Comics - The Best of British

Before Solar Wind*, there wasn't an awful lot going on in the nostalgia comics market (with honourable mentions for The Eagle Flies Again and Jack Staff comic), but by the time it had finished, it was going mainstream.

There were big profile re-releases of comics material such as Jackie and Commando repackaged as nostalgic Christmas presents, BBC4 documentaries on British comics, magazine reprints of IPC strip, a DC/Wildstorm reinvention of British classics, the classic comic magazine Crikey! (now on it's third issue) and small publishers such as Spitfire (HookJaw) and Hibernian (Doomlord/The 13th Floor) striking out into uncharted territory and producing collections of fan favourites.

Now Titan Books are expanding the field of classic reprints, having already published four volumes of the superlative Charley's War and reprints of Steel Claw and The Spider. They now have the rights for footballing ace Roy of the Rovers, as well as strips from Battle, Action, Misty and Tammy. These are the very best of the late 70's/early 80's boys and girls adventure comics.

One can only speculate as to the treasures they will unearth from these comics. Also, they have the rights to reprint from Buster, and hopefully that can only mean one thing, The Leopard of Lime Street. Britain's answer to Spider-man, the boy reporter scratched by a radioactive leopard!

I'll be reading much of the material for the first time, so it's going to be a great experience.

http://www.titanbooks.com/home/uk

*As always I don't claim Solar Wind was responsible, it was just riding the wave.

Films - Get Carter

I was talking about one of the libraries I work at with a colleagues husband and he mentioned that the Get Carter house was near there. Really...

It was the house owned by corrupt Cliff Brumby AKA Brian Mosley AKA Alf Roberts who was last seen having fallen from the top of Trinity Centre multi-story car park car park.

I decided it was time for a field trip, and so on my lunch break, I headed off. It was a short walk on a windy day and soon I stood in the cold munching on a gingerbread man from the bakers, looking over the grounds. Much like its fictional owner, it was big, but out of shape.

It has two impressive, locked, iron wrought gates, with white paint, chipped and peeling. A sparse, dead of winter grounds, two floors, shuttered doors bordered by two conspicuous columns and boarded up windows. The rail on a first floor patio is broken and twisted, trees (which have a preservation order on apparently) grow wild and untamed. A garden snakes off round the back, and there's a small stone sundial that's probably running five hours late.

It could be just a mundane derelict house, there was something about it that looked expensive, but cheap at the same time. I'm sure it impressed many when it was built. But something about it hints at more, as if it were the scene of a horror movie or some terrible murder.

It's due for demolition, with a campaign to save it, so I'll try and get some photos to add here next week before it goes forever.

http://www.northeasthistory.co.uk/the_north_east/history/news/110107b.html

Comics - The Beagle Awards

Er, yes, the Beagle Awards. Not the Eagle Awards. The Beagles.

Well it made me laugh anyway. Details are short at the moment, but apparently the Beagle Awards are a new set of awards aimed at small press comics, to be given out at Bristol in May where the Eagles are also being awarded. I Imagine them as being what the Golden Globes are to the Oscars.

http://thebeagleawards.blogspot.com/

Remember you can still vote for Omnivistascope at the Eagle Awards

http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/

I have been nominated for, and won, awards before and it's a great feeling. Though from my experiences and talking to others who have won I've realised that it's not the life changing event you might hope. Still, everyone likes to be recognised for their achievements and the awards are no exception, whether Eagles, Beagles, Seagulls or Anna Neagles (sorry).

Comics - Previously in PJ Holden...

I case you didn't know, PJ Holden is a talented comic artist who works on American comics such as Fearless as well as the British 2000AD on characters such as Rogue Trooper and Judge Dredd.

He has also done his fair share of unpaid community service at the hard face of small press, including for Solar Wind and Big War Comic. Now, the best of this material can be found in Previously... #1. Available in hard copy with a geunine hand drawn sketch for £3 + £1 post or as a PDF for a measly £1 in his shop. The comic is well put together and as fine a selection of starters you could wish to shovel into your face, in this all you can eat comic buffet.

http://www.pauljholden.com/wordpress/

One of the strips is Face Rot, which I wrote some years back. But don't worry, there is better material in there than this...

TV - Let's get Primeval

Primeval was originally seen as a ITV's answer to Doctor Who, and it was assumed that Primeval was somehow the lesser of the two shows. However, I think Primeval has proved itself to be an original show and arguably the better of the two.

Primeval didn't have an established 40 year brand to bring in old and young viewers and has instead gone for a central complex mystery, a strong cast of characters and an encounter of the week approach. It's perfect tea time fare, a joy for kids with its monsters and action and enough depth to engage older viewers, even if they tell themselves they're watching it as a guilty pleasure.

The central premise is that gates are opening in time and people, creatures and atmospheres travel between the two of them. A government run team of experts is drafted in to lock down encounters, investigate the phenomenon and keep it a secret from the public.

However, the leader of the team Professor Nick Cutter's problems only worsen when Helen, the wife he thought was dead, turns out to be very much alive and has her own agenda. Nick is played by Douglas Henshall who adds considerable weight to the show with a strong convincing performance.

The last episode of the current series (series 2) is on ITV1 tonight at 6:30pm and the series is set to return next year. You can get series 1 on DVD and series 2 will no doubt follow shortly. And if anyone has the sticker of Hannah Spearritt in her pants, I have swapsies...

http://www.itv.com/Drama/cult/Primeval/default.html

Comics - Ben Clark, Bringer of Grief

As far as I know, Ben Clark is the only other person making their own comics within 5 miles of where I live, but I could be wrong. From his International HQ in Spennymoor*, Ben has been producing his own comics for some time now.

For Solar Wind he produced Griefbringer (for which he has almost universally been applauded) the story of a vicious despot in a faraway kingdom who is tormented by his deeds, but never seems to learn from his mistakes, Lefty the socialist footballer and The Stinging Death.

His work goes beyond Solar Wind, with comics such as The Adventures of Mike Neville, Mothman about the House, Lenny Biscuits and Tab Monkey. His new anthology, Shabby Tales, brings these and more to a new audience.

Ben's art may ranks several places lower than Leonardo da Vinci, but it's a style that is perfectly suited to his strips, which bring together the 'weird & the mysterious' and the 'mundane and the everyday' is an arranged marriage made in heaven.

They are daft, clever, very funny and highly recommended. Small slices of joy that make you feel there must be some terrible side effect associated with them. But they have been tested by a scientist from Switzerland who reported no adverse effects.

Now Ben has started up his blog and it's rattling along on all cylinders. There you can have a taste of the Clark canon, with bite-sized appetisers of Mothman About The House.

http://magicbeans23.wordpress.com/

* "What, in Spennymoor!?" (C) Ian la Frenais & Dick Clements

From Dracula vs. Nessie given away free at the Hi-Ex festival in Inverness...

TV - Being Human for Dummies (and Vampires, Werewolves and Ghosts)

Being Human is, as far as I can tell, a BBC3 pilot show, with an open-ended conclusion. You can't find out more, because it's the BBC3 site, and it's all fun and trendy and full of funk all.

The basic premise couldn't be more ridiculous. A vampire and a werewolf share a flat together which is haunted by a ghost. As other disembodied spirits of the aether have commented:

If your mansion house needs haunting just call, Rentaghost, We've got spooks and ghouls and freaks and fools, at Rentaghost...

This is going to take some pulling off to convince me, and there is one great concern. The terrible TV hangover of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I don't want to watch another sub-Joss Whedon Torchwood. Some people may never tire of arch and knowing dialogue and emotional overload at the expense of plots, but too much sugar is bad for anyone's health.

As it happens, the show is more grounded than I had need to fear. George and Mitchell are two spirits both disenfranchised from society. George is the clever, be-spectacled, ill at ease man who has lost his orthadox Jewish faith after becoming a victim to the curse of the werewolf. Mild-mannered by day, rampaging force of nature as the full moon approaches. Mitchell is handsome, thin, with rock star chic, but with the weight of ages behind him and haunted by his vampiric nature.

In an attempt to get on the first rung of the humanity ladder, they choose to get a flat together. A halfway house where they can try and leave their dead end hospital porter jobs, and their darker sides behind. But their reasonably priced flat comes with fixtures, fitting and one lonely phantasm, Annie. A sensitive northern girl, whose life and death never went entirely to plan.

There's a strong cast, some heavy undercurrents in all of their lives and some very dramatic and touching moments throughout. If anything, it's more Withnail & I than Buffy the Vampire Slayer. At times the dialogue gets a little above itself, but there's lots to keep the attention and the real problem is you need more than the 60 minutes offered.

I hope this gets picked up for a series, it has all the potential Torchwood lacks. I'd recommend giving it a try. And if there's going to be another episode, please let me know.

Being Human is repeated throughout the week and is still available on the new BBCplayer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0090xff

Comics - Small Objects of Desire - The Space Spinner

It's hard to entirely sum up the obsessiveness that can creep into any comic reader's life. I suppose it's the same with fans of any type. You start off just enjoying something on a casual basis, something in it really speaks to you, you're hooked and you start to get more involved. Then the TV show/soap/pop star/film/musical/comic isn't enough and you go looking for other things to scratch yout itch. First you might want to have a complete set of your favourite entertainment, then it might be a few innocent trinkets and then... full blown mania. Congratulations, you're now a nutjob.

Which brings us to our small object of desire. The Space Spinner. I'll just say that again.

The Space Spinner...

The Space Spinner is a small piece of red plastic moulded into the form of a flimsy flying saucer. It is by any standards a piece of unpreposing tat. Just another piece of landfill waiting to happen. If you saw one lying in the street, you'd regard it with contempt. If someone tried to sell one to you, you would back away, presuming they were on some new dangerous and addictive drug.

But the Space Spinner is a little bit of magic, made by the goblin of Betelgeuse himself, Tharg. It was the free gift for the first issue of new sicence fiction launched comic in 1977, called 2000AD. 2000AD was destined to be a hit and become one of the most popular and influential comics of all time, inspiring a whole generation.

The choice of free gift didn't enamour itself to title creator and editor Pat Mills, who thought it was too juvenile for the title, but was instead the choice of IPC promotions manager, Peter Lewis. (See Thrill Power Overload by David Bishop)

But for any child of '77 dubious about whether to buy the comic, it is the Space Spinner that would have made the decision for them. Today you can buy a bag of such trinkets with a free comic in any newsagents across the land. But there was a lot less free tat back in the 1970's, and the free gift on a comic made it a tempting proposition for kids and the newsagents themselves.

Undoubtedly within a week, most were chucked away either in the bin or over a neighbour's hedge. For some it might have ended up in the toybox to be rediscovered years later but it's hard to see how it would have being treasured at the time for itself.

But over the years, the Space Spinner (or lack of one) has probably set many a heart a fluttering. It's a thrill-powered relic from an age gone by. I was lucky to buy mine at the recent Inverness Hi-Ex convention where there was a really nice guy selling off his mispent youth, boardgames, roleplaying games and of course, 2000AD's. It's a bit battered, it's been scratched, it's seen a bit of action, but somehow that adds to the appeal for me.

However, it wasn't my first Space Spinner. The first I would have had with the relaunch of the Eagle some 5 years later in 1982. The relaunch of the Eagle was a big deal and garnered a lot of press coverage at the time. On it, was the free gift, a Space Spinner. But Space Spinner technology had moved on. Despite using the same mould, this one, was silver. Ish.

Move forward a mere 20 years and I was about to put out the first issue of Solar Wind, a fanzine comic inspired by classic british comics of the 70's and 80's. I needed a free gift, there could be only one choice, the non-copyright infringing, Solar Saucer.

If you have fond memories of this small object of desire, be sure to let me know.

Happy flying...

Strip - The Omigawd Man 4

Comics - The Eagle Awards 2007

Nominations are underway for 2007's Eagle awards, where the great and the good in comics are celebrated for their achievements.

There are lots of comics to vote for, I hope you may consider voting Omnivistascope for best British B/W comic, but I can't code subliminal html, so it really is your choice :)

VOTE OMNIVISTASCOPE

There's lots to vote for in the other catagories, there have been some great books out, such as Brian Bolland's Art or Thrill Power Overload, the history of 2000AD. And it's hard to believe that John Wagner who has achieved so much with his writing and single-handedly keeps alive my faith in British comics hasn't previously been awarded a place on the Roll of Honour.

http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/

Events - Hi-Ex Spotlight, Talk Shows

It wasn't the first time I had been asked to be on a panel, but this was the first time I didn't say 'no'. Being people I knew and liked I didn't feel I should turn them down, they were obviously desperate if they'd come to me! I didn't say yes either, and hoped they'd just forget about me. Oh no, Rich and Vicky were too well organised for that.

I was down for three panels, Indie Comics, Girls in Comics and The Future of the British Comics Industry. I knew I had something to say about the first, even if I didn't know what it was. I could only see disaster in the second and thought I could perhaps wing the third.

Not having done any formal speaking since a disastrous university presentation some 15 years earlier (luckily I was hidden amongst several other disastrous presentations, so it has gone unrecorded by history) I can't say it was the bit of the weekend I was most looking forward to. But I'd had a long and at times scary ride up to Inverness the previous night. I was about to start panicking before the first talk when I realised I was too tired, and couldn't be bothered to panic.

Indie Comics - Luckily artist Graeme Neil Read was also doing the talk, so I had an ally. We arrived in the theatre, it had a stage, table, chairs, spotlights, microphones, bottles of water, an audience of about 30 people and us with no obvious idea what was supposed to happen next. Artist Declan Shalvey arrived and it was soon obvious that nobody was going to tell us where to stand and what to say, so we got on with it. We needn't have worried, Declan knows how to talk, and me and Grame worked around him. We did our best to warn people of the perils of self-publishing, while still trying to get across that it was worth the effort. It went pretty well, we survived. Result!

Girls in Comics - Knowing I was potentially onto a hiding with this, I'm not a girl, not planning to become one, but had once edited a comic called Sunny for Girls. That was enough for the conscription panel. I asked Jeremy Dennis (who is a girl, called Jeremy, who writes comics) for some advice, and she warned me about the perils of these panels, but did her best to help all the same. I even had some comics by female comic creators to take along. In the end I turned up, and was half way onto the stage, when I realised that there was three chairs on stage, all occupied, by girls, and they were looking at me with mild alarm. They'd obviously started their talk and I wasn't needed, so I ran away. Result!

The Future of Comics - I turned up for this one, boyed by my two successes so far, only to find an empty table and nobody at all. Er... this wasn't good. I was just going out of the theatre to look for someone to ask (or run away) when Michael Carroll turned up. Hurrah! The two of us ran through where comics had ended up (the drugged water took effect as Michael started calling me a genius) and we were looking where comics were going when Rufus Dayglo (not from the Buckinghamshire Dayglo's I should add) turned up twenty minutes late in true rock'n'roll fashion and disagreed with everying we said, which really livened up the talk! We answered a few questions before Rufus dashed off to get his plane (probably a private jet) and we were forcibly turfed out of the theatre. Result!

Would I do it again? Well, if I can't get out of it!

That's not enough humiliation for you? Well, the scandalous video of me taken at Inverness involving some socks and a Village People song should just about do the trick... I'm the one at the end, on the right. I signed no consent forms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezh6ajYx-p4

OVS - Man Updates Website Shock!

Yes, I'm pleased to say that the website update that I promised is actually happening. I was painfully aware that when I promised it would be done back in January, that it would be much easier to say than to achieve! The first step was to get the blog going, so there was always something new on the site and since January I've kept that going quite merrily. It took a lot of persuasion from Rob to make me realise how useful and easy it could be, and of course he was right.

Rob Lees has made huge contributions to this site, having done all the work setting up the site, creating the look of it, hosting it and has spent many many hours of his time working on it. Thanks Rob!

I am now updating the website myself using Rob's templates, so while Rob can take the credit for the site looking so good, all the mistakes you will find on the site will be strictly mine! Rob has given the shop a spring clean and I've begun work on sorting out all the other sections of the site. I've updated the Solar Wind, Games and Links areas, though more information will be added in time.

I've started work on the Omnivistascope section which requires a lot more work from myself. But I think it's worth it, as the website will be the central hub of all my game and comics work in future. And speaking of the future, I will be adding new sections to the site on my favourite film (have a guess) and my researches into local legends in good time.

I hope that if you're visiting the site for the first time or the first time in a while, you'll keep coming back to see how it's getting on.

Events - Hi-Ex Spotlight, New Heroes - Michael Carroll

Michael Carroll, author of the succesful New Heroes novels and general 'nice chap' had travelled to Hi-Ex from Ireland to promote his books with lovely wife Leonia. They left the cat at home.

It was the first time I'd met Mike in the real world, but we'd met in interwebspace before, and Mike had kindkly designed logos and features for the Solar Wind comics as well as the Omnivistascope logo you can see on OVS comic and this site (look up, there, at the top).

Mike also joined me on the 'Future of British Comics' panel, which was handy as for a moment I thought I'd be doing it on my own. I was about to give the order for the doors to be locked so nobody could leave my lecture when he arrived. But more on the panels later.

http://www.iol.ie/~carrollm/qp/main.htm

Let me see, it's Leonia on the left, Mike on the right, Inverness in the background!

OVS - Price Crash (may not be as dramatic as pictured)

It's been a little while coming, but I have finally reduced the price of OVS from £5, down to £3!

Originally, back with OVS1, the price was set at £6, as I had the chance for the comic to be distributed. On the whole, major distributors take about two thirds of the cover price, so that's often any profits gone, and the danger of sinking into below cost price. Mind you, FPI gave us a much better deal and a try out in their stores which was good of them.

OVS 2 dropped to £5 afterwards, which seemed a much more competivive price compared to what was available on the newsagents shelves. I had been selling OVS cheaper at festivals, where there are a lot of small press comics vying for attention and people are understandably more interested in buying what they know rather than trying something unknown. But I did very well selling OVS for £3 at the 2006 Lancaster event and I've been doing it on and off at festivals since.

Now with a new print deal making it easier and cheaper, the price is dropping to £3 for OVS4, so I've decided to lower the price for OVS1-3 to £3 also in the shop and at festivals. It's probably about as competitive as I dare go, but I feel it puts OVS in line with current newstand prices for comics.

So, as Rob has given the shop a spring clean, now is the best time ever to order yourself a copy of the universally broadcast Omnivistascope.

Events - Hi-Ex Spotlight, Graeme Neil Reid

On the neighbouring table to Omnivistascope at Hi-Ex was Solar Wind contributor and comics historian Jeremy Briggs and artist and illustrator Graeme Neil Reid.

Graeme's strip work has appeared in Negative Burn, Turn and Violent, while his illustration clients include the Radio Times and the Scottish Executive.

He paid for his board and meal at Jimmy Chung's with 20 sketches he'd brought along, they went in just over an hour, allowing him to put his feet up for the rest of the show.

But like myself, Graeme had been drafted in to sit on some of Hi-Ex's panels and it was good to have one friendly familiar face there, though we needn't have bothered as artist Declan Shalvey was more than up to the task of running the whole show on his own. But more on the panels another day.

If you weren't lucky enough to be among the select who got a sketch or his convention booklet, then you still have a chance to see some of Graeme's work. One Last Time is a collection of some of his independant and short press work, not only drawn by him, but written by him for the most part. These are short, engaging and funny tales, with great artistic storytelling throughout.

www.gnreid.co.uk/

Strip - The Omigawd Man 3

Events - Hi-Ex Inverness Comics Festival

Having just returned from a weeks holiday in Inverness. Inverness itself turned out to be a delightful place and the memories of the Hi-Ex festival are receding into a warm and pleasant glow. It was extremely well run by Vicky Stonebridge and Richmond Clements with talks, guests and exhibitors to rival any other festival.

It was deemed by all to be a great success, despite the dreadful weather that had prevented some guests and visitors attending, and everyone was keen for it to return next year. Thankfully it will be! And OVS hopes to be among the exhibitors at Inverness in 2009.

Expect more posts and pictures on the festival over the following week.

Below, Ben Clark creator of Griefbringer and Shabby Tales on the OVS stall (who despite the specs and the lack of hair is neither me, nor a relative of mine) marvels at the deductive and magical powers of Warlock Holmes in the OVS photo-comic produced for the Hi-Ex festival.