This is a shorter adventure (20 pages), though my plan is that one day I will do a connected but equally stand-alone story of the same length, so there's the possibility they could be published together as a complete book. I will try and post more art and more details over the next few weeks. This will not derail the full-length (60-80 pages) adventure I have plotted and ready to start - hopefully this summer.

Some recent Rainbow Orchid press has included a lovely review at Dancing With Skeletons, and an overview of the Spanish edition at Lina Clara Hoy. The French language edition has been out for a month now and I've seen mentions on Klare Lijn International, BD Zoom and Génération BD.

Not much other news at the moment except to say that I am busy drawing a new (20-page) Julius Chancer story - more details to come in a month or two. In the meantime I'll point you to this very nice review of The Complete Rainbow Orchid by Lew Stringer on the final post of his Blimey blog (and do check out his new blog here).

See more here!

"... I couldn't like it more if I tried ... It is all so beautifully done: the historical references are spot on ... the dialogue is pitch perfect ... the result is one of the most satisfying comics around, whether you are a small boy, or a grown woman."

Receiving an endorsement from comedian Rhys Darby was the icing on the cake:

"... I really love your Rainbow Orchid books. They fuel my hunger for classic adventure!"

One of the nicest things has been the lovely emails I've received from readers, not to mention the in-person comments from people at various comics shows - where they can actually see me blush!

In September The Complete Rainbow Orchid came out - for me, the book that really matters, and they way I would like most people to read it. I still haven't read it all through myself yet, I'm waiting a while so I can at least have a partially fresh look at it. But Egmont did a wonderful job on the book, and I'm especially chuffed with all the extras. It even made a few best-of lists for 2012:

The Observer best Graphic Novels of 2012 - "... timeless adventure stories that fans of Tintin will adore."

Forbidden Planet Best of the Year: Zainab - "... Ewing's adventure of a search for a rare, possibly non-existent flower left me more excited than that sentence possibly can recount. I have no further words for it: it's just a fantastic comic."

Forbidden Planet Best of the Year: Rob Jackson - "... this is my best of the year, it's such a beautiful book. It was great to read the whole story all the way through in one go."

Jason Cobley - "... the pages just zing, enthralling kids and grown ups alike. Proper all-ages storytelling. ... if you're looking for something to get youngsters away from TV and reading something that also gives them visual appeal, here it is."

And a couple more from Laura Gomez and Jonathan King. There was also this very nice review from coNZervative in New Zealand. I wouldn't be aware of most of these nice mentions if it wasn't for Linda Wada, who maintains a Rainbow Orchid fan-page. Big thanks, all!

Another nice thing that happened this year was The Rainbow Orchid getting distribution in the United States, resulting in a number of positive reviews and mentions, including this one from Comics Worth Reading ("... "a great example of what "all ages" really should mean"). There was a good interview with me on US comics website The Beat back in January.

In November I published The Rainbow Orchid Supplement (Down the Tubes review and Forbidden Planet review), and the Spanish edition of RO came out, La Orquidea Arcoiris from NetCom2 Editorial. A few months earlier Silvester Strips brought all three volumes of De Regenboog Orchidee into a lovely boxed set, or cassette.

January 2012 saw the launch of The Phoenix, a brilliant weekly comic for kids that has been quite rightly receiving praise and plaudits from all quarters. Due to other work commitments I haven't been able to be a big part of it (yet!), but I was delighted to appear in the first issue with The Legend of the Golden Feather and in the middle of the year with The Bald Boy and the Dervish, both written by Mezolith author and storyteller, Ben Haggarty. It's chock full of the very best of British comic creators, so give yourself a present for 2013 and subscribe!

On a personal level the year has been a nice one, though with one low point when I lost my dear cat, Tansy, on her 14th birthday in August (you can see a photo of her in the back of The Complete Rainbow Orchid as I tried to get her to pose for the cover of volume two!). A good innings, but she's terribly missed. On the up-side, my daughter saw her first birthday and is turning into such a lovely little person - I feel very lucky.

I had a good Christmas - my comics presents were Bryan Talbot's third Grandville book (completely terrific) and the Commando: 50 Years book (have yet to explore, but looks wonderful). I got a beautiful Japanese print (which I may blog about soon) and I'm looking forward to watching Jigokumon, which i got on DVD.

So what can I say about 2013? Firstly, the French language editions of RO, L'Orchidee Arc-en-ciel will be published in February by BD Must, and I'm really looking forward to seeing those. I can also say there will be new Julius Chancer, though with no contracts signed, as yet, I'm reluctant to say any more. But even if every publisher suddenly abandoned me you'd still get new Julius Chancer - on this website. Still, the greater likelihood is that it will be in print, and I'm looking forward to getting stuck into that.

Here's hoping we all have a fabulous 2013 - happy new year!

She's a careful planner and a strong leader, as well as incredibly loyal to Grope, even going so far as to kill those who would get in her way - she doesn't seem to be too troubled by empathy. Her self-confidence knows no bounds; she's genuinely shocked when the tables get turned on her (a rare event). She's smart, classy, and probably a little vain.

Evelyn may have a blank on her character's history in the story, but I can at least offer something regarding her creation. Like Lily Lawrence her origins lie in the abandoned short comic I wrote in 1996 called Stage Fight - a story that would eventually be produced as Sword of Fate, Lily's origin tale, in The Girly Comic. Stage Fight featured a character called Evelyn Saxon, a Victorian vamp with a wine bottle in one hand and a couldn't-care-less attitude in the other (I renamed her Eleanor Saxon for Sword of Fate). You might see a future echo of her in the character of Josephine Bolan from my episode in Blank Slate's Nelson, and if you happen to know some of my much older work then you might see a more distant version of her as The Sorceress from my fantasy story Realm of the Sorceress.

Physically she is a 1920s modern woman with a straightforward yet stylish hairstyle that matches her character, inspired by some of the more self-determined figures of the silent screen: Louise Brooks, Clara Bow, Pola Negri, and a little Theda Bara for good measure. Another more recent similarity has been noted - with that of Irina Spalko, played by Cate Blanchett in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (though Evelyn predates her).

I mentioned earlier that Evelyn Crow carries a handgun and I'd like to say something about my philosophy of gun use in The Rainbow Orchid (and in my stories generally). When Evelyn fires the gun it has consequences - people get hurt, and I don't just mean cartoon-hurt (even though this is a cartoon strip). I hope you feel that Tayaut is in real danger from his bullet wound, and you can also see the effect it has on his friends and loved-ones, not to mention the death that also occurs. And, of course, Evelyn becomes a victim herself later on, again with consequences that affect characters and story.

For me, when a gun is introduced into the plot, it is not as a solution - it does not enable the hero to solve the problem of his antagonists; it is a complication. I hate films where a gun is just a toy-device that blasts people away with no effect on lives or story. I'm not against action films with guns, even fairly violent films to some degree - as long as there are consequences. It's a matter of the weapon having weight, a weight that reflects what can happen in the real world - I think that's important.

Do go and have a look at Emma's website, she has a beautiful illustration style and I especially love the look of her children's book, Reynard the Detective. And if you need a late Christmas gift (or even a post-Christmas gift) check out her Etsy shop as well.

Emma's Lego Julius Chancer and chums are going into the readers' art gallery, so do go and have a look at the full set and see some other wonderful Rainbow Orchid art there as well. Thank you so much for these, Emma!

I was in the larger of the two halls, New Dock, and as usual had made my first sale of the day before the doors officially opened. That set the tone for the rest of Saturday as things hardly let-up and I was selling, signing and sketching pretty much non-stop. Apart from a couple of furtive nibbles, I didn't get to eat my lunch until leaving the hall at about six in the evening.

The Rainbow Orchid table enjoys a visit from Accent UK: Colin Mathieson and Dave West

With Ellie and Miranda off and about in Leeds I was on the table by myself, and while being so busy is great, I am aware of people coming along, waiting for a bit, and then wandering off as my head is often down while sketching and chatting to someone else. With no one to help out and engage them I do wonder if I miss out on new readers. Can't complain though! The whole weekend was terrific for sales and I sold 128 books in all, including 71 Completes and selling out of volume 3s.

I won't list all the lovely comics colleagues who stopped by to chat - too many - but I must give mention to my table-neighbours, the fabulous Laura Watton on one side and the marvellous Gary Erskine and Mhairi on the other. Laura gave me a copy of her wonderfully titled and highly entertaining comic Reluctant Soldier Princess Nami, and Gary and Mhairi were very generous with their space as they allowed our buggy to be parked next to their table when Ellie came back to the hall from her town travels. Having nice neighbours does make the whole weekend that little bit more pleasant and easier - so thank you, both!

I'd also like to give a special mention to artist-extraordinaire Graeme Neil Reid who astounded me by spotting and naming a very obscure cameo in The Rainbow Orchid (it's on page 113 of The Complete, or page 37 of vol. 3, if you're up for a challenge ... or failing that, the solution is revealed in The Rainbow Orchid Supplement). I'll just mention that we're both David Lean fans.

One thing that made the show a little different was that my table was one of five playing host to the Phoenix Feathers collection game. On my table were several phoenix feathers to be collected by children and taken back to The Phoenix stall in the Armouries in exchange for goodies and prizes. It was great being part of it and it brought a lovely added focus to my display. The Phoenix was a strong presence at the show with much activity from several of the regular artists, including Neill Cameron, Gary Northfield and Dave Shelton.

There were no negative aspects to the weekend. The only slight pain was that the official hotel (the Marriott) was quite a bit further from the venue than I'd imagined, and with little Miranda with us, it was a bit of a trek. Most people I spoke to were staying at the Holiday Inn, right next to New Dock Hall, and it might make sense, if possible, for that to become the official/recommended hotel in future years.

This year's show was host to the inaugural British Comic Awards for which there was a very fine selection of nominees. The winner of the Best Book category was Nelson, a project in which I had a very small part but is really the vision and product of editors Rob Davis and Woodrow Phoenix, and made possible by publisher Blank Slate Books. Next year a very limited edition will be produced and today I was up at the Royal Festival Hall to sign 130 insert sheets for it. As well as myself, a handful of other contributors had not yet signed their names and I was joined at the signing table by Posy Simmonds, a British comics legend and someone who's work I read, own, and admire very much indeed - it was a real thrill to meet and chat with her.

Signing Nelson inserts with Posy Simmonds at the Royal Festival Hall, London

So, back a week: another Thought Bubble was over and we packed up on the Sunday (thanks to Colin Mathieson for his help with box carrying), and made our return trip to Belton for a lazy Sunday night, a slightly less-lazy but still pretty lazy Monday, and then a night drive back down to Sussex.

A huge thanks to everyone who came to the Rainbow Orchid table to buy books, say hello, or even just to browse, and an equally huge thanks to the Thought Bubble organisers and volunteers for another terrific show, the comics event highlight of the year.

I'd like to address another thing that happens quite a bit at comic shows, which is people asking for free review copies. Please don't take offence when I say no to this request - I no longer give away review copies from my own stock. A large percentage of those that I have given to in the past did not, in fact, review the book. Also, I pay for my own stock, I don't get these books for free, so it can end up costing me quite a bit! If you would genuinely like a review copy, please get in touch with my publisher, Egmont (or get in touch and I'll be happy to do it for you).

Still on the subject of cost, I was asked about the price of the books I sell from my website - with the suggestion that I was charging over the odds. Well, let's see - The Complete Rainbow Orchid retails at 14.99; my packing materials - a sturdy book box and an adhesive address label - cost me 1.25; at 650g the book is quite heavy, and packed up it costs 3.50 in the UK, 6.62 within Europe, and 12.10 elsewhere in the world (eg. Australia or the US).

So for the UK you're looking at 19.74 (I charge £18.50); Europe 22.86 (I charge 22.00); and international 28.34 (I charge 28.00). And don't forget - you get a sketch as well, not to mention the time I spend parcelling-up and sorting out postage. Of course I don't pay 14.99 for the books myself, I get a slight discount, but the sketch time easily swallows that up. I hope that makes it more transparent and that you can see I'm offering the best deal I can without making a loss.

One last thing, my complimentary copies of La Orquidea Arcoiris, the Spanish edition of The Rainbow Orchid, arrived today and they look wonderful. Please visit NetCom2 Editorial to find out more.

Hope to see you at Thought Bubble - I'll be on table 176, on the end of the aisle just round the corner from artist Gary Erskine.

The English (UK) edition of The Complete Rainbow Orchid has been out for nearly two months now and is doing well, with a couple of nice Amazon reviews online (thank you, nice Amazon reviewers!). I was particularly pleased to read this extract:

"The addition of a cool, strong and resourceful female antagonist gives this book a modern edge that can be lacking in some of the European BDs that this tale echoes."

The initial print-runs of both volume one and two have sold out, and both have gone to a second-printing, which is great news.

I had a marvellous time at the last few events I've done - the Forest Row Festival (two workshops), Just Imagine (comic workshop at Elm Hall School) and a terrific two-hour workshop at the Cheltenham Literary Festival (which sold out).

The next event I'll be at is Thought Bubble in Leeds on 17 and 18 November. I'll have The Complete Rainbow Orchid with me, and hopefully The Rainbow Orchid Supplement too (going off to print imminently!). If you can't make it, I'm selling signed and sketched-in editions of The Complete... from my online shop.

Let me leave you with this great article on selling kids' comics by Laura Sneddon. Selling comics to the general public in the UK is a real challenge, but it's more about getting them seen than having to convince people to give them a go. This has been my experience everywhere - if people can see and look at The Rainbow Orchid it nearly always results in sales. Visibility and access to comics themselves are the challenge!

I'll be at Caption on Sunday this week, on a panel at 3.30pm ('America is not the only fruit'), and I'll bring a copy along, if you'd like to see it.

I'd also like to announce The Rainbow Orchid Supplement. The main part of this features complete annotations for the entire story, as well as extra sketches, artwork, and some interviews. It's not quite finalised yet, but I'll post more news when it is. The book doesn't repeat any of the extras from The Complete Rainbow Orchid. I'm publishing the supplement myself, so numbers will be limited, and I'm hoping it will be available late September from this site, but if not it will definitely be available for Thought Bubble in November.