In the realms of heroes, Captain Zod and his sidekick Blinky have reserved a place on the table of heroes - to the right, near the toilets.
In their civilian guises, Tony Lee is an internationally respected writer. Although he won't say who internationally respects him, and how much he paid them to. He is the writer of such big name projects as X-Men, Doctor Who, and Starship Troopers. He has also written other, lesser known stuff including The Gloom, The Tizzle Sisters & Erik, and Midnight Kiss.
Currently he has more things going on than a box of slightly wet frogs.
Laird Daniel Boultwood, the Viscount Du'Lamange is an artist. Which means he draws. He's done a lot of things for a variety of mediums. Some of which he can't talk about, some of which he can't remember. Such highlights include his creator owned and critically acclaimed Comicana, the pulp noir The Gloom, and The Tizzle Sisters & Erik, both with Tony Lee.
Trapped out of time and far from his home, the 1940s, Daniel survives on a diet of wearing spats and shouting at foreigners while wearing a fez.
Together, they are Two Drunk Guys In A Bar Productions, and in 2007 will be releasing a collected trade of The Gloom, the graphic novel Dashing Tales - For Young Chaps (including world war one drama The Crimson Todger and sci fi tale The Incredibly Exciting Adventures As Doc Chronology And His Time Travelling Armchair Investigates!) and probably another Tizzle Sisters book with G.P. Taylor.
They can be found at any good convention bar. Or at Two Drunk Guys.
Well, you know you’re hectic and running close to deadline, when Dan Boultwood does his piece of the column before you…
This week we’re bouncing around about five different areas, and it’ll read more like a Warren Ellis Bad Signal than a column, mainly as I’m currently threading off into about five different directions at the moment, and this is probably one of the better places to try to bring it all back.
So, what’s happened in the world of Tony in the last two weeks? Well, two weeks back I drove down to London to attend the uber secret drinking thing that Mark Millar arranged for Joe Quesada and his Millarworld Mods, that was then gatecrashed by loads of industry professionals, turning it into a kind of ‘San Diego the Sequel’ drinkathon. Which personally, drinking cokes because I was driving back to Birmingham that night, I found most enjoyable. Also enjoyable was seeing Lee ‘Budgie’ Barnett out. Lee’s had some foot problems and pain killered himself up so he could attend. Also in attendance (who I was able to spend time chatting to) were David Hine, who I always have time for and is one of those guys that can hold a crowd spellbound with his stories, Jamie McKelvie (who was telling us about how Phonogram did so well at San Diego that they ended up selling not only all their stock, but also the cardboard sign that gave the prices), Titan editor Jamie Boardman (always a pleasure), Ninth Art and ‘The V’ regular Andrew Wheeler, who I really haven’t spent enough time talking with in the last few years, Rich Johnston, agreeing to be off the record for the night and Nat Sandells, who had inked pages from Carson City with her. Others who were around included Robbie Morrison, Kev Hopgood and Lawrence Campbell, who’s art is a style I’ve loved for a while now, and it was great to finally meet him.
I also got to shake Joe Quesada’s hand again. But considering I’d done it just over a week earlier, the shine had left. Been there, done that. Meh.
(I know, I’m never getting work there now…)
And of course there was Millar himself. The times I see him are few and far between, and he’s one of those guys who enters a con bar and is surrounded from the word go, but he’ll speak to every one of the people around him. No matter how long it takes.
As I was leaving I bumped into Ned Hartley, my Wallace & Gromit editor, who I’d managed to miss all night. He told me that two of my stories are in Wallace & Gromit Magazine #26, out in the next month. Remember to go buy it, kids!
All in all it was fun, and with San Diego but a week or two earlier, it made me realise just how independent we all are, how many hermits work in this industry. I speak to countless creators every day by email and IM, but face to face over a drink? Not many. I think that’s the reasons I love conventions so.
So what else have I been up to? Well, last week I bought a Treo 680, following advice by comics’ resident techno-expert Warren Ellis. I needed something I could write on, check emails and use as a phone. So far I’m loving it, and have done over three thousand words of my spooky new novel, Conversations With My Mother on it. I’m almost tempted to see if I can write the entire bloody thing on it.
In addition, the Birmingham International Comics Show is coming up in less than two months, and Dan and I intend to launch Hope Falls there. Well, when I say ‘launch’, I actually mean launch a convention exclusive, as the comic doesn’t officially come out for a month following that. But it’s the last UK convention until May, and by then all five issues of the book will be out, so we decided that Birmingham would be a good place to do it. And besides, by the time Birmingham happens, we’ll have finished the first four issues already. So expect some sneak peaks throughout the weekend.
And that’s not all – on the Friday night we have something a little bit special.
Markosia have teamed up with the Birmingham International Comics Show to provide a Launch Party on the Friday night at the Cotton Club, Birmingham, from 7.30pm until incredibly late.
Events during the night include the launch of the convention, the launch of the book and Michael Wright and Nachie Castro's (that's right, the two DC Editors attending) band SKELTER will be performing, plus a very special set by a Mystery Celebrity Band..
And of course there will be the opportunity to buy a Hope Falls 'goodie bag' before ANYONE ELSE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD as this will be the first time that the comic has ever been seen in its finished format. And I’m not including the San Diego Ashcans in that – as even these weren’t the finished product.
We also have a free buffet, by the way.
Now I know what you’re thinking - How can I come to this? Well, the party is by invite only - all registered professionals and exhibitors will get an invite by default, and, depending on numbers, pre-registered attendees will be receiving invites on a first come basis. So book your tickets now. And, when you do, email us. Because we will be doing a ‘Two Drunk Guys In A Bar’ prize draw of our readers and, at the launch party will be giving the lucky winner not only a free goodie bag (signed), but also an original page of Hope Falls artwork.
And of course Dan and I have an entourage allowance :-)
This is a party in line with the old Graphiti parties of San Diego, with a setting straight out of the 1930's. A great way to start the convention, with a dance floor, lounge, smoking terrace and a VIP room, and room for over five hundred people.
CLICK HERE for more information on the event, how to book and of course more information on Hope Falls.
The Birmingham International Comics Show is looking to be a big one this year. Last night when I met them for a drink they even started working on the Saturday night’s party location, arranging a central Birmingham bar for the professionals/exhibitors. There was even talk of bringing the Golden Champagne Glass Awards over to Birmingham and making them all official like. We’ll see about that though! And of course Dan and I will be doing a couple of panels – my main one is on the Sunday where I’ll be hosing ‘The Write Stuff’ – where I, and a couple of industry professionals including DC’s Michael Wright will be allowing a limited amount of professionals to pitch us their idea in front of a live audience. Think last years art portfolio thing, but with writers. Should be fun. Or painfully humiliating. Either way you’ll have a giggle.
So I’ve had a lot of emails over the last week, since Rich Johnston hinted very strongly that I’m revamping Warrior Nun Areala for Antarctic Press.
Now, it’s no secret that I’ve wanted to do something with WNA for many years now – when I first came back into comics I even pitched Rod Espinosa a revamp of this in early 2003. But as to what I’m working on? Currently, I can’t tell you. Mainly because although we’re in the honeymoon stage, the last thing I want to do is name the project and then find it falls apart. Let’s just say it’s a mini series, it’s incredibly exciting and already I’ve managed to get free comics out of it, so even if it doesn’t happen, I’m quids in.
But what I can do is a show, not tell – art by Rod Espinosa…
One word. Excommunication. ‘Nuff said for the moment.
On other projects, I’m finally doing something with Crowtown, with Rob ‘Popgun’ Guillory, one of my many incredible artist friends who made the mistake to agree to do something with me. If you remember, Crowtown is the Police Precinct in Purgatory where corrupt cops go to when they die – and it all gets confusing when a straight edge hero cop called Nate arrives… Should be fun. Think The Wire meets Hellblazer.
Here’s one of Rob’s concepts for Nate.
Rough Trade’s on a minor hold while Michael Wilson sorts out the season finale of Burn Notice, but we’ll have more news on that next time.
SHOTGUN SAMURAI has an arc name thanks to Larry Young. Larry was concerned that people may confuse it with SIX GUN SAMURAI, and suggested an alternative, but currently I’m taking both titles and mixing them – so the story (which we still don’t know if it’ll be a 6 part comic or a trade) is SHOTGUN SAMURAI: LOVE HURTS – SO KILL EVERYONE.
And for the Internet peeps – just because Larry Young suggests title names, does not mean it’s a shoe-in as an AiT/PlanetLar book. We have no publisher decided, as we haven’t decided format.
Oh, and did I mention? When I say ‘we’? The artist on this is Dan Boultwood. That’s right; it’s what we’ll be working on directly after Hope Falls, concurrently with Dashing Tales – For Young Chaps and around the same time as our next WFH project with Markosia. If ever there was a palette cleaner, this is it!
If you’re all really good, I might even buzz you the concept art next time.
Talking of Dan…
“Thief! Brigand!” I cried, my arms hanging low like some sort of myopic gibbon.
My heart raced as the myriad of opiate derivatives coursing through my haberdashery shut down my central nervous system.
“ I feel squiffy!” I vomited as to the right, the Contessa De Vestibule readied her heavy Dragoon’s armoured top hat - no more for worrying vagrants on cold nights along the streets of Putney, no more.
After the three hours it takes one to erect a millinery bastion I turned round to find the urchins departed.
“Incestuous!” Screamed the doomed soul that is the irrelevant Count Woogie.
Cracking open a bottle of bourbon with the sharp edge of my wingtips was the recognised signal, as we headed into the jungle in languid pursuit.
Reginald Skinner, my regimental batman hove’d with all his hovis, carving a path through the undergrowth with muscles grafted from centuries and hours of self-abuse.
Onwards we pressed, dragging the vermouth prone Contessa whose legs had given way to scrofulous not long after the offset. Using my protrudance as a crude silver topped walking cane we ascended the mountain before us. Our gin-spent muscles ached as we heaved the pallet we had constructed out of spare cummerbunds to the top of the precipice - and dare I say it, a gentleman’s club?
Blinding light struck us blind, blinding us as our eyes took in the sight of what lay beyond them, if we could have seen - being the matter that we were blinded at the time.
“Gold’ we vibrato’d simultaneously, by some chance fortune we had stumbled across the fabled Aztec city in the middle of Bethnal Green. Our pockets already filled to the brim with monogrammed hip flasks we moved on, marking the exact location on a map of the central line we had profligate from a vagabond in White Chapel.
“I have an enormous top hat” Offered the Contessa as some way of solace for the gold fever and consequent mild mauling my cufflinks had taken at the hands of a shoe shine spiv we had short changed.
Sulphur filled the air as the ethereal form of Angela Lansbury appeared before us in a mass hallucination.
Pointing to the horizon with her sullied finger our destination was clearish, heaven did indeed lie by the dashboard light and who were we to stand?
Who Indeed.
Forming a human we unfurled the Manor club banner and sung the club hymn based loosely on chitty chitty bang bang. Holding my queens shilling aloft and with ergo bibimus on my lips but actually having a martini, we settled in for the siege and awaited the impending bureaucratic problems, which entailed getting a car out of the tow away yard.
And with that, we end another column. And oh, there’s so much more to tell you, young whippersnappers! But you shall have to wait. Perhaps next time I might even have something to write about, rather than threads tied together by the thinnest of links.
Talking of links, however, Warren Ellis’s THE ENGINE dies at the end of August, and by the time my next column comes out, it’ll be but a thing of myth. But no fear, Rantz Hoseley has created a replacement, PANEL AND PIXEL, which can be found at http://www.panelandpixel.com/forum/. I’m already there. Come and join up. They’re a friendly bunch.
Just beware of the thread drift…
Tony Lee is the award-nominated writer of things including The Tizzle Sisters with G.P Taylor and Dan Boultwood, Starship Troopers, Doctor Who, X-Men, and Midnight Kiss. Later this year Tony has stories involving Wallace & Gromit and Shrek coming out. At the end of the year he hopes to have Dodge & Twist out by AiT/PlanetLar. In 2008 he has Robin Hood – Outlaw’s Pride with Sam Hart.
Michael Moorcock says that ‘Tony Lee is one of the best story-tellers working in comics today’. He drinks, though.
Dan Boultwood is the critically acclaimed artist of things including The Tizzle Sisters with G.P Taylor and Tony Lee, and both Monster Club and Comicana for APC.
Together they have written and drawn The Gloom (out later this year as a collected edition) and the upcoming Hope Falls, out in November from AAM/Markosia. The website is www.hope-falls.com.
Tony’s website is www.tonylee.co.uk. Feel free to email him and interrupt his day.
