October Expo 2012 - Complete!

A couple of days after the event and I'm still reeling from what went on.  It was a good event!  Lots of happy people and lots of cool cosplay was on display. :-)

My new comics were pretty successful.  Japanofail, as with pretty much evey Expo was my most popular title, while a few people were able to complete their Beholder of the Eye sets.

Thanks to anyone who dropped by, and if you bought any of my comics I hope you enjoyed what you read.  Time to hibernate for the winter now, and of course I'll update with any developments. ^_^

London Expo 2012 - Completed!

So yeah I'm almost recovered from this last weekend.  It was nuts! o_o;

Had some fun this time round, and was really happy and humbled to see so many people returning for newer comics.  Omnivore 1 found its way into the hands of a few people, as has Thief's Affair, and feedback and been very positive so far!

It's a slightly slimmer gap of 5 months until the next Expo, which I aim to attend.  With everyone wanting to see new comics from me (Beholder of the Eye and Japanofail as well at the new ones) I need to figure out which to work on in time for the next event.  Your enthusiasm inspires me, so I'll do my best!

Fox Tales in JCult

 

It's time for more new comics! :-) 

I may have some new stuff appearing on my own table (namely the first instalments of The Thief's Affair and My Lovely Omnivore), but I also have a new comic appearing at the Non Repro table in form of Fox Tales.

Fox Tales is my Manga Jiman entry from last year, made in collaboration with Rebecca McCarthy of Indie Manga fame.  Our comic is part of the JCult anthology and joined by several other Jiman entries, a bunch more original comics, artworks and articles, all of which are compiled into one big and juicy A4-sized tome.

Supplies will be quite limited, so be sure to check it out this weekend!

 

Events and other gossip!

Just a quick run-down of what events I should be attending over the next few months:

Feb 12th - London Anime Con Protip: It's also running on the 11th, but I'm only there for the Sunday.

Feb 25-6th - London Super Comic Convention I shall be sharing a table with the wonderful Tammy!

Mar 31st + Apr 1st - MCM Expo Birmingham Yes I am finally escaping the realms of London to attend more comic events. Exciting! :D

May 25-7th - MCM Expo London Which was virtually a given considering it's so damn cool. ^_^

I mentioned some of this in the last post, but there'll certainly be some new comics appearing at these events (I hope anyway!). I'm nearing the halfway point of one comic, so expect an announcement sometime within the next few weeks at the very least... ;-)

October MCM Expo Complete!

The event ended yesterday and I'm feeling pretty drained right now - but the event went well! ^_^

It was really busy (ignore the photo for that - it was taken well before opening) and it was nice to see both new returning faces. Japanofail continued its reign as my most popular comic, but Beholder of the Eye put in a pretty respectable performance. Thanks for popping by guys and if you went away with one of my comics I hope you enjoyed it!

That's it for this year! The next event I'm attending is the London Anime Con in February and will keep an eye out for other events for the rest of 2012 as well. :-) Time to hibernate and start thinking about what comics to make next - will keep you posted!

MCM London Expo this weekend!

We're just a few days away from the event now, so thought a general run through of what to expect from my table on the day.

Firstly is that I have two new comics out on the day. More hacking and slashing with issue 4 of Beholder of the Eye and also a brand spanking new issue of Japanofail.

I still have a complete range of comics on the table, so will be offering multi-buy bundle deals for those who fancy stocking up on a few of my comics. ;-)

I will be there all 3 days of the event (remember entrance on Friday is only for those with full weekend tickets), so please feel free to come say hi. The guys at the comic village have released a map of where to find artists on the day (I've marked my location below) - hope to see you all soon!

May London Expo 2011 - Complete!

The event ended on Sunday, and I'm uploading this on Tuesday night - this is how intense the event was! On Saturday, we were joined by Anna who filled the table with infinitely shiny comics and artwork. (I should've taken a picture when she was there...)

It was a really fun event this time and a lot of cool people were around. Many people who dropped by the table were those coming back after having read my comics from earlier events. That people are returning to read more of my work is a true honour. Thanks you all so much - I'll work hard on new things for you!

The most popular comic by far was the new Japanofail 4 - which sold pretty much the same as all my other comics put together! o_o;

So that's Expo done with for now - the next event up is London Anime Con which will be my second time exhibiting there in a row. I doubt there'll be anything new ready for that event, but if you missed out this time either there or my shop is the place to go!

I'm working on a couple different comics at the moment, but nothing ready for showing to the world just yet. It'll keep me ticking over for the next few months at least. ^_^

London Expo May 2011!

Okay, so London Expo is just a couple of days away now so it's time for a quick summary just before the chaos starts.

I'll be there on all three days, so if you went and bought a full weekend pass you can find me either then, or at any other time when the event kicks off proper for Saturday and Sunday.

This time my table will be shared with the awesome and sparkling Anna Fitzpatrick of Between Worlds fame - come say hi!

All of my comics are still available for checking out including anthologies Six and Till the Sun Grows Cold. Japanofail 4 and Beholder of the Eye 3 (preview above) are making their debut so even if you're familliar with my work there's still new things to see! Also worth a visit are the guys at NonRepro who now have two of my comics in print (found in issue 3 and their brand spanking new Nami Anthology - but all their stuff is worth a look!).

So that's it for now I guess - see you on the other side!

London Expo October 2010 Complete!

The London Expo finished yesterday and it was a lot of fun! I was still pretty clueless for much of it, but that's pretty much par for the course, lol. ^^;

Thanks to everyone who dropped by. The new anthology went down well and Japanofail was as popular as always! ^_^

It's looking as though my next comic will be Beholder of the Eye 3 (though I've barely started it), so fingers crossed for its appearence at the next Expo! Moar!

Expo this weekend!

Yes the Expo is nearly upon us once more, and everything's ready and good to go! ^_^

Just a quick review of everything on the table you know what to expect:

Six - the new anthology, it's looking awesome! £5

Japanofail 1-3 - issue 3 is making its Expo debut! £2 each

Beholder of the Eye 1+2 - being moody and stuff £2 for #1 and £2.50 for #2

D.R.U.N.K. - random violence for teh lulz: £2

Till the Sun Goes Cold - anthology about the sun: £3.50

Also a couple bits of merchandise! :-O

Badges - if I got the proportions right, the image above is actual size! 50p for 1, £1 for 3 for £1.50 for all 5!

Mini prints - 30p for 1 or 50p for both. (only 2 designs after all ^_^)

I'll also be sharing the table with the awesome Tammy from Dream Tripper so please feel free to check out everything on the table! ^_^ Expo's running for 2 and a half days this year, and we will be attending for the entire run of the show - we're ready! Hope to see some of you there! :D

General Update

I like to update at least once a month, so I feel the need to write about what's going on these days.

Next month is LONDON EXPO! :D It's a few weeks to go and things are starting to heat up. I'll have lots of copies of Japanofail 3 for people to get ahold of (as well as everything else ;-) ) but I also have plans for something NEW as well!

I'm coming toward the end of making a new anthology! ^_^ Till the Sun Grows Old was a Jiman-based anthology, whereas this will be totally unrelated and have its own independant stance. A couple of the comics that will be in the book have already done the rounds on the internet, and a couple will be making their debut in the book. I don't want to spill the beans too early, but I can at least say it's going to be a real mix of content and styles. ;-)

So please look forward to a proper announcement sometime next month when I'll give full details.

(now all I need to do is design the cover >_>;)

In other areas, the Manga Jiman competition is still in full swing. If you're thinking of entering then the theme is nami/waves and the deadline is 1st November. So far I've pencilled my entry, and will think about inking it once I've gotten the anthology completed. Entries have to be kept private until after the results are announced, but much like my last attempt I'm sure it'll work its way out into print in the long run. ;-) Good luck to anyone entering - do your best! XD

I've gone and said all this publically now, so I need to make sure it gets done for sure, lol! :-O

Moar events! :3

The London Film and Comic Con at Earl's Court has been and gone. It was all very sci-fi and it was nice to see a few new faces. Thanks to anyone who stopped by, I hope you enjoyed reading! ^_^

There's no rest for the wicked, so the next event is next month! It's too quick! o_0; Comica Comiket is going ahead one again. I attended for the first time last October at the ICA gallery. This time it will be at the PumpHouse Gallery in London on August 22nd. It's a Sunday afternoon, so there's time to both sleep in for the morning and still get your comic fix! XD

Can't remember whether it was metioned before or not, but I'm on the list for attending London Expo in October. It's a while away yet, but am hoping to have some *new* material by that point. Stay tuned! ^_^

New Book - Till The Sun Grows Cold

Ready for sale at this month's London Expo, Till the Sun Grows Cold is a collaboration between a few fellow artists who entered last year's Jiman competition. It's saftey in numbers, so rather than risk trying to put out a slim 8-page comic on its own, it's better to lump them all together for something a little more chunky. This is the result!

66 pages for goodness for £3.50. It's perfect-bound goodness so will be a bit more durable than your average comic as well. :-) As the comics are short, any proper preview risks spoiling whole chunks of story. All the comics are completely different, so while sharing an image from my comic isn't representative, it's an idea of at least a little of the contents. Please feel free to come browse at the Expo!

For more info on the other contributors, as perhaps a little discussion on it as well, please visit here:
http://www.sweatdrop.com/forum/showthread.php?p=190896#post190896

2 weeks until the Expo - everything's ready! XD

And it's also ready and up for sale on my online shop, please visit: http://www.ushiocomics.co.uk/

Expo is this month! :D

So it's coming up to the MCM Expo in London once again. I am booked, registered and officially attending! List of artists can be found here:

http://www.londonexpo.com/show_features/comic_village__expo.html

The bad news: I was mentioning to people that I might perhaps have a new Japanofail ready in time - I've failed! ;_;

Things have gotten a bit on top of me lately, so while I was optimistically hoping to get a new issue done, it was not to be. :-( I'll still have issues 1+2 available, as well as all the rest of my comics (Beholder of the Eye 2 was finished in March, but it'll be its first Expo appearence), so hopefully there'll still be stuff for people to see.

The good news: There will be 'something' new appearing at the event. It's finished, and off at the printers. So as soon as I've officially got something sellable - I will announce it! ^_^

4 weeks to go...

October Expo 2009 Report

So I just got back from the Expo a little while ago... and look a bit worse for wear.

I always forget just how much energy the event drains from you. Saturday was really rough and in all honesty I struggled to keep up with all the people coming to my table, the packed aisles of cosplayers and the nearby events stage running karaoke, Taiko drums and Parapara dancing throughout the day. Quite a coincidence that I put a Parapara display on my table which brought a few people over, but the price was hearing a techno version of the Evangelion theme many, many times! (it's still in my head @_@;)

So I went into Sunday a weakened state, but more mentally prepared. From it I somehow caught a second wind come the late afternoon. Sorry Saturday folks, but the shiny, happy Ushio was only around on Sunday! Still having not learned my lesson from last May, I'll have to try even harder to build up my strength for future events in order to talk properly to my awesome readers.

Quite a few people stopped by and I'm glad that so many of you were willing to give my work a go, and am especially happy for those who liked it enough to come back for more! XD Japanofail sold much more than the rest, with the second edition topping the sales by a margin I frankly did not expect.

Was also very cool to hear a couple of people asking after Beholder of the Eye 2 - you're a hardcore little group and will do my best to get it done for the next show. ^_~ It's currently in the pencil stages so it's all under way. I'm trying to make it as badass as possible with all the dramas so please look forward to it!

Overall it was rough, but ultimately rewarding. Just give me a while to recover and will then start getting ready for the next event: The UK Web and Mini Comix Thing in March next year! (I'm on table 32 listed as Japanofail, lol)

Japanofail 2 is here!

Because my printer is awesomely reliable and lenient to me throwing stuff at them at the last minute - the hardcopies of Japanofail 2 landed on my doorstep today and so therefore will definitely be available come the Expo! XD

They've come out really well so I'm extremely happy looking at the finished product!

Everyone bring your £2 coins this Saturday and Sunday. Preare to set sail for fail! ^_^

Also available on my shop: http://www.ushiocomics.co.uk/

Pre-Expo hype - build up the tension!

The guys over at Sweatdrop uploaded their latest podcast today. For anyone interested in what's going to be at the Expo in terms of UK comics, it is well worth a listen.

Go here:
http://www.sweatdrop.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12437

Because they are undeniably awesome people, they give Japanofail a mention not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES throughout the show! o_0; Considering I'm not a part of their group (thought I do spam up their forums somewhat) that's a hell of a lot of love that's being sent its way.

Essential listening then. ^^ It also mentions a lot of new titles coming out from both themselves and other UK circles and independant artists. There's a lot to look out for!

Sweatdrop stuffs:
Chemical Blue 1
Talking to Strangers
Sun Fish Moon Fish - Lyre Fish Story (that'd be number 3 for those keeping track;-D )

And from other cool non-Sweatdrop peoples:
Unnatural Remedy
Legends Anthology
Between Worlds
Far Out Mantic 2
Also Secret Colours which I mentioned previously in an earlier blog post. :3
And of course Japanofail 2 which as far as I'm aware is in transit and will arrive very soon!

I've probably left thousands of other worthy comics off this list - please forgive! More are certainly mentioned within the podcast, but no current links to find at the moment. Just listen to it for all the juicy info and get ready to spend your moolah! ^_^

Title Announcement - Japanofail! Issue 2

This was the one I’d been trying to get done in time for the Expo - and I did! XD

It was a bit of a close-run thing, but I got Japanofail issue 2 finished and sent off to the printers last week so it should be good to debut at the Expo next week! 24 pages of otaku-related fail for £2 - come get some, lol!

Will update again once the physical product arrives, which I’m really looking forward to seeing. If you want to remind yourself of what Japanofail is then have a look here. There’s currently about 5 strips from this issue online of the 30-odd that are in the comic. Plus this also has a few bonus of content that won’t be appearing online, so alongside being a real physical thing, the hardcopy has a definite edge. ^^

Expo’s so close, but feel like it'll take forever to come - I can’t wait! X3

Expo Directions!

It's still over a week away, but I'm starting to get excited about the Expo. The info and maps for the Comic Village have been released, so thought it an idea to say where I'll be if anyone wants to check out my comics.

The Comic Village in will be in the far left corner of the hall, of which there'll be a highly condensed patch of raw artistic talent within the 60-odd tables of comic-goodness. I'm number 20, as indicated. ^_~

I hope the MCM don't mind me using their map - promoting their event and stuff is good right?

Stay tuned for big Expo news from me. Will probably update again tomorrow about it as I've been holding back on this news for barely a week now. Really looking forward to the Expo! ^^

Progress - see you in October!

I've been continuing on from what was said my last entry and have spent the last week working on Japanofail issue 2. I've currently completed about 5 pages which while isn't a long way in, is a definite start. It's going to be tight (when isn't it? >_>;), but at least I've half a snowball's chance of geting it done - woop, woop! :-D

The target is to have the same page count as issue 1, 20 pages of content with 4 more of bonus strips and extras. As such all the files for the rest of the comic are prepped and ready to go, with the dialogue in place to have picture drawn around them. The only things that haven't been thought about are the editorial and the front/back covers - something which I always underestimate - but the majority of it is there!

My attendance to the London Expo this October has been confirmed, so I'll definitely be having a table in the Comic Village with or without the new comic (I'll still have my other comics for your buying pleasure however!).

Will keep you posted as time goes on...