The Red Eye

Sneaky Previews

2010-06-30T15:00:00.007+01:00

Hi all! In a continuation of last weeks blog, we have more book previews to take a peek at!

Quarantined

Story: Michael Moreci

Pencils and Inks: Monty Borror

Colours: Lauren Anne Sharp

Letters: Jim Campell

Snow

Story: Richard McAuliffe

Art: Valia Kapadai

Letters: Jim Campbell

The Empyre

Story: Stephen Aryan

Art: Adam Bolton

Babble

Story: Lee Robson

Art: Brian Coyle

We also have another preview of Simon Wyatt's Unbelievable!

Check back next week for more!

Damaged Goods from Damaged Minds

2010-06-23T14:11:00.013+01:00

I like to think of myself as the sort of person that doesn't get phased by a lot. I read through all of the Damaged Goods reviews and didn't really see how it could be as bad as they said. Then it came time for editing. Then I read it. Then I understood. Then I gagged.

So I'm sure everyone wants to experience these same feelings of disgust, nausea, and some sort of sick enjoyment that does worry me a little. Well, for all of those with a strong sense of morbid curiosity, the wait is nearly over. Mark the date on your calendar, Saturday the 16th of October, 2010, and remember to bring a change of clothing... just incase.

And in anticipation of its release, here is the first official look at its front cover:

Here's a word from one of the men responsible for this monstrous creation, Richard McAuliffe.

"I'm really looking forward to this coming out and seeing what the comic fandom makes of mine and Mark's sick little comic book world. We've had some very cool advance reviews which have all been very positive if a little on the "please dont ever come near me or my family again" side so it'll be cool to see if we can REALLY offend some people or at least mess them up a little bit. Everyone at Insomnia, especially Nic Wilkinson who gave us the initial kick-start, have been really cool so hopefully we've given them a book which can hold its own with their other twisted titles."

And what about those reviews I mentioned earlier?

Barry Nugent : Geek Syndicate

"Damaged Goods is a fantastic tour de force of sick and twisted horror fantasy."

"Horror is usually my least favorite genre but Damaged Goods is a fantastic tour de force of sick and twisted dark horror fantasy."

Simon Wyatt : Comic Book Creator

"Damaged Goods’ is a carefully wrapped and decorated package of psychotic twists and turns; delivered in a meticulous and sometimes horrifically dystopian artistic style - think `Raymond Briggs-meets-Hieronymus Bosch’ and written with manic aplomb and dark affection for the genre.

Once unwrapped, this Pandora’s box of nightmares will claw its way through your eyes & play happily with your morality and fears. I half-expected a cover made of human flesh.

A genuinely, creepy and emotive parcel of shocks delivered by two creators who have yet to emerge from the shadows.

Pray they’re not hiding under your bed!"

Lee Grice : Small Press Big Mouth

"I don't know what foul childhood traumas were inflicted upon McAuliffe and Chilcott, but from the evidence of the disturbed and twisted nightmares trapped between these covers they are pair of sick sick monkeys and their monstrous talents need to be captured, weaponised and directed against less civilised nations. As for Damaged Goods itself... I say we nuke this book from orbit. Its the only way to be sure."

Damian Smith : Kryptographik

"Richard McAuliffe and Mark Chilcott bring together a great collection of Horror shorts which take a look at the Genre from a different perspective. It had me leaving the family to fend for themselves so I could finish it.

They both are on their way to making some big waves in the industry!"

Alec Worley : 2000AD Writer

"McAuliffe's pitch-dark tales of moral outrage combined with Chilcott's muscular, Lynchian artwork form a battery of short sharp shockers from the 'hit-em-hard' school of horror."

Dan Marshall : Sidekickcast

"Beautifuly bleak and startlingly effective. mcauliffe is a force of nature and i dont mean that in a good way."

PJ Holden : Artist (2000AD, Garth Ennis’ Battlefields)

"Damaged Goods is clearly a cry for help from a damaged mind. Horrifying."

Leigh Gallagher : Artist (2000AD, Vertigo)

"I doubt we will never know what perverse, bizarre acts were once committed upon the creators of this book, but we should be glad it happened if this is the result."

Cy Dethan : Author (Starship Troopers, Cancertown)

"A wide-ranging manifesto of terror from a powerful and profoundly disturbed creative team."

Gavin Jones – Sidekickcast

"It's unclear as to whether the title of the book; Damaged Goods refers to the creator's minds, the stories themselves or the sate you will be left after reading. All are equally true as the blood soaked stroytelling cannot help but leave you unhinged though thoroughly satisfied."

"Each page drips with the kind of primal horror that permeates your very soul and will be sure to stay with you long after you put the book down."

More and more keep flooding in, so check back each week for updates.

And that's not the only news coming in...

Who remembers 'Bad Rain' by Ferret? Nic Wilkinson first reported on it at about this time last year, which can be seen here. Last weekend it won the Judges Choice Award and the Sandown Quilt show. Congrats!

And finally this week, I just wanted to share with all of you some of the beautiful art work being created here at Insomnia. We're really luck to have so many talented artists here, so why not show of a little of what's in store!

Unbelievable

Story and art: Simon Wyatt

Letters: Nic Wilkinson

Kronos City

Story: Andrew Croskery

Pencils and Inks: Alex Willmore

Colours: Lauren Anne Sharp

Letters: Jim Campbell

The Ragged Man

Story: Cy Dethan

Pencils and Inks: Neil Van Antwerpen

Colours: Peter David-Douglas

Letters: Nic Wilkinson

Butterflies and Moths

Story: Corey Brotherson

Art: Jennie Gyllblad

Hope you enjoyed that visual feast! Check back next week for more...

Qurantined

2010-06-16T18:35:00.005+01:00

It's been a busy week at Insomnia, getting quite a few of our Graphic Novels ready to be printed. One of those, on the verge of completion is Michael Moreci's Quarantined. For any one not up to speed on this, here's a catch up:

"Quarantine follows a group of survivors trapped in a small town in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan shortly after a biological plague is released into the water supply. This plague turns a person into a homicidal war machine, which forces the borders to close, leaving our band of survivors to fight for their lives."

The 24 page, First Issue preview is now available online:

Writer: Michael Moreci

Pencils: Monty Borror

Colours: Lauren Anne Sharp

Letters: Jim Campbell

To coincide with the release of the ebook, Michael, Monty and myself (Lauren) conducted our own interview.

Zombie comics and films have saturated popular culture. Yet with Quarantined, your art has managed to create a very unique look and feel to the genre. What was your thinking going in?

Monty: The work I did for Quarantined is very mulimedia in the fact that on some pannels I have pencils showing through with brushed inks and zerox transfers all of which I scanned in as Linework in photoshop to give it all a solid black feel. I wanted the look to be scratchy and a little chaotic. While Zombie films have sort of hit mainstream media, I look at it the same way as I do music. If I were going to start a band it would most definitely be a punk band, even though punk has made it to the mainstream. I don't believe all possible options have been explored just because I can hear a few bands on the radio. Same holds true with the zombie genre.

Name the page from any book that you feel best represents your work as a colorist and what it is about this page that you think works.

Lauren: When I became a colourist I hadn't had a great deal of experience with graphic novels, so it's hard to say who's work best represents my own. I think that the way I colour came from my previous experience with fine art, specifically with J.M.W. Turner. He was an artist who fascinated me and while I don't claim to be any where near his standard, I tried to convey his themes digitally, with layering of colour and mood. So it's not a page from a book, but if it was, I'd say Turner's Snowstorm.

There is a political subtext in Quarantined particularly influenced by American paranoia of foreign cultures. Do you find horror, or zombies, lends itself to this sort of allegory and if so why?

Michael: For sure. I think that when you're working in a strict dramatic form and are attempting to deliver a political statement, that statement tends to dominate the narrative. In genre work, specifically horror and sci-fi, you can maintain political/cultural allegory through subtext. As a storyteller, that's important to me. And it's not only about how the theme and message is delivered; it's also about creating a compelling story at the same time. With horror, you can have those weighty issues--brain candy, if you will--balanced by action, suspense, and, most importantly, zombie chaos. The best horror tends to not exist in a vacuum; the most frightening works are so potent because they tap into something deep within ourselves, into who we are collectively or as individuals. This is the central focus of Quarantined.

With horror, it's easy to be dark and have that set the tone. Your tones, though, have a lot nuance, as evidenced in the first issue. How have you approached setting the mood of the book?

Lauren: I've tried to work alongside Monty's style in Quarantined. There's an uneasy undertone to Monty's work which I've tried to show in the colour. It is hard to find the right tone, especially with the first chapter mostly taking place in the dark. I had to alter the way I worked a lot to try and find the right balance on Quarantined. In my work on Kronos City a night sky can be many different bright colours, with stars and clouds etc. but with Quarantined it felt more appropriate to have a heavy black sky, with the characters as the only focus, as that's what Quarantined is about, the characters and how they are coping with this separation from the outside world.

You're in a zombie apocalypse - what do you do?

Michael: I'd need two things: crops and landmines. I think I'd pack up my family and hide away in Montana. I don't think I'm cut out for the "double-tap" shoot-em-up lifestyle. That being the case, I'd try my hand at seclusion and living off the land. With landmines--lots of landmines.

We all hope you enjoy the read!

Finally, well done to Dream Solver who received a mention in a review the Bristol Comic Convention, which can be seen here.

Check back next week, when we will be all about Damaged Goods...

Return of the Red Eye

2010-06-09T11:24:00.008+01:00

Hello all at Insomnia. Did you miss the blog? It's back! All of us at Insomnia want to say a very big thank you to Nic Wilkinson for running it for so long and giving us all a very good read. It's been hard to start up again without her, but here we are, alive and well.

There has been a lot happening at Insomnia since the last update, so there are a fair few things we can bring you up to speed on.

There is a new artist joining the creative team, artist Song Ye, who will be beginning work on Celeste Sharp's novel Shock Theory. Here's a reminder of what it's all about:

"After a horrific tsunami, England is abandoned and forgotten; even by history. Rising from dark times, a single city known as Hubris is suspended in the Sky, providing a new life based on technology and social order. The N.O Government has put the clocks back to zero and reinvented London as a completely clean slate for a prosperous society and economy... But Hubris wasn’t just built on the ruins of London; it was built on shock. "

Set in a dystopian England, where the totalitation regime uses the Techframe to control its citizens using shock and sedation, Shock Theory draws on the dystopian heritage of George Orwell and Philip K. Dick, woven with theories of investigative journalist, Naomi Klein, to follow Eva and her companions as they attempt to unravel the sinister nature of Hubris and offer the only resistance to the tyrannical Dr.Shock and the New Order government.

Celeste Sharp:

"I'm so happy to have Song signed on board. I was immediately drawn to his style and talent. I'm looking forward to seeing Shock Theory's dark undertones resonate through his artwork."

And here is the talent Celeste spoke of:

Eva

Kat

Peter Sly

In other news Andrew ' Kronos City' Croskery and Stephen 'Cancer Town' Downey along with Reggie Chamberlain-King (a writer in the upcoming layer zero) have started up a "blog-style anthology incorporating all types of creative media". Here's the blurb:

Tales Of The… is an online weekly blog-style anthology incorporating all types of creative media [...] its aim is provide a platform for N.Ireland creators to showcase film, artwork, prose, audio and just about any other type of creative endeavor you can think of.

A new piece will be published every Sunday and similar in style to “Tales of the Crypt“, “Tales of the Unexpected”, or “Tales of insert term here” we intend to create exciting fiction, without being tied to any particular genre. We will have the occasional theme, but for the most part creators and collaborators have free reign to create and share whatever they want.

Check it out here: www.talesofthe.com

There is new promotional material online for Unbelievable, due to be out later this year. Creator Simon Wyatt has been busy putting together teaser trailers for the book, which can be seen here.

And finally, the graphic novel Quarantined has been in the press recently. Since Michael Moreci has been working the cons on the other side of the pond, Quarantined has seen a fair few reviews along with Michael being interviewed by Gapers Block and the Graphic Novel Reporter.

Here are the recent reviews:

Comic Related

From the Tomb

Check back next week for more...

Spring Cleaning Completed.

2010-05-25T22:55:00.003+01:00

After several months of spring cleaning, I'm very pleased to announce that Insomnia is now a slimmer, lighter, faster and an even more dynamic publishing company.

Yes, we are changing, and as always, we are adapting to ensure the company is in a strong position in the market place and has the ability to enter into new and emerging markets. We're expanding into digital areas more aggressively to give us greater exposure and boost profitability, but we'll still be producing printed books. During the further restructuring of the company over the last few months, Nic Wilkinson, Alasdair Duncan and Martin Conaghan have all decided to resign from their middle-management positions.

Matt Gibbs has chosen to resign from Script Editing formally for the company to focus on his own writing of his books. It's a great shame to see him go as he has a fantastic talent, and especially with all the positive feedback from the half-dozen or so teams he was working with, he was doing a grand job. I'm sure he will continue to provide his knowledge and expertise within the Insomnia community on a more relaxed level in the future and I'm very excited to see what he's producing.

This will not affect any of the books.

My aim is to ensure all of Insomnia's books are published and, as I set out to do, we're continuing to strive for high quality publications. Our Sub-Editors, Lauren and Alex are continuing to provide their expert advice and assist with the production of the books.

I guess some people just don't like change, but Insomnia Publications is here to stay and will continue to do whatever it takes to succeed.

Roll on the summer and the new titles due out in the next few months.

Crawford Coutts

MD & Editor in Chief.

On The Pulse

2010-04-19T13:37:00.006+01:00

Our good friend Ian Cullen, webmaster of Sci-Fi Pulse has been interviewing some Insomnia creative teams over the last couple of weeks.

The interviews are available to download from Blog Talk Radio.

First up is the team behind the adaptation of the novel Fallen Heroes

This interview is split into two parts - the first with Barry Nugent who wrote the cult hit novel (and is currently at work on the sequel) and Martin Conaghan who is adapting Barry's book into a trade paperback. The second interview is with artist Steve Penfold who'll bring the visual versions of Barry's characters to the page.

Synospis: A stalker of demons and legends, a pair of master criminals, a teenager on the brink of madness and a man forever cursed with the desire for vengeance. They are all pawns in a plan set in motion over nine centuries before their birth. Pursued across the globe by enemies both human and supernatural they must overcome their mistrust of each other and uncover the truth before it destroys them all.here. Fallen Heroes pits an unlikely group of heroes and anti heroes against an evil which has existed since the first crusade. If they can keep from killing each other long enough they might just be able to stop the world from plunging into a new dark age.

Fallen Heroes interview

Next up we spend time with the creative team from The Ragged Man: writer Cy Dethan, penciller Neil Van Antwerpen and colourist Peter-David Douglas.

Synopsis: The Ragged Man is a fast moving, violent character piece. It’s a psychological dissection of a man whose fear of failure is so great that he levels a world to accommodate it. Insane with grief, his self-hatred grows so all-consuming as to become a physical character in its own right, but the Ragged Man’s single-minded retreat into denial continually thwarts his own redemption. Reality is layered and fractured in the Ragged Man’s world, a world in which he clings frantically to the role of martyr, simply to deny his position as monster.

Creator Roundup

A few notes and links to what our ever busy creators have been up to recently, and where you can find their work:

Stephen Downey and Andrew Croskery have been working as part of a multimedia fiction project to showcase the talents of Northern Irish creators called TalesOfThe which has launched with Tales Of The Cthlulu Quarter.
Chris Lynch in his guise of one half of Monkeys With Machine guns has been interviewed by the lovely ladies of the The Comic Racks. Chris is also doing a number of signings at the moment to promote his new book The Dark from Markosia publications and details, and links to the ebook preview are over on his site.
Corey Brotherson has a a piece called Twilight's Promise in the new Tales from The Plex from Futurius.
James Reekie was commissioned by the BBC to produce an image for a short article on "Nature's Assassins", insects and fungus that "take out" destructive pests. That may sound more National Geographic than Comics but check out James's blog to see his concepts of turning the insects and fungus into comic book style super villains in a police line up based on the famous "Usual Suspects" poster. Look out for more of James' work in an upcoming issue of ImagineFX magazine.
Richard McAuliffe and Mark Chilcott have recently had a Dredd story accepted for an upcoming issue of Zarjaz featuring Judges Dredd and Death if they were London based in the late 1800s.
Will Pickering has been an extra in Burke and Hare, the John Landis movie version.
Michael Moreci will be at C2E2 in Chicago with new preview copies of Quarantined - this time with the new cover art by Keith Burns and this is his appearance schedule:

Nerd City, Friday, from 230-330 (booth 865)
Third Coast Comics, Saturday, from 1200-100 (booth 1018)
Chicago Comics, Saturday, from 600-700 (booth 725)
Valia Kapadai has produced a self published anthology of dark stories called "Twisted Vision". It's pretty hefty at 100+ full colour pages and includes stories from some familiar Insomnia names. It will available at Bristol.
Kev Levell and Rich Clements received a coveted intergalatic shout out from the Mighty Tharg with Zarjaz and Dogbreath being promoted in the Nerve Centre of Prog 1681 with a special mention for Teen Wulf. Find out more about both publications at the The Quaequam Blog

Eagle Awards

The annual Eagle Awards are now open for nominations for comics published in 2009.

The way is works is that the top 5 most nominated in each category go through to the voting stage. You can only nominate once and then vote once.

It's great to see the awards back again this year.

Bristol Comic Expo Update

Comic cons are always fantastic for us in terms of meeting new creators. Next week I'll be posting details of what you need to do if you have a book proposal or art portfolio you would like to discuss with us at the show.

Over the next few weeks we'll have a lot of previews of upcoming books and details of what will be going on at the stand, with a schedule for signings and reviews.

Bye for now...

Red Eye Candy

2010-03-15T12:17:00.005Z

I am extremely pleased to report this week that we have a new art portfolio book in the works: Outsider Broadcast: The TV Doodles of Henry Flint.

What is more, it features the personal work of an artist whose published work I have loved for over a decade since I first saw it in Nemesis the Warlock.

A big Insomnia welcome, then, for Mr Henry Flint!

If you are a 2000AD reader you can't fail to have seen Henry's work as it has graced the pages of not only the mighty Nemesis, but Rogue Trooper, Judge Dredd, and ABC Warriors among many others.

Henry has also worked with Vertigo (The Haunted Tank mini series of last year with Frank Marraffino), DC (The Omega Man, with Anderson Gabrych), Wildstorm (Deathblow and Gears of War) and Dark Horse (with Andy Diggle and John Wagner)

I asked Henry how these images came about and he said:

"I think it's all due to health really, new family, stress, giving up smoking, losing weight. I happened to relax on a holiday to Butlins about 4 years ago and did the first of these drawings while watching TV (first drawing was the bike giant).

Then it became a thing where I realized how much TV I was watching and decided to draw while watching TV so as not to feel I was wasting so much time. Then it became quite productive if a little compulsive."

Bike Giant by Henry Flint

Cy Dethan will be working closely with Henry to write the text and translate the transdimensional creation process behind these beauties for human readers. When he first got a look at the mindblowing pictures his comment was:

"a hallucinatory mix of the disarming and the disturbing."

And he is right. The use of shape alone is incredible and they truly look like they have sprung from a mind not of this world.

Henry says he is "under the (perhaps delusional) impression that they were happy and optimistic pictures." although other people have thought them "claustrophobic"

Here are a couple of my personal favourites to be going on with. There are so many examples of poignant simplicity, skin crawling horror, psychedelic complexity, gleeful monstrosity, frankensteinian creations and strangely ominous reflections of the world here it was almost impossible to restrict myself to these two, but needs must:

The Shape of Things That Hum
by Henry Flint

Butlins by Henry Flint

You'll soon be able to judge for yourselves as we hope to have some more previews at Bristol.

Blog Talk Radio will be running interviews with the teams from Fallen Heroes and Ragged Man in the near future - times and dates to be posted when I have them.

Until next week...

Their Finest Hour

2010-03-05T10:52:00.012Z

If you remember, back around Christmas, we mentioned that an artist, Adam Bolton, had been signed on to draw our political thriller, Empyre, by Stephen Aryan, and now it's time you were properly introduced.

Internets, please meet Adam:

Adam is a Maths teacher by day, artist by night and after he graduated in Mathematics several years ago but after finishing his degree he returned to his main passion: comics. Like most people involved and interested in comics he has adored them since childhood, favouring some of the nastier and grittier books on the shelves.

After leaving university he began to concentrate on his skills with a brush and has since been commissioned to paint thousands of square feet of murals at various zoos and aquariums around the country. Whilst happy to dabble in murals, vehicle painting and anything else he can get his grubby hands on, illustration is his main passion and a career in that field is the ultimate goal.

In the Summer of 2009 he was lucky enough to be accepted onto the Comix talent scheme, run by Hi8us in Birmingham, and was tutored by the famous illustrators John McRea and Hunt Emerson. He’s been working full pelt since, his college work helping to keep him supplied in coffee and paints.

His role at Birmingham Metropolitan College is now Maths lecturer and specialist and he uses his artistic tendencies to help people with difficulties overcome their troubles with mathematics. As soon as the last student leaves the room he then crawls off to his studio in the Custard Factory, located in the culture quarter of Birmingham. He burns a good few gallons of midnight oil whilst hammering away at the pages for Empyre and various other publishers, dreaming of a day off and racing against almighty caffeine comedowns.

And he’s loving it.

Adam left his portfolio with us at BICS (Birmingham International Comic Show) last year. I could immediately see that his style would be perfect for an Insomnia book with its intriguing mix of realism and the uncanny, detailed characterisation and emotionally intuitive colour palettes.

With Bristol Expo soon to be upon us it's time to start preparing your portfolio to show us at the event if you would like to be considered as an Insomnia artist.

The first pages of art are flowing in now, and they are beautiful, so this week we have an interview with Stephen where you can find out more about him and the book, and some preview art, pages in progress and sketches from Adam.

Over to you, chaps:

Q: Right then, first things first. Tell the good people about the original concept for Empyre.

A: I always find it difficult to summarise the Empyre, but the elevator pitch is think of the TV show 24 combined with The West Wing, except it’s set in the UK and Downing Street.

It’s about a secret unit that has existed for over 100 years within the government that get involved when others can’t, or when something needs to be sorted quickly and quietly.

Also there’s a supernatural twist to the book that runs through everything. The Prime Minister is one of the main characters and he finds out about this secret unit on his first day in office. So there is a mix of action, but also some walk fast, talk fast political moments.

Q: There is a healthy dose of politics underlying the action. Are there any particular issues you will be exploring in the story?

A: One of the reasons it’s called the Empyre is in reference to the old British Empire, where at one time Britain controlled roughly one quarter of the world’s population.

Nowadays we don’t have that many overseas colonies, as we’ve returned most of them to independence, and Britain is no longer a world leader in any particular industry. Part of this story is about a new secret technology that Britain has developed which is in high demand, so much so that it affects our status on the world stage and the leaders of other nations come knocking on Number 10 for our help.

The Prime Minister must be mindful of how his decisions will not only affect the country during his term in office, but also beyond that for decades to come. It could literally shape the future of the nation.

So, basically a bit of everything, world politics, industry, technology, crime, culture and heritage. There are a lot of layers to the story, but it’s not all splattered on the page, otherwise it just becomes a story bogged down in exposition which is boring. So I’ve tried to find the right balance between politics and action.

Q: Tell us a bit about the main characters that we'll be meeting and following in the story.

A:The two main characters are David Solomon, the Prime Minister, and Alistair Donovan, the leader of this secret group within the government. Both are mature men, loyal patriots and, despite some rather obvious differences, over time they find they have a lot in common.

They both want what is best for the country, first and foremost, which is what helps them get past what divides them.

The Prime Minister has to come to terms with Donovan’s group, what it represents and what it can offer him, and Donovan quickly realises the new PM is a lot sharper than some of his predecessors. So there is an initial period of adjustment and building of trust between them. We see their friendship growing throughout the story, but it’s a bumpy ride as personal issues and politics affect both men.

The rest of the main characters are people out in the field on the action side of the book. They are a revolving cast of specialists who are selected by Donovan for certain jobs. All of them are unique, all highly skilled and each has particular strengths which he puts into play depending on the task. For example, one member of the unit is a former member of the SAS and highly decorated soldier, another is a police officer and expert investigator. We also meet other heads of state and hint at the big picture outside the UK with regards to the secret technology.

A: No doubt, with the political content, readers will look for real life analogues in the story. Will there be any deliberate commentary on real world events?

A: The seeds of all of the main stories are based on real world events, but this is definitely not a political broadcast of any kind.

I’ve been very careful not to mention any particular political party as I don’t want parallels drawn between characters and real world Ministers. Most of whom I wouldn’t trust to look after my toothbrush without getting into trouble.

Every event in the comic that parallels a real world event is fed through a filter, because the two worlds are similar, but also very different in some fundamental ways. So, how an event is handled in the real world might not be possible or even necessary in the Empyre, because of some of the changes that I’ve introduced.

So the story is sort of set in a parallel world, again because of the supernatural element. As you might have guessed there’s something I’m not saying about the story, because I don’t want to spoil the surprise!

I hate preaching and haven’t intended this to be a deliberate commentary and only hope that the story proves to be interesting and thought provoking.

Q: Adam has been working hard to bring your characters to life. Tell us a little bit about your work together.

A: When Adam came on board the script was already finished but I made it very clear that I was open to his ideas.

I’m also very aware of my limitations, in terms of visual storytelling, and as an artist he has a much better eye than me. He knows what works on a page in terms of visual composition, whether we should take out or add in a panel, how to structure and lay out the pages to make them flow better from scene to scene, how to break up dialogue and captions to create beats and so on.

I have an idea of how it will look in my head, but he is the one that really brings it to life on the page. And because there are just the two of us working on the book, it means Adam has complete control of the layout of the entire page, right down to where the word balloons sit.

Every time I receive a sketch or a page of art I’m really excited and very pleasantly surprised as he has managed to add something extra, something I never thought about or some detail that makes it much more alive.

When we were designing the main characters I gave him a couple of famous names as a starting point and then left him to take it in his own direction. After that we went back and forth discussing and refining their look until we were both happy. It’s been a great experience and I can’t wait to see the finished product.

Q:What is it about comics as a medium that made you decide that this was the best way to tell this story?

I started reading comics like many people as a child, where it was all superheroes in tights and punching people in the face. As I grew up and my tastes changed I began to realise just what was possible within the medium and that the creative team is only limited by their imagination and how patient the artist is.

You can do things in comics that are not possible in any other medium and sometimes, not always, you can feel this absence when comics are adapted to film or TV. It’s like there’s something missing, some intangible quality that niggles at you like a tiny piece of glass in your brain.

Comics are unique, you can literally stop time, you can force the reader to focus on a moment, an expression, a word. Scott McCloud does a much better job of describing it than me, but another aspect I particularly like is that comics are quite undiluted, where you can still hear distinct voices. Of course there are editors, but comics don’t go through the meat grinder nearly as much as content for TV, film or novels.

I like that clarity and that made me want to tell my story as a comic.

Q: Tell us a bit about your writing process and how you approach a script

A: I tend to start with an idea or core concept, let it roll around my head for a few weeks or months, and then when it’s bugging me all the time, splat it all down on the page and create a writers bible.

This contains everything, background on characters, technology, locations, themes I want to explore, any particular scenes I want to include and then from that I create a map of the story with milestones.

Based on that I then write the story and make sure I hit all the milestones. The bible is purely there for me and quite often it contains a lot of background information that will never make it onto the page, but it helps me create the world and then write the story. If I’ve done some research it will be in the bible but I’m careful to put as little of it on the page as possible.

I tend to use this milestone structure with everything I write and my favourite part is the sometimes unpredictable way in which I get from one point to another. I have an idea of how to get there, but sometimes in the process of writing it in full, the story takes a surprising turn that I never saw coming, which hopefully also makes it surprising for the reader.

Q: What were your favourite parts of writing the script (if you can do this without major spoilers)

A: My favourite parts were writing the dialogue between the PM and Donovan. There is often a lot more going on than it first appears as each man is used to being in charge, or the smartest person in the room, and suddenly they’re facing someone who is their equal. It keeps them on their toes, it makes them test each other in a number of ways, sometimes petty, just to see how the other person will react. It’s a very complex relationship and their developing friendship is an important part of the story.

Q: What are your favourite comics of all time and why?

A: That’s really hard to answer as I have really eclectic tastes, but five of my best of the best are:

Alias by Brian Bendis and Michael Gaydos,
Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon,
Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore,
Sleeper by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
The Spectre by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake.

Alias was the first comic I ever read by Brian Bendis and is still my favourite, although I do like his other work. Alias is a brilliant PI comic set in a superhero world, but on the fringe, down in the gutters where the main character is dealing with the stuff no one else sees or hears about, blackmail, kidnapping, missing girls who are just confused teenagers.

Preacher is what Ennis does best. It’s bloody and disgusting, it’s incredibly violent, it’s offensive, it’s an adventure and road trip across America and also a story with real heart. Ennis never shies away from exploring difficult subjects, and even within the confines of what can be a very funny comic, he will get his hands dirty and look at racism or religion.

I have an enormous amount of respect and admiration for Terry Moore, not only because he created such a fantastic story that is full of incredible characters, but because he did it all; he wrote, drew and independently published it himself for ninety issues. It’s a massive accomplishment, and it’s something I will go back and read over and over.

Sleeper is an incredibly complex espionage story with double agents, criminals with powers and organised crime syndicates. It was the first time I read a comic by the Eisner winning creative team of Brubaker, Phillips and Staples, which is one I’ve continued to follow with other comics like Criminal and Incognito. The story appeals to me as a fan of the spy genre and it touches on several other areas that I enjoy, so it was a bit of a perfect fit.

John Ostrander is an amazing and extremely accomplished writer and has written literally hundreds of comics, and Tom Mandrake is just a legend. His art is so horrific, creepy and disturbing, and in the Spectre it really is the stuff of nightmares. His five year arc with Ostrander challenges you in every issue. It’s very dark, upsetting, grisly and it often looks at morally difficult and uncomfortable situations. It’s also about religion, faith, vengeance and there is also a tsunami of blood and an inventive way of killing someone in most issues. For me it’s a landmark series and it was also a turning point as it helped me realise the scope of what you can do in comics.

Q: Which writers (in whatever medium) do you most enjoy and find inspirational - and are these the same people?

A: There are a lot of comic writers today that are producing some amazing work, a few of which I’ve already mentioned. Some writers started on creator owned projects and have since moved onto mainstream comics, but many of them are doing both which is a beneficial arrangement for everyone.

I really enjoy their mainstream work but find their creator owned comics even better and more challenging. Examples would be Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, and Brian K. Vaughn. Other writers I like are Brian Wood, Mike Carey, Bryan Talbot, Marc Adreyko, Geoff Johns, B. Clay Moore, Peter David, Mark Millar, Rick Remender, Gail Simone, Mark Waid and many many more.

There are also those who write comics but work in other media like J. Michael Straczynski, who is the creator of one of my favourite TV shows of all time, Babylon 5. He has written for Marvel and now writes for DC, but I really enjoyed his creator owned projects like Rising Stars and Midnight Nation. He is incredibly inspirational and has been a huge influence on me.

Joss Whedon is another guy who is incredibly smart and creative and you never know what he is going to do next.

In TV-land, I really like JJ Abrams the creator of shows like Alias, Lost and Fringe.

Closer to home I enjoy Toby Whithouse’s writing, the creator of Being Human. The writers I most enjoy do tend to be the ones that inspire and influence me, although most of the time it isn’t obvious how.

Q: You're plugged into the comics industry as a creator, as a podcaster and as reader. What do you think are the best things about being involved with comics right now?

A: In my opinion some of the comics being produced today are the best the industry has ever seen. There is still dross out there, and sometimes you have to wander off the beaten path to find the good stuff, but the diversity today is remarkable and comics are now available in every genre you can think of.

Just as TV was once looked on as a poor stepchild to film, comics are no longer only available in specialist shops for dedicated fans. Comics have become mainstream and are available online, via high street bookshops and new mobile devices, delivering content to new audiences all around the world.

Recently we’ve seen a number of A-list Hollywood actors taking long-term contracts on TV because the quality of programmes being produced today is much better than 20 years ago. It’s the same with comics. The writing and artwork has evolved significantly. Stories are more complex and emotionally challenging, and the medium as a whole is gaining recognition as an incredibly creative area that is rich with innovative stories.

In the last 20 years we’ve seen dozens of comic related movies, some of which have been very successful at the box office, such as the Dark Knight. We’ve even seen famous actors, directors and writers from other mediums getting involved with producing comics of their own, or signing up to direct comic-based movies.

The fact that Kenneth Branagh is directing the new Thor movie for Marvel shows you how much things have changed. All of this is putting a spotlight on comics, driving the industry forward and challenging creators to do better, which makes it a brilliant time to be a fan of comics. No one knows what is around the corner but it is a very exciting time in the industry.

Thanks Stephen!

Stephen Aryan has been a keen fan of comics since childhood, starting out with mainstream superhero titles before diversifying into other areas and publishers. Since 2007 he has co-hosted Comic Book Outsiders, a podcast dedicated to introducing its listeners to hidden gems from the world of independent comics, movies, books and TV. Through the podcast Stephen has interviewed many comic creators, authors and independent filmmakers. When not writing comics or podcasting, he is busy in pursuit of becoming a full time writer and novelist.

For more from this talented duo you can follow the progress of Empyre on its very own blog, see more of Adam's work on his website and listen to Stephen as co-host of the Comic Book Outsiders podcast.

Essex Book Festival

Last weekend Alasdair Duncan ran one of his now famous library events for the local community as part of the Essex Book Festival.

He says:

"Thanks very much to Alex Willmore and Lauren Sharp for representing Insomnia at the Comic Creators workshop at Harlow library on Saturday. Thanks also to Tony Wicks of C2D4 and Peter McLeod of Turning Cog Creations who completed the lively and informative panel for an event which was part of the Essex Book Festival.

The relaxed discussion between the panel and the 25 teenage and adult comic followers was followed by a hands on workshop where many of those attending sought advice and tips on how to take their interests in comics further or completed worksheets prepared by the Lauren, Alex and Tony.

In particular we wish David Hill well with his first appearance at Bristol in 2010 with his comic Glory Be!

The event organisers were extremely pleased and judging by the feedback forms so were the participants. Thanks again to the panel for making such a successful event."

There will also be a children's comic event run by Alasdair at Dunmow library on March 20th between 2 and 4 pm, again as part of the Book Festival.

Sharing The Love

Don't forget that the Hi Ex show in Scotland is just around the corner if you still want to book tickets.
The Dark by writer Chris Lynch has now been printed and will have it's launch by Markosia at the Bristol Expo. Chris is doing several signing sessions to promote the book. Details over on his website.
Our friend Stacey Whittle of the indie podcast Small Press Big Mouth has many more strings to her bow than you can imagine and is often found writing articles and reviews for various blogs and magazine. Check out this piece on What Makes an Independent Comic that she wrote for Hub Magazine issue 113. Food for thought as the industry continues to grow and change.

Until next time...

Think Indifferent!

2010-03-01T12:19:00.007Z

As we start the build up to Bristol Con we'll have quite a few new ebook previews over the coming weeks of what will be out over the coming year.

First up here is the 14 page intro to The Indifference Engine:

Writer: Cy Dethan, Pencils: Rob Carey, Colours: Mel Cook, Letters: Nic Wilkinson, Cover: Paul Cartwright

“My name is Alan Blake.
I've got no resources, no skills and no friends.
But if I were you, I'd be the very last person on Earth
I'd want coming after me...”

Responding to a strangely specific job advertisement, a distinctly ordinary twenty-something suburban slacker finds himself in the middle of an inter-dimensional task force staffed entirely by superhuman alternate versions of himself. Struggling to fit in, he uncovers a conspiracy that strikes at the very heart of the organisation – a conspiracy that only he can stop.

Alan Blake, by any credible standard, is a waste of good skin - a directionless and ambitionless slacker whose single most notable characteristic is that he makes other people feel good about themselves in comparison to him.

Alan considers himself a good listener, but it’s more complex than that. It’s almost like he absorbs other people’s problems and somehow unburdens them. If he weren’t such a loser, that one character trait alone could have made him immensely popular. Still, at least he serves a purpose of sorts. Whatever your own personal flaws or failings, hey – it could be worse. You could be Alan Blake.

And now, please welcome the extremely talented Rob Carey, who has agreed to a rare interview appearance as he tells us some more about himself and working on the book...

Q: How did you hear about Insomnia and come to be the artist on the Indifference Engine?

A: I went to the 2D festival, in Derry last year, and met Stephen Downey, of Cancertown. He gave me the email address for Insomnias submissions. Nic Wilkinson (Creative Director) at Insomnia got back to me. I was given the choice to either work on a short script, or a graphic novel, so being a complete fecking idiot I choose the graphic novel, with no concept of how time consuming it would be, but ultimately one of the most fulfilling and satisfying jobs I have ever had.

I jumped at the chance to work on a Cy Dethan script, after getting a copy of Cancertown at the 2D festival, I knew that this guy could write. I even agreed to The Indifference Engine before reading a script, the synopsis was more than enough to win me over.

Q: Tell us about how you approached the script, and how you work with the rest of the team

A: When I first read the script I burst out laughing. I could not believe that I had been given a chance to illustrate something this awesome.

I kind of jumped into it a little to quickly, and started without doing much in the way of thumbnails, designs etc. The first page I sent needed some adjustments, so I said fuck it, ill just start from scratch.

My advice to anyone starting a book, or any kind of script, is preparation. Thumbnail the shit out of it before you start detailing it. And read the script. And reread it. It can be very easy to omit a necessary element of the script by accident. From there the pages started to fly out.

I was very fortunate that Melanie Cook who colored Cancertown was brought on board. She is so professional, and has done such fantastic work to make my line art look somewhat presentable. Nic Wilkinson is lettering, which I am dying to see the final pages.

Q: What is your process when drawing. How long does it take, and tell us about getting up at unearthly hours in the morning.

My process for drawing is constantly evolving. At the moment, my process involves providing clean finished pencils. I start with thumbnails, which I like to do for an entire chapter before starting the pencils.

I then build the environment of the story, each location in a 3D modeling program. This is used mostly for perspective. Then I will take photo reference (if needed), the compile them on to a A3 page in photoshop, this way the actual page layout and perspective are as accurate as I can get them.

I then rough out the lineart with a mechanical pencil, using a red carbon nib, I prefer the red to the blue as I find it much easier to clean up in photoshop. Then I go over the red lines with a HB 0.03 nib, leaving the black areas to be filled in with the paint bucket tool in Photoshop.
It takes anywhere between 3 to 12 hours to complete a page.

I draw when ever I get a chance, and when a full day is free, I like to get up as early as possible, mostly around 4ish, and bang out as mush as possible. I can get a page, sometimes 2 finished in a day. But these are long ass days. People say the aren't enough hours in the day, well ill tell them there are, you just have to look for them.

Q: Do you find inspiration in other media while drawing.

A: When I draw I love to listen to music, any music, except ska punk. Cause its shit.

I sometimes watch a movie, or a tv show, but these mostly need to be dramas, or comedy, because if its action heavy, ill get distracted to easily, so they need to be talkies.
Reading comics usually gets me in the mood.

And I am so god damned lucky that my mate opened a comic shop, Dublin City Comics, fuck it a little plug. But the best part is he frigging delivers to me, which is easily comparable to a crackwhore having her dealer show up, with comics. Filled with crack.

Q:Are there any particular ideas or techniques you wanted to explore in doing the art for this book?

I just wanted to get better, and no better way than trial by fire. I did discover that traditional inking was not for me, not when quality and deadlines were an issue.

I did want to get faster, and I achieved that.

Q: What are your favorite comics and why?

The Authority, hands down is my favorite comic of all time. When Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch did their run, it was outstanding, but what made me fall in love with it was the The Millar/Quitely run. The Nativity storyline was one of the best comics I have ever read. There have been some spin offs and one offs and jerk offs, but the best by far was the Kev series by Garth Ennis. They were hilarious.

The Ultimates vol 1 and 2. Not vol 3. That was the worst comic of all time.

Black Summer, by Warren Ellis. The story was great, but the art was mind blowing, Juan Jose Ryp is such a awesome artist.

Q:If you had to recommend a lesser known book, writer or artist for readers to check out what would it be?

Golly, by Phil Hester, published through Image, was a good read. Funny as hell.

Irredeemable, by Boom studios is enjoyable.

But I think that I am the wrong person for recommending anything comic wise, my overall knowledge and exposure to the medium, especially towards indie and small press, is embarrassing for someone claiming to be an artist. But this is being rectified, I am reading and buying so many comics now its ridiculous.

Q:Who are your main artistic influences?

Brett Booth, on WildCore, was my favorite book, in my mid-teens. Its what got me seriously thinking about becoming an artist. But time changes opinions and perspectives, and looking back at the art now, I have a somewhat different opinion of it.

But these days the artist that really inspire me, easily have to be Steve McNiven, Shawn Gordan Murphy and Ryan Ottley. Again there are to many amazing artists out there, Bryan Hitch, Gene Ha and Tony Harris.

My mates Cormac Hughes and Ciarán Finnegan, who participate with me on our sketch blog, Sketch Paddys, they not only influence me, but inspire me to become a better artist. Cormac especially, now that he is working on an incredible script form my brother Stephen, who if there is any justice in this world or the next, will be a big name in comics writing someday. His scripts are savage.

Q: This is a tricky question because of spoilers, but, very carefully, what were your favourite things to work on in this book?

A: Since the book revolves around the character of Alan Blake, and the many variations of himself, my favorite character is probably the main Alan Blake.

Cy has written a very believable loser. I think I like Alan the best, because there is no one who can honestly say there hasn't been a time in their lives when they should have stood up to someone, but didn't, something that afterwards they wish they had had the courage to stand and fight. Alan's initial introduction to his daily life, shows a person that is in a little way identifiable in all of us. Alan's, how should I put this, so its spoiler free, progressing through the story, is unique.
I wont detail to much about the scenes I liked the most to illustrate, but the falling fight and the double page spreads, where tons of fun.

Q: If you could work on any character in the world of comics who would it be and why?

A: Deadpool, cause he is fucking awesome. I love his costume design, his dialogue.

The Authority would be a dream come through. But I would love to work on a character book as opposed to a team book, someone like the punisher, cause I like to draw guns and violence, in a postmodernist deconstruction of course, so its ironic and not just a guy getting his rocks off to some gorenography.

Q: What words of wisdom do you have for other people embarking on their first full length project?

A: Don't do it unless you love it. And beware of your other responsibilities. Only take on a project that you are 100% sure you can commit to and complete.

Make sure if you have a partner, that they at least believe that they have a say in your decision, I have been very fortunate that I have a wonderful girlfriend that fully supports my decision.

You have to be prepared to give up a lot of sleep.

Get online, set up a portfolio and start a dialogue with other artists. Twitter is great, Deviant art, Penciljack are good places to start. Other artists will be more than happy to critique or give advice.

So there you have it.

Burke and Hare at the Edinburgh Dungeon

Last week the Burke and Hare boys were at an event hosted by the Edinburgh Dungeon. You can read all about it in this article from the Scottish Herald

Until next week, when we'll have some info on some recent signings.

Welcome To My Nightmare...

2010-02-22T10:30:00.001Z

I think you're gonna like it...

Well, OK, strictly they're not my nightmares - they're the ones created by the twisted talents of Richard McAuliffe and Mark Chilcott - but it's rare enough to be able to use a line from the almighty Alice Cooper in a publisher's blog and I couldn't pass up the chance.

Barry Nugent, intrepid reporter for The Geek Syndicate, bravely accepted an assignment to investigate the Damaged Goods themselves.

His first reaction:

"I have to ask…are you both mentally disturbed?"

Followed by some muttered comments about changing his number and calling the police.

So, in the way of a fiendish experiment, we thought we'd let you hear some of what the creators said to Barry, and give you all a little peek inside. Not too much for now. We don't want you to come to any harm...

Take it away boys...

"Some of the stories deal with stuff that makes me edgy"

"...a picture in my head, the bride with the severed head bouquet for example"

"I...spend most of my day fighting the urge to get creative with various sharp items in the office"

"...to get under the reader’s skin."

"...that twist that made it that little bit more disturbing, especially to any women reading it. "

"We’d rather go for the series of quick gut punches. "

"Mark though, he’s a weird puppy"

"They got in quick, fucked you up and left you battered"

"It's the lie of the painted on smile."

“I hate you and seriously want to push these scissors into your eye”

On that note, we'd better shut the box again for today.

Spare a thought for Jim Campbell in all of this. He's been lettering away and bringing some kind of method to the madness!

And if you liked that little taste there'll be plenty more in the back matter section of the book when it comes out in May.

The story Tea Party is available to read as a preview over on MyeBook.com

Richard is currently writing a dark fantasy Graphic Novel for Insomnia called Snow which is being drawn by Valia Kapadai which, as he says, "looks absolutely gorgeous". More on that at a later date. He also has book called Baby Boomers with Markosia before then which is about as different from Damaged Goods as you could imagine being totally kiddie friendly.

And look out for his Strontium Do g story in an upcoming issue of Dog Breath "which being a 2000AD fan I’m way more excited about than I probably should be ", he says. No one can blame him for that.

Once Damaged Goods is over Mark is going to "Sleep!!" then "try and evolve my style and see what comes out the other end."

All of you hush now and let the poor boy get some rest, or there's no telling what might happen!

So, get between the covers with some Damaged Goods at Bristol...

I think you're gonna feel you belong

...And We're Back

2010-02-16T13:22:00.013Z

That's right, it seems a very long time since I wrote an Insomnia blog, due to moving house and internet connection problems, but I'm back in the saddle again now.

Thanks to Crawford for holding the reins. Old Red Eye can be a bit of wild one but he seems to have kept her in line very nicely.

Well, there's an awful lot to get through, as it might have been a bit quiet over here, but it hasn't been any less busy over at Insomnia Towers.

So, for this week it'll be a quick round up of quite a few things and then normal service will be resumed from next week on.

Cover Art

The first new cover of the year came in recently. This is still a work in progress, but I think you'll agree it's another absolute knockout from the wizard that is Paul Cartwright.

The Indifference Engine Cover by Paul Cartwright

“My name is Alan Blake.
I've got no resources, no skills and no friends.
But if I were you, I'd be the very last person on Earth
I'd want coming after me...”

The Indifference Engine from Cy Dethan (writer), Rob Carey (pencils), Mel Cook (colours) and Nic Wilkinson (letters) will be out later this year.

Comics on the Sony Playstation Network

Burke and Hare, Cages and Cancertown have all premiered on the PSN comic store around the world to great success.

The first chapter of each book is free if you want to try before you buy.

Next up on the PSN will be Buskers, and we'll have expanded editions of the original books with audio commentaries in the near future.

Burke and Hare on Tour

Edinburgh has been commemorating the anniversary of Burke's hanging these last few weeks, and Martin and Will have been very busy.

First there was the signing at Forbidden Planet which was then followed later in the evening by a "standing room only" talk by the creators at Edinburgh Library.

Thanks to Kevin MacLean Edinburgh City Libraries for taking these images and kindly allowing us to use them here.

A large and enthusiastic audience came along to hear about how the book was put together. Will Pickering gave an insight into the artistic process, stressing the need for detailed research in the quest to maintain historical accuracy, and writer Martin Conaghan talked about the development of the medium of comics, as well as taking time to dispel some of the myths surrounding the story of Burke and Hare.

Tonight will see them at a special event at the Edinburgh Dungeon, so hopefully someone will have photos for me by next week!

The book also got a great write up recently in The Drouth Review. There is no online version, but if you click on the images below you'll be able to read the scanned pages:

I'm just getting some previews of our Bristol Releases ready for the coming weeks, and more interviews and insights about all aspects of the creation process.

Creative Endeavors

2010-01-25T12:00:00.001Z

This week we have more exciting news. With Insomnia growing and the number of books, channels and events increasing, we are bringing some new people on board the company.

We introduced Richard Murphy, Insomnia’s Business Development Director, a few weeks ago and it’s our pleasure to welcome our three new dedicated Sub-Editors: Matt Gibbs, Alex Willmore and Lauren Anne Sharp.

Matt will be taking on editorial duties for scripts of Insomnia Original Graphic Novels (aka The Insomnia Collection) in the same way as we have Martin Conaghan for Vigil, and Alex and Lauren will be our new art sub-editors. Insomnia’s newly expanded Editorial Team will be reviewing the mountains of new submissions closely so we’ll hopefully be able to reduce the time it takes to get back to creators.

Nic Wilkinson, Creative Director, has been tending to all our fantastic creators for the past year and has been an exceptional Group Editor. Not stepping away completely from this role, Nic will be focusing her energies more fully on Insomnia’s marketing and promotion activities. Earlier today she assured all of the creators they are in very capable hands and that she will still be actively involved with them and their projects. She said, “All of our editors came to us first as creators, so know what makes a good Insomnia book from the inside. I am delighted to welcome Matt, Alex and Lauren to the team.”

We asked our new Sub-Editors to share their thoughts on joining the Company.

Lauren, “When I joined Insomnia ten months ago as a creator, I was unsure of where the company was going. Since then I've watched it release success after success, with the busiest stand at a convention and a six week waiting list for submission entries. Hopefully Insomnia will continue to grow at this pace, and we can keep bringing on more talent and producing the same excellent Graphic Novels Insomnia Publications is renowned for.”

Matt, “I'm excited to be joining the Insomnia team as an Editor. Working with them and talking with fellow creators over the last year has been a delight.

Insomnia's approach is friendly and supportive, helping people make the most of the stories they want to tell - and I hope to do that too. For me this is an opportunity not only to work with talented people, but for us to learn and develop as writers together.”

Alex, “I'm delighted to be a part of the 'publishing side' of Insomnia. The publishing industry is something that I've always been interested in as I love seeing projects come together from an idea to a finished printed book.

Working on Kronos City has been a joy so far and to be able to see all of the other books take shape is something I'm very much looking forward to. Having seen some of the amazing artwork already posted up on the Insomnium forum, it looks set to be a great year of books.

I'm looking forward to working with more fellow artists and seeing all the submissions from potential Insomniacs - I'm sure I'll be able to offer helpful hints and tips to those hoping to join the Insomnia family.
With Insomnia growing and producing some of the best graphic novels I've had the pleasure of reading in a long time, I'm delighted to be a part of the team and hope to be a part of the company for as long as they'll have me!”

Creators & Projects

In creator and project news we are delighted to announce that Adam Bolton will be the artist on Stephen Arran’s book, Empyre. We’ll have more info and hopefully some artwork for you in the coming weeks.

As Alex mentioned above, the private creator forums, Insomnium, are now live and the community is being populated fairly rapidly. More content and information to follow soon.

We'll be able to show some of this fantastic artwork which is in production soon. Expect to see a new Ebook preview or two in the coming weeks.

Events

As you all know, we have Burke’s hanging anniversary this Thursday (28th January) and to commemorate, Martin and Will are in Edinburgh attending Forbidden Planet for a signing event of their recent Burke and Hare Graphic Novel, there’s also a Talk from them at the Central Library and a chance to meet the creators after this. There’s also the option to attend the Burke and Hare tour absolutely FREE from West Port Tours. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity!

We’ll have a full report of the events and pictures next week!

All Things Burke and Hare

2010-01-18T12:00:00.004Z

Last week was a very busy week for Insomnia and the media with lots of wonderful coverage on Burke and Hare.

Brian Ferguson of the Scotsman wrote a fantastic article and Debi Edward from STV put together a lovely piece on the 6 o'clock news on Thursday night.

Richard and Crawford have been concentrating on arranging the Burke and Hare events for this month in the build up to the Forbidden Planet Signing in Edinburgh and the talk with Martin and Will at the Central Library.

Martin commented, "Being a native of Glasgow, I'm apprehensive about addressing the denizens of Edinburgh on a subject that forms part of the very fabric of such a magnificent city. However, both Will and I hope to provide some valuable insights into the Burke & Hare case, along with an enlightening guide to how we approached the production of our graphic novel; from the basic researching of the facts of the case, to the unearthing of maps, portraits and illustrations depicting some long-forgotten corners of Auld Reekie."

On Thursday, the first display for the Burke and Hare Exhibition at the Central Library was set up with the much appreciated assistance from Brenda, Andrew and Anne at the Library who very kindly provided additional Burke and Hare material.

Seconds after the display case doors were put back in place, Debi Edward, the reporter from STV appeared. Crawford said “I was hoping to at least have my nose powdered to experience the full glamour of TV, but there was just enough time to compose myself - so I wasn’t quite as much a ‘deer in headlights’ - and straight into the questions!”

After the features were published Martin said, "The Scotsman and STV coverage has been fantastic - it just goes to prove that over 180 years after the West Port Murders, there's still huge interest in William Burke and William Hare. Their story continues to fascinate and chill residents and visitors in Edinburgh and myself and Will are proud to have contributed another chapter in their story.
Our depiction of their tale is unique in its approach and should help continue to dispel the myths surrounding the case. In fact, it was a pleasant relief to see the story treated tastefully, without a mention of graveyards, bodysnatching or the re-animation of long-dead corpses."

A quick reminder of events next week on the 28th January:

Forbidden Planet Signing 4.30 - 5.30pm

Edinburgh Central Library, Edinburgh Room – Talk and Signing 6pm - 7.30pm (doors open at 5.30pm. Numbers are limited - book through the Central Library )

FREE Burke and Hare Tour 7.45pm at main door of Central Library. More info.

Hope to see you all next week!

Intermission

2010-01-11T22:30:00.002Z

Due to the bad weather, we’re experiencing lack of reception in some areas... please do not adjust your set... this program will resume shortly.

Psssssst! Look at this...

The next Chapters of Burke and Hare, Cancertown and Cages are on their way to Sony for release in the coming weeks on the PSP Digital Comics service. We’ve had a fantastic initial response to the first chapters which are currently available for FREE on Sony’s PlayStation Store, direct from your PSP or via their website!

And The Beginning Of Another...

2010-01-04T23:16:00.004Z

Happy New Year and welcome to 2010!!

We’ve had a little break, enjoyed lots of good food, some of us have moved house, and most of us have been snowed in at some point. So, now that’s all out the way, we’re ready to go and make this an even more spectacular year than 2009 – although it’s going to be hard to beat with all we’ve accomplished in the past 12 months!

Since we ended the year with an assortment of artwork from books currently in production, I thought we’d start the new year by introducing our Business Development Director, Richard Murphy, in the time honoured tradition of a short interview.

Richard, welcome to Insomnia Publications – now you’re on the Red Eye its official – great to have you on board. Over the past couple of months, amongst other things, you’ve been working on ramping up the scale of the company, analysing how we’re working and how we can push forward even further in the industry.

Tell us a little bit more about your background?
Thanks very much, it's great to be a part of Insomnia and I'm looking forward to working with everyone. My main background is in product design and business studies, particularly business in and around creative industries, although, I studied everything from national economics to art and in my later years in education I studied in depth creativity, production quality and project management. What I enjoy most is to take all the briefs and tasks and apply my methodology of analysis and problem solving to secure the strongest possible end result.

What inspired you to join Insomnia?
Crawford’s vision, drive and motivation to succeed in such an interesting, diverse and growing industry; the potential of the medium and the Insomnia brand really drew me in. The opportunities these present for the company and creators are fantastic and I instantly wanted to be involved.

You’ve been working with the Insomnia Management Team for a couple of months now, getting a feel for what the company requires and what you can do to help make these things happen. What do you find rewarding in your new role?
Since I joined the company, everyone has been very responsive to what I’m looking to achieve. There’s not much of a lag and Insomnia is a very tight network which is great to work in.

What’s exciting is that there’s no limitation to the vision of the company. Crawford is keen to try new things, and isn’t afraid to dive in the deep end and get his feet wet and he’s happy for his management team and creators to do the same. Seth Godin, the business and marketing guru said:

“Please understand that book publishing is an organized hobby, not a business. The return on equity and return on time for authors and for publishers is horrendous. If you're doing it for the money, you're going to be disappointed.” (Seth Godin, 2005)

Insomnia is not someone’s hobby, it’s a proper business and part of Crawford’s vision is to change this view of publishing - Insomnia is very different to what publishing used to be - and it's very exciting to be a part of it.

I love creativity, the creative industry and enjoy this the most – Insomnia has hugely tangible products which is becoming a rarity now days and working differently to the current industry makes it hugely interesting and challenging.

How do you feel about Insomnia’s ethos towards creators?
I’m fascinated by how much control and creative freedom the creators are allowed – as I mentioned before, the lack of restrictions really allows everyone to push themselves and strive to produce something to the best of their ability, which is a completely different way of thinking. It involves a lot more trust than traditional publishing models from all parties. One of the elements we’re looking to build on is the community feel to the company – it’s completely unique – and we’re enhancing this so creators have more communication between each other enabling them to build up an even tighter network. In fact, the private forum for “Insomniacs” will be live very soon.

What are some of your plans for the company?
Ah, see I was hoping you’d ask that! Obviously I think Insomnia is a great publisher, offering some fantastic publications and I’m very excited to see that extend to more publications with wider styles and variety, pushing the medium to its full potential. New stories can be told in fresh, innovative and interesting ways, rather than conforming to traditional ideas of what a comic book is.

I’m really hoping to get a broader sense of the industry, to appeal to a wider audience and get them to appreciate the medium. I believe we can do this by providing them with interesting, engaging and enjoyable stories, which can help them get into reading.

Although the comic book has been around for decades, this medium is just at its first stages of evolution – the story of Graphic Novels has just begun.

Finally, what are your thoughts on the digital movement?
I think Graphic Novels are already well placed to capture peoples’ interest and imagination in the rich media world which we live in – we have interactive bus stops and even adverts on buses and trains are now full videos which include sound, so developing this form of literature and art for screen is a logical step. However, I believe that digital isn’t competition, it’s complimentary; it’s an opportunity to expand the experience and Insomnia is hoping to show this with forthcoming digital projects.

And so the development continues...

Later this month, our first event of the year will take place in Edinburgh with Burke and Hare... in fact 3 events on the anniversary of Burkes Hanging, the 28th January.

First, at 4.30pm there’s a signing at Forbidden Planet which Joe Gordon and Kevin O’Donnell have very kindly arranged, next at 6pm, there’s a talk from Martin Conaghan at the Central Library, Edinburgh Room, with another signing after if you miss the first one at FPI, and finally there’s an opportunity to attend the Burke and Hare tour after the Library which John Landis recently attended during his research for his upcoming Burke and Hare movie.

More information will be available on the Insomnia website and Facebook pages in the coming days.

See you next week!

The End of Another Glorious Year

2009-12-28T10:30:00.001Z

We just wanted to say to thanks to all of you for making this a fantastic year for Insomnia.

To think that over the last 12 months we have come from gearing up for our first full length graphic novel launch to where we are now is incredible.

We were tipped as “one to watch for 2009” in the 2008 Forbidden Planet Blog end of year round up – and I think we can safely say that we have held up our end with that ;)

Now for the Oscar Speech:

Thanks to all our wonderful creators who have made all this possible. Not just for the work on the books themsleves but for helping with promotion, sharing techniques and tips, covering events around the world, giving up time for signing and sketching, lending all sorts of expertise from outside of comics…the list goes on and on.

Thanks to UKomics, our wonderful printers. You couldn't find a more helpful bunch of people who really care about the books they are producing and who have gone above and beyond to offer help, support and advice to a new company such as us. Not only that but the production quality of the books has been commented on in almost every review.

Thanks also to Dave West of Accent UK for recommending them, and Shane Chebsey of Smallzone for putting us in touch through their printing service which I really can't recommend highly enough.

Speaking of Shane, thanks to all the tireless show organisers who have put on incredible events once again, even in these trying economic times.

Special thanks to John Freeman of Down The Tubes, The Geek Syndicate, Comic Racks and Sci-Fi Pulse for the incredible support you've shown in promoting us this year.

Highlights of this year are so many that it is hard to pick a only a handful but here goes:

The launch of our first Original Graphic Novel Cages and seeing our books on the shelves of bookshops large and small.
The incredible reaction to, and success of, the Cancertown launch at the Bristol SPEXpo
Having the best selling Layer Zero ever (Choices) that needed to go to second printing only a few weeks after launch
The launch of the Vigil line with Burke and Hare
Getting forewords, covers, pin ups and quotes for our from some of the most respected creators in comics
The response we are getting to the ebook previews and work in progress on show at events.
Ruffling the feathers of the quilting world with Bad Rain the first Comics/Quilting crossover art with Ferret
The gallery exhibitions for MILK and Cancertown work
The Temple APA issue 5 with the mammoth Insomnia feature
Needing to sign with an agent to deal with interest from film companies in our books
So many of our creators getting work in print elsewhere, and winning so many awards and prizes, which just goes to underline the talent we have here.
Being the first UK indie in the PSN Digital Comics Store and having our books up there on launch day.
Too many interviews, reviews, articles, features in magazines, online, on podcasts etc to list

Crawford Coutts says:

"A huge thank you to the Insomnia Management team for all their hard work over the past 12 months, without whom we wouldn’t be where we are today. Big thanks especially to Nic for her dedication to creators and unfathomable ability to multi-task, to Al for keeping those books flying out the door and onto the shelves and sweet talking all those lovely retail owners, Martin for doing a wonderful job on Vigil and Richard Johnson for his advice and fantastic cover design.

I’d also like to welcome our new Business Development Director who’s taking us to all new places and help us drive forward to do even bigger and better things, Richard Murphy."

It’s been a good year for the indie comics world in general, and a great time to be involved.

See you all next year!

Insomnia Christmas Selection Box

2009-12-21T10:30:00.002Z

One piece of art from every book currently in production.

Just like a real selection box some are crunchy, some are chewy and some have unexpectedly soft centres.

No, they don't. I made that last bit up. They're all hiding razor blades or traces of ground glass and some are even laced with poison.

If you've been keeping an eye on new signings you'll notice there are a few things we have announced that are not on here. That's because in most cases we sign the script first and then look for the right artist. Sometimes we already know who that is, sometimes we need to find someone new.

The Absence
Story and Art: Martin Stiff

1945, southern England. A chruch is destroyed in a terrifying thunderstorm. Perched on a column of tock the small chapel collapses into the sea, taking Father Jonathan with it. The bridge between the church and its village is also destroyed, leaving the ruin entirely unreachable.

A year later following the end of WWII, the horribly disfigured Marwood Clay returns home, haunted by flashbacks or hallucinations of a strange operating theatre.

His arrival brings back terrible, long buried memories for the the other villagers.

Meanwhile the engimatic, world weary mathematician Robert Temple, a man with the curious talent of predicting the future with startling accuracy, moves to the area and begins building a house ona hill overlooking the village.

Then people start to vanish.

Average Joe
Writer: Thomas Romeo, Pencils: Kelvin Chan, Colours: Melanie Cook

What if Death wasn’t this cold, machine like work horse but just a normal guy? How would he deal with probably the most important job there is? How would he struggle to hang on to what he thinks is right? How could he maintain his relationships and remain human?

As if it’s not enough to wake up not just dead, but Death, Joe finds himself at the heart of the politics of the apocalypse. Before this everything was going to plan.

The other Horsemen are not pleased

Babble Writer:
Writer:Lee Robson, Artist: Bryan Coyle

Carrie Hartnoll is a working class English girl stuck in a life going nowhere fast, but after a chance meeting with her old university professor she heads to America to start a new job as part of his research team.

The team works to resurrect the mythical language of Babel – a language, Curtis theorises, that can be understood by any human being – and use it as the basis for the world’s first universal translator.

In this tale of dead languages and deadly secrets it’s not what you say, but how you say it, that counts.

Butterflies and Moths
Writer: Corey Brotherson, Artist: Jennie Gyllblad

Butterflies and Moths is about a young woman attempting to come to terms with a terrible affliction and her past, and in finding a kindred spirit discovers – through blood and betrayal – that death is a natural part of life.

A prequel, “Fragile” to which can be seen in Layer Zero:Choices

Crowley: Wandering The Waste
Writer: Martin Hayes, Artist: Roy Huteson
Vigil Book

Aleister Crowley was a man out of time, born too soon to a world that was not ready for him. Raised among the conservative Plymouth Brethren, he soon shook off their grim shawl of enforced piety and embarked upon a life of sexual adventurism, drug experimentation, and a serious and lifelong study of the occult.

Corvus
Writer: Richmond Clements, Artist: Kev Levell

30 AD.

Battle lines scar a rain soaked island at the edge of the world.

Proud, doomed and unafraid before his rag tag band of defenders the British Warlord screams his defiance; challenges the might of the Roman War Machine; calls the champion to single combat. The Champion, Gladius, who men say is unbeatable, who cannot be cut by a blade, who destroys this barbarian rebel as easily as he has so many others.

The people look in vain for a hero, for The Corvus, chosen by the gods.

The Corvus, they say, will rid the island of the hated invaders, will have the strength of one hundred men, will be able to fly.

The Corvus is prophesied, is expected...

...is a fifteen year old girl - and she is all that stands between her people and the crushing power of Rome.

Damaged Goods
Writer: Richard McAuliffe, Artist: Mark Chilcott

Open up this collection of Damaged Goods and gaze into your deepest fears and darkest nightmares.

Read this squirming mass of short dark tales at your own risk. You may never feel clean again.

Dream Solver
Writer:Luke Foster, Artist Chris Wildgoose

When 22 year old picture researcher Ione-Rose Young has a disturbing, recurring dream about seeing her own death, she doesn’t know whether to dismiss it as just another weird dream, or worry that it’s about to come true. Unable to shake the dream from her mind, she sets out to decipher its meaning.

Death Hunter: Dead Man’s Gold
Writer: James Johnson, Artist:Leonardo M Giron

Profit is a haven of fortune that bears more resemblance to a ‘Western Utopia’ than any familiar backwater town. It has been built from the pockets of one man – a man whose past is about to return and fulfil a forgotten curse.

Welcome to the dead west, where greed and corruption shows its true origins.

The Empyre
Writer:Stephen Aryan

On his first day in office, the Prime Minister meets a member of his Cabinet he didn’t elect – Alistair Donovan, the Secretary of State for Nocturnal Affairs.

Donovan runs a secret government department that has existed for over a hundred years. In extreme circumstances, when a swift resolution is needed, the Prime Minister calls on Donovan and his team of hand-picked specialists.

The Empyre mixes fast-paced action with politics and drama, charting how the UK starts to become a world leader in a secret technology, and the effects it has on international politics.

Fallen Heroes
Writer: Martin Conaghan, Artist: Stephen Penfold
original novel by Barry Nugent

A stalker of demons and legends, a pair of master criminals, a teenager on the brink of madness and a man forever cursed with the desire for vengeance. They are all pawns in a plan set in motion over nine centuries before their birth. Pursued across the globe by enemies both human and supernatural they must overcome their mistrust of each other and uncover the truth before it destroys them all.

Frank Sartre
Writer: James Peaty, Artist: James Reekie

A mysterious killer is on the loose in the surreal city of COSMOPOLIS and only one man can stop him! But as panic spreads, that man — part-time nightclub singer, sometime private eye and full time philosopher, FRANK SARTRE — has other things on his mind:

Fallen Heroes pits an unlikely group of heroes and anti heroes against an evil which has existed since the first crusade. If they can keep from killing each other long enough they might just be able to stop the world from plunging into a new dark age.

The Indifference Engine
Writer: Cy Dethan, Pencils: Robert Carey, Colours: Mel Cook

Kronos City
Writer: Andrew Croskery, Pencils:: Alex Willmore,
Colours: Lauren Anne Sharp, letters by Jim Campbell

In Kronos City it’s not water running through the canals – it’s time. It’s possible to submerge your head to see visions of the past and future, although it’s risky. If you know how you can even manipulate future events, not just watch them unfold. Some say you can even change not only time, but fate.

Finnegan Vedant, being an enterprising individual, sees here a business opportunity like no other, but when a mysterious client puts him on a case with bizarre consequences, he’s forced to face harsh truths about himself and the world around him. The game he’s playing is for much higher stakes than it at first appeared.

Oz: The Fall of the Scarecrow King
Writer: Peter Forbes, Artist Barry McGowan

40 years on and something has gone terribly wrong in the Land of Oz. The magic is out of balance. An odd contraption appears in the sky above Area 52, deep in the featureless Kansas Prairie. They have come for Dorothy. She is the only one who can put things right.

But time passes differently in Oz and Dorothy is an old lady now and no longer the ruby-slippered girl they remember.

Quarantine
Writer: Michael Moreci, Pencils by Monty Borror, colours: Lauren Anne Sharp
Covers by Keith Burns

Quarantine follows a group of survivors trapped in a small town in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan shortly after a biological plague is released into the water supply. This plague turns a person into a homicidal war machine, which forces the borders to close, leaving our band of survivors to fight for their lives.

The Ragged Man
Writer: Cy Dethan, Pencils: Neil Van Antwerpen, Colours: Peter-David Douglas

Alone and despised, the Ragged Man drags himself through life with the weight of murdered billions on his shoulders. Hated by the world and everything in it, his body is a prison to a race of monsters. With every skin cell he sheds, with every drop of blood, a tiny piece of their reality escapes into ours, and a tiny piece of our world dies.

Who do you think you are?

The Reckoning Writer:
Jimmy Pearson, Artist: Patrick Walsh

A nightmarish beast of Lovecraftian proportians goes head to head with a US Navy Destroyer just off the antartic coast. Isolated and cut off from command, the USS Reckoning and its impressive arsenal are all that stands between an unsuspecting humanity and an interdimension monstrosity habouring apocalyptic intent!

Sidhe
Writer: Rachel Robbins, Artist: Kev Crossley

According to Gaelic mythology, five spectres of darkness descended from the ancient fairy race Tuatha De’Dannan: the Bean Sídhe, each bound to one of five powerful families. Once upon a time the Sídhe’s hair-raising screams foretold and warned of impending death. But times have changed, and the Sídhe have returned with a more sinister mission, now their piercing screeches claim the lives of the ailing and infected—before the diseased hosts have become terminal. Every prophecy has a loophole.

Snow: A Reflection on Desire and Depravity
Writer: Richard McAuliffe, Artist by Valia Kapadi

“…a daughter of the coven will be her undoing.” they said.

Once upon a time there was a land bound by winter, a land where bloodstains of the deepest scarlet and ravens’ feathers, of the blackest ebony, are fallen on snow of the purest white. Oh, you think you’ve heard this story before, somewhere? So how come the mirrors in the castle are refusing reflections? What is that howling noise out there in the darkness? Who has commanded the release of the Seven? And why is the Queen so disturbed?

Snow is a dark and witty exploration of decadence challenged by duty. Building on a subversive deconstruction of classic themes, it’s a sensuous and disturbing story that rips the meat from the bones of what you know, right down to the last bloody scraps.

Six Months
Writer: Jim O’Hara, Artist: Gary Crutchley

An uneasy exploration of what happens when, perhaps too late, you discover the answers to what it is that gives your life meaning, the relationship between law and society, and what it means when you longer need to hide anything from yourself or others.

Unbelievable
Story and art by Simon Wyatt
Foreword by Nick Redfern, author of There’s Something In The Woods

The remote mining village of Bryn Boncath has its share of stories, of local legends, of half believed histories. It is a close knit community, with closely guarded secrets. Strands of Welsh legend, modern murder mystery woven with horror and a dash of crytozoology ask “What if seeing isn’t always believing, but believing will allow you to see?”

Urban Legends
Writer: Steven Stone, Artist: James Daniels

A collection of short stories all based on the urban legends that everyone swears happened to a friend of a friend. The book’s 15 stories range from the comical to the terrifying and all of them leave you with the uneasy feeling that it could happen to you. But they’re only stories right? Right?

And on that note, I'm gone!

Welcome To The World of Tomorrow

2009-12-14T10:30:00.004Z

This week is the week that the PSN Digital Comics store goes live.

A whole library of comics in your pocket where ever you go? The Future is truly upon us and you can wait up for Santa with free to download chapters of our red-eyed and dark-hearted tales.

Our graphic novels will be published in chapters on the PSN with the first of each being offered free of charge as a taster. Three titles will be on the virtual shelves from launch, with many more to follow.

If you’re looking to try to something different and challenging then our mind bending, skin crawling, heart wrenching books will keep you up all night. So, rub your eyes and take a look at:

Cancertown
Cy Dethan, Stephen Downey, Mel Cook, Nic Wilkinson,

Morley is a man with big problems and a brain tumour like a baby’s fist, living with one foot in a monstrous alternate world. When the lost and dispossessed of London start tripping over those same cracks in reality, Morley must confront the residents of Cancertown - or find his place among them.

“Cancertown will disorientate you, suck you in, chew you up and spit you out and you might well be in need of a change of underwear by the end. Don’t say I didn’t warn you."
Bryan Talbot

“I described it to someone asking me what it was about as a "rip-roaring mindf***.”
John Freeman: Down The Tubes

“A complex, dark and twisted fantasy with a heavy noir feel to it...Think Maltese Falcon crossed with Criminal Macabre and a dash of Alice in Wonderland, trippy as hell (god knows what sort of dreams I'm going to have tonight!)...Seriously though, pick this up as it’s one hell of a read."
The Geek Syndicate

“Cancertown leaps out of the page at you, grabs you by the jugular and doesn’t let you go.”
Sci Fi Pulse

Burke and Hare
Martin Conaghan, Will Pickering, Paul McLaren

From 1827-1828 in Edinburgh, Scotland’s most notorious serial killers, Burke and Hare, murdered 16 people and disposed of their bodies to the eminent dissectionist Dr Robert Knox. Delve into murky, misquoted history and unravel a ghoulish story of medicine, murder and money.

“Burke and Hare is well paced, beautifully illustrated and painstakingly researched. A very impressive launch for Insomnia's new Vigil imprint.”
David Hailwood: Down The Tubes

“It’s not pleasant, but it is truly engrossing. It’s also genuinely chilling

Stripping away the oft misunderstood folk-lore surrounding these two iconic figures the book delivers a ghoulish, yet fascinating account of murder, history, medicine and greed”
Forbidden Planet

“There's a moment in life that I savour: that delicious, perplexing instant when you realise that something you've 'known' for years is actually a crock of nonsense....and when it rights itself, reality has taken on a slightly different hue.

I had just such a mini-epiphany the first time I read Martin Conaghan and Will Pickering's 'Burke & Hare'.”
Alan Grant

Cages
Xander Bennett, Mel Cook

What if you’d spent your whole life in a cage, never glimpsing the world outside? What if everything you knew was darkness, fear and cold, clinical steel? What if one day, an angel came to you with a message of hope – a message that you were about to be set free?

“Lovely… and disturbing. Let’s not forget disturbing.”
Ben Templesmith

“Mother of a compelling read.”
Comic News

“If dark and futuristic stories are your thing, then this is one book not to be missed. The artwork alone is worth reading, and the story is incredibly compelling and will keep you glued to every page until it’s over.”
Moya Dawson

Talking about having a book included in the PSN launch Cy Dethan said:

"You know those really big roller coasters where there's this phenomenally steep climb that tilts you right back so all you can see is sky and then you reach the crest of it and the car tilts down and you see the track dropping away toward the ground and time just sort of freezes for an eternal instant while you wait for the drop and it's both unbelievably cool and unutterably terrifying all at once?

It's been a bit like that."

And Xander Bennet added:

"It feels fantastic to be at the forefront of this as one of the first indie books. The more formats that are available in which to read comics (computer, PSP, etc.), the more choice people have. Hopefully, this means readers will be more inclined to take a chance on indie books and publishers other than just the big names.

Digital comics are absolutely where it's at -- or, at least, where it's going to be. We spend so many hours in the day reading on screens that I think, for most people, it now feels very natural to read comics this way. Plus, those floppy paper comics are getting expensive!"

And they are right.

I've talked about the "UK Indie Comics Renaissance" before on this blog, but in actual fact this incredible explosion of creativity is going on globally as more and more people are realising the power and potential of the form to tell all sorts of stories in all sort of ways.

Technology has a huge impact both on the technical side of art and production, and in allowing people from all around the world to work together easily.

The next natural step was to actually get the results of all that work easily into the hand of of readers whenever they want it and wherever they are.

Personal technology like the PSP hopefully means readers will be able to enjoy a much wider range of creators, styles and genres than just whatever happens to be on offer in any one specific local shop, or even tempt in people who have never read a comic before.

We could even see new creators inspired to produce their own work, not to mention the as yet unthought of new creative possibilites that working for a new medium will undoubtedly bring.

To quote Cy in an interview with Frugal Gaming recently

"Given the enthusiastic welcome that Sony has shown to indies like Insomnia, I think there's definitely an opportunity here to demonstrate the true breadth of the medium... there's nothing preventing the indies from standing shoulder-to-shoulder with giants. I think that's something to be celebrated"

So, go, celebrate, the alchemical wonder of the fusion of comics and technology!

And if you haven't finished making your Christmas list for Santa yet here are some PSP game recommendations from the boys and me:

From Cy:

I'm currently working my way through Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Resistance: Retribution - which is more colons than I've ever put in a sentence before.

From Xander:

Some of the best PSP games recently have been Monster Hunter, Pangya Golf and GTA: Chinatown Wars. But my absolute fave PSP game would have to be Jeanne D'Arc -- I highly recommend it if you're into RPGs.

From Me:

God of War: Chains of Olympus!!! Yeah, baby.

Really, this blog has everything, doesn't it?

Sharing The Love

Loves to share this week are:

Richmond Clements "Turning Tiger" which is now out to buy. There is a preview on Myebook if you want to see the first issue.
Lee Robson is going to be writing an ABC Warriors story for Zarjaz next year. The Warriors are one of my personal 2000AD favourites so I can't wait to see this.

In Memory of Eric Martin

On November 18th this year Eric Martin, a great supporter of, and contributor to, the world of comics podcasting sadly died of a heart attack in his sleep at the age of 36.

His brother Mike has now set up a Donation fund and all the money will go to Eric’s 8 year old daughter Gracie.

Dave Monteith and Barry Nugent of The Geek Syndicate have organized a small auction of some cool stuff to raise money for the fund.

The auction has now started on ebay. More items will be added as the day and week goes on. Any items which do not initially sell will be auctioned again at a later date with the proceeds going to the fund.

Full details can be found on the Geek Syndicate website

Individuals and companies from throughout the world of geekdom have donated some fantastic items for the auction including:

Auction 1 – . A lovely Mike Ploog pencil cover from Werewolf by Night donated by Radio DJ ,TV host and comics fan Jonathan Ross from his own personal collection

Auction 2 - An original page from his run on All Star Superman donated by Frank Quitely (Batman and Robin, We3,All Star Superman, The Authority) .

Auction 3 - Two Star Wars RARE art prints here and here donated by Tommy Lee Edwards (Batman, Daredevil, Hellboy, Star Wars) will be donating . Signed artist proofs that he did for Star Wars Celebration shows ( Coming Soon)

Auction 4,5 & 6 - 2000AD will be donating a Greg Staples signed sketch, Books of Invasions Vol. 1,2 & 3 signed both by Pat Mills and Clint Langley (with a quick sketch in each by Clint) and a signed copy of Pat Mills’ Requiem Book One.

Auction 7 – A signed initial pitch document for Captain Britain and MI-13 that no one has ever seen donated by Paul Cornell (Doctor Who, Primeval, Captain Britain and MI:13) will be donating. Please note that the winner of this item agrees not to put the contents of the pitch document online or publish it. The copyright for the item (including the unused stuff,) remains with Paul Cornell or Marvel.

Auction 8 – Geek Syndicate will be putting in The League of Extraordinary Gentleman: Century 1910 signed by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill

Auction 9 & 10 - Titan Books will be putting up Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia and a Watchmen Film Companion signed by Dave Gibbons.

Auction 11 & 12 – Shine the team behind BBC’s Merlin have kindly offered Series 1 Volume 1 and Series 1 Volume 2 DVD’s signed by the cast( Bradley James, Colin Morgan, Angel Coulby, Katie McGrath and Anthony Head).
Auction 13 - A signed script from Season 2 of Sanctuary. It is from the first episode of the season “End of Nights, Part 1″ and is signed by Amanda Tapping, Ryan Robbins, Christopher Heyerdahl and Agam Darshi.
Auction 14 – Termight replica of Dan Dare’s Spacefleet Cap Badge
Auction 15 – Termight Replica of Judge Dredd Belt Buckle
Auction 16 – The DC Comics Encyclopedia
Auction 17 - Guest spot in Geek Syndicate the Comic by Harold Jennett
Auction 18 – Original art from The SLightly Askew Adventures of Imspector Ham & Eggs by the talented Lauren Monardo
Auction 19 - Guest Spot in Moon Freight 3 Web Comic by Luke Foster
Auction 20 – Exclusive James Cameron AVATAR press Accessories pack

It's incredible to see this kind of support within the community. The generosity of both Dave and Barry in organising this, and from the contributors themselves are deserving of huge praise.

Thanks guys.

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

2009-12-03T16:49:00.016Z

Lots of new signing news this week, and I already have some work in progress and concept art to tempt you with.

And the title this week isn't because I've been away. It's not about that sort of absence at all.

It's about this sort, which we have just signed up with Martin Stiff, :

The Absence by Martin Stiff

1945, southern England. A chruch is destroyed in a terrifying thunderstorm. Perched on a column of tock the small chapel collapses into the sea, taking Father Jonathan with it. The bridge between the church and its village is also destroyed, leaving the ruin entirely unreachable.

A year later following the end of WWII, the horribly disfigured Marwood Clay returns home, haunted by flashbacks or hallucinations of a strange operating theatre.

His arrival brings back terrible, long buried memories for the the other villagers.

Meanwhile the engimatic, world weary mathematician Robert Temple, a man with the curious talent of predicting the future with startling accuracy, moves to the area and begins building a house ona hill overlooking the village.

Then people start to vanish.

Martin says:

"It’s hard to explain the original source of inspiration for The Absence without spoiling the ending, but memories of childhood holidays to Devon and Cornwall provided the foundation (as well as a pile of photographic research).

The image of a village perched precariously on a cliff-edge came first while setting the action in the years following WWII allowed for a specific psychological landscape: these were people living literally on the edge of a battered, broken world. It was then that the disfigured exile Marwood Clay returned home and the plot began to fall neatly into place...

My first intention was to write The Absence as a novel but since I was also looking for an excuse to start drawing regularly again after a few years away from the drawing board, I decided to try adapting it into a comic.

Knowing their interest in literary graphic novels a friend suggested I pitch it to Insomnia. Nic responded immediately and a few days later they signed The Absence up!

I’m hugely excited – and a little terrified: it’s a big book and a mammoth undertaking demanding a huge amount of commitment from everyone involved but Insomnia’s unwavering enthusiasm for the project and their belief in me has filled me with a new confidence and energy. "

After a degree in Illustration Martin drifted into graphic design. Ten years later, after a decade away from drawing, which he missed, and with a recently rekindled interest in comics he's back, with The Absence.

Martin has co-written a few theatrical plays which performed on the London fringe and has a couple of unfinished novels stuffed away in his office. He is currently an art director with a publishing house.

Corvus by Richmond Clements and Kev Levell

30 AD.

Battle lines scar a rain soaked island at the edge of the world.

Proud, doomed and unafraid before his rag tag band of defenders the British Warlord screams his defiance; challenges the might of the Roman War Machine; calls the champion to single combat. The Champion, Gladius, who men say is unbeatable, who cannot be cut by a blade, who destroys this barbarian rebel as easily as he has so many others.

The people look in vain for a hero, for The Corvus, chosen by the gods.

The Corvus, they say, will rid the island of the hated invaders, will have the strength of one hundred men, will be able to fly.

The Corvus is prophesied, is expected...

...is a fifteen year old girl - and she is all that stands between her people and the crushing power of Rome.

In this cracking tale of high adventure, defiant resistance and desperate heroism Richmond Clements and Kev Levell will show you the history they didn't teach in school, but that they couldn't keep out of the comic books.

Richmond is the first writer we have to be working on both a Vigil book (Pinkerton) and a fictional Graphic Novel.

He is also (presumably using some sort of cloning or time manipulation device!) the co-organiser of Scotland's Hi-Ex convention and an editor for FutureQuake Press.

After a 12 year stretch working for the dark side at a promotions agency Kev is a reformed creator who fights artistic crimes as a freelance illustrator and designer. We are happy to be helping with his rehabilitation.

The Reckoning Diary

A new Facebook Group is now up and running where you can keep up date on progress with The Reckoning by Patrick Walsh and Jimmy Pearson.

Watch out for tentacles!

Going Digital with Geek Syndicate, Insomnia and Sony

There were a record number of entries for this competition, but there can only be one lucky winner!

Congratulations to Kirsty Caffery who wins a PSP loaded with Insomnia Comics.

Thanks to the Geek Syndicate and Sony for running the competition and providing the PSP.

Until next week...

From Nothingness into Being: Behind the scenes of Frank Sartre

2009-11-28T01:08:00.020Z

"A mysterious killer is on the loose in the surreal city of COSMOPOLIS and only one man can stop him! But as panic spreads, that man — part-time nightclub singer, sometime private eye and full time philosopher, FRANK SARTRE — has other things on his mind!"

This week we take a look at the creation of The Ballad of Frank Sartre by James Peaty (writer) and James Reekie (artist).

First we have James Peaty answering some questions about the book itself, and then James Reekie will pick up with a look at how he goes about bringing Cosmopolis and its inhabitants to life.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about the background to the story and what it’s all about?

A: Ooh, the unanswerable question! Very briefly, the story is sort of part-thriller, part-character drama with dashes of sci-fi, horror and gender bending thrown in for good measure! Oh, and talking apes. We all like a good talking ape!

Q: So, how did the book come about and why did you want to write something like this?

A: That’s almost the classic ‘where do you get your ideas from’ question.

Of course, if you read ‘Frank Sartre’ you will actually (sort of) discover the answer to that question…but I digress!

I’ve had the title and the basic conceit of the story/main character for about 10 years, but I first started seriously playing with the story and thinking about getting it published in 2002. It nearly happened a couple of times along the way – once in 2003 and then again in 2007 – but for a whole bunch of reasons it never came to pass. Thinking that this particular ship would never sail, I gave up hope of it ever happening.

Then, in mid-2009, I was introduced to the folks from Insomnia by my friend Ferg Handley and I started up a correspondence with Nic Wilkinson. Pretty soon I pitched them the book and to my surprise they said ‘yes’ pretty much straightaway. I think I started writing the script in August and then we signed up James (Reekie, the artist) in about October. Since James came aboard it’s been full steam ahead, which after ten years of it just simmering away, is a very good thing!

As to why write this book; well I think when you’ve been working, as I have for the past 5 years, on company owned characters for publishers like DC Comics, Marvel, Dark Horse, Panini etc you get pretty jaded with the whole rigmarole of writing within a very narrow set of parameters. The urge to write this story is, to a large degree, fuelled by the desire to just stretch a different set of writing muscles and see how far you can push yourself as a creator while still telling a compelling and exciting story in the bargain.

Q: At this early stage, and without too many spoilers, what can you tell us about the main characters and the world/settings of the story?

A: You know what, this far in advance I don’t want to say very much about the story.

As for the lead character of Frank Sartre, well…let’s just say he’s a rather troubled guy, with a fair few of ghosts in his past and skeletons in his closet.

The support characters I’d like to keep a secret for now, but what I will say is that the story is set in a rather odd and surreal city known as Cosmopolis and that amongst its population you will find a sky-cab driver called Silas, a rather cantankerous loan shark called Jingles and a psychopathic killer known as ‘The Stain’.

Q: Insomnia readers are out there on the wilder edges, and they like to be challenged. What is it that you are hoping to do with this story that will be different?

A:Not try and write a comic that aches to be a movie!

Being serious though, I just want to write a story that people will find compelling and maybe gets them to think a bit along the way. I’ll leave the bold statements of intent to others.

Q:Can you tell us a bit about some of your influences and inspirations?

In all honesty, just intelligent creators and good material. It’s less a case of who inspired this book and more a case of who continually inspires me. In that regard, the usual suspects would be: Alan Moore, Dan Clowes, Grant Morrison, Dennis Potter, Russell T Davies, David Chase, David Lynch, Wes Anderson, The Coen Brothers, Philip Roth, James Ellroy, Howard Chaykin, Paul Pope…and many more!

Hmmm…why are there no women on that list?

Q: Music plays a large role in the story can you tell us some more about that?

A: Well, I’m a big fan of movies like ‘Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia’, ‘Shoot the Piano Player’, ‘Broadway Danny Rose’, ‘Blue Velvet’ and ‘The Killing of a Chinese Bookie’ where ‘sadly-out-of- their-depth’ musicians or entertainers get embroiled in some sort of bonkers crime plot, so the early kernel for this story was no doubt inspired by those kinds of movies.

Beyond that, I just like music! And more specifically, in comics terms, I like the way musical notes and musical performance plays out on a double page spread in a comic book. It’s like the comic page becomes a stage. Sounds silly, I know, but I think it links theatre and comics together in a very interesting way.

Frank being a musician was the first idea I had for the book, so all the other stuff just sort of built from there really. If he’s a singer we need to see him sing. What does he sing? Well, we can’t afford to buy song rights so lets just write our own and tie them into the overall tone and mood of the story. And so it goes…

Funnily enough, this has sort of taken on a life of its own and we’ve been talking about recording some of the songs from the story and using them to promote the book further down the line. Not sure how we’ll find the time, but it’ll be fun to do.

‘The 400 Blows’ will live again!

And now over to the main with the pictures, all the way from Athens, Mr James Reekie

Frank's world and the city is based on an early 1960's future version of Manhattan, complete with anthropomorphic animals, flying cars and huge billboards reaching far into the sky.

Before starting the project I spent a lot of time gathering reference imagery. James uses a lot of film references in the script to give artwork direction and whenever we discuss ideas we always end up talking about favourite scenes that we want to use for inspiration for composition or colour. I looked through film posters and stills for inspirational shots creating mood boards to show the James and Nic what I was intending to do.

Of course, creating Frank was the main challenge. James' scripts paints a clear picture of him and so I just sketched away. I based him on various leading men, not all '60's, there's some Moore, Newman, Don Draper and, of course, Sinatra in him. A bit of a mongrel!

After submitting these sketches James suggested we tone the quiff down for "current" Frank as he appears at various stages of his life in the book and so we need some visual clues to link him to a specific time period.

I'm designing the book in spreads, a hangover from working extensively as a Graphic Designer. You view a book in spreads, not pages and the artwork on one side affects the other in mood, style and pacing. For the early spreads of "Frank" I wanted to throw the reader into this bright, shiny world, full of lights, reflections and sounds bouncing off every surface.

The technology in the book is designed on a "flat screens with chrome" concept. The simple elegant line of 1960's futurism applied to mobile phones. "Looks like an iphone..." you say? Well, look, there's no plastic interchangeable covers in this world! You'd know these things were in your pocket for sure...

Now a little bit about my process:

I reference everything directly as much as possible, searching through books and the internet for great suits, cars and skyscrapers. As mentioned before I work in spreads and 100% digitally using a combination of Manga Studio and Photoshop for the art and Illustrator for the letters.

The spread I'm using to show my process is a scene of Frank performing with his current band "The Paranoids" from chapter one.

I thumbnail out the page using a 10mm "pencil". This technique comes from blowing up my tiny thumbnails to work up roughs, allowing me to keep the exact proportions. Why redraw when you can trace?

When I'm happy with the design I then go in and do a detailed rough of all the panels.

I then set the bubbles and letters in Illustrator (text removed for this example) and send off to James and Nic for comment. They're kind and gentle. Mostly!

For the final artwork I tighten up what I need to with some more pencilling.

And then apply the ink. I'm trying to give a 60's pulp feel to the linework too.

When I colour, I hate books that have a "paint by numbers approach", assigning a colour to each clothing item and diligently colouring up each shape. It's so emotionless. Colour is a emotive story telling devise, and I like to wash over a spread with a limited palette, concentrating on tone and definition, only adding specks of colour to draw the eye to important events or items.

With this spread it's a single scene set over just these two pages and I wanted to isolate it, encapsulating the event with a colour break from the red and orange of the street scenes. The club is called "The Exterminating Angel" and I had set the colour for it on the previous spread with a neon blue sign.

I washed over the spread with a single cyan hit.

I then add gradients, isolating areas and painting with the airbrush. It's a quick and free approach that really sets off the line work. Oh, and I do it all on one layer. This file only has 3 layers, I added a "reflection" layer above the ink line for the lights.

...and that's it! Simples.

Oh, we spoil you, don' t we?

What the hell, it's nearly Christmas!

After Thoughts

2009-11-23T11:00:00.001Z

This weekend we were at the Thought Bubble Convention in Leeds and a great time was had by all!

Comics folk defeated both the severe weather, and the Leeds one way system, and the event was incredibly busy all day. I didn't get a chance to go over to the conference side with everything that was going on, but talking to Paul Gravett later in the day it sounded like it was going very well.

As always it was great to catch up with old friends and make lots of new ones.

Plenty of Insomnia folk were around the table throughout the event, singing, talking about their books, making great plans for lots of things that we can't reveal just yet - and Kev Crossley's live sketching wowed the crowds, while his portfolio left them speechless!

Highlight of the event had to be the Geek Syndicate panel. The boys were on top form as usual, and Dave's impromtu rendition of Rawhide was fantastic, as was the mystifying, and really slightly unnerving revelation of the existence of the "glue man" who haunts comic cons asking artists for pictures of superheroines stuck in glue! All the panel seemed to have encountered him, and at various different shows! Frank Quitely and Cameron Stewart's tales of having to draw the mad things that live in Grant Morrisson's brain were wonderful, too.

Congratulations to Alex and Lauren of Kronos City who both won prizes at the Dr Sketchy's Burlesque drawing competition on the Saturday night. Their "How Do You See Karl" non competition has been very successful and you can see the results on the blog.

Thanks also to Martin Conaghan, Cy Dethan, Ollie Masters, Steven Stone, Roy Huteson and Christopher Barker for helping hold the fort on the day.

We got to meet Ian Cullen from Sci-Fi Pulse in person for the first time, having spoken to him online and even on the radio before now!

Fallen Heroes News

Barry Nugent, Martin Conaghan and I had arranged to meet up to talk about Fallen Heroes plans this weekend as scripting is now well underway.

With an astounding piece of timing, though, we discovered, and signed up, the perfect artist only hours before the show :)

Ladies and Gentlement, please allow me to present Steve Penfold - and his initial character sketches that just blew us all away:

Martin's got brilliant plans for how this is all going to come together. I wish I could tell you more, but for now will just have to leave you with that tantalising little hint of things to come.

Burke and Hare: Getting Into The Guts

Last week Burke and Hare creators Martin Conaghan and Will Pickering had an in-depth interview over on the Forbidden Planet Blog with lots of beautiful artwork from later on in the book that has not been seen before.

For those north of the border, In Scotland, there will be a Burke and Hare signing event at Forbidden Planet Edinburgh in January, followed by a gallery event. More on that as we get closer to the time.

The excitement and interest in this book from many non traditional comics sources with an interest in history and literature is really fantastic, and shows the power and very high quality of the art and storytelling that it can cross what often seems an unbridgable divide between comics and the rest of printed literature. More in this in the coming weeks.

Shock Theory

Celeste Sharp, writer of Shock Theory, is all over the news this week. Bournemouth University, where she studied until very recently, has been writing about her success in being signed to Insomnia for her very first graphic novel.

Jersey radio have also been in touch with Celeste to request an interview about the book next week.

Imagine FX

This month's ImagineFX magazine has two pieces on Insomnia, one with a picture of Crawford Coutts, if you haven't met him and wanted to know what he looks like!

Crawford is in there talking about the launch of the Digital Comics service for the PlayStationNetwork in December. For those with PSPs the reader software is now available to download from the Sony site.

Average Joe artist Kelvin Chan also has an interview in the magazine, and there is a preview of some of the artwork.

Working With Artists

Just a small mention of the odd world of comics production and the kinds of things you find yourself discussing.

Previously I had thought the weirdest thing I had discussed by email was either the shape of the sounds sheep make with Simon Wyatt when lettering Unbelievable, or maybe the one about how it would effect the perception of Emer's character, in Sidhe, if the underwear visible over her waistband was boxer shorts or lacy knickers.

However this week, working on The Indifference Engine Rob Carey sent me an email that included the following line:

"Does anyone object to seeing a penis in this shot?"

Followed a few days later by:

"New Engine, now with added penis" and a beautifully drawn page that delivered just that very thing!

And on that note, I'll leave it for this week.

I'll Have What Sidhe's Having!

2009-11-12T16:14:00.019Z

And what Sidhe's having is enough to make any girl jealous!

To whet your appetite, here are some work in progress pics from Sidhe, with comments from Kev and Rachel.

The passionate, intricate writing of Rachel Robbins and the beautiful art of Kev Crossley fuse the best from our oldest stories with our deepest, most troubling modern fears, to take you on a journey unlike any you will have taken before...

Over to Rachel to begin:

"Confession: I used to play Barbies when I was a child. With my very tolerant little brother."
"But we made them our own, chopping their hair and using food coloring to paint funky/punky ’do’s, shaving their heads, and designing wardrobes out of broken jewelry and leather scraps --cut from thrift store purses-- which I superglued together."

"Ken-boys wore hair extensions left over from the shaved Barbie heads, earrings, and sported ink-stamped tattoos of sharks and dragons. Everyone wore glittery nail polish as eyeshadow and magic markered fingernails. Josh and I took the clan outside; built them houses and caves out of rocks, moss, and dirt for shelters."

"They borrowed Star Wars model spaceships to get around on, and the occasional toy tractor. Some times we sat them on our cats' backs, which never made for happy felines but still provided a decent mode of transportation."

"Not ordinary Barbies, you see. These were Cyberbabes.

Cyberbarbies were nature worshippers, witches, and mediums...though we wouldn't have described them that way, that was the fact.

Cyberbarbies spoke to ghosts I sewed from lace scraps who had heads made out of painted eggshells. They had direct conversations with saints and God."

"Growing up resentfully Catholic, I felt the need to create a corrupt church against whom they fought: a parish who lived in cardboard Chiquita Banana box-- fully equipped with porcelain figures of nuns and priests, adorned with “prayer cards” on the walls. The head priest was a wind up Peter Pan toy who would spin in circles and fall over."

"Sometimes Cyberbarbies had to fight aliens, too, but that was just when my poor brother and I ran out of plot ideas. There was a lot of sex and every “episode” ended with a party or wedding. Pagan 11½ inch fashion figures with pose-able legs also spent much of their time hanging upside down from trees."

"This was, perhaps, the original incarnation of Sídhe.

Now I have Kev Crossley. We play Barbies, but on paper. Insomnia is our sandbox."

Kev Continues:

"And so the summer slunk away without telling anyone where it was going and Autumn has crawled over everything like a mould, heralding skeleton trees and greying drifts of leaves heaped, grieving."

"The world of the Sidhe now inhabits my own. As the pages develop and the script unfolds from behind my eyes I'm increasingly finding the world Rachel has created to be invading every facet of my waking days. "

"The park down the road heaves with half seen creatures and the trees themselves stalk the edges of the grassed fields, looming above the people who play and walk there, seemingly blind to the scarecrow behemoths shaking and creaking in the tormented air. The streets and buildings are not free of this taint either. It's like seeing the world through a filter of the fantastic and macabre.

Kinda cool actually."

"This is the first time I've found myself so immersed in a story that I'm partly responsible for realising. I only hope the work I turn out benefits from this; I'd hate to be institutionalised for nothing!!!!!!"

Next week Kev will be at our stand at Thought Bubble with some of his gorgeous original art on show. You will also be able to see the magic take shape beneath his sorcerous pencil as he does some live sketching during the day.

Building Kronos City

If you want to see how the magic happens in this room:

That starts with a script that turns into this:

Which then turns into this:

Head over to the Kronos City blog where Alex and Lauren will take you through it all step by step, and all the stage in between.

Alex and Lauren will also be Thought Bubble to talk about the book, the characters and show off the latest artwork.

Final Thoughts

Other goodies at Thought Bubble will be a limited number of Ashcan previews of Urban Legends by Leeds very own Steven Stone (who has just launched his new blog Written In Stone, check it out) and James Daniels which will be given free with purchases while stocks last.

We'll also be talking more about what we'll be doing in the PSN Digital Comics store, so come by a for chat.

There will be a limited number of posters of the Frank Quitely pin up from Burke and Hare available - these ones in colour and signed by the man himself. Frank is the guest of honour this year so you may be able to catch him around the show, or see him interviewed in a very special Geek Syndicate live chat on the Saturday night.

Two unique competitions will be running from the stand:

1) Win a chance to visit the Buskers Film Set.

Entry to the competition is free with any purchase, or £1 per ticket

The draw will be made on the 1st of December and the winner notified by email. Any winner under the age of 18 will need to be accompanied on the set visit by an adult.

The date and time of the visit will be arranged personally with the winner.

Thanks to Jeymes Samuel for making this possible.

2) Win a PSP 3000 loaded with Insomnia Comics. This competition is in association with The Geek Syndicate. Thanks to Sony for donating this great prize.

If you will not be attending the show you can still enter the competition by heading over to the Geek Syndicate Website.

To be in with a chance to win all you need to do is send an email to geeksyndicate@hotmail.co.uk. with the title “Going digital with Geek Syndicate, Insomnia and Sony!”

The first entry pulled out of the hat will win.

Closing date for entry is 1st December.

Unfortunately this competition is only open to entrants who are 18 or over and have a UK Postal address.

Best of Luck!

Hope to see you all soon

Small Screen, Big News

2009-11-06T13:18:00.018Z

...krrrk...we have a visual...krrk...

Here they are then, the first screen shots of Cages, Cancertown and Burke and Hare sitting proudly in the PSP.

Our friends at The Geek Syndicate visited Sony Towers recently for a preview of the technology and to talk to them more about the Digital Comics Store. You can hear about their adventures in episode 139 which will be up later this week.

Kronos City: Reflections on a Vampire

Recently Team Kronos City decided to compare their visions of some of the book's main characters.

Over on the Kronos City Blog they said:

"Everyone sees a character differently so here are our versions. Here at Kronos City, we'd also like to see your ideas of Karl, which will be published here on the 20th of November, just before the Thought Bubble Convention where they will also be on display."

If you want to take part fly on over to the How Do You See Karl competition to see their versions, read the character description and find out how to send your pictures to the team.

I think I might even try doing one myself.

The team have started on chapter 3 now, so expect some new previews in the near future.

More Ragged Man Sketches

Following on from last week's update Neil Van Antwerpen and Peter-David Douglas sent us some more Ragged Man characters recently.

Here are Consensus and The Grudge.

Consensus

You'll need to click on it to see the true wonder and horror of the figure on the right! To all the artists wondering, yes, those tiny figures are all hand drawn individually!

The Grudge

As writer Cy Dethan said on his blog, although it is very early days in the production of the book he posted them "on the grounds that some things are just too good to keep quiet".

Right, though, isn't he?

The The Geek Syndicate and The Annual Podcast Awards

Congratulations are in order for our friends at The Geek Syndicate who have been nominated in the 'Best Entertainment Podcast' Category in the 2009 podcast awards.

Barry Nugent says:

"As there were over 321,000 people submitting nominations Dave and I are very happy to find the podcast nominated and we wanted to say thanks to everyone who took the time to nominate us."

Daily voting will open for the awards at www.podcastawards.com on November 13th with voting closing November 30th. You can cast one vote per person per day during this time.

Next week we'll have a feast for your eyes with an update from Sidhe creators Kev Crossley and Rachel Robbins.

Until then...

Running Ragged

2009-11-02T13:10:00.025Z

Wow, it's Monday again and time for the blog! I just don't know where the time goes these days. In a minute it will be Christmas.

Still better to have too much to do than not enough :)

So, onto the latest in the world of Insomnia.

The Ragged Man Character Concept Sketches

Writing on his blog this week, Cy Dethan says:

"Right before last weekend's London MCM Expo, I received an email from former Starship Troopers: War Stories collaborator and artist on Markosia's recent Harker graphic novel, Neil Van Antwerpen. Neil's work has always been impressive, both in terms of fluid storytelling and sheer beauty, so when he mentioned in conversation that he honestly felt that The Ragged Man, our upcoming book from Insomnia was going to be the one that really showed what he and Peter-David Douglas were capable of I was chewing my own arms off in anticipation of some previews."

And here are those previews in all their glory:

"You save worlds the same way you end them –
one inch, one hour, one life at a time."

You can read more about the story that Cy describes as being:

"at once a heart-felt love letter and a final fuck-you to the city I've lived in for the past fourteen years"

and why

"Having this vicious, sharp-cornered monster of a story squatting in my brain is the reason I've ended up turning down every superhero-flavoured project I've been asked to get involved in or invited to pitch for."

In his recent blog post and on his website (where there will be updates and a growing gallery as the story progresses) .

Neil and Peter-David were recently interviewed on the Halloween episode of Sci-Fi Pulse on Blog Talk Radio and you can catch the show here.

New Babble Pages

As a special thank you to all the new followers of the @Babble_GN twitter feed for updates on progress on the book writer Lee Robson posted these delicious looking pages by artist Bryan Coyle:

If you want to be the first to see more then you'll need to start following them, too. Go on, make them feel loved.

Lee's well into chapter two now, and sent the latest pages over a few days ago, so it's cracking on.

Martin Conaghan: Radio Star

Earlier today Martin was interviewed on the BBC's Book Cafe along with crime author James Ellroy.

Simon Wyatt: Live and Uncut

Peter "Oz: The Fall Of The Scarecrow King" Forbes and Simon "Unbelievable" Wyatt got talking at the Insomnia table at BICS.

Simon was doing sketches for charity and here is Peter's filming of him drawing a Judge Dredd.

Simon Wyatt Sketches Dredd BICS 09 from Peter Forbes on Vimeo.

Knowing that the Devil makes work for idle hands Simon's been keeping out of mischief by showing off his talents as a sculptor as well as a penciller.

What could this intriguing creature possibly be?

Jennie Gyllblad: Ace Reporter!

Last week on 25th October, 2009, Jennie "Butterflies and Moths" Gyllblad visited Cambridge to attend the Women In Comics Conference .

There is a beautifully illustrated full report up on her blog, which you should read now, but here are the highlights:

Jen and her friend Ellen, feeling a little nervous, arrive at the conference.

Jen Says:

"I’m a very shy person (believe it or not), so when I was confronted by the sight of confident, professional comic-book creators and enthusiasts, I preferred sketching and observing them from a distance, rather than conversing with them myself."

"The first one to take to the ‘stage’ was Asia Alfasi, a Libyan-British manga artist...Asia, as a person and artist was very fascinating and unique! She is currently working on an Autobiographical Graphic Novel about her upbringing with the different cultures meshing together (Muslim, British, Scottish etc), also talking about her choice of wearing the hijab (headscarf). It was a very personal and optimistic talk, which I enjoyed a lot."

"After Asia came Sarah Zaidan who spoke about her post-doctoral study ‘Miss Meta: Analysing the Female Superhero Through Time’. She showed the evolution of superhero-physique and discussed what triggered the changes."

"The final morning-talk was held by Sarah McIntyre who spoke about her experiences within the Picture Book industry and how comics are sneaking into this genre. Even though picture books tend to be for children and I want to do graphic novels for a more adult audience, I found this talk very inspirational."

"When the three first speakers were done, a short panel discussion took place, which I found was mainly dominated by Sarah Zaidan."

"And then, Lunch break! We were all offered food and drinks in the conference hall, so me and Ellen grabbed as much as we could and sat down on the floor in a corner again to eat and draw. I doodled people while munching on some lovely ham-sandwiches."

"Lunch-break over, it was time for the long awaited talk by Melinda Gebbie, the artist of Lost Girls, an erotic Graphic Novel that has been in the making for 16(!) years together with Alan Moore. I didn’t really know what to expect. My initial thoughts were simply: Erotic Graphic Novel? Ooo. Alan Moore? Ooo."

"… And then explained why she did Lost Girls entirely by hand. ‘It’s a loving, stroking, hands on meditation which you could only do with your hands, because it’s a part of your body which goes directly onto this beautiful paper… And then you’ve got the originals forever.’ She spoke of the importance of physically layering the artwork with your own hands, onto paper in front of you, not on a computer screen with a plastic tablet. At this point, I was in love. Perhaps even going slightly lesbian. ‘You must never be hindered by what other people think.’ "

When Melinda was done, she sat down in the front row with me and El. I was starstruck and hated my shyness.

"The afternoon split sessions of talks commenced. I chose the room which focused on Autobiography. At this point, someone had taken my pencil(!) and I was forced to sketch with a pen. This is a serious offense in my book.

First lady to step up was Kate Evans, a political cartoonist who has a history of crazy protests. She’s lived in a tree house. She’s been to a protest rally in a pink samba outfit… In short, she’s a little bit nutty, in a good way of course!

After her came a duo. Namely Woodrow Phoenix and Corinne Pearlman. They wanted to discuss whether Autobiography is a trap. Whether is makes us lazy, not bothering to create something, but simply using our everyday lives as material. Corinne also showed some images relating to her jewish background. I had a fleeting thought of creating an atheist comic."

"Both me and El were exhausted at this point, but we really didn’t want to miss the last talk of the day. It was going to be a conversation between Dominique Goblet and Paul Gravett."

"I am personally a big fan of Paul after having a tutorial with him at University last year and then being invited to the Bristol Comica event (which ultimately lead me to Insomnia Publications) [Thanks Paul - we owe you one! - Nic].

I see him as the person who helped me get to where I am now. He was the one who told me to come to the Comic Con and bring my drawings with me to show to people. Something I wasn’t very confident in doing.

"Dominique Goblet is a French painter of complex narrative. She has the ability to switch between styles seemingly effortlessly. I personally liked her more detailed and lifelike drawings. She’s brave enough to challenge the boundaries of comics and fine art, asking things like: ‘What IS a comic?’ and also inviting the audience to think about ‘the truthfulness of autobiography’. Are the creators making some of the stuff up? Are they exaggerating? Leaving some important bits out? Twisting it? You need to approach Autobiographical Graphic Novels with care."

It sounds like a fascinating day and wish I could have gone along. It's also great to see such conferences happening more and more often as the medium we love continues to spread its wings.

And then Jen came back to London, where she met her Butterflies and Moths co-creator, writer Corey Brotherson and this is what happened:

Not sure I have not ushered in the apocalypse in some way, putting these two together!

Now, what with this and the now legendary Citadel of Comics BICS report I think we now claim the prize for having the creators who do the GREATEST EVENT REPORTS EVER!!!

Off to start getting ready for Thought Bubble now - those 3 weeks will just fly by.

The Shape of Things To Come

2009-10-23T10:54:00.040+01:00

Just got back from the MCM Expo. What a rush. 40,000 people in one hall. It's very different to the purely comics focussed cons, but it's very interesting to see a wide view of what is happening across what is increasingly being called "Geek Culture".

(The pristine stand before opening and Jeymes being interviewed about Buskers)

As always there was a lot of cosplay going on, and the costumes seem to be getting more professional and elaborate each year. Some favourite moments were selling a bundle of books to a fully garbed Roman centurion, talking about bustles (which I have always wanted) with a beautifully costumed Victorian couple, and finding myself in the middle of an impromptu corset lacing lesson with Ferret, Dave Monteith of The Geek Syndicate and Amy from Birds of Geek!

The Steampunk area had some amazing items and costumes on display, and there were full size replicas of the Halo Warthog, Ghostbusters Ectomobile and Flying Delorian from Back To The Future on show. I didn't get to play Lego Rockband, but I did get a look at the 3D demo of the Avatar game which had to be seen to be believed. And as for the "Carry on Alien Autopsy Strip Show Extravaganza!" well, that had to be seen to be believed.

Thanks to Will Pickering, Ollie Masters, Jeymes Samuel, Cy Dethan and Ferret who did stints signing and helping out on the stand. Especial thanks to Katy, Ollie's girlfriend, who was there for the entire show and surely did not know what she was getting herself into before she got in through the doors! She did survive the experience, though, and what does not kill you makes you stronger, right?

It was also good to catch up with some Insomniacs who were around the show during the weekend, Alex Willmore and Lauren Anne Sharp from Kronos City, James Peaty from Frank Sarte, Luke Foster from Dream Solver, and to meet Celeste Sharp from Shock Theory for the first time.

Huge thanks, or course, to the tireless Emma Vieceli for organising the Comics Village.

While the lovely pic below is actual a preview of a new double page spread from the warped pen of Mr Mark Chilcott, and not an artists impression of the show, it is pretty close.

The book is in the home stretches now, so keep your eyes peeled for the date we'll be delivering Damaged Goods . This time it's going to be the customers who are shop soiled!

PSP Digital Comics Update

There was huge interest in the announcement of Insomnia being in the PSP Digital Comics Store at the show, and for those who follow Twitter, you might have noticed this little tweet from the Sony PSN people last week.

If you want to follow us on twitter we are @insomniapublications and if you want to follow Sony's Digital comics updates they are @psncomics

New Graphic Novel Signing

As living proof that pitching at cons does work we are pleased to announce the signing of The Reckoning by Jimmy Pearson with art by Patrick Walsh, having first spoken to them about their book at BICS.

Solicit Text says:

"A nightmarish beast of Lovecraftian proportians goes head to head with a US Navy Destroyer just off the antartic coast. Isolated and cut off from command, the USS Reckoning and its impressive arsenal are all that stands between an unsuspecting humanity and an interdimension monstrosity habouring apocalyptic intent!"

Jimmy says:
"I am really chuffed to be working with the Insomnia team and Patrick on The Reckoning.

This story has risen from the dark depths of my fanboy heart and I am aiming to tick everybody's boxes. Big boats, big guns and even bigger monsters; all with the boiler room apocolyptic- tension of Crimson Tide!"

Of course you can't argue with that, so we didn't!

Patrick says:
"I'd like to say that we are extremely excited at the prospect of joining the ranks of Insomnia and are proud to stand beside such fantastic titles such as Buskers, Cancer Town et al."

Patrick graduated in Illustration and spent a while as an Art teacher and have spent the last few years in the world of finance (where else!?) and is now looking to go full time into illustrating.

Speaking of artists...

Artist signed for Terminus

Last Wednesday was one of those days when you haven't had time to properly celebrate one piece of good news before 3 more follow hot on it's tail, within about 10 mins of each other!

The first of these to come in is that Keith "The Boys , Herogasm, Blood PSI" Burns will be doing both the covers and internal art on Terminus by Michael Moreci. Work will likely begin early next year.

Keith is also doing the cover for Quarantine, by Michael which will be out in 2010.

As for the other pieces of news - well, two are secret for now, but I can tell you about one more of them in the piece about the Hard Hat Riots, further down after more artist news...

Artist signed for Frank Sartre

James Reekie has been sharpening up his pencil, and limbering up his drawing fingers ready to begin work on Frank Sartre by James "Supergirl, JSA, Green Arrow, Batman" Peaty.

The signing of James Reekie to a book has to be the quickest in comics artist history. James P and I had been dicussing styles that would work with the script, Frank Satre is a very artistically demanding book amd we were even wondering if one artist could really do all of that. Then, as if the fairy godmother of comics herself had been listening, a portfolio arrived in my inbox that ticked every single thing we had been talking about!

I showed James the artist (this is is going to get confusing, or turn into Ivor The Engine, with both creators on a book sharing the same name!) the script and synopsis. He said:

"I'm totally sucked in, it's great! A lot of great visual references, homages... really really excited!"

and within hours I had concepts and moodboards.

Moodboards

City Scape

I sent them to James the writer (maybe I should refer to them as James the pen and James the brush?) and he said:

"Hell, yeah!' He's terrific"

And the rest, as they say, was history.

Speaking of history...

New Vigil Signing: The Hard Hat Riots

Those you who follow comics news at any of at Alternet, The Guardian, Boing Boing, Presente.org (among others) will no doubt have seen the coverage of a web comic about the Honduran Coup by writer Dan Archer and artist Nikil Saval.

Not only is it fantastic to see politcal debate about real issues generated by comics in this way, showing their true potential, reach and power and bringing them to the attention of mainsteam media, but the fact that it is one of our own creators who is at the centre of it all is even better.

Dan Archer creates non-fictional, journalistic comics and co-teaches the graphic novel course through the Creative Writing Department at Stanford University.

We are very proud to present his first graphic novel, The Hard Hat Riots, based on the revolutionary fervour that took over New York in 1970.

Despite being downplayed by the media at the time, the growing dissent and rising power of the political left posed a significant threat to the establishment, mired as it was in the foreign policy catastrophe of the Vietnam war.

By reinvestigating this crucial turning point, particularly in the context of 1968 and the People's revolution, Dan aims to bring to life a period of history that is often overlooked by the mainstream whilst questioning our notion of historical truth.

Lower Manhattan in May 1970 and the city is on the brink of chaos. Nixon's recent decision to invade Cambodia has met with fierce unrest throughout the national student population, and the country is still in shock after witnessing the brutal murder of 4 students at Ohio University at the hands of the National Guard.

Famous from the Colombia University takeover, the SDS (Students for Democratic Society) has splintered and radicalised, engendering the Weather Underground, whose members believe only all-out revolution can rid the US government of its racist and imperialist agenda. The days of rage from Chicago's Democratic convention in 1968 are still fresh in the public's mind. Students are rallying in the big apple.

Meanwhile, construction on the East Coast is booming, and nowhere more so than in the Big Apple. Huge numbers of workers have been drafted in from across the country, attracted by the array of job prospects and steady income. But conditions are harsh and worker protection is almost non-existent. Exploitation and corporate greed have alienated a large proportion of this newly-mobilised workforce - a fact the student leaders are increasingly aware of, thanks to leftist guerilla reporting collectives like Newsreel.

Amid this chaos stands Joe Kelly, a Staten Island elevator technician, drawn to Manhattan by the boom in construction and the chance to work on the World Trade Center towers. Joe is self-declared 'pro-establishment' and thinks the long-haired hippies he's been seeing in the press and on the streets don't have a clue about the real world.

In Joe's eyes, Nixon and Agnew are patriots for their battle to rid the world of the red scourge, Communism, before it spreads beyond Asia. At heart, however, he just wants a stable environment for his children to prosper in - and the recognition that he and his fellow workers deserve for their contribution to NYC's booming construction projects

You can also follow Dan on twitter ID (@Archcomix) for more updates on his work.

SPEXPO Competition Winner

Amy Bennet is the lucky winner of the Insomnia competition at the recent SPEXPO in Maryland. Amy chose a copy of Cages by Xander Bennet and Mel Cook as her prize.

Huge thanks to Michael Farineau for promoting Insomnia from his stand during the con, and for running the competition for us.

And Finally...

Although, to be honest, there is so much more to say, I could go on for pages, but that will all have to wait for next week! So keep you busy and informed til then:

Martin Conaghan has been getting the word out recently, being interviewed for the Book Cafe along with James Ellroy and Patricia Cornwell (good company to be keeping!)

Valia "Snow" Kapadi has her comic 100% mushy reviewed on Comic Racks this week.

Until next week...

Insomnia On Demand: Catch the RedEye on PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable)

2009-10-14T15:12:00.005+01:00

In the blackest hours before dawn, when all good comic readers were tucked up in bed, the Insomniacs crawled into their dreams.

What were they whispering into the darkness? What did they wish for, lost in the sleep of the innocent?

No less than:

To be able read Insomnia comics anywhere, at any time
Take their entire comics collections wherever they went
To listen to their own music while reading
To navigate pages their own way
To find and buy comics easily and access content instantly from the PlayStation®Store

All this will be on offer for PSP owners in December 2009, with the opening of the Digital Comics Store on the PlayStation®Network.

Red Eyed and bushy tailed, Insomnia Publications will be standing proud on launch day as our critically acclaimed books take their place on the virtual shelves, next to world famous names in comic book publishing.

Insomnia Publications’ graphic novels will be presented in the store as single-issue length chapters, following the publication of the book. The first chapter of every book will be offered free to readers as a “taster” of the story.

Crawford Coutts, Managing Director of Insomnia Publications, says:

“We are incredibly excited to be partnering with Sony in the launch of the Digital Comics Service.

Insomnia is committed to nurturing the very best new art, new writing and new concepts in its original graphic novels and the unprecedented scope of this Comics Store will connect independent publishers and readers around the globe.

The help and guidance we have received from Sony throughout truly demonstrates their commitment to support the medium, the publishers, the readers and the comics industry itself.

Many of our creators are gamers themselves and so were delighted to hear that their work will be offered through PlayStation Network.”

With the first Insomnia titles available right from the December launch, you will be able to:

With a growing range of titles to choose from and the phenomenal scope of the Digital Comics Store, this is just the beginning.

Come and visit our stand at the MCM Expo on 24th to 25th of October to learn more.

Notes:

The Comics Store will launch on the PlayStation Network for PSP in December 2009
Official Sony Press Release and video demo
For further information, interviews and comments please contact Crawford Coutts, MD
Insomnia Publications can be found online at:
Website: www.insomniapublications.com
Blog: www.theredeye.co.uk

Burke and Hare: The Grand Tour

2009-10-12T11:53:00.007+01:00

Following the mightily succesful launch of Burke and Hare at BICS 2009 last week Will and Martin were out and about spreading the word to the next generation.

Over to Martin for his write up of the event:

"Will and I gave some talks last Tuesday to 5th and 6th year high school pupils at two North Lanarkshire libraries about Burke & Hare, and the response was fantastic.

Many of the kids were keen on graphic novels (some were avid comic collectors) and everyone enjoyed seeing the book and learning about the process via which Will and I reconstructed the story, produced the script, created the artwork and lettering - and the extensive research we carried out to recreate a sense of authenticity.

It demonstrated that comics-books and graphic novels are not always about super-heroes or goofball characters, but can also incorporate abstract themes or concepts and expand to include stories of a historical nature, like our ghoulish story of the Irish serial killers Burke & Hare.

As Will said in at one point our talk – comics are words with pictures, so whatever you want to happen, can happen – and the knock-on effects can include the widespread exploitation of the source material, such as in film, television and computer games.

We hope to do it again at some point in the future."

And we certainly hope they will do it again, too, and have requests in for a repeat of the talk in several places already. I'll posts dates and venues here, and on the events section of the main website.

If you work at a school, museum or other organisation and are interested in arranging for Insomnia creators to come in and do talks, workshops or signing events then visit our FAQ page for more details.

No one ever to came to talk to us about comics when I was at school!

Fallen Heroes

Sticking with Martin we turn now to the Fallen Heroes adaptation.

Fallen Heroes is Insomnia Publications first adaptation, and I am incredibly excited about the book getting underway. Barry Nugent's dark, stylish, cine-literate, multilayered and tangled plotting, fused with Martin Conaghan's gift for the creation of living, breathing worlds, peopled with complex charismatic characters, mean we are set for the pulp adventure comic of the year.

Truly these are the Fallen Heroes we've all been holding out for.

With Burke and Hare having safely flown the nest Martin and Barry met up for some in depth chat at BICS to really explore some of the ideas that have been flowing between them.

Martin said:

"Barry Nugent's Fallen Heroes isn't just a great debut novel - it's a wonderful collection of vivid characters whose lives interweave on a heart-stopping action-packed journey into ancient magic and discovery. I can't wait to get started and find out where Napoleon Stone and the rest of the Barry's Heroes take me."

Barry said:

"I am very, very, very excited about the way Martin wants to take the adaptation and some of the ideas nic has thrown in in terms of dealing with some of the story elements which may not make it into the graphic novel. I think it's going to be very different than what people might have been expecting the FH adaptation to be be, in a very very good way."

If you'd like to read the novel in the meantime you can get it from Amazon and from Waterstones, and we will also have a very small number of the special "sketchbook edition" available from the stand at the MCM Expo.

MCM Expo

Speaking of the MCM Expo, it takes places 24-25th of October and it will Insomnia's first time with a stand at the show.

As usual we will have books for sale, previews of upcoming art, special offers, pitching and portfolio review sessions and creators on the stand to talk about their work.

Cy "Cancertown" Dethan, Will "Burke and Hare" Pickering and Jeymes "Buskers" Samuel" will all be signing on the stand at various points throughout the weekend.

There will be a limited convention edition of Buskers available which includes an exclusive CD featuring music by The Bullitts & the never before seen script and storyboards for the animated prequel to the forthcoming film.

If you would like to pre-order or reserve copies of books to be posted out to you or collected at the show please visit the Insomnia special offers page and contact us with your order.

Watch out for a big announcement related to all of this next week!

Bics and Pieces

2009-10-06T11:03:00.031+01:00

"Wow", as Tony Shahloub said in Galaxy Quest, "That was one hell of thing!".

The Death Star like Think Tank at Millenium Point

I think I have the shellshock under control now, apart from the tw-twi-twitching! But where to start? I started making some nice neat notes of everything that happened that I need to mention and it's ended up looking like the scribblings of a madman.

Let me try and break it down for you...

Very Special Thanks

The important bit first, then.

Huge thanks to Shane Chebsey and James Hodgkins for organising a wonderful show yet again. The effort that goes into making something like this happen is mammoth, and I hope they are now having a well deserved rest.
Special thanks to Lauren Anne Sharp for creating the Insomnia Trailer (which I will be putting up on youtube very soon) that was playing on the screens throughout the show.
Thanks also to quilt artist Ferret for bringing along the showstopping Bad Rain quilt (I don't know if quilting books have ever sold at a con before this one, but we always like to be a the bleeding edge!),

Stephen Downey and Alasdair Duncan with Bad Rain

Our unbounded gratitude to Sarah McIntyre who did an amazing job interviewing Michiru Morikawa in the brilliant panel about her work on the Sunday. She also invited Jeymes Samuel join in to talk about the comic and the upcoming Buskers film and the panel was described by Matthew Badham of Down The Tubes as "one of my personal highlights of the whole weekend." in his write up of the show.
It was great to have so many Insomnia creators come to the stand over the weekend for signing and sketching. Not only was it lovely to see old friends we've been working with for a while now, and to meet others in person for the first time, but to hear you all talking so passionately to visitors about your work, and seeing their response is fantastic. Having people there from all around the world really brought home what an international family we are.
To everyone who came to the stand to pitch, show portfolios or leave submissions, thanks for taking the time to do so. The standard was incredibly high once again, and seems to be increasing each year. I will hopefully have some news to come out of some of these discussions in the coming weeks.
Of course this would not be complete without thanking everyone who came by the stand to buy books, look at previews, talk about what Insomnia is up to and what we are all about. We do it for you, you know :)

Book Launches

The con saw the first public appearances of Burke and Hare (Martin Conaghan and Will Pickering) and Buskers (Jeymes Samuel, Sean Michael Wilson and Michiru Morikawa).

I saw lots of people just gazing at and even stroking the beautiful cover designs by Rian Hughes (Burke and Hare) and Richard Johnson (Buskers). Seeing them join all the Insomnia books in a row on the table made my little heart swell with pride - I felt like a kitten in a cream factory.

Martin Conaghan and Will Pickering with Burke and Hare

When I say that Alasdair, valiantly manning the sales table, did not stop for a break the whole weekend I mean that literally. He didn't even get away for lunch, or a quick cup of tea, and had to snap quick bites of his sandwiches as an when he could! At several points I could not get back to the stand for the deep crowd around it!

Copies of Burke and Hare were going by the boxload, and the special con edition of Buskers with CD all but sold out. We have only a few copies left for the MCM Expo show in 3 weeks, so anyone who wants to be sure of getting a copy might want to order it from us directly before then.

Following Michiru's interview on Sunday we had a point where we literally could not get the books onto the table quickly enough for people to buy them and get them signed. It sounds like Crawford will be making a visit to the film set soon, but more and that (and pictures we hope!) in the coming weeks.

Michiru Morikawa and Jeymes Samuel with Buskers

Sadly we could not even get away to the Sunday panel for publishers and retailers to explore how to improve sales in the current market, as we were too busy selling! People were still coming up to make last minute purchases as the stand was being packed away. Alasdair had to retrieve the cashbox from where it had been packed away, get copies back out of their boxes again.

Given the current economic climate all we can say is "Thanks everyone!"

Reviews and Interviews and Podcasts

There was quite of bit Insomnia based podcast activity going on before and during the show:

Cy Dethan talks about Cancertown and his upcoming work on Comic Book Outsiders and why Richard McAuliffe thinks he is "...a lovely bloke, but one intense looking Motherf**ker"
The Geek Syndicat e do the first ever review of Burke and Hare, coming to the conclusion that the book conclusively proves to them that "comics are a medium, not a genre". Way to go Martin and Will!
The Sidekick podcast fought their way to the stand and interviewed Alasdair about Insomnia and what we get from doing events like this, and Martin and Will about the launch of their book. "I was truly blown away...These guys have lived and breathed this story and it shows in every part of this chilling and macabre production."
Just in time for the show the guys at the Temple APA brought out a mammoth size issue 5 which has a large section on Insomnia including interviews, reviews, previews of upcoming books and some never before seen artwork. We have David Hailwood and John Kirkham to thank for bringing this monster to life.

New Signings and Teams

We are pleased to announce:

Lauren Ann Sharpe joins the Quarantine team as colourist, along with Michael Moreci, Monty Bloor and Jim Campbell. This is her second Insomnia book and long may it continue.
Shock Theory by Celeste Sharp:

"After a horrific tsunami, England is abandoned and forgotten; even by history. Rising from dark times, a single city known as Hubris is suspended in the Sky, providing a new life based on technology and social order. The N.O Government has put the clocks back to zero and reinvented London as a completely clean slate for a prosperous society and economy... But Hubris wasn’t just built on the ruins of London; it was built on shock. "

Set in a dystopian England, where the totalitation regime uses the Techframe to control its citizens using shock and sedation, Shock Theory draws on the dystopian heritage of George Orwell and Philip K. Dick, woven with theories of investigative journalist, Naomi Klein, to follow Eva and her companions as they attempt to unravel the sinister nature of Hubris and offer the only resistance to the tyrannical Dr.Shock and the New Order government.
Gamebreaker by Cy Dethan

"Those who even remember the legend of Bloodshot Iris and her insane, megalomaniacal schemes consider her a myth. They’re right – and like all great myths there’s a potent, even dangerous, nucleus of truth at her core. When the greatest villain of the Cold War emerges from retirement to reintroduce a disaffected world to the glorious chaos it once knew, she has only one target in mind – her nemesis, the ultimate superspy: Capablanca."

Spiralling Insanity returns to the British spycraft scene as the last remnant of the Cold War makes her bid to kick-start the era of the psychedelic super-spy

If you visit Cy Dethan's blog you can brave The Citadel of Comics: A Fantasy Convention in which YOU are the hero and experience the trials and tribulations of convention pitching yourself.

It may be the maddest blog post ever made - you have been warned!
Dream Solver now has it's own blog where you can follow the progress of the book in production.

Best of The Rest

Walking through the door on the first day of the con, what was the first table I encountered? Why it was the good Dr Bryan Talbot himself. Pouncing on a copy of Grandville as soon as I could, before even going to the Insomnia stand, he sketched a badger in the front of it while we had a good chat about how the book was doing (very well, with a seque, Grandville, Mon Amour, already underway), how great it has been to have his intro to Cancertown, and the possiblity of a Luther Arkright sequel as he mentioned in a recent interview on the Forbidden Planet blog last week. We went to his talk later in the day and it was mind blowing. The man is truly a comics god.

Bryan Talbot (borrowed from Down The Tubes)

Bryan is doing the talk at a number of locations as part of the launch tour, and you should try to catch it.
Had a lovely time chatting to the lovely Fetishman creators, while coveting a beautiful coat that one of them was wearing, and admiring his magnificent moustache. They do a hilarious illustration of just how absurd some of the proposed new laws are that could affect comics - but you'll have to catch them at a con and ask them to do it. Describing it in words would not do it justice!

The Fetishmen!

And if you haven't encountered Fetishman before you should buy it. It's up to issue 9 now and it is laugh out loud funny.
The Robosteel sculptures were truly a sight to behold with their 2.5metre sculpture of a Transformer, made all from scrap metal and weighing 155kg!

They do smaller pieces as well - and I think that one of them is going to find a new home with me as soon as my house move is done.
I got to catch up with Tony and Martin. the C2D4 crew, eat their sweets and admire their new collected edition of Jack In The Box.
Shout outs to our friends at Markosia, Monkeys With Machineguns, Orang-Utan comics, Timebomb, Murky Depths, Comic Book Outsiders , Geek Syndicate, Small Press Big Mouth and Comic Racks - I wish I could have spent more time with you!

Special Offers

We will extending our convention special offers for those that could not make this show or cannot get to the MCM take a look at our website for details on how to order.

... And Finally

Crawford made a very special visit to a secret location before flying back to Edinburgh on Monday. Hopefully I'll be able to tell all about that next week!

Until then...

Insomnia Pitch and Portfolio Review FAQ

2009-09-28T10:47:00.029+01:00

BICS 2009 is less than one week away. To say we are excited is something of an understatement, and one of the highlights of any show for us is the chance to talk to creators about new pitches or portfolios.

Knowing from experience how awful it is, unless you have superhuman confidence (or at least the ability to fake it!), to have to walk up to a publisher's table at a busy con, especially if it is your first time, and try and start a conversation you can steer around to "do you want to hear my pitch / see my portfolio" I thought I would dedicate this last post before the show to try and make it a bit easier for people to do just that.

Thanks to our creators who suggested a lot of these topics as being things they would have liked to know when they were starting out or approaching a new publisher for the first time.

Our full submission guidelines, details of our publishing model, and how our contracts work can be found over on the website, but hopefully this FAQ will cover things that are show specific.

Q: Can I submit as a "lone creator" or do I need to have a finished product or a full team ready to go?

A: You can submit as a "lone creator" in any discipline. We will put teams together, we consider that a key part of our role as publisher.

Writers need to make a submission for a creator owned book, we do not commission writers as freelancers that we assign to books.

Artists (including pencillers, colourists and inkers) and letterers, you need to let us know what kinds of project you are interested in working on in terms of subject matter, artist role, and length.

We also accept "team submissions" of course.

Q: Is there a certain way / time to approach you and start the conversation?

A: Apart from the the helpful answer provided by one of our writers (Christopher Barker) ,when asked about this, who said:

"I found that, when approaching Nic at a convention, moving quietly and approaching from the side is your best bet. Her eye-sight is based on movement and sudden actions tend to startle her. Bring some sugar and gently stroke her nose... wait that aint right! :/"

the short answer is no, there is no "proper way" to do it. There is no secret password or special handshake. There will be at least one of the Insomnia team on the stand at all times during the time the con is open (see list at the end for names).

Just tell whoever you speak to what it is you have come to talk about or show us, and if they are not the right person then they will either find the one of us you want, call us for you, or let you know when to come back.

Remember that finding new talent is one of the key reasons we come to shows, so we WANT to talk to you.

As it happens I did first talk to Christopher at BICS 2008.

I have set the times of 4-5.30pm on the Saturday and 11 - 1 on Sunday when I (Nic Wilkinson) am guaranteed to be on the stand to look at pitches and portfolios.

I need to go to Bryan Talbot's Grandville talk more than anything else in the world right now - so don't expect to find me anywhere but listening to the master in rapt attention from 2.30-3.30 on the Saturday!

However, if you do walk up to the stand at other times and I am there then I will be more than happy to talk to you. I'll be easy to identify, on the stand if you are looking for me in particular. I'm the only female one on the Insomnia team, I have very long blonde hair, and I'll be dressed all in black.

Q: Is it better to wait until after "show hours" and come and make a pitch in the bar?

The answer to this one is by all means come up, introduce yourself and let us know you have a story to pitch or art to show us (if you know who were are without the stand backdrop as a clue). We'll be pleased to meet you, and it's good to put faces to names, but mostly we'll ask you to drop by the stand the next day for a proper chat about your work.

The bars tend to be incredibly noisy, for one, with lots of people coming by and interrupting (and god forbid that anyone should spill drink on an art portfolio!). Unlike certain other events where is there is one central bar because the con is in a hotel, there is no bar in the city you could guarantee finding everyone.

Q: How can I be sure you won't steal my ideas?

A: Well, the short and flippant answer is that you either trust a publisher, based on what you have heard about them, or you don't.

I could say "trust me", but everyone will say that, right?

We could put up NDAs for us to sign for all creators, but that is not practical.

So, here is my case for why you can trust us, in particular, and it mainly comes down to our committment to all our books being creator owned:

1) We don't have on-going characters in long running series that have writers assigned to arcs. This means we couldn't take your idea for "character X" and just let someone else write it.

2) As our books are all creator owned we don't "commission" books (the closest we come to this is our "By Invitation" focal point series, but the stories still have to be submitted by the writers we invite) so we cannot take the core of your idea and just change something cosmetic like the location it is set in and say to someone "write me a story like this...but put it in space and with robots not vampires".

3) As our contracts are essentially "licences to exploit" (I won't go into the specifics of what that means here) it basically means we do not own the intellectual properties as publisher, the rights stay with the creator, so there would be no direct advantage to us in "stealing the idea" - even if both the above points did not apply.

4) All our Contracts have a clause where the creator must state that the rights for the idea belong only to them. This is a statement made in law, on a witnessed contract, so if it were proven not to be the case it would be a very serious matter.

5) All submissions that we do not sign are deleted so there is no danger of old files hanging around and being seen by anyone who would have no business getting hold of them in any way.

Of course, it must be said, that there is such a thing as "parallel evolution" and sometimes we do get submissions for stories which are very similar as the idea has occured to multiple people who have never met.

Q: Do I need to do any specific preparation or send you anything beforehand?

A: It's not necessary, but for writers in particular it can be useful to have done so, and you can email us at submissions@insomniapublications.com if you would like to.

I will be making sure I check the submission box every hour or so between now and Friday am.

If we have seen an initial email about your idea or a sample of script, when you come to talk to us we can ask you intelligent questions about it, and make the best use of your time when we get to meet face to face rather than just using that time to tell us the outline idea.

By being able to jump straight to this point you we both get a lot more out of the chat. If we like the idea then we are bound to ask you to send more detail on it anyway.

Q: Will I get a decision on the day?

A: It's very, very, unlikely.

If you are an artist then we will be able to tell you whether we think we could have work for you now or in the future. If we think we have a book that would work with your art style and we are looking to sign up an artist to the creative team right now we will still need to send you a script to look at to see what you really think of the story as written, not just as we describe it to you, ask you to do some characters sketches or test pages specific to the book, and we will need to show your samples and sketches to the writer who may not be there on the day.

If you are a writer who we are talking to for the first time about your idea we will be able to tell you if we think the concept sounds like something of interest to us, but we will need to review your pitch document, and no doubt come back to you with questions.

In both cases the work will likely need to be reviewed by other members of the Insomnia Team as well as the individual you speak to as part of our submissions process .

Having said all that it does sometimes happen (and it has with a couple of books, but always when we have already seen a pitch and been in conversation by email, so it was really more of finalising a contract offer), but even so it is still more likely to be at the end of the weekend once the team have had a chance to chat, rather than in the first conversation.

Q: If I am very nervous / don't like pitching face to face / am very short of time and need to catch my train home / feel I express myself better on paper etc can I just leave a pitch package with you?

Yes you can.

This sounds obvious, but make sure it has your name and email contact details clearly marked on it.

Q: What format should I bring my work in?

A: It doesn't really matter as we will not refuse to look at something because it is not in the "right format" or on the "right media".

A great story to illustrate this comes from the last Bristol Con where I met the incredibly talented Jennie Gyllblad, who is now working on the Graphic Novel Butterflies and Moths. She wasn't even intending to show a portfolio that day, but talent will out. I wrote up the full story a few months back when we signed her.

Having said that, the team that does the submissions reviewing is split between London and Scotland so putting it on a CD or DVD so we can all get an electronic copy of the files is probably easiest. If you do bring a disc please can you write your name and contact email on the disc itself as well as the documents inside, just in case there is any problem with opening anything? Technology is not always our friend!

Of course paper submissions can be scanned in by us for sharing after the show, so don't worry if you need to bring a paper submission.

For artists - if you are bringing a portfolio of orginal work then please could you bring some copies that you can leave with us.

Don't leave precious originals with us, as we are unfortunately not able to return submissions.

Q: Do you have a "House Style" I should be aware of?

A: Not at all.

We do not have an "Insomnia Style" for writing or artwork, in fact we are always on the look out for creators who want to use the medium in new and innovative ways.

In terms of art we do colour, black and white and greyscale books, so there is no need to think that if you don't work in a "mainstream style" that we would not be interested. In fact we are likely to be more interested if you don't.

Q: How long should my pitch be?

A: This is one of those "how long is a piece of string?" questions really. It's related to the "do you need me to give you the 2 line Idiot Pitch" question that has come up a lot as well.

This might be quite an involved answer - so stay with me:

Firstly, I always say - "tell me all you think I need to know to understand your story, your skills, and to make a decision".

Many publishers do have very "on rails" instructions for how you should pitch. It has been suggested to me in the past that we do this, but I think all this achieves is to exclude creators and stories that the specified pitch format does not suit.

For me, my way does mean (hopefully) that I learn quite a lot about your creative style and working style (which is important when putting team together) through the pitch itself as well - and like any other first impression you are trying to make with anything make sure it presents you in the light you want to be viewed.

Secondly, as regards the "idiot / high concept / elevator pitch" as it is variously called I think this is one of those "editor preference" things.

There are pros and cons. Of course a short snappy pitch may catch an editor's attention and get you into a conversation, but the danger is the X meets Y format as a shorthand description carries the danger of making your work sound derivative or generic.

I have said to people in the past- by all means sum it up if for me like that if you want to, but if I have a positive reaction the first thing you will have to do is be prepared to go into a deeper level of detail based on the questions that will follow in quick sucession. Me, for example, I am likely to ask you about themes and character development and interaction, providing I like the idea of the basic plot. Without getting all "russian formalist" about it - the "what happens" is just the starting point for me

Bascially, though, being able to devise a snappy "elevator pitch" tells me you are very good at devising snappy elevator pitches. That might tell me you would be a great marketing or advertising copywriter, or even that you have the ability to think up great ideas for books - but won't tell me anything about your ability to write comics.

Another reason I like to get as much detail as possible is that some stories that sound superficially similar can in fact be very different in terms of execution, and you don't want to be turned down because "X meets Y" sounds too much the same at that level as something we already have signed, or is out there already.

No publisher is going to sign a book before they have seen some of your actual script writing, anyway, so really all of this is about "selling the concept" to get to that stage.

Q: Does it matter if I don't have previously published work to show you?

A: No.

We will need to get an idea of your style, whether writer or artist, but it is your talent that is important to us.

The fact that your work may not have been published in the past may be more to do with timing, marketing climate (eg What's hot!), what else a publisher had on, how full publication schedules were, that you are just starting out etc and we are aware of all of that.

Q: Is there anything you aren't looking for:

A: This is tricky as there are no real hard and fast rules, but in general:

We are not looking for on-going series
Our graphic novels are a minimum of 90 pages and a maximum of 180, so not comic sized "one shots" and not thousand page epics.
We aren't looking to develop an "Insomnia Universe" so you cannot pitch stories that involve characters from other Insomnia books. The creators own the rights to those characters, not us.
A graphic novel can be written such that it has scope for sequels, but volume one will need to be a complete and satisfying story in its own right. Sequels are usually signed based on the reception of the first book, but we do sometimes sign multi-volume stories. If you pitch a multi-volume book, though, we will need a synopsis for the full thing. We aren't looking for open ended maxi series.
In terms of content we are unlikely to sign the following: straight ahead Superhero books, autobiography (historical biographies may be suitable for Vigil though), romance, light comedy or slapstick, big space opera, illustrated novels.

However - if we saw a pitch outside of our usual territory we may consider it if it is has something really different to say.

Q: Who will be on the stand?

A: From Insomnia there will be (at various times):

1) Crawford Coutts, MD and publisher
2) Nic Wilkinson, Creative Director
3) Alasdair Duncan, Sales Manager
4) Martin Conaghan, Vigil Editor (and writer of Burke and Hare)

There will also be a lot of our creators around, sketching, signing and happy to talk about their work, and how they came to be signed by Insomnia, including:

Cy Dethan (writer: Cancertown, Indifference Engine, The Ragged Man)
Stephen Downey (artist: Cancertown)
Will Pickering (artist: Burke and Hare)
Michiru Morikawa (artist: Buskers)
Jeymes Samuel (story: Buskers)
Simon Wyatt (writer / artist Unbelievable)
Richard McAuliffe (writer: Damaged Goods, Snow)
Valia Kapadai (artist: Snow)
Peter Forbes (writer: Oz Fall of the Scarecrow King)
Andrew Croskery (writer: Kronos City)
Alex Willmore (artist: Kronos City)
Lauren Ann Sharp (colourist: Kronos City, Quarantine)
Luke Foster (writer: Dream Solver)
Chris Wildgoose (artist: Dream Solver)
Kev Crossley (artist: Sidhe)
Stephen Aryan (writer: Empyre)
Steven Deighan (writer: Gravemaker)
Adam R Grose (artist: Conway)
Christopher Barker (wrtier: Shiver)
Chris Lynch (writer: The Fictionalists)
Richmond Clements (writer: Pinkerton)
Martin Hayes (writer: Crowley: Wandering the Waste)

WIth several more to confirm.

Of course I won't be able to give anything to stop the butterflies, or the shakes, or your mouth going dry, or the ability to stop your tongue suddenly developing a mind of its own - but hopefully at least people will know that we know that's what they're going through - and to be honest, your work SHOULD mean enough to you that it is nerve-wracking to offer it up.

See you at the weekend!

Countdown BICS-2 Weeks

2009-09-21T13:40:00.025+01:00

So much news - so little time!

Secure all personal belongings and keep your arms inside the car at all times...

Burke and Hare: Reaching the Heart

Here we go then, with the last of the pin-up previews. This week we have Hugh Parker, Gary Erskine and Frank Quitely:

Hugh Parker

Gary Erksine

Frank Quitely

Layer Zero:Choices ebook sampler

Just in time for BICS we now have the Layer Zero: Choices sampler up as an ebook.

Take a look inside for a preview of each story, the pin ups and creator biographies.

Snow Job

Valia Kapadia has been getting in the mood for some desire and depravity, ready for BICS. Hang on, that didn't come out right!

What I meant to say is that she has been creating some amazing concept pieces as part of her style experiments for Snow.

Go on, admit it, you're already a little bit frightened, and even worse, a little bit temped.

Roy Huteson: Artist Double Header!

Not, in fact, a rare example of the two headed comics creator, but Roy Huteson, who is the first artist we have to be working on both a Vigil book and an Original Graphic Novel at the same time - and we snapped him up for both books in the same week.

Having been doing dark and stunning work on Daemon Seeds (the prequel to Daemon by Alasdair Duncan) for Layer Zero: Survival we are delighted to have him on board for the full book.

Alasdair said:

"Roy has the ability to put a highly detailed and realistic drawing right next to an impressionistic almost abstract piece of artwork and make it work as a whole. His biro doodles alone are worthy of display and his style has given me as a writer so much more freedom with the story."

Daemon Seeds

And then later in the week Roy sent us his bleak, inspiring, tinged-with-madness character concept sketches for how he would approach Crowley: Wandering the Waste. As soon as Martin Conaghan (editor), Martin Hayes (writer) and I clapped eyes on them we knew we had to have him.

Crowley: Wandering The Waste

Taking Over The Airwaves: Insomnia Podcastpalooza!

You've read about them, you've seen the pictures, and now thanks to the wonders of modern technology you can also hear their actual voices!

And next week will see Cy Dethan interviewed by Comic Book Outsiders

New Signing: Terminus

We are very pleased to announce that we have signed a second book by Michael "Quarantine" Moreci last week.

"In an imagined 2033, advances in genetics have allowed a person’s physical and mental health to be known from birth. Those who are a danger to society—the poor, terminally ill for being a drain on healthcare economy, or those deemed prone to criminal tendencies—are removed, housed in government-operated facilities.

For some, on the surface, it’s a better world, until a government agent is murdered—the first murder in nine years—and the façade begins to slowly peel away."

Terminus is a sci-fi noir described by Michael as "Blade Runner meets The Constant Gardener mixed with A Clockwork Orange."

You can read more about the genesis of the story over on his blog.

Michael was at the Windy City Con this last weekend getting the word out about Insomnia.

Not only did he give up time - but it was his first wedding anniversary. However he is keen to point out that he is not a bad person, or a bad husband. His wife was gone most of the day as well at work and being the best judge at a pie contest ever :)

Huge thanks to him for that.

Small Press Expo

If you are going to be in the Maryland area on Saturday the 26th September then you'll be able to check out some Insomnia previews, enter the competition to win one of our new books, and find out some more about us by stopping by Mickey Farineau's stand at the Small Press Expo.

Mickey got in touch with us to see if he could do anything to help with promotion at the show after hearing me on Comic Racks a couple of weeks back.

It was an incredibly generous offer, and right out of the blue. Things like that are what makes it so great to be part of the indy comics world, and they restore your faith in human nature.

Thanks Mickey!

Fallen Heroes Special Edition

We will have a limited number of copies of the Fallen Heroes Special Sketch Edition for sale from the stand at BICS.

This edition will contain a section called Lost Passages which are scenes that never made it to the final version of the book and Barry's reasons for why they were left out (including his original opening chapter).

There will also be a section of the book called Fallen Heroes Sketchbook where comic book artists (some of whom have worked for Marvel and DC) have given their interpretation of some of characters from the book.

Sketches are provided by:

Emma Vieceli, Scott ‘Atomic Robo’ Wegna, Andie Tong, Leigh ‘2000ad’ Gallagher, Steve Sims, Gary Seaward, Jimmy Bott and Michael Schwartz

If you cannot make the show, or want to be sure of having a copy, then you can pre-order the book directly over on Barry Nugent's own site.

I wish I could share the things we've been talking about for the comic adaptation recently as I'm so excited about how it is taking shape - but they are not quite ready to go outside on their own yet!

And Finally...

Happy Insomnia birthday to me! Yes, today is one year to the day that I joined Insomnia on the management side as Creative Director.

The year has flown by, and it has been a wild wild ride. It's a wonderful time to be involved with comis right now.

Thanks to everyone, especially all the creators, for showing me such a great time.

Next week I'll putting up a Ptiching and Portfolio Review FAQ to help those of you coming to see the Insomnia Crew at BICS and try to make the whole experience as painless as we can.

If anyone has any particular questions they'd like covered drop me a line and let me know.

Countdown: BICS-3 Weeks

2009-09-14T15:07:00.017+01:00

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 Pres s 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!

Countdown: BICS-4 weeks

2009-09-07T20:24:00.010+01:00

Here we are at BICS-4 weeks, more on this below, but first over to Crawford Coutts for the low down on what happened at the MILK launch and exhibition opening:

MILK Delivery

On Thursday night, MILK, the graphic novel and the exhibition, were launched at the Fine Art Library, located within Edinburgh’'s Central Library.

Around 50 people (significantly over capacity!) attended the hour-and-a-half long event – including a large number of the Edinburgh and Glasgow comic creators, numerous family members and former co-workers of Stref and some longer-distance folk who’d travelled up from London just for the launch.

Many other Insomnia creators came to see the event, reporters from the local Newspapers and even a Film Producer. Thankfully, we purchased more wine to cater for the large number of people! It was incredible to see such a brilliant turn-out and Stevie seemed delighted to see so many familiar faces that he’'d not seen for many years!

Piles of signed copies of the book rapidly disappeared and we received an endless stream of compliments about the art, production and print quality. I don’t know if this was the alcohol talking, but the enthusiasm and excitement about the book and exhibition was extraordinary!

We also had copies of Cages and Cancertown on sale at the event along with previews of other titles currently in development.

We received lots of interest from the Directors of the Libraries and the Edinburgh Art council in the hope we can work together more in the future, provisionally continuing the MILK exhibition to other libraries and looking at future Insomnia exhibitions and running similar workshops and events to the pilot scheme we’ve been running at the Essex Libraries.

After all the wine was consumed, many books were signed and sold, Winker Watson’s final outing original pages had found new homes, our first exhibition and book launch came to a close.

“To the Pub!”

A saying that is customary after these sorts of events, or so I'’m told.… We headed across the road to The Villager where some great networking took place, and lots more alcohol was disposed of.

Thank you very much to everyone who attended the launch, I am very grateful for your support and your interest in what we’re producing.

I'’m very grateful to the library staff who were extremely helpful with the organization of the exhibition, preparation and running of the launch. I look forward to working with you again in the future.

Also a big thanks to my better half, Audrey, who ran the “bar”, with the help of our good friend’s Corrie and Richard, who ran the signing table and till for the whole evening.

And finally, thank you to Victoria Wine for the loan of their wine glasses –the event would not have looked quite so sophisticated with plastic cups!

The MILK Exhibition continues until the end of September and the remaining copies of the limited edition signed copies of the book are now available from Amazon and all good book stores.

BICS 2009 Update: Convention Special Offers

As usual we will be doing a number of convention specials on new and existing books.

This year the offers will be:

3 for £20 on all standard edition books
Any special edition + one standard edition for £20

Standard Editions Con Prices

Burke and Hare (RRP £12.99) Con Price £10
Cancertown (RRP 14.99) Con Price £10
Cages (RRP 10.99) Con Price £8
Layer Zero Choices (RRP £9.99) Con Price £7

Special Editions Con Prices

Buskers (RRP £14.99) Con Price £12
MILK (RRP £19.99) Con Price £15

You can pre-order to collect on the day, or to be sent out by post (paid by cheque or paypal) so long as you order by 3rd October.

MILK and Buskers special editions are limited to 100 copies.

To reserve for pickup or to pre-order and for payment details you can email me at nichola[at]insomniapublications.com

Soon I'll be posting a list of our creators who will be at the show.

Burke and Hare Gallery Preview One

Looking forward as we all are to BICS 2009 we will be counting down to the big day by showing previews of the pin-up gallery from Burke and Hare as we gear up for the launch.

First out we have Stuart Beel, Stephen Daly and Nulsh:

By Stuart Beel
(and PJ Holden)

By Stephen Daly

By Nulsh

You can meet Martin and Will at the Insomnia stand at BICS 2009

New Artist Signing

Today (just in time for blog news update) we signed up an artist I have been wanting to work with for some time, and waiting for the right project to come along.

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present Valia Kapadai.

Valia's work has already been in an Insomnia book, Layer Zero Choices, and she keeps up an incredible workrate with links to projects she is working on seeming to pop up every other day!

Valia will be working on Snow by Richard McAuliffe. We only had to see one page of sketches to know how perfect she would be for the story, nailing the look, mood and personality of the character right from the off.

More on this, and some previews very soon.

Valia and Richard will both be at BICS 2009, and we will have some limited stocks of Valia's mini comic on the stand as well.

Sharing the Love

Three loves to share this week:

Michael Moreci has a prose noir short story Blurred Lines over on A Twist of Noir. You can also read more about the background on his blog.
Adam R Grose has an ebook preview of Phoenix: A Warrior's Tale out for your reading pleasure. The book will be released through Clown Press on 13th of October. Described as an "an ‘onomatopoeia’ sequential graphic art novella , and illustrated by Tony Suleri it is something very different and well worth a look.
The ever busy Geek Syndicate also have an ebook out, and this one includes sound and video! If you only know them from the podcast take a look and see what else they get up to, and find out more about the other parts of the expanding Geeky Syndicate Network.

And finally...

In our news snippets this week:

You can catch me interviewed on Comic Racks this week. The Racks ladies Iz and Stace are both all kinds of awesome and made me really welcome.
We are going to be at the London MCM Expo the 24th and 25th October, in the Comics Village section. More on this very soon.
The Insomnia APA is taking shape nicely and is up at almost 70 pages now.

Phew - well, back to preparing for the events - we want to show you all a good time!