Countdown: BICS-3 Weeks

BICS is truly is the "ninja of comics conventions". It always seems really far away all summer and suddenly it is upon you! I was saying this very thing to Kev Crossley (more on him in a bit) earlier today, who finds that the show has managed to sneak up on him while he was distracted by being frantically busy.

Still, we know how to deal with ninjas here at Insomina Towers, oh dear me yes, so despite all the smoke bombs and throwing stars that it tries to hurl in at the last minute we will prevail.

I've hyper-extended it now, haven't I?

Ahem.

Right then, on to business.

New Vigil Signing

The Insomnia family has grown again. Our newest addition (I typed edtion there first of all, comics are taking over my brain!) is probably already known to you as one of the team behind Future Quake Press and the co-organiser of Hi-Ex, The Highlands International Comics Expo.

Sounds like he is a perfect candidate for Insomia already! Who needs sleep when there are comics!

Did you guess who it is yet?

It's Richmond Clements and he will be writing the "incredible but true" life story of Allen Pinkerton who founded the famous wild west Pinkerton Detective Agency.

In the course of his life Pinkerton was also a spy, campaigned for suffrage, fought in the US Civil War (having emigrated from Glasgow where he was born) helped escaped slaves to freedom, was involved in suppressing a revolution in Cuba, solved a series of train robberies and guarded Abraham Lincoln on his way to his inauguration!

He also laid the foundations for what became the FBI

Makes you feel quite lazy by comparison!

It's going to be a really cinematic story, especially in the way Richmond plans to present it, and it just screamed "SIGN ME NOW" when we saw the submission.

The day after the book was signed, in a triumph of timing made possible only by major plantary alignment, Richmond was interviewed for the podcast Small Press, Big Mouth by "honorary insomniac" Stacey Wittle and Lee Grice. I will post a link to the episode when it goes live.

If you're hungry for more of Richmond's work in the meantime, he has a two part series called Turning Tiger being publisher soon by Renegade Arts Entertainment

Wicked Witches of The West and East

Not content with moving house, going on holiday to Amsterdam and becoming a father all in the space of two weeks Barry McGowan has just turned in the first pictures of the Wicked Witches for Oz: Fall Of The Scarecrow King.

Surrender Dorothy indeed...





Liam Sharp on Kev Crossley

Despite all indications to the contrary this is not a piece of slash fic about two of the most incredibly talented artists in the UK.

It is, in fact, notice that Liam has taken the time to write a fantastic foreword for In Extremis: The Art of Kev Crossley and here is a little taster of what he has to say about our Kev:

"Oh beware the Crossley, ye artists of light and fancy! Beware the cunning hell-spat maestro and his nibs of flame! With wit and talent not born of this world he’ll carve an empire through the legions of lesser mortal artist-kind and assume a dark and rocky throne. You mark my words."

I'll put up the full thing nearer the time, but for now, you mark his words!

We're hoping Kev will be able to get to BICS to pitch his tent on the Insomnia stand - but first we are waiting to see if he can make it past the ninjas!

I'll be putting up a list of creators who'll be on the stand probably next week.

Burke and Hare Pin Up Countdown

The Burke and Hare countdown continues this week with Lynsey Hutchison, Dave Hill, Alex Ronald and Dave Alexander.

Lynsey Hutchison

Dave Hill

Alex Ronald

Dave Alexander

Martin, the Vigil editor, will be on the Insomnia stand at BICS to talk about his own work on Burke and Hare, about the other Vigil books we have in production, and ready to talk to anyone who may have a Vigil Pitch.

Until next week - beware of the Ninjas!