| Eagle Awards 2009 |
[11 May 2009|10:24am] |
A couple of years ago, I entered Shades in the Favourite Web-Based Comic category of the UK's prestigious Eagle Awards. Not surprisingly, we didn't win. (The award, if I remember rightly, went to some decades-old gag-strip)! Anyway, this year, I thought it was about time we tried again!
To help us, please click on that image there to reach the Nomination Form. You don't have to complete the whole form. Just complete your name and email address at the top and you'll find the Best Web-Based Comic category right at the bottom. Nominate Shades and, if we make it into the final five, we'll do something special to celebrate!
Thanks for your help, guys. It's a long-shot, I know. But it's about time the world realised the web has story comics too, isn't it? ;-)
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| Free Comic Book Day |
[03 May 2009|12:47am] |
So - Saturday, 2 May 2009, is Free Comic Book Day ... Does this happen in the UK? I don't know. It seems to be a big thing in the US, though, so at Broken Voice Comics we felt we ought to participate somehow. Unfortunately, we don't have any of our titles in print, and so - as Ryan so neatly puts it below - we decided to make Volume 1 of our graphic novel Shades available as a free PDF instead!
So, if you're one of those techy types who likes that sort of thing, for the next few days only, you'll be able to download all of Shades Volume 1 (that's the Prologue, plus Chapters 1 - 8 ) for free. Just click on that link there or the picture above!
Oh, one more thing - you'd better be quick! We're using the YouSendIt service which, apparently, only allows 100 downloads so make sure you're at the front of the queue!
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| Twitter - anyone else tweeting? |
[26 Feb 2009|09:00am] |
Forget MySpace, forget Facebook ... it seems the in-place to be these days is Twitter.
If the established social networks provide a "shop window" for you to display your wares, Twitter is a coffee shop where you can put your head in the door, have a quick chat with anyone you know there, and move on.
So ... if you have a Twitter presence already and you fancy exchanging gossip with me, click one of these links and add me to the people you're "following". Let me know you're a Broken Voice Comics reader and I'll follow you in return.
If you don't have a Twitter presence already, you'd better sign up quick. Leave it too long and you'll find all the cool kids have already moved on somewhere else!
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| Shades - Chapters 9 and 10 now available! |
[10 Dec 2008|11:24pm] |
Wow - have I really not posted anything here since August? Yup - it seems so! Oh, well ... here's a snippet just to keep you all updated on where we are!
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Chapters 9 and 10 of my graphic novel Shades are the latest to become available to read online at the Broken Voice Comics website. The new chapters are the first to be illustrated by the new art team of E.C. Nickel and Muamal Khairi.
Illustrated in full colour, Shades is both an examination of the characteristics and traits that have come to define the British national character and, for those who just want to be entertained, a fun-filled action/adventure comic featuring demonic monsters, giant machines and a group of particularly British super heroes!
     
The first half of Shades (Chapters 1 – 8) has been illustrated by Harsho Mohan Chattoraj and is available to read in its entirety online. It tells the story of retired tailor Stanley Miller as he attempts to reunite a group of faded British heroes – a group which includes a prehistoric shaman, a World War 2 fighter pilot and the First Century warrior queen Boudicca!
The new art team for the remainder of the novel, starting with Chapters 9 and 10, will be Brazilian artist E.C. Nickel (pencils and inks) and Indonesian colourist Muamal Khairi. Anyone familiar with their work will know they each have a distinctive style of their own but that they both share Harsho’s love of detail and character.
The new chapters take Shades into new territory, giving readers a greater insight into the minds of the villains of the piece and ramping up the action levels as the story begins to move towards its conclusion!
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| Shades a finalist - DD Awards 2008 |
[14 Aug 2008|11:23am] |
Remember I mentioned the 2008 Drunk Duck Awards recently? Well, the five finalists in each category have just been announced and Shades has made it into the final round in six categories! Thanks to everyone who nominated us!
The six relevant categories are:
Best Superhero Comic
Best Action Sequences
Best Backgrounds
Best Dialogue
Best Tense Scenes
Best Traditional Art
The winner in each category will now be decided by panel (not by public vote) but I suspect that may be a hurdle too far for us ... some of the other finalists in these categories are just soooo strong!
Anyway, thanks again for this pat on the back, guys. We're off to celebrate!
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| Drunk Duck Awards 2008 |
[03 Aug 2008|12:45pm] |
Just in case there's anyone reading who doesn't know, Drunk Duck is a webcomic hosting site and, towards the end of last year, we began serialising Shades there, as well as at our own BVC website.
Well, those nice people at DD have decided to give out lovely awards again this year, so - if you've been enjoying Shades at either site, please do support us by giving us your nomination!
If you are already registered at DD, just click on the banner below and nominate Shades, in as many categories as you think it deserves ... Best super hero comic, Best traditonal art comic, Best dialogue etc are probably the most relevant but there are also some wonderfully unusual categories like Best protagonist (Boo? Stan?) and Best backgrounds, so feel free to nominate us in as many categories as you think appropriate!
If you're not already registered at Drunk Duck you can register now (it's all free!) at the DD homepage.
Thanks, guys!
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| "Shades" reviewed by Ain't it Cool News! |
[11 Jul 2008|12:04pm] |
I'm sure you've heard of Ain't it Cool News, right? The Harry Knowles website that gives brutally honest reviews of the latest movies and has a knack for unearthing the most closely guarded studio secrets? Of course you have. Well, unless you visit the AiCN website regularly, what you may not have realised is that they also review other things, like DVDs and comics. And more recently, it seems, even webcomics. Webcomics like ... Shades!
Yes, Shades now has a review by Ain't it Cool News and - deep breath - it's a pretty positive review, too!
Here are a couple of extracts:
"[…] so far, the story is pretty damn good. […] Writer Burner nails some great character driven moments as an aged tailor and his grandson go on a quest to inform a team of superheroes from the past about an impending danger. Burner asks the question: what makes a hero? A colorful costume or a person’s deeds?"
Yeah, okay - so he spelt my name wrong, but it's still pretty cool! And there's more ...
"The art is pretty damn fine too […] with dynamic poses and effective action sequences. The artist also knows how to capture the more quiet scenes […] Many artists don’t really give it their all in the scenes in between the big battles. Chattoraj isn’t one of those artists. He seems to give it his all in every panel."
You can read the whole review here and, if you're not already familiar with Shades, you can see check out the comic itself here!
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| Women bishops?! Good Lord! |
[08 Jul 2008|11:05am] |
I try not to voice my personal opinions too loudly on the net, particularly on issues in respect of which too many other people's views are so firmly entrenched that a rational exchange of ideas just isn't possible. Religion is a big one. Feminism is another. And now the General Synod of the Church of England has voted to press ahead with plans for the ordination of women bishops, hitting both nails squarely on the head with - to extend the metaphor - a single hammer.
So - to break my customary silence on such matters: Yay, them!
I have to be honest, I'm an atheist by inclination, so this issue has absolutely no bearing on me personally but it just seems like such a triumph of common sense over dogma that I can't help but applaud it. I'm particularly pleased that all the suggestions to water down the proposal with compromises designed to make women "second class" bishops have been rejected. Many apparently feel this is an affront to their religious beliefs. I have to say, I don't understand that attitude - speaking as an outsider, it doesn't seem very Christian!
The only downside I can see is that, in the UK at least, this move opens the door to a new Dawn French sitcom - the Bishop of Dibley. God help us all!
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[15 May 2008|12:36pm] |
 Shades - it's the end!
Well, to be more accurate, it's the half-way point. Today we reach a huge milestone in Shades - the last page of what will eventually be Volume 1 of a print version!
Sadly, if you've been following our news reports, you'll know that the latest instalment is also the last page we'll be posting online for a while. Harsho has unfortunately had to leave the project and so Shades will be on hiatus for a few months until the new art team can get things up and running again. On the plus side - this last page by Harsho is a real zinger!
 The Spires - looking before leaping!
Meanwhile, I'm sure those of you who know your way around the BVC website have already discovered that we posted an update to our fantasy title The Spires on Monday without telling you. (Sometimes we're sneaky like that!)
We're out on the rooftops again for this latest instalment and Kolm is about to make a huge leap of faith. Quite literally!
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| Shades - once more unto the breach! |
[07 May 2008|08:32am] |
Can you remember when we first met the Shaman in Shades? One of the first things we learned was that he'd been in the spirit world for a very long time and was, therefore, far too weak to try another visit. So, what did he do?
That's right ... last week he decided to go back in! Hey - let's go visit the latest instalment and see how that's working out for him!
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| Narnia plundered! |
[06 May 2008|11:50am] |
.jpg) Regular visitors to the BVC website will know that, for the past several weeks, we've been guilty of a little self indulgence. Yes, every alternate Monday we've been posting a little more of Prince Sashtan, a fantasy (*cough!*) "novel" I wrote at the tender age of eight or nine!
Set in the magical land of Tishma, it follows the adventures of a couple of child heroes as they enlist the help of talking animals and mythical creatures in an attempt to overthrow an evil king and restore the rightful heir to the throne. Okay, so it "borrows" (dare I say "copies"?!) extensively from C.S. Lewis's tales of Narnia but, hey - considering I was still in primary school, it's nothing if not ambitious and - in its own childish way - it is kind of fun!
This week we're posting the last two chapters of the book (Chapter 9 and Chapter 10) so, if you haven't visited Tishma yet, now's your chance to read the whole story from the beginning. Alternatively, if you have been following our heroes' adventures, jump straight to Chapter 9 now ... the party's just about to start!
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| The Spires - a head for heights! |
[07 Apr 2008|11:26am] |
The last time we looked in on The Spires we saw a bunch of politicians bickering. Will we find anything more interesting to look in on, this time?
Well, that depends. If you're the sort of person who enjoys watching a clueless detective, a seductive assassin and a surly huntress hanging from a three hundred storey building ... yeah, the latest instalment should be right up your alley!
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| Weekly round-up! |
[06 Apr 2008|09:35am] |
You may have noticed, we've not been using this blog to advertise our updates as often as we used to. We've still been updating, but we're relying more on our shiny new RSS feed to let you know what we've been up to. If you haven't subscribed to it yet, just click that big orange button at the bottom there!
Anyway ... if you didn't visit the Broken Voice Comics website this week, this is what you've been missing:
 Shades - mind the teeth!
As a certain pointy-eared super hero once said: "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb!" Or, more to the point as far as Shades is concerned, a seven-in-one giant serpent-demon-spirit monster!
Yes, in the latest instalment, there's more snake on naked bald guy action as the Shaman tries escape with his prize intact!
 Thy Will Be Done - the doctor will see you now ...!
It may not be quite as bad as going to the dentist but, let's be honest, none of us likes going to see the doctor. And, in E.C. Nickel's and Alexandre Lobao's SciFi comic Thy Will Be Done, people have more reason than most!
But we should think ourselves lucky. As you can see in today's instalment, if you also happen to work for these guys, there's no escape!
Shades - what made Boo the woman she is?
You probably know by now that, as well as appearing at BVC, Shades is also serialised at a couple of other sites on the web. At one of those we've been running a series of "character studies" explaining the thinking behind the character designs.
Now, since we've had some positive feedback to those, we've decided to run them at BVC, too. The first, a character study of Boo, can be seen in a special section of the Shades forum now. Take a look - there's some interesting stuff in there!
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| Bad news, good news ... even better news! |
[23 Mar 2008|12:42pm] |
The bad news is the Broken Voice Comics website crashed for a couple of weeks just recently so, if you've been trying to visit us, you'll have found us, well ... not there! The good news is, we not only got ourselves up and running again this week, but we've also finally added a new RSS feed so, in future, you can be alerted every time we update. Hooray!
Apart from that, what updates might you have missed during this, our first week back? Well, I'll tell you!
 Shades - "I hate snakes!"
Our first update since the Big Shutdown saw us visiting Shades where we'd previously left a group of naked men standing around a pit muttering something about serpents ...
Odd really. You'd think the last thing a naked man would want to see would be a long wriggly thing with big pointy fangs at one end! Oh, well - check in on the latest instalment and see if they found any!
 Thy Will Be Done - war, eh? What is it good for?
Then, on Good Friday, we celebrated with a very appropriate visit to E.C. Nickel's and Alexandre Lobao's Thy Will Be Done where poor old Daniel is being shipped off, possibly to make the ultimate sacrifice?
Yup - in the latest instalment he seems to be closing in on those pesky insects and you know what? I don't think a can of bug-repellent is going to be enough!
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| The Spires - which way now? |
[26 Feb 2008|02:43pm] |
In true fantasy tradition, Jeste has been taking her companions' minds off their journey in The Spires, by recounting a tale of the woman who wants her dead. Sadly, she came to the end of her story yesterday.
But, looking at the next part of the journey, it's probably just as well. From here on in they'll really need to concentrate! Go join them in the latest instalment. A few words of advice, though - don't look down!
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| Thy Will Be Done ... in the Shade(s)! |
[24 Feb 2008|02:27pm] |
Okay, so - if you didn't find time to visit the Broken Voice Comics website last week, this is what you've been missing:
Thy Will Be Done - unreality!
Poor old Daniel's had some mean tricks played on him by those sneaky scientist types in E.C. Nickel's and Alexandre Lobao's Thy Will Be Done. I doubt he has any idea of what's real and what's not any more.
Which, of course, puts him in much the same boat as the rest of us. Take a peek at the latest instalment and see if you can work it out!
 Shades - (near-)death and a maiden!
The last time we lookd in on Shades, we left Craig lying injured in bed with two very inquisitive visitors - a rather attractive redhead in leather and a naked man with tattoos. Quite worrying really!
Still, he's alive and - if the latest instalment is anything to go by - he's got some questions of his own he'd like answered. Well, you would, wouldn't you?!
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| Shades - a death in the family (and more!) |
[30 Jan 2008|08:10am] |
 Shades - a death in the family ...
Dark times over in Shades at the moment. Ryan is obviously having difficulty dealing with the loss of his sister Becky.
But what of the other characters? How are they dealing with Ryan dealing with the loss of Becky? Well - there's only one place to find out ... Best go see the latest instalment now!
The Spires - turning nasty!
Meanwhile, The Spires updated on Monday, too. And you know what ... for a fantasy comic something's been missing recently. Sure, there's the small band of odd characters, and there's a quest (well, of sorts!) but a fantasy story needs more than that, right? Absolutely. It needs monsters!
Well, as it happens, that's just this week's instalment has - and not just another carrian, either. This one's big and ugly and ... oh, go and have a look. (If you think you're hard enough!)
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| Lots of new comicky goodness! |
[19 Jan 2008|03:43pm] |
Another week, another ... Nope. No more dollars. Not at Broken Voice Comics anyway! There is, however, lots and lots of updatey stuff that we haven't told you about yet, so take a seat ...
The Spires - fightin' words!
Things had been getting just a tad maudlin over in The Spires recently. Well, that's what happens when you start letting characters tell their back-stories!
But never fear - even though things are still in backstory mode for the latest instalment, it rather looks as if someone's about to get a beating. Yup - and it's a safe bet it's not going to be the pretty girl in leathers, either!
Shades - Chapter 8 launched!
A real milestone was reached on Wednesday. For ease of navigation, Shades is organised into three volumes online. When a print version is eventually put together, however, there will only be two and the last chapter in Volume 1 will be, yes - Chapter 8! Woo hoo!
But you don't care about that. You just want to know what's happened to Ryan, Craig and Becky since last week, right? Well, just skip to the latest instalment (and make sure you have a box of tissues handy!)
 Thy Will Be Done - office romance!
So, you've seen Daniel, the main character in E.C. Nickel's and Alexandre Lobao's SciFi comic Thy Will Be Done, enjoying a deserted beach alone with his wife Sara. (Well, a virtual beach, anyway!)
But all good things must come to an end, they say, and in last Friday's instalment Daniel returns to work. Fortunately, he's about to get a surprise visit to brighten his day!
.jpg) Shades - fan art!
Some time ago, you clever arty types were asked whether you were interested in trying your hand at some fan art for any of the BVC titles. Well, it seems nobody was ... at least not back then!
But things change and now, the talented JustNoPoint has drawn Stan (from Shades) in a cameo role as a waiter in the webcomic Off Hours. That's like - super-fanart! Use that link to go straight to the full comic or click here for the fan art first!
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| Updates aplenty! |
[04 Jan 2008|03:31pm] |
What with all this New Year type stuff going on, I haven't had a chance to tell you about the comics we've been busy updating at the Broken Voice Comics website this week. Oh well, in case you missed any, here's a re-cap:
The Spires - are you not entertained?!
No, don't answer that - it's rhetorical! Young Mr Crowe's belly-aching growl is, however, a fitting one to announce our return to The Spires.
Continuing the story of Jeste's childhood, the latest instalment sees her friend about to take her final tests. In an arena. Against mean men with sharp, pointy things (obviously)!
 Shades - rock on!
If you've been following Shades from the very beginning, you may remember that way back in the Prologue we featured a rock being stolen from the British Museum. I bet you thought we'd forgotten about it, right?
Not at all! That rock was and still is central to our main plot thread, so guess what? In today's instalment, you can see it again! That rock is going to be a star, I tells ya!
 Thy Will Be Done - home again, home again...!
The last time we visited E.C. Nickel's and Alexandre Lobao's Thy Will Be Done, we left a couple playing on a sun-kissed beach. Just what was needed on a cold morning in December!
This week, our couple return "home". As you can see in today's instalment, "home" may not be quite as appealing as a beach but it's still a pretty cool place to be. Especially if the only change where you are is that the cold morning in December has become a cold morning in January!
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