The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

The Observer / Cape “non-winners” – Jason Cobley & Paul Harrison Davies, Natalie d’Arbeloff & Frances Castle

Richard — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:45:25 +0000

For an explanation of all this – see here. Next up we have the entry from the writer and artist team of Jason Cobley and Paul Harrison Davies – a reworking of their Hugo The Zombie strip from the Accent UK Zombies special. Following that we have the entry by illustrator Frances Castle as she presents a tale of genealogy and strange regurgitations – Sherwin Cottage and we close with a funny strip on that difficult question every woman faces over the D.O.B. Question by Natalie d’Arbeloff.

(Jason Cobley & Simon Harrison Davies – Hugo The Zombie)

(Frances Castle – Sherwin’s Cottage)

(Natalie d’Arbeloff – The D.O.B. Question)

And The Winner Isn’t: Introduction to the idea and a complete list of featured entries.

The Observer / Cape “non-winners” – Rob Davis, David O’Connell, Luke Pearson For an explanation of all this – see here....
And the winner of the Cape/Observer 2099 Graphic Short Story Prize ISN’T……… Last weekend, the Observer/Cape Graphic Short Story prize was...
And the 2009 Observer/Cape graphic short story prize winner is……. The annual Observer/Cape graphic short story award prize winners were...

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The Observer / Cape “non-winners” – Rob Davis, David O’Connell, Luke Pearson

Richard — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:30:28 +0000

For an explanation of all this – see here. To kick things off, the first “non-winner” that I saw online a couple of weeks ago: Rob Davis. Rob put his excellent entry “How I Built My Father” up on his blog here, complete with a little explanatory commentary here. And then David O’Connell brings us Blip, featuring a very pretty and fun story of the four elements. Finally for now, Luke Pearson’s Some People.

(Rob Davis – How I Built My Father.)

(David O’Connell – Blip)

(Luke Pearson – Some People)

And The Winner Isn’t: Introduction to the idea.

The Observer / Cape “non-winners” – Jason Cobley & Paul Harrison Davies, Natalie d’Arbeloff & Frances Castle For an explanation of all this – see here....
And the winner of the Cape/Observer 2099 Graphic Short Story Prize ISN’T……… Last weekend, the Observer/Cape Graphic Short Story prize was...
And the 2009 Observer/Cape graphic short story prize winner is……. The annual Observer/Cape graphic short story award prize winners were...

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And the winner of the Cape/Observer 2099 Graphic Short Story Prize ISN’T………

Richard — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:15:53 +0000

Last weekend, the Observer/Cape Graphic Short Story prize was announced. Our post on it is here, together with rather a lot of comments. Even before the winner’s announcement I had been thinking it would be nice to put up a few of the “non-winners” as the quality of the work looked really high. But since the competition ended, more and more strips have been posted and there’s quite a heated conversation going on about the rights and wrongs of the winning entry.

So before we start looking at the “non-winners” I’d just like to clarify a couple of things:

The Cape/Observer competition was just that – a competition. The judges picked the winner based on their opinions. You might have picked differently. I might have picked differently. It doesn’t matter. The judges decision, as they say, is final.
This series of posts is not intended as a slight on the winner and runner-up, more a celebration of the quality around the competition this year.
And that title above is obviously tongue in cheek! Because, like it says on the Random House Graphic Short Story Prize page:

“We ended up receiving an absolutely record breaking number of entries this year. Quantity was without a doubt matched by quality and the judges … had an extremely hard task on their hands picking just two winners. The increase from two to four pages of the Observer Magazine allowed for the development of some fantastic narratives and ambitious artwork.”

So over the weekend we’ll be running a few of these “non-winners” for you and you can see for yourself exactly how high the quality was. We’ll just put the first pages – it’s then up to you to go and investigate further…..

One very nice idea that came from the comments on our original post, was Frances’ idea to set up a Cape/Observer Flickr photostream to showcase the entires. And here it is – looks a bit empty at the moment – hurry along and add your work folks.

Also, Khaled Abou Alfa writes to let us know that he’s thinking of putting something together around the entries – details here.

And the 2009 Observer/Cape graphic short story prize winner is……. The annual Observer/Cape graphic short story award prize winners were...
Observer/Cape Short Graphic Story prize winner 2008 in the DFC The latest issue of the DFC (#38) features some great...
2008 Observer/Cape Graphic Short Story Prize I was full of good intentions last week to watch...

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Jeffrey Brown’s Fantastic Fool’s Day

Richard — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:01:30 +0000

Over at The Beat, Heidi has some exclusive Jeffrey Brown art from the just released Strange Tales #3 from Marvel Comics. I read the first and loved it. Haven’t picked up 2 or 3 yet, but I certainly plan to – and so should you.

Sulk by Jeffrey Brown – superhero parody and balletic cage fighting. Sulk Issue 1: Bighead And Friends & Sulk Issue 2:...
‘Real’ Charlie Brown Tim O’Brien creates this image of good ‘ole Charlie...
Frank Miller’s Charlie Brown Thankfully not his next movie project, just your spot on...

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Jamie Smart’s Desperate Dan….

Richard — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:01:20 +0000

Jamie Smart puts up a page of Desperate Dan work from the Dandy Annual 2009. Very nice indeed. He even did the front and back covers for the annual – sadly, they weren’t used, but he’s posted those for our great pleasure as well…

All images © DC Thompson.

Smart Bomb (cover to Smart Bomb #1, cover art by Will...
Jamie Hewlett charity art Gorillaz and former Tank Girl co-creator Jamie Hewlett has painted...
Count Von Poo no more…. Jamie Smart notes on his blog that his Count...

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Twenty years young lad…….

Richard — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:39:25 +0000

Another anniversary, this time everyone’s favourite claymation man and his dog. Nick Park’s wonderful creations, Wallace and Gromit are 20 years old this week. Just like Sesame Street this week and Asterix last week they got their own Google Doodle, just as they should….

Happy birthday lads, here’s to many more.

Aardman Animation W&G site.

Happy Birthday Asterix Asterix, that staple of wonderful childhood memories for most...
Happy birthday, Edgar Allan Poe – 200 years young! Today would be the 200th anniversary of one of my...
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Lady S – more exotic euro thrills from Van Hamme

Richard — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:10:55 +0000

Lady S Volume 1: Here’s To Suzie

by Jean Van Hamme and Philippe Aymond

Cinebook

In many ways this is merely a female equivalent to Van Hamme’s Largo Winch series, featuring as it does a privileged hero character with a mysterious and somewhat shady past and a nasty habit of getting themselves into all manner of trouble. But seeing as Van Hamme writes such good thrillers around this premise and seeing how much I really, really enjoy Largo Winch I was rather looking forward to settling back into this one and enjoying another brilliantly crafted Euro-comic thriller. And Lady S, whilst it’s not up there with Largo Winch, is still a great thriller.

The Lady S in question is Suzan Fitzroy, adopted daughter and principal assistant to James Fitzroy, the roving US ambassador in Europe. But the story everyone knows; of a New Zealander adopted by James Fitzroy after Suzan’s parents died in a car crash is a complete fabrication. Suzan Fitzroy is actually Shania Rivkas, an Estonian whose parents were murdered by the KGB, and who barely made it out of the Soviet Union alive. A chance meeting on a train with the Fitzroys eventually turns her away from a life on the run, of petty crime and constant danger. She’s adopted by Fitzroy, who’s links with her family go far deeper than Suzan first realised.

(The moment Suzan Fitzroy’s new life disintegrates and she realises a figure from her past is not as dead as she believed. From Lady S by Van Hamme and Aymond. Published by Cinebook.)

But her past life is about to come back to haunt her and a meeting with a fellow thief she thought had died many years ago brings this secret past life back to haunt her. She’s contacted by a mysterious “international agency” that “works towards world peace” – and they have enough on Suzan/Shania to ruin her life and her high flying ambassador father. So Suzan becomes Lady S, a very high class spy circulating in the highest diplomatic circles.

(“And now, explain your plan.” That’s the moment Suzan Fitzroy becomes Lady S, as her mysterious blackmailer walks away. From Lady S by Van Hamme and Aymond. Published by Cinebook.)

Here’s To Suzie spends an awful lot of the book filling us in on the intriguing life of Suzan and how she came to be Lady S. As you might expect from Van Hamme it’s all done wonderfully well, flashbacks are seamlessly interspersed throughout the book and the diplomatic settings and international intrigue is set out with pace and excitement – albeit a more sedate pace than the average Winch tale – no explosions or car chases here. It may be a variation on his Largo Winch theme, but it’s a good one.

Likewise, the art by Aymond is well done throughout, the nearest British equivalent that came readily to mind is Steve Dillon, and Aymond is more than capable of covering everything Van Hamme throws his way – from glittering society balls to escaping across frozen wastes.

Of all the new discoveries I’ve made through Cinebook I really believe that Jean Van Hamme is my favourite. I’m now at the point where I see his name and I know I’m in for a thriller far, far better than anything I’ll read in traditional US comics. And Lady S, although it may not be quite up there with Largo Winch is no exception to this rule.

Richard Bruton is currently humming the theme from The Avengers

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Doctor Who – the Waters of Mars

Joe — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:03:13 +0000

Ohhh, soon, soon!!!

Doctor Who: the Waters of Mars The BBC Press Office has released some brief details of...
Doctor Who filming Celeb site Mr Paparazzi has a whole bunch of pictures...
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Comica Comiket this weekend

Joe — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:01:42 +0000

Its Comiket time this weekend! Back and now relocated to the ICA’s ground floor theatre which allows for even more space for exhibitors, some fab talent from the British small press comics scene will be there, check out some of the folks on the list: Aben Maler & Steffen P. Maarup, Alternative Press, Jimi Gherkin, Banal Pig Press, Atlantic Press & Steve Braund, Sean Azzopardi, David Baillie, Daniel Merlin Goodbrey & Douglas Noble, The Bedsit Journal & Richard Cowdry, Capes & Drapes & Van Nim, C2D4 & Martin Buxton, Cobalt Cafe & Zarina Liew, Cute But Sad Comics & Howard Hardiman, Decadence & David Lander, Donkeys Tails & Christopher Bateson, Marc Ellerby, James McElvie & Kieron Gillen, Fabtoons & Francesca Cassavetti, Famicon - Leon Sadler, Stefan Sadler & Kitty Clark, Glyndwr University Graphic Novels Course (Dan Berry), David Greene, Ink Soup & Graphic Short Stories @ BIAD (Chiu), Aidan Koch, Last Hours & Excessive Force, Ellen Lindner & Jeremy Dennis, Philip Marsden, Kat McMorrine, Mild Tarantula – Josceline Fenton, Modern Monstrosity - Oliver Lambden & Laurence Powell, Murky Depths & Terry Martin, My Eye is on Fire & Chiu, Ninja Bunny – Philip Spence, Nobrow, Luke Paton, Pittville Press – Kieren Phelps, Popcorn Peacock – Timothy Gavin, Paul Rainey & Martin Eden, Karen Rubins, Gwen Kortsen & Paul Fryer, Savage Messiah & Laura Oldfield Ford, Semiotic Cohesion & Terome McNally, Skinny Bill Comics & Hannah Glickstein, Solipsistic Pop & Tom Humberstone, Space Babe 113 & John Maybury, Tempo Lush & Richy K. Chandler, Tozo – David OConnell, TP Cat Melody Lee & Terome McNally, Ushio & Chris Bottoms, We Are Words + Pictures & Matthew Sheret, Ali Winstanley & Edwin Rostron.

Phew! How can you resist a line-up like that? There’s a goodly number of the blog crew’s faves on there, so if you’re in town please do go along and enjoy yourself and give some deserved support to the vibrant UK small press scene at the same time. Comiket is on Sunday 8th November from 1 to 6pm (entry is free) and there will be live drawing and DJing (we all know you can’t keep those Modern Monstrosity blokes away from the decks) afterwards; check the site for full details and links .

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Alex’s audio round-up

Joe — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:02:51 +0000

Taking time out from setting bonfires of MPs expense claim forms this November 5th, here’s Alex Fitch in a V For Vendetta mask to update us to the latest programmes he’s involved with over the new few days; as ever for more details and links to podcasts of previous shows check the Panel Borders site:

Strip!: The Art of Brendan McCarthy, tonight at 5pm on Resonance FM, podcast afterwards on Panel Borders

Starting ‘British Mavericks’ month on the show – a series of conversations with illustrators whose work is surprisingly avant-garde for mainstream comics – we have an interview with pop art surrealist Brendan McCarthy. Appropriately for Guy Fawkes’ Night, Brendan’s work is the comic strip equivalent of fireworks, mixing lurid colours with hallucinogenic rendering that he has managed to smuggle into British periodicals such as 2000AD and Crisis and more recently has led to work in the field of film and animation design, working on TV series such as Reboot and the new film ‘Mad Max 4: Fury Road’. Today’s interview was conducted by author and librarian Pedro Galvao in front of an audience of Graphic Novel fans at Minet Library in Camberwell as part of Lambeth Readers and Writers Festival during the summer. (The episode was recorded and edited by Alex Fitch)

(some fantastic art by Brendan McCarthy for Doctor Strange, due next year from Marvel; pic via Heidi at The Beat)

ELECTRIC SHEEP SUBTERRANEA: Marebito (2004) + The Phantom Empire: The Thunder Riders (1935)

Electric Sheep presents subterranean screenings of minor masterpieces, oddball B-movies and genre classics in the convivial surroundings of Cinéphilia West. Join us every second Sunday of the month for a feature film and a chat, preceded by an episode from a serial or series, which will be shown over a season of screenings. On Sunday 8th November, as part of our season of underground-related films, we will be screening Takashi Shimizu’s Marebito (Stranger from Afar, 2004), a deeply sinister exploration of fear, obsession and urban paranoia, set in the Tokyo netherworld. This will be preceded by the second episode from the sci-fi Western musical The Phantom Empire (1935), in which a cowboy, who is also a radio show host, stumbles upon an ancient but highly advanced civilisation living under his ranch… Has to be seen to be believed! If you missed last month’s instalment and want to catch up, you can do so here: http://www.archive.org/details/phantom_empire_chapter_1

Previous podcasts:

Reality Check: Time travelling Hobbits and other paradoxes

In a pair of Q & As recorded in front of a live cinema audience at this year’s Sci-Fi London Film Festival, Alex Fitch talks to the directors of two new low budget films: The Hunt for Gollum and Cryptic. Joining Alex and director Chris Bouchard on stage, members of the cast and crew of The Hunt for Gollum talk about making an extended short film that stands up to the quality of the official Lord of the Rings movies, in an adaptation of material by J.R.R. Tolkein that was a labour of love for all involved, even when recreating Middle Earth in Epping Forest on limited resources. Alex also talks to producer / co-director Danny Kuchuck about his film Cryptic which mixes teen therapy with tropes of murder mysteries, revenge thrillers and time paradoxes to create an intriguing Sci-Fi drama .

Panel Borders: Banal Pigs, borrowed toilets and other manly anthologies

Continuing ‘anthologies and collectives month’ on the show, in an interview recorded at this year’s Small Press Expo in Bristol, Dickon Harris talks to Steve Tillotson and Gareth Brookes about their self published comics, including The Manly Boys Annual, Can I borrow your toilet? and The Banal Pig Landscape anthology; Dickon then catches up with Gareth again at the Alternative Press Fair Collaborama! in Borough to talk about performing small press comics as poetry.

Panel Borders: Inside the Fleece Station

Concluding ‘anthologies and collectives month’ on the show, in an interview recorded on location at the Old Police Station The Fleece Station in Deptford, Alex Fitch talks to artists Sarah McIntyre and Viviane Schwartz about their work including books such as Morris the Mankiest Monster and There are Cats in this book plus the benefits of sharing a studio that has a web and public presence.

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