Whats on :: Fantasy Events UK Presents the Bristol International Comic and small press EXpo 2011

What’s On @ Expo?

PANEL PROGRAMME @ THE RAMADA	GUEST SIGNINGS
Saturday 11am “IT’S ALIVE!” In a time before evil multinational corporate empires and shadowy high tech governmental conspiracies these were words that rang from storm ravaged Transylvanian castles throughout the four colour world as twisted geniuses working in stygian cellars or gothic towers with only a hunchback assistant, or maybe a gorilla, for company unleashed a cornucopia of shambling monstrosities and idiotic inventions on the unsuspecting word. Join Tony Hitchman in a fun quiz to celebrate the array of wild haired white, coated wizards of science and their crazy creations who helped keep comic book heroes in gainful employment in the fabulous fifties. High NOON for 2000AD! It’s the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic and 2000 AD returns to the Bristol Expo with a top-class cadre of comic gods for what promises to be an unmissable panel. As the Dredd movie starring Karl Urban edges ever closer to the silver screen, some of the industry’s top talent - SEAN PHILLIPS (Devlin Waugh, Criminal), JOHN HIGGINS (Judge Dredd, Razorjack), PATRICK GODDARD (Savage), GORDON RENNIE (Judge Dredd, Caballistics) and ROB WILLIAMS (Cla$$war, Low Life) - will be talking about 2000 AD’s past, present and future with GREAT GIVEAWAYS and news of FUTURE THRILLS! More top-name panel members to be announced! 1pm Multiverse Magazine meets … RICK VEITCH Editor of the new Comics Magazine, Mike Conroy in conversation with our Guest of Honour Rick Veitch. Rick is maybe best know for his work on Swamp Thing but he was at the forefront of the alternative press movement after leaving DC and also lead the charge on internet publishing in the 90’s. A rare chance to catch up with one of the industries innovative creators 2pm From APC minors to MTV major league - The Dan Boultwood & Tony Lee retrospective At the 2005 Bristol Expo APC released THE GLOOM, a five part series by then newcomers Tony Lee & Dan Boultwood. Now, six years later an all new, critically acclaimed version is wowing the masses on MTV comics - and Tony & Dan are here to talk about it! A friendship, comedy double act and partnership that has seen work published by Markosia, Random House / DFC, Hachette Books, Tyndale Press and MTV among others, hear them discuss their experiences on these titles and see what's next for the pair, with news about MTV's AGENT MOM (with Stargate Universe / Smallville's Alaina Huffman), Markosia's ULTIMATE HOPE FALLS edition, DANGER ACADEMY from Kickstart Entertainment and SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE BAKER STREET IRREGULARS, a new series of 'in canon' graphic novels from Franklin Watts / Hachette, edited by Sherlock Holmes expert Leslie Klinger - out in June! Also - hear news about new projects JETHEADS, WE ARE LEGION, JACK THE RIPPER AND HIS FLYING HORSE - and many more! Two years ago their Geek Syndicate interview was named 'the panel of legend' and children ran screaming - Now learn their plans for world domination in 2011! 3pm HP LOVECRAFT launch To celebrate the publication of 'The Lovecraft Anthology, Volume 1', SelfMadeHero present a panel covering all things Lovecraftian. Editor Dan Lockwood will be joined by contributors Ian Edginton, Rob Davis, INJ Culbard and David Hine to explore the strengths, weaknesses, background and influence of HP Lovecraft's weird fiction. The talk will be followed by a signing session, where an extra special bookplate signed (hopefully!) by all contributors with be available for the first time. 4pm Alan Moore: Storyteller Author Gary Spencer Millidge gives an exclusive preview of his latest book, Alan Moore: Storyteller, the first full-colour, fully comprehensive biography of the world's most famous comic book writer. The book has the complete support and input from Moore, and Millidge discusses the creation of the biography, along with Moore's life and work, and how the two have influenced each other over the past four decades. Plus, a look at his non comics work. Hosted by Comic Book Alliance Chair, Tim Pilcher. Alan Moore: Storyteller is published by Ilex Press in July, £25 5pm Dave Gibbons and Budgie Barnett present... Hypotheticals We are proud to host the return of one of the most popular panels ever to run at Bristol for one final time! Join Dave Gibbons and Budgie for the panels swan song of their cornerstone event of the Bristol Expo weekend. Don’t miss out! SUNDAY 11.30am Just a Comic-Pickin' Minute! It's back! Possibly the most fun panel at Bristol Comic Expo 2009! Come and hear a panel of four comics professionals try and talk non-stop for a minute on a comic-related subject without hesitation, deviation or repetition. Featuring Paul Cornell, Si Spencer, Gary Erskine, and a special mystery guest! All hosted by the Comic Book Alliance's Tim Pilcher, doing his worst Nicholas Parsons impression! 12.30pm Expo @ the Movies "Are today's comics no more than Hollywood fodder?" Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead), Richard Starkings (Elephantmen), Shaky Kane and David Hine (The Bulletproof Coffin) & Mike Conroy ( Multiverse ) talk about translating comics from page to screen. 1.30pm Strip Magazine launch Print Media Productions Managing Editor John Freeman will be on hand to talk about plans for their monthly STRIP Magazine and their graphic album range, which launched in March with Iron Moon by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page and Mirabilis: Year of Wonders by Dave Morris and Leo Hartas. On hand will be creators involved in the project, including Jasper Bark, Jim Campbell and others. 2.15pm Bryan Talbot Grandville and the Anthropomorphic tradition Bryan Talbot discusses his graphic novels Grandville and Grandville MonAmour and the venerable and ongoing tradition of "funny animal" characters in illustration and comics from which they have grown.	Please note the following creators will be at their own tables @ the Ramada JOHN WATSON SHAKY KANE DAVID HINE JOHN McCREA NEIL EDWARDS BRYAN TALBOT PHIL WINSLADE JOHN HIGGINS LEE GARBETT IAN EDINGTON MATT BROOKER GARY ERKSINE JOHN BURNS GRAHAM BLEATHMAN AL DAVISON DYLAN TEAGUE SIMON WILLIAMS GARY SPENCER THE CBA SYD JORDAN & the Jeff Hawke Club in summit one suite SIMON BISLEY signing with REED COMICS SERGE PELLE signing with CINEBOOK A further number of publishers, PANINI, MARKOSIA, SELF MADE HERO & STRIP MAGAZINE will also be hosting signings at their own tables, please check on the day for their schedules. We also will be running these guest signings in the Summit room This at the time of publication is correct, any amendments will be posted on the day. At the MERCURE RICHARD STARKINGS CHARLES ADLARD BOO COOK ROGER LANGRIDGE IAN CHURCHILL SEAN PHILLIPS PAUL GRIST All have their own tables Additional guest listings can be found on www.spexpo.co.uk COMX will be hosting a number of signings over the weekend, please call by their stand to check times.
	Signing Timings
	Saturday
	11am-12pm Alan Davis
	12pm-1pm Mark Buckingham Lee O’Connor James Hodgkins Henry Flint Dominic Reardon
	1pm-2pm Stephen Baskerville Paul Cornell James Hodgkins Si Spencer
	2pm-3pm Jasper Bark Rob Williams Laurence Campbell Patrick Goddard Si Spencer
	3pm-4pm Lew Stringer Rick Veitch Si Spencer Jock
	Sunday
	11am-12pm Alan Davis Rick Veitch PJ Holden Dave Gibbons
	12pm-1pm Mark Buckingham Lee O’Connor Dominic Reardon
	1pm-2pm Si Spencer Ben Oliver
	2pm-3pm Jasper Bark Si Spencer Ben Oliver

Dare YOU enter the realm of the Razorjack?

... More on the Razorjack attack on Expo coming soon!

Last year's Bristol International Comic Expo was a great success for the Jeff Hawke Club and we're coming back this year. Sydney Jordan, the creator of the great Daily Express newspaper strip, will be there, Will Rudling, the Editor/ Founder of the Jeff Hawke Club and master model maker Chris Tubb.

Jeff Hawke original artwork will be on sale.

As we near the end of the first part of Jeff Hawke's life, the emphasis will be on his transformation into Lance McLane/ Jeff Hawke. We will be reprinting the Earthspace strips and subsequent stories in sequence. The scenario is of a post-apocalyptic Earth struggling to survive and is very timely. Jeff and his android companion, Fortuna encounter fantastic adventures and deal with environmental issues. This shows Sydney’s unique interpretation on the subject and the amazing plots he creates. It’s incredible how relevant they are now and so prophetic, they were since written thirty five years ago!

Friday and Saturday night entertainment!
2 nights: buy one, get one free!

Shindig, Tweetup, pub quizzes plus FOOD and music

Single tickets £10; buy two = £15 and bring

In 2009 Cancertown: An Inconvenient Tooth, the scrappy indie outsider that that punched far above its weight, flew off the stands at Bristol Con with astounding launch weekend sales. In 2011 the Dethan/Downey dream team are back, at the invitation of Mike Allwood, as part of Markosia Madness, and they’re bringing something even nastier.

Markosia Enterprises are proud to present their new graphic novel, Slaughterman’s Creed - a surreal London gangland thriller which combines the vicious intensity of British crime fiction with the structure and spirit of a Samurai revenge drama in a nightmarishly compelling urban fantasy.

The book re-unites writer Cy Dethan with artist Stephen Downey, the creators of the 2009 indie hit, Cancertown: An Inconvenient Tooth. Set in a world where an ethical knife-edge is all that separates hero from villain, the story combines a strong British crime aesthetic with mythological overtones and a distinctive noir edge.

Slaughtermans Creed will launch on May 14th at the Bristol Comic and Small Press Expo, as part of the Markosia Madness event, which will include signing, sketching and facepainting. A limited signed edition, costing £10 (RRP Price £12.99), is available to pre-order, which also includes entry into a draw to win a piece of original art by Stephen Downey and Vicky Stonebridge.

Pre-order details can be found at Cy Dethan’s blog: http://theraggedman.blogspot.com/2011/01/slaughtermans-creed-convention-edition.html

Laurence “The Punisher” Campbell recently wrote in his foreword to the trade paperback: “What you will find is a nasty, dark tale which cuts into the underbelly of gangland London. Think The Long Good Friday meets No Country For Old Men.”

This man drew The Punisher! He knows “nasty and dark” when he sees it. He goes on to say, “Cy Dethan pushes the boundaries. No, not pushes them - casually disregards them and walks right over them.”

So, it’s not a book for the squeamish.

Read a free 12-page preview of Slaughterman's Creed.

Solicit Text

“Thine is the task of blood.
Discharge thy task with mercy.
Let thy victim feel no pain.
Let sudden blow bring death;
Such death as thou thyself would ask for.”
The Slaughterman’s Creed

“Sidney is a professional killer working for Big Lenny Addison, a London ganglord specialising in human trafficking. He is almost completely uneducated except in his family’s trade at which he is an unparalleled expert.
“When he is called upon to breach his code and bring a pregnant woman to slaughter, Sidney's world is changed forever. Betrayed by those he has served his whole life, the Slaughterman embarks on a bloody vendetta - determined to put Addison's entire monstrous empire to the blade.”

Carving a Name

Slaughterman’s Creed, described by writer Cy Dethan as “a story of the fall and rise of monsters” is already carving a name a name for itself on the independent comic scene.

"My plan was to take my time and read Slaughterman’s Creed over a few days, but pretty much by page five I was in for the long haul and ended up reading the whole thing in a single sitting. Cy has a way of leading the reader by the hand and letting them think they know exactly where the plot is going, and then the next thing you know he’s kicked you down the stairs, leaving you battered, bruised and with no idea where the tale will lead you next.
"Slaughterman’s Creed is a bloody gourmet, serving the reader a mixed platter of gangland politics, murder, betrayal and revenge with a large side order of body parts. It’s a tale that is dripping with great writing and art. Digest it today," said Barry Nugent of The Geek Syndicate.

The book gave Wayne Hall of Sci-Fi Pulse a case of the night terrors - although, strangely, he seems to have enjoyed them. He said: "If Mr. Dethan keeps delivering this kind of novel perspective on the world, I’ll have trouble sleeping at night. Yikes! But I was gripped from the first page, so please keep it up!"

“This is old school – dark story telling. This is the London gangster scene without the rose-tinted glasses. Brutal and grim,” said Michael J Nimmo on the digital comics review site 3 Million Years.

“One of the things I liked about this book was that there are no good guys in it at all. Everyone in this book could be the sole bad guy in another story,” said Richard McAuliffe of Everything Comes Back to 2000AD. “Cy Dethan’s writing is very tight and the book has a real British cinema feel to it... this is a book screaming to be made into a hard 18 certificate movie. If you like gritty underworld stories with a seriously dark edge you’ll really enjoy this book. I did.”

To wrap up the whole bloody package, here’s a final word of persuasion from Rich Clements of the Hi Ex Blog:
"So, all in all, I’d say this book is a bit of a triumph for all involved. With a strong narrative, well realised and rounded characters, strong visuals and a wonderful seam of oh-so-black humour, this deserves to be a hit for all involved. And not turning it into a movie would be nothing short of a travesty."

Notes for Editors

Writer: Cy Dethan
Pencils & colours chapters 1-2: Stephen Downey
Inks: Andy Brown
Colours: Vicky Stonebridge
Letters: Nic Wilkinson
Cover: Ryan Brown
Foreword: Laurence Campbell

Slaughterman’s Creed Can also be ordered through the March edition of Diamond Previews in the usual way using order code MAR11 0811.

Slaughterman’s Creed is also available digitally on the Sony Playstation Network with audio commentary by Cy Dethan, and will be available on Comixology and Graphic.ly, with other formats to follow.

A new edition of Cancertown: An Inconvenient Tooth will be published by Markosia in June 2011, and the sequel, Cancertown: Blasphemous Tumours is currently in production.