Rites of Passage for BVC's Shades

Broken Voice Comics has released Chapter 7 of its flagship title – the online graphic novel Shades – on its web site at www.brokenvoice.co.uk.

Written by David A J Berner and illustrated in full colour by artist Harsho Mohan Chattoraj, Shades, which also features on ROK Comics, tells the story of a group of heroes in the UK, struggling to come to terms with their role in late 20th Century Britain; a Britain still haunted by the loss of Empire.

With the main protagonists now firmly established, Chapter 7 (titled “Rite of Passage”) will see teenagers Becky, Craig and Ryan Allen keen to prove themselves to their childhood heroes – former World War fighter pilot Doug Chamberlain, the mystical figure known as the Shaman and the First Century warrior queen Boudicca.

“The conflict between generations is one of the principal themes in Shades,” explains Berner. “The younger heroes are keen to tackle the threat they’ve identified from a suspected terrorist group known as the Cult of Bedlam. However, Doug, Boudicca and the Shaman are – for a variety of reasons – not entirely ready to stand down and hand over the baton. Over the next few chapters, some hard lessons are going to have to be learned on both sides!”

Other Broken Voice titles featured on ROK Comics are Spires and the vampire story Hunted.

Great British Comics on Your Mobile

Following the first episode of Comics Britannia on BBC4 this week and with interest in classic British comics growing all the time, ROK Comics has been promoting its involvement in a resurgence of interest in great British comic creations – past, present and future.

ROK Comics offers a variety of classic British strips for mobile download and WAP delivery including

• Jeff Hawke from the Daily Express – classic SF adventure
• Andy Capp and Mandy from the Daily Mirror – classic British comedy
• British superhero Garth from the Daily Mirror
• Beau Peep from the Daily Star – madcap antics in the foreign legion!
• Robin Hood from the pages of Swift, in partnership with Look and Learn Limited
• Dredger from Action! Britian's deadliest secret agent, straight from the pages of the hugely popular 1970s comic owned by Egmont UK
• Faceache by acclaimed cartoonist Ken Reid, famous for his many contributions to the Beano and WHAM, with more to come

Roy of the Rovers, Billy's Boots, Moodstone (from cult favourite girls comic Misty) the Steel Claw and many others are also in the pipeline.

Alongside classic comics, ROK is at the forefront of promoting the best of new British comics creators on mobile including award-winning artist-writer Chris Reynolds (who is publishing Moon Queen on ROK Comics), Lee Healey (Sporting Swine from Maxim), David Hailwood (Ups and Downs), Steve Tillotson (Banal Pig), and independent British publishers such as Markosia and Broken Voice, who are producing some ground breaking adventure material such as Dark Mists, a thrilling murder mystery set in pre-war Japan and Hunted, a terrifying tale of modern vampires in the style of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

In addition, just as British comics were exported worldwide, ROK has leveraged its unique position as a key developer of mobile content to bring many past and present comics to new audiences in partnership with key telecom partners around the globe.

"I'm delighted we have so many British creators on the service," says ROK Comics Managing Editor John Freeman, who was one of many comics creators who assisted the Comics Britannia production team in sourcing material for the BBC4 series. "Just as Leo Baxendale and Dudley Watkins broke new ground for comics in the pages of the Beano, so ROK Comics many creators are quickly establishing themselves at the forefront of a new means of delivering comics to millions of readers around the world.

"Comics have always evolved to reach new markets and ROK Comics is proud to be part of a bright future for the medium – and celebrate past British comics triumphs."

Pauline Murray penetrates Mauretania celebrations

Legendary singer Pauline Murray of Pentration will read a chapter from Humfrey Jordan's 'Mauretania: Landfalls and Departures of Twenty-Five Years' to open the RMS Mauretania Maiden Voyage Centenary Exhibition in Newcastle.

The exhibit features paintings and comic art by Stuckist Painters and Mauretania Comics artists Paul Harvey and ROK Comics' Chris Reynolds, plus paintings by guest Stuckist Mike Tilley. It will also feature photographs and relics of the ship.

The Opening will be at Newcastle Arts Centre, 67 Westgate Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1SG on Tuesday 18 September 2007 between 6.30-8.00pm. The Exhibition will continue until 29 September 2007..

Pauline Murray was lead singer in the 1977 punk band Penetration. They were signed to Virgin Records, released two highly acclaimed albums, many singles and toured extensively throughout Britain, Europe and the USA. After the band split in 1979 Pauline began a successful solo career and recorded the ground breaking Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls album with legendary Factory producer Martin Hannett. In 1984 she set up her own record label, Polestar, and released singles and an album as 'Pauline Murray and the Storm'. In 1990 she opened Polestar Studios, a rehearsal and recording facility in Newcastle. She is still writing, recording and performing with the reformed Penetration.

Mauretania Exhibitions and events announced

Mobile Comics creator Chris Reynolds is one of several artists involved in events marking the centenary of the maiden voyage of the RMS Mauretania.

Chris has published several strips under his Mauretania Comics imprint.

An exhibition featuring comics and paintings by Newcastle Stuckist Painters and Mauretania Comics artists Paul Harvey and Chris Reynolds plus guest Stuckist Mike Tilley will run at the Newcastle Arts Centre between 18-29 September 2007. The Centenary Exhibtion Opening Night event takes place on Tuesday 18 September, between 6.30 - 8.00 pm.

On 16 November, there will be events in both Newcastle and New York to mark the centenary of the sailing, at the bar of Newcastle Arts Centre and at a venue in New York, with a centenary phone call between the venues. Paul Harvey and Chris Reynolds will be in Newcastle, while representatives of US Stuckist groups, joined by New York Stuckist Terry Marks and Connecticut Stuckist Tony (Baloney) Juliano will be in marking the event in the US.

The Mauretania was the longest-ever holder of the famous transatlantic speed record, the Blue Riband. Built in Newcastle, she sailed the line between Britain and the New World completely successfully for 25 years.

Further Information
• For more information on the Stuckism art movement visit: www.stuckism.com
• Mauretania Archives: www.tyneandweararchives.org.uk/mauretania/index.htm
• Building the Ship in 1906: www.amber-online.com/exhibitions/mauretania
• Newcastle Arts Centre Limited, 67 Westgate Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1SG Telephone 0191 2615618

I think I'd rather be reading a comic

Going to the toilet, cutting your toe nails and and having sex are just some of the activities people get up to when talking on the phone, according to a poll released this week by Britain's Post Office.

The survey found seven per cent of people had "been intimate" with a partner when on the telephone to someone else, with men were more likely than women to have been involved in a romantic clinch when chatting on the phone, with nine per cent admitting to answering a call when making love compared to five per cent of women.

The survey found one in 10 people admitted to taking a call while otherwise engaged. It also found that people in the Newcastle region, for example, were also most likely to chat to friends while sitting on the toilet, with 44 per cent of people admitting to it compared with just 21 per cent of Scots.

A total of 2188 people were questioned for the survey, which lists these top ten "other activities"...

1 Surf the internet (65 per cent)
2 Watch TV (64 per cent)
3 Lie in bed (54 per cent)
4 Eat (48 per cent)
5 Cook (43 per cent)
6 Draw / doodle (41 per cent)
7 Clean (34 per cent)
8 Use the toilet (31 per cent)
9 Get dressed (25 per cent)
10 Shop (26 per cent)

"We are certainly a nation of talkers," commented Martin Moran, head of telephony at the Post Office, "and judging by these figures, we won't let anything stand in the way of a good old gossip, which could turn out to be a fairly pricey habit."

ROK Comics offers BICS goers the chance to win a top mobile

Comics to mobile publisher Rok Comics has announced its support for the 2007 Birmingham International Comics Show (www.thecomicsshow.co.uk) which takes place 13-14 October 2007, with a competition to win a top of the range Nokia mobile phone, an annual subscription to all of ROK Comics content via its WAP subscriber service and other goodies worth £500 in total.

Every pre-registered attendee will be in with a chance to win the Nokia phone, which will include a pre-loaded SIM Card worth £30 and a selection of ROK entertainment content and software. The winner will also get a 12-month subscription to the ROK Comics WAP service.

The winner of the phone will be announced at the weekend.

"We're delighted to be part of BICS," says ROK Comics Managing Editor John Freeman, who will be part of a special panel on digital comics at the event on Saturday 13 October. "These events are a melting pot of ideas and talent and for me, it's a great chance to meet and talk comic ideas with fans and professionals."

Taking place 13 – 14 October 2007 at Birmingham's ThinkTank, the Birmingham International Comic Show is set to again be a major event in the comics calendar for British fans. Special guests include Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, Superman and Star Wars artist Kevin Nowlan, top Judge Dredd artist Mike McMahon, and Adi Granov, the man behind the fantastic upcoming Iron Man Movie armour design. Esad Ribic, who's currently working on Marvel's fully painted Silver Surfer series which is wowing fans and Matt Hollingsworth, who will be conducting a special extended version of his popular colouring demonstration. (Click here for the full guest list)

Doctor Who and Wisdom fans will also be interested to find out that Paul Cornell will be making a Saturday appearance at the show and will be taking part in our special writers panel along with Mike Carey and Tony Lee.

Other guests confirmed include: Alan Davis, Dave Gibbons, Charlie Adlard, Mark Buckingham, Duncan Fegredo, and Lew Stringer, plus many many more.

An Evil Alliance

Thoroughly silly but a very funny ROK Comic delivered strip, even if it is (deliberately) not the best drawn comic...