Tomorrow, Sunday 9 December 2012, there’ll be a Comic Book and Collectors’ Fayre at Avalon Arts in the Haymarket Arcade at the top of Royal Avenue. Entrance is free, and it runs from 12 noon to 6.30. In attendance will be such luminaries as myself, Andy Luke (who made the above poster), and editor Eoin McAuley, writer Ciaran Marcantonio and artist Daryl Cox from the Dublin-based anthology Lightning Strike Presents, as well as hopefully a few surprise guests. Oh, and I’ll be launching issue 7 of The Cattle Raid of Cooley. Don’t, as the immortal Jim Megaw might say, you miss it.

A few things I probably ought to draw your attention to. A couple of weeks ago I appeared, being interviewed by Ciaran Flanagan, on the 2D Festival Podcast episode 11. We had a nice long chat about my work, the Ulster Cycle, improvisational comics,  Hergé and so on, which went on so long that the standard questions Ciaran asks all his guests had to be cut.

One question whose loss I think is a shame is my favourite individual comic ever, which is an issue of Stinz by Donna Barr. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Stinz is a series set in an alternative world reminiscent of the early 20th century, the principal point of difference from our world being that there’s a community of centaurs in rural Germany. Stinz Löwhard is one of these “half-horses”, as they’re known. There are stories of his youth, and stories when he’s a mature farmer and mayor of his community, and there are stories of him as a young man when he joined the army and went to war. “On A Pale Horse” is one of those. The war’s just started, and Stinz and his comrades, just out of basic training, none of them having fired a shot in anger, are on their way to the front, when the unit’s horses get sick and have to be put down. It makes me cry every time I read it – it’s the It’s a Wonderful Life of comics. And Donna has been putting her comics online, so you can read it for free at this link. Here’s a sample:

The other thing I’ve been doing lately is appearing at TitanCon, the science fiction, fantasy and in particular Game of Thrones convention at the Europa Hotel last Saturday. I and PJ Holden assisted with The Magnificent One Day Comic Book Factory, run by Andy Luke (who’s also done an interview with Ciaran on the 2D Cast), in which participants created a comic from scratch over the course of an hour, which was then printed up as a limited edition and and sold in aid of Action Cancer. It went really well I thought. Here’s the two pages I did for it. Bit of nonsense, made up as I went, but came out all right.

I’ve had a hankering to do a comic for children since the 2D Festival last year, when there were so many kids at the event but I had nothing that was particularly suitable for them. I also have a nine-year-old niece and a six-year-old nephew, and I wanted to do something for them. So at this year’s 24 Hour Comics Day, I did.

I wanted to challenge myself in another way, too, by working in colour. There were long periods drawing this I was completely in the zone, and I think I’ve done a pretty decent comic, even if I say so myself. So here it is: Rise at Sundown. Click through to read it.

Two more comics from this year’s Belfast event are already online: Stephen Downey’s untitled comic, and Andy Luke’s Don’t Get Lost. There’s also one from the Dublin event: Cliodhna Lyons’ Underground. Read and enjoy.

Well, 24 Hour Comics Day happened. Drawing from noon on Saturday to noon on Sunday, to create a self-contained, 24 page comic. Stephen Downey already has his scanned and online at Tales of the…, and Andy Luke has posted a report. The Forgotten Pelmet are covering it too.

This year I decided to challenge myself by working in colour. The result is a 24 page children’s story called “Rise at Sundown”, which will be going online as soon as I’ve got it scanned. In the meantime, here’s the cover.

I’ve managed to post this week’s page of The Cattle Raid of Cooley on time by the simple expedient of drawing it last week when my brain and drawing hand were still functioning.

This Saturday, 24 July, I’ll be exhibiting at Summer Edition, the annual comic, zine and artist’s book fair at Filmbase, Temple Bar, Dublin. Should be good.

Last weekend Kyle Rogers (Fyshbowl Comics) and I had a last minute table at the Bristol Small Press Expo. A few more engagements this summer:

• Next weekend is the 2D Comics Festival in Derry-Stroke-Londonderry. I’ve been the last two and they were great.  And Pat Mills is going to be there! Hopefully he’s forgotten that business about the Sláine story for the first issue of Zarjaz when he hadn’t given permission for his characters to be used, that was a long time ago…
• Weekend after that, 12 June is the Point Village Comics Festival in Dublin. Brand new event, never been done before.
• 24 July is the second annual Summer Edition comic, zine and artist’s book fair at Filmbase in Temple Bar, Dublin. Did that one last year and it was really good.

I’m pretty sure I’ve got everything, but I’m bound to have forgotten something vitally important. Ah well. Too late if I have. I’m about to set out to the airport to attend the Bristol Comics Expo. Last minute cancellation by Al Nolan and Bridgeen Gillespie meant a table was up for grabs, so it’ll be me and Kyle Rogers now. Would we take their graves as quick? So if you’re going, stop by and say hi.

Over at the Black Panel blog, there’s news of Black Books this Sunday, at which we’ll have Paddy Lynch’s new book and a free preview of Rob Curley & co’s forthcoming horror comic Róisín Dubh on the stall, plus news of 2D and the Point Village Comics Festival, and a link to Andy’s interview with Phil Barrett! Follow the link and read all abaht it!

This Sunday is Black Books day at the Black Box on Hill Street, Belfast, and The Black Panel, aka Andy Luke and myself, will once again be selling a selection of comics by the finest writers and artists in Ireland, north and south. We have some new additions to our stock – books by Bridgeen Gillespie, Rob Curley and Gerry Hunt. Click here to find out more!

The Black Panel, aka Andy Luke and myself, will be selling our selection of small press comics by Irish artists (north and south) at the Black Books book fair thing at the Black Box tomorrow – and for the first time, we have books by Archie Templar!