Travelling Man

Who are you?
Travelling Man, a chain of fab little comic shops through the North of England. We love comics and really enjoy checking out the products of the small press scene in Newcastle, and our Newcastle shop regularly hosts meetings of the Paper Jam Comics Collective. We sell comics, graphic novels, manga, and tons of board games and role playing games too!

What have you done / what are you doing?
Supplying the good folk of Newcastle with their comics / geek needs since 2004. We run comics nights and games nights in store, we've worked with libraries and schools in the area to promote comics as great reading material, and have the best named loyalty card in the land, SUPER CARD GO! Our staff are extremely knowledgeable and approachable, so if you have a question or are just looking for something new to read just pop in for a chat.

Why comics?
Because there's nothing better than immersing yourself in comics, whether you're a superhero fan, a mangaholic or a swinging hepcat who likes the indie-est of the indies. COMICS!

Further info:
http://www.travellingman.com/
mike@travellingman.com
Travelling Man is involved in putting on the annual Thought Bubble comic convention in Leeds, for more information please check: http://www.thoughtbubblefestival.com/

Paper Jam Comics Collective

Who are you?
The Paper Jam Comics Collective, a comic-centric creative community based around the Travelling Man comics store in Newcastle upon Tyne.

What have you done / what are you doing?
We've been meeting fortnightly since the beginning of 2007, yakking on about comics, drawing comics (including our signature '24-minute comic' sessions, the results of which sometimes get posted on our webcomic blog 'Paper Jams'), publishing anthologies of work created by members of the collective on various themes, and generally acting as a hub for small press comic creators in the Newcastle area.

We've produced eight anthologies so far: ...And That, Halloween... And That, 24 Minutes ...And That, You Will Have To Wait ...And That, Robots ...And That, Space Monkey, Art ...And That, and History ...And That. Our latest anthology, Alcohol ...And That, will be out soon.

Why comics?
It's in our name, fool!

Further info:
http://paperjamcomics.blogspot.com/

Graham Pearce

Who are you?
Graham Pearce, comic book writer/artist, quiz show contestant and dark horse.

What have you done / what are you doing?
I write, draw and publish SGT MIKE BATTLE: THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO which is a satirical action comic about a kick-ass American Soldier who goes around stomping evil-doers, defending America and forcing smaller countries to embrace democracy. I’ve been doing the book for 10 years and haven’t run out of ideas or motivation just yet.

Why comics?
It’s a very accessible medium whether you are a reader or a creator and it offers greater storytelling potential than movies or novels.

Further info:
www.sgtmikebattle.co.uk

Gary Bainbridge

Who are you?
Gary Bainbridge, artist, comics creator, adventurer.

What have you done / what are you doing?
I have self published a number of small press comics and artists books that are all set in, or are connected in some way to Newcastle. My latest work is Sugar Glider (with Daniel Clifford), an all ages Geordie kitchen sink superhero comic. I'll also have copies of Grainger Street, a subjective guide to the Toon, connected by my memories of walking up and down its streets. Or one street in particular. I have also self published a crime fiction comic series set in Newcastle; Nightbus told the tales of the city after dark and also features in my half of Show & Tell, an anthology of work by myself and Andrew Waugh. At the CCC, I'll be talking about my work and the importance of location in comics to anyone who'll listen.

Why comics?
Why do I make comics? Probably because I wasn't happy with the last one I made.

Further info:
http://unterweltcomics.blogspot.com
@GB_COMICS
Facebook Search: Sugar Glider Comics

Jack Fallows

Who are you?
Jack Fallows - comic book creator, illustrator and workshop facilitator.

What have you done / what are you doing?
Jack is responsible for the comics The Gentleman Ghost, Costume Party, John Henry Split My Heart and the currently on-going series The Big Bang. He has created a number of personal commissions as well as commercial illustration work for magazines, bands and small companies. In 2007, he founded The Paper Jam Comics Collective and between 2009-2011 also ran comic book workshops for children with writer Daniel Clifford. He thinks a lot about the apocalypse and enjoys Fentiman's Dandelion & Burdock and M&Ms.

Why comics?
Comics are an infinitely diverse, widely underused, misunderstood and wrongly interpreted art form that, despite our best efforts, are still not quite accepted by the majority of society as anything to raise an eyebrow over. Because Jack enjoys feeling outcast, belittled and unappreciated, and because he hates money, friends and fresh air, he has toiled in this medium for almost a decade and will more than likely continue to toil in it until he keels over at the drawing desk or, heaven forbid, comics are actually welcomed by the wider world.

More info:
www.jackfallows.com

Cuttlefish

Who are you?
Cuttlefish. Artist, cartoonist, writer, letterer and comic creator.

What have you done / what are you doing?
The art for joint ventures Taxonauts comic and the Arse Cancer webcomic. Also a willing contributor to numerous anthologies with strips including Trainee Space Chef, Alpha & Omega, Girl-on-a-Spring, Father's Day (Sugar Glider Stories), Alan the Confused Tortoise, Technocretin and Coitus Accordianus. Two 24-hour comics, Giga and Evolution & Beep, as well as contributing to and editing the collaborative Tyneside zombie comic Food for the Dead.

Why comics?
Comics will save Earth.

Further Info?
http://cuttlefishcomics.blogspot.com/
@CuttlefishComics

Terry Wiley

Who are you?
Terry Wiley - I do comics, me!

What have you done / what are you doing?
I used to do a thing called Sleaze Castle (which wasn't sleazy at all, it was an anagram of 'Castle Leazes') - this may be coming in digital form to a shiny modern device near you soon! That had a spin-off, Petra Etcetera, which is also due out digitially at the same time.

Nowadays I write and draw VerityFair, a drama about drinking, screaming, acting and big fat secrets. Warning: May contain bottoms and swearies!

Why comics?
Because they're just as effective as film but 1 million times cheaper to make? People say 'comics are for kids', and yes, they are; but they never go on to say they are also for adults, teenagers, ladies, gentlemen, idiots and geniuses too. I wasted 10 years not reading comics because of that attitude, until someone showed me an intelligent comic and got me back on the ball.

Further info:
http://www.idcm.net/
@terrywiley_Idcm
http://tinyurl.com/idcmcomics Facebook group

Stacey Whittle

Who are you?
Stacey Whittle, podcaster, SFX blogger, editor.

What have you done / what are you doing?
I host both the Small Press Big Mouth podcast (part of The Geek Syndicate Network), which reviews small press and indie comics, and The Megacast with the delicious Iz McAuliffe, reviewing the Judge Dredd Megazine. I sporadically write blogs for the SFX magazine website and I am currently in the middle of producing an anthology comic called Into The Woods: A Fairytale Anthology, which I am editing and publishing and will be launched at Cardiff International Comic Expo in February.

Why comics?
Because they have so much to say, and so many different ways of saying it. Because comics are cool and comic geeks are hawt - fact!

Further info:
http://smallpressbigmouth.blogspot.com/
http://whittlewaffle.blogspot.com/
@stace_w

Paul Davidson

Who are you?

Paul Davidson, comic book artist and commercial book illustrator.

What have you done / what are you doing?

My first break in comics came in the 90's with Warhammer Monthly from Games Workshop where I created the series DwarfLords. Disappeared into the video games industry as a concept artist for a number of years. I now work for Marvel, pencilling and inking titles such as X-Men: Legacy to The New Mutants. I'm currently slaving over a five issue mini-series on another X book for Marvel,  X-Men: We Do Science, which starts in November I think.

I'm also developing a creator-owned project that I'm hoping will be published next year called AquaForce - you can see pre-production concept art in my art book that I'll have for sale at the Con. A sneak peek can be had here. I'll be selling that with or without original inked Marvel artwork, along with a selection of prints that I have on my website. Just for the CCC, I'll be selling the A3 prints for a fiver (a quarter of the usual price). Really looking forward to meeting the comic book Geordie massive - and if anyone would like a free sketch on the day, just collar me and i'll be happy to oblige  :)

Why comics?

Why comics?! It's the best art form in the world!

Further info:

http://www.pauldavidsonart.com/

Leonie O'Moore

Who are you?
Leonie O'Moore, artist / writer.

What have you done / what are you doing?
I've been writing and drawing comic books since the mid-90's. My work includes the graphic novel Some Forgotten Part, the adventure series Monstrum Horrendum, as well as comics for Accent UK, New British Comics, the International Manga Association and the Comic Book Alliance. I recently contributed to the Spirit of Hope comic anthology, which aims to raise money for the victims of natural disasters in New Zealand and Japan. (It can be purchased from all good comic stores, such as Travelling Man in Newcastle). I'm currently working on a new graphic novel, some new Monstrum Horrendum books and I'm moving in to film making with a couple of documentaries in production.

Why comics?
Because they're awesome. I grew up reading comics. I love making comics. It's a diverse and accessible medium with so much potential that you can never tire of it.

Further info:
www.lomoore.com

Andrew Waugh

Who are you?
Andrew Waugh, illustrator, cartoonist and beard-enthusiast.

What have you done / what are you doing?
I have regularly illustrated for publications such as Mustard, NARC and Alan Moore’s Dodgem Logic, and have produced artwork for the likes of the BBC and South Tyneside Council. My short comics have appeared in the anthologies HIVE, Paper Science and Solipsistic Pop and I'll have longer minicomics available at the CCC.

Why comics?
Outside of the internet, comics is the only medium where a person who draws and writes can make something with their bare hands and use it to make people on the other side of the world laugh their heads off.

Further info:
For more info, please go to my website http://thismeanswaugh.com/

Bryan Talbot

Who are you?
Bryan Talbot, writer and artist of comics and graphic novels.

What have you done / what are you doing?
I've been creating comics for over thirty years, from underground and alternative titles to superhero comics such as Judge Dredd and Batman. I've worked for DC Vertigo on Sandman, Fables, The Unwritten and others and produced graphic novels, including The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, the Tale of One Bad Rat, Alice in Sunderland and Grandville. My next book, to be published in February 2012, is Dotter of Her Father's Eyes, scripted by my wife Mary.

Why comics?
Comics is a sea in which a gnat can drink or an elephant can bathe (old Klingon proverb).

Further info:
http://www.bryan-talbot.com/

Watch the trailer for Grandville Mon Amour:

So who is going to be at the Canny Comic Con?

Well, since you ask, we're going to provide a series of brief introductions to the good folk who are going to be involved with the CCC.

It gives me great pleasure to start this process by annoucing the attendance of local hero and comics legend... Bryan Talbot!