This blog began in 1997 as a single news page called Nucelus. In 2005, during a long wait to move into a new house, I decided to learn some php and MySQL and write my own blogging system, which became inkyBlog and which now powers this, my own Webbledegook blog.
Thank you to my brother, Murray Ewing, for help with some of the more challenging aspects!
I do not envy the job of the BCA committee to whittle down the books to just five - when you look at the longlist then you could quite easily and legitimately replace any of the shortlist books with other titles - Teenytinysaurs, Pirates of Pangea, Corpse Talk, Porcelain, etc. It just makes my own inclusion even more of a (nice) surprise.
I honestly couldn't say who might win - all my fellow nominees bring excellent books to the list, with a refreshing diversity in subject matter and of publishers. I think my own chances are low, but that might just be natural, defensive pessimism! Still, you never know, and it's a lovely thing to have got this far - I'll bask in it while it lasts.
The British Comic Awards is something that is good for all comics in that it raises awareness, gets people talking, and celebrates the medium. My huge thanks to the BCA committee for the vote of confidence, and my thanks to all those who have sent congratulations.
Sequential City is an exhibition of comic art featuring London, hosted by Baxter & Bailey design studio. Alongside a whole raft of top UK comic creators will be an original page of mine from The Rainbow Orchid. I wonder if you can guess which one? Well, you could always pop along and see. It runs from 16-22 September (in other words, it's on now!).
I will be a guest at Nerd Fest in Nottingham on Saturday 5th October. This is a rather late addition to my events list, but I'm delighted to be able to go. Here's a little interview with me on the Nerd Fest blog.
On the 19th and 20th October I'll be at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, an event for which anticipation seems to have been building all year. Will it be the UK's answer to Angouleme? That seems to be the vibe they're going for and the guest list, events and organisation are certainly looking very impressive. It's a bit of a trip for me, but I'm very much looking forward to it.
Edited to add: I will now also be at Comic Action in Essen, Germany, October 26-27.
In other news ... Mrs Tinks are doing a fabulous children's books giveaway. Many fine tomes are up for grabs, including The Complete Rainbow Orchid, so have a look here to see how you can enter.
I'll end off with some recent reviews that have popped up, one at Broken Frontier, another at Droplets of Ink, and a third at Cherry and Cinnamon.
"One of the most exciting and dynamic graphic novel sequences of recent years, it is to be hoped this is the first of many, many similar exploratory adventures featuring the inimitable Julius Chancer. It is, without doubt, a triumph!"
"What Ewing has fashioned here is a rare example of that seldom seen breed: the genuinely all-ages title ... An absolute humdinger of an adventure story that will appeal to the child in all of us, its absence on the bookshelves of anyone who calls themselves a true aficionado of the medium would be a conspicuous and telling one indeed."
"For those seeking new comics for children I heartily recommend this as an excellent starting place! ... It's fast paced and exciting ... The imagination and attention to detail in all of this just speaks to how much Ewing loves his work - and I have a feeling you will too."