Belmat goes to Kapow!!

Well, he's finished...

 ... and ready for his trip to London this weekend.

 I'm really pleased with how he has turned out ...

 it took quite a while...

 but he's worth it ;o)

 The final touches were his hands...

and then the handle on his loading door ...



not that the door opens on this model of course... not like it does on the real thing...

So, if you're at the Kapow Comic Convention this weekend then please do pop over and say 'Hi'. as well as seeing Belmat up close, we also have our new WesterNoir comic for sale (with artist Gary Crutchley on hand to sign copies with me) and hopefully the latest themed anthology, Zombies 2 or 2OMBIES as it says on the cover.



Robots I met last month in Brooklyn.

Every year I attend the Mocca Comic Convention in New York, and as this was Accent UK's second visit we decided this year that we'd venture a little further than we did last year, and go to Brooklyn. There were a couple of comic shops to visit after all.
One of these stores was Desert Island Comics, a shop that sells, pretty much exclusively, independent comics.

Gabe, the owner, is really passionate about comics and comic book art, and a really nice bloke.

As I purchased a copy of a book called Jammer Slammer, it's got robots in it, he told me that R Nicholas Kuszyk (the writer/artist) was local and that his murals could be found dotted around Brooklyn.

A slight detour was in order,

and it wasn't long before we came across examples of his work.

And I was in Robot Heaven.

I'm a bit of a fan of street art, if it's done well and isn't just someone's initials, and this cetainly ticks all my boxes.

Maybe next time I visit Brooklyn I'll come across some more of his work. I certainly enjoyed looking at the few that I found and also his great little comic book.

Well, off to London's Kapow!! Convention next weekend. Pop over and say 'Hi' if you're in the neighbourhood. I might be found sketching robots at the Accent UK table, but I certainly won't be found doing so outside on a huge wall. I wouldn't know where to start.

Robot Shorts reviewed in SFX.

I was very pleasantly surprised when sitting down to read this month's SFX (well, actually my daughter nabbed it first and told me to look at page 38 when it was my turn)...

when I got to Page 38 my eye was drawn to the Fanzines insert...

I recognised that cover...

Wow, what an encouraging review of our little book of Robot tales. It's this kind of thing that really helps us small press and independent creators carry on with our passion.
Thanks again to Steve Holder for his great artwork and Andy Bloor for the cover design.

Robot Shorts reviewed in Comic Heroes...

Robot Shorts gets a great little mention and review in the latest issue of Comic Heroes (Issue 12).

Not only does it sample art from the 'A to Z of Robots' and show the cover designed by Andy Bloor and sporting artwork from Steve Holder...

but it also gives the book a 4 out of 5, even if it does get the title of the book a little wrong.

...and on top of this it has some nice things to say about the little book, even if it does suggest that I may in fact be part robot myself ... damn ... I thought I'd hidden that all these years...

A great mention for my latest effort, with thanks to Steve and Andy for bringing it to life...

as it were.

WesterNoir has arrived...

...and it looks fabulous. Great cover design by Andy Bloor featuring stunning art from cover to cover by Gary Crutchley... we'll be launching this at Mocca thanks to a speedy printing job by Stuart at UK Comics Creative ...

... and I managed to get this one photo off before the camera battery died.

From Comiket to Mocca

Well, we had a great time at the Comiket convention in London yesterday (you can read a very brief report over at the Accent UK news and reviews blog), and I'm now thinking about packing my bags for Mocca, NYC, USA. 
Comiket was a first for a number of things from me this time around... first appearance at a Con of Robot Shorts, first appearance at a Con of The One-Eyed-Robot and also first appearance of the first Robots Shorts - A to Z of Robots Greetings Card ...

I added colour to the black and white (and grey) version that appears in the Robot Shorts book, and it looks really nice (and shiny). Hopefully tomorrow will see, along with the delivery of our first WesterNoir comic, the arrival of the second card (in the possible series) with Belmat.

I had to change the text a little to let him stand on his own, as it were, so the 'Belmat however was real big and mean..' becomes 'Belmat 2000 was real big and mean...'.
Tomorrow I'll start to pack my bags ready for flying out on Thursday... lots of copies of WesterNoir Issue 1 ... can't wait to see it... and get it on our table at Mocca... Stuart at UK COMICS CREATIVE has once again pulled all the stops to turn the WesterNoir printing around in a very short time... so a big thanks to him, as always.

Comiket, WesterNoir and stuff...

I'm off the Comiket next Saturday, you can find out more about this great little event over on the Accent UK news blog, but I'm really looking forward to it.
WesterNoir is complete and with the printer. It should be ready in time for the Mocca event in New York which we will be attending the weekend of the 28th April.
Busy times ...