SPX Sketches VIII

Couple of Fozzies for ya.

SPX Sketches VII

SPX Sketches VI

Happy 2000th issue, 2000AD! You're still the fresh-faced young upstart I knew when I was a mere slip of a droid.

SPX Sketches V

SPX Sketches IV

SPX Sketches III

My hero.

SPX Sketches II

The Sorting Toilet, I think (haven't read them in a while).

SPX

I'm back from SPX, although my luggage isn't yet; hoping that arrives before I'm old and grey(er). As usual, I had a fantastic time, made some friends, caught up with some old ones, and (for once) made some money! This is not always a fait accompli when I attend shows in the US (or here in the UK, come to that), but this year I had a new book, which I'm sure helped enormously.

Huge thanks to everyone who helps make SPX the invigorating, fabulous show it is – organisers, volunteers, guests, exhibitors and attendees, and the hotel staff for putting up with us all. Particular thanks to Warren Bernard for his hospitality. I'd love to give shout-outs to everyone I encountered who made the weekend memorable for me, but I'd just sound like the most appalling name-dropper. You all know who you are. If a meteor landed on that hotel that weekend, comics would lose a couple of generations of its finest talents.

Here's one of the sketches I did at the show. I'll leak out some more over the next few days.

The Iron Duchess is now available!

(Update: the Big Cartel entry is now fixed so you can purchase the book outside the UK. Apologies for the error!)

Well, they're back from the printer and they're beautiful. The official debut of my newest Fred the Clown book, The Iron Duchess, will be at SPX in a week and a half – and I'll have them at each of my convention appearances for the foreseeable future.

However, if you won't be at any of the shows I'll be attending, you can order a copy through the Hotel Fred web store. I'm offering it in two flavours: the straightforward signed copy for £8 (around US $10.65 or €9.55 at this writing), plus postage and packing; or the sketch edition, for £20 (US $26.60 or €23.85) plus postage and packing, in which I will draw an original full-figure Fred the Clown drawing inside the book (or something else, if you have a particular request). Let me know for either edition if you would like a personal dedication, either to you or somebody else, and I'll be happy to accommodate you.

Of course, if you're short of cash, the whole story is still available for free online (with colour tints, yet!) at ZCO.MX.

Kings Cross

I've seen this cover out in the wild now, so I guess it's okay to post here: this is a variant for a new mini-series with the King Features Syndicate heroes, following on from Kings Watch and Kings Quest (and my own Mandrake the Magician series from last year), called Kings Cross. (More info here.)

(Not sure what happened to the apostrophes, but that's the official title, so please direct your grammatical ire at Dynamite Entertainment rather than me; thanks.)

Anyway, I'm not sure when this is coming out (edit: seems to be out in November), as I've got nothing to do with the series proper, but it was a fun cover to do – and it was nice to revisit Mandrake as well. Hope things pick up for the old boy.