It means "really very good"

It's Black Library Live this coming Saturday in Nottingham, home of the eternally burning galaxy. I hope we'll see you there.

But besides, that... Other business.  I do like to collect a good phrase, me. A nice, fresh, unexpected use of language. A few weeks ago, the writer Sarah Pinborough declared on her Facebook thread that "If I write more than four thousand words a day, my brain turns to wang." Turns to wang. I ask you. That's just brilliant. You don't see Shakespeare doing that.

Sarah's a great source of such elegant combinations of words. She said something about the Pope's resignation too. She described it as him "fucking off from his Popehood." Because that's what it should be called, officially. In the Vatican. On scrolls.

She's a fine writer, so it's no wonder she turns a memorable phrase. Another memorable phrase that dropped into my lap recently came in an email to this very website, which described one of my books as "pretty boss sausage". It means "really very good". I am now using it. I am also now using the "turns to wang" thing too.

Nik found something that was pretty boss sausage the other day (behold how I am using it in a sentence AND making a passable segue out of it? Yeah? Yeah? Get me and me fancy writing footwork). Anyway, it was this, a write up of Ravenor that properly made my day. Enjoy.

Me, in the middle of No Man's Land

... No Man's Land being the independent gaming store in my home town of Maidstone, which is a very friendly and convivial place to hang out, play some games, and generally be. Here's a link to their website.

Anyway, next saturday, the 23rd of february, they are going to be opening in a new premises not far from their old site, and I'm going to be generally hanging around in a menacing way during the afternoon to help celebrate their new opening.

The new shop address is Unit 32, the Royal Star Arcade, High Street, Maidstone ME14 1JL. They're going to be open from nine thirty to six on the day. If you're in the area, or feel the inclination, please come by and support the event. It will, I'm quite sure, be possible to persuade me to sign stuff, or answer questions, or even – can you believe it? – play a game of something. I believe there's also going to be a raffle or a competition... it'll be fun, anway. And if you need further incentive, there's a psychic fair on in the arcade the same day,  so you'll also be able to find out how grim and dark your own far future is going to be! Ba-dum tish!

No, wait... wait.... I've got a better closing gag... ready? Ready? Ahem... "And if you need further incentive, there's a psychic fair on in the arcade the same day, which we all should have seen coming."

Nothing? No? Really?

I'll get me coat.

In which I go back to college

Just a quick thing today, a reflection on the rewarding day I spent last weekend at my old college, St Edmund Hall, which held a celebration of "writing at the hall". It was enjoyable and inspiring. I'd like to write about it at length - and I may well do that - but I've got a full workload in front of me, and this Horus Heresy novel isn't going to just write itself (before you ask, it's The Unremembered Empire, direct sequel to both my Know No Fear AND Aaron's Betrayer, and The Lion hasn't actually punched Guilliman yet, but the fan and the faeces are going to meet when they both find out which other of their brothers are present in Macragge City...).

Anyway, the day was great. I particularly enjoyed the talks given by Samira Ahmed, Emma Brockes, and Stewart Lee (who, I discovered last night, name checks me in the extras on his latest stand-up DVD, Carpet Remnant World, which surprised and chuffed me). I also loved the fact that Samira was live-tweeting from the audience of my talk. And I found truly fascinating the fact that all of us, though we use writing in vastly different ways, had almost the same thing to say – or parallel, comparable things, at least – about the basic practice and craft.

As I said, I'm a little too busy writing to spend time today writing about writing, but I will direct you to Samira's blog where, unsurprisingly, she provides an excellent report of the day.

TV Highlights to look forward to...

Here’s the inside track on some of the new directions that TV will be going in 2013. Some very exciting developments, all of which are guaranteed to combine your favourite shows.

Now that Disney has secured the rights to the Star Wars franchise, we can expect a number of films and shows exploiting the potential variations of this immense licensing opportunity. My sources indicate that Disney is particularly keen to combine the crowd pulling appeal of Star Wars with the massive television audience ratings of the classy BBC period drama, so before the year’s end look out for the flagship new drama series “TaunTaun Abbey”, featuring Hugh Bonneville as Grand Moff Crawley, Rob James-Collier as the sinister looking one who skulks around in the back rooms and gives away the location of the Millennium Falcon’s landing bay while wearing goggles and a big nose, and Maggie Smith as a scruffy looking nerf herder.

Death Metal of a Salesman. Hotly anticipated reality tv show where the front man of Metallica joins creative forces with members of one of Sweden’s most notorious black metal bands in an effort to bring to the London stage a brutal yet muscular musical version of Arthur Miller’s classic play.

Last of the Summer Winehouse. The BBC scrapes the very bottom of the barrel in an attempt to find bits of Amy Winehouse footage that have not yet been anthologised, and comes up with some fleeting segments of the 1993 Jules Holland’s Hootenany when she was in the crowd at the back.

Big Shit, Little Shit. Frankly I can’t believe that the commissioning editors at CBeebies thought this was a good idea.

Gran Torino Designs. Clint Eastwood takes over from Kevin McCloud and talks us through the design and construction of some extraordinary and pretentious, middle-class self-build projects, before slightly curling his lip to camera and explaining why the World is a better place now that they’re dead. Featuring an Arne Jacobson chair with no one in it that Clint talks to as if it’s his co-host.

Nigella Lawson Lets You Actually Touch Them. I think the appeal of this show is aptly demonstrated in its title. May include meringue.

Goodness Gracious Meerschaum. In a desperate attempt to find a fresh take on the Holmes myth, Channel 4 relocates the story to Bombay, where a call centre worker (The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar) discover’s that the random “western name generator” has allocated him the name Sherlock. He decides to uphold the legacy and become a detective. Capers ensue. Featuring Lucy Lu for no readily apparent reason.

TOWIE (The Only Way Is Exhaust-port). Set your deflectors to double-front for this new, high-octane quiz show, presented by Philip Schofield and Clare Balding. Part first-person-shooter and part one-of-those-ridiculously-complicated-games-they-play-before-the-national-lottery. Contestants are coached by Philip on how to hit a target not much bigger than a womp rat in Beggar’s Canyon back home, in order to win the Big Money Prizes. Highlight of the show is the moment when Clare Balding suddenly goes strangely slack-jawed and clacks out the program’s key catchphrase, “it’s a trap!” in a muppet-stylee.

Beastenders. From the people that brought you Masters of the Universe and the people that brought you Eastenders. Look! They’ve brought you something you didn’t even know you wanted. At all.

Richard Hammond’s Secret Service. Honest to god, dude, you really don’t want to know what this show is about.

Top Gear. With Gok Wan. On the Nurnberg Ring, Gok brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Show us your bangers.” Also, James May repeatedly says, “please stop touching me.” in an increasingly plaintive voice.

Gok Wan, Purl Wan. Knitting show.

Time Time. Tony Robinson and Phil Harding get their hands on a flux capacitor and a DeLorean, and haphazardly rewrite the history of 80s cinema. Nothing good results from their escapades, but Phil gets to say, “God, aaarrhh!” a fuck of a lot.

Flog it! Paul Martin comprehensively reinvents the antiques show in such a way that it is no longer an antiques show at all, but rather a gruelling catalogue of human perseverance. Featuring Philip Serrell.

Master Chief. Greg Wallace and John Torrode oversee the nail-biting competition to find the next HALO petty officer. Featuring Michel Roux-117 as the acceptable face of the Covenant.

Research, research, research...

Came across a question about research, posed in the blog of Medwayscott (follow the link and read his post before continuing, that might be best).

Anyway, he said some very nice things about Salvation's Reach, the most recent Gaunt book, and was very complimentary about the Navy action depicted in it. How much was researched, he wondered.

I do a LOT of research, for pretty much everything I write, which may sound faintly bonkers considering that what I write is Made Up Stuff. My contention, and I've stuck to it for over twenty years, is that SF and Fantasy work best when they feel authentic, when they seem grounded and real. So my basic approach is to consider each book as if it were a 'real world' or even historical novel. I find the closest thing in the real world to the fantastical thing I'm writing about, and research that, then convert laterally into the fantasy frame. So... writing about Kislevite Lancers (as I did in Riders of the Dead)? NO such thing in the real world, obviously, but how about 17th Century Polish Hussars?  Let's go! 40K air combat (Double Eagle)? Let's try the Battle of Britain and mix in a little Korean War and modern theatre jet warfare. TItans... and, indeed, Imperial Navy vessels and engagements (various, but especially Titanicus and Salvation's Reach)? Let's look at the British Navy, let's look at U boats and other submarine experiences. Let's visit Chatham Dockyard... ;)

Right now, I'm writing about court intrigue during the Horus Heresy, so I'm ransacking all the stuff I can find on the Tudor Court, the Vatican, Italian Principalities, Imperial Rome etc. etc.

But when the (goodness me!) half dozen Primarchs I'm handling here start duking it out through a city hand-to-hand, I don't know WHAT I'm going to start looking at. That may be when fiction starts looking at other fiction, and I start drawing on the thousands of superhero comics I've written over the last two decades...

Oh... my... GOD...

Yes. Yes, it is. It's Major Rawne. This isn't a dream, dear blog-post reader and Gaunt's Ghosts fan, it's an actual brilliant thing that has really happened somewhere in the world, and you're looking at it.

And if you think THAT'S as good as today is going to get, follow this link and see the rest. Yes, the rest! They're ALL there. Follow the link! Follow it now!

It's absolutely extraordinary. I have no words, to be honest. I am just too impressed. But I will say that TheMightyGoatMan on Reddit, whoever he is, is a very, very fine human being indeed.

Good letters what I have received – no #123 in an occasional series

Sometimes, a letter arrives via the website that properly amuses me. Here's the latest one - thanks, Adam :)

Dear mister Abnett,

I just wanted to let you know that I am sitting here at the pub with a pint of ale in one hand and "Brothers of the Snake" in the other. (1)

I am not quite certain, but I think it is the third or maybe the fourth time I read it. It is without the shadow of a blasphemous doubt my favourite book in the category "Shit Blowing Up", followed closely by "Titanicus".

I have lent both to my friends, and I will until the day I die remember one of them whooping and cheering as he read the sequence in which Sicarian Faero goes mano-a-mano with Nekromant Invidiosa in the Birdmarket. Just a few days ago, I let a librarian (2) friend read how brother-sergeant Priad engages the Dark Eldar in the treasury on Baal Solock. Afterwards, he just put the book down, nodded and said: "Slow motion writing. Respect."

I wanted to thank you for giving me hours of explosive entertainment. Whenever I feel the need for some dakka, I head over to the 'A' section of my bookshelf (3) and indulge myself. I expect to keep doing that for a long, long time to come.

So... thank you. Thank you very much. Keep it up, please.

All the best regards, from Malmo in Sweden,

Adam Thorp

"Spehss Mahreens - for the Emprah!"

(1) Actually, I had to put both down since writing on my phone is a two-handed job but I am sure you get my meaning.
(2) He is a librarian, not a librarian. The difference is small but important.
(3) Yes, you have your own section in my bookshelf.

Whoa-oh Wait a Minute Mr Postman...

Well, hello January. Hey. You’re looking pretty good. Nice to see you again. What’s that you’re wearing? Nice.

And look at all these things you’ve brought me. You’re generally regarded as the coldest and most unfriendly part of the year, like the biggest Monday morning ever, but look at this! Look at all the good things you’ve give to the postman to bring to me in the first two weeks of the year.

(Note to self: Maybe I should put aside one copy of everything of mine that is published in the course of one year and offer it as a prize for a Christmas competition. Hmmm. Needs thoughts and comments from blog commenters...)

So, on the first day of January my postman brought to me... Fuck all, because it’s a bank holiday.

But on the first postal day of January, my postman brought to me... the comp copies of Dragon Frontier!

Now I have waxed lyrical about this already in a previous post, but the start of January saw the publication of my first junior novel, and my first novel for Puffin (an imprint that I have been reading since I was a kid). Check out the Dragon Frontier FaceBook page, and look out for news of a schools tour in the UK, and read the damned book! Dragons and cowboys! Cowboys and dragons! What’s not to love? Read it yourself or buy it for a child you love if you consider it to be outside your age-range/demographic. For very many reasons, this novel is close to my heart, and I hope that it is enjoyed by its intended audience and anyone else who wants to read it. SFX magazine gave it 4 stars in this review. Thank you SFX.

On the second postal day... I got my comp copies of the Embedded audiobook, which is unabridged and lovely. Regular readers of my blog will know how important Embedded is to me, and I simply want to applaud the work of the audiobook producers in bringing my so-non-audio novel to audio-ness. Kudos. If you want to know what I sound like as an author when I’m not writing for a franchise, when I’m writing ‘original fiction’ (like that’s a distinction that matters to me) then this is a good place to start. It’s also military science fiction, which is, apparently, what I’m famous for, so get in!

Then the third lovely delight of January was my advance copies of The New Deadwardians trade paperback, from those splendid people at DC Vertigo. The New Deadwardians was my first venture for Vertigo, and my first collaboration with the redoubtable INJ Culbard, and I have to say that it was a particularly satisfying experience. In a world saturated with zombie/and/or/vampire stories, I think we managed to find something different to say. I hope we’ll be able to say some more about this particular world in ‘season two’ if this trade sells well. So, may I suggest you buy it. It certainly had some gloriously good reviews, which is most gratifying. I really love that reviewers found it both clever and funny. Ian’s artwork is sublime. Publisher’s Weekly picked it as an honourable mention in it’s graphic novel list of the year (along with Kingdom: Call of the Wild, which I write for 2000AD, and which is drawn by Richard Elson, and is another strip I am very proud of). It is no exaggeration to say that The New Deadwardians, for reasons that are hard to explain, is one of the highlights of my career. I urge anybody who is interested in anything I do to read it.

If that wasn’t enough, January’s postman also delivered the latest issue of The Hypernaturals. This creator-owned, cosmic superhero team book, which I create with Andy Lanning, my partner in crime from the Marvel cosmic classics, has been receiving extremely good press. We are blessed with two tremendous artists and some fabulous cover artists, and the depth of the world-building, matched with the complexity of the plot, seems to have really found an audience. If you aren’t reading The Hypernaturals, which is published by Boom! then what the hell are you playing at? Go and get some back issues, or, if you’re really lazy, wait for the first trade, which will be coming your way, soon.

Talking of January, I’m not given to making New Year’s resolutions, and that’s not going to change any time soon, but I am going to make a small half-promise to myself, and to you. I’m going to make a huge effort to be back here with a new blog before the end of the month.

Yeeee-haw! Dragon Frontier!

A lot of people have been asking me about my new book "Dragon Frontier", so let me answer some of the most pressing questions:

What is the title of your next book?

“Dragon Frontier”.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Andy Lanning and I work on ideas together for comic books for the American comics market, and this was one of the ideas that we tossed around. When Puffin suggested that I wrote it as a children’s book, it really began to come together.

What genre does your book fall under?

This is very definitely a children’s book, but I hope that parents and carers reading it to children will enjoy it too.

What actors would you choose to play the parts of your characters in a movie rendition?

I love casting the characters in my books and imagining the stories being played out on the big screen. This story is set in the American Wild West frontier, and should include lots of young, unknown talent, so I think a big open casting session would be the order of the day. The other key thing would be to employ some of the greatest CGI animators in the World to recreate the scenes with the other main characters in the novel, the dragons!

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Jake Polson and his family are starting a new life on the American Frontier. Twelve-year-old Jake is proud to drive the lead wagon; he's in charge of the oxen and minding his Ma and little sister. But tragedy strikes and Jake must venture deep into the West in search of a legendary creature to save his family. What he discovers in that vast landscape is wilder than he ever imagined. Out on the frontier, an evil force is waiting . . . According to the blurb.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

“Dragon Frontier” is published by Puffin and will be available to buy on January 3rd 2013.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

This book was very special, because, after writing more than forty novels, it was my first especially written for children. In the end it all happened very fast, and the first draft was probably completed in less than three months.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? 

This is such a first for me that I prefer not to make comparisons. It’s about cowboys and dragons. It’s about the Wild West and mythical beasts. It’s about family and faith, tradition and suspicion. It’s about the past and the future.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I was a keen reader as a child, and I loved reading to my own children, so it was only ever a matter of time before I would write a book for children. I think I’ve always been inspired by the memory of the excitement that a really good book can give you as a child, by the idea that going to bed is fun, because you get to read the next chapter of your favourite book. And, of course, I’ve been inspired by every great writer for children that it has been my pleasure and privilege to read, from Alan Garner to Arthur Ransome, from Paul Biegel to Susan Cooper, from...

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

What could be more interesting than dragons? Or cowboys? Or dragons? No, cowboys! No, dragons!

GAMES DAY UK 2012

So, this happened.

And it was bloody great.

Let's start at the beginning. It is Sunday, the Day of Days, the dawn of Games Day UK 2012. Imagine, gentle reader, that you're standing in the foyer of the internationally famous and renowned* Hilton Metropole NEC after a boozy night and a great dinner with the BL staffers. Lo, The Writers begin to congregate. That's right, The Writers. Capital "T", capital "Writers". Up they shamble to join the walking bus over to the convention centre.

And who was first?

"HI DAN ABNETT"

Aaron? Really? First up? REALLY? I know I'm a clean living soul these days, up with the larks and fresh as a daisy dipped in prometheum, but I never thought ADB would be the first shambler to join me. Anyway, Aaron held forth while I took this photo of him in the hotel lobby, but he shut up when...

Get your hands off my woman, motherfether.

... Nik joined him. Then came...

Never ask the man on the right about bounty hunting. Or the arms trade.

 Unless you want to hear Seriously Amazing Stories.

... our favourite demented cherub, Mr Joshua Reynolds, closely followed by...

Mr Swallow was amazingly good humoured despite losing

 two fingers in a freak "sliding door" accident earlier that day. 

... Jim Swallow, who was in charge of the bus, because he and only he knew where the convention centre ACTUALLY WAS in relation to us and the internationally famous and renowned** Hilton Metropole NEC. Then it only remained for us all to await the arrival of...

ADB: "Keep laughing and Graham won't hurt us!"

GM: "That's what you think."

...Graham McNeill, because who does anything or goes anywhere on GamesDay without the Mighty McNeill himself? That's right... no one!

Only minutes later, rain drenched and weary, we arrived at the NEC. Ah, my brethren. My comrades, my Fellow Writers, those who stood with me in the rain at Scrotal Gate and the Field Of Shite...

Anyhoo, we donned wrist-bands - well, see, some of us donned wrist-bands, others rebelled (okay, that may have been me. I apologise to the guy on door duty who had to deal with my refusenik moment) - collected backpacks, and headed for signing tables.

There awaited a sight to behold!

First there was the Abnett Maze (or "Dan's Labyrinth" as Nik calls it) where all the lovely people gathered to meet me.

Amazement in the Maze.

Then there were all the lovely people that couldn't fit into the Abnett Maze, which we simply called 'The Queue'.

Sometimes a euphemism is only a euphemism.

I was glad to be sitting at the head of it, although I did stand at the tail for a minute or two, just for the hell of it. Yes, I stood in my own queue and asked who we were queueing for. And people told me, bless 'em.

Then they did a double take.

I am such a rascal.

A rascal, earlier.

I'm not going to claim that my hand got as tired signing stuff as other people's feet got shuffling about in the Maze, but I did kill three Sharpies. Count them... THREE!

I also wore out a bit of shoe leather getting up and down to have my picture taken with some of you lovely folks. There is mucho evidence of this on FaceBook and Twitter.

Some of the time I wasn't allowed to stand. Some of the time, I was forced to remain seated.

Regan and her raygun.

I was, of course, more than happy to stand for the Tanith when they turned up, first one at a time,

Then severally.

And, finally, en masse.

Best Tanith ink of the day goes to this dude:

The Commissar kept everyone in line.

And, just like in the books, the Blood Pact are never far away.

So imbued with Chaos, he literally turned 

the air around him red. Chaos... or photoshop.

So I'd like to thank you all, all of you, for coming along and making the day so memorable. I hope you had as good a time as I did. Til next winter...

*Yeah, maybe not that much, actually.

**The more I think about it, you know....

Third Vid-Blog!

 I must perform appropriate public service duties and post up this link to the third of my new vid-blogs. It's been on my Facebook page for a few days now - I apologise for the tardiness in putting it up here.

I had immense fun at the 2000AD Birthday Signing at Forbidden Planet London this past weekend, and I imagine that everyone (everyone who lives and breathes Warhammer and 40K, anyway) is now girding their loins for Games Day UK. Pariah will be out... the first few copies are already floating around.

Excited yet?

One questions... how are loins girded exactly?

Oh, and this is simply great. If it doesn't make you smile, then... well, it doesn't...

Hey! Hey, you!

No time to explain! You just need to know that the second of the fresh batch of video-blogs is now up and ready to view!

Go and look at it! Go on! Now!

What are you waiting for?

Go!




(Are you still here?)

This Way Comes...

That's right, Magic, ladies and gentlemen! It's a new anthology of original fiction from Solaris, and I've got a story in it (among some illustrious company).  But don't just take my word for it... or rather DO, because that blather segues rather neatly into this link, which will take you to the first of my new batch of recently recorded video-blogs, answering your latest round of questions. Many more chunks to come, but this one starts the ball rolling with a chat about Magic, and other forthcoming projects.

Thanks for all the questions, by the way. They were great and various and very probing. You should all be interrogators for the Holy Ordos.  I'll be posting up new vlog segments every few days, so stay tuned.

Your Author Needs Questions

First of all... this!

I thought many people would like to see this. The wonderful audio book version of Embedded produced by the splendid people at Brilliance. End of September release date, as I understand it.

Second of all... I'm going to be doing some more video blogging, so I need questions to answer... or at least to use as prompts from which to ramble indiscriminately for half a fething hour until I remember the point of what I was saying.

Please send them in. ASAP!*



*Please note "Why did you kill Bragg?" is not a question.

Look! It's him! We thought he was never coming back!

"Where have you been?" they all asked.

"Why haven't you blogged for SO long, even by your immensely lackadaisical not-to-mention actually crappy standards of keeping a blog going?" they asked, in addition. "Have you been sick? Missing in action? Lovelorn? Off on a path of self-discovery and spiritual enlightenment? Lost down the back of the sofa?"

Yes, all of those things, probably. I've been working. Working very hard. It's no excuse, but I have. It's well established that I keep myself inhumanly busy (or am, alternatively, just one of an army of clones)  so for me to admit that I've been working very hard... that's something. That probably means it's a big deal.

Not only have I been too busy to blog properly, I also haven't been able to talk about some of the exciting things that have been keeping me so busy. Three or four (or five) of them, actually. That will change soon. Announcements of unrivalled sexy-ness are coming. Until then, you must walk the line and stay patient, just a little while longer.

But never let it be said I don't give you stuff. The first of the new season's big excitements is here... in advanced form, at least. I invite you to...  look at this

Nice, huh? I'll blog about it soon to whet your appetite. May I also take this moment to direct you to The Hypernaturals (from Boom!) and The New Deadwardians (from Vertigo) which are both getting rave reviews from all quarters.

And it may be as busy as Piccadilly Circus during the Olympics Opening Ceremony on the work front, but here at least are a few places you're going to be able to find me over the next few months. If you want to, that is.

2000AD - 35 years of Thrillpower

The Black Library Expo, Chestermere, Canada

The Black Library Weekender

The 2000AD signing is going to be a blast, and we hope to see you at one of the nationwide signings... and the BL events are going to be HUGE, so try not to miss both of them.

Right. Back to work. I won't go missing in action for quite so long this time, I promise.

Free Comic Book Day -- Hypernaturals!

This Saturday, the 5th of May, it's Free Comic Book Day... a ridiculously simple reason to support your local comic book shop. Free comics! You see? The clue's in the title. Anyway...

... one of the comics you'll be able to pick up for free this Saturday is The Hypernaturals, the new cosmic book Andy and I have created for Boom!

We're really excited about this - which we developed at the invitation of the lovely people at Boom! It isn't just new characters we're inventing, it's a whole new universe. If you liked what we did with the Legion at DC, or cosmic books like Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy at Marvel, you'll love this. The difference is that we can do stories here that we could never do elsewhere. There are always going to be constraints when you're operating inside the marvel Universe or the DCU: stories that just can't work because they clash too badly with established continuity. With The Hypneraturals, we're making our own rules, and they're going to make for some epic stories.

We're flattered that Boom! has such faith in this book that they've made it their Free Comic Book Day showcase: it's quite an investment. This isn't an advance print of the first issue, this is a whole sixteen page prologue that we've created especially for the event, and it won't be reprinted in the series (expect to see it in the trade collection).  And it's not just sixteen pages of strip either, there's back-up material (a feature we intend to run through the series), helping to build up the universe. There's a preview feature here.

Enjoy Free Comic Book Day, and support your local store... and enjoy The Hypernaturals too! The series debuts in July, and we've got some awesome characters and storylines planned for you.

BTW - if you pick up your Hypernaturals FCBD issue from your local store, and your local store happens to be The Grinning Demon in Maidstone, tell Graham behind the counter if you want yours put aside for me to sign!

Speaking of the Grinning Demon, the convention they ran - DemonCon - was fabulous, and I urge you to attend the next one. It was small but perfectly formed, and I'll write up a report and share a few pics later if I can.

Speaking of signings, I'll be posting soon with advance notice of some big ones later in the year (including Canada!), but for the time being you should know that Graham, Aaron and I will be at the Dublin GW store on Saturday the 26th of May for a mega-signing!

About a book

Can anyone help me? I've been trying to identify a book that I read many years ago, and which I have a very vivid memory of - just not enough of a vivid memory to help pin down an author or title.

It's SF, and I read it in the late seventies, or (at the very outside) the early eighties. It was probably a Gollancz book, because I borrowed it from the local mobile library, and the distinctive yellow hardback covers were a shibboleth of good SF. It was an epic book, and the part I remember (though the book was not just about this incident) was the construction of one or possibly two massive spaceships, possibly arc ships for planetary evacuation. This construction took years, perhaps generations, and then public panic and hysteria led to the ship (ships?) being stormed by mobs while they were on the launch pads. Thousands of people died and the ship (ships?) was (were?) destroyed.

Anybody got any clue what that might have been?

Suit up!

For your consideration this fine Saturday, the brand new anthology Armored, from Baen, which features brand new military SF short stories on the theme of power armour and mecha warriors. There's some serious writing firepower in this book, including Al Reynolds, Lauren Beukes, Sean Williams, Brandon Sanderson... Look, I tell you what, this is the link you need rather than me just blathering on about the book. It's a great deal more coherent and informative than me. It'll tell you about the contributors, about the content, and about how to get the book as a book or as an ebook.

I bring it to your attention because it's a cracking collection. I also mention it because, yes, I have a story in it. As with all the contributors, I was asked by John, the editor, to tackle the subject of power-armoured soldiers from an angle that interested me. And given my time on the frontline with the Adeptus Astartes, I decided to go somewhere else with the trope for a change. Hence my rather off-beat tale, Death Reported of Last Surviving Veteran of Great War.

I hope you enjoy it. I know you'll enjoy the collection. If in doubt, Keep Calm And Pack Heat.

Dead Classy

Mr I. N. J. Culbard and myself, along with colourist Patricia Mulvihill and letterer Travis Lanham, wish to thank everybody very much for the enthusiastic and positive reception that has been afforded to the first issue of our new publication - The New Deadwardians. The first issue was published this week, and it’s already prompted a very creditable reaction*

We’re simply delighted with the response, as is our editor Will Dennis and everyone at Vertigo, and we hope you’ll stay along for the ride as the series continues, and maybe even spread the good word too. If the series is a success, we’ve got other Deadwardians tales we’d very much like the opportunity to tell.

You can read about The New Deadwardians here and here and here, and also download it from Vertigo here.

To celebrate this occasion, it’s time for another blog competition, and a dead posh one it is too. Mr Culbard and I have signed, with our own fair marker pens, two copies of the first issue - the standard version and the variant cover. I will happily send them to the winner.

What do you have to do? Just post a link here to the blog (or email the site) with the most amusing or exotic place you’ve been able to place the phrase ‘The New Deadwardians’. A camera phone snap or a screengrab will do. Have you put it in your Facebook status? Have you spelled it out in magnetic letters on the side of your fridge? Have you written it on a sheet of paper and held it up in front of you on the beach in the Maldives? Have you painted it on the side of Big Ben (okay, don’t actually do that last one)? Entries will be judged on originality and amusement, and our decision will be entirely mercurial and whimsical. Good luck. Entries in by the last week in April, please (in time for the second issue!).

Now I’m off to take Mr Culbard to get the cure, as he’s been showing distinct tendencies of late and the next issue mustn’t fall behind.

Good day to you!

* I can usually tell because of the overnight bump in Twitter followers ;)

Advance notice...

Just thought I'd mention this...

Lots of fun to be had on the day, including the publication of "Stone", a comic project for Maidstone organised by the Grinning Demon, scripted by me, drawn by loads of local talent!