Bristol International Comic and Small Press Expo - Part 2

Regular visitors to Escape from Tomorrow will know just how much I enjoy books from publisher Top Cow - Witchblade, The Darkness, Velocity, Magdalena ... the list goes: complex characters in thought provoking stories complemented by some of the finest art you'll find anywhere in comic books.

Imagine my delight, therefore, when I saw that both Matt Timson and David Hine were scheduled to appear at this years BICSPE.

As I was based at the Mercure Holland House Hotel conference centre I tracked down Matt Timson first. I'd met Matt last year at the Exeter Comic Expo where, aside from getting a few books signed, I was able to purchase an extremely limited edition A3 Darkness print.

Matt very kindly agreed to sign a couple more books and to do a sketch for me - I asked for Batman after seeing a really nice Batman sketch he'd posted a little while ago on Twitter.

I popped back an hour or so later and couldn't have been happier with what I saw - Matt was putting the finishing touches to this stunning illustration.

Matt had a brought along a selection of prints of some of his work and, continuing the theme started at Exeter last year, I purchased a glossy, full colour print of his cover from Top Cow's free comic book day offering The Darkness II: Confession that I'll shortly be framing and displaying at home.

I genuinely couldn't have been happier with both the sketch and the print - thank you Matt.

Over at the Ramada City Hotel David Hine was sharing a table with Shaky Kane where, amongst other projects, they were promoting their Bulletproof Coffin collection. David was kind enough to sign copies of Top Cow's The Darkness: Four Horsemen for me and then, after signing some of my Batman books, very graciously agreed to my unusual request for him to record a promo 'bumper' for a forthcoming episode of The Batman Universe Comic Podcast.

Two very nice, and super talented, guys who it really was my pleasure to meet once again.

Free Comic Book Day from Top Cow: The Darkness II: Confession

With Free Comic Book Day just over a month away there's news from Top Cow Publications of another great title that will be available on the day.

In conjunction with 2K Games and the Free Comic Book Day Committee Top Cow will be releasing The Darkness II: Confession, an exclusive comic tie-in prequel for the forthcoming The Darkness II video game.

The 32-page, full-colour comic will be based on a story created by Top Cow's Matt Hawkins and Filip Sablik, written by Filip Sablik, feature art by Artifacts team Michael Broussard and Sunny Gho, and a fantastic cover by Escape from Tomorrow favourite Matt Timson (Impaler, The Darkness).

2K Games Partners with Top Cow to Offer Fans The Darkness II: Confession
on Free Comic Book Day
Exclusive comic prequel to the upcoming supernatural horror video game
New York, NY – April 4, 2011 – 2K Games, Top Cow Productions, Inc., and the Free Comic Book Day Committee announced today that they have teamed up to produce The Darkness II: Confession, an exclusive comic tie-in for The Darkness™ II video game, for Free Comic Book Day. The 32-page, full-color comic will be a prequel to 2K Games’ upcoming video game, The Darkness II. Produced by Top Cow’s lead artists and writers in partnership with 2K Games, The Darkness II: Confession will be distributed by Diamond Comic Distributors to thousands of independent comic book stores worldwide on May 7, 2011.

“Top Cow has always supported Free Comic Book Day and this year we’ve created our best offering yet with The Darkness II: Confession, a prequel to the upcoming video game The Darkness II by 2K Games,” said self-proclaimed hardcore gamer and president of Top Cow, Matt Hawkins. “In working closely with 2K Games on the comic, we’ve ensured that everything fits into The Darkness’ canon for long-time and new fans of Jackie Estacado. This free comic is a perfect primer for the game.”

Since its inception in 2002, the Free Comic Book Day event has celebrated the original American comic book art form by supplying thousands of participating independent comic book specialty shops around the world with free comic books for fans. Top Cow has participated as a publisher since the beginning and has given out over half a million free comics through the event, including The Darkness which has appeared in a number of previous Free Comic Book Day offerings such as Artifacts #0, Broken Trinity #0 and First Born: Conception. This year, Top Cow is a Silver Sponsor of Free Comic Book Day 2011, The Darkness II: Confession will be based on a story created by Top Cow's Matt Hawkins and Filip Sablik, written by Filip Sablik (Pilot Season: Alibi, Last Mortal), feature art by Artifacts team Michael Broussard and Sunny Gho, and a cover by Matt Timson (Impaler, The Darkness).

The Darkness II: Confession introduces comic fans, video game fans, and new readers to Jackie Estacado, the bearer of The Darkness, an ancient primal force which acts a blessing and a curse for its bearer, allowing him access to an otherworldly dimension and control over the demons that dwell there. The Darkness II: Confession takes readers from Jackie’s origins in the first video game, through his rise to power, and the events leading up to The Darkness II.

The Darkness II video game breaks out of the sea of conventional first-person shooters with its fervid Quad-Wielding gameplay, which will allow players to slash, grab, and throw objects and enemies with their Demon Arms while simultaneously firing two weapons. The game is layered with the use of dark versus light, steeped in deep and twisted storytelling, and engulfed in stylistic violence that is visualized through a hand-painted graphic noir technique that stays true to its comic book origins.

The Darkness II: Confession and The Darkness II video game are based on the supernatural horror comic book series created by Top Cow. The Darkness II video game will be coming to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC in fall 2011. The Darkness II is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information on The Darkness II, please visit www.embracethedarkness.com. For more information on Free Comic Book Day, please visit: www.freecomicbookday.com. To find out more about Top Cow, please visit: www.topcow.com.

Pick(s) of the Week: The Darkness #89 and Twilight Guardian #1

If you're heading out to your local comic book store this weekend then I'd like to recommend you pick up the following couple of titles that are published by Top Cow.

The Darkness #89
story by Joshua Hale Fialkov, art and cover by Matt Timson
32 pages, full colour, $2.99

"High Noon" A Tale Of The Darkness Special.
Ramon Estacado is the worst kinda outlaw. He can't be killed, his gang is a buncha Darklings and he has his sights set on a train fulla federal gold. When his old gang shows up with new demonic powers and an even more powerful grudge, will Ramon embrace the light and change his ways? Ain't likely. Joshua Hale Fialkov (Echoes, Tumor) and Matt Timson (Impaler, Popgun) ride together to bring you a tale of outlaws, double cross and great big exploding trains.

Top Cow handle 'done-in-one' stories really well I think and with Joshua Hale Fialkov and Matt Timson at the helm for this issue how could it fail - did you see the line about the 'great big exploding trains'?!

You can see a number of exclusive preview pages featuring Matt Timson's fantastic artwork over at Comic Book Resources.


Twilight Guardian #1
story by Troy Hickman, art by Siddharth Kotian, cover by Eric Jones
32 pages, full colour, $3.99

The Pilot Season Winner Returns!

The tale of a lone, dedicated hero patrolling her nine block suburban neighborhood captured the imaginations of fans during 2008’s Pilot Season and after heated voting emerged as one of the winning titles.
Now creator and writer Troy Hickman (Common Grounds) returns with a four issue limited series, which will delve into Twilight Guardian’s past, her motivations for crime-fighting, and even give her an arch-nemesis in the terrifying Dusk Devil! Joining Hickman is up-and-coming artist Siddharth Kotian (Eat The Dead). Issue #1 features a beautiful painted cover by Eric Jones (Hack/Slash, Unknown).

One of the winning titles from Top Cow's Pilot Season in 2008 I've been looking forward to this four-part mini series for a while. Once again, head over to CBR where you can see a preview of this first issue.


Reviews of both books to follow. More details can be found at Top Cow and Image Comics.

Darkness Falls Over Exeter: Top Cow Creators at the Exeter Comic Expo 2010

You might remember that a week or so ago I attended the Exeter Comic Expo, organised by Mike and his team at Fantasy Events UK, which was held at the four star Mercure Hotel in Exeter city centre, Devon.

Fantasy Events UK have a great track record organising such events having promoted the annual Bristol International Comic and Small Press Expo for a number of years so I went along with high expectations ... and I wasn't disappointed.

Alongside a wealth of local and national dealers - including Krackers, Reed Comics, Funky Monkey - were a number of very special guest creators.

As a fan of the Top Cow Universe I was very excited at the prospect of meeting writer and artist David Hine and artist Matt Timson.

I've long-since been a fan of David Hine's writing and was grateful to speak with him for 10 minutes or so about his Daredevil: Redemption mini-series for Marvel a few years ago - which to this day is one of the most moving comic book stories I've read - the numerous Batman-family books he has written and continues to write for DC as well as his four-issue mini series for Top Cow the Four Horsemen.

The first two parts of this series have so far been published - issue #2 is in stores today in fact - and I've certainly enjoyed what I've read. It was interesting to discuss some of the plot points with Mr Hine and get a first hand insight into his particular writing process.

Likewise, I enjoyed an interesting, albeit briefer, conversation with artist Matt Timson after which I purchased an extremely limited edition A3 Darkness print, the proceeds from which were being donated to charity. While we chatted about his work Mr Timson was kind enough to sign the image which will shortly have pride of place on my wall.


Aside from bringing away some fantastic souvenirs of the day it really was my great pleasure to meet two such talented and likeable men.

More from my visit to Exeter to follow - the next Exeter Comic Expo will take place on Sunday 20 February 2011, again at the Mercure Hotel, as part of the annual Animated Exeter festival.

Links:
Top Cow
Fantasy Events UK
Animated Exeter
Matt Timson website, blog

Exeter International Comic Expo - September 2010

I've received news ahead of the Exeter International Comic Expo 2010, sponsored by Com.x, and it looks like we're in for another superb event from organisers Fantasy Events UK, the team behind the ever-popular Bristol International Comic and Small Press Expo.

Taking place at the Mercure Southgate Hotel, in the heart of Exeter city centre, on Sunday 19 September 2010, the Exeter International Comic Expo features a host of talented creators including Special Guests Lee Garbett (Outsiders, Batgirl, Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne), David Hine and Shaky Kane, who will be signing copies of Bulletproof Coffin with issue #4 debuting at the Expo, Matt Timson (The Impaler, The Darkness, The Darkness: High Noon) along with Guest of Honour Mike Ploog.

Lee Garbett will be signing copies of the recently published Batgirl Rising trade paperback which features the first 7 issues of the series written by Bryan Q. Miller. Furthermore, Expo visitors who purchase a copy of Batgirl Rising from the Krackers booth will receive a print of this fantastic pencilled splash page - from Batgirl #12 - which will be printed on A3 300gsm card stock: you'll find me somewhere in that queue!


As well as the creators there will be a wide range of dealers in attendance including Expo regulars Reed Comics, Full Circle Publications, PsiComics, The Comic Man and the aforementioned Taunton-based Krackers.

The event takes place from 11am to 4pm with entry an absolute bargain £2 while children under 12 years of age are admitted free of charge with a fee paying adult.

I attended Fantasy Events Exeter Expo in February of this year and had a wonderful day picking up a load of back-issues, new publications, sketches and chatting with creators and comic fans alike. The venue, the Mercure Southgate Hotel, was absolutely superb with fantastic facilities, friendly staff, large function rooms and a great restaurant.

I can't recommended this event too highly - along with the Bristol International Comic and Small Press Expo the Exeter Expo has quickly become one of the highlights of my 'comic year' - and more details and additions to guest list can, of course, be found at the Fantasy Events website.

EXETER INTERNATIONAL COMIC EXPO
Sunday 19 September, 11am to 4pm
Mercure Exeter Southgate Hotel

Expo website