Insomnia breaks out Cages

This week Insomnia Publications is proud to announce that the first batch of Cages has been shipped to all good UK comic shops through Diamond Distribution!

What if you’d spent your whole life in a cage, never glimpsing the world outside?

What if everything you new 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?

If you’ve not heard of Cages before, it is a science fiction boom with a foreword from 30 Days of Night award-winning artist, Ben Templesmith, a cover by acclaimed artist, Jonathon Hickman, written by amazing Australian writer, Xander Bennett and illustrated by Cancertown colourist, Melanie Cook.

In a post-apocalyptic world of monsters, robots and mad science, three young fugitives strive to uncover the secrets behind their own mysterious abilities.

I’m obviously going to say how good Cages is so I’ll let you decide for yourselves, with a little help from the quotes below...

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

• “Mother of a compelling read.” - Comic News
  
  
• “As a package, this is the best damn comic I have read in awhile. Please follow my lead on this. Thinking outside the box is well and good and ideal, and sometimes- as in this story- we are pained to realize that the box itself just might be bigger than presumptions lead us to believe. If not every exit needed is marked, then you find center and trust your instincts. In the world presented in Cages- chance may not be the final say in the inadequacies of mankind.For good or ill, take one yourself. This is artisanship.” – Richard Caldwell (Read full review)
  
  
• “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 (Read full review)
  
  
• “...well writ, well drawn, and the type of thing you can read multiple times and still find enjoyment in.” – Rootfireember (Read full review)
  
  
• “There is a constant reframing of the notion of what constitutes a cage and it is a blessing that the reveals never seem like cheap tricks or shock tactics — it grows very organically. I liked the fact that though this is set in the future that the strangeness of the setting and some of the figures therein seems almost of secondary concern to the main thrust of the narrative — namely, what it is to be human. You can see within the exploration of the world of Cages and at the conclusion of this tale that there is scope for revisiting this place, that there is more to see. If there is a sequel I will definitely be on board for it.” - Insomnihack (Read full review)
  
  
• Listen to the interview on Ripple from June 2008
  

If you're a podcaster, journalist, magazine review writer or reporter, Xander Bennett and Melanie Cook are available for interview and digital copies of Cages are currently available for review. Email us at info[at]insomniapublications.com to request a copy and to arrange an interview.

The release of Cages in UK book shops will follow later in the month.

How to Order Cages:

• Direct from Amazon.co.uk
  
  
• From your local comic shop using DIAMOND PREVIEWS UK ORDER CODE: NOV085310
  
  
• From a bookshop or online seller using ISBN# 978-1-905808-10-6
  

If you live in France you can purchase a copy of Cages exclusively from our independent stockist - Librairie Delvaux, 17 rue du Val, 77160, Provins.

Or visit your local Album and order a copy!

If you want to try before you buy then head over to Myebook where you can read Chapter One for free online.

Cancer Scans

Cancertown is nearing completion now and new artwork is flowing in for Chapter five.

The writer, Cy Dethan has been writing on his blog last week about how it feels to see your script come to life as a comic, and I thought that it might be interesting for readers to see the stages as well.

In a departure from my usual blogs, I am going to keep this one silent and let the process speak for itself. I am going to show you how issue five, page four took shape. Yes, this is a page from deep in the book, I chose it because it is one of my favourites. This shouldn't be a spoiler though, as you'd have to know what happens in the lead up to this for that to be the case.

Click on the images to see bigger versions that you can actually read.

Cancertown Script: Issue five, page four: by Cy Dethan


Cancertown Pencils and Inks: Issue five, page four: by Stephen Downey


Cancertown Colours: Issue five, page four: by Melanie Cook


Cancertown Letters Issue five, page four: by Nic Wilkinson


And that's how you make a comic.

I love it when a plan comes together!

Also this week:

• Cages went to print with our wonderful new printers, Warpton, more on them at a later date.
  
  
• Insomnia got a brief mention on the famous Forbidden Planet Blog in John "Down The Tubes" Freeman's "Best of 2008" round up. Thanks John!
  
  If you don't know Down The Tubes go over and check it out now. It is probably the best source of British comics news out there, and John Freeman is not only a champion of independent comics, but a talented creator himself.

Until next week (and then it will be nearly Christmas!)...

Ben Templesmith Caged

This Saturday (15th November) Insomnia will be at the Thought Bubble festival in Leeds for the first time. The comics convention is part of a longer festival in the city designed to "celebrate sequential art in all its forms".

At the show you will be able to get your hands on a limited number of pre-distribution copies of Cages by Xander Bennet and Melanie Cook before its official release in December.

We sent a copy of Cages to the Horror Master Ben Templesmith himself. Here he is with Xander, and the book, at San Diego Comic Con, ready to sign some copies. Everyone who pre-ordered a copy of the Layer Zero special edition at this year's Bristol Expo was entered into competition to win a copy signed by Xander Bennett Melanie Cook, Jonathan Hickman, and Ben Templesmith.


Being a lovely man as well as one of the most talented artists working in comics today, he agreed to write us a foreword. Here are some of the things he said:

"Cages is quite a book.

You can tell from the first page there's a love for the medium. You can clearly see the labour of love gone into this book, and clocking in past 100 pages is no mean feat in an age when many artists struggle to merely pencil a 22 page book.

I have to say, I'm a sucker for tentacles (yeah, bad pun). If anyone is familiar with my work, they'll know of this... and probably worry that I've got some rather strange fetishes. But by Odin's hairy balls, it's not a real book unless there's some tentacle action, if you ask me.

Cages has it in spades. You can't beat talking critters in bio-tubes either. In fact, the world Melanie and Xander have created here, the vibe they've given the work, is really quite lovely. And disturbing. Let's not forget disturbing."

And really, you can't argue with that.

If you want to see the tentacles in action before making up your mind to buy, then head over to myebook where you can read the first chapter for free or visit the Cages Comic website for more from Xander about the book.

In other news this week:

• Insomnia have signed up the cult hit Fallen Heroes by novelist and co-host of the Geek Syndicate Podcast, Barry Nugent for adaptation into a graphic novel. Fallen Heroes is a stylish supernatural thriller with a rich dark heart. The sharp, multi-layered plot and slick characters of modern crime writing juxtaposed with shadowy agencies, ancient magic and pulp adventure heroes make for a heady fusion of action romp nostalgia. The creative team is yet to be confirmed but details here as soon as it is.
  
  
• Average Joe by Thomas Romeo and Kelvin Chan has also been signed up for publication in around 12-18 months time. Joe is an ordinary Glaswegian who has become Death, the job having been passed on to him randomly after he freezes to death one night in his car. The story of how the team for this project came about, and how it came to us is an inspiring tale in itself - but that deserves a post of its own. For now we will just say "Thanks to Millarworld".

Time's up for this week, come by and say hello if you're going to Leeds.