Crucible No.1 - just 69p!

Digital comics are sometimes criticized for being as expensive as the paper versions, despite not having print and distribution costs. Well, that accusation certainly can't be leveled at Crucible No.1, which has 24 full colour pages for just 69p from Apple's Newsstand. More info on the Crucible website: http://cruciblecomic.co.uk/

Here's the press release:

Crucible, the co-creation of John Freeman and Smuzz, is a science fiction adventure set in world where the many workless are assigned 'Tasks' to earn money In the first story the Temple of Orlyth hires a rag tag gang – a thief, a mage and two mis-matched warriors – to retrieve a sacred artefact in an abandoned mine. But others are also after their prize and they soon confirm what the adventurers suspected – most Tasks are deadly!

Described as " Science fiction – with dwarves!" by co-creator John Freeman and "Comparable to Tolkien at his most ironic. Matches Dune for obsessive world-building " by artist Smuzz, Crucible is a project the pair have been working on as a concept for several years.

Currently published in print in STRIP: The Adventure Comics Magazine, on sale from UK newsagents, the co-creators decided to test the water for a full iPad edition of the comic using PressPad, which will also include background features and short text stories along with the strip.

John Freeman is a comics writer and editor who cut his teeth in the comics industry at Marvel UK editing titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Death's Head II and Overkill. He has written strips for companies such as Marvel, Judge Dredd Megazine, STRIP (creating Black Ops Extreme with PJ Holden for that title). Currently Managing Editor for digital comics publisher ROK Comics, in what spare time he has he runs the British Comics news site www.downthetubes.net.

Perhaps best known by comic fans for his work for 2000AD on ABC Warriors, Marvel and Games Workshop, Smuzz is a critically-acclaimed illustrator whose award-winning art has featured in the SF magazine Interzone. In addition to co-creating and drawing Crucible, he recently launched his own children's book, If I Had a Dog, as a delightful digital edition. You can find him online at www.smuzz.org.uk

In If I had a Dog, a little boy imagines all the exciting things he could do if only he had a dog. In the end, it's not the dog, but his imagination that makes the magic...

"We're hoping the availability of Crucible on iPad will raise awareness of the title outside the UK," said John Freeman.

Crucible is one of a number of creator-owned strips that has been published in STRIP Magazine by Print Media Productions. Other strips include Age of Heroes by James Hudnall and John Ridgway and Warpaint by Phil Hester and John McCrea.

Issue Three of STRIP Magazine is expected to be on sale in November in all good newsagents in the UK.

Strip Magazine relaunches in September

As you may have previously read when I ran a link in the sidebar, Print Media Productions has reluctantly decided to delay its planned news stand launch of Strip from June until September 2012.

As most of you know, Strip Magazine has been on sale in comic specialist shops (and on subscription) since late last year. The intention was always to relaunch on the newsstand in order to reach a wider market but the comic has been subjected to some unavoidable delays. The good news is that issue 5 of the first series will soon be in comic shops and in a few months the comic will then be relaunched with a new logo, new No.1, new stories, and available in selected newsagents. I hope that everyone who has understandably been discontented with the lack of British adventure comics on the newssstand will support Strip as it really is a good comic worth following.

Now over to the official press release for more details...
 
The decision follows discussion with our news stand distributors who suggested that the autumn would be a far better time for the new incarnation to hit the newsagents.

"There are also vital issues that need to be sorted out, especially a guaranteed delivery cycle from Print Media in Bosnia" editor John Freeman commented. "Both myself and Mike Conroy, who is advising us administration matters, discussed the situation with publisher Ivo Milicevic, who has bankrolled the project so far, and agreed the logistics of getting the first issue of the new incarnation printed and into the shops for our planned launch date were simply insurmountable at this time."

Once STRIP Issue 5 - a giant-sized issue - is released in comic shops in the UK next month (again, later than planned), STRIP will take a a summer break.

Issue 1 Volume 2 has been solicited in PREVIEWS for September 2012.

Cover by Bernard Kolle. Crucible copyright 2012 John Freeman and Smuzz

PMP web site: www.printmediaproductions.com

Strip Magazine No.4 out now

The 4th issue of Strip Magazine arrived in UK comic shops this week after a long delay en route from being printed in Bosnia. From what I've read online, readers have been very mature and understanding regarding the delays and I'm sure everyone will be pleased to see the latest issue.

It's another good one too, with P.J. Holden back on the artwork of Black Ops Extreme kicking off the issue. There's the fourth episode of Hook Jaw newly coloured and lettered, 15 pages of The Devil's Heritage thriller, the start of a two part strip Shimon of Samaria translated from the French original, a great little self contained Strip Challenge winner entitled Slayer Keith, and an action packed episode of Warpaint. The highlight of the issue for me this time though is Age of Heroes which features an excellent centre spread illustration by John Ridgway.

There's also two humour strips translated from European sources (Cosmic Patrol and Bogey Man Bob), a short feature on 2000AD, a brief interview with artist/writer Andrew Wildman, and a feature on the creation of The Devil's Heritage.

All in all there's a lot packed into its 68 pages and £2.99 is ridiculously cheap for what you get compared to other comics. Due to the delays, the next issue will be a double issue to complete the serials in time for the launch of Vol.2 No.1 in May when Strip Magazine will be available from WH Smith and other selected retailers. 

For the present though, Strip Magazine is only available from comic shops or by subscription, or as a digital edition for the iPad. For more information see the Print Media website: http://www.printmediaproductions.com/

Action packed UK news stands in May

May 2012 will see Strip Magazine stretch its reach outside of comic shops and onto UK news stands as well, starting with issue 7, reports the official website. That's the presentation cover above, with the finalized cover and content likely to be a bit different.

"The initial plan for the title's new stand presence is to target a selected range of top high street stores, but not supermarkets at this time." said editor John Freeman.

In the very same month, CLiNT magazine will be relaunched to encourage UK shops to order more copies, with a new first issue numbered 2.1 including a batch of new stories such as The Secret Service by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, reports Comic Book Resources.


Shades of the old rivalry between IPC's Action and DC Thomson's Bullet, although in truth I'm sure that Strip and CLiNT see each other as complimentary titles that can happily coexist in the far different UK comic marketplace of today. (Besides, CLiNT is adults only whilst Strip Magazine is for all-ages.)

More details of these exciting revamps as more information becomes available.

There will also be another adventure comic on the stands by then. A new children's title based on a licensed property and featuring strip content originated in the UK. More on that soon as well!

Review: Strip Magazine No.3

Only three issues in and already Strip Magazine feels like an old friend one looks forward to re-acquainting with every month. There's a few surprises this time too, with the debut of two new stories. First off, the European serial The Devil's Heritage kicks off with a 10 page first chapter. Set in 1938 this intriguing thriller is written by Jerome Felix and nicely illustrated by Paul Gastine. I'm already hooked and eager to know what happens next.


The other new strip is Bogey-Man Bob, also from an international source, taking up the back cover. This should appeal to old fans of Frankie Stein (and to new readers) and features attractive cartoon work by Gerard Leever.


Sadly, Recovery Inc. isn't in this issue, and further chapters have been postponed until later in the year. I suspect its absence may annoy some readers but The Devil's Heritage is an excellent replacement.

There's another six pages of Warpaint by Phil Hester and John McCrea, with the story developing well. It manages to strike a good balance between being a fast paced action strip and something deeper, which isn't always an easy feat to pull off.

Black Ops Extreme this issue is a self-contained flashback episode written by John Freeman as ever and drawn by guest artist Nick Dyer. In tone, this is probably the closest strip in the comic to IPC's Action, albeit with a modern approach. Well, if we discount the Hook Jaw reprint of course. Speaking of which, the body count continues to rise as the great white shark claims more victims.

Age of Heroes continues, by James Hudnall and John Ridgway, with the luxury of 11 pages. I only recently became aware that this originally appeared in an Image Comic series in the 1990s but I'm sure that, like for me, it'll be new for many readers. Indeed, it's still fresh and worthwhile even if one has read it before as John Ridgway is colouring his artwork for Strip Magazine. (I understand it was in black and white in the original printing.) This issue also includes an interview with John where he mentions continuing the series beyond its original chapters.

The aforementioned Nick Dyer also illustrates another strip in this issue in the form of Black Dragon, written by Richmond Clements. The character will return at a later date in an ongoing series.


Another couple of features include an interview with writer and artist Jason Cobley and an article on IPC's fondly remembered Starlord comic.

At present, unless you subscribe, Strip Magazine is still only available to buy from comic specialist shops. Issue 3 should be available now, although I know of at least one Forbidden Planet that still hasn't had their copies from the distributor. Hopefully that will be rectified this Wednesday if not before.

I know that some people think that the comic should have been available in newsagents from the outset but sadly in this day and age that isn't practical for new publications without the sort of budgets that big companies can afford. Print Media Productions are doing this right; starting small and building up. While some people do little but complain about the state of comics, John Freeman and the contributors of Strip Magazine are out there doing something about it. I know who gets my respect.

Strip Magazine continues to develop nicely and is a great bargain at 68 pages for just £2.99. (Most US comics cost that just for 20 pages of story.) It's well worth your support.

http://stripcomicmagazineuk.blogspot.com/

Strip Magazine 2 on its way

The publication of the second issue of Britain's new adventure monthly Strip Magazine, previously announced as being December 1st, has been rescheduled to December 14th according to the official blog.

"Due to a small but unexpected delivery delay from Bosnia, [where the comic is printed] the print edition will not be on sale until 14th December, for which we apologize" said editor John Freeman.

However, the good news (for those with an iPad or iPhone) is that the digital edition of Strip Magazine No.2 is now on sale from iTunes.

For more details of the contents of issue two, see the Strip Magazine blog:
http://stripcomicmagazineuk.blogspot.com/2011/12/strip-magazine-2-digital-edition-on.html

Strip Magazine is here!

After delays outside the publisher's control the first issue of the new British adventure comic Strip Magazine has finally arrived in comic shops.

It's an impressive debut. Kicking off with an eye-catching cover by PJ Holden we're treated to 68 glossy pages for a mere £2.99. Considering that most US comics now cost around £2.20 for 20 story pages Strip Magazine is a definite bargain. (There's also a free gift in the form of an A2 sized Mirabilis poster.)

The comic is packed with brand new comic strips and a few features about UK comics, plus, by arrangement with Egmont, the return of Hook Jaw (from the notorious Action weekly of 1976) in colourised reprints with new lettering by Jim Campbell (replacing the flat typeface used on the original).


Intended for an all-ages readership Strip Magazine features an emphasis on action-adventure rather than a reliance of talking heads or gore. The strips move at a fast pace but still cram a lot in to establish the characters and plots. Subsequently that can lead to a bit of overload in places, somewhat like being introduced to loads of new people at a party and expecting to remember everyone's names while the music's blaring out. This is particularly evident in the lead strip Black Ops Extreme, which is a brilliantly lively opening for a new comic but might need a couple of re-reads to remember who's who.


Every strip in the new comic has good things going for it, from the aforementioned fast moving Black Ops Extreme and Recovery Incorporated, to the humourous touches of the alternate-Earth complete story On Her Majesty's Hush-Hush Service. There's an interesting supernatural element to Warpaint (and a great cliffhanger), and some very nice John Ridgway artwork in Age of Heroes.


Above: A panel from Hush-Hush by Keith Page.

The articles in the first issue include an interview with Black Ops' artist PJ Holden, a feature on the history of Action by Moose Harris, and items about Print Media's graphic novels. There's also a couple of humour strips; Cosmic Patrol by Mauricet and Janssens, and Autospy & Ape by Toxic's John Rushby.


If I have any criticism it's that, as yet, there's not really one strong standout character that could be the next Dan Dare, Judge Dredd, or Steel Claw. However it's possible that Mia Raven of Recovery Incorporated might prove me wrong after a few issues. (Personally I'd have simply called the strip Raven. Strips with the names of the hero tend to be more memorable than the organizations they work for. I doubt Roy of the Rovers would have had the same impact had it been titled Melchester Rovers for example.)


It's early days yet though and Strip Magazine is off to a great start. There's not a dud strip in the comic and all the stories contain action and intrigue. What more could you ask for? Comparisons to 2000AD and CLiNT will be inevitable, but perhaps unfair. 2000AD has had over 30 years to build up its fanbase and its characters, whilst CLiNT is deliberately post-watershed and ultra-violent. Strip Magazine has its own approach and is closer in spirit to all-ages traditional UK comics such as Lion but uses contemporary storytelling techniques and attitudes. Let's hope this is the beginning of a long and successful new era for UK comics. Issue 2 is scheduled to be published on December 1st.

Strip Magazine No.1 is available from comic specialist shops such as Forbidden Planet (not newsagents). It's also available to download on the iPad, and postal subscriptions will also soon be available. See the official website for more details:
http://stripcomicmagazineuk.blogspot.com/

Strip Magazine delayed

News just in that, sadly the new 68 page UK adventure monthly Strip Magazine, which was due to launch tomorrow, has been delayed.

"Despite our best efforts, the first issue of STRIP Magazine will not be on sale in UK comic shops tomorrow (20th) due to courier problems beyond our control" said editor John Freeman in an official announcement this afternoon.

"We will advise of new on sale date as soon as it is confirmed," continued John, "but please be assured we're working closely with Diamond to get our first issue of our action-adventure anthology into UK comic shops as soon as we can."

"Naturally, we are extremely disappointed and annoyed by this turn of events and we know that this news will disappoint many people waiting for the Magazine's debut."

"As soon as we have definite news we will publish it on the Print Media Productions web site: www.printmediaproductions.com " John concluded.

I've known John personally for 30 years. He's one of the good guys in this business and I know the amount of hard work that he's put into Strip Magazine, how dedicated he is to launch a new adventure comic that Britain deserves, and how much he'll be making sure that Strip Magazine No.1 will be available as soon as possible. Having seen a preview of the contents I can tell you that the comic will be worth waiting for and is definitely worth your support. I'm hope you'll all join me in wishing Print Media Productions the best of luck and will continue to look forward to this great new comic when it arrives soon.

Strip Magazine will be available from comic specialist shops (not newsagents). Hopefully every comic shop has placed an order to show that they can support the UK comics industry. (If your local comic shop isn't stocking it, ask them why.) Subscriptions will be available from the Print Media website.

Mirabilis the magnificent

As Paul Gravett said on his website the other day, the market for British comics has changed these days with publishers looking beyond the traditional newsagents and towards bookshops and comic book stores. One publisher who certainly fits that bill is Lancashire based Print Media Productions. Next week they launch Strip Magazine, a brand new monthly adventure comic, and I'll be blogging more about that soon, but for now let's focus on their latest graphic novel, Mirabilis: Year of Wonders.

Mirabilis originally began in The DFC but the comic folded before the story had hardly begun. In Mirabilis: Year of Wonders, Winter Volume One, over 100 pages of the strip appear in full colour, on top quality glossy stock, in a nice large format hardback. It's a truly impressive book that gives the story a format it deserves.


Dave Morris (writer) and Leo Hartas (artist) with Mike Toris and Nikos Koutsis (colourists) combine their talents to tell a bewitching tale full of adventure and strangeness. Set at the dawn of the 20th Century, a green comet appears in the skies, a strange two headed coin is found and a series of peculiar events begins to shape the life of young Lieutentant Jack Ember.


Not only is Mirabilis an involving adventure story that moves along at a good pace, it's also full of mystery and mild horror, with a strange dreamlike intrigue throughout. Mirabilis is grounded in solid storytelling and, although an all-ages book, is more mature than the shock-value dramatics of comics such as Clint. If classic titles such as Valiant and Lion were being published today and had evolved to accommodate modern storytelling techniques, Mirabilis is the sort of strip that would be ideal for them. As it is, you get better than that, because instead of a serial story you get a whole book to sink your teeth into.


I was completely captivated by the book, and the artwork of Leo Hartas is perfect for it, with graphics that are both appropriately detailed and weird. Hartas has clearly researched the period well, and convincingly draws anything from a 19th Century study to a railway station. (Yes, part of the story involves danger on a train; a perfect ingredient for any good thriller. Although it probably wouldn't be as stylish or effective if it took place a modern-day pendolino from London to Liverpool.)

It's the weird nightmarish things that seep into the story that make Mirabilis really special. I won't spoil it here by explaining what they are, but as the Year of Wonders progresses it seems it's going to get harder to distinguish between reality and fantasy.

After 109 pages of this marvelous story we're left with a cliffhanger I'm afraid, but don't let that put you off. There's enough in Winter Volume One to satisfy anyone, and hopefully it'll whet your appetite for Volume Two, the hardback of which will be out soon (although an earlier published version in paperback is still available from Amazon). British adventure comics are alive and well!

Mirabilis Year of Wonders is available from Amazon. You can also order it from bookshops. For details see:
http://stripcomicmagazineuk.blogspot.com/p/mirabilis-reviews-and-ordering.html

Can Strip Magazine revive UK adventure comics?

Not long to go now before October's launch of Strip Magazine No.1, the brand new British adventure comic from Print Media Productions. If you want a taster (and in these comic-starved times who wouldn't?) you can read an online copy of issue zero for free at the Strip Magazine website here:

http://stripcomicmagazineuk.blogspot.com/2011/05/read-strip-magazine-issue-zero.html

The preview is just 16 pages but the actual issue one will feature a mammoth 68 pages in full colour for £2.99. Editor John Freeman has just announced that for the first few months Strip Magazine will only be available through direct sale outlets (UK comic shops, not newsagents). "We still plan to widen our sales to the UK high street in 2012," says John, "effectively 're-launching' the title after its initial tranche of content draws to a close".

Readers who were looking forward to buying the comic from their corner shop this year may be a little disappointed with this news but if you ask your nearest comic specialist shop (such as Nostalgia & Comics, Forbidden Planet, Gosh! etc) to order you a copy now you won't miss out when Strip Magazine launches in October. Please don't wait and think "Oh I'll buy it next year when my newsagent has it". The comic needs your initial support for it to grow.


"We see this as an opportunity to 'test bed' the title, in a similar way to partwork publishers who roll out test magazines in a key region to see if the project appeals" says John Freeman.

Make no mistake about it, launching a new British comic today is a brave move and not an easy path to take. There is resistance and apathy from the UK retail trade to any comic that isn't tied into some merchandised fad, and even if the comic is accepted there are huge fees to pay just to get it on the shelves, and no guarantee that the shops will actually display it correctly (or even the right way up).


Some people may use their blogs and forums to berate UK publishers for not putting out more non-licensed comics but talk is cheap. Sure, small press comics can thrive, and many of them feature excellent work on a par with mainstream comics, but to make a comic profitable in this day and age, to earn its creators a living, isn't easy. Shame on the hecklers who think it is.


Strip Magazine is exactly the kind of comic that fans of British adventure strips have been asking for, so I hope each and every one of them supports it. The strips feature top notch talent (John McCrea, PJ Holden, Ferg Handley, Kev Hopgood, and John Ridgway to name but a few), solidly told tales that aren't "mature readers" sex/gorefests, and a variety of stories. Think Lion or Valiant but with a modern twist.


For more details on the comic and to keep up with developments bookmark the Strip Magazine website:
http://stripcomicmagazineuk.blogspot.com/

A new hardcover graphic novel Mirabilis is out now from Print Media and I'll be reviewing it here shortly. (Short review for now: It's fantastic. Buy it!)

Another enjoyable Expo in Bristol

Thanks to Mike Allwood, Phil Davis and the gang for yet another enjoyable Bristol International Comic and Small Press Expo which took place this weekend. Weather was mostly good, the company was great, and the atmosphere was relaxing and friendly.

It's always good to have a break from the drawing board and catch up with old comic pals (some I've known now for 30 years!), meet new people, and do some sketches for the readers. (Thanks to all of you who dropped by for a drawing on Saturday afternoon.)

Here's a handful of photos from the event...
It's the Etherington Brothers! Yes, the creators of Monkey Nuts for The DFC and Yore! for The Dandy (amongst many other things) were at the Expo. I had no hesitation in buying the beautifully produced Monkey Nuts hardback. Recommended! Throw them some money and own one yourself!

The Small Press part of the Expo took place at the Mercure Hotel, just a very short walk from the Ramada where the "Mainstream" comics were. Above is a shot of one of the Mercure halls on Saturday.
Elephantmen creator Richard Starkings (on the right, with artist Boo Cook beside him) flew over from California again for the Expo. If you've never read Elephantmen give it a go, starting with Book One: Wounded Animals. It's a comic with a good heart, and deserves the praise and success it's received.
Over at the Ramada, Panini UK had a table to display their impressive range of trade paperbacks and graphic novels. Left to right here's Panini editors Simon Frith and Brady Webb with artist Adrian Salmon attending his first Bristol Expo.
Also present were Gary Millidge and Bryan Talbot. Bryan's Grandville Mon Amour is out now and is worth every penny (see the trailer here) and Alan Moore:Storyteller by Gary will be published in July. (I had a look through this preview copy and was very impressed. Gary's done his homework and there's lots of previously unseen images and info in there. A whacking great 320 page hardcover, and you can order it here.)

Strip Magazine Issue Zero out next week

The Bristol International Comic & Small Press Expo on 14th-15th May will see the launch of a special 16 page preview issue of Strip Magazine, the new UK adventure comic from Print Media Productions.

Editor John Freeman will be at the event where the promotional issue will be given away free to attendees. John will also be giving a talk about the new comic and Print Media's graphic album range (such as The Iron Moon, reviewed here recently) at 1.30pm on Sunday 15th May at the expo.

The 16 page preview gives readers a sample of the forthcoming strips such as Warpaint by Phil Hester and John McCrea, Black Ops Extreme by John Freeman and PJ Holden, and Age of Heroes by James Hudnall and John Ridgway. There's also a preview of forthcoming albums from the company.

Having seen a sneak preview of the strips I can vouch that they're all top quality and should appeal to all ages. Strip Magazine looks like it's shaping up to be exactly the sort of new adventure comic we need.

To follow the progress of the new comic, visit the Strip Magazine blog here:
http://stripcomicmagazineuk.blogspot.com/

For full details of the Bristol International Comic & Small Press Expo visit their website here:
http://www.fantasyevents.org/bristolcomicexpo/index.html