Started work on a special Christmas story this evening, and thought I would share a few opening paragraphs with you …
I had only planned one short story this Christmas, but I have notes for at least three. Hopefully I will have enough time to write them all before Christmas is well and truly upon us.
This first story features the long overdue return of “Liason to the Strange” Dr. Hershell Grey, last seen in the story “The God Trap” that I wrote for Insomnia’s “Choices” anthology.
So, without further ado … he’s …

I received this fantastic page from Valia today. Although the final print of the story in Insomnia’s “Survival” anthology will be in black and white, the colours were simply too fantastic for me to keep them tucked away in my inbox.
A disturbing amount of people how now joined our “I want to be killed by Chris and Valia” Facebook group and we are having great fun coming up with horrible ways to dispose of you all.
As far as I know “Survival” will be out in time for the Bristol Comic …

So …
It started as a harmless bit of fun, a Twitter hashtag kick about between Valia, Rich McAuliffe, and me. Hypergraphia, you see, needs victims. Lots of victims. As Valia does a fine line in likenesses and cameos, we thought it would be funny to kill of Rich. So did other people. Then … those same people wanted us to kill them as well.
They don’t know how we’ll do it. They don’t know how the story ends. But they want in. Personally, I think that is just plain weird. Nice …

I received the first pencilled pages yesterday for my new Insomnia story “Hypergraphia” this week, drawn by the very talented Valia.
I can’t say much about the story without spoiling it, but suffice to say that this once is a heady mix of Greek mythology and Faerie lore, and should have enough little “Easter Eggs” in it to satisfy everyone. As always, I’ve had a great time going overboard with the research.
I’m hoping Valia will have time to include some cameos from my writing alumni, as there is room for plenty …

What do bloggers, private detectives, and faerie princes all have in common?
They are all in Hypergraphia, a new story appearing in Insomnia’s “Survival” anthology.
This time around I have been teamed up with the extremely talented Valia, who has a line in moody artwork that will certainly suit the story very well indeed … unsuprisingly, this is a dark one folks!
The previous Insomnia anthology, Choices, sold extremely well at the Bristol Comic Con and is currently available via Amazon. The book is consistently picking up good reviews, a testament to the …

The Birmingham International Comics Show (BICS) is back, bigger and better than ever before for 2009! And, as usual, Monkeys with Machineguns will be there!
After our exhibiting hiatus at last year’s BICS, we will be proudly sharing a double sized exhibitor space with the fine fellows of Orang Utan Comics and David Wynne at the 2009 show. Having seen life on both sides of the table at last year’s Birmingham International Comics Show, the first convention I have ever attended as anything other than an exhibitor, I think it is …

Fellow Cardiffian Rich McAuliffe has a new horror anthology coming up through Insomnia Publications.
As a bastion of the horror anthology, I could do no less than heartily recommend you give the Damaged Goods: Tea Party online sampler a try.
Perhaps this is the start of the “Welsh Invasion” into UK comics, to mirror the famed “UK Invasion”. Alternatively, McAuliffe may just be another sick little Welsh monkey … like me.
Either way, it’s good.

Had a chance to see completed pages for “The God Trap” today, and stared Bamapana in the eye for the very first time.
What’s more disturbing; that there is an aboriginal trickster god famed for his incestuous ways, or that I write about him? 
In any case, Gary has done a fantastic job and Bamapana looks utterly filthy and profane, just as he should. Fans of EC horror, tentacles, night clubbing, betrayal, and evil tables (yes, evil tables) should all do just fine. Kitten fanciers … not so much.
Check the story out in the …

I’ve just read the online preview of Cy Dethan’s Cancertown from Insomnia, and must say it looks like a very interesting read.
Cy describes the story as “Chinatown meets The Wizard of Oz, and he should know, but I get more of a feel of “Neverwhere meets Angelheart”. Whatever the mix, you can’t go wrong with those sorts of ingredients.
Bryan Talbot says “Cancertown will disorientate you, suck you in, chew you up and spit you out and you might well be in need of a change of underwear by the end.”
I …

Had the first pencils yesterday from Gary for “The God Trap”.
The story, and our new friend Bamapana, our both looking great (or terrible, if you take my meaning) and the story is definitely taking shape.
“The God Trap” will be appearing in Insomnia’s “Choices” anthology later this year.