ICN Feed May / June: We’ve Got The Worldcon

Posted by On June 01, 2019

Upcoming Events

Apologies for the absence of my monthly check in but, as usual, life has its way of overtaking things. I wanted to start off this particular edition with upcoming events, the biggest of which is probably Worldcon which will not only boast an Artist Alley but will have a table selling Irish books so creators may want to contact the team to get their books added. Speaking of Worldcon, head honcho, con-goer and comic historian, James Bacon provided us with a review of the recent Enniskillen Fest (the 2018 version of which won our event award). James is a big fan of the local scene and I am sure Dublin 2019 (Worldcon) will reflect this.

Here’s a list of some upcoming events. As always, let us know if we are missing any. I included Thought Bubble as it usually has a large Irish contingent, it is all about the comics and I am hoping to be there.

Something Tasty

Along with the writer’s block, I sometimes get the reader’s block so I haven’t a whole lot lately but one of the books I have is Ice-Cream Man. Now I usually pick up volume one of nearly all of the IMAGE books featuring Irish creators (this one features brilliant colours of Chris O’Halloran). I somehow forgot to look at this one. Well something online or somewhere mentioned that it is an anthology series with a different cast each issue, which is largely true, with the Ice-Cream Man being the one constant, again largely true. My brain instantly thought Sandman so I decided to buy the first two volumes. I have sometimes, out of laziness, ordered books online but have implemented a blanket ban on this for books that I can purchase or order from a comic shop. (Side note: pick up your orders people).

Anyway, I really enjoyed the volumes with the second volume improving on the first as the creators really kicked it up a notch both with the storyline and their use of the medium, with issue 6, “Strange Neapolitan”, in particular. This issue also really showed off the colouring talents of Chris O’Halloran. I actually liken the series to the X-Files as there are issues that are “horror of the week” and then there are “mythology” issues. The second volume is where the “mythology” of The Ice-Cream Man starts to take more shape. We learn that he is involved with stuff somehow… I don’t want to spoil. Suffice to say, that it is the best thing I have read in a long time. I’d say just try issue 6 as a taster.

Speaking of current reads…

The Read Pile

  • Killer Groove Issue One. Artist: Eoin Marron. Writer: Ollie Masters. Colorist: Jordie Bellaire. Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.
  • Star Trek Year Five Issue One & Two. Artist: Stephen Thompson, Writers: Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly. Colourist: Charlie Kirchoff.
  • Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Issue One & Two. Artist: Will Sliney. Cover Artists: Rod Reis (Issue One) and Tommy Lee Edwards (Issue Two). Writer: Ethan Sacks. Colourists: Dono Sánchez-Almara and Protobunker.
  • Star Wars: Vader: Dark Visions Issue Four. Artist: Stephen Mooney. Writer: Dennis Hopeless. Colourist: Lee Loughridge. Letterer: Joe Caramagna.

(Side note 2: I had a bit of trouble getting the letterers and colourist credits for the Star Wars books so had to rely on the Star Wars Fandom Wiki page as Marvel’s site did not include them which is kind of atrocious).

Of course, if you want to keep up with the current output of Irish creators, you can check out Stephen Ward’s weekly post.

If you’d like me to cover anything in upcoming posts or post a news item, you can contact us any time. If you would like to support us, or just buy us a cup of coffee, you can check out our new Ko-Fi page.

Till next time, support your LCS and indie creators.