Who's Who in the CBU 2008

Name: Regie Rigby

Regie is a strange, almost ethereal creature. Who can plumb the hidden mysteries of his dark and murky past - a past which contains a terrible secret. A secret that taught him that with great power comes great responsibility, that criminals are a cowardly superstitious lot and just who exactly knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men.

By day, he assumes the appearance of a mild mannered teacher, bringing the joy of literature and the English Language to classes of enthralled and enthusiastic students. But by night?

By night he goes home and writes lesson plans. Sorry. That's as interesting as he gets. Really.

The rumours about rooftop struggles with underworld uberfiends, the gossip about the hidden cave filled with hi-tec equipment and the suggestion that his car might be fitted with turbo lasers are all nonsense.

When he's not teaching he reads comics. Sometimes he combines the two activities. When he's not doing that he's either playing computer games or asleep.

Eagle Squadron

By Regie Rigby

You know what? It’s nearly the end of March. That means my work life balance should be returning to normal fairly soon, and I might actually have time to read some comics for a change. This is a good thing. Not only will it significantly help to preserve my sanity, it’ll also enable me to talk more about stuff that’s going on in the wacky world of comics.

But the other good thing about the end of March is the fact that it means my annual pilgrimage to Bristol and the Comics Convention/Festival/Expo/Whatever we’re calling it this year. This is also a good thing. Bristol is a brilliant city. I seem to remember that when Kev F. Sutherland made it the home of his “Comics (insert year here) Festivals” back in 1999 there were some dissenting voices.

The long running UK Comics Art Conventions that preceded the KevFests had traditionally been held in London. A one time only move to Manchester (for those unfamiliar with UK geography, that’s a northern city in the west of England) for the final UKCAC in 1998 hadn’t been a huge success (although I enjoyed it) and many people were pretty sure that if the whole comics convention thing was going to be revived London was the only place to go. Bristol, many opined, was too far out on a limb. Too hard to get to. Nobody from “overseas” would want to go so far from London and people in the North would also find the journey too long. It would be, spake the nay-sayers, a total disaster.

They were wrong.

Bristol has been fantastic. There have been problems, of course there have, with heat, space, food and the bar in the main hotel running out of beer. Two years running.

Actually, I’m strangely proud of that.

But the next “Expo” in May will be the ninth time the whole of UK fandom has descended en-masse on this small maritime jewel of a city, and it still feels were partying like 1999. Through changes of name, venue and management the events have retained that edge of freshness and friendliness that so many large gatherings lack. All the mistakes and problems are learned from year on year, meaning that the Bristol Experience keeps getting better.

Traditions are beginning to develop. Regular favourites are beginning to emerge, from Budgie Barnet’s hilarious and thought provoking Hypotheticals panel (long considered by me to be the highlight of the weekend) to the drunken 3am conversations with people you only really see on that weekend of the year, to the signings. Hell, the thing is even beginning to develop a festival fringe – about which more later.

And then there are the awards. First the “National Comics Awards”, and then the return of the mighty Eagles.

Like the Expo, the Eagle Awards are a mere six weeks away, and the final round of voting is underway. (Which is why I’m late this week, incidentally, I wanted to make sure I had time to have a good look at the final nominations.) Pop along to the website and support your favourites, although I have to say that the final shortlist is a little disappointing.

We’re there again I should say, in the “Favourite Comics Related Website” category. Huge thanks to all of you who chucked us a nomination – please do feel free to chuck us a vote as well – we’d really appreciate it because we rather like having an Eagle Award and we’d like to keep it.

Not that I’d try to influence your vote or anything. I’d never do a thing like that…

The other categories have chucked up some interesting names – and some wholly predictable ones. There is, for example, rather a lot of 2000AD on the list. Much as I love ‘Tooth (and you know I do), and much as I think it deserves to win in a couple of categories. But as has so often happened, the shadow of what continues to be the only real giant of the UK Scene has eclipsed so many excellent, but smaller rivals.

It seems inconceivable to me, for example, that what must surely be the most diverse and prolific UK publisher only features once on the final list. Markosia are there – up against ‘Tooth in the “Favourite British Colour Comic” category with their Starship Troopers ongoing series. But they featured much more heavily in the nominations list, and I’m disappointed that they haven’t made a bigger impact on the short list. They deserved better.

This is nothing new of course. The trouble with any awards system that relies on nominations and votes from the public is the fact that the public can only vote for what it knows and by definition more people are going to know (and therefore vote for) the big sellers. This prevents the smaller players getting the credit they deserve, which stops people noticing them and so helps to keep them small.

This is a problem that is compounded in UK Comics because 2000AD is the only real presence on the news stands. Markosia, and others, work hard to promote themselves in comics shops and on the ‘net – Markosia is also doing some impressive things to get noticed in regular book shops, which may well prove to be the way to go. But unless things change a lot it doesn’t seem likely that Tharg’s strangle hold on the Eagles is going to be broken any time soon.

I’m not sure what the solution is really. I mean, as I said, 2000AD is excellent at the moment and is truly deserving of all its nominations. It just isn’t so much better than the rest of the UK published scene that it deserves to be represented so disproportionately. Cynical mutterings about having a category for “Favourite Comic that isn’t 2000AD” are entirely understandable, but it isn’t ‘Tooth’s fault. It’s ours for not looking beyond the familiar.

There are some surprises on the list this year though. I was a little taken aback to see Paul Grist’s excellent Jack Staff in the “Favourite Colour Comic Book – American” category. Delighted to see it there, and it’s fantastic to see Grist up there in the same line up as mass market sellers like Fables and All Star Superman. And while it does seem disproportionate that Rebellion should have two cracks at the “Best Colour Comic – British” title with both ‘Tooth and her big sister Judge Dredd Megazine, I was also delighted to see that alongside Markosia’s Starship Troopers in that category Carl Critchlow’s outstanding Thrud the Barbarian is also represented.

Nice one Carl! And proof that the little guy can get a look in.

There are two old friends of this column represented in the “Favourite Black and White Comic – British” category too, with both Hero Killers and Malcolm Magic making the final five. Well done boys!

There are disappointments too though. I was surprised not to see Barb Lien’s Gun Street Girl make the final five in the “Webcomic Category”. I suspect that that is also a question of exposure – because it certainly isn’t one of quality. It does of course absolve me of the journalistic ethics question about whether I should urge you to vote for my mates or not, although since I’ve never really had any qualms about that before it’s scant comfort.

Anyway, trot on over to the website and have a look. The awards will be presented by Norman Lovett (the original Holly from Red Dwarf) on the Saturday night at Bristol. It’s a ticket only event (because the size of the room is limited) so I might have to watch from the bar.

Still, the bar is the best place to be on Saturday night at a UK comics shindig, especially this year as there are plans afoot for a sort of fringe event which I’m fully expecting to be a riot. Given the organisers, possibly literally. I suspect you’ll be hearing more about it from other sources soon enough though, so I’ll say no more.

Be back here on Wednesday though (and I do mean Wednesday this time – the Fool is back on schedule now, I promise) for more exciting developments in the plans for FoolBritannia’s own comic strip!