David B.’s Black Paths was published by SelfMadeHero last year and we’re delighted to publish his latest book – Best of Enemies – this month. We hope you enjoy the extract!

David B. will be appearing at London’s BD & Comics Passion Festival on 26th and 27th May. You can buy festival passes here: www.bdandcomicspassion.co.uk and there’s a chance to win a David B. print and tickets to the festival here: win-a-david-b-print-and-festival-tickets.

David B.’s Black Paths was published by SelfMadeHero last year and we’re delighted to publish his latest book – Best of Enemies – this month.

Eisner Award-winner David B. will be at L’Institut francais’ BD & Comics Passion festival next week and to celebrate we’ve got a little treat for one lucky fan. To win tickets to see him in action on Saturday 26th May at his talk titled “How do you draw History?” plus a signed print (see below) from his graphic novel Best of Enemies all you have to do is… go the festival’s Facebook page and like the comment that announces the competition! We’ll contact the winner via Facebook… go!

Click here to enter

London’s 2nd Kapow! Con is nearly upon us and we’ve got a great selection of creators lined up to dedicate and sketch copies of their latest SelfMadeHero titles.

We’re also bringing some specially reserved H.P. Lovecraft Anthology vol II blood red and pewter foil art prints deigned by Ade Salmon. We’ll give these away free with each copy of the anthology… until we run out.

We’re slipping exclusive, signed David B. art prints in copies of his amazing graphic novels (Best of Enemies and Black Paths)…. until we run out.

Everything will be heavily discounted from Saturday morning… (you guessed it!) until we run out.

Saturday – SelfMadeHero booth 101-102

9am-12pm JAKe
signing & sketching: Hellraisers

11am-1pm  I.N.J. Culbard
signing & sketching: The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
signing: At the Mountains of Madness, The Valley of Fear, The Sign of the Four, A Study in Scarlet, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Picture of Dorian Gray

1-3pm Dan Lockwood
signing: The H.P. Lovecraft Anthology vol I (with free art print!)
signing: The H.P. Lovecraft Anthology vol II (with free art print!)

2pm-5pm  I.N.J. Culbard
signing & sketching: The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
signing: At the Mountains of Madness, The Valley of Fear, The Sign of the Four, A Study in Scarlet, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Picture of Dorian Gray

4pm-7pm JAKe
signing & sketching: Hellraisers

Sunday – at the SelfMadeHero booth 101-102

11.30am–2pm Will Bingley & Anthony Hope-Smith
signing & sketching: Gonzo

2pm–3pm Kate Brown
signing & sketching: Fish + Chocolate

Also… check out the ‘Independent comics panel’ with Kate Brown & Emma Vieceli at 12.45pm in Room A on Sunday. Full details here.

If you have coming to our booth to pitch a project – ask for Emma, she’ll be around on Saturday and Sunday.

See you at the weekend!

We are delighted to announce that London’s Freud Museum will host an art installation by SelfMadeHero artist Sława Harasymowicz based on her work for the graphic novel, The Wolf Man, written by Richard Appignanesi.

Bookplated editions of The Wolf Man signed by the artist and writer are available from the Freud Museum shop.

If this is the first you’ve heard about The Wolf Man, then watch this short documentary about on our Vimeo channel:

The Wolf Man from SelfMadeHero on Vimeo.

They said it couldn’t be done! But last May London’s Institut Francais put on the best comics and BD festival outside France. But you don’t have to take our word for it: Newsweek, The Guardian and METRO all raved about it. Dave Gibbons said it was ‘first rate’ and Bryan Talbot said it was ‘the best’ he’d ‘ever attended’.

Guests last year included legendary creators and comics fans such as China Miéville, Dave Gibbons, André Juillard, Jean-Claude Mézières, Bryan Talbot, Audrey Niffenegger, Benoît Sokal & Bastien Vivès. And the festival is bigger and better than 2011 with thirty events over four days, including talks, live drawing sessions and parties between24 and 27 May.

I’ve already picked our festival highlights:

> A conversation between Jonathan Ross and The Times’ Tom Gatti about Wossy’s love for comics and bandes dessinées

> Our vey own David B. (Black Paths, Best ofEnemies) takes on the challenge of “Drawing History.” (with a capital “H”)

> A gladiatorial draw-off between Guy Delisle (Jerusalem Chronicles, Pyongyang) and Tom Gauld (I wonder if Tom will bring a robot to fight his corner?)

> Kevin O’Neill and Pat Mills talk on “London and other realities”, featuring their fantasy and reality views of London in comics

> The weekender will also feature Rosinski (Thorgal) in his first ever event in London

> A screening of Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud’s ‘Chicken with Plums’

> not to mention, what is being billed as ‘a zany drawing encounter’ between Nobrow’s Luke Pearson (Hilda and the Midnight Giant) and Mourier (Trolls de Troy) involving trolls!

But what may prove to be the biggest event of the festival, is the French Institute’s very own version of a masked ball. Last year’s party has already gone down in legend. This year the theme is Victorians vs Decadents as an homage to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Now, I will exclusively reveal that Knockabout publisher Tony Bennett is already growing a handlebar moustache as part of his pith helmeted costume and SelfMadeHero publisher, Emma Hayley, has bought a long flowing blonde wig for the event. More than that, I dare not reveal. But perhaps they’ll be outdone by comics historian Paul Gravett, who last year came dressed as Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy, complete with red wellies! The best costume of the night wins a prize, but if you only go to one fancy dress party in 2012 – make sure it’s this one.

So what’s on, when?
You can read the full programme of events here: www.bdandcomicspassion.co.uk

Where do you sign up?
You can book here: www.bdandcomicspassion.co.uk or give them a call 020 7871 3515 (they speak impeccable English, but why not practice your French?)

You can book for a single event or (and we advise you to do this!) make a saving with one of two festival passes.

> The “Fan” pass allows entry to five events (a steal at just £15)

> The “Addict” pass gets you into almost everything in the festival for just £25 (highly recommended!)

So where’s it happening?

Institut français, 17 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2DT

How are you going get there?

By tube: South Kensington

Bus: 14, 49, 70 74, 345, 360, 414, 430, C1

See you there, au revoir!

On Sunday 1st April SelfMadeHero will be running four 90 minute comics workshops at Somerset House’s annual Pick Me Up show. We’ve lined up four of our most inventive creators to get you inspired with hands on activities:

11:30–13:00 Catherine Anyango (Heart of Darkness) examines questions of environment and narrative in her workshop using photography as inspiration.

13:30–15:00 Prof. Andrzej Klimowski (The Master & Margarita, Robot, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) deals with the surreal and adapting short stories to sequentially illustrated one pagers using illustration and collage.

15:30–17:00 Let JAKe (Hellraisers) teach you how to skewer celebrities through the medium of comics in this masterclass on capturing likenesses.

17:30–19:00 Join Sława Harasymowicz (The Wolf Man) for a mini-comics workshop exploring dreamworlds.

All these workshops are free and will be followed by a signing in the Pick Me Up shop where you can talk to the artists one-on-one.

This Friday, JAKe and I will be talking about the renaissance in British graphic novels and comics at Pick Me Up in a D&AD Sharp’ner event along with our buddy Alex Spiro from Nobrow. You can buy tickets here.

So, join us!

The Lovecraft Literary podcast live! Click the image for more details

Fifer and Lackey: Unplugged

NEWSFLASH: The following comic stores have exclusive supplies of Lovecraftian art prints designed by Ade Salmon. SelfMadeHero has produced two rare editions of this (208mm x 146mm) print: the first pressing was made from an eldritch, iridescent pewter (best viewed by moonlight on the New England coast).

Sightings of the second even rarer “blood-red” print are starting to come in (see above) although they are so rare as to be thought mythical. Legend has it that these rosy, foil-blocked beauties were crafted by web-fingered artisans in their own shining blood.

What is more, both prints are available to you with our compliments… if you can find them! To secure an exclusive Ade Salmon print with your copy of The Lovecraft Anthology: volume II simply contact one of the following establishments (before their stocks are depleted):

Dave’s Comics – Brighton

Forbidden Planet Megastore – London

FPI – Glasgow, Belfast, Nottingham, Leeds

Gosh! Comics – London

Mega City Comics – London

Page 45 – Nottingham

Travelling Man – York, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester

World’s Apart – Liverpool