Behold my feeble excuses! Shudder as I explain what I’ve been up to!

Okay, this one’s gonna be a whistle-stop blog post. Due to a combination of building work, baby preparation and something called ‘Skyrim’, I’m way behind on telling y’all what I’ve been up to of late. So here goes:

 Dandridge Presents A Christmas Ghost Story. This appeared in the Christmas edition of 2000 AD with art by Jon Davis-Hunt and letters by Ellie De Ville. It’s one of those spooky fireside tales albeit set in Dandridge’s spookpunk world where ghosts can be exchanged as gifts... You can read a mini-interview with me about this one at the official 2000 AD website.

 Before succumbing to viral unpleasantness just before Christmas, I managed to sell two more scripts, one to the monthly Judge Dredd Megazine and one to 2000 AD. Tales From The Black Museum: The Girl With The Gila-Munja Tattoo is being drawn by the brilliant David Roach (Batman, Doctor Who and – my favourite – Judge Anderson). It’s the tale of a teenage psychic on the run from a mutant assassin in one of the sleaziest corners of the Meg. This one’ll be out some time soon… For 2000 AD, I sold a Terror Tale that I couldn’t resist writing, having found a travel blog online featuring the world’s creepiest abandoned theme parks. The story’s called Kitsuneland and it’s about two British backpackers who investigate a haunted theme park on the outskirts of Toyko. Gave myself a genuine shiver writing this one. Always a good sign.

Age of the Wolf: She Is Legend Fifteen years after the first series of Age of the Wolf, a strange forest has sprouted from the ruins of London and rune-witch Rowan Morrigan must defend the human survivors against werewolves, ruthless slavers and strange post-apocalyptic cults. This Little Red Riding Hood’s more than a match for the Big Bad Wolf. This ten-parter begins in 2000 AD # 1772 (out 29 February in the UK). You can read the official press release here as well as an interview I did with Comic Book Resources here. I’ve done another interview for the Judge Dredd Megazine; I’ll post an update for this as soon as I find out the date.

 Age of the Wolf Part Three I’m writing this one right now and can’t say much more than it takes place another 30 years after She Is Legend. Aching to tell you more but I can’t just yet...

Whoah, almost forgot. This year’s the 35^th anniversary of 2000 AD. To celebrate, Tharg has commissioned art-droid Chris Weston (Swamp Thing, The Filth, The Authority) to create a stunning ensemble cover featuring some of the most popular characters from what is being hailed as the ‘second golden age’ of the galaxy’s greatest comic. And who’s that puffing on his pipe in the top-left hand corner but Dr Spartacus Dandridge! Really incredibly chuffed to see the good Doctor take his place alongside the likes of Dredd, Johnny Alpha, Zombo, Dirty Frank and Harry Absalom.

You can find out what inspired Chris and how he put together this amazing cover over at Pete Wells’ brilliant blog 2000 AD Covers Uncovered. You can also find out more about Chris Weston’s film, comic and toy work over at his website. 

Til next time...

Click here to read my review of THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICON for SFX magazine

Artist Graeme Neil Reid and myself have told a Tale From The Black Museum, out this month in the Judge Dredd Megazine. Read an illuminating Q&A with Mr Reid and skip the stuff in which I waffle on about something or other  

Tales From The Black Museum returns this month to the pages of the Judge Dredd Megazine (issue 315, out 13 Sept) with the story Slay It With Flowers, featuring art by Graeme Neil Reid and letters by Ellie De Ville.

Click on THIS section of my blogfolio for a little background information on the Black Museum series itself. 

Slay It With Flowers actually counts as my first Dreddworld script and I hope fans will get a kick out of revisiting Father Earth, a fondly remembered villain who first appeared in 2000 AD in 1979. Fans may remember this mutant cult leader from Progs 122-125, when he and his legion of fanatical Cursed Earth followers stormed Mega-City One in an attempt to re-establish nature’s dominion. The leafy lawbreaker’s followers succeeded in blowing up one of the city‘s Power Towers, causing the streets to flood with molten lava. Judge Dredd actually failed to apprehend the villain, who met his demise by attempting to snog a man-eating plant while in a fit of messianic ecstacy. Comics rock.

Golden Graeme

Slay It With Flowers forms a sequel of sorts to the original four-part story written by John Wagner and drawn by two bona fide 2000 AD legends: Brian Bolland and Ron Smith. A tough act to follow, but my compadre Graeme Neil Reid is no slouch himself. His smooth, precise lines and expressive storytelling indicate an artist with a big future in comics ahead of him.

I recently caught up with Graeme and got him to answer a few questions in an attempt to liven up this blog post. Here’s his Q&A…

AW: Who the devil are you and what do you do for a living?

GNR: I'm an illustrator by profession, which still takes me by surprise when I tell people who ask. I‘m not used to saying it for one and it was a bit of a dream job for most of my working life. I used to work in marketing and design for many years, but I always hankered for a life of hardship. So, three or four years back, I made a decision to give full-time illustrating a go. I live in Scotland and I'm part of the Scottish art blog Scotch Corner.

AW: When I wrote in the script that the lead character produces a cigarette lighter, I recall you reminded me that smoking was actually forbidden in Mega-City One! Not even Tharg spotted that one! I take it you’re a teensy bit of a Dredd fan…? How long have you been reading the Prog? 

GNR: Yes, I remember tutting out loud at such a basic Mega-lore mistake. :) I started reading 2000 AD in 1985 and consumed every Prog, Best Of, Mega-Special, Annual and Year Book I could find. It wasn't until I discovered 2000 AD that I became interested in art and storytelling. When I had my first (I won't say only) Dredd story published [The Natural, written by Gordon Rennie with pencils by Graeme, inks by Gary Erskine, colours by Chris Blythe and letters by Annie Parkhouse; Judge Dredd Megazine # 301], I wrote a rather long mini-history about my love for 2000 AD on my blog.

AW: The original Father Earth story was drawn by 2000 AD untouchables Brian Bolland and Ron Smith. A tough act to follow…? Was there any specific approach or practical technique that you employed in drawing this story?

GNR: One of the earliest 2000 AD Annuals I bought had a little section where they showed how Brian Bolland had created the opening page. So I had studied that in-depth long before I eventually read the story in a reprint, probably a Best Of 2000 AD. Yes, Bolland and Smith are hard acts to follow, but thankfully all I had to take from the original story was the flower from Father Earth, although I did try and add some references to the original story elsewhere. For instance, the first panel on page two has a park keeper in the style that Ron Smith drew in the original. He's got a big 'K' on his chest for 'keeper' no doubt. :) Other little things like that, although I did forget to do one 'nod of the head'. From that very first panel drawn by Bolland, we have the female trader holding up a gamma detector, so I was going to draw her into one of the laboratory scenes doing the same thing. So if we could all just imagine I'd remembered to do it that would be cool.

GNR: It was Tharg who asked me to tone the work in greyscale, as per my previous story in 2000 AD [Prog 1713; Terror Tales: Menhir, written by Arthur Wyatt with letters by Simon Bowland]. I'd actually planned not to do it in that same way. The level of work I put into the greyscale is pretty much the same as if I'd just painted the work in colour. Lots of greyscaled strips are produced for 2000 AD and the Megazine and it's entirely up to the artist what level they take this too. Lee Carter has produced work that is essentially fully painted and then you go to the other level where Paul Marshall has inked and toned it with about two shades of grey very sparsely but still very effectively. If I do another greyscale strip for Tharg in the future I'd like to try a different approach. I'm very interested in texture and blocks of colour/grey and would like to experiment with that.

AW: What was your take on the characters and the world of Mega-City One?

GNR: I like to think that every citizen in Mega-City One has a story to tell, no matter how kooky or boring that may be. So it‘s nice to try and give everyone a sense of being, even if they're just standing about in the background. Mentioning Ron Smith again, I think he was a bit of a master for giving his supporting characters a look and life of their own. You can get carried away with trying to show the amazing technical advances that must have occurred and are part of everyday life in the city, but you still have to keep it grounded so that people know what‘s actually happening. I mean, we could all imagine that people have implants that scroll news, messages, time, weather, advertisements in their heads 24hrs a day, but unless that‘s what the story is actually about you have to rely on using real-life items like TV screens for news, people looking at watches for time, etc. Visual everyday clues that make sense.

AW: How would you approach the Dreddworld again were you given the chance to work on another Judge Dredd script?

GNR: With a big grin on my face! Seriously though, I figure you have to approach even dream jobs with the down-to-earth fact of a deadline. Always try harder and produce something you‘re happy with first and foremost. I like experimenting. Sometimes it‘s just a different technique that only I will spot, but it's an added bonus to try something new while drawing very iconic characters. I'd like to try a script that‘s ink only. No photoshop, etc. Old skool, as they say. :) But of course, I'd also like to show off my colour work, especially on a cover!

Graeme’s Garden

You can find out more about Graeme and his work by visiting his fancy website, where you can buy and commission artwork, explore his work outside of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic and generally check out his latest daubings.

As mentioned before, Graeme also has a blog and is a member of the Scottish art collective, Scotch Corner, alongside Thomas Crielly, Gary Erskine, Simon Fraser, Andy Hepworth, Jon Hodgson and Alex Ronald. Graeme also – somehow – finds time to maintain a Twitter feed.

So that’s what Graeme’s been up to. As for me, I’ve just finished writing a one-shot for the Christmas edition of 2000 AD and am now back on another lengthy Prog project that needed finishing about a month ago.

And so, as Orson Welles would say, until next time, til we meet here in the Black Museum for another story, I remain, as always, obediently yours…

Tales From The Black Museum: Slay It With Flowers appears in the Judge Dredd Megazine # 315 (out now) and is available from all comic shops and selected newsagents. See 2000 AD’s official website for subscription and digital download details. 

All images copyright Rebellion A/S

Click here to read my review of TROLL HUNTER for SFX magazine.

I am pert with excitement at the fact that I scripted a three-part story that begins in 2000 AD this week. Read on as I explain how Six Brothers came about and why – like a goth Justin Timberlake – we’re bringing spooky back…

This week’s 2000 AD sees the publication of Six Brothers, a three-part supernatural crime story by me, artist Mike Dowling and letterer Annie Parkhouse. The second story to appear under the newly erected banner of Tharg’s 3rillers, Six Brothers tells the story of three professional thieves – three brothers – who break into a cursed vault.

Having previously been allowed to play with longer multi-episode stories via Age of the Wolf and Dandridge, this was a chance to return to the short story format of the Future Shocks. However, Tharg’s 3rillers allow writers three whole episodes rather than a mere four/five pages. A chance then to experiment with the form a little and allow the characters to breath.

The magic number

When editor Tharg demanded I write him a three-parter (“And make it good, WORL•E! You’re already a typo away from a visit to Mek-Quake!”), I tried to think about how I could exploit the structure of a three-part story beyond the obvious 1.) set-up, 2.) confrontation, 3.) resolution. In other words, I wanted a neat gimmick! I came up with the idea of focusing on three different characters and using each of them to tell a section of the story, rather like a narrative relay race with the baton passed to the next narrator at the end of each episode.

So I kicked off by having these three characters shoot each other in the very first panel! We watch in slow-mo as the first bullet crawls through the air towards the first character, whose life flashes before his eyes, thus revealing part one of the story. Episode two begins with the second bullet nearing the second character as his life flashes before his eyes, revealing part two, and so on…

Something strange

I also wanted to tell a ghost story, something that may actually be creepy or even full-on scary. I love vintage ghost stories by writers like M.R. James, F. Marion Crawford and William Hope Hodgson, as well as spooky movies like The Others, The Orphanage and Lost Highway. As an artsy/pretentious kinda guy, I’ve always been interested in how the static medium of comics can match the literary and kinetic techniques these stories use to unsettle their audiences.

I can’t recall too many comics that have actually given me a genuine chill. (If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know…) Only a handful really spring to mind: Josh Simmons’s House (a wordless graphic novel about a group of teenagers who discover a TARDIS-like mansion in the middle of a forest); Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean’s Mr Punch (probably my favourite Gaiman book); Mike Mignola’s The Wolves of Saint August (collected in Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and Others); and not forgetting the fondly remembered British horror comic Scream! (from which several strips most definitely hold up to an adult reading).

These comics excel at using pacing and dialogue to evoke an atmosphere of dread. They’re from a subtler, more refined school of horror. They’re not so much about gibbering monsters clutching fistfuls of dripping gore, they’re more about whispers in empty corridors, footsteps in the attic and watchful figures that vanish when you turn to look at them. These comics are all about what you don’t see!

Mixmaster Mike

This is what I was after for Six Brothers. Something menacing, spooky and, hopefully, scary. Luckily, artist Mike Dowling was on exactly the same wavelength as me. I’ve never worked as closely with an artist on a comic as I did with Mike on this and his finished artwork really captures a sense of mood and character. I’ve no doubt that we’ll see a lot more of Mike Dowling in 2000 AD (he’s already busy working with comedian Frankie Boyle on CLiNT magazine’s barmy superhero strip Rex Royd). I for one would love to see Mike’s atmospheric take on Judge Dredd…

Anyway, I hope you enjoy Six Brothers. Oh, and extra points to anyone who can tell me the relevance of the pub name in episode two, ‘The Saxon Crown’…

Episode one of Six Brothers is published in 2000 AD # 1743 (out Wednesday 20^th July).

Parts two and three are published on 27^th July and 3^rd August.

Available from all comic shops and selected newsagents.

See 2000 AD’s official website for subscription and digital download details.

Image copyright Rebellion A/S

Finally updated the page on a film book that I wrote a while back and which is all about fantasy cinema (to be precise it’s a critical survey of the entire genre from the turn-of-the-century fantasias of Georges Méliès to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy in 2003). Although I reckon my writing’s come a long way since 2005, I’m really quite proud of this one…

Click here to check out the updated page.

I’ve finally gotten around to updating my portfolio of ‘Future Shocks’, adding some synopses and ‘behind-the-magic’ stuff. Click here and scroll down. Go on. It’s got pictures and everything…

Image copyright Rebellion A/S

Appearing within the pages of 2000 AD, Tharg’s Future Shocks have become the stuff of British comics legend, providing a creative launch pad for the likes of Alan Moore, Grant Morrison and Peter Milligan. But enough about the past. Launching in 2000 AD this week is Tharg’s 3rillers, a new series that promises to deliver a new breed of thrill-power!

This week 2000 AD launches the first episode in a debut series: Tharg’s 3rillers, an evolution of the comic’s famous single-episode Future Shocks. Tharg’s 3rillers are three-part self-contained tales set across a range of genres (sci-fi, horror, fantasy and everything in between) and offering new readers the perfect opportunity to hop aboard the Eagle Award-winning weekly comic.

The first episode will appear in Prog 1740 (with gorgeous cover art by Liam Sharp), and will hit UK stores on 29 June and the US in the 2000 AD June pack from Diamond. For subscription details visit the official 2000 AD website.

The first in Tharg’s line-up of 3rillers is The Silver-Tongued Exploits of Cosmo Nibs, written by T.C. Eglington with art by John McCrea (Hitman; The Boys), colours by Andrew Elder and letters by Annie Parkhouse. Cosmo Nibs is an intergalactic conman with a singular advantage: a voice chip that enables him to persuade anyone of anything! But when his numerous scams finally catch up with him, he falls into the hands of a shadowy organisation…

Following Cosmo Nibs in Prog 1743 (20 July) is crime/ghost story Six Brothers, written by yours truly with art by Mike Dowling (Torchwood; Rex Royd). Three episodes later in Prog 1746 (10 August) is Wolves, a sci-fi war story by writer Arthur Wyatt (Samizdat Squad) and artist Steve Yeowell (Zenith; Red Seas).

2000 AD editor Matt Smith believes the new series further demonstrates the range of storytelling of which the comic is capable. “Tharg’s 3rillers are a new evolution in the kind of stories we can tell,” he says. “Self-contained tales of any genre, not tied to 30-odd years of backstory, but immediately accessible to any reader.” He adds, “As an anthology title, there’s always something for everyone in 2000 AD and Tharg’s 3rillers promise to keep the thrills coming for a new generation.”

Visit Down the Tubes for a mini-interview with Matt Smith in which he explains what he hopes to achieve with this new series.

Doctor Dandridge recently appeared on the cover of 2000 AD issue 1730, which itself undergoes a ‘behind-the-magic’ breakdown on Pete Wells’s superb art blog 2000 AD Covers Uncovered

2000 AD Covers Uncovered is an excellent (some might say ‘Zarjaz’) blog hosted by 2000 AD superfan and all-round lovely fella Pete Wells. The blog features a regular behind-the-scenes breakdown of the various covers that adorn the comic 2000 AD, its sister publication the Judge Dredd Megazine, as well as the accompanying line of trade paperbacks and graphic novels.

Contributors to the Covers blog read like a who’s who of British (and continental) comics talent, with recent contributions from:

• Sebastien Grenier (Arawn)
• Cliff Robinson and Dylan Teague (Judge Dredd)
• Steve Yeowell (Red Seas, Zenith)
• James McKay (City of Secrets, Flesh)
• Henry Flint (Shakara, Zombo).

It’s a testament to the artists’ devotion to their work when you see the depth of detail and commentary provided for each entry.

2000 AD Covers Uncovered is a MUST for anyone who wants to find out more about how great comic art is created.

And as my own latest series of Dandridge (The House That Dripped Devilry!) draws to a close, I was rather chuffed that series artist Jon Davis-Hunt contributed a comprehensive breakdown of his cover for the final issue.

Taking over art duties from Dandridge co-creator Warren Pleece, Jon did a terrific job on this series. Here’s a panel from episode three, as Dandridge is none too pleased to discover that his haunted home is suffering from the effects of ‘dimensional subsidence’…

I’m hoping to write more Dandridge later this year and am currently ploughing my way through a pile of research books (if you’re interested: Niall Ferguson’s Empire: How Britain Built the Modern World; Alwyn W. Turner’s Rejoice! Rejoice! Britain in the 1980s; Marina Warner’s Phantasmagoria [a brilliant book by a brilliant cultural historian]; as well as dozens of books on haunted Britain that I’ve picked up over the years, and several more on men’s fashion, specifically Hardy Amies’s ABC of Men’s Fashion, Oscar Lenius’s A Well-Dressed Gentleman’s Pocket Guide and Valerie Cumming’s The Dictionary of Fashion History – I mean, Dandridge wouldn’t be much of a dandy if he had to rely on me alone to dress him!).

I hope to open out Dandridge’s ‘spookpunk’ world a bit more with the next series and already have the first couple of scenes laid out in my head. Poor Shelley!

In the meantime, I’m working on plenty more for 2000 AD, including a short crime/horror series with artist Michael Dowling, who’s currently also working with comedian Frankie Boyle on CLiNT magazine’s gonzo superhero strip Rex Royd.

I also have a Tales from the Black Museum story coming up in the Judge Dredd Megazine with sublime art by Graeme Neil Reid and featuring a fondly remembered character from Judge Dredd’s past. What’s left of him anyway…