The Final Draft

Hello and welcome to The Final Final Draft. I’m sorry, it’s true, the ride is over. This is The Last Final Draft Ever. I’ve enjoyed the column immensely, and I hope you have too, but things change and it’s time to move on.

The Final Draft is over but I will be back with an all-new (well kinda…you’ll see) column next week.

So, it is with a heavy heart that I invite you to join me for the last time for The Final Draft.

The Panel

I’m sorry to report that there is no Panel this week. The San Diego con amongst other factors **Cough** have meant that I’m afraid The Final Final Draft will be without this excellent feature.

This Week

Let's see what's caught my interest in this week's comicbook news.

DEATH LIVESSS AGAIN!

At long bloody last Rebellion has produced one of the most hotly awaited comicbook games. Dredd Vs Death will be a first-person shooter game for PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. Fancy a sneak peak?

Rebellion has been promising a Judge Dredd game since they took control of 2000AD and I’ve been moaning like a child awaiting Christmas since it was first announced.

Rebellion are desperate not to drop the ball on this and they have announced the launch of a 3rd title, “2000AD’s Extreme Editions”. This title will launch with a 112 page Dredd Vs. Death special due out on the 10th of September (9 days before my wedding anniversary if any of you care). The extreme editions are going to be quarterly, themed, and feature a mix of never before reprinted, hard-to-find classics and editorial features (and loads more)!

”The thrill-packed Dredd Vs. Death Extreme Edition will be packed with fan favourite stories featuring the pernicious Dark Judges, leading off with the 42-page 'Dead Reckoning', by Dredd creator John Wagner and artist Greg Staples, a story that has never been reprinted since its first appearance in 2000 AD. Other never reprinted stories in the special include 'Judge Death: The True Story', by Wagner and veteran 2000 AD artist Ian Gibson, 'Behold the Beast' (which first appeared in the 1983 Judge Dredd Annual) by Wagner and original designer of Dredd, Carlos Ezquerra, and 'Theatre of Death' by Wagner and Ron Smith, which was the first 'version' of how Judge Silver died at the hands of Judge Death.”

”The Dredd Vs. Death Extreme Edition also contains an in-depth feature on the history of Judge Death and the Dark Judges, plus an exclusive extract from the forthcoming novelisation of the game Judge Dredd: Dredd Vs. Death, written by Gordon Rennie and published by Black Flame. The cover for the Dredd Vs. Death Extreme Edition will be a stunning new wraparound cover image by hot artist Jock.”

All that and what will almost certainly be Jock’s last work for 2000AD for at least 2 years! A must I think.

My absolute favorite online comicbook strip is coming to the printed page. Death takes a Holiday (www.NextComics.com) is fantastic, laugh out loud stuff.

”Death Takes A Holiday #1, a 48-page collection of the strips, is being published Summer 2003 by Varmint Press. The book includes some of the best of the strips, all new material, an introduction by writer Adisakdi Tantimedh (JLA: Age of Wonder) and an exclusive Death pin-up by artist John Totleben (Swamp Thing, Miracleman).”

Damn it go out and buy it!

Cool Sites/Online Comics

I enjoyed these features and I hope to continue them on my message board if I get enough support.

This week, we have an excellent online comic. Heck I am so embarrassed that I’ve not brought this one up before as it’s been featured on SBC for an age. Mat Tait’s Rebus is an absolute must. Quite frankly I don’t know why this guy hasn’t been picked up by one of the big comic companies (heck even by one of the small ones). It’s crazy as this is fantastic. Check it out:

http://www.mattait.com/

Noticeboard

From the biggest comicon to a signing in a shop the size of a postage stamp by the guy who edits a self published magazine on wanking printed on toilet paper, I wanted to promote them all but you didn’t want to let me know about them.

There’s just the one thing pinned to the noticeboard this week so I'll get right on down to it:

THE UK WINTER COMIC FESTIVAL

Few brief updates on the Festival as it stands.

Firstly publishers:

“As well as the ones you know about - 2000AD, Warhammer, Dandy & Beano,
Viz, DC, Titan, the entire UK small press, et al, who are all confirmed
- (and the ones who I hope will answer their phones when they get back
from their hols - Panini Marvel, Disney and Toontastic) - welcome to the
festival Eaglemoss.

Eagle who?

Eaglemoss are only one of the best selling comics publishers in the
country thanks to Horrible Histories, which features original strip
material every week by the likes of Nick Abadzis, Faz Choudry and Warren
Pleece.

And they're about to launch Jackie Chan Adventures, featuring regular
strips by Anthony Williams, Kep Hopgood, John Ross and John Tomlinson.”

Appetite whet yet? Wanna know how to help? Simple you can advertise in the program:

“The programme is the same format as May's Comic Festival, an A5 glossy
that folds out into an A2 poster.

To sponsor the front cover and have your own characters in the logo is
600 pounds.

To sponsor the alternate/flip cover is also 600 pounds.

A full page A5 ad, inside front cover, is 500 pounds.

Half page (portrait or landscape) is 250 pounds.
Quarter page (74mm x 105mm portrait) is 125 pounds
Eighth page (52mm x 74mm landscape) is 75 pounds

Quarter and 8th page ads can also be booked on the fold-out poster side
of the programme, and thus be seen when the poster is displayed.

20,000 programmes are circulated to all comic shops, via mailing list to
previous customers, and to all media in September.

And I'm taking bookings now. Email me or phone 01275 872111 to reserve a
slot. Art will be needed August 15th and ad to paid in advance, also by
Aug 15th.”

Well that is that then. All done and dusted. All put to bed. Finished. Over. Fin.

Thank you for joining me every week and I hope you enjoyed the column. As I said in my introduction this isn’t the end for my association with SBC, as I’m back next week with an even bigger, better, flashier and more high profile column.

It won’t be the end of some of the features from The Final Draft either. Both ‘Why aren’t you reading’ and ‘Ten (mostly) Silly Questions’ will be showing up in SBC’s interview section from time to time and some of the other features may well show up when I find the time to do them. Whoops, missed ‘The Panel’ don’t worry you will see ‘The Panel’ again real soon…

TTFN - Alan Donald signing off to get on with the new column for next week’s launch.

The Final Draft is over. Last one out, please turn off the lights.