A writer for over twenty years, Tony spent over ten years working internationally for a variety of television, radio and magazines as a feature and script writer, winning several awards doing so.
In 2003 he returned to comic writing, and since then has written for Marvel Comics, Walker Books, AAM/Markosia Entertainment, Panini Comics and Titan Publishing, for properties such as X-Men, Amazing Fantasy, Doctor Who, Starship Troopers, Wallace & Gromit and Shrek. With 'Two Drunk Guys In A Bar' partner Dan Boultwood he has created The Gloom for APC and in 2006 he adapted G.P. Taylor's The Tizzle Sisters and Eric and the bestselling children's book Shadowmancer. His creator owned book, Midnight Kiss, was nominated for an Eagle award in 2006.
His upcoming work includes Hope Falls for AAM/Markosia (again with Dan Boultwood), Dodge & Twist for AiT/PlanetLar, Warrior Nun Areala: Excommunicated for Antarctic Press, Robin Hood: Outlaw's Pride and the comic adaption of Anthony Horowitz's Raven's Gate series, both by Walker Books. He's also the writer of the new IDW series Doctor Who: The Forgotten with Pia Guerra on art.
Whovian Delights...
By Tony Lee
EDIT: I know. It's late again. But this time it's due to a whole host of reasons, the biggest one being that when I left the Marriott on the Monday, I couldn't find wifi to upload the column, and then when I touched down from Heathrow my car wasn't working – the back break had frozen and by the time I got back I decided to just add to it and ask the guys at Comics Bulletin to simply put it up Wednesday instead. And I'll just have a week off before I continue...
What, you don't believe me? You want proof? Here you go then. My car at 5 p.m., Tuesday afternoon.
[PICTURE – CAR.JPG ]
Right, then.
I have some things to tell you. Things that I have never told anyone, things that even to this weekend I had forgotten, pushed somewhere deep to the back of my mind - not in a deliberate fashion, but in that 'when I stopped being a child, I put away my childish things' kind of way, which considering the fact that I'm a thirty-eight year old man who writes comics is always rather amusing.
When I was about three years old, I watched my first episode of Doctor Who. It was the last episode of 'Planet Of The Spiders', and so my first memory of the third Doctor was, well, his regeneration into the fourth. I remember the whole family gathered to watch it – it was very exciting. And then a few years later I remember watching 'Robot', the first Tom Baker adventure alone. I was four years old, my family had moved on. Either that, or they wanted to screw with my tiny, four year mind.
When I was about ten years old I created a Doctor Who fan magazine called 'K9' which cobbled together photocopies of typed up Doctor Who news stories around bad photocopied pictures I could find. I gave it away at my local Doctor Who group, about five people of middling ages who patiently accepted my labour of love and promptly threw it away when I wasn't looking. And of course I had my Action Man (the UK version of GI Joe) that my mother had made the most wonderful Doctor Who - style jacket for and who travelled the world as the (then) next Doctor with his companions, a blonde Barbie Doll and a 1970's Steve Austin, the Six Million Dollar Man figure. So no change there, really.
I tell you this to show you that I'm a fan of Doctor Who. I was a fan who hunted VHS copies of old episodes, who bought the Target novelisations back in the days before they could be watched on UK Gold and whose favourite schoolyard game was fighting Daleks. I loved Doctor Who and I wanted to be Terrance Dicks, a well known and respected Doctor Who writer when I grew up.
And grow up I did, but I never came close to being dear Terrance. Instead I went into radio advertising, marketing, even used my 'K9' sub editing skills to become a journalist. And then of course I became a comic writer, as well we know. Because, well, this column is usually about some form of comic writing.
And then in 2006 I reached a pinnacle on my own personal ambition ladder when I wrote a Doctor Who script for Doctor Who Magazine. And then I was offered the opportunity to write Doctor Who: The Forgotten, a miniseries that proved so popular with American fans that not only was I given a 22 page Doctor Who story called Doctor Who: The Time Machination, but that (as I mentioned last week) I was commissioned by IDW to become the writer of the new, ongoing Doctor Who series, debuting around July 2009.
But you know this, I've told people this enough over the last few months – so why talk about this again? Well, this weekend passed, I was a guest at Gallifrey One, the West Coast Doctor Who convention that I have been reliably informed not only puts the other conventions to shame, but is by far the best Doctor Who convention in the world. Ever.
But before I go there, I need to use my wibbly wobbly timey wimey Doctor skills and return to New York, for when I last spoke to you I was ending the New York Comic Con, and I had a few days to kill before leaving.
Well, the Monday involved a minor amount of work, but for me work involves talking comics with editors, or writing comics from things that editors have said, so I can't really aim for the 'oh boo hoo' card there. Suffice to say that I had meetings. With editors. About things. Which is writer talk for smashing my face against the windowed main doors of a Big Two publisher like Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate and screaming my love while letting my oh, so salty tears mingle with the glass.
After that I went to the Greenwich Village, where I met the DWNY crowd, or more accurately the Doctor Who New York crowd, where both Barnaby and John looked after myself, Paul Cornell and his equally talented wife Caroline as they gave us stylised mugs while laughing lots that Gary Russell was never, and I mean never getting one. I drank my glasses of coke out of it. It was very nice.
On the way back to the hotel I passed a man who was saying 'They said they liked me! They said they really liked me!!! ' at a news vendor in that angry way that suggested that perhaps 'they' might have lied. He was either an insane little man or a Broadway director. My money was on both.
On Tuesday it was a lunch with Niki Notarile, the Lady Action that my upcoming stories are based on as I tried to explain to her how to 'talk like a Brit', followed by dinner with Neil Kleid before I was on stage at 'Comic Book Live', which is always fun, although this one was a little rushed when a short and rather amusing power point presentation by Bob Joy about Lois Lane went on for over half the show (mainly due to Bob being forced to delay slides due to stunned audience members) and forced the hosts to do sections that usually lasted minutes in literally seconds. Ah well.
And then there was Wednesday. I flew to Los Angeles from New York and, while I was on the flight I noted that the man next to me was watching Doctor Who on his iphone. A lot of it. In fact, he pretty much watched all of season four in the seven or so hours we flew. When we landed, I obviously assumed he was there for the same reasons that I was and asked where the shuttle to the hotel was. Unfortunately I think this confused man from Edinburgh, on his way to a Valentines weekend with his San Diego sweetheart and utterly unaware of a convention in Los Angeles thought that I was grooming him and ran, leaving me alone in the baggage claim. Ah well, always the bridesmaid, never the bride.
But help was there in the form of a lovely lady with a 'TONY LEE' sign. I had someone there to pick me up! How showbiz! I was very excited. And I think I kept this excitement up when the 'Hottest Chick in Rock and Comics'™ Jazan Wild (Okay, I know. He's not a chick. But he loves it when I call him that. And also when you lick his face and yell 'Yeah! Tastes like chocolate! ' loudly. No, seriously. You should all try it) and his gorgeous wife Sharon came to take me out for Dinner.
I've known Jazan and Sharon since my first West Coast visit in 2005, and I love them both dearly, and it was a treat indeed to be taken by 'native guides' to Santa Monica where we had a lovely meal – Jazan ate pea soup. I mentioned he was a girl, right? – and then I saw the famous Santa Monica pier which, although was at night and the sea was 'that black bit there beside the black bit', was more like the Santa Monica that Iron Man flies over in the movie. So yah boo sucks.
During the meal my celebrity chum and ex-pat Brit Rich Starkings called to say that he might not be able to be my guide the following day as he had a family illness to contend with and would only be able to do a breakfast, and Jazan proudly stepped into the fray, agreeing to be my personal driver for the day. Which again meant that I'd get to see Jazan and Sharon. And that made me happy.
So Thursday morning I met with Rich and we went to the International House of Pancakes, which I've never seen outside of America before and reckon might be a lie. But they did have pancakes. And they were yummy.
I then met with Jazan who drove me to Rodeo Drive and Melrose Ave so I could have my fix of stupidly expensive things like Cartier watches that cost over a hundred thousand dollars, and then he took me to Golden Apple comics where I did a mini signing (mini because nearly all of my copies of Doctor Who: The Forgotten had sold out before I arrived) and I took the time to visit friend and obvious Comics Bulletin arch nemesis Jonah Weiland of Comic Book Resources. They interviewed me while I was at New York, you see. Comics Bulletin haven't yet. Hint hint.
Anyway I was able to go 'I was pulled out of a Saturday night party to phone this interview! Where is it! ' at Jonah who promised on his word that it would be out that day. And who could say that this face could lie?
It's still not up as of Wednesday morning. So yeah, he's evil.
From there it was past obvious tourist places ( 'OMG! That's the toilet that George Michael was arrested at,' etc.) pausing to be filmed by Dutch Television at Mann's Chinese Theatre (Don't ask) and then a trip to the Griffith Observatory for my Rebel Without A Cause fix. By now it was 3 p.m., and time to get to the Universal backlot where I had some incredibly interesting meetings, drove around the lot in a golf buggy, saw the Heroes set in passing and saw celebrity chum Sean O'Reilly who informed me that yes, I was right, the storm drain route we drove beside was the one used in Terminator 2...
Can I talk about any of this? No. But trust me when I say I really want to on a couple of things. And Dan Boultwood's involved too.
From there it was the Valley and another dinner with the lovely Sharon, Jazan was there but he ate pea soup again so it didn't count. I swear to Christ, this man drinks coffee like water and eats pea soup for his meals yet has the physique of a God. I hate him. He must die.
I arrived back to the convention on the Thursday evening – and by then the convention was starting as people were arriving the night before. Now I'm going to do what I usually do here and apologise. I forget names really easily, so don't get pissed if I forget you, okay?
Anyway, I didn't have a late one but I did manage to meet a few people before collapsing into bed. It was a nice bed. Mmmm, bed.
Friday was an early start, and my only breakfast in the hotel, I say only because I decided that twenty bucks for what was effectively egg on toast with a hash brown was what we call in the industry bloody stupid. From there I checked in, and as the afternoon started as did my signings and panels. Weirdly, I was signing and doing panels before the opening ceremonies even started, but I still had fun with comic celebrity chums Joshua Fialkov and Paul Cornell – I didn't spend as much time as I wanted this year with my amigo Joshua – but next time, my friend. Next time. But I did manage to do a panel with them both as well as industry legend Marv Wolfman, which was pretty much a big moment for both me and Paul...
Then it was up on stage with the guests where I got to say hi to the audience and was pleasantly surprised to get a cheer after I mentioned The Forgotten. I'd been standing there at this point feeling like a bit of a fraud – after all, on stage with me were people like Gary Russell, James Moran, Phil Ford, Rob Shearman, Simon Guerrier and David Howe to name but a few – people who I've respected for years (and in Gary's case, been a bit of a squee fanboy of) and here I was with them. It was an incredibly big moment for me - and one I'll not forget for a long time.
Obviously there were other panels, meals with Rich Starkings and evening drinks with many of the fans, many of whom became firm and fast friends. The main ones here are the 'Torchwood Lesbians' of Jill (who I know from the CBLDF anyway), Racheline and Marchek, and of course the 'Torchwood 3' crew of Salina, Caitlin, Amy, Alix, the clean spoken Jess, and their 'hanger on' Steven. In fact it's Salina, Steven and Jess who first came to me in the Hyatt bar back in San Diego 08 and told me that I should come to Gallifrey, and I owe the fact that I was there this weekend solely to them and the sterling work they did convincing Shaun of this.
Of course there was drinking. And parties. I performed street theatre and wore a 'Shadows In The Library' helmet, made by the incredible Bryan and Mette.
I found myself having conversations with 'Doctors' without even flinching. I found fans of the comic everywhere and even signed one for a friend of Simon Guerrier. I had people telling me they also loved The Prince of Baghdad which was wonderful for me to hear as it's a wonderful story. And on the Saturday I did something that if you'd told the 15 year old me that one day I'd do? I'd have probably exploded in fanboy squee. I interviewed Nicola 'Peri' Bryant on the main stage.
On one evening we saw Toby Hadoke's incredible one man comedy show 'Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf' and I remember looking at Simon, sitting beside me and also laughing and realising for the first time that these incredibly important people around me? They were fans too. And that somehow I'd been welcomed into their extended Whovian family. And you know what? For the first time that weekend, I didn't feel like a fraud.
The convention was both hectic and mad and relaxing and fun and sad and funny at the same time, sad because I had to leave it, and funny because I don't think I've ever had so much fun in the bar. Nicole the 'Booze Leprechaun' kept us going and my Aussie chum Peter kept me singing. I nailed Kareoke, by the way.
I learned things about people I never knew and at no point throughout the entire weekend was I left to feel that I wasn't supposed to be there. I joked with Colin Baker and Frazer Hines, I argued with Gary on stage about the use of Draconians, a character race that I think everyone wants to use, and at every turn I found someone new to tell me that my story? They loved it. And while I was there I even wrote the first ten pages of "Silver Scream" part one, I was so inspired.
And then it was over. The final drinks, the final, tearful farewells, and then bed for about three hours before checking out.
And then...
...Well actually, another great day. Because I spent the hours before flying out travelling around L.A., visiting Amoeba for DVDs and CDs, and both Meltdown and Golden Apple for comics with Rich Starkings and Gary Russell. And then when Gary and I (we were both on the same flight) reached the airport, there were Simon and Mark Wright and Laura Doddington and Katherine Mount, and off to the left was Toby Hadoke, and passing by was David Hasselhoff...
It was a great end to a great weekend. I've already told everyone that I'll be there again next year. Whether they want me to or not. Thank you Shaun, Robbie and all the guys who helped out, got me drinks, fed me, gave me sweets, everything. You are all stars.
And then of course I arrived home to my bloody car issues...
Right then, some quick things. There won't be a column next week, as I've written stupid amounts these last two weeks and I want to give Jason a chance to rest. So I'll mention some important things before I go. Firstly, Hope Falls is finally coming out in May as a collected trade, with an introduction by comics celebrity chum Ben Templesmith. Now this is incredibly important to us because we've had literally hundreds of people ask us for this over the last couple of years and we've always had to go 'no idea'. But now we not only know that it's coming out in May, we also know that it needs to be sold well through Diamond.
Markosia are taking a big risk with this and we have to sell a minimum of four hundred trades through Diamond for them to actually feel that Markosia have the love that Diamond seem to need. And so I ask you now, each and every one of you. If you've loved my other work, my Doctor Who comics, my Midnight Kiss comics, anything – please, please please order this book. It is incredible. We have movie people looking at it and they need to know that it is loved as well. This needs to break even with Diamond more than anything I have ever written before so that Dan and I can move on with other things together.
All we ask is that you go into your local comic store, or your preferred ONLINE comic store in the next week or so, ones that use Diamond to buy their stock, and ask for MAR094036: HOPE FALLS TP. This is the order code that Diamond gets, so they will see what we get ordered from them. In May, the orders that Diamond get will be filled and sent to those stores. If you have a good relationship with that store, tell them that they can see the first episode of Hope Falls, online, for free as a sidebar on my website, www.tonylee.co.uk – in fact if you're not sure yourself, go have a read. This comic was Eagle Award nominated. I was Eagle Award nominated as Favourite New Writer because of it. It truly is one of the best things I've written and I want, no, need to see it out there.
If you have a good relationship with the store, ask them to buy two, and take the risk of putting one on their shelf, next to the Doctor Who books I write.
But please, please, please don't walk away from this. I've had so many 'wait for the trade' comments while the book came out. Okay. You've waited. Now it's here. So please, prove to me that you're a man / woman / furry cosplayer of your word and order this amazing book. If only to be a Ben Templesmith completist... And if you don't know anything about it...
HOPE FALLS: Welcome to Hope Falls, where nothing ever happens, a sleepy Mill town that goes about its daily business without any cares or concerns.
But when a stranger arrives, a young woman named Helen Gane - things take a turn for the worse. For twenty years ago Helen was violated and murdered in Hope Falls - and now she's back, unchanged from the day she died - and looking for vengeance.
The four men that assaulted and killed her twenty years back are now pillars of the community - Treadwell, now the Mayor, Edmeir, now the Editor of the paper, Martin, now the Sheriff and McClusky, now the owner of the Steel Mill that employs most of Hope Falls - yet none have ever been able to leave.
One by one Helen visits her killers and then one by one they start to die in mysterious circumstances. For Helen is an Angel, free-falling towards Hell, and she has the power to perform terrible deeds on her tormentors as her soul plummets.
But there's more to Hope Falls than meets the eye, and another Angel, Michael arrives to stop Helen, to try to convince her to return to Heaven - but in doing so discovers a dark secret about the town, an Angelic conspiracy dating back to Jesus Christ, as well as a conspiracy that has forced every generation of McClusky to kill an innocent on their eighteenth birthday, a conspiracy that involves a family of Voodoo shamen, forces a disgusted father to become a priest and goes all the way up to Heaven itself, ensuring that no matter what Helen does, she will not be able to kill McClusky...
Will Helen discover a way to gain vengeance? Or will she finally repent and return to Heaven? What is McClusky's dark secret - and what will Michael do when he discovers it? And what will happen when McClusky gains vengeance on Helen?
Hope Falls collects all five issues of the award nominated, critically acclaimed story by Tony Lee and Dan Boultwood and has an introduction by Ben Templesmith.
See you in two weeks.
Discuss this column at the Only A Forum forum.
© 2008, Tony Lee