Jolly Rogue Studios in Search of Dead Bodies
Posted: Tuesday, June 25, 2013
By: Darren Schroeder
Press Release - Warwick, RI: A comic book creator's job is never done. As soon as one issue is in the can, another is taking shape. Everett Soares, creator of Sky Pirates of Valendor is laying the groundwork for his next volume on the heels of the epic release of the eagerly-awaited Volume 2. To do this, he is reaching out to fans for assistance.
Jolly Rogue Studios, publisher for the fantasy/steampunk comic book series has launched an IndieGoGo campaign seeking dead bodies. That is readers who would like to have either their likeness, or a character of their choosing appear in an issue of Sky Pirates of Valendor Volume 3: Pirate Wars. The only catch is the character doesn't survive.
Fans have been offered three opportunities to be off'ed on-panel: a casualty of the Pirates Wars within a scene of an issue, a death scene on one of the issue covers and a huge death scene on the cover of the Volume 3 trade paperback, to be potentially drawn by a mainstream prominent artist. The wraparound cover to Volume 2 originated from a painting by artist Mark Sparacio.
Fans can enlist in the War on the publisher's recruitment page until August 14, 2013. Incentives for enlisting include an autographed copy of the issue your character appears and dies in, as well as the opportunity to promote a project and/or business in our ships manifesto to be featured in each issue of Volume 3.
When asked the plot for Pirate Wars, Soares explained Off the coast of Gray Holt, a hurricane is brewing. In the eye of this hurricane is a stranded Khorii airship called The Hand of Might. You may be asking yourselves why this ship is so important. It's Khorii's newest tax ship. It holds the combined taxes and tribute for Terus Major and Terus Minor. The ship is known to hold so much gold you could use it to gain control of the Pirate Guild. The downside of the scuttlebutt is that it makes its way into a lot of ears, the wrong ears. Those ears belong to some of the villainous, deranged and darkest pirates Valendor has ever known. However one set of these ears belongs to the only pirate motivated by revenge, as opposed to greed. That is Tobin Manheim of the Rogue's Revenge. There are many obstacles that Tobin Manheim must overcome to achieve his goal. The storm is only the beginning; soon he finds himself in the depths of full out Pirate Wars!
Sky Pirates of Valendor Volume 3: Pirate Wars is slated to begin mid to late 2014. In the meantime, Volumes 1 and 2 are available through the series' website . The series is illustrated by Brian Brinlee, inked by Alex Rivera and toned and lettered by Steven Kuster.
If you have a comment or question about Small Press then feel free to contact me
Comics Workshops
Posted: Wednesday, May 23, 2012
By: Darren Schroeder
Fancy putting words and pictures together to tell a story but don't know how to start? This introductory session will give you a taste of the range of techniques used in comics over their history, and give you the opportunity to put them into practice. Topics covered will include:
- - Character design
- - Page layout
- - Art Materials
- - Self Publishing
- - Copyright
- - Distribution
About the tutor: Darren Schroeder was editor of the New Zealand anthology Funtime Comics Presents for 14 years; He edited the Small Press section of Silver Bullet Comics/Comics Bulletin for 7 years; wrote articles on the history of New Zealand comics for Comic Edge, Comic Quarterly, Stripschrift, Comic Australia and various other magazines and web sites; has interviewed a variety of small press and mainstream comic creators; maintains fan sites for the mainstream comic characters Man-Thing, Jonah Hex, and comic creator Keith Giffen; and has also produced 11 issues of his own mini comic, Mopy. Darren has a current CRB check.
Cost: £18.50
Venue: Central Exeter
Date: TBC
If you have a comment or question about Small Press then feel free to contact me
Take a Journey with Dylan Horrocks
Posted: Tuesday, July 14, 2009
By: Darren Schroeder
Followers of the comic creator Dylan Horrocks can enjoy some new work of his care of a city council project from down in the South Pacific which looks at New Zealand's first eco city.
The comic was created by Dylan for the council. This brief history of Waitakere looks at how the eco city came into being and the relationship between the land, sea, indigenous wildlife and people.
It explores important links with the first people who arrived and lived off the land (Te Kawerau a Maki and Ngati Whatua), through its first European settlers creating local industries such as vineyards, orchards, timber yards and potteries, and then to more recent residents who have included artists, poets, and other free-thinking individualists.
I spent much of my childhood in Waitakere comments Dylan on his website, and have been impressed by its evolution into a genuinely environmentally-concerned eco city. It's a damn shame that the government seems hell-bent on making Waitakere disappear into its planned 'super city' - and I can only hope all the hard work on eco-friendly development doesn't disappear along with the city's name and identity.
PDF's available from Waitakere City Council website. Dylan warns that the large file has the pages in print order, while the three smaller files are in more screen friendly reading order.
If you have a comment or question about Small Press then feel free to contact me