for all you northeners, the manchester zinefest is also tomorrow, the 30th august at URBIS, ground floor, between midday and 6pm, with stalls from Sam's World, Ladyfest Manchester, Cause n Effect, Hayase!, Mount Pleasant, Manifesta, Dirt Cheap, Attack!!!! magazine, Cherry Bomb Comics, Dans la Matin, Brazilian Nuts, Subtext, Cafe Royal, Camp Yellow, Veracidad Tenaz, Black and White Cat Press, Load of Noise and our very own Manchester Zinefest stall.

There's also workshops between 12.30 and 6 including talk on history of the Radical Press in the 602 and 70s with Bob Dickenson, Radical History Walk and Mapmaking, paper manipulation with Dans La Matin, Zines and Radical Politics discussion with Melanie (editor, Reassess Your Weapons ), Humaira (editor, Race Revolt) and Marion (Zine Fest organiser and zine writer), Music Zines discussion and possibly more

Plus an exhibition, of some form

Bring a zine, opinions, eyes, ideas or just some pocket money, more details at www.manchesterzinefest.org.uk

Hello Bugpowder,
I am proud to invite you to The Caption Comics Collective Closedown Party
Friday, August 29, 2008
3:00pm - 11:00pm
The Old Jam Factory,
Hollybush Row, OX1 1HU,
Oxford, United Kingdom

Comics jam, sketching and closedown party for the Caption Comics Collective Exhibition at the Jam Factory. David Baillie, Andy Luke and Daniel Merlin Goodbrey in the afternoon, with Jeremy Dennis and Ellen Lindner coming along in the evening. Possibly others! It's hard to tell with cartoonists. You know what -- you should come along, too.

Facebook Event Listing

And of course, Low Energy Day, the huge UK comics art fun day happening in Camden Market on Saturday, which you may have heard of.

Joe Decie has some nice web comics on Top Shelf 2.0

Emma Welch has recently published her first comic called 'Arcaders' more details on her blog

PJ Holden exhibits his comic MURDERDROME on the iPhone:

Using the sensationalism of a father-son creative collaboration and exploration of shared narrative, previously forgotten MP decides to attach his black eggs of attention. Jason Wilson's 'His and Hers Smuggling Vacation' has been attracting a good readership including much journalistic interest for its honed book art style, and use of solid research. MPs name is associated with a poor grasp of understanding of health and cultural matter.

Jason will be signing copies of the book at Birmingham Borders Store, Bull Ring Centre, this Saturday August 23rd 12-3pm.

I've just finished reading a few comics including Oli Smith's Weekend Friends, which seems to be a return to form, and the rather excellent Dan Lester Mysteries by Dan, Oliver Lambden and Jake H. I really enjoyed the latter, which is like an expansive ice cream parlour situated next to a Bushmills distillery. Overstreet, learn !

UK indie comics & manga portal IndieReview has had a revamp, the start of their new-look website, which includes star-ratings in the reviews, more on webcomics and the offer of free Word Press driven blogs for UK small press creators. Get in touch with them!

The Press Release can be found here.

The Observer and Random House have called for entries to this year's Graphic Short Story Competition. The first prize is a grand plus seeing your entry across two pages of the Observer. Judges include Mark Haddon and Rutu Modan; deadline, 17th October 2008.
Details here.

The Dan Lester Mysteries, a new comic by (Sleazy) Dan Lester and Oliver Lambden is out now, available at www.monkeysmightpuke.com or at the Camden Comics stall on Saturdays.

Dan Locke has a new blog which should be well worth bookmarking.

The Observer/Jonathan Cape/ Comica Graphic Short Story competition is back, this time its 2 pages of the Observer, details at http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/graphicnovels/competition.htm

On Thursday 14th August at 5pm, Resonance FM will broadcast "Stand Up Comics: Music and Performance by Small Press Artists and Writers" as part of the weekly comics programme, 'Strip'. Tune in for poetry, stories, music and dialogue, featuring:

Matthew Thurber of Ambergris and creator of 1-800 Mice
Steven Tillotson, banal pig comics
Daniel Locke, Green comics

Mystery Dick

Pestrepeller (see Mystery Dick)
Sylvie Winn, The Director of Tall Buildings
Gareth Brookes, Appalling Nonsense
Dan Lester, Monkeys Might Puke
Jimi Gherkin

You can hear the show by tuning into Resonance FM 104.4 on an old fashioned radio (in London) or at www.resonancefm.com.

adam cadwell sez:

"I thought I let you all see a little video I put together from last month's Manchester Comix Collective Drink 'n' Draw. It was a quiet turn out but we knocked out a 4 page Comic Jam about sacrificing David Bowie and an army of child Terry Wogans".
watch it here

manchester based comic types are invited to the next drink and draw on august 24th, location tbc so keep an eye on the mcc website if you're interested

ben powis sez:

"my first comic Turtle Guitar is now available to read for FREE online!" bargain.

and gosh comics sez:

Ian Edgington and D'Israeli are signing at copies of their new Stickleback collection, along with copies of the Scarlet Traces trilogy, Leviathan and the rest of the duo's back catalogue, on Saturday 16th August from 4pm-6pm.

(bit of a blantant advert, but if you've never been to Gosh and live in London you should definitely check it out)

david bailey* sez:

please look at my website (paraphrasing)

*he's not david baillie

lizz lunney is doing a comic a day for august.

also, have a look at patrick brown's comics inspired by irish mythology.

Anyone here get the Page 45 mailings?* You might want to resubscribe.

"...In the meantime some of you may have already received the following post-script to your emails:

And, I might add, if you know of any of your mates that have signed up to the Page 45 Mailshot in the last 18 months, do encourage them to get back in contact, please!

Completely new computer due today, then all will be dandy."

* Bugpowder heartily recommends this twice-weekly service.
**Bugpowder does not openly endorse the defenestration of any Microsoft employees.

Alex Fitch's recent podcasts may be of interest - Take it away, Alex:

"Interview with Eagle award winning artist Tom Humberstone about his comics from Everything you never wanted to know about Crohn’s disease and to How to date a girl in ten days plus his blog / sold out graphic novella My Fellow Americans.

Interview with cartoonist Dan Lester about his humour comics such as Monkeys might puke and the use of satire and reoccurring characters in gag strips plus the similarities between humour and crime fiction and solving the problems of both on the pages of his new murder mystery comic.

Also, encouraging the next generation of small pressers:
Interview with Dan Berry, a lecturer from North Wales School of art and design about the new Illustration for Graphic Novels course he’s going to be teaching from this autumn, about introducing a new generation to the craft of making comics and also about Dan’s interest in typography and how it’s one of the most under-appreciated aspects of comic books.

My next small press extravaganza - following next week's cameos by Richy Chandler (Tempo Lush), Bevis Musson (Dead Queen Detectives) and the ubiquitous Oli Smith in the broadcast of my gay comics panel from Bristol - is a one hour special curated by Gemma Cantlow (Layby Perk) which features musical and spoken word performances by small press creators. More info at http://www.myspace.com/sucomics
(actually, having looked, not a huge amount of info, but chatted to Gemma about it yesterday; it sounds very exciting - expect music by Dan Lester and stuff by Banal Piggers + much much more. Hopefully this'll become a quarterly event...)"