Stickleback Number of the Beast: 2000AD Prog 1824 Cover

The new Stickleback steps out of his tank on the cover of 2000AD Prog 1824.
Stickleback Number of the Beast copyright Rebellion Developments Ltd/2000AD.
Stickleback created by Ian Edginton and Me

2000AD Prog 1824 see the start of our new Stickleback story, Number of the Beast, and sports a cover featuring the new Pope of Crime himself! Pete Wells at 2000AD Covers Uncovered has kindly hosted a step-by-step demo of the making of said cover, including a short video segment showing exactly how I produce  those texture effects. Check out the demo here. 

Torchwood First Peek

Captain Jack, Gwen, and Gav the security guard from Torchwood: Rift War part 6 Torchwood ™ and © BBC 2008.
Created by Russell T Davies. Torchwood Magazine published monthly by Titan magazines.

I've just finished the first part of a two-episode story with Ian Edginton for Torchwood magazine; it's a bit of an adventure as I've never seriously had to do likenesses before. Titan have taken the very sensible step of using what I call the "Saturday Morning Cartoon" approach - instead of trying to do exact likenesses of the characters, they got me to do stylized character designs based on the actors, then work from those. The idea is that to be able to tell who's who without losing fluidity in the drawing, which tends to happen if you're trying to draw portraits all the time. I'm not sure I've quite got the hang of it (I have to fight hard to stop my version of Gwen turning into Marge Simpson), but I've not been fired yet… what the actors must make of it all, I don't know.

Meanwhile Ian's script for this story contains more familiar material, such as a neat little tribute to Jack Kirby's "cosmic" stuff. On top of that I get to do another tip of the hat to Henshin Cyborg, and work with my old mate Steve White for the first time since 1993, when he edited Kingdom of the Wicked for Tundra UK.

Part one of our story should, I think, be out sometime in September, so keep an eye open.

Signing At Gosh!

Poster image for our signing at Gosh! Comics, 1st November 2007, 5-7pm

A quicke reminder that Ian and I will be doing a signing from 5-7pm at the excellent Gosh! comic shop 39 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3NZ (opposite the British Museum) on Thursday 1st November. Nearest Tube: Tottenham Court Road.

The night before (on Hallowe'en) we'll be attending the launch of the Poe adaptation anthology Nevermore from Self-Made Hero, and also taking part in a talk at the ICA the same night.

(Check the Upcoming Signings link in the sidebar for the full list of events I'll be taking part in over the Autumn.)

Eisner Nominations

This just in from Dave De Dark Horse:

Eisner Award Nominations:

Best Limited Series
Scarlet Traces: The Great Game, by Ian Edginton and D’Israeli (Dark Horse)

But better still:

Best Writer
Ian Edginton, Scarlet Traces: The Great Game (Dark Horse)

Congratulations mate, well deserved and long overdue. Fingers crossed for you.

Also, little birdy tells me that Mark Buckingham has, alongside Steve Leialoha, received his first named Eisner nomination for his run on Fables. About time too.

Cardiff, Cyborg And The Rue Morgue

Sorry for the delay in posting - a touch of lurgey put me behind, so I've been catching up this week.

(Above) Jon Rennie at the Welsh Animation Group, Monday 19th March

Left: me in the light from the video projector (photo: Mike Collins)
Right: Jon's keeps bowls of porridge in his car. Yeah.

Our talk at the Welsh Animation Group seemed to go well, though I'm sorry we didn't attract a bigger crowd. Thanks to Jon, Ben & Merida for your hospitality, and it was great to catch up with Cardiff's resident comics dynamo Mike Collins again. Thanks also to everyone who stayed behind and chatted, and a special place in my heart is reserved to those of you who bought books :-)

Henshin Cyborg in blue - thanks to Ian Edginton.

Thanks also to Ian Edginton for a corking gift - this Japanese 12" Henshin Cyborg figure. Ian got it for me as thanks for my work on our ten-page adaptation of Murders on the Rue Morgue for Metromedia UK's Nevermore collection. If there doesn't seem to be an obvious connection between Edgar Allen Poe and a 1970's robot toy, it's because the stories in Nevermore transpose Poe's work into SF/Fantasy settings, and our version of Rue Morgue contains a transparent robot character (see below).
In contrast to the technical pyrotechnics of Stickleback, I drew Rue Morgue in a simplified black & white style. Although I drew the strip in Adobe Illustrator, I tried to make it look as if it was drawn conventionally in pen and ink; after several years of working with different computer-based effects, I wanted to make sure I could still do the business without all the bells and whistles.

Left: close-up of Henshin Cyborg's transparent head and metal skull.
Right: Our P.O.E. character for Murders On The Rue Morgue
(© 2007 Metromedia UK Ltd.)

If Henshin here seems hauntingly familiar, you may be remembering the Denis Fisher Cyborg and Muton toys from the mid-1970's, which were based on his little brother, the 8" Shonen Cyborg. Check out the link above for a nostalgic tour of all things Cyborg (including the original packaging complete with comic strips), plus further links explaining the history of the Japanese originals, and even an unexpected "evolutionary" connection with the interchangeable world of the Micronauts.