Classical Comics: Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë

British Editions (Cover price £9.99) Click here for an explanation of the text versions
Original Text Version ISBN: 978-1-906332-87-7Click here to buy from:amazon.co.uk	Quick Text Version ISBN: 978-1-906332-88-4Click here to buy from:amazon.co.uk
Previews Available (pdfs)
Original Text Sampler	Quick Text Sampler
US Editions (Cover price $16.95) Click here for an explanation of the text versions
Original Text Version ISBN: 978-1-907127-11-3 Pub Date:March 2012	Quick Text Version ISBN: 978-1-907127-12-0 Pub Date:March 2012

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Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontë 



“That minx, Catherine Linton, or Earnshaw, or however she was called – wicked little soul! She told me she had been walking the earth these twenty years: a just punishment for her mortal transgressions, I’ve no doubt!”


Emily Brontë’s only novel is famous the world over and is the favourite classic of many readers. It is easy to see why, with hardship, insanity, cruelty, frustrated love, and ghosts. What more could anyone want from a book?

Script Adaptation:	Sean M. Wilson
Artwork:	John M. Burns
Lettering:	Jim Campbell
Format:	160 pages full colour sewn paperback 246x168mm
Versions: (click here for info)	Original Text (abridged) Quick Text

Coloured (unlettered) pages:






Of course, when I was a school kid we never read the Bronte sisters at all. They were considered by educationalists to be “a girls books” and we boys had our own standard reading material.  I think it’s one of the things I appreciate more now that I’ve, uh, “matured” -reading books we were not allowed to or just didn’t give a hoot about back then.


Of course, the one thing that is consistent about Clive Bryant’s Classical Comics is the quality of the package you get.


The script adapting the book is spot on and well paced.


The art is…well, this is John M. Burns -probably one of the most under rated comic artists around.  Click on the small pages to get a larger image -if they look ultra-detailed and superb in this size on a computer screen wait til you see the printed page!  This is a master artist at work and if this doesn’t get you then get back to looking at match-stick figures it’s all you deserve!


There are the two versions, of course -Original Text and Quick Text. What this adaption does is bring out the characterisation and plot of Bronte’s which can be quite dark in places  with the sudden explosion of violence (I saw pages 44-47 and did say “Yiiii!” out loud!) . This was Emily’s only novel which is sad but, if you’ve read about the Bronte Sisters you’ll know their lives were bloody depressing!  Luckily, there is a bio in this book as well as a look at how page creation works from script to finished page.


Educationally, this is another book schools ought to have.  In fact, it would be nice to see every school in the country have a set of Classical Comics books.


After the incredible A Midsummer Nights Dream, I have to write that Wuthering Heights is yet another graphic novel adaption that anyone professing to be a comic fan should have in their collection.


Check out the company site because if you’ve never read a Classical Comics book then you are missing out.  seriously.

New Release: Paul Brown’s THE TALL TREES

Paul A. Brown
Black Tower CG
A4
12pp
Black & White
£2.00


Paul Ashley Brown, renowned co-creator of the 1980s cult Vigilante Vulture and in more recent years the Browner Knowle series and Laurie Bird (amongst others), wrote and drew a weird and disturbing strip for a Black Tower anthology.


I saw it and decided that no way was this being hidden amongst other strips. Probably the best comic he’s written/drawn in ages!


Here it is in all its lush black and white goryness!

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-tall-trees/16600415

New Release: Dilworth’s Horror & Ghost Stories

Dilworth’s Horror & Ghost Stories
Black Tower CG
A4
Black & White
18pp
£2.50


Well, it had to happen! The Phantom Detective introduces 12 illustrated text stories designed to get you ready for All Hallows Eve…or just a cosy night in reading.


If you are one of the Xendragon fans from Black Tower Adventure then you need to know that chrome dome cameos in this -but its not linked to any ongoing story so you don’t have to buy to understand what’s going on somewhere!


You like ghosts and horror then this should set you right!


http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/dilworths-horror-ghost-stories/16599487

Super Heroes Of Suburbia

I don’t know if any CBOers saw this 25 minute programme? There are a LOT of people in the UK -as in the US/Mexico- adopting costumes to “right wrongs” but only four featured in this programme that seemed to be edited to make it all one big joke.

The article below refers to The Dark Void and his “Spider-man” costume. Actually, its based on the Golden Age (US) Daredevil.  I was choked up with laughter at certain points especially since the participants failed to take heed of all the super hero rules:

1) Never be seen in public without your mask (even Blue Saviour stood by that one when going to a disco…a DEATH DISCO!).

2) Never publicly reveal your secret identity.

3) Never be filmed with loved ones who are named.

4) Never EVER reveal where you live.

There is more -I mean they breached most rules whereas former KGB man, Wade Retro is NEVER EVER seen without his mask and The Masked Colonel…well, sadly, they weren’t in this programme.


The You Tube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvwQYcQlBf0


The article by Steven Morris of The Guardian :

TV’s Superheroes of Suburbia shows secret lives of citizens who patrol streets

The Dark Spartan wears strange clothes, but he’s one of many upstanding citizens featured in a new Channel 4 documentary

The Dark Spartan, aka Will, 27, from Torquay, one of the superheroes of suburbia featured on Channel 4. Photograph: Richard Ansett/Channel 4

 

 

By day he is a mild-mannered financial adviser from Devon. But at night he dons an outfit that makes him look like a cross between a riot cop and a gladiator to become “the Dark Spartan”, roaming the mean streets of Torquay on Friday and Saturday nights trying to keep the good people of the English Riviera safe.


The Dark Spartan – aka 27-year-old Will – is the star of a Channel 4 programme, First Cut: Superheroes of Suburbia. According to the programme, there is a growing band of upstanding citizens such as Will to be found trying to clean up the streets of Britain. As well as the Dark Spartan, there is a former soldier called Ken who operates as “the Shadow” and uses “ninjutsu” techniques and smoke bombs to tackle boy racers in Yeovil, Somerset. In Yorkshire, Keiran, a 17-year-old comic-book obsessive, takes on the persona of “Noir” to target muggers.


The programme does not appear to be a spoof. Devon and Cornwall police confirmed that it was “aware of the presence of the Dark Spartan in Torbay”.


However, officers are not routinely picking up the phone to him when trouble is afoot. “Police in Torbay will continue to deal with any incidents as part of their normal duties and investigate any allegations or offences as appropriate,” said a spokeswoman.


Will is accompanied by a Robin-style sidekick on his rounds of Torbay – a comic-store worker who dubs himself the Black Void, sporting a Spiderman costume and carrying a cane. “The Void” admits he has a weak spot, suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, which can cause problems if things get “a little tasty”.


It is probably just as well that one of the pair’s main duties appears to be escorting drunks home rather than fighting twisted master criminals. If messages posted on a Facebook page in the Dark Spartan’s nameare accurate, there is quite a bit of gratitude in Torbay.


“Dark Spartan, I love you. Even when I behaved like a drunk idiot last night, you remained patient and even carried me some of my drunken way home!” reads one message.


Inevitably, not all are kind. “Dark Spartan isn’t a real superhero! He’s a man in riot gear who helps drunks home … why don’t you just not bother, most of ‘em make it home anyways. Let the police do there jobs and get out the way,” spits one critic.


In the programme, Will, a father-of-two, describes how he broke the news of his alter ego to his wife, Julie, telling her: “I’m off out tonight, love, to patrol the streets of Torquay and check out some crime.”

She took it in her stride: “I wasn’t that surprised. I’ve heard worse from him, to be honest.”

On Facebook, Dark Spartan explains why he took on his superhero persona: “Every one of us at some point in our lives experiences injustice,” he says. “Some of us seem to attract injustice.”

He continues: “Money – what people are willing to do for it – makes me sick”.

The Dark Spartan said his personal tragedies, including losing his father at a young age, had made him realise the world is “actually full of bad guys and, no matter who you are or at what point you are in your life, they’ll get you”.

Christian Watt, the director of the programme, said it took him a while to track down the Dark Spartan and the others. “Like all true superheroes, they were reluctant to reveal themselves,” he said.

“Some might say it seems quite absurd to watch them at times, but when you hear their background story, you could say they are quite brave.”


Watch now on 4oD

Marvel/Disney Tells Kirby Family To Go **** Themselves

….At least that is how I read it. Disney, who would probably claim vital organs from creators to sell on the black market if they could, have undone all the good work and changes previous Marvel folk have done to see the late Jack Kirby gets a fair deal -albeit for his family.

Disney-Marvel will screw every red cent it can out of things and will not part with any money…not even one of those red cents.

And Judge Colleen McMahon agrees that is okay. I know US judges tend to have bad reputations but I just hope the Kirby family appeal against this.

I am seriously trying to stop myself hurling obscenities here.

Truly, truly horrendous. I hope Disney and Marvel both go bankrupt. Scum.



NEW YORK – Walt Disney Co.’s Marvel Entertainment owns the rights to the Incredible Hulk and X-Men comic book characters, a federal judge said, ruling against the heirs of Jack Kirby, one of the superheroes’ cocreators.

The children of the late cartoonist do not have the right to terminate the publisher’s copyrights, US District Judge Colleen McMahon ruled yesterday. Marvel said it owned the rights because it employed Kirby.
“This case is not about whether Jack Kirby or Stan Lee is the real ‘creator’ of Marvel characters,’’ McMahon said. “It is about whether Kirby’s work qualifies as work-for-hire under the Copyright Act of 1909.’’

The 2008 Marvel-produced film “The Incredible Hulk’’ grossed $263.4 million, according to boxofficemojo.com. Disney bought Marvel last year for $4.2 billion.

In 2009, Kirby’s adult children sent 45 notices to Marvel to terminate license renewals for the characters in comics published from 1958 to 1963. Marvel sued in January 2010.

A lawyer for the Kirbys did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Kirby, who died in 1994, also created or cocreated the Fantastic Four and the Avengers. His heirs said their father was a freelance artist paid by the page who received no benefits from Marvel. Stan Lee, who worked for Marvel as an editor, is credited as coauthor of the Hulk.

Marvel said Kirby granted it rights to the characters in 1972.

Wade Retro -Photo Ace For The Ashton Vale Chronic

 

Bloody hell! I missed the giant robot at the Bristol Harbour festival but Wade Retro took photos of it, plus the balloons going up at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta today, those multi coloured Gorillas around the city and MORE!!

 

Check out Wade’s Flikr pages:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodbye-blue-monda

Paul Grist Brings New Superhero to Image Comics in Mudman

Berkeley, CA — 11 August 2011 — After self-publishing for much of the ’90s, Paul Grist brought two critically acclaimed original titles to Image Comics in 2002: the crime drama KANE and then the eclectic superhero series JACK STAFF. Recently, Grist has been using his sparse, signature style to develop a new superhero that will be introduced to the world this November with the debut of MUDMAN.

“This is my ‘Back to Basics’ superhero comic,” explained Grist. “It’s not about alien menaces or cosmic powers (though they may pop up once in a while); it’s all about growing up and finding your way in the world, and how the decisions that you make can affect others. In a way, it’s probably the most autobiographical comic I’ve ever done. But with added mud.”

“Paul has been one of my favorite creators since writer Robert Loren Fleming turned me onto KANE back in the ’90s,” said Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson. “His style looks deceptively simple, but he’s a master of his craft, capable of some of the cleverest storytelling in comics. It’s a big thrill for me that Paul’s part of Image, and I can’t wait to see what he does with MUDMAN. ”

In MUDMAN #1, the new school year is just beginning, and it isn’t starting off well for teenager Owen Craig. His day just keeps going from bad to worse: He gets run over, he gets detention, and then he learns his father has actually been taken hostage by armed bank robbers. But that’s only the beginning of his problems. Now his body appears to be turning into mud!

BEST OF BRITISH BATTLE COMICS

Comica’s Comics & Conflicts Conference is to be held on 19-20 August, 2011 at the Imperial War Museum http://www.iwm.org.uk/ in London, and is aimed at comics scholars, practitioners, and enthusiasts. Invited conference speakers and guests will include: Pat Mills (Charley’s War) & Garth Ennis (Battler Britton, War Story) amongst others. The conference explores the ways in which comics around the world represent and articulate the experience and impact of war and conflict.


Titan Books has committed to faithfully reproduce key works from British Battle comics, along with other lines such as the acclaimed Charley’s War series- now a best selling title among British graphic novels. This is an excellent time for articles on British Classic war comics.




The Best of Battle
Patt Mills, Cam Kennedy, Carlos Ezquerra & John Wagner
Created and drawn by some of the biggest names in British comics, icluding Pat Mills and John Wagner, episodes of Battle’s most famous and acclaimed stories are reprinted in this value-packed bumper volume.
Nearly 300 pages of relentless action are collected here, from the desperate dogfights of Johnny Red to the down-and-dirty Rat Pack, the reflective, critically acclaimed Charley’s War and the uncompromising Hellman of Hammer Force!


“This is an absolutely splendid collection and will be lapped up by anyone with an interest in military fiction of any sort.” – SciFi Crowsnest

9781848560253 • 25 September 2009 • 288pp • £9.99





Johnny Red – Falcon’s First Flight
Tom Tully & Joe Colquhoun

Johnny Red: The Falcon’s First Flight is the first volume in an eagerly anticipated series reprinting the classic story by Tom Tully (Roy of the Rovers) and Joe Colquhoun (Charley’s War).

When pilot Johnny Redburn is discharged from the RAF for striking an officer, he is forced to join the Merchant Navy. But a German sneak attack forces Redburn back into the air — in a stolen Hurricane! Redburn aims for Russia, planning to save his plane and career, but on landing, meets the “Falcon Squadron” of the 5th Soviet Air Brigade, who are under German attack! Redburn takes to the skies once more — to fight for Russia!

“This book feels like a historical document and yet reads like the best of any boy’s fiction in any genre. Buy this book and enjoy the authenticity amidst the thrills.” – Weekly Crisis

9781848560338 • 28 January 2011 • 128pp • £14.99



Darkies Mob – The Secret War of Joe Darkie
John Wagner & Mike Western

Set against the savage realities of the Burma Conflict, Darkie’s Mob was one of Battle Picture Weekly’s most action-packed and revolutionary stories.  Showcasing the shocking humour and stark characterisation of Darkie’s Mob, The Secret War of Joe Darkie introduces this unforgettable story of a renegade captain leading a rag-tag squad of British soldiers behind enemy lines, to a new generation of readers.

“Vicious, bloody and belligerent…a dark, at times comically black story of the ‘Forgotten Army’ that doesn’t pull punches” – Comic Heroes


9781848564428 • 1 April 2011 • 160pp • £16.99



Charley’s War (Vol. 8 )  Hitler’s Youth
Pat Mills & Joe Colquhoun

In this explosive new volume of never-before-collected comic strip, Charley comes face to face with a young corporal who will eventually change the face of the world as leader of the Nazi party: Adolf Hitler. The eighth action-packed volume of Charley’s War is rich in the detailed minutiae of the terror-punctuated existence of a Tommy.


“Darkly spectacular…poignant and intelligently anti-war” — LA Times
9780857682994 • 28 October 2011 • 112pp  • £14.99



FORTHCOMING…
The Best of Action
Pat Mills, Gerry Finley-Day, Ken Armstrong, Ramon Sola, Tom Tully, Jack Adrian, Mike Dorey & Barrie Mitchell
Considered a seminal publication during its short run during the 1970s, the original seven-penny nightmare Action changed British comics forever and paved the way for 2000AD. Long out of print and highly awaited, The Best of Action brings Hook Jaw, Look Out for Lefty!, Death Game 1999, Kids Rule O.K, Hellman of Hammer Force and Dredger to a new audience.
9781848560260 • September 2012 • 288pp  • £19.99


TITAN BOOKS
A WORLD OF ENTERTAINMENT
A division of Titan Publishing Group Ltd
Titan Publishing Group Ltd is a company registered in England & Wales with company number 1599367. VAT number 607 9631 24.
Registered office: 144 Southwark St, London, SE1

Michael Golden Tells the Story at Wizard Chicago– Class Slated for Saturday!

Chicago– With Wizard World Chicago right around the corner (Aug. 11th-14th!), it’s just been announced that artist/writer Michael Golden will be conducting his “The Art of Storytelling” class at the convention on Saturday. So mark your schedule now.


Michael Golden, co-creator of the X-men’s Rogue character, Spartan X and Bucky O’Hare  is known worldwide for his groundbreaking work on “The ‘Nam,” “Micronauts,”  “G.I. Joe Yearbook,” and  “Dr. Strange, ” among MUCH more, and is counted as one of the best cover designers and storytellers in the business.


Golden’s work can be seen on “Nightwing”, “Iron Man”, “Heroes for Hire”, “Exiles,” “Demon’s Regret,” “Spider-man,” “Hulk,” “Spawn 200″ as well as currently on “Spawn,” with Todd McFarlane.


It’s no wonder that Golden has been one of the most influential creators around for the last several decades:
“….unless you can actually draw yourself, it is very difficult to understand the exact mind-blowing impossibility of what he does,” said writer/artist Larry Hama, of Golden’s work.


“Michael blithely puts down on paper exactly what he sees in his head. It’s like he’s got a cosmic opaque projector that shoots a laser beam from his brain through the kundalini eye in his forehead straight down onto the drawing surface where all he has to do is trace it,” continues Hama. “The result is hard-edged and fully realized in every way. No fuzzy impressions here. No using the side of the pencil. No squiggly space-filling lines blocked in on automatic pilot. To paraphrase Neal Adams (who was referring to Golden), there is not a single millimeter of line on the page that is not directed by conscious thought.”


Recent books covering the colorful life and amazing art of Michael Golden include a Manga version of the “Bucky O’Hare” series, created with Hama, as well as the top selling art retrospective “Excess: The Art of Michael Golden,” written by Renee Witterstaetter, which sold out and is in a second printing, as well as his recent sketchbook “Heroes and Villains,” and the NEW sketchbook, “MORE Heroes and Villains.”   In addition, Woodcrest Productions/Eva Ink has also released a two part candid DVD on Michael and his career, entitled “Creator Chronicles: Michael Golden,” featuring an extensive interview and tutorial with the creator.


In fact, as a conceptual cover artist, Golden has penciled everything from Batman and Captain America to Vampirella!  And the list keeps growing.


Michael has served as an Editor at DC Comics as well as Senior Art Director at Marvel Comics, and has worked on scores of movie production projects, some currently in development. His art has been the focus of gallery shows in places as diverse as Gijon, Barcelona, New York, Antwerp and Brussels, while his class on storytelling has been conducted from Spain to Brussels to France to Canada to the United States… and most recently China.


Don’t miss this mini version of Golden’s longer course. Beneficial for writers, artists or anyone interested in the fine art of crating a tale.


Michael will also be at Wizard World Chicago all 4 days of the show in artist alley. Joining Michael at the show will be Mark Texeira, Steve Scott, Renee Witterstaetter, Patrick Stewart, Bruce Campbell, LeVar Burton, Bill Sienkiewicz, Arthur Suydam, Greg Horn, Ethan Van Sciver, and many more!!

For more information on Wizard World Chicago, go to: http://www.wizardworld.com/chicago.html

For more information on Michael Golden and his work, contact:
www.evainkartistgroup.com

OR
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Golden/44937601170?ref=share

Titan Books To Publish the Definitive Flash Gordon Library

Titan Books has announced the publication of The Complete Flash Gordon Library. Compiling every strip and every story, this series of restored full-color hardcover volumes will showcase the action and artistry that thrilled audiences for decades.

Everyone knows Flash Gordon–the most iconic science fiction swashbuckler ever to burst forth from the newspaper pages. His adventures wielded so much energy that they inspired everyone who followed, no matter what the medium. Filmmaker George Lucas famously revealed, “Growing up in California, I was enchanted by two things…race cars and Flash Gordon. The first love I put to use in American Graffiti, the second eventually turned into Star Wars.”

Flash Gordon first hit superstardom in 1934 with his comic strip adventures, which continued unabated for seven decades. His influence spread like wildfire into every medium–films, television, novels, comic books, radio plays, and more. Every generation has had its incarnation of the character, and yet another major motion picture is reported to be in the works.

The mission of The Complete Flash Gordon Library will be to collect every strip and every story, offering them in affordable, full-color hardcover volumes, carefully restored and revealing the action and the artistry that thrilled audiences for decades. Through the painstaking efforts of renowned comic strip historian Pete Maresca, readers will experience the heroics of Flash Gordon, the beauty of Dale Arden, the evil of Ming the Merciless, and the exotic setting of the distant planet Mongo. Each installment will be meticulously reworked so that the intricate artwork, the vivid colors, and the unparalleled action will explode off of the page.
Beginning with the renowned stories written and illustrations by Alex Raymond–the genius behind the hero–The Complete Flash Gordon Library will continue with the other brilliant illustrators who took the helm and ran with his creation: Austin Briggs, Mac Raboy, Dan Barry, and many more. Each page will be 11″ x 10″ — specifically designed to spotlight the action-packed artistry of the creators, and each volume will feature 176 or more pages of full-color action. Volume One, “On the Planet Mongo,” will feature a foreword by renowned illustrator Alex Ross, and future installments will offer other special features revealing the secrets behind the strip and its creators.


The Complete Flash Gordon Library joins Titan’s other long-running newspaper strip collections including the critically acclaimed  Simon and Kirby Library, and the Modesty Blaise and James Bond 007 series. Once the library is complete, readers will forever thrill to an epic adventure unparalleled in American popular culture.

Press Contacts

US: Katharine Carroll – ktc2000@aol.com / +1 914 788 1005

UK & Worldwide: Sophie Calder – sophie.calder@titanemail.com / +44 (0)20 7803 1906

# # #
The Complete Flash Gordon Library – On the Planet Mongo (Vol. 1)
23 March 2012
Hardback • 192pp • 9780857681546 • $39.95 / £29.99

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THOUGHT BUBBLE 2011

Festival expanded over a week with a massive two day comic con.

Official festival hotel announced.

2nd Northern Sequential Arts Competition launched.

Welcome to our first Thought Bubble newsletter of 2011, over the next few months we’ll be updating you with everything you need to know about this years event.

 

Since our biggest and most successful Thought Bubble festival in 2010 we have been busy making plans for the 2011 edition and we think it’s going to be an unmissable event for comic book and graphic novel fans all over the country, so with just over three months to go the countdown starts here!

 

Festival expanded over a week with a massive two day comic con.

 

The biggest celebration of comic books, graphic novels and animated storytelling in the UK returns to Leeds this November, as Thought Bubble presents its most exciting programme to date! Celebrating its 5th year, the festival has been extended over a week from 14th – 20th November 2011 with a jam-packed programme of events including a fantastic programme of free interactive workshops & masterclasses in venues across Leeds and West Yorkshire for both young people and adults – with activity for beginners as well as more experienced writers and artists.

 

The centrepiece to the Thought Bubble festival is the massive, annual comic convention and this year it will take place over two days instead of one and we’ll be using two of Leeds’ largest exhibition halls, Saviles Hall and Royal Armouries Hall in the Clarence Dock area of Leeds to present the spectacular event. The convention is now the largest in the UK and welcomes some of the biggest industry names in comics and graphic novels to Leeds to celebrate their work. In 2011, over 50 leading writers and artists will attend the convention and guests will include Tim Sale, an Eisner Award winning artist whose work, including concept drawings for the TV show Heroes, has received widespread acclaim and Adam Hughes, one of the most respected artists currently working in the medium and responsible for the most

popular and well loved DC comic book covers. 

 

 

The weekend long convention will also welcome hundreds of exhibitors from brilliant small press artists and writers, to major UK retailers offering something for all comic book fans, all spread across three hundred tables in two halls. Aspiring artists and writers in our region are also encouraged to bring along their art portfolios as representatives from Marvel, 2000 AD and Self Made Hero will be on hand to give advice, and be on the look-out for the next big thing in comics!

 

 

Comic con tickets are on sale now and cost just £18.00 for a weekend pass. Day tickets which provide full access to the convention on either the Saturday or the Sunday cost £10. As with previous Thought Bubble comic conventions the entire event is free for the under 12′s with tickets and passes availble on the day. Tickets are available to purchase online at www.thoughtbubblefestival.com or in person and by phone at the City Centre Box Office in Leeds on Millennium Square, tel: 0113 2243801. The first 500 people to purchase a weekend pass will also gain entry to the VIP convention after party at the Alea Casino on Saturday 19 November.

 

The full Thought Bubble festival programme, along with full guest line up and venue details will be announced in Ocotober 2011.

 

 

Official Thought Bubble hotel announced.

We are delighted to announce that the Leeds Marriott Hotel will be the official and exclusive hotel partner of the 5th Thought Bubble Festival. This fantastic and stylish four star hotel is located in the heart of Leeds City Centre, a stones throw from Leeds train station and just a ten minute walk from the Thought Bubble Comic Convention in Saviles Hall and Royal Armouries Hall. The hotel itself is a modern, luxurious venue with friendly staff and great on site amenities, there are 244 guest rooms with high-speed WIFI internet access, 32 inch LCD TV screens, mini-bar and individual climate control. The Leisure Club, which is available for all guests, is perfect for relaxation and rejuvenation and features a heated indoor swimming pool, sauna, steam room and fully equipped gym.

 

 

As well as looking after all our VIP guests over the duration of the festival the Leeds Marriott Hotel is also offering Thought Bubble Comic Convention visitors a very special rate of £89 per room including breakfast on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 November 2011, visitors can also take advantage of a Saturday night only rate of £99 per room including breakfast. To book, simply click on the following link Leeds Marriott Hotel >> which will take you to the homepage of the hotel where the special Thought Bubble code is already listed on the booking form.

 

 

The hotel is the prefect destination for festival audiences, delegates and guests – we recommend that you book your room as soon as possible avoid disappointment!

 

 

2nd Northern Sequential Arts Competition launched

In 2010 Thought Bubble launched its very own national award with the support of Arts Council funding. The Northern Sequential Arts Competition is a new annual prize which is open to all  artists and writers living in the UK. Budding artists and writers were invited to create their very own one page comic book story, and all the entries were judged by a leading panel of industry professionals, including 2000 AD Editor Matt Smith, Imagine FX Editor Claire Howlett and Marvel’s Spider-Man Editor Steve Wacker. 6 winning entrants will see their work published by Image Comics this year in a special Thought Bubble anthology which will also includes original work from leading international artists and writers including Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead), Duncan Fegredo (Hellboy), Andy Diggle (The Losers), Antony Johnston (Daredevil) and Mike Carey (Lucifer), plus many more.

 

 

The second Northern Sequential Arts Competition has just been announced and Thought Bubble is on the look out for new one page comic book story creations. Once again, all entries will be judged by an industry panel and the winners will get to see their stories printed alongside the work of established artists and writers in a special Thought Bubble anthology which will also be distributed worldwide. The competition is split into two age groups, 12 – 17 and 18 +, full details on how to enter can be found at

 

www.thoughtbubblefestival.com

 

We hope you can all make it this year!

Join our social networking communities for the latest information and discussion – 

 

http://twitter.com/thoughtbubbleuk / http://www.facebook.com/thoughtbubblefestival

Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery

Graphic Classics
144 pages
graphic novel
full colour
Retail price $17.95


The blurb says it all:
Edgar Allan Poe’s
Tales of Mystery
Graphic Classics Volume Twenty-One
Fifteen stories and poems of mystery and terror
by the original creator of the detective story:
• The Murders in the Rue Morgue –
The great mystery story prototype,
adapted by Antonella Caputo and Reno Manquis
• The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar –
A mesmeric mystery
illustrated by Michael Manning
• The Man of the Crowd –
A strange tale of the city,
adapted by Rich Rainey and Brad Teare
• Berenice –
Death and dental horrors
illustrated by Nelson Evergreen
• The Tell-Tale Heart –
An alternate version
adapted by Ronn Sutton
• The Oval Portrait –
A new comics adaptation
illustrated by Craig Wilson
• King Pest –
adapted by Antonella Caputo and Anton Emdin
with new color by Glenn Smith
• Hop-Frog –
A new presentation in comics
adapted by Rod Lott and Lisa K. Weber
• The Masque of the Red Death –
Now in full color
adapted by Stan Shaw
• Alone –
illustrated by Maxon Crumb
• A Dream Within a Dream –
illustrated by Neale Blanden
• To Violet Vane –
illustrated by Molly Kiely
• Spirits of the Dead
illustrated by Andy Ewen
• Eldorado –
illustrated by Roger Langridge
• The Conqueror Worm –
illustrated by Leong Wan Kok


Of course, Graphic Classics have always had a good name when it comes to print quality and packaging. A package arrives with “Graphic Classics” written on it I get excited!

“The Murders In The Rue Morgue” has been adapted into film and TV -and comics more than once. Interestingly, there was an incident that paralelled the killings later in the 19th Century: I came across the story while researching Some More Things Strange And Sinister (it’s included in the book).  This adaption both script and art-wise is a great one. A fitting start to the book.


“To Violet Vane” is drawn by Molly Kiely for whom I have had a growing respect over the years.
There are humorously drawn strips.  Okay, I had my funny bone removed years ago but I can appreciate the art of Neal Blanden, Roger Langridge, Lisa K. Weber, et al.

The modern setting for “The Tell-Tale Heart” was great but, really, British police helmet straps are hardly ever used and certainly not kept on by curtain rings!





This is a wonderful collection of stories/strips and Graphic Classics seems to go from strength-to-strength and I, for one, cannot wait to see what they come up with next!

http://www.graphicclassics.com/

NEW!! THE OWL -MASTER OF THE NIGHT

80 pages

Black & White

Comic Album (A4)

includes text features

Ships in 3–5 business days

£5.00

 

 

A Fan Project. The Owl. Created by Frank Thomas in 1940 for Crackajack Funnies:this book contains three Golden Age stories including the rare first appearance of Owl Girl plus the rare 1967 Owl Man and Owl Girl in their own comic. Black and white,text features and more.

MODESTY BLAISE: MILLION DOLLAR GAME

Peter O’Donnell & Enric Badia Romero
TITAN BOOKS
104pp
Paperback
£11.99
ISBN: 9781848566750
26 August 2011


“The dark underworld of espionage and crime is lit up by the fatal charms of the gorgeous Modesty Blaise — high priestess of pulp crime. Adventurer, spy, racketeer and all-round bad girl, Modesty is as stylish as she is smart and as lethal as she is beautiful!


MILLION DOLLAR GAME is the latest bumper volume collecting four more classic Blaise adventures; Butch Cassidy Rides Again, Million Dollar Game and The Vampire of Malvescu — in which Modesty and Willie meet the legendary but dangerous outlaw; Modesty takes on poachers in East Africa; and confronts a mythic blood-sucker in Transylvania!


With story introductions that take the reader behind the many scenes of Modesty’s world, and featuring the return of the longest serving Modesty artist Eric Badia Romero, this outstanding collection is not to be missed!
Originally published in the Evening Standard in the 1960s, Peter O’Donnell’s Modesty Blaise provides crime thriller storylines with sass, wit and a touch of glamour, that have wooed celebrity fans such as Quentin Tarantino.


Born in south London in 1920, Peter O’Donnell enjoyed a long and illustrious career, writing in many media. He is best known for creating Modesty Blaise, which was first published in 1963 and achieved international success. There has even been a film and a TV version of the character. He passed away in May 2010.”
The Modesty Blaise film was made in 1966 and was based on a Peter O’Donnell story –he later said only one line was ever used.  Despite it starring Monica Vitti (sigh) as Blaise and Terrance Stamp as Willie Garvin –and Dirk Bogarde as the villain (the name of the character escapes me) it was a comedic parody. I remember getting excited when the film was about to be shown for the first time on TV. I also remember the disappointment.


My Name Is Modesty (2004) starred, get this right, Alexandra Staden. A good actress but so thin it just didn’t seem credible that she could push people around.  Luckily, it was mainly a talkie not action.  That said, again, very disappointing –and no Willie Garvin!!!


Why am I talking about the films? Hey –the press release mentioned them first!


Anyway, as a kid there were only two newspapers in the house –the Daily Mirror and the Bristol Evening Post.  The Mirror introduced me to Garth.  The Post to Modesty Blaise.  Jim Holdaways style but, suddenly –Romero! It has to be said that the stories never failed even if you had to wait 24 hours to see the next tier and then another 24 hours and…you get the point?


The US Menomenee Falls Gazette serialised MB in one page parts but in the UK we never saw that until the internet and scanning came along.  Even so, a printed collection is much, much better.  One of my fondest memories is of Modesty being attacked and ripping “away her skirt, Velcro-fastened for instant release” –I remembered that line but mentioning to people over the years got me blank looks. I just could not remember the story name.  Now I do: Million Dollar Game.


This is the first Titan collection I’ve seen and it is beautifully designed and packaged and the succulent black and white art jumps out at you. Far better than the newspaper reproduction.  It’s everything you want in a collection –and there are many other Titan Books volumes available.


The book brings back memories and I’m glad the art is as great as I remember from…well, quite some time ago!  The stories are just as good –in fact, slightly better than I remember but then, if you are reading one two or three panelled tier each day you tend to start forgetting!  Romero, well, many remember his work on Axa and how superb that was.  Well, here he shows all his skill and I just wish I could draw women as well as him!


This would have to go onto my Most Recommended list. Dump the super heroes spend the money on this book and see some incredible story-telling and art!


Check out the other Modesty Blaise books at the Titan website:

www.titanbooks.com

• Modesty Blaise: The Puppet Master
  Enric Badia Romero, Peter ODonnell
  RRP £10.99
• Modesty Blaise – The Double Agent
  Neville Colvin, Peter ODonnell
  RRP £11.99
• Modesty Blaise – Mister Sun
  Jim Holdaway, Peter ODonnell
  RRP £10.99
•  
•  
•  
• Modesty Blaise – Top Traitor
  Jim Holdaway, Peter ODonnell
  RRP £10.99

Ultimate Journeys with Author Bruce Taylor and Graphic Artist Roberta Gregory

Fri, Aug 5 7:00 - 9:00 PM Barn Beach Reserve Free

Ultimate Journeys with Author Bruce Taylor and Graphic Artist Roberta Gregory (Presentation)

Sat, Aug 6 1:00 - 3:00 PM Bookstore Free

Ultimate Journeys with Author Bruce Taylor and Graphic Artist Roberta Gregory

Bruce Taylor, aka. Mr. Magic Realism, is know for stories in which, for example, aliens hide out in American breakfast foods. “A writer of imagination and insight, Bruce Taylor…amazes and intrigues,” says Terry Brooks. While continuing to share tales of biomechanical cats and “Water for Quarks,” Taylor will also share his latest soul-searching journey: “Mountains of the Night,” about those journeys we all must undertake which ultimate define our lives.

Life throws a difficult journey in front of each of us. To take it and fully embrace the journey brings the riches of a life well-lived. Using the metaphor of hiking, Taylor explores his own Mountains of the Night. Dealing with a chronic and potentially life-threatening illness, confronting the impact of a profoundly dysfunctional family; these are like being on a trail through the rugged mountains of one’s soul. Taylor urges us to go on, no matter what the trail of life brings us. If we turn back, we never come to know What Could Be, and what our true strengths are. To persevere is to discover what it means to be vitally and truly alive.






Roberta Gregory shares “Follow Your Art,” a rich depiction of her journeys through Europe, Asia, America, feminism, and more. Her medium is humorous graphic art (yes, when she started, we all called them comic books). “Follow Your Art” is a huge “thank you,” Gregory says, to everyone who made her interesting life possible, as well as an invitation to everyone else to “come along for the ride!”

Roberta Gregory was drawn to comics as an art-form from an early age, and pioneered many “firsts” in the field without stopping to notice her “first” status—she was just doing what seemed right to do, she says. She adds that she is happy to be living proof that feminists do have a sense of humor. “I was really just writing and drawing the sorts of stories that I would love to read, if someone else was doing them. Nobody else was, so it seemed to be up to me,” says Gregory.



About the Authors
Taylor and Gregory’s wide travels have overlapped, and Bruce Taylor can be discovered in many of the graphic panels of Gregory’s “Follow Your Art.” Taylor, founder of the Magic Realist Writers International Network, has written, edited, or championed several quirkily magical collections. A therapist at Harborview Medical Center for 25 years before retiring to write and teach, Taylor was born, and still resides, in Seattle, WA. Learn more at http://www.brucebtaylor.com.




Gregory was born in L.A., and following in her father’s Disney-cartoonist footsteps, has been creating comics since kindergarten. Her travels have taken her around the world including Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Her work and characters have appeared in numerous venues including Wimmen’s Comix and Canada’s Comedy Network. Learn more at http://robertagregory.com.





Buy a SIGNED copy of Mountains of the Night – $13.95