By Graham Pearce

Pier-C Comics

I’ve looked at Pearce’s Mike Battle before (here and here) and although I had reservations, I’d enjoyed it, especially the later issues where he’s beginning to find an artistic style. But with Last Admin Hero he’s reprinting issues 8-10 of Sgt. Mike Battle, and some of the problems are back, along with a new problem of trying to switch his storytelling to a multi-issue storyline. More on that in a moment.

It’s certainly a change of pace for his action series starring the very all-American, all-over-the -top, all-action hero Mike Battle, here relegated to a supporting role, with the male lead going to the weedy bloke working as a temp in the admin department of some secret US military organisation. Or as Pearce puts it:

“The ridiculous scenario that entered my head was what if terrorists took-over the building, I was the only person to stop them and all I had was the contents of the stationary cupboard”

And that’s it really. Die Hard with the office admin temp in the Bruce Willis role, set against the backdrop of the Sgt. Mike Battle universe in the S.H.I.E.L.D. era of Jimmy Bond-esque superspies. Here’s his first scene:

John Trojan is just a lowly office temp, thrust into the limelight here when he just happens to be on a toilet break as the agents of A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. storm the building he works in, the brilliantly designed Section D – a straight up yours to the UN building opposite. They’re intending to sell out the good ol’ U. S. of A. and flog its secret-est secrets to the highest bidder.

Panic ensues, or rather it would, if the folks in charge weren’t trying to figure out something much more important:

In some ways that A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. gag is the very essence of this comic. Enjoy that and you’ll find a lot to enjoy.

The simple concept works really well at the start, with the turn it all on its head idea of the last guy in the building being genuinely a bit useless. There’s clever gag after clever gag, all playing on our familiarity with the stuff Pearce is pastiching. Again, another war-room funny:

I have to admit though, I think Pearce’s work is more suited to shorter tales, where he gets to keep things fresh and light and clever and succinct, within the confines of a single issue. Stretched out over the three issues here, the simple concept feels just that – stretched, and just that little bit thin. By the end, it’s a little overdone, a little tired. I was lagging by the end, I really was, and the joy of the original gags had gone.

Art wise, quite naturally, it’s between the really rough first issues and the more nuanced, stylish stuff that came after it. There are faults, of course there are, but you can easily overlook them, enjoy the nice art when it pops up and generally get swept up in the adventure. Flawed but fun.

And Pearce certainly knows how to fill the book with some genuinely interesting and worthwhile extras – an alternate ending courtesy of Pearce’s wife, a brilliantly done tongue firmly in cheek trailer, loads of concept art and behind the scenes stuff (did you all catch the Akira reference in the cover by the way?).

Last Admin Hero is available from Graham Pearce at the Sgt Mike Battle website. And if John Trojan’s adventures have set your heart racing, Pearce promises Last Admin Hero II is coming soon(ish).

Following a limited release at Thought Bubble, artist Simon Moreton has been in touch to tell us that the full version of Smoo Issue 4 is now available from his website.

Here’s what it’s all about:

“Smoo #4:Marlow. This issue deals, in an abstract sort of way, with being a teenager, and then, years later, realising that for all you don’t feel like one, you find yourself being a grown up. It was written in response to my parents moving away from Marlow, the small town in SE England where I spent my teenage years. Each copy comes with a print of a hand-drawn map of the town and, while stocks last, a tourist postcard and excerpts from the local newspaper, “The Marlow Free Press”. B&W, white card cover, 28 A5 pages.”

Here’s a little of what I said:

“Moreton’s imagery, his simplicity, his white sense, his line; all go towards making interesting and ultimately thought-provoking comics, not in a huge, must be shocking way, but in the smaller sense. This is work to absorb, then stop, think, drift, ideas and memory kicking in, triggered from these lovely, lovely comics.”

Yes, I’m a fan, whatever made you think that? In truth I did find a few minor problems with it, in as much as it’s shifting slightly towards the style of his comics as abstraction series The Escapologist and away from what I’d previously loved about Smoo. But nonetheless, a great little comic… have a look:

We Are Words + Pictures

Edited by Matthew Sheret

Contributors include Adam Cadwell, David O’Connell, Octavia Raitt, Rob Cureton, James Downing, John Cei Douglas, Marc Ellerby & Meryl Trussler, Kayla Marie Hillier, Philip Spence, Tom Smith, Anne Holiday& Tom Humberstone,

The seventh and final issue (for the time being at least) of Matthew Sheret’s newspaper anthology. And possibly/probably one of the best so far – certainly a great, great cover by Adam Cadwell to delight and introduce you to the issue’s theme. This time we’re travelling, whether it’s actual travel, or merely the idea of it is played upon by each strip inside. And, as you’ll expect by now, the insides feature some of the great and the good from the UK comic scene.

So here we go… one last time…. it’s Paper Science’s best bits from issue 7, although to be honest, it was pretty much universally good this time round.

Special mention has to go to Adam Cadwell, delivering a satisfying and fun fourth and final part to his all-ages The King Of Things adventure. It’s been a lovely strip, bold colours, lovely little story. More soon hopefully.

(Adam Cadwell – The King Of Things)

Philip Spence evokes the artistic stylings of his been away too long Ninja Bunny to deliver a (very) abridged version of the classic Journey To The West (or Monkey to many of us) that’s pithy yet funny:

(Philip Spence – Journey To The West)

The back-pager gives us bird-watching on the Scottish coast, courtesy of Anne Holiday and Tom Humberstone. A simple tale, beautifully drawn by Humberstone.:

(Holiday and Humberstone – The Blushing Scot)

Kayla Marie Hillier knows a lot about this whole travel thing, having comic-ed about it extensively in her lovely Gallavant webcomic (and print available here). Having seen that develop and mature, in both storytelling and artwork, it’s so pleasing to see this latest strip show off just how far Hillier’s come – she show’s off not only some very nice linework, but delivers a gentle, impassioned love letter to a new hometown, evoking both a sense of travel and of return, of finding a place.

(Kayla Marie-Hillier – Lost & Found)

And finally – John Cei Douglas’ Follow Me is quite lovely, a favourite here amongst some really strong competition. Mixing comics and illustration so well in just one page that delivers a story with a delightful innocence, a playful sense of journeying through fantastical places (or merely a child’s imagination), and a sweetness that’s perfectly done:

(John Cei Douglas – Follow Me)

Across its seven issues Paper Science has comfortably and consistently produced some great works, introduced me to some wonderful artists, shown me some old favourites. In this it sits alongside other similar anthology works; Solipsistic Pop, Comix Reader, Ink + Paper et al, all of which have done great things in bringing a group of artists to (we hope) wider acclaim).

As a showcase, it’s been a success, and its format has been a continual joy for me. I do so love these newspaper comics, and trust we’ll see the format continue to be used long after paper Science finishes.

A final mention has to go to Matt Sheret, who’s stewardship has meant Paper Science continually strived to improve, to be as good as it could be, as good as it regularly was. It’s thanks to him that Paper Science exists, and we all thank him for the 7 issues. Hopefully, as he promises on the first page, we’ll see more from the Words + Pictures collective very soon. Right after he comes back from that well earned holiday.

Paper Science is available from the Words + Pictures website.

By Paul Stapleton

November: A new strain of flu hits Britain.

March: Spring wakes up to an empty world.

But a single life abides.

Even nothing needs its king

That is a cracking four line back-cover blurb right there. Cracking. Made me really keen to see just what Stapleton had for us, whether he was going to head for downbeat thought piece, a variation on the post-apocalyptic zombie thing, or something else.

However…. in all honesty, that was the high point of the comic. Which sounds a horrible thing to say, but putting it into context will help. There’s a fair bit about The Undisputed King Of Nothing (title, concept, setting, tone) that works really well and I’ll be interested to see where Stapleton takes it. The thing is, that back-cover blurb had me thinking it was going to be really, really good. And it’s not. It’s good enough, but there’s too many faults to live up to the hype.

It starts beautifully, and from just these panels I thought I was in for a real treat. Maybe I just like moody shots of landscape too much, I don’t know:

The whole issue is one man, post apocalypse, the “single life” of the blurb, who spends all day, every day, walking the desolate, broken streets, looking for any tiny sign of anyone else. And he hasn’t seen anyone for weeks. Food, power, his teeth – all worrysome. The answer he finds is to immerse himself into a daily routine, cycling, foraging, stealing, searching. Day after day, cycling through the car-strewn streets.

To keep himself from going mad, he narrates, he thinks, then he writes it all down. Or perhaps, just perhaps, he’s already gone mad, and these meandering thoughts are the perfect example of it. Mad or not, he’s the last one alive as far as he knows, and he’s barely surviving.

There’s one point where Stapleton has his protagonist say this:

“It’s amazing really. I have so many things to get done yet I still find the time to write this horseshit every day.”

Please, don’t get the idea I’m accusing Stapleton of writing horseshit, I’m really not. But he has overwritten it, and that almost seems like, right at the end of this first chapter, to be his way of explaining it. It’s written this way becuase that’s what he wanted to get over in the issue, the isolation, the loneliness, the desperate desire to hear something, even if it’s only the sound of your voice inside your head as it goes down on the page I suppose.

But to me all that thinking just overwhelms the story, and certainly overwhelms the artwork:

Thing is, you might not think the same. Maybe it is just me. I know I bloody hate the sort of people who seem determined in this life to take my precious moment of quiet and fill it with their incessant blabber. And that’s what this feels like. I wouldn’t like this bloke in real life, and he annoys me in comic form.

Yeah, I know he’s thinking it all, and that’s just what I’d do as well, but on a comic page, thoughts have substance and a volume, and sadly these are overwhelming and deafening.

But right at the end. With just that moment, with the character actually interjecting over his own thoughts, with a “hang on” – then it gets interesting again. Enough to rescue it, enough to make me want to read a second issue? Yeah, I reckon so.

Sure, his art is much, much better when he’s focusing on the landscape rather than the man, as his figure work’s not up to much. But I can cope with that. I don’t know if I can hack another issue of deafening thinking all over the pages, but I’ll be around to see what happens.

You can buy The Undisputed King Of Nothing at Stapleton’s website.

By Rob Jackson

This is exactly what I love about the UK comic scene – you wouldn’t really expect one issue of a self-publishers expansion into the home-made ice-cream business, and now we get the second issue of Rob Jackson’s comic about his adventures at various markets around his home town of Bolton.

I looked at part 1 back in 2011 and had this to say:

“It’s fascinating, it really is…. just like any well written, well observed autobiog comic can be. Regardless of the subject, if it’s well done, you’ll be drawn into it. And so it is with “It’s A Man’s Life In The Ice Cream Business“.

You’ll read all about the pros and cons of ice-cream manufacture, the variety of markets around Bolton, the sheer hard work involved in the business for Jackson and his family. There’s none of the comedy or farce that Jackson’s utilised so well in the past, but it doesn’t matter. Just having the details presented straight in front of us is enough.”

And underneath a really impressive looking cover, part two gives me more of the same. Just like this:

Yes, Jackson’s tale of his adventures in ice-cream carries on. Although his product range gets more diverse here. Ice-creams, cheese, black peas. This time there’s even soup!

It’s the ongoing minutiae of the situation I fond rather enthralling, this is almost catalogue comic-ing; the endless procession of markets, the setting up, the listing of the products taken, what sells, what doesn’t, and why, the weather and its effect on trade, the gazebos, the people, the competition. It’s all here, and it’s all very enjoyable.

As usual, Jackson’s art is rough, but it’s a roughness that appeals, and his tight, dense panels (10-14 per page usually) suit the style of his story here so well. The routine of dense panel pages is occasionally, and refreshingly broken every so often by a larger panel or two, and suddenly the freedom produces some really lovely moments such as this; with the backdrop to the sign, the washed-out stand and the cut to a glum Rob working so nicely:

Or this, with Rob’s mom setting up the hot black peas:

All in all, it’s a surprisingly satisfying comic, on a completely unexpected topic. But Jackson’s autobiog storytelling is such a relaxed, easygoing thing that I’d imagine pretty much anyything he turned his hand to would work just as well.

The advantage with this ice-cream comic is the absolutely unexpected nature of the subject. We’ve all read autobiog from comic artists talking about how miserable their comic making lives are, how that girl in the coffee house will have nothing to do with them, how life just isn’t the way they hoped and all that. But autobiog about trying to make your way in the cut and thrust world of homemade food markets? Now that is interesting and unusual.

And yes, cut and thrust world – right at the end of this one we get the added threat of competition – someone trying to break into Rob’s patch with ice-cream and cheese as well. What next for Rob and his fledgling business? Putting up with it, changing products, or possibly a Bolton ice-cream war to match the one in Glasgow in the 80s?

We’ll have to wait for the next issue to find out. And it may be a little longer to wait this time (Jackson notes he’s rather sick of drawing gazebos), which is a genuine disappointment.

By Marc Ellerby

So far we’ve seen three issues (#1, #2, #3) of Ellerby’s disinterested monster hunter with the smart mouth and iffy attitude (just look at the great cover – attitude in spades!). And nothing has convinced me that I wasn’t absolutely spot on with what I said back in June 2009 when I first set eyes on her:

“Chloe Noonan, Monster Hunter is just such a fantastic idea, done so very well, that I just can’t help but think that if he gets the right bit of luck with it he’ll have a huge hit on his hands.”

or this:

“…..heaps of Scott Pilgrim style goings on; young folks, funky dialogue, bit of weirdness and smart cartooning. Chloe is a monster hunter (no, not like Buffy). She’s English, doesn’t have any special powers and frankly thinks this monster hunting lark is rather getting in the way”

That still covers it pretty much. This 24-page colour special fits in (sort of) with the events of issue 3, but Ellerby’s characters and stories are so tight by now that no real back story is necessary, you’ll soon pick it up. (And if you want to see where it all starts, we put up a 3-page preview back in November.

So far, everything in Noonan has been about Noonan just simply avoiding being the monster hunter. But for some reason, she’s it. She’s the monster hunter. But being it and being good at it are two different things.

Or as a slightly tipsy BFF Zoe puts it:

(Yep, a very bad monster hunter indeed. Chloe Noonan by Marc Ellerby)

This time round though there’s a mood shift. It’s small, but there’s definitely a move towards something a little deeper, a little more introspective and thoughtful.

Previously Noonan was all about a mix of monsters and friends, with Ellerby leaning heavily on the comedy dialogue he’s so good at. But longterm? Maybe something that would get a little same-y. The slight shift turns it from sketch show to potential long-running fantasy comedy series.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still packed with everything that made me love the book in the first place, and still full of comedy, full of the sparkling, quick-fire dialogue, but the last third of this colour special sees Noonan forced to face up to what she does and why she does it, made to take a look at this whole monster-hunter thing from the other side.

After suffering (never in silence, not the Noonan) all the fun of the indie disco she comes face to face with a monster looking stranger like a certain Beano character.

Or, as best mate Zoe puts it again:

And once she’s chased him down, he turns her world on its head, putting both a seed of doubt in her mind about what she’s doing, and introducing the possibility that the monsters may be thinking about moving  against her.

And that points to the possibility of the comic having a denser, richer future, where Noonan has to ask herself what she’s doing… just like this…

Like I said, it’s a small shift, but it bodes well for the future. And damn it Ellerby, there better be a future. Lots of  new Noonan adventures for 2012 please.

Because it’s simply one of  the best comics I’ve read in the last few years, and you need to be reading it.

Chloe Noonan: Monster Hunter – Colour Special is available for just £4 from Ellerby’s shop

Written by Dirk Van Dom, Matthew McLaughlin, Greg Meldrum, Alan Holloway

Art by Dave Candlish, Stephen Prestwood, James Corcoran, Louis Carter, David Broughton

Published by Dave Candlish

(The ninth issue of Dave Candlish’s Paragon comic – reviews of previous issues are here.)

Really liking the cover this time round – good pulp hero feel, and very fitting, as it’s featuring the new strip in Paragon 9, the pulp adventure Spencer Nero. Something of a tongue in cheek Doc Savage style thing, following an old style adventurer, always ready with a quip to take on a thrilling adventure. He travels the world, sorting out all those who need sorting, with a nod, a wink, and a never ending stream of pulp hero clichés. But I like tongue in cheek pulp hero clichés.

There’s two episodes here – Nazi Aztecs in the middle of the ocean first up and then a werehyaena in East Africa. Two artists as well, but I didn’t enjoy David Broughton’s neccessarilly cartton-ish style for The Last Laugh anywhere near as much as Dave Candlish’s more stylised moments of the Island Of The Naztecs storyline. But the art serves the stories well, and it’s not a bad intro to a character all concerned may enjoy playing around with.

(The stylised Dave Candlish art from Spencer Nero and the island of the Naztecs in Paragon #9. Written by Greg Meldrum)

And staying with the interesting stuff, at the other end book we have Icarus Dangerous, a strip on its third episode, and the page recap comes in handy. It’s beginning to lose some of the originality to be honest and here with issue 3 it’s dragging a little, as Icarus starts using the newly reworked wings, far more advanced than the famous ones provided by dad. He’s fighting the Bonemen, rescuing his rescuer Meriope, and it feels just a little like it’s all setting up future chapters rather than really moving the thing along.

Some of my frustration with it, in fact some of my frustration with Paragon as a whole is very likely due to the inevitable disjointed feel of the episodic strip format, with six months between episodes. Icarus Dangerous still has potential, and it’s a strip I really wouldn’t mind seeing collected in one storyline someplace down the line.

(Icarus Dangerous by Dirk von Dom and Stephen Prestwood)

Now onto the middle stuff, which I’ll do at speed…..

Rise of the MekkoSapiens did little for me in the two previous parts, and it’s lost me completely now. It’s perhaps a measure of how little I’m getting from it that it barely registered in my (admittedly poor) memory just minutes after reading it. New artist Louis Carter does his best, but there’s just not much here to praise. Nonplussed.

The one-off No Compromise is an entry for the Strip Magazine competition, and being kind, you can see why it didn’t make it. Old guy shows up at Captain’s Island, looks mean and moody, finds what he’s come for, shoots stuff. My main problem is using child rape as a throwaway line. I’m certainly no prude, but I just think it’s somewhat unnecessary, crude, and crass. And a lazy plot device.

(No Compromise by Alan Holloway and Dave Candlish)

Yet again, there’s an episode of Jikan, this time sending the time-travelling demon-hunter back to the time of the cavemen. It’s a nice episode and James Corcoran’s art has some really nice parts, patchy yes, but nice.

Same thing as I’ve said before though – I’ve read this before, in the Jikan Chronicles book, so yet again, seeing it here seems somewhat superfluous.

(Jikan – Cave Of Death by Matthew McLaughlin and james Corcoran)

I hate to say it here, but after six issues of Paragon, I can’t see a way editor Dave Candlish is going to make it work for me. Each issue shows a little promise, and I’m always hoping that the next issue builds upon it, but it seems stuck in rather a rut of deliver some good, but a lot of mediocre strips. And comparing it against some of the other anthology works I’ve seen just makes it seem stuck in that rut. Like I said, some of this may be the problem of running a continuing anthology, with longer storylines broken by half a year or so.

The thing is, I’ve seen enough of Candlish’s work now to say screw it, why not work up something smaller scale, use the art I’ve enjoyed, develop that, and come back with something new. Because I just can’t see Paragon moving out of the niche it’s firmly stuck in. Sorry.

By Howard Hardiman

Previously in Howard Hardiman’s dark tale of sexuality, relationships and bad decisions …. reviews of issue 1, issue 2, issue 3,

We met Eddie, poor, messed up Eddie, living a dark double life, trying to be the good boyfriend to the lovely Dan, but tempted into the male escorting biz by a self-destructive streak and falling head over heels in lust with escort Nelson.

Eddie’s a likeable idiot, but there’s a darkness to him, and a feeling that none of this is going to end well.

And now here we are at issue 4:

“Eddie realises that he can’t continue to maintain a double-life as the boyfriend to Dan at the same time as living as the male prostitute, Ford. As he reflects on his first job with Nelson and its consequences for his relationship with James, Eddie has to face up to the truth: It’s decision time.”

Yep, here with issue 4 we get to see just how seductive Eddie found that first job, working alongside object of his lust Nelson, under the ridiculous name of Ford (Ford escort… get it? Nelson doesn’t, but you just know poor Dan would).

Hardiman tells Eddie’s story both in the now, with his life as an escort and a potential new life with Dan, and in the past, telling of a (doomed) relationship with James, the temptations of Nelson proving too much, and a life of vice just over the horizon.

The Lengths is dense, complicated and involved, and sometimes you have to backtrack to keep in mind just where you are, Hardiman’s storytelling is good, but occasionally, juggling two stories, two different lives for one character gets as confusing as poor Eddie finds it in the  story.

Artistically, Hardiman’s getting better and better, really utilising his page, filling it with black, choosing interesting ways to lay out his pages,  really working it so well, and not afraid to let the huge black or white space carry weight, mood and even story.

The Lengths is at the halfway stage here, and so much has gone on that it’s ridiculous to think of picking it up midway through. Each new issue that comes out demands a reread of the story so far, and when it’s all published, I hope Hardiman takes the plunge and collects it in book form. That way, all of the subtle nuanced moments from issue to issue will have more chance to breathe than they do here.

In the meantime, I’ll continue enjoying The Lengths any way Hardiman does it.

The Lengths Issue 4 (of a planned 8 ) is available from Howard Hardiman at his webstore, priced just £2.50.

Likewise, if I’ve missed your book, apologies again. Get in touch – tell us all about it! Here’s a little list of self-published or one-off comics coming your way in 2012. I’ll get around to some of the UK publishers very shortly.

Right, lets start with one I’m really looking forward to……

Martin Stiff:

My love of Martin Stiff’s comic The Absence has meant it made my best of year lists for both 2010 and 2011. Issue 4 has been a long, long, long time coming. But it’s going to be released in 2012. This is great news.

Al Ewing and Brendan McCarthy:

The Zaucer Of Zilk in 2000AD at some point in 2012 – details and interview at Newsarama:

“The Zaucer of Zilk strip is a phantasmagorical psychedelic extravaganza that features fanciful fantasy rather than hard-core techno sci-fi. It’s something a little bit different for the jaded palettes of the typical “2000AD” reader, I hope.”

(Zaucer of Zilk promo image by Brendan McCarthy)

Tom Humberstone:

The curator of Solipsistic Pop promises a return to actually making comics for himself this year, which is definitely a good thing. His new title Ellipsis is due to begin in April/May 2012. But he’s not finished with Solipsistic Pop. The now annual anthology will return in November with Solipsistic Pop Book Five.

(Solipsistic Pop Logo from issue 4)

Andrew Cheverton:

Sounds like a busy year planned for Cheverton – there should be two new issues of West (hooray) – Points West in May and the provisionally-titled September for the autumn. West Book 2 will also be released mid-year. Meanwhile, Cheverton has three new series starting - The Whale House (art by Chris Doherty), The End (FH Navarro) & Month of Sundays (David Frankum). Wow.

And if that wasn’t enough, he also has a story in the new Accent UK anthology with a difference – Who On Earth Was Thaddeus Mist? (Details at the Accent UK blog)

(West Volume 1 cover by Cheverton and Keable)

Garen Ewing:

The long-awaited third and final volume of Rainbow Orchid is released in April

Joe Decie:

Later in the year Decie has “something” with Blank Slate Books. But first – In February, there’s Pocket Full Of Coffee coming out from Retrofit Comics.

Jason Cobley:

Cobley reports that his children’s tale (originally proposed as a comic with Paul Harrison Davies) is now a book by Cobley, and has a publisher. On the graphic novel front – Classical Comics publish the Cobley adapted An Inspector Calls in March 2012 whilst the first collection of Cobley and Wildman’s Frontier is very due from Print Media:

There’s also a little mystery from Jason Cobley and the brilliant David Hitchcock – they’re doing Dicken’s Signal Man:

“Oh, yes… Early days, can’t say exactly how it will be published yet, but David Hitchcock and I have begun some work on an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic ghost story The Signal Man. He has the original art of this image for sale, by the way!”

(Signal Man image by David Hitchcock)

Paul Rainey:

Paul tells us that his online Thunder Brother: Soap Division returns in 2012, along with a physical “something else“.

(Paul Rainey’s Thunder Brother: Soap Division)

Rob Jackson:

The second issue of Jackson’s “It’s a man’s life in the ice-cream business” is actually out right now – told you this round up was late! He’ll also have a new comic later in the year – “a family history comic with boats“.

Dave Morris and Leo Hartas:

Volume 2 of Mirabilis should get released around May 2012:

“The green comet looms closer and the boundaries of reality are starting to crumble. Suddenly the strangest elements of myth and fantasy are just across the street. Telepathic brains, flesh-eating plants, warrior saints, flying machines and a magical auction where you can buy anything from Mercury s sandals to King Arthur’s sword if the price is right. Join Jack Ember, reluctant troubleshooter, and Estelle Meadowvane, aristocratic astronomy genius, whose adventures for the Royal Mythological Society take them to the far corners of a world where ancient wizardry is becoming part of everyday life. The Year of Wonders is here, and nothing will ever be the same again.”

…. and finally this time, saw this just as I was finishing off the post…. a legend with news of an interesting sounding project

Mick McMahon:

“I’ve finally got going on Kestrels, mine and Ben Dickson’s comic about evacuees in World War II. I’m currently inking a poster to be used for various nefarious purposes, once that’s done I’ll be starting the story art.
Here’s a sheet of thumbnails for pages one to ten (out of sixty four), plus a concept sketch of Kestrel Katie (her legs need sorting, if that’s not too indelicate!), and a first pass of an idea for a postcard featuring Kestrel Ethan. More soon!”

Okay, that’s your lot. Now there’s got to be something in there to tickle your fancy?

“Katy is on a train journey to a not-so-far-off destination, you have limited time to speak with her before her stop. What will you ask Katy?

An experimental comic removed from anything I normally do that requires maximum audience participation to find out Katy’s story.”

I reviewed N Gingerboom’s What Is It Katy? after seeing her first print comic – Those Of No Class. It was one of those interesting finds, I was merely looking for links for the review, and ended up finding something very good, rather original and very enjoyable. Well, now she’s launched a web fundraiser through IndieGoGo, trying to get money together for a print version of her webcomic.

You can read the all of “What Is It Katy? online at N’s site. But when you do that, do think of heading her way with some cash, it’s something that would be very nice to see in print. And after reading to part 38, the last posted by N, I’m really, really intrigued as to where she’ll take it next. Here’s strip #28 to give you the mood: