Belfast Comics

Thursday Comics Belfast

2012-01-31T13:06:00.000-08:00

You may be heading into FPI to pick up your latest batch of new releases on the day. Or some back issues, at Atomic Collectables. There's a bunch of other comics themed stuff on in the city this week too.

Late Night Art is celebrated in Belfast and Dublin the first thursday of every month with many of the galleries open. This week, Belfast is running two comics themed events.
The Arts and Disability Forum from 5-7pm launches Andy Luke's In Time six week event – a retrospective of three acclaimed comics, and the first installment of his groundbreaking Newszoom supplement. The first edition has a piece on animal rights and frothing desktop activists, but most everything else is improvised. There'll be free booze and you can ask me all sorts of questions such as, "Why don't those small pressers want to make comics like Stan Lee makes his?",and "Can I have your chocolate?" Here's a link to a rather good write-up about the show.

Then from 6-9pm PS2 (aka Paragon Studios), runs an exhibition based on images of Wonder Woman. Based in Donegall Street (around from The Cloth Ear), PS2 is a clear shop-front gallery and the exhibition features the mighty amazon fat and thin, made from sculpture, clay and card, and other materials. "The New Adventures of Wonder Woman" examines origins and physical transformation consists of sculpture

From the gallery website,

"“Get us out from under, Wonder Woman!”
Opening with explosive bursts of fire and the howl of a siren, Dara Birnbaum’s ‘Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman’ (1978-79) is supercharged, action-packed and visually riveting, and has lost none of its visceral impact despite its thirty years of age. Appropriating imagery from the 1970s television series, ‘Wonder Woman’, Birnbaum isolates and repeats Diana Prince’s magical transformation into the iconic superhero. Through stuttering edits, Wonder Woman spins dizzily like a music-box doll with her arms outstretched, pursues her foes, and deflects bullets with her metal bracelets. "

More details at http://www.pssquared.org/BenCrothers.php

PS2 is consistently one of the better galleries in the city.

This comes a few months after after an East Belfast artist, Deirdre Robb, took part in the Billboards exhibition, through the Creative Exchange ensemble (Often seen at the Black Market) Images of a 1950s Wonder Woman appeared some 10ft tall in several locations to bring people's attention to the arts. ICN talked to Dierdre Robb about an interview but she couldn't respond. It was about the same time fine art pilferage and re-appropriation was a hot point in the comics community. Then again, that probably had nothing to do with it.

Also on the late night art trail is Catalyst, who last year organised a comics themed exhibition. This month, PRESS START, features a fetish for the retro; video games such as Pong and Doom are re-programmed with a Multi User Dimension. The end result is kind of cool. They've also got the WABfm radio dome – an open internet DJ-ing platform were anyone can sign up as I've just done for following Thursday.

To round the Thursday off, the Belfast comics pub meet starts at the Cloth Ear, just around from PS2, on Waring Street at 9pm. There you can expect to hear talk about at least three upcoming anthology titles due in the next month. The group is fairly open, not at al in-bred egoistic sycophantic opinions or cliquish. We couldn't be bothered with solo keyboard mud-sling. In any case, you're welcome.

In Time: Andy Luke exhibition at Arts & Disability Forum

2012-01-28T01:31:00.000-08:00

Launching next Thursday, 2 February, at 5pm the Arts and Disability Forum in the Cathedral Quarter Workspaces, 109-133 Royal Avenue (map), is Andy Luke's exhibition of his comics work, In Time. It runs til Thursday 15 March and includes a talk by Andy at 1pm on Thursday 16 February, a workshop at 11am on Friday 24 February, and Newszoom, a twice-weekly news comic that Andy will be producing in real time. Here's an interview he's done about it on Irish Comic News.

The Invisble Artist - documentary on Belfast comics

2012-01-24T07:49:00.000-08:00

Last year Andy Luke made a documentary film about comics in Belfast for NVTV, featuring Andy, me, Davy Francis, PJ Holden, Stephen Downey, John Farrelly and others. It's now online, so watch it!

The Invisible Artist from Northern Visions/NvTv on Vimeo.

Better Angels

2011-12-02T12:57:00.000-08:00

Andy Luke alerts me to a new webcomic - Better Angels, by Belfast writer Tony McVeigh and American artist Jordan Kroeger. Early days, but it seems to be a superhero comic based in Christian mythology, with the main character, Faith, having her angelic powers awakened by an encounter with another angel, and finding she's being pursued by the sinister Seraphim. She's also got a very bad temper. It updates in monthly three-page episodes. The website design, with its huge and hideous navigation buttons, is pretty dreadful, but that's just cosmetic. The comic itself looks promising. Artist Jordan Kroeger seems to be a fan of Bryan Talbot, and while he's not in Bryan's league, that's not a bad influence to have.

Tony also has a blog, You Are Comics, where he reviews a lot of Marvel and DC comics.

PJ Holden signing in the Forbidden Planet on Saturday (and pub meet on Thursday)

2011-11-30T00:50:00.000-08:00

On Saturday 3 December from 1pm to 3, PJ Holden will be signing comics in the Forgotten Pelmet on Ann Street. That should include the first issue of Strip Magazine, in which he draws Black Ops Extreme. I'm sure you could also persuade him to sign recent issues of the Judge Dredd Megazine, for which he drew Numbercruncher, the miniseries Robocop/Terminator: Kill Human, and older stuff like Battlefields and Fearless.

Also, pub meet on Thursday! If you're in the vicinity of Belfast and make comics or are interested in making comics, we'll be at the Cloth Ear on Waring Street from 9pm. Here's the Facebook event page.

Events upcoming: pub meet and talks at the Linenhall Library

2011-10-31T11:55:00.000-07:00

First up, this Thursday, 3 November, it's the regular monthly pub meet at the Cloth Ear on Waring Street, from 9pm. If you make comics or are interested in making comics, it'd be good to see you there. I have heard of a couple of incidents of people getting turned away for being under 25, so we might have to consider a change of venue. Bring ideas.

Next week there's a couple of lunchtime events of interest at the Linenhall Library. Tuesday week, 8 November, Dr. Gordon Gillespie examines comic books and graphic novels produced in response and reaction to NI’s political turbulence. Then the following Friday, 11 November, Linen Hall Librarian John Killen takes the audience on a historical tour of political cartoons created throughout the 20th century. Both events are free and start at 1pm.

Ards Arts Big Scribble 2011

2011-10-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

On Friday 28th and Saturday 29th October, Ards Arts in Newtownards, Co. Down, is inviting people to come and draw on the walls of their studio. The Ards Arts Big Scribble is part of the UK-wide Big Draw campaign, and aims to get people drawing a create a piece of collaborative art. They're inviting local businesses and schools as well as the general public to come and make their mark. In residence will be local illustrator and urban artist Shauna McGowan.

ICN Awards - let voting commence!

2011-10-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

Nominations have closed, and voting proper for the inaugural Irish Comic News awards can now begin.

Belfast-related nominations include:

Myself for Best Self-Published artist
PJ Holden for Best Mainstream-Published Artist
Garth Ennis for Best Mainstream-Published Writer and Hall of Fame
The Cattle Raid of Cooley (by me) and Felicity (by Adam Law) for Best Webcomic
Absence (by Andy Luke and Stephen Downey) for Best Self-Published Comic and Overall Best Comic
The Boys (by Garth Ennis et al) and Numbercruncher (by Si Spurrier and PJ Holden) for Best Mainstream-Published Comic
Sunnyside Comics for Best Blog/Podcast
Forbidden Planet Belfast for Best Comic Shop

Culture NI on Batman Live - with PJ Holden and Malachy Coney

2011-10-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

Over at Culture NI, Peter McCaughan has written a piece on the Batman Live show opening tonight at the Odyssey, with contributions on what makes Batman so enduringly popular from Belfast comics luminaries PJ Holden and Malachy Coney.

Stephen Downey's Jennifer Wilde on Cosmic Treadmill

2011-09-30T23:35:00.000-07:00

You'll no doubt have seen the first issue of Atomic Diner's 1920s supernatural mystery comic Jennifer Wilde, drawn by our own Stephen Downey, on the shelves in the Forgotten Pelmet, and if you haven't picked it up, go and do so, because it's excellent. It's got some attention from new ~~UK-based~~* comics news site Cosmic Treadmill, who have reviewed issue 1, and interviewed Stephen and the writer, Maura McHugh, and the publisher/plotter, Rob Curley. Check 'em out.

*Chris from Cosmic Treadmill contacts me to point out they're actually based in Cork.

Irish Comic News 2011 Awards open for nominations!

2011-09-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

Irish Comic News, a great site covering the comics scene north and south of the border, announces the inaugural ICN Awards, and is inviting nominations in a variety of categories covering creators and comics in the self-published and mainstream fields, comic shops and websites. Go and vote, and ensure that Belfast, and the north in general, are well represented!

TitanCon is coming!

2011-09-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit slack blogging here of late - even forgot to plug the last pub meet at the Cloth Ear on Thursday 1 September, and have yet to write up last weekend's Barcamp. A lot of my blogging efforts have been redirected to Irish Comic News, which you should all be following, but I have also just been a bit inactive online due to meatspace factors. Couldn't be helped - sorry.

But anyway. There's a new science fiction and fantasy convention coming up in a few weeks: TitanCon. The main event is on Saturday 24 September at the Europa, and features guests including sf author Ian McDonald and various people involved in making the Game of Thrones TV series - not to mention myself and the estimable Andy Luke, representing comics. There's also a preview night at McHughs on the Friday, and a Game of Thrones bus tour on the Sunday, but I believe that's sold out.

It's a tenner in, and it looks excellent (and I'd say that even if I wasn't a guest). For more, see Andy's write-up at Irish Comic News.

Black Box Bazaar tomorrow

2011-08-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

The Black Market is no more. In its place, the Black Box Bazaar. Which is exactly the same. Andy's taking a break, but I'll be there as usual with the usual range of self-published comics by artists from both sides of the border, alongside all the other handmade crafts and buns and old vinyl records and everything else. And they do great slices of pizza in the cafe in the front. Tomorrow, Sunday 14 August, at the Black Box on Hill Street, 12 to 5 pm. Come along and see what creative Belfast has to offer.

Comics Barcamp 2011

2011-07-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

There's a new kind of comics event coming up in September - Comics Barcamp Belfast 2011. A barcamp is a kind of communally organised conference where people gather to learn and share their knowledge, that started in the IT industry and has spread to other fields.

Comics Barcamp Belfast is the brainchild of Andy Luke, who has secured a venue, Blick Studios on the Malone Road, on 3 September 2011. He's set up a wiki for planning the event, and a Google discussion group as well. What he needs is more participation. We have two proposed sessions, writer pitching with Andy and outlets and distribution with me. Barcamp is participation only. If you want to give a presentation or lead a discussion on any subject regarding creating, publishing, selling or promoting comics, anything you can contribute from your own experience and thoughts, we'd be delighted to have you.

New outlet for Belfast self-publishers

2011-07-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

The Head record shop in the Victoria Centre has a section for local artists. They currently carry books by Wayne Simmons, DVDs by George Clarke, CDs by loads of local musicians, and comics by the Berserker lads, George Clarke and Miguel Martin, and me. Their terms are extremely generous, so if you self-publish locally, call in and ask to talk to Viv.

Pub meet this Thursday

2011-07-04T23:46:00.000-07:00

First Thursday of July, the 7th, is time for our regular Belfast comics creators pub meet! If you make comics, or are interested in making comics, and are in the vicinity of Belfast on Thursday, then join us at the Cloth Ear, attached to the Merchant Hotel on Waring Street, from 9pm. Click here for the Facebook event page, where you can invite your friends.

This blog's been a bit quiet lately - I'm afraid my blogging attention has been elsewhere, on the new Irish Comic News site. Check it out.

Attention self-publishers

2011-06-14T02:20:00.000-07:00

You might be aware that the Belfast Book Festival, run by the Crescent Arts Centre, is about to start. One event that might be of interest to those of us who publish our own comics locally is the Northern Ireland Publications Resource event, held at the Crescent Arts Centre on Saturday 18 June at 1pm. The blurb goes:

Ever wondered how to find out about books published in Northern Ireland or how to get your own book published?

Visit the Northern Ireland Publications Resource in the Helen Lewis Dance Studio to see a selection of the hundreds of books published here in the last ten years and to get advice on how to find a publisher or how to become your own publisher.

Members of the NIPR team will be on hand to offer advice and to show the range of services offered, which include editorial services, guidance on legal issues like copyright and deposit, and suggestions on how to bring your publication to the notice of readers.

It's free, but you have to book a ticket, so follow the link.

Slaughterman's Creed FP Belfast Signing

2011-05-30T05:13:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the launch of Slaughterman's Creed, the new original graphic novel from Cancertown writer/artist team Cy Dethan and Stephen Downey, Forbidden Planet Belfast will host a signing session on Saturday 11th June from 1 to 3pm.

Selling and signing copies on the day will be penciller Stephen Downey, inker Andy Brown and cover painter Ryan Brown. There is a FREE sketch with every copy bought on the day and if you've already pre-ordered the book, feel free to bring it along and grab a free sketch. Andy Luke will also be in taking part, signing and giving out FREE print copies of his and Stephen's Absence comic.

2D is back!

2011-05-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

2D, the Northern Ireland Comics Festival, is next weekend!

As ever, it's held in the Verbal Arts Centre and Sandino's Bar in Derry (or Londonderry if you prefer). There's workshops for schools on Thursday and Friday, and then the show begins for the rest of us on Friday evening with a couple of panel discussions at Sandinos, before the big open day on Saturday at the Verbal Arts Centre, with all the guests signing and sketching (the theme this year is robots - I'll have to brush up on my robot drawing skills), workshops, talks and competitions. Finally, there's some more panels in the evening. Guest of honour is the legendary 2000AD art droid Mick McMahon. Most importantly, all events are free! Dowload the programme here. It's always a great event, so I hope we'll see lots of yez there.

Writer looking for artist

2011-05-14T00:20:00.000-07:00

Been in touch with a guy called Ian Royle, who's a Belfast-based writer looking for an artist. His story is in the vein of Tolkien or David Gemmell, and in terms of art style he's after something akin to Kick-Ass or Batman. Anybody fancy that? Contact him via Gumtree.

Cormac (1946-2011)

2011-05-08T05:18:00.000-07:00

Just found out that Brian Moore, aka Cormac, passed away on 12 March after a short illness. I met him in January at the Steve Bell talk at the Black Box, and he was booked in for a round table discussion on the Belfast People's Comic for a documentary Andy Luke is making with NVTV, but he couldn't make it, probably due to his illness.

He's best known for drawing the "Notes" cartoon for the Sinn Féin paper An Phoblacht for more than a quarter of a century. I have to admit the subject matter of much of his work makes me profoundly uncomfortable. He was part of the faction of the Belfast republican movement led by Gerry Adams that ultimately led to the IRA ceasefire, but prior to that was quite comfortable with "armed struggle". However, when I met him he was a very funny and personable chap, and, most importantly, he made a significant and influential contribution to our medium in our city.

He started out self-publishing in the small press - ten issues of Resistance Comics between 1975 and 1978 (CAIN have a pdf of issue 4 to dowload), which featured his self-caricature Paddy O'Looney of the Irish section of the sixth intergalactic revolutionary movement, and Red Biddy, who sounds like an Irish Millie Tant. He also drew for the Belfast People's Comic. In 1976 he was hired by Danny Morrison to draw for Republican News, which merged into An Phoblacht a few years later, and he carried on until early 2004. Here's a link to an archive of his later strips for the paper, and here's one from 2000 that shouldn't discomfit anyone (okay, me) politically:

He also drew for British socialist magazines, and scripted "Dog Collars", a regular strip lampooning the clergy drawn by Ian Knox, for Fortnight magazine in the 1980s, played, sang and wrote songs for a republican band called The Men of No Property, and wrote plays. RIP Brian.

Liam de Frinse exhibition

2011-05-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

In another bit of last minute news, Liam de Frinse (who used to do comics back in the 70s and 80s) emails me to tell me about a new exhibition he has on at the Engine Room Gallery, 414 Newtownards Road, called "Heroes + Villains + Pricks". It consists of of 150 stencil paintings of the heads of well-known people from all areas of high and low culture, and viewers are invited to vote which ones are heroes, which are villains, and which are pricks. It starts tonight, 7-9.30pm, and continues until 28 May, open Tuesday to Saturday 10am-4pm.

Culture NI on the Belfast comics scene

2011-05-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

Over at Culture NI, Peter McCaughan has written a nice wee piece on comics in Belfast, talking to Mal Coney about the forthcoming Good Craic Comics #2, The Catalyst Arts guys about their exhibition, and Andy and Stephen on Absence, and even gives this blog a plug. It's called More Than Lycra? Comic Book Artists Make the Case - go and read it!

On the subject of Catalyst, Mark tells me their planned event with Malcy Duff this evening has had to be cancelled for unavoidable reasons. However, Saturday's workshop is still going ahead with Superhilbo! creator Hilary Lawler. It'll be a hands on exploration of what it is to create a comic, focusing on developing ideas into a comic format and getting them down into panels, also touching on skills such as thumb-nailing, character sketching and comic themes. There are still a few places left on the workshop which will run from 11am - 3pm. Lunch will be provided! If you are interested in taking part please email catalystarts@gmail.com.

Weekly Mini-Comic Market Update

2011-04-29T11:59:00.001-07:00

Now, most Saturdays!

At the Red Barn Gallery, Rosemary Street. In sight of Delaney's, but directly opposite TK Maxx.

Award winning manual labourers Paddy Brown and Andy Luke will be selling as per usual and it's rumoured other experts might show up to sell the great Irish comics industry.

Andy will be signing his new free comic 'Absence', a comic about epilepsy.

The Black Panel

2011-04-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

The Black Panel sells a collection of over thirty independent comics by artists from the North and South of Ireland. For the last year and a while, Paddy and I (Andy) have been at The Black Box Market in The Cathedral Quarter on the first Sunday of every month, between 12-5pm. Entry is free.

Well, now the stall branching out.

Thursday 14th April - 5th May - ¿@#!*$ Exhibition at Catalyst Arts, 5 College Court,Belfast (ask the office)
Friday 15th April - FanSciCon, UCD Students Centre, Belfield Campus, Dublin 9am-10pm
Saturday 16th April - The Red Barn Gallery, 43b Rosemary Street, Belfast BT1 1 QBy, 11am-5pm and further selected Saturdays
Thursday 21st April - Absence Launch Party, Catalyst
Sunday 1st May - The Black Market, Black Box, Hill Street, Belfast

As always, entrance is free.
Check out the blogspot for more details

Bob Curran's Bog Standard Comix

2011-04-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

Back in the 80s there was a comic published in Belfast called Ximoc. Among strips by the likes of Will Simpson, Davy Francis, Ray McEvoy and Ivor Lavery, it included a science fiction adventure strip called "The Scavenger", by writer Bob Curran and artist Desi Hughes.

Haven't been able to track down Desi, but Bob got himself a doctorate and has written a slew of books on werewolves, fairies and other folkloric subjects, and worked in community relations and on cross-border initiatives at Stormont. And he's getting back in the comics game. He's set up Bog Standard Comix and is working on three forthcoming series with artists Adrian Lutton and David Dale (who worked together on a promo comic for the W5 Discovery Centre a couple of years ago). Bob and Adrian have put up a seven page preview of their alternate-history sci-fi series Space 1949 (pages 1-3, pages 4-8), which looks marvellous.

The other two titles in the pipeline are time travel adventurer Doc Lazarus, by Bob and Adrian, and 17th century witch-hunter Joachim Darke, by Bob and David.

Don't forget, tomorrow (Thursday 7 April) is the Belfast Comics Creators Pub Meet (Facebook link) at the Cloth Ear on Waring Street. We'll be there from about 9pm.

Stephen Downey on Jennifer Wilde

2011-04-05T00:49:00.000-07:00

Stephen Downey blogs about his new comic, Jennifer Wilde, a 1920s supernatural espionage mystery in three issues written by Rob Curley and Maura McHugh. The three of them will be at FanSciCon at University College Dublin on Friday 15 April to promote it.

Catalyst Arts presents ¿@#!*$

2011-04-05T00:30:00.000-07:00

¿@#!*$

This unpronounceable series of symbols stands for an exhibition and series of events incorporating the artistic mediums of Comics, Illustration and Zine making, held at Catalyst Arts Gallery, 5 College Court, from 15 April to 7 May, with a preview on 14 April. Exhibiting artists include:

As well as the work of the exhibiting artists, Catalyst is also playing host to a library of zines and comics from all over, and there'll also be a series of events held over the course of the exhibition, including:

The launch party for Absence, a comic about epilepsy written by Andy Luke and drawn by Stephen Downey, on Thursday 21 April from 7.30 to 9pm. There's a Facebook page - invite your friends.

Secret Cinema, unknown date, unknown location. Follow Sweet or Salted on Facebook to find out more...

a Comic/Zine Fair, Saturday 23 April from 12 to 5pm, when the Gallery space will be handed over to creators of comics, zines and all things illustrative. Stalls will be set up pedlling wares ranging from cakes to comics, posters to bags, zines to doodles on pieces of paper. Stalls are FREE but spaces are limited, so if you are interested in reserving one then please contact catalystarts@gmail.com

Live Music & Live Drawing, presented by the collective Pretty Circus on Sunday 1 May from 7pm to 1am. A night of live performance with music and illustration combining for a unique take on the collaboration of the two art-forms.

The Simpsons, a live comic performance by Malcy Duff, Thursday 5 May, 8pm

The Dog Walking Technique, a FREE workshop by Malcy Duff, exploring non-traditional approaches to drawing and comic storytelling. Malcy shows us how he uses sensory drawing to create ideas and characters, and the techniques he has developed to turn these into comics. Held Saturday 7 May from 11am to 3pm. Lunch is provided, but spaces are limited, so email catalystarts@gmail.com to book your place.

Nick Roche

2011-03-23T09:11:00.001-07:00

Sunday 20 March 2011 - 20 March 2011. 2.00 - 4.00pm at the W5, Belfast

And don't forget, there's a Comic Book Design Workshop at Coleraine Library on Wednesday 23rd March. Pre-Booking essential. Here's the link for that.

John Kindness: a Big Fish who started in our small pond

2011-03-11T14:23:00.000-08:00

These days John Kindness is an internationally renowned artist, working in all kinds of media. He paints on car parts, remakes classic works of art as cereal boxes, paints modern cityscapes in the style of ancient Greek vases, and, of course, makes public sculptures out of mosaics of found objects. He's best known in his home town for the Big Fish on the Waterfront, a symbol of the city which this blog has appropriated as its logo.

But back in the 70s, he drew small press comics in Belfast, and those of us who do the same today can regard him as our founder.

In about 1976 he self-published The Hand: A Tale of Old Belfast, a 12-page story of a young lad from north Belfast whose short life causing minor trouble on street corners was cut short in a drive-by shooting:

The following year, he was one of the artists involved in the Belfast People's Comic, a local anthology that also featured work by Ian Knox, Cormac and a very young Davy Francis. Here's a complete 2-page strip from the first issue:

The Shankill Bulletin, a local community paper in the Shankill area, was launched in 1978, and the early issues featured another Kindness creation, "Screw the Bap and Head the Ball", a full page comic strip about a pair of ne'er-do-wells who got into all kinds of satirical scrapes. After a couple of years he handed it over to Davy Francis, but here's one he did in the second issue:

John became a full-time artist in 1986, and left comics behind. Or did he? In 1994 he was invited to propose an artwork to be included in Heathrow Airport's new Belfast Lounge, and devised Belfast Frescoes, an autobiographical tale of his childhood in Belfast in the 1950s, told in a sequence of 20 lime frescoes on slate. Heathrow didn't commission it in the end, but the originals are now in the Ulster Museum, and the whole sequence was published as a book in 1995.

Coleraine: Comic Book Design Workshop

2011-03-11T00:50:00.000-08:00

"To mark Creativity Month, Coleraine Library will be hosting a workshop on comic book design with local illustrator and author Trisha Deery, taking place on Wednesday 23rd March at 2.00pm"

The workshop is free; places are available through booking only. More details at the NI Libraries website.

March pub meet at the Cloth Ear this Thursday

2011-02-27T12:16:00.000-08:00

Like the heading says. This Thursday is the first of the month, so if you're in or around Belfast, create comics or are interested in creating comics, please come along - we'll be there from about 9pm. Here's the Facebook event page.

Upcoming Belfast Comix Festival: Call for Submissions

2011-02-24T11:22:00.000-08:00

First official word from Mark de Connik at Catalyst Arts on the three week comics exhibition and festival coming to Belfast, mid-April to early May:

Mark writes,

"Us here at Catalyst Arts are currently in the process of putting together a publication to coincide with our upcoming exhibition based around Comics, Zines and illustration.

Taking the form of a twenty-four page, black and white, newspaper print, we are currently looking for artists/writers to contribute their work to this publication, which will be distributed thro ughout Ireland.

We are open to all forms of work relating to the exhibition that would lend itself to such a publication.

If you are interested in becoming a part of this project, all submissions of work are to be sent to catalystarts@gmail.com by no later than 5pm, Friday 4th March.

The dimensions of the publication will be A3 in size. Basically a similar size to the Vacuum publications. We are looking for work submitted that would fit the standard size of A3/A4 etc, the layout and formatting is to be done after the submissions so re-sizing of peoples work will take place where appropriate. "

Okay, so I can't spell my own name

2011-02-14T11:29:00.000-08:00

Anyone who's tried to contact me at the email address in the "what's all this about" sidebar and hasn't been able to reach me, I must apologise. There was a typo in it. Duh. It's fixed now. Thanks to Jeremy Briggs from Down the Tubes for spotting that.

Down the Tubes on Northern Irish comics

2011-02-12T03:41:00.000-08:00

The excellent comics newsblog Down the Tubes, prompted by the announcement of the dates for this years 2D Festival in Derry (2-4 June), has given us a very nice wee writeup as part of their survey of comics activity in Northern Ireland. They also have a free events calendar, which we'll have to start using.

The Black Market is back this Sunday

2011-02-03T11:34:00.000-08:00

The Black Market is back, for the first time since before Christmas, on Sunday 6 February. Our stall will be there as ever, selling the finest selection of comics from Irish artists from both sides of the border, not to mention a few ex-pats.

We'll have two new titles available: First, Waiting for the Mothership, Deirdre Ruane's second collection of strips from her Wasted Epiphanies webcomic (and we've got a restock of her first, One Word For Everything, as well). So more autobiographical musings, whimsical science fiction vignettes and "Tempin' Bear", this time in colour!

Our other new title is Supernatural Showcase, in which the satirical wits of Gar Shanley and Cathal Duggan, who previously brought us Superhero Showcase, turn their attention to horror, with even funnier results.

Not to mention our many other fantastic titles. Hope we'll see you there!

Pub meet at the Cloth Ear this Thursday

2011-01-31T10:49:00.000-08:00

Our new venue, The Cloth Ear on Waring Street, seemed to go down well last month. Hopefully we'll see you all there this Thursday, 4 February from about 9pm. If you get there earlier, you might you might catch a bit of live music or be able to order some food. Here's the Facebook Event Page - invite your friends!

Courses at the Crescent

2011-01-09T12:39:00.000-08:00

Happy new year! The Crescent Arts Centre has published its course programme for this term, and there's a couple of courses of interest to comics creators.

The Visual Narrative: Drawing for Illustration is a 10-week course, taught by David Haughey, starting on Wednesday 19 January. It aims to explore the relationship between text and image within the context of illustration, taking in composition, line, form, colour, and preparing artwork for print, and coinsidering both sequential and individual illustrations. 16 years and up, £70, or £65 concession.

The Cartoon Masterclass, with John Farrelly, is also ten weeks, starting Saturday 22 January at 11am. It covers, cartoons, comic strips and caricatures, including writing, drawing, what tools to use, and creating appealing characters. 9 years and up, £65, £58 concession, £53 under 16s.

January's pub meet - NEW VENUE!

2010-12-30T14:17:00.000-08:00

The 6th of January is the first first Thursday of the month of the year, which means its time for comic creating people to gather for drinks and craic. We've outgrown the Garrick, and requests for suggestions have not produced much response, so I've decided to unilaterally move us to the Cloth Ear, attached to the Merchant Hotel on Waring Street, which is bigger and spacier. And they have a cabinet full of Star Wars figures in the gents, so they're not averse to geek custom. Hope to see as many of you as possible there. Why not visit the Event page on Facebook and invite your friends?

Christmas Comics

2010-12-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

Talesofthe.com is running a series of Christmas Comics with a creepy twist from local creators. Kevin 'Gio' Logue and Stephen Downey have contributed comics, with Andrew Croskery's 'You'd Better Watch Out' just published on the site this week.

Next Sunday, the 26th December also promises a final collaborative tale from Mal Coney and local horror writer Wayne Simmons.

NVTV are producing a documentary on the Belfast comics scene

2010-12-18T16:01:00.000-08:00

shooting late January to early February. While it's mostly written I'm open to featuring creators and other readers I've not borne in mind. If you'd like to be involved, tell me why: go on get in contact with myself,

New PJ Holden series in the Megazine

2010-12-16T12:31:00.000-08:00

Belfast's own PJ Holden announces on his blog that he's got a new series, Numbercruncher, co-created with writer Simon Spurrier, starting in the Judge Dredd Megazine issue 306 in the new year. It's about a dead mathematician trying to game the process of reincarnation to be reunited with the woman he loves, and a bailiff sent by the Karmic Accountancy to stop him. Here's a preview at Si's blog, and some promotional art from the Megazine:

Steve Bell at the Out To Lunch Arts Festival

2010-12-12T02:13:00.000-08:00

At lunchtime on Friday 7 January, as part of the Out To Lunch Arts Festival, the Guardian's political cartoonist Steve Bell will appearing be at the Black Box. It's £5.50, lunch included, and you can book online. He's the guy who drew John Major with his underpants outside his trousers, George Bush as a chimp, reduced Tony Blair to a man staring eye and a grin, and he's about the only decent thing in the Guardian these days. Here's an absolute gem from back when Bush's first election was still being sorted out...

End-of-year events roundup

2010-11-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

There's a slew of events coming up til the end of the year.

On Wednesday 24 November Felix M. Larkin will be giving a lecture on "No Uncertain Voice – the Shemus Cartoons in the Civil War period in Ireland" at St Malachy's Old Boys Association, 442 Antrim Road, from 8.30pm. £5 in, in aid of Glenveagh Special School. Shemus, alias Ernest Forbes, was political cartoonist for the Dublin paper the Freeman's Journal in the early 1920s. Here's one of his cartoons of Carson:

Next Monday, 29 November, the Coffee House Art Club meet at the Taphouse Bar on Botanic Avenue. Ann describes it as "a social evening, just time that can be spent in the same location as others working on our own personal projects, catch up on chat and exchange tips or techniques." Open to "writers, artists, filmmakers, musicians and any others interested", from 7.30pm.
Thursday 2 December, being the first Thursday of the month, is the latest Comics Creators Pub Meet. We've been meeting in the Garrick Bar on Chichester Street since the dawn of time, but in recent months concerns have been expressed about the space available, so we're considering other venues. Will keep you posted. Join the Belfast Comics Creators Facebook Group or send me your email address to be kept up to date.
The following Sunday, 5 December, is the Christmas Black Market at the Black Box on Hill Street from 12 to 5pm. The Black Panel will be there, selling the finest selection of independent comics from all over Ireland, north and south, among stalls selling paintings, records, home made soft toys, jewellery and many other creative ventures. Oh, and buns.
Monday 6 December is the Coffee House Art Club Drink and Draw at The Grand Central (formerly Castro's, even formerly Roast) coffee shop at the corner of Royal Avenue and North Street from 7.30pm. Clothed life models.
Finally (for now at least), Black Books returns for Christmas at the Black Box on Sunday 19 December, 12-5pm. Described as "a cacophony of stalls manned by book-sellers, zine writers and literary enthusiasts and an afternoon of word-based entertainment, Black Books is a revival and a celebration of the multiplicities of language and printed word. Stalls will include new and secondhand books, zines, rare books & antiquities, comicbooks, magazines, papers and children’s literature." The Black Panel will be there.

Fionnuala's Irish History on Tales of the...

2010-11-21T05:23:00.000-08:00

For those of you who missed Fionnuala Doran's very funny 24 Hour Comic Ireland: A History (Condensed) when she ran it on her own site, here it is again on Tales of the... Watch out for the Van Morrison cameo.

Glenn and Ann's 24 Hour Comic - Shmoo

2010-11-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

Slightly belatedly ('pologies - haven't been well), here's the latest 24 Hour Comic from last month's event to go online - Shmoo, written by Glenn Davidson and drawn by Ann Harrison!

Coffee House Drink and Draw

2010-11-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

The Coffee House Art Club's Drink and Draw is back, on Monday 15 November, from 7.30pm, at Castro's Coffee House on the corner of Royal Avenue and North Street. Only £3 entry. Jude and James will be our models - here's some examples of the drawings done last month. Google map below.

View Larger Map

Manga Night at Forbidden Planet

2010-11-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

The Belfast Branch of Forbidden Planet International are holding a Manga Night, with quizzes, a cosplay competition, and money-off offers, at 6pm on Monday 22 November.

The Cattle Raid of Cooley makes 100 episodes!

2010-11-03T01:57:00.000-07:00

This morning The Cattle Raid of Cooley, my serialised webcomic adaptation of the ancient Irish epic, reached a significant milestone - 100 episodes!

For those of you who don't know the story, the kingdom of Connacht, led by king Ailill and queen Medb, stages an invasion of Ulster, and all that stands in their way is a teenage rookie border guard called Cú Chulainn. He's a prodigy, and despite his small stature, in skill he has always been head and shoulders above his contemporaries in Ulster's youth corps - but he's never been tested against men. Among them, men he loves, including Fergus, former king of Ulster in exile in Connacht, and Cú Chulainn's former foster-father. He's issued a challenge of single combat, hoping to hold up the army's progress until his king can gather his army.

It's a story of war, coming of age and divided loyalties set in the pre-Christian Iron Age. The story is the centrepiece of a group of tales known as the Ulster Cycle, the oldest Irish legendary tradition and probably the oldest European legendary tradition outside Greece and Rome, which has been referred to as a "window on the Iron Age". The hero, Cú Chulainn, was the inspiration for 2000AD's Sláine.

November events roundup

2010-11-01T01:06:00.000-07:00

White rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits. Events of interest in November that I'm aware of:

All through this month and next, as Andy alerted us on Friday, The Unkindest Cut, an exhibition of political cartoons at the Linenhall Library.
The Coffee House Art Club meets tomorrow, Tuesday 2 November, in the Kitchen Bar, Victoria Square, from 7.30pm.
Thursday 4 November: the monthly Belfast comics creators pub meet at the Garrick Bar, Chichester Street, from 9pm.
Sunday 7 November: Black Market at the Black Box, Hill Street, 12-5pm. The Black Panel small press comics stall will have a scaled down presence this month, because
I'll be at Independents Day, a DIY zine/record/comic fair at the Dublin Food Co-Op at Newmarket Square, Dublin, 12-5pm.
Monday 15 November: the Coffee House Art Club's second Drink & Draw at Castro's Coffee House on the junction of Royal Avenue and North Street. Live models, byob. Here's some sample drawings from the first one.

If you know of any others, drop me a line.

The Unkindest Cut: Ulster Cartoonists Retrospective at Linenhall Library

2010-10-29T22:40:00.001-07:00

A cartoon history of 20th century Ulster as chosen by Historian and Librarian John Killen (author of the book by the same name) It's a return of a popular exhibition from May 2005 with bits by big spoke inkers like Cormac, Ian Knox and others. Website says,

"Ulster 's twentieth century was, to say the least, eventful. The home rule crisis, partition from the south of Ireland, two world wars, depressions, recessions and recurring outbreaks of civil conflict culminating in the Troubles which dominated the last three decades of the century. Through it all, the political cartoonists kept up a running commentary on events and personalities ? Carson, Devlin, O'Neill, Hume, Adams and Trimble. Their cartoons reveal, as words alone never can, the prejudices, suspicions and sheer absurdities that the situation has engendered over the years.

This lively exhibition presents historian and librarian John Killen's selection of 170 of the best of these cartoons, together with his pithy captions and text. Demonstrating the characteristic dark humour common to all sides in the north, the selection also suggests some interesting, if quirky, scenarios for a better future."

The Linenhall Library entrance is off Fountain Street. The exhibition is on the 3rd floor, in the Political Collection Room. Staff told me it remains there until year end.

Dave McElfatrick in the Washington Post

2010-10-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

Cyanide and Happiness's Dave McElfatrick, whose campaign to get a Visa to the States I've previously blogged about, is interviewed in the Washington Post today...

24 Hour Comic: Ireland, a History (Condensed) by Fionnuala Doran

2010-10-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

Another 24 Hour Comic from the Belfast event: Fionnuala Doran's very funny Ireland, a History (condensed).

24 Hour Comic: Rise at Sundown by Patrick Brown

2010-10-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

My own 24 Hour Comic, Rise at Sundown, is now online. I've challenged myself by writing for kids, and working in colour, and I'm very pleased with how it came out.

24 Hour Comic: Don't Get Lost by Andy Luke

2010-10-18T00:40:00.000-07:00

The latest comic created on 24 Hour Comics day to go online is Andy Luke's Don't Get Lost. It's a very personal, autobiographical piece, and, as Andy warns, "deals with themes of sexual abuse and may contain triggers that could be upsetting".

Young Cartoonist of the Year Award

2010-10-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

The Cartoon Museum in London are running the Young Cartoonists of the Year award, to be awarded at the Cartoon Art Trust Awards on 2 December. Closing date 15 November. Some illustrious names on the judges list there. If you're a political or topical humour cartoonist, and are either under 18 or under 30, why not go for it?

(Via James McAnespy at the Coffee House Art Club)

24 Hour Comics Day - the aftermath

2010-10-13T00:59:00.001-07:00

24 Hour Comics Day is over for another year, and by Wednesday I still barely have enough of a brain to blog about it, so here's a link to Andy Luke's report on the event - go and read that. Many thanks go to Catalyst Arts for hosting the event - Mark, Charlie and Nathan who made their own comics, and especially Kat who didn't but helped out above and beyond, indefatigably providing us with food and caffeinated drinks.

Stephen Downey (Cancertown, Torchwood) has already managed to get his comic online, and it's really cool.

More to come as they go online. I'll link to the results of the Dublin event too as they come in. Meanwhile, the Forgotten Pelmet have given us a bit of coverage.

John McCrea in Strip Magazine

2010-09-29T06:10:00.000-07:00

You may remember back in the summer we announced that Strip Magazine, a new newsstand comic anthology that's planned for next year, would feature a strip by Belfast artist PJ Holden. Today, Bleeding Cool break the news that John McCrea's doing a strip for them too - it's called Warpaint, it's written by Phil Hester, and as far as I can tell it's about a homeless girl and a trickster god taking on monstrous elemental forces, with the fate of the world at stake.

Coffee House Art Club at Cafe Renoir tomorrow

2010-09-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow night at Café Renoir on Botanic Avenue meets a new social and networking group for creative people in the Belfast area: the Coffee House Art Club. Check it out.

More Cattle Raid of Cooley

2010-09-15T00:40:00.001-07:00

More from the Cattle Raid of Cooley - the darkest page I've drawn for a while...

24 Hour Comics returns to Belfast!

2010-09-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

24 Hour Comics Day, the international creative marathon where you make a complete 24-hour comic in 24 hours, or collapse in the attempt, is nearly upon us, and there will be a Belfast event again this year. Many thanks go to Catalyst Arts for agreeing to host it. Starts 11am, Saturday 9 October, continues through the night and finishes 11am Sunday 10 October. Places are limited, so please register by email.

Update: Dave McElfatrick gets his Visa

2010-09-02T00:30:00.000-07:00

You'll remember we posted last month that there was a petition to get Dave McElfatrick a Visa to the states to work on animations with his Cyanide and Happiness co-creators. I'm sure you'll be glad to know he's got it!

The Cattle Raid of Cooley continues

2010-09-01T00:30:00.000-07:00

My adaptation of the ancient Irish epic reaches page 92...

Belfast comics creators pub meet this Thursday

2010-08-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

This Thursday is the first Thursday of September, which means it's time for the monthly comics creators pub meet in the Garrick on Chichester Street. If you've never come before, we normally start arriving about 9. If the back bar's free, we'll be in there, because they've got nice big square tables we can put our art out on, but if it's not free will be in the front bar trying to perch our drinks and drawings on the wee round ones. Here's what it looks like:

And here's the Google map:

View Larger Map

PJ in 2000AD

2010-08-26T00:59:00.000-07:00

Pick up this week's 2000AD (prog 1699), because the Judge Dredd strip is drawn by Belfast's PJ Holden!

The Cattle Raid of Cooley page 91

2010-08-25T00:27:00.000-07:00

My webcomic adaptation of the ancient Ulster Cycle epic continues...

2010-08-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

Steve Graham mails me about a comic he flyered around the city, no doubt a valiant attempt in combatting the dreadful pop art litterbuster pieces that have gone up.

400 Facts: A Short Vignette About A Big Love is a really lovely one so go and read it.

This week, Andy Luke (that's me!) posted some out-of-print material. Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Cantina (2003), The Party (1999-2008), The 2004 Guitar Festival 80s TV Special and the short George W Bush story.

New Malachy Coney strip on Tales of The...

2010-08-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

There's a new comic strip by Malachy Coney, "The Coney Express", on Tales of The... today. Malachy's been making comics in Belfast since the late 80s, most of that time as a writer (many of the comics in Seán Doran's Necrocomicon are written by him, and he also wrote for Crisis in the UK and Fantagraphics and Image in the US), and in more recent years as a writer-artist - a regular strip called "Ouija Board, Ouija Board" in Fortnight magazine, and his own Good Craic Comics, the second issue of which is apparently on the way. He doesn't have much of a web presence as far as I know, so here's his bio on the Irish Comics Wiki.

New on the Irish Comics Wiki: Belfast artist John Campbell (1883-1962)

2010-08-19T13:25:00.000-07:00

There's a new article of Belfast interest on the Irish Comics Wiki, on John Campbell (1883-1962), an illustrator and theatre designer of the Irish Revival who also drew political cartoons and caricatures for magazines like Nomad's Weekly and newspapers like Bulmer Hobson's The Republic. Here's one of his illustrations from a book of Irish folktales.

New page of The Cattle Raid of Cooley

2010-08-17T23:36:00.000-07:00

My webcomic adaptation of the ancient Irish epic Táin Bó Cúailnge continues...

Stephen Downey on Torchwood

2010-08-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Pick up the new issue of Torchwood Magazine on Thursday - 'cause our own Stephen Downey's drawing the comic strip! Here's his blog post all about it.

The return of Seán Doran

2010-08-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

Back in the early 1990s, when I first started thinking of doing my own comics, the Belfast comics scene was basically Malachy Coney and Seán Doran, who created the outrageous gay superhero strip Major Power and Spunky, starting out as a locally-published photocopied small press booklet and going on to be published by Fantagraphics' Eros imprint in America in about 1994. Mal's still about, and working on the long-awaited second issue of Good Craic Comics, but Seán's been living in London and working in illustration and computer animation in recent years. But he's back, at least for a while, and has added an archive of his old comics to his website.

So far he's posted his 1991 Star Wars parody Bug Wars, and the Major Power spin-off Quiteaguy, whose main character will be oddly familiar to anyone who shops at the Belfast Forbidden Planet, which features possibly the most outrageous device to break your fall from a high building in comics history, and which might not be entirely safe for work. There are empty pages for other comics, including Major Power, Catholic Lad, Nick Elephant and Misfits, which hopefully he'll be uploading before too long.

All we need now is for him to draw some new comics...

Pledge money for anthology by former Insomnia creators

2010-08-13T00:14:00.000-07:00

Insomnia Publications, a Scottish comics publisher, has, over the last couple of years, signed contracts with loads of writers and artists to create new graphic novels, and said writers and artists set to work. Unfortunately, Insomnia are going out of business, and the Comic Book Alliance are helping the writers and artists get our of their contracts so they can publish their work elsewhere. In return, a bunch of them have put together an 192-page anthology of short comics called Sleepless Phoenix Survival Stories, proceeds of which will go to the Comic Book Alliance.

They're doing this through Kickstarter, the online platform for funding creative projects. To cover the up-front costs of publication they need $3,600. There's a sliding scale for pledges - $5 you get an ebook of the anthology, $15 you get a printed copy of the book, and various points above that you get the book plus bonuses like a signed art print or an original page of artwork. You'll also get the knowledge that you helped free up Andrew Croskery's Kronos City, Bryan Coyle's Babble, Rich Clements' Corvus, Barry McGowan's Oz: Fall of the Scarecrow King, and many other exciting graphic novels, to be completed and published. Worthy cause I think.

Exhibition by Belfast artists

2010-08-12T00:34:00.000-07:00

Local artists Dale Mawhinney (Drawn Out) and Andy Brown (The Dead) have an exhibition opening on 24 August at La Boca restaurant on Fountain Street, at 7pm, before the open mic music night. There's a Facebook group.

Here's an example of what Dale does:

And one by Andy:

Dave McElfatrick denied a Visa to the USA

2010-08-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

Dave McElfatrick, late of Coleraine and I believe based in Belfast these days, is one of four cartoonists, and the only non-American one, who produce the cynical stickman webcomic Cyanide and Happiness. He wants to go to America to work on some animated shorts with his co-creators - but they won't give him a Visa, apparently because they don't think he's an important enough artist. There's a petition set up, so if you want Dave to go to America, go and sign it!

Lingua Comica

2010-08-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

Fionnuala Doran announces that Lingua Comica: Graphic Novels from Asia and Europe is now available to buy. It's a big book, the result of a project by the Asia-Europe Foundation which puts together pairs of artists, one from Asia and one from Europe, to create a comic between them, and it includes Fionnuala's collaboration with Malasian artist Sarah-Joan Mokhtar, among others.

Belfast Comics in ImagineFX Mag

2010-08-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

ImagineFX article

The Belfast comic creators made an appearance in last month's ImagineFX magazine with a few sketches and photo's from one of the Garrick meetups making the 'Sketch Jam' sidebar.

There were plenty of photo's and doodles from that night, and here are a few that of the extras that weren't in the magazine:

Electro by Mal Coney

Frog Thor by Andrew Croskery

Paddy Brown, PJ Holden. Mal Coney

Daredevil by Stephen Downey

Clockwise from 12. Ann Harrison, Stephen Downey, Andrew Croskery, Paddy Brown, PJ Holden, Mal Coney

Andrew Croskery, Sean Boyle, Paddy Brown

Black Market and Pub Meet

2010-07-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

Black Market this Sunday, 1 August, and The Black Panel will be there as usual, with its selection of comics by creators from all over Ireland, north and south. That's at the Black Box, Hill Street, from 12 noon to 5pm.

Then next Thursday, 5 August, it's the regular monthly comics creators pub meet at the Garrick Bar on Chichester Street from 9pm.

News from the neighbours - Summer Edition in Dublin

2010-07-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

Summer Edition, a zine, comic and artists's book fair, is on at Filmbase in Temple Bar, Dublin this Saturday (24 July). Belfast will be represented at this year's not only by myself, but also by Fiona Chambers, one of the artists who make up Scissors Cuts Paper, alongside the finest cartoonists, book artists and zinesters from all over Ireland and beyond. It's free in, and a day return from Belfast on the train is only a tenner if you book online.

New comic on Tales of the...

2010-07-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

The online multimedia anthology Tales of the... has a new comic, a horror western called "Welcome to Absolution". It's a collaborative piece, written by Andrew Croskery, drawn by Stephen Downey, inked and grey-toned by Andy Brown and lettered by David Withers.

Black Books, 18 July 2010

2010-07-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

It's Black Books, the monthly book fair at the Black Box on Hill Street, this Sunday, and The Black Panel will be there with our usual selection of the finest comics created in Ireland, north and south - plus two new ones!

One thing that comes up a lot is we don't have many comics for younger readers. Hopefully we can remedy that, as we now have the first three issues of The Wren, a teen superhero book by Jason Connor, Mark Kirwan and Phil Roe.

As well as that, we have the brand new third issue of my own iron age epic serial, The Cattle Raid of Cooley!

Hope to see yez all there!

The Cattle Raid of Cooley page 87

2010-07-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

My Iron Age Irish epic webcomic serial, The Cattle Raid of Cooley, updates today!

New Sunnyside podcast

2010-07-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

PJ, Scott and Ron are back with a new Sunnyside Comics podcast! They're discussing the resurgence of the UK monthly comic (the forthcoming Strip Magazine UK, to which PJ is contributing, and Mark Millar's equally forthcoming CLiNT), PJ's complete lack of professional jealousy over Irish artist Declan Shalvey's new assignment at Marvel (not 100% safe for work), what Ron does for a living, beards, PJ's iPad (surprise!) and the price of comics apps for it, Brian K. Vaughan's Pride of Baghdad, and an amount of gratuitous personal abuse between the presenters.

The Cattle Raid of Cooley - new page

2010-07-06T16:27:00.000-07:00

The latest installment, page 86, of my Iron Age Irish webcomic, The Cattle Raid of Cooley, is posted today!

Guest artists on Japandex

2010-07-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

Martin Eden, creator of gay superhero comic Spandex, is running a special Japandex month on his blog, where guest artists offer Japanese interpretations of his characters. Local artists who've had a go include Stephen Downey, Andrew Croskery, David Withers, Jay Faulkner and Bridgeen Gillespie. Here's Stephen's and Bridgeen's.

(Via Stephen Downey)

New comic from David Withers at Tales of the...

2010-07-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

Tales of the..., the online multimedia genre anthology thing, features a new zombie comic by David Withers, called Weapons of Mass Consumption:

New UK comics magazine

2010-07-03T05:05:00.000-07:00

John Freeman reports that Bosnian publisher PrintMedia is planning to launch a new comics magazine onto the UK newstand - looks like it'll be called Strip Magazine, it'll be a combination of action, science fiction and humour, and it'll be launched later this year. Contents are still being finalised, but one of the contributors announced is our own PJ Holden!

The Black Panel, 4 July 2010

2010-07-03T04:47:00.000-07:00

I suppose the first thing that we need to draw attention to is The Black Panel, the regular stall Andy Luke and I run at the Black Market, selling small press comics from all over Ireland, including our own, and others by such artists as Phil Barrett, Paddy Lynch, Deirdre de Barra, Mal Coney, Deirdre Ruane, Bridgeen Gillespie and many more. Here's me proudly displaying our wares.

The Black Market showcases the work of independent artists, designers, illustrators and crafters, and also has stalls selling collectible books and records and vintage clothes. It's free in, and is held on the first Sunday of every month at the Black Box on Hill Street, organised by Trans Belfast - here's the Facebook page for the latest market on Sunday 4 July.

First post

2010-07-03T04:22:00.000-07:00

This blog will hopefully be an extension of the monthly comic creator pub meets on the first Thursday of every month at the Garrick bar, and a place to keep track of what's going on in comics in Belfast. More to come, but in the meantime check out the links over to the right.