Thought Bubble 2012

On Saturday 17th November, I'll be exhibiting at Thought Bubble in Leeds. This year, I'll only be able to make it down for the Saturday, but I'll be joined in the New Dock Hall by the beardy wonder, Andy Waugh and on Sunday, we hand over the keys to the table to printmaker extraordinaire Helen Entwisle. The table in question is 170, illustrated below. It's near the back so we can be naughty and get away with it.

Thought Bubble is frequently a boatload of fun and I'm looking forward to seeing how the crowd take to the new issue of Nightbus. If you want to pick up a copy right now, head over to my Shop or Comicsy. Either that, or I'll see you on Saturday. Do come by and say hello, talk comics or buy something awesome.

I'll give you something for free if you cosplay as a character from Sugar Glider. Something free probably means a high five or a hug. Maybe a fist bump. Haven't really decided yet.

Nightbus on Comicsy

Attention all discerning shoppers of the Internet! You can now buy all three issues of Nightbus online from the small press marketplace, Comicsy.

That's right, you can now buy the new issue of Nightbus for £3.00 here. You could also pick up issues one and two for £1.50 each here.

But there's more! Fans of digital comics can buy a PDF version of all of the Nightbus comics. Issues 1 & 2 are available digitally for one penny. The digital version of Nightbus 3 is half price at £1.50

There are loads more exciting creators putting their stuff up on the site, so have a look round after you've filled your shopping cart with Newcastle's favourite student vigilante bus drivers.

If you prefer, you can buy all three issues of Nightbus, as well as Sugar Glider, Show & Tell and Grainger Street, from my Big Cartel Shop.

Nightbus Review on Geek Syndicate

The good people of Geek Syndicate have only gone and done a review of the whole Nightbus series, giving four out of five stars!

Reviewer Luke Halsall looked favourably on all three issues, in spite of there being a massive gap between issues two and three and in my view, a massive leap in quality. Here's a quote that made me beam with delight,

"Bainbridge's art is glorious... The panel structures are clever, making the book look and feel different."

Now would be a good point to read the whole review if you haven't already. I'll wait here.

Luke mentions references to the superhero genre, which although we tried to step away from those, were undeniably an influence. Also mentioned is Kick-Ass, which I first heard about when somebody came rushing up to me at a comic con saying that Mark Millar had stolen the central idea of Nightbus. My lawyers were called off before things got too messy. Brian Wood's Demo is also mentioned, and while I've read some of his work, Demo has escaped me. Maybe I'll give it a look.

I was chuffed that the panel breakdowns were mentioned too as I spend a lot of time thinking about them and how the story, sequence and narrative actually flows. With one and two, I felt I was a little too experimental; but that was the nature of the beast, we wanted something that would be attention-grabbing as a whole if found lying around a pub. With issue three, I was much more pleased with the breakdowns and overall flow, which makes it roll along at a solid pace I think.

Thanks again to Luke and Geek Syndicate for the review. Nightbus 1 and 2 can be bought in the Shop, I'll let you know when you can pick up number three.

Nightbus

Here it is, folks, the big reveal of the cover to the long awaited Nightbus 3...

Yeah, colour. I deliberated hugely over that. I knew it needed something to lift it, but felt that the black and white version was still really strong and true to the noir roots of the book. In the end, I decided to take a risk, and I hope it paid off. Colour remains, one of the hardest things I have to deal with.

Let's talk composition, seeing as I understand that. I was never happy with the last two covers of Nightbus. One seemed to carry the impression of a narrative, but it just seemed forced and static. Two was even worse. So with this I tried to make a composition that complements the feel of the book, fractured, overlapping and with pace and movement. It's set against a backdrop which is Newcastle unmistakably, but isn't hampered by the landmarks.

I've decided to release this before Thought Bubble so you lot can get your hands on it earlier if you are so inclined. Hopefully a few reviews may inspire people to seek the book out specifically at TB. It seems a better tactic than relying on the whim of the crowd to bring punters to the table.

The cover features our core of characters from issue one, left to right, Conrad, Scarlet, Nadine and César. But who else may turn up?

Collaboration Nostalgia Part III

Here's another Collaboration from the Belle Epoque of the Paper Jam Comics Collective. This was once again with writer Iain Milne, and was based on a fantastic idea from writer Iain Milne. After we spoke about it, I ran with the concept and adapted it into what you see before you.

This was destined for the centre pages of History... And That, so I wanted to try something a little different. Well, maybe not that different in hindsight, but there was a sense of responsibility attached to drawing the centre pages, especially when it's specifically designated, rather than just left to the cruel justice of the page order. I'm not sure if the idea of the paintings telling a story like a comics page really comes across, but to be honest, it's secondary to the flavour of the illustration as a whole. We had a line of dialogue at the end, but I removed it in the final cut, as the 'paintings' seem to say it all.

Collaboration Nostalgia Part II

Before I worked with Daniel on That Cool Robot, I collaborated with Paper Jam Comics Collective member Iain Milne. This first of these was called The Wolf Wrestler and appeared in You will Have To Wait... And That.

The script went through a number of changes, and Iain was always open to changes and suggestions, it was great working with him, with the trust that I could tell a very visually static story in my own way. At the time I was reading a lot of Brian Michael Bendis comics. I loved the way he got a character telling a story to camera or a talking heads conversation look so visually interesting, regardless of whether he was drawing the scene or entrusting the art to someone else. I wanted to have a go at that. I'm not sure if every panel is successful, but the challenge was a lot of fun.

The intention we had was for the guy making the phone call to be calling in a hit on himself. He considered himself such a failure, to his wife, family, everyone, but we never go into why. We do know that he can't bring himself to kill himself, at least not directly, so he hires someone else to do the job. The twist is in the end with the mugger threatening him with his stanley knife. Does he save him the bother? Or is this confrontation with death for real enough to turn his life around?

I'm not sure it's entirely clear that the guy in the phonebox is hiring the hitman to target himself. I think people reading it at a glance may assume that the target is a third man, but to be honest, the comic reads well either way, with the conclusion still having a bit of poetic injustice to it.

Collaboration Nostalgia Part I

This week, my collaborator Daniel Clifford has been looking back on his past comics work and posted That Cool Robot, our first collaboration together and Daniel's first published work in the medium of comics. Here it is again in case you haven't seen it.

That Cool Robot featured in the Paper Jam Comics Collective's Science-fiction themed anthology Robots... And That. It marked the beginning of what historians are now calling the PJCC's Golden Age. I get the impression that Daniel looks on this as not his best work (and to be fair, amazing work followed), but I look back at this as our three minute pop song. The beats of the first three pages are repeated like a verse, bridge and chorus and the climax is somewhat abrupt. Maybe it's a punk song. Maybe the leather jacket makes it a 50s rock and roll number. Either way, the musical analogy sits well with me. It's short, sweet, fun and tragic. Daniel and I both played in bands and wrote songs before coming to comics, so the fact that our first comic was like a song is rather fitting.

Draw Everyday Part XIX

Here's another page of sketchbook drawings from Megacon, I must also mention Andy Waugh, my table buddy who lent me the pen I used on the vast majority of these. If you want to see more of what that pen can do, check out Andy's little portraits.

Draw Everyday Part XVIII

Haven't had one of these in a while, as I've been drawing comics mostly so haven't had the need to keep up with sketchbook stuff. Not really sure I've kept up to the promise of actually drawing everyday, but hey, you've got to eat too right? These and the following week are from my sketchbook at the Carlisle Megacon. I don't tend to review events anymore as there are usually plenty better ones elsewhere, but I will say we had a fun day all round and I'm looking forward to the next one. Anyway, here's a bunch of faces, some real, some imagined.

Nightbus Instagram Previews

So you want some more Nightbus previews right? Well here's a bundle you may have seen already if you follow me on either Twitter or Instagram, either way, search for @GB_COMICS. I'll post more previews as soon as they're Photoshopped. In the meantime, you can sate your Nightbus appetite with copies of issues 1 & 2, which are available at the Shop.

Conrad, keeping you safe on the way home.

César, providing a public service.

Detective Chief Inspector Greene, on the case.

Detective Inspector Kilbane, taking bad guys down... to Pilgrim Street.

Scarlet, the voice of reason.

Nadine, the voice of Newcastle Student Radio.

Megacon

I'll be appearing at Carlisle's Megacon this Saturday. That's tomorrow by the way. All being well, this should be a fun day of exciting new comics and workshops and the like. You really should get yourself down there if you're in the area or fancy a day out.

My comics partner in crime, Andy Waugh will be my table buddy and you can also see Sugar Glider co-creator Daniel Clifford in the flesh there too. Andy will have sets of his recent TV and film illustrations, which have caused quite a stir on Twitter, Instagram and all those other Internet hang-outs. Daniel and Lee will be launching their latest issue of their all ages superhero comic, Halcyon & Tenderfoot. I'll have the usual stuff, Sugar Glider, Nightbus, Grainger Street and Show & Tell.

It all kicks off at 1pm at Richard Rose Central Academy, Carlisle and more info can be found here.

The Paris BDSphère 2012

(It's pronounced BéDéSphère, or BayDaySphère, if you prefer.)

Having been to Paris twice in the past twelve months, I think it's high time I share some of its secrets. Namely, the comics shops. 

Paris is one of my favourite places in the world. I'm sure most of the reasons I love it are the same as most people, and as a result, you can read about the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre elsewhere on the Internet. I'll not retread those footsteps. 

Europe, and specifically France and Belgium, are renowned in the comics world as some kind of cultural Mecca for comics creators and readers. The truth is, while you're not exactly tripping over people reading comics in the Parisian boulevards, no-one's spitting on the people reading comics in the Parisian boulevards. So, every time I'm in Paris, it's time to go find some Bandes Désinées.

The Internet isn't overflowing with guides to the Paris comics scene, and some sites of the individual shops are better than others, so to rectify this, here's my attempt at a guide to Parisian comics shops, or the BDSphère as I like to call it. I'm sure you'll forgive me that it's incomplete, anyone up for a trip to Paris?

Let's start at the Comics Quarter.

Located in the heart of the city, a short walk from one of the city's major sites, Notre Dame, the Comics Quarter is located within the slightly larger Latin Quarter around La Sorbonne. Go to the cross roads between the Boulevard Saint-Jacques and Boulevard Saint-Germain. You could also get the metro to Cluny-La Sorbonne and exit at those two streets.

Album, Boulevard Saint-Germain, The Comics Quarter, 5th Arrondissement, Metro: Cluny-La Sorbonne.

Directly opposite each other on the crossroads are two, yes two, branches of Album. The first is largely French new releases and Tintin. You can pick up albums in French, a few of the major titles in English too, merchandise and prints. Last year I picked up an anthology of prize winners at the Angoulême festival. I've also seen comics from British publisher NoBrow in this branch. The Album over the road is a mix of mainstream American comics, sic-fi merch and art books and sketchbooks, some of which were signed. I was tempted by the two volume guide to all of the Invader mosaics in Paris, but put it back due to its mighty weight.

Rue Dante

This little side street comes off from the crossroads and houses loads of smaller comics shops. Pulp's Comics is mainly American superhero comics, t-shirts and lots of figures.

Aapoum Baapoum gives the impression fo having second hand wares, but there's a great selection of superstars of French BDs. It's all laid out in a really practical way, like vinyl in in trays in an independent record shop. I could easily lay my hands on Hergé, Moebius, Trondheim, Blaine, Pratt, Sfar, Delisle and any others you could mention. Closer inspection revealed that the comics were actually stored in old wine boxes. Only in France. The chap who ran the place was very jolly and helpful too. A class act all round.

Little Tokyo is tiny, but rammed full of stock to satisfy just about all of your Manga and Anime needs. There's a good proportion of Studio Ghibli merch here, some of which I'd never seen elsewhere. Next door there's a shop that feels like a gallery crossed with a trendy design shop, but has a relatively small stock (given the space) of art books and sketchbooks. I think they might have a more impressive range compared to the equivalent section in the second Album shop, but be aware that some of the same books are a couple of Euros more expensive here.

Opera BD, Rue des Tournelles, Le Marais, 4th Arrondissement, Metro: Bastille.

This is possibly my favourite BD shop in Paris. On a practical level, it's very close to where we like to stay in the lively Bastille neighbourhood. Secondly it's open from 11-midnight, so you could go out for dinner and do some late night comics buying afterwards. Which is what we did. This shop has new releases, more French superstars and comics aimed at kids. Again, a very lovely atmosphere and a pleasant host as well. I picked up the first Corto Maltese book by Hugo Pratt here, I've never read the series, but I've liked the artwork and rarely seen the books in the UK. Reading in French has the odd effect of slowing the pace down, and giving a massive sense of achievement after every page that's traversed with minimal or no assistance from Google Translate.

Manga Paris, Boulevard Voltaire, Bastille, 11th Arrondissement, Metro: Voltaire.

This shop is like a Tardis, it appears quite modest on the outside but just keeps getting bigger. As you'd expect, a rather large selection of Manga, Anime and merch. There was a whole stand of J-Pop CDs too. The staff were really helpful, in spite of my French.

Super Héros, Rue Saint-Martin, Beaubourg, 3rd Arrondissement, Metro: Rambuteau.

This was on the list because this is the comics shop that features in Lewis Trondheim's Approximate Continuum Comics. In the scene, there is a book launch at the shop, Trondheim gets blind drunk and makes a fool of himself outside. Again, largely French stuff from the super héros of the medium, some kid's books, some signed books and some rather lovely prints make this another delight. There's a Jacques Tardi drawing on the wall outside too, so you know you're nearly there. It's not too far away from the Pompidou Centre, whose shop should also have a mention for having an impressive BD section.

Oh, by the way, here's my comics haul...

So there you are, my latest trip to Paris from the point of view of the comics shops. That's not all of them by the way, so if anyone wants a more comprehensive guide to the City of Light's BDeries, then let's have a whip round. I'll do a good job of it, with maps and drawings. Maybe even interviews. 

Nightbus 3 Update

Ok, so I can imagine you're excited about Nightbus 3 coming out, so here's the reveal of the other silhouette image I posted a while ago.

Some of you might be wondering what stage I'm up to, and at the time of writing this, I've just scanned all of the pages and set out the pages. Next it's the black and grey tones, followed by tidying up the lettering and all those tedious finishing touches. The plus side is, you guys get preview images soon! That'll probably show up first via my Twitter and Instagram.

If you're a fan of my work via Sugar Glider, you may not know anything about Nightbus. Nightbus is a collaboration between myself and writer Chris Jones. It began in 2007, with the release of this two-page comic for free in numerous locations around Newcastle and of course, on this very site. It introduced the world to the pair who run Newcastle Student Safety Bus, Conrad and César, and the events they uncover after dark. Three more free snapshots followed before they were collected with extra material in 2008 to create Nightbus 1 which was released simultaneously at the UK Web and Mini Comics Thing and the Newcastle branch of Travelling Man.

Later in 2008, we released a new snapshot, setting up a longer story for Nightbus 2, which was in turn released at Travelling Man that October. The second comic introduced new characters, notably the Northumbria Police detectives Greene and Kilbane.

Nightbus always sold reasonably well and gathered a small but passionate following, a year after issue two came out, there was an unexpected surge in popularity for the comic, we made lots of sales, had lots of positive reviews, I was interviewed on local radio and the real people behind the real Nightbus got in touch to commission me for a bespoke strip. Really, that's when we should have dropped issue three, but 2009 was a busy year, the Paper Jam Comics Collective was making huge steps with the quality of the anthologies and launch parties, and of course, that is the year that Sugar Glider was created. She took up the vast majority of my comics time from there. I certainly won't make the same mistake with SG, that trilogy will be concluded as soon as I've dealt with this one!

In 2010, Andy Waugh and I released Show & Tell, a comic that showcased both of our work. I put a new Nightbus strip in Show & Tell, but perhaps because it was out of context, reviews weren't as positive. So here we are, a new Nightbus for a new generations on the horizon. You may want to catch up on the events of issues 1, 2 and the strip from Show & Tell. All of which are available in the Shop for next to nowt.

Special Announcement: Nightbus is Coming

It's been a long while, but this year will see the completion of a trilogy. I'm very pleased to announce that the Newcastle-set crime drama Nightbus will be concluded with the release of issue 3 in time for the autumn and winter con season.

Now let's have a look at one of those mysterious silhouettes with the lights turned up a little.

More news will be on the blog as they happen, but if you don't know what I'm talking about, maybe you should get up to speed with the Nightbus stories that are out there already.

Nightbus is Newcastle after dark. A series of short vignettes form the world of Nighbus, the scuffles in the street, the businesses that change hands on the roll of a dice, the deals behind closed doors. If you like Sugar Glider, you really need to read Nightbus. It's perhaps a little less well adjusted, rough around the edges, but we like it just the same. You can buy Nightbus 1 and 2 individually at the Shop, or take advantage of the two-for-two-quid deal. Don't forget there's a short Nightbus comic in my half of Show & Tell.

Oh, You Shouldn't Have...

No, really, you shouldn't have.

So...

Actually, while we're about it, who is that mysterious gentleman?

Draw Everyday Part XVII

More Lego this week, and seeing as Sugar Glider 3 will feature, among other things, more of the Vigilance team, here's a look at two of them in Lego form. Some of you may already know Red Kite and Barn Owl from their appearances in Sugar Glider Stories 1 & 2, but if not, you can pick up those two books at the shop.

Draw Everyday Part XVI

This week's Draw Everyday has another Lego theme. I just got one of the Lego video games for my birthday last month and have been thinking about Sugar Glider spin offs again. The Lego Sugar Glider game would be sooooo good. We probably have enough characters to make it work too. anyway, in the meantime, here's a minifigure version of Don Quixote from SG 2.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you really need to read Sugar Glider 2 which is available here. Don't forget that issue 1 is being serialised for free online at sugarglidercomics.com but you can still buy one of the last few physical copies at the shop too.

More next week...

Sugar Glider Stories 1 Review at New Readers

The good people at New Readers, Start Here have only gone and reviewed Sugar Glider Stories 1 for us. The site has the noble mission statement of reviewing a wide range of comics in order to demonstrate the vast breadth of genres within comics. Essentially, it goes back to the old adage of "there's a comic for everyone, you just need to find it". This site is hopefully going to help people do just that.


Here's a snippet from reviewer Saranga:

"It's intriguing and it's memorable and it's got a uniqueness about it you don't often find in small press, independent comics."

Sugar Glider Stories isn't a perfect comic, and as with all anthologies, is a gamble. some inconsistencies are brought up in the review, but I think the SGS books work best as part of the whole, adding to the experience of the main title. So I was really pleased that this review showed the opposite view of reading SGS first and opening up the curiosity to delve deeper into the Gliderverse.

You can read the whole of Saranga's review at New Readers, Start Here, you can buy Sugar Glider Stories 1 and all of the other SG comics here, and don't forget that Sugar Glider 1 is being serialised online for free starting here and continuing every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Draw Everyday Part XV

It's been a while since the last Draw Everyday, and that's because I've been too busy working on a couple of things to post sketchbook stuff consistently. More on that later, maybe next week.

I had a request a while back (on Draw Everyday Part VII to be exact) from Lily for some architecture, specifically, Newcastle's Civic Centre. I mentioned that I had something in the pipeline, but I've only just managed to ink it this week. The Civic Centre is a funny building, a sort of miss mash of buildings that don't seem to fit together, with a huge tower that adds a circle of seahorses to the Newcastle skyline.

Anyway, here it is, let me know what you think. I'll try to post more architecture soon.