Onwards and Salute!

Excited for my first event of the year this coming weekend, SALUTE at London's Excel Centre, Europe's largest independent one day wargaming and hobby show! This will be my third appearance but the first with my deluxe expanded hardcover Zulu Water Cart graphic novel!

 

The graphic novel has also had a timely nice wee mention by wargamer, Big Lee on his friendly and informative youtube channel, Miniature Adventures!

Check out his whole interesting video below, (Zulu's mentioned in the book review section) and also Lee's blog which covers a lot of wargaming and related subjects.

If you're at Salute, please say hello - I'm at stand TE05 - and check out the limited Zulu sketch & print packs and my other comics. If you can't make Salute, my 2024 schedule is filling up with a few other appearances around the UK, hopefully see you at one of them!

Sale Comic-Con!

Happy to be confirmed as a guest comic artist at WOW Comix events new Sale Comic-Con on Saturday 8th June! One of my most local events after also attending WOW's events in nearby Wythenshawe a couple of years ago :)

Sale's line-up is shaping up very nicely with several other comic artists and actors already announced - check out their page links above for more details and if it's anyway as fun as last year's other WOW event, Bury Comic-Con it promises to be a great day out for everyone.

Col at attention at Bury Art Gallery!

Oh and as you'll see in the links to the right, I've had a few other events confirm recently both local(ish) and not so local as this year's calendar of events starts to take place, hope to see some of you around this year for a chat or two :)

"Is it Dusty in Here?"

Last few years I've been honoured to be invited as a guest artist to a number of steampunk festivals and events which are great fun with my good lady and I really enjoying them, getting dressed up, meeting friends and making many inspiring creative discoveries along the way, not to mention the gin!

We made several comic strips inspired by the people we met at the UK's (and arguably the world's) largest steampunk festival, the Asylum, held annually late August in Lincoln and this comic page is from the second of them, titled Heart's Desire about a romance which may or may not run smoothly..... 

Colours again provided by the excellent and adaptable, Matt Soffe.

All the characters in the comics were based on real people and their respective steampunk personas encountered at the festival and used with their permission. We were always though a little nervous anticipating their reactions when the comics were released, but luckily everyone seemed to enjoy them and were pretty pleased seeing their alter-egos in the comic spotlight!

The comics were published by Accent UK under various 'Asylum' titles and became nice little souvenirs of the event. The first one quickly sold out and I have limited supplies of the second and third titles available directly from me - see convention appearances on the right, or from contacting or visiting Scott's Pops & Comics comic shop in Warrington, UK.

"Spy Stories, stirring them up!"

Here's a page from my National Army Museum commission for their Society gallery a couple of years ago. The gallery was one of the new features of the museum's major refurbishment telling the story of how the army had been portrayed by Society over the years and how these views changed with the times, highlighting movies, posters, souvenir commemorations etc.

My brief was to show how comics had similarly changed over a broad 100 year timeline from the early Victorian story papers and their celebration of 'Boys Own, Death or Glory' type adventures to post World War One paranoias and subsequent 1970's realities creeping into the comics of my youth, changing my art style, layouts etc to match each era's publications.

This is the 'Inter-war' period between the world wars when paranoia and threats of foreign invasions  were rife, contrasting with glorifying stories of WW1 heroes as a way perhaps of maintaining or manipulating moral, depending on your perspectives.

Glorious colours provided by the excellent and adaptable, Matt Soffe.

It was a fun and almost perfect project for me and my interests but with a punishing deadline ahead of the Queen's official opening! 

Still a project I'm particularly proud of and received many fine comments about. The full project was displayed as a comic 'flip book' for permanent display by the Gallery's entrance. I've not visited since covid, but understand there have been further changes made to the galleries so not sure whether it is currently on view or not? 

My own comics are currently only available direct from me - see convention appearances on the right, or from contacting or visiting Scott's Pops & Comics comic shop in Warrington, UK.

"Maybe I Should Just Give Up!"

A re-worked page from my quirky and troubled escapologist character, The Curious Chancer and his debut in the short Special Performance story from my own M56 JUNCTION COMICS.  

The story touches on our own expectations and those placed on ourselves by others and the difficulty sometimes in how these are or aren't met. This can be particularly true for all those in a creative or performance field where  often unexpected and hidden challenges can keep you from meeting those expectations.......

I love comics that can have different interpretations and maybe a 'deeper meaning' if you choose to read them that way. Comics can be a very powerful medium and a re-reading of your favourites can often be rewarding and reveal something below the surface of the main story.

My comics are currently only available direct from me - see convention appearances on the right, or from contacting or visiting Scott's Pops & Comics comic shop in Warrington, UK.

"That Wasn't Very Nice Michael!"

A page from the Cornelius MacBeth story, Neighborhood Threat from MOMENTS OF ADVENTURE comics collection Vol. 2.  Ghosthunter MacBeth tracks down lost souls and usually does what he can to help them find peace, usually.......

I love creating comics with a historical and mysterious element, often with 'hidden extras' such as why I chose the American spelling of the story's title?

The comics are currently only available direct from me - see convention appearances on the right, or from contacting or visiting Scott's Pops & Comics comic shop in Warrington, UK.

"You're Lucky We Found A Log!"

A page from 'Pointy Heads', the epilogue story in my ZULU: WATER CART RESCUE graphic novel, about a couple of Zulu children making the dangerous journey to Rorke's Drift, looking for their missing warrior fathers, who haven't returned from the battle there.... 

The graphic novel is currently only available direct from me - see convention appearances on the right, or from contacting or visiting Scott's Pops & Comics comic shop in Warrington, UK.