FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


April 25th, Bristol UK – There’s just two more weeks until the UK’s biggest comics convention at the British Empire & Commonwealth Exhibition Hall on 10th and 11th May 2008, and this week we showcase the final set of new books, offers and EXpo EXclusives on show, plus reveal details of the elusive Comics Village Fete, the event for kids of all ages.

The Bristol International Comic Expo website www.comicexpo.net has the full details of all guests and panels over the weekend. In addition, the Virtual Bristol Anthology continues to go from strength to strength with ever more content – http://virtualbristol.monkeyswithmachineguns.com - a chance for readers to preview some of the new books available at Bristol, and reserve a copy in advance or order a copy if you sadly can’t make it this time.


Clash of the Titans? Tony Lee vs Geek Syndicate!

In this one off and, potentially, explosive mix the boys of the Geek Syndicate podcast (www.geeksyndicate.co.uk) go head to head with the infamous Tony Lee (www.tonylee.co.uk) in a one off interview in which…

* There can be only one!

Place: Sunday May 11th at the Bristol Comic Expo.

* Note any similarity between the tagline found here and the tagline from the Highlander movies’ is purely coincidental (well kind of).

During their time doing the podcast the guys have interviewed Paul Cornell, Esad Ribic and Adi Granov, reported on several comic conventions and fought off three Skrull invasions (ok the last part was a lie, it was only one and at it was more of a punch up than an actual invasion). They have also (as far as they know) hosted the first live comic related podcast at the 2007 Birmingham International Comic Show. They were also nominated in the best entertainment podcast category in the 2007 podcast awards.

Dave and Barry will be at their table during the weekend so feel free to stop by, pick up a free promo CD of some sample episodes and have a chat with the guys about the show or podcasting in general.


Marc Ellerby will be exhibiting alongside Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie and John Cei Douglas, bringing along copies of his rock and roll romance book Love The Way You Love that he draws for Oni Press, and also a slew of mini comics including brand new releases, Ellerbisms and Speed Trail. These are autobiographical slice of life stuff and previews of which can be viewed at www.marcellerby.com


Ilya, the editor/manga wrangler of “The Mammoth Book of BEST NEW MANGA” (www.bestnewmanga.com) will bring the latest volume of this book to the show, along with various contributors to sketch and sign for readers - Fredrik Stromberg should be bringing Sofia Falkenhem from Sweden, various members of Sweatdrop, Sean Michael Wilson, and Yishan Li will be around all weekend too.


Sequential Media are presenting issue five of Crikey! Magazine (The Magazine of Great British Comics - http://www.crikeyuk.co.uk/index.html) as well as launching their brand new title, “Superspies and Secret Agents. Two further titles will also be announced, these are still being planned and titles to be determined.


Ablaze Media will have their new graphic novel, Peckerwood: 24 Minutes at the Bristol Expo, and will be launching a new weekly web comic called Planet Peckerwood. Tozzer / Peckerwood creators Rob and Pete will be signing their books, and entertaining the crowd with their mind-numbing anecdotes. There will also be a new range of hilarious, and possibly offensive merchandise, including "Terrorism Weapons And Tactics" mugs, prints, T-shirts and baseball caps.


The Midlands Comics Collective (MC2) will be premiering their new comic "A Legion of Stupid Heroes", 32 pages of all-new strips featuring irreverent and sometimes unexpected takes on the "guys in tights" genre. MC2 is a collective of professional, semi-professional and doing-it-for-a-lark comic artists and writers based in the Birmingham area. "A Legion of Stupid Heroes" , along with MC2's previous titles and lots of welcoming grins and/or tired smiles (depending on the time of day), will be on offer on the MC2 stand.


ImagineFX is the magazine for fantasy, sci-fi and comic artists – at their stand and they’ll teach the secrets of top digital artists… and will present live painting demos from: Liam Sharp (2000 AD and Mam Tor), Emma Vieceli (Sweatdrop Studios), Lee Carter (2000 AD), Dave Kendall (Wizards of the Coast), Jamie McKelvie (Suburban Glamour), Frazer Irving (2000 AD, Gutsville). The latest issue of ImagineFX will be available; this issue is a comic book special and comes with a free comiczine that’s packed full of the art from new breed of artists at Marvel, including a world-exclusive look at Adi Granov’s concept art on the Iron Man movie… and much, much more!


Velica (www.velica.co.uk), the exciting new super heroine for 2008, makes her long awaited debut at the Bristol Expo. Follow the first 4 nights of her role as a super hero as she battles cunning crime boss Domino and his right hand man, Syxx, as they try to continue their strong hold on Ashton City. Velica must get into his inner circle and stop him before it is too late. Ken Johnson, the creator of Velica, will be on hand to discuss this new character in greater detail and answer questions as well as fitting in few sketches in between chats.


Zip Gun Comics will present the latest issue of "Square Eyed Stories" (www.squareeyedstories.co.uk), the longest running small press humour comic in the UK. Over 10 years without stopping! They are hard at work on issue 21, featuring all the usual craziness from Jim McGee, Arthur Goodman and David Goodman. Also, the Banana of Space lands on a planet and the magic sun gives life to twins…The Banana Brothers! "The Banana Brothers" collects several strips, new and previously published, by Jim McGee: this book appears for the first time at the Bristol Expo. Finally, Zip Gun will also premiere "Bahala Na! 07" (www.bahala-na.co.uk), the annual collection of comic strips by David Goodman. No other comic can offer you juvenile delinquents, conspiracy theorists, galactic dictators, child entrepreneurs, ronin samurai and heaps of catgirls.


Galleon 43 also launches at the Bristol Expo, written by Lewis?!?! and illustrated by Jacob Phillips, it follows Chris Scullion as he is kidnapped by galactic pirates in the future. The book boasts a cover by Tim Perkins and an introduction by Bryan Talbot, and has a promo accessible here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD-MrX6oiqU
Chris Scullion is put to work on a space craft upon capture, and is joined by two very mysterious characters, Martin Brady and Mike Clarke. Martin Brady is keeping an online journal while on board the Galleon 43 craft, and has made it available to people of all time periods: http://thebradyjournal.blogspot.com/


Illustrator Sally Jane Thompson will be bringing copies of Little Thoughts, a self-published comics collecting several short stories about fruit juice, funerals and friendship, as well as accessories from her new line of Koomos character merchandise. Keep an eye on her blog for pre-con updates (www.corvinecrayon.blogspot.com).


"Team Mobius" are back for their second year – they’re a loose collective of artists who just happen to know each other from Uni and clubbed together to have somewhere to keep their coats for the weekend - Chris Gould, Mathew Alan Smith, Zak Simmonds-Hurn, Andy Silver and Rob Garrett will be playing musical chairs behind the table over the two days, and waving mini comics and sketchbooks at anyone daft enough to show a passing interest - and with a bit of arm twisting (and shiny things) they can probably be persuaded to draw things live as they happen for anyone interested in some artwork


Underfire Comics are a small press publisher with a track record of consistantly high quality, with stories and art from creators like Nick Dyer and Al Ewing who have since found work with 2000AD as well as underground stars like Cosmo White and Dan Cox. Their newest release, Rock Night, is available at the Bristol Expo at a special price of £6, but is also available for those unable to make the Expo for this special price at the online Underfire Comics Shop – pre-ordering also nets purchasers a free set of six Rock Night art postcards (also available at the Bristol Expo). The shop can be visited at www.underfire-comics.com and is also stocked with the Underfire back catalogue, including the well received 5 issue run of Zarjaz edited by Colin Dinnie. Secure payment by credit/debit card or paypal account is offered, with free delivery for all orders over £10.


Comics Village Fete
As revealed by Andrew Luke earlier this week in his interview with Bristol Expo organiser Mike Allwood (http://comicsvillage.com/column.aspx?ArticleID=237) and as featured on the Comic Expo website (www.comicexpo.net), on the Saturday of the Expo there are a range of events specifically designed to get kids involved in comics, as part of the Comics Village Fete. Opening at noon on Saturday and running all afternoon, events inside the Fete are as follows:-
Free Face Painting - get yourself made up as your favourite superhero....
Stack O'Comics - free entry to this competition - guess the number of comics in the towering stack o'comics, and if you're closest by the closing time: you win the lot. Free sweet for every attempt!
Treasure Hunt - Hidden around the Expo, on various tables, are twelve Comics Village beanie baby bears...can you track them down and fill in an entry form? Multiple winners will be selected from the correct answers, and will be given their choice of prizes from hardback graphic novels, to t-shirts, to comics, to even more stuff, kindly donated by table holders at the Expo.
Design-A-Character Competition, sponsored by Diamond UK - put your creativity to the test: design a brand new character, or a new interpretation of an old favourite, colour in the template and have it pinned on the wall. The judges will pick their favourites and the winners can choose from a large selection of prizes kindly donated by Diamond UK. Colouring pencils and templates will be provided at the Fete, and prizes will be awarded in various age categories, so under 8s will have the same chance as 9-13s, as those slightly older people still in touch with their inner child!
Bric-A-Brac - a random selection of old comics and graphic novels available at rock bottom prices, the cupboards have been cleared out and the shelves are now bare. Superheroes, manga, SF, from hardcovers to paperbacks, it's a chance to sample something different, to try something new, for a low cost.
Please note that all events are primarily designed for the young, but the young-at-heart are more than welcome to give it a shot!


The Bristol International Comic Expo 2008 will be held over the weekend of 10th and 11th May 2008 at the British Empire & Commonwealth Museum and the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Bristol, England, with an early bird film night on Friday 9th May. Full details are available on the official website, www.comicexpo.net – including ticket ordering details, just £6 for adults for each day, accompanied children free, ages 12-16 just one pound.


Next Time: The final wrap-up, with just a week to go, what’s new and just what are the BBC going to be doing at the Bristol Expo, and how can YOU get involved?