Farewell to 2021!

Well surprisingly perhaps, we seem to have hurtled rather quickly to the year's end and sadly, not quite the one we'd hoped for, but we're here anyway and hopefully this finds you all safe n well and amongst loved ones, whether in person or in the virtual world.

We've actually had several highpoints this year despite the obvious, top of which was finally getting back to Scotland, after almost 18 months to catch up with family, it was the longest time I'd ever been from the land of my birth and it was great to return and see everyone thankfully safe n well, especially the nurses and carers in our family.

Beautiful Stonehaven, Market Square

A few other UK trips proved a welcome break from familiar surroundings and from summer we actually had some comic events to go to! Most were outdoors and 'substitute' events from those original scheduled, but a few in the autumn went ahead, almost as planned.

All were fun with a particular mention being Scott's first ever Free Comic Book Day event at his shop where he had an overwhelming response from the curious Warrington public!

Spotted in Glasgow

We also made trips to new events in Newark, Coventry, Stretford, Northwich and tried a few different things along the way, including a trip in Space! Thanks to all the intrepid organisers for their hard efforts in putting on these events in challenging times and equal thanks to all who braved the circumstances to support them and buy or show interest in our work, much appreciated.

There are of course plans and thoughts for next year when hopefully we'll all enjoy better and safer circumstances but for now a warm and Happy New Year as we bid farewell to 2021.

Northwich Calling!

 

I had a fab time in space last weekend and hope to post a few pictures in due course to show but there's no rest as we have another event this weekend, locally in Northwhich!

A brand new Comic & Film Festival to help celebrate Northwich's old art deco cinema re-openning as an arts venue! There's going to be movie props, actors, comics, funkos, memorabilia and us!

Come and say hi, if you're in town ahead of the Christmas tree light switch on!

 

Steampunks in Space!

 

In a surprisingly busy end to a fairly quiet year for events, we have the middle of our three November events this weekend with Steampunks in Space!

Being held at the National Space Centre in Leicester, a venue familiar to me after I featured it in my popular 'Heart's Desire' story for Accent UK's Return To The Asylum anthology comic! 

The event has run for several years in conjunction with the Space Centre and The Ministry of Steampunk who host Asylum, The Town That Never Was and other splendid events that we try to attend or exhibit at when we can. Finally the stars have aligned allowing us, (well me really as the others can't attend), to countdown our liftoff to space!

Full details can be found at the Space Centre's website but be warned I think they have already almost sold out of tickets!

Salute Salute!

The splendid tote goodie bag given out!

Well that was fun! Just a brief word to accompany a few snaps from last weekend's SALUTE 2020(2021) wargames show at the Excel Centre, London Docklands. 

It was our first time exhibiting and attending and although we were a little nervous as to how comics would be received at a primarily wargaming event, we were pleased with our reception. Lots of curious browsers, interested persons and several surprises of folks recongising us and our titles from other comic conventions or events.

We sold decently given the circumstances and unfamiliarity but had many positive reactions to our comics, particularly my (mainly) historicaly based, Moments of Adventure series and our Asylum Steampunk books, the first of which quickly sold out of the comics I had! 

A closer look at our two 'special guests' !!

It was odd being at the familiar Excel Centre not surrounded by other comic artists, art stalls or cosplayers - although the Excel also hosted a Star Trek convention, so that at least felt 'normal' to me and I wasn't phased at all !!!

A wee look at the hall and one of the games tables

Thanks to the South London Warlords for being to host an event of this type in unusual and challenging circumstances and, while I understand from others that we were experiencing a very different and scaled back SALUTE, we still enjoyed the day and hopefully can return!

 

Ready for Action!

Great to return to London so soon after MCM Comic-Con, this time for SALUTE, the wargamming event.

It's been fun to prepare my special Moments Collector's Packs with exclusive prints, comics and original watercolours, mainly based around historical characters.

Salute to London!

"Comics Ahoy!" Yes, no sooner do we make our first trip to London in over two years, we return next weekend for our first ever wargaming event at SALUTE!

SALUTE is the annual showcase event from wargaming club, the South London Warlords and is now almost in it's 50th year and established as one of the largest, (if not the largest), wargaming event in the UK and possibly Europe!

Salute Salute!

It is therefore quite a thrill to attend for the first time with our comics and see if the crossover potential with gamers exists? If not, it still promises to be quite a spectacle.

We were due to attend the show's traditional April 2020 slot but well you know what happened to that.....The date then moved a couple of times before settling on November 13th, accommodated by the venue's availabilty and allowing a little distance before their next April 2022 event, fingers-crossed. 

The change in date was personally unfortunate as it now clashes with Thought Bubble, the UK's largest pure Comics Festival and one that we normally try to attend. Luckily though we have some flexibility so Accent UK's Dave and Gary will be in Harrogate while I'm in London and will be ably supported by guest attending creators' Kia Wordsmith's artist Ian Ashcroft and V2A Wasteland's co-creator, Drone!

I too will have my own guest star at Salute who I will not reveal quite yet!

So yes next weekend will see a return to the Excel at booth TE05 with a selection of Accent UK's finest Historical, Post-Apocalyptic, Steampunk & Western Horror comics, wish us luck!. 

 

 

Back with a bang!

Yay! After several enjoyable 'pop-up' events since the summer, we were delighted to safely attend our first 'big' event the other weekend at ReedPop's MCM Comic Con in London!

This was our first comic con since October 2019 so we were both excited and, given all that's happened since then, a little nervous too. Thankfully the Excel's protocol's and vast space together with a reduced capacity meant that attendeess could feel safe and distance themselves should they want to.

New table layout and 'Hadrian's Wall' behind!

That said it was still a busy affair for us, possibly with less attractions elsewhere, people made a point of exploring everything that was available so made their way to Artist's Alley (the re-branded  Comic Village) to see what was on offer. Overall we did better than we had expected in the circumstances and were happy with how things went.

We only had two hiccups; the new application process meant that Dave and I's tables were in seperate aisles but being virtually 'back to back' we weren't too concerned, until we saw the new safety feature of dividing walls around each table pairing meaning that we couldn't see each other let alone have a natter, ah well, safety first.

Dave's table - the view 'behind the wall'!

  The other hiccup? My puncture and delay the following day, back with a bang indeed!

Newark here we come!

At this time of year we're normally gearing up for one of our favourite events, the Asylum Steampunk Festival, but well for obvious reasons it's not happening but we are attending a much smaller scaled back, steampunk market in nearby Newark-on-Trent! 

It's obviosuly not the same - what is these days? - but it's a lovely gesture by the Ministry of Steampunk and the local council to accommodate those, like us, who had booked their accommodation in good faith and were intending to travel just for a well deserved break, so now there will be a steampunk flavour to Newark's regular artisan and food market this Sunday, market place, 10 am to 3pm.

We're looking forward to it and if half as enjoyable as both Blists Hill and Scott's Free Comic Book Day event we'll be happy - Dave may even wear his shorts! 

I've done a few English Civil War Sketches for Newark!

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2021!

After a fun and succesful return to Blists Hill a couple of weeks ago I'm delighted to confirm our next appearance, (with a further few to follow as some sense of 'normality' returns!).

Free Comic Book Day celebrates it's 20th anniversary this year as a global event amongst comic stores and stockists as a way of highlighting the comic industry and reminding readers, old and new, of it's uniqueness as a medium of entertaining storytelling.

To play our part in this annual celebration, Gary 'WesterNoir' Crutchley and I will be representing Accent UK alongside three other amazing local comic creators at Warrington's finest comic shop, Scott's Pops & Comics in the new Warrington Market!

Delighted to be part of this, not least of which because Scott is of course our eldest who bravely opened his shop last year during the pandemic and recently celebrated his first anniversary - no mean feat in the challenging circumstances!

All are welcome to join us for what promises to be a fun day, please check out Scott's Facebook event page here for full and further details! 

And if Warrington is a bit too far for you to travel, try a search in your own area to see what your local comic show is up to next weekend. 

Back To School!

 

We are delighted to confirm that our comics collective, Accent UK will be returning to the convention scene this coming weekend at The Town That Never Was, the annual Steampunk Festival at Blists Hill Victorian Town, part of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums group!

We've had this event penciled in for some time, but with a change of dates, various ongoing restrictions - and sadly the continuing cancellation of most other conventions and festivals, we'd remained cautious, possibly too cautious in announcing it, but here we are! 

The Cthulu Party's succesful mayoral campaign of 2019

It'll - gulp - be my first event since Copenhagen in 2019 and the first together with Dave West in almost two years. In fact it's almost 18 months since we've last seen each other so you can see why we're getting a wee bit excited about being allowed out in the wild again!

The event is again run by the Ministry of Steampunk, (those splendid people behind the excellent Asylum Steampunk Festival, sadly cancelled again this year despite best efforts) in conjunction with the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and this will be it's 4th appearance with us attending them all, exhibiting at the last three.

Everyone welcome from Hopeless Main to Mars (doesn't) Attacks - ack! ack!

It's a remarkable place a town literally rebuilt brick by brick around a foundry to preserve a lost way of life with working printers, blacksmiths, bakers, pub, sweet shop, chippy & much more! Special as all this is, when enhanced by the splendour of steampunk visitors it really comes into its own with attractions, musical acts, dancing, demonstrations, dinosaur detectives, artists, traders, makers & more, really bringing the town alive.

Colin meets his Asylum comic story stars!

This time, we are to be housed in the Stirchley Board School (site 46 on the map below!) dating from 1881 where along with other artists and imagineers we are presenting the perfect Back To School tonic of ABC.....Art, Books & Comics!

We are, as you can see, quite excited by actually having an event to go to and an opportunity to catch up with visitors and the wonderful steampunk community that we are privalged to be a small part of. Please do consider popping in if your logistics and personal situation allows as you are guaranteed a very different, refreshing and inspiring experience and if you visit the school we promise to go easy on the homework!

Drawing the Charge of the Light Brigade!

Going through my art files I was reminded of this wee sketch I did of the Charge of the Light Brigade as part of my commission a couple of years ago for London's National Army Museum's new 'Society' gallery - art by me, colours by Matt Soffe. 

My long held interest in this subject was borne by a childhood viewing of Tony Richardson's landmark 1968 movie. I was probably 9 or 10 when I spotted a late night television scheduling of the movie and successfully negotiated with my parents to stay up late on a school night to watch it - clearly the sign of a young mind brainwashed by a love of history!

An old sketch of mine of a couple of the brave 600!

Although I retained an interest and have a few books on the Crimea, I'd only ever done a couple of sketches and had never seriously thought about doing something 'comicy' about the period in the same way as I had, and continue to do with the Anglo-Zulu War, so this was the perfect opportunity.

The project brief was to provide a pictorial progression of how 'Society' had depicted the army/military  in popular culture over a 100+ year timeframe, so starting with 1850's story papers, I chose to show a dramatic image from the famous charge, inspired by some of the period paintings of the time, particularly Richard Caton Woodville's dramatic painting, which I had a postcard copy of. 

Caton Woodville's The Relief of the Light Brigade (1854)

Suitably inspired, I started pencilling the action.....

Adding a little detail to better show the chaos of when the Light Brigade finally clashed with the Russian lines, cannons and all! 

Then beginning the inking....

.....and inking some more.....

... until completed, ready for Matt's colours, as shown in the final version at the top of this page.

And here's a little glimpse of the artist by the entrance to the NAM's Society gallery where the final piece was installed as a 'flip book/comic' for all visitors to see!

 

Interestingly enough, the NAM's Society gallery also featured a copy of the same Caton Woodville painting that had sparked my inspiration!

Not sure if I'll return to the subject but it was fun, with a soft spot for this previously unseen colour image of a Crimean-era Highland Soldier, (again coloured by Matt) when the final version remained in black n white, in keeping with the era the periodical presented.