Get ready to GOOF!

Who's up for a brand new monthly British humour comic? It's lively, it's for all-ages, it's all-colour, it's digital, and I'm doing all-new Derek the Troll strips for it. It's GOOF! and it'll be available next month! Here's publisher Marc Jackson with the details....

On Saturday June 23rd, not only will I be hosting the 3rd annual MACC-POW! Macclesfield in Cheshire’s day of comics, as part of the 10 day Barnaby festival in the town, I’ll also be launching a brand-new online comic for all-ages, called GOOF!

GOOF! harks back to the good old days of comics for children (especially in the UK) that had a sense of craziness, anarchy and all-out fun whilst embracing the modern age. It’s a monthly, 30 page digital comic that costs just £1 per issue (£12 for the year maths fans) that you can subscribe to and read online at www.goofcomic.co.uk On the first Saturday of every month, you’ll receive a link to read it in your inbox, just like that.

Taking inspiration from BEANO, the Dandy (in fact it was thinking about the Dandy’s sad demise that started this whole process) the classic OiNK comic and the one-off 1983 Marvel special ‘Channel 33 1/3’ by Dicky Howett and Tim Quinn, whilst embracing the great work that both Jamie Smart’s MooseKid comics and David Lloyd’s Aces Weekly have done for putting quality comics online. GOOF! aims to connect those two groups and offer something fresh and unique for all-ages comics, that stands tall with its’ mighty predecessors!

Here’s the awesome bit and the part I still am pinching myself about… I have lined up some of the greatest cartoonist from around the world, maybe even the known universe to be involved and they will bring their incredible versatility to create a truly unique event in all-ages comics. The UK’s Lew Stringer will bring back his Derek the Troll character, I Kill Giants artist Ken Niimura delivers a one-off and exclusive drawing especially for the launch issue, Observer comics prize winner 2017 Tor Freeman introduces us to ‘Spells in the Forest’ alongside MAD magazine’s Luke McGarry. Lorenzo Montatore from Barcelona brings the crazy with ‘BOX’, the wonderful Emmeline Pidgen brings wonderful witchery with ‘Nona the Ninth’, Dan Moynihan creates ‘Mark and Spark’, Fulton Beal introduces the madcap adventures of ‘Flot and Zot’. Up and coming new comics talent Jessica on Paper gives us ‘Life Jacket’, Jolly Jim Boswell delivers ‘Stick Pig’ and US cartoonist Andrea Bell, shows us all ‘How to be cool’ Genie Espinosa introduces ‘Olivia and Puff’ Joe Matthew goes cosmic with ‘Space Dawg’ and even the legendary Fred Hembeck, famed for his work for both Marvel and DC in the 80’s is creating a new comic!

In addition, alongside that line-up, GOOF! features new characters and comics from Jess Smart Smiley (US) Andreas Schuster (Canada) Rick Eades (UK) Mari Ahokoivu (Finland) and Macclesfield illustrator Dick Vincent (UK)

Each cartoonist brings a different style, a different take on what making an all-ages comic means to them, whilst having fun with the medium itself. GOOF! aims to show you the kind of comics you might expect and something brand new, showing children and adults alike that this is an amazing time for the medium and presenting them in throughly modern way. Crazy adventure comics, funny animals comics, comics that show you how to be cool to your friends, even comics about cooking and culinary skills… we got ‘em!

These comics are exclusive to GOOF! so if you want to check them out, this is the only place to do it.

This project brings a new role for me as an editor and general man in charge, as I have being bringing the comic together since early January. Scouring instagram feeds for hot new talent and dipping into my address book to reach out to the old-pros who I know can deliver. I’ll be heavily promoting GOOF! from here on in (as will all the creators to make it the success I truly believe it should be) and we’ll be promoting and introducing what is inside at larger events such as the Lakes International comic-art festival in October, who have offered me great support so far. Keen to not get left out of the comics action too, I’ll also debut a new strip called ‘Donald Dogsbody does the dishes’ and I can’t wait to see him as part of this amazing line-up.

Visitors to MACC-POW! can sign-up and start reading issue zero on the day right there and then. Half of our creators will be in attendance in person including Lorenzo Montatore and Genie Espinosa from Spain, giving the event a truly international flavour. I hope that children will then engage with those creators and talk to them about the new characters they enjoyed and maybe event get a signed drawing of their favourites. Making it a truly interactive first for a comic launch of this kind.

Wherever you are in the world, GOOF! will be waiting for you at www.goofcomic.co.uk so don’t miss out on, comics for everyone!

Sign-up now to be the first to read the comic on June 2rd at www.goofcomic.co.uk

Images
GOOF! and all related imagery and content © Marc Jackson 2018
Derek the Troll © Lew Stringer 2018
Spells in the Forest © Tor Freeman 2018
Stick Pig © Jim Boswell 2018
Olivia and Puff @ Genie Espinosa 2018

If you want to learn more about Derek the Troll see here:
http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/derek-troll-launches-this-saturday.html

You can read regular updates about my work by following my personal blog here:
http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.co.uk

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.

David Lloyd's Kickback now on the iPad

I recently received the press release regarding David Lloyd's Kickback graphic novel being available on the iPad. I don't have an iPad myself but from what I've heard the conversion to digital format is excellent. Here's the full details...

Graphic novelist David Lloyd, co-creator with Alan Moore of V for Vendetta and designer of the stylized Guy Fawkes mask used by the Occupy movement addresses corruption in the deluxe digital version of crime-noir thriller Kickback. The iPad version includes an exclusive interview, audio commentary, and production notes and images.

TOKYO March 28th, 2012  It's the mask protesting about corruption and greed around the world, and its creator David Lloyd, the artist behind V for Vendetta, has just released an interactive graphic novel for the iPad addressing those very issues: "V for Vendetta was concerned with how a society becomes corrupt and how it frees itself from corruption. My graphic novel, Kickback, resonates with this theme, but it is about how one man frees himself from the shackles of his own corruption." 

Kickback follows the story of Joe Canelli, a corrupt cop in a tough city, haunted by his dreams and confused by his past. When his partner is murdered and his colleagues betray him, Canelli must confront his past and question the direction of his life. "Kickback is a fast-paced thriller that explores themes of corruption, consciousness, society, and self-respect against a big-city backdrop," says Lloyd.
The iPad app (which takes advantage of the new retina screen) presents Kickback in a stunning high-quality digital format, with a specially-designed user interface that gives the reader smooth swiping from page to page, flawless pixel-per-second movement, and effortless transition to Panel Mode to view enlarged panels one by one in beautiful detail. The app also includes an audio commentary by the artist, an exclusive interview, and production notes and sketches.
In the exclusive interview Lloyd discusses a range of issues and details his experience of launching the print version of Kickback just after the V for Vendetta movie was released and is scathing about former publisher Dark Horse and their lack of promotion of his work.
In relation to the decision to release the work in iPad format, Lloyd commented, "Intelligent graphic novels for adults have rarely been able to find the readership they deserve. With this iPad version of Kickback, we're making something I'm very proud of available to millions of people who wouldn't think of scanning the graphic novel section of a bookstore, or entering a comic shop. The format also allows us to add features that would either not be possible or be too expensive in a printed book. The whole thing looks fantastic and I'm very excited to see my work in this form."

The artist worked with Tokyo-based digital publisher Panel Nine Publishing who specialize in fully-featured software for digital graphic novels. Publisher Russell Willis, a Brit, commented: "Not all digital comics are created equal. The 'lean back' nature of the iPad allows immersion into the material and we have created software which sweats the small stuff to exploit the features of the device and create the optimal reader experience. This is a world away from reading a dodgy PDF on a computer monitor. There is no doubt that in the next few years most people will be reading graphic novels on tablets of some sort: Kickback is the future of the graphic novel."

Kickback is available for all versions of the iPad and can be purchased from iTunes for £6.99. Click here to purchase and download your copy.

APP DESCRIPTION
This app presents Kickback in stunning high-quality digital format, with a specially-designed user interface that gives the reader smooth swiping from page to page, flawless pixel-per-second movement, and effortless transition to Panel Mode to view enlarged panels one by one in beautiful detail. 
Special features include:• Audio commentary for selected pages, recorded by David Lloyd exclusively for this app

• A host of extra material including a selection of previously unpublished sketches, thumbnails, and cover roughs from the development of Kickback

• A brand-new interview with David Lloyd conducted exclusively for this app

• Visual contents and bookmarks that let the reader view thumbnails of all pages and navigate quickly and easily

David Lloyd is one of the comics industry's foremost talents. He has worked with many top graphic novel writers including Alan Moore, Garth Ennis, and Grant Morrison.

Commando goes digital!

Don't worry, the paper version remains as well. Here's all the info direct from the bunker at D.C. Thomson along with a couple of screenshots....

Commando, the iconic action and adventure comic published by D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd., starts its 50th anniversary year in 2011 with a bang, courtesy of a brand new website, http://www.commandocomics.com, officially launched today. The much-loved comic, which has now surpassed 4300 stories since its inception in July 1961, has launched a full-scale assault on the digital world, including a new website, digital subscriptions service using iPhone & iPad apps, a first from DC Thomson’s stable of publications. The new service ensures that Commando adventures, famed for their accuracy and authenticity, are now available in digital form as well as print.


The new website, created by DC Thomson’s Digital team in partnership with Edinburgh-based digital agency, Storm ID, has a range of new features which ensures that Commando is well positioned for the digital future. Users can explore the stories, including new issues, using the free interactive viewer as well as obtain information on the military hardware featured throughout. There’s also the chance to enjoy various story features and the reminiscences of both the current editorial team and contributors from throughout Commando’s 50 years. Visitors will also have the ability to purchase a digital subscription directly from the website or buy a print subscription for delivery. Also, for the first time, users can get their hands on some famous Commando cover posters (in A1 size format) exclusively through Commandocomics.com, for the introductory price of £19.99.

Commando Editor, Calum Laird, said: “Being the first DC Thomson title to offer a downloadable digital comic via a web-based subscription service is quite a responsibility but one we are delighted to take on. Commando is a unique product in the UK marketplace and now, it can be made available worldwide at the click of a mouse, or the tap of a screen for iPhone and iPad. These devices are almost tailor-made for the unique presentation of Commando. Backing up the subscription service with a fully-loaded website giving access to our timeless story archive will be welcomed with open arms by Commando fans.”

The iPad and iPhone apps are free to download through the Apple iTunes App Store and a digital subscription is priced at £4.99 per month, compared to a £99 annual print subscription. For those not sure there are 4 free issues to download prior to making a purchase so you can be sure! The new website, digital subscriptions and iPhone/iPad apps will be backed by digital marketing campaign, featuring paid-search, Facebook and online display advertising.


There’s much more to come from Britain’s only war/action adventure comic in its Golden Jubilee year with a full programme planned. Favourite characters are due to make returns alongside new heroes specially created for the anniversary year along with delving deep into Commando's past to dust off classic stories like “Walk or Die” that haven't seen the light of day for many years. Commando is one war veteran that isn’t done fighting yet.

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Now here's the news about the latest four issues, all available from tomorrow:


Commando 4367: PIRATE BREED

“Hey, Bluey!”
— The length and breadth of the China Seas that’s all he was called — Bluey. Gold-smuggling, gun-running, he was a tough guy who took all kinds of chances in his fast old converted MTB to make a quick dollar.
When the Australian Navy had a tough job to do and needed a guy who knew the China Seas backwards, had smuggling contacts on nearly every island, could handle a gun and take a chance in a thousand — did they look among their own officers? Did they blazes!
“Hey, Bluey!”

Story: Spence
Inside Art: Cecil Rigby
Cover: Lopez Espi
Originally No 234 from 1966




Commando 4368: MIGHTY MIKE

Mighty Mike Mansell, top fighter ace, was the guy chosen as test pilot for the fastest aircraft produced for the RAF. The plane was so top secret that it didn’t even have a name as Mike put it through its paces over the remote north of Scotland.
Yet, despite all the security, the Nazis believed they could get their hands on the plane…and no wonder they were confident. Flying for the Luftwaffe was Mike’s identical twin brother…

Story: Cyril Walker
Inside Art: Cam Kennedy
Cover: Ken Barr
Originally No 417 from 1970, re-issued as No 1355 in 1979



Commando 4369: Swastika Squadron

A bunch of RAF men fighting in planes with swastikas? Traitors, surely, flying German kites?
Well, no. they were a group of Blenheim crews for whom a ferry flight turned into a fight for survival in planes carrying the sign of the crooked cross.

Story: Norman Adams
Inside Art: Keith Page
Cover: Keith Page



Commando 4370: MONGREL CREW

They were a mongrel crew all right. Half-a-dozen men lumped together in a Mitchell bomber for the wrong reason — a propaganda stunt. Though each had a score to settle with the enemy, they were not really expected to fight.
But, when push came to shove, the mongrels would show they had a bite to match any pedigree hound.

Story: Mac Macdonald
Inside Art: Carlos Pino
Cover: Carlos Pino

All in all it looks like a great time to be a fan of the UK's long running adventure comic!