Sunday 21 December 2014

Death on the Rock - Sold Out

I am pleased to report that the print version of Walking Wounded - Death on the Rock is now SOLD OUT!

This is the second of our "proper" Walking Wounded comics to disappear from the shelves, Walking Wounded #2 has long been unavailable. A re-mastered omnibus edition of all our black and white work will probably follow in due course, as indeed will a paperback collection of the whole WW/MFB run, but if you can't wait for that, the digital edition of Death on the Rock remains on sale for the bargain price of £1.00 from our Comicsy page.

Saturday 6 September 2014

Alan Moore Photostrip

At MFB Towers we're in the midst of an artist crisis, and that has led us to consider reviving the great 80s tradition of the photostrip. Admittedly most were terrible, but some of them were quite fun. Doomlord, of course, and the odd tale by a young British comics writer called Alan Moore, who later went on to do a few quite good traditional comics.

Sunday 6 July 2014

Creators Wanted

Work is currently underway on Massacre For Boys Picture Library #2 and opportunities exist for artists, colourists and letterers to contribute to this landmark issue (landmark for top-secret reasons currently only known to confirmed contributors)!

There's no money involved (MFB is produced for the love of it and operates and at a financial loss) but there is considerable creative freedom and creator ownership of all work contributed. So, if you feel like joining a team that includes 2000AD's newest droid (contributing editor Steven Denton who works professionally as a colourist on Voodoo Planet in 2000AD, Dept of Monsterology and Keeper, to name but 3) as well as the cream of comics talent from the UK and further afield, then please get in touch!

Saturday 19 April 2014

Thirty Kroner Who?

I contributed several scripts to Picture Library #1, but the one that took by the far the longest to write was Thirty Kroner Kincaid. This strip started out with a throwaway comment by David Frankum that he wanted to do something in the style of the "based on a true story" tales of wartime heroism that were a regular staple of The Victor.

Always eager to have David on board, I immediately set to work. As may be apparent, the main influences on Massacre For Boys are those old IPC comics from the 70s and 80s (Battle, 2000AD, Eagle, Scream! and so on). However Steve and I have always enjoyed the DC Thompson stuff as well, especially The Victor, but also Warlord, Hotspur and, of course, Commando. Indeed, we pastiched the Commando-style in an early Walking Wounded strip (see MFB In Colour).

David sent me a scan of one example of the genre (which I loved), but finding that I had no Victor material in the house, I bought myself the recent "Best Of" the annuals material. I devoured it avidly, and indeed added the "Best Of" for the regular comic to my collection as well. One approach I could have taken was a straight parody, and just made up a totally unlikely series of events, then presented them as if they had really happened. Sort of like a Quentin Tarantino war film. However, I decided what I really wanted to do was tell an actual true story. As a nice counterpoint to Walking Wounded (which is pretty unrealistic, sadly) I decided to research the real Commandos and see if there was anything I could work with.

My first idea was to use Mad Jack Churchill, one of the most inspiring maniacs whom ever lived. However, I couldn't really find a way in to start telling his story, which in any case probably requires a great deal more than three pages. Then I found out about the Lofoten Islands raid, which seemed so different to any kind of battle accounts I'd come across before, and potentially funny, so I decided I had to do it. I did consider having an extra page, with Jack Churchill leading a beach landing, unopposed much to his annoyance, but decided this would just distract from Kincaid's adventures, and so, regretfully, reduced him to a one-panel cameo.

The character of Kincaid I made up, but there was a real individual who "misplaced" thirty kroner during the raid, and whom was not named in historical records to save embarrassment. The exact manner in which the money was lost I also invented, based on inferences taken from the description of what really happened. I'm quite proud that everything in the script is either fact, or else invention that does not contradict any known facts.

One of the things I like about the finished script is it almost entirely succeeds in hiding how much effort has gone into it. Reading the story through, it's so briskly written, with a what I hope is a light-touch, you might think I knocked up in an afternoon. Ha, I wish. Thankfully, when I finally presented the script to David he was kind enough to accept it, and furthermore, do his usual phenomenal job on the art. I particularly loved the naval battle sequence, and then the expressions on the faces of all the characters. He also came up with the idea of a restricting the colour to red shading only, just like DC Thompson used to do, which was a masterstroke. All three pages are a joy to look at. Nikki Foxrobot then did her usual, incredible job on the lettering, the tasty icing on a delicious cake.

You can read page one on David's blog here, and all three pages if you buy the comic, obviously. UPDATE: Oh, all right, because you're all so lovely the complete strip is now available from our Facebook page and on the main MFB site.

Saturday 8 March 2014

MFB PL #1 Running Order

Cover by David Frankum, lettering and MFB logo by Nikki Foxrobot.

Walking Wounded Emu War: The Bug Guns - script by Chris Denton, art by Bhuna, letters by Bolt-01.

The Crusader: Spoonful of Jam - script by Chris Denton, art & letters by Bolt-01, colours by Nathan Webb.

The Zen Fusilier: Hue and Cry - script by Greg Meldrum, art & letters by John Caliber.

Bosher's Goals: Bosher for England - script by Chris Denton, art by Steven Denton, letters by Nikki Foxrobot.

Thirty Kroner Kincaid - script by Chris Denton, art by David Frankum, letters by Nikki Foxrobot.

Mars - script by Chris Denton, art by Steven Denton.

The Boys From Bashley - script by Tim West, art by David Herstal, colours by John Caliber, letters by Bolt-01.

Jimmy Baker Animal Hatmaker: The Crossover - script by Chris Denton, art by Owen Watts, letters by Bolt-01.

Mustard by Chris Denton, illustration by Steven Denton, layout by Nikki Foxrobot.

Back cover by Steven Denton.

Saturday 15 February 2014

The David Frankum Experience

Artistic genius David Frankum will be lending the Massacre For Boys table at London Super Comic Con some much needed star quality.

David is one of the greats of the British independent comics scene, and we're very fortunate that he's made some fantastic contributions to Massacre For Boys, including both the cover AND a brand new strip for Picture Library #1. He'll be signing, sketching, selling prints, and basically having a good time all weekend. Don't miss this opportunity to come and say hi!

More details over on David's own blog, here.

Saturday 1 February 2014

MFB PL #1 Finished Cover

Art by David Frankum, Lettering and Logo by Nikki Foxrobot.

Tuesday 14 January 2014

The Moment Is Coming

Massacre For Boys Picture Library launches at London Super Comic Con March 15/16 2014.