Merchandiser!

Special iPad offer over at Tabella. Less than two spond for an ebook from 25th Dec to 5th Jan.

1 and a bit days to go to xmas, good luck everyone. (Ditto the England 11), not that you need it. Surely you were buttock clenchingly bad last time to keep the series interesting eh? TMS presenters: please wait until both sides have batted before gloating...

More reviews

Yep, another year and I'm still dining out on Thomas Wogan is dead reviews, maybe I'll have a new book next year. Ho hum.



Still there's been a couple of good reviews of TWID:



http://www.comicbitsonline.com/2010/12/09/thomas-wogan-is-dead/



an interesting read this one:



http://www.handdrawnawesome.com/?p=924

This one slams the cover, presumably it's a bit pristine. I'll take the blame as I chose this from a large & selection from Ant Merker's repertoire. The font was a technical compromise at the last minute before a print deadline.

Having said all this I like the cover!

Giiiinnnnn Paalllaacccccceee Tooooo!!!!!!!

I've been a bit slow on this one, Gin Palace 2 is out. I reckon this anthology is one of the best small press anthologies out there. On sale at Rob Jackson's site. Lots of good stuff here.

Contributors:

Andrew Cheverton

John Robbins

Dave Hughes

Francesca Cassavetti

Jarod Rosello

Pete Batchelor

Barry Cook

Rob Jackson

Paul Rainey

Sin-Cat

Brad Foster

December Geoscientist

I've nothing against these T-Shirts really...

Didn't go for the christmas theme this time.

Yesssssssssssss!

Norman...

...was feeling a little retro.

Just for a change from drawing I've been messing about with old computers, the Sinclair Spectrum to be precise (did any of you have or still have one of these?), as it was the computer of choice in the house I grew up in. I do love this computer, for I feel closer to understanding how it works than I do the magic box that I'm sitting in front of at the moment. It's limitations mean you have to use your imagination more and forces programmers to be more creative.

I always wanted to write a game, and I've entered it for the 2010 comp sys sinclair crap games competition, but against games like 'overtake the pope 2' and 'John Terry's Quest for the Golden Bra' it doesn't stand a chance.

It's based around my Norman character and has 10 levels, like Delia Smith's Boudoir and the Screaming Habdabs to name a couple. Fancy a game? If so here's what you do:

1-Download an emulator from http://www.worldofspectrum.org/emulators.html, I would recommend ZX Spin, just scroll down a bit.

2-Download my game from the crap games website, and check out the other great, sorry crap, games while you're there.

3-Open the game file with ZX Spin and you're away!

I've entered it for the crap games comp as it's written in Basic, so slow as hell, and the object detection doesn't work very well, so you have to hover over them. If you want, in the emulator, you can increase the emulation speed to say 7 or 14MHz to make it more playable.

If this tickles your fancy and you complete it before xmas, email me & I'll send you a substantial prize. All you would need to do is tell me what the ending sequence is (i'll know if you cheated ;))

None shall pass!

Sci Fi Art Now!

I received my copy of SciFiArt now today,& it looks pretty smart. The thing I like most is the mix of styles, from the more 'standard' realistic heavily airbrushed works to the livelier rougher exaggerated pieces. I've obviously betrayed my preference in that last sentence, but the important thing is that there's something for everyone. If push came to shove I'd say my favourites pieces were Nelson Evergreen's Built with a Smile and Jim Hatamas Falcon Guard, but I can honestly say I found most of the art very pleasing.

All good book shops and Amazon! 20 spond.

Estate agent

This guy could equally be presenting top gear. Only kidding, estate agents are the salt of the earth.

November Geoscientist

I posted the wrong cartoon earlier, if you saw it you're a lucky thing. This one is more apt that the weather, and is the one that appears in this months Geoscientist.

SciFi Art Now

Do you like Science? Do you like Fiction? Do you like Art? Do you want them NOW?

Then you want to get a copy of SciFi Art Now.

I've got a piece of work in it and it has some bloody good company. Edited by John Freeman , this is a great book bringing together pro and amateur artists work into a great edition.

It'll be out very soon, if not already. Details on the SFAN blog.

How the magic happens..

Not been drawing much of late, but this is how my Gin Palace 2 story started..

Moley

Ed Reardon's back!

I'm pleased to hear everyone's favourite curmudgeon Ed Reardon back on the radio, I'm gutted as it's from a show at the Edinburgh fringe. I would have gone to Edinburgh this year if I'd known. Here's how I picture Ed, a greyer grumpier version of the writer/actor Chris Douglas.

Top stuff!

Norman

I hope it's ok my posting this before the end of the month.

Plenty many thanks to Gin Palace contributor, oddity merchant and small press polariser Sin Cat for this Norman. It's great to see some different styles of Norman here.

Sin Cat's NEW website can be found here.

Norman

...had a tremendous new sense of confidence after his brazilian wax.

Sunflower head

Pity poor sunflower head. He can't eat, see or hear, he has never tasted the sweet nectar of a womans kiss. And bees keep landing on his face.

October Geoscientist

Science loves it's pseudos.

Gin Palace 2

I managed to finish my story for Gin Palace 2 this week. It's the story of some foul play on an allotment, and some bloody big pumpkins. It looks like there's been a flurry of submission near the deadline so it looks like it'll be another cracking anthology. Details can be found over at Robson Jacks website.

Norman

...was not very keen on the new food fad: crapas.

(too much? Sorry)

Gwen John

Gwen John, self portrait, big face, scotch Egg, Bosh.

If I keep going...

....to Greggs.

Ack!

Immersion therapy: one way of dealing with a phobia.

Hi Tech Wogan

Wowser! Tabella Publishing have made Thomas Wogan is dead available on iTunes for the iPad.

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/thomas-wogan-is-dead/id381999249?mt=8

September Geoscientist

It's a really nice walk this, not to mention some cracking sedimentology.

A feast of art

Back from the framers the other week, my art collection is accreting nicely. Here's the original artwork for the Pasty Anthology cover by Rob Jackson. The guy in the frame shop liked it too. Just need to find a nice bit of wall to put it on now...

There's no time like the present

Beautiful isn't it?

This great series has drawn to a close in 13 issues. I could never have seen the end coming & Paul ties it all up nicely. A great rollercoaster of a story of love, life, time travel, Dr who, and much much more. Highly recommended, I would love to see this collected in a single bumper issue..

Available from Paul's shop at his website.

Peter Falk

Zombie Nettles

Zombie Lansbury

Zombie Poirot

Zombie Wexford

The neverplayed symphonies

Here's an old cartoon I found in the attic, submitted to 'Birds' the RSPB magazine. Editor Rob Hume said he liked it, but wasn't sure where it would fit into the magazine. Little did he know I would have refused anyway, as I was saving it to show on my blog several years later. I never decided on a title for certain, but the working one was Twitch.

and here it is with some hasty photoshopping..

At the moment I'm concentrating on bigger projects, but perhaps in the future I'll try some more periodical magazine subs.

Norman

...never meant to spoil the funeral.

You didn't see this. Best to move on to another website.

August Geoscientist

The August one. This is hilarious because Norman Bowen, petrologist, who created his reaction series that explained magmatic differentiation, has the same surname as Jim Bowen, presenter of TV's Bullseye and probably a bit more.

Super, smashing, great.

The Osprey of Hope

Saw one of these beauties at Leighton Moss last week.

Norman

..whilst excited with the results, realised he had bought the wrong little blue pills off the internet.

Thanks to Andy for this one, though we shouldn't chuckle too much as this is based on one of his true life experiences. Fortunately it was during the winter so he could wear heavy jumpers to disguise them.

If you want to see some fine art photography and musings, why not pop over to his Decoding Static blog.

Norman

A bank of thank to Graeme Williams for this one. Absolutely brilliant. Done in Excel according to him.

Zommmbiiiieeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssss

A few sneak peeks at my artwork for the upcoming Accent UK Zombies 2 anthology, or rather 2ombies. I was provided with a fine script by Ryan Doman and eventually got cracking on it. This is my first time drawing somebody elses writing so I was apprehensive, I'd say it worked rather well though.

I wonder if I should have researched this more thoroughly, y'know by watching dawn of the dead, putting greasepaint and masking tape on my face and wandering around slowly at night. Having said that, perhaps my lack of zombie knowledge has helped to produce a story that's a bit different.

I'm also pleased to say I didn't have to confront any zombie 'don'ts', like should they run or traipse around, and that was thanks to Ryans imaginative script.

All in all, great fun!

Goblin Hall

Not been buying many books of late, so got myself a copy of Goblin Hall by Rob Jackson. A good read, I found myself returning to some chortleworthy bits a few times afterwards, especially a bit about worshipping a magic pig. I like the new, larger size and covers that bleed all the way to the edge. Well worth 3 spond, available from his website.

Norman

..hadn't realised he would be modelling swimwear at the charity fashion show.

A google thanks to Sarah Taylor for this one. Show me a person who doesn't find the concept of a 'mankini' funny and I'll show you a liar.

It was the 22nd of June and Norman's internet purchase wasn't all he'd hoped for...

...he'd wanted 'Three Lions' on his shirt and not 'Three lines'. Still in a couple of days it's turn out to be a wise purchase.

Thanks be to Dave West of AccentUK for this Norman. I was hoping Dave would do one as the Norman stuff fits very nicely with the style of his weekly webcomic.

Norman..

..was exceptionally good in the centre couch position.

A tank of thank to Dr Claudia Moeckel for this submission. I hope it's ok that I changed the words a little bit as I'd rather it began with 'Norman'. You might guess from the name that Claudia is German, and I should point out that this cartoon was drawn before Germany narrowly beat England last week. She is not what you'd describe as a football fan, rather, for her, these matches are an opportunity to take advantage of the quiet streets und shops. All the same, congratulations on the zehr gut victory over Argentina!

Some more cool Normans received and awaiting posting (thanks all), not to mention one from a rather established cartoonist, don't want to say tooo much yet but would the words Bill Watterson mean anything to you? Get on the winning team and send me a Norman!

July Geoscientist

The latest. This one was originally due to appear later in the year but I brought it foward as I thought it possible that the world might be bored of twitter by the end of the year. I don't think this will be the case, and I'm certainly no snob about it. It does seem to bring some people together and keep some people in touch, certainly for comics people anyway. And I do read other peoples twitter pages without joining like some dirty voyeur. I thought about setting one up for myself, and one for Dalston in the cartoons, his geological posts might have read:

Just had a pie.
----------------
Idea for soap opera: amygdale farm
----------------
Just bought a T-shirt, it says 'tuff schist'. titter.
---------------
Why does my backside always itch when I'm giving a lecture?
--------------

Then I realised I couldn't be bothered and didn't have the energy. My personal posts would just read "making some pasta and having a glass of homebrew", "where's that foisty smell coming from in my house?" or "trying to write" anyway.

Can someone explain to me why...

The streets seemed frightfully quiet today, it must have been because England won a decisive match in the cricket. The strange thing is there were numerous Germans wandering around making a nuisance of themselves, looking oh so bloody happy, they clearly didn't understand the value of a well delivered leg cutter, googly or sweep stroke. They clearly don't know anything about current affairs.

Trip report a

A fine day. En route to Crosby to view Anthony Gormleys 'Another Place' statues at Crosby (details to follow) we popped by Poulton le Fylde to sample comic creator Rob Jackson's homemade ice cream. Bloody good it is too, between us we tasted blackberry, gooseberry, rhubarb and sweet potato (which has been rubbed off the blackboard as we bought the last one). Don't be afraid of the sweet potato, it was nice, and personally I can't stand them usually. For me, the blackberry was the winner.

I fancied trying the Kreik (cherry beer), but there's only so much ice cream a man can cope with in one day eh?

Highly recommended.

The day involved a feast of art too, as you may note from the photograph that I've purchased the original artwork from the cover of the pasty anthology off Rob. I can't wait to see this one on the wall.

Norman

...really, really didn't like the black eyed peas.

I know they're an easy target, but jeez, what appalling bubblegum.

Just for completeness, I nearly did this one instead, perhaps I should wait and see for later eh?

Come on lads!!! Please?!

Norman

As the balloons carried him ever higher and higher, Norman realised this whole 'Guiness Book of World Records' thing had been made up by his brother to get out of buying him a birthday present.

A tank of thank to Rob Jackson, who has sent me this top Norman cartoon. And congrats to him on an auspicious start to his homemade ice cream business. Have a butchers at his website and why not buy one of his many small press comics while you're there?

More contributions welcome!