. If you already purchased a digital copy of Moon #1 then you will still be able to read it via the Graphicly app on your phone, tablet or desktop. As of now however, the book is no longer available for sale to new readers and I’ll be taking the links down from the site today.

It’s a big shame because we put a lot of time into getting the book ready for digital, but Graphicly are a business and you can’t fault them for wanting to find more profitable ways of operating. Despite the problems it causes us, I actually think that what Graphicly are doing is quite exiting for e-publishing in general and there are certainly no hard feelings at our end.

I’m now looking into a new option for distribution Moon digitally. It’ll most likely take on a slightly more low-fi format, such as emailed PDFs or some-such but right now I’m not 100% sure. A lot of the doors that were open to smaller publishers a few years ago have been closed in favour of deals with bigger names but the changes are far from over and with every shift comes opportunities. I firmly believe that digital comics are a huge aspect of the future of our business and that independent publishers have a part to play in that evolution.

We’ve been forging our own path here at BTB since day one so it’s not like this is new ground for us. We’ll find a way and be the better for it, of that I have no doubt.

In the meantime, you can continue to buy Moon in print from our shop or at any of the conventions you see on the right hand side of the screen.

Thanks to everyone who bought the book while it was available and thanks to Graphicly for giving us a home, albeit for a short time.

Here’s to the future.

D
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Time Lapse Footage of a Comic Con

March 29, 2012 by Leave a comment

This is a bit of an old vid but as we’re approaching the UK convention season I thought it’d be fun to throw it up for anyone who has never been to an event. Back in 2010 the organisers of the MCM Expo decided to film the entire 4 days of their convention (2 days of set up, 2 days of con) and speed it up so that it all fitted into 6 minutes. While you’ll probably end up skipping ahead a few times, it is fascinating to see just how much work goes on behind the scenes at these mega-events and the sheer number of people that fill up the venue when the doors finally open is worth a look in itself.

If this has whetted your appetite for checking out a comic con then remember that you can catch Steve and I at the following conventions this year:

Demoncon, Maidstone, Kent
Kapow, London
MCM Expo, London
London Film & Comic Con, London
Thought Bubble, Leeds

There’s bound to be a few more to announce as we go, so keep an eye on the site for updates.

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RIP Mœbius (1938-2012)

March 11, 2012 by 4 Comments

Jean Henri Gaston Giraud was a french comics artist, working in the french tradition of bandes dessinées (literally drawn strip or BDs).Known more prominently as Mœbius, and to a lesser extent Gir, the latter appearing in a boxed form at the bottom of the artists paintings.

His work has influenced generations of artists around the world for years. His transcendent, highly detailed technical ability belying the incredible simplicity of his compositions. The idea shines most brightly in most of Mœbius’ work, rendered with a clarity of vision rarely seen in any other artist.



Among his most famous creation was the Western comic series “Blueberry” which he cocreated with Jean-Michel Charlier, one of the first Western anti-heroes to appear in comics. Under the pseudonym Moebius he created a wide range of science fiction and and fantasy comics in a highly imaginative and surreal almost abstract style, the most famous of which are Arzach and the Airtight Garage of Jerry Cornelius, and the The Incal. Blueberry was adapted for the screen in 2004, and in 1997 Moebius and cocreator Alejandro Jodorowsky sued Luc Besson for using the Incal as inspiration for his movie The Fifth Element, a lawsuit which they lost.

Moebius contributed storyboards and concept designs to numerous science fiction and fantasy films, including Alien, Willow, and Tron.

Mœbius has given the most famous western artists and film makers their style. Modern industry legends such as Simon Bisley or Frank Quitely, Liam Sharp or Jamie Hewlett have drawn hhuge swathes of inspiration from his work.

The world of comics is significantly poorer without him, or would be had his legacy already been so securely etched into the rock face of modern comics art. An inspiration and an example to all artists arriving into the world now, Jean Henri Gaston Giraud’s effect will be felt for a great many years to come – perhaps as long as comic books exist.

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Comic Book & TV Letterheads From the Past

March 5, 2012 by Leave a comment

In today’s email-centric world there doesn’t seem to much place for the humble letterhead, but in decades gone by they were as essential a business tool as a phone or a pen. A quality letterhead was a way of verifying the authenticity of a letter as well as the credentials of the sender and as a result, everyone had them.

This week Retronaut has been showcasing the letterheads of everyone from Adolf Hitler to David Bowie and, while they’re all fascinating, some of the most creative ones come from the legends of the entertainment industry. I’ve pulled out a few choice examples which I thought would be of interest to you dear Bunkerites. Who knows, if you’re old enough to have written a fan letter to one of these people, you may even have a genuine one of these kicking around somewhere!

Fawcett Comics - 1942

Charles Schulz - 1958

The Star Wars Corporation - 1976

Paramount Pictures - 1978

The Muppets Show Fan Club - 1981

Marvel Comics - 1982

Lucas Film - 1982

You can view the full collection over at Retronaut.

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Moon Wins GPO Editor’s Choice Award!

February 23, 2012 by 1 Comment

 

I got a tweet last night from Dave Probert over at Geek Planet Online telling me that I might want to check their recent awards listings. Just to be different, GPO holds its Editor’s Choice awards around Oscars season (or more specifically, around Kermode Awards season). I clicked on the link and was somewhat knocked sideways by what I saw within:

“Comic of the Year – Moon”

That’s right. The Geek Planet Online Editor’s Choice award has gone to the adventures of a man with a Moon for a head and we couldn’t be more pleased. Here’s a little excerpt from the post:

“Dan Thompson and Steve Penfold balance comedy and action perfectly with a book that feels uniquely British. It takes huge courage to have the title character be not only mute but have a moon for a head. It’s ridiculous and shouldn’t work but Moon was the most fun I have had reading a comic last year. Like Stake Land it deserves to be seen by a wider audience.”

Huge thanks to GPO for their support, to Ivanna Matilla (without whom the book would be a shell of itself) and to everyone who has supported the comic up to this point…and to the academy.

You can read an interview that I did with GPO a while back by clicking here and if you’ve yet to join the fun then you can pick up a copy of the award winning action-comedy, Moon, at this weekend’s London Super Comic Convention or direct from this site.

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New Unseen Shadows Project in the Works

February 16, 2012 by Leave a comment

Morning everyone,

Those of you who follow me on twitter will know that I’ve been having a bit of a moan lately about how as a writer you’re never allowed to talk about the stuff you’re working on. It’s a one of the drawbacks of being at the very start of what is always a very long creative process but there are very good reasons for it. Many projects that get started go nowhere and if I went around every script that I started work on then you’d come to believe that we have an upcoming catalogue comparable to Marvel. 90% the stuff I start writing goes in the bin or goes back into the closet to be brought out at a later date and until one of those ephemeral ideas begins to coalesce into something more substantial, I don’t see any benefit in talking about it publicly.

Which is all a rather round about way of saying that I probably have another new comic coming out later this year. Since Christmas I’ve been working on a new Unseen Shadows one shot for the follow up anthology to Tales of the Fallen (available from all good stockists and this one) and it looks like it’s far enough along that you can all know about it now. The script went off to Unseen Shadows editor, Barry Nugent, last week and, pending a few edits we should be looking for an art team in the near future.

The comic itself is not a direct follow up to last year’s Band of Butchers but rather will feature a tale about Unseen Shadows’ front man, Napoleon Stone chasing down his old mentor in a story of friendship, betrayal and big fights in exotic locations. It’s been a real thrill to get a crack at writing one of the Unseen Shadows A-listers and, as always, Barry has proven to be a very fine editor indeed. The man knows his universe but he’s not afraid to let others play in it, the perfect combination to my mind.

I’m now going to go back to doing that annoying “not talking about the project” thing as we need to secure the rest of the dream team that will bring this book together. As soon as I know more about stuff like release dates etc, I promise that I shall let you know. For now be content to know that if you dug Tales of the Fallen then you will be smiling even more by the end of 2012.

Take care,

D
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(I’m also working on a film project right now…but I can’t talk about that.)

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Comics, Controversy and Joe Quesada. Full Kapow Guest List Announced!

February 13, 2012 by Leave a comment

Ever since London Super Comic Con announced Stan Lee as their guest of honour, all eyes have been on the UK’s other big cons to see how they would respond. Well, the first retaliatory shot in the (largely imaginary) battle for convention guest supremacy has now been fired as Kapow Comic Con announced today that Marvel Chief Creative Officer, Joe Quesada will head up their own guest list. Now in its second year, the Mark Millar fronted convention is seen by many as the closest match (in terms of style) to the new born LSCC, so a lot of people have been very excited to see what kind of guest list Millar’s team would pull out in the face of LSCC’s behemoth of a line-up.

As well as serving as Editor in Chief for 10 years, during which time he masterminded much of the modern Marvel universe, Joe Quesada is also a hugely celebrated artist in his own right. A feature that we ran back in October, collecting a selection of his “building the cover” tweets, remains our highest ranking post (largely due to Joe himself being kind enough to give us a shout out on twitter and facebook). While he may not be a household name in the way Stan Lee is, Joe Q is a massive guest in comic book terms and a lot of fans are going to be very happy indeed about this announcement.

Other guests announced for the show include Warren Ellis (another good catch as he’s a relatively infrequent convention attendee), Frank Quitely, Frankie Boyle and Jimmy Carr (who apparently wrote some stuff for CLiNT Magazine). It’s not a list devoid of controversy (it is a Mark Millar project after all) and the failure (once again) to feature any female creators is unlikely to do Kapow any favours when it comes to silencing some of their more vocal critics (the con has been accused of deliberate sexism in the past). Likewise packing the top of the bill with stand up comedians while relegating writers and artists to the lower rungs could be seen as something of a cynical move for a convention that claims to be all about the comics. On the whole though, it’s a pretty solid line up and the majority of fans should be pretty happy.

If you want to learn more about Joe Quesada’s work then you can check out his Practitioner’s article and you can buy tickets for Kapow itself from their website.

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Max Landis on The Death of Superman

February 9, 2012 by Leave a comment

The Death and Return of Superman is one of those things that Steve and I have always differed on. Steve read it in the original issues as a kid (ie how you’re supposed to read it) and thought it was awesome. I read it in my twenties in a public library in Gravesend while local children threw rocks at the windows (ie how you’re not supposed to read anything) and was somewhat less enthused. There’s a good chance that some of you may not have read it at all but thankfully there is a man swooping to the rescue to fill you in on what the event was all about. It’s not Superman, it’s Max Landis.

As well as being the son of movie legend, John Landis, Max Landis is rapidly becoming something of a household name in his own right. With his script for the movie Chronicle earning him a mountain of praise from critics and audiences alike, it’s only a matter of time before he joins the likes of Duncan Jones in the ranks of famous children who have stepped well out of the shadow of their fathers.

First though, Max has a few things he wants to get straightened out and top of his list is ensuring that nobody forgets about DC Comics’ attempt to boost sales by killing off everybody’s Kryptonian. He does this with the help of Elijah Wood, Mandy Moore, Simon Pegg, a bottle of whiskey and some very funny Charlie Brooker esque ranting.

Enjoy

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