Using the sensationalism of a father-son creative collaboration and exploration of shared narrative, previously forgotten MP decides to attach his black eggs of attention. Jason Wilson's 'His and Hers Smuggling Vacation' has been attracting a good readership including much journalistic interest for its honed book art style, and use of solid research. MPs name is associated with a poor grasp of understanding of health and cultural matter.

Jason will be signing copies of the book at Birmingham Borders Store, Bull Ring Centre, this Saturday August 23rd 12-3pm.

I've just finished reading a few comics including Oli Smith's Weekend Friends, which seems to be a return to form, and the rather excellent Dan Lester Mysteries by Dan, Oliver Lambden and Jake H. I really enjoyed the latter, which is like an expansive ice cream parlour situated next to a Bushmills distillery. Overstreet, learn !

UK indie comics & manga portal IndieReview has had a revamp, the start of their new-look website, which includes star-ratings in the reviews, more on webcomics and the offer of free Word Press driven blogs for UK small press creators. Get in touch with them!

The Press Release can be found here.

The Observer and Random House have called for entries to this year's Graphic Short Story Competition. The first prize is a grand plus seeing your entry across two pages of the Observer. Judges include Mark Haddon and Rutu Modan; deadline, 17th October 2008.
Details here.

The Dan Lester Mysteries, a new comic by (Sleazy) Dan Lester and Oliver Lambden is out now, available at www.monkeysmightpuke.com or at the Camden Comics stall on Saturdays.

Dan Locke has a new blog which should be well worth bookmarking.

The Observer/Jonathan Cape/ Comica Graphic Short Story competition is back, this time its 2 pages of the Observer, details at http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/graphicnovels/competition.htm

On Thursday 14th August at 5pm, Resonance FM will broadcast "Stand Up Comics: Music and Performance by Small Press Artists and Writers" as part of the weekly comics programme, 'Strip'. Tune in for poetry, stories, music and dialogue, featuring:

Matthew Thurber of Ambergris and creator of 1-800 Mice
Steven Tillotson, banal pig comics
Daniel Locke, Green comics

Mystery Dick

Pestrepeller (see Mystery Dick)
Sylvie Winn, The Director of Tall Buildings
Gareth Brookes, Appalling Nonsense
Dan Lester, Monkeys Might Puke
Jimi Gherkin

You can hear the show by tuning into Resonance FM 104.4 on an old fashioned radio (in London) or at www.resonancefm.com.

adam cadwell sez:

"I thought I let you all see a little video I put together from last month's Manchester Comix Collective Drink 'n' Draw. It was a quiet turn out but we knocked out a 4 page Comic Jam about sacrificing David Bowie and an army of child Terry Wogans".
watch it here

manchester based comic types are invited to the next drink and draw on august 24th, location tbc so keep an eye on the mcc website if you're interested

ben powis sez:

"my first comic Turtle Guitar is now available to read for FREE online!" bargain.

and gosh comics sez:

Ian Edgington and D'Israeli are signing at copies of their new Stickleback collection, along with copies of the Scarlet Traces trilogy, Leviathan and the rest of the duo's back catalogue, on Saturday 16th August from 4pm-6pm.

(bit of a blantant advert, but if you've never been to Gosh and live in London you should definitely check it out)

david bailey* sez:

please look at my website (paraphrasing)

*he's not david baillie

lizz lunney is doing a comic a day for august.

also, have a look at patrick brown's comics inspired by irish mythology.

Anyone here get the Page 45 mailings?* You might want to resubscribe.

"...In the meantime some of you may have already received the following post-script to your emails:

And, I might add, if you know of any of your mates that have signed up to the Page 45 Mailshot in the last 18 months, do encourage them to get back in contact, please!

Completely new computer due today, then all will be dandy."

* Bugpowder heartily recommends this twice-weekly service.
**Bugpowder does not openly endorse the defenestration of any Microsoft employees.

Alex Fitch's recent podcasts may be of interest - Take it away, Alex:

"Interview with Eagle award winning artist Tom Humberstone about his comics from Everything you never wanted to know about Crohn’s disease and to How to date a girl in ten days plus his blog / sold out graphic novella My Fellow Americans.

Interview with cartoonist Dan Lester about his humour comics such as Monkeys might puke and the use of satire and reoccurring characters in gag strips plus the similarities between humour and crime fiction and solving the problems of both on the pages of his new murder mystery comic.

Also, encouraging the next generation of small pressers:
Interview with Dan Berry, a lecturer from North Wales School of art and design about the new Illustration for Graphic Novels course he’s going to be teaching from this autumn, about introducing a new generation to the craft of making comics and also about Dan’s interest in typography and how it’s one of the most under-appreciated aspects of comic books.

My next small press extravaganza - following next week's cameos by Richy Chandler (Tempo Lush), Bevis Musson (Dead Queen Detectives) and the ubiquitous Oli Smith in the broadcast of my gay comics panel from Bristol - is a one hour special curated by Gemma Cantlow (Layby Perk) which features musical and spoken word performances by small press creators. More info at http://www.myspace.com/sucomics
(actually, having looked, not a huge amount of info, but chatted to Gemma about it yesterday; it sounds very exciting - expect music by Dan Lester and stuff by Banal Piggers + much much more. Hopefully this'll become a quarterly event...)"

If you're in Oxford tomorrow evening you may like to pop by The Oxford Jam Factory from 6:30pm onwards for the premiere launch of the Caption Cartoonists Collective Exhibition which runs the month of August. It also "runs the gamut from the autobiographical to the fantastic, in a broad range of styles and
media. You'll find narratives to follow around the gallery, keenly
observed slices of life, adventure, surrealism and humour."

A UK creator has made the final round in the international Small Press Idol competition over at Comicspace. Here's what he says:

Against all odds the super pop chaos of Tokyo Gonzo is through to the final round of Dimestore's Small Press Idol 2008. The most sales of the 32 page issue 0 gets the winner a four issue mini series.

Tokyo Gonzo is written and drawn by Daniel Cox and Bob Molesworth.

Speech Balloons: the latest in the world of comics.

The Technique needs some explaining. (One-page strip.)

The Apostrophe and Coma comic is available to read as a pdf

Out of the bag in the last few days Oli and the LUC men are putting together "Low Energy Day", following the success of No Barcodes. Scheduled for August 30th, it features more tables, similar price structure and 'Tales from the Flat's Lawrence Powell as DJ.

More details and the YouTube video on the official announcement, and specific visitor and exhibitor info here.

Chris Doherty has new pages from his comic, Video Nasties, up at his live journal. go see.

Due to unforeseen circumstances Jimi Gerkin's much anticipated 'Pens, Pencils and Photocopiers' Comics and Zines Event this Saturday is going to cost exhibiting contributors £7 each. The full story is here, and Jimi has asked that contributors get in contact with him to confirm.

Low Energy Day. Its Coming....

The Jam Factory Oxford will be holding a gallery viewing of ten British cartoonists affiliated with Caption, through the month of August. Several special events are being talked about, including a confirmed launch party the night before Caption.
Heres the flyers,

Both being hyperlinked to their respective Facebook listings. Or you could visit, The Jam Factory Oxford Website or Caption.org

Low Energy Day. Its Coming....

Tickets for the Thought Bubble convention in Leeds on Saturday, 15th November are now available to purchase online! £6 or £4.50 concessions

The first 500 people to buy their tickets online will receive invites to the after party at the exclusive Thought Bubble bars at the brand new Alea casino development, as well as being entered into a prize draw to win fabulous prizes!

Convention tables are still available on the 15th November for exhibitors at a rate of £55 for dealers, retailers and publishers, and £35 for small press and professionals.
Download the booking form

contact: thoughtbubble@hotmail.co.uk

Some guidelines for Bugpowder bloggers and anyone wishing to submit a story to Bugpowder, from one experienced.

Low Energy Day

Underfire Comics Sketch-In at Borders in Brighton

Underfire will be having a signing and sketching session at the Churchill Square Borders store in Brighton (the one on the first page of Rock Night) on Saturday 19th July from 12.30 - 3.30 pm.

We'll be set up by the Graphic Novel Section where we'll be selling books, doing sketches and live writing demonstrations and talking about small press comics with anyone who wanders past. Come and find us on the day and pick up one of the few remaining first editions of Rock Night.

info here

reminder- the comics and zines event is happening next saturday, the 19th july, and the line up looks pretty good. there is going to be pre-event flyering this saturday, meeting at 1pm at the Plough, 27 museum st, london. contact jimigherkin@yahoo.co.uk for more details.

From the originating publishers of Warrior, Comics International, Halls of Horror, Comix: The Underground Revolution, Miracleman, V for Vendetta and lots of other fine stuff, comes the 15th anniversary special of the world's first-ever magazine devoted to the work of the King of Comics: Jack Kirby.

Chrissie Harper's Jack Kirby Quarterly #15 is a special 68-page full-sized magazine, overviewing the entire 60+ year career of the master of US comicbooks, with contributions and insight from top comics creators and specialist journalists including Kevin Eastman, Mark Evanier, Paul Gambaccini, Paul Gravett, Nigel Kitching, Peter Laird, Bob McLeod, John Morrow, Dez Skinn, William Stout, Greg Theakston and Marv Wolfman.

The pre-publication offer provides sample pages and much detail (which includes news of the return of comicdom’s best-loved column - Sez Dez!). 'Nuff said!

'Tales From The Flat' and London Underground comics are the focus of this short documentary film (9:44), filmed on location at LUC Camden and the Bristol Expo.

Hullo there,

If you're in Ireland and you're about Dublin city on Wednesday 9th July come on down to the joint launch party for Gazebo (a comic Liam Geraghty and I did) and The Comic Cast (a new Irish-based comics podcast hosted by Craig O'Connor and Liam Geraghty) and say hi.

LOCATION : Downstairs in Thomas Reads, Dame Street, Dublin.

DATE/TIME : Wednesday 9th July / From 7.30pm

Music on the night from Schmackey and the Salads and Mary Bellos.

More details on me blog: http://www.blackshapes.com and http://www.thecomiccast.com

thank you much,
Phil

Irish comics wiki

Manchester zine fest. (oe: i've heard tables are free at this but don't quote me on that)

New one-shot comic Bulkhead by Ciaran Cross- now available to buy from www.acibox.com...
When a photographer is sent to gloss over the activities of a ruthless export company stripping a Latin American nation bare, he comes face to face with an insurgency that threatens to ask him the very questions he is trying to avoid asking himself, in a language he cannot fail to understand...
You can take boxes out of the country,
but you can’t take the country out of boxes...

Just £3 with FREE UK delivery
40-pages / 100% recycled paper

(oe: got mine today, looks mint)

Last Bus is a new self published ongoing comic book from Irish creator Patrick Lynch. The first issue contains 3 separate stories: “Last Bus”, “What Became Apparent...” and “These Things I Know” engaging such diverse themes as public transport, street violence, absent friends and dream logic. Check it here

Monkeys Might Puke! is proud to present their latest anthology. Entitled 'Who Gives A **** About Mickey Rourke?' it's a kaleidoscopic study of the troubled actor, featuring work by Steve Tillotson, Paul O'Connell, Rob Jackson, Dan Lester and more. Order it at www.monkeysmightpuke.com/mickeyrourke

Where Grows The Bitter Herb is a new comic by Ben Powis

"All is not well in the village, a mother lies sick and dying. The only thing that can save her is a magical herb that grows atop the tallest mountain, but who will be brave enough to quest for it?"

Looks great. Check his site and get it from Gosh furra fiver.

Manhole #3, by Mardou, has just been published. There are two pages available for viewing at the USS Catastrophe site.

Matthew Craig writes:

Hi-Ho, Bugpowderites!
I've been given a stall at the Flair Designer Maker Fair this Saturday, 21st June, at the Light House, Wolverhampton. I'll be selling my full range of comics and associated merchandise, including Hondle and Trouble Bruin. The Fair runs from 11am to 4pm, and admission is free. The Light House is on Fryer Street, around the corner from the bus and train stations. I hope to see you there!
Matthew Craig
//\Oo/\\
http://www.thematthewcraig.com

Thought Bubble is "a four day annual event which celebrates sequential art in all its forms, including everything from superheroes to independent small press. Thought Bubble will also feature a very special day-long convention at Leeds' largest newest venue, Saviles Hall, on Saturday 15 November."

Travelling Man in Leeds have a Drink and Draw tonight. Also a Small Press Night coming up on July 3rd. I'm not going: I'm nowhere near Leeds. But maybe you are.

Down The Tubes has a No Barcodes field report up

Alex Fitch interviews Oliver Lambden and The Hunter guys, and Oli Smith and Sean Azzopardi. (Sean's 'Necessary Monsters' is progressing nicely too).

Blank Slate has a new blog. Should be interesting watching a new publisher find it's feet.

it seems like i pick the weird ones- the work of Rodrigo Estrada Gil

something a little bit more straightforward- D'israeli explains his processes

lastly, the blog of Stephen Collins, who does a weekly strip for The Times Work section, and a lot of excellent illustration work.

Willie Hewes writes:

I have a new comic out under the new ITCH brand: GothBoy, Something Big. It's a 24 page comedy story with four normal housemates in a strange, strange world.

It is the first in a series of silly little books full of day-job stress, undead horrors, tentacles and stupid jokes. Each part of the series will be a self-contained story.
More info and orders here