tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23298991771805886682024-03-06T09:00:41.253+00:00Alexi Conman Writes...words and picturesAlexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-17677169167731948292024-01-12T01:59:00.000+00:002024-01-12T01:59:14.154+00:00Seeya, CCUK<p>Alexi had <a href="https://alexiconman.blogspot.com/2022/08/creatives-doing-comics-in-uk.html" target="_blank">previously contributed to the first of the Comic Creatives UK anthologies</a>, and is pleased to have a couple of stories in the third CCUK anthology, <a href="https://linktr.ee/ccukanthology" target="_blank">available to read free now</a>!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjOxHYmUSaMBfJiaBOBR48tRSnIEoQdx23t9f_5_eksuToaCZ7-hjzB2jf0O4v7hRQuN2I4POQD0PT_la1bZvRAH_XhLfuVcN6_C5HWbFlRtYkIidXW_ptcyIEnuQB4aJLyyyb7qOdCrpCX3uH8SedAhQDLHmhO_KCUC9imE6FB9m62efTPQliGI3uYR9/s940/CCUK3%20cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="623" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZjOxHYmUSaMBfJiaBOBR48tRSnIEoQdx23t9f_5_eksuToaCZ7-hjzB2jf0O4v7hRQuN2I4POQD0PT_la1bZvRAH_XhLfuVcN6_C5HWbFlRtYkIidXW_ptcyIEnuQB4aJLyyyb7qOdCrpCX3uH8SedAhQDLHmhO_KCUC9imE6FB9m62efTPQliGI3uYR9/s320/CCUK3%20cover.png" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(cover by Brett Burbridge & Owen Watts)</div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUjeZdoBxuAuulJVgShqy-ClWfUpLHhC4EBO96gQEP85QJFrgvEj-7keHxi_6KC_BjvvS-OCBUtQpVPzusKj0IqZIrHLkDwcc2N1_ZKWowaa2Zj6pO5K5Dv1TkRWunbaVbbB5xVrzkzhTU0OBbjp_Qt5ArLdhyTbfX_RKsBrKV5EIUk9SkTPoaOp0K8hF/s875/IJWTS%20preview.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="875" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUjeZdoBxuAuulJVgShqy-ClWfUpLHhC4EBO96gQEP85QJFrgvEj-7keHxi_6KC_BjvvS-OCBUtQpVPzusKj0IqZIrHLkDwcc2N1_ZKWowaa2Zj6pO5K5Dv1TkRWunbaVbbB5xVrzkzhTU0OBbjp_Qt5ArLdhyTbfX_RKsBrKV5EIUk9SkTPoaOp0K8hF/s320/IJWTS%20preview.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><i>I Just Wanted To Say</i> (art by <a href="https://ioctenocte.carrd.co/" target="_blank">Lomcia</a>) is a wry look at people's capacity to choose to say really inappropriate things at the most inappropriate times.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBlJILTyO82ZLHmACFodlyk6PPwr1fXsdGyOcr3-tYmKJQGweDjyDClu39pWHrBSwkKCjAR7xAjsmMLByiIVdVCSYpgwPHiCLGLJiFdD4MsJ9G6QLEsGc8V55Ff-omAy94Bbb08oj5QTyQDkufTmT7uYFSXA0BWOqaIrP6O9stILWhEP1BodN5hitlSOFA/s1812/WWFF%20preview.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="1812" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBlJILTyO82ZLHmACFodlyk6PPwr1fXsdGyOcr3-tYmKJQGweDjyDClu39pWHrBSwkKCjAR7xAjsmMLByiIVdVCSYpgwPHiCLGLJiFdD4MsJ9G6QLEsGc8V55Ff-omAy94Bbb08oj5QTyQDkufTmT7uYFSXA0BWOqaIrP6O9stILWhEP1BodN5hitlSOFA/w375-h218/WWFF%20preview.png" width="375" /></a></div><p><i>What We Fight For...</i> (art by <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/james-newell-drawings" target="_blank">James Newell</a>) questions the varied motivations that give determination to your classic band of epic fantasy heroes.</p><p><br /></p><p>Alexi was once again chuffed that such talented artists worked on stories he'd scripted. CCUK, the Discord forum, is coming to an end, but, in addition to three anthologies, it offered support and encouragement to a huge number of comic creators in the UK and around the world; it was a Good Thing.</p>Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-1572461733998488452023-09-15T10:33:00.006+01:002023-09-15T10:33:47.911+01:00Caught at the Court<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQh1KF2tKGorOA3twWXV-mapDanMJdB9CVHGdDeE37nA8WymZyytpwsr88VHWgpiBMTkCSDXcq7jyJCNh5ADaWCXBxd5W25EVsCEwN-xxdbzAbufSdr4Ul-nlbw5uViaIeP721vdfewREx-VMgBM1cvejGO7xzp7s-D7LquV44ra8dimTAkb1C7D6TVxV/s630/Court%20of%20Whispers%20630x500.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="630" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQh1KF2tKGorOA3twWXV-mapDanMJdB9CVHGdDeE37nA8WymZyytpwsr88VHWgpiBMTkCSDXcq7jyJCNh5ADaWCXBxd5W25EVsCEwN-xxdbzAbufSdr4Ul-nlbw5uViaIeP721vdfewREx-VMgBM1cvejGO7xzp7s-D7LquV44ra8dimTAkb1C7D6TVxV/s320/Court%20of%20Whispers%20630x500.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> Having previously contributed to the <a href="https://alexiconman.blogspot.com/2021/08/guards-at-nexus-of-all-worlds.html">2021</a> and <a href="https://alexiconman.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-guide-to-guide.html">2022</a> jams, Alexi now feels he cannot stop, so submitted a little game for <a href="https://itch.io/jam/one-page-rpg-jam-2023" target="_blank">One-Page RPG Jam 2023</a>. <i>Court of Whispers</i> is a game of diplomacy and negotiation, themed around being some dreadful nobles, who've done dreadful things, who are trying to discover and reveal each other's dark secrets so they lose face in court, while trying to keep their own misdeeds secret. To be honest, it feels a little unstructured - after the setup, there's a bit of an onus on the players to come up with strategies to negotiate and lie successfully, but if you like that kind of thing, this light TTRPG/social game hopefully provides a fun framework to enjoy stitching up your friends. You can get it, and Alexi's other One-Page RPG Jam entries from <a href="https://alexiconman.itch.io/">alexiconman.itch.io</a>.<p><br /></p>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="169" src="https://itch.io/embed/2227766?border_width=2&bg_color=f5f3f5&link_color=521a68&border_color=9a9a9a" width="554"><a href="https://alexiconman.itch.io/court-of-whispers">Court of Whispers by alexiconman</a></iframe>Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-68519608665855692652023-03-20T12:30:00.002+00:002023-03-20T12:38:20.887+00:00A Comic Tribute To BOLT-01 Partly By BOLT-01<p>Dave Evans was a big influence on Alexi and on the whole UK comic scene. <a href="https://alexiconman.blogspot.com/2021/06/alexi-talks-little-bit-about-dave-evans.html">Alexi was shocked and saddened at his untimely passing</a> in 2021. That it has inspired multiple tribute projects (including, for example, the <a href="https://linktr.ee/ComicCreativesUk" target="_blank">Comic Creatives UK</a> Discord community) is a testament to the impact Dave had on comic-makers.</p><p>The latest, <b><i><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sentinelcomic/bolt-01-a-tribute-to-dave-evans" target="_blank">BOLT-01: A Tribute To Dave Evans</a></i></b>, is, fittingly, a bumper 140-page classic sci-fi comic anthology, put together by Alan & Ed of <i>Sentinel</i> comic, with all profits going to charity. It features some great comics by a load of creators who were friends with and had worked with Dave - and even includes several pieces that Dave himself had collaborated on.</p><p>One of these pieces is a story (originally written for <i>FutureQuake</i>) by Alexi called 'Mogsters'. It's an absolutely foolish tale of cyborg cats and gangsters, but artist <a href="https://andymeanock.com/" target="_blank">Andy Meanock</a> did a delightful job with it, bringing out all the fun and silliness that had been hoped for in the script (and the lettering by Dave is, of course, spot on).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbKiOdOCSg_ttsomIh-4Gf3eNptf0vCjOkEf1HxdIdMGOF5gnngFz_raSnjYNXwVbGKGXniXvHUfPuIBu-wRxR-wFhEURoUhJz9nExv78Jl_rKIkLdS4NPHoqda02wooVSh_CP8vWRc_G_gLeBwtPrm7fqMQXOe1W5-SezkelcNNMhkzOk_aGHz29dA/s417/Mogsters%20promo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="417" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZbKiOdOCSg_ttsomIh-4Gf3eNptf0vCjOkEf1HxdIdMGOF5gnngFz_raSnjYNXwVbGKGXniXvHUfPuIBu-wRxR-wFhEURoUhJz9nExv78Jl_rKIkLdS4NPHoqda02wooVSh_CP8vWRc_G_gLeBwtPrm7fqMQXOe1W5-SezkelcNNMhkzOk_aGHz29dA/s320/Mogsters%20promo.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>It would be impossible to fully pay tribute to Dave and his contribution to comics via a short comic, but in a weird way, a daft, cheery sci-fi comic about cats perhaps is appropriate - it wouldn't exist without him and a lot of people, Alexi included, very much remember the cheeriness that Dave brought to the UK comic scene.<div><br /></div><div>More <a href="https://downthetubes.net/crowdfunding-spotlight-bolt-01-a-tribute-to-dave-evans/" target="_blank">info about the anthology here</a>, and you can <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sentinelcomic/bolt-01-a-tribute-to-dave-evans/" target="_blank">order digital or physical copies via the Kickstarter</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>To recap:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Big ol' comic, full of loads of quality work</li><li>Tribute to a legend</li><li>All profits from the comic go to the charity Survivors Of Bereavement By Suicide</li><li>Cyborg cats</li><li>Deadline is 9th April (or 10th? Around then! Don't wait!)</li></ul></div><div>Go! <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sentinelcomic/bolt-01-a-tribute-to-dave-evans/" target="_blank">Go and buy a copy ASAP</a>!</div><div><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" scrolling="no" src="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sentinelcomic/bolt-01-a-tribute-to-dave-evans/widget/video.html" width="480"> </iframe> </div><div><br /></div>Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-50975261274734125692022-11-05T22:43:00.002+00:002022-11-05T22:43:19.863+00:00Check It Out<p> Ah, the Tyne & Wear Metro! Light rail service of dreams! Iconic! And those unheralded heroes of the service, the 'checkies'! (etymology: Customer Service Advisors who <i>check</i> tickets) </p><p>Finally, their stories are told in comic form!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjzTYhCnAtDDe7Dzikj6E7O4CIJmDjb4JEZulmMMggO1XXYZpK1Ldu8gBeCI40ac8PyoA7WJRooY4MFwUkNsf66IpzuulW05jMQcZ24Eoi6ULoo1uNxUfsWmOGC7Bdx1eaOpHqjBq-x2MFyk0ya8TJPWzmqMlHYKirVRA4qSdlSq30h2SPbkcE3636lw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="723" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjzTYhCnAtDDe7Dzikj6E7O4CIJmDjb4JEZulmMMggO1XXYZpK1Ldu8gBeCI40ac8PyoA7WJRooY4MFwUkNsf66IpzuulW05jMQcZ24Eoi6ULoo1uNxUfsWmOGC7Bdx1eaOpHqjBq-x2MFyk0ya8TJPWzmqMlHYKirVRA4qSdlSq30h2SPbkcE3636lw" width="271" /></a></div><br /><i>Some People Call Us Checkies</i> is a comic by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mrmrduckett/" target="_blank">Michael Duckett</a>, with colouring/lettering/compiling/editing/wrangling by <a href="https://britthub.co.uk/" target="_blank">Britt Coxon</a>. It blends stories from the staff in their own words with illustrations of the Metro service - the stations, the trains, the passengers and staff, along with the local geography and landmarks that the Metro services passes near. It's a lovely publication that mixes authentic personal reflection on an oft-underappreciated public role and some lovely, characterful art. <a href="https://www.nexus.org.uk/news/item/special-comic-book-celebrates-roles-frontline-metro-workers" target="_blank">More info here</a>.<p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="189" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TVwhHeSSsqs" title="YouTube video player" width="336"></iframe></p><p>It features a few guest illustrations from various excellent local artists, plus a daft puzzle, based on station name anagrams, by Alexi (with colouring/lettering/layout by Britt). The brief was to provide something fun for kids, and while Alexi feels the illustrations and tone are suitable, the puzzle itself is a TOUGH CHALLENGE, only for the truest Metro enthusiast.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_Jz0WxnceUS5_02OqYC0TxPAcS9sZVOyN0diFa5BCg5omM78bOsjHaCHEQxP3yUkF8WkWu8jfsdgJ47s9X1v-EzoVu-dqohRxTla3LCGLA3r0cu9aQ8wz0Fz8PcdikUMEAYeIKuoDcolk9Wo7j1-GnZTYgYiaGpQg3Nuw1ehhcYIPtweNO9_CzAsfg/s455/slothnerds.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="455" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_Jz0WxnceUS5_02OqYC0TxPAcS9sZVOyN0diFa5BCg5omM78bOsjHaCHEQxP3yUkF8WkWu8jfsdgJ47s9X1v-EzoVu-dqohRxTla3LCGLA3r0cu9aQ8wz0Fz8PcdikUMEAYeIKuoDcolk9Wo7j1-GnZTYgYiaGpQg3Nuw1ehhcYIPtweNO9_CzAsfg/w219-h153/slothnerds.png" width="219" /></a></div><div><br /></div>There's no specific way to get the comic from Nexus - they're distributing it internally and with school visits and suchlike, but you should be able to get a copy from Mike or Alexi if you're interested (drop Alexi a line by all means and he'll get one to you).Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-4969203610053232112022-09-25T00:54:00.002+01:002023-10-10T01:28:10.810+01:00The Guide to The Guide<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyuT__a0qKoTBBEEQdxk3qG3PyYuEiK0tatn6VMbZuc3VWLj6-KugMeqw5ZaR0C4TO2syCsePhZoTcMboZ0v4Gu_8IaxJIn3eRJJwE7wCEg7siOE-ci2sBxc1i6hBmt21ciUgjfBSRbniiGSaatu0LN3C0KjFN8YrogEtRWuVBD_qur6Avxm9rCNHLyAP/s630/The%20Guide%20-%20new%20630x500.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="630" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyuT__a0qKoTBBEEQdxk3qG3PyYuEiK0tatn6VMbZuc3VWLj6-KugMeqw5ZaR0C4TO2syCsePhZoTcMboZ0v4Gu_8IaxJIn3eRJJwE7wCEg7siOE-ci2sBxc1i6hBmt21ciUgjfBSRbniiGSaatu0LN3C0KjFN8YrogEtRWuVBD_qur6Avxm9rCNHLyAP/s320/The%20Guide%20-%20new%20630x500.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Having previously contributed to the <a href="https://alexiconman.blogspot.com/2021/08/guards-at-nexus-of-all-worlds.html">2021 jam</a>, Alexi decided to take part in <a href="https://itch.io/jam/one-page-rpg-jam-2022" target="_blank">One-Page RPG Jam 2022</a>. This time the theme was 'exploration'.</p><p>Alexi's entry <i>The Guide</i> is another little narrative game that eschews dice-rolling and stats and focuses on the nuances of presenting information and trying to surreptitiously communicate to certain people without everyone realising what's going on. Download it free from <a href="https://alexiconman.itch.io/" target="_blank">Alexi's itch.io pages</a>.</p><p><br /></p>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="167" src="https://itch.io/embed/1665844?bg_color=cde6cc&fg_color=222222&link_color=faa45a&border_color=469254" width="552"><a href="https://alexiconman.itch.io/the-guide">The Guide by alexiconman</a></iframe>Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-88389808040280526262022-08-14T01:35:00.003+01:002022-08-14T10:15:28.795+01:00Creatives Creating Comics In The UK<p>It was a little over a year ago that the UK comics scene <a href="https://alexiconman.blogspot.com/2021/06/alexi-talks-little-bit-about-dave-evans.html" target="_blank">lost one of its great unsung heroes, Dave Evans</a>. The encouragement that he provided to so many aspiring writers and artists was immense, and he left a huge gap in the UK comic-making environment. Whilst Dave could never be replaced, the Discord server 'Comic Creatives UK' - started in January 2022, inspired by Dave's ethos - has proven a really supportive new place for UK comic creators to chat, support each other and share tips. Now, thanks to the efforts of CCUK moderators/editors Owen Watts and Lady Geoffery, there's a fantastic anthology made by the creators from the Discord! And you can read it free!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nUrjxzvKwize_z2EXpo_DHhtjds_YHUXdn3vuAZetpB3qhjdPwqRlY9H6UfbJ3Isuk0BqDSuzZTL3u85eZ5zJw_fjmzCRFN3iDILj3TDl7XnBHgFbIQCAzBUZSnSH72VFW8nQn8Wb7JAh_eNRbpFEfnDr26lRdwOa38RlWEucukTOw8GmPE9dq7hAw/s1440/CCUK%20cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="960" height="542" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nUrjxzvKwize_z2EXpo_DHhtjds_YHUXdn3vuAZetpB3qhjdPwqRlY9H6UfbJ3Isuk0BqDSuzZTL3u85eZ5zJw_fjmzCRFN3iDILj3TDl7XnBHgFbIQCAzBUZSnSH72VFW8nQn8Wb7JAh_eNRbpFEfnDr26lRdwOa38RlWEucukTOw8GmPE9dq7hAw/w361-h542/CCUK%20cover.jpg" width="361" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(cover by Winston Chan)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Alexi scripted two stories in this fine publication: 'Another Mystery Solved' is a daft Sherlock Holmes spoof, art by <a href="https://www.craigmunro.co.uk/" target="_blank">Craig Munro</a>...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99E5wZ3vcmJCe4sSFFw_b7a3a3YgxPxtFMfx5sVTTvuwrHYKL9btrhnE5Jt3FpMF-Q5GXNKKpERztWxNsJB8iKA7lw95hwUOdWkSxu-c5mKAlwTeIJxRfeUXm_a_aAS66z0INkAMpW9DmE9M7KOnmoZcQx0_2EJLytblme3TGgsxQ5NuLd9WBl_1TiQ/s935/Another_Mysterypromo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="935" data-original-width="905" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg99E5wZ3vcmJCe4sSFFw_b7a3a3YgxPxtFMfx5sVTTvuwrHYKL9btrhnE5Jt3FpMF-Q5GXNKKpERztWxNsJB8iKA7lw95hwUOdWkSxu-c5mKAlwTeIJxRfeUXm_a_aAS66z0INkAMpW9DmE9M7KOnmoZcQx0_2EJLytblme3TGgsxQ5NuLd9WBl_1TiQ/w200-h207/Another_Mysterypromo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div>and 'Rules As Written' is a D&D-inspired horror tale, with art by <a href="https://beacons.ai/hesitantdoodle" target="_blank">HesitantDoodle</a> and <a href="https://orphicdusk.carrd.co/" target="_blank">Orphicdusk</a>...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30YpWH5P5zFoEDNc3fa12tNmnWX5wLAX5nQ3jXD2IIFJ8JFsncL9mf4FbfQr4R0p-kiWcz9RnrMgguI5qFkGMSeSnUqufIQmDSfynZ6J02uQyZz1bIpqkodKBLaZknugZEWLKnE7W7DTUGVxJWWym5GnSAc1xpFOqsufU6J8S6535jWeVztrqsjAlKA/s821/RulesAsWrittenpromo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="810" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30YpWH5P5zFoEDNc3fa12tNmnWX5wLAX5nQ3jXD2IIFJ8JFsncL9mf4FbfQr4R0p-kiWcz9RnrMgguI5qFkGMSeSnUqufIQmDSfynZ6J02uQyZz1bIpqkodKBLaZknugZEWLKnE7W7DTUGVxJWWym5GnSAc1xpFOqsufU6J8S6535jWeVztrqsjAlKA/w247-h251/RulesAsWrittenpromo.png" width="247" /></a></div><br /><div>Alexi was delighted to work with such talented artists - and those collaborations only occurred thanks to the existence of the Discord and the community that has developed there. There's a load of tremendous comic stories in the anthology, so why wait - go and check it out now! <a href="https://linktr.ee/ccukanthology" target="_blank">Read it on Tapas, Webtoons or download as PDF from Itch.io</a></div><div><br /></div><div>FURTHERMORE, if you're into making comics, and particularly if you're based in the UK, then do <a href="https://linktr.ee/ComicCreativesUk" target="_blank">check out the CCUK community</a> - it's friendly and supportive and they're already starting to plan the next anthology, so get involved!</div><div><br /></div><div> ... </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In other news, Alexi was delighted to get his grubby mitts on <a href="https://www.getpostcurious.com/thelightinthemist" target="_blank">'tarot puzzletale' <i>The Light In The Mist</i></a> by Rita 'PostCurious' Orlov and Jack Fallows - a unique narrative puzzle experience based around an ingenious tarot deck. Alexi had provided some playtesting and (a very small amount of) narrative/structure input during the development of this incredible project, and seeing the finished thing, looking so cool and full of amazing puzzles was a delight. The kickstarter has finished, but if you like puzzles, you may still be able to get a copy of this wonder from the link above.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyg6cM5jWb62juYEQpd0hT6UgtU9oWdL0ixEu5pZSMQZeObPm2PSRYNvX34CDEXHd3onoGeOAk1Zw7QguTaE6upxUn6BPn-4QhgkZF6Azuu3DbyHRTofi3XU_fbkF9HRY0XMiRGlUNOl2wbNuA_44YuTa_VuqlzoILHzrYv0xZqeQpHUTBhq70Cie71A/s680/LITM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="680" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyg6cM5jWb62juYEQpd0hT6UgtU9oWdL0ixEu5pZSMQZeObPm2PSRYNvX34CDEXHd3onoGeOAk1Zw7QguTaE6upxUn6BPn-4QhgkZF6Azuu3DbyHRTofi3XU_fbkF9HRY0XMiRGlUNOl2wbNuA_44YuTa_VuqlzoILHzrYv0xZqeQpHUTBhq70Cie71A/w267-h250/LITM.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-13913667668496364462021-08-23T17:26:00.004+01:002021-08-23T17:53:43.699+01:00Guards At The Nexus Of All Worlds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkldzyv6i9VjmgG4joxFtfZXObpofSywOURU-caouXOZ71YQo2ZCLFYr11JEYIpP0uU3eY8Fh-6smLLol70oWVXXyVC5aU8k8wtmJciOM-d0WN4O8ZYSiS-vHH0fvnwmt2hTB_GNviC6A/s630/GATNOAW+Cover_.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="630" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkldzyv6i9VjmgG4joxFtfZXObpofSywOURU-caouXOZ71YQo2ZCLFYr11JEYIpP0uU3eY8Fh-6smLLol70oWVXXyVC5aU8k8wtmJciOM-d0WN4O8ZYSiS-vHH0fvnwmt2hTB_GNviC6A/w400-h317/GATNOAW+Cover_.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>Having dabbled in boardgame design and creating narrative-led puzzles, and having played and enjoyed RPGs, and being fond of a creative challenge with just the right amount of limitations, Alexi decided to take part in <a href="https://itch.io/jam/one-page-rpg-jam-2021" target="_blank">One-Page RPG Jam 2021</a>.</p><p>The theme of the jam was 'borders', which prompted Alexi to develop a game inspired by Planescape D&D setting, and other settings like this, where worlds are metaphysically connected by portals of some type, allowing travel between very different worlds.</p><p><i>Guards At The Nexus of All Worlds</i> was the result. It plays really quickly, no messing about with stats or a GM, but there is structure to it; in some ways, it's a sort of improv party game (with elements reminiscent of <i>Taboo</i> and <i>Whose Line Is It Anyway?</i>). You can read more about it and download it for free over on <a href="https://alexiconman.itch.io/" target="_blank">Alexi's itch.io page</a>.</p><iframe frameborder="0" height="167" src="https://itch.io/embed/1167646?linkback=true&link_color=1d4047" width="552"><a href="https://alexiconman.itch.io/gatnoaw">Guards At The Nexus Of All Worlds by alexiconman</a></iframe><div><br /></div><div>There are loads of really interesting little games in the jam, very much having a look through them all.</div>Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-36095237894671217042021-06-27T00:15:00.003+01:002021-06-27T09:29:41.081+01:00Alexi talks a little bit about Dave Evans<p>It was with great shock and sadness that I heard of the <a href="https://downthetubes.net/?p=126753" target="_blank">passing of Dave Evans</a> a few weeks ago. There's not much I can add to the many moving tributes already written, but wanted to at least write something about one of the largely unsung heroes of the UK small press comics scene.</p><p>I couldn't claim to have been close to him, but it had always been a pleasure and privilege to work with him over the years - indeed, as editor/publisher of FutureQuake Press (along with Richmond Clements), he published the majority of my the comic stories I've scripted - in FQP titles <i>FutureQuake</i>, <i>Something Wicked</i>, <i>Zarjaz</i>, and <i>Dogbreath</i>. As well as an editor and letterer, he was an accomplished artist (I still have several of the little sketches he'd do on squares of paper during conventions) and I was chuffed when he drew one of my stories for <i>FutureQuake</i> himself.</p><p>Ever since I started getting into small press comics and going to comic cons, Dave was a fixture of the scene, an unfailingly positive and welcoming presence - to the extent that whenever I arrive at <i>any</i> comics convention, one of my first thoughts is always 'is Dave here? I should pop by for a chat and pick up the latest FQP issues'.</p><p>I remember being pretty new to cons, sat in the bar at Hi-Ex in Inverness, and Dave insisting that no one should be sat separately, urging everyone to sit together and join in the chat and doodling; it was a lovely experience, and that attitude was typical of Dave - friendly, inclusive, enthusiastic about comics.</p><p>I think Dave published about thirty issues of FutureQuake, plus the many issues of other FQP titles, and I've found myself reflecting on the thousands of people that must have enjoyed reading a comic he helped create - and about the many writers and artists who got a break and grew creatively thanks to Dave publishing their work.</p><p>In an under-appreciated sector (small press) of an under-appreciated medium (comics), Dave did some of the most under-appreciated graft (editing/publishing/sending-a-zillion-emails) in making comics happen and getting people involved - which I find pretty inspirational. I wish I'd told him that more clearly. I hope he knew how many people he'd had a positive influence on. He certainly had a positive influence on me and on my comic-making and on how I view the small press comics scene. RIP.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2d-tP6YitRNDUQtlnC-IEs61IUnr8qDBq_YhfVSWNGWbQurASre6GmTpXFkL5vYNO285Iczadg3NUArwDbIiGZa8FOOeF6sQiYoaMs3yXE0Izwn3SEWKnm3vvURJsrZfhu00TNrU0zfsp/s2048/WhistlertributetoDaveE.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="2048" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2d-tP6YitRNDUQtlnC-IEs61IUnr8qDBq_YhfVSWNGWbQurASre6GmTpXFkL5vYNO285Iczadg3NUArwDbIiGZa8FOOeF6sQiYoaMs3yXE0Izwn3SEWKnm3vvURJsrZfhu00TNrU0zfsp/w546-h388/WhistlertributetoDaveE.png" width="546" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-6370902707938427152020-03-06T09:33:00.003+00:002020-03-06T09:44:50.365+00:00Comics are not realityThe best value speculative fiction sequential art anthology that you, puny human, are able to purchase is once again available to you. Yes, there's <a href="https://futurequake.wordpress.com/2020/03/01/futurequake-2020-on-sale-now/" target="_blank">a new issue of <i>FutureQuake</i></a> - and Alexi has scripted a story in it.<br />
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FutureQuake 2020 continues the title's tradition of being an absolute belter of an anthology, providing a hundred pages of brain-melting science fiction comics from some of the most talented UK & international creators, for a mere £6.50. Alexi urges you to consider purchasing this fine item.<br />
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<i>Valiance</i>, the story he scripted - with art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/dogsoftheatom" target="_blank">Sinclair Elliot</a> and letters by Bolt-01 - is a tale of a square-jawed space hero Vincent Valiance (who is perhaps not entirely unlike a certain Dan Dare), reflecting on the discrepancy between his clean-cut adventures as reported in comics, and the rather less clean-cut reality of space diplomacy. It was born out of a fondness for that classic style of space adventure where everything is disconcertingly well-mannered.<br />
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Obviously other more substantial comics have addressed that tension (between that vision of the future and a more rough-edged reality), including versions of Dan Dare himself (Alexi has always been fond of the Ennis/Erskine run and wishes it had had longer to develop), however, Alexi hopes his story has something new to say about this topic.<br />
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The script, as often seems to be the case with many of Alexi's scripted comics, was somewhat complex in structure - jumping between present and past, and real events and how they were reported in comics - but Sinclair (and Bolt) did a great job making it work.<br />
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The anthology is chock-full of other great work, and is <a href="https://www.futurequake.co.uk/futurequake-2020/" target="_blank">available now from the FutureQuake Press web shop</a>.<br />
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<br />Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-34852832304759813112019-11-11T19:08:00.000+00:002019-11-11T19:08:21.378+00:00Dream onAlexi has scripted several stories for FutureQuake Press (appearing in <i>FutureQuake</i>, <i>Zarjaz</i>, and <i>Dogbreath </i>anthologies) over the years, but he had not written anything for their horror anthology <i>Something Wicked</i> - until now.<br />
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'The Dream Again' appears in <i>Something Wicked </i>2019. It's a spooky tale of understated psychological horror, about feeling alienated even from the people closest to oneself, with art by Matt Johns and letters by Bolt-01.<br />
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You can get <i>Something Wicked 2019</i> (featuring a bumper collection of horror tales, varying from spooky to visceral to humorous) from <a href="https://www.futurequake.co.uk/somethingwicked-2034/" target="_blank">the FutureQuake Press shop</a>.<br />
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<br />Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-3646067422312990782019-06-28T17:57:00.004+01:002019-06-28T18:14:37.681+01:00The Stone Leaves Part ThreePreviously:<br />
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<a href="https://alexiconman.blogspot.com/2019/02/posting-about-postal-puzzles.html" target="_blank">Introduction to Alexi guest-writing <i>The Stone Leaves</i> season of <i>Cryptogram Puzzle Post</i> (Jack Fallows' monthly illustrated puzzle narrative project).</a><br />
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<a href="https://alexiconman.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-stone-leaves-part-one.html" target="_blank">Alexi talks about the first issue, 'Otto & The Thief', and provides some deeper background to the project.</a><br />
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<a href="http://alexiconman.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-stone-leaves-part-two.html" target="_blank">Alexi talks about the second issue, 'Otto & The Little Helper', and theorises about game and puzzle design ideas, rattling on about ludonarrative resonance and dissonance.</a><br />
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Now:<br />
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The third and final issue, 'Otto & The Old Friend' is at the printers and Alexi's little story comes to an end. Alexi's going to talk here a little about the issue and about some of the themes of the season as a whole.<br />
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As with the prior two issues, it features absolutely stunning cover art by <a href="http://stevelarder.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Steve Larder</a>, coloured by Jack Fallows:<br />
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(And the fab interior artwork this issue is by <a href="https://sophierobin.com/" target="_blank">Sophie Robin</a>.)<br />
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Reflecting back on it all, Alexi is happy with how the puzzles, story and art have fitted together across the season and is really proud to have been part of Cryptogram Puzzle Post. It may only be 24 pages in three envelopes of final product, but planning and writing The Stone Leaves took over a year, a 15,000-word script (that was rewritten myriad times), and an awful lot of time researching, doodling puzzles, and just THINKING, so Alexi is really attached to <i>The Stone Leaves</i>. It's the best thing he's done. He'd like to thank Jack for giving him the opportunity to play with their amazing project, all the guest artists involved (Steve Larder, Jem Milton, Dave Newman, and Sophie Robin), and anyone who has read the issues and tried to solve the puzzles.<br />
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As discussed in the previous blog post, this third issue is themed around moving and moving on. The protagonist Otto has to both make a literal journey and move on metaphorically, in several different ways. It ties up many of the narrative threads raised in the first two issues and links it all to the main Cryptogram Puzzle Post story.<br />
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The playlist for this issue hopefully reflects the bittersweet nature of the narrative and the sense of travelling in late Spring (and: sun, water, memory, cycles of life and death, friendship, regret): Brave Timbers - <i>First Light</i>; Alela Diane - <i>Take Us Back</i>; Aidan O'Rourke - <i>An Tobar</i>; Mary Hampton - <i>Island</i>; Colour Haze - <i>Remains</i>; Goldfrapp -<i> Eat Yourself</i>. All tracks appear as part of the main <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7oG1qw088hMfryTEu9wzvB" target="_blank">'Cryptophone' playlist on Spotify</a>, or, for convenience, you can find just <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5KjQu17tmBOwBHARjmFlxH" target="_blank"><i>The Stone Leaves</i> season tracks here</a>.<br />
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Hidden secrets? If anyone can spot a particularly obtuse reference to a North-East-based doom rock band, award yourself bonus points.<br />
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Otto's journey is about coming to terms with perceived failure. Having aspirations to do good in the world and for one's actions to have value, it's human nature, but reality rarely conforms to the shapes we hope to see. Other people just don't care or don't see things in the same way.<br />
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Otto is perhaps a bit older than Alexi, but Alexi thinks he knows something of what it is to feel old, and tired, and lonely, and that all one's endeavours are ridiculous and for nought. To realise that efforts have been at best unproductive, and sometimes counter-productive, is hard to take. 'First World problems', sure, but sadness is sadness. If Otto's story is about anything, Alexi would say it's about trying to accept that futility and find some kind of peace - that's perhaps the only practical response to the indignities of life. Hopefully, there's solace out there (or, indeed, in there) somewhere, if the route to it can be found.<br />
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So, after all his absurd attempts at doing something worthwhile, his journey has finally reached an end, and at least he can rest.<br />
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Otto, I mean.<br />
<br />Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-47435346816417547132019-05-29T19:30:00.000+01:002019-06-28T18:02:15.345+01:00The Stone Leaves Part TwoAs has been established:<br />
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<a href="https://alexiconman.blogspot.com/2019/02/posting-about-postal-puzzles.html" target="_blank">Alexi is guest-scripting a three-issue season (called <i>The Stone Leaves</i>) of Jack Fallows' amazing illustrated narrative puzzle project<i> Cryptogram Puzzle Post</i></a>.<br />
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The first issue, 'Otto & The Thief', <a href="https://alexiconman.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-stone-leaves-part-one.html" target="_blank">came out a month back, and Alexi talked a bit about the background to the project and explained what it was, and how his issues fit into the wider <i>Cryptogram Puzzle Post </i>story</a>.<br />
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The second issue, 'Otto & The Little Helper' is coming out shortly. Check out the cover (by <a href="http://stevelarder.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Steve Larder</a>, coloured by Jack Fallows)...<br />
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Is that not TOTALLY EXCELLENT? Alexi assures you that the interior art by Dave Newman is also absolutely belter.<br />
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What's going on in the story? Otto visits a run-down town to reclaim an object connected with his past. He meets someone who he'd met long ago, remembers a number of events, and has to confront the results of some mistakes that were made.<br />
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Second parts of trilogies often seem to share certain characteristics, and 'Otto & The Little Helper' does fulfil several of those: We get much of the substance of the plot. If the first part establishes the character in the world, the second reveals much of the plot and backstory, and the third will focus on resolving everything that's been set up and making the theme resonate. Tonally, the second part of three is often also the darkest, and that's probably true here too.<br />
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Alexi would also like talk about ludonarrative dissonance/resonance. If those terms aren't familiar, they refer (as Alexi understands it) to the extent to which a game's gameplay is incongruous or congruous with the narrative elements, i.e. to what extent does the game successfully replicate or evoke what it purports to be about.<br />
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It's a tough challenge to be ludonarratively resonant. Games (of all types) are usually a representation of something else, and it's rarely possible for the game mechanics to be the same as whatever the game seeks to represent - and often, even in games that are enjoyable, this dissonance can be noticeable (<a href="https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GameplayAndStorySegregation" target="_blank">in many ways</a>).<br />
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Examples! Alexi has recently played one of the <i>Hitman </i>games. It's ridiculous. Your baldy barcoded assassin protagonist rocks up to wherever the 'hit' is in his distinctive suit - without exception. "Agent 47, we need you to do a job at a clown convention..." - maybe prepare by getting a clown costume? NO. Arrive in the suit then mug a clown to steal a costume - which you change into in seconds, fits perfectly and no one questions the fact you look different. AND you magically knows where everyone is in the level. AND success often depends on learning where characters are going to walk, and with what timings, by repeating the level multiple times. None of which realistically chimes with the theme (thankfully), but it does <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/11/23/hitmans-humour-evolved-because-of-47s-penchant-for-disguises/" target="_blank">make quite a fun puzzle game in an entirely-divorced-from-reality way</a>.<br />
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How about boardgames? <i>Ticket To Ride</i> always springs to mind here. Great game, very enjoyable, but what are you actually meant to be doing? "Claiming" routes - being the first to travel them? But there's no real sense of travelling - you can pop up wherever you like on the map, so it ends up feeling more like you're some kind of rail tycoon, purchasing sections of railways. Dissonance!<br />
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Finally: D&D: just what <i>do</i> hit points represent??<br />
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Cryptogram Puzzle Post has both puzzle and narrative elements, and the theory is that they work in harmony. However, as Alexi has discovered, this is tricky to structure (the fact that Jack has managed to do this during the past two years' issues is just another part of what Alexi finds astounding about what they've achieved with this project).<br />
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If you have your protagonist needing to, let's say, get through a door, and there's some kind of elaborate mechanism, the puzzle could be to work out which lever to pull that will release the door lock. This is fairly ludonarratively resonant - it may not be the same as being stood in front of the mechanism yourself, but it replicates some essential aspects of it.<br />
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However! Part of the great beauty of CPP is the fact that part of the puzzle is often working out what the puzzle is. And for that to work, the puzzle often has to be tangential to the narrative, or at least only loosely causally connected to it. If the protagonist stands in front of a door they need to be through and there's a mechanism that releases the lock with multiple choices of lever to pull, working out which lever it is is highly intuitive. If all the puzzles were like that, it would leave little abstract problem-solving for the reader.<br />
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Consider the converse: let's say the character must open a door, but there's no obvious mechanism, and the choice of lever is between a metal one, a wooden one and a ceramic one, based on a clue on the previous page where the reader may notice the word 'wood' hidden in a painting (that the character only glances at); plus the wooden lever has a symbol on it, and that's what is of significance in the puzzle on the next page! The mechanism is irrelevant, and the character is acting in an almost <i>Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency</i> way, relying on the mysterious interconnectedness of all things to guide choices, often with the reader acting independently of what the character is doing.<br />
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This is ludonarratively dissonant, but Alexi feels it is unavoidable if the mystery of the puzzles is to be maintained. To counter this dissonance, Alexi has tried to theme the types of puzzles in each issue to enhance the more general narrative concepts.<br />
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In the first issue, several of the puzzles are about CONNECTION - connecting one thing to another to create a link. Hopefully this has some resonance with the fact that Otto is just starting to connect what happens to his half-forgotten memories.<br />
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In this second issue, several of the puzzles are about MAKING SENSE of things - hidden meanings, ciphers, and the like. Hopefully this has some resonance with the fact that Otto is making sense of what he's finding out about his past.<br />
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In the final issue, several of the puzzles are about MOVING - changing positions, finding routes. Hopefully this will have resonance with the fact that Otto is moving on and changing his position, literally and metaphorically.<br />
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Does it work? If you have thoughts, please let Alexi know. All of this is an experiment.<br />
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Bumper bonus issue two stuff!<br />
In this issue, Alexi makes a subtle nod in the text to a classic illustrated puzzle book that one of the puzzles references. Can anyone spot it? One of the puzzles is loosely inspired by the idea of chaos magic sigils, and the two sigils that matter are both based on letters based on words. It's a big stretch, but they might be guessable? There's also a massive quantity of false-answer paths through the whole issue, to the extent that only one location on the map doesn't actually feature in any of the other puzzles - can you work it out?<br />
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For the playlist, with this being the more brooding and dramatic part of the season, Alexi has permitted himself a dive into some atmospheric psych-rock, along with some classic unsettling folk oddness. This issue's playlist:<br />
Graveyard - <i>Longing</i>; Tunng - <i>String</i>; Comets On Fire - <i>Blue Tomb</i>; High Priest of Saturn - <i>Ages Move The Earth</i>; Trees - <i>Murdoch</i>; The Budos Band - <i>Turn And Burn</i>. Check it out (currently at the bottom) in the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7oG1qw088hMfryTEu9wzvB" target="_blank">Cryptophone mega-playlist here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://cryptogrampuzzlepost.bigcartel.com/product/spring-2019-subscription-the-stone-leaves-issues-2-1-2-3" target="_blank">Order the Stone Leaves three-issue season here</a>.<br />
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Subscribe via <a href="https://www.patreon.com/jackfallows" target="_blank">Jack's Patreon</a> for ongoing issues and extra bonus puzzles.<br />
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Still unsure about the whole thing? <a href="https://jackfallows.tumblr.com/post/185222360434/hey-the-first-issue-of-cryptogram-is-now" target="_blank">Try the very first issue of Year 0 for free</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://alexiconman.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-stone-leaves-part-three.html" target="_blank">Next: Part Three and season themes.</a>Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-57689054224409296262019-04-04T18:20:00.002+01:002019-06-28T18:02:04.977+01:00The Stone Leaves Part OneAs explained previously, <a href="http://alexiconman.blogspot.com/2019/02/posting-about-postal-puzzles.html" target="_blank">Alexi is guest-scripting three issues of <i>Cryptogram Puzzle Post</i></a>, Jack Fallows' glorious occult-themed monthly illustrated puzzle narrative project.<br />
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The three-issue season is called <i>The Stone Leaves</i> - the first issue of which, 'Otto & The Thief' should be ready very soon!<br />
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Here's the cover by <a href="http://stevelarder.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Steve Larder</a> (with colours by Jack), and a preview of the interior illustrations by <a href="https://www.jmiltondraws.com/" target="_blank">Jem Milton</a>.<br />
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HOW AWESOME IS THAT LOOKING, EH? Alexi has been delighted to work on a project with such talented guest artists.<br />
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Alexi has been a massive fan of <i>Cryptogram </i>since the start, so when Jack raised the idea of some guest issues at the start of the third year, Alexi was both tremendously excited, but more than a little intimidated at the prospect of trying to match such ingenuity and such a distinctive tone that Jack had created.<br />
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The first two years of <i>Cryptogram </i>have followed protagonist Anna as she finds and joins a coven, then goes on a perilous epic quest. The start of the third year seemed a suitable point for a brief change, so The Stone Leaves switches to follow a new character, Otto. He's old and tired, and, whilst perhaps formerly skilled, his memory is not what it was - so he can face challenges approximately similar to Anna (who's young and has grown in skill and confidence through the series), but from quite a different perspective. It also seemed like a good opportunity to try and fill in a little of the backstory to the main narrative.<br />
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Using Otto took a bit of the pressure off from trying to seamlessly match the other issues, and Alexi has enjoyed tweaking the tone a little. However, it still left the challenge of establishing a new character, developing a narrative arc, illuminating themes, working in backstory elements, and connecting to the main plot. Oh - and constructing a series of totally ingenious original puzzles, themed around witchcraft, that delight and confound the reader. All in the space of seven pages per issue (plus intro page and illustrated envelope)!<br />
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All creative endeavour is a puzzle of sorts, but the intricacies of interaction between character / plot / references to magic and folklore / puzzles whose outcomes are the key to solving the next page's puzzle, and which structure over three issues into something vaguely coherent? One of the biggest challenges was working out where to start building from. What was essential and would could be changed? (But if it was changed, how did that affect the next element, and the next, and the next!?)<br />
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How does Jack do it (and doing all the art and business side) every month? It is a mystery. Alexi knows they are a ridiculously talented creator (and general good 'un), but it just doesn't seem humanly possible. (Aha, "not <i>humanly</i> possible", EH, READERS?*)<br />
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Anyway. It has been slow progress, with much rumination, but with 'Otto & The Thief' now at the printers, Alexi is tentatively thoroughly excited about the whole business.<br />
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<i>Secret insider bonus blather!</i><br />
Otto's name is not a reference to Aleister Crowley's Ordo Templi Orientis ('Otto' is just another four letter palindromic name like 'Anna' which seemed a nice symmetry). At an early point in the script development, the crow was going to be called 'Hotfoot Crowlie', but that was more as a reference to Sybil Leek's jackdaw 'Hotfoot Jackson'. The herbs mentioned in the potion for memory all were associated with memory in Culpeper's <i>The English Physitian</i> / <i>The Complete Herbal</i>.<br />
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<i>And each issue has a soundtrack!</i> The <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7oG1qw088hMfryTEu9wzvB" target="_blank">compiled mega-playlist for the whole of Cryptogram is on Spotify here</a>. Scroll to the bottom of the list and you'll find what Alexi selected after digging through his mountain of CDs whilst writing the issue:<br />
Bert Jansch - <i>The Waggoner's Lad</i>; Mr Scruff - <i>Valley Of The Sausages</i>; Nostalgia 77 – <i>Green Blades Of Grass</i>; Bill Fay – <i>Garden Song</i> [demo version]; Elle Osborne - <i>The Way Through The Woods</i>; Gila - <i>This Morning</i>.<br />
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Alexi wanted to mix some nature-oriented psych-folk with some slightly wonky jazz antics to reflect the themes of the issue: confusion (and a slightly absurd chase), nature (and the start of spring), and making connections (between experience and memory, and in the puzzle functions).<br />
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Enough of that for now! There'll be more talk about puzzles and themes when the second issue comes out (warning: this may refer to "ludo-narrative dissonance/resonance", so if your pretentiousness alerts go off, you've been warned.)<br />
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<i>The Stone Leaves</i> season of Cryptogram Puzzle Post runs in March, April and May 2019. <a href="https://cryptogrampuzzlepost.bigcartel.com/product/spring-2019-subscription-the-stone-leaves-issues-2-1-2-3" target="_blank">You can order the season here</a> (along with various options for<a href="https://cryptogrampuzzlepost.bigcartel.com/products" target="_blank"> individual issues and bundles</a>), but why not consider subscribing to the <a href="https://www.patreon.com/jackfallows" target="_blank">Cryptogram Puzzle Post Patreon</a> - you'll not only get the issues but also a load of bonus content including behind-the-scenes process posts and exclusive puzzle challenges! (If you know Alexi in person, he may have a few copies too, but going via the official channels are the most reliable methods.)<br />
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(If you think "sounds pretty interesting, but eight quid maybe seems a little pricey for just a few pages", Alexi gets where you're coming from, but you clearly haven't comprehended what Alexi has been trying to explain about the sheer volume of planning, design, writing and art that goes into these issues! Plus: this is almost totally unique. If the idea of enigmatic interlinked puzzles in an intriguing story with lovely art appeals at all, then an issue of <i>Cryptogram Puzzle Post</i> represents amazing value for you. Give it a go!)<br />
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<a href="http://alexiconman.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-stone-leaves-part-two.html">Next: Part Two and ludonarrative resonance and dissonance.</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">* Alexi would like to make it clear he is not officially suggesting that Jack is a supernatural being, he leaves any such supposition to the judgement of you the reader.</span>Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-72563125055037341672019-02-28T14:42:00.000+00:002019-02-28T14:42:20.364+00:00Unexpectedly Positive Outcomes Are Possible In StoriesAlexi has a little story called 'The Future Is Actually Pretty Great' in <em>FutureQuake 2019</em>, the latest quality sci-fi comic anthology from those titans of small press comics publishing, FutureQuake Press.<br />
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Art is by Scott Twells, with colours by Owen Watts and letters by Bolt-01. It is just a one-pager but Alexi thinks it turned out lovely and it puts a grin on his face when he reads it.<br />
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<em>FutureQuake 2019</em> is another 90+ page bumper bargain bonanza of twist-ending-heavy speculative fiction comics and you can purchase it <a href="https://www.futurequake.co.uk/futurequake-2019/" target="_blank"> from the FQP store here</a>.<br />
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<br />Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-14045142423199485832019-02-14T12:47:00.001+00:002019-11-11T17:56:48.327+00:00Posting About Postal PuzzlesPuzzles. Life is full of them. Frustration and confusion abound, but then, hopefully: solution, coherence, progress, joy?<br />
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<a href="https://cryptogrampuzzlepost.tumblr.com/about" target="_blank">Cryptogram Puzzle Post</a> is, frankly, probably the most interesting ongoing art project that Alexi has come across in years: an engaging narrative, based around themes of witchcraft, alchemy, occultism, combined with ingeniously interlinked brain-melting puzzle sequences (of the variety where <em>working out what the puzzles actually are</em> are the core of the puzzles), replete with evocative illustration and design. It's the work of Jack Fallows, who has, absurdly, kept the monthly schedule up for two years of befuddling delight.<br />
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Alexi has been a huge fan of the project since the first issue, so was thrilled to be given an opportunity to script a guest season (of three issues). THIS IS HAPPENING, starting in March! The issues will feature guest artists (including <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stevelarder/" target="_blank">Steve Larder</a>) along with Jack's own prodigious talents, and Alexi is understandably wildly excited about how it'll turn out.<br />
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This season takes a diversion from the main story (and its protagonist, Anna) to focus on new character, Otto. Otto used to be a magic user of some substantial skill, but is now old and tired and alone. However, the past is not done with him, and an unexpected visitor sets him on a journey that will at times be confusing, ridiculous, perilous, and occasionally, hopefully, comforting. Also: it will involve numerous brain-melting puzzles.<br />
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Alexi finds almost all his creative endeavours to be anguished experiences of exasperatingly incremental progress, but trying to plan these issues has been the hardest creative challenge he's worked through - but also the most interesting. More blather about all this soon.<br />
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<i>The Stone Leaves</i> season of Cryptogram Puzzle Post runs in March, April and May 2019. <a href="https://cryptogrampuzzlepost.bigcartel.com/product/spring-2019-subscription-the-stone-leaves-issues-2-1-2-3" target="_blank">You can order the season here</a> (along with various options for<a href="https://cryptogrampuzzlepost.bigcartel.com/products" target="_blank"> individual issues and bundles</a>), but why not consider subscribing to the <a href="https://www.patreon.com/jackfallows" target="_blank">Cryptogram Puzzle Post Patreon</a> - you'll not only get the issues but also a load of bonus content including behind-the-scenes process posts and exclusive puzzle challenges!<br />
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<a href="https://alexiconman.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-stone-leaves-part-one.html">Next: Part One and some further information about the project.</a>Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-18263662130062517022018-09-11T12:16:00.001+01:002018-09-11T12:16:55.735+01:00Alexi talks a little bit about Terry Wiley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Terry Wiley passed away at the weekend. My condolences to all those who were close to him. He was both a good 'un and incredibly talented, it is a sad loss to the whole UK comics scene.</div>
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Terry used the acronym 'IDCM' as his brand for some of his self-published work - 'I Do Comics Me', and of the many folk I've met through Doing Comics, I can't think of many who Did Comics to the extent that Terry did.<br />
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I was always in awe of his skill and versatility as an artist and storyteller. His work on the mammoth run of <i>Sleaze Castle</i> (with his longtime creative partner, writer Dave McKinnon), <i>Petra Etcetera</i> (with writer Adrian Kermode) and most recently <i>VerityFair</i> (all Terry) is all highly technically accomplished. Even more importantly, those books are full of humanity, humour, surreal meanderings, highly engaging characters grounded in authentic detail existing in a meticulously detailed shared universe, frequent background in-joke nods to comics and friends, and sheer undeniable originality.</div>
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Although well-loved by pretty much everyone who's read them, I think these works still have yet to reach the wide audience their quality deserves, probably partly due to the hard-to-categorise-ness that is an element of why they're so great (and probably also partly due to Terry's modesty and bad-at-self-publicity-ness that was a small element of what made <i>him</i> so great). Nevertheless, Terry persisted in Doing Comics: continuing to constantly make excellent work for all kinds of projects, and being an active member of a number of creative communities - including the Paper Jam Comics Collective, where I met him.</div>
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I couldn't claim to have been very close to Terry, but it was a pleasure to have been his friend. His occasionally mock-curmudgeonly veneer fooled no one, his charm and cheeky wit always apparent. He was funny and passionate about comics, particularly self-published ones, and having someone like Terry in the gang always made us feel confident in what we were doing.</div>
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I was also lucky enough to collaborate with Terry on the short project <i>The Sloper Gradient</i>. I'd scripted a short comic about Ally Sloper and the roots of the modern comics medium for a proposed Victorian-era-themed anthology, but it had been rejected due to being way too dense and complex to find an artist to take it on. More than any of my (many) rejected scripts, I thought this one had potential and deserved self-publishing - if only I could find the right artist.</div>
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There was literally ONE artist I knew that had the skill necessary to pastiche the numerous different artistic styles required to tell the story, and to get across the human emotion needed to wrap it up. When I rather timidly approached Terry, he was intrigued by the script and took it on, no big deal. It's only a short comic (hopefully at some point, I'll post it on the internet for wider perusal) but thanks to Terry's incredible talent, my baffling script ended up as a comic I was really proud of.<br />
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That's how I'll remember Terry - affably able to do pretty much anything in the sequential art medium, because he was just that good at Doing Comics.<br />
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Terry Wiley, HDCH. RIP.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>From 'VerityFair' by Terry</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.comixology.co.uk/Sleaze-Castle-Directors-Cut/comics-series/8016" target="_blank">You can get the <i>Sleaze Castle</i> collections on Comixology</a> or in <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleaze-Castle-Etcetera-Incomplete-Final/dp/190569279X/" target="_blank">print via e.g. Amazon</a>. <i>(Note: Sleaze Castle is not sleazy, it's a pun on 'Castle Leazes', a Newcastle University hall of residence that the story is set in a fictionalised version of).</i></div>
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<a href="http://store.sequential.cc/catalogue/search/?q=verityfair" target="_blank">You can get <i>VerityFair</i> on Sequential</a> (physically, I think it's out of print, but you can find second-hand copies around).<br />
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(<i>The Sloper Gradient</i>, I'll try and locate a PDF and hopefully post sometime soon)</div>
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Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-15161485006990162292018-08-27T20:34:00.000+01:002018-08-27T20:34:32.148+01:00The best all-ages sci-fi sports/cookery adventure comic you'll read today <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1NDFaGs8J5doNBGpe4s7EO9XKIM7hkZPIA9pR-MvCDM1DjtSG8TKzA8V7dlzf4ymElAoOKdGvMU5-xLpZIuV7nm_XBzvOAOXsyaQUUjuzNu2HYFcsAC9pQhk55HzxPhhlilUid2ReWjl/s1600/Pay+attention.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1188" data-original-width="1104" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-1NDFaGs8J5doNBGpe4s7EO9XKIM7hkZPIA9pR-MvCDM1DjtSG8TKzA8V7dlzf4ymElAoOKdGvMU5-xLpZIuV7nm_XBzvOAOXsyaQUUjuzNu2HYFcsAC9pQhk55HzxPhhlilUid2ReWjl/s320/Pay+attention.png" width="297" /></a></div>
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Several years back, Alexi (working, unusually for him, under a <i><b>ludicrous pseudonym</b></i> of Quinston Q. Blowfish) collaborated with artist Cuttlefish on a story for a local all-ages adventure comics anthology, <i>A4Adventure</i>.<div>
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The resultant story, 'Trainee Space Chef', turned out well and Alexi and Cuttlefish decided that, as well as reprinting the story itself, at some point they must get round to doing another story featuring plucky chef-in-training-in-space Maria McMurdo.<div>
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CUT TO: SEVERAL YEAR LATER</div>
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Alexi is delighted to present a brand new Trainee Space Chef adventure: The Space Golf Caper!</div>
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<i>The sporting spectacle of the upcoming galactic space golf tournament is the cause of much excitement - especially for the students of the prestigious Asimov-Ramsey Academy of Space-Catering, who have been allocated responsibility for providing refreshments to the players traversing the course across the moons of Epsilon-Gamma-12.<br /><br /> Diligent Maria McMurdo and underachieving Norton Hollandaise are stationed on moon thirteen. Everything seems to be going well until the tournament is thrown into chaos by the revelation that a daring heist has occurred right under the noses of the organisers and space golf viewing public.<br /><br /> With only experimental cuisine and youthful pep on their side, what can our heroes do? Will the pair be able to keep the players refreshed? Will they be able to foil the devious crime? Will Maria ever get an 'A' grade from Professor Battenberg? Find out in... TRAINEE SPACE CHEF: THE SPACE GOLF CAPER.</i><div>
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Sounds pretty good huh? And that Cuttlefish art looks pretty spectacular, yeah? You might quite like to read this, right?</div>
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YOU CAN! FREE! ONLINE! RIGHT NOW! Here: <a href="http://cuttlefishcomics.blogspot.com/p/trainee-space-chef.html" target="_blank">Trainee Space Chef: The Space Golf Caper by Cuttlefish and Alexi Conman</a></div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-33313843698409969392018-04-30T14:51:00.002+01:002018-04-30T17:44:14.846+01:00Hot Dogs!A western IN SPACE!<br />
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That's kinda the underlying high concept of classic <em>2000AD</em> strip Strontium Dog right? Sure, Wagner & Ezquerra took Johnny Alpha and Wulf on all kinds of sci-fi escapades, but the bounty hunter premise gives most stories the tone (and often narrative shape) of a gritty western.<br />
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Alexi has long liked the idea of this and finally got round to scripting a story for <em>Dogbreath</em>, the long-running Strontium Dog comic anthology fanzine from FQP. Turns out, he really enjoyed trying to come with a satisfying sci-fi western story, and ended up scripting a chunky fourteen-pager - fortunately, the editors accepted it and artist David Parsons (plus Bolt-01 lettering) really nailed the art.<br />
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You can find the resultant story, 'A Safe Haven', in <em>Dogbreath</em> #34. It's the tale of a sheriff of a prim backwater farming colony having to deal with a notorious criminal gang (pursued by Strontium Dog bounty hunters) trying to lie-low in his jurisdiction. (IN SPACE!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPjijkvoS9uXb0fFAiVFh2c8kVB4doe-eUJmWRnawjLICdzwHR6GMIr51MrftcgHfs4dl8zwwe3B-aw8_7BG8DMqd_tU1T6pjXzGNGJXuN8brUiOseGP5EJg3EhY2JTsSb_mxyyV-X_HJ/s1600/CoverDB34-Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="1000" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPjijkvoS9uXb0fFAiVFh2c8kVB4doe-eUJmWRnawjLICdzwHR6GMIr51MrftcgHfs4dl8zwwe3B-aw8_7BG8DMqd_tU1T6pjXzGNGJXuN8brUiOseGP5EJg3EhY2JTsSb_mxyyV-X_HJ/s400/CoverDB34-Web.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Dogbreath</em> #34 cover by Mike Collins</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Panel from 'A Safe Haven', art by David Parsons</span><br />
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But that's not all! Also fresh out from FQP is <em>FutureQuake </em>2018 - the latest volume in their flagship sci-fi anthology series.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_3u5c8OiFa4vqRwm0jw4paRBCtyTdCtnb0RsI-dzA1PPu5LhP_1_KeeJ1SDcdS5E7jA4DgXvK3Vbl0bj6WGs37gwqF_NIy8UMZAU5woUxtItVqPCf9jE4A_Xd9n9R1oSA6S2USFFLhyphenhyphenB/s1600/CoverFQ2018Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_3u5c8OiFa4vqRwm0jw4paRBCtyTdCtnb0RsI-dzA1PPu5LhP_1_KeeJ1SDcdS5E7jA4DgXvK3Vbl0bj6WGs37gwqF_NIy8UMZAU5woUxtItVqPCf9jE4A_Xd9n9R1oSA6S2USFFLhyphenhyphenB/s320/CoverFQ2018Web.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>FutureQuake 2018</em> cover by Gibson Quarter & Steve Denton</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Panel from 'A Strange Thing Happened', art by Scott Twells</span><br />
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Snuck in on the back cover is a one-pager scripted by Alexi, art by Scott Twells, colours by Owen Watts, letters by Bolt-01, <em>A Strange Thing Happened</em> - a brief sad look at disaffection and loneliness... and dogs.<br />
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These fine publications are now available from FQP - direct via their webstore (details plus full contents lists here: <a href="https://www.futurequake.co.uk/dogbreath/dogbreath-34/" target="_blank">Dogbreath #34</a>, <a href="https://www.futurequake.co.uk/futurequake/futurequake-2018/" target="_blank">FutureQuake 2018</a>), or catch FQP in person at <a href="https://en-gb.facebook.com/oldhamcomiccon/" target="_blank">Oldham Comic Con on the 12th May</a>.<br />
<br />Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-64741367936916913412017-07-05T09:42:00.003+01:002017-07-11T09:58:30.759+01:00ALEXI ATEN'T DEADDespite the tumbleweed proliferation around here, Alexi Conman is still a thing. He has been scripting comics. They have been being drawn by excellent artists.<br />
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And so it is that (like buses?) you wait for ages for an Alexi Conman comic to come along, and then four (!) come at once - all in the latest astounding issue of SF comic anthology <em>FutureQuake</em>!<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cover by Romain Brun & Julien Brun</span></em></div>
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<em>FutureQuake 2017</em> is a bumper 100-page beast, chock-full of quality comics stories, and well worth £6.50 of your Earth-money. The four stories within it that Alexi scripted are:<br />
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<strong><em>From Tiny Acorns</em></strong> - Art by Richard Waugh, Letters by Bolt-01<br />
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An endeavour to spin a yarn at breakneck pace. Scientists develop a miracle crop, it (of course) gets out of control, it wipes out the human race, takes over the planet and gains sentience - <em>in the first three panels</em>. Things then get weird.<br />
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<strong><em>A Week </em></strong>- Art by Sketchy Magpie, Letters by Bolt-01<br />
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Pretty high-brow stuff this, riffing on two of Western culture's most venerated cultural icons: Shakespeare (the seven ages of man) and Jean-Claude Van Damme (<em>Universal Soldier</em>).<br />
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<strong><em>Turing's Prisoner</em></strong> - Art & Letters by Bolt-01, Greytones by Barry Renshaw<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNIYYCunVpBjPopn62Cj9DBQc5oegY8_dNcXF2emcDcETdLlQ__BjgqKYjlyzpEGhT-_m-yMmncYsDQKy6-V_P6kROyP5eqQT5d6B5NVmNS_9ZEZHA0xVnK1k8biwuAJsVMR6aUVXY7zc/s1600/TuringsPrisonerBlog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="550" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNIYYCunVpBjPopn62Cj9DBQc5oegY8_dNcXF2emcDcETdLlQ__BjgqKYjlyzpEGhT-_m-yMmncYsDQKy6-V_P6kROyP5eqQT5d6B5NVmNS_9ZEZHA0xVnK1k8biwuAJsVMR6aUVXY7zc/s320/TuringsPrisonerBlog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
A slightly experimental piece this, both conceptually (investigating a novel spin on 'the Turing test'), and formally (the whole story is a guy talking to a door!). Alexi genuinely hopes it raises a few moral conundrums.<br />
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<strong><em>Action & Consequence</em></strong> - Art by Scott Twells, Colour by Owen Watts, Letters by Bolt-01<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AqfpyW7n3zj4pVJUSH_K8dMLOuvJIJh4nVKmpzyOMMUvO6srC4ruf82sfuGeXzBooDE-dxsv7rnfYFffTzKdVphFUUyfkWDNaVAwONLA84hzmnWd91zM6H_GfAhRXrsQTJ2wKg3Im-C4/s1600/Action%2526ConsequenceBlog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="450" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AqfpyW7n3zj4pVJUSH_K8dMLOuvJIJh4nVKmpzyOMMUvO6srC4ruf82sfuGeXzBooDE-dxsv7rnfYFffTzKdVphFUUyfkWDNaVAwONLA84hzmnWd91zM6H_GfAhRXrsQTJ2wKg3Im-C4/s320/Action%2526ConsequenceBlog.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Daft one-pager, contrasting rumination on free will with punching monsters. We've all been there, right?<br />
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Alexi thinks all the artists did absolutely fantastic jobs - all of his stories were quite tricky in their own ways. He's also mightily impressed with the range and quality of all the stories in the anthology, and is certain that you'd enjoy it if you were to purchase it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.futurequake.co.uk/futurequake/" target="_blank">FutureQuake 2017 is available from the FutureQuake Press shop</a>.<br />
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<br />Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-68747715260464491262015-11-12T15:58:00.003+00:002015-11-12T15:59:12.640+00:00A Slippery SlopeNew comic alert! New comic alert!<br />
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Do you know which comics character was the first to become widely popular, appearing repeatedly in a wide range of stories, followed by a vast loyal readership, inspiring all kinds of official (and unofficial) merchandise and spin-offs?<br />
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- If so, Alexi recommends this comic as just the kind of thing that someone with your knowledge of comics history would enjoy.<br />
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- If not, Alexi recommends this comic as just the kind of thing that you'll find educational and entertaining as you expand your knowledge of comics history.</div>
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Scripted by Alexi Conman, with art by <a href="http://www.idcm.net/" target="_blank">Terry Wiley</a>, <i>The Sloper Gradient (or: the story of the world's first sequential art superstar and a potted history of the birth of comics)</i> is a short but intricately constructed comic that... well, tells the story of the world's first sequential art superstar and whisks the reader through a history of the birth of the comics medium.<br />
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This is probably the most adventurously-structured comic that Alexi has scripted, so it was incredibly fortunate that an artist as sharp and adaptable as Terry came on board to turn the barely comprehensible plans into reality. If you haven't read Terry's genre-defying work (like <i>VerityFair</i> and <i>Sleaze Castle</i>), Alexi urges you to at your earliest convenience - it's funny, human, charming, splendid stuff.<br />
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The comic can be obtained from Alexi or Terry (who will both be around and about at Thought Bubble festival this weekend).Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-64401113108314153712015-02-27T15:15:00.001+00:002015-03-04T17:32:52.020+00:00Partly PartnersAs <a href="http://alexiconman.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/flock.html" target="_blank">recently mentioned</a>, Alexi has the cover story in the new <em>FutureQuake</em> #26. But that's not all - check out the Mark Harrison cover to the latest issue of FQP's <em>2000AD</em> fan-comic, <em>Zarjaz</em> #23 (also <a href="http://thequaequamblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/zarjaz-23.html" target="_blank">out on 1st March</a>):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CnlE8iVGeXHUhSPJDRoljFLVyvIwHslLpR5gQlQ0_htO5aOcP0dZzMFRCXKhnNc5aguQLRRrbMUk-2ME8zCkBntEfQgF7dSjswwlZ_cNoTJA2NJ6uJcrclIQMibKHgARYhqS1jHtTT4H/s1600/CoverZ2_23Mini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CnlE8iVGeXHUhSPJDRoljFLVyvIwHslLpR5gQlQ0_htO5aOcP0dZzMFRCXKhnNc5aguQLRRrbMUk-2ME8zCkBntEfQgF7dSjswwlZ_cNoTJA2NJ6uJcrclIQMibKHgARYhqS1jHtTT4H/s1600/CoverZ2_23Mini.jpg" height="281" width="400" /></a></div>
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AND guess whose story that is.... well, okay, that one's actually not Alexi's. But it looks pretty cool, right? And Alexi DOES have a splendid story <a href="http://alexiconman.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/back-with-rigelian-hotshot.html" target="_blank">that should be appearing within those pages</a> - 'Partners', art by Roland Bird and lettering by Bolt-01, a story about being a judge on the mean streets of the Big Meg and how you deal with who's got your back. Maybe like <em>Brief Encounter</em> with more plasma cannons ... or not.<br />
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Alexi would like to point out that you can purchase this fine comic <a href="http://www.futurequake.co.uk/shop.php" target="_blank">online</a> or from FutureQuake Press' table at all good comics events.Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-52103589127645172752015-02-27T13:21:00.001+00:002015-03-05T09:35:39.730+00:00Part of the flock<a href="http://futurequakepress.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/futurequake-26.html" target="_blank"><em>FutureQuake</em> #26 is out on 1st March</a>. Get a load of this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJC5NAE5oxE40I4uDPEOQTDhk8WIifIaXGHnwuRAl2oiWCpVScueacflKSzymqQTFNM1QaIAhWpETfjHkcct8X_w627vVIL_RMfDMhLXG8kP42_Gq6YyzUX6FZQoLbTjrgVDbaE2Tfab8/s1600/CoverFQ26WebMini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbJC5NAE5oxE40I4uDPEOQTDhk8WIifIaXGHnwuRAl2oiWCpVScueacflKSzymqQTFNM1QaIAhWpETfjHkcct8X_w627vVIL_RMfDMhLXG8kP42_Gq6YyzUX6FZQoLbTjrgVDbaE2Tfab8/s1600/CoverFQ26WebMini.jpg" height="400" width="281" /></a></div>
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Nice Matt Soffe cover, eh? And guess what? That's Alexi Conman's story that!<br />
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Yes, the longest-running/coolest/bestest UK small-press SF anthology comic is leading an issue with 'The Shepherd' scripted by Alexi. It's a tale of loneliness and job disillusionment and aliens. The stunning interior art is by <a href="http://xiamouasartblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/futurequake-issue-26.html" target="_blank">Xia Moua</a>...<br />
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... and it's lettered by Bolt-01. Plus the comic will no doubt be chock-full of other great stuff.<br />
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Alexi urges you to consider purchasing this fine publication (after 1st March): <a href="http://www.futurequake.co.uk/shop.php" target="_blank">order it online</a>, or pick it up at any of the many comic events that the splendid chaps of FutureQuake Press will be attending over the forthcoming months.<br />
<br />Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-14398780450414530112014-08-11T13:34:00.000+01:002014-10-02T10:57:18.182+01:00Back with a Rigelian HotshotFinally, some more comics that Alexi has worked on should be appearing in the relatively near future - starting with 'Partners', <a href="http://thequaequamblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/coming-soon-partners.html" target="_blank">a story that should hopefully be appearing in <em>Zarjaz</em> #23</a>.<br />
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<em>Zarjaz</em>,<em> </em>as you know, is the much-respected <em>2000AD</em> fanzine comic that allows the cream of small-press creators (and many established pros) to play around with the iconic characters of <em>2000AD</em>. Alexi has <a href="http://alexiconman.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/here-are-few-links-of-interest.html">previously scripted a story that was published in issue #12</a> (which is still available to purchase at many comic events and <a href="http://www.futurequake.co.uk/shop.php" target="_blank">via the FutureQuake Press website</a>!).<br />
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'Partners' is a nine-page story about the responsibilities of being a judge in the Big Meg. Alexi is pretty flipping pleased with how it turned out, thanks to cracking art by Roland Bird and lettering by Bolt-01.<br />
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**EDIT: Gah, it's not going to be in Zarjaz #22, but may land in Zarjaz #23!**Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-41175244072023382522014-07-18T09:35:00.000+01:002014-07-18T09:51:26.508+01:00DistancesDespite a recent dearth of posts here, Alexi has been mostly hard at work on a variety of projects. He's very pleased to present the product of one of them, a melancholic little one-pager made with illustrator <a href="http://www.mkrnld.co.uk/about" target="_blank">Michael Arnold</a> ...<br />
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Alexi urges you to <a href="http://www.mkrnld.co.uk/" target="_blank">check out more of Michael's work on his website</a>.Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2329899177180588668.post-53170772731280409612013-09-05T18:32:00.000+01:002013-10-03T11:52:14.246+01:00Meteor in a bit, like<br />
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Alexi Conman has spent much of this year thinking about science.<br />
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Science is interesting and progressive. Comics are a good way of communicating information. A science comic aimed at 8-13 year-olds produced as part of British Science Festival in Newcastle featuring a stellar list of comics creators collaborating with university scientists - Alexi feels sure that this is an excellent thing. This is what <em>Asteroid Belter</em> is. It looks a bit like this:<br />
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The project was put together by North East artsy/comicsish polymaths <a href="http://hellolyd.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Lydia Wysocki</a> (Big Boss Ultra-Brain) and <a href="http://hollowearth.co.uk/" target="_blank">Paul Thompson</a> (Technical Wizard), their team of arse-kicking editors (Britt, Jack, Mike and Mike), supported (and funded) by excellent Newcastle University 'engagement' folks, and it features the work of a whole <a href="http://newcastlesciencecomic.blogspot.co.uk/p/contributors.html" target="_blank">shedload of awesome scientists and comics creators</a>.<br />
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A mammoth undertaking to be sure, but the long road is at an end and the newspaper-format anthology is being <a href="http://newcastlesciencecomic.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/asteroid-belter-launch-and-science-of.html" target="_blank">launched on Saturday 7th September at Newcastle City Library</a>.<br />
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Alexi's contribution to this comic included scripting two pieces:<br />
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The first: <em>The Amazing Monkey With Three Parents</em><br />
Working with scientist <a href="http://newcastlesciencecomic.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/introducing-sourima-shivhare.html" target="_blank">Sourima Shivhare</a>, artist <a href="http://newcastlesciencecomic.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/introducing-tony-hitchman.html" target="_blank">Tony Hitchman</a> and editor/artist Paul Thompson to somehow try and explain the science behind <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23079276" target="_blank">high-profile cutting edge 'three-parent' IVF procedures to prevent mitochondrial disease</a> at a level suitable for 8-13 year olds and within a satisfying narrative framework. MAN, THAT WAS HARD. Alexi thinks that this is probably the most work he's put in 'per page' of any comics project he has worked on. However, in the end, Alexi thinks this 'four-parent artistic process' managed the seemingly borderline-impossible and made the story work.<br />
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The second: <em>Colossal Achievement</em><br />
Artist Sigmund Reimann was keen to make a comic adaptation Prof Brian Randell's true-life story of how he found out about '<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_computer" target="_blank">Colossus</a>', the world's first programmable electronic computer that <em>no one knew about for thirty years</em> because it was built secretly to decrypt the Nazi's toughest codes during World War II. Alexi helped adapt Brian's presentation into a script for Sigmund, who then did a brilliant job of putting it on the page. The story is fascinating and Alexi strongly suggests you watch Brian tell it in his own words:<br />
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Alexi was also involved a little bit behind the scenes of the comic and was constantly impressed with the passion and determination in all areas of this project and was delighted to see the 10,000 copies of the comic finally printed. He urges that you try and get a hold of a copy if you can - it will be given away FREE during Science Week. For more info, <a href="http://newcastlesciencecomic.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">check the website</a>. (Alexi also did <a href="http://newcastlesciencecomic.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/introducing-alexi-conman.html" target="_blank">a little profile thing as a contributor where he tried to sound clever</a>.)<br />
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**UPDATE: You can now read <a href="http://newcastlesciencecomic.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/online-belter.html" target="_blank">the whole splendid <em>Asteroid Belter</em> comic online</a> (free).**<br />
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Alexi Conmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00095230555354651362noreply@blogger.com