Bulletproof Creator Showcase

David Goodman

21/04/08 | by Matt Yeo, Editor-in-Chief | Categories: Artists

While I’ve been drawing and doodling for as long as I can remember, I’ve been self-publishing small press comics since 1997, when I joined the Ian Hering Comics Workshop in Liverpool.

During that time, I’ve been a regular contributor to Square Eyed Stories, co-founder and editor of the short-lived Pulp Kitchen, and more recently editor of the Zip Gun Presents anthologies. I also publish an annual collection of my works, Bahala Na!, as well as occasionally contributing to other small press comics, including The Girly Comic and Rapid Fire.

I have a fascination with anthropomorphic animals, citing such influences as Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo, and Fantagraphic’s late lamented Critters. This interest paid off recently, when I had some strips published in issues of Radio Comix’s anthology, Furrlough.

More samples of my strips can be found at: www.bahala-na.co.uk.

KEY WORKS

BAHALA NA!: www.bahala-na.co.uk
ZIP GUN PRESENT: www.bahala-na.co.uk/zipgun/
SQUARE EYED STORIES: www.squareeyedstories.co.uk
PULP KITCHEN: www.pulpkitchen.50megs.com
FURRLOUGH

David Hailwood

20/04/08 | by Matt Yeo, Editor-in-Chief | Categories: Writers

David Hailwood is one of those tea-drinking English chaps you may have read about in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.

As well as working for a multitude of small press/independent comics he’s also written comedy material for ITV, E4 and the BBC.

For the last decade or so he’s been a regular contributor to the Temple APA http://templeapa.ning.com/ – a collective of comic artists and writers around the UK.

His three panel cartoon series ‘Drink Like A Fish’ (illustrated by Toshiro De Smeyter) recently came second in the Rokcomics.com humorous strip competition. Many more samples of his work can be found on their site.

At present he’s working on far too many comics projects to mention. Let’s just say there’s going to be enough mutants, zombies, one-eyed pirates, cannibals, aliens, rock stars, drunken goldfish and paranormal ice cream salesmen for everyone.

His latest hang out is http://www.comicspace.com/purecrass. Feel free to pop by and say ‘hi’.

KEY WORKS

MARREN KANE

An ongoing series illustrated by Tony Suleri, involving the adventures of eccentric one-eyed mutant Marren Kane.
The series is a bit of an experiement in that Tony draws the art first, and then sends it to me to write a script to go with it. The first episode will hopefully be appearing in the next Bulletproof anthology.

THE TEKSAS CHAINSTORE MASSACRE

Ten years old this year, and still going strong! The Chainstore Massacre has appeared in at least eight publications over the years, and is currently having its final outing at www.factorfictionpress.co.uk in their Violent comic archives section. Now that Stu Giddings is back on the comics scene, we’ll no doubt try our hands at a sequel if the opportunity presents itself.

THE ONE EYED WENCH

Ahoy mateys! This one’s a rip-roaring pirate adventure, illustrated by Dave ‘Nineself’ Thomson.

DRINK LIKE A FISH

A cartoon series about an alcoholic goldfish and his long suffering companion, ably illustrated by Belgian artist Toshiro De Smeyter.

EAT ME!

A three panel series about a vegetarian cannibal and his overbearing father, illustrated by Ian Alexander (Eno).

UPS AND DOWNS

Another three panel series, this time involving a suicidal guy on a rooftop who never seems to have much luck at jumping off. This series is illustrated by myself, and is probably the only time I’ve actually been happy with something I drew.

David Hankin

19/04/08 | by Matt Yeo, Editor-in-Chief | Categories: Artists

Played with and then split from the legendary band Cheri Samba. We played one gig and two people came and went thoroughly unimpressed after 30 seconds into our first song. We were ahead of our time. I then decided to go back into education. After wasting years doing useless courses in art and design and illustration, I still wanted more punishment. Still, I was tired of working in factories and supermarkets. So onto university, and I bumped into Nigel Kitching who was impressed enough with a graphic novel assignment i had completed, to give me a chance at working with him on Occultus.

KEY WORKS

OCCULTUS

Garen Ewing

18/04/08 | by Matt Yeo, Editor-in-Chief | Categories: Artists

Garen’s love of drawing and writing goes back to when he was very young, and had to spend a lot of time in hospital - so his mum supplied him with plenty of comics to read, and pencils and blank paper to draw with - and he’s been making comics ever since!

Other jobs have included working at a mushroom farm (he’s a qualified fork-lift truck driver), an airport hotel, a computer software company and doing loads of illustrations for various books and magazines. He’s been the editor of a local entertainments guide (5D) and a comic strip anthology (Cosmorama). He’s adapted Shakespeare’s The Tempest into a comic and is the creator of The Rainbow Orchid, an adventure-mystery set in the 1920s to be published by Egmont.

He is also the writer and artist on ‘Charlie Jefferson and the Tomb of Nazaleod’ for The DFC, a weekly kids’ comic from David Fickling Books. He’s an expert on the Second Anglo-Afghan War of 1878-1880, he’s half Scottish, one-sixteenth Romany Gypsy and plays bass guitar and does Karate (though not at the same time!).

KEY WORKS

COSMORAMA

THE TEMPEST

THE RAINBOW ORCHID

Check out: www.rainboworchid.co.uk

James Bradbury

17/04/08 | by Matt Yeo, Editor-in-Chief | Categories: Artists

After I graduated from art college, I realised that I loved art. Okay, okay, I realised that I could mess around doodling and drawing for another three years if I went to university. So after I had packed up my favourite comics, off I went! I graduated from there about five years ago with a grant funded comic collection and plenty of small press comics work under my belt. While there I bumped into John Freeman who was running a course on storytelling and comic art at a nearby college which I attended. So I’m glad to see him on the Bulletproof website - great teacher!

Since then I have had various jobs, some of the better ones have included: penciller for the American comic book publishers Halcyon comics, storyboard artist for JWS in Manchester, character and concept artist for a computer games company, spot illustrations for role-playing games companies, book illustrations, and numerous comics that either didn’t see print or went bust half way through!. I have also, (for the last year) been fortunate enough to have a humour cartoon strip I created appear in a weekly newspaper with circulation of 35,000 to 40,000. Which is pretty cool. I don’t think I’ll mention I was the artist for the national condom week cartoon brochure though…

One thing you should know about me is I love comics. Reading, drawing, smelling them – I’m just waiting for a great story to illustrate!

KEY WORKS

Offworlders cartoon strip in local newspaper.

Storyboarding, which is great fun.

Various comics, both international and small press.