Tuesday, 24 January 2012

PJ Holden features in new comics documentary, The Invisible Artist?





The comic booklet: once a mass market media form, some would argue it has all but disappeared from newsagents shelves in the last 20 years - but comic creation continues apace across the UK, including Northern Ireland.

A new film released via Vimeo online, featuring comic artists such as STRIP Magazine artist PJ Holden, explores the hidden heritage of Belfast-centric cartooning that goes back centuries.

More recently, the vibrant underground publishing scene there, from The Belfast People's Comic (1977) to Patrick Brown's The Cattle Raid of Cooley (2011), has begun to attract attention from establishment arts bodies. The Invisible Artist look at the stories of committed creators in this black sheep media and how they have informed our contemporary culture.

The Invisible Artist was written by Andrew Luke and filmed and edited by Carl Boyle of Greater Belfast community group Northern Visions TV. Once a training ground for Channel 4 film-makers, NVTV is free-to-view, and hosts its programmes on Channel 62/799.276MHz in Belfast, with a weekly and omnibus edition, before joining the archive screenings looped rotation.

Shows also appear online in the months after airing. NVTV are hoping to raise their broadcasts to appear on Freeview next year. This film was originally screened on 7 November at 4:30pm, and again on 12th, at approximately 12:30.

"I'm indebted to Carl Boyle for stepping in to cover the editing and production when my workload became too heavy to cope," says Andrew of the production. "The documentary was shot in a short space of time in early 2011 and captures the vibrancy of the time.

"In many ways, The Invisible Artist? is also the story of Davy Francis, a man at the crossroads of four decades of comics creation in Belfast. I'd like to thank Carl, Davy, Paddy Brown, PJ Holden (who called by at the last minute to help out), and everyone who gave their time to make this film happen."

View the film on Vimeo here

Saturday, 21 January 2012

Ride the Weird Frontier with Print Media's latest graphic novel

We're pleased to announce the publication of the much-praised graphic novel Frontier: Dealing with Demons, an all-ages 'Weird Western' by Jason Cobley and Andrew Wildman.

The Wild West... and Daisy Adams is suddenly all alone, living on the plains, left with her father's old coat and a catapult. Then Mitch Seeker, the son of a sheriff, runs into her life. And they've been running ever since, chasing werewolves, ghosts and demons, on a quest to track down the man who turned them both into orphans and unleashed weirdness into the Wild West.

In 1866, out on the Frontier, things got Weird. History failed to record everything that happened, but Daisy wrote it all down in her diaries.

In Frontier, we follow Mitch and Daisy as they seek justice but end up finding more adventure and danger than they counted on. It's weird. It's wild. It happened out west!

First published in the acclaimed Random House weekly comic The DFC, Print Media Productions is delighted to bring you this collection of Britain's weirdest western comic – Frontier. Weaving an engaging, adventure-filled tale of derring-do in the American West, this collected edition of Frontier: Dealing with Demons from Jason Cobley and Andrew Wildman includes additional feature material, including pages from Daisy's secret diary and reveals just how the story was created.

"Cobley and Wildman put the 'Wild' into the Wild West with Frontier," says the BBC's David Gilyeat of this story. "Imagine True Grit spun out into an ongoing action adventure serial, with a weird and wonderful script and sprightly, dynamic artwork. Oh, and with really cool monsters."

"A great comic needs three things: dynamic art, original and thrillingly-paced storylines, and characters we can root for," enthuses Dave Morris, creator of Mirabilis, also published by Print Media. "The team of Jason Cobley and Andrew Wildman are unsurpassed on all counts, and Frontier shows them at the top of their game. Put it on your Wanted poster right now."

Frontier – now being considered as a possible TV series with a trailer shot earlier this year -- will appeal to anyone who's ever enjoyed a cowboy film or comic, but has an added fantasy element that will draw in plenty more readers. With great characters, werewolves, ancient gods and demons and a bad guy that bullets can't kill, there's plenty to enjoy!

Writer Jason Cobley (Interviewed in STRIP Magazine Issue 3, on sale now in all good UK comic shops and for iPad) has adapted Dracula, Frankenstein and An Inspector Calls as graphic novels, working with artists Staz Johnson, Declan Shalvey and Will Volley to bring the classics to new life.

As well as working as a teacher for almost two decades, he has written the adventures of Captain Winston Bulldog for almost as long, with a variety of UK comic artists including Neill Cameron, most notably in the epic Bulldog: Empire. Based in East Anglia, holding back the sea with just a dustbin lid and some twine, Jason is currently working on a children's fantasy adventure novel The Legend of Tom Hickathrift, due out from Mogzilla later in 2012.

Frontier artist Andrew Wildman is an illustrator of some 25 years industry experience. His work has been used in advertising and publishing but it is for his work in the field of comics that he is best known, illustrating for books such as Transformers, The X-Men, Spider-Man and Venom. Further work includes character and environment design as well as storyboarding and animated movie production for the Video Games industries on projects such as Wing Commander, The Mummy, Gunlok, Jesse James: Gunfighter, Delta Force and Dredd versus Death.

Andrew was also Head Character Designer for the animated TV shows Legend of The Dragon and Zorro: Generation Z, Production Designer on the children’s animated TV show The Matt Hatter Chronicles and storyboard artist for the BBC on The Fades and Doctor Who.

He's currently collaborating again with Simon Furman on the eagerly anticipated Transformers comic book series, Transformers: ReGeneration One and is also creating a Children’s TV series with Bob the Builder scriptwriter Simon Jowett and developing his own Graphic Novel, HORIZON.

SALES DATA

Title: Frontier
Creators: Jason Cobley (writer) Andrew Wildman (artist and cover) Release Date: 28th January 2012
Format: Hardcover Graphic Album
Page Count: 68
Publisher: Print Media Productions Ltd.
Web: www.printmediaproductions.com
ISBN-10: 0956712134 ISBN-13: 9780956712134
Product Dimensions: 31.5 x 23.5 cm
List Price: £14.99

HOW BOOK SHOPS CAN ORDER COPIES 

Print Media Productions books are available to order by bookshops through Gazelle Books: www.gazellebookservices.co.uk. Tel: +44 (0) 1524 68765 or Fax: +44 (0) 1524 63232.
Email Customer Services: sales@gazellebooks.co.uk

ORDERING THROUGH YOUR LOCAL COMIC SHOP 

Print Media Production titles are available to order by UK comic shops through Diamond Comic Distributors, Canalside, Warrington Road, Manor Park Industrial Estate, Runcorn, Cheshire WA7 1SN. Web: www.diamondcomics.com

Thursday, 29 December 2011

STRIP Magazine rides with the Devil!

Here's the cover to Issue 3 of STRIP Magazine, on sale in UK comic shops next month.

The Devil's Heritage is a new strip to the title, by Jerome Felix and Paul Gastine. A mystery adventure set in pre-World War 2 France, the art is gorgeous and we think you'll enjoy it.

First published in France by Bamboo, this is our first ongoing story from continental creators.

Also in the issue:

• A special Black Ops Extreme 'flashback' story drawn by Nick Dyer - whose art on this issue's Strip Challenge entry, Black Dragon, secured him the commission

• Wizard Wex battles a deadly monster in Age of Heroes from James Hudnall and John Ridgway

• Young Mia is drawn deeper into an ancient battle of the gods in Warpaint by Phil Hester and John McCrea

• Can a shark expert put an end to Hook Jaw in our classic strip from Ken Armstrong and Ramon Sola?

• Who is Bogey-Man Bob?

We've also got interviews with comic creators Jason Cobley and John Ridgway - and a special retrospective feature on Starlord, 2000AD's short-lived stablemate, the comic that first brought Britain Strontium Dog!

Issue 3 is on sale in January 2012. Happy New Year!

Friday, 16 December 2011

STRIP Magazine Issue 2 On Sale Now

STRIP Magazine #2 is on sale now in all good UK comic shops, including many offering mail order.


In STRIP Magazine Issue Two, with a cover by Rufus Dayglo...

Black Ops Xtreme Part 2, written by John Freeman and drawn by PJ Holden: the team are sent to South America to kill a dangerous terrorist!
Warpaint Part 2 by Phil Hester and John McCrea: Mia learns more about an ancient war!
Age of Heroes Part 2 by James Hudnall and John Ridgway: the magician Wex battles for his life against deadly monsters!
Recovery Inc. by Michael Penick and Dean Deckard: the company is hired to retrieve a top secret stolen prototype!
Hook Jaw, re-mastered by Jim Campbell and Gary Caldwell: Joy over an oil strike turns sour as the great white shark Hook Jaw attacks!
• 'Cold Hard Facts' - a man from the 20th Century finds the future is not the paradise he expected
• The second winner of our 'Strip Challenge' - "The Citadel Codex", set in ancient Mexico

PLUS - an exclusive interview with comic artist John McCrea, British comics news, a competition to win copies of Paul Gravett's new book 1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die and the new collection of Alan Grant and Arthur Ranson's Mazeworld; and a sneak preview of Crucible, one of the new strips coming up next year STRIP Magazine!

You can now subscribe to Strip Magazine online at www.printmediaproductions.com at our introductory rates as advertised in Issue 1 of our new magazine.

STRIP Magazine #2 is also available from iTunes

• Visit www.printmediaproductions.com to subscribe 

Buy STRIP Magazine #2 from ForbiddenPlanet.com


Buy STRIP Magazine #1 from ForbiddenPlanet.com  


Tuesday, 6 December 2011

STRIP Magazine #2 Digital Edition on sale now

The iPad-only digital edition of STRIP Magazine #2 is now on sale from iTunes - again in advance of the print edition.

Due to a small but unexpected delivery delay from Bosnia, the print edition will not be on sale until 14th December, for which we apologize.

Subscriber copies should be with our subscriptions department this week, along with a limited re-stock of Issue 1 for subscribers who have asked to start their sub from our first issue.

In STRIP Magazine Issue Two, with a cover by Rufus Dayglo...

Black Ops Xtreme Part 2, written by John Freeman and drawn by PJ Holden: the team are sent to South America to kill a dangerous terrorist!
Warpaint Part 2 by Phil Hester and John McCrea: Mia learns more about an ancient war!
Age of Heroes Part 2 by James Hudnall and John Ridgway: the magician Wex battles for his life against deadly monsters!
Recovery Inc. by Michael Penick and Dean Deckard: the company is hired to retrieve a top secret stolen prototype!
Hook Jaw, re-mastered by Jim Campbell and Gary Caldwell: Joy over an oil strike turns sour as the great white shark Hook Jaw attacks!
• 'Cold Hard Facts' - a man from the 20th Century finds the future is not the paradise he expected
• The second winner of our 'Strip Challenge' - "The Citadel Codex", set in ancient Mexico

PLUS - an exclusive interview with comic artist John McCrea, British comics news, a competition to win copies of Paul Gravett's new book 1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die and the new collection of Alan Grant and Arthur Ranson's Mazeworld; and a sneak preview of Crucible, one of the new strips coming up next year STRIP Magazine!

Buy STRIP Magazine #2 from iTunes
You can now subscribe to Strip Magazine online at www.printmediaproductions.com at our introductory rates as advertised in Issue 1 of our new magazine.

Until 15th December 2011 a six-issue subscription costs £14.99 including handling and a 12-issue subscription costs £25.99.

Payment is currently by Paypal online - or you can send a cheque or postal order made payable to Print Media Productions to PMP (Subscriptions), PO Box 721, Lancaster LA1 4XE.

If mailing, please ensure you include your name and address, email and daytime telephone number and clearly state how many issues you are subscribing for and which issue you want to subscribe from.

From 15th December 2011 our subscriptions will be at the normal rate of £16.90 (6 issues) and £33.90 (12 issues).

• Visit www.printmediaproductions.com to subscribe 
Buy STRIP Magazine #2 from iTunes
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