Steve has contributed the artwork for a 4-page strip to Owen Watts' Psychedelic Journal of Time Travel. Here's page 1:
It's called "Were, Are, Shall Be" and the script was written by Adam Page.
The Psychedelic Journal of Time Travel 2013 is out now!
Elsewhere, Steve's Rogue Trooper collaboration with PJ Holden from some time back continues to bear fruit. The "landscape one" is now available as a postcard.
Incensed by Before Watchmen, I considered penning a parody featuring Alan Moore's 2000AD creation, Skizz. I had two serious goes at writing this, the first an out-and-out comedy, followed by a second version, much more akin to a pastiche, after I started to get interested in what a Skizz prequel might really be like. In the end I set aside the idea, and now it's so profoundly untopical as to be unlikely ever to see the light of day.
However, I don't think I have blogged one of my page breakdowns for a while, so here for your amusement is a panel by panel plan of the earlier, "funnier" Before Skizz...
Page 1
1)
Caption: Skizz was co-created by Alan Moore of Watchmen fame! Yes! So you are actually reading a brand new, Moore-quality comic right now!*
Caption: *Legal note: Alan Moore does not endorse this statement.
Skizz's spaceship approaches a small planet.
2)
Skizz in his cockpit.
Skizz: That planet looks interesting, computer.
Computer: Unfortunately, if we stop here you will be late for the Formalhaut Ore Discussions.
3)
Skizz: Ten clicks won't make any difference. Let's take a quick look around.
Computer: If we must.
4)
Spaceship lands by a huge, ancient, dilapidated Romanesque temple.
Page 2
1)
Skizz exits his ship.
2)
Skizz finds a plaque with indistinguishable alien characters written on it.
3)
Skizz runs his hand across the tablet, translating it as he does so.
Skizz: Temple.... of.... Glycon.
Link: Interesting.
4)
Skizz enters the temple.
5)
It's dark.
Skizz: Hello... hello.... anyone there?
Page 3
1)
A huge serpent bears above Skizz.
Serpent: artisticintegretiyartisticintegrityartisitic integrity.
2)
The serpent's move his face right up to Skizz's mask.
Serpent: artisticintegrityartisticintegrityartisticintegerity
Skizz: I am sorry, but what do you mean by “artistic integrity”?
3)
Serpent: Exactly my point!
4)
The serpent slithers off.
5)
Skizz looks confused.
Skizz: What a strange being.
Page 4
1)
Skizz goes back into to his ship.
2)
Computer: We're late now, Interpreter Zhcchz.
Skizz: Increase speed ten percent over safe limits.
3)
Computer: That's unsafe. Obviously. Denied.
Skizz: Overrule, it will be fine just this once!
4)
Computer: Tsk. If you insist. Brace yourself.
5)
Skizz's ship speeds away from the planet.
Caption: Ha, bad decision, Skizz!
Caption: Now Go and Buy the Skizz trade to see what happens next! The script is by Alan “Watchmen” Moore, who also wrote Watchmen. Did we mention that?
The incomparable David Frankum has contributed this beautiful cover to the forthcoming Massacre For Boys Picture Library:
This amazing artwork was inspired by Zen Fusilier by Greg Meldrum & John Caliber, which I have trailed before and which is going to be one of the best strips we've ever published.
Here is the image again, in ebony and ivory:
Our thanks go to David for doing such a phenomenal job :)
Unfortunately, due to production difficulties not dissimilar to those that recently afflicted Futurequake, the launch date of Picture Library has been delayed. We could be looking at up to 12 months in order to get to a point where we have a comic we feel we can present to the world. I can only apologise to fellow creators and readers negatively impacted by this editorial fail.
However, there is an upside which is that work continues to pack even more classic British comic action into the issue, and that when it does appear it will have been worth the wait!
Over Christmas I tweeted my thoughts on the second Self Made Hero Lovecraft Anthology. You probably missed it. I think everybody missed it. (Well, I know Pat Mills read one of them, but I did tag him when I reviewed his story, so I am not sure that counts.) In any case, here they are again, collected for your perusement:
Introduction: Here we go then, single tweet reviews of each story in The Lovecraft Anthology volume eleven (or possibly two)...
Pickman's Model by Delano & Pugh. Nice and punchy, if not 100% effective. Reminded me of the Revolver horror special.
The Temple by Lackey & Salmon. Yeah, now this is the stuff. Classic Lovecraft, with shades of Das Boot and The Keep.
From Beyond by Camus & Fructus. Creepy, but errs on the psychedelic side. I like my Lovecraft a bit more subtle.
He by McPherson & Peart-Smith. The script probably doesn't quite work, the ending is too abrupt, but the art is fine.
The Hound by Fifer & Baugh. Another highlight. Conan Doyle take note, this is how to do creepy dogs.
The Nameless City by Mills & Futaki. Mountains of Madness in minature. I liked it well enough.
The Picture in the House by Dickson and McMahon. Totally genius, as you might expect from McMahon. This stupid ending is Lovecraft's fault!
The Festival by Spurrier & Timson. Another throwback to 90s horror comics, and another success. Very Christmassy too. Well, sort of!
Statement of Randolph Carter by Lockwood & Cadwell. A very famous story. Not a bad job, but the punchline is mangled, a massive shame.
Conclusion: every strip is good, a few are great. A fine book, roll on volume one hundred and eleven (or three, if you prefer).
Zarjaz 16 review by Steven Denton
Cover: Jon Haward & Nigel Dobbyn
It’s a nice cover. Slaine has been largely painted or computer-generated since The Horned God but for me he will always be a warrior of well-rendered inks. For the most part the colouring is eye catching and dramatic but I think in places it fights the linework for defining the shadows. I would like to have seen a more old school look to complement the old school Slaine feel.
Slaine: Night Moves; by Richmond Clements, Jon Haward & BOLT-01
This simple but effective story has some fine artwork by Jon Haward. There is an impressive level of period detail in the locations and costume design, lending an almost subliminal feeling of historical place. I found myself immersed in the world of Slaine a little deeper with each frame. This is the Slaine of old, the Massimo Belardinelli and Mick McMahon Slaine of my childhood. The script is tight and punchy; my only criticism is that I found some of the dialogue slightly jarring. Not because it was badly-written or out of place, simply because of my familiarity with Pat Mills’ work. Slaine’s voice is hard to replicate and whatever you think of Pat Mills’ writing, his authorial fingerprints are deeply embedded in his work. I was impressed with BOLT-01’s lettering; the sound effects in particular are worth mentioning: they fit the artwork well, so well at times that I found myself wondering if some of the SFX had been drawn as part of the art.
Judge Dredd: Sleepers Awake; By Tom Proudfoot, David Broughton & BOLT-01
Sleepers Awake is an action-packed little strip that wastes no time cutting to the chase. The story is basic but makes sense and the bookend plot device adds a much-needed second perspective to the narrative. David Broughton’s layouts can be cluttered and confusing at times, but for an action romp like this, his energetic art work and busy page designs add to the frenetic feel.
Bad Company: Krool Intentions; by Mark Pexton, James Newel & Meanwhile.TV
I remember reading Bad Company as a child and being completely in awe of the number of well-defined characters and the alarming rate at which they were killed. It set a bar in my mind that no story has since managed to match. Nostalgia is a terrible thing; there is no reasoning with it. The lettering was generally good, if slightly too small in the captions. One of the biggest problems I have with comics is reading lettering that is meant to represent hand writing but Meanwhile.TV managed to avoid that issue and remain legible throughout. James Pexton’s artwork is crazy, but in a good way. The heavy black inks and dancing swirls of lines somehow manage to form perfectly clear images. There is a seductiveness to the grotesque imagery and an inescapable classic horror comic feel, ideally placed for depicting the horror of monsters and the horrors of war. The story is largely told though captions, which seem to be split between extracts from Danny Franks’ diary and a third person narrator, or it could just be Franks writing in the 3rd person. I found it confusing, which is a shame as for the most part the captions are well written. I was not overly keen on the plot however as it seemed to re-tread ground already covered by Milligan in Bad Company. One of the most common pitfalls of fan fiction is attempting to be too faithful to the source material and just remixing something that we have already seen.
The Hills of Hellfire My Love; by Mick Cassidy, Blackmocco & Drokk
The Hills of Hellfire is the tale of a mutie hell trek running into trouble out in the cursed earth. Harried by a gang of slavers, the muties seem to have accepted their fate of slavery or savage death, only for a critically-injured Mega-City One judge to stagger out of a storm and into their camp. Blackmocco can draw, there is no doubt about that; the general style reminded me of Rufus Dayglo but less angular and less finished. It’s loose and sketchy, at times so much so that it comes across as a loose sketch and not a finished strip. The story is told pretty much entirely through captions which can be an effective way of getting a lot of information across quickly but comes with one major drawback. I tend to think that strips with a caption-only narrative read a lot like illustrated prose. The illustrations sometimes repeat the information in the captions rather than add to it; there are also times when the script and art act as complementary narratives. Although not an unqualified success, this is a good read from a promising writer/artist.
Flesh: Future Shock; by Andrew Cheverton and David Frankum
Short, snappy, and beautifully-illustrated by David Frankum, Flesh could easily appear in the 1982 2000AD annual. Flesh was a strip that, along with Shako, would probably have been more at home in 2000AD’s older cousin Action, with its broad crimson strokes and almost comically-violent set pieces. Andrew Cheverton has taken this over-the-top gore fest and shaped it into a tale for 2000AD’s signature sci-fi Future Shock style. Frankum’s art work is reminiscent of Bryan Talbot at his best, with dark, solid shadows and form-defining hatching. If the small press had an A-list of artists then David Frankum would be on it.
Tales of the Genetic Infantry: In the Zone; by Mike Carroll & BOLT-01
The single biggest problem with Tales of the GI is that, although I have read parts one and two, it’s been more than a year since part two. It’s an unfortunate side effect of the small press that there will be long gaps between issues and multi-issue stories will suffer. The recap helped to jog my memory but it still felt very much like viewing the latest instalment in isolation. Part three itself is a well-written action scene. When faced with insurmountable odds, the battle-scarred GI must use his brains and his enemies’ own strength to give himself a fighting chance. The art, from the ever-dependable BOLT-01 is energetic and easy to follow. BOLT’s art always reminds me of 1980’s Marvel UK and although there are rough edges, it’s hard not to be carried along by its charm. Read all at once, I think this will be a very entertaining strip.
Sinister Dexter: Dr Maybe’s Museum Of Death; by Tony Mcveigh, Chris Askham & BOLT-01
To say I am not a fan of Sinister Dexter would be an understatement, so upfront I think it’s important to say I am not the target audience here. The story contains many of the things I dislike about the strip; the joke is old and wasn’t particularly funny the first time, and the word play is weak. The artwork is nice; I do like Chris Askham’s work; and the script and production are of the same quality as the ones that appeared in 2000AD in the 90’s. The jokes may well be knowingly bad like Christmas cracker jokes or maybe just not the kind of thing I find funny.
Anderson PSI Division: I Death; By Lee Robson, Dunk! Nimmo and BOLT-01
Dunk! Nimmo is like a cross between Brett Ewins and Ryan Hughes with a dash of D’Israeli thrown in for good measure. You remember that small press A-list I was talking about? Nimmo is on it. His work here is clean, uncluttered, lively and full of character. If I were to offer any criticism, it would be that Dunk’s layouts could be more interesting, there could be more variation in scale and a more dynamic choice of angle. Lee Robson has done a good job with the script: Anderson sounds right and the story moves along nicely without ever seeming predictable or rushed. One of the problems with short, self-contained stories is that there is only a limited amount of stories you can tell in a certain way in a certain space. It’s easy to reach for too much or too little; this does neither. Robson has crafted a complete and satisfying single-part tale and that is not an easy thing to do.
Whatever Happened to Sancho Panza?; by The Emperor, David Broughton & BOLT-01
David Broughton captures the look of Sancho Panza very well; the characters and the tank are instantly recognisable and constant without seeming forced. The anarchic, frenetic storytelling style seems to suit Broughton’s artistic sensibilities. The layouts are still jumbled, but for this strip it’s the right choice. The script does something I really like every time I see it in the small press. It takes a story that for some finished too soon and shows us there is still fun to be had with these old toys. Sancho Panza never got a second series, but if it had, it could have done a lot worse and maybe not much better than this.
Overall
Zarjaz 16 keeps a high standard: the art is never less than fit for purpose and some times it’s as good, if not better, then the art in 2000AD itself. The standard of writing is impressively high as well, never falling below decent. Zarjaz holds up well, not just in the small press but as a comic; its highs are highs by any standard and its lows just aren’t that low. It’s a must-buy for any 2000AD fan, past or present.
You can buy Zarjaz 16 from here.
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.
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.
