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."
"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.
"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."
"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!"
"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."
"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."
"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!
"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.
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.
This week we have a 15 page preview of Buskers to read to whet your appetite for the launch at BICS 2009 in a few short weeks.
The special signed limited convention edition that will be available from the Insomnia stand at BICS comes with a CD featuring music by the Bullitts.
If you are coming to the show and want to reserve one, then email us and let us know.
MILK Exhibition and Launch Party
The MILK exhibition in the at the Fine Art Library in Edinburgh starts this week and runs through the whole of September.
There will be the opportunity to buy some of the original artwork during the course of the show, although, of course, you won't be able to take it home until the exhibition has ended.
The gallery is open open 10-8 Mon- Thurs, 10-5 Fridays and 9-1 on Sat.
Head over to Andrew Croskery's blog if you want to hear the real story of how Kronos city came about. Or if you want to see an artists impression of how colourist Lauren Anne Sharp thought it happened have a look at her page first.
Kronos City is developing at a blistering pace. Here is a first look at a mysterious and dynamic page from chapter two.
Jennie Gyllblad is back from her trip to Sweden and cracking on with Butterflies and Moths. Have a look at her blog to see her work in progress, a really expressive speedpaint and a splash page where you can even recognise the picture on the bathroom wall! What's more impressive is that Jennie's work is all real hand painted watercolours, so no "undo" button there.
Stephen says: "I love his interpretations and really hope to see them in person if he brings them along to the next Belfast comics creators meetup. I only really know Darren's art through his blog, but I love his style and really want to see more."
Our podcasting friends from the Geek Syndicate Network (Including Insomnia writer Richard McAuliffe) are going to be featured in an upcoming prog of the Judge Dredd Megazine talking about their shows. It will be Rich and co-host Flint on "Everything Comes Back To 2000AD", Barry Nugent on "Geek Syndicate", Iz McAuliffe on "Comic Racks" and Jimmy Aquino on "Comic News Insider". They are not sure which prog number exactly yet, but it should be out in October / November.
That's all for this week, I'm off to enjoy the bank holiday and think about what the Disney take over of Marvel means for the industry!
After last week's mammoth wordfest this week we have lots of pictures to gaze at, in a great range of styles. I can't tell you how excited we are about all the books and how they're coming to life.
To think, when we started this blog not yet a year ago we wondered if there's be enough to go in it to make it weekly!
So, let's kick off with the latest ebook preview:
This little bundle of greatness will let you have have a peek between those gorgeous Rian Hughes covers for a look the sequence of pages 5-12.
Sidhe Pin Up (Work In Progress) by Kev Crossley.
With this one you really need to click to get the bigger version to appreciate the trademark Kev Crossley detail.
This is really a "mood piece" that Kev is working on at the moment as he starts to explore the feel of the world. Our heroine, Emer, can be seen in the foreground, with The Goddess presiding behind her.
Writer Rachel Robbins says:
"Creating SÃdhe with Kev Crossley is both an honor and an adventure. What a delight to work with such an intuitive artist, and find myself repeating ad nauseum, “Yes, that’s EXACTLY what I was picturing!”
Kev deftly captures concepts, themes, and mood—his intuition is so spot-on that he picks up on minute nuances which makes me read my own work in a different way.
We’re constantly bouncing ideas off each other; his drawings influence and shift my characters, settings, and story in exciting directions I hadn’t anticipated.
Having always wanted to be a musician, SÃdhe gives me a taste of what it might be like to compose an apocalyptic rock opera with a like-minded performer who is equally compelled by what is beautiful, what is hideous, and what is hideously beautiful."
Artist Kev Crossley says:
"With Sidhe, Rachel couldn't have concocted a tale better suited to the sort of work I like to do: Grotesque villains, gorgeous heroes; ancient angry forests and the clotting shadow of a new order.
It's a modern story in which Celtic Mythology seethes beneath the asphalt as the saucer eyed masses exult with pharmaceutical zeal within cavernous temples of gaudy Devotion....but it's so much more than just that...."
These two complement each other so perfectly it's a bit unreal.
I first got in touch with Kev through Rich Johnson, who went on to become our art director, and as you can see, has a great eye for talent.
Damaged Goods: Manifestation Panel for Karma Police by Mark Chilcott
Now speaking of the hideously beautiful...
When we said Damaged Goods delivers "short dark tales to keep you up all night" this is what we were talking about.
As they were having one of their more lucid periods we let Mark and Richard out of the dark attic where they are usually chained to let us know how things are going:
Artist Mark Chilcott says:
"From my point of view, it's the story [Karma Police] I've had the most fun with, and I just love the character. I hope me and Rich and can expand on him and his "worlds" in the future, Rich's scripts are always fun and leave me enough room to add my own personality.
The THING panel was easy, you've met Rich"
Writer Richard McAuliffe says:
"We are getting to the half way point now and seeing the stories come to life the way they have has been kick ass and a little disturbing. I keep thinking "Wow, Mark is really messed up" then check back and realise he's just done what was in the script. That stuff never seems quite as dark in my head as it does on Mark's pages with all the cool touches he adds.
I honestly cannot wait till we get this done and I can show it off... especially to my mother in law who always thought I was too weird for her daughter.
Couldnt be happier with how this has all come together and with the support we've got from the lovely people at Insomnia (I have to say that, they have my signed copy of Nemesis the Warlock hostage)"
First, though, he said a bad thing involving Princess Leia,, and don't listen to his lies about Nemesis the Warlock either, that's how he gets in your head. He just covets my original sketches by Kev O'Neill and Bryan Talbot - and I have my OWN signed copy, thank you.
Oz: Fall Of The Scarecrow King coloured page and Concept Sketches by Barry McGowan
So, above you can see the fully painted page one, and the character sketches for the Lion, Tin Man and the Scarecrow. It's almost like they could just step right off the page isn't it?
This is another artist who was introduced to us at Bristol by Stephen Downey, who, it seems, breeds exceptionally talented people down in his cellar or something.
Butterflies and Moths splash page test by Jennie Gyllblad
Speaking of artists herded up by Stephen, Jennie Gyllblad, despite the heat and lack of wrist supports, has been painting at something near the speed of light. Last week if you remember, we had just signed her up, and she had done some concept sketches. This week she has already done a rough for the first splash page.
If you skip on over to her blog you can see the pencil stages there as well.
And Finally...
For those wanting to order Cantertown via a comic shop it was in previews this month and the order code is: JUL091827
A reminder that the Cages code is NOV085310
Layer Zero:Choices is about to go for a second printing and will be in Previews next month.
Speaking of Layer Zero, Survival is now full, and there is a waiting list for inclusion. The next book will be Exile, but I'll be doing a proper announcement about submissions for that in a few weeks.
Alasdair Duncan will be running a workshop as part of our Essex Libraries tour on the 11th of July at Pretty Gate Library from 10-12am
The event is part of the launch of the the teen/young adult reading section at the library.
There will be a chance to participate in several events that give an unique insight into differrent aspects of comics story telling including the ever popular Cages Consequences, a colouring competition and a Caption Creation with art previously published in Layer Zero Insomnia/Time.
There will also be a display of current and upcoming Insomnia books.
Cy Dethan and I will be running an Insomnia Comics workshop at Newport Waterstones on the Isle Of Wight on the 25th of July. As well as being able to get signed copies of Cancertown it will be a chance for all aspiring local writers and artists to come in and chat about getting into comics, working with a publisher, see books in production and pitch ideas or show portfolios.
If you haven't heard the story, Cancertown was first born out of an incredible migraine attack on the island, following a huge thunderstorm. When inspirations strikes, it can strike hard.
For those of you going to San Diego Comic Con, have a great time. We don't have a table there this year, but look out for several of our creators, including Mel Cook and Kelvin Chan who will be around all weekend.
"The eye-opening experience of reading Luther Arkwright as a kid was one of the key reasons I wanted to start writing comics in the first place, so to have an introduction from its creator is simply unbelievable. "
So this is what Bryan had to say:
"For a first graphic novel from a new creative team, Cancertown is remarkable. Cy Dethan’s concept alone is brilliant. Is the protagonist, Vincent Morley, a cynical knight in tarnished armour battling unspeakable monsters in a gonzoid Chapel Perilous or a dying sad bastard besieged by visions generated by his terminal brain tumour? Vince’s chosen role, that of maintaining the equilibrium between the “real” London and its parasitic, demonic mirror image and his ability to pass between the two, by grace of his illness, sharply differentiates his story from others in the wide-boy urban sorcerer genre, notably represented by Alan Moore’s John Constantine and Mike Carey’s Felix Castor prose novels. And, though your worst nightmares are his everyday reality, Morley kicks serious arse while maintaining a self-deprecating cascade of gallows humour.
Moreover (do people still say that?) Cancertown actively embraces horror, the genre of horror fiction. It’s not trigger-shy. It doesn’t fuck around. It sets out to horrify, and it succeeds. Although Cancertown owes more to Clive Barker than Ramsey Campbell, it still, like Campbell, has its roots in H.P. Lovecraft and its evocation of genuine creepiness is undeniable. This is in no small part due to the visceral, hallucinogenic art of Stephen Downey working in tandem with the hard-bitten script, the atmospheric colours of Melanie Cook and inventive lettering of Nic Wilkinson. We’re seeing here the first outing of creators who will make their mark on the future comic industry.
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
Sunderland March 2009"
Cancertown will be released in May, and is currently available to pre-order from Amazon, or even better, ask your local comic shop to order you a copy in. If you don't have a local comic shop try getting in touch with Whatever Comics from Canterbury in the UK. I have been buying my comics there for nearly 20 years and they are outstanding. Tell them Nic sent you.
ISBN-10: 1905808135
ISBN-13: 978-1905808137
If you're going to be at the Bristol International Comic Expo and the Small Press Expo 2009, you'll be able to pick Cancertown up (along with its Insomnia brethren, Layer Zero 3 and Cages) at a special convention price as shown below
Cancertown RRP = £14.99, Con Special = £10
Cages RRP = £10.99, Con Special = £7
Layer Zero Choices RRP = £9.99, Con Special = £7
Cancertown + Cages for £15
Cancertown + Layer Zero for £15
Cancertown + Cages + Layer Zero for £20
You can also take advantage of the special prices by pre-ordering directly from us before the 9th of May (either to pick up at the convention or to be posted to you if you can't make it). Just email me at nichola@insomniapublications.com and let me know what you need.
Payment can be made by Cheque or Paypal.
In other news this week:
New Signings
The Indifference Engine by Cy Dethan: 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.
Quarantine by Michael Moreci: 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.
Butterflies and Moths by Corey Brotherson: 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 this can be seen in the upcoming Layer Zero:Choices
The IonMonger's Daughter by Matt Gibbs: Victoria Cross wants to see the stars. Against her father's wishes, she leaves the family business to embark on a journey to her mother's home world. Robbed, ensnared by the criminal underworld, arrested and conscripted into the army as a convict, her bad choices turn her dreams into a nightmare.
Focal Point by Jim Alexander, Martin Conaghan and Cy Dethan: The first in a new series of "by invitation" book where we ask three creators for three stories exploring one theme, all linked by a shared "focal point".
More on all of these as things progress.
Art Teams:
The incredibly talented South African art team of Neil Van Antwerpen and Peter-David Douglas will be teaming up with Cy Dethan once again on The Ragged Man towards the end of the year. The three of them last worked together on War Stories: Tasch as part of the Starship Troopers on-going series for Markosia.
Events
On Saturday we attended the Essex Book Festival, more on that next week when all the images are in.
We have booked tables for Thought Bubble in November. See you there.
Insomnia Publications is a UK comics publisher specialising in albums and graphic novels. We also publish the Layer Zero anthology showcasing work by new creators.
Writers and artists welcome. Don't worry if you are a lone creator, we are happy to put teams together. Originality and quality will get you noticed. Your work should be unusual, literate and thought provoking.
For Writers What is the story about Detailed structural breakdown, Characters profiles Proposed length
Format is not important. We want your talent not your technical know how
For Artists (Pencils, inks, colours or all 3) Are you a Penciller, inker, colourist, cover artist or letterer? The length of story to which you feel you can commit. Do you work in traditional media, digital, a mixture etc?
Contact Us by Email submissions[at] insomniapublications.com
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