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!

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!

We've seen a lot of creepy things in E.C. Nickel's and Alexandre Lobao's SciFi comic Thy Will Be Done but none, perhaps, quite so creepy as the mysterious "Doctor".

Well, in the latest instalment he's back. You can go visit him if you're brave enough, but I warn you - he's looking just as creepy as ever!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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?!

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!)

Aaah, it's nearly Christmas. A time of crisp frost and everything looking pretty under a cover of white, sparkling snow ... Or, for most of us in the UK, a time of bitterly cold temperatures and ominous grey, overcast skies!

Fortunately, there's still time to escape into E.C. Nickel's and Alexandre Lobao's new comic Thy Will Be Done where everything is rather more ... idyllic! Anyone fancy a romantic interlude on a sun-kissed beach? Of course you do! So, go read the latest instalment at Broken Voice Comics now. Go on - it's a lot warmer over there!

Do you remember when Thy Will Be Done, the new SciFi comic from E.C. Nickel and Alexandre Lobao, was launched just a few weeks ago? You were promised there'd be twists and turns ahead, right?

Well, if you check out the latest instalment at Broken Voice Comics, the first of those twists is happening right now. Go see - you're going to want to stay on top of this one!

It's Christmas time - a time for peace and goodwill to all men. And, of course, for all women to go shopping for a new party dress!

Well, it's no different at Broken Voice Comics and their characters. In fact, even its pagan characters have got caught up in the festive spirit and, if you pop over to the Workshop area, you can catch a glimpse of Boo trying on her new outfit for the BVC Christmas party. You see - it really is the season to be jolly!

Then, if you want to see where a pagan like Boo might be celebrating at this time of year, you'd best look in on the graphic novel Shades. There's no party going on just yet but the venue's booked, so you can see it in the latest instalment!

So, what does happen to children when they're torn away from their parents? Well, in the fantasy comic The Spires they're locked in a cell where other shady types offer them ... well, let's just call them "substances".

Fortunately that'd never happen in the real world, would it? Would it? Oh, well, forget that and escape into the fantasy of the latest instalment at Broken Voice Comics. But do remember - if you are offered anything while you're there, just say ... well, you know!

Or, to be more accurate, one particular woman. If you've been following the fantasy webcomic The Spires you could be forgiven for thinking the Lady Jeste is just a disagreeable little socialite, indulged solely because of her elfin good looks and her insatiable sex drive. Oh, and her ability to kill people without the slightest hint of remorse, obviously.

But that's only the tip of this particular iceberg. Look in on today's instalment at Broken Voice Comics and you'll find she's about to start revealing just what made her the woman she is today. I'm not saying it'll help you like her. But, well ... at least you'll begin to understand her!

Yes, it's up and running! The first few pages of the great new SciFi title, Thy Will Be Done, have been posted this morning at Broken Voice Comics and are just waiting for you to go and enjoy them!

Thy Will Be Done is written by Alexandre Lobao and boasts gorgeous artwork by E.C. Nickel (the talented artist behind Immortality and The Long Vigil).

Without giving away any major plot spoilers, I can tell you that it's a SciFi story with more than enough twists and turns to keep even the most cynical conspiracy theorist guessing until the end. Part Matrix, part 1984 and with just a dash of Starship Troopers, it has a flavour all its own.

The cover and four full-colour pages have been posted this morning, so there's enough to give you a real taste of both the wonderful artwork and the beginnings of the intriguing story line. In future this title will be updated every Friday at Broken Voice Comics, so make a note in your diaries to check back often!

Until then, however, over in BVC's Previews area you can still catch a glimpse of where this story is going to be taking you in the future. Just jump straight to the preview page. Oh, and after you've seen it ... don't forget to give thanks to Orth!

Thy Will Be Done is a new comic written by Alexandre Lobao, with gorgeous artwork by E.C.Nickel (the guy behind Immortality and The Long Vigil).

The good news is, we'll be starting to serialise Thy Will Be Done at Broken Voice Comics very shortly, with the first instalment expected to go "live" next Friday (23 November 2007), so keep your eyes open for further news soon! If, like me, you can't wait until then, sneak a quick peek at this excellent preview page and consider your appetite well and truly whetted!

The last time we visited The Spires, we looked in on Jeste's old adversary, Jamyl, leaving our heroes in the snug warmth of a tavern. Or at least a tavern type place. With a decidedly odd new companion.

But over at Broken Voice Comics we don't like our heroes to get too comfortable so, in the latest instalment Jeste and and her companions are on the move again. Nothing wrong with that, of course. Well, not unless you happen to be scared of heights!

Poor old Stan. You'd think he'd been through enough in BVC's online graphic novel Shades, what with his abduction, the chase through London, the attack by paramilitaries and the severe beating by a gang of thugs. But no - there's even worse in store!

In today's instalment at Broken Voice Comics, he has to face his scariest challenge yet. Yes, he finally has to explain to his daughter what's been going on! He's going to need some help on this one, so go and give him some moral support!

Regular readers of the online graphic novel Shades will know that the main characters are all way too old to go out trick-or-treating. They do occasionally get dressed up in silly costumes, though, so - if you didn't see it at the weekend - you might want to check out the warrior queen Boudicca in her Wonder Woman outfit!

Those of you who just want to get on with the story, however, can ignore all this dress-up nonsense and go straight to the latest instalment at Broken Voice Comics. Boo, of course, is in costume there too but ... well, just not as Wonder Woman!