David Maybury | Blog

Head over to dublincitycomiccon.com for more info on the weekend of fun, pictures and well… comics.

I haven’t disappeared, just been plenty busy with all of the happenings around Dublin over the last few days - including Octocon over the weekend. I got to meet some of the who-be-whats-its and writers of fantasy and science fiction, including the loverly Sarah Rees Brennan (who’s Demon Lexicon is coming out next year) and to hear some interesting characters talk about things I barely understood.

Saturday was Free Comic Book Day too and was run alongside 24 Hour Comic Book Day in the Central Dublin Hotel. I met the loverly Clíodhna Lyons who filled me in on all things comic booky - and if you haven’t already, get yourself out and pick up Clíodhna’s comic anthology “Sorry I can’t take your call right now but I’m off saving the world”.

Cathy Hopkins and Jenny Valentine (chaired by Patricia Kennon) are in town today to talk about writing for teenagers - details are here - and the UCD Creative Writing anthology Anything But Simple is being launched - details are over on you-know-who’s blog.

And finally - tomorrow will see yours truly and some very talented people take to the stage to read as part of Flip Flop, the Children’s Theatre Festival, in Dún Laoghaire. Hope to see you there!

Remember Rice Boy (pictured), linked here?

Well he’s back. Sort of. It’s Evan Dahm, the man behind the boy, who is back. This time with a webcomic based 100 years before the Rice Boy comic - Order of Tales.

I’ve just started and have been sucked in all over again.
Enjoy!

I’m getting to this one a bit late - Scamp, Comic Cast and the Forbidden Planet Blog all nodded to it yesterday - but the comic anthology in aid of GOAL is definitely worth a mention or two.

30 artists were given the the phrase I’m sorry I can’t take your call right now but I’m off saving the world and the 96 page anthology is the end product.

There’s a launch for the book at 9pm on Saturday (13 September) in Thurles, Co Tipperary but if you can’t make that don’t panic - the book’ll be available to buy for €7 online from 20 September. (Plans are already afoot for a Dublin release party) All of the proceeds from the anthology are being donated to GOAL and the book is dedicated to Conor Lyons, who died in Sri Lanka working for the charity.

Have a look at the GOAL anthology website for more on the contributors, the idea and a link to Cliodhna’s blog (the mastermind behind it all).

Update: The Comic Cast guys have Cliodhna on the show for an interview and the details for the Dublin launch are confirmed as Sunday September 21 at 9pm in the Stag’s Head.

A year already? The plans for this years 24 Hour Comic Day have been not-so-spuriously leaked onto the interweb. From the 18 until the 19 October readers, artists and the clinically curious will come together at the Central Hotel in Dublin for… well, for 24 hours of comics.

Saturday 18 will also be the first Irish Free Comics Day - with, hopefully, free comics by Irish writers/artists and small presses available around Ireland.

Details are at irish24hourcomics.com and on boards.ie.

Looking forward to it.

One week after this post. Camera pans across Dublin, the same route through the city as the week before. It is another overcast morning, a Thursday this time. Zoom in on the window of an apartment building - there is the same silhouette of a man. You can hear him wailing in agony now, his entire body shaking as he sobs. Finally he stops, his shoulders sag forward and he hangs his head. He is sitting at a desk using a computer. The camera enters through the window and you can see he is using a laptop. More books, pages and empty bottles of lucozade, maybe now a vodka too, clutter up the work space.

Move the camera over the man’s shoulder and focus on the laptop screen:

Couple that news with Diane Duane’s theory on why Harry Potter was moved and it could read as though Warner Brothers are preparing for a delay on Watchmen (court case dependent). More on the Guardian, the Guardian Film Blog and BBC.

Other news in the world of superheroes on the silver screen:
> Who are the next superheroes to appear on the silver screen? Independent UK has a look.
> DC’s Sleeper will be head up by Tom Cruise and produced by Spiderman’s Sam Raimi. RTE.ie had the good/bad news.

And we’re back. Plenty to catch up on so expect a few link posts to follow for a few days. Managed to read Eoin Colfer’s new Artemis Fowl over the weekend - brilliant, paradoxically confusing and delivered with the usual one line humor that you have come to expect.

On to some links:

> Writers’ behaving badly? Not any more.
> The Irish Times Comic Con review.
> More Comic Con fun on the Guardian.
> Yet More Comic Con revelations. And even more here.
> Was the Dark Knight too old for its viewers? The Irish Independent thinks so.
> RTE’s The Buzz has a ‘How To Draw’ page. Something to do at lunch…
> Richard Kidd’s obituary from the Independent.
> Observer Round Up last week - Kate Thompson, Patricia McCormick, Valérie Zenatti and EL Konigsburg.
> Guillermo Del Toro gets his Hobbit hat on. Times UK.

And in case you missed it, like I did, Stephanie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn was launched last week too. Huzzah!

Fancy a chance to win a snappy special edition by Kyle Baker? The Guardian is running a competition to mark the launch of Danny Finderoth’s The Rough Guide to Graphic Novels (pretty much what it says on the tin). To win one of the prints (or the runner-up prize of Fingeroth’s Rough Guide) all you have to do is answer one quick and easy question…

In Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel about the Holocaust, Maus, the characters are all presented as various types of anthropomorphic animals, according to nationality or race. What animal are the Germans? (Hint)

As a bonus - Fingeroth has a feature choosing his top 10 graphic novels (more books added to the list). Enjoy.

Couldn’t make it to San Diego last week? (No me neither - the jet was in for repair) But there is a lot of noise about it around the web - here’s a few quick links -

• The Times UK has a piece on it - here.
• Time Magazine have a decent run through
• The LA Times has pics and a huge archive of bits and pieces
• Comics Reporter has the Eisner Award Winners
• Neil Gaiman couldn’t make it - but the Coraline figurines did! (ps - Mr Gaiman is in Dublin on 27 October, have I mentioned that already?)
• And of course there is the comic-con website for more.

The most notable absence was Star Trek - no previews, no panels… nothing? But the big winner was Hugh Jackman (X-Men/Wolverine) who wowed the crowds when he went streaming after Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee (funnily enough, Wolverine is one of the only X-Men that Lee didn’t create). Here’s a clip -

Nick Park (the man behind Wallace and Gromit) is heading to the rank and file of the Beano for it’s 70th birthday issue. Well, he won’t quite be rank and file, more editor in chief…

My dream was to draw for The Beano. When I was 10 years old, I started drawing cartoon strips with The Beano in mind. - Nick Park

Time for a trip down memory lane - remember The Bashstreet Kids, The Numskulls and Billy Whizz ? Or the mad looking Gnasher badge that you got when you joined the club?

The new issue is out on Wednesday. Ah, go on.

A couple (literally just two) of comic/illustration/art-work/visually-pleasant launches out and about in Dublin.

First is the joint launch of The Comic Cast (the new place for all things podcast and comicbook) and Gazebo (a new indy comic, this time from Philip Barrett and Liam Geraghty - who just happens to be one half of the The Comic Cast). All the who-be-whats-its of comics will be there, as well as some musicians (Mary Bellos and Schmackey and the Salads) and other people. The madness kicks off tonight at half seven downstairs in Thomas Reads on Dame Street.

And secondly Mr Alan Clarke, that kinda/sorta/maybe/really talented art guy, is opening an exhibition in the Winding Stair Bookshop next week - where, no doubt, all the who-be-whats-its of art, comics, books, publishing, newspapers and meeja will be clambering to get themselves a glass of sparkling rosé and a look/see/ogle at the walls. (The floodgates open at half six on July 17 and will be on display in the bookshop ever after)

>> Also worth a mention: the second best blog name in existence, Liz Maybury.

Alan Moore was on RTE last thursday (the Dave Fanning drivetime show - presented by Eoin Sweeney)

Discussing Lost Girls, his other graphic work, magic and his new novel. Genius (and the only person I know, or well, don’t know really but have seen pictures of, with more beard than Eli Mordino)

Click to listen.

From the pages of Scamp comes the news that Patrick Lynch’s comic Last Bus is being launched tonight at half seven in the Stags Head. According to Senor Lynch himself it deals with ’such weighty themes as public transport, street violence, dream logic and absent friends.’

I’m kicking myself that I can’t make it.

Although, rumour has it that the Stags Head is downright creepy these days anyway. Looking forward to seeing the comic though.

More on comics and their literacy uses elsewhere on the interweb this morning:

Chicken Spaghetti has a great post on new comics for younger readers - and mentions A year of Reading, a blog from two teachers in the US, devoting a week to graphic novels.

And Bookwitch has a sceptical look through at the DFC - I can’t wait to see the first issue.

Have you heard about the 2D Comics Festival yet?*

The what festival?
It’s a two day (Friday - Saturday) comic festival hosted by the Verbal Arts Centre in Derry.

Uh-huh. Comics.
Yeah, seriously. Comics. Who doesn’t love superheroes at some stage? And it is proving a great way to get younger male readers interested in books. In fact, Verbal Arts are running a special day of workshops as part of the festival just for schools.

Okay. So when is it again?
It runs from Friday June 6th till Saturday 7th. In the Verbal Arts Centre.

And is there anyone famous lined up?
Well. Now that you mention it. Alan Martin is going to be there. I think Rufus Dayglo, David Hine, Simon Furman and Mark Stafford are all going to be there too.

Right. I don’t recognize any of these names. Should I?
Too right you should. Head over to the 2D website and have a read. Then book your train ticket.

I think I will.
Good. You do that.

Fine.
Fine.

More about the 2D Comics Festival here. And in issue 14 of Verbal Magazine.

*Conversation may never have happened.

Following this recommendation:

Have you read Rice Boy? Well, WHY NOT!?

I’m reading Rice Boy at the minute. You should too.

I’m sorry I never got to meet Rory Root. He sounds amazing - and judging by all of the notes appearing around the web he worked hard to push comic and graphic novels, in both sales and recognition.

The personal encounters from those who had met him are testament to how important he was: PII, Tom, Warren Ellis, Brian Hibbs, Neil Gaiman, Mark Evanier and dozens more on the Comic Relief dedicated pages.

Comic Relief is open and looks like it will keep going under the same ideals that RR instilled.

> The Poetry Ireland Bookstore is up and running. Some of the best new poetry titles, including Harry Clifton’s new book, at really decent prices. Go on - splash out.

> Andrea Deakin‘s brilliant online newsletter is, ehm, online. (Via AchockaBlog)

> Grammatical correctness. Who could say no to such a move?

> Font Vader. (Made entirely out of Sans Serif fonts!?) Huzzah! (Via Boing Boing)

> Are these the greatest looking libraries in the world? (Via Deputy Dog)

I’m sitting somewhere between procrastination and getting heaps done (about average so) but to keep things ticking over while I’m occupied (some toilet humour) here’s a comics related link dump:

From the mighty Forbidden Planet blog comes news of Macbeth, the graphic novel.

The Times (UK) has a piece on real life superheroes. Rumour has it that you can register yourself as a superhero here.

On the topic of heroes, Whereof one can speak, aka Katherine, has spotted new Lego Marvel Heroes.

Random House has finally launched the long awaited DFC (David Fickling Comics?). £10 for a new comic filled with new material each month - including strips by Philip Pullman, John Aggs and Nick Sharrat. Nice - but will it work?

Word Balloons is another new initiative for kid’s comics - aimed at delivering news to everyone. It’s still a new site though so content is only gathering…

Eoin Purcell has an interesting post on e-book DRM - and Binary or Bust sneak peaks another new format…

And what would a link post be if I didn’t post something from Rick: Missed valentines day? He’s got you covered.

Busy week getting things ready for my week off. Expect plenty of procrastinating blog posts from Monday. For now:

Bookslut has two recommendations: Regina Lynn’s excellent Sexier Sex and the webcomic Next Door Neighbourhless: The True Story. I heart Jessa Crispin.

Stan ‘excelsior’ Lee is heading to Disney. To work on three new projects according to Kung Fu Rodeo. Lee’s not past it. Not at all.

A new comic based on Tori Amos’ music is coming. CBR has the rest. Reminds me of the excellent book that accompanied Frend’s angel she’s a killer release last month.

Can’t remember who linked to it but Reproduckt is worth a click. French and German webcomics to tickle the taste-buds.

Use FontStruct to build your own font. Oddly addictive. Honest. [via Photos.com]

And finally, via the Grand Poo-bah, er Rick: the interweb is watching you on cubo.cc