Howdy pardners,

Just read the new updates and after reading Adam's I got an idea for my own recommendation. I much like Adam do see the SCC as a support group for Swansea's comic fans it allows us to get together and just talk about anything and everything, obviously with a main concentration being on comics. Well enough of that.

I went off to Athen's with my school last week and with me I took a few books. One being Fable's volume 11 the other Y: The Last Man volume 1. I would like to recommend the latter, not cause the former is terrible or anything still a cracking read but you need to have read 1-10 first.

Y: The Last Man is the tale of, you guessed it, the last living human male (along with his comedy capuchin sidekick) and his struggles in a now female dominated world where everyone wants to kill him or fornicate with him. The first volume in this 10 volume series is a beautifully crafted set up to one of the best original stories I have read. Why do I recommend it because unlike with the Watchmen I never thought to read it again how wrong I was. It still captivated me even though I still knew what was about to happen. It is a testament to Brian K. Vaughn's exceptional writing ability.  The art is beautifully presented as well the emotions are clear and the designs are realistic. No superheroes here but a story that will keep you enthralled from start to finish. If you haven't read it then what are you waiting for go down to 'Comix Shoppe' and get yourself a copy and if you have already read it read it again you will not be sorry.

HAPPY EASTER!

From the SCC Sketchbook - 04/09

Here's some pages from the Swansea Comics Collective Sketchbook. It's our group drawing book that gets passed around each meeting. Anyone is allowed to add their scribbles whether it is comic related or not. C'mon down and make your mark...

Next meeting is on Wednesday 15th April at the Brunswick, 3 Duke St, Swansea from 8pm. With the next meeting after that on Wednesday 29th April, again at the Brunswick.

From our secret headquarters...

A shadow drifts through the empty base. The silent alarm is tripped. The signal is sent. I don my costume and race to our HQ ready to face whatever nefarious, evil thing has penetrated our defences.
Oh... it's just a cat.... Bugger. I squeezed myself into my skin-tight, rubber cat suit for naught but a pussy cat! Oh well, while I'm here I may as well do something.

Meeting up with my fellow comic-philes is like an AA meeting of sorts. It allows us to support each other for one. It lets us know we are not alone (I told myself I wouldn't cry). Together we can fight our addiction. Sadly, I think ours is a losing battle. You can see it in their eyes, they lust after those pristinely printed and pressed pages. The smell of ink on recycled paper. I NEED ONE! I MUST HAVE ONE!!! NO! No! I must calm myself, I don't sign on for another few days and can't afford my 'fix' yet.

Recently I borrowed my friends X-Men Essentials #1 graphic novel. Although I like the X-men I've never bothered with more than a look-in now and then. So reading this awesome collection (and it is pretty awesome) was like a lightning-bolt. For those of you who don't know what the hell I'm going on about X-Men Essentials #1 introduces characters like Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler and Storm to the ranks of the X-Men. I found it quite a buzz to see their induction in print form, even though by today's standards the first few issues -written over three decades ago- look a little cardboardy now. Then, just a few days after, he handed me X-Men: Deadly Genesis -written only a year or two ago- which was a big thing (trust me those of you who don't know, it really is). Basically The first issue of Essentials has the new X-Men rescuing the original X-Men from the monster/island of Krakoa after a brief but intensive training 'montage'. What Deadly Genesis does is reveals that the new X-Men weren't the first team sent out to rescue the original team. I'll leave it at that. Think of it in a round about way as 'My Recommendation'.

Forth & Fifth

The fantastic fourth meeting in January went really well with our best attendance yet. More new members arived, sketchbooks and scripts were passed around and the SCC master plan started to come together. With a few gatherings under our belt we've started to discuss fundraising ideas and what to spend those funds on. As well as producing an anthology of our members strips, we've now put participating in 24 Hour Comics Day 2009 on our 'to do' list.

Got any more ideas? Next meeting is Wednesday 18th February, 8pm, The Brunswick...

What happens at a SCC meeting? Well I'll tell ya exactly what happens.

HEY ALL,

          First Happy New Year. Second Pete’s asked me to post up a bit about the last meeting just before Christmas. So here I go.

            It was a rather intimate affair. Myself, Pete, Mark, Nick, Lee and Adam met up at the No Sign bar for our ‘Christmas party’ meeting. The meeting generally centred on cool comic related banter and us jamming on my proposed idea, now entitled ‘Gaslight’ Thanks to Adam. It all started with my idea for an alternate reality Victorian London after seeing this pic:-

            I liked its visuals and the possible story points like why would they need the gas masks in Victorian London. Which is now deep in development on the Group. At the meeting the idea seemed to get everyone’s creative juices flowing. From the small design I had already done the page erupted with words and images.

            Me and Mark, but mostly Mark, armed with just a pencil sketched images all over the page, while nick acted as a scribe for his own and everyone’s ideas for character names and profiles along with simple setting and plot points. I was excited that my idea (admittedly partially stolen but I prefer to use the old inspired by approach) had inspired so much creativity among the small group there. If anyone was ever in doubt about the group this should be proof enough that it’s a roaring success.

            This isn’t the only story the talented people in the SCC have created we also have Daniel’s ‘Greg’s Birthday Pen’, Nick’s ‘Space Race’ and ‘Fighting T.O.M.M.Y.’, Adam’s ‘The Squibs’, Anna’s ‘Knife’s Edge’ and ‘Huail’, Lee and Ricky’s collaboration on a ‘Zombie/Post Apocalyptic Western’, Ian’s ‘Untitled as I can’t think of a snazzy title’ and last but not least Dan’s ‘Deadmeat’. Check the links for more on each of the stories.

            Also I’d like to inform anyone who doesn’t already know that the next meeting will be in the Brunswick at 8pm on the 21^st of January. So come along bring your ideas and share them with the rest of us.

            See you all on the 21^st,

                        Bye for Now,

                                    Peter ‘VoteForPietro’ Maggs

 

P.S. All ownership for the first pic goes to Boatwright all other pics are owned by me.

X-Mas SCC Meeting - 16th December, No Sign Bar, 8pm

The third Swansea Comics Collective meeting and the last of 2008 will be held at the No Sign Wine Bar on Wind Street on Tuesday 16th December from 8pm. We've tried to move the days around to catch as many interested people as possible and started the frequency at bi-weekly, mail us if you've not managed to attend yet and we'll see what we can do.

Last meeting (1-12-08) round-up: The Collective is really starting to heat up, we had four comic stories discussed at the latest meeting. All in various forms from rough concepts and character ideas to written page breakdowns. Most of the ideas have been posted on the SCC Google Group, and some of the artists have already started collaborating and sketching. If you want to read them or post your own thoughts, join up and head on over here.

Hope to see you there, if not, Merry X-mas!