SOMETHING WICKED 06: COVER!

On sale in time for the BICS gig over the weekend of 15-16-17 October, this issues cover was provided by the stupendously talented Boo Cook! I asked Boo about this back in May at the Bristol expo, and despite being horrendously busy he said yes.

Fast forward to the start of September, and I sent Boo the script for Pawnshop Heart to read, as I had decided that it would be the lead strip for the issue. Boo sent me the pencil roughs for the pencil images below on the left and centre.

Then I got the pages through from strip artist George Coleman. Just in time for Boo to ask if he could have a squizz at them. In what to me was an astonishingly short time, Boo sent me the pencils on the above right, which he was realy excited about getting to grips with..

And here is the resulting final pencils; which Boo worked up seemingly overnight into the final image at the top of the post.

I'm incredibly proud of this cover, and think that it is a fantastic showcase for one of our finest homegrown talents- Thanks Boo!

This Just In: AN UNDERCOVER OPERATION

If you were this doctors patient- you might have some questions- such as "Why aren't you wearing a mask?" "What are those stains on your shirt?" or even "Why are you smiling?!"

The answers will be revealed in AN UNDERCOVER OPERATION by Writer Lawrence Conquest and Artist Shaun Gardiner, available soon in Something Wicked 06.

This Just In: HIGHEST BIDDER

Originally sheduled to appear in FutureQuake, Highest Bidder has made the leap to Something Wicked; and once you read it- you'll see why...

HIGHEST BIDDER is by Writer Rob Burton and Artist Roland Bird. Available in Something Wicked 06, on sale soon.

This Just In: PAWNSHOP HEART

Recognise the fella with the knife? That's 'Porkeyes', and he's one to watch, believe me.

PAWNSHOP HEART is this issues coverstrip, courtesy of writer Robert Murphy and artist George Coleman. 5 pages of quality storytelling from Something Wicked 06, available soon.

1st Peep: FQ 16 Cover

Lee Carter has been busy lately. Nice, eh?

More as I get time to work on it!

Deadline DOOM!

Depending on when you read this- the deadline has now passed for all strips that are to be considered for the new titles. In this case it is for FutureQuake 16 and Something Wicked 06, both of which are to be on sale at the BICS gig in October.

What happens next is that I have to actally build the comics. Normally this is a doddle, strips slot in as they arrive and that is it. However, this time there has been something unusual happening- More strips are actually being delivered by deadline!

Usually, what happens when I commission a strip is this- I tell the writer and artist when the deadline for the next issue is, and then I sit back and wait. Quite often, for reasons that are many and varied, the strip will not make that deadline; after all this is free work we are talking about here, I'm not in a position to get heavy about something I'm being 'given'. So with that in mind I normally 'over' commission for any given issue- in the solid expectation that some of the strips will be arriving late, and therefore roll on to the next issue.

So far so good. Except that for the current crop I've had a very good group of artists. One or two have even pulled all-nighters in order to hit the deadline. This has resulted in me having more strips 'in' than usual.

FutureQuake and something Wicked are both 48 page titles. I've 'currently' got 63 pages COMPLETED! for FQ16, with more awaiting final print files. Something Wicked also has 63 pages in.

My point- I hate telling folks that I am bumping the strip to another issue- but I've got a lot of it to do. However- I reckon that next year I'll be easily able to put out three issues of FQ

Thanks for reading- and if you are one of those fine and wonderful creators I've let down- remember- your strip was fantastic, and it is purely logistics that has caused the delay.

1st Peek: SAM

Over on the Massacre for Boys Blog! there is a little piece about the work starting on a strip for a later FQ. 'Sam' is written by Mark Wooland and the art will be by Steve Denton.