Past, Present and Future

What? It's Spring already?!? I guess it's time to come out of hibernation then, with our first Short Fuses of 2012!

The usual excuses apply for the lengthy delay in postings, but just because the Time Bomb Comics newsblog is quiet that doesn't mean that we have been - oh no! So in relatively short order here's all what you need to know - past, present and future:

Both Dick Turpin and the Crimson Plague and London Calling went out to UK comic shops through Diamond last month, with sell-outs and re-orders from at least two fine establishments reported (the customers of Whatever Comics in Canterbury and Nostalgia and Comics here in Birmingham obviously have great taste in comics). Initial order numbers weren't huge by any means - Marvel and DC don't have anything to worry about just yet - but good enough for Diamond, and it's great to know that some our titles have reached the length and breadth of the country at long last rather than just those pockets where we've attended a convention.

Speaking of conventions, we attended our first show of the year at the Cardiff Comics Expo at the end of February. Apart from the clash with Supercon (which thankfully has already been avoided in 2013) that undoubtedly had an impact on both the attendance and guest list at both shows both events seemed to be great fun for those who went, which is really what it's all about isn't it? For us, Cardiff was a fabulous weekend with overall sales much better than expected and a "feel-good" atmosphere throughout. It was also a buzz to catch up with people who we first met at last year's Cardiff show and we're coming back for more this time around.

There were also some great books launched exclusively at the show: Stacey Whittle's Into The Woods anthology, Richard McAuliffe's Damaged Goods and the Sweeney Todd adaptation from Classical Comics are all well worth a look. Honourable mention must go to the already released Unbelievable:The Man Who Ate Daffodils from Simon Wyatt - a gem of a graphic novel set in Wales from a Welsh creator.

Moving to the present we have Kronos City, long in gestation but now just about done. Last week I was completing the final tweaks on the layout and next week the book will be at the printers for its Bristol Expo launch. It's a great looking book, and being a 136-page full colour graphic novel is our most ambitious launch to date. I'm sure it's going to be well received - I think the creative team (Andrew Croskery, Alex & Lauren Willmore and Jim Campbell) have done a terrific job!

There will be a Kronos City panel at Bristol - 11.15am on Saturday 12th - and a full creator signing immediately afterwards. We'll also be having a special launch price for the book all weekend - so you can pick it up for just £10 instead of the usual £14.99!

Moving to the future, a couple of things are worth a mention. The Last Ride Of Henry Holden is now being lettered by the wonderful Nikki Foxrobot, so will be officially scheduled soon. We've also signed up a fabulous graphic album from Lawrence Rider and Rebecca Teall, called Longship. Hopefully it will be published in 2013, and is quite simply unlike anything Time Bomb Comics has released before. Expect to hear quite a bit more about it over the coming months, but here's an inital cover design to whet the appetites!