Thursday 29 March 2012

DICK TURPIN RIDES AGAIN!


Here at Corvus we are very impressed with Timebomb Comics and the second in their Dick Turpin series (http://timebombcomics.com/dick-turpin-and-the-Crimson.html). This time around Dick finds himself confronted with a nest of vampire prostitutes whose goal is to rule London.


Author Steve Tanner keeps the plot moving forward with both humour and tension. His research into the period is evident though understated throughout the book. Graeme Howard’s art work is vibrant and to me reminiscent of Hogarth. Each frame is packed with little incidents and repays a third look. This is not an Ivory Merchant costume drama, it is real, earthy and immediate. The lettering was well handled by the wonderfully monikered Nikki Foxrobot, there’s a name to conjure with.

 Timebomb specialise creative, unusual titles and I think it's worth checking out all their books. 

Saturday 24 March 2012

ORIGINS

Apologies for the late post this week, I have just got back from Glasgow where the wi-fi was playing up and I was unable to access anything. On the long drive back to the sunny south west I got to thinking about where characters come from. I was wondering if some classic characters-say Superman for example, are modern versions of folk tales. Michael Chabon in The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay , a novel well worth reading, offers a disguised Superman, whose origins are partly inspired by the Golem, an old Jewish legend. Apparently the novelist Howard Jacobsen sees Moses as the model for the man of steel.
The creators Siegel and Schuster have stated on many occasions that Superman just appeared out of the blue and they thought he was a good idea. Siegel has cited Edgar Rice Burroughs John Carter as an influence, especially his ability to jump long distances which was made possible by the weaker gravity of Mars. Side tracking for a moment have you seen the new John Carter movie? I have to say I have not; I reread the novel about four years ago and I was disappointed. I read all the series in the 1960’s when a teenager. I think perhaps it is best to read ERB before you develop any critical faculties. Have you seen the film? What did you make of it?
All of this is a preamble to talking about the development of CO2. I have to admit that the idea for the world came out of nowhere one sunny July morning last year and like Siegel and Schuster I thought it was a good one. I cannot claim it came fully formed, the knack I think is recognising that you have the germ of a usable idea and refining it so that it does work.
For me having created this idea of a totalitarian Church, hell bent on reshaping the world to their image, it was important to think about how that world had come into being. How was it different to ours and what events had made it so. This led me to spending time writing the history of both the world and the Church.
The characters too came about from specific images. Shaj, for instance I first saw in a fight scene, wielding a nihonto and her back story grew from that image. I am blessed by having such a skilled artist, who can turn my jumble of words into a reality.
Where do your ideas come from? I’d be really interested in hearing how you come up with characters and why you develop them in the way that you do. Post a comment, I’m all ears.

Thursday 15 March 2012

THE CLOCK STRIKES!

 

Who was the first “superhero” character to appear in a comic?  Chances are if asked that question until recently I would have answered Superman. However, I have been reading Kult Creations lastest release and now I know the truth! The Clock first appeared in 1936, created by a full eighteen months before the Man of Steel.

 
I have to say I enjoyed the return of The Clock. The story was fast paced, peopled with believable characters and left me wanting more. Writer John Short has done a good job of capturing the spirit of Thirties America. He has a good ear for dialogue and his use of period slang quickly draws you into the world.
Vince Danks’ monochromatic artwork is very atmospheric and reminded me of those great black and white films from the golden days of Hollywood. There is a richness to the artwork that repays repeated viewing. I am eagerly waiting for the next issue.
You can get The Clock Strikes here http://kultcreations.blogspot.com/ along with the rest of Kult Creations catalogue. It’s well worth a look.

Sunday 11 March 2012

CARDIFF COMIC EXPO-THANKS AND FOLLOW UP






some more pics to show what a great time was had by all at the Expo if you see yourself let us know

Tuesday 6 March 2012

CO2 BACKGROUND

 Hello, I thought I should explain that there are now two people posting on the Corvus Blog-Pat, who has been posting from the get go and me, an upstart, who has been asked to write a regular Thusday post. I am Paul Tobin, the author of CO2 and over the coming weeks, as well writing about CO2, I shall be interviewing some of the hard working people who make Corvus the quality press it is. I shall also be interviewing other Corvus writers and giving you previews of art work and stories.


It all sounds very exciting. I am going to start today, rather than Thursday, as I am not going to be near a keyboard then, by looking at the world of CO2. It begins to diverge from our reality in the 1700’s and by 1811 the oppressive, corrupt Tory government has been overthrown by the people of England. This leads a power vacuum that is filled by the Church of The Holy Footprint, who, essentially want to remake the world to their idea of what it was like before the Fall of Man.
One of the ways in which they attempt to do this is by altering animals. In this world Charles Darwin writes about how humans may alter the evolution of other creatures. The following section was written for the preview but could not be included because of space.
ADAPTING FOR BALANCE; How fasting led to the paper plant-taken from the Weekly Beacon 21 February 1962
We are blessed to be living in a time when God’s Word is being made manifest all around us. We can see it in the Re-Balancing of His World, we can see it as our forces prevail over the Dragon Empire and we can see it in the adapted animals that are helping create God’s Kingdom on Earth.
Did you know that it was while fasting that the Sainted Darwin was touched by the Hand of God and given the inspiration that allowed him to write The Future of Species? Back in 1830 when it was first published Saintly Darwin and his God Given Vision was the catalyst that inspired the great men of science as they began to adapt the animal and plant kingdom to hasten God’s Kingdom on Earth. It was only ten years later that Gregor Mendel, a middle European refugee, created the paper plant. As you know the plant can, with the correct amount of nutrients and water, produce up to a ream of paper a month!
Once Mendel had unveiled his triumph the following twenty years saw a flood of animals transformed into the useful creatures we see every day and take s0 much for granted. Who stops to think about the hours of ceaseless toil that went into the adaption of the horse so that it could pull the tram you take to work each day? The hours of work that went into transforming chimpanzees and baboons so they could serenade you when you eat in a restaurant.
In our hurrying world it is easy to fall into The Sin of Complacency and take the fish on our plate every Friday for granted. We need to stop and reflect on the work of the cormorant man, who is out on the seas in all weather guiding his flock of cormorants to the richest shoals, harvesting the fish from their pouches far at sea so that we may eat it on a Friday. Do you stop to think of the dockers and their adapted gorillas, who move the fish from the ship to the waiting horse lorries, or the long miles that the horses walk to bring you that very fish?
We take the adaption of animals for granted, we should not, such adaptions are what has made The Church great, it is what has allowed us to dismantle the Heretical Machinery that held the Dissolute Tories in thrall, and it has forestalled the earth’s temperature from rising and destroying all The Works of The Lord.
There was only one type of animal that The Sainted Charles forbade us from adapting – Insects. Even at the outset of adaption The Sainted Charles could see the danger in attempting to alter insects, and he forbade us to do so, save we unleash an uncontrollable mutation. Mammal’s lives are longer than the lives of insects and are slower to reproduce, as the adaptions are carried out on a cellular level the Saintly Darwin saw The Potential For Sin; that the insects would continue to mutate and change into something beyond our control, and so forbade such endeavours.
Let us look at a typical adaption, who does not love the Elephant Fire Fighters we see around the city? It is not uncommon for people to cheer as these leviathans race to the scene of a conflagration through the city streets, but have you ever stopped to think about the planning that has gone into their design?
Water is heavy, it weighs one pound per pint, so when you see a mighty Fire Fighter extinguishing a fire with his tremendous stream of water, have you ever stopped to consider the complexity of the adaption? The musculoskeletal structure of the elephant must be made stronger so that he can carry such a weight of water on his back as is effective in quenching a fire. The very shape of the animal must be altered to accommodate the water reservoir, and extra muscles added to control and maintain the jet of water. The lungs must be adapted to provide the power to push the water out of the trunk and as the elephant will have a stream of water being forced from its trunk a new set of nostrils had to be provided so that the creature could continue to breathe. There is also the psychological treatment that the animal requires so that it is no longer afraid of the heat and flames.
The first elephant was successfully adapted in 1855, since that time The Church’s Adaptors have worked tirelessly to Bring About The Re-Balance. They have adapted over one hundred and fifty animal species and nearly twice as many plants into The Service of The Lord.

Well that is it for this week, please write and let me know what you make of the world of CO2.

Thursday 1 March 2012

CARDIFF COMIC EXPO-THANKS AND FOLLOW UP

Well, we are just about over the event, so here are some of the photos. Thanks to all the people who came to talk to us last weekend at the Cardiff show, you made the launch of CO2 such a success and a special thank you to all the people who had to get up at 6am to make the coach to the show on the Sunday. Your efforts were much appreciated.
CO2 our new title was greeted with much interest and the signs are that it will be a popular series.
It was good to talk to all the people who had bought the zero edition of The Baker Street Irregulars and were coming back for issue one. Issue two will be available at Bristol (http://www.bristolexpo.co.uk/). I for one can’t wait to read it.
There was also a great deal of interest on our other new title Victoriana, a steam punk extravaganza, the prebook will be also be available at Bristol, and two short films will be premiered as well. In the next few weeks we shall be interviewing author Tim Hart about his unique steam punk vision that has created this exciting world.
You can look at the rest of the photos we took at Cardiff on our Face Book page (http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=Ac9urUdgNmwseCYA). Have a look at the photos and tell us who you think has the best costumes.
In the near future you will be able to purchase your favourite Corvus titles directly from this web site. Also we will be posting at least every Thursday from now on. See you next week.