Archive | February, 2009

Captain Jack talks: John Barrowman on comics writing

17. February 2009

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You might remember a few weeks ago I mentioned that actor John Barrowman had co-written an upcoming story (featuring Captain Jack, naturally!) for the Torchwood magazine. The issue (#14) with the strip he co-penned with his sister Carole Barrowman should hit the shelves on February 19th and sees Jack in Scotland dealing with a creature [...]

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Iranian artist on the Berlin underground

17. February 2009

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Press TV reports that Toonpool, a German online comics community, has arranged to display a caricature by the Iranian artist Javad Alizadeh on some 4, 000 monitors throughout the Berlin subway network. Alizadeh’s image, La Strada (below), is a caricature of the female lead from the Fellini film La Strada. What a nice way to [...]

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Jeremy Briggs reports from Hi-Ex

17. February 2009

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On the fine Brit comics site Down The Tubes Jeremy Briggs has posted up a report and a slew of photographs from last weekend’s second Hi-Ex comics convention in Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, which seems to have gone very well, with more artists, writers and dealers now attending, which has to be good news [...]

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On reviewing Manga from the complete novice’s point of view; Propaganda explains

17. February 2009

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Over the next few days, I’ll be doing something I really didn’t think I’d be doing here on Propaganda: Manga Reviews. There’s one big problem with me reviewing Manga: I just don’t really read it. (It may have taken over the world, but it’s never taken over me I’m afraid. From Manchester’s Urbis exhibition of [...]

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“Heroes of UK Comics”

17. February 2009

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The always interesting Paul Gravett has posted up his choice of ten (living) British comics creators who have been most innovative and influential in the comics medium both here and worldwide (not an easy job given how many British writers and artists have achieved a great international reputation). I’m sure some some will wonder why [...]

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Grimwood signs book deal with Orbit

17. February 2009

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Jon Courtenay Grimwood has announced that he has signed a three-book deal with top science fiction and fantasy publisher Orbit (home to writers like Marianne de Pierres, Kane MacLeod, Iain Banks, R Scott Bakker and many others). According to a quick post on Facebook the deal is for three “historical fantasies set in 15th century [...]

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Creating the Dark Knight effects and stunts

16. February 2009

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The BBC has an article and a video interview up with special effects technician Paul Franklin, one of four UK special effects wizards who have a film in contention for this year’s Oscars (next Sunday night); Paul discusses how some of the eye-opening scenes for The Dark Knight were created with a mixture of post-filming [...]

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Wolverine teaser

16. February 2009

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Via Ain’t It Cool comes a link to this brief YouTube glimpse of the forthcoming Wolverine movie with what looks like a flashback to childhood, complete with bone claws – very cool! [youtube 9YJO-JzQjA4]

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Boys from the Dwarf on the Street

16. February 2009

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The boys from the Dwarf – Chris Barrie, Robert Llewellyn, Craig Charles and Danny John-Jules – pose in front of probably the most famous fictional pub in the UK, Coronation Street’s Rover’s Return as part of the Red Dwarf: Return To Earth two-part special which will air on digital channel Dave over the Easter weekend [...]

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Torchwood web comic

16. February 2009

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Torchwood magazine editor Martin Eden (creator of the O Men comics) blogs about an exclusive new webstrip they’ve created for new digital channel Watch, which has been running repeats of the first two series of Torchwood, a strip which, as Martin notes, had to be done in a very short space of time: “This was [...]

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“From off the streets of, er, New York” – Harv Pekar in NYC

16. February 2009

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One of our favourite comics curmudgeons Harvey Pekar will be the guest at the third in a series of events entitled “Comics and the Jewish American Dream” on Tuesday 17th February at 7pm in the YIVO Institute , 15 West 16th Street, New York, in an event moderated by Danny Fingeroth; full details are available [...]

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Wallace & Gromit : “Calling all brainboxes!”

16. February 2009

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Aardman’s delightful Wallace and Gromit are lending their talents to a video for the London Science Museum. The animated duo, famous for their wonderfully Heath-Robinson inventions in their adventures, are being used to encourage young inventors; the BBC has the short video.

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Propaganda and those Free Style Vampires again…

16. February 2009

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Vampire Free Style issue 4 by Jenika Ioffreda Jenika was kind enough to send me issue 4 of her great Vampire Free Style recently. You may remember that I said of the first 3 issues back in April 2008: Vampire Free Style is an absolutely delightful book, with much to offer to a wide range [...]

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Kim Stanley Robinson talks to James Patrick Kelly

16. February 2009

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Top science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson (whose Mars trilogy is pretty much required reading not just in my opinion but of a number of top NASA bods) talks to James Patrick Kelly on the I Should Be Writing podcast about instructions and advice on writing and the highly-respected Clarion writing workshops (where Stan is [...]

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David Tennant’s Hamlet picked out as theatre event of the year

16. February 2009

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The Beeb reports that Doctor Who star David Tennant’s well-publicised run on stage performing Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company (including, at one point, using a real human skull for the Yorick scene) has been voted as the event of the year by 35, 000 theatre goers who voted on Whatsonestage.com. A rumoured alternative ending [...]

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