Split Lip in print

What a coincidence.
Here I am beavering away with Sam Costello's latest yarn and he sends me an email about Split Lip finding an American publisher.

SPLIT LIP HORROR WEBCOMIC IN PRINT FOR THE FIRST TIME

April 28, 2009 – Providence, RI – Split Lip, the work called “the predominant original horror comic work on the Internet” by The Horror Blog, is now available in print in the United States for the first time.

Split Lip Volume 1, a 158-page trade paperback collecting 11 horror comics, is available now at http://www.splitlipcomic.com/slc-store.html

Split Lip debuted in Oct. 2006 and has published 24 stories – over 275 pages of free comics – at www.webcomicsnation.com/splitlip. Each story is written by Sam Costello and drawn by artists from all over the world, including Sami Makkonen (Blue, Deadworld: Slaughterhouse), John Bivens (Comic Book Tattoo), and Jason Ho (Agnes Quill).

Split Lip Volume 1 features the work of Makkonen, Bivens, and nine other cartoonists from the U.S., UK, Latin America, and Europe and has been described as "very well-done, very professional ... each story packs a punch" by Comics Should Be Good.

Below is the contents and as you can see I'm in it with Straw men.

Contains the following stories:

• Straw Men, by Sam Costello and Gary Crutchley
• Headin' South, by Sam Costello and Kyle Strahm
• Not Sleeping Well, by Sam Costello and Ayhan Hayrula
• The Consequences of a Little Alone Time, by Sam Costello and Diego Candia
• The Executioner is a Lonely Man, by Sam Costello and Brian A. Laframboise
• Fish Drink, by Sam Costello and Iain Laurie
• The Tree of Remembrance, by Sam Costello and Nelson Evergreen
• School Supplies, by Sam Costello and Brian McGleenon
• The Railroad Boy, by Sam Costello and Felipe Sobreiro
• Mujer, by Sam Costello and Sami Makkonen
• Fitcher's Bird, by Sam Costello and John Bivens

Below is the first page of Straw Men.

No Rest fer the Wicked

John Halfpenny's cracking story "The Master Cracksman" is finished, well the pencils are at least.
John's happy with it, I'm happy with it. Some of me best drawing I've done in a while.
Thoroughly enjoyed meself doing it.
And, as a treat above is another sketch from it.
That's all for now, may show something when I've inked it.

Yea, so now it's back to Sam Costello's script, for his Split Lip site.
I never really stopped drawing it, did a few sketches here and there and light boxed them on the page.
The deadline is for the end of May when I start a rather big project.
Don't want to mention it just yet, cause the sheer size of it is scaring the B'jeebers out of me.
But that's later.
That's not to say I won't be working with John again. Oh no, as I type this he's finishing off another cracking tale and this one has got a lot of luvverly things I like to draw.
Oh yes, I can't wait. and as a clue just have a shufty at the pic below.

Just Multi taskin'

I'm beavering away on Sam Costello's script "The Cousin of Death", working out the layouts and loads of sketches that I'll light box on the page, but I've been drawn (sorry about that) to John Halfpenny's 2 pager the Master Cracksman and I've also been doing some sketches for that.
Above is a sketch for the main character that John likes which is always a good thing.
Get the writer on your side- rule no 1.
Anyway I've been working out the panels andI pleased to say that I've nailed it now (fingers crossed).
So the next few days I'll lightbox the sketches on to the comic pages and bingo, jobs a good'un.
Don't expect me to show too much on this, as there's only 10 panels and I certainly don't want to spoil anything.
It's for AccentUk's Victoriana book, so a good way off yet, but it's John's first accepted comic work which is great.

Done at last

So I finished "Daddy's Girl" a story I'm quite proud of. And I 've sent it away hopefully to get a positive response, if not oh well that be the nature of comics.
Can't rest on me laurels though, my next project is for Sam Costello of Split Lip fame.
Oh yes he wants another of his scripts illustrated by moi and I couldn't be more chuffed.
It's a crackin' little tale (and I've not read a bad 'en from Sam yet).
I've already dome some sketches and I'll post them in the next few weeks.

Nuffink goes as planned

It's a case of "famous last words".
A couple of posts ago I said that I' d finished the strip for Insomnia's anthology and I'd found a new horror mag to submit some stuff.
I thought I'd be a bit clever(HA, fat chance) re-tweak an old strip that I'd done a while a go and submit it.
It's not gonna take too long I said; 2 weeks at most.
HA I say! HA and HA and Ha.
Wrong. it's been 4 weeks and it's not finished, nearly but not quite.

These 3 panels are from the 1st page (can't show too much, it'll give the plot away)
A story of how your indiscretions can come back to bite yous in the ass.
Anyway, me being a bit late has put other stuff on hold, and let me tell you there is loads of other stuff coming, it's just there aren't enough hours in the day what with this drawing lark and a full time job.
Hopefully I'll finish it this week.
After that, I've got another strip to start straight away (more on that later) and a 2 pager by a cracking new writer name of John Halfpenny.
I've read a couple of his little tales and I gotta say this man is gonna go far.
Plus something big that I can't mention just yet,
plus all of my other stuff that is already on hold.
Bugger! Oh well it's a good job that I love to draw isn't it!

Insomnia Publishes some great books

The deadline for the 10 page strip I did with Steven stone for Insomnia publications Layer Zero anthology is next Tuesday, no worries I finished a couple of weeks ago. So it'll be off to the printers and ready to go on sale at Bristol con. Above is the cover without the title and all the lettering gubbins that you find on covers.
Here is the list of what you have to look forward to.

Cover

• Pencils and Inks by Scott James, colours by Jason Millet

Stories

• Beautiful People: Script by Jim Alexander, Art by Dean Stahl
• Beggars Can’t Be Choosers: Script by Chris Barker, Art by Des Langford
• Borrowed Life: Script and Art by Valia Kapadai
  
• Butterflies and Moths: Script by Corey Brotherson, Art by Ariyana Vidya
• Death in Therapy: Script by GM Jordan, Art by Michael Tribble
• Devils Due: Script by Richard Casey, Art by Preston Asvedo
• The Devil Road: Script by James Johnson, Art by Leonardo M Giron
• Erratum: Script by Matt Gibbs, Art by Des Langford
• The God Trap: Script by Chris Lynch, Art by Gary O'Donnell
• Hobson’s Choice: Script by Thomas Romeo, Art by Tom Harry
• Hunger: Script by Peter Forbes Art by James Daniels
• Love Like a Bullet: Script by Aiden Langley, Art by Jane Summerfield
• Magpie: Script by Richard McAuliffe, Art by Mark Chilcott
• Nearest and Dearest: by Monty Borror
• The Proposal: Script and Art by Scott James
  
• Red Wire Blue Wire: Script by Alexi Conman, Art by Larry Watt
• The Right Choice: Script and Art by Stephen J Butler
  
• So Much To Do, So Little Time: Script and art by Dave West
• Soul: Script by Steven Stone, Art by Gary Crutchley
• Time Wave Zero: Script and Art by Adam R Grose
• The Turtle Guitar: Script and Art by Ben Powis
  
• Waste: Script by Cy Dethan, Art by Ben Mcleod
• Waiting for the End: Script by Martin Conaghan, Art by Nulsh

Pin ups

• Andy Bloor
• Marcus Truckle
• Angus Day

It looks to be a good solid book.

They are selling the book and the others that are coming out at special prices at Bristol.
So a good read at bargain prices.

If you're going to be at the Bristol International Comic Expo and the Small Press Expo 2009, you'll be able to pick Cancertown up (along with its Insomnia brethren, Layer Zero 3 and Cages) at a special convention price as shown below

• Cancertown RRP = £14.99, Con Special = £10


• Cages RRP = £10.99, Con Special = £7


• Layer Zero Choices RRP = £9.99, Con Special = £7


• Cancertown + Cages for £15Cancertown + Layer Zero for £15


• Cancertown + Cages + Layer Zero for £20

Cancertown is the biggee, Written by Cy Dethan, Pencils/Inks by Stephen Downey, Colors by Melanie Cook, Letters by Nic Wilkinson, Cover by Paul Cartwright. Features a foreword by Bryan Talbot...yup THAT Bryan Talbot.
Personally I can't wait, from what I've seen of it on www.mybook.com it looks great.
Ok that's it, hard sell over.

Strap on yer Shootin' Irons

Above is the cover to AccentUK latest anthology and it was delivered yesterday, and it's a corker.
Sporting an excellent Kirk Manley wraparound cover with 192 pages, 31 stories and 12 pin-ups all fer a measly £7.99, it's a bargain and no mistake.
I gotta say the editors Dave West and Colin Mathieson have done a bang up job and designed by the very talented Andy Bloor , it's even better than Zombies and Robots.
These three have certainly raised the bar on production values for the small press.
And the stories:- by the likes of Leah Moore and John Reppion, Dave Hitchcock, Steve Bissette, Paul Harrison Davies, Indio , Andrew Cheverton, Tim Keable, Kieron Gillespie, just to name afew are t'riffic.
There is something for everyone.
You can buy it directly from AccentUk's site at the moment, with plans to sell it through Previews.
Oh did I tell you I'm in this.

This is the first page of my own 8 page strip.