Easter Bunnies!

By Regie Rigby

Happy Easter, my foolish friends! The chocolate egg season is once more upon us and however much of a Grinch I can be sometimes it would be churlish not to join in the fun. So, this Easter Special edition of FoolBritannia is devoted to the crazed creators of Blink Twice, and their equally radged rabbit the magnificent Malcolm Magic!

Is that enough superlatives for you there? What the heck – let’s get started! I'm joined here by the wound up human spring that is Robin Etherington.

Regie Rigby:
Before we get into the weirdness of Fuzzton, I should ask how Blink Twice got started, and who does what.

Robin Etherington:
Blink Twice was founded in the summer of 2003 by my brother Lawrence Etherington (creator, pencils, inks, colours) and myself (creator, editor, writer, letterer) in a hopeless attempt to organise the multitude of projects whizzing around our feverish minds.

Having written the first four issues of a six-issue volume entitled 'Dust to Dust' and done the whole “tout-our-art-and-words-to-publishers-who-weren't-all-that-interested” (Lawrence didn't draw his characters with big enough boobies apparently) we decided a total change of direction was in order - colour format to black and white; religious thriller to animal comedy; portfolio touting to self-publishing - and launched the first Issue of our debut bi-monthly title Malcolm Magic in January '04.

While Lawrence is a trained, qualified fine artist, with a history of successful exhibitions under his belt and an impressive understanding of all mediums and materials from paper to Mac, pen to brush, wood to metal to glass...I am an unqualified hack! But BOY have I read a lot of comics!

It’s this combination of genuine talent and unbridled enthusiasm that keeps Blink Twice exciting for us and, we believe, has made Malcolm Magic one of the more unique and amusing titles to emerge from the UK's Independent scene in the last few years. Since jumping on board Mark Clements has contributed a phenomenal dollop of much needed technical genius to allow the company to expand into the digital realm, with two websites and a forthcoming computer game.

RR: Computer Game?! Do tell! Is this an independent thing or have you signed up with one of the big games publishers?

RE: HAHA! Believe me Regie, this is a very, VERY independent thing, but that only makes it more exciting! Mark, our quite unfeasibly talented DO IT! (Director of Interactive Technologies) and I began working on the concept for the game back in the summer of 2004, during lengthy coffee drinking sessions at the Edinburgh Comedy festival. We named it ‘Malcolm Magic and the Very Cherry Sherry’ and it functions as a sort of MM Issue 1.5, although you really don’t need to know anything about the series to play it. Without giving away too much, the timeframe for the game takes place the night before the opening scene in Issue 2. There’re puzzles galore and some truly beautiful art work from Lawrence, who has rendered four floors of Malcolm’s home in his trademark style for you to explore at your leisure.

We’re right in the middle of the hardest part of the development stage right now (Mark’s built his very own game engine for this project!) but we should have a working demo available at the Bristol Con and there’ll be a double page preview spread of the artwork in the back of TUSK...more on this later...

When released, Malcolm and the Very Cherry Sherry will be available to play for free by clicking on the games shelf at the Malcolm Magic Store but we’ll also be packaging a superb Game box for sale, which will include the original full game, bonus CD features (including a making-of, limited edition artwork, limited edition screen savers, wallpapers etc and a mini Malcolm ultra-exclusive comic!). You’ll be able to buy this through the Store.

RR: Cool! Keep me informed about that, and put me down for a game box when they’re finally ready. So, that’s the latest Malcolm Magic project, but who's going to accept responsibility for launching him onto the poor unsuspecting world? Where did he come from? Surely he can't have been conceived in conditions of sobriety?

RE: Well the inspiration for our little punch-drunk bunny and his slapstick fur-filled adventures came from an unlikely source.

RR: Oh, I can believe that…

RE: In October 2003 Lawrence had been working with a greetings card company on a series of 1940's styled nose-art graphics - the sort of Memphis Belle imagery that festooned the bombers of WWII. Most of the shots were of 40's gals, all provocative lips and hips, but thrown into the selection randomly was a picture of a cartoon bunny in a blue and black striped jumped with a pop gun and flying goggles.

I picked up the sketch, named him Malcolm and the whole madness just flowed out and onto the page. Sometimes life is just like that, and I guess that makes us BOTH responsible...

RR: So, he just sort of staggered in fully formed then?



RE: At the very start Malcolm was intended to be a crazy sugar-fuelled Saturday morning cartoon sort of thing. Madcap nonsense without any real continuity or character development. A series of stand alone japes. But as we worked on Issue 1 a much larger story of unintentional heroism in the face of idiocy began to emerge. We liked the thought of a enriching the lives of seemingly two-dimensional characters with an adventure that they would really care about, and would engage the readers at both a comedic and an exciting level.

Things just sort of spiralled out from there! Oh and we were sober when we began all this nonsense but now...well dang, I can't even finish these answers without a stiff drink!

RR: Well, if you’re going to the bar, mine’s a pint of Guinness…

RE: Mine’s a Mr Frosty Cherry Snow Cone and Lawrence will have a low-cal, no-fat, no-taste, Moca-frapa-happy-chino...

RR: (laughs)Each to his own, I guess… Anyway, you’ve just finished the first Volume of Malcolm Magic, which I enjoyed enormously – although reading it all through in one go just before doing this interview has fried a few synapses, too much wonderful weirdness in one go can be overwhelming –and I was just wondering where things are going for he little guy? Can you spill any secrets? More importantly how long am I going to have to wait until the next issue? I get tetchy if I don’t get my fix…

RE: Don’t we all? We’ve been working overtime recently to produce a plethora of BLINK TWICE products to excite and tantalize, with Malcolm naturally high on the agenda. The 2nd Volume (collecting Issues 4-6) will be launched at the Bristol Expo in May and we’ve really taken the time to really make this book look fantastic. We’ve also been working on a ‘Redux’ Malcolm Magic Issue 1 (20 BRAND NEW PAGES!) for our Diamond submission. Although this International special will not be available until late summer (though Previews and our own Store), we’ve included 3 pages as a tasty bonus in the back of our other new title TUSK which will be launched at the Bristol con...more on this little beauty later...

Issue 7 will be released either at the Bristol Con or at the end of May, so you haven’t all that long to wait...

RR: Thank goodness for that – but I still want to know about secrets!

RE: As for secrets....hmmm....well I really shouldn’t tell you about Agents Johnson and Johnson, or about the Mystic of Mount Boom. I shouldn’t discuss the imminent incarceration of Reggy, Chester and Fikov, the tale of two courtrooms or the TRUTH...and I sure as dang shouldn’t mention the word Cartoof again or share with your readers the fate of dear Pygmy...nope, I’m sorry Regie but my lips are sealed...

RR: Damn! Can’t blame a bloke for trying though. You mentioned earlier that you originally started out with a sort of religious thriller before Malcolm forced his way in. Post Da Vinci Code there’s something of a market for that sort of thing now – any chance we’ll get to see it?

RE: Damn Da Vinci! Not satisfied with art he just HAD to go and dip his toe into the world of literature...and the dude’s DEAD!...well he was the last time I checked...

RR: (laughs)Well, that’s hardly his fault…

RE: True, true. Now where were we? Oh yeah, Dust to Dust.

Boy, I loved that story. Truly. I know my writing’s come on significantly since then but I still think it’s a great tale. Although we have no current plans to release this title as a comic book (Blink Twice has moved us stylistically in a different direction) I have begun working on compressing the 6 issues into a workable screenplay, so there’s a (very) slim chance you’ll one day see this tale of personal loss, religious intrigue and explosive action in a different format. Yeah Robin...sure...and pigs will serve bacon sandwiches...

RR: Oh, I dunno, you seem to have a knack for thinking big. What about other projects? I remember chatting to you at Bristol last year about all sorts of ideas you had. Are they still in development or has the success of Malcolm sort of pushed them all to one side for now?

RE: Malcolm has certainly become our primary focus but we’re even keener than before to build on the amazing interest that our drunk bunny has generated. Firstly I’ve mentioned it twice now so I’d really better get on and discuss...TUSK!



When I met you last year we’d just begun to put together the basic premise for what we like to think of as the second Blink Twice franchise. Both Lawrence and I felt that when we reached Issue 6 we’d want to take a short break and produce something brand new. To this end we are currently in the process of wrapping the first Tusk Special, a collection of self contained comedy sketches based in a Fuzzton bar called The Last Mammal Standing. Imagine ‘Cheers’ but with animals. There’s an entirely new cast of characters who gave me the freedom to play with a lot of new gags whilst providing Lawrence with some great new scribbling challenges. We’re really proud of TUSK and anyone who’s enjoyed Malcolm will get a kick from this alternative look at life in Fuzzton!

RR: Oh, I like the sound of that. There is certainly quite a lot of scope for telling more stories about Fuzzton, it’s always felt like a fully formed world. So what else?

RE: Also launching at the Bristol con in May (there’s a lot isn’t there?) will be the very first design sketchbook for our ‘in-production’ comic space opera, MOON!. This will be an ULTRA Limited edition giveaway (less than 100!!!) to anyone who spends more than £10 at our booth. As Issue 0 of MOON! isn’t scheduled for release until November 2005 (after MM Issue 9) this is a rare opportunity for readers to get a tasty glimpse of our next major work.
Trust us here...you are gonna LOVE his one!!!

RR: I don't doubt it! So where next for Blink Twice?

RE: In late April Lawrence and I will be pitching Malcolm, Moon and a few other projects to the Cartoon Network. There’s nothing guaranteed at this stage but we’re certainly keen to promote the concept of animating these crazy tales (might have to slightly tone down the rabbits drinking!).

Then there’s the May Expo in Bristol where the whole Blink Twice Crew will be entertaining the masses from our simply stunning new booth. I’ll be sitting on the ‘State of Independence’ open panel on Sunday so if anyone wants to come along and chat about small press and indy Comic creation in the UK (or just listen to me talk uniformed crap for half and hour!) I’ll look forward to seeing you.

RR: Oh, I'll be there, if I ever get around to booking my hotel room...

RE: After that we’ll be building the hype machine to coincide with the late summer re-release of the entire Malcolm Magic series as an international monthly title through Diamond distribution. Each Issue will feature new cover and interior art.

The summer will also see the release of the ‘Malcolm Magic and the Very Cherry Sherry’ game which we’ll be winging free to every comic/computer fan we can find.

Add the ongoing Malcolm series, the special Tusk one-shots and MOON! and our year is shaping up to be a cracker!

For all the latest announcements, release info, news, reviews, sneak peeks and much much more simply log in to the Blink Twice Website and have a good old wander. We update it regularly so come back often!

Now if only someone would PAY us for all this craziness...and let us out of this cage...AND give us our toys back...

RR: Well, can’t pay you, but I will leave the key just tantalisingly out of reach so that you have to spend hours fashioning a little grappling hook out of human hair and a belt buckle in true “A-Team” style.

Don’t thank me, I’m nice like that.

Thanks a lot for your time Robin, and more especially, thanks for doing so much of the work on this week’s column!








On a slightly more self serving note, I have a whole bunch of great comics going for a song on e-bay. Do please feel free to take a look and bid yourselves crazy!

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