not here no more

But you really should check out www.comicspace.com/danielcox
a world of mind-bending heart-wrenching fun awaits...

Kar-Lin

Available NOW kids!

Oh yes. The first episode of 'Kar-Lin's Last Summer' the heart warming tale of one dysfunctional family and the dying robot with a messiah complex debuts in Zarjaz issue three. (Price £2.50 available by clicking the Zarjaz link on the right)



Art by Dan Bell

'But wait...' the comics literate among you cry 'Zarjaz is the respected and critically acclaimed fanzine for Britain's long running sci-fi fantasy comic 2000AD and I recognise neither the characters nor the situation as being from that august organ.'

Erm, no. Well spotted.

In an act of characteristic boldness editor Colin Dinnie has decided that 'Kar-Lin' fits the attitude of 2000AD in their more innovative moments and is the kind of thing they should publish. So we're in. It'll be interesting to see whether the fans agree.

So buy it, read it and if you like it and you want to see episode five please let Zarjaz know. We may not make it without you.

Eloise 3

Something beautiful for you all





'She spends her time happy, talking to the sea on her shell phone'

Art by Amera Mussa

Frequent Flyers 5

Extracts from 'The Secret Origin of Fishboy' art by Bob Bobson

Goldfish

Test art from Bob Bobson for 'Goldfish'



PAGE 6

Panel 1
Time jump. Day.
Inside tank. Fish 2 looking decidedly peaky is between us and glass. Holly’s distorted face pushed up against glass.
HOLLY
‘FISH 2’S ‘ SICK. WILL YOU TAKE ME TO THE VET?

Panel 2
Boy playing computer game…same hideous demon thing as before, slashing open his chest.
MICHAEL
IT’S BECAUSE HE’S STUCK IN HERE. GIVE HIM TO ME I’LL FLUSH HIM DOWN THE TOILET, OUT TO THE OCEAN. HE’LL BE HAPPIER THERE.

Panel 3
Him throwing console down in disgust at dying again. Holly, fists clenched pouting
HOLLY
YOU’RE HORRIBLE I HATE YOU…

MICHAEL
GOOD

HOLLY
…AND ‘FISH 2’ IS A GIRL STUPID.

Panel 4
Tom and Jerry houswife shot. We have from Holly’s shoulders up but not as far as mum’s face. Panel needs to be relentless. Lots of space, mum just entering right of panel, Holly waiting arms up. Fill this space with Holly's speech ballons, broken as per / . Mum's voice floats small, lost in the mass.
HOLLY
MUM! / MUM! / ‘FISH 2’S’ SICK AND / MICHAEL SAID HE’S GOING TO
/FLUSH HIM DOWN THE TOILET AND HE’S SICK/ CAN WE TAKE HIM
/TO THE VET?/ THE VETS/ CAN WE TAKE HIM?

MUM
MUMMY’S TIRED NOW BABY
PLEASE BE QUIET

Panel 5
Mum shouting , Holly shocked to silence
MUM
IT’S ONLY A GOLDFISH!

Panel 6
Close on holly, tears starting
HOLLY (SOB)
BUT IT’S MY GOLDFISH!

Frequent Flyers 5

Extracts from The Secret Origin of Girl! drawn by Bob Bobson

Frequent Flyers 4

Thanks to everyone at Bristol for the positive response and special thanks to those who sacrificed life giving money for us. Your support is appreciated.

We also have to welcome on board the talented Mr Riordan. John has taken over art duties on 'Whiteout', take a quick look at his site to understand why we're so excited about this http://www.johnriordan.co.uk/
see below for his concept sketches for The Mentors and Yumi.





Big hi also to Luke Norman. Luke is currently creating some mini flash animations based on the free gift on the back of the 'Flyers flyer. For those of you who weren't at Bristol a teaser...



bunny go pop!
http://www.lukenorman.co.uk

And finally...all I currently know about this is some guy was wandering around getting artists to draw on his surfboard and he's going to paint it up and...do something with it. I'll add details as I get them.

Bristol 2006

Sadly I won't be at Bristol Expo (http://www.comicexpo.net/) this year but Iain Buchanan, Cosmo White and the Underfirecurrentcurrant crew will be. look out for a free gift on the back of these...






...and tickle the boys under the chin if you see them.

Art

I have become art. well, kinda. As part of the Brighton festival and to celebrate the launch of The Strip B'town's new free comic there is an exhibition at The Nest gallery St James St.
This features work by a talented multitude of folks including stuff from my collaborations with Iain Buchanan (Frequent Flyers), Alun Edwards (Fairies), David Gooding (Deleted Scenes) and Jon Ridley (Birds). So i'm in the exhibition...and also not. S'weird being a writer sometimes.
The exhibition and mag also got a mention in The Guardian's media supplement. The writer kindly changing Underfire's name to Undercurrent. Which I'm going to suggest we keep but spell it with an 'a'.

Eloise 2

For your delight we present the first jaw droppingly beautiful images from Amera for my children's story 'Eloise' about a little girl and the secret life of butterflies. Enjoy.

Once We Were Fairies 3

Just because we love you here is the first page of the preview.
Art as ever by Alun Edwards.

Frequent Flyers 3

It's a perfect day to drop the bomb

Once We Were Fairies 2

Alan has just decamped to the Pyrenees to redraw the trailer, in the meantime he has, in his own words been 'doodling'.

Don't know about you but the splash of the fairy storm made me go SQUEEEEEE!

Frequent Flyers 2

Bad news is the book won't be ready for Bristol Comics Expo in May. But we are using the time well. Cosmo White who's take on our heroes can be seen above is doing a 5 page Ultronix story and I'm working on some text pieces.

You will be able to get 'Going Straight' in Underfire Comics Presents which will be on sale with a cover by Flyers CoCreator Iain Buchanan and there's a three page preview on http://bristolpreview.engine4.net





For more of Cosmo's work check out this amazing cover for top 2000AD zine Zarjaz

deleted scenes

'Deleted Scenes' is a short gag strip that doesn't allow it's love of SF to blunt it's
black humour or it's darkness to consume it's tender soul.
The first installments reveal the fabled lost ending of ET and a heartbreaking incident in cinema's greatest love triangle.
You know, the one we all pretend never happened.
Future installments reveal Aladdin's one true wish, the real threat of Hitchcock's Birds and the hidden meaning of Blade Runner.

Here are a couple of extracts by series artist David Gooding.

eloise

top news. The fantastic Amera Mussa has started work on 'Eloise' my children's story about a little girl and the secret life of the butterfly. The book will be a mix of watercolours and computer colouring. I'll post you some images as soon as she'll let me. In the meantime here are some sketches I did for the 'script'.

Why Can't I Be You?

One shot with Mick Trimble appearing in some form somewhere soon.






"Your mobile. Your last 20 quid. Your underwear.
Your body???
There's a limit to what your boyfriend can borrow"

Artist Wanted: Kar-lin's Last Summer 2

Still looking for an artist for this seiries. (See earlier Artist' Wanted post). Dan Bell has kindly drawn up a few test pages for us. This incident takes place at the start of episode two, the increasingly insane Karlin decides to reinforce his alien superiority and blow off steam by picking a fight. Denny admires the picture that got him his first psychiatrist. And Karlin can no longer deny his health problems. The script is 4 five page episodes. If you're interested drop us an email.





Dan Bell's fantastic fantasy epic Mountain Rex, (think Gormenghast with sex and violence) is available from Underfire Comics now.

Frequent Flyers

Created by Daniel Cox and Iain Buchanan.
Frequent Flyers Special Issue 0: Escape Velocity 56 pages Price tbc Available May

The ongoing misadventures of blaggers extraordinare Fishboy and Girl, cast adrift in the infinite voids of the multiverse.



Chapter 1. 'Going Straight' Experience the Mcjobs of the future today.

Chapter 2. 'Bad Monkeys' A plauge of monkey tatooists is unleashed on an unsuspecting world. They have no respect for your personal space and what they lack in skill they make up for in enthusiasm. Run. Fast.



Chapter 3. 'Whiteout' The adverts for suspended animation say it's like a deep sleep. In reality it's more like a light death. Our heroes awake from cryogenic suspension with gaping holes in their souls. A depression so deep they forget the rules of modern living. Don't take drugs. Don't take drugs designed for alien physiologies. Don't mix drugs designed for alien physiologies. Check what it is before you swallow.

Chapter 4. 'An Infinite Chain of Stupid Mistakes' Doctor Demented, reality show star, conceptual artist and supervillain is redefining the limits of evolutionary art. By firing an asteroid at the luckless planet Antioch. Now is a really bad time for your spaceship to be a smouldering pile of rubble slap bang in the middle of Antioch's largest desert. "Our karma is rancid".

Once We Were Fairies

A collaboration with creator Alun Edwards.

A 90 page original graphic novel.

Extract from the synopsis follows.

"My name is Elodie and today if i am strong enough and brave enough I can make all our dreams come true"

The surface dwellers who know it exists call it Recycling Plant 5, the people forced to live buried underground processing their garbage cal it 'The Squall'.

Here the Yaga rules supreme and she has only one rule. "Finders Keepers".
Elodie and her brothers are sick unto death of it.
To escape she will have to cheat the Yaga and break every promise made to her dead mother. To escape they'll have to travel alien worlds, up through the tunnels to the unknown city, into the air and the wasteland beyond.
To escape they'll have to stay alive.



Her mother told her impossible stories of a a place beyond The Squall.

Bit's of it fall down to them, hidden in the waste. Pictures, writing, scraps of hair, skeleton wings.
A place without disease, a place without death. The fairy kingdom.

Elodie thinks she can get them there. Elodie hopes she can get them there...it's not like they have anything to lose.