CannyComicCon 2012

I dipped my toe into the world of the comic convention this year and had a half table at the CannyComicCon in Newcastle in early December

(That's me in the white Jikan T-shirt. Photo taken by Terry Wiley, the talent behind Verity Fair)

I was sat next to that splendid chap Paul Von Scott, publisher of the Solar Wind and Omnivistascope anthologies, who helped make the day a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Paul is obviously an old hand at these conventions and a lot of folk came over to chat with him which led to me joining in and making a decent amount of sales of PARAGON issues as they often picked them up for a browse and put their hands in their pockets for a copy or two. I actually sold out of issues 7,8,10 and 11!!

AAIIEEE!!! also sold out with people actually coming over and saying "Ah that's the one I want - I've read about it online!".
I had one of the pro artists have a flick through and comment on the high quality of the comic, so it was certainly worthwhile being there.

I only got to one event in the adjoining room - to see the the fan film Judge Minty (which is excellent, by the way - definitely worth a view) and had a chat with 2000AD covers blog maestro, Pete Wells.
I didn't get much of a chance to wander the other tables unfortunately but did make my way over to Mary and Bryan Talbot's table to buy a copy of Dotter of her Father's Eyes which I also got signed (and sketched in)

It was a long day but very enjoyable. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Roll on next year!

Coming in 2013...

So what can we expect in 2013? No-one asked. Well, I'll tell you... no, I'll show you

Something Greg and I worked up almost a year ago and I'm starting work on now - we have already talked of a sequel to this 30something page adventure so I hope you like it!

We'll also see Red Sands by Matt McLaughlin, more El Bigote, more Spencer Nero, vampire adventures with Cushing & Sons (by Mark Howard) and British 50s retro X-files stories featuring Tommy Rocket by James Corcoran

Stick with PARAGON!

The Best of the Year ... in Graphic Novels

I've read a load this year, not only graphic novels but collections of regular series, such as Chew, The Spirit and the collected BPRD Plague of Frogs Book 4

It's been a good year for graphic novels too. We have had the English edition of the latest in the fantastic Blacksad series

The Nao of Brown is rightly getting rave reviews from everyone and where and Mary Talbot's Dotter of Her Father's Eyes has been nominated in the Costa Book Awards

But it's her husband who gets my vote for book of the year with another in the Anthropomorphic Steampunk Adventure series, Grandville.
Bete Noire is brilliant - if Santa doesn't bring it for you, go get it in the sales!!


So that's my choices for the best of the bunch - what's your choice for the year?

Best of the Year ... at the Movies

So it's been a pretty good year for genre films, what with John Carter, Prometheus, The Hobbit and of course, the new Bond fim, Skyfall. But do you know what? Not one of those is in my top three films for the year.

In third place I would have;

UNTOUCHABLE A feel good French movie based on the true story of a rich paraplegic who employs an untrained male nurse to help him.

Runner up would be;

ARGO is a thriller film directed by Ben Affleck, based loosely on an account published in 2007 of the "Canadian Caper", in which Tony Mendez, a CIA operative, led the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran, Iran, during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.

And my film of the year?
Another foreign language film from a story by Jo Nesbo

JACKPOT At a plastic Christmas tree factory in Norway, three dangerous ex-cons and their supervisor win 1.7 million kroner on the pools. As trust and friendship quickly dissolve, guns are loaded, knives are sharpened, and the division of the money begins...



So what would yours be?

Inside PARAGON #12

Ginger Perkins by Jim Cameron. PARAGON #12 is now available direct from me using paypal for only £2.50 plus P&P. Just click the link!

Guess Who?

Inside PARAGON#12

SPENCER NERO by Greg Meldrum and Tom Newell/Dave Candlish And until Christmas the e-edition is FREE to download! Go on, what have you got to lose?

Inside PARAGON #12

Jikan the time travelling demon hunter is back! Did I mention it's free P&P today? What are you waiting for?!!

Santa hats are cool

Inside PARAGON 12 ...

Li'l Ganesh and the Secret Volcano by Davey Candlish & Jim Cameron - a Rupert style story featuring the young Hindu God Buy a digital copy of issue 12 for only 99p from lulu.com

PARAGON#12 out now!

Click the cover on the right to buy the latest issue - and marvel at the fantastic art on Icarus Dangerous by Stephen Prestwood above!

Doctor Who

It's almost time for Christmas Who...

A Comicsy exclusive

You see that headline?

That's a link to a Comicsy exclusive - a digital download version of issue 3 (featuring the debut of Battle Ganesh - the Hindu God turned superhero) for only 75p!

The One That Got Away...

Sometimes you can get all fired up over a project, only for it to fall through. Ah well, here's a pre-lim character sketch for one of those