Reviews: Astonishing X-Men #50, Dancer #1, Epic Kill #1, Hardcore Pilot Season #1, Mind MGMT #1
Jimmy is back home in NYC and is joined by old pal/former guest co-host Matt Brick. Jimmy's having back issues but still was able to check out some great videos like the new Primus "Lee Van Cleef", Greg Pak's new Pakcast and the ECCC Star Wars Radio Play with big names in the voice over world like Rob Paulsen, Billy West and Tara Strong. Plus, they give congrats to good friends Becky Cloonan and Andy Belanger on their recent engagement! News includes: a Fables Con is teased, hearing impaired kid inspires Marvel, NYCC officially merges with NYAF, body painted topless girls get kicked out of Motor City Con and a possible zombie attack in Florida. As always, listener feedback, the Top 3 and more! Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love!
Jimmy is still in London at the SelfMadeHero offices and publisher Emma Hayley hangs around to co-host this SMH special! Great intereviews at Kapow Con with SMH creators Kate Brown, JAKe, Will Bingley, Anthony Hope-Smith, I.N.J. Culbard, and editor Dan Lockwood. Emma also gives us a brief history of SMH and what's available in the UK and on its way to the US! Really great graphic novels coming from them so be sure to check it all out. Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love!
Thanks to publisher Emma Hayley for letting me record in the swanky SMH offices and for being a lovely co-host for this episode and the previous one! You rock, Ems!
Jimmy covered the Kapow Comic Con in London last weekend and got tons of great interviews with the likes of Mark Millar, Jonathan Ross, John McCrea, Gary Erskine, Dave Barris, Emily Lockwood, Scott Mackay (Electric Man), Gemma Bedea, Lee Fenton Wilkinson (Afroella), Neil Gibson (Twisted Dark), Rasheed, Tayo Olarewaju (Mister Who), Steve Tanner (Time Bomb Comics)! He recorded the show with Self Made Hero publisher Emma Hayley (pictured with Jimmy above) in their posh offices. Since there was such massive coverage, he threw the format show out the window and just did a big Kapow recap with interviews. So no news, reviews, Top 3 or feedback. Fret not, regular format will return next week! And if you want to read the recap complete with pictures, go read it here. Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love!
TUNE IN FRIDAY FOR ANOTHER KAPOW CON PODCAST! This one is a Self Made Hero special. Jimmy got so many great interviews from numerous creators/editors at the SMH booth at Kapow. So get to downloading it when it's out to hear Kate Brown, JAKe, I.N.J. Culbard, Anthony Hope Smith, Will Bingley, and Dan Lockwood. SMH publisher Emma Hayley stayed on to help Jimmy record this podcast in the SMH offices. Don't miss it!
And then next week for a special CNI/Stated Magazine crossover interview special with comedian/comic book writer Frankie Boyle!
Jimmy's UK tour continues! I attended the Kapow Con to cover for my podcast COMIC NEWS INSIDER, The Beat, and Stated Magazine as well as just hang with friends! Strap in for the ride, kids.
After staying in Crayford with pals Jamie and Sarah, they drove me to fellow podcaster (Geek Syndicate)/rogue/awesome bud Dave Monteith's spot in South London on Friday afternoon. Shortly after arriving, we headed out to Forbidden Planet in central London as there was a big comic book signing going on. Friends Becky Cloonan and the Kill Shakespeare boys Andy Belanger, Anthony Del Col, and Conor McCreery were part of it. Also big guns Jock, Scott Snyder and Trevor McCarthy were signing too. Afterwards, we went off to the famed Phoenix bar/club where tons of comic folks already were hanging and drinking. And boy did the spot fill up with comic book folks! Marvel's Joe Quesada and C.B. Cebulski attended along with the likes of Charlie Adlard, Paul Cornell, Tony Lee, and sooooo many more. It was sort of the pre-Kapow drink up. I met lots of other cool folks as well. Bit of a time getting back to Dave's home late at night, but we made it! Don't know why London tubes stop around 1am. Alas. Bed at 3:30 a.m.
Saturday morning, I arrived at Kapow Con at the Business Design Center in London around 11:00 a.m. It was already teeming with my fellow nerds and the vibe was well...vibrant! I had several interviews lined up for the weekend, but many I just wanted to discover on my own. I like to walk around the show floor and see what catches my eye and if it interests me, then interview the creators. I found a lot! It was a great set up on the main mezzanine floor. The "artist alley" bit was on the 2nd level and not all in a row due to design of the center itself. So you had about 6 tables in little cul de sacs going down the left side of the center. I talked to several of the cartoonists with tables and a few said it hurt traffic while others said they made out like gangbusters. It was a good variety of both big names and small press/indie creators up there. On the ground floor was a wrestling ring (you'll hear about that later) and a stage where they did interviews. I liked the stage interviews as it gave people a chance to stand around and listen to creators/actors/etc. talk about their work.
After my walkabout and saying hi to numerous pals exhibiting, I met up with good pal/fellow podcaster Barry Nugent (also of Geek Syndicate) and we headed over to the VIP drinks reception being held about 5 minutes away.
As we entered the bar, I saw Frankie Boyle coming out. If you don't know, he's a well known (and I find hilarious though some think controversial/insulting) comedian in the UK. He's also been writing a comic that has appeared in Clint Magazine. We had been in touch before to meet up and do an interview. So, as I serendipitously ran into him, he said, "Do you want to do the interview now?". After agreeing, we walked off to grab some lunch and I invited Barry along for the ride. Pleasant to find out Frankie is a proper comics nerd and we chatted a lot about it. We also delved into his comedian life as I was also interviewing him for Stated Magazine. Super nice guy though rest assured that he still brought the insult comedy. Which we loved! We chatted for about an hour and I'll release that as a podcast soon as well as put up an interview on Stated at some point. Thanks to Frankie for his time and for buying us lunch.
After that great start to the show, I walked about some more and grabbed some interviews. Not too many this day as I planned many more on the next. I always like to get an idea of where everyone is and then grab them the next day. Also, gives me a chance to do a bit of research on them if I have time.
A bit later, I ran into my bud Jonathan Ross (is it name dropping if you are friends?) and chatted with him for a bit. We made plans to meet up later and I was heading off until he told me he was going to be doing some wrestling. You read that right. Some wrestling. There was a wrestling ring at the entrance where the Lucha Britannia Wrestling group held matches all day. Gotta say, it was pretty fun to watch.
I went back over with Jonathan and waited for his bit. It was pretty funny. El Bastardo held up a comic of JR's comic "America's Got Powers" and started insulting the comic crowd. And then ripped it in half. Wossy jumped in the ring and they went at it! The crowd started chanting "Wossy! Wossy! Wossy!". Don't believe me? Check it!
Pretty awesome stuff! After the "match", we decided to call it a day and head over to the Hilton for drinks. Everyone from the con was there and we all drank a few and chatted much. It is funny when you hang with someone so well known and watching people react to them. Some were losing their shit! Of course, Jonathan is the nicest guy around and super generous and fun. (Thanks for the drinks!). I went off to dinner with a big group of friends including Emma Vieceli, Andrew Ruddick, Marc Ellerby, Adam Cadwell, Becky Cloonan, Andy Belanger and others. Good food, good convo, good times. Back to the Hilton for more shenanigans and drinks and home by 2am.
Sunday started a bit earlier and we got to the con by 10am. I was scheduled to meet Jonathan then to do an actual interview. Due to schedules, it got pushed back a couple of times. As did mine with Mark Millar. Still, I went about rushing to get more. And boy did I get them! I didn't realize the show ended at 3:30 which I thought was too early. 5pm would have been perfect. All of my English pals said it was "tea time". I did a ton of interviews with creators from SelfMadeHero. A great UK publisher that is putting out some amazing graphic novels. So many interviews that I'll be releasing a SMH special podcast later in the week.
I serendipitously ran into Jimmy Carr whom I really wanted to interview. He was with Frankie Boyle as they were doing a panel later. He was very kind but declined the interview as his missus was ill and he had to get back. Then he went into comedy mode and said, "Don't mean to be a dick. Not interested so piss off." Ha! Of course, he was kidding and told it in typical Carr fashion. Still, would love to have chatted with him. Maybe next trip!
And finally, after much delay and rescheduling, I was able to grab Mr. Kapow Con himself Mark Millar after the show ended. He's always been lovely to me and remembers when we first met in NYC all those years ago. We sat for about 15 minutes and chatted about the show, comics, movies and more. After that, it was over! Back to the Hilton for more drinks and good-byes.
Oh, I should mention the panels! There were some awesome ones for sure, but I only popped my head into a few of them for about 15-20 minutes at a time due to interview schedules. I went to the beginning of the Independent comics panel. Which seemed a bit unbalanced. No disrespect meant, of course. It seemed like it was originally supposed to be a panel for a specific indie anthology but then a few established indie/mainstream creators (Kate Brown, Becky Cloonan and Emma Vieceli) were thrown on it at the last minute. Some even joked about it. In all reality (again, no disrespect), I would have loved to have seen a panel with just Kate, Becky and Emma as the 3 of them are so engaging, smart and funny.
I almost forgot to show you my stash as well! I didn't pick up too much as many books I had already gotten at the previous week's Bristol Expo. Plus, I got handed a few as well. Thanks to all! Can't wait to get my eyeballs reading them.
I know there was some controversy with this show. But I have to say, it was quite well run. Kudos to Lucy and Sarah. I met them early on Saturday and they were quite good to me and helped get me in touch with some interviewees and were helpful with any other info I needed.
For the record, I got the following interviews over the weekend: Dave Barris, Emily Lockwood, Scott Mackay (Electric Man film), Frankie Boyle, Gary Erskine, Gemma Bedea, Lee Fenton Wilkinson (Afroella), John McCrea (and son Kirby), Jonathan Ross, Mark Millar, Neil Gibson (Twisted Dark), Rasheed, Tayo Olarewaju (Mister Who), Steve Tanner (Time Bomb Comics) and the many SelfMadeHero creators like Anthony Hope Smith, Will Bingley (Gonzo), Dan Lockwood (Lovecraft Editor), - JAKe (Hellraisers), Kate Brown (Fish & Chocolate), and I.N.J. Culbard (Charles Dexter Ward). Expect these interviews to go up this week!
Overall, I had a great time and felt it was a really well run show. Did it have a stumble or 2? Sure. But everyone I chatted with seemed to have a good time. You can't knock the enthusiasm felt in the con at all times. I'd definitely love to come back next year if I can.
Great to see everyone there and apologies for not mentioning everyone but I'm gonna name a few that I hung/drank with on numerous occasions! (In no particular order)...first off, mad props/thanks to David/Siobhan Monteith for letting me stay with them all weekend into next. Emma and Doug (SelfMadeHer0), 2000AD boys, C.B. Cebulski, Jonathan Ross, Frankie Boyle, Emma Vieceli, Andrew Ruddick, Kate Brown, Becky Cloonan, Andy Belanger, Anthony Del Col, Barry Nugent, Sophie Calder (Titan Books), Emma Price, Marc Ellerby, Adam Cadwell, Gary Erskine, Lee Bradley, John McCrea, Cat Collins, Mark Millar, Sarah Unwin, Lucy Unwin, GM Jordan, Nabil, Lisa and Clark (Thought Bubble), and the beat goes on!
I'm sure I've forgotten some. If I met you and gave you my card, please drop me an email to follow up as I'll be having lots of catching up to do when I return to NYC on Tuesday. Unless I find a beautiful and nice British girl who'll marry me, take me in and help me find work. I've got 2 days. It could happen.
Jimmy got even more interviews at Bristol Expo last weekend! He stayed with cartoonist Jamie Smart for a few days and they recorded this episode to bring you these interviews with Al Ewing, Val Kapadai, Richard Worth/Jordan Collver and Sam Gardner/Jake Rowlinson! He also caught up with Jamie to see what he's been working on as well. Lots of great comics to be heard about! Possible Judge Dredd spoilers in the Al Ewing interview. Jimmy continues his UK tour and is covering Kapow Con this weekend so rest assured there'll be plenty coverage/interviews from there! As always, listener feedback, the Top 3 and more! Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love!
Reviews: Fury MAX #1, Mind The Gap #1, Rex Zombie Killer One Shot, Trio #1
Jimmy is in the UK covering Bristol Expo and Kapow Con for about 12 days! He recorded this episode in Cambridge at lovely host Emma Vieceli's house along with fellow traveling Yank Becky Cloonan and UK comic creators Sonia Leong and Morag Lewis. It's a recap of Bristol Expo in Bristol which Jimmy attended and CamCon in Cambridge which Emma, Sonia and Morag attended. You can also read Jimmy's recap here (and follow his UK adventures on his website). No news but lots of interviews and recap love! Jimmy got tons of great interviews at Bristol. So many that there will be an extra show on Saturday so you can hear them all. In this show, you'll hear: Adam Cadwell, Marc Ellerby, Gavin Mitchell, PJ Montgomery, Joe Glass, Dani Abram, Jennie Gyllblad, Corey Brotherson, Yomi Ayeni, Harry Markos and Joel Meadows! Phew! Lots of great UK creators to be heard. Jimmy's heading off to Kapow Con this weekend in London so expect more great interviews and news! As always, listener feedback, the Top 3 and more! Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love!
The Bristol Comic Expo was held in Bristol, UK this weekend on May 12-13 at The Passenger Shed in Brunel's Old Station. I was over to cover for my podcast COMIC NEWS INSIDER and The Beat as well as see friends. I've attended Bristol Expo 2 previous times. First in 2008 when it was the train station like this year. And again in 2010 when it was split between the Ramada and Mercure hotels. I was happy to see it back in the station as it kept everything (except for panels) in one place. When I first came back in 2008, it was the biggest comics show in the UK. Now, with the massive proliferation of other shows, some feel it has been hurt by this trend especially since there are literally 2 more in a row in London. I still found it quite a vibrant show with lots of great UK talent exhibiting. From small press unknowns trying to make a name to the big names in UK comics, it was a great array of comic folks.
To me, this is the UK COMICS SCENE. Not the big crazy American scene that obviously showcases great American talent. I came over to find/interview/etc. the local talent. Some complained that there was no American presence (ahem!) but I feel it's not necessary. Denny O'Neil was scheduled to attend but had to drop out for health reasons. I know I speak for many when I say that we wish him a speedy recovery. I know it's fun for comics fans to meet some of their idols from across the pond but I think it's also great for them to meet their local heroes. And many were there in the form of big creators like Ian Edginton, D'Israeli, Al Ewing, John Higgins, Simon Bisley, Paul Cornell, Gary Erskine and others. Fan favorites like Marc Ellerby and Adam Cadwell also. Rising star Val Kapadai was also in attendance. So many more great creators too numerous to mention. (Go to the official website for the list).
I traveled the floor with an idea of some interviews I was going to do but really just explored each row discovering new books/talent that I hadn't heard of. And boy howdy, did I! So many great comics out there. I'll put up the interviews in 2 podcasts this week. Interviewees were: Adam Cadwell (Blood Blokes) and Marc Ellerby (Chloe Noonan), Al Ewing (Zombo, Judge Dredd, Jennifer Blood), Dani Abram (The Pirates! animated), Gavin Mitchell, PJ Montgomery and Joe Glass (Stiffs, The Pride), Harry Markos (Markosia comics ), Joel Meadows (Tripwire magazine), Jennie Gyllblad, Corey Brotherson, and Yomi Ayeni (Clockwork Watch: The Arrival), Mark Penman (Peabody & D'Gorath) and Andrew Tunney (Girl & Boy), Richard Worth and Jordan Collver (Ladies & Gentlemen), Sam Gardner and Jake Rowlinson (Sioux Warrior), and Valia Kapadai (White Knuckle).
So many more I wanted to chat with but just didn't get the time. I implore my fellow nerds in the UK to attend this show next year to meet and explore the local comics scene. I got a big stash of comics that I am anxious to get to and will hopefully review on the podcast. Check it:
See? Who needs the Big 2?! (Just kidding. I loves them as well). Yes, I understand that big US names will draw more people and make them more money. And I'm sure fundraising is tough for the show. But I think Bristol's future lies with focusing on the UK small press, big UK names and getting 2 or 3 big US names. It can really be like the well respected Heroes Con in the U.S. The Big 2 have no presence there but it's felt because many of their creators show. And they really focus on independents/small press. It's a well attended convention and respected by both pros, press and attendees alike. Bristol can become this instead of falling to the wayside as some suggest. The onus lies with the UK pros, press and fans supporting one of their own.
I talked to many of the creators attending and some had really great weekends and others not so much. This happens at every con and table location is often key. It was a well spread out convention and seemingly well attended. I don't know the final numbers but I know it was higher than some I've seen suggested. It did seem smaller than previous years I've attended but none of that seemed to effect the enthusiasm of the fans attending. From young to old, there was something for everyone. Bristol is a great city for it as well and the Ramada is great about giving discounted rooms for the weekend.
As for panels, all were held in the Ramada conference rooms. So many good ones but I was only able to attend the big 2000AD one as hosted by MegaCast divas/good pals Iz McAuliffe and Stacey Whittle. 2000AD is making a big push to the U.S. market and I am loving it. I didn't grow up with it but have been rapidly catching up on trades being released. There were 9 creators on the panel and it was really informative, well run, funny and just plain awesome. Kudos to Iz and Stacey for putting it together and keeping it rolling smoothly.
Autograph sessions were also held at the Ramada and fans anxiously lined up to meet some of their favorites. Other extracurricular activities included some cosplay competition and many came dressed to the Expo in great costumes.
After show, the Ramada bar was the place to be. You could grab a pint and chat with your favorite creator or just chill with your friends. As many know, I'm a huge Anglophile and have been over a few times so have a large number of pals over in the UK. It was great to see so many and hang. Iz and Rich, Monts, Nuge, Whittle, Dave Ashton, Ellerby, Cadwell, Molcher, and too many others to mention! I closed the bar down on Saturday night around 4:30am with Michael Molcher and Conor & Lizzie Boyle having great conversations about the UK comics scene.
On an even more personal note, it was great to see my Brizzle bird Milena and hang with her a bit as well. Also, old friend Kirstie from NYC moved to Bath a few years back and came in for dinner on Friday night to catch up. The Biz himself seemed smitten with her!
Overall, it was a tremedous show and I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend attending next year and keeping up with the news from it. Sure, there wasn't any big announcements (though Mr. Ewing may have hinted something in my interview...STAY TUNED!) or huge U.S. stars, but it didn't matter. It's a UK show that I am glad was so UK creator heavy. Well done, Bristol! Hope to see you next year. Let's just sort out the exchange rate in my favor this time, UK.
Reviews: Earth Two #1, Smallville Season 11 #1, Worlds Finest Vol 3 #1, The Avengers film
Still recovering from the epic 400th episode last week, Jimmy flies solo to bring you a MoCCA recap and lots of reviews! He gives out his thanks for all the episode 400 love, thoughts on Free Comic Book Day, more Stated Magazine interviews released (Natali Morris, Live Prude Girls), being part of a piece in The Awl, and sadly remembers Maurice Sendak and Adam Yauch. No news as he reviews many of the books he picked up at MoCCA and goes over the awesomeness of the festival. Also, The Beat's Heidi MacDonald leaves a message on the hotline to give her TCAF recap. As always, listener feedback, the Top 3 and more! Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love!
Reviews: Airboy Deadeye #1, Merciless Rise Of Ming #1, Popeye Vol 3 #1
It's the epic 400th episode recording! Recorded live at Hourglass Tavern in midtown Manhattan. Jimmy is joined by frequent co-hosts Kevin Conn, Grace Helbig and Jon Hoche! Producer Joe is on the mixer/tech and made sure everything ran smoothly. So many great guests joined in the fun including Paul Pope, Kevin Maguire, Ben Templesmith, ChrisCross, Becky Cloonan, Ben McCool, Emma Hayley, Dr. Vasilis Pozios and "Alan Moore" even showed up. There was news, reviews, songs and all sorts of silliness. And oh yes...we drank! Thanks to Kasha for photography, Brad for video, Producer Joe for producing, and to Beth and Josh at Hourglass for putting up with us. Also, a big thanks to show sponsors Heidi MacDonald of The Beat and Ryan Swearingen of Stated Magazine for chatting with us for a few minutes as well. CNI and The Beat had a big announcement too! Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love!
