Double Header Part 2: Lymm Historic Transport Day!

Saturday's Macc-Pow is followed by Sunday's Lymm Historic Transport Day in nearby Lymm, half-way between Altrincham and Warrington! 

This is something very different but aligns with my sensibilities and aim of seeking new suitable events for making comics more visible away from the traditional comic-con venues. The festival is long-running inspired by Lymm's canalboat and transport heritage links and is a popular event on the local calendar.

This year for I believe the first time, they're having a 'Steampunk Section' co-organised by the team at the Portland Basin Steampunk Group and I'm very lucky to be included alongside a small but talented crew of traders, makers and vehicles!

I'm really looking forward to this as its a step into the unknown to see how my comics are received but I do like to challenge myself now and then! Being local its also too good an opportunity to miss and being with fellow steampunks, guaranteed to be fun, I've even bought a gazebo for the occasion!

If the event is anywhere as good as their fab looking posters then I'll be happy!

Double Header Part 1: Macc-Pow!

Another busy weekend ahead with firstly a welcome return this Saturday to Macc-Pow! Macclesfield's very own Comic Art Festival curated and hosted by Marc Jackson. Marc is a talented whirlwind of comics ideas and community who's back I 'watched' at Sale Comic-con! 

Colin and Marc say 'Hiya'!

It's a great purely comics focused event but one that I sadly haven't been to for I think 5 years now given Covid and date clashes with other events, so I'm delighted to make my return among so many talented comic creators. Check out the poster below for a veritable who's who of comic goodness, there's so many that I'll excuse him the spelling mistake - Hey I always wanted to be a big name in comics!

Busy But Fab!

 Urgh! They got me! Actually it's all been fab recently with almost back to back events, the most recent been a busy day in Sale, Cheshire for its very first comic-con which certainly delivered. Thanks to all who popped along, chatted and bought some comics, very much appreciated. Lovely too to see a few familiar faces :)

Special thanks of course to John Webster and his team for their invite and our Stanley Square venue hosts for their hospitality. It was a fun and busy day and a delight to catch up with fellow comic creators and those pesky daleks!.

The Wow Events team have another local event coming soon when they return to Bury Comic-Con on Sunday 30th June which promises more fun and Dr Who connections with Sylvester McCoy appearing, following Colin Baker's triumph last year! Sadly I can't make it this time but hope it goes as well if not even better than last year!

Onwards and Salute!

Excited for my first event of the year this coming weekend, SALUTE at London's Excel Centre, Europe's largest independent one day wargaming and hobby show! This will be my third appearance but the first with my deluxe expanded hardcover Zulu Water Cart graphic novel!

 

The graphic novel has also had a timely nice wee mention by wargamer, Big Lee on his friendly and informative youtube channel, Miniature Adventures!

Check out his whole interesting video below, (Zulu's mentioned in the book review section) and also Lee's blog which covers a lot of wargaming and related subjects.

If you're at Salute, please say hello - I'm at stand TE05 - and check out the limited Zulu sketch & print packs and my other comics. If you can't make Salute, my 2024 schedule is filling up with a few other appearances around the UK, hopefully see you at one of them!

Sale Comic-Con!

Happy to be confirmed as a guest comic artist at WOW Comix events new Sale Comic-Con on Saturday 8th June! One of my most local events after also attending WOW's events in nearby Wythenshawe a couple of years ago :)

Sale's line-up is shaping up very nicely with several other comic artists and actors already announced - check out their page links above for more details and if it's anyway as fun as last year's other WOW event, Bury Comic-Con it promises to be a great day out for everyone.

Col at attention at Bury Art Gallery!

Oh and as you'll see in the links to the right, I've had a few other events confirm recently both local(ish) and not so local as this year's calendar of events starts to take place, hope to see some of you around this year for a chat or two :)

"Is it Dusty in Here?"

Last few years I've been honoured to be invited as a guest artist to a number of steampunk festivals and events which are great fun with my good lady and I really enjoying them, getting dressed up, meeting friends and making many inspiring creative discoveries along the way, not to mention the gin!

We made several comic strips inspired by the people we met at the UK's (and arguably the world's) largest steampunk festival, the Asylum, held annually late August in Lincoln and this comic page is from the second of them, titled Heart's Desire about a romance which may or may not run smoothly..... 

Colours again provided by the excellent and adaptable, Matt Soffe.

All the characters in the comics were based on real people and their respective steampunk personas encountered at the festival and used with their permission. We were always though a little nervous anticipating their reactions when the comics were released, but luckily everyone seemed to enjoy them and were pretty pleased seeing their alter-egos in the comic spotlight!

The comics were published by Accent UK under various 'Asylum' titles and became nice little souvenirs of the event. The first one quickly sold out and I have limited supplies of the second and third titles available directly from me - see convention appearances on the right, or from contacting or visiting Scott's Pops & Comics comic shop in Warrington, UK.

"Spy Stories, stirring them up!"

Here's a page from my National Army Museum commission for their Society gallery a couple of years ago. The gallery was one of the new features of the museum's major refurbishment telling the story of how the army had been portrayed by Society over the years and how these views changed with the times, highlighting movies, posters, souvenir commemorations etc.

My brief was to show how comics had similarly changed over a broad 100 year timeline from the early Victorian story papers and their celebration of 'Boys Own, Death or Glory' type adventures to post World War One paranoias and subsequent 1970's realities creeping into the comics of my youth, changing my art style, layouts etc to match each era's publications.

This is the 'Inter-war' period between the world wars when paranoia and threats of foreign invasions  were rife, contrasting with glorifying stories of WW1 heroes as a way perhaps of maintaining or manipulating moral, depending on your perspectives.

Glorious colours provided by the excellent and adaptable, Matt Soffe.

It was a fun and almost perfect project for me and my interests but with a punishing deadline ahead of the Queen's official opening! 

Still a project I'm particularly proud of and received many fine comments about. The full project was displayed as a comic 'flip book' for permanent display by the Gallery's entrance. I've not visited since covid, but understand there have been further changes made to the galleries so not sure whether it is currently on view or not? 

My own comics are currently only available direct from me - see convention appearances on the right, or from contacting or visiting Scott's Pops & Comics comic shop in Warrington, UK.