Sunday 30 December 2012

Aborted Commando Mission: Ghost Soldier

A few years ago I considered submitting a script to DC Thompson's Commando series. These unique comics were favourites of both Steve and I as children and they retain the power to entertain. The short Walking Wounded story Hot Air (from Massacre For Boys In Colour) was done in the Commando style as a tribute to one of our favourite war comics. In the end I decided against making a submission, but here is the summary I prepared for a possible full-length Commando adventure.

Ghost Soldier

Privates Duncan Saunders and Luke Watts are two lifelong friends who join up together at the outset of WW2. They vow to watch out for each other, come what may. The pair are posted to France in 1939, but find themselves confronted by Hitler’s Blitzkrieg. Duncan is killed by a Panzer shell as the Allies are forced back.

At Dunkirk, Luke finds himself in the path of a dive-bombing Stuka. However he is pushed to safety by Duncan, who has come back as a ghost to fulfil his pact. Duncan soon realizes that no one, not even Luke, is aware of his presence, but sticks with him anyway.

Once back in England, Luke is briefly reunited with his fiancée, so Duncan leaves them alone. However, Luke is soon posted to a new unit in North Africa and Duncan is ready for him on the boat.

Soon after arriving, Luke is part of a patrol ambushed by a crack platoon of the Afrika Korps. As the English are forced to surrender, Duncan reaches into one of the German’s belts and sets off a grenade. This totally turns the tables and the German survivors are rounded up and brought back in triumph to the English base. Luke starts to believe he has a guardian angel.

The next day, Luke is involved in a fierce gun battle for control of a small but strategically important port. A Nazi has a clear shot at him but Duncan notices in time and nudges the enemy soldier’s shooting arm. Instead of hitting Luke, the Nazi gets his commanding officer in the leg, and is promptly court-martialled.

A few weeks later, Luke and some of his mates are holed up and under siege in a native house, behind enemy lines. Duncan assesses the situation and declares that even he has his work cut out on this one.

To start with, Duncan focuses on a heavy machine gun emplacement that has the English pinned down. He ensures the gun jams by standing on the ammo sit will not feed properly. Then, he sabotages a sneak attack by calling out in German just as the Nazi soldiers are about to open fire on their defenceless victims. Of course, once the English are aware of them the advantage is lost so Luke and company can use superior cover to drive their opponents back.

Finally, reinforcements arrive and the Germans are forced to retreat. Luke notices a rooftop sniper giving the enemy covering fire, but as he goes to shoot him his gun is out of ammunition and the sniper gets away.

Duncan is confused, until he notices a German ghost jingling bullets, obviously just taken from Luke’s gun. The two ghosts salute each other then head off in opposite directions after their respective charges.

Saturday 8 December 2012

Zarjaz 15

Zarjaz 15 review by Steven Denton

Cover by Edmund Bagwell

Edmund Bagwell’s line work is very good (it’s like if you found half of D’Israeli and half of Jeff Smith in a box and you glued them together to make a Smith-D’Israeli art monster). If I have any criticism of this wraparound artwork, it’s that the back cover composition doesn’t really stand up when viewed in isolation.

Judge Dredd: Finding Mino by Mark J Howard, Alex Paterson and Bolt-01

The artwork by Alex Paterson is consistently well-done, with clean, clear storytelling and bags of energy. I don’t like his Dredd chin; I can’t really read it as Dredd; but other than that I was more than a little impressed with Paterson and would class him as prog-worthy. The writing for the first segment is good, maybe even very good. The premise is simple yet effective and the pacing and tone are pitch-perfect. Even though the story has loose ends, it feels complete and packs a genuine emotional punch. I found the second half far less satisfying; it has some nice interaction between Dredd and an inept junior Judge but feels otherwise uninspired. It feels familiar and after the impressive high of the first episode it’s a bit of a let-down. Sure, the second half wraps up two-thirds of the loose ends but it doesn’t feel necessary and it doesn’t leave the first part feeling any more complete.

Mega-City One Tales: Gawkers by Shaun Avery, Simon Bennett Hays and Bolt-01

Gawkers has a real Mega City One feel to it, the bored citizens recklessly chasing any thrill or fame that the law will allow them with no thought or morality or consequence. Simon Bennett Hays has storytelling skills and although his work is rough around the edges it gets the job done. The script depicts the callous, spoilt rich kids of Mega City One’s upper-class well, drawing parallels with addiction without ramming them home in too heavy-handed a fashion. The last frame is, however, a little unclear.

Tales from the Black Museum: Jinni in a Bottle by Richmond Clements, Stephen Prestwood & Bolt-01

The highlight of this competently-told tale, for me, was the unhelpful psi judge and her well-observed, vague, ‘extra-sensory perception.’ The dialogue from the Judges and the curator raise the story’s entertainment level above the relatively straight-forward plot with a slightly confusing last frame. The artwork, by small press stalwart Steven Prestwood, is easy to read and consistent. I would however like to see him push his art further; I think there is some real skill there but it’s hidden under a series of familiar poses and angles.

Judge Dredd: the Taking of Mopad 456 by Lee Robson, Kev Levell and Bolt-01

The Taking of Mopad 456’s script is, in my opinion, too thin and too familiar. There is nothing wrong with it but it has nothing I’ve not seen Dredd do a fair number of times before and the ‘punchline’ really didn’t help. The art is well-executed and at times stylish, although the grey wash is a little too muddy for my taste. Kev Levell is a top-tier small press artist and clearly has a lot of talent and skill, which always raises my expectations. I always feel I should be more impressed with his work then I actually am; there is nothing wrong with it, in fact there is a lot right with it, but it just doesn’t grab me. What I’m trying to say is this story was a miniature steam train where I was expecting a breakneck rollercoaster; I feel slightly underwhelmed.

Mega-City One Tales: It’s Good to Talk by Shaun Avery, Nora Rodriguez and Bolt-01

I’m really not sure what to say about this story. The art has a traced photograph look mixed with muddy smudged greys that that I find unappealing. I understand the storytelling and Rodriguez only randomly broke frame once. The story, I think, has serious issues at its core. It’s about a man who is unable to emotionally connect with his girlfriend so he vandalises a bar and spends some time in prison to sort his relationship out. I’m not sure this works as a Mega City One tale as cubes aren’t where detached and isolated young men go to emotionally grow. And I’m not sure how many contemporary relationships would be helped by random acts of violence followed by a stretch in prison.

Armitage: the Soze Method by Sampson Horn and Paul Vaughan

I really like seeing art like this in the small press; there is a ton of enthusiasm and energy and, dare I say, love, in every frame. It’s easy to hold the small press up to pro standard and criticise the figure work or the perspective, but one thing you shouldn’t be able to call into question is the love. The artwork raises the story from a fairly thin film reference to a kind of fever dream. The one thing I didn’t like was the lettering. It’s all odd balloon placements and awkward tails; on the first page, one tail cuts across Armitage’s face right into his mouth, like he’s chewing it. Bad lettering at best makes a strip look extremely amateur and at worst makes it unreadable. If you haven’t devoted the necessary time to learning how to letter, you are far better off leaving it to someone who has.

Judge Dredd: Big Jimpin’ by Lee Robson David Broughton and Bolt-01

This is a perfectly reasonable Dredd story that with better storytelling would have been of a comparable level to Gawkers and Jinni. As it is, it feels cramped and a bit cluttered. The script is a fairly interesting take on Jimping, opting for a more voyeuristic and less violent reading then we often see. There are a few frames where Robson has probably crammed in too many balloons and captions but it’s hard to tell because where the storytelling is really questionable is in the art. Frames are broken and borders rejected for no clear design or storytelling purpose, which in turn encourages the lettering to span what should be distinct frames. A good example is frame one of page two, which is also frame two (unless a second Judge Dredd is calling Control whilst floating in the air ten feet behind the first Judge Dredd.) The front wheel of the hovering Lawmaster breaks the bottom border into frame four, which has no border with frame three. This physically connects all four frames into one. It reads as a jumble and is the same throughout. Borders look like they have been broken because the artist has run out of space every time a rogue head, foot or hand breaks frame. The whole thing looks cramped and cluttered and at times it’s difficult to follow. Big Jimpin’ shows plenty of promise in the art but isn’t there yet.

You can buy Zarjaz 15 from here.

Sunday 18 November 2012

JUDGE DREDD The Faceless Killer

Judge Frankum discovered the boy in an alleyway, just after 4am. The bodies of his parents lay close by. Multiple blaster wounds had killed them, probably instantly. Frankum was a young Judge, not long out of the academy. He had more compassion than perhaps was good for him and felt desperately sorry for the child.

However, a witness was a witness. He'd asked some questions at the scene but the boy had not seemed to be listening. He could not even provide his own name, and Frankum had to work this out once he'd found the father's ID card and got his details back from Control.

Kyle Cooper, aged ten.

Small for his age, with long fair hair, keen blue eyes and pale skin. His clothes were ill-fitting, which could have been hand -me-downs, but probably were not because he had no brothers or sisters. Orphaned and all alone in the world, at least at this moment, except for the judges.

“Who did this to your Mum and Dad, Kyle?” asked Frankum, eye to eye.

The boy seemed to hear at last, and his vacant eyes became fearful.

“No face,” he answered, with finality, as if that would be enough.

“Man or a woman? Can you describe him or her? If we show you some holographs do you think you could pick them out?”

“No face.”

Frankum remained sympathetic and tried many different tacks, but the answer he received was always the same.

“No face.”

Later, at the sector house, after a gentle but persistent few hours of questioning had yielded little, and forensic reports had yielded less, Frankum was at the custody desk, preparing to sign Kyle over and go back on the streets. He saw Judge Dredd come in, and remembered he was there to brief his senior colleagues about the ongoing Surveyor's strike.

Frankum had never spoken to Dredd before, but he knew him by reputation (everyone in the City knew Dredd by reputation) and seized the opportunity to ask for advice.

Surprisingly, Dredd took the interruption with good grace. He had sized up Frankum in a split second, and decided he was a decent judge. Dredd listened to the details of the case and had worked out a way forward before Frankum had stopped speaking.

“Better get Psi Division to take a look at the kid,” stated Dredd.

Frankum inwardly kicked himself. Of course!

“Your lucky day, Frankum,” continued the legendary lawman, “I'm heading back to the Hall of Justice after this briefing. I'll run him over myself.”

“I appreciate that,” replied Frankum, “Thanks, Dredd.”

“Don't mention it,” said Dredd, and meant it. Gratitude annoyed him, especially from a fellow judge.

Frankum showed Dredd into an interview room. Kyle was there, surrounded by toys and games and even some synthi-cake. All of it was untouched. Kyle was just sitting, staring into space, sunk deep inside himself.

“This is Judge Dredd,” introduced Frankum. “He's going to take you to see someone who can help.”

Kyle's eyes flickered briefly at Dredd, and then re-focused at nothingness.

“Not much of a talker,” commented the elder lawman, “I like that.”

*

Psi Judge Anderson was off duty, but that didn't stop Dredd coming directly to see her. She didn't really mind, it demonstrated that he retained confidence in her abilities. With Dredd you didn't see him unless he either needed something from you or was about to arrest you. She saw him a lot, and remained unarrested.

He'd brought the boy. She suspected from the state of Kyle's hair that he'd been riding on the back of Dredd's lawmaster. Possibly inappropriate, but not against the rules. Obviously, as Dredd seldom did anything against the rules, and when he did breach them it indicated someone (never Dredd) was in serious trouble.

She took a good look at her witness. Years of experience had taught to her read people pretty well without even needing to engage her telepathic abilities. Kyle was deeply traumatised, she could see that immediately, but underneath his real personality was still in tact, submerged but not, so far, drowned. A happy boy, who loved his parents and, although naturally shy, was intelligent and sensitive. He would grow up to be a decent man, felt Anderson, if the Meg hadn't totally brutalized him by then.

Anderson scanned Kyle, at first getting nowhere, but she knew how to deal with defences erected by emotional damage, and side-stepped all barriers with relative ease.

Kyle and his parents were walking along the alleyway. An ill-conceived short cut. The parents were laughing. They knew it was risky, that they were out of camera range, but were enjoying themselves. Suddenly a man on a hoverboard descended to block their path. Not just any man,,, a judge! No, that wasn't right. The judge's uniform was home-made, the replica name-badge read “RIPPER” and the helmet seemed to have come from a joke shop.

The las-sword was real though. The parents were dead inside a minute and “Judge Ripper” ascended again, laughing insanely like the pyschopath he so clearly was.

Anderson snapped out of it. She took Dredd aside, out of Kyle's earshot.

“Jimp.” she explained. “Nasty one too, we need to get this guy off the streets.”

Dredd turned to Kyle, and spoke more or less his first words to him about the case.

“A man dressed as a judge killed your parents?” he asked, seeking confirmation.

“Yeah,” said Kyle, distantly. “No-face.”

“Hmmm,” said Dredd. He saw what the kid meant and he didn't like it much.

“There's an Aunt,” added Anderson. “You probably know. She lives over at Stewart Lee block. Seems like a nice woman, Kyle's always liked her.”

“That's on my way,” responded Dredd, not strictly accurately. “I'll run him over.”

*

Later that same night, Judge Frankum responded to reports of a disturbance at Credland. He entered the downmarket, discount superstore and saw immediately that this was serious. The place was in chaos. Terrified citizens were running and screaming and pushing and shoving (and many of them, it had to be said, were also looting).

Something needed to be done, and quickly. Frankum grabbed a citizen, at random, and lifted her off her feet.

“Where?” demanded the judge.

“Almost meat!” responded the panicked woman, holding on tightly to an armful of clothing.

“Thank you,” said Frankum, releasing her. “Make sure you pay for those goods.”

The woman bolted, possibly heading for the checkouts, but there again, possibly not. Frankum followed the signs, wading against the tide, forcing his way through the crowd, and finally arrived at the Almost Meat aisle. He was greeted by the smiling face of “Judge” Ripper.

“Aha, backup at last,” declared the cheerful jimp, surrounded by victims, splattered thick with their blood. “Lots of perps still to sentence and I've only got a las-sword!”

Frankum knew a Futsie when he saw one. He was pretty liberal-leaning, at least for a judge, but there were limits. He raised his lawgiver.

“Summary execution!”

*

Judge Dredd's lawmaster motorcycle proceeded along an empty freeway. It was late now, and this wasn't the way to anywhere much. Kyle had been silent the whole journey. Dredd, who regarded small talk as practically criminal, did not mind one bit.

Kyle was clinging onto Dredd, but he was deeply uncomfortable in his company. The fog was slowly clearing from his mind since the visit to the kind judge-lady with the pretty face. However he did not feel he could trust the man he was now travelling with. Dredd wore a mask, just like his parents' killer, and he now believed that evil hid behind masks.

No doubt Kyle would have continued to feel like that, probably for his entire life, had not their journey to his Aunt's home been interrupted by a sudden and explosive intervention. There was a deafening “CRACK” and a massive fissure opened in the road just ahead of them. Dredd slammed on the brakes hard - too hard – and though they avoided failing through the road, many hundreds of metres towards the next level far below, both Dredd and Kyle went tumbling from the bike.

Kyle ended up some distance from Dredd. Unhurt, kneeling in terrified puzzlement. Rubble seemed to be raining down on them and more and more small cracks were appearing in the tarmac underneath every moment.

Dredd rose to his feet, and contacted Control straight away.

“What the drokk is going on?” he demanded, without preamble.

The voice that got back to him was clearly well aware of the problem.

“The surveyor's strike is really starting to hit home,” explained the operator. “Sit tight, Dredd, construction droids are on their way.”

Dredd had no intention of staying where he was and waiting for the road to give way beneath him, so he terminated the conversation with Control and instead turned to Kyle, who's position was becoming precarious as the freeway around them disintegrated further.

“Come on kid, we need to get out of here.”

Kyle shook his head, and shrank back.

“No face,” he said, by way of explanation.

Larger and larger pieces of debris were pouring down on them, it was getting to the stage where a direct hit could be fatal. The remainder of the freeway they were on was literally disintegrating, it would only be a few minutes before this entire section crumbled to dust.

“There's no time for this, kid,” Dredd insisted. “We have to go, now!”

Kyle shook his head again. This time he pointed directly at Dredd.

“No face,” he said again.

A huge chasm was opening between them and Dredd could not simply grab the boy. He knew he had maybe 60 seconds to persuade him to jump over, after that he would be out of reach and heading for a swift reunion with his dead parents. So Dredd did the only thing he could do.

Judge Dredd took off his helmet.

“We've all got a face, Kyle.” he said, matter of factly. “Even me.”

Kyle looked into the face of Dredd, and, finally, he trusted him.

This story started life as a plan for a possible Zarjaz strip, although I figured it was pretty much unpublishable (due to the ending) and decided not to submit it. Then I heard about a Megazine short story competition and decided to see how the idea worked in prose. Generally, I feel it came out okay. I didn't win though.

Illustration by Steven Denton. As everybody knows, Judge Dredd is (c) Rebellion.

Sunday 30 September 2012

Crusader Sketches

We were extremely honoured that David Frankum brilliantly sketched MFB superhero The Crusader and contributed the original drawing to the Demoncon raffle:

David also came up with this superbly moody Crusader illustration which now resides in The Denton Archives:

Here's a snap of David sketching at Demoncon, in front of the rather lovely new MFB banner:

The Crusader is scheduled to return in Massacre For Boys Picture Library. David's latest strip, Flesh, written by Andrew Cheverton, will be appearing in the new issue of Zarjaz.

Monday 17 September 2012

Demoncon 4

As the poster suggests, David Frankum and I will be appearing at Demoncon 4 in Maidstone this Sunday. We'll be punting our various wares, whilst generally chatting about comics and stuff. This follows hot on the heels of the excellent Demoncon 3, and is therefore guranteed to be awesome.

If you're in the area, why not drop by?

Saturday 15 September 2012

Action Special: The Reviews Are In!

Two of the UK's top comics writers have taken in-depth looks at our latest offering.

The esteemable Richard Bruton of the Forbidden Planet Blog gave the Action Special his special attentions here.

Then the laudable Andy Oliver of Broken Frontier was kind enough to check out the Action Special, in combination with our earlier effort, In Colour, and post his thoughts at the other end of this link.

Our thanks go to both Andy and Richard for their time, and also for their kind words!

Saturday 1 September 2012

Curiosity

Oh dear, Summer seems to be over.

Not to worry though, work is continuing on the Picture Library, as evidenced here:

This is actually a missing page from a strip we first put out in 2009. Steve has gone back to it to complete the artwork and the full version of "Mars" will be published next year, just in time to celebrate Nasa's Curiosity rover discovering signs of Victorian British colonisation of the red planet. Possibly.

Saturday 14 July 2012

Going Digital

Someone raised the subject of digital small press comics in this thread on the new and excellent Small Press Comics forum.

I was basically against the idea, as I pretty much hate reading comics from a screen and I have severe doubts about whether I would ever see any revenue from this medium. Still the enthusiasm of others, and the inevitable march of progress, has sort of convinced me this is a game we need to be in.

Therefore, please consider this a toe in the water:

It's a downloadable PDF file of Walking Wounded: The House That Dripped War. This isn't exactly new as they has been a web version of the comic available on the main Massacre site for a while now. Still, if the availability in this new format encourages anyone new to read the publication (which I count amongst our finest) then I may experience a Damascan conversion.

If you do have a strong desire to read other Massacre For Boys publications in this way please do get in touch.

Paper sales of the Action Special have been gratifyingly strong, I am happy to report, so the traditional format is not going away. Speaking of the Action Special, be sure to check out David Frankum's "Massacre Memoirs", detailing his experiences of working on that very comic. It's a worthwhile read!

Sunday 27 May 2012

Announcing... Massacre For Boys Picture Library

There's been a positive response to the launch of the Action Special (and a run of online orders, which is pleasing), but it's time now to turn our thoughts to the future and to our next release...

Massacre For Boys Picture Library will develop the anthology format a stage further, with even more participation by the top names in UK independent comics. Steve and I will stay on as contributing editors, but we'll be doing a bit less of the writing and arting, allowing the variety and the quality to flourish.

To whet your appetites, here's the first page of Zen Fusilier, a fantastic new strip by Massacre debutante Greg Meldrum and second-timer John Caliber:

We are now operating an open submissions policy, and not all slots for this comic are yet filled, so if you're a up and coming writer or artist and you have a love of British comics please feel free to get in touch. All offers in a classic British style considered, and you should make sure you are aware of the Massacre For Boys look and feel to give yourself the greatest chance of success. The best way of doing this - and supporting our efforts - is to buy a copy, but it's not obligatory and we have put plenty of material online for you to peruse at no expense.

If the comic is a hit further issues of Picture Library will follow. The first one is due out early next year. Stay tuned for more - many more - updates....

Saturday 19 May 2012

Bristol Comic Expo 2012

Last weekend I was in Bristol, exhibiting at the annual Comic Expo. Look, I even managed to take a photo:

This was only my second ever Bristol as an exhibitor and my first ever convention spread over more than one day. I was accompanied at the Massacre For Boys table by Steven Denton (as you might expect) and Nikki Foxrobot. We were launching our new title, Massacre for Boys Action Special and thankfully it had arrived from the printers in plenty of time. This was actually not the printer I originally chose, having foolishly decided to go for a company I knew to have a bad reputation the first time around. All I can really say on this matter is that the guys at Ka-Blam stepped in late in the day and did a first rate job, and that if you ever see any claims regarding an Xpress service, take them with a massive pinch of very salty salt.

Bristol was a great occasion to catch up with friends and meet new comics people. The incomparable David Frankum was there throughout and legends Bolt-01 & Richmond Clements as well as the fantastic Owen Watts had their own tables, so we were pretty well covered for MFB contributors! Our stand was located at the back of the old engine shed (a massive hall, no old engines in sight) and next to the wares of the phenomonally talented Aneurin Wright. Over the weekend I got to see several more luminaries, including Steve Tanner of Time Bomb comics (love his Dick Turpin books), Jamie Lambert of Bearded Skull comics (a fellow purveyor of war action, great stuff), Garen Ewing of Rainbow Orchid (breath-takingly awesome) fame and many more.

The great attraction of Bristol is the comfortable inter-mingling of seasoned pros with fans and upstarts. I arrived on Friday night and found myself alone in the hotel lobby with D'Israeli (who vanished as soon as he realized I'd recognised him - don't worry, Matt, I'm a fan, but not a crazed fan!) and I have happy memories of super talented script droid Al Ewing joining in our conversations at the hotel bar. The number of times I clocked Paul Cornell in a 48-hour period was frankly frightening! Highlight of the weekend for the inner fanboy though, was when Simon Bisley bestowed on us some kind words about our work.

There was a major downside to this convention however, and that was that visitor numbers were sorely lacking. It did feel at times more like a social gathering of indepedent British comicdom then it did an actual opportunity to punt our wares to the comic-buying public. The lack of a big name headliner and the scheduling proximity to Kapow were both major factors here, and in this regard the organizers were unlucky. Denny O'Neil's late withdrawal no doubt had an effect and the refusal of Mark-Millar-con to schedule itself politely was bound to force many people to have to choose one or the other. I think this must be a lesson learned for the new team who took over organsising the Expo this year. Spread the risk by engaging three or four headliners, avoid a clash with Kapow or MCM (if that means moving from the traditional mid-May slot then so be it) and do a bit more to ensure the UK comics scene is fully represented. I was very disappointed, for example, not to see Self-Made Hero this year and they've since said that their absence wasn't due to Kapow so much as to not being invited!

However, overall I had a great time and came home feeling suitably energised and inspired. Roll on next year's show!

Friday 11 May 2012

Action Special: Launching Tomorrow

The Massacre For Boys Action Special goes on sale tomorrow morning at the Bristol Comic Expo. Massacre For Boys In Colour has been reprinted especially for the event.

Postscript for bargain hunters: if you're planning on coming along to this year's Expo and you fancy a copy of the very first Walking Wounded comic (Island of Terror) for JUST ONE POUND visit our stall and say the code phrase "Who do you think you are kidding, Mr Hitler?".

Monday 7 May 2012

Action Special: Running Order

Cover: Walking Wounded Eastern Front by Steven Denton (see previous blog entry).

Walking Wounded Eastern Front: Pagan Blood. Script by Chris Denton. Art, Colours and Letters by David Frankum.

CrusaderInk0201web

The Crusader: Spoonful of Honey. Script by Chris Denton. Art and Letters by Bolt-01. Colours by Richmond Clements.

Holt Bros: The Locked Room. Script by Chris Denton. Art by Steven Denton. Colours by Dee Cunniffe. Letters by Nikki Foxrobot.

Badland Rules: Spearstorm. Script by Steven Denton. Art, Colours and Letters by Tim Twelves.

Jimmy Baker Animal Hatmaker: Bones. Script by Chris Denton. Art, Colours and Letters by John Caliber.

Walking Wounded: Blackshirts of Exmoor. Script by Chris Denton. Art by Steven Denton. Colours by Owen Watts. Letters by Nikki Foxrobot.

Sample pages don't include lettering so as not to spoil things for you. There are no sample pages for Badland Rules and Jimmy Baker for the same reason.

Oh, and there's a special bonus strip on the inside back cover, but you'll only find out aboout that if you buy the comic...

Friday 4 May 2012

Action Special: Cover Story

Inks:
Painted:
Scribbled on:
Cover By Steven Denton. Massacre For Boys Action Special is out later this month.

Sunday 29 April 2012

Thursday 26 April 2012

Demoncon 3

I spent a very pleasant day in Maidstone last Sunday for Demoncon 3. It was a really nice convention, not too big, but very well attended with plenty to see and do. I got to meet David Frankum in the flesh for the first time, and we had a great time hawking our various wares, including Walking Wounded, Futurequake, Doctor WTF?! and Zarjaz.

(David Frankum (Left) and Chris Denton. Picture by John Burdis - also check out his 2000AD forum post where the photo came from).

I wasn't just there to sell though - I bought Futurequake 16 from David, having missed it the first time around. It includes a great story by him and Russell Norris called Generations, several other really fine self-contained strips and a back cover 1-pager coloured by none other than "Steven Denton". I also purchased the very last copy ever (for now) of the West graphic novel Justice by Andrew Cheverton and Tim Keable then swapped myself a copy of By The Book 1 by Peter Anckorn. Should keep me busy this weekend!

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Thank You Ron

Steve and I were delighted to contribute to the Ron Smith tribute comic. We're big fans, having grown up with his extraordinary work in 2000AD, especially on Dredd. This was our effort:

For the full story - and a wonderful contribution of his own - please check out this blogpost by David Frankum.

Sunday 15 April 2012

Demonic Manifestation

I'm on the guest list of Demoncon 3 where I'll be appearing with David Frankum to talk about our various projects including the Massacre For Boys Action Special and Zenith/Invasion.

Who knows, there might even be some exciting news regarding our third and thus far top secret collaboration!



DEMONCON3
APRIL 22ND, EXCHANGE STUDIO, MAIDSTONE
11-4, £5 ADMISSION

Sunday 19 February 2012

Massacre For Boys Action Special

Here's the cover, painted by Steven Denton:



The Massacre For Boys Action Special will be available in May 2012.

Full details to follow, but you can view an exclusive sneak peek over at David Frankum's blog.

A few more snippets of info were included in my recent appearence on Down The Tubes.

Sunday 22 January 2012

Holt Bros In Colour

Continuing the countdown to the Massacre For Boys Action Special, I can now reveal that this issue will feature a remastered version of our Holt Bros pilot strip. Originally published in Judge Dredd Megazine 261 it's currently being coloured by Dee Cunniffe. We're sharing Dee with Rebellion (where he is working as a co-colourist with Len O'Grady on the John Smith and Colin MacNeil series Strange & Darke).

This is what the second Holt Bros page now looks like:



Not bad, eh?

Monday 2 January 2012

Blackshirts of Exmoor In Colour

2012 isn't all about the Olymics, y'know.

We're on the home strait in terms of getting the Massacre For Boys Action Special ready to go to press. To that end, we welcome the multi-talented Owen Watts as colourist on Walking Wounded: Blackshirts of Exmoor.

Here's the first page, pencils/inks by Steve:



(You may recall I posted the black and white version back in July '11)

We're grateful to Owen for stepping in, and doing such a fine job to boot. There'll be one or two (or three or four) further new names added to the contributor list before we're done on this issue. MFB is very fortunate that the talent pool we have to draw on is only getting deeper...