What a cracking weekend, as I'm sure my fellow traveller
Martin will agree :)
We set off from Chelmsford bright and early (around 7.30am) making sure we left the hotel booking details and Paypal ticket records behind at my house...LOL. We got to Bristol around 3 and a half hours later, sorted out parking/ hotel (nice to have been given a double room...very romantic, cheers Ibis) and then nervously walked into the Comics Expo at the British Empire and Commonwealth Exhibition Hall. I say 'nervously' because we'd both prepared a number of press packs for the promotion of our respective work, but had literally no idea who to approach and how to broach the subject.
Martin made contact with a personal fave of his, Paul Grist, and handed over a press pack...our first successful meeting with a comics pro'. I recall that Martin said that he wished he'd talked to him after he'd relaxed a little...to get his patter right. We were both a bit green, tbh ;) Anyway, he did alot better with his next few, but I'm pretty sure Paul would have been impressed with his presspack anyway! My first attempt at chatting to a pro was with the mighty Glenn Fabry, one of the finest British artists of recent times. He had a load of his original work on his desk, and I admired that while I waited my turn. When he saw my work his first question was 'Do you like Moebius?' LOL...guilty as charged! But I was chuffed, because he is a strong influence on my work, and I was glad someone spotted it. Glenn liked my use of colour, and the story telling...and he passed me on to Liam Sharp. Liam gave me some really cool tips about self publishing, a term that Martin and I were to hear many times in our meetings with the pros. The world of comics is, like most industries, full of closed shops, and so many people are self publishing to get a wrung on the ladder. This is probably going to be the route I take with '
Last of the Chickenheads'.
I made my way to Dougie Braithwaite's table. Dougie was just on the verge of making it big when I pretty much gave up on drawing in 1989, and stopped going to the Cartoon Workshop run by David Lloyd (a pro' I was determined to talk to during the following two days). Nowadays Dougie is pencilling art ready for Alex Ross to paint...for DC's 'Justice'...a comic I collect and thoroughly enjoy. Anyway, Dougie was completely overwhelmed by the number of eager fans paying for his prodigious sketching skills, so I had a brief word (he remembered me...cool!) and then left him drawing a brilliant sketch of Black Adam. Unfortunately I didn't get to see him the next day, as promised, as he was yet again sketching like a good 'un for his fan base.
Martin and I met a few publishers, like Insomnia Publications and Portent Comics, both from Essex. The former gave us some really useful advise, especially about printing and self publishing. They told us that 'we were where they were last year'. Well, next year we're going to hire the same table they were using, so we'll be in the same place they were this year, and they'll have to find somewhere else...Hehehehe. The latter seemed to be publishing bits of everything, so we couldn't really figure out what their plans were. We liked the duck though :) We talked to some Manga people...one of them, an editor called Ilya, gave me some real pearls of wisdom. A common theme when it came to critiquing my work, was that the colour pallet was unique, but somehow still worked really well, in its use of flat colours. But because the colours are applied flat, the use of feathering/ shading almost seemed to be fighting against the cleanness of finish I seemed to be aiming for. I had to agree...and was soon to get a second opinion from someone else that confirmed what Ilya was saying.
I spotted Sean Philips, a real fave of mine (due to his excellent Marvel Zombies art) and saw this total arsechimp getting Sean to sign a barrow full of freshly bought comics (Ebay Powerseller anyone?) so walked off to buy my own (single) copy for him to sign. When I came back the A-chimp was still there. And again half an hour later...Jesus. I stood behind him and told Martin that this was obviously an Ebayer getting his comics ready for sale...a theory which got me a shirty glance from Mr A Chimp. But he slinked away a few minutes later. Finally, I could talk to Sean. He kindly signed my 'Marvel Zombies Dead Days' # 1, then took a look at my work. He actually was the only person who didn't like my colouring (he said it was garish) and he pointed out that my human faces were a bit ropey...Aye, guilty as charged, at least at the moment! But he did praise my story telling, and said that I should carry on. Pretty sure 'self publishing' came up. The buzz word of the entire Expo! It was great talking to him. Both me and Martin were gradually relaxing into our roles as fans-cum-hustlers, knowing that these guys will gladly go out of their way to help an aspiring artist/ writer.
We both bought a nice little pile of comics too. I got Miller's/ Clairmont's Wolverine in hardback (finally I have it in English...my other copy was a Spanish paperback reprint), the aforementioned Zombies, plus a couple of Moebius comics: his 'Airtight Garage' series. Brilliant stuff. I opened them up and saw garish flat colours, and some vehicle designs that were spookily similar to mine (not that I've ever seen this comic until now)...Yup, Mr Fabry had a point :)
In total I handed out 5 press packs. Half of them, mainly to publishers. The concensus was that Chickenheads was 'wild' (totally original), told very effectively, with a refreshing use of dramatic perspective, and that the colour pallette was very effective combined with the general openness of line, but that a few things like over-inking and occasionally shonky anatomy was letting it down. 2000ad said as much about anatomy after I sent them 'Tame'. Hopefully the life class will iron this out once and for all! With day 1 pretty much a success we went back to the hotel, checked in, then went out for some grub...then went to the flicks to see the much anticipated '28 Weeks Later'.
Bah.
Not the best of films, it has to be said. I don't know how the reviewers are holding this one up there with the first film, as it so clearly isn't fit to lick its infected boots. Sure, it had its moments...the Rage infection sequences, and how people transformed into slavering maniacs, the napalming of London, the re-introduction of citizens to a spookily deserted London, and the overall atmosphere set up at the beginning of the film. But then came the plot holes, the 'wily zombie' nonsense, and the total inconsistency with how the American military on one hand ensured an orderly re-patriation while on the other totally ballsing up quarantine procedures. Nah...not really a worthy sequel I'm afraid. I hope they make up for it in the inevitable Around the World in 28 Days or whatever the feck they'll call it, otherwise it's game over for the franchise.
Anyway, day 2 of the expo was brief but brilliant. We bought a few more comics, and I bought some goodies for the kids from one of the plentiful toy/ memorabilia stalls. But best of all, as soon as I walked in, I spotted David Lloyd signing at his table. David Lloyd was pretty much my comics mentor back in the late 80's. A brilliant artist, and an equally brilliant teacher, David had a profound influence on that period of my comics art. When I met him today he recognised me, and even remembered my last project being worked on at the time just before I quit drawing (what a mistake-ah to make-ah); 'Jack in the Box'...a story about a bizzare experiment in sensorary deprivation that (though I say it myself) was a very good idea. I may even ressurrect it after Chickenheads is complete. Anyway, he had a look at my latest work, and seemed to be quite impressed with it. He was genuinely pleased that I'd got back into it, and was a little surprised that I'd gone a little more mainstream than I'd been with 'Jack in the Box'. He, backing up what Ilya had said, suggested that the flat colour really worked, but (again like Ilya) said that I should calm it down with the line feathering. So...re-inking is in order. Hopefully not too drastic a job, as I drew the 'inks' straight into Photoshop with the Intuos, meaning I can back up and cannibalise layers, rather than trashing the whole thing and starting again. Talking to David really put a smile on my face, and I was left feeling very encouraged and inspired. Shame he's no longer teaching, as I can't think of anyone better to give me the kick up the arse I need to go to the next level.
The last guy we talked to was
D'Israeli, one of Martin's faves but someone I knew little to nothing about. As Martin talked to him and got his stuff signed, I browsed his books. One of them, XTNCT, totally wowed me, and inspired an instant purchase. This lead to a signing, and then I asked if he'd mind looking at my work. When he saw the colouring he loved it, and asked if I used Photoshop. I told him I used Photoshop for EVERYTHING, seeing as I used a Wacom pad. Well, he pretty much gave me a high five at that point, because he does too! So I the smile on my face got even bigger -- I've been worried that my Intuos use was going to be frowned upon or even viewed as an obstruction to my progress by publishers/ editors. But nope..If D'Israeli can draw book after book using the thing then I can too. Excellent! He liked my work, especially my perspective and camera angles...and story telling. He like the line art too..so I was left a little confused as to how harmful the feathering was/ is to my work...though ultimately I agree, it DOES need to be reined in a bit. He pointed out a few problems with anatomy, and gave me a few tips based on animators' use of curves for skeletal structure, to give my figures a bit more life. But he was really encouraging..Self publishing came up!
That was pretty much it then. All in all a cracking weekend, and there's another one due in October, in Birmingham. I came away feeling like I was part of the whole comics scene, and am now throughly recharged for starting work on Chickenheads this week.
Watch this space :)
Sorry. :)
Steadily picking up speed, though have had alot of 'work' work stuff, to contend with, where as luckily just before the convention I had a brief respite.
I'm looking forward to this and the next few pages rather alot.
Wow, that Bristol Expo has a lot to answer for. It's given me a real sense of purpose, and of hope, but in doing so has made me quite self conscious as to my every bloody line put down on paper. This page was already important because the 'Spider sequence' had to be really well executed, it being the first major action set-piece in 'Last of the Chickenheads'. But the Expo has certainly made me ramp up the pressure, as far as QC goes.
Yeah, drawing 7 pages of desert based action will be a doddle, right? An easy way to get close to completing 'Last of the Chickenheads', right?
Let's hope the comics people at Bristol dig the image of a samurai chicken running through the desert. ;)
9 days to go, six pages to colour/ letter, and a press pack to get ready.
One more page from the current set of six, and then it's all systems go for the convention...I have to colour all 6, and it'll be tight, but I should be ready :)
