The Sunday Spotlight: The Early One Morning In The Jungle Edition
by Richard Bruton
It’s Sunday, meaning it’s time to take a spin around all the comics news that’s tickled my fancy this week… let’s see if it tickles yours in The Sunday Spotlight…
Jim Shooters’ advice to Marvel editors… 1984…
Doing the rounds on the socials, so you may well have seen it (I saw it on Steve Lieber’s feed) – possibly the most brilliant and yet also the most cutting piece of editorial advice from Marvel Comics then Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter. This was right in the middle of his tenure that ran from 1979-1987, so it wasn’t like he hadn’t already had time to make changes.
And they say he wasn’t well-liked…
Bryan Talbot interviewed at the Beeb…
One of Britain’s finest comic artists, graphic novelist, storytellers – call him what you will, he’s a damn genius in truth – is interviewed at the BBC site in advance of his upcoming induction into the Eisner Hall of Fame.
I’m not sure Bryan would agree with the editor’s choice of title here, “Deep in the basement of a Victorian terrace in Sunderland there lurks a living legend,” as I don’t know if Bryan’s ever lurked in his life, but it’s still a good interview with one of Britain’s best.
Here’s a taster:
“Dressed all in black with his long silver hair tied back, Bryan Talbot certainly looks the part as he stands at a large drawing board in the semi-subterranean bay window. His walls are lined with shelves of well-thumbed books, from his childhood comic collection to reference works on art and anthropology, Victoriana and zoology. Two bookcases groan under the heft of his own extensive canon of works created over half a century.”
Right now, as the BBC reports, Bryan’s hard at work on the prequel to his glorious steampunk detective series, Grandville, The Casebook of Stamford Hawksmoor.
It ends with this:
“The 72-year-old has to regularly stop to stretch his fingers and combat the arthritis creeping into his joints. “I do suffer for my art,” he says with a laugh, before picking up his pen and heading back to the drawing board.”
And we hope there’s many more years of making incredible comics to come!
Thought Bubble gears up for November 2024…
Thought Bubble Festival is, as both myself and Olly have told you many, many times, the biggest comics festival in the UK, something focused absolutely on comics, comics, and more comics. It’s also somewhere that has a focus on self and small publishing as well as bigger UK and international publishers. I guarantee that you’ll find something new and exciting and wonderful there – I know I did every single time I visited. Hopefully, if we can make the dates and flights work, I shall be there again this year.
Anyway, they sent out the much-anticipated exhibitor emails last week, giving hundreds of comic makers the good news that they’d got the table that they’d applied for. Unfortunately, they also sent out many more hundreds of emails saying that people hadn’t made it in this year – saying this:
“It was a really tough one this year with more applications than ever (over 1000!!!). Thank you to every single one of you – you’re all brilliant, and November is going to be AMAZING.”
Festival director Martha Julian had this to say:
“The calibre of applications was unbelievable. We really wish we could squeeze a zillion more tables in.”
Thought Bubble 2024 takes place between Monday 11 Nov and Sunday 17 November, with the two-day convention happening on 16 and 17 November. Tickets are on sale now.
And if you didn’t get in this year, Comic Printing UK (I can’t find the exact tweet right now – but it’s somewhere on their Twitter feed) said it best when they said:
“Remember, if you didn’t land a spot that doesn’t mean you’re not worth it – only that the laws of physics exist and are real dorks about limiting the number of bodies you can have in one place at a time.”
So, if you didn’t get in – don’t beat yourself up about it. Keep working, keep making your art, and get geared up to apply for 2025.
Duncan Jones has an idea for Playmobil…
Soon to be the maker of the new Rogue Trooper animated film coming in 2025, you really should be following Duncan Jones on social media – @ManMadeMoon on Twitter – where he has this perfect idea that all us 2000 AD fans would love to see…
“Hey @playmobil… Do a line of toys with @2000AD. Go on. It would be BRILLIANT. Slaine, Rogue Trooper, ABC Warriors, Strontium Dog, Judge Dredd… Pretty please?”
Lawless Convention 2024 – Coming in May…
Lawless celebrates its 10th anniversary this year – 25 & 26 May in Bristol – with a whole host of fabulous names from the world of Judge Dredd and 2000 AD.
Newly announced – the programme cover from the great Liam Sharp…
Advance Notice – Phoenix Fest 2024!…
Save the date time now for the Phoenix Fest 2024 – 20th July 2024.
From the makers of The Phoenix Comic, a full day of events featuring some of the artists filling the Phoenix every week.
Last year’s event, which sold out so quickly, featured two masterclass events with Neill Cameron and Jamie Smart; workshops with Zak Simmonds-Hurn, Jess Bradley, Thiago De Moraes, Sam Davies, Rob Deas, Gary Northfield; and the Phoenix marketplace hosted by James Turner, Abby Bulmer, James Stayte, Rob Deas, Joe List, Zach Simmonds-Hurn, and Jess Bradley. More details on last years’ event to give you an idea of what to expect here.
Advance Notice – Small Press Day 2024 is 17 August…
A fantastic event for the UK and Ireland, Small Press Day this year will be Saturday 17 August. Mark your calendars now. It’s an annual celebration of the entire self-publishing scene in the UK and Ireland, organised by Amneet Johal and Broken Frontier‘s Andy Oliver.
So far we have the date and the poster by David Ziggy Greene. I’ll have more news closer to the date but keep checking the Small Press Day site here.
And finally – congratulations to Jamie Smart… million seller…
Jamie Smart (he of Bunny Vs Monkey, Looshkin, and many more great comics) announced that he’s now sold more than one million books with David Fickling Books. Now that is something to cheer on!
