Flux on hold while the world is on lockdown.

The Kickstarter campaign for Issue 2 of Flux was due to launch today, so I was expecting to be writing a post here extolling the virtues of the sci-fi series written by me and Steve Aryan, with art by Maysam Barza, colours by Pressy, a cover by Azim Akberali and letters by Sean Rinehart. However, the world and everything in it has changed beyond recognition since we completed work on the issue.

Since the CV-19 virus outbreak has taken hold of society and shows no immediate sign of loosening its grip, we have taken the decision to put the campaign on hold until things settle down. We did toy with doing a digital only campaign, but our backers preferred the idea of including physical copies still, so ultimately ,despite people being willing to wait for those copies, we felt it best to hang fire. With so many people, ourselves included, concerned about the health of loved ones, their livelihood etc it felt like the best course of action. We’ll be back bigger and better later in the year.

To give people something to read during social distancing and while staying at home we have put Issue 1 up on Gumroad as a reduced price of £1.99 . So you can pick it up there if you haven’t already and please do share the link around.

This year I have mostly been working on...

Most of my writing time at the moment has been screenplay related, as I’m working on a feature length script currently. It’s been good to dive into something completely fresh as all of the comics I am working on currently have been around for a while in some shape or form. 

For this film script idea, I did the initial synopsis last year and I’ve been working up a 16 block outline and full character bios this week before I move onto working up the full outline next week.

I’d forgotten how much the character bio stage really helps in the earliest stages of a new project, by working out how characters are perceived and what their relationships are with each other I’ve found new ways to build up the conflict and tension, above and beyond the main A plot.  I’m still using the same simple questionnaire I’ve used in all writing mediums for about twenty years, which I thought was from taken from the Teach yourself Screenwriting book by Raymond Frensham, but I’m actually not sure where I got it from. It’s pretty basic, but it really helps me get an understanding of each of the key cast members and their voices start to arrive during this stage too. 

Name: 

Gender: 

Age: 

Physical Appearance: 

Childhood/Earlier Life: 

Main character traits:  

How are they perceived? 

Do they control? 

Morals & beliefs: 

What do they want from life? 

Relationship with other characters: 

What is their goal? 

Who is preventing them from reaching this goal?  

Favourite Things in 2019

This year, more than any other in my adult life, it’s been really important for me to have lots of media to consume to escape the harshness of the real world. Thankfully there has been plenty to watch, read and listen to and it was very hard to narrow down each section to a Top 3 for 2019, but I just about managed it in the end. So here is my list of the things I liked most during the year, not necessarily the ‘best’ but what I personally enjoyed the most. You can check out my 2018 list here (it was reshared in the Summer as the original version accidentally got deleted!).  

TV Drama – 

1. Cobra Kai (S2)

I think this is the first time that the same TV show has been my favourite two years in a row, so well done YouTube and the makers of the Karate Kid continuation. I wasn’t sure the magic had lasted during parts of the first couple of episodes of Season 2, but once it got back into its stride I wasn’t disappointed. Can you revisit a film series this much later as a TV show, without it just being a rehash of what went before or so different that it undoes the original material? The answer is a resounding yes, as this show builds on the legacy of the original movies and makes it work for a modern audience by ensuring you care about the next generation as much as the original cast. Other productions could learn a lot from this show and I can’t wait for Season Three, especially given to how this season ended.

2. Chernobyl

I had no interest in this show whatsoever when I first heard about it. I thought it would be extremely depressing to watch and also felt that it was disrespectful to make a real-life tragedy into the kind of TV series I presumed this was. Months after it aired lots of critics were fawning over the show, it had the highest ever IMDB rating and people I trusted were saying very good things about it indeed. So, in the end, I bit the bullet and watched it on NowTV. I needn’t have worried, this was a meticulously constructed, beautiful piece of television. Yes, it was harrowing and devastatingly sad, a really uncomfortable watch throughout, but it also said a lot about the human spirit and the importance of speaking up against all odds too. As someone with an interest in both history and politics, seeing how such a large scale catastrophe could happen and getting an insight into the role of propaganda in the spread of information was as fascinating as it was shocking. Jared Harris, who I knew from The Expanse, was phenomenal, as were Emily Watson and one of my favourite actors Stellan Skarsgard. If this was a “best of” list, this would probably be at the top. The fact that such a somber, thought-provoking show was one of those I enjoyed most is a testament to all those involved in its production.

3. The Expanse (S4)

I really like the first two seasons of this series on Netflix and I watched both the third and fourth season on Amazon in 2019. As it as the fourth season that was actually released this year, that’s the one that takes the third place honours. This is the best sci-fi show in a very long time, blending the crew dynamic of Firefly with the intrigue of Battlestar Galactica. This is the show Game of Thrones wishes it was in many ways and it deserves the same level of attention and viewers. I can totally see where every character and faction is coming from, even if I don’t agree with them. That’s masterful storytelling and the casting is excellent too. A must-see for any genre fan.

Honourable mentions –  

Returning shows came back strongly in 2019 on the whole. The Punisher followed up on its phenomenal first season with a very good second season, although it did lack some of the original magic. It also got a little stuck in a rut by having a returning villain rather than a totally new story. The Orville went from strength to strength in Season Two and built on the comedy and familiarity on show in the first season and added a lot more character-based stories and pathos. Some of the standout episodes were among the best in any show this year. Star Trek Discovery was solid second time out, but it felt like they were trying so hard to course correct and realign what had been less popular in the first season that you could see their workings out, which robbed you of some of your suspension of disbelief. Game of Thrones’ final season went out with a bit of a whimper and some moments I didn’t quite buy as someone who’d watched the show from the start. It was still great telly though, despite the few misgivings I had and it leaves a huge legacy from eight consistent seasons. Happy!  Season Two was just as good as the first one, which considering there was no comic to draw from was impressive. Legion was back for a third and final season which didn’t quite hit the stellar heights of the pitch-perfect first season, but it gave the story a satisfying ending. Animated series Final Space returned for a second season and seemed to have Red Dwarf syndrome where at first they forgot what made the series so compelling. The second half of the season was back to its character lead best and all the better for it. The third and penultimate season of Stranger Things was really good and kept us the high standards of what went before and I’m interested to see how the finish the series.

There were some excellent new shows this year too. The Boys was in the third place slot until the latest series of The Expanse came out. I drifted away from the comic series, but this first season of the TV adaptation was recommended highly to me and it really lived up to the praise. Worzel Gummidge came very close to making my top three, but I couldn’t quite justify it for a two-part show. I’m a big fan of Detectorists and someone who grew up watching the original show and this version was just as good as I hoped it would be. It was funny and heartfelt in equal measure.. Wu Assassins started well and had an old school action-adventure feel that is missing from most modern TV, but I felt that it faded away in the second half of the series when some odd plotting decisions dominated proceedings. Animated series Seis Manos also blended martial arts and the supernatural, but did it in 70s Mexico and did it in style, putting most live-action shows to shame.

Matt Berry starring comedy-drama Year of the Rabbit was hilarious, while also keeping you invested in the overarching story. Living with yourself filled the gap left by Maniac in some ways, it started very strongly and the always excellent Paul Rudd was ably matched by Aisling Bea. Criminal UK, Criminal Spain, Criminal Germany, Criminal France was a very clever show which I knew nothing about it until it was recommended to me. It blew me away, thanks to some superb scripting, direction, and performances in the versions from all four countries. The premise, which is to let us into a police interrogation room, while also getting to know the teams of detectives was deft in its simplicity and this show has been hovering in my top three at various points across the year. Dark Crystal - Age of Resistance was beautiful to look at and had the perfect voice cast, but it was slow going and could have done with a real injection of pace and fewer episodes.

I didn’t manage to get to Watchmen, which I have mixed feelings about in general, so don’t have an opinion on that and we haven’t made it to Jessica Jones and Iron Fist’s final seasons yet either. It’s a shame that The Mandalorian doesn’t show in the UK until next year as from what I hear from friends in the US it may well have taken the top slot this year.

Away from the scripted drama I ended up enjoying some heartfelt friendship focussed shows this year and loved new shows Strongest man in history, Drag SOS, and the second series of Mortimer and Whitehouse go fishing. I also rewatched all of Robin of Sherwood and absolutely loved it, which was no surprise.

Film – 

1. Avengers: Endgame

Bags of Action discussion on Avengers: Endgame ‪

I went into this film thinking I knew exactly what to expect and I was wrong. Within fifteen minutes the rug had been pulled out from under my feet and I was left scratching my head and wondering what would happen next. At first, I found that frustrating, but ultimately that was a masterstroke by the film-makers. If Infinity War felt like a big crossover event, this felt like an ongoing Avengers series more than a conventional movie. It wasn’t perfect, but they balanced humour and pathos well and more than anything did a brilliant job of giving every character their own story and some kind of closure. They had already embraced so much Marvel lore in the previous film, they weren’t afraid to throw in things you wouldn’t have dreamt of including in a movie for mainstream audiences even a few years ago. The most Marvel of all the Marvel movies in many ways and one I will watch lots more in the future. We discussed it on the Bags of Action podcast at length, that episode is above.

2. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

I absolutely love this series of films and I was very excited to get to see it on the big screen and I’ve watched it again at home since. While lacking the purity of concept of the first film I think I enjoyed this more than the second outing. The mythos has become less and less plausible as these films have gone on and the back story elements they introduced kind of spoiled a lot of what went before. Having said that, for a film to look this good and have so many ridiculous action sequences with no compromise makes it very special indeed. My mini-review on Facebook on the day I saw it was:

““Hard Boiled/Raid Redemption vibe in a mainstream Hollywood film with exquisite cinematography and meticulous shot composition. Never thought I’d see the day.” ”

And that pretty much sums it up, a film that is beautiful to look at with some amazing fight scenes starring one of my favourite leading men, I couldn’t really ask for much more.

3. Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Spider-Man: Far from Home was just as good as I hoped it would be. They did a deft job of moving things forward, while still bringing the events of Endgame into play and Jake Gyllenhaal’s casting was a masterstroke. Fun and funny, this is just what a Spidey movie should be like. I’m pleased to hear that the character I’ve followed most of my life will still be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after all too.

Honourable mentions – 

The Joker, more than anything else, showcased the breathtaking acting talent of Joaquin Phoenix and he deserves lots of awards for his captivating performance. It felt like Taxi Driver or Mean Streets through a modern lens, but tying it so much into the Batman myth felt extremely forced and robbed the movie of some of its impact. Then again a film just called Clown Man with no DC links at all woudn’’t have taken such a crazy amount at the box office. I applaud the work that went into making this movie, but I’m not sure I’ll be going out of my way to see it again, as it is so relentless.

Star Wars; Rise of the Skywalker was good fun. They threw everything but the kitchen sink into the final film in the latest trilogy and it suffered a little because of how hard they were trying to unpick The Last Jedi. I hated the decision they made about one of the characters from that movie, but overall this felt the most like a Star Wars movie of any of the main films of recent years. The character moments and main story were enough to maintain the interest.

Captain Marvel was a competent, if largely forgettable entry into the Marvel canon, it suffered by being set in the past and retconning the character into such a well-established series. Even the Marvel movies I like less are always good fun and I preferred this one more on second viewing. There were some excellent moments though and story decisions that I really liked and I always enjoy Ben Mendelsohn's performances.

I think Jumanji: The Next Level would have made it on this list, if I’d managed to squeeze it in before the year was over. Aside from Rambo: Last Blood all the films I saw this year ended up on the list. It’s a shame that it didn’t make it as I expected a Logan style movie with that one, not the film they made. There were lots of non-blockbusters I really wanted to see and didn’t get round to like Midsommar, Knives Out, Motherless Brooklyn, and Ford v Ferrari. I can’t believe how few films I saw on the big screen this year, I’ll be making sure I see a lot more in 2020 probably starting with Jo Jo Rabbit.

Album – 

1. Ramagehead by O.R.k

I first heard O.R.k on the Prog Report podcast and was surprised to hear Serj Tankian (System of a Down) on guest vocals for lead single Black Blooms. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not and the same applied to the album initially, but suddenly it clicked and I listened to it a lot in 2019. Considering the pedigree of players involved—bassist Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree, Tim Bowness), vocalist/film composer Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari (LEF for short), guitarist Carmelo Pipitone (Marta Sui Tubi), and drummer Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson) I shouldn’t really be surprised that their third album resonated so much. It scratched my prog itch, along with my alt-rock and alt-metal interests too. Imagine a prog album with occasional bursts of Chris Cornell like vocals from the Badmotorfinger era of Soundgarden and you’ll have an idea of what this sounds like. This album shifts across the full range of emotions and stays with you long after it’s finished. The band is supporting System of a Down on their European tour next year, so that could mean a chance to hear Serj accompanying them live.

2. Third Degree by Flying Colors

My second favourite album of 2019 came courtesy of another supergroup, but this time one whose previous albums I was aware of. Third Degree, their aptly titled third album, was the first Flying Colors record I listened to on release, rather than retrospectively. The stellar pop-prog line-up consists of singer Casey McPherson (Alpha Rev), multi-instrumentalist Neal Morse (Spock’s Beard) on keyboards, guitar legend Steve Morse (Deep Purple), Dave LaRue (Dixie Dregs) on bass and incredibly prolific Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) on drums.

On paper I shouldn’t really like this band, their songs are accessible, mainstream, anthemic, heavily pop-influenced and there are some strong religious overtones in the lyrics, which is usually an instant turn off for me. When the songwriting is this strong, the production this precise and the playing this euphoric it’s impossible not to be swept along for the ride and every time I play the album I leave it happier than I arrived. I think this is probably their strongest and most diverse album, from the epic prog sweep of Crawl to the Jellyfish style pop of Love Letter and everything in between. Getting to hear much of this album played live in London was a great way to end the year gigwise too, but more on that later.

3. Pitfalls by Leprous

This one was a real surprise, I heard the single Alleviate on The Prog Report podcast and was immediately smitten so had to check out the sixth album by this Norwegian band. The album itself was a bit of a grower, I liked it but didn’t love it on the first few listens and it was sitting in the highly commended category until I gave it a few more spins and then I realised how much I liked it. Melancholy, but with memorable hooks, this album really hit the spot for me in the end, emotional and packed with resonance as it focuses on the singer’s battle with depression and anxiety. The truth behind the concept makes this a very special album and not just a collection of songs. I plan to check out their five other studio albums in 2020.

Honourable mentions –

Choosing my favourite album this year was very hard and the Top 3 has shifted across the year more than ever before. The three bands I anticipated taking the podium places were some of my all-time favourite bands Big Big Train, Zervas & Pepper and Opeth. They all released excellent albums in 2019, but as I listen to them all so much their new LPs slotted into their back catalogues with ease, leaving some surprise offerings to give me goosebumps for the longest and edge them out as a result. Let’s call it a three-way joint 4th place.

Some of my favourite sonic moments came from the long waited offering from Tool (the song Pneuma is mind-blowing) and the latest long-player from Slipknot. Both those albums, the supremely eclectic Empathy by Devin Townsend and You know what they mean by Bent Knee have been in and out of the top three across the year as they all push the envelope in their own way. Other albums that I really liked this year came from the likes of The Mute Gods, Steve Hackett, Focus, Baroness, Cosmograf, Haken guitarist Richard Henshall, Nad Sylvan, Ava, The Who and No-Man.

Song -  

This category has become harder each year. Last year, with Paul McCartney in the top slot was very much about songs that I’d heard that weren’t on albums I loved. This year the stand out singles all came from albums I was a big fan of and it became more and more difficult to work out what constituted a single in these fragmented streaming led times. I opted for songs that were available to hear before an album dropped and/or are listed on Wikipedia as singles.

1. You are not alone by Flying Colors

My number one song from 2019 came from my number two album, from American supergroup Flying Colors. This song was written based on singer Casey McPherson’s experience helping rescue people during the floods caused by Hurricane Harvey. I didn’t know that until I saw Flying Colors perform it live, so had been listening to it with my own interpretation. It’s a heartfelt, beautifully optimistic song which I fell in love with as soon as I heard it. It leans more into Casey’s singer/songwriter territory but still features the magic you get from the band playing together. An instrumental version of the song played as the audience was leaving the Shepherds Bush gig earlier this month, prompting a great big singalong. A younger, more pretentious version of me would have written this song off as almost a power ballad, but it hits the right spot with me right now for many reasons.

2. Alleviate by Leprous

I heard this song on an episode of The Prog Report podcast and was very impressed, it reminds me a bit of Guilt Machine in some ways. Others have described it as a move into pop territory for the Norwegian prog metal outfit and it really is an immaculately produced earworm. The whole album is superb and works best when listened to in one sitting, but there is still something about this song that makes me keep coming back to it.

3. Catch Light by Bent Knee

I could easily have picked any of the three singles from American art-rockers Bent Knee’s excellent fifth album. They were amazing when I saw them live and this song showcases their overall vibe well. Catchy, spiky and beautiful in equal measure, like vintage PJ Harvey or Sonic Youth in many ways. They should be huge, with the Guardian and BBC6Music all over them, hopefully, that will come to pass.

To get their full energy across, here’s the live video too.

Honourable Mentions - all the singles from all the albums I mentioned in the album list are worth a listen in their own right ( check out the Devin Townsend ones in particular, as they encompass all that music can offer). Above and beyond that Island of Doom by Agnes Obel deserves a mention, as that’s a captivating track too.

Gig– 

1. Flying Colors, 02 Shepherds Bush Empire, London.

The lead up to this London gig at the O2 Shepherds gig Empire in Shepherds Bush wasn’t ideal, the general election result was the day before and I was rather hungover after the studio’s Christmas do. Add a four hour Megabus journey to that equation, complete with a twenty minute delay that meant I paid £12 in waiting charges for my pre-booked cab and this gig had disaster written all over it. The reality was as far removed from that as possible. I went to the meet and greet before the show, though my shyness meant I didn’t do as much greeting as I should have and I forget to tell Steve Morse I’d worked on the video for The Surprising for his other band, Deep Purple. Support band Dilemma were very good, especially considering their stand in singer Wudstick had only rehearsed with them a few times. The main show itself was amazing, quite possibly the best gig I’ve ever experienced. Every single song felt like the encore, as they are all so anthemic and memorable and that made the whole show truly euphoric. I had a huge smile on my face from the first note to the end of the encore and felt like I was walking on air for ages. Getting to see such talented musicians playing at relatively close quarters was something I’ll never forget. The show was filmed for a future DVD/Blu-Ray release and I can’t wait to relive it again.

2. Magenta, Arlington Arts, Newbury

This was in first place right up until December with very good reason and not just as it was the day after my birthday in May. I had a VIP ticket, so got to see the soundcheck, some extra performances and a Q&A but it was the main show that will live long in the memory. Before this show I’d seen Magenta twice at The Globe in Cardiff rocking out and twice at Acapela in Pentyrch being much more laid back, this 20th anniversary Angels and Demons gig was the best of both worlds as they turned the prog dial up to eleven. With extra musicians, including a percussionist, Tiger Moth Tales’ Peter Jones and on Spectral Mornings Big Big Train’s David Longdon to augment the line-up and a deep dive into the album Home and a variety of tracks from the band’s history this was something very special. Added to all that was some full on theatrics with actors joining the band for additional storytelling moments alongside some well crafted AV work. This was like a full on West End show and was all the better for it. My VIP experience continued after the show, as I hung out with the band before getting a lift back to Cardiff with drummer Jiffy Griffiths. Magenta shows usually get filmed and if this was I’ll be lining up to buy a copy.

3. Marillion, St David’s Hall, Cardiff

Marillion are one of those bands I never expected to become a fan of, they were the epitome of uncool when I was growing up and with Fish as their singer I had consigned them to the dreaded ‘soft rock’ category. Thanks to the amazing 2016 album F E A R and a retrospective listen to all their eighteen studio albums became a fan, particularly of the Steve Hogarth era of the band. Once I’d watched the Blu-Ray of their Royal Albert Hall show for the FEAR tour I’d been very keen to see them live.

This time out they had friends from the orchestra with them to add to their sound, which suited me down to the ground. Support act singer songwriter Harry Pane was ok, a bit too much in the Ed Sheeran camp for my tastes and an odd fit, but he obviously has talent. The eleven song set, which contained three fifteen minute plus epics was something else. A band at the height of their powers, playing exactly what they wanted to a rabid fan base. In Steve Hogarth they are blessed with one of the best frontmen around, oozing charisma to match his distinctive vocal style. I wa very pleased to hear their rant song New Kings played live too.

Honourable mentions –I was meant to be cutting down on my gig going in 2019, but I’ve said that before. All the gigs I went to were good enough to be on this list.

Focus at the Earl Haig in Cardiff has been in and out of my top three across the year. When I saw the seminal Dutch prog band at the same venue last year the experience was different, as I only knew some of their songs. In 2019 I’ve bought most of their back catalogue on vinyl and have been playing it during a lot of my writing time, so I was even more invested in the show. They put on an amazing performance and I had a brilliant seat right down the front.

Big Big Train brought their Grand Tour tour to Newport as they made their way around the UK. I had some involvement with the tour programme, writing an article called ‘Be More Train’ and commissioning artist Azim Akberali’s work on the back cover. I expected this to be my gig of the year, but the combination of my daughter deciding not to come with me (BBT shows have been a thing for us over the years), my favourite songs from the new album not making the setlist and the lack of Underfall Yard tracks played took the edge of it a bit. It was still a brilliant show, with superb playing and Sweet Billy Pilgrim, who dedicated a song to me after I requested it on Twitter, were a great support too. I think I also had envy for various friends who managed to go to every show on the tour too and having seen them three times before I kind of knew what to expect too.

I made a last minute decision to head to Stourport-on-Severn for one day of the Fusion: music without boundaries weekender mainly to see I am the Manic Whale. The whole line up was impressive on the Saturday, Hats Of Gentlemen, It’s Adequate and Encircled set things up well before I am the Manic Whale, Final Coil’s heavier sound wasn’t for everyone but I really liked it, Dec Burke was great too. The Book of Genesis were just as good as The Musical Box at showcasing the 70s Genesis sound but the real highlight was saved for the headliners. England, lead by keyboard player Robert Webb performed a one-off show, playing live for the first time In 40 years with help from some members of The Gift. who had played the night before. Their set gave me goosebumps, as they showcased songs from their 1977 album Garden Shed. I’ve thought about that set a lot since and listened to that album an awful lot too and it’s my first prog gig where someone wore an actual cape.

Having seen The Zombies last year, I got to see their lead singer Colin Blunstone at the Earl Haig in 2019, he has a great band playing with him and played some excellent songs from his solo work, The Zombies and my personal favourite Old and Wise from the Alan Parsons Project. One particularly drunk woman seemed to think the whole show was for her benefit and he handled that like a true professional.

Haken at The Fleece in Bristol was another very good show, the venue was jam-packed and the atmosphere was electric, with a much younger crowd than most shows I get to. Bent Knee were brilliant as the opening support act, their music works really well in a live setting and their energy is relentless. I wasn’t that keen on the next act Vola really, but once Haken were on stage the place lit up again as they are a ridiculously talented live band.

Adam Ant at St David’s Hall in Cardiff was the biggest surprise of the year. I got a last-minute invite from my friend and fellow writer Jamie Lambert and this gig almost made my Top Three in the end. Support band Glam Skanks were pretty good, but Adam and his band blew the roof off the place playing the whole of debut solo album Friend or Foe, followed by a collection of hits and then an encore filled with B-Sides. Much like at Marillion, I was surrounded on all sides by superfans (and casuals who filmed the whole thing or just played Solitaire on their phone) including one rather intimidating guy who was completely off his face. It was meant to be a seated gig, but when the band put on such a good show it soon became a standing one. This is one show I won’t forget in a hurry and I’ve been playing a lot of Adam Ant music since I went.

I saw Zervas & Pepper twice this year, which makes it six times in under three years. The gig prior to their new album launch at St John’s Church in Cardiff was great and Acapela in Pentyrch suited the band very well too.

Magenta at Acapela was as mesmerising as it was in 2017 and 2018 (I now have the 2016 and 2017 shows on DVD) and if it weren’t for the Newbury show would probably have earned a top-three spot too. I think it’s the best vocal performance I’ve heard from lead singer Christina Booth and the cover of Man with the child in his eyes by Kate Bush was something special. I could happily attend this show every year for the rest of my life if they keep putting it on.

Circus 5, I am the Manic Whale and Let’s Swim, Get Swimming at Level III in Swindon was superb and all three bands put on brilliant sets. I didn’t know the third on the bill band who veered towards the math-rock end of instrumental prog, but I left the show with a t-shirt and a copy of their album on vinyl. I am the Manic Whale put on a great show, as expected and it was good to finally get to see Circus5 play especially as they threw in a Tin Spirits song now that Mark Kilminster is in the band.

The Who at the Wembley Stadium in London was an unexpected treat, as I was gifted tickets by my friend Lee Wood a few days before the show. I ended up taking my brother in law and making a day of it. Imelda May was good and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Kaiser Chiefs too, as their anthemic mod pop stylings suit being played live with room for some audience sing-along. My first time seeing Eddie Vedder live solo, was as captivating as I had expected, and the addition of a string quartet and Glen Hansard made it all the more magical. Sadly the vast majority of the crowd couldn’t handle the change of pace and made it hard to hear above their constant talking. The Who themselves, complete with an orchestra, were spellbinding and if the crowd hadn’t been constantly baying for hits I would have enjoyed the Tommy and Quadrophenia sections even more (especially The Rock). Eddie Vedder joined them for The Punk and the Godfather which worked brilliantly and hearing Baba O’Reilly and Love Reign o’er me live was something special. I just wish Won’t get fooled again hadn’t been a stripped-back acoustic version. A better crowd would easiy have made this a top three show.

Instrumental duo Ava, with support from All Strung Out, was another very good night at Acapela too and their delicate, filmic music translates well to a live setting.

I go into 2020 with tickets to see Magenta in Newbury and Pentyrch again and I’m provisionally booked for the Summer’s End prog festival in Chepstow. Other than that I may have to curb my gig-going a bit to free up some money and time, then again I’ve been saying that for ages.

Comic – 

1. Assassin Nation (Skybound/Image Comics) 

Following on from Slots another Skybound book has taken top honours in 2019, this time written by Kyle Starks with art by Erica Henderson. I picked up the issue in a grab bag in Forbidden Planet in London and then had the trade collection for Christmas.

“Hot off her breakout success at Marvel, two-time Eisner award winner ERICA HENDERSON (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Jughead) teams up with KYLE STARKS (writer of sales beast Rick and Morty) for a hilarious twist on the hitman trope that will have readers laughing in the aisles over ASSASSIN NATION.The World’s Former Greatest Hitman hires the 20 best assassins in the world to be his bodyguards. These mean-as-hell hired guns and murderers must work together to keep the new crime boss safe while attempting to solve the mystery of who’s trying to off him.With the same laugh-until-you-cry spirit of action-comedies like Hot Fuzz, Tropic Thunder, and Deadpool, ASSASSIN NATION is the bombastic, side-splitting murder-fest you’ve been waiting for.”

This action-comedy series is pretty perfect, it’s funny, it’s OTT, it throws so much at you that it shouldn’t work but it really does. Uses the medium perfectly and I’d recommend anyone who enjoys comics to read it.

2. American Carnage (Vertigo)

This book took second place last year too, despite only two issues having come out at the time. The series, which felt like a real return to the Vertigo books of old just in time for the imprint to come to an end, ran for a nine issues and ended this year. The only thing I didn’t like about Brian Hill and Leandro Fernandez’s story was that it ended so quickly, it meant the final few issues felt a bit rushed and I’ve have loved it to run longer. If you like gritty crime stories, this is well worth a read

3. Daredevil (Marvel)

This is the first big two comic I’ve read monthly in some time and fifteen issues of the book came out in 2019. There’s something very interesting about Chip Zdarsky’s almost back to basics take on the character and the art, especially when main artist Marco Checchetto is on an issue. I’m excited to see where they take Matt Murdoch in 2020 as their run continues. 

Honourable Mentions  - The same three books as last year from Image Comics are the ones I’m still reading monthly. Bitter Root maintained its strong start with three more regular issues in 2019 and a Summer Special one shot and has been optioned by Legendary Pictures. Despite the quarterly schedule when we do get an issue of Lazarus it is always worth the wait. I’m a little hot and cold on Die as it’s not that cohesive as an overall story, but

Podcast – 

1. The Prog Report

For the second year in a row, The Prog Report has come out on top in the podcast stakes. It’s becoming easier and easier to pick this show, as whenever a new episode pops up on my feed I’ll always stop whatever I’m listening to so I can check it out instead. Roie Avin is an excellent host, laid back and knowledgable across a variety of different show formats. going solo, interviewing musicians or in a roundtable picking favourite songs by a particular band. Two of my top three albums this year were by bands I hadn’t heard until they appeared on this show, so it’s become an important place to discover new music as well as find out more about the process behind the music, I’d be rather lost without it.

2. The Chernobyl Podcast

The last time I followed along with a TV by listening to a podcast after each episode, was when Fuzzy Typewriter covered the first series of True Detective. The difference with this podcast was that it was actually featured the show’s creator Craig Mazin, being interviewed by Peter Sagal. It wasn’t just the process of making such a successful TV series that made this companion piece compelling, it was also the fact that the series was based on a harrowing true story. By listening to this show you understood where the show deviated from reality and got to understand even more about the real events. If you’ve seen the show but haven’t listened to this, I’d highly recommend checking it out to round off the experience.

3. Wolverine - The Lost Trail.

The second Marvel Wolverine audio drama series was even better than the first one, mainly due to them making Wolverine himself the focal point rather than those investigating him. Richard Armitage is pitch-perfect in the main role and he’s supported by a very adept cast, excellent audio production and a well-crafted script by Ben Percy.

Honourable mentions – I’m still enjoying many of my long term favourites like iFanboy, The Writers Panel, Geek Syndicate, Grouchy Old Geeks,  World Balloon, Tabletop Genesis along with dipping into specific shows that have guests or subject interest occasionally too.

Here’s to another year of excellent entertainment in 2020!!

Flux success and the launch of a new imprint

The Kickstarter campaign for Flux # 1, which ended about a week ago, was a success and we ended the campaign on 168%. Getting to over 150% of our target unlocked our stretch goal, so all our backers receive a special pilot season PDF of other projects Stephen Aryan and I have in the pipeline. Sean Rinehart has been doing a great job on the pre-press design work, pulling together the print version of the book (which has now been sent to the printer) , the digital edition, digital special edition, director’s cut alternative scene and the pilot season too.

The imprint that Steve and I have set up for our first Kickstarter comic series and beyond is called Atlas Stone. My friendship with Steve got me back into watching strongman events over the past six or seven years, as he’s a big fan of the sport. World’s Strongest Man 2017 Eddie Hall’s ‘never say never’ attitude (back up your BS as he’d put it) has been a real inspiration for both of us to keep going with our creative endeavors. Here he is becoming the first person ever to deadlift 500kg.

48 Hours - with no Eddie Murphy

As I write this it’s 48 hours until the end of the Kickstarter campaign for Flux. We’ve managed to make our target and are currently sitting on 136%, thanks to our amazing 117 backers.

I don’t think we’ll make our 150% stretch goal, but I didn’t realise that our final days were on Thanksgiving and Black Friday when we launched!

If you haven’t backed the book yet and would like to there is still time. The issues is all done, PDFs are made for the digital rewards and we just need to give the printer final numbers, then we’re all go. So having copies in Dec/Jan is a certainty.

This is what our cover looks like in all its glory, with art by series artist Maysam Barza, Flux logo by Paul Nicholas, Atlas Stone logo by Zach F Evans and overall design by Sean Rinehart.

We have had a little bit more coverage too and you can hear what Come get Some thought of the issue on their YouTube indie comics special.

Ten days left to back Flux #1

There are just ten days left in the Kickstarter campaign for the first issue of Flux, the sci-fi conspiracy thriller comic written by me and Stephen Aryan with art by Maysam Barza.

We’ve been overwhelmed by the support we’ve had so far, we hit our £1,000 target just before we hit the halfway mark and now we have 101 backers. Our next goal is to get to 50% over target, as that will unlock our first stretch goal an exclusive Pilot Season Preview. If we hit £1,500 all backers will receive this special digital comic packed with over 30 pages of content written by myself and Steve, previewing some of our other projects.

Thanks to all who have backed us and shared the campaign’s details.

Seven Shades and Napoleon Stone launches at Thought Bubble

Sadly I won’t be at Thought Bubble this year, which has now relocated to Harrogate from Leeds, but you can still pick up some of my work there. The Comic-Con takes place next weekend, the 9th and 10th of November.

Seven Shades - Hell’s Belles will be debuting at the show from Deadstar Publishing, this 48-page one-shot story (with an intro by Alex Ronald) follows on from Issue 1-4 that came out last year. You’ll be able to pick up a copy there and the earlier issues if you don’t have them yet. My co-creator Dave Clifford will be at the Deadstar table selling original artwork from the book too. This video gives you an insight into the book and what to expect in the Issue, filmed in Cardiff’s very own Comic Guru store.

Unseen Shadows, the genre-bending pulp universe created by Barry Nugent, has three new titles coming out at the show too. One of these is Napoleon Stone and the Army of Set  which is a Find your Fate Game Book, where the reader chooses multiple paths through the story. The story, created by Barry and Richmond Clements with art by Alex Moore and game mechanics by Ant McGarry-Thickitt, leads directly into Fragments of Fate, the Napoleon Stone one-shot comic I wrote, with art by Roy Huteson Stewart. And that comic appears reprinted in the book and you’ll have a lot of fun finding your way to it.

Flux is on Kickstarter

Sci-fi crime thriller mini-series Flux is now on Kickstarter. You can pre-order Issue 1 through the site and if we get to our target, you’ll have the book very soon indeed. We’re offering some special rewards including the script to the issue, a director’s cut style alternate scene, an early look at part of Issue 2 and an audio commentary on the issue from me and co-writer Stephen Aryan.

Here is the link to the campaign, we’ve been live for about a day and a half and we’re currently on 30% of our goal. If you are able to back the book, we’d all really appreciate it and sharing the campaign on social media will really help us too. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/peterogers/flux-1

If you aren’t sure what Flux is all about, watch the video below.

Flux coming to Kickstarter

Steve Aryan and I have been friends for years, we originally met when we both had tables at comic conventions for our self-published books. In the subsequent ten plus years we’ve become close friends, not only do we podcast together (Bags of Action), we also co-write together too.

Sci-fi thriller comic book mini-series Flux was the first thing we worked on together and we realised very quickly that our differing writing approaches complimented each other very well. Skype calls helped us shape the story beyond Steve’s original idea and then we met up in person to really break the story fully. That was in Leeds for Thought Bubble one year, though I can’t remember which one of us was sitting at the laptop and which one was pacing the hotel room. Once we found artist Maysam Barza on the Small Press Commandos Facebook page things really started to take shape.

““An ongoing, complex mystery, FLUX shows readers a twisted version of today where time travel terrorism and casual homicide have become a terrifying norm. Fans of Looper and Blade Runner will feel right at home in the world Rogers, Aryan, & Barza have created.” ”

— Sterling Gates, writer/producer, The Flash

We’ve come very close to the book being picked up by a large publisher on more than one occasion, but now we’ve decided that the best way to get Flux out into the world is via Kickstarter. We’re planning to launch our first campaign in November for Issue 1, with the subsequent three issues and trade collection following in 2020 if we’re successful.

Sean Rinehart is doing lettering and pre-press on the book, Paul Nicholas designed the Flux logo and Zach F Evans is helping us with our video and imprint logo design work for the campaign. If you’re on twitter you can keep up with our progress by following FluxFi and if you like the sound of the book, you’ll be able to pre-order via Kickstarter very soon.

“Smartly using the familiar framing of a Police Procedural, Flux introduces us to a world like our own but with a serious twist: Time Travel is REAL. Time Terrorism is real. Echoing the best of Fringe and the X-Files the team take us in a world we only think we understand. Fantastic.”

— Mike Collins, artist for Marvel, DC, 2000AD. Storyboard artist on Doctor Who, Good Omens and His Dark Materials

Work very much in progress

As September has crept around I thought it was a good time to take stock on some of the things that I’ve been working on in 2019. As ever the times when you have the least to share tend to be your busiest periods of writing, so there is quite a bit to update you on.  The folder in this photo contains artwork from comic pitches my co-writer Steve Aryan and I have worked on over the past few years, so we’ve definitely been keeping ourselves and our artist collaborators busy.

And there are plenty of things going on outside of what’s in that folder too. Much of this year has been spent on developing completely new projects.  Steve and I are in the early stages of development on a fantasy comic mini series idea and are also starting work on a TV series proposal for another concept.  (Check out Steve’s award winning fantasy novels here) 

Steve and I are a bit further along with a horror adventure comics mini-series, that’s all plotted out and we have an artist working on the initial pitch pages. I can’t say much more about that at the moment, but if you follow me on instagram you may be able to see a sneak peek as I occasionally post some work in progress there.

I’ve also been pitching quite a bit of non comics work that I’ve written solo. I’ve worked up a series treatment for a sci-fi audio drama series/narrative podcast and written the first two episodes, written a standalone straight up/non genre audio drama and also worked up a proposal for a horror screenplay too. I’m not sure where any of those ideas will go at the moment, but I’ll post here if they do go into development anywhere. Alongside this I’ve also been pitching comic series to some new contacts at a couple of publishers, including reworking some ideas that were already a little way along.

As well as all of these newer things, some of my longer established writing projects Seven Shades, Flux and Chalk are starting to gain traction and you’ll be hearing more about them in the coming months.

There is an over-sized one shot coming for supernatural western series Seven Shades, following on from the first four issues that series creator/artist Dave Clifford and I put out last year. Hell’s Belles is currently being lettered and a release date will be available soon from Deadstar Publishing (hopefully at Thought Bubble in November). And we are working on our next four issues for release in 2020 too. 

Flux is a sci-fi book that I’ve co-written with Steve, with art by Maysam Barza, lettering by Sean Rinehart and logo design by Paul Nicholas. We have all four issues written and the art is currently taking shape on Issue 3. We’ll have more information on what we have planned for this series in the next few weeks and keep an eye out for the #FluxFriday hashtag on social media where we’ll be sharing things each week too.

Chalk is an urban fantasy series, which I’ve been working on with artist Diego Simone set in the city of Winchester in England, ten pages are fully completed with letters by Sean Rinehart. If you liked my work on The Interactives and how that book blended real world locations in Monmouth, Bristol and London with fantasy elements then I think you will really enjoy it. Comparisons to Rivers of London have already been made by one editor and I’m currently reworking the overall proposal and doing script rewrites. I’m hoping that in some shape of form you’ll be able to read it next year.

Not bad for the first eight months of the year as a part-time writer with a busy day job and there is more to come on the horizon too. I’ll try to update things here more frequently alongside social media as things progress.

Bags of Action podcast now on YouTube

I’ve been podcasting with Steve Aryan for a number of years, having previously been a guest host and interviewee on his long running show Grouchy Old Geeks (previously Comic Book Outsiders) that he does with Scott Grandisson.

Our podcast Bags of Action , where we spend about an hour mulling over an action movie from the past or present, has been running for a number of years. Our 64th episode (Creed II with special guest Barry Nugent) recently came out on the Geek Syndicate network and we try to get a new full length episode out about once a month.

BOA logo, designed by Azim Akberali

We’ve covered some of my old favourites that Steve had never seen, like Blind Fury and Stone Cold, Netflix Originals like Triple Frontier and The Foreigner, classic films like Die Hard and Lethal Weapon and some embarrassing gaps in my viewing history like Big Trouble in Little China and Aliens. We don’t always agree on what makes a good film, or on how to pronounce Christophe Lambert’s name but we do always give each film a score out of five bags of action (with no half bags allowed). We also have occasional guest hosts like Barry from Geek Syndicate, Gavin from the Sidekickcast and former Marvel and IDW comics editor, writer and educator Andy Schmidt. You’ll find us on all good podcasting apps.

As well as the main show, we have started to do quickfire 5-minute reviews of films we’ve seen between episodes.. You will find these and the main show on our new YouTube Channel, where we upload full episodes every Monday and 5 minute reviews on Tuesdays. If you like action movies please have a listen and make sure you stay bang up to date by subscribing to the channel.

Stephen Aryan - Magebane

I’ve been friends with Steve Aryan for a long time now, when we aren’t putting the world to rights we record our action movie podcast Bags of Action together and co-write comics too.

Steve is also the award winning author of the Age of Darkness trilogy (Battlemage, Bloodmage, Chaosmage) and Age of Dread trilogy (Mageborn, Magefall, Magebane), both published by Orbit books. If you are a fan of fantasy novels I’d highly recommend checking these out. The latest book Magebane comes out in August and you can pre-order it here.

To celebrate Steve is doing a series of events, currently he has plans to be in Glasgow and Birmingham, with talk of a trip to Swansea too. You can find out more about those events and his upcoming Reddit AMA here.

His debut novel Battlemage won the decidedly metal Hellfest Inferno award in France, and you can see Steve picking up the award and being interviewed about it in this video.

Seven Shades of inspiration....in the pub

Last night I met up with my Seven Shades co-creator Dave Clifford (Dexter’s Half Dozen) for a few drinks and some food in a city centre pub. This isn’t a particularly rare or surprising event, as a great deal of this comic series has been created in places that serve beer. Come to think of it Dave originally pitched the idea to me in a different city centre pub over some post Cardiff International Comic Expo drinks a few years ago. Spending a few hours discussing some of our plans for the series last night did serve to remind me how different working on Seven Shades is from the other comics projects I’ve been involved in.

Dave came to me with an idea for a book, a supernatural Western series and after some back and fore over a year or two I agreed to come on board as the writer. I soon came to realise that the amount of ideas Dave had for the book was astonishing, and that was one of the reasons it took me so long to say yes to being involved. I was flattered that he wanted me to be part of the series, but I wasn’t sure what I could really offer. We started to meet semi regularly over a few pints to work out the best way to tackle the series nonetheless. Prior to this title many of the books I’ve worked on have been with artists from the other side of the world, so collaborating with a fellow South Wales creator meant getting together in person was something we were able to do. When we chatted last night and worked out some back matter for the next issue, we both came to realise these in person meet ups have played a huge part in how we’ve shaped the comic.

Not only did Dave have hundreds of ideas when we first discussed the book, he also had hundreds more that he’d dreamt up in the time that passed before I committed to working on it. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who comes up with so many ideas as Dave, he has thoughts on what we can put into the book on a daily basis and comes up with far more character, plot and visual concepts in a few weeks than most people do in a lifetime. He just needed a way to contain them into a story and at first that was my main role, listening to Dave and trying to find the narrative throughline, taking some of the more disparate conceits and working out cohesive ways to pull them together. Really, for the first few pub chats I was a story editor more than anything else.

Over time the dynamic has changed and we’ve found ways to focus on the overarching story while also honing in on what is needed for each arc, each issue and each page. Now when either of us thinks of an image or scene that is seemingly unrelated to where the series is heading we spend time to explore how to use it and if we find a way to make it work, we then create springboards to future plot or character moments. The key to our process has become breaking story together and we’ve had a great deal of our best Eureka moments while sitting in a bar, which is in keeping with the fact the local saloon is a key location in the story.

The other thing I’m glad we’ve done is working Marvel style. We leave our meet up with the next issue plotted out, then I turn that into a loose script, no panel breakdowns just a paragraph or two about each page. As Dave came up with the concept and his art is fully painted, this gives him greater freedom and it’s also helped us find ways to put more humour into the book too. It’s been great fun to build visual gags from issue to issue this way. Dave sends over some thumbnails, then the fully realised painted pages and I set about writing the dialogue, captions and sound effects. I’ve only ever done one story this way before (Seniors) and Dave has never worked from anything other than a full script, so it was a challenge for us both at first. Now that we’ve found a rhythm it works well and I enjoy the challenge of scripting this way too. I actually think Issue 3 of the first arc is one of the best things I’ve ever written.

Last year we managed to put out four issues of our supernatural Western series, with local publisher Deadstar Publishing and we took the book ICE in Birmingham and Thought Bubble in Leeds and via the publisher all around the UK. This year we’re focussing on a bumper sized one shot that bridges the gap from our first ‘season’ to our second, that’s painted and scripted and we’re hard at work on the back matter to take it to sixty pages. There will be more news on when and where that launches soon. Our ambitious Seven Shades in seven trades intention means if all goes according to plan we’ll have seven such arcs and six one shots before the series is complete. If you haven’t checked the book out yet, you can pick up the issues via Deadstar and if you happen to find yourself in Cardiff and notice two guys laughing and making notes in the corner of a pub, it may well be us.

Favourite Things in 2018

Another year over and I’ll be quite glad to see the back of 2018, all things considered. Thankfully we’ve had plenty of interesting media to consume to take our minds off the bizarre direction the world seems to be taking these days. This year I’ve made a slight change to the format, as well as adding an extra category. I’ve found it tougher than ever to pick my favourites this year as the competition has been so fierce (and I wanted to avoid any ties), so I’m giving each category a podium, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finish this time around. So without further ado here is my list of the things I liked most during the year, not necessarily the ‘best’ but what I personally enjoyed the most. You can check out my 2017 list here. 

TV Drama – 

1. Cobra Kai

I wasn’t sure if I was going to watch this, despite being a big fan of the Karate Kid films. It was on YouTube for starters and it felt like yet another nostalgia fuelled continuation that probably would be done with its tongue firmly in its cheek. When friends whose opinion I really trust started to rave about the show, I decided to give it a go and I was very pleased that I did. It shouldn’t have worked, but it really did. Both William Zabka as Johnny and Ralph Macchio as Daniel put in pitch perfect three dimensional performances, it is funny, heartwarming and dramatic in equal measure. If you haven’t seen it, I would highly recommend that you do.

2. The Last Kingdom (S3)


I loved the first two series of this historical drama based on Bernard Cornwell’s books, having missed them on the BBC and caught up on Netflix, so I was very excited when Netflix announced they would be bringing the show back for a third season. This series was a textbook example of how you pay off things in a TV show and reward viewers who have been with you since the start without betraying the characters or their motivations. Many of the plot lines and interpersonal relationships of the previous series came together to make a thoroughly satisfying series from start to finish. I may have even shed a tear or two along the way.

3. Daredevil (S3)

By far the best of this year’s Marvel Netflix shows and sadly ending with this season having been cancelled. I was on the edge of my seat, with my heart in my mouth throughout the series and only The Punisher, Jessica Jones’ first season and Daredevil’s own first season pulled off this level of tension. The stakes kept getting higher from episode to episode and that made it a truly gripping set of thirteen episodes. Across all three of my favourite shows this year there have been times when the main character has frustrated or annoyed me, but in a compelling narrative way. I’ve shouted at the screen to Johnny in Cobra Kai, Uhtred in Last Kingdom and Matt Murdock in 2018. The best main characters are so well executed that they make you care even when you don’t agree with their actions.

Honourable mentions –  It was Netflix that showed my two favourite new shows too. I loved Maniac, the remake of a Norwegian show and I’d highly recommend animated series Final Space too. Both balance humour and pathos beautifully and had me thinking about them long after I finished watching. I’m halfway through Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which would based on what I’ve seen so far would have made it onto this list. Godless, Happy and The Punisher were great too, but came out last year so aren’t eligible and I didn’t get to the likes of Killing Eve, The Bodyguard or The Haunting of Hill House.

Of the other returning series Glow came back stronger in Series 2,. Better call Saul maintained it’s incredibly high standards in its fourth season and Ozark took a slight step back from its debut season by pushing the believability of the storyline too far for me. The Walking Dead started well but the cast changes and time jump had me finally calling it a day on the show. I didn’t get to Iron Fist, Jessica Jones wasn’t great this time out, but Luke Cage was strong for 90% of the series until a dodgy conclusion. Legion, which was my favourite show in 2017 was still good and had some superb episodes but as a whole I found it too confusing and out there for its own sake ultimately.

Film – 

1. Avengers: Infinity War

I was worried going into this film that they wouldn’t be able to pull it off, too many characters and visual styles to try to combine in one film. I needn’t have worried. It certainly wasn’t perfect, but it was just what I wanted as a spectacle and as an emotional journey in a crossover movie. This is the closest a film has made me to feeling like an eleven year old reading Secret Wars again and the ending has stayed with me all year. I’m pleased that Marvel now feels confident enough in the following their cinematic universe has to go fully Marvel with their stories, rather than skirting around the edges as they have in the past. This film was firmly rooted in proper Marvel lore and was all the better for it. I’m counting down the days until the next one. It felt even more poignant in retrospect after my childhood hero Stan Lee passed away too.

2. Spider-Man: into the Spider-Verse

I was totally sceptical when I first heard about this film, I wasn’t sure we really needed an animated Spider-Man film right now. I was very wrong. I’ve been a fan of Spider-Man since I first read the comics and saw the Spider-Man and Friends cartoon series when I was about eight and he’s the character that’s been most present in my life overall. This film was the perfect way to give a new generation of movie viewers their own Spidey, much like the comics did when Miles Morales was first introduced. This may be the most fully realised superhero adaptation, as it takes so much from the source material and also uses that medium as part of the storytelling process. They are easter eggs within easter eggs for seasoned comics readers, a wonderfully moving Stan Lee cameo (as it’s the first one to arrive on screen since he passed away) and much to love about the characterisation of Miles and Peter Parker too. Even without all of that this film deserves the highest praise for its visual style, it’s breathtaking to look at and is one of the most engrossing animated films I’ve even seen. More of this kind of thing please, it gives me hope.

3. Creed II -

Creed 2 was another sequel that had me a little concerned going in. No Ryan Coogler in the director’s chair for this one and the return of Ivan Drago felt like an intentionally crowd pleasing and somewhat cheesy move. Despite those hurdles, this was a very enjoyable and emotional film, with some clever nods to the past while keeping one eye on the future. It didn’t quite reach the heights of the previous outing, but I’m not sure how it could have done. The acting across the board is great, not just Michael B Jordan, Tessa Thompson and Sly Stallone but also Dolph Lundgren and former boxer Florian Munteanu who played Drago Jr. My only real criticism, considering the outlandish premise, was that the training scenes were too short.

Honourable mentions – I keep forgetting that Black Panther came out this year too and that helped Marvel to have an very strong year and widened their cinematic universe further. Not only was this an important cultural film, it was also very enjoyable too with a very strong cast delivering throughout . Ant Man and the Wasp was an excellent sequel, just as much fun as the first movie and a reminder of how charming Paul Rudd always is.

Bohemian Rhapsody wasn’t a film I was that keen to see. I love Queen but have struggled with what May and Taylor have been doing since Freddie Mercury passed away. It sounded like this was going to be a saccharine version of their charismatic frontman’s life. It was hardly a warts and all expose but I really enjoyed it and it hit the right emotional beats and put on the right kind of show, despite playing fast and loose with the timeline. Good fun

Hereditary and Widows were two films that I appreciated more than I enjoyed. Hereditary was beautifully shot and extremely atmospheric, but the second half didn’t work for me at all, probably as I’m not really a horror fan. Widows had a great cast, interesting story, evocative cinematography, long deliberate takes but it didn’t blow my socks off in the way I expected. There was something missing, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

Solo: A Star Wars story was pretty good, but doesn’t quite make this list as it fell into the Expendables trap of using lines from other movies as knowing nods. It also explained things that didn’t need explaining and in a few cases in very unsatisfying ways. Incredibles 2 left me cold, despite being a big fan of the original movie. By far the biggest disappointment had to be The Predator, Shane Black writing and directing a Predator movie should have been my absolute cinematic sweet spot. There were some good scenes, but overall it was a mess and use of lines from the other films made a mockery of the whole franchise. A film I expected to be my favourite of the year, was actually the film I least enjoyed on the big screen. There was a raft of other movies I didn’t get to see this year that I wish I had.

Album – 

1. Prequelle by Ghost

The first few singles didn't really grab me and I wondered if the Ghost bubble might have burst since it essentially became a Tobias Forge solo project. Once I heard the full album a few times I realised how wrong I was. Yes, it’s catchier and more anthemic than their previous albums, but in a very good way. There are some more proggy elements in here and in producer Tom Dalgety (who also co-produced Opeth’s Sorceress album) I think they’ve found the perfect studio partner. The lyrics expand on their usual satanist schtick too and you can interpret them being about the Black death or possibly the lawsuit filed by former band members. Pro Memoria and Witch Image are brilliant tracks and there are two breathtaking instrumentals on here too, Miasma and Helvetesfonster. The main thing I love about it is how well it works when you listen to it end to end. I now wish I’d seen them when they played the Royal Albert Hall. Essentially this is what would happen if Benny and Bjorn from ABBA united with Jeff Lynne to make an album with Iron Maiden after listening to 80s cartoon themes for a day. How could it not be my album of the year?

2. The Blue Hour by Suede

I hadn’t listened to a Suede album since I bought Head Music in 1999, but I kept hearing good things from people I trusted. I gave it a few spins and was surprised by how different, yet familiar it sounded. Once I’d watched the Sky Arts Suede documentary and listened to the album a few more times I suddenly realised quite how special an album it is. The old magic is there, but there are so many new elements that it feels like a new band or at least a completely reinvigorated one. Came very close to toppling Ghost, it’s another one that works so well when listened to in one setting.

3. Friendship by Rikard Sjoblom’s Gungfly

Rikard is one of my favourite musicians and songwriters, so it comes as no surprise to see his latest album in my Top 3 with the follow on to my joint favourite album of 2017. In some ways he is spoiling us but putting out so much music, but you certainly won’t hear me complaining. He continues his rich vein of form with this excellent album focussing on the loss of a childhood friendship. A great collection of songs and another album that works best played in one sitting particularly as it works around one theme. I particularly enjoying hearing If you Fall, Part 2, as the first part was on the previous record.

Honourable mentions –

There was an awful lot of good music released this year, with new albums by the likes of Phideaux, The Fierce and The Dead, A Perfect Circle, Riverside and The Pineapple Thief all scratching my prog itch with very strong records. My friend Dave Clifford gave me a copy of Queen of Time by Amorphis which is described online as melodic death metal, if it wasn’t for the screamo vocal moments it may have broken my Top Three.

In the more electronic side of things Wanderlust ,the latest from Blancmange, which I listened to in preparation for seeing them live was a wonderfully dark album. And The Grind Show by North Atlantic Oscillation, which was recommended to me by Spike Worsley was a real treat too. In the more straight up rock world, Alice in Chains and Skindred both put out very good albums in 2018 too.

(NEW) Live Album -

With so many amazing live albums being released in 2018, it made sense to add this extra category to showcase some of them.

1. Merchants of Light by Big Big Train

Sometimes a live album can perfectly capture a magical moment in your life and this record does just that. I went to the Big Big Train Sunday matinee at Cadogan Hall last year and this album takes the best performances from that three day London residency. It was my favourite gig of 2017 and the shows also won Prog Magazine’s Readers Poll Event of the Year. This is a supremely talented group of musicians playing some wonderful songs, with excellent production. There will also be a Blu-Ray to accompany the album, that’s due next year and I would highly recommend that too as I was lucky enough to see it at a recent cinema screening.

2. All One Tonight by Marillion

If my number one live album served as a reminder of a show I attended, then my second choice introduced me to a show I really wish I’d been to. Over the past few years I’ve come to really appreciate Hogarth era Marillion and their 2016 album F E A R in particular. I got the Blu-Ray of this show before the album came out, but I have been listening to the album a lot since. They play all of FEAR in their Royal Albert Hall show and it’s truly astounding, emotional and inspiring and the same can be said for the rest of their set too. As soon as Marillion announced their 2019 dates I made sure to buy myself a ticket.

3. Home Invasion by Steven Wilson

Another Royal Albert Hall show and another seminal artist. The setlist here is almost the same as the show I saw in Cardiff, but what elevates this show is the fact that Ninet Tayeb is there in person rather than recorded. A good mix of Steven’s solo work and old Porcupine Tree songs, all performed by an excellent group of musicians. Even the most casual Wilson fan will enjoy this. I now have the Blu-Ray to go with this one too, which also features extra songs from rehearsals.

Honourable mentions – Magenta’s live album, We Are Seven was within a cigarette paper of the top three and it really reminded me of the excellent show I saw in Cardiff. This recording at The Robin 2 in Wolverhampton featured the whole of of We are Legend and Seven albums and I have the accompanying DVD of this one too.

Steve Hackett and Haken also put out live albums this year that I really enjoyed. Hackett’s covered last year’s tour which I attended in Cardiff and was recorded on the Birmingham leg . Haken’s recorded show was from Amsterdam and I liked it enough to book tickets to see them in Bristol next year.

Song -  

1. I don’t know by Paul McCartney

I certainly didn’t see this coming, that’s for sure even if it is a single from one the all-time greatest ever songwriters. It totally disarmed me on first listen. It’s a beautiful song and from the very first note there is so much to love. The lyrics and Paul’s aging voice give the whole song a charming vulnerability that really gets under your skin. Add in some mellotron and no other song I heard this year came close.

"I wrote this after going through a difficult period. Like people have nothing sort of madly serious or anything, but just one of those days when it’s like, "Oh my god, am I doing wrong here", you know. And sometimes that’s a good way to write a song, because you’re coming from your soul. And we often used to say that writing a song was like talking to a psychiatrist, a therapist or something. Because you’re saying it… You are saying it in a song rather than in a room to a specialist. Yeah, so it was me just thinking this problem out, and putting it into a song." Sir Paul McCartney.

2. Vale of Tears by Riverside

I’d never taken that much notice of Riverside, but this single (their first sing their guitarist sadly passed away) grabbed me by the scruff of the neck the first time I heard it. A mix of prog and alternative rock, this is a really strong anthemic track that will get stuck in your head.

3. Self Destructive Mind by Ninet Tayeb

Another song that I heard outside of its album context, which is a rare treat. Like many people I discovered Ninet through her collaborations with Steven Wilson, but the former Israeli Idol winner has a successful career in her own right. She has also performed with the likes of Jesus and the Mary Chain and Cyndi Lauper and her Tiny Desk concert is absurdly excellent (shades of PJ Harvey). She cites Pink Floyd, Nirvana and Pearl Jam amongst her influences, but this song has a touch of Sheryl Crow about it. Another infectious treat.

I’ve decided against doing any Honourable Mentions for this category, as the other songs by Ghost, Gungfly, Haken and Pineapple Thief were singles I heard first on their respective albums which is a different experience to hearing a single cold.

Gig– 

1. Tin Spirits, The Victoria, Swindon

This was the second time I’d seen Tin Spirits play live. The first time was as a warm up for their Japanese tour, so the set focussed on XTC tracks more than their own material (guitarist Dave Gregory, who is also in Big Big Train is ex-XTC you see). This time out there was room for their own songs, including my personal favourite Little Eyes. It was the two new songs, Harder to Break and Saline that completely blew me away though. Harder to Break saw the dual guitarists, the aforementioned DG and bandmate Daniel Steinhardt in rock god mode, swaggering around delivering monster riffs. And Saline was a prog listener’s dream, complex, intelligent and involving. This was always going to be in my top three shows as a result of those two songs, but having heard since that the band have called it a day, being at their final show means a lot. I sincerely hope those two new songs see the light of day, even without a third album.

2. Zervas & Pepper, The Globe, Hay on Wye

I saw Zervas and Pepper three times this year, but it was their acoustic show in Hay on Wye that was my favourite of the three. There were a number of external factors that made that the case.

1. It was on my birthday.

2. It was in one of my favourite towns, which gave me the excuse to spend a weekend in book shops.

3. My wife and daughter were both able to come with me.

4. We were in the front row of this small, friendly venue.

Even without these extra bits of icing on the cake, it was a magical show. The acoustics and layout meant that you could really appreciate Paul Zervas and Kathryn Pepper’s amazing voices and harmonies. It was goosebumps time from the moment they came out on stage.

3. Big Big Train, The Anvil, Basingstoke

This was the third time I’d seen the full Big Big Train line up play live and it came just at the right time and the wrong time. It was a time when I needed my spirits lifting, so I spent the following day exploring Winchester which was a wonderfully relaxing time. The gig did clash with England’s World Cup semi-final match, which meant more empty seats than usual and a few people surreptitiously checking their phones during the show.

The Beatrix Players were an excellent support act, I was very impressed with their performance. The BBT set was decidedly more proggy than the two previous London shows I’d been to and it was good to see the band let their hair down a bit more. This was, however, a warm-up gig for their triumphant headlining show at Night of the Prog in Loreley, Germany and I am still kicking myself for not finding a way to attend that show. I think that’s probably taken it down the list as a result.

Honourable mentions –I was meant to be cutting down on my gig going in 2018, but having embraced the “live music as therapy’ mantra over the past few years I ended up seeing more live music than ever before this year.

Focus at the Earl Haig in Cardiff was the only gig I could walk to from my house. Hocus Pocus has been a big song in my life and it was good to hear that live. The whole show was superb and the guitarist and drummer blew me away.

Steven Wilson at St David’s Hall in Cardiff was an important show for me, as I’ve loved his music since Porcupine Tree’s Stupid Dream in ‘99. The show happened when I was at a bit of a personal low, I was a bit too far from the action seating wise and the guy in front of me flouting the no photos or filming rule, so it wasn’t quite the experience I wanted which robbed it of a top-three finish. I’m glad I have a blu-ray from the same tour to allow me to appreciate it more.

Zervas & Pepper were the band I saw most, and all three shows were absolutely brilliant. As well as in Hay, I also saw them at St Johns Church in Cardiff with the full band and Christopher Rees in support and then more recently at The Globe in Cardiff.

Magenta at The Globe was something special, as they played both We are Legend and Seven in their entirety and the whole band was on fire. Like last year their Acapela show was also noteworthy as Alan Reed played too and joined them for a superb version of Don’t Give up, which was just one of many highlights.

TC&I would be the number one gig for most people who attended their shows in their hometown of Swindon. This was as close as we are likely to see to a full XTC reunion, with bass player and singer/songwriter Colin Moulding reuniting with original drummer Terry Chambers and rounding things out with some other excellent musicians. I’m a relatively new XTC fan so don’t have the history others do. It was the fourth night of a residency and we seemed to be surrounded by people who had already been earlier in the week which changed the atmosphere and also two people in the row behind me talked through the whole show which really didn’t help.

The Zombies at The Tramshed in Cardiff was the biggest surprise for me. I went on a bit of a whim and was blown away by the songs and the performances. Hearing Zombies and Argent songs was amazing, but having never heard Old and Wise by the Alan Parsons Project before - I’m seeing their singer Colin Blunstone solo next year as a result of this show.

Francis Dunnery at The New Crown in Merthyr Tydfil was a small, intimate gig and all the better for it. I brushed up on my It Bites knowledge and listened to a lot of his solo material in readiness for this show. The stories he told in between the songs were as entertaining as the songs themselves and he certainly knows his way around a guitar.

Blancmange at Acapela in Pentyrch near Cardiff was very good too. I enjoyed the mix of classic songs and ones from the excellent latest album too and the atmosphere was amazing.

Pearl Jam at the O2 in London was a rescheduled show, after Eddie Vedder lost his voice on the original date. I went with my regular PJ gig buddy Rob Williams and the new date meant we got to see the inflatable Trump baby at least. They did a typically eclectic and long set, with thirty-three songs played all together. They are as strong live as ever and I’m pleased that they ‘Let Stone sing’ but after years of getting up close at smaller gigs I felt oddly disconnected sitting up in the gods. I now think my days of attending stadium gigs may be coming to an end.

I already have tickets for Big Big Train (coming to Newport no less), Marillion, Magenta, Haken and Colin Blunstone for 2019, so I already have plenty of gigs to look forward to.

Comic – 

1.Slots (Skybound/Image Comics) 

Crime + Boxing + an older jaded lead + writer/artist Dan Panosian put this series right in my wheelhouse. The second half of the Slots mini series gave this book top honours, as the first half did in 2017. If you haven’t read this, you can now get the whole story in one collection. I’d highly recommend you do.

2. American Carnage (Vertigo)

““A new, thrilling crime saga from the writer of WILDSTORM: MICHAEL CRAY and the artist of The Old Guard! Disgraced FBI agent Richard Wright is offered a chance for redemption when his old mentor sends him undercover to infiltrate a white supremacist group believed to be responsible for the death of a fellow agent.””

Brian Hill and Leandro Fernandez’s series reminded me of the likes of Scalped and 100 Bullets and felt like a return to the Vertigo of old, even down the art style and Dean White’s colouring. The premise had me intrigued and a recent Word Balloon interview with Hill coupled with an iFanboy pick of the week convinced me to pick it up. I’m very glad I did, it’s gripping and unsettling and speaks very much to how things are currently in the USA. I can’t wait to read more next year. You can read a nine page preview of the series here.

3. Grave Danger (Comixology Originals)



““She is GRAVE DANGER, agent of HEADSTONE, a joint clandestine espionage organization that handles all unspeakable crime ! [UNSPEAKABLE CRIME- Illegal acts committed by paranormal entities such as vampires, witches, demons, and Frankensteins.] Agent Danger leaps into action from the suborbital MOURNING ANGEL base, afraid of nothing! [Except getting her shoes dirty. And heights.] [Also, her past.] GRAVE DANGER is a horror/spy mash up. Like James Bond vs. The Universal Monsters. Yeah, I don’t know why that isn’t already a thing either. It’s sexy, dark, funny, and action-packed. It’s completely unique and batshit crazy.””



Revival is one my all time favourite comic series, so I was excited to see what Tim Seeley and Mike Norton did together next. This digital only series leans a bit more to the B movie mindset of Seeley’s Hack/Slash work, but maintains the deft characterisation and dialogue that helped make Revival stand out so much. The only slight criticism I have is that there were almost too many ideas for this short run to handle. All five issues came out in this mini-series in 2018 and I’m hoping that won’t be all we see of this title.

Honourable Mentions  - All three books come from Image Comics this time out. Bitter Root was a very strong contender for my top three after just two issues, it’s full of pulpy goodness and Sanford Greene’s art on the series is outstanding. Lazarus has been my pick for many years, but only a couple of issues graced the stands in 2018, hopefully the new quarterly schedule will bring the book back in a big way. Die has only recently launched, so there was only one issue to base this on. I loved the high concept, I’ve heard it described as Goth Jumanji, but as the back matter attests this book takes more from the old Dungeons and Dragons cartoon than anything else. I’m interested to see where it goes.

Podcast – 

1. The Prog Report

This ended up being the easiest category, as this show has become the one I will always play as soon as an episode drops. Presenter Roie Avin is amiable and knowledgeable and he puts together a few different kinds of episode which keeps things interesting and have moved it into the number one spot. He interviews musicians, musicians take over the show to share their Top 5 Prog songs and sometimes a round table discussion to create a Top 5 (The Queen episode was a particular highlight).

2. Wolverine - The Long Night

One man’s podcast is another man’s serialised audio drama! I do find it odd how radio plays are now branded as podcasts, but the episodic nature of this series worked very well. I would agree with the criticisms that Wolverine, played excellently by Richard Armitage, wasn’t in the show enough but overall I find this held my interest and the performances and production were very strong. More Marvel shows like this would be of interest and this show made me think about writing audio again too.

3. iFanBoy

I’ve been listening to Josh and Connor (and Ron and Paul) for years and I’m impressed by how consistent it still is. Despite reading far less weekly comics than I used to, I still listen to their Pick of the Week show every Monday. The Talksplode episodes are always very informative, quality interviews with creators that matter. And when a comic based movie drops I always head to their show first after seeing it, usually to have my own opinions borne out. I think even if I ever stopped reading or writing comics, I’d still listen to the show for the hosts alone.

Honourable mentions – I’ve been enjoying the same shows as list year mainly perennial favourites like On Story and Nerdist's The Writers Panel, Geek Syndicate, Grouchy Old Geeks,  World Balloon and Comics Experience.

Here’s to another year of excellent entertainment in 2019!

Counting down to Comics Salopia

Comics Salopia

The festival with a difference!

This Saturday I’ll be heading to Shrewsbury for Comics Salopia , a new town wide International Comics Art Festival inspired by European events like Angouleme. Amongst those involved with the event are small press stalwart and long running UK convention organiser Shane Chebsey and former Comics Laureate and current Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard. This podcast with Geek Syndicate reveals more about what their intentions are and what they have planned.

I’ll be there with co-writer Steve Aryan attending panels, meeting up with fellow creators and editors and generally get a feel for Comics Salopiai’s inaugural event.

If you’re going along you’ll also be able to pick up issues of the first arc of Seven Shades, the supernatural Western I created with artist Dave Clifford. I’m sure I’ll stop by the Deadstar Publishing table at some point to sign a few copies too.

Seven Shades and Stephen Aryan at MCM Comic Con

If you are heading to MCM Comic Con at the Excel Centre in London at the end of this month, look out for a particular comic book and a certain fantasy author too.

If you’ve haven’t picked up supernatural western series Seven Shades by yours truly and artist Dave Clifford yet, you will find all four copies at the Deadstar Publishing stand in the Comics Village.

Although I won’t be in attendance my ongoing co-writer and podcast partner Stephen Aryan, will be there, alongside the likes of Frank Miller and Chris Claremont. If you’d like to catch him at the show, here’s where you’ll be able to find him.

Saturday

17:00pm – 17:45pm – Creator Stage: So, you want to be a writer

If you’ve ever wanted to be a writer than this panel is for you.  Moderator and Author Ed Cox (The Relic Guild trilogy) joins authors Marieke Nijkamp (Before I let go) Stephen Aryan (Magefall) Lucy Hounsom (The World Maker Trilogy) Tim Pratt (The Wrong Stars) and Jeanette NG (Under the Pendulum Sun) as they discuss what it takes to be a writer.

18:00pm – 18:30pm – Forbidden Planet SIGNING

Stephen Aryan (Magefall) Tim Pratt (The Wrong Stars) Lucy Hounsom (The World Maker Trilogy) Marieke Nijkamp (Before I Let Go) Jeanette NG (Under the Pendulum Sky)

Sunday

12:00pm – 12:45pm – Creator Stage: Orbit Presents

Orbit Authors Nicholas Eames (Bloody Rose) Tasha Suri (Empire of Sand) Mike Carey (The Girl with All the Gifts) Tade Thompson (Rosewater) Heather Child (Everything About You) RJ Baker (King of Assassins) Stephen Aryan (Mage Born) talk all things Orbit

15:30pm – 16:00pm – Forbidden Planet SIGNING

Daniel Polansky (A City Dreaming) Stephen Aryan (Magefall) Christa Faust (Batman: A Killing Joke) Tim Pratt (The Wrong Stars)

16:00pm – 16:45pm – Creator Stage: Writers Block

Authors Tim Pratt (The Wrong Stars) Daniel Polansky (A City Dreaming) Marieke Nijkamp (Before I Let Go) Christa Faust (Batman: A Killing Joke) and Stephen Aryan (Magefall) discuss the dreaded “writer’s block” and the various ways that it can be overcome.

The Interactives artist heads to Marvel's Ironheart

I worked with artist Luciano Vecchio on fantasy mini-series The Interactives, which was published by Markosia. Since then he’s gone on to work on a number of titles for DC and Marvel.

It has just been announced that he will be joining the creative team on the first issue of Marvel’s Ironheart series, spinning out of Invincible Iron Man and continuing the adventures of RiRi Williams. The news was announced on Bleeding Cool earlier this week.

I absolutely loved working with Luciano on The Interactives and I’m pleased to see his career in comics go from strength to strength. If his schedule ever allows, I’d really like to get to work with him again. For now I’ll make sure I pick up Ironheart #1 from Marvel.

Thought Bubble - the return

Comic conventions are like buses, none for some time and then two come along at once. Our publisher on Seven Shades, Deadstar Publishing, was busy at Cardiff Film and Comic Con so Dave Clifford and I took to the road and headed North to Leeds for Thought Bubble. This was my fourth time at the show, but my first appearance since 2014 and it was Dave’s first chance to experience what has become the largest comic event in the UK. Despite the Friday traffic conspiring to make our drive six hours long, a mix of metal albums and jaffa cakes kept us in good spirits.

As usual with Thought Bubble, the social side is just as important as the convention itself and it was great to spend a couple of evenings with some very good friends, fellow creators Chris Hurst, Chris Lewis, Glenn Moane (all CE alumni), Magnus Aspli and Dan Hill who I was meeting for the first time.

We were sharing a table with Huw “Lem” Davies and his Moon of Chance, who ably managed to put up with Dave and I for two whole days! Our table was in the Comixology Originals Marquee, which had a steady flow of people throughout both days. We launched Issue 3 and 4 of Seven Shades at the show, bringing the first arc of the story to a close. Over the course of the weekend, Dave and I chatted through plot points and made notes that have made us believe we will end up with Seven Shades in Seven Trades eventually! Books sold across both day, as did Dave’s original art.

I wasn’t able to leave our table that often, but I did find time to head to another of the marquees to catch up briefly with Mike Collins and Marc Laming and to finally meet Paul Allor in the flesh, but there were lots of people I didn’t manage to find time to see in the end. We also recorded a quick interview with another old friend, Jimmy Aquino for his podcast Comic News Insider.

Thought Bubble moved to a variety of city centre locations last year and when I heard that news I wasn’t sure at first about it leaving the Royal Armouries, but once we settled in I soon became accustomed to the new locations. Having the show right in the heart of the city made me realise quite how mainstream comic conventions have become, locals didn’t bat an eyelid at the cosplayers roaming the streets and there were a large number of families in attendance, especially on Sunday. My other major takeaway was that compared to conventions of yesteryear, that seemed to be predominantly men of a certain age, this was a truly diverse show on both sides of the table. That’s very good news for the future of the medium.

It was a tiring but inspiring weekend, which we didn’t want to come to an end. After another long drive home, this time helped by Queen’s back catalogue we were soon back down to earth.

Spending the weekend on ICE

I headed to Birmingham last weekend for ICE, alongside my Seven Shades artist/co-creator David Clifford and our publisher Kev Davies, from Deadstar Publishing. Dave and I were at the Deadstar table, helping with sales and signing copies of the first two issues of our supernatural western series. Like many one day conventions, the event was family friendly, inclusive and well run, as you’d expect from an event run by Shane Chebsey.

I also managed to meet up with Steve Aryan, my co-writer on a number of current projects, as we were both attending the Comics Uncovered keynote speech from Senior DC editor Jim Chadwick. It was an enlightening, realistic and inspirational talk and it was good to chat to Jim about our writing backgrounds during the Q&A session at the end of his session.

Although there wasn’t quite as much footfall as at some other recent similar sized conventions, the people who had attended were really engaged. We sold come copies of the book and had some interesting conversations about comics, art and creating. It was good to be back at a convention again, as ever half the fun is meeting up with other creators who you only get to see in this environment.

There’s no rest for the wicked, as Dave and I are representing Deadstar again this weekend, at Thought Bubble in Leeds. Our third convention of the year sees the launch of Issue 3 and 4 of Seven Shades, following a successful Issue 1 and 2 launch in Cardiff earlier in the year.

The Family Graves is Fantastic

A few years ago I was lucky enough to read the first draft scripts for Timothy Bach's The Family Graves mini-series.  Tim, like myself, is a member of the Comics Experience workshop and he posted the scripts for peer and pro critiques from other members. I had very few notes to give and I was instantly hooked, it reminded me of classic Fantastic Four stories and the other Marvel books I'd grown up with, escapist fun with iconic and immediate characters.

Fast forward to now and I've been lucky again, as Tim has let me read the first two issues (which are coming to comic shops very soon from Source Point Press and CE), with art by Brian Atkins. And now I love the finished honed comic just as much as those original scripts. The likes of Phil Hester and Mark Waid have already expressed how much they like the series too. 

You can read the first ten pages of Issue One for yourself here, and when you have I'm certain you'll be looking to pre-order it from your local comic shop, the Previews code is below.