Hit & Run
(or random notes from an idiot comics writer)

Not So Epic Anymore
The front door has barely slapped Bill Jemas on the arse and already Marvel is undoing some of his achievements. Namely scaling back the Epic line from four-five titles to one quarterly anthology.

Well, quarterly is as much as the first issue will come out, and then Marvel will assess how well it sells before committing to a second issue.

Hang on, doesn't that make it a one-shot then?

My condolences to the creators who have seen Marvel bottle out on any faith they had in their work before it had even been listed in Previews. Granted, Crimson Dynamo has yet to burn through the sales charts, but didn't the low-expectation production matrix allow for that?

Nope, smacks of a heavy-handed new broom sweeps clean kind of mentality.

28 Walking Dead Days Later
Read the first issue of Image's The Walking Dead the other night. And despite the initial opening reading like an Amercanised spin on the begining of 28 Days Later (lead character wakes from a coma to discover the whole worlds gone all zombified), Robert Kirkman has capture the sphincter-constricting atmos necessary for a gripping survival horror read. Tony Moore's grey-toned art is also something to be thankful for too - get a copy while you can, and feel smug when the likes of Wizard jump on the bandwagon months after you've been reading it.

Tattoo You
Obligatory plug time. The latest issue of Warhammer Monthly - numero 74 - has my The Tale Of The Tattoo strip capably illustrated by Jon Haward. I never had the chance to meet Jon at last week's London Comic Festival unfortunately. Pity that, as the man's apparently a hardened KISS fan. I'm currently rediscovering my love for the retro rock I grew up with, it would have been fun to have a chat about Gene and the boys. In the meantime, check out Jon's webpage at www.jonhawardart.com

Also, please order Warhammer Monthly 77 from the latest issue of Previews. I've been reliably informed by Master of the Monthly Christian that Mundizuma's Revenge - my tale of an idiot lizardman - will see print in that issue. I've seen Brit stalwart artist Mike Collins work on this and, trust me, it'll be worth your cash for that alone. And then there's also all the other top notch sci-fi and fantasy adventure strips by the likes of Gordon Rennie, Dan Abnett, Mitchell Scanlon, etc.

Oh yeah, and get on the ground floor with this title now as there are a heck of a lot of established Brit artists doing work for the Monthly and Inferno! magazine too. You want names? How about Steve Yeowell, Gary Erskine, Clint Langley and - brace yourself kids - Frazer Irving?