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.