Sequential Art - Will Simpson (2005)

I've looked before on the blog (here) at Will Simpson's work and I've looked before at comics exhibitions (here) so it's a pleasure to be able to draw these strands together and highlight some of Will's work that was exhibited back in 2005. All images are swiped from the catalogue that accompanied the exhibition at the Millennium Courts Art Centre

Redeye - Accent UK

To call Redeye a 'fanzine' might make you think of something a lot more amateur looking than it was. To call it a 'magazine' might make you think of glossy paper and full colour printing - and it didn't have that either. Instead, it sat someone in between those 2. A4 sized, colour covers, 60-100 pages long, absolutely jam-packed with news, reviews, interviews, retrospectives - with a real focus on British comics. Everything I could love in a magazine really. 

The fact that it was supposed to be quarterly but only came out about twice a year wasn't a problem because it was always full of stuff I wanted to read. It was printed with a really tiny font - thus meaning that it took even longer to get through your 60, 70, 80 pages of content.

Redeye, issue 1, ??, cover art by ??

cover image not to hand - can you help?

Redeye, issue 2, May 2004, cover art by Neill Cameron, 68 pages

Key features...interviews with Jason Cobley, Frazer Irving. Also material on David Lloyd, Dan Dare and Dave Gibbons.

Redeye, issue 3, November 2004, cover art by Grant Springford, 64 pages

Key features...interviews with Alan Grant, Paul Cornell. Also material on Brian Bolland, Dan Dare and Bristol 2004 convention report. 

Redeye, issue 4, May 2005, cover art by David Hitchcock, 80 pages

Key features...interviews with Jock, David Hitchcock, Ian Edgington, D'Israeli, Leah Moore, John Reppion & Shane Oakley. Also material on Action and the 2000AD art of Carlos Ezquerra.

 

Redeye, issue 5, Jan 2006, cover art by David Bircham, 96 pages

Key features...interviews with Tharg, Ian Edgington and D'Israeli. Also material on Starlord, Alan Moore in 2000AD and convention reports.

Redeye, issue 6, January 2007, cover art by Tom Gauld, 98 pages

Key features...interviews with Tom Gauld, Steve Yeowell and Lee Kennedy. Also material on the 2000AD art of Mike McMahon, the story of V for Vendetta and the Judge Dredd story 'Origins'. 

Atomeka - Eddy Current by Ted McKeever

A couple of recent purchases (and the death of Garry Leach) has spurred me on to look at Atomeka Press. A look at the Grand Comics database (here) is helpful (thanks for the images!) but incomplete. So, I thought I'd try and rustle up my own complete (?) list of Atomeka publications.

I've looked at the original A1 series (from 1989) here

The Epic comics anthology (from 1992) is here

A1 series (from 1992) is here

Damien Darke is here

Atomeka miscellany is 

A1 True life bikini confidential is here

Bojeffries Terror Tome is here

Eddy Current by Ted McKeever was published in 3 volumes (see ad in Bojeffries terror tome) in 2005

Eddy Current by Ted McKeever, book 1 - Atomeka Press

Eddy Current by Ted McKeever, book 2 - Atomeka Press

Eddy Current by Ted McKeever, book 3 - Atomeka Press

Atomeka - Bojeffries Terror Tome

A couple of recent purchases (and the death of Garry Leach) has spurred me on to look at Atomeka Press. A look at the Grand Comics database (here) is helpful (thanks for the images!) but incomplete. So, I thought I'd try and rustle up my own complete (?) list of Atomeka publications.

I've looked at the original A1 series (from 1989) here

The Epic comics anthology (from 1992) is here

A1 series (from 1992) is here

Damien Darke is here

Atomeka miscellany

A1 True life bikini confidential is here

Now, thanks to friend of the blog Reuben Willmott we can look at the publication that started me off down this particular rabbit-hole...Yes it's the Bojeffries Terror Tome...

Contents are as follows:

1). Bojeffries - Festus: dawn of the dead [script by Alan Moore; art by Steve Parkhouse]

2). Baby cakes [script by Neil Gaiman; art by Michael Zulli]

3). Mr Monster - monster museum [Michael Gilbert]

4). Hotwire DE [Steve Pugh]

5). The Proxy [script by Ramsey Campbell; art by David Lloyd; lettering by Bambos]

6). Eddy Current - prologue [Ted McKeever]

7). Scarecrow [Charles Vess]

8). Eddy Current - judgement [Ted McKeever]

9). Bojeffries - Song of the terraces [script by Alan Moore; art by Steve Parkhouse]

You'll probably receignised the cover as a recreation of an old Warrior cover...issue 12 to be precise

as editor Dave Elliott points out (see below) the art is by Garry Leach (albeit based on the original Steve Parkhouse cover)

if you look really hard you can spot some subtle differences between the pieces - the background here (below) is different, for instance 

And here's what the cover to issue #2 would have been...again art is by Garry Leach in a Steve Parkhouse style (which he totally nails!)

and here's that picture in colour - thanks Dave!

Rogue Trooper - the art of war prog

I've come across this rare 2000AD variant before (on various Facebook groups) but I've never seen a copy up for sale. However, right now there's a copy for sale right here (I'm not the seller). 

At the time of typing it's already been bid up to £99 - how much will it go for finally?? 

This is certainly a 'grail' prog for many 2000AD collectors.

Prog 2005 End-of-Year (2004) Christmas Special variant cover edition with Rogue Trooper art by Ben Flynn - limited promo copies given away free at UK train stations and on the London Underground.

Bulldog Empire - Neill Cameron & Jason Cobley

After nearly 2,000 posts its seems hard to believe that I could have someone making their first appearance on the blog but it happens. In fact today we have two people on their blog debut - artist Neil 'Mega Robo Brothers' Cameron and author Jason Cobley.

They owe their appearance today to my recent purchase of these two comics from the estate of the friend of the blog, the much missed Colin Noble.

First up is Bulldog Empire #1 - this was produced in 2005 (priced at £2.95) and was a limited run of 200 copies. This particular copy is numbered 73. Cover (and interior) art is by Neill Cameron. Classic US comic size, black & white interior art, 32 pages (including covers). 

You get 20 pages of Bulldog empire and then 6 pages of Brittany Bell and her brilliant Bimech (by Neill Cameron & Stu Perrins). 

...it's a wraparound cover & here's the back 

Here's issue 2 (front cover), this is from 2006 and was a limited print run of 150 copies (of which this is numbered 4). £3.95 for 44 pages of comics (black & white art by Neill Cameron throughout)

and the rear cover

The cover of issue 2 was re-used as the cover to 'The mammoth book of best new manga' in 2006. In fact that book reprinted all the Bulldog Empire material that had appeared in the standalone comics.

Barney also tells me that there were 8 pages of Bulldog empire in Judge Dredd megazine #253 (cover dated 9th January 2007)

Beano club newsletters

The Beano has produced a number of newsletters for fans - here are the issues I've found so far...I'm quietly confident that there are lots more out there but here are the issues I've found so far.

Beano club newsletter, #7, 2000

Beano club newsletter, summer 2000

Beano club newsletter, March 2003

Beano club newsletter, October 2003

Beano club newsletter, autumn 2005

Bristol comic expo, 2004-2014

I've recently looked here at the London 2003 comic festival but now I want to look at the conventions that succeeded the events that Kev Sutherland ran. According to wikipedia...the Bristol international comic & small press expo ran from 2004 until 2014. That should mean that there are plenty of convention programmes out there to collect. So, here are the programmes I've tracked down so far..

November 2004, Bristol
cover not to hand - can you help?

May 2005, Bristol

November 2005, Brighton
cover not to hand - can you help?

May 2006, Bristol

May2007, Bristol
cover not to hand - can you help?

May 2008, Bristol

May 2009, Bristol
cover not to hand - can you help?

May 2010, Brighton
cover not to hand - can you help?

May 2011, Bristol
cover not to hand - can you help?

May 2012, Bristol
cover not to hand - can you help?

May 2013, Bristol
cover not to hand - can you help?

May 2014, Bristol
cover not to hand - can you help?