Pipedream Comics presents contents
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The best of Indie, small Press & digital comics
PORCELAINA BONE CHIN
tian ead & Chris pic R in m ja n e B fairy tale e Wildgoose’sw standard sets a ne omics for indie c
Electricomics Leah Moore on the future of the award-winning open source digital comics app
PLUS!
ACES WEEKLY ELECTRICOMICS ORCS RECKLESS HERO BIG PUNCH TREVES AVERY HILL THE KILL SCREEN HOW TO WRITE A DIGITAL COMIC TRUE BELIEVERS 2016 1
Issue #0
Spring 2016
contents
Welcome to
on the list 03 Splash
The best indie comic artists showcase their very latest work
08 The Garcia Method hen we started Pipedream Comics five years ago, our focus was on the world of digital comics. The iPad had just been launched and platforms such as comiXology and Madefire were just starting to take off. However, the more we spoke to people in the know, we came to realise digital comics were about more than just high-tech apps and slick motion books. Digital comics were about breaking down boundaries and letting writers and artists publish their stories without the proscriptive boundaries of publishers, printing or distribution. To make a good digital comic all you needed was a great idea and a desire to make it real. Gone are the days of having to get a deal with a publisher or negotiate with a printer, you can now make a comic and put it up online as a webcomic so the world can read your great idea. Then when you want to take things further you can start a webshop on Big Cartel or Gumroad, sell your book through Comicsy or DriveThru Comics. And of course there’s comiXology Submit where you can release your book on the world’s biggest digital comics platform and have your characters rubbing shoulders with Spider-man and Batman. And so with the rise of digital comics, we have also seen the rise of small press and indie comics to the point where many are as good (if not better) than their mainstream compatriots. It was always this DIY spirit that excited us the most about digital comics and so, after years of writing about how great this pioneering spirit is, we decided to bite the bullet and join in. The magazine you see before you is the result of that desire to be part of the digital comics revolution and to heed our own advice on getting out there and making something happen. We hope you enjoy the first issue of The Pull List and we it inspires you to make your own comic, or just read something different, because there has never been a better time to do it!
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Alex Thomas, Editor
GET IN TOUCH! If you want to tell us what you think or would like to get involved then here’s how to reach us...
www.pipedreamcomics.co.uk facebook.com/pipedreamcomics @pipedreamcomics
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How to write a digital comic with creator Ryan Garcia
10 The Best of comiXology submit
The top comics from the world’s biggest digital publisher
15 Killing in the name of
Mike Garley, Mike Stock & Joshua Sherwell talk The Kill Screen
18 Reviews
From Porcelain: Bone China to Smart Bomb!! we review the best new indie comics
25 Indie round-up
The best of indie and small press in one handy article
28 Our friends Electricomics
Leah Moore on the award-winning open source comics platform
33 True believers 2016
Convention season begins with a trip to Cheltenham
34 I Love Digital Comics
Aces Weekly’s David Lloyd on why he love digital comics
WITH THANKs TO... Hannah and Penny Thomas, Leah Moore & Electricomics, James Blundell, Charlie Humphries, Ryan Garcia, David Lloyd, Davina Rungasamy The Pull List © 2016 Pipedream Comics Artwork is copyright to the artist and used with permission. All rights reserved. Fonts used under licence from Blambot and Google.
SPLASH! showcasing new work from the best indie artists
Girl by Christian Wildgoose
Fifteen years on from the emotive events of A Gothic Fairy Tale we return to the haunting world of Porcelain in the new book Bone China from Improper Books. Read our full review on page 18 www.improperbooks.com
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The best of comiXology Submit 2016
Every month we look at the best new titles from the digital comic giant’s indie publishing platform comiXology Submit. And here’s some of our favourites...
#30 Gun (Reckless Eyeball Press)
While there are plenty of post-modern superheroes in the world, there still seems to be some room left for a few more post-modern supervillains. Struggling ‘gun’ Trevor Werner (better known as Mr Twist) gets more than he bargains for when he rescues a ‘cape’ who is left for dead after a bungled robbery and along with his accomplices decides to sell her off in a super villain auction. Jack Foster’s world of loveable losers (after one last big score) is a refreshing antidote to the angsty world of smart-ass supervillain anti-heroes.
#29 Abbadon (Adaptive Comics)
This hard-hitting adults-only Western from Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray is like an HBO
mini-series in panel form. Celebrated US Marshall Wes Garrett is summoned to the aspiring city of Abbadon to solve a grisly murder and prevent the fame hungry killer from taking advantage of his notoriety. Palmiotti and Gray don’t hold back in their graphic portrayal of life in Abbadon with blood, guts and nudity galore. This means while this book might not be for everyone, for those who do give it a try it’s a grim and gritty delight.
#26 The Last Sheriff (Reckless Hero)
With artwork that looks like it could have been produced by 90s wonderkid Joe Madureira, Chris Jenkins and Chris Imber’s The Last Sheriff surpasses it’s indie roots to create an epic space western adventure that sees the last representative of the galaxy’s elite law enforcement group dish out his own brand of justice in a frontier town when confronted by the town’s despicable mayor.
#28 Lloyd and The Bear (Lloyd and the Bear)
This tale of a boy and his cuddly buddy is much more than just an ordinary cutesy kids book. Lloyd’s teddy ‘Bear’ is actually an alien called Bernard who crashlanded on earth by accident while trying to escape from the evil Shoal – a race of purple aliens who invaded his home planet of Bur. With its quirky sense of humour and stunning
visuals, Lloyd and The Bear reads like Calvin and Hobbes reimagined via the Powerpuff Girls and has more hyperactive energy than a toddler after a multi-pack of Fruit Shoots.
#27 Grimfish (Comicker Digital)
Aaron Pitman’s Grimfish see it’s rag tag hero take on an army of mercenary mechs while aided by the
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robotic representation of his late love. Mixing classic sci-fi with space voodoo and adding in some giant mechs for good measure (along with a heartbreaking back story), Grimfish feels like an epic space opera that is just beginning to find its way in the universe and we can’t wait to go along for the ride. With its epic scale and tendancy towards genuine emotional depth it is perfect for fans of books like Brian K Vaughan’s Saga with its intergalactic tales of lost love and adventure.
the kill screen
Cult UK indie sensation The Kill Screen topped our list of the best of comiXology Submit. We catch up with the creators of this dystopian sci-fi horror, Mike Garley, Joshua Sherwell and Mike Stock, to find out which of them would be followers and which would be survivors!
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reviews
Porcelain: bone china Will this follow up be another work of art or a cheap copy? t’s been more than a decade since the events of Porcelain: A Gothic Fairy Tale and in Porcelain: Bone China we see Child, now a Lady, continue to live and work within the world that Uncle introduced her to. Having matched and improved upon her guardian’s original work, Lady finds herself butting heads with the despicable General, the army’s leader who wants Porcelain men for her war. Unfortunately, Lady does not want to sell Porcelain for such a role and so must navigate this new political arena while falling in love with a dashing army captain, all the while discovering something new about the Porcelain. Following up a book as rich and involved as Porcelain: A Gothic Fairy Tale, Ben Read, Chris Wildgoose and co. have managed that rare thing of creating much more than just a worthy sequel, they have created a true work of art. The story once again takes the gothic fairy tale elements from the first story, only this time making everything much deeper, grander and vastly more complicated – but without ever losing sight of the characters involved. The depth of the title serves to make Bone China even more compelling than before and, as a result, more engaging and heartbreaking. Whether it is the scenes
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Publisher: Improper Books Writer: Benjamin Read Artist: Chris Wildgoose (Artist), André May (Colours), Alexa Rosa (Flatter), Jim Campbell (Letterer) Price: $9.99 from Sequential
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with Lady and the Captain, or the ‘reunion’ between Lady and Uncle, (which have echoes back to the first volume), Bone China features some truly emotive moments, so get your tissues at the ready. It is these kind of heartfelt scenes, that once again highlight the strength of Read’s characterisation. Building on the rock-solid foundation of the first book they take the story in exciting and engaging directions, and Lady’s personality is wonderfully authentic, feeling exactly as you would expect her to now she has grown up. But that’s not to say she is a simple copy of Child – she has the added depth that comes
“Lady’s character is wonderfully authentic, feeling exactly as you would expect to now she has grown up” with age and feels much more nuanced than the bratty kid of A Gothic Fairy Tale, but is still just as feisty and likeable. Of course, Porcelain is more than just a one woman book and the supporting characters, despite not being as fleshed out as Lady, are still more multilayered and multifaceted than many supporting casts, which helps imbue greater emotion throughout, especially on the heavy scenes. The General is a particularly nasty piece of work and by casting her as a woman, it gives the whole story a very interesting and diverse slant on the traditional hero/villain dynamic and gives Lady a potential new mother figure to look up to as well as come into conflict with. As with A Gothic Fairy Tale, the immersive script would be nothing without Christian Wildgoose’s exquisite art to bring it to life. Every panel is sublimely detailed, and rendered with the eye of a true craftsman. Balancing the subtleties of the more
Electricomics DIGITAL
Our friends Electricomics
Alan Moore’s open source publishing platform Electricomics was voted our Best Digital Comics App 2015. To celebrate we caught up with co-founder Leah Moore to discuss their triumph, and find out more about their plans for 2016
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