Pros and Cons 2012 (and all the arty farty stuff in-between)

Hi, been a while.

2012 is turning out to be a veeeeeeeeeeeeery busy year for me so far and I am conscious that I haven't updated this for a long time.

With the Cardiff International Comic & Animation Expo just around the corner (next weekend in fact) I shall be manning the Markosia tables with my earstwhile Orang Utan cohort Peter Rogers (The Interactives), the inimitable man-monkey himself, Chris Lynch (The Dark) and Rich Macauliffe and Mark Chilly who'll have their superbly sick and scary 'Damaged Goods' on display.

Harry Markos and a veritable battalion of Markosia creators will be descending on the London Super Comic Show the very same weekend, so Markosia's Welsh contingent will be selling our wares, meeting fans and saying hello to any prospective writers and artists no doubt.

We'll all be attending various panels during the weekend, opening at 11am I'll be in the company of Rich Mcauliffe & Mark Chilly and Bearded Skull Comics' Jamie Lambert and Dave Clifford (Dexters Half Dozen) baring our bottomless black Welsh hearts and monstrous minds exploring the darker side of comics. This is being hosted by SidekickCast' s Gavin And Dan and should be a lot of fun.

At 3pm on Sunday, I'll be joining Peter and Chris for 'Unbelievably Dark and Interactive' - discussing each of our books and the latest offerings from Markoia. Once again, this is hosted by Gavin and Dan of The SidekickCast.

Throughout I'll be sketching, both at the Markosia table and for Stacy Whittle's fairy tale anthology launch of Into The Woods for which I provided artwork for Lee Robson's tale, The Lang Pack back at the end of last year. I'll also have the original art to this and some pages from Unbelievable with me over the weekend.

Also, and more importantly (especially as it's going be an 'official' Cardiff convention launch of `Unbelievable: The Man Who Ate Daffodils') I'll be selling signed copies (with sketches) and as I'm feeling 'unbelievably' generous (see what I did there) - for the first 20 copies purchased, I'm throwing in an exclusive limited edition signed and numbered A5 print of the image below. (An image so exclusive it needs a spoiler warning!)




Till next time, when I'll report back from the con and update you with some more exclusive art from a new project.

Cheers,

Si

Unbelievable:The Man Who Ate Daffodils, Unbelievably Original Artwork Competition!

To mark the imminent launch of my very first graphic novel from Markosia, Unbelievable: The Man Who Ate Daffodils (see below for ordering details) I've been feeling extremely generous and decided to run an unbelievably original competetition.

Winners will be picked at random from entries recieved by the deadline of midnight October 31st.

The 1st prize winner, will win for themselves a signed original, unlettered page of finished A3 comic art from the novel*, featuring two of the main characters, Ben and Rax.
*(Due to size and postage, the 1st prize will be sent unframed).


The 2nd prize winner will receive an original framed and signed concept art character sketch (from a choice of two images - see above sketches).

Finally the third prize winner will receive a signed copy of the book (I may even throw in a sketch with the signature).

As an added bonus, the 1st prize winner will be also be offered a small cameo in the sequel. (Please bare in mind you may not survive this experience.... on the page that is).

So, `how do I enter this fantastic competition?' I hear you ask....

Simple - answer the three questions below correctly and email your answers by Midnight on October 31st 2011 to swyattart@googlemail.com.

The Rules:

• One entry per person, please mark your entry 'Unbelievable Art Competition'.
• Winners will be picked from all correct entries recieved by the deadline, at random and notified by email.
• I'll also publish the results here and on the official Unbelievable: The Man Who Ate Daffodils Fan Page on Facebook
  

The Unbelievable Art Competition Questions:

• Q1: How does Ben Ellis first encounter the Beast of Bryn Boncath?

• Q2: What inscription is written in the book that William gives to Ben?

• Q3: Which subterranean creatures chase after Ben in the tunnels beneath Bryn Boncath Hill? (True name, not nickname)

Best of luck!
(Please note that my decision is final and I won't be bribed, harrassed or prodded with a sharp stick and I can easliy arrange for a visit from a very large black beast with red glowing eyes).



Unbelievable: The Man Who Ate Daffodils is available for pre-order for release on October 1st from Markosia, Amazon, WHSmith, Blackwells, Waterstones, etc and from most good comic stores: Diamond order code: AUG110740

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Markosia Enterprises Ltd (1 Oct 2011)
• ISBN-10: 1905692609
• ISBN-13: 978-1905692606

A sucker born every minute!

Unbelievable: The Man Who Ate Daffodils is being launched this October as part of a double-whammy of suspense fuelled horror, alongside the tentacled monstrosity of menace that is The Vessel of Terror and what a stable mate it is!

This atmospheric, pot-boiler of Lovecraftian chills by Magnus Aspli (writer), Dave Acosta (art) and Goran Kostadinoski (colors) is a fantastic , disturbing and surprising read!

Aspli builds tension and horror in deftly planned beats, drawing you into the black inky recesses like a cold tentacle until he pulls out all the stops and you’re dragged downwards, fully immersed in the inescapable horror awaiting you.

Acosta’s art is polished. Strokes of imaginative flair, tight composition and storytelling skills create a solid, moody environment reminiscent of The Abyss or The Thing, throwing in some lovely, shadowy & cinematic close-ups and startling graphic reveals. The art has a more organic look on the monochromatic flashback/ sub-plot sequences which punctuate the main plot, yet retains and compliments the overall feel of impending dread throughout the story.

What word can I use to describe Kostadinoski’s colours? `Astounding’ springs to mind here!

The art is beautifully complimented with a well considered palette and there are real flourishes throughout which make for a very handsome looking book .

Here’s a little about the plot:

Out in the Arctic Ocean, the research vessel Alesia manages to capture a mysterious Magnapinna squid, an animal never before captured by mankind. The researchers, led by Maria, decide to take the specimen back to port in Bergen, Norway. However, what they bring home isn’t just a scientific wonder but also a thing more horrific than Pandora’s Box. Soon, madness creeps into the crew of the Alesia and friends become monsters.

The Vessel of Terror is available for pre-order now from Markosia: ISBN: 978-1-905692-68-2

I've created a Monster!

`My back, my back!...'I'm back, I'm back!'

After a brief hiatus (due to recovering from a recurring back injury) I'm back on the blog with some wonderful, amazing, nay 'Unbelievable' news!

These are exciting times for me, not only am I involved in a myriad of projects (which I'll tell you about later on in this blog) but my graphic novel Unbelievable: The Man Who Ate Daffodils is due to be published soon (just 51 days to go) and is available for pre-order now!

Here are the details!

Diamond Previews #275 Page 222

Order Number: AUG110740

This 160 page monster is scheduled for release on October 1st 2011 (just in time for Halloween), and is also available to pre-order from Markosia's own website and from the following retailers:

Amazon

Waterstones

WHSmith

Blackwells

Here's the ISBN: 1905692609

You can also read the first 30 pages in this exclusive preview Myebook - Unbelievable - The Man Who Ate Daffodils

It's been a long time coming, having initially spawned the idea for the story 7 years ago (!) and it's been a hell of a journey getting to this point, there have been highs and considerable lows and without going into great detail I must say the proof is in the publishing and I'm so, so glad Unbelievable has found its place in Markosia's stable of titles.

I'll be updating soon with dates for signings, book launch etc, so stay tuned as I also plan a competition to launch the book with some of the original comic art and signed concept sketches as prizes!

As for those other projects....

A little later in the year, there'll be a more horror, with some anthological art duties in the form of undead shenanigans for AccentUK 's 2ombies! (Zombies 2 anthology). Resurrection Shop is written by Craig Gilmore, my co-creator on Senior Citizen, a short for the Sleepless Phoenix Anthology: Survival Stories last year. Look here for a sneaky peek at the artwork.

Putting the undead and horrific to rest for a moment, I'm excited to be able to announce I'll be working again with my letterer of Unbelievable, Nic Wilkinson and her partner in crime, the incomparable Cy Dethan `Master of mind-f***s' and writer of Cancertown, Slaughterman's Creed, White Knuckle on an amazing new title named Phantom Lung And The Garden Of Dead Liars here is some concept art!

Returning to the genre I love, fantasy and folklore, I'll also be working with Lee Robson (Babble, Chosen) on 'The Lang Pack', a short story for `Into The Woods - A Fairytale Anthology' devised by Stacy Whittle of SPBM fame.

Prepare to see something a little different coming out of my pencil soon, when I'll be taking on the art for Ian Sharman's teenage super team title Alpha Gods ! Click here and here for a sneaky peek at some concept sketches for the team's leonine powerhouse Outrage!

Last, but by no means least, Overload #0 out now from Martin Conaghan, writer of Burke & Hare, sees a re-printed 'And He Did', originally featured in the Sleepless Phoenix Anthology and one of my personal faves from the last year or two.

With another story for 10thology on the horizon for 2012's Cardiff Comic Expo launch, the concluding Volume 2 of Unbelievable and a few secret projects in the works, look's like it will be a very busy time to come!

My back's hurting just thinking about it!

Till next time,

Thanks for all of the support!

Si