NOTE: Blimey! is no longer being updated. Please visit http://lewstringercomics.blogspot.com for the latest updates about my comics work.

Friday, March 21, 2014

To INFINITY and beyond

Back in the 1970s and 1980s many of us eagerly looked forward to the latest issues of comics fanzines thudding through our letterboxes. Back in those pre-Internet days, the likes of Bem and Comic Media News were the only way we could obtain news and opinion about comics. Today, we have similar publications in digital form, and one of the latest, Infinity, has just released its seventh issue.

Edited by Russell Willis, Infinity is a 60 page magazine about "graphic novels, comics, and sequential art". It veers away from the mainstream superhero comics (there are already numerous blogs and news sites about those) to cover a broader canvas. Highlights of the latest issue feature a six page article by Paul Gravett on Jamie Hernadez' Locaz, a lengthy review of Charley's War, and a 10 page interview with Martin Lock, who was one of the instrumental figures in 70s/80s fandom and indie comics, publishing the aforementioned Bem fanzine and Harrier Comics.

There are also various other reviews and features, plus an amusing four page strip, The Wanbies, by Tim West and Neil McClements. 

What I like most about Infinity is that it has a positive attitude to comics. Anyone can be a critic, and the Internet is plagued by the sort of sneering lazy negativity that considers it a badge of honour to kick creativity down. We all know that comics are struggling to compete with newer entertainment, so it's great that sources such as Infinity are all about emphasising the potential of comics and showing what a perfect form it is for any kind of story. It's a great place to find out about new comics you might otherwise miss, and you can even buy digital versions of graphic novels from the app.

Infinity is digital-only, but it's free! You can either download it from the Sequential app for the iPad, or view issues online on Issuu.com 

You can find out more about Infinity at its official website:
http://infinity-sequential.blogspot.co.uk/

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not all criticism is sneering lazy negativity as you call it. It's the concerned comments of readers who aren't impressed by some contributors who are too far up themselves to give comic buyers what they want.


Big Bad Bob.

Lew Stringer said...

Ah anonymous, do you never give up? Not all criticism is about you 'Bob'.

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