As you all know, I was recently in the UK for about 12 days. It was so damn expensive due to the airfare and almost 2:1 exchange rate (not in my favor). I spent tons but wouldn't change a thing as I had a blast! I just wanted to take the time to thank all of my awesome friends who were so kind to put me up, buy me eats/drinks and generally just take care of a little (okay chubby) wandering Yank! I'll go in order of my trip:
Anna -Thank you for picking me up at Heathrow airport when I arrived and accompanying me to the Frisky and Mannish concert (which we missed due to flight delay). Fun hanging even though it was brief! And thanks for getting me on the right tube to get to where I was staying. You rock!
Joel - Thanks for letting me crash with you upon my first night in London and driving in to Bristol the next day. Even though I ruined my sandals climbing that damn mountain. ;)
Milena - Thanks to my Brizzle bird for hanging and taking me out to lunch the last day of Bristol Expo.
Iz and Rich - Thanks for once again letting me come back to Wales with you to stay for a few days. Always a highlight spending time with 2 of my favorite people in the world. Mad props to Iz for showing me around Cardiff (again). Much appreciated for popping my Nando's cherry (and treating me) which I now want to eat every day! And for driving me into The Diff to catch my train to my next destination.
Emma and Pud - Spent a couple of days in Cambridge again with another favorite couple of mine. We podcasted and had pies! Thx to Ems for showing me around Cambs as well and getting me to the proper train on time.
Jamie and Sarah - Lovely time staying with them in Crayford. Jamie took me to his old stomping grounds of Brighton as well. Thanks for all the meals too! And mad props to Sarah for driving me to my next destination.
David and Siobhan - Can't thank you both enough (and little Alannah and au pair Marie) for letting me stay my last 5 days of my trip with you. Feeding me, making cupcakes, driving me, etc. So amazing. Dave's a brother from another mother for sure. Thanks again both!
Emma at SelfMadeHero - First, for the awesome chat we had at Kapow about getting me permanently in the UK. And then for letting me hang out/drop my bags/record the podcast in the swanky SMH offices. And then driving me to the station to get to the airport! You're the cat's meow!
Many many thanks to you all! And to others who hung out, bought me a drink or pointed me in the right direction. I couldn't have done it without you all. I love it over there so much and really want to live there. Let's make it happen!
Like Primus? Like zombies? Like Lee Van Cleef? LOVE this!
Fun fact: I dated Lee Van Cleef’s granddaughter in college for about a year. Pretty sure she still hates me though as I was a bit of a jerkface then. Sorry!
I don't know what happened, but suddenly I have a major pain in my lower back. Had to take off work a couple of days as well. Suppose it was lugging all those bags around the UK combined with an uncomfortable flight home and jetlag. Taking advil and got a heating pad on it as per my friend Nurse Kelle. She's a real nurse, not one of my stripper fantasies. Although...
Jimmy is still in London at the SelfMadeHero offices and publisher Emma Hayley hangs around to co-host this SMH special! Great intereviews at Kapow Con with SMH creators Kate Brown, JAKe, Will Bingley, Anthony Hope-Smith, I.N.J. Culbard, and editor Dan Lockwood. Emma also gives us a brief history of SMH and what's available in the UK and on its way to the US! Really great graphic novels coming from them so be sure to check it all out. Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love!
Thanks to publisher Emma Hayley for letting me record in the swanky SMH offices and for being a lovely co-host for this episode and the previous one! You rock, Ems!
I woke up on Wednesday genuinely sad that I was not still in the UK. So, I searched for a hip hop song with something UK-ish in it. This is what I got. Holla atcha boy, London. And bring me back, yo.
Jimmy covered the Kapow Comic Con in London last weekend and got tons of great interviews with the likes of Mark Millar, Jonathan Ross, John McCrea, Gary Erskine, Dave Barris, Emily Lockwood, Scott Mackay (Electric Man), Gemma Bedea, Lee Fenton Wilkinson (Afroella), Neil Gibson (Twisted Dark), Rasheed, Tayo Olarewaju (Mister Who), Steve Tanner (Time Bomb Comics)! He recorded the show with Self Made Hero publisher Emma Hayley (pictured with Jimmy above) in their posh offices. Since there was such massive coverage, he threw the format show out the window and just did a big Kapow recap with interviews. So no news, reviews, Top 3 or feedback. Fret not, regular format will return next week! And if you want to read the recap complete with pictures, go read it here. Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love!
TUNE IN FRIDAY FOR ANOTHER KAPOW CON PODCAST! This one is a Self Made Hero special. Jimmy got so many great interviews from numerous creators/editors at the SMH booth at Kapow. So get to downloading it when it's out to hear Kate Brown, JAKe, I.N.J. Culbard, Anthony Hope Smith, Will Bingley, and Dan Lockwood. SMH publisher Emma Hayley stayed on to help Jimmy record this podcast in the SMH offices. Don't miss it!
And then next week for a special CNI/Stated Magazine crossover interview special with comedian/comic book writer Frankie Boyle!
Jimmy's UK tour continues! I attended the Kapow Con to cover for my podcast COMIC NEWS INSIDER, The Beat, and Stated Magazine as well as just hang with friends! Strap in for the ride, kids.
After staying in Crayford with pals Jamie and Sarah, they drove me to fellow podcaster (Geek Syndicate)/rogue/awesome bud Dave Monteith's spot in South London on Friday afternoon. Shortly after arriving, we headed out to Forbidden Planet in central London as there was a big comic book signing going on. Friends Becky Cloonan and the Kill Shakespeare boys Andy Belanger, Anthony Del Col, and Conor McCreery were part of it. Also big guns Jock, Scott Snyder and Trevor McCarthy were signing too. Afterwards, we went off to the famed Phoenix bar/club where tons of comic folks already were hanging and drinking. And boy did the spot fill up with comic book folks! Marvel's Joe Quesada and C.B. Cebulski attended along with the likes of Charlie Adlard, Paul Cornell, Tony Lee, and sooooo many more. It was sort of the pre-Kapow drink up. I met lots of other cool folks as well. Bit of a time getting back to Dave's home late at night, but we made it! Don't know why London tubes stop around 1am. Alas. Bed at 3:30 a.m.
Saturday morning, I arrived at Kapow Con at the Business Design Center in London around 11:00 a.m. It was already teeming with my fellow nerds and the vibe was well...vibrant! I had several interviews lined up for the weekend, but many I just wanted to discover on my own. I like to walk around the show floor and see what catches my eye and if it interests me, then interview the creators. I found a lot! It was a great set up on the main mezzanine floor. The "artist alley" bit was on the 2nd level and not all in a row due to design of the center itself. So you had about 6 tables in little cul de sacs going down the left side of the center. I talked to several of the cartoonists with tables and a few said it hurt traffic while others said they made out like gangbusters. It was a good variety of both big names and small press/indie creators up there. On the ground floor was a wrestling ring (you'll hear about that later) and a stage where they did interviews. I liked the stage interviews as it gave people a chance to stand around and listen to creators/actors/etc. talk about their work.
After my walkabout and saying hi to numerous pals exhibiting, I met up with good pal/fellow podcaster Barry Nugent (also of Geek Syndicate) and we headed over to the VIP drinks reception being held about 5 minutes away.
As we entered the bar, I saw Frankie Boyle coming out. If you don't know, he's a well known (and I find hilarious though some think controversial/insulting) comedian in the UK. He's also been writing a comic that has appeared in Clint Magazine. We had been in touch before to meet up and do an interview. So, as I serendipitously ran into him, he said, "Do you want to do the interview now?". After agreeing, we walked off to grab some lunch and I invited Barry along for the ride. Pleasant to find out Frankie is a proper comics nerd and we chatted a lot about it. We also delved into his comedian life as I was also interviewing him for Stated Magazine. Super nice guy though rest assured that he still brought the insult comedy. Which we loved! We chatted for about an hour and I'll release that as a podcast soon as well as put up an interview on Stated at some point. Thanks to Frankie for his time and for buying us lunch.
After that great start to the show, I walked about some more and grabbed some interviews. Not too many this day as I planned many more on the next. I always like to get an idea of where everyone is and then grab them the next day. Also, gives me a chance to do a bit of research on them if I have time.
A bit later, I ran into my bud Jonathan Ross (is it name dropping if you are friends?) and chatted with him for a bit. We made plans to meet up later and I was heading off until he told me he was going to be doing some wrestling. You read that right. Some wrestling. There was a wrestling ring at the entrance where the Lucha Britannia Wrestling group held matches all day. Gotta say, it was pretty fun to watch.
I went back over with Jonathan and waited for his bit. It was pretty funny. El Bastardo held up a comic of JR's comic "America's Got Powers" and started insulting the comic crowd. And then ripped it in half. Wossy jumped in the ring and they went at it! The crowd started chanting "Wossy! Wossy! Wossy!". Don't believe me? Check it!
Pretty awesome stuff! After the "match", we decided to call it a day and head over to the Hilton for drinks. Everyone from the con was there and we all drank a few and chatted much. It is funny when you hang with someone so well known and watching people react to them. Some were losing their shit! Of course, Jonathan is the nicest guy around and super generous and fun. (Thanks for the drinks!). I went off to dinner with a big group of friends including Emma Vieceli, Andrew Ruddick, Marc Ellerby, Adam Cadwell, Becky Cloonan, Andy Belanger and others. Good food, good convo, good times. Back to the Hilton for more shenanigans and drinks and home by 2am.
Sunday started a bit earlier and we got to the con by 10am. I was scheduled to meet Jonathan then to do an actual interview. Due to schedules, it got pushed back a couple of times. As did mine with Mark Millar. Still, I went about rushing to get more. And boy did I get them! I didn't realize the show ended at 3:30 which I thought was too early. 5pm would have been perfect. All of my English pals said it was "tea time". I did a ton of interviews with creators from SelfMadeHero. A great UK publisher that is putting out some amazing graphic novels. So many interviews that I'll be releasing a SMH special podcast later in the week.
I serendipitously ran into Jimmy Carr whom I really wanted to interview. He was with Frankie Boyle as they were doing a panel later. He was very kind but declined the interview as his missus was ill and he had to get back. Then he went into comedy mode and said, "Don't mean to be a dick. Not interested so piss off." Ha! Of course, he was kidding and told it in typical Carr fashion. Still, would love to have chatted with him. Maybe next trip!
And finally, after much delay and rescheduling, I was able to grab Mr. Kapow Con himself Mark Millar after the show ended. He's always been lovely to me and remembers when we first met in NYC all those years ago. We sat for about 15 minutes and chatted about the show, comics, movies and more. After that, it was over! Back to the Hilton for more drinks and good-byes.
Oh, I should mention the panels! There were some awesome ones for sure, but I only popped my head into a few of them for about 15-20 minutes at a time due to interview schedules. I went to the beginning of the Independent comics panel. Which seemed a bit unbalanced. No disrespect meant, of course. It seemed like it was originally supposed to be a panel for a specific indie anthology but then a few established indie/mainstream creators (Kate Brown, Becky Cloonan and Emma Vieceli) were thrown on it at the last minute. Some even joked about it. In all reality (again, no disrespect), I would have loved to have seen a panel with just Kate, Becky and Emma as the 3 of them are so engaging, smart and funny.
I almost forgot to show you my stash as well! I didn't pick up too much as many books I had already gotten at the previous week's Bristol Expo. Plus, I got handed a few as well. Thanks to all! Can't wait to get my eyeballs reading them.
I know there was some controversy with this show. But I have to say, it was quite well run. Kudos to Lucy and Sarah. I met them early on Saturday and they were quite good to me and helped get me in touch with some interviewees and were helpful with any other info I needed.
For the record, I got the following interviews over the weekend: Dave Barris, Emily Lockwood, Scott Mackay (Electric Man film), Frankie Boyle, Gary Erskine, Gemma Bedea, Lee Fenton Wilkinson (Afroella), John McCrea (and son Kirby), Jonathan Ross, Mark Millar, Neil Gibson (Twisted Dark), Rasheed, Tayo Olarewaju (Mister Who), Steve Tanner (Time Bomb Comics) and the many SelfMadeHero creators like Anthony Hope Smith, Will Bingley (Gonzo), Dan Lockwood (Lovecraft Editor), - JAKe (Hellraisers), Kate Brown (Fish & Chocolate), and I.N.J. Culbard (Charles Dexter Ward). Expect these interviews to go up this week!
Overall, I had a great time and felt it was a really well run show. Did it have a stumble or 2? Sure. But everyone I chatted with seemed to have a good time. You can't knock the enthusiasm felt in the con at all times. I'd definitely love to come back next year if I can.
Great to see everyone there and apologies for not mentioning everyone but I'm gonna name a few that I hung/drank with on numerous occasions! (In no particular order)...first off, mad props/thanks to David/Siobhan Monteith for letting me stay with them all weekend into next. Emma and Doug (SelfMadeHer0), 2000AD boys, C.B. Cebulski, Jonathan Ross, Frankie Boyle, Emma Vieceli, Andrew Ruddick, Kate Brown, Becky Cloonan, Andy Belanger, Anthony Del Col, Barry Nugent, Sophie Calder (Titan Books), Emma Price, Marc Ellerby, Adam Cadwell, Gary Erskine, Lee Bradley, John McCrea, Cat Collins, Mark Millar, Sarah Unwin, Lucy Unwin, GM Jordan, Nabil, Lisa and Clark (Thought Bubble), and the beat goes on!
I'm sure I've forgotten some. If I met you and gave you my card, please drop me an email to follow up as I'll be having lots of catching up to do when I return to NYC on Tuesday. Unless I find a beautiful and nice British girl who'll marry me, take me in and help me find work. I've got 2 days. It could happen.
Jimmy got even more interviews at Bristol Expo last weekend! He stayed with cartoonist Jamie Smart for a few days and they recorded this episode to bring you these interviews with Al Ewing, Val Kapadai, Richard Worth/Jordan Collver and Sam Gardner/Jake Rowlinson! He also caught up with Jamie to see what he's been working on as well. Lots of great comics to be heard about! Possible Judge Dredd spoilers in the Al Ewing interview. Jimmy continues his UK tour and is covering Kapow Con this weekend so rest assured there'll be plenty coverage/interviews from there! As always, listener feedback, the Top 3 and more! Leave your iTunes comments! 5 stars and nothing but love!
After leaving Cambridge on Wednesday evening, I arrived in Crayford around 8pm and ran into the arms of my good pal Jamie Smart (Bear, Find Chaffy, Corporate School, etc). Again, loyal listeners of my podcast COMIC NEWS INSIDER will recognize the name as he's a well known cartoonist in the UK. And he loves me so. After a quick rest at his place, we went to my new favorite UK eating spot, Nando's. SHUT UP! I LOVE IT!
Next day we headed off to Brighton, where Jamie grew up. As we were heading there, he proceeds to tell me that it's the gay capital of the UK. I knew his girlfriend was out of town so I wasn't sure what his end game would be. After arriving, we went to his former local pub for a beer. They had this in the men's bathroom.
Yup. And as we were drinking, suddenly a pianist/cabaret lady appeared and started singing and playing piano. Everyone stopped talking to pay attention and we felt trapped as she was by the front door. I thought it was a plan of Jamie's but he looked equally horrified. We saw someone enter through a side door and found our escape!
We walked around a bit and went to the shore for another beer at a pub. Here, Jamie and I did some podcasting as I still had quite a few interviews from Bristol Expo to release and thought we could introduce them together. Plus, I wanted the listeners to catch up with what he's been doing in the cartooning world. Hint: TONS. It was super fun and irreverant as Jamie and I often try to outdo each other with our shenanigans. Listen for him teaching me the proper way to say "wanker" in Episode 403!
And then we hit LOTS of chocolate shops. It seemed like there were 3 on every block. And I bought a ton.
More beer and chocolate and shopping. Then dinner at another UK chain that I'd heard about called Pizza Express. I had to give it a shot! It was okay and did the trick.
And serendipitously, my friend Sally Jane Hurst was coming in town to sing at a venue! Alas, we couldn't stay for the songs but did have a drink with her and her man (also good pal) John Higgins. You may have heard of him as he worked on this little comic book called Watchmen. We ran off to catch the train and headed back.
Jamie's girl Sarah got back in town and we've been hanging and chatting all morning. About to head off to lunch before continuing the tour back to London. Thanks to Jamie and Sarah for allowing me to stay in their lovely abode. Such fun!
See you all in London next! If you're at Kapow Con this weekend, come find me.
On Tuesday, I left the wilds of Wales and continued Jimmy's UK tour on to Cambridge to stay with friends Emma and Andrew. Regular followers will know of Emma Vieceli as she's been on my podcast COMIC NEWS INSIDER is a fine cartoonist of such hits as Dragon Heir, Vampire Academy and Avalon Chronicles. Again, I had stayed with these particular friends previously and was really looking forward to it. Cambridge is a beautiful old city with tons of great architecture and well known for its' University. Upon my arrival, Ems and fellow traveling Yank Becky Cloonan greeted me at the train station. Becky was also staying with Ems and Pud. Becky, another fine cartoonist currently on Conan and known for other works like The Mire, Wolves, Demo, etc., and I are good pals so it was a guaranteed good time sleep over camp! We headed into Cambs to chill for a bit before heading back home.
After getting back to their crib, it was podcasting time! As loyal listeners of CNI know, Tuesdays are when I record the show. Emma and Becky were going to co-host and it was to be a Bristol Expo and CamCon recap. The first ever CamCon happened in Cambridge the same weekend as Bristol Expo so Emma could give a fine summary of it all while I did the same for Bristol. 2 other UK cartoonists Sonia Leong and Morag Lewis soon joined in the podcasting fun! Sonia has been on the podcast a few times in the past so you may remember her. We rushed through Episode 402 a bit as we were heading off for dinner but it was still an awesome recording!
For those that follow Becky and I online, you know our love of pies. British pies, that is! We were craving them so we all went to this amazing pub/restaurant that specializes in them and got our pies. Look!
Deelish! Upon leaving, I noticed this in the window.
Becky and I fell in love with the area and started picking out houses to live in. Maybe start a comics collective of friends in the business living together. I could work the bar as they draw away at their desks! It could happen.
After a pie-filled eve, we left to head over to Sonia's for some light karaoke. I sang a little Stray Cats and Emma and Sonia rocked it out with their terrific voices.
Next day, Emma took me back into Cambridge proper for lunch and a bit of shopping. I love that pic above as it looks like Ems is in an advert for the place where we dined.
We popped into a Waterstones book store and I found a bunch of Emma's books and I made her pose with them. And then I found some random comic written by some hack that I know.
Just joshing. I loves it, Wossy! Due to our very busy schedules, I figured it was best to head out that day instead of staying the extra day as planned. Super brief but really fun times in Cambs! Thanks so much to Emma and Pud for letting me crash. Hope to see you both soon!
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