to end all wars

A Fistletoe Full of Dollars

Andrew Leave a comment

Hello Your Self!

Oh its been a buggerous few months – no credits, ISP bothers, no credits again, no credits again. When there’s barely heat and light you can’t fault me for not sending Christmas cards. I’ve tried to make up by writing a pantomime in prose for the Belfast Writers Group. It’s a contemporary re-telling of Robin Hood, as Jetfire, Thomas Carnacki and Captain Heller lead a revolt against Daniel Cameron’s Brutally Britannia. Maybe you’ll get to read ‘Christmas, Live!’, here, later.

BoB preview

Bottomley – Brand of Britian by myself, Ruairi Coleman and John Robbins is ready and complete for To End All Wars, published by Soaring Penguin Press next year. Start saving.

My new chum Daryl Shaw reviewed ‘Skin of the Teeth’,

Wow great work! I was immediately pulled in with the detail in your writing, It had me visualising early every line which was great! Loved the references.. it was fast paced which I enjoyed, kept thinking of Peter Davidson/Tennent Doctor doing all the running about while reading this… the amount of detail & description put into this.

You can still buy ‘Twelve‘ from Lulu priced £3.00 digital and £10.00 in paperback.

It looks like Daryl and I are working on ‘The Watch Thief’ together in the New Year. If looks could be gold fortunes.

I’m moving house this winter as of now and a delighted postman giggly brought my first piece there. This notification of address by our most beloved Mr. Sean Duffield, UPDATED TO REFLECT MY NEW NEW ADDRESS (20/03/2014)

aDDRESS

It’s okay Tracey Emin, I got your card.

Tracey Emin

Last, but most importantly is TARDIS, the results of the Midwinter Comics Retreat.

Jennys Bike

We tried to make it as confusing and non-linear as previous MCR comics but I think we failed. It’s a coherent tribute to our late great darling Debra Boyask, Fun Princess of Comics, that she would have been okay with.

Tardis

‘Tea and Relative Diffusions‘ is a comic by myself, Jay Eales, Selina Lock, Jenny Linn Cole, Lee Kennedy, Terry Wiley,  Sophie Mobbs and Alan Rowell. You can download it for free from http://www.factorfictionpress.co.uk/TeaRelativeweb.pdf

Andys right

Merry Christmas Your Arse xo

Blog: Creativity and Collaboration

Andrew 1 Comment

My hearts not really in any of the pieces I’ve started: nothing that would allow me to finish them in an hour.

Tonight, I’m producing  an audio segment for Stephen Millar and Colm Clarke‘s WAB FM project which enjoys a brief resurrection at Belfast’s Golden Thread Gallery as part of a Catalyst Arts retrospective. I’ve a special idea in mind for this. Listen for ‘The Call’ at the gallery over the next month, or on this site.

I got two or three DJ spots on Wab FM with my sometimes collaborator, Richard Barr. We’ve some flash-fic showing up here over the next month. There’s also plans for the two of us to work with our friend, Irish comix artist, letterer and playwright John Robbins. After a year of failed projects, I’m looking forward to a more organic return to work. If I could give one piece of advice to somebody wanting to make comics as a career, it’s this: don’t, and secondly, work with people you like and trust and only them.

One happy exception to that this year has been with Ruairi Coleman. I saw Ruairi’s work at 2d last year and got him on board hours before Uproar Comics spotted him and did the same. He’s been the lead artist on three issues of their Zombies Hi! comic, and is now doing some stuff for Rob Curley’s Atomic Diner imprint. Ruairi has been drawing from my script for “Brand of Britain” for the “To End All Wars” book published by Soaring Penguin Press and due out before next June. There’s been a lot of reference to follow, and a lot of editorial demands and Ruairi has been handling it all very professionally. I have set things I want to do however the process of creation is organic. Making comics or any creative work is not factory work: it’s communication and needs communication period.

To End All Wars, Soaring Penguin Press, 2014 (Image creator unknown)

Some relationships haven’t worked out this year. I’ve bowed out of Studio NI’s Skeletons in the Closet collection and Borderline Press’s Zombre over creative disagreements. I think when I’m not being paid for a job, it’s perfectly acceptable to walk away in some circumstances. Creativity is not an obligation, it’s a freedom.

The project I’m most excited about at the moment is a solo project due out in oh ho about two weeks. I’ve been very lucky to have been blessed with an editor who took my work and made changes to make it better. I know! Imagine my shock. Here’s another teaser from the project:

Part of a clockwork with a dial

 

And there’s a few bloggers I should probably be talking with this week. Get in touch with my agent if you’d like to run something.

(yeah, I’m still my own agent)