Thursday 19 July 2012

Exhibitors - Steve Collier and Japan Comic Aid

Steve Collier writes, "My name is Steve and I founded and run Japan Comic Aid which is a non-profit project creating original comic books which are sold with ALL profits going towards the people and communities of Japan affected by the Great Eastern Earthquake in Japan last year which destroyed millions of lives and wiped whole towns and communities from the face of the Earth. I'm also a writer having already produced two books for the project- The Mystery Boys and Kaiju Steel both of which will be continuing series the first two issues being produced for JCA. The Mystery Boys has almost sold out on it's first print run which is exciting considering we are a relatively unknown startup. Nowhereville is the third book released by the excellent Ken Bastard while three other books are in the works at the moment.

I could not have been happier with the results and The Mystery Boys and Kaiju Steel have been a joy to write and collaborate on with my amazing artists, Andy Clift and Lee Killeen. So much so infact that they will be continuing series with issue 2 of each book in production now. They are full of adventure, action, giant monsters, ancient forest spirits, mystical swords and stunning artwork. (See website and shop for more details- link below). Nowhereville is one of the most impressive pieces of work I have seen in many years!

We have grown significantly in the space of a year going from a Twitter account and email address to having books published with a foreword from Stan Lee (the creator of Spider-man, X-men, Thor, The Hulk etc.), variant covers in the works from Tonci Zonjic (Eisner award nominated for 'Who is Jake Ellis?') and Dan Didio (Co- publisher at DC Comics) buying our books at Kapow! Comic Con  in London -a surreal moment as we signed them for him!

We have a lot of talent on board but to keep the ball rolling we are always looking for more talent to join us. We need bigger 'names' to come aboard to push the project over the edge where we can truly make a difference.

We are an Aylesbury based startup. I live and work a day job in Aylesbury and Dead Universe Comics publishes our books. We have our sights on a global reach however and with an international network of contacts and creators, we are stepping ever closer to achieving that.

The whole project started via social media. I started a Twitter account with an email address and sent countless emails to everyone I could find who were artists, writers and those in the comic book business. We are just over a year old now and the first time  I met the artists in person for the books I write was in May. We launched on May 5th with a Free Comic Book Day Event in Friar's Square shopping centre in Aylesbury hosted by Dead Universe Comics which bought in unprecedented amounts of people to the centre. We then took our project to Kapow! Comic Con in London where we were met with some great feedback and new fans. Social media has continued to be our friend with people coming on board and finding us via our Twitter and Facebook pages. It's how we managed to get some of the people that ordinarily I would have given up hope trying to contact.

We need to keep it going though. All of our titles are available from Dead Universe Comics including The Mystery Boys, Kaiju Steel and Nowhereville and online from our official Facebook page.

We also run a project on Rockethub (like Kickstarter) where we are attempting to raise at least $1000 in 60 days. We need this financial support to make sure that we, as creators, can continue doing this, getting out there to conventions, paying for promo material and printing. We would really appreciate any donations and there are some great incentives to do so including the chance to grab every single comic we have out along with variant covers, a one off art print and a personalised certificate of support. If people would like to support this amazing project then please go here:  This is a chance for philanthropists, businessmen and comic book fans to invest in an amazing project that can really make a difference to the people of NE Japan who have lost everything as well as championing original creative talent and ambition. We realise that times are hard and you can only give what you can and we truly appreciate every donation. 

We plan to be around as long as we can to help with a disaster that will take a decade and billions of Yen to clear up. The scar won't heal for generations to come."



Wednesday 18 July 2012

Exhibitors - Dan Lester

Dan Lester is one of the funniest comic creators around. The artist is returning to the UK after a long time away especially to exhibit his work at the MKomix Comic Fair... probably... I dunno. Dan is responsible for many laugh out loud comics including Monkey's Might Puke and The Dan Lester Mysteries.


Exhibitors - Jon Scrivens

Jon Scrivens is another great comic creator exhibiting at the MKomix Comic Fair tomorrow. He is the artist of Broke Gears A Gaslit Dystopia, Little Terrors and When's Graham.



Exhibitors - Decadence Comics


Decadence is a collective and comic anthology that was formed in 2003 by Lando and Stathis Tsemberlidis.  Their stories use science fiction as a way to explore ideas ranging from dystopia's to alchemy.  This summer they published their 9th issue of the anthology and they have put out a number of solo mini comics and collections of individual stories.    

At the MKomix event Decadence will have a new collection of short stories based around post societies called 'Pyramid Scheme and other stories', a new Decadence collaborative zine and a mini comic from Stathis Tsemberlidis that pays tribute to H. P. Lovecraft called 'Neptunes Fungi'



Tuesday 17 July 2012

Exhibitors - Selina Lock and Jay Eales


Selina Lock and Jay Eales have written comics, prose and journalism for over ten years. Publishers and Editors of The Girly Comic and Violent! through their Factor Fiction imprint, nominated for the National Comics Awards and Comic Creators Guild Awards. The Girly Comic was twice shortlisted for a British Fantasy Award. Jay was News Features Editor for the award-winning Borderline: The Comics Magazine, and has written for Negative Burn (Image Comics) and The Mammoth Book of Best New Manga (Constable & Robinson). Selina has written for Norwegian teen comic Baddis, War: the Human Cost and Ink+Paper. Between 2006 and 2011, they co-organised Caption, Britain’s longest-running comic convention. At the MKomix Comic Fair, they will mainly be trying to sell you a copy of the new paperback edition of The Girly Comic Book Volume 1 and promoting the upcoming Volume 2.


Exhibitors - Amy Letts



Amy Letts is an ArtistWebsite Designer and Creator of the (ironically) successful comic 'Epic Fail.'

Amy took her first art commission in 1998 at the age of 14 and started her own Website Design Company in 2004, aged 20. She has a BA with Honours in Fine Art from Oxford Brookes University and has Published her own comic book. She has exhibited across England and been included in several anthologies. She is also an award-winning teaching associate for Women's Health.

As a Website Designer Amy combines her skill at I.T with Art to create websites that are both technically efficient and visually effective. She consults one-to-one with clients and personally works to make their vision a reality.

As an Artist Amy is skilled at painting in a variety of Traditional and Digital Art Media, but excels with Pencils and Acrylics. Her work has included Graphic Design, Portraits, Album Cover Art and Illustration for Books, Comics, a Card Game and an RPG. She does not believe she knows a subject well enough until she can draw it from memory and is constantly working to 'improve the 3D engine in her brain!' She loves vibrant colours and often works with themes of Fantasy, Mythology and Folk Tales.

Her comic 'Epic Fail' is a comedy, fantasy adventure based on Dungeons & Dragons. In a Lord of the Rings-style setting the squabbling heroes blunder through quests and try to keep an adopted Demon child on the straight and narrow. Will they succeed or will they Epic Fail?



Monday 16 July 2012

Exhibitors - Ash Pure


Since 1999 Ash Pure has lived in an alternate London. He is an explorer in a city that lies tantalisingly close to the one we know.


Presented in The Lion and The Unicorn is the City of Thamesis, London's super powered alter ego, its mythologised, epic soul. In this absorbing alternate landscape stone gods look out over all too familiar urban decay while Utopian ziggurats gleam, almost within reach in the near distance.

In September 2011 The Lion and The Unicorn Volume 0, issue one was launched at the Welcome to Thamesis exhibition, at Shoreditch town hall. An immersive experiential performance took guests deeper into this alternate fiction, placing them in the heart of a trans-media narrative, a post millennial urban fantasy which Pure describes as new, living, British myth. 

Giclee prints in stark black and white and stunning colour, a signed and numbered first edition of 200, limited edition card sets and poster comics solidify this myth into a beautiful array of highly covetable objects, while the story world continues to grow via the Social Network.

“Innovative and unique ... putting the big companies to shame.”





Exhibitor - Aisza Sowa

Aisza Sowa is another Milton Keynes based comic creator who will be exhibiting both his own work, including Insanity Warriors 1 and Meaw, and the work of other members of the MK Manga Club

Sunday 15 July 2012

Exhibitor - Suzanna Raymond

Suzanna Raymond is another Milton Keynes based creator exhibiting at the MKomix Comics Fair whose work I have previously been unaware of. (I thought I was the only person in Milton Keynes making comics!) She is a fine artist who will be displaying her work as well as the comics of some of her friends. 

Saturday 14 July 2012

Exhibitor - Peet Clack

Peet Clack consistently produces some of the funniest and most beautifully drawn comics available. He is responsible for such masterpieces as Crazy Pants, Trouser Madness and Handy (and Hoofy) Home Hints With Afro-Horse. I am delighted to be able to tell you that he is exhibiting and selling his comics at the MKomix Comic Fair on Thursday July 19th. 


Friday 13 July 2012

Exhibitor - Laura Watton-Davies


Laura Watton-Davies (aka Pinkapplejam) has been making her own comics since the mid 90s and is influenced by cartoons, zombies, Japanese fashion plus everything cute. She will be bringing art prints and one-shots to MKomix. Laura is very excited about the event!


Exhibitors - Emily Brady

Emily Brady is a mixed media artist, cartoonist, illustrator and art tutor living in a world of her own imagining. She lives on cake and curry and spends her days drawing away and humming a merry tune. You can see and buy Emily's comic work at the MKomix Comic Fair on Thursday July 19th and the Milton Keynes Art Gallery.


Thursday 12 July 2012

Exhibitor - Ralph Kidson

The MKomix Comic Fair is blessed to have some of the funniest creators in comics exhibiting and one of those is Ralph Kidson. Ralph is the creator of Captain Dolphin, Sad Animal and Hootiebits. He doesn't have a website that I know of and is a bit of a mystery but I have it on good authority that he will be appearing and exhibiting his comics on Thursday July 19th.


Exhibitors - Rob Wells


Rob Wells has been writing and drawing comics since the early 1990s.  He is the creator of the comics Crisp Biscuit, Crisp, The Devil's Daughter, Colin Comix, and Crisp Biscuit Comics.  He drew the Bear Man & Twinkle mini-comic that came with #6 of Martin Eden's Spandex, contributed art to the first three issues of Rol Hirst's Too Much Sex & Violence (and will also be drawing a couple of pages for #5), and is currently drawing a comic called Department of the Peculiar, also written by Hirst, the first issue of which should be out very soon.  He has also drawn a six page strip called Body Pop, written by Paul Rainey, which should be appearing in the next issue of Strip Magazine.  His work can be found online at www.crispbiscuit.co.uk and www.crispbiscuit.blogspot.com.


Wednesday 11 July 2012

Exhibitor - David Baillie


David Baillie writes and draws comics. His creations appear in places like 2000AD, Judge Dredd Megazine, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Self-Assembly Furniture Monthly. He also works in television a bit - mostly drawing storyboards and some writing. He's been nominated and shortlisted for prizes and awards but doesn't like to talk about that. 

Mainly due to not winning any of them.

He's also been a stand-up comedian for about six months but he will not tell you any jokes.

If you buy anything from him at MKomix he'll draw you something on some paper that will probably be worth millions of pounds if he ever gets famous and then dies. And if that's not a bargain, I don't know what is.


Tuesday 10 July 2012

Exhibitor - Richy K Chandler


Richy K. Chandler is a London based comic creator and illustrator. His most recent venture is the weekly webcomic about an unpopular teenage girl who happens to be an octopus, Lucy the Octopus.

Last year he launched Rosieand Jacinda, a teenage romantic comedy with a hint of fairytale, created with Zarina Liew.   

Other work includes Delicate Axiom and the Tempo Lush Mini-Comics range.  He’s contributed to Accent UK’s Robot Anthology, Factor Fiction’s Girly Comic and currently writes for Titan / Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit newspaper comic strip.

At the MKomic Comic Fair on July 19th, Richy will be selling copies of  Lucy the Octopus, Bear Shaped Mini-Comics Box Set, Cosmically Enlightened Gift Set and the teenage romantic comedy with a hint of fairytale, Rosie and Jacinda.


Exhibitors - Sean Azzopardi


Sean Azzopardi is a cartoonist and publisher. He has produced numerous mini comics and books for his Phatcomics imprint, acclaimed titles such as Ed and Twelve Hour Shift. Away from self published works he has worked on Necessary Monsters and a back up strip for indy smash Phonogram. Sean has also contributed to a variety of anthologies and has illustrated for magazines, most recent examples can be seen in the current Electric Sheep anthology and Paper Science.


Monday 9 July 2012

Exhibitors - Ricky Miller and Avery Hill Publishing


Avery Hill Publishing is a new small press company who currently have two quarterly titles: ‘Reads’, a comics anthology and ‘Tiny Dancing’, an arts and humour magazine. They also publish the world’s foremost and indeed only collection of extremely close-up photographs of ‘Masterchef’. Plans for lots more of this sort of thing are in the offing.

Reads features work from some exciting new UK comics talent and includes time-travelling beagles, ghosts, domestic violence, cloud-riding and London cabbies!

The word 'eclectic' was invented for Tiny Dancing - in the latest issue you can find Tom Selleck and David Bowie expounding on their favourite birds of prey, Roy Orbison wrapped in clingfilm and brilliant art from the likes of Soju Tanaka and Lawrence Williams.


Exhibitors - Karen Rubins


Karen Rubins was the Comics Artist in Residence at the V&A between July and December 2009 and is an award-winning creator of comics and manga. Her small-press work includes the surreal road-trip series DARK, shamanic comedy adventure Urban Beasts, and medieval witchcraft drama Blood Magic. She writes, draws, reads, collects, buys, recommends and teaches comics. You can follow her on twitter @kazmantra and visit her website here.

Karen will be exhibiting and selling Blood Magic Limited Edition Prints with free comic, or Sticker Packs with a free comic, Urban Beasts parts 1 and 2 and Leek and Sushi UK Manga Anthology.

She will also be doing personalised sketches - Urban Beasts Portraits (with you depicted as your inner animal self) or anything else you want drawn to order!


Friday 6 July 2012

Exhibitors - Jade Sarson

One of the delights of organising the MKomix Comic Fair has been learning that I am not the only maker of comics that lives in Milton Keynes. Jade Sarson is one of the local creators who will be exhibiting and selling her comics at the event on July 19th. Jade kindly designed the excellent leaflet for the event used as the banner for this website. You can see lots of samples of her striking work at her website here.


Thursday 5 July 2012

Exhibitors - Rob Jackson

Rob Jackson has been creating some of the best self-published comics of the last few years including Gin Palace, Goblin Hall and Flying Leaf Creature. Rob will be selling a selection of his work at the MKomix Comic Fair including his recent It's A Man's Life In The Ice Cream Business, the compelling story of his ice cream business.


Wednesday 4 July 2012

Exhibitors - John Maybury


Early this millennium, comic artist and occasional editor, John Maybury created Space Babe 113, an absurdist, surreal, adult SF comedy. He did so in an attempt to explore sexy, abstract characters as a story telling vehicle - and make naughty jokes.

Space Babe 113 features artificially intelligent talking knickers, aliens and big hair. The artwork is stylish and minimalist.

Space Babe's latest comic: "Costumes, Comics and Conventions" will début at MKomix.


Tuesday 3 July 2012

Exhibitors - Andrew Cheverton


Andrew Cheverton is the writer of the long-running West series, illustrated by Tim Keable and approaching the finale of its second volume. West is the tale of both Jerusalem West and the land which spawned him, and is told in a deliberately non-chronological order. His newest project is The Whale House, illustrated by Chris Doherty. The Whale House follows Diggory Wallis, recently bereaved and orphaned, on his journey of discovery in the mysterious country house of the title.


He also wrote and illustrated the one-off comic Pictures Made of Light, and is a regular artist on Rol Hirst's PJANG and Too Much Sex & Violence.



Monday 2 July 2012

Meet the Exhibitors - Paul Rainey

The first confirmed exhibitor at the MKomix Comic Fair was me, Paul Rainey. I'm a Milton Keynes based cartoonist responsible for Memory Man, Love Bomb, internet diary strip Book of Lists, the 318 paged There's No Time Like The Present (soon to be collected as a graphic novel by Escape Books) and Thunder Brother: Soap Division (currently appearing every Sunday here). At the MKomix Fair I will be selling the Book of Lists collection and premièring the very first issue of my latest project, Thunder Brother: Soap Division.


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