comic books – Page 2 – Comix Ireland

Photos from DECAF, April 23 2017

April 26, 2017April 26, 2017 Paul Carroll

On April 23rd, we saw the first Dublin Eight Comic Arts Festival: DECAF. Organised by Dublin Comic Arts with panels by The Comics Lab, the event saw to showcase some of the amazing comic art in Dublin with a market, panels, and a few familiar elements from The Comics Lab that were a welcome sight for those who arrived with kids. More on that later.

Entering the Fumbally Stables, attendees were greeted by Matthew Melis and Debbie Jenkinson, two of the organisers for the day. Matthew put together the market side of things, while Debbie arranged the panels. She was also responsible for the massive selection of comics for sale on the way in, from her, Sarah Bowie, Matthew, Paddy Lynch, Philip Barrett and more.

Julie Nick and Katie Fleming sat the first table as attendees entered the main market room (and we the first to be accosted for a photo!) Julie brands herself as a cartoonist, with a sketchbook and Pulp Stories Vol. 1 to show off (along with an amazing new print!). Katie, on the other hand, is a full-on comic creator, as artist for Helion and creator of 100 Times and 100 More Times (NB: gay werewolves) under her belt (along with a ton of prints!)

Nikki Foster and Hugh Madden were next in line. Nikki had a range of zines of varying sizes with her, which helped to showcase the variety of styles available in the Irish comics scene. Hugh had a range of strange tales featuring anthropomorphised animals – obviously I had to get my hands on them.

Pushing the limits of awesome strangeness were All Things Thom and Miriam Rodriguez. Thom had possibly the widest range of things with her, from t-shirts to stickers, prints and zines – including The Thom Guide to: What To Say When You Don’t Know What to Say, which she says she’s used at parties. Miriam had a range of Spanish-language comics with her, including one that had she censored on a second printing – roughly translating as ‘things that are a pain in the ass’, and featuring said pained-ass on the cover.

Seán Hogan and Dylan Drennan extended the diversity of Irish comics available on the day at the next table down. Seán brought Project Crossroads and Rabbit and Paul with him, respectively a sci-fi-fantasy-horror anthology and all-ages comics about a boy from Bally’O’Jhaysus who buys an anthropomorphised rabbit. (Try saying that with your mouth full!) Dylan, AKA Skabag, had Gayboy with him, a fun collection of artwork from someone who’s only just entering the scene with a book.

Next in line were Clare Foley and Karen Harte. Clare is a traditional artist, creating her books in watercolours, and accidentally reminding people that she can draw hands really well. (We joked about this on the day. It was probably funnier then.) Karen is one of the editors and organisers of the MINE Anthology, a collection of artwork and comics about and in aid of the Repeal the 8th/Abortion Rights Campaign.

At the end of the row were Sarah Bowie and Luke Healy, joined here by Charlot Kristensen who designed the poster for the event. Sarah is one of the organisers of The Comics Lab, and had with a wide range of comics and zines, including one about how she’s not related to David Bowie. Luke had a huge collection of comics of varying prices and sizes, showing off a multitude of stories and skills.

As well as having a market on the day, DECAF also provided an opportunity for people to tune in to two panels; Karen Harte led one, about activism and comics – following the successful publication of MINE, joined by three of the contributors to the book. She was followed by Luke Healy, Clare Foley, Katie Fleming and Olly Blake (pictured above) as they spoke about their inspirations in comics, and what they’re working on now.

As well as panels, the Comic Labs also brought along drawing exercises for adults and kids alike, which took the burden of entertainment off some parents for a few minutes.

Attendees were also encouraged to partake in the Comic Swap, where books could be traded or bought from the table, based on what people brought with them.

The event was also catered by Kev’s Kitchen, providing hot, cold and baked foods, along with a range of drinks.

All in all, it made for a fun day, and only the first for Dublin Comic Arts. They’ll be returning on July 23rd, this time at the Dublin Food Co-op in Newmarket Square. If it’s anything like the weekend’s event, it’ll be one to spend a day at.

Reviews

Incandescent Memories #1-3

December 11, 2016 Paul Carroll

Brian Burke, one of the creators of Incandescent Memories, sent me all three books for review. It’s been some time since I actually received them – and I already had a hardcopy of one, so I was able to see the sort of quality intended in the printing of them – but various complications got in the way of actually writing a review (including thinking I had already done so, and not realising for another few weeks. Life is difficult sometimes.) But here we are: three issues of a comic by Brian Burke and John Devlin. As per usual, I don’t get overly critical. (The Irish comic creator circles are quite small, and they’re all so lovely it’s difficult not to become friends with them. Being a voice of reasoned applause and pointing out things I like is easier for me on a personal and editorial level.)

Collected Comics

The first thing that one should know when picking up Incandescent Memories is that the book collects several stories in each issue. Each issue holds one thing in common, aside from its creators’ names on the cover: The Bandit King. Serialised across each issue, it’s the one continued narrative throughout each book.

Otherwise, the books present us with separate, fun stories from each of the two creators.

Taking turns in writing and illustrating each others’ work, Burke and Devlin give us a fun look at what each of them is capable of. Issue 1, the bumper four-story book, contains stories with each creator taking alternate roles, as well as providing solo stories where they act as writer and artist.

The first issue remains my favourite, but it has the benefit of containing more stories than the others. While readers can’t reasonably expect the same volume of work every issue from these two creators, it works as a great introduction into the sort of material the two Dublin creators like to make. The additional concept art in issues 1 and 2 also help to show off the drawing styles of each artist isolated from the actual stories within the books.

Overall, Incandescent Memories is an exciting comic to watch as new issues are released. With the continued tale of The Bandit King – a humorous fantasy story – written by Burke and drawn by Devlin, returning readers have something to look forward to, while new readers have additional stories to entice them into the potential of each creator.

Highly recommended, and a good sign of things to come from Dublin’s comic crowd.

Reviews

Review: Project Crossroads

November 3, 2016November 3, 2016 Paul Carroll

Seán Hogan, the mastermind behind Project Crossroads, sent me a copy of the book for review. For reasons I’ll describe at the end of this post, I lost so many proverbials when I read it. Combining the talents of eight of Ireland’s up-and-coming creators, this is a book I’ve been looking forward to ever since I was told about it at Dublin Comic Con. (Also, usual stuff for my reviews: I like to point out what I like, and whether you agree or not is entirely up to you. I’m completely conscious of any bias I might have towards projects, and you should be too.)

Those Lost at the Crossroads

Project Crossroads is an anthology of three stories, all illustrated by Seán Hogan, with colouring by Stef Reville and Dearbhla Kelly, assisted by Louise Fitzpatrick, and with letters by Kerrie Smith. The stories were written by Adlai McCook (Retired), JP Jordan (Shift), and Hugo Boylan (Ducksworth’s Last Stand).

Retired

Do you like Men in Black? Do you like cool alien designs? Retired tells the story of Britain’s only Man in Black, in a post-alien-attack world. It’s fast-paced, begins with a sense of dread, and makes a clear point about the successes and failures of heroes. There’s not much else one can say about the story without spoiling it, but you can expect: some amazing looking aliens, colours that pop off the page (you’ll love the aliens; not all at how Hollywood makes aliens look, and in the best way possible), spaceships, and a wicked shot of London.

Shift

For the fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer out there (that’s a lot of people, right?), Shift is the story of a house-party in Ireland, and its immediate aftermath. It has everything you can want in a YA Horror story: humour, believable characters, a twist (every story needs a twist), and something I’d only have to redact from this review before publishing it. Jordan’s print-comic debut sets a high bar for his future in the industry. With no disrespect to McCook and Boylan, Shift was my favourite story (of three awesome tales!) from the book. (I grew up with Buffy, even when I was probably too young for it, so there’s definitely a good genre fit.) Shout-out to Reville for the tonal change in colours to match the turning point in the story. (Also, look out for a few Easter Eggs in this one!)

Ducksworth’s Last Stand

Every tale has a twist, and I don’t want to spoil Ducksworth’s. What I can say is that, while there’s a big jump in the story, Boylan manages to maintain a continued narrative about the titular character. It’s clever and a little bit distressing (if you’ve read my other reviews of his books, or anything else he’s written, you know to expect that) and it caught me completely off guard. A little bird also told me that artist Hogan may have had some input into some of the more vile aspects of the story, with their combined efforts in writing and illustrating the tale making this a disturbing conclusion to the anthology. (Which, of course, is what we expect.)

Bonus concept art!

I’m a sucker for concept art, and Hogan has provided. All manner of monster are covered in the back of the book, part of the preparations for illustrating the stories as they exist now. From the aliens and the humans to a redaction and a furious Ducksworth, the concept art provides an interesting insight into the creation of Project Crossroads.

Project Crossroads will launch at Thought Bubble this weekend. For those of us unfortunate enough to not be able to attend the Leeds convention, there’s an Irish launch of the book in The Big Bang in Dundrum on November 9th. Somehow, all eight creators of the book will fit behind a table for a signing.

One More Thing

At the start of last month, I sent Seán a wee message of Facebook. I’ve been holding off talking about it in too much detail since then, but here we go: in a first for Comix Ireland, I’m working with the creative team of Project Crossroads to make a short documentary about the creation of the book. Production is still underway, but here’s a sample screenshot I sent to Seán as an idea of what he can expect visually:

I may have captured him talking while making that. Anyway, the documentary will be released later this year. (I am acutely aware that it is November already.) As well as exploring the creation process of Project Crossroads, interviews with the creators have so far provided a few gems for those interested in the comics industry in Ireland as a whole. With a bit of luck, a fair amount of effort, all the tea, and probably some weeping, I’ll be backed up when I say that you won’t want to miss it. Watch this space, and the ol’ social media. My excitement for this project knows no bounds.

Reviews

Review: 100 Times (+More Times)

November 2, 2016 Paul Carroll

Katie Fleming sent me a review copy of 100 More Times – the sequel to 100 Times. I didn’t get to review the first book, so consider this a look at the series so far. As with many of my reviews, this comes with friendship-bias. To avoid unfairly weighting things in their favour, I tend not to be the Big Review Guy, and instead focus on the things that make the books awesome. Thankfully, my catch-line for these books does the job:

Gay Werewolves

100 Times (by Katie Fleming and E. Kerr) introduces us to two characters: Myran and Quill. Myran is a human. Quill is a werewolf. They’re kinda gay for each other. (They’re really gay for each other, and it’s a glorious celebration of same-sex relationships.)

Let’s be clear early on: Quill’s werewolf nature is mostly a plot device. He doesn’t eat people throughout the book. (Spoiler? I mean, these aren’t horror comics.) Instead, Fleming and Kerr use other aspects of being a werewolf as elements of the story – most notably in the first book, the pack. Every werewolf has a pack, and it’s this introduction of Myran to Quill’s pack that becomes the centre of the first story.

Much as one would meet their partner’s family for the first time, and the usual struggles of worrying if the relationship would be accepted, Quill struggles with the notion of introducing his human partner to his werewolf family.

It’s an incredibly endearing story, and it doesn’t end with the pack.

More Times

When we reach book two, we’re faced with another dilemma between the couple: a disconnect about the meaning of family, how one (Quill) avoids talking to/about his, and how the other (Myran) values his.

We won’t get super spoilerific about it, but it’s a similar sort of story to the first book, building upon the relationship between our protagonists.

The books aren’t dialogue heavy, relying on a few key words each way, and a guided narrative with charming artwork to tell the story instead.

A big part of me just wants to celebrate the everything that has to do with the gay werewolf aspect of the books. The English graduate in me wants to celebrate the analogy between homosexuality and lycanthropy, or the parallels between human-werewolf relationships and white-and-black relationships in the early twentieth century. You can choose to appreciate those nods to romantic difficulties in history, if it so pleases you. Otherwise, I’d just pick the books up to enjoy the exploration of a relationship across the varying struggles of romance.

100 More Times is launching at Thought Bubble this weekend. Be sure to check it out, and tell Katie I said hi!

Reviews

Review: The Celtic Clan 1-3

September 2, 2016 Paul Carroll

Nigel Flood from Punt Press sent me The Celtic Clan 1-3 to review. Looking at this from a Road So Far point of view, I’ve combined the review of the series to this point into one post, taking a look at series overall, rather than on an issue-by-issue basis. As always, I aim for the most positive aspects of a book as much as possible in my reviews.

Another Irish Superhero Story?

For such a small country, our comic creators love to create large teams of Irish superheroes. Buttonpress have one. Cremona Press have one. And, though they also release other titles, Punt Press have one. There’s always a problem with scale when it comes to superhero stories – just how many characters should you attempt to fit into one story? – and I think for the most part, Flood and co. have the max figured out. The Celtic Clan featured in the book, if you ignore the additional ensemble of supporting heroes, is enough to make the difference on the panels, and allows for a few different stories to be told at once.

I should say, I preferred Flood’s other work – The Globalists – but there’s a lot of fun to be had in the pages of The Celtic Clan. It’s definitely a more jovial comic, not quite on the all-ages spectrum of Buttonpress comics, but with a lot of the humour that a more violent comic needs when the cast are wearing spandex.

Villainsssssss

When I initially read the comics, I thought the idea for the villains was a bit…silly? I’ll settle on silly. I even thought that when I was tired and made my notes for this very review. Several days later, and taking into account everything I’ve already said, I revise that statement.

The villains of the comics are snake people. Yes, snake people. Lizard people, maybe. But definitely reptilian in nature, with a fun throwback to one of the strangest conspiracy theories we still occasionally hear about – the underground lizard people who rule the world!

Flood takes advantage of this to cast an eye back into Irish history, and manages to create a greater sense of mythos within his comics than three issues should really allow. (Bravo on that!)

The books are fast-paced, and artist Frank J Right succeeds in driving the story along expertly, and fleshing out the details on a wholly bizarre set of characters, seemingly without issue.

(And, it should be said, the characters vary in so many different ways. There’s a cat-man, lizard-people, a pixie-esque-woman, a classic warrior, a barbarian-ish old man, a speedster in spandex, and a monster made from whatever the ground can provide, be it turf, concrete or street poles. Despite the massive mix, he manages not to deviate from his style, and depicts everything skilfully.)

All in all, The Celtic Clan is a fun series. It’s worth checking out if you like superhero comics and want to support small press. How long we’ll have to wait for issue 4, however, remains to be seen.

Reviews

Review: Malevolence

August 29, 2016 Paul Carroll

Launched at Dublin Comic Con, and then again in a library in Clonmel (because libraries are cool, and that’s where the artist lives), Malevolence is a new horror comic from writer Hugo Boylan and artist John Quigley, with Dearbhla Kelly on Colours and Kerrie Smith on Letters. John asked me, before I met him at DCC and talked the ear off him (and attempted in vain not to be sold almost everything from his table), if I would review Malevolence. As usual, don’t take the review too critically – I know I won’t while writing it!

Twisted

One word sums up the book. Twisted. From Boylan’s writing, to Quigley art, Kelly’s colours, and even Smith’s lettering. The individual elements of this comic twist together to make something uniquely engaging. I wouldn’t want to spoil the plot for you, but the basics you need to know about Malevolence are these simple facts:

1. The comic takes place across three decades.

2. The comic is filled with fleeting moments of madness.

3. The comic wouldn’t make much sense without Kelly and Smith’s contributions.

Colourful Dread

Most comics can get along with a strong story and a skilled artist. Black & White is an acceptable standard for storytelling. But colour brings this one to life. Colour is the only way we know when we are within the story. Colour invites us through three decades of horror. Without colour, an element so vital to this book, everything else would need to change. The book would need to be re-panelled, re-organised, maybe even re-written to a more linear story. But linear is common. Colour allows for Boylan and co. to create their non-linear nightmare.

Colour is the vital piece of dread that the books need to truly come alive.

When Smith’s lettering gets taken into account, the genre of the book is really played up expertly. There’s a lesson to be learned from letterers all-over about how to turn a writer’s words into part of the art itself within Malevolence.

The book builds upon a beautifully horrid concept and executes it in terrifying fashion.

You can get your hands on Malevolence – and you really should – from Hugo Boylan and John Quigley directly. Hugo can be found at @HugoBoylan; John can be found at @johnquigley209.

Reviews

Review: The Globalists #1

August 15, 2016August 14, 2016 Paul Carroll

Nigel Flood of Punt Press got in touch with me lately to see about reviews of a few of his books – and he was quick to send on issue #1 of The Globalists, and issues 1-3 of Celtic Clan in the mail. So, full-disclosure for this review, they were free review copies. Reminder, also, that when it comes to comics, I’m not overly critical; I love to explore the reasons I think people will enjoy a particular comic (which helps in recommending the books people would enjoy!) With that said, onto the review.

Not Your Average Superhero Comic

The first thing that will be apparent from the cover of the book: it’s a superhero book. It looks every bit the genre; Kevin Keane certainly knows how to draw for the market. The characters – and we’ll get onto them in a minute – are fully brought to life in a way that’s typically expected of the Big Two. Before readers get into Nigel Flood’s tale, there’s an instant feeling of familiarity that helps ease newbies to the writer’s work into the book.

And what a book.

Intriguing from the very start, The Globalists presents us with an unknown narrator in a prison cell, a glimpse at the snarling face of one Adolf Hitler, and a concise expository history lesson on the Superhuman Arms Race. From there, it’s all downhill. And uphill. It depends on your perspective.

As a first issue, the book manages to fit in a lot. We’re given a measure of the powers at play (pun 100% intended), the backstory to the issues at hand in the modern day, a glimpse at the protagonists, and a sense of the scale of danger presented by the antagonists. I’m a sucker for superhero stories. I devour them greedily. And I need more of this from Flood and co.

While some stories start a little unsure of themselves, Flood gives us an established dilemma and philosophy, to be explored in greater detail as the series continues. All we need now is a release date for the next issue. In the meantime, you can get a copy of the series debut from Punt Press directly, or in Forbidden Planet Dublin, while stocks last. Recommended for fans of superhero comics looking for a fresh take on the genre.

Article

Dublin Comic Con 2016

August 8, 2016August 8, 2016 Paul Carroll

Dublin Comic Con opened its doors on a sunny Saturday morning to the general public; those of us near the front of the line had some refuge from the blistering morning sun – we’re still suspicious of that, given the history of Irish weather – and waited a good two hours to get in.

And it was worth it.

DCC was filled to the brim, with attendees in plain dress and costume, vendors with all manner of geeky wares, and artists – writers and illustrators both – manning the tables in the Artists Alley.

Photos were posed for, money exchanged hands, people were heard screaming with delight – and occasionally telling a Jon Snow cosplayer that he knew nothing, or informing a Wally that he had been found – at the various items around the room, and marvelling at the cosplay outfits.

And me? I was making my rounds. Several times a day. I eyed up the tables, I ignored my shopping list altogether, and I earned the title I would later be given: the Patron Saint of Small Press. Below are my comic purchases from Day 1.

100 Times, Helion #2, The Circle, Flare One-Shot, Malevolence, Finn & Fish The Rinse Cycle #2, Finn & Fish The Wash Cycle, Rubenette Preview, The Guards

Day Job, Big Bastard #1-5, Wren Vol.1 (colour edition), Stoat #1, "3" — Day Job, Big Bastard #1-5, Wren Vol.1 (colour edition), Stoat #1, “3”

Hound 2, Con Jobs, Something in the Tae, Schlock, An Bruid on the Moors Part One, Oh No Comics!, The Warrior Maidens, Sakura #1

Innocent Tales #1-3, Pulp Stories, Paul J Bolger Inktober Sketchbook, Sleep Tight, Rover Was Here

A Clockwork Universe, Phantom 80th Anniversary, Speakeasy, The Fantastical Sombrero, None Shall Pass (Preview), Double Dead

On Sunday, I also managed to pick up Girls Like You and issues 1-3 of High Fantasy from Hugo Boylan. He was quite convincing. (But not enough to make me get even more books, because I figured 43 comics was a decent cut-out point.) Over the weekend, my stock of prints also got bigger, with a couple of Seán Hogan (Rabbit and Paul), as well as a healthy dose of nerdy merchandise (including a Spider-Man slate coaster, a wooden box with the Flash emblem on it, and a Bulbasaur plushie, because starter Pokémon are important.

Sunday also provided an opportunity to learn more about the Small Press process, from a panel of experts.

Small Press Panel. L-R: Seamus Kavanagh, Eoin McAuley, Leann Hamilton, Kinga Korska, Keith Keane, Hugo Boylan, Paul Bolger, Charan Marcantonio — Small Press Panel. L-R: Seamus Kavanagh, Eoin McAuley, Leeann Hamilton, Kinga Korska, Keith Keane, Hugo Boylan, Paul Bolger, Charan Marcantonio

The lessons learned were invaluable; from a writer’s perspective, the most important tip was to respect the artist, and do all of the other work for the comic so that they don’t have to.

Comics are such collaborative works – evident by the title pages of many of the con’s debuts – and the community in Ireland so close-knit, that this vital lesson is one worth remembering and repeating frequently. The atmosphere at DCC was all about the community that has formed around these little (and sometimes not so little) books, and encouragement is never far away.

Everyone who participated in the weekend’s affairs are likely experiencing the same double-edged side-effects of a major convention: excitement for comics, and exhaustion from a weekend of talking about them. Needless to say, there’ll be even more amazing work at next year’s event, and from more creators. A guided tour of the Artists Alley (from me – Paul Carroll) for a friend, Tracy Sayers, showed just how welcoming the community can be, and I know that we’ll each be exciting to join their ranks in the near future.

Reviews

Review: The Earthbound God

August 3, 2016August 4, 2016 Paul Carroll

In 2013, Anthea West released The Earthbound God. Six years earlier, I became acquainted with her online. I’ve been a supporter of her work since she started producing comics; I need to state this before I get into the review, to be clear that I adore her work, and consider her a vital friend in the comic book world.

When I picked up The Earthbound God, during its initial release, I didn’t know what to expect. All I knew was that shortly thereafter, the book sold out, and Anthea West needed to print more to meet demand. I can only imagine what might have drawn people to this book – pun definitely intended. It must have been – and I really can only guess – the beautiful concept of the book, one that inspired me to support her IndieGoGo campaign for the first print run. I was not disappointed with the book, and I know that I am not alone.

West tells a wonderful story of wayward sisters in a frozen world, sisters by bond rather than blood, travelling from two very different places in the mountains. During the winter, they must find and kill the Earthbound God, Mij, a bounty kill that would secure their future. Through their journey, West paints a clear picture of a strange world, where language is a constant barrier and a superstitious force, and something to be played with in the writing. In few words, West shows readers the importance of story in a world without electronic communication, where instances to find food and warmth can be few and far between.

Of vital importance in this tale is the relationship between the sisters by bond, Yaeya and Eusha, dressed in thick furs, with remarkably expressive faces. Their relationship is complicated, but understand easily in the ways they interact throughout the book.

This is a fully fleshed out book, drawn in black and white in such a way that the frozen-over world can be felt through the pages. The creative use of panelling, and the value placed upon blank space, draws a complicated picture.

With clear influences from Princess Mononoke, and a long history of her own creative drive in character and monster creation, West delivers a powerful book, with a disturbing antagonist and a harsh environment to offset the embodied enthusiasm within our heroes.

The book is available through Forbidden Planet Dublin; if you ask nicely, and if she has copies available, Anthea might be able to bring copies to Dublin Comic Con. (Update: Anthea will definitely be bringing copies of the book to DCC.)