JIKAN - in the beginning

The first Jikan story was printed in issue 2 of PARAGON (back issues still available, only £1.50! Click the link on the right to order), but was originally drawn as a 3 panel newspaper style strip (I was reading a lot of Modesty Blaise collections at the time) and has never been seen in this form - until now.



It's actually a difficult style to do - how do you move a story on and yet have a cliffhanger every three frames? Have a look and see if I succeeded.

As always, I'd love to know what you think

Hey Ho, Hey Ho...

It's off to the printers we go!

As PARAGON#5 wanders off to the printers (but unfortunately won't be back till the new year) I thought it was time I showed you the front cover in all it's glory.

What do you think?

Almost there...

With PARAGON 5 almost done (just a little bit of lettering left to do) here's a little teaser for issue 6...

Ganesh on Myebook

I've received an email from myebook.com to tell me the first Ganesh episode has had over a thousand readers.! Which is nice.

The word is spreading. Slowly, but spreading!



On other PARAGON news, after a recent call to arms for writers to take over the reigns on Jikan, I now have a veritable stable of writers hard at work on scripts for the time travelling, demon hunting Japanese warrior. Expect to see him hurtling through the time vortex again very soon!

What if DUDLEY WATKINS drew for PARAGON?

The idea just came to me when I was flicking through old Broons and Oor Wullie annuals...

PARAGON 5

Well that settles it then. Steven Denton has sent me a coloured version of the close up of Ganesh - a picture I was toying with using as the cover for issue 5 - It would just be rude not to use it!
No, seriously, Steven has been doing some fantastic work with 2000AD artist PJ Holden, so I am mightily pleased to have him on board once again for the colour cover work on issue 5.

Stick around - it won't be long, and it's going to be a fantastic issue!

Ganesh/Strontium Dog crossover chaos?

Well we've had the small press crossover and Ganesh meeting Tozo, so I suppose it was inevitable this would happen again. This time it appears our betrunked hero has run into Mr Sun and Mr Moon, two characters from an early Strontium Dog story (the first one I read in fact) that I brushed off and brought back from Hell itself and sneaked them into FutureQuake Press' Dogbreath, the SD fanzine. One can only wonder at the cheek of them for insulting Ganesh's large, strange head. They would try the patience of a saint - it is just lucky Ganesh is a god or they'd be roundhoused straight back to Hell. Click for a larger version.

The drawing is from Dave Evans who is not only one of the FQP editors but is not a shabby letterer or pencil jockey under the nom-de-plume Bolt-01 (his work can be found popping up all over the British small press comics scene). As he was sending my contributor copies (as I have something in three of their titles this time round: Zarjaz, Dogbreath and Something Wicked) I thought I'd get him to throw in a bundle of the early issues they have, which came with the offer of a free sketch. The topic was too good to resist and the result is far better than I could hope for.

Now I'd better go and finish the Undertow script so we can get the next issue polished off and out by Christmas. Keep watching this space for developments.

PARAGON #3 going cheap!

You can now read the very first Ganesh tale on myebook. Just click the link!

Or course, that's just part of the issue. If you want a copy, click the link below. Now at the sale price of only £1.50, and that includes postage. 32 pages featuring Ganesh, zombies, vampires, hitmen, and the history of Amicus films. An absolute bargain!

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8611724

As you can see below, work continues quite nicely on the Lego Ganesh strip.
I've seen the first four pages of Stephen Prestwoods' art for the ongoing Ganesh tale and it looks just as fantastic as his last episode.
Steven Denton is back onboard for the third issue in a row to colour the cover (and if you have seen the work he has done with 2000AD regular PJ Holden, you'll know I regard this as quite a coup!).
And the page layouts are all done for the next episode of We're On Our Way to Wembley . At this rate, the new issue could be out by Christmas. You lucky people!

New review of #4

Ed Kaye over at Hypergeek has just posted a review of PARAGON 4 on his site

http://www.hypergeek.ca/2009/09/small-press-comic-review-paragon-4.html#1

with some nice comments;

Ganesh - This story is hilarious! Issue two also sees Stephen Prestwood take over artwork chores from Dave Candlish. Prestwood bring a much more professional look to the book, and really helps to shake off the manga influence, giving the book a much more unique look

Undertow - This was a pretty interesting story, and had the feel of a good Terror Tale 2000 AD. I’m pretty interested to see where this one goes!

Wembley - Dave Candlish’s artwork on the strip is pretty basic, but he definitely has style!

And overall, this is still a solid collection that had tons of great stories and artwork. Battle Ganesh is probably my favourite strip out of them all, and as a series is packed full of potential

Who am I to argue?

PARAGON #5 cover?

I was all set in my mind to go with Julian Ruby as the cover star for issue 5 - the hitman who's as quick with a quip as he is with his gun, when I sat down with a pencil last night and drew this.

An aged, battle scarred Ganesh - quite a catching image.

Now I'm torn - do I ink this up, or stick with my original plan? What do you think?

Lego Ganesh - Building up nicely!

(Did you see what I did there with the title? Lego? Building? Never mind)

Just to prove I don't spend all Sunday morning sitting on the sofa in my underpants watching Babylon 5 DVDs, here's proof of what I've been working on today.

Is it genetically modified Russian sprinter, Igo Zoominoff?

Nope, it's my usual scruffy pencil work on Ganesh's latest nemesis - Deathwheel!

Now it's just a case of inking and tidying, and we're done. Stephen Prestwood has also got his script for the next episode of the Ganesh and his Gang in Space storyline and should be hard at work on that (although knowing Mr P, he's probably on Facebook doing another quiz, instead of at the drawing board), so it's all coming along nicely. If it keeps up at this pace, PARAGON 5 should be out for Christmas - so don't forget to tell Santa what you want in your stocking! (Although I'm going to ask for Monica Bellucci in mine - you never know your luck)

2000AD forum Art Competition

Every month the 2000AD forums have an art competition with a new topic chosen by the winner of the last one. You know, for fun.

This month the topic was forthcoming thrills, and I took as inspiration this;

Massai Ferguson (an all-new strip about the adventures of a young man whose mother was an African princess and his father a lapsed Scottish missionary) by Pat Mills

Not a real strip, but one that board member Cosh wishes they would publish!

So this is my Coming Soon poster.

Sneaky peak - Julian Ruby

Here's another panel from a work in progress that is almost complete - the next episode of the Paul Grist inspired artwork for Julian Ruby. After this it's time to crack on with more Lego Ganesh!

REDEYE magazine out now!

There's a new issue of REDEYE out now to download as a PDF - essential reading for anyone interested in the British comic scene, now that Comics International is no longer a regular in the shops. It only costs a quid and can be found here

http://www.enginecomics.co.uk/redeye/reframeset.htm

I only mention it because there's a review of the latest PARAGON in there, saying

"...Prestwoods' art is the strongest in the magazine...

... Candlish's art on Undertow seems to be channelling Rian Hughes...

Battle Ganesh could be the next Bulldog... "

Well, I'd be pleased if it was - Bulldog kept Jason Cobley busy for nigh on twenty years in comics, and he's has since found work with DFC (now sadly defunct) and Classic Comics - so that can't be bad.
The reviewer also suggests putting a company or imprint logo on the cover - I did consider this, but apparently there's a little company in America that publishes the odd comic which already uses my initials, so I thought they might take umbrage if I used them!

In the beginning...

My favourite comic or magazine over the years has to be Dez Skinn's WARRIOR. It's something I go back to time and again and re-read. Nothing came to close to it for years until one day I was in Forbidden Planet and saw a copy of BAM!, a small press comic published by Jason Cobley. here was another black and white anthology with some great characters, including Winston Bulldog.

I thought Bulldog was a fantastic character and drew up a sample page, hoping to peak Jason's interest, and throw a script my way. Unfortunately, in a masterclass of timing, I had discovered BAM! just as Jason had decided to fold it and go in a different direction, so I never got the chance to draw a full story. But here's the first couple of pages I drew as a sample. I still like it.

Anyway, with BAM! gone, I decided to investigate other small press works, and found there are loads to choose from! And I thought, I could do that.

PARAGON is kinda based on WARRIOR with Julian Ruby starting out as a Mr Cream clone (the hitman who had a cameo role in Marvelman), Jikan - the time travelling demon-stalking japanese warrior replacing Shandor, short terror tales, comic strip film adaptations, and with issue 3, Emperor came up with Ganesh, a big-footed chap who thumps things. Sound a bit like Axel Pressbutton?

It ain't perfect yet, but it's improving. I hope you'll stick around for the journey

Ganesh & Tozo - face to face

David O'Connell - who is the creator of the brilliant TOZO on the web (check the link on the right) and also publishes collected comics of the strips for those who prefer to hold a paper copy in their hands - has sent me this picture which I thought I'd share with y'all.

Now go visit his website.

Also On The Drawing Board

Oh yes, and this chap is back. Looking slightly different in this strip!

Don't panic, he will also be continuing his adventures in space, from the drawing board of Stephen Prestwood. You lucky people! Two Ganesh strips next time!

On The Drawing Board

Almost completed is the next episode of the adventures of hitman Julian Ruby.

His business card reads "Contractor. No job too small".

Which is just as well, as the contract he's taken on is a mad midget Geordie scientist on Tyneside.

Small Press Crossover!

Current Ganesh artist Stephen Prestwood has drawn this fantastic montage of small press heroes - a special prize of a half sucked sweetie covered in fluff from the bottom of my jacket pocket to the first person who can name all the characters depicted here!

I'll start you off... the one with the trunk is Ganesh...

Reviews of PARAGON #4

You can see what others on the web thought of the latest issue in the reviews at Down the Tubes

http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.com/2009/06/in-review-paragon-4.html

and at Comics Bulletins

http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/124538503047457.htm

and you can buy a copy here

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5338759

or email that nice chap Shane Chebsey at Smallzone who has a few copies for sale, or of course just contact me for snail mail details!

PARAGON 4 OUT NOW!!

PARAGON 4 is here, and GANESH is back! This time he's brought his gang! To fight Crab Men from Space!
Also features We're On Our Way To Wembley - Six geordies, one bus, lots of beer, and a whole load of trouble!
And Undertow returns to ask; Just how do you kill a man who is already dead?
Not to mention Buster Crabbe!

From the small press talents of Paul Harrison Davies (TOXIC!), Stephen Prestwood (Hardboiled Hitler), Steven Denton (Massacre for Boys) and the Emperor!

For three shiny pound coins you can have 32 pages of small press brilliance
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5338759

PARAGON 4 on its way

PARAGON 4 has gone to the printers... not long now...

A little doodle I was quite chuffed with... Hellboy, if you weren't sure.

PARAGON 4 almost there...

As PARAGON 4 nears completion, I think I can drop a few teasers out;

Paul Harrison Davies has contributed another excellent back page, and I hope to have another piece of his artwork inside the magazine too - if he can fit me into his busy schedule - have you seen his work for the cover of Bruce Campbells' biography? Brilliant stuff!

Stephen Prestwood takes over on the artwork front for the latest chapter of Battle Ganesh from me, with another script from the Emperor, and has turned in some fantastic pages -all I need to do is get it lettered, and we are done.

Speaking of the Emperor, we also have the next installment of Undertow from his pen, taking over from Pete Salmond who appears to have vanished into the ether.

And the other strip this time round is written by my Dad and his old mate Terry! Actually it's a TV script they wrote in the wake of the very first series of Auf Wiedersehen Pet which they then touted round local production companies with no success, until I decided to adapt it into a comic strip, and the blurb reads;
Six Geordies, one bus, several crates of beer, and a whole lot more trouble!

So it's all looking rather good indeed....