DemonCon 3 Comic Convention.

Posted on May 2, 2012 by David Frankum

 

Myself (left) and Chris Denton (right) at DemonCon 3. Maidstone, Kent.

On Sunday the 22nd of April, I attended DemonCon 3, a comic convention held in Maidstone. The event was brilliantly put together by The Grinning Demon Comic shop and it was great to be part of the event, especially as it was held in my own home county of Kent.

I shared a table with Chris Denton, writer/editor for Massacre for Boys comics. It was really great to finally meet Chris as we have worked on three comic projects together, but we have never actually met in person. So it was a great way of finally getting together, enjoying a day out and bring our projects (both collaborative and separate) to the visitors’ attention. Chris had brought along his brilliant Massacre for Boys (The Walking Wounded) comics whereas I had my portfolio on display for all to see as well as selling publications featuring my artwork, such as FutureQuake, Zarjaz and Dr WTF?! We had a great day and it was nice to meet and talk to the many people who visited out table.

My entry for the DemonCon raffle. An original piece of artwork to celebrate DemonCon 3. Spiderman swinging through the streets of Maidstone (won by Ben Potts).

Being a fan of comics, it was great for me to have a brief wander around to see what else was on show. So much talent filled each room; artists, writers, publishers, war gamers and… wrestlers (I didn’t see any of the wrestling, but I certainly heard it!). I managed to have a chat with Ian Churchill, who’s artwork I have admired for a long time. What a lovely, chap (thanks for the signed Marineman comics, Ian). I also bought a copy of ‘Stone’, a comic which had been put together by the owner of  The Grinning Demon comic shop (and organizer of DemonCon 3), Graham Beadle . The story (by Dan Abnett) is set in Maidstone and each page is drawn by a different artist. All of the profits made from ‘Stone’ went towards a project to encourage youngsters in the art of illustration. Well done to all of you who was involved. A great comic and a fantastic idea!

Stone! (Cover by Jack Lawrence)

DemonCon 3 proved to be a great event with a brilliant turn out from both creators and visitors. It was a nice, family orientated convention with a really cool and fun vibe throughout the day. I heard nothing but praise from everyone I met. I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Chris Denton, Graham Beadle, John (Judge) Burdis, Samantha, Jude and Libby for their wonderful help and support. Also, a huge thank you goes out to all of you who popped over to visit our table. From myself and Chris, thank you for making it a day to remember.

Ah, a few more photos from the day. Enjoy!

John 'Judge' Burdis was the man behind getting me the gig at DemonCon3. As a way token of my gratitude, I drew a portrait of him in his day clothes. Many thanks again, John.

A close up of my portrait of John.

Judge Burdis arrests a few perps on the streets of Maidstone. As you can imagine, he had a busy day :)

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Thank you… Ron.

Posted on April 24, 2012 by David Frankum

 

Ron Smith

My contribution for 'Thank you, Ron'

Back in August, I noticed that the guys at “Everything comes back to 2000AD” put a post on the 2oooAD forum asking for people to contribute to a very special project…

Me: Hmm…

Their ‘pitch’ went something like this…

Now retired, legendary artist Ron Smith had one of the most unique and instantly recognizable styles ever to grace our beloved organ… it has been suggested that we say thank you to Ron for the pleasure he has given us through his work over the years.

Me: Hmm… I’m a big fan of Ron Smiths artwork… I’m interested…

Every one of you is invited to contribute to this project and lack of artistic talent is absolutely no bar whatsoever. You can submit a photocopy of a scribbled note on a wine-stained napkin if you like, or a poem, a letter, a drawing, a comic strip, a poster – anything at all (so long as it’s respectful, of course). The brief is simple: To say “thank you” to Ron Smith for the part he has played in your enjoyment of comics or how he has inspired you. A single and unique hard copy will be posted to Ron.

Me: Hmm… I’m excited. I’m in!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Ron Smith and his artwork, well, very briefly…

Ron Smith was born in 1924 and was a highly popular comic illustrator. Ron is best known for his artwork in 2000AD, especially for his unique vision and approach to the comic’s hugely popular character, Judge Dredd.

Judge Dredd by Ron Smith

I grew up on Ron’s work and he became a strong influence on my comic artwork. I loved his style. His approach and delivery was very much different from everyone else’s who was working in 2000AD at the time. It was strong, iconic, full of character and instantly recognizable. As much as I admired Ron’s style, his page layouts, panel compositions and his wonderful ability to ‘tell a story’ through pictures are easily some of the best in the comic industry and it was within these areas where he stamped his influence on me. To this day (and many more to come) I still find myself ‘educating’ myself by looking back at his work, studying and learning.

Not only did Ron excel in these areas, but he was also fantastic at creating some of the most eccentric and wonderfully extraordinary characters that 2000AD had ever seen. As much as I enjoyed characters such as Judge Death, it was Ron’s brilliant artistic vision on his bizarre creations which hold such wonderful memories for me. Oh, and wasn’t it great when you opened up 2000AD every week, to it’s centre pages, to find that Ron had drawn a huge portrait of Dredd’s face to kick start every story. Dynamic stuff!

My submission (see above) was based on the cultural TV show, The South Bank show. Originally, I had a Melvin Bragg look-a-like presenting the strip, but I felt it would be more personal if it was myself presenting the strip instead. I wanted to celebrate his work and the strong impression it had left on me. Basically, I wanted to say Thank You.

Each and every one of the contributions are very special. This project wasn’t about self promotion or a ‘look what I can do’ moment. It was a project full of sentimentality, nostalgia and more than anything, respect.

Mark Howard of ECBT2000AD,  who put this admirable project together, received a telephone call from Mr Ron Smith himself after he had received the tribute comic.

Ron was overjoyed…

Mark Howard: He has asked me to pass on to you all his deep and enduring gratitude for putting so much talent, work and love into this project and said he was “overwhelmed” by your generosity and regard. (I must admit to having a little tear in my own eye as I put down the ‘phone.) With fifty five years in the comics business under his belt, Mr Smith said that this was one of the highlights of his comic career and was deeply moved by the comic which you have made.

There really isn’t much more I can add to that, is there? Apart from thank you to all involved, thank you to Mark Howard and everybody at ECBT2000AD and, well…

Thank You… Ron.

To download a copy of Thank You… Ron, please click on the link below.

Enjoy!

Thank You… Ron: http://db.tt/tZV3J3aP

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Mr Soffe and his 10 minute portraits.

Posted on March 28, 2012 by David Frankum

 

Portraits
Jules Verne, Georges Prosper Remi (Herge) and Stan Lee. Drawn by Matthew Soffe.

So, who is this Mr Soffe?

Well, Matthew John Soffe is one hell of a talented artist.

Before we start, here’s a little background information about Mr Soffe: Matthew is from a little town called Skelmersdale, halfway between Liverpool and Wigan. He completed a foundation year at Wigan & Leigh College, after which he studied graphic design for his degree at Derby University. Unfortunately, Matthew was unable to complete the third year of his studies and abandoned art for the best part of ten years. In this time, he remained being creative and played in various noisy indie bands before deciding to knuckle down with art seriously in early 2009 after his mother passed away. His mother was always very supportive towards Matthew’s creativity and he felt that he should pursue what he really should be doing with his life, drawing. Matthew has since produced strips and illustrations for various small press publications including Zarjaz, Dogbreath, Something Wicked, Paragon, The End is Nigh and Murky Depths. His most high profile gig was getting a piece accepted for Sci-fi Art Now, a lovely big hardback coffee table type book edited by John Freeman. Currently, he is partway through colouring an original graphic novel for Accent UK called ‘My Maker & I’, which is written by Owen Johnson and drawn by Dan Duncan (artist on IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Alongside all of these projects, Matthew works in FE as an Inclusive Learning Mentor and a part time lecturer in Graphic Design (he got his degree in the end). Oh, and he wears glasses, which is always very cool.

And what of his 10 minute portraits?

Basically, what Matthew does is draw a portrait every day for a year, with each one drawn in 10 minutes (or less). The portraits are then posted onto his blog. 10 minutes, that’s it. In that time, Matthew is attempting to achieve two things: A quality drawing and a good likeness. Other targets Matthew is aiming for are to speed up his drawing, to force himself to adopt a looser style, to hone his skills, and to have a chance to experiment with different methods.

Well, they’re quite something, aren’t they?

I caught onto Matthew’s portraits quite early on and I’ve become completely addicted to them. Checking them out has become part of my daily ritual. Even if I’m not aware of some of his subjects, I find myself looking them up and self-educating myself. I’m really taken to what Matthew produces in ten minutes. Actually, I’m more than just ‘taken’, I’m highly impressed. In the time of ten minutes, I’d still be working out how I’m going to address drawing the eyelashes (actually, I would still be getting my pens and pencils out of my pencil case). In many ways, Matthew has become a bit of an influence on me and, since seeing his portraits, I’ve gone back to basics in my sketchbook and started to draw ‘quick’ studies. I’m a painfully slow artist (never ask for a quick picture from me, it’s not going to happen) and I’ve been looking into ways in which I can ‘speed’ myself up. What I love about Matthew’s portraits is the energy and personality that goes into the mark making. It’s beautiful. The portraits are so alive, full of life and captivating.

On one of the days that I was looking at Matthew’s portraits, I noticed that he had drawn one of my childhood hereos, Jules Verne. As a child, I loved reading his books (I still do) and I was fortunate to buy this wonderful piece of art from Matthew. After which, I started thinking ‘wouldn’t it be good to have a ‘Hall of fame’ of childhood heroes who really inspired and captivated my imagination when I was a child and who, in many ways, have contributed to making me who I am today. I managed to whittle my ‘top ten’ heroes down to three and I got back in touch with Matthew. I asked him if he could also draw Georges Prosper Remi (better known as Herge) and Stan Lee for me. When I reflect back on my childhood, I felt that it was these three amazingly creative guys who, in many ways, forced my hand to pick up a pencil and let my imagination pour out onto the paper. As a child, I was so caught up in their worlds, in their creations. Matthew kindly produced these drawings and I feel very proud and privileged to own them. In the next few months I aim to be working in a new studio where I intend to put these marvelous and admirable portraits on the wall. I want to be able walk into my studio and feel inspired; whatever the weather, whatever my mood, whatever kind of day I’m having. On entering my studio, the first thing I will see will be Matthew’s portraits of my three masters, drawn in such an incredible and charismatic way…

Well… if these portraits won’t inspire me, I’m not sure what will…

I strongly recommend that you head over to Matthews 10 Minute Portraits at http://10minuteportraits.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Verne

Jules Verne

 

Georges Prosper Remi (Herge)

Georges Prosper Remi (Herge)

Stan Lee

Stan Lee

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DemonCon 3

Posted on March 21, 2012 by David Frankum

 

Post card

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? It's... my design for my new self promotion postcard which will be available for you to pick up at Demoncon 3.

I am very pleased to announce that I will be attending the DemonCon 3 convention in Maidstone, Kent on the 22nd of April. This will be my first time to attend a convention as a ‘creator’ rather than a visitor. As you can imagine, I am very excited to be part of this wonderful event, even more so as it is to held on my home turf (well, twenty minutes away).

DemonCon 3 has been put together and organized by The Grinning Demon comic shop in Maidstone. The size and stature of the event has been impressively growing over the last couple of months. Some of the guests attending are Ian Churchill (Marineman, Supergirl, Superman/Batman, Cable, Deadpool, Hulk), Laurence Campbell (2000AD, Dark Tower, Wolverine vs Marvel Universe, Punisher), Kieron Gillen (Phonogram, Thor, Uncanny X-Men, Journey into Mystery), Ian Sharman (Hero 9 to 5, Hypergirl), Conor Boyle (Dark Judgement 2, Accent UK) plus many more. Oh, and just to add to the mix, there will also be live wrestling from NWA Hammerlock wrestling. Fun for all the family. To see the rest of the guest list and details about DemonCon 3, please click here.

I am very much looking forward to bringing my portfolio for all to see and to promote publications that I have illustrated for (Top Shelf Productions, FutureQuake, Zarjaz, Dr WTF?! and Massacre for Boys) as well as raising awareness on projects I am currently working on. One of which is an on going comic series called A Month of Sundays. Written by Andrew Cheverton . Andrew is also appearing at DemonCon 3 with his partner in crime, Tim Keable. I strongly recommend that you pop over to their table and check out their West comic. I will be sharing a table with Chris ‘Massacre for Boys’ Denton. As some of you will know, myself and Chris have collaborated on a number of well received comic projects and we’re both really looking forward to meeting you. Please feel free to pop over for a chat and to check out Chris’s brilliant Massacre for Boys comics.

Ah, while I remember, I believe that there will be a raffle on the day (Woo! Woo!). I will be producing a special one- off original piece of artwork to commemorate DemonCon 3. So, remember folks, you need to be in it to win it.

Also, a little birdie told me that Judge John Burdis may make an appearance. So, just to warn you, remember to be on your best behaviour.

I’m looking forward to meeting you all at DemonCon 3.

Catch you soon.

The Grinning Demon Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Grinning-Demon/159356004081894

DemonCon 3 poster

DemonCon 3 poster by Chris Phillips.

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Drawing Daily Anthology #3.

Posted on March 13, 2012 by David Frankum
DD Anthology #3
Drawing Daily Anthology #3 by Steven Kraan. Cover by Steven Kraan. Illustration by me (David Frankum).

Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die – Mel Brooks.

For those of you who have read one of my reviews for Steven Kraan’s Drawing Daily Anthologies before, you’ll know that I am both a huge fan and admirer of his work. If you haven’t read one (please go to http://daveyf.co.uk/blog/?p=151 and http://daveyf.co.uk/blog/?p=394 to read my reviews on Anthology #1 and #2) I’d like to wish you a smiley hello. Before you read on, let me warn you that this review will be biased (Steven pays me well to write these reviews). The reason for my one sided view is that it is very difficult to write anything but something affectionate towards his work. It’s incredibly charming and addictive. I’ve tried to dislike his work. I’ve tried to retrain my brain and toughen up my criticisms towards Drawing Daily but Steven Kraan’s characters, wit, beautiful sense of design and storytelling just keeps tapping me on the shoulder, drawing me in by its charismatic magnetic pull; my eyes widen, I read his strips and within a few seconds, an uncontrollable smile possesses my face. Laughter, happiness and merriment follow next. Drawing Daily is a festival of fun.

Drawing Daily has become an important part of my… well… daily life. Turn on the computer, log into facebook, head straight to the Drawing Daily page… jubilation! An instant hit of hilarity.  It puts an instant a spring into my step. It is impossible not to like Drawing Daily. The colours and simplistic artwork are full of character, personality and charm. It’s like two huge, friendly open arms ready to greet you. “Come here, forget what you are doing and let me humor you”. You read… you laugh. It’s as simple as that. It’s entertainment at it’s best and it never fails to tick all the right boxes. The Drawing Daily strips are surreal, they’re clever, they’re charming, they’re perfect. They deliver their ‘punch lines’ instantly and the smile that spreads across your face is an instant response. You have no say in the matter. Like any good gag, it’s all in Steven’s masterful delivery and his understanding of  ’universal jokes’ which can be enjoyed by anyone of any age or nationality. His sense of timing is wonderful,  the universe he has created (Planet Kraan as known to his fans) is an astonishing place to escape to; full of fascinating characters and situations in which,  no matter how surreal they are, we can (some how) all relate to. His drawing style is ‘alive’, fun and full of delight. Drawing Daily is an absolute joy to read. Researchers and psychologists say that laughter is the best medicine (unless you’ve got a bad cough. In which case, it’s horrible). They’re correct and Drawing Daily certainly proves that.

Despite Drawing Daily’s ‘charm’, there can be a bit of a delicious dark side to them. It’s like a little twist of lemon juice has been put into the ink. At times, there can be a sense of loneliness, a slight feeling of unkindness and humility. But, this isn’t by any means a negative thing. Comedy is very often built on other people’s misfortunate situations. We all find something amusing in this.  But Steven delivers his strips in such an innocent way that we look through the awkward situations that the characters find themselves in. If I was to be more philosophical about Drawing Daily, I would say that it sends out a message of  ’In life, shit happens. It happens to us all. Let’s not beat ourselves up about it and laugh through it’. Or maybe, in a way, when we read Drawing Daily, we are laughing at ourselves. We can identify ourselves within the characters when they go through such tricky and sensitive situations. I’m sure that you’ll agree, at times, we can all take ourselves a bit too seriously.

But, enough of this analyst couch stuff, what can we find in Drawing Daily anthology #3? Well, once again, Mr Kraan entertains us with eleven brand new strips and twelve strips which have been featured on his highly popular Drawing Daily’s facebook page (which now attracts nearly four thousand readers). We are greeted and made to feel welcome by some of the new residents within the ‘Kraan universe’, who fit in perfectly with the well established characters who have featured in so many of Steven’s classic strips. Steven has produced yet another brilliant, friendly book which entertains, amuses and gives your smiling muscles a good work out.

Enjoy! I always do.

To buy Drawing Daily Anthology #3: Head to http://stevenkraan.bigcartel.com/

Drawing Daily Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/drawingdaily?sk=info

Friday the 13th

One of my favourites as featured in Drawing Daily Anthology #3

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Coming Soon(ish) in 2012.

Posted on February 3, 2012 by David Frankum

Hello, and welcome to 2012. Happy New Year… Yea, I know, I know… we’re already a whole month into the new year… but I’ve been very busy working on some new and very exciting projects… What? You want to know about them? Really? Ah, cool. Well, if you’re sitting comfortably, then I shall begin… but first, get ready to feast your eyes on the images you are about to see. I’m not going to get too wordy here but I thought I would show you a few teasers for some of my artwork which will be published later in 2102. To whet your appetites, so to speak. I will post more information regarding the up and coming publications when they are due to be published.

Enjoy!

Massacre for Boys Action Special. Story: Pagans Blood. Written by Chris Denton.

Flesh Futureshock teaser

Flesh Futureshock. Written by Andrew Cheverton.

DrWTF?!

Doctor WTF?! Story: Larger than Life. Written & Drawn by me.

Ah, there is one other, but at this moment in time I’m unable to show an image for various reasons, but don’t panic, I shall reveal all in the near future (there’s a small clue in the ‘tags’ section).

So, excited? I most certainly am. Okay, moving swiftly along. Here’s some brief information on two projects I am currently working on…

Work in progress.

Title ? Publisher: Zarjaz. Writer: Chris Denton.

At this moment in time, I’d rather not reveal the title of this highly exciting project (I’m sorry, I really am. I’m not being much help here, am I?). It’s great to be reunited with Chris once again after our success with Zenith Invasion as well as returning to draw for Zarjaz. Such a damn fine comic. As far as I’m aware, it’s due to be printed at the end of the year, although that is subject to change of course and I’m sure that you won’t be disappointed. I’m currently about halfway through drawing the ‘pencils’ stage and it’s shaping up to be an exhilarating strip… how could it not be, Mr Denton has written it.

Stay Tuned, folks.

Title: A Month of Sundays. Publisher: Angry Candy. Writer: Andrew Cheverton.

As mentioned on the Forbidden Planet International blog, I am currently working on an eight/ten issue comic series with Andrew ‘West’ Cheverton called ‘A Month of Sundays’. For me, this is as big as it gets, a dream come true. Ah… the story? I hate to be a party pooper (yet again), but my lips are sealed. Just believe me when I say it’s quite a journey you’ll be taken on… oh, yes indeed, it’s quite an epic. Andrew is currently busy constructing all of his amazing ideas and plots together and anyone who has read any of his West comics (or any of his other writing) will know what an incredible, well thought out writer Andrew is. I feel very honoured and privileged to be working on A Month of Sundays. While Andrew’s brain is working overtime, I have been putting together some character studies and preliminary drawings. There’s a lot of ground work to complete but we’re gradually pulling all of the pieces of the puzzle together and we hope to tell, in our eyes, the greatest story we possibly can tell.

To keep in touch on the developments of A Month of Sundays and other projects Andrew is working on, stay tuned to both my blog and over at the Angry Candy Website.

Character studies

Hmmm... Preliminaries for A Month of Sundays or a small blue hand growing out of my head? The choice is yours :)

 

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2000AD Forum Advent Calender 2011

Posted on December 13, 2011 by David Frankum

 

2000AD Advent Calender

My entry for the 2000AD Forum Advent calender, 13/12/11. Zenith and Savage celebrate Christmas.

Every year in December, the 2000AD online forum produce an advent calender. They’ve been running it for the last two years and basically what happens is ‘talented so and so’s on the board have given a little prezzie to their fellow boarders each day during December. The present can be a drawing, a poem, a short story, something really shite featuring piss stains in Microsoft paint, a film, compo, quiz, anything you like!’ – Pete Wells.

Unfortunately, I’ve missed out in the previous years, so this year, I’ve made sure to get my name on the list. Not an easy task as there are many talented so and so’s wanting to take part. Luckily, I got in (it was very tight though). I managed to chose the 13th of December. So, for those of you who haven’t seen my entry… Here it is! (see above)

For my entry, I revisited two of my favorite characters from 2000AD that I had drawn earlier in the year for the story Zenith Invasion, as featured in Zarjaz Issue 12. I enjoyed drawing both Zenith and Bill Savage so much that I couldn’t resist drawing them again. I find that they are very interesting characters to draw together. Personality wise they are at the opposite ends of the scales, but they make for a wonderful double act who play off each other to great effect.

I hope that you enjoy my entry. Please, when you have a few minutes spare, head on over to the 2011 Advent Calender on the 2000AD forum and have a look at all the other highly entertaining and brilliant entries. There is also an Advent calender comments thread where you can write your comments regarding the artwork, films, models, photos etc displayed on the calender. Please feel free to do so.

Enjoy!

Black and white version.

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Drawing Daily Anthology #2 by Steven Kraan.

Posted on November 9, 2011 by David Frankum

 

Drawing Daily #2

My homage to Steven Kraan's Drawing Daily (cover by Steven Kraan)

“A day without laughter is a day wasted” – Charlie Chaplin.

I’m having a bad day. When I say ‘bad’, I mean baaad. Despite all of my efforts, nothing is turning out the way I had planned. Like King Midas in reverse, everything I touch seems to go from bad to worse. Okay, not to worry. I’m going to grab my coat and go for a nice, leisurely walk. That should do the job… Oh, it’s raining… pouring in fact. Hmph! Back to square one. Ah-a! Some post… hmmm… bills, bills, more bills… this is becoming depressing… wait… what’s this?… from ‘Planet Kraan’… quick… open it… quicker… and relax…

Opening the pages of  ’Drawing Daily Anthology #2′, I am taken through a dimensional portal to a world where the sun always shines. A place that turns my ‘frown upside down’. I am greeted by warm, enchanting characters… Oh look! There’s a floating skull shooting lasers from his eyes! Cool. Fruit that talk? Awesome. Oh, look over there! A dancing Cockroach! That dude can seriously jive! Planet Kraan is a kaleidoscope of humour, colour and childlike cleverness. It fills me with enjoyment and happiness. My rainy, grey day has been completely forgotten about and it has now been replaced by a carnival full of celebrations and glorious sunshine. I welcome the warmth that Planet Kraan gives to me with welcoming, open arms.

So, who is the creator behind such a cheerful world? Well, it’s Mr Steven Kraan. Armed with his pen and his unique vision, Steven entertains and provides escapism in a way that, to me, nobody else does. There is an ingenious way in how he delivers his hilarious comic strips, which are highly addictive. They’re surreal, yet they have a wonderful logic to them, bizarre yet strangely familiar. You certainly feel very at home when you read Drawing Daily. It pulls you in, connects and gives you a glow of joy and hilarity. I think that the key word to describe ‘Drawing Daily’ is ‘Delightful’. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in a few years’ time, you will find ‘Steven Kraan’ or ‘Drawing Daily’ next to the word ‘delightful’ in a dictionary.

Steven has just published and released his second Drawing Daily anthology (titled… yep, you got it, Drawing Daily anthology #2). It contains twelve old strips and eleven new ones. It’s an absolute gem of a book, every strip is a masterpiece. It’s as if Steven’s comic strips have invisible hands, reaching out and giving you a tickle. It’s packed with personality, amusement and cleverness. Compared to ‘Drawing Daily #1′ (to read my review head over to http://daveyf.co.uk/blog/?p=151), I feel that Steven has tapped into a new level of wittiness with strips such as ‘The Invisible Man choking on an apple’ and ‘Jesus drops his car keys’ (the fact that Jesus may actually drive a car in the first place highly amuses me). What’s nice about this is that they don’t feel out of place with the rest of the strips. In fact, they fit in very comfortably. There’s a lovely liveliness to Mr Kraan’s drawing. There’s a strong feeling that his artwork is ‘alive’, which really helps to communicate and deliver each strip. Along with his ‘edible’ colours, the totality of Steven’s artwork is playful and full of charm.

Where can you find Drawing Daily? Well you don’t have to go far. Please click here to follow the Drawing Daily Facebook page. Over three thousand people are now tuning into Steven’s Drawing Daily (if you see people walking around with a ‘feel-good’ aura radiating from them, you know that they have visited the Drawing Daily page). To treat yourself to Drawing Daily anthology #2, please head over to http://stevenkraan.bigcartel.com/.

I am very happy to inform you that since reading Drawing Daily anthology #2 and writing this review, the sun is now beating down on me despite it being a (what should be) cold, damp November in England and I’m having a super day. Truth :)

Enjoy!

Pages from Drawing Daily #2

Inside Drawing Daily Anthology #2. Can you feel those invisable hands?

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Doctor WTF?! Larger than life – Teaser.

Posted on November 9, 2011 by David Frankum

Doctor WTF?! - The good Doctor like you’ve never seen him before. Except in the most bizarre corners of your subconscious noggin! – Owen Watts.

Dr WTF?! teaser

A new Doctor. A new assistant. A new adventure...

Larger than Life is the title of my contribution to the next issue of Doctor WTF?! – the Doctor Who anthology comic fanzine.

A new Doctor, a new assistant, a new Tardis, new foes, a new adventure.

Larger than Life was written and drawn by myself. After immensely enjoying the first issue of Doctor WTF?! I feel both proud and privileged to be part of the next issue. I’ve no doubt in my mind that the editor, Owen Watts, will put together another splendid issue. As I understand, it will be published during the Spring time, next year. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, I hope that you enjoy the little teaser above.

What happens next… ?

To read my review of Doctor WTF?! Issue One go to: http://daveyf.co.uk/blog/?p=280

To order a copy of Doctor WTF?! Issue One: http://drwtf.co.uk/

To find out the latest news on Doctor WTF?! head over to  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-WTF/122983944441503

Dr WTF?! logo

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DC Comics ‘The New 52!’… erm… Where’s Ambush Bug? Oh, here he is…

Posted on November 2, 2011 by David Frankum

 

Ambush Bug

One of my all time favourite comic book characters, Ambush Bug.

Fairly recently, DC comics had a major relaunch. It was called ‘The New 52′ (that’s right folks, they relaunched fifty two of their titles). As a comic book fanatic, I was very excited… until I discovered that they had totally overlooked one of my all time favorite comic book characters… Ambush Bug!

Hmph!

I have found it very hard to believe that they chose the likes of Superman, Batman, The Green Lantern and The Flash over Ambush Bug. I still can’t understand DC’s way of thinking (I’ve lost sleep over this, believe me).

So, I’ve decided to draw a picture of one of the best creations in comic book history. If anyone from DC comics is reading this and it’s now finally occurred to you what a big mistake you have made… well, why not make it ‘The New 53′ and give me call :)

Enjoy!

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