Tuesday 3 September 2013

Post-Melksham

Cosmonauts - !


We had an incredibly fun time at Melksham last weekend. Above is co-editor Geoffery selling like a birthdaydemon as it was CRESCENTDAY and also the launch of Issue 2. It did rather well although Geoffery and I's slug project from 2011 for some reason also sold like a warmed-through cake. It was probably the most enthusiastic con I've ever been to - the organisers are passionate Melksham businessfolk with a lust for comics and the whole thing was better put together than half of the bigger ones with a team of helpers or "Brians" as they were known (the collective is a 'Blessed' we surmised). I predict great things for that particular Wiltshire town. No offence Malmesbury. Also here's Darth Vader (also apparantly a Brian) endorsing Issue 2 with his hands.


No small press publisher is an island - and our particular psychedelic time travel archipalego is thankfully surrounded. Much love must go to the solo-flying Dani Abram of Razarhawk with whose help we got there in the car of ace puppet/prop maker Kerry Dyer. The heroes of the con were undoubtedly Nich Angell & Jon Lock whose first creative crossover landed with unparalleled noise and they were swamped by admirin' folk the whole day. For self publishin' independent creators to make such a buzz is a truly beautiful thing and a sign of what a remarkable age the small press is currently in. We were fortunate enough to be sat next to Aaron Murphy and Joseph J Morgan - con veterans and sequential kings who put up with my increasingly strained banter as the day went on. Also it's always lovely to see the ultimate Stuart Gould in person as he's a one-man printing tornado. Follow the bloodied trotterprints from the meaty cafeteria and you'd end up staring at some Sentient Zombie Space Pigs a genius bit of Kickstarting from Disconnected Press that debuted for a cool pound a copy to great oinking. I mean acclaim. I mean oinking. Here's to our next convention which is the Bear Pit Zine Fair in Bristol October 5th!


Oh also - Issue 2 is now on sale on Comicsy so if you want to BUY A COPY RIGHT THIS SECOND and have me send it directly to your house then all you need do is click the link and send some shillings.

What you see above you is the FIRST teaser for Issue 3 - which isn't due for nigh on half a year yet - we've got some damned keen contributors! The brief-and-brilliant story is "Primitive Possibilities" and is written by Chris Redfern of the upcoming Colt-45 comic - the art is from the legendary James Pegg - whose phenomenal artwork has long been storming the 2000ad forum art competition and will likely soon be gracing a prog near you...