Kazmantra's Blog

MKomix is a one-night only comic fair in Milton Keynes, held during the exhibition of art by Pushwagner at the MK Gallery. A number of indie creators will be selling their wares, including myself, Jade Sarson, Sean Azzopardi, Andrew Cheverton, etc. Milton Keynes native comic creator Paul Rainey has been organising this, and it looks like it will be the best comics event in MK this year!

I will have limited edition Blood Magic prints for sale, as well as Blood Magic sticker sets with free comics, sets of Urban Beasts, and will also be doing sketches and cartoon/manga portraits as usual.

19th July 2012, 6 – 9 pm, MK Gallery, Milton Keynes. Follow it on Twitter @MKcomicfair

Not so much about what I’m doing this time: that can wait!

I wanted to let you all know about a project that my good friend and publisher Willie Hewes is raising money for.

She says: “I’ve been working on a new comic with dinosaurs. I’m about 3/4 done with the art, I think, and I think it’s really funny and kind of sad at the same time.”

Yes, it’s Willie Hewes! Of COURSE it’s funny and sad at the same time! It’s her trademark. Willie has been involved in indie comics for years, and as well as setting up ITCH Publishing has written and drawn Amaranth, Leek and Sushi, Agent Pepsi, and a whole host of awesome things, so you know you can trust her to get this project done and be cool.

“Don’t worry,” she says, “I’ve done this before. It’s going to happen.”

She is offering a load of cool freebies for donators, from featuring in the comic to receiving your very own woolly dinosaur.

http://www.indiegogo.com/dinos

Dinos

MCM Expo was so intense and tiring this year I spent most of the bank holiday sleeping. Now I am awake, so I can write my report. ^_^

I decided to do my merchandise shopping on the Friday, while there were no crowds, and managed to pick up the final volume of FullMetal Alchemist before it’s official release date. I have become rather addicted to this series. I also had a great chat with Emma Vieceli, Morag Lewis and the legendary Pat Mills about girls’ comics. I was also chided by Emma for using the word “wanky” in front of Pat, although I felt it to be fairly descriptive in the circumstances.

On Saturday, I decided to bite the bullet and cosplay for the first time. As much as I love dressing up in peculiar outfits, and who doesn’t, let’s face it, I had never actually done the cosplay thing. I always wanted to but was too chicken. So, because I was in danger of going through the whole of my life never trying it at least once, I dressed up as FullMetalAlchemist’s Lust. I found a few other characters from the series and did a little posing for photos for each other, but mainly I was behind the desk at the ITCH stall, helping Willie sell lots of ITCH publications, including the new Leek and Sushi Waves, which features a new story by me. I also did quite a few Urban Beasts sketches for con-goers, portraits of them as their favourite (or totem) animal.

On the next table to us was Nattherat and her amazing Those of No Class comic. Having been serialised on the web, I’d already read it, but the screen doesn’t do justice to the amazing painted artwork in the same way as the printed book. This was one of only a few comics I bought, as on the Sunday I made the rounds of Comics Village armed with copies of Blood Magic to see if I could entice anyone to swap with me. The response was huge, and I have an amazing haul of comics to read now, as well as cookies, a scone, postcards, a ring, a mirror…. do we really need money at all? One of the comics I swapped for was The Faucon by Bex (Rebecca Burgess) of Sweatdrop. This, oddly enough, was also medieval themed, with blackletter fonts and gold-illumined cover. Although only short, it was very moving. Bex’s artwork continues to improve and is full of life and energy. Lovely!

After Expo was over, a trip to the pub was in order, where I got to hang out with comics friends old and new and overhear bits of gossip that I really did not want to know and will not be going any further!

All in all, a really fun Expo!

You can now get hold of a copy of Blood Magic for the princely sum of nothing at all!

I will be giving copies away at events I am attending this Spring.

I will be at Comics @ SciFiLondon

on Saturday 30^th April and Sunday 1^st April

and at MCMExpo, London

at the “ITCH” table

on Friday 27^th – Sunday 29^th May

It is also being distributed on Free Comic Book Day (Saturday 7^th May) at London comic shops GOSH and Orbital . If anyone else would like to distribute some copies for Free Comic Book Day, please let me know.

You can also get a copy by post, by sending me 50p to cover postage costs via PayPal, using the email address karen@karenrubins.com.

Although the comic is free, I will be accepting swaps! If you would like to, you can also feel free to make a donation of the price of an ordinary comic to the V&A to support their work.

Please help raise money for the CBLDF (Comic Book Legal Defense Fund) and Hero Initiative by donating to the Transmetropolitan Art Book. My art as well as many others is featured in it. The opportunity to donate ends today! “

In case you don’t know Transmet:

TRANSMETROPOLITAN combines black humor, political scandal, and moral ambiguity to look into the gonzo mind of an outlaw journalist and The City he inhabits. Aided by his embattled Editor and his two Assistants, the protagonist blazes a path through a futuristic world of skyscrapers and technological wonders, dark alleys and unspeakable depravity.

Raising money for good causes using the weapon of unspeakable depravity just can’t be bad!! Please help out!

Happy festive season to all my blog-readers. May it be full of joy and jolliness, or if not, at least may you have some fun playing video games or what have you! <3