Posted by Andrew Luke

Comics 2000/1 Chat Room Meet I'm getting a sense of the enormous workload ahead of me, and no doubt many of you in the months up to Comics2001. Congregating our efforts might help us better achieve our goals, for me, it'll be pushing small press comics onto people who wouldn't ordinarily read them. What can we do to increase accessibility? What can we do to make our tables and the products therearound seem more attractive to the uniniated? So therefore, I'm inviting y'all over to hijack the Comics2000 chatroom on Sunday afternoon from around 2pm. I've only been to a few chatrooms so far, and I reckon the main flaw is that very few people there know each other and that it is difficult to keep to a common interest or agenda. Although the 'clique' is one of the comics community's major flaws, even flaws have their weakness. To take part, you'll need to be registered soon with the Comics2000 yahoo group. If you want the hot off press on how the festy is shaping together, it's well worth your while. Once you're registered, make sure you leave a minute or two for the chat room to load up, and another minute or two's allowance if you've never used a chat room before. If this works out, it could be a regular.

1:22 PM |

Posted by Andy (Konky Kru)

The Early Comics Website has been completely rearranged and is pretty cool at the moment. Here are some of the recent additions:

unusually panel-rich creation-of-man 'comic' from 840. (Not sure if one should call it a comic, but it's a better bet than similar sequences.)

4 more Spanish 'cantigas' from 1255. At least one of the stories is absolutely beautiful. And some of the panel-sequences are really striking, very comicky.

short strip from an English 1350 bible, showing Salome dancing around the table, interestingly the people at the table are shown only once, she twice.

The Griselda Story, a rather unpleasant tale after Boccaccio, 1500.

The Hogarth section has been devided into 3 pages, so one can look at the cute 'Before & After' without having to download the two long series.

The earliest version of what was to become 'Katzenjammer Kids', an 1859 comic by Wilhelm Busch presenting two rapscallions, Peter and Hans.

Herbert Crowley 'The Wiggle Much' (1910) A rare strip that was only published for a few weeks in the New York Herald.

Milt Gross 'Dave's Delicatessen' (1931)

C.M. Payne 'Say Pop' (1918)

Olaf Gulbransson 'the artist and his critics'

Clare Briggs 'Mr. and Mrs' (1926)

10:40 AM |

Posted by Pete

Comics 2001 news from Kev Sutherland:

The first contributions to the Comics 2001 Deck Of Cards Charity project for ChildLine can now be seen online.

The world's leading comics artists are illustrating a deck of playing cards, the original artwork for which will be auctioned at the Comics 2001 Festival in Bristol on May 26 & 27 2001, all money going directly to ChildLine

Online are images by Dave Gibbons (Watchmen), Paul Palmer (Korky The Cat from The Dandy), SB Davis (Sinister Dexter from 2000AD), Sean Phillips (Wildcats), Duncan Fegredo (Jay & Silent Bob), Howard Cruse (Wendel) and Dave Windett (The Simpsons). More will be appearing soon.

Artists wishing to contribute to the project, email Comics 2001 Producer Kev F Sutherland

Comics 2001, Britain's Official Annual Comics Festival, takes place at The Watershed Media Centre and The Marriott Royal Hotel, Bristol on May 26 & 27 2001.

9:56 AM |

Posted by mooncat

Chuck Whelon (ex pat) has gorn & redesigned his website.
Click on the 'interactive' stone for a cute guided tour type thing. Pop up-windows timed for comics dialogue... cute.

4:02 AM |

Tuesday, March 13, 2001

Posted by Pete

From another soon to be contributor:

DENNIS THE MENACE - 50 YEARS OF MISCHIEF

D C Thomsons, publisher of the Beano in Dundee, Scotland, have allowed the Trust to borrow some choice examples of original Dennis the Menace artwork including the priceless original artwork by the great David Law of the very first Dennis strip from March 17th 1951.

Also on show are merchandise, comics, annuals and more, including a 'lifesize' 3D model of Dennis.

It opens to the public Monday March 19th till April 20th, open Monday to Friday 12-6pm, admission free, donations to CAT welcome. Nearest tube: Russell Square in just opne minute away, King's Cross and Euston are 5 minutes away.

And we're running one-day Beano comics and animation workshops for all menaces aged 7-14 over the Easter school holidays.

For more contact Paul Gravett
Project Director
British Cartoon Centre

4:11 PM |

Posted by Pete

Anthony Carpendale forgot to take up the offer to contribute to BugPowder and writes:

If anyone's in London on Wednesday 14th March from 8.30pm, has nothing better to do with their evening and can spare a quid, then come to the Synaesthesia film night at Chat's Palace, London...

Screening will be my first two short films -

'SHIRTLIFTER' - the highly acclaimed (by me, anyway) 90-second menswear fetish DV extravaganza starring Seth Hardwick and based on Ralph Kidson's strip in 'Sad Animal'
+
'DOLE SCUM' - 18-minute film comedy based on Nigel Auchterlounie's mini-comic, following the surreal misadventures of two hard-drinking, chain-smoking couch potatoes Frank and Dave. Featuring special guest stars Richard and Judy.
Music by Nightmares On Wax, Air and Ed Haselden.

22 other entertaining shorts will also be screening, and there's a bar.
Night starts at 8.30pm.
Admission - one pound.
Venue - Chat's Palace, 42 Brooksbys Walk, London E9 6DF (nearest rail - Homerton BR). Flyer here [although you have to sign up to something to see it - Pete]

Hope to see some of you there.
Cheers

Ant

Think I might mosey on over meself...

3:26 PM |

Monday, March 12, 2001

Posted by mooncat

Hey! It sometimes strikes you how little you know...

So, there's this (rather racy) British Underground Comics Artist called Antonio Ghura.

Headpress did an interview with him a wee while back and there's a site selling his wares here.

4:02 AM |

Sunday, March 11, 2001

Posted by Pete

Jessica Abel has put more work on the DIY section of the Artbabe site. Specifically there are pieces on the Drawing Process (at least, her version of it) and Materials with illustrations of brushes and such.

Well worth a look for anyone starting out. And a good site all in all.

4:54 PM |

Posted by Pete

Dylan Horrocks has put preview samples of his new title Atlas on his site. This is a sequel of sorts to Hicksville, one of the best comics about comics around.

4:05 PM |

Thursday, March 08, 2001

Posted by Andy (Konky Kru)

Ever heard of the comics publisher Bries? Well, it's a small Belgian outfit that does comics in English. The production values are very nice, second to none. Today I stuck the covers and prices etc. online, here. Anyone living in Britain can also order them from me or Pete, and those with 'access' to London, can get them from the comicshop 'Gosh' opposite the British Museum.

1:53 PM |

Wednesday, March 07, 2001

Posted by Pete

If you've sent a comic or zine to BugPowder to have it mentioned on New and Noted, my apologies but the scanner is down for a week or so. They'll go up as soon as...

If you're thinking of sending something in, be aware that I've moved. contact me for the new address.

4:29 PM |

Posted by Pete

Sim

Some really nice comics with a quite unique, if in places bald, flavour. By all accounts Sim has never been published, even in photocopy form, which is a crying shame. Get thee to a Xerox machine!

4:23 PM |

Monday, March 05, 2001

Posted by Pete

Neil Gaiman, who doesn't do comics any more, is writing another novel. Not the most interesting news but of note because he's keeping an online journal of it's progress from manuscript to published book.

3:34 PM |

Sunday, March 04, 2001

Posted by Andy (Konky Kru)

A minicomic from 1807. A little tale about a little man and a little maid, and perfectly charming. If this hasn't influenced Töpffer (who was 8 at the time) I'll eat my hat. (I'll construct one with potato chips, if need be).
Talking of Töpffer, I scanned the first 25 pages of his first comic (made in 1827) and stuck 'em online as well. Here's the insane plot:


Page 1 - 13 Monsieur Vieuxbois meets the girl, falls head over heels in love (not reciprocated), mopes, tries suicide which fails, tries to win her over again, which fails, tries suicide again, which not only fails but turns the whole town topsy turvy. Pure genius!


Page 14 - 26 Monsieur Vieuxbois in drag! That's him on the left. Before that, he buys and is thrown from a horse, fights a duell, asks for the girl's hand, jumps for joy for hours, get thrown in the slammer for disturbing the peace, engagement is off, another failed suicide, gets robbed, becomes a monk, changes his mind and escapes the convent in drag, is picked up by a chap wearing his clothes, has a date with him, and 'afterwards' takes his clothes back. Phew.

7:27 AM |

Thursday, March 01, 2001

Posted by Pete

Andy Luke's TRS2 February small press reivews are now posted up in TRS2.

10:26 AM |

Posted by mooncat

Ah - remember the The Phenomenal Pyschosense?
Mitzy/Jessica/Suki/(M.Cubley?!) has a site wiv some comics online.

4:47 AM |

Posted by mooncat

Hmmm yet another (not oft populated by the dates) Comics Web Log

2:42 AM |