Strange Maven's Diary

Top Tens

2012-01-11T21:23:00.000Z

Having being alerted to Bridgeen Gillespie’s blog post on her Top Ten Independent Comics today, it reminded me that I had been asked for my Top Ten All-Time Comics Works by the Hooded Utilitarian website this summer.

My initial thought on reading Bridgeen’s list was that it was remarkably similar to my own, but actually it turns out to be substantially different, although this is probably due to the specific criteria applied.

The Hooded Utilitarian compiled the Top Ten lists submitted by 211 invited comics professionals who answered the question, “What are the ten comics works you consider your favorites, the best, or the most significant?” into a Top 115 list.
Especially of interest is that each creator’s Top Ten are all individually listed.

My own selection was as follows:
Cages, Dave McKean
Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson
Cerebus, Dave Sim & Gerhard
The Fantastic Four, Stan Lee & Jack Kirby, with Joe Sinnott, et al.
La Femme du magicien [The Magician’s Wife], Jerome Charyn & François Boucq
From Hell, Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell
Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth, Chris Ware
Krazy Kat, George Herriman
The Palomar Stories, Gilbert Hernandez
The Spirit, Will Eisner

It’s a very personal choice, picked as much for the effect they had on me, as measure of absolute quality. It was very difficult to limit the list to ten, and those that I had to leave out surprised me. There’s no Tintin, no Watchmen, no Asterix, no Bone, no Little Nemo, no Robert Crumb and most remarkably no Daniel Clowes.

Bridgeen’s list spotlights some titles that were more immediately influential on Strangehaven that my own list of all-time greats above. We actually only overlap on three titles - Krazy Kat, Love & Rockets and her ‘honorable mention’ Cerebus.

I specified Gilbert’s works over Jaime’s because of the raw emotional content, particularly in the early Heartbreak Soup stories. The Locas stories were a little breezier, but oh-so beautifully drawn. Bridgeen notes that she stopped reading Cerebus with the eighth volume Women (understandably) but it would be a huge pity if Sim’s extreme politics entirely overshadows his unique, monumental and extraordinary body of work .

Almost all of the 1980s indie works that Bridgeen picks are hard to argue against; certainly the Fantagraphics/Drawn & Quarterly axis of Eightball, Black Hole, Peepshow and I Never Liked You (although I far prefer Chester Brown’s earlier surreal Ed the Happy Clown stories) are my favourite comics of the period.

Craig Thompson’s massive romance Blankets was under consideration for my own ten, although it is perhaps too recent to see in context of the other established (in my mind at least) works. The importance of Maus cannot be underestimated, of course, but even though I read it serialised in Raw Magazine, I never quite took it to my heart.

Scott Pilgrim is the only book I haven’t read - and therefore can’t pass judgement, although it has been on my Amazon Wishlist for a good while.

On a related note, the reason why I don’t ever respond to the best of the year lists because I’m always so far behind in my reading. After spending almost a year reading nothing but works by Alan Moore, I’ve been pretty much comicked-out this year and my to-read pile now extends over several long bookshelves.

Happy Holidays 2011!

2011-12-20T12:09:00.007Z

Is it that time again already? Festive love to every single one of you.

From Leigh to Leeds

2011-11-17T22:09:00.009Z

After two false starts in recent years, I'm finally attending Leeds' Thought Bubble comics festival at the weekend, 19-20th November.

I'll have a table in Saviles Hall, alongside my long-time pal Chris Staros with his latest Top Shelf line of books. It's the first event at which I've exhibited for way, way too long, and I'll have with me a limited number of Alan Moore Storyteller, Comic Book Design, Draw Dragons, Draw Fantasy Figures, plus all three Strangehaven volumes and the Spirit of Hope benefit anthology among other bits and pieces. I'll also have some original artwork for sale.

On Sunday at 1:00PM at the Alea Cinema Room, I will be interviewed by Tim Pilcher about Alan Moore Storyteller, and joining me on stage will be Moore's musical collaborator Gary Lloyd and Moore uber-fan Pádraig Ó Méalóid, both of who were invaluably helpful in putting my book together, so this promises to be a lively hour.

Thought Bubble has received rave reviews in preceding years, and I'm very much looking forward to sampling the atmosphere for myself. For more details, check out their website here.

Spirit of Hope

2011-06-01T12:51:00.005Z

Shortly after the devastating earthquakes and subsequent tsunami that left so many dead, missing and homeless in Japan in March this year and New Zealand, I was asked to contribute to a charity anthology called Spirit of Hope by the UK’s new non-profit organisation The Comic Book Alliance.

At that time, I was still trying to put the last few finishing touches to Alan Moore: Storyteller for Ilex Press and attending to several other urgent freelance jobs, and the extremely short two-week deadline made it unlikely that I’d find the time to be able to contribute. I racked my brains for some sort of positive, uplifting angle (as had been stipulated by the organisers, the ) and had pretty much given up on coming up with something worthwhile when I was inspired by a two-minute film in Channel 4’s nightly series 4Thought while stir-frying some chicken and vegetables for that night’s dinner.

By the time I was washing up, I had a pretty good idea whatI wanted to do, and granted a few extra day’s deadline extension, I somehow managed to produce two pages in three days, researched, written, illustrated, lettered and coloured (yep, coloured); probably the fastest I’ve ever produced anything in my life. But I really felt like I need to contribute to this cause. Half a page of “This Fragile Earth” is reproduced above; you’ll have to buy the book to see the rest.

The quality and variety of contributions in the preview of the book that I saw at the Bristol International Comic & Small Press Expo were simply stunning, each piece focussing compassionately and insightfully on the subject matter.

Creators beside myself who have contributed to this project include Alan Cowsill, Jimmy Broxton, Mike Allred, Natalie Abadzis, Nick Abadzis, Adrian Bamforth, Jasper Bark, Donna Barr, Jordie Bellaire, Paul H Birch, Bolt-01, Dan Boultwood, Mark Buckingham, Jim Campbell,

Richmond Clements, Jason Cobley, Simon Coleby, Mike Collins, Martin Conaghan, Gary Crutchley, Glenn Dakin, Al Davison, Brandon DeStefano, Benjamin Dickson, Martin Eden, Mats Engesten, Gary Erskine, Al Ewing, Glenn B Flemming, Emma Flint, Henry Flint, Leigh Gallagher, Matt Gibbs, Gary Gilbert, Alan Grant, Jon Haward, Peter Hogan, Kev Hopgood, Graeme Howard, Inko, Rich Johnston, Ant Jones, GM Jordan, Jessica Kemp, David Leach, Tony Lee, Nigel Lowrey, Ciaran Lucas, Paul McLaren, Michiru Morikawa, Alex Moore, Leonie O’Moore, Michiru Morkawa, Eva Perkins, Grant Perkins, Martyn Pick, Maria Pickering, David Pugh, James Reekie, Regan, Neil Roberts, Darick Roberston, John Robbins, John Ross, Declan Shalvey, Liam Sharp, Akiko Shimojima, Si Spencer, Vicky Stonebridge, Lew Stringer, Steve Tanner, Archie Templar, S Thompson, Geoffrey D. Wessel, Chris Western, Andrew Wildman, WJC, Ant Williams, Rob Williams, Sean Michael Wilson and Yel Zamor.

It’s a high quality, 116-page full-colour, squarebound book, due for publication on 18th June 2011, and priced at £14.99 + £3.00 postage to UK addresses. All proceeds will be going to help disaster victims via donations to Second Harvest and the New Zealand Red Cross.

Readers based in the UK can now place preorders and choose between two covers at the Comic Book Alliance website page here, and advance orders will include 3 small limited edition prints. It’s something I’m proud to be a part of, so go, grab yourself a fabulous book and contribute to a good cause at the same time.

storyteller sneak preview

2011-03-15T16:23:00.008Z

British publisher Ilex Press have officially released several spreads from my forthcoming book Alan Moore: Storyteller as well as the fabulous final cover as created by Chip Kidd and José Villarrubia. Chip came up with the concept and used one of José's classic photos to produce a set of book spine models, which were then, with cunning circularity, photographed by José.

The book tracks Moore's early life and influences with never-before-seen family photographs and even reproduces his baptism certificate!

All his major works like Marvelman/Miracleman are covered in some depth as well as much of his more obscure creations in his various fields of comics, prose, performance, music and art, and beautifully laid out by the designer of the book Simon Goggin.

The book even offers glimpses of Moore's own personal working notebooks, like this incredible densely thumbnailed chapter from a chapter of From Hell.

Storyteller has been rescheduled to ship in early to mid July in both the UK and the US (Rizzoli/Universe) and can be preordered from any comic or book retailer worth their salt, instore or online right about now.

You can read a little more in my interview on smoky man's blog Alan Moore World.

alan moore: telling stories

2011-02-09T17:24:00.012Z

I haven't (at the time of writing) seen it myself yet, but the book I spent the vast majority of last year writing is listed in the current Diamond Previews catalogue dated February 2011.

I haven't been making a lot of noise about it up until now as (a) I got told off by one of the editors when news of it leaked out too early and (b) I tend to avoid commenting on my projects until they're completed, due to delays and abandonments in previous projects.

Alan Moore: Storyteller is, I believe, the most comprehensive and accurate biography of one of Britain's most creative minds ever published. It's going to be presented in a lavish format; A 320-page 8.5" x 11" full colour hardcover with audio CD.

The book not only includes an in-depth survey of all of Alan's comics creations, but also covers his musical projects, prose writings, magical performances and artwork in some depth. Some of his most renowned co-creators (including Alan Davis, Dave Gibbons, Eddie Campbell and David Lloyd) have provided never-before seen materials; an unpublished script for V for Vendetta, rare artwork (Captain Britain and Watchmen among others) and photographs.

Alan himself was incredibly co-operative, generously making time for numerous interviews in person and by phone, providing family photographs and allowing me access to some of his personal notebooks which give unprecedented insight into his working techniques, from Lost Girls, From Hell and Voice of the Fire.

Alan has also granted permission to reproduce the entire legendary Big Numbers chart, detailing the whole plot of the sadly abandoned project with Bill Sienkiewicz.

I've also attempted to delve into Moore's philosophies, politics, attitudes to drug use, celebrity, the Hollywood system, working routines and methods in order to reveal some of the man behind the hype.

The audio CD included with the book is another treasure trove in itself, a compilation of tracks from almost all of Alan's recorded projects, from the Sinister Ducks to the Moon & Serpent Grand Egyptian Theatre of Marvels and including numerous previously unrecorded tracks from the Satanic Nurses and the Emperors of Ice Cream (including the infamous "Mr. A"). All nineteen tracks have been gloriously post-mastered by Alan's sonic collaborator on the audio version of 'Brought to Light,' Gary Lloyd.

There's also a bibliographic guide to the most effective way of picking up Alan's printed works and a obsessively detailed timeline of his career in a double gatefold insert.

As well receiving materials from many of Alan's collaborators, I was lucky enough to receive reproductions of some of his rarest works from members of the Alan Moore fan community, in particular having tremendous assistance from Pádraig Ó Méalóid who has his own Moore-centric blog Glycon which can be viewed here.

The famed science fiction author Michael Moorcock was kind enough to provide a fantastic introduction for the book, and the cover has been cooked up between Chip Kidd and José Villarrubia.*

Another Alan Moore-related project is not something I would have pursued under my own steam; my personal ambition remains the continuation and completion of Strangehaven as soon as circumstances allow; Alan Moore: Storyteller was commissioned by British packager/publisher Ilex Press, for whom I wrote Comic Book Design in 2009. It will also be published in the US by art books specialist Rizzoli and I understand there is also a French language edition in the works and possibly one or two other foreign editions under consideration.

It's due for publication in the spring around May time and you can already pre-order it from your local comic shop, book shop and the usual online retailers.

The Diamond Previews listing is here and their order code is FEB111253.

*Note: The cover currently posted on the Previews, Amazon and other websites is not the actual cover. As soon as I get the go-ahead on the official, final cover I'll post it here.

Merry Christmas 2010!

2010-12-23T15:54:00.006Z

Due to my being quite ridiculously busy throughout 2010 on a number of projects (including a new book, announcement imminent) I have unfortunately been unable to illustrate my traditional annual Christmas card for friends, subscribers, industry contacts and other honoured individuals. Indeed, I've actually even been too busy to buy any, let alone write them and send them out.

So, apologies to all expecting their card which will never arrive, and thank you to all of you who have sent one to me. Let's just call this year a victory for the environment and a defeat for the Royal Mail, and let's all have a bloody good holiday.

Photographs taken December 2009 in Leigh-on-Sea.

Is it a bird... is it a plane? No, it's a bird.

2010-05-24T10:10:00.003Z

By accident I stumbled upon the just-announced Eagle Awards nominations web page and was surprised to discover that Comic Book Design has been included in the shortlist for nominations for an award in the "Favourite Comics-Related Book" category.

It's obviously very gratifying and should anyone wish to vote they can do so here. Not that I wish to influence anyone's choice in any particular category you understand.

There's no indication on the website as to when the final voting closes, so probably best do it sooner rather than later.

storm in a teacup

2010-01-05T22:04:00.003Z

Nice review of my Comic Book Design at Michael Crouch's Storm Comics Blogspot here. Thanks to Michael, and thanks to Whitters for the heads up.

UPDATED: Since posting this on my facebook page, Marc Arsenault has informed me of his fine review of the book over at Wow Cool, and you can read it here.

winter wonderland

2009-12-24T15:27:00.003Z

Here in this corner of England, we experienced quite a substantial snowfall last week and I made the effort to get out and take some snaps.

I had intended to post a flash sideshow Christmas card of the best of my photos, but time has run short, so I'll direct you to my album recently posted on facebook here ...

... and wish you all the greetings of the season and all the very best for the new year.

bon dieu, je suis ou maintenant?

2009-09-14T20:56:00.006Z

The French translation of Strangehaven, published by those wonderful Akileos people, is now being promoted through the website digiBiDi via a cool a new online comics reader.

I am not a huge advocate for reading comics online, but this is certainly a nifty little gadget and the best webcomics 'reader' that I've come across. The full screen, double-page spread mode is very impressive. There's a help page in English here (although the preview remains in French, naturally) but I didn't need to refer to it once, such is its ease of use.

With any luck, you find the neat little widget embedded above. If not, you can check out the French Strangehaven preview in its original environment here.

smoky donation

2009-09-13T21:43:00.003Z

My good friend (and co-editor on Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman) smoky man tells me that his Italian Watchmen project has so far raised a total of 2,500 euros for AIMA (the Italian Alzheimer charity).

The Italian language Watchmen 20th anniversary tribute book was published in 2006 by Lavieri and featured included my interpretation of Silk Spectre II, which I'll eventually get around to posting on my website.

spencer millidge, who?

2009-07-19T21:23:00.008Z

Well I can't really compete with the fact that Bryan Talbot has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Sunderland University, but I'm not sure even he can claim to be a character in Doctor Who.

Or two, even. A brand new Doctor Who story appearing on the BBC website commemorating the moon landings features a pair of evil CIA agents called Spencer and Milledge (sic).

'We are Agents Spencer and Milledge, Secret Service. Under Code Seven of Revised Project Blue Book, we invoke the rights approved by the late President John F. Kennedy regarding first contact.'

The three part story Blue Moon by Oli Smith starts with a prologue and the agents make their appearance towards the end of episode one. The third and final chapter is published on Monday.

Top that, Doctor Talbot!

the spurge strikes again

2009-07-19T20:59:00.006Z

Tom Spurgeon has today posted a mammoth interview with me on his essential Comics Reporter website, primarily dealing with my latest tome Comic Book Design.

Tom also pays great complement to the book, he writes, "if I had this book to check out and read during high school study hall, I'd be on my 21st year working in comics rather than my 15th."

Those who read the entire piece might also be rewarded with some hints of my current plans and activities which I somehow let slip, thanks to Tom's perceptive and deceptively easy-going interviewing style.

You can read the entire interview here. Cheers Tom!

In related news, I hear that Comic Book Design is going back to press for the UK market, even though it's only been out a few weeks. So I'm guessing it's already doing pretty well, sales-wise.

my kind of town

2009-06-17T21:41:00.006Z

While in Barcelona for a few days recently in order to celebrate my friend Mike's last fews days of singledom, I took some time out to try to track down some of the city's comic shops.

Unfortunately, due to a combination of poor research, a terrible free road map from the hotel foyer and the Spanish siesta, most of those I found were closed. The two I did stumble upon that were open were a revelation.

Both had copies of the Spanish edition of Strangehaven, published by Planeta DeAgostini, in stock and on the shelves. Both shops were clean, bright and well organised with both English language and Spanish language books - with strong emphasis on the graphic nove format. I have to say the quality and diversity of the stock in both stores far exceeded the average London comic book shop.

I asked Daniel Navarro, owner of Cosmic Comics (at Castillejos 272) whether his shop was the best in Barcelona.

"Ummm... I'd say it was in the top five," he explained in broken English, modestly.

Franco of the three adjacent Freaks stores in Ali Bei near the Arc de Triomf - one each for DVDs, art books and graphic novels - appeared to be aware of who I was and said that he often had people coming into the shop asking when the next Strangehaven was out.

Freaks website

Finally, I paid a short visit to Barcelona's FNAC in 'El Triangle', a multi-level bookstore with a huge selection of graphic novels. I couldn't find Strangehaven in there, but I did see a Spanish edition of Dez Skinn's Comic Art Now which of course features some of my work.

What a fine city - wonderful museums and galleries, unique architecture, a glitzty marina, fantastic shopping, bars and coffee shops, parks, a terrific beach, twenty minutes from the airport, fabulous weather and comic shops to die for. Just don't mention the football.

more by accident than design

2009-06-04T17:10:00.017Z

With news reaching me that my book Comic Book Design which I spent the best part of six months writing last year is now beginning to emerge at comic shops, bookstores and the usual Internet mail order retail outlets, I thought perhaps that it is a little overdue that my own blog should better make some mention of it.

This book is something that I consider to be one of my major works. Quite apart from writing approximately 40,000 words on the subject, I had to research, locate, select and scan several hundred appropriate images in an attempt to illustrate the points I was trying to make. Packaged in a lavish 10 ix 11 inch format it contains 160 full-colour pages and takes a design-oriented view of the creation of comic books, strip-mining the depth and breadth of comics history for its example illustrations.

It's not exactly a how-to book, although there are some nice examples of behind-the-scenes materials. It doesn't include anything much about drawing or anatomy or perspective. It's more about how comics work, how creators consciously or unconsciously design a character, a story, a page, a panel; and how it all comes together to form the unique visual storytelling that only comics can offer. There are sections on lettering and colour and publication design itself, and each section is punctuated by a designer spotlight on creators like Brian Wood and Chris Ware.

The book is image-heavy in the coffee-table tradition, featuring some of the stunning best examples of comic design across the spectrum of the medium, from superhero to slice of life, spanning a hundred years of comics. That's not to say that it's light on text, but it's generally presented in easily digestible chunks, resulting in what the publisher describes as a 'dip-in reference book. My intention is to provide instruction and more importantly, inspiration to artists and designers with a passing interest in comics, as well as broadening the horizons of neophyte and professional creators alike.

Interesting to note the differences between the cover of the UK version (at the top of this post) and the US version below, both of which were based on the same initial sketch I provided.

I think probably the cover of the UK edition more accurately reflects the design of the interior pages, and which also features French flaps and spot lamination to boot. I would post some interior pages too, but my scanner is playing silly buggers, my PDFs won't convert to jpegs and I've got to pack for Barcelona. Maybe later.

Comic Book Design is published by Ilex Press in the UK and Watson-Guptill in the US and should be available from any good comic or book retailer, in-store or online.

animal instinct

2009-05-28T20:48:00.008Z

When I first played the Red Light Company album a couple of months ago, I immediately tried to buy tickets for one of their live shows. I was disappointed as all dates were sold out, so I bought a couple of tickets way in advance for last week's gig at London's Scala venue.

As I arrived reasonably early, I saw support band Animal Kingdom's entire set. I was hooked by the time they played their second number, which culminated in the stunning (if uncharacteristic) Chalk Stars. A highly polished, innovative performance and Richard Sauberlich's unusual falsetto singing was an added distinction. A name to look out for.

Red Light Company themselves rocked the house as you might expect. It's a tribute to the band's professionalism that I didn't notice they were a man down until about three-quarters of the way through their set. For some reason, regular bassist Shawn Day was missing, with the other band members swapping around instruments to fill in the gaps. The consistently high quality of the songs made the set sound like a greatest hits selection rather than a tour to promote their first album. It also surprised me when singer Richard Frenneaux announced that the modest capacity of the Scala was the largest audience the band had played to as headliners. This band ought to be - and most probably will be - absolutely huge.

After a bit of sedate stage diving by the blonde-haired singer and a short two song encore which included a cover of Mia's Paper Planes, they were gone. Try and catch them at a festival this summer.

goodnight cambridge

2009-02-18T22:12:00.005Z

I’ve been racking my brains trying to remember the first time that I saw the mighty Robyn Hitchcock play live. I’m sure that it must have been with the Egyptians, although as former members often join him onstage, I have some doubts whether it was after their recording career.
It’s likely that it was one of his full-band gigs at the Cambridge Junction, or maybe in London at Dingwall’s or the Highbury Garage. Hell, I can’t even remember where it was the last time I saw him. Maybe his terrific solo performance at the Colchester Arts Centre? Or the Cambridge Boat Race where he played a stunning version of ‘Waterloo Sunset?’
But even though I can’t remember the order in which I’ve seen his gigs, every performance is a unique event, each distinctly etched in my mind – Hitchcock’s live show, drawing seemingly at random from an gargantuan 30-year back catalogue of self-penned material, constantly evolves; songs are given new arrangements, interspersed with surreal, improvised laugh-out-loud funny monologues.
Last night at the Junction 2 was no exception – the addition of cello to the usual triptych of guitar, bass and gave another dimension to the selection of songs chosen for the night’s performance. Robyn was on top form as always, his stories bringing laughter to even members of his own band, specifically cellist Jenny.
The addition of the ex-Soft Boys cohort Kimberly Rew for the final few numbers of the set was the energetic, fitful icing on yet another idiosyncratic, memorable cake of an evening with the amazing Mr. Hitchcock.
Robyn Hitchcock's news page

open other end

2009-01-24T12:03:00.003Z

My nephew Reece Millidge has been an animator of some note for many years, his fine reputation built on his commercial work for Nexus Productions in London.
Yesterday he received the fantastic news that the Smith-Foulkes film “This Way Up” on which he is credited as ‘lead animator’ has been nominated for an Oscar in the ‘Short Film (Animated)’ category.
You can check out a preview of the film here.
It goes without saying that I’m pretty proud of the lad. Reece is currently seeking funding for a short film of his own. His website Damp Gnat can be viewed here.

blues vs. blues

2009-01-24T11:50:00.010Z

If there ever was a football match that might divide my loyalties it would be high profile cup tie between the club I’ve supported since I was a seven-year old, Chelsea, and my local team, Southend United.
And as luck would have it, Southend United and Chelsea were drawn to play together in the third round of the FA Cup this season, only their third ever meeting in professional competition – the others being played in 1913 and 1972.
Fans of every other football team other than Chelsea, as well as every local resident with even zero interest in football would be willing on the underdogs. Southend’s lucrative visit to Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium ended in high drama, with the seasiders astonishingly equalizing in the final minutes. It was the best possible result in that it meant a replay would have to take place at Southend’s modest home, Roots Hall.

Ten days later, I was lucky enough to be one of the 11,314 who squeezed into the ground to witness the Coca-Cola League One side take a shock early lead, but finally succumb to the Premier League giants 1-4.
Even though I attended many games at Roots Hall during the late 1970s and early 1980s and even now still look out for Southend’s results, there is absolutely no doubt that, past, present and future, my allegiances lay with the London side.
As great as it was seeing the 6000 visiting Southend fans at the Bridge waving flags and singing their hearts out, it was even more special to be standing with 2000 other traveling Chelsea fans in Roots Hall’s North Bank, on almost the same spot where I used to cheer on Southend 25 years ago.
All in all, the perfect outcome – Chelsea progress to the next round with a morale-boosting victory after the hugely disappointing defeat to Manchester United, while Southend United not only do themselves justice on the pitch, but maximize their financial receipts after two sell-out games and television rights.
As for today's fifth round tie against another lower league club, Ipswich Town, well, I hope Chelsea stuff them and no mistake.

Read Chelsea’s entertaining match preview here...
… and Southend’s match report of the replay here.

r.i.p. patrick mcgoohan

2009-01-20T22:23:00.004Z

This won't be news to anyone of course, but I couldn't allow the passing of Patrick McGoohan to go without a mention on this blog.

As Danger Man, McGoohan was already a hero figure for the infant Millidge, but his subsequent TV programme The Prisoner influenced not only a large part of writing, but also my philosophy on life.

I wrote about McGoohan's masterpiece in my fanzine Amon*Spek in 1980 or so, and also in the text pages of my Prisoner-influenced comic book series Strangehaven some twenty years later. I suspect it won't be the last time.

season's greetings 2008

2008-12-24T13:25:00.004Z

Better late than never, I have posted my flash Christmas card here.

Have a good one, troops!

super nova

2008-10-14T23:30:00.006Z

I was lucky enough to see one of my favourite singer-songwriters of all time last night, the beautiful Heather Nova who performed at the Shepherd Bush Empire, her first UK gig for many years.

Heather's voice sent shivers up and down my spine as she played a tight set consisting of the best known songs from her 20-year career, from acoustic solo pieces to full-band rock-outs.

I've been following her music since I saw her supporting Robyn Hitchcock in Cambridge some, ooo, 15 years ago. And as much as her various talents as a musician, vocalist and songsmithess have improved over the years, she doesn't seem to have aged a day.

She has a new website here and a MySpace page here. Check her out and be delighted.

perfect timing?

2008-09-15T20:41:00.004Z

Just a quick update to alert any London-based readers that a page of my Strangehaven artwork will be on display at the world famous Harrods shop in Knightsbridge until the end of October.

It's part of an exhibition called 'Comic Timing' featuring (as I understand it) some 30 pieces of artwork by British creators. That is all the information I've been given so far, but there should be some further publicity this week. If you want to pop in to take a look in the meantime, I have been told by the exhibition's curator Mr. Richard Johnston that, "for those of you wishing to visit, the quickest way in is Entrance 5 next to the Harrods exit at Knightsbridge Tube Station and down the escalators."

master of none

2008-08-23T12:42:00.003Z

The Strangehaven readers among you will probably be wondering what else the rather tardy author has been amusing himself with during its current absence from the bookshelves. Well, in addition to the assorted non-fiction books that I have been writing (currently working on Comic Book Design for Ilex Press due next spring), a large portion of my time has been taken up with creating a website for the local jewellery shop Warburtons.
Curious parties can browse the fruits of my labour now that the aforementioned site has finally, finally, finally gone 'live' here: http://www.warbys.co.uk/
Those of you who are looking for someone to blame for the deficiencies in its concept, design, coding, text content and photography need look no further than the writer of this blog. The better parts of the website were greatly enhanced by the contributions and critical expertise of the staff of Warburtons and my good friend photographer John Attwell.

must-read strangehaven

2008-08-20T19:58:00.004Z

That mighty fine blogger Alan David Doane has just posted his numbered list of 100 Must-Read Graphic Novels, and I am proud to say that Strangehaven has been included at number 51.
After initially being disappointed at missing out on the prestigious top 50 by a single place (Damn you, Outer Space Spirit!) Alan clarified that only the top 30 or so were actually in order. So therefore, Strangehaven is actually tied at #31 (OK, shared with 70 others, but still, not bad).
I expect you're all wondering, like Patrick McGoohan, who is number one, but you should really pop over to check it out for yourself and see where your favourite placed.
My favourite got number one by the way....
ADD's 100 Must-Read Graphic Novels

san diego agogo

2008-08-15T20:23:00.005Z

I made my first appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con in six years last month, albeit a relatively low-key one due to the recent lack of new Strangehaven material. Still, it was tremendous fun to hook up various comics peoples that I haven’t seen for all of those six years or more – including Eddie Campbell, James Kochalka, Alex Robinson, Bongo editor Terry Delegeane, Batton Lash and his wife Jackie Estrada, Terry Moore and his wife Robyn, Wayne Beamer, Scott McCloud and many more.

Now, I had heard a lot about how big San Diego Comic-Con had become since I last visited. Comic-Con is big, really big. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemists, but that’s just peanuts to Comic-Con…But no, actually, I didn’t note too much difference (it was already pretty damn big six years ago) except for the significantly increased number of punters crowding the aisles, especially on ‘Preview Night.’
Not surprising as the event was apparently sold-out; 125,000 attendees with a ceiling of 60,000 a day, plus an extraordinary number of comics professionals, exhibitors, celebrities and so on adding to the general chaos.I also bumped into some folks that I hadn’t seen for a while (but less than the six years in question), incuding my French publisher stablemates Ted Naifeh and Eric Shanower, and
Josh Palmano (owner of London’s fabulous Gosh store) who was also guesting at the Top Shelf booth.I also enjoyed a fortuitous meeting with Vertigo head honchess Karen Berger on my way to eat at Buster’s in Seaport Village (Macadamia-nut encrusted Chicken with Hawaiian relish and garlic mash).

I also crossed paths with some people who I have seen much more recently than six years, fellow Brits Bryan Talbot and the Peckerwood contingent of Rob and Pete; in the Marriott’s English-style pub, some more English-style comic creators were to be found, namely David Hine, Eisner award-winner Nick Abadzis (who I note has completed his transformation from clean-cut boy-next look to greasy biker) and David Lloyd.

I also hung out with some new faces on the Top Shelf booth, like that salty Tim Sievert, the too cool Alex Robinson, awesome Andy Runton, sensational Christian Slade and also met the marvellous Matt Kindt for the first time. The Top Shelf crew were as always as hospitable as ever, Robert Venditti, Leigh Walton, Brett Warnock and of course the ubiquitous Mr. Staros.

I was also delighted to be able to introduce myself to the amazing Brian Wood and the exceedingly generous Richard Starkings and his Comicraft cohort John JG Roshell. It’s also obligatory that I mention that I rubbed metaphorical shoulders (as in, “oo, look who’s over there”) with Lost’s Matthew Fox, Simon Pegg (of the Dead) and Stan Lee.

Undoubted highlight of the show was seeing in no uncertain terms yer actual Owl Ship from the forthcoming Watchmen movie (Dave Gibbons, by the way, was nowhere to be seen, having recently been promoted to ‘superduperstar’ status and thus now gets invited to all the superduper top secret parties).

I also attended the annual Panel2Panel after-show dinner for the first time at the Gaslamp District’s premier tapas bar Sevilla where Heidi MacDonald and future Mr. MacDonald, letterer extraordinaire Todd Klein and his missus, Steve Leialoha, Tony Lee and I among others drank Sangria, danced the flamenco, shouted a lot and fought over the bill.

Outside the intense comic environment, I found time to take in my first Major League baseball game at the wonderful Petco Park stadium (a stone’s throw from the convention centre), discovered Pinkberry frozen yogurt (the new Opium, mark my words), saw some polar bears eating carrots at San Diego’s wonderful zoo, saw the Star Trek Exhibition at Balboa Park and at the flicks enjoyed Dark Knight very much and didn’t enjoy The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in the slightest.

So, would I recommend San Diego as a destination event? Absolutely yes. Apart from being one of those events any self-respecting (and financially solvent) comic fan simply must attend at least once in their lives (like Angoulême) it really is a beautiful, sunny and fun-packed city (not at all like Angoulême).

Big Brother Strikes Again

2008-06-20T21:58:00.006Z

A couple of news reports emerged recently, which although unconnected, both I think potentially have serious implications for civil liberties here in the UK.
The first I noticed on the news ticker at the local gym and couldn't actually believe it until got home and checked it out on the bbc news website. There are proposals by the government to make ownership of drawings and computer-generated images of child sex abuse illegal. It's apparently to help "close a loophole that the government believe paedophiles are using," and it's "not about criminalising art or pornographic cartoons more generally."
After the extraordinary Gordon Lee case in the US which thankfully ended in favour of the retailer, please excuse me if I don't trust our own justice system to use any potential law to whatever motive it chooses.
This is another reminder that British society is moving further towards Orwell's nightmare 1984 vision of the Thought Police - an attempt to prevent the public from discussing or even thinking about subjects that the government deem inappropriate. It also brings to mind Florida cartoonist Mike Diana's conviction for creating offensive images with his Boiled Angel mini-comic.
Should this new British proposal become law, it would presumably mean that anyone owning a copy of Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie's Lost Girls would technically be classed as a sex offender, having to report to police on a regular basis and fend off attacks by mobs of anti-paedophile activists.
Let's hope not though, eh?

Coincidentally there is also some fuss over plans by British publishers to place age advisories on childrens' books. This is curiously reminiscent of DC's introduction of the 'Mature Readers' advisory on comics such as Swamp Thing in the mid 1980s which Alan Moore and Frank Miller were so strongly opposed to.
Again this appears to be an ill-conceived, knee-jerk response to a genuine concern. Richard Bruton directed me to a write up in the Guardian by Phillip Pullman who is opposed to 'age banding' and covers the story pretty concisely, so I won't repeat it here.
There's also a petition that you can sign up to if you are concerned about this development:
No To Age Banding Petition
What the implications might be for comics, I dread to think.

Curiously connected to this, amazon.co.uk have been listing my second Strangehaven book Brotherhood for many months now as suitable for 'reading level' ages 4-8. Not entirely sure how they missed the naughty words, sex scenes and bloody violence, nor why they have not removed or altered this advisory despite several attempts to inform them over this matter. But maybe all it needs is an irate mother to buy a copy for her daughter's fourth birthday and go to the Daily Mail. Maybe a bit of controversy will help sales.

The Wrath of Caen

2008-05-29T17:35:00.004Z

My appearance at last weekend's Caen Book Fair (Salon du Livre Caen) in Normandy, northern France was, as most of my European trips seem to be, an uplifting and enlightening experience.
Invited by Jean-Marie Le Callonec, owner of the bande desinée bookshop La Cour des Miracles and subsidised by the Caen city council, I did my duty and signed and sketched for an almost unending line of punters at the weekend event. As legend suggests, the French comic-reading public includes not only the typical black tee-shirted unwashed fanboy, but also a good proportion of children and entirely ‘normal’-looking people of all ages. The apparent casualness at which a middle aged lady was happy to pay up fifty euros for a set of the three Strangehaven albums by an English ‘auteur’ that she had never heard of was refreshing, to say the least.
Like Angouleme, Le Salon du Livre Caen was held in a number of marquees, but here in Caen, these were placed within the remains of the castle walls which also housed a permanent art gallery (currently exhibiting a show by Alberto Giacometti) and sculpture garden, where nine sizeable representations of mythological creatures sculpted in aluminium by Huang Yong Ping stood atop tall wooden poles.

Around a quarter of the exhibition space in the main marquee consisted of incredibly talented bande desinée auteurs, among them Baru (Road to America), Edmond Baudoin, Didier Cassegrain, Tierry Gioux, Christophe Quet and Jerome Lereculey. Also Fred Duval, who is currently writing six or seven concurrent album series (he can't actually remember how many), which is an impressive workload.
Caen, so the locals were fond of telling me, is the resting place of William the Conqueror (or according to Wikipedia, just his left femur following some revolutionary troubles); and the town was almost completely destroyed in battles during the Second World War. One of the few surviving streets is Rue Froide, home to no less than four bande desinée bookshops, including the 16th Century building that houses La Cour des Miracles. In fact, Caen is just crammed with bookshops in general, 23 in total, most of which are so concentrated in one small area of the town that you could cover them with a blanket.

My hosts Jean-Marie, his wife Sophie and their staff and helpers Nicolas, Lucie, Stuart, Stephane and Olivier kept me plied with drinks and snacks all weekend, and all of whom who could speak English to a vastly superior standard than my French. Thanks guys, you really made my weekend! Especially when rescuing me from the Mayor’s reception at the Town Hall and taking me to a rather extraordinary clubhouse, walls lined with surrealistic art and sculptures in glass and metal, with a rockin’ French DJ, crazy dancing and a selection of buffet food and alcohol. A refreshing contrast to the Bristol Expo’s Saturday night booze-up in the Ramada bar.
I couldn’t help smiling to myself at the accuracy of the French stereotype, drinking red wine, smoking, their love of British music, coolness and political awareness. The Fair was disrupted for an hour or so due to parents protesting against a cut in teacher numbers by singing and chanting. The attendees took it all in their stride. Nicolas shrugged, “We are French. We are revolutionaries.”
I experienced another insight into the French BD reader's psyche en route to Paris on the home leg of my journey. A well-dressed young woman boarded the train, sat down near me, took a album from her bag and proceeded to read the whole book, without any apparent embarrassment; something I have never seen in the UK.
I must not forget to thank Sophie Bentot for seamlessly taking care of my travel arrangements and accommodation. Of course, travelling to events such as these have their drawbacks. Apart from being away from my girlfriend and dogs, I had to suffer screaming kids on Eurostar, trudging across the Paris metro, distinctly average hotels and unfamiliar and occasionally unpalatable food. But on balance, it was hugely enjoyable, highly successful and extremely memorable trip, and I have promised (without a hint of irony) that I will return when Strangehaven volume four is published.

What's my name again?

2008-05-15T17:35:00.004Z

photo by Sean Azzopardi

I'm still recovering from the fallout of my attending the Bristol Comic Expo last weekend, with plenty of follow-up emails and admin to take care of, but I just had to share this craftily compiled musical montage by former Bristol 'Festival' organiser and founder Kev F Sutherland.
Keep watching and you may just notice a brief, mute cameo by the writer of this very blog.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre's Bristol souvenir video
The Expo was great fun as always with an increased attendance, soaring temperatures and a slew of old friends and colleagues. It also saw the debut of Draw Fantasy Figures, Strangehaven pendants and Strangehaven canvas giclees. A more detailed report will follow if I get the time.

Appearance News

2008-05-05T13:49:00.002Z

While in the midst of preparing myself for my annual appearance at the rather splendid Bristol Comics Expo next weekend, I have been alerted to a very positive review of the Strangehaven series so far on the Forbidden Planet International Blog Log. Written by the former Nostalgia & Comics staffer Richard Bruton, you can read it for yourself here. During the month of May, I will also be travelling to France as guest of my French Publisher Akileos and the Caen City Council to appear at the 7th annual Caen book festival, or to give its indigenous title Salon de Livre. Obviously I have been rather tardy in my recent updates for website and blog, but I hope to rectify this with in the near future. Unfortunately, there is still no definite date for the resumption of the Strangehaven series, but it is still a live, ongoing project and news will eventually be published on this website first.

Happy New Year

2008-01-03T15:16:00.000Z

Wishing all my friends, family, readers and business associates a wonderfully happy, healthy and prosperous 2008!
My New Year's resolution? More Strangehaven I guess. Fingers crossed.

wizards and warriors

2007-10-23T22:19:00.000Z

Actual bona fide proof that I have not been entirely idle over the past eighteen months comes in the form of the publication of Draw Fantasy Figures, an instructional book that would not have been possible without the astonishing artistic contribution of the wondrous James McKay.

It's intended for 'beginners of all ages,' so if you are looking for a Christmas gift for a gifted young nephew or niece then it may be just the thing.

It's 96 full-colour pages chocked with useful tips and stage-by-stage creation of wizards, princesses, warriors, elves and suchlike.

As I understand it, it should be available on both sides of the Atlantic at an exceedingly reasonable price from all good bricks-and-mortar as well as online retailers around about now.

More details can be found on the New Holland Publishers website here.

As a footnote, James and I are currently working on a sequel, Draw Dragons and Other Fantasy Beasts (working title) which is scheduled for publication around this time in 2008. Expect a few reminders before then on this here blog thingy.

community spirit

2007-10-23T22:04:00.000Z

Those rather lovely chaps over at AOL's comics community website Comics Alliance, specifically the young Mr. Wayne Beamer, have recently posted a rather blushingly positive piece on Strangehaven which you can view here with the merest click of your mouse.
Thanks guys, I am not quite gone and not quite forgotten either.

not dead

2007-09-02T20:01:00.000Z

Well I must admit, it has been some time since I posted to this blogspot and following a number of concerned emails from caring readers of Strangehaven, I thought it best to allay some of the more hysterical fears by a short post here.
Gary Spencer Millidge is alive and well. The lack of posts over recent weeks are due to a number of reasons, primarily being incredibly busy with non-comic related and comic-related work, and also a lack of web-posting computer.
Taking the second point first, an unfortunate accident finally did for my trust laptop computer, and the resultant insurance claim took several weeks longer than anticipated due to the UK's summer floods. But it was finally resolved and I am now typing this on my brand new, shiny, powerful yet affordable replacement notebook computer.
As for the work aspect, well the freelancer's lot is usually a lot of time spent chasing new jobs without reward, then a sudden influx of work with concurrent deadlines, which is where I am at present.
The implications on the Strangehaven publishing schedule is rather complicated, as a combination of looking for paying jobs and obtaining a few of them, either adequate time or financing has been a problem to enable me to set a schedule for the next issue. The sporadic and infrequent publishing rate of Strangehaven has always been a concern, and I am anxious to get enough material amassed prior to any further premature announcements.
In a nutshell, Strangehaven is not dead. Strangehaven is still ongoing, and the publication date of the next issue will be announced when I am sure it can be met. In the meantime, my apologies to my loyal and patient readership, you will see the conclusion to the series one day. Future convention appearances have been shelved for the time being, to allow me more time to concentrate on producing new work, and also, rather pathetically to avoid the inevitable 'when's the next issue out?' type questions.
As for the other projects I have been alluding to, I will post more about those here as soon as I have the opportunity.

i'm taking the costa brava plane

2007-03-09T21:44:00.000Z

For the second year in a row I have been invited to attend the Alicante University comic convention, 'Unicomic' on the east coast of Spain. Last year it clashed with our previously booked vacation at Center Parcs and I had to pass, but this year I was able to accept. It takes place at the end of the month and this will be my first professional appearance at a Spanish show. Planeta DeAgostini have already published all three Strangehaven volumes in Spanish.
The crucial dates are Thursday March 29th to Saturday 31st, and I am supposed to be taking part in some kind of 'conference' or 'talk' on the Friday afternoon.
I have no idea what to expect (you now know as much as I do), but the list of last year's guests was rather impressive; Stuart Immonen, Eduardo Risso and Michael Kaluta among them. Their website is still promoting last year's event, but I expect it will be updated sooner or later.
Alicante University Unicomic website

taking it to the max

2007-02-17T11:45:00.000Z

DC Thompson, owners of the world famous Beano launched a new monthly this week - Beano Max. It's an upscaled version of the weekly comic and it's hard to judge from this first issue how it will pan out. It's a special Comic Relief tie-in and as such has a wonderful array of guest stars popping up in the usual Beano strips - a runaway dalek in the Bash Street Kids, Jamie Oliver in Olive's Kitchen, a particularly unflattering portrayal of Jonathan Ross in Dennis the Menace and footballers Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard in Ball Boy.
There's even a reference to the fact that Lampard and Gerrard can't play together in England's midfield! Football criticism from the Beano! Whatever next?
I think it's probably the first time a Chelsea player has featured in The Beano (and if there have been any others please do let me know) and it's certainly the first time someone I've met has appeared in the pages of the offshoot of the esteemed comic magazine.
If that's not reason enough to buy a copy, there are also three free gifts including a whoopee cushion. This may make finding a mint copy somewhat nigh on impossible, but it's an unmissable package all the same. I wonder how future issues will compare without the celebrity guests though.
Beano Max on the Beanotown website

winter wonderland

2007-02-08T21:19:00.000Z

Today, it snowed. Then it thawed a bit. Pretty while it lasted.
For once, the forecasters got it right, but after the glorious sunshine of the last couple of days here in the south east of England, the cold and wet was still a bit of a shock to my delicate system.

watching the watchmen

2007-01-26T22:26:00.000Z

Recently received in my mailbox was my complimentary copy of the 20th Anniversary Watchmen tribute book from Italian publishers Lavieri. It's a 240 page trade paperback containing articles and illustrations from a wealth of comics talent including Giuseppe Camuncoli, Eduardo Risso, Jay Stephens, Dave Hitchcock and Chris Weston.
It was put together by my co-editor of the Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman book, smoky man, and as you might suspect, all profits are going to aid suffers of Alzheimer's disease. It has a fantastic cover as you can see here featuring Gabriele Dell'Otto's paints over Dave Gibbons pencils.
The volume also includes my own interpretation of Silk Spectre II.
Unfortunately the whole bloody thing is in Italian, so I can't read any of it. But the pictures are just lovely.
If you're an insane completist of all things Watchmen, or you can read Italian you can read more about it on the Lavieri Comics website here.

what's in a blad?

2007-01-26T21:56:00.000Z

Don't you just hate those trendy job-specific buzzwords? What I've been working on this week is a blad which I had been commissioned to supply.
Unless you're 'in publishing' you may not have any idea what a blad is. I certainly didn't when I was asked to create one, and I'm a publisher. Fortunately, the commissioning editor explained in greater detail; it's a document for internal use at a publisher which consists of several example double-page spreads, a cover, content pages and selling points for a proposed book. From this, the publisher and their partners decide whether to commission the book proper.
Obviously I can't really say any more at this stage, apart from the fact that it's another 'how-to' type book.
Speaking of which, I also signed off the final colour proofs last week for the Draw Fantasy Figures book that I put together with the spectacular James McKay, so with any luck you will be able to see that in the Autumn.

they're all gone now

2007-01-16T14:01:00.000Z

The second (and in all probability, final) printing of the Alan Moore: Portrait of an Extraordinary Gentleman book has just sold out. Diamond has taken the last few off my hands in order to cover a remaining handful of outstanding book store orders.
It's a project that I am immensely proud of, and to see the last copies trickle out of the door fills me with both pride and a little sadness.
You can read a little more about it in the millidge.com news section here.

the panel is back

2007-01-15T14:27:00.000Z

Silver Bullet Comics' The Panel is back up-and-running with an industry-wide survey of the top five comic-related highlights of 2006.
As a regular contributor to The Panel, compiled by the ever-resourceful James Redington, you can read what my favourites of last year were right here.

hard boiled eggs and nuts

2007-01-13T09:25:00.000Z

Pets, they certainly weren’t my idea, I can tell you. In addition to all the usual Christmas festivities, we here at Abiogenesis Towers have had to contend with a couple of pet-related incidents which haven’t exactly facilitated my preparations for the New Year as regards the new issue of Strangehaven and the like.
Almost inevitably, both Mandy and I came down with head colds, probably picked up over the Christmas break at one of the festive get-togethers with friends and family. My guess is at Liam and Donna’s New Year eve party where there were certainly a number of sniffles around and lots of kissing on the lips.
Anyway, once Mandy had recovered and gone back to work, I was suffering from the peak of this particular virus.

Then, Billy Whiz the whippet started throwing up and refusing food. Billy has always been sympathetic to the ‘eat now, vomit later’ canine philosophy and was especially partial to aerial ejections from Monty macaw’s food bowl. This includes whole (shelled) Brazil nuts, which are both poisonous and indigestible to dogs. So, after several days of attempting to remove bile stains from the carpet, we decided that a visit to the local veterinarian was in order.
After an inconclusive x-ray and negative tests for pancreatitis and other conditions, exploratory surgery was deemed necessary. The culprit for Billy’s poorly state was revealed under the knife; a whole pecan nut in its shell causing a serious blockage in Billy’s small intestine.

Various theories exist which may explain the presence of this rather unusual object in Billy’s belly, as pecans are not indigenous to these isles, but if he did indeed swallow it whole from the vicinity of Monty’s stand, it was many man moons ago.
Billy is currently recovering slowly (and still dripping blood over soft furnishings) at home under the nursing care of a former cartoonist. It should also be noted that the cost of treatment currently stands at £712.00 ($1388.00) not including carpet and upholstery cleaning.

All this while we were still recovering from the shock of discovering that our 11 year-old military macaw Monty is not actually a male bird as was previous assumed, but is in fact a female. Suspicions were aroused by occasional bouts of nest-building and a rather familiar cycle of mood swings, but after calling the bird “he” for many years, it was difficult to change to “she” without definitive sexing. And unlike other bird species, male military macaws are visibly indistinguishable from their sexual counterparts without DNA testing.

Unless that is, they start laying eggs. Which is what Monty started doing just before Christmas. Just one at first, then after a few day’s rest, a second smooth white egg appeared in the bottom of little miss Monty’s cage. No wonder he… er, I mean she had been making some rather odd squawking noises in the days leading up to the unexpected arrivals.

[By the way, as regards to the title of this piece, we didn’t hard boil Monty’s eggs (not even soft boil them), I in fact refer to my all-time favourite Laurel& Hardy quote from ‘County Hospital.’]