Countdown BICS-2 Weeks

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!

• Richmond Clements on Small Press Big Mouth
  
  
• Stephen Downey and Andrew Croskery on the Sunnyside podcast

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.

In the Red Eye Of The Storm

Wow.

Well that's the Small Press Expo / Bristol Con 2009 over.

We're all feeling pretty shattered and shell shocked here. Our eyes are red, and our throats are raw, but we have emerged triumphant.

There's so much to tell I'm going to keep to bullet points for now, although I'll write more about all of these things in coming weeks.

There aren't any photos. This is because on the Saturday there was literally no time to take any. Really.


So here we go:

• Cancertown sales just blew our minds. Around 150 copies were shifted on the day. We actually had queues at the table and poor Alasdair did not have time to bag them before handing them over. People were walking up and saying "I'm here to buy that Cancertown book I've heard about." Huge thanks to everyone who helped promote the book beforehand. Look out in the coming weeks for more news on the motion comic, what we are doing with digital formats, and more Cancertown books on the way.
  
  The Cancertown signing tour kicks off on June 6th in Canterbury at Whatever Comics. We'll keep you posted with dates here, and on our new website.
  
  If you want the book now, try our very own sponsor, Whatever Comics, Amazon or Waterstones.
  
  The storming foreword by comics god Bryan Talbot on an indie book from a new team certainly attracted a lot of attention in itself.
  
  Bryan's next book is Grandville an anthropomorphic steampunk detective-thriller featuring Detective Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard.
  
  
  
  Thanks to Geek Syndicate for the pre-con push, and to Rich Johnston of Lying In The Gutters who has ensured that we are having to send daily restocks to amazon (if it says out of stock, you can still order it and we will have new books to them the next day), and are waking to up emails from movie producers. Oh yes!
  
  
• Layer Zero and Cages also sold very well. The interest in the anthology from both the reader side and the creator side is getting so big we are considering doing two books a year instead of one. In the next couple of weeks we'll be putting up ebooks of the stories.
  
  
• We brought some limited edition ashcan copies of a preview story from Damaged Goods. These were incredibly popular and all snapped up very quickly. The story attracted a lot of attention, so it looks like we are on to a winner there. I got to have a good catch up with Richard McAuliffe, the evil genius who wrote this piece of nastiness about his first full length graphic novel, Snow, that we have just signed.
  
  And as if by magic, here is the promo text for it:
  
  Snow: A Reflection on Desire and Depravity by Richard McAuliffe
  
  “…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.
  
  
• We raised some cash for Draw The World Together and raffled off the live multi-artist sketch jam piece at the end of the day.
  
  
• It was Simon Wyatt who first suggested we could get involved with the Draw The World Together project, and he spent most of the day sketching his beautiful sketches on the stand. Preview pages of his graphic novel Unbelievable were available on the stand and his portraits of quizzical sheep seemed to go down a particular storm. There will be an ebook preview up of the book, due out later this year, hopefully at the end of this week.
  
  
• Burke and Hare will be the next book we have out, and there was lots of pawing and cooing over Will Pickering's beautiful artwork. Although we did not have them at the show I saw potential cover designs on arriving back today, and they are gorgeous. Of course having been created by Rian Hughes (who is also doing the interior book design), creator of the famous Forbidden Planet logo, not to mention logo and graphic design work for DC, Wildstorm, Marvel and 2000Ad among of others, we expected nothing less. More Burke and Hare news in the coming weeks, including some previews, and news of a very special section in the back of the book.
  
  
• Rounding out the previews on the table were pages from MILK by Stref, along with some original art for sale from his DC Thompson days.
  
  
• Copies of the special edition of Fallen Heroes by Barry Nugent are like gold dust, and the copies we had on the table sold out.
  
  
• As always we heard some fantastic pitches and saw some great portfolios. Rich Johnson was on hand to review the art side this time as well, and we were both seriously impressed at the talent on display. One of my favourite moments from this year's con was Stephen Downey asking me if I had been found by a young artist who had run home to get a portfolio together, after speaking to Stephen who told her she should show me her work. She caught me at the very end of the day, and on seeing her incredible use of shape and colour I knew I could use her on books right away. Two more great moments came when explaining to writers how the company works, seeing smiles start to spread over their faces, and being told "...this is exactly how I've always wanted to work with a publisher." So we must be doing something right.
  
  
• We got to meet lots of people face to face we had only spoken to by email, and it was great to catch up. Creators working together on books also got to meet in person for the first time and get to know each other, and it is great to see how well everyone gets along.
  
  
• Kev Crossley brought his breathtakingly beautiful portfolio along and sketched at the table for a while. He had also done the first rough sketches of Emer, the main character from Sidhe, and I always love seeing characters come to life.
  
  
• We signed contracts with Chris Lynch for his staggering metacomics opus The Fictionalists, which goes like this:
  
  "Welcome to the world of The Fictionalists, seven storytellers trapped in the pages of a graphic novel. The Fictionalists are the only people who know the truth about the world, that nothing has changed here since the dawn of the first word, and that nothing ever is going to change. They have mastered the art of writing their will on to the world but rather than becoming its masters they have discovered no matter what they do, nothing ever lasts for more than a day. The story reasserts itself, forcefully if it has to, and all is as it was. The Editors are always watching"
  
  Chris first spoke to me about the idea at the Birmingham Con last year, and he has been performing complex alchemical distillation processes on it since then. This is going to be something very special.
  
  
• Speaking of Contracts we also signed Alex Willmore and Lauren Anne Sharp as the artists on Kronos City, so that will be going into full production in a few weeks time. They have already delighted the writer, Andrew Croskery, with their character concept work.
  

I hope we'll have some announcements to make as a results of things talked about at the show very soon.

It was also great to catch up with GM Jordan of the Comic Book Alliance. He is working tirelessly to protect you and your rights as readers and creators. Get over to his site and support the cause.

Thanks to everyone who came and supported us, and the industry as a whole at the show.

Finally, the Eagle Awards are happening this year, although not at the show. More Information over at Ian Sharman's Cyber Hellfire Club site. You only have til the 22nd of May to get your Nominations in though.

HUGE thanks to Mal Smith of Fallen Angel for organising things - stay tuned for 2010, same bat time, same bat channel.

Art Attack!!!

I'm very sorry, I couldn't resist it.

So, there's an awful lot of art news this week. It must be something in the water, or perhaps this is the time that all artists come out of hibernation.

We have got full teams confirmed for several books that we signed up a few months ago:

• Gary Crutchley has been confirmed as the artist on six months by Jim O'Hara. Gary has recently been contributed to the Accent UK Zombies, Robots and Westerns anthologies, and with Stephen Costello on his Split Lip web horror comic. Gary also has a story in Layer Zero:Choices, Soul by Stephen Stone, so you can see a sample of his work in the Layer Zero preview below.
  
  
• Chris Wildgoose will be starting work on Dream Solver by Luke Foster. Cris is currently studying in North London and aspires to make connections in the film, comic and game worlds, and as a Fine artist. He has worked with a few directors and companies such as Iron Box films, Deleveres,Mehul Desai and most recently/currently working with director Luke Massey with his new film 'Warhouse' He also occasionally helps with prop design and creatiosn for Rorschach Prop FX.
  
  
• Wu Li will be drawing Shiver by Christopher Barker. Wu Li has provided work for record companies, ezines and designed characters for various international publications.
  
  
• Kev Crossley will be drawing Sidhe by Rachel Robbins. Kev has worked on the Kiss4k comic and done covers for 2000AD and the Megazine, as well as having work in Event Horizon by Mam Tor.

Layer Zero Previews

As I write this the deadline for Layer Zero is only 24 hours away and most of the book is already compiled, the covers done and the bios in place.

Pre-orders for this have been outstanding - so take a look and see the treat you're in for - and if you haven't ordered it direct from us you'll be able to find it on amazon very soon - it's just waiting for it's ISBN to be confirmed.

So, here are the previews - some are final pages, some are just showing pencils, and there are more to come. Where the creators are doing full length books with us I have noted that under the Layer Zero credits:

Beautiful People: story by Jim Alexander, art by Dean Stahl
(Watch out for Jim in the upcoming Focal Point)

Beggars Can't Be Choosers: Story by Christopher Barker, art by Des Langford
(Watch out for Chris in the Upcoming Shiver)

Borrowed Life: Story and art by Valium. K

Pin Up by Andy Bloor

Devils' Due: Story by Richard Casey, art by Preston Asevedo

Devil's Road: Story by James Johnson, art by Leonardo M Giron
(Watch out for James in the upcoming Dead Man's Gold)


Erratum: Story by Matt Gibbs, art by Des Langford
(Watch out for Matt in the upcoming Ion Monger's Daughter)


Love Like Like A Bullet: Story by Aiden Largey, art by Jane Summerfield


Fragile : Story by Corey Brotherson, art by Ariyana Vida
(This is "episode zero" of the Graphic Novel Butterflies and Moths)



The God Trap: Story by Chris Lynch, art by Gary O'Donnell



I am Dead: Poem by GM Jordan, art by Rachel Gater


Magpie: Story by Richard McAuliffe, art by Mark Chilcott
(Watch out for Richard and Mark in the upcoming Damaged Goods)


Nearest and Dearest: Story by Greg Carruthers, art by Monty Borror


So Much To Do, So Little Time: Story and art by Dave West



Soul: Story by Steven Stone, art by Gary Crutchley
(Watch out for Steven in the upcoming Urban Legends
Watch out for Gary in the upcoming Six Months)
Red Wire Blue Wire: Story by Alexi Conman, art by Larry Watts


The Right Choice: Story and art by Steve Butler

TimeWave Zero: story and art by Adam R Grose


The Turtle Guitar: Story and art by Ben Powis


Waste: Story by Cy Dethan. art by Ben McLeod
(Watch out for Cy in the upcoming Ragged Man, Indifference Engine and Focal Point)


Waiting For The End: Story by Marting Conaghan, art by Nulsh
(Watch out for Martin in the upcoming Burke and Hare and Focal Point)

And finally...

There was an interview on Sci-Fi pulse on Sunday night where you can hear Cy Dethan talking about Cancertown, not hear me very well (microphone hitch my end) talking about Insomnia, and hear Crawford wrapping up for a few minutes at the end.

A huge thank you to all the Insomnia creators who have been doing a fantastic job promoting each other's work all around the web, on twitter, at events etc. The results of this have been unbelivable. Cages is on the shelves now and, according to the reports Alasdair is getting back from the store managers is flying off them. The pre-orders for Layer Zero are about 400% over what we estimated for an anthology, and we have just had to take the decision to increase the initial print run of Cancertown by 50%.

The best thing is that as we work with more people this kind of thing will just get stronger.

Thanks also to everyone else who has shown such support for the books and helped us to get the word out. Special mention must go to John Freeman of Down The Tubes, The Geek Syndicate boys and The Comic Racks girls.

The help and support that the creators have given each other in making sure the anthology was all in by deadline has also been outstanding, and the number of new people getting in touch because what they have been told by people already working with us is amazing.

This is exactly what we wanted when Insomnia was founded.

Thanks for all your hard work guys - we wouldn't be here without you.

It's getting like an Oscar speech now, so I'll close before I cry on my ballgown.

See you in seven!

Signs Of Spring

Spring seems to be in the air today, at least where I am in London. The sun is out, the birds are singing (you can hear them when the traffic stops) and little weeds are poking up their heads in the flower pots outside the office.

It is probably just a pratical joke on the part of the capricious English weather system - but I fall for it every year.

Adding to the general air of hope and expectation we have news on some new signings, the start of the Fallen Heroes adaptation, Layer Zero pages starting to flow in and the plans for the Bristol Comics Expo starting to get underway.

So, to begin at the beginning with the signings:

Dream Solver by Luke Foster

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.

Urban Legends by Steven Stone

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?

Fallen Heroes

The Fallen Heroes adaptation now has a writer attached.

Martin Conaghan will be picking up the pen on this one and working closely with author Barry Nugent over the coming months.



I didn’t so much read the first scene of Fallen Heroes back in 2008, as see it come to life out of the page, so visually arresting is the writing. With the sharp, multi-layered plot and slick characters of modern crime writing juxtaposed against the shadowy agencies, ancient magic and bold dynamic characters of pulp adventure Fallen Heroes is going to be a truly striking comic

With any adaptation finding the best writer for the job was crucial. Given the book’s increasing cult status we had a lot of very good pitches from both known and new writers hoping to get involved with this project. Fallen Heroes will be a very complex adaptation, as those who have read the novel will know, and there is huge amount of work to be done on the structure and coaxing the characters over to a new medium before the writing even begins.

We asked Martin to do the honours as he is a very experienced writer and researcher and is making a welcome return to comics (with Burke and Hare, also for Insomnia) after a 10 year absence. Martin’s background as a journalist, his incredibly deep knowledge of comics, their creators and their history, and his ability to deftly re-structure disparate historical sources into gripping stories with vibrant, vital characters all make him the perfect person for the job.

Martin himself says:

"Fallen Heroes is jam-packed full of fantastic ideas and thrilling set-pieces. I’m looking forward to finding out where I can take Barry’s rich characters when I translate them on to the comic-book page; from the reluctant hero Jason Chen to the ruthless demon stalker Napoleon Stone. It has everything; a great blend of mythology, science-fiction, action and the supernatural - all told in a very visual style - it’s perfect for the graphic novel format."

If you would like to read the original novel before the adaptation then you can find it in Waterstones , Borders, or Barnes and Noble (if they can keep it on the shelves!), or on Amazon.

However the really lucky ones can get hold of one of a limited number of special editions from our table at the show in Bristol. These include some of the original sketches of the cover and some deleted scenes (which come with an explanation as to why they were cut).

We also hope to have Barry signing copies and talking about the story at the table at some point in the day, if his Geek Syndicate duties allow. If you want a signed copy and can't make the con then Waterstones around the country have Barry on a regular signing schedule, keep an eye on his website for dates and details.

Right then, I am off to try and sort out bowls of eyeball sweets for the table at Bristol. "Why eyeballs?" you say. Well, that is all to do with the Cancertown launch, but more on that later.

Until next week...

Layer Zero: Choices

I had never put an anthology together before, although I had contributed to them, and I had seen other people do it. It always looked like quite hard work. Appearances were not deceptive. However what you don't realise from watching someone else do it, or even by contributing to them, is just how incredibly rewarding it is to see the whole thing come together.

The final contents list for Layer Zero: Choices is below and we are very excited about this one. I think this book is really going to show the vitality and creativity out there in comics today. We have an incredible mix of writers and artists from all around the world, resulting in a great mix of styles. Several of the stories are already complete and more finished pages are flowing in every day.

Some contributors are experienced professionals in comics (previous work including stints for DC, Marvel, Image, 2000AD and Metal Hurlant to name a few), some are new talents and some are known in other fields such as journalism, novels, screenwriting and graphic design.

Watching the teams work together, many of whom had not known each other before, and seeing the help, advice and support from the more experienced people, the energy, innovation and enthusiasm of the newer creators and the sharing of storytelling techniques from other fields as the stories have come together, is inspiring and just wanted to be able to help happen when Insomnia was set up.


Here is the list of what you have to look forward to.

Cover

• Pencils and Inks by Scott James, colours by Jason Millet

Stories

• Beautiful People: Script by Jim Alexander, Art by Dean Stahl
• Beggars Can’t Be Choosers: Script by Chris Barker, Art by Des Langford
• Borrowed Life: Script and Art by Valia Kapadai
  
• Butterflies and Moths: Script by Corey Brotherson, Art by Ariyana Vidya
• Death in Therapy: Script by GM Jordan, Art by Michael Tribble
• Devils Due: Script by Richard Casey, Art by Preston Asvedo
• The Devil Road: Script by James Johnson, Art by Leonardo M Giron
• Erratum: Script by Matt Gibbs, Art by Des Langford
• The God Trap: Script by Chris Lynch, Art by Gary O'Donnell
• Hobson’s Choice: Script by Thomas Romeo, Art by Tom Harry
• Hunger: Script by Peter Forbes Art by James Daniels
• Love Like a Bullet: Script by Aiden Langley, Art by Jane Summerfield
• Magpie: Script by Richard McAuliffe, Art by Mark Chilcott
• Nearest and Dearest: by Monty Borror
• The Proposal: Script and Art by Scott James
  
• Red Wire Blue Wire: Script by Alexi Conman, Art by Larry Watt
• The Right Choice: Script and Art by Stephen J Butler
  
• So Much To Do, So Little Time: Script and art by Dave West
• Soul: Script by Steven Stone, Art by Gary Crutchley
• Time Wave Zero: Script and Art by Adam R Grose
• The Turtle Guitar: Script and Art by Ben Powis
  
• Waste: Script by Cy Dethan, Art by Ben Mcleod
• Waiting for the End: Script by Martin Conaghan, Art by Nulsh

Pin ups

• Andy Bloor
• Marcus Truckle
• Angus Day

If you like what you see in Layer Zero then keep an eye out as several of the creators have books out through Insomnia later this year and next.

Layer Zero: Choices will first be available at Bristol Comics Expo 2009 where you will find our Stand in the SPExpo in the Mercure Hotel.

The next Layer Zero will have stories on the subject of Survival. I already have four stories submitted and accepted for that one, and I'll put details up of how to submit in the next few weeks.

Next week it will be over to Crawford for a round up of his adventures at the New York Comic Con.

Happy New Year

So here we are in 2009. Only 5 days in and it is already looking like this is going to be a storming year for Insomnia.

So, to kick things off here is a list of what we are going to be working on in 2009, and so what we will be talking about here.

First, here are the books with 2009 publication dates already set:

• Cages by Xander Bennett and Melanie Cook (available to order from amazon)
• Cancertown by Cy Dethan, Stephen Downey, Melanie Cook and Nic Wilkinson (available to pre-order from amazon)
• MILK by Stref
• Unbelievable by Simon Wyatt
• Burke and Hare by Martin Conaghan and Will Pickering
• Shaman by Xander Bennett and David Montoro
  
• Layer Zero: Choices (anthology)
  

Secondly, here are the books "in progress" which are signed and underway. Some of these will be out this year, some next:

• Damaged Goods by Richard McAuliffe and Mark Chilcott
• Daemon by Alasdair Duncan, Daniel Lopez, Yel Zamor and Nic Wilkinson
• Average Joe by Thomas Romeo and Kelvin Chan
  
• Death Hunter: Dead Man's Gold by James Johnson, Georgios Dimitriou, Thanos Tsilis and Leonardo M. Giron
• Six Months by Jim O'Hara
• The Ragged Man by Cy Dethan
• Shiver by Christopher Barker
• Oz: The Fall of The Scarecrow King by Peter Forbes
• Cancertown 2 by Cy Dethan, Stephen Downey, Melanie Cook and Nic Wilkinson
• Layer Zero: Survival (anthology)
• Fallen Heroes by Barry Nugent
  

And these are the events we will be at if you want to drop by and say hello:

• New York Comic Con (February)
  
• Bristol Comics Expo (May)
• San Diego Comic Con (July, Hopefully)
  
• Cymru Con (August)
• BICS - Birmingham International Comics Show (October)
  
• Leeds Thought Bubble (this is more of a fingers crossed, hope they do another one but if they do we will be there!)

Sounds like we are going to be very busy.

Good busy, though...

Spoilt for Choices

So, we come to the end of 2008, which has been a fantastic year for Insomnia.

Below you can see the finished, fully coloured cover for Layer Zero: Choices, which was delivered well before its deadline as an extra special Christmas present to kick off the holiday season.

Pencils and inks by Scott James

Colours by Jason Millet

Scott and Jason will be joining Cancertown writer Cy Dethan on a project for Markosia next year, The Case Files of Harlan Falk.

Speaking of Layer Zero we are also delighted to have welcomed three new artists into the fold this last week, and paired them up with writers. Say hello to:

• Ben Macleod
  
• Michael Tribble
• Tom Harry

We have also found a very special new colourist for Daemon, by Alasdair Duncan and Daniel Lopez:

• Yelena Zamorskaya Yel has been working on Relentless by Tim Perkins for Markosia most recently, and has also worked with Simon Wyatt, who, or course , is the writer and artist of Unbelievable, which will be out in the late summer 2009.

So, that about wraps up a very busy year.

Thanks to everyone we've worked with in 2008 and we're looking forward to working with a lot more of you in 2009.

We'll See you all again on the 5th of January, and some of you on our first visit to the New York Comic Con - drop by and say "Hi" if you're passing.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to every one, and remember, if you're going to be naughty, play nice!

The Nightly News

Well, it's been a very busy few weeks with the Birmingham, MCM Expo and Thought Bubble Conventions. Insomnia becoming a limited company with shareholders and everything (meaning we can now offer better contracts to all our creators), and that sugar fueled frenzy of signing up new books that I mentioned last week.

Now that's all done and we're able to catch our breath we can tell you what all that means for Insomnia, and give some well deserved congratulations to some of our wonderfully talented writers and artists.

Layer Zero Update

Layer Zero: Choices is almost full now. Take a look at this:




Wow, right?

This amazing piece of work-in-progress will be the cover. By the time you see it on the shelves it will be in colour, but I was so excited I wanted to give it a preview here. It is by the brilliant Scott James. Scott is one of those artists you can just say a few words to and trust he gets completely what you want. A few days later you will open your email and something like this will be waiting for you. Just like magic, it is exactly what you wanted, but also so much better than you could have imagined.

So, what else is going to be in the book? Well, so far we have confirmed:

• The Proposal: script and art by Scott James
• Butterflies and Moths: script by Corey Brotherson and art by Ariyana Vida
• Magpie: script by Richard McAuliffe and art by Mark Chilcott (more on these two later)
  
• Waste: script by Cy Dethan (more on a new book from Cy later as well)
  
• Waiting For The End: script by Martin Conaghan
• Time Wave Zero: script and art by Adam R Grose
• Devil's Due: script by Richard Casey and art by Preston Asvedo
• Beggars Can't Be Choosers: script by Christopher Barker (more on him later, too)
• The Devil Road: script by Rich James Johnson and art by Leonardo M Giron
• The Right Choice: script and art by Stephen J Butler
• Hobson's Choice: script by Thomas Romeo
• The Turtle Guitar: script and art by Ben Powis
• Erratum: script by Matt Gibbs
• Nearest and Dearest: script by Greg Carruthers and art by Monty Borror
• Soul: script by Steven Stone
• Death in Therapy: script by GM Jordan
  

We are still accepting submissions until 31st of Dec.

The theme of the next anthology will be "Survival", and I have one story signed for that already.

New Books Signed

Our newest signings are:

• The Ragged Man by Cy Dethan
• Shiver by Christopher Barker
• Oz: The Fall of The Scarecrow King by Peter Forbes
• Damaged Goods by Richard McAuliffe and Mark Chilcott

All of these will be getting their own posts over the next few weeks with all the details.

Congratulations Due

And finally, give it up for our fantastic creators:

• The first full review of Cages appeared this week, prompting the reviewer to call it "a mother of a compelling read"- well done Xander and Mel
• Simon Wyatt, creator of Unbelievable is the winner of the Pow! Cataclysmic Contest of Awesome Art - judged by none other than Stan "The Man" Lee himself.

Until next week when I will be handing over blog duties to Crawford as I will be away.

Night Thoughts - Thought Bubble 2008

On Saturday the 15th of November Insomnia had a stand at the 2nd Thought Bubble convention as part of the Leeds Sequential Art festival.


This is a fantastic show with a really great atmosphere. It seemed more creator focussed than other cons and we met a lot of very talented people, all of whom had many unique and interesting ideas they wanted to talk to us about.

There was very much a sense that creating comics is suddenly, dizzyingly, possible, that people are no longer believing what they are told and are finding new ways of cutting through, tunnelling under, bounding over or just completly ignoring what they have been told for decades were impassable obstacles. This is exactly why Crawford Coutts formed Insomnia, and it was a real pleasure to meet so many of you face to face.

The drive and creativity of the indy scene is staggering - and extremely inspiring. The generosity of creators is always heartening and hearing how many people were recommending each other for projects, or introducing people to each other because "they need to meet" is great to see. We have seen some amazing work and met "just the right person" so many times this way, which we would, most likely, never had done so were it not for this collaborative attitude.

The visitors, publishers and creators were the most diverse mix I have seen at a comics event, and it is really becoming very apparent that comics as a form are making their way out of dank back bedrooms and clammy collectors paws to stand proudly alongside any other storytelling media. Kind of reminds me of what happened to computer games when the original Playstation made it into clubs and front rooms and gaming became not only socially acceptable, but cool. Still, I digress.

Different cons have different feels and so each is better for getting particular things done. The buzz and enthusiam from creators from all aspects of the industry made being a publisher at Thought Bubble like being a kid in the world's best sweetshop. Now we get the great job of stickily making our way through all the goodies we gathered and signing up our next wave of books and creators in a sugar fuelled frenzy.

As well as meeting up with lots of old friends and seeing people "live" for the first time that we had only spoken to online, particular Insomnia Related Highlights from the show were:

• A great meeting with Barry Nugent where we discussed how the Fallen Heroes adaptation is going to work in practice.
  
  
• Signed up several new stories for Layer Zero on the spot, and discussed ideas with several more writers who want to make submissions. Watch this space for a Layer Zero update about some of the stories, writers and artists very soon.
  
  
• Found several new artists for our longer projects on the strength of some stunning portfolios on show. Any artists who brought portfolios and but didn't get to speak to us please drop me a line at nichola@insomniapublications.com (the biggest file I can receive is 7mb in one email, though)
  
  
• Discussed several full length Graphic Novel proposals of exactly the kind of challenging, left field, thought provoking stories we are after. For those wanting to make submissions, but could not make the show then have a look at our submissions guidelines page.
  
  
• Had a brilliantly in-depth meeting with Chris Barker about Shiver a creator owned original graphic novel that we first discussed at BICS. In the last few weeks it has gone from an outline concept to a full proposal for an unsettling story that is by equal turns , horrifying, moving and, best of all, deeply troubling. I can't reveal more at this stage, as nothing has been signed, but I am hoping to be able to tell you that has changed in the very near future.
  
  
• Spoke with Markosia boss Harry Markos, MyeBook and the Superman of Independent Comics Publishing, Shane Chebsey about a plan to make it easier for readers and retailers to find out about independent books in a bit more depth than you get from Previews. We know all about how annoying it can be as a reader or a retailer to hear about an independent book from a friend, online, via a review or whatever and just not be able to find any details about where to buy it, or how your local comic shop can get hold of it for you. Big thanks must go to Manny Armario of Whatever Comics for adding a veteran retailer's experience to this discussion over the last few months. More on that as we work out the details.
  
  
• Spoke to Neil "Dynamo 5, X-men, Iron Man" Edwards about drawing a new OGN by Cy "Starship Troopers, Cancertown" Dethan. More news as and when, if everyone's schedules work out so it can happen.
  
  
• While I was having all the fun talking to creators, our sales manager and co-founder of Insomnia, Alasdair Duncan, was doing the hard graft of manning the stand and talking distribution and logisitics and all the organisational side of things with various retailers and chains. He really knows his stuff, and we are pleased to say that if your hometown has a comic shop it won't be hard to find Insomnia books on the shelves.
  
  
• Alasdair also found time to run the interactive "Monster Wall" where you had a chance to design your own monster. This been succesful at cons in the past but was a huge hit this time.
  
  
• I was gratified by the number of people who said they were reading this very blog, and the fact that people were coming over to speak to us about project because they had heard good things about working with us. But you'll have to ask them about that.

Which is all a very long and round about way of saying the con was great for us - if there is any chance of you making it next year I highly recommend you take the trip to Leeds.

Thanks to Tamsin, Lisa and all the other organisers for making it happen.

Until next Monday...

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.

Trick or Treat - "Choices" from Insomnia

The clocks have gone back, the year is drawing to a close and unnatural things are on the prowl in the dark. The long winter nights being perfect for Insomniac storytellers we are putting out a call for submissions for the next edition of our Layer Zero anthology: Choices

To get you in the mood here is the first panel from the first page of art from the first piece we have accepted: Magpie by Richard McAuliffe with art by Mark Chilcott.


The days may be getting colder and the nights may be getting longer but Halloween marks the start of the holiday season for many. It can be so much fun, but there are so many choices to make: where to go, what to do, what to wear, trick or treat?

We are looking for writers and artists - independently or as teams.
Submissions should be:

• stories on the theme of Choices
  
• 2-10 pages long
• Black and White or Greyscale
• Scripts should be submitted by 31st of December.
• Art will need to be complete by March 2009
  

The pieces will be published online initially at www.myebook.com, where we will show a selection of stories in rotation, and then collected for publication as an album in mid 2009.

There is no payment for inclusion in Layer Zero, you should think of it as an opportunity to showcase your work, but you retain all rights and may reuse the work elsewhere.

Stories in Layer Zero may also work as "pilot episodes" for longer works that we could expand into full length books if they are successful. If you would like to know more about this before you make a submission please drop us a line at submissions@insomniapublications.com.

Cover art for Choices, along with a very special story will be provided by the extremely talented Scott James. This collection will also feature the very first episode of Butterflies and Moths, by Corey Brotherson, a gritty magic realist tale about balance and burdens.

Contact Nic Wilkinson by email at submissions@insomniapublications.com for more info or to make a submission.

Red Eyed and Bushy Tailed

Welcome aboard the Red Eye, the new weekly blog from Insomnia Publications.

Insomnia is an independent comics publisher founded by Managing Director Crawford Coutts. Insomnia is based in Edinburgh, Scotland, with various partners in London, Dundee and Vancouver.

We mostly publish "instant trades" or "albums" in the European model so that readers can find our books in bookstores and online as well as in dedicated independent comic shops. We believe strongly in the importance of creators rights, and all creators who work with us become part of the Insomnia Family. Nic Wilkinson, our new Creative Director, will be back with more on this in an upcoming post.

Those who have not been sleeping nights the past few months may have noticed a faint glow from Insomnia HQ as we have worked through through the darkness to deliver our first set of books blinking into the light of day.

So, rub your eyes and take a look at the previews on MyeBook:

• Cancertown by Cy Dethan and Stephen Downey
  The story of a former mental patient with an inoperable brain tumour who conducts search-and-rescue missions into a monstrous, alternate version of London.
  Now available for pre-order on Amazon
  
  
• Cages by Xander Bennett and Melanie 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?
  Now Available for Pre-order on Amazon
  
  
• Layer Zero Anthology - Special Collectors' Edition
  Collecting the sell-out, critically acclaimed "Insomnia" and "Time" Layer Zero Anthologies. This special edition has an all new cover by Paul Cartwright and showcases the work of over 30 creators.
  Now Available for Pre-order on Amazon
  
  
  
• Shaman by Xander Bennet and David Montoro
  In 1838, the last Cherokee Shaman watches as his people are forced from their ancestral land. He travels east, seeking a meeting with the cheif of all white men - the President of the United States of America.
  

If you'd like to get in touch you can reach us at redeye[at]insomniapublications.com

If you would like to make a submission as a writer, penciller, cover artist, inker, colourist or letterer please contact us at submissions[at]insomniapubications.com

All aboard the Red Eye same time, next week.

Layer Zero: Special Edition TPB

Insomnia Publications’ Layer Zero project is an anthology book showcasing creators with a wide range of styles and approaches, but all dealing with a common theme.

Collecting the sell-out, critically acclaimed "Insomnia" and "Time" Layer Zero Anthologies. This special edition has an all new cover by Paul Cartwright and showcases the work of over 30 creators.

With over 30 creators involved, including Cy Dethan, Paul Green and Thomas Mauer along with talents such as Paul Cartwright, Alasdair Duncan, Luke Hinchley, Mike Webster, Robert Robinson, Thommy Melanson, Nic Wilkinson and many more,

The special edition was launched at the Bristol Comics Expo 2008 where the first printing sold out over the weekend . Everyone who had pre-ordered was entered into this year's Insomnia Competition for copy of Cages, all the way from San Diego, signed by Xander Bennett, Melanie Cook, Jonathan Hickman, and Ben Templesmith

• Read a selection from Layer Zero free online

Layer Zero Special Edition 2nd printing is now available to Pre-Order on Amazon

Please contact Nic Wilkinson, Creative Director, at nichola[at]insomniapublications.com for further details, review copies or requests for interviews with the creative team.