Geek Syndicate have scooped us all yet again with this year’s Bristol Comic Con and Bristol Small Press Expo’s Panels and Talks schedule.

I am very fortunate this year to be appearing on two panels, one at 12:00 and another at 13:00 on Saturday.

At 12:00, I will be taking to the stage alongside Gavin and Dan from The Sidekick cast for a panel called “Signs and Portents”, based loosely on my new graphic novel “The Dark”. The official blurb is as follows:

What do William Blake, symbolic code breaking, aura reading, Byron, Howard Hughes, numerology, World War Two poetry, and cutting edge science all have in common?

Find out as Gavin Jones and Dan Marshall (of The Sidekick Cast) probe the mind of Markosia word smith Chris Lynch and find out about his latest projects, including the critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller “The Dark”, available in a limited edition Expo Exclusive edition this weekend.

Then, at 13:00, I will be sitting down for a “fireside chat” with the Orang Utan Comics crew and the inimitable Scott Grandison for the “Comic Book Outsiders” panel …

Orang Utan Comics and Monkeys With Machineguns are successful small press studios putting out high-quality content for the last five years. Join them as they discuss their experiences in the business so far, give advice to others looking to produce their own titles and their view of the future for small press and independent comics in a world where digital distribution is becoming increasingly important.

Hosted by Scott Grandison of the Comic Book Outsiders podcast.

I will be flying solo this year as Stu.Art, the taller and some say better looking half of MWM, isn’t able to make it to Bristol this year. Still, I’m sure I’ll hold my own!

I haven’t been on a panel since the very first Birmingham Comic Show when I sat on the Horror Comics Panel. Anyone who was at that event might remember be likening the realistic horror of The Walking Dead to Frank Butcher turning up naked on Pat’s doorstep in Eastenders. In context, I was talking about “the horror of the real” and how brilliantly I think Walking Dead portrays the reactions of the human survivors. I think Charlie Adlard is still avoiding me though.

If you want a sampler of the sort of nonsense that I try to pass off as intellectual discourse, even some kind of pseudo-science at a push, you can delve in to the archives of yesteryear with “An Evening with Monkeys with Machineguns” and my guest appearance on “The Orang Utan Comics Round Table” from Bristol 2009.

I apologise in advance to all concerned.

Would you buy a used comic from these people?

Yep, BICS rocked. It rocked in a very special way.

To steal a trick from Nick Horby here, in no particular order other than the order that my brain spewed them forth, are my favourite moments:

1. Getting a trading card of “The Dark” from Sy Wyatt
2. Almost making Amy Liff faint/vomit/both with an impromtu rendition of the classic children’s showtune “Tranny Wingman”.
3. Sharing Supernatural love with The Nuge
4. Getting the original art for my “Fictionalist” avatar from Rob
5. Making Stuart admit that I loved Supernatural first, that he mocked my Supernatural love, but he is now addicted to it
6. Carpet Jaeger-bombing as many people as possible in a sudden burst of prodigious drinking
7. Seeing a giant Optimus Prime figure
8. Selling off the remaining stock of MWM #1, MWM #2, and MWM Live!
9. Finding out how many people actually liked MWM Live but getting away with not having to do it again
10. Spilling scalding hot tea down myself whilst pitching
11. Meeting Neal and the ironically named “Little Fat Mikey”
12. The water colour of The Dark from Valia
13. Terrifying Mr. Cola with my second rendition of “Tranny Wingman”
14. Sharing table space with the hardcore crew of Orang Utan Comics and David Wynne.
15. Free hotel WiFi
16. Marveling at the talents of my partner in crime Stu.Art as he sketched up a storm
17. Freaking out David Wynne with a “I wanna sex you up” duet with Ian Sharman

And the truth is, this list could go on and on. I sang at least three others songs for starters and I still haven’t listed the fun times with the Mighty McAuliffes, the numerous (by which I mean 2) Staceys, Monts tales of Merlin, Belgian Dave, Ryan and Orko (virtually cannon fodder to my J-Bombs, bless their young hearts), wonderfully erudite exchanges with Scott Grandison, comedy ranting like a lunatic at Jimmy Bott, … and even as I try to draw this paragraph to a close I am sure I am missing someone or something vital. Probably more than one.

To put it as simply as I can 48+ hours of unadulterated comics is good, 48 hours of comics with this company is simple unbeatable. Except perhaps by 72 hours.

Not satisfied with the hearty dose of monkey-love they received at the Bristol Comic Con, the punishment gluttons of Sidekick Cast have been at it again!

This time, they’ve “gone all intimate” with my fellow monkey Stu.Art as a guest Sidekick in their regular podcast. There are some wise words spoken, some shameless pimping committed, and my name is taken in vain at least three times.

So, if you want to hear what Stu is like without me there to restrain him … Click here to listen to Sidekick Cast Episode #21