Damaged Goods from Damaged Minds

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...

Welcome To My Nightmare...

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 Dog 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

The Shape of Things To Come

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...

Introducing Melanie Cook: Queen of Colours

Mel Cook was the first ever artist signed by Insomnia, for the cult teen sci-fi book Cages, described by horror master Ben Templesmith, no less, as "Lovely...lovely and disturbing".

Mel's soft, illustration style artwork set against the very adult issues of identity, power and freedom at the centre of the story, bring a haunting poignancy to the events of the book and, as good art should, add a deeper emotional complexity to the questions explored.

Appealing equally to readers of classic thought-provoking sci-fi and watchers of high concept anime the book was a fantastic first launch for Insomnia and was described as “Mother of a compelling read.” by Comics News.

It was this ability to bring out the psychological and emotional aspects of a script that made Mel the perfect choice for her next Insomia project, Cancertown, where the place is in many ways as much a character as the people that inhabit it. Bryan Talbot, in his foreword to the book, picks out the "atmospheric colouring" for a particular mention - and that is a man who knows his colour work.

Of course we weren't about to let Mel escape once Cancertown was done, and she is currently colouring Average Joe (by Thomas Romeo and Kelvin Chan) and has just begun work on The Indifference Engine (by Cy Dethan and Rob Carey).

And here it is, the very first peek at a panel from The Indifference Engine itself:


Then it will be back to Cancertown for Mel next year for Volume 2: Blasphemous Tumours.

And finally, at the risk of making her blush, it needs to be said how much Mel has also brought to the Insomnia family behind the scenes. Although incredibly busy with her books for us, work for other publishers, and projects in a whole variety of other media Mel has always been happy to take the time to offer help and advice to newer artists . She is pretty perfect, really, and a demon on Rockband, so I hear.

So, buckle your seatbelts for a trip inside the head of the talented Miss Melanie Cook...

Q:Tell us a bit about your artistic background (self taught, art education, experience etc) and how you got into working in comics.

A:I've always loved drawing and being creative. I was passionate about my art studies throughout highschool, but never managed to take my formal art education any further. Most of what I have learned post- highschool has been thanks to the bevy of wonderful resources available in print and online these days. That said, I also couldn't be where I was without the time spent studying cinematography and lighting at film school. It was actually thanks to film school that I first began working in comics. Cages writer Xander Bennett had seen the storyboarding I was doing for my cinematography projects and invited me to work on a comic pitch with him. I took him up on the offer and the rest was history.

Average Joe

Q:What does the job of a colourist involve?

A: At its most essential, the job of colourist involves working with colour and tone to create an atmosphere and mood that parallels the narrative. Practically speaking, this usually requires a fair amount of collaboration with the writer and artist, as well as a thorough breakdown of the script and some trial and error exploring various styles and techniques.

Q:How /where does a colourist fit into the team and what does the colouring bring to the finished pages and how do you accomplish this?

A:The colourist joins the production line once the pencils have been prepped for printing, either via traditional inking, digital inking, or a digital darkening of the pencils in a program like Photoshop. The colourist then works traditionally, or digitally in Photoshop or Painter, to build upon the guidelines established by the artist/inker.

Q:What is the process for colouring a page in technical terms, how long does it take, what tools or programs do you use?

A:When I first receive a page, I open it up in Photoshop to make sure it's saved in the right resolution and page size for printing. For comics printed in the US, those specs would be 6.875" by 10.438", and for the UK, 6.537” by 9.883”, both at 300dpi. If I'm working on an uninked page, my next step is to then clear up any pencil smudges or unwanted marks that might have been accidentally picked up by the scanner, and then digitally ink it if necessary. I find this process works best if I'm operating in grayscale mode, where I use a combination of Levels and manual selecting-cutting to eradicate unwanted lines. If inking is also required, I darken the pencil lines as best I can and fill solid areas of black with a simple lasso-select and fill technique.

Once the linework is ready and secure on its own channel, and the colourspace has been set up, it's time to start with the Flatting. I would liken Flatting to laying down the foundations for your soon-to-be coloured page. It basically involves manually selecting the different parts of the artwork and filling them with their solid base colours. Though an essential part of the process, it can be rather tedious and time-consuming and take between half an hour to an hour and a half or more depending on how detailed and busy the page is.



After the flats are in place it's finally time to commence colouring. The actual colouring of the page, where you go in and work out your tones and textures, can take anywhere from about two and a half hours to five or six, again depending on how involved the page is, and how much trial and error is needed. I usually commence colouring a page by roughing in my light and shadow in each panel, then building in the detail, adding textures and finally putting in any special effects or colour holds needed. Once the colouring is complete, all that's left is to separate the blacks, double-check your printing specs and upload it to the ftp server.



Q:How do you go about deciding on colour schemes, palettes etc ? I've heard it said that colourists are the cinematographers of the comics industry adding lots of additional information regarding context, feel, moods, psychological tone and setting, what do you think about that?

A:I would agree that there are elements of cinematography shared with colouring. But I believe the artist/inker to be as much a cinematographer as the colourist. Not only that, but it could be said that they share similarities with the position of production designer on a film set as well. Like a cinematographer, the artist/inker sets up the composition of the frame and provides guidlines for the mood and lighting. And in the role of production designer, the artist/inker creates the design of the mise-en-scene within each panel.

The colourist then works with the artist/inker's guidlines and uses colour to create the illusion of light within a panel. It's the role of the colourist to think practically about natural and artificial lighting, key-lighting and back-lighting, and the colour temperature of different light sources, as well as the emotional and psychological effects these colour choices might have on the reader. In addition to these cinematographical aspects, the colourist, like a production designer, makes conscious decisions about the colour of objects, places and people within the frame. He or she must ascertain how these components might work to influence the mood of the page and how they might detract or draw attention to key story elements within the panels.

Cages

Q: There are many pre-existing colouring conventions in comics (eg primary colours for 'good' characters), do you find you use these at all, are they helpful or restrictive?

A: Having entered into this field with very little prior knowledge of pre-existing conventions or norms, I'd have to say that they haven't really had much of a conscious effect on my work. Most of my colouring decisions and approaches have stemmed from colour theory in general and inspiration from the works of other artists.

Q: Has colouring become an entire art in itself now, rather than just a part of the production process, allowing the development of personal techniques and styles?

A:Indeed. And I think that it's largely thanks to the improvements and advancements being made with digital painting software, and the ease at which artists from any background and media can communicate via the internet. Colourists are able to work much more efficiently in programs such as Photoshop and Painter, giving them time to explore the vast array of tools, techniques and ideas at their disposal.


Q: What are the differences in doing 'full art' and colouring someone else's work? How do you deal with the different styles of underlying pencils, different tones of scripts etc?

A: Although I enjoy doing 'full art', it's been a wonderful learning experience working with someone else's work. There is less of an emotional investment when working with the linework of another artist, and I think that this frees the colourist up to take risks and really explore a page's potential.

It's also not uncommon for a colourist to receive the script around the same time as the penciller, so to be able to have access to the written visual cues from the beginning, and witness another artist's approach never fails to inspire me. It gives you an opportunity to get inside the head of another artist, to explore and examine their decision making, and should their style be considerably different from your own, you have a chance to approach colouring in a way you may not normally consider.

Cages

Q: What advice would you give for people wanting to become colourists?

Aside from just 'practice, practice, practice', there are a lot of wonderful books and forums out there to explore, which will certainly give any prospective colourist a better understanding of what the job entails.

The most helpful book for me so far has been Hi-Fi Color for Comics by Brian and Kristy Miller. It has some invaluable information about the technical side of colouring comics, such as page and printing specs, how to set up an efficient workflow, and creating cuts, grads and colour holds. Plus there's a bonus CD of goodies with things like lineart samples for you to start working on. Brian and Kristy Miller also have a second book coming out at the beginning of 2010 which takes colouring comics to the next level, and looks at different colouring styles for Manga, Superhero comics, covers etc.

In addition to this there are a number of forums you can go to where I'd recommend posting your work, getting feedback and finding advice from fellow colourists. The two main ones I can think of are Gutterzombie and Huedoo. The former is often frequented by colourist veterans Laura Martin and Dave McCaig, and the latter is run by Brian and Kristy Miller.

Q: Which artists and colourists do you admire and inspire you?

Laura Martin is certainly a colourist that stands out in my mind. Her work on Warren Ellis' Planetary was the first time I was ever consciously drawn to the colouring of a comic as much as, if not more than the artwork itself. Which is saying something, because John Cassaday is an amazing artist.

I also love Dave McCaig's work on Mark Waid's Birthright. You have to be a real master at cuts and grads to be able to use them in such a distinctive yet suitably understated way as he does. That particular colouring style stands up on its own, yet never draws so much attention to itself as to detract from the rather fine linework.

Outside of comic book colourists, I find I'm currently drawn to the amazingly hyper-real paintings of matte painters Dylan Cole, Dusso and Dan Wheaton, and a number of storyboard/concept artists and character designers, like Adrien Van Viersen, Dawood Marion, Brett Bean and James Paick.



Q: You also do work for film and television as a digital artist and storyboarder. Tell us about some of the projects you've worked on, and a bit about what is the same / different about working in these various media.

My film work has fallen more and more to the wayside as I've become more involved with illustrating and colouring comics, but I do still create the odd concept art and character designs here and there for various pitch projects. Probably the most notable project I've worked on was an Australian feature film called Crooked Business, where I was responsible for churning out storyboards for the 95 minute film. Aside from this I've also worked as storyboard artist on a number of short films, music videos and commercials, and created concept and character art for feature and television pitches. Nothing overly fancy, but it helps to pay the bills.

I think that the biggest similarity between my roles in film/tv and comics is the use of sequential imagery to tell a story. However, that's possibly where the similarities end.

With comics, the artwork is the end product, there is little else to consider other than the limitations of the page, and there is a great deal of freedom awarded to the artist because of this. With storyboarding on the other hand, the artwork is merely a small cog in a very large and complex machine.

When storyboarding a project, attempting to get story across quickly and visually is not your only major concern. You've also got to take into consideration how your shots might influence or be influenced by the production of the film. A storyboard artist needs to be aware of things like film lenses, camera limitations, budget limitations (most everything that's drawn needs to be recreated somehow on screen), and communicating necessary visual information to the various departments. It's a rewarding if not stressful process, but I much prefer the creative freedom offered while working in comics.



Q: Colours often look different on the printed page, to how they look on screen. How do you work around that?

A: Send hate mail to the Printers? No. That's a lie ... mostly. It is a big issue, and it's been said that you almost need a background working with commercial printers in order to really understand the mechanics behind the printing process. I can't say that it's something I've managed to satisfactorily work around yet, but I'm learning more about it as I witness more of my work being translated from monitor to printed page. At present I'm experimenting with working in Photoshop in RGB mode with WorkingCMYK (under View >> Proof Setup) turned on. Previously I merely worked in CMYK mode, but after doing some research and reading up on what a couple of veteren colourists have said, this current method seems to provide the most accurate depiction of what your colours will look like once printed. Or at least that's the plan. I'll let you know how it turns out when the next book comes out.


Q: What is the hardest thing about being a colourist?
A: Flatting? It's mind-numbing and I hate it. Seriously. No, but honestly, I'd probably say that all the technical learning involved with colouring digitally has been my biggest hurdle. I was never previously all that technically inclined, but I must admit, that once it's under your belt and you can get back to focussing on the creative aspect, the rewards are astronomical.

Cancertown Double Page Spread with Initial Colours

Cancertown Double Page Spread with Full Final Colours

Q: The story is now well known that when Xander Bennet asked you to do the art for Cages it was the first time you'd done a comics project of that length. How did you go about jumping into that, what did you learn from it, and was having the freedom to start from scratch and develop your own method liberating or terrifying?

A: It wasn't a small jump, I can say that. I think from memory I spent two months during my last year at university being force-fed comics by Xander. It was his way of introducing me to the medium. This was closely followed by an insane number of technical books on making comics and creating art digitally.

The whole process ended up being quite long and drawn out. I was trying to learn about the medium I was working in from scratch, as well as the tools I was working with, whilst simultaneously attempting to produce as professional a looking product as my meagre art skills would allow. Up until this point, all I'd really done was draw quick, crude storyboards in pencil which I didn't even ink.

So yeah, definitely more terrifying than liberating.

• Buy Cages from Amazon or use Diamond Order Code NOV085310
• Buy Cancertown from Amazon or use Diamond Order Code JUL091827.

You'll be able to find out more behind the scenes info on Mel's work in The Insomniac's Guide To Cancertown next year.

Who Wants To Be A Zombie?

Rich McAuliffe and Mark Chilcott, the slight unhinged creators of Damaged Goods, are currently on the prowl for victims...umm...I mean willing volunteers...to immortalise within the pages of the dark and twisted story The Bride.

All you need to do is send a photo of yourself doing your best zombie or victim expression.

Should you be one of the 3 that makes the cut (sorry, I tried to resist doing that, but I was weak) and be chosen as the model for either a zombie or a wedding guest then you'll appear in the story, get a full name credit in the book, have your original photo appear in the back matter and receive a free copy of the book.

Full details of how to enter can be found over on Rich McAuliffe's blog.

You can read Tea Party from Damaged Goods as a free preview on MyeBook to get an idea what you might be in for:

Sharing The Love

The next but one Accent UK anthology, Victoriana, will include a story from yet another Insomnia Supergroup. At this rate we're going to be able to play "Rock Family Trees" for the comics industry in no time!

Michael "Quarantine" Moreci has penned "Wolf Like Me" and art is in the capable hands of the Kronos Citizens Alex Willmore and Lauren Anne Sharp.

You can see a sample page over at Michael's blog.

Things are starting to gear up for BICS 2009 now...more news very soon.

Truth, and murder, will out

For what seems like forever Burke and Hare writer Martin Conaghan has been on holiday in Florida and filling Twitter with his jealousy inducing posts!

Proof arrived this week that his rest has been well earned, though, when Alan Grant sent in his Burke and Hare foreword.

He says:

"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. Like discovering there's no Santa Claus. Or realising your parents can't read your mind when you think about sex. The Universe ripples like Predator shimmying through the jungle...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'. At school in the 1950s and '60s I was taught almost no Scottish history, and I spent the next 50 years believing Burke and Hare were 'resurrection men', graverobbers who dug up freshly buried corpses and sold them for cash. It was a revelation to discover they were actually serial killers, vile brutes who measured the price of human life in pounds, shillings and pence, monsters for whom alcohol and smothering were the tools of their trade.

And yet... Burke and Hare were men, too. They were human beings who - superficially at least - weren't all that different from their Edinburgh contemporaries. The major difference between them and most of the human race is that they saw murder for financial gain as an acceptable way to earn a living.

Revealing their story in generally short, concise chapters, Martin Conaghan's script is sparing and very much to the point. Indeed, he takes great care not to over-embellish the story with fiction, sticking almost religiously to the facts as presented to us by history. It is an approach which works well, presenting the killers' heart-chilling evil deeds as being almost mundane in their execution.

Will Pickering's art fits the story - and the times - perfectly. Facial expressions are beautifully captured, as are the dress and general atmosphere of the period. The detail on many pages - especially those external shots of Edinburgh in the early 19th Century - is priceless. And Rian Hughes' cover design is exactly what the story inside demands.

Together, Martin and Will have produced something of which they and their publisher - the relative newcomer, Insomnia - can be very proud. As well as being educational and entertaining, they've gone one better and given us something important.

Hopefully, the Universe will ripple and change for a great many of their readers. "

Alan Grant, Moniaive,
July 2009

Alan Grant is not only a great comics writer, but a great Scottish comics writer, so having his involvement in the first book from the Vigil imprint, which is itself an Edinburgh story, with Scottish creators, from an Edinburgh publisher, is perfect.

And it's a relief to many of us to finally find out that our parents can't read our minds when thinking about sex.

Oh, we've got the Frank Quitely pin up in, too, but that's for another time, when everyone has been really really good.

• You can pre-order Burke and Hare from Amazon
• Martin on how he came to write the story.

Stephen Downey: Exhibitionist!

Stephen Downey is taking part in a local art exhibition showing off a few pages of original Cancertown art as partof the Belfast Feile.

The event runs from 3rd to the 14th of August at Westcourt Centre , 8-30 Barrack Street, Belfast.

Not content with merely showing off his skill as an artist Stephen will also be demonstrating his prowess as a musician, running Irish music workshops on the morning of Saturday 8th in the same building so he'll be there in person on that day.

A few of the pages will be up for sale and there will be a copy of Cancertown on display but if anyone wishes to buy the book either the school will take names for orders, or direct people to amazon.

Full details of the event, the pieces on display and the program can be found on Stephen's Blog.


New Signings

Gravemaker

• This week we welcome talented horror writer Steven Deighan to the Insomnia family with the sinuous, sinister, time-twisting Gravemaker.
  
  "The ghosts lay in wait in the shadows of the streets, in those places where the old and new merge like some distortion of skin and stone. Noiselessly they become one with the city of Edinburgh. The city of the dead."
  
  Steven is a prize winning author of short form horror fiction, and is now set to bring the energy of his dark, raw, passionately intense style to the world of the graphic novel.
  
  Be afraid.
  
  If you want to get your hands on some of Steven's prose fiction then he has a new book out this month Stages of Undress with a foreword by Tim Lebbon (author of Hellboy: The Fire Wolves) details on his website.
  
  You can also order copies of his debut anthology A Dead Calmness direct from Lulu.

Damaged Goods

• Not a new signing exactly, but another "Insomnia Supergroup" as Jim Campbell joins the Damaged Goods crew on letters. I hope they play nicely with him!
  

San Diego Comic Con

Mel Cook (Cages, Cancertown, Average Joe, The Indifference Engine) was at the San Diego Comic Con last week, and here is what she got she got up to:

"The overwhelming supernova of insanity that is the San Diego Comic Con has well and truly passed for another year, leaving nothing but a giant katamari of two-hour lines, back-to-back panels and an excess of Dr. Horribles rolling about in my head. For the most part the experience was relatively pleasant, save for the events of the first day in which I arrived to find I had no accommodation and accidentally boarded a tram bound for Tijuana – “Ahh... why do they need sniffer dogs at the Convention Centre?”.

For someone who's spent the majority of the last three months working in solitary confinement chained to her Wacom, the hustle and bustle of around 125,000 costumed figures found me clinging to the walls with a mild case of agoraphobia. I credit my survival thankfully to the relative quiet of the Small Press section and the cool dark of the air-conditioned panels, with the exception of Hall H which I personally believe to be a fully functioning Hell-mouth responsible for the increase of bad mojo and 3rd degree burns amongst con-goers.

Highlights for me this year include the addition of CBLDF's 'Master Sessions' with such comic gods as Mike Mignola, Jeff Smith and Dave Gibbons, the consistently exceptional Colour for Comics panel by Hi-Fi's Brian and Kristy Miller, and waiting in line behind Heroes' Masi Oka to board the Amtrak back to LA (well technically not 'behind' him, as he was in Business Class and I was in Coach – starving artist ahoy).

Oh yes, and most importantly, learning in one panel about the wonderful Window >> Arrange >> New Window workflow in Photoshop. If, like me, it's something you've yet to stumble across, check it out ASAP. It's insanely helpful. You can modify your artwork whilst viewing it simultaneously in two windows at different magnifications and/or rotations. That MADE my day. I can not believe I did not know that. Man, I'm such a geek.

In between comic sessions and hunting down Scott Pilgrim badges, I vaguely recall attending a couple of film and television panels. Premier among those being Peter Jackson's Comic-Con debut at the District 9 panel, and the pilot screening for upcoming TV series V, a reimagining of the 1980's miniseries of the same name. District 9, directed by Neill Blomkamp (initially lined up to direct Halo with Peter Jackson) delivered some amazing visuals and visual effects for its exceedingly low $30 million budget, and looks to be an interesting watch given it's largely improvised script played out in the hands of relative unknown and school-mate of Blomkamp, Sharlto Copley.

Master Sessions and badges aside, I'm grateful to have survived the chaos, all limbs in order and loot in tow. The only regret to come out of the weekend was my failure to attend the True Blood panel thanks to a moment of sleep-deprived insanity. Ah well, there's always next year, Mr. Skarsgard."

Sharing the Love

Two loves to share this week as Insomnia creators extend their influence throughout the industry:

• Look out for the 2012: Final Prayer end times anthology from Cold Blooded Chillers publisher Bob Heske, featuring work by Insomniacs Stephen Downey, Martin Hayes, Ollie Masters and Dino Caruso. Not sure if this has a definite publication date yet, but as soon as I hear I'll let you know.
  
  
• Chris "The Fictionalists" Lynch has a 4 issue mini series, The Dark, out from fellow UK indie publisher Markosia this month. You can read a free preview at myebook.
  
  

...That's all folks!