WOMANTHOLOGY! l'imagination femelle en collaboration

It’s here! Its NOW! And it’s on the shelves at your local comic book store!!

So what has got me all excited this week!!

Well, it’s the new IDW released book WOMANTHOLOGY.

Back in May of 2011 comic book artist and busy mum, Renae De Liz was the brains behind this fabulous tweeted idea which took the heights of 8 miles high in 60 mins.

Her idea being of course putting a anthology together by a handful of women with in the comics industry and proceeds would go to charity.

This book put together the top ranking professional females with the less experienced which offered up huge chances to gain knowledge and experience.

As soon as you were part of this project, you never felt left out, at whatever minor level you played.

We were constantly updated on new trials and tribulations that the idea faced getting of the ground, sure… the idea soared, but there was still the concern of a publisher AND it being put together for charity.

Not long after, publisher IDW stepped up, this lent credibility which opened up the project as well as letting over 150 women be published by a major company distributing their work worldwide.

BUT… There was HUGE printing costs to consider, so the kickstart campaign began.

Womanthology had to meet the $25,000 mark in 30 days for full support. 

Within 19 hours it reached its 25,000 goal, by 30 days, it had the backing of $109,301 with 2,001 people confirming they would back the project, support coming from, comix, films, high profile creators (like Stephen King) and beyond right across the globe!

Now we have this beautiful featured book…

Crammed with stories being displayed via teams. 

The book kicks off with Team Jessica! (Jessica Hickman) and the story SUPERLESS HERO, written by Kelly Thompson and illustrated by French artist Stephanie Hans.

Team Jessica, gives us stats and professional tips and glorious art by the likes of June Brigman and Stephanie Buscema.

We see some classic noir in the story The Spinster, which really is a treat for the eyes.

I have been introduced to the classic art of Netherlands artist Lois Van Baarle who puts her fine art skills straddled with fantasy illustration harmoniously.

The story of The Aviator and the Elephant by Kimberly Komatsu is oh so poignant and its sentiments hit me hard and is probably one of my favourite stories of the book.

This takes us to into Team Mariah (Mariah McCourt)

Here in team Mariah we see tips and advice into breaking in the world comix, why it’s hard, but why it's rewarding?

The feel of the stories change from the classic illustration kicking it off MANGA style!

We have back to back stories covering the majority of genres showing that us women can truly kick all kinds of ass!

Kicking that arse right into team three; Team Bonnie (Bonnie Burton) who is a script writer, her section lends the feel of animated TV programs through and through, think Ben 10 and Avatar crossed with steampunk and you won’t go far wrong. 

Beautiful examples of digital illustration and graphics. 

This section of the book has introduced me to concepts and ideas that I wouldn’t necessarily have chosen to read but it’s been pleasurable and expanded my views and opinions within this area positively.

We learn how to social network and balance the personal/professional divides as well as putting together a great portfolio.

Onto Team Suzannah, part four (Suzannah Rowntree)

Team Suzannah puts together stories which focus on relationship and adolecance and is combined with a snippet about what it was like to be the only girl reading Spiderman…. funny, witty and will strike a chord with many geek girl.

This section can get quite dark and touches upon some serious subjects, it’s intense, and shows how powerful a few correctly chosen words can be.

We get tips from Devin Grayson on how to be self-employed and what it actually means by self-employment which leads into a lighter tone to the chapter.

Part Five is presented by Team Nicole, (Nicole Falk) who designs packaging for toy manufactures.

This chapter is full of super heroics, from goddesses, warriors and mythology to a beautiful one page piece by Beck Seashols of little girl’s dreams of becoming a superhero and rescuing kitties!

Which is the end to our Team chapters?

The next section of the book in my opinion is a perfect companion to this love letter of feminine creativity. 

It showcases children’s and teenagers ideas for comix and more:

Paula Pansy comes in handy,

Paula Pansy, she also loves candy,

When the bad guys push her down,

She grows up tall and stomps around (on bad guys)

Then she grows small happily.

PAULA PANSY.

By Grace Miner aged 6.

Then we come to the nitty gritty chapters on how to write comix, How to Ink? Pencil! colour! Become a letterer....

How to draw monsters! digital colouring, and sketching…

Tons of interviews, by creators such as Colleen Doran, Devin Grayson, June Brigman, Louise Simonson, Nicola Scott, Robin Furth, Wendy Pini, and Posy Simmonds.

There are tributes and looks into the lives of women of the past, the wonderful Tarpe Mills, Nell Brinkley, Rose, O’Neil, and Ethel Hays. 

So here lies the most important part of this trip… (for me anyhow.)

This Monday I walked into my local Forbidden Planet to be greeted with ‘It’s in!!!,  Gill, it’s in!’

There up on the top shelf with is glisten glory, creaky spine and new book smell… 

Flicking the pages to see whether I was in there?

Back in Sept 2011 I submitted my application with full description and WIPs of the Joker bust that I wheel out every now again, as it's what I feel to be my magnum opus.

I got the email to say my name and moniker would be in there… 

But to actually see it in print was a thrill and to buy it from the comic store an even bigger thrill!!

In fact my name is in twice, as I’m under creator and backer sections, and I feel very proud to have been part of this project, even in such a tiny way.

Also, BIG THANKS to Elliot S Maggin, who pointed me in the direction of it!! :) :) :) (even my dear old mum was proud!)

Late To The Party - Happy Birthday Doc!

Always restless, always on the move, forever hunted, forever hunting...


Crisscrossing the country following the almighty dollar, trying to make his way by the only way he knows how,


through scheming, cheating, and the exercise of brute force.


Parker is by no means, evil, merciless or insane, he straddles a blurring distinction between madness and sanity, justice and mercy.


Not sick... just blank, humanity stripped to its essentials, callous, guilt free, lacking empathy and incapable of learning from his own life's bitter pill, 


Parker feels no embarrassment or pain, never afflicted or careworn, the hero of madmen, blameless but utterly free....

The internet is a funny old thing, but something I am ever so thankful for as I made so many new acquaintances.


One of these being Doc, who I consider to be one of my closest and bestest and by far no longer an acquaintance!!


He's remarkable, artistic, funny, and oh so humble to name just a few and he has the most delectable taste and I am very honoured to have been able to collaborate with him on these kinda blogs and bounce ideas off of that noggin' of his!


He is the force who made me pick up a paint brush again and try something new, which was making and customising figures.... he praises when you've done good and chides when you've done bad!


I like that!


So... I raise a glass to you sir, and wish you the very best for your birthday!


Happy Birthday Doc!

Daydream Bereaver

Yesterday was quite the shocker as we saw the death of popular TV and music star Davy Jones who made his name in the TV show The Monkees.

Davy has always been a household name for me for as long as I can remember. 

Watching the TV show on Sun evening with mum and dad whilst growing up my dad would always regale us with tales of ‘’I used to know him’’ etc. etc… yawn.

This was due to the fact that Manchester born Davy and my dad along with many other young people born in the 1940s found the love for rock n’ roll.

Manchester was happening back then also, with famed club the Twisted Wheel, this club was where the Beatles and Stones would hang when they were in town. 

When other clubs closed their doors the Twisted Wheel carried on serving drinks by hostess and playing the best and latest sounds straight from the US.

The bizarre element of Davy in the Monkees is still quite a surreal one to this day. In England he was a stage school kid appearing soap operas and straddling the sporting world as a jockey training with Basil Foster.

If it wasn’t for his training with him, Davy would have never got cast in the theatre production Oliver as the Artful Dodger, from here he went on to perform in the Broadway production and it was here that Davy Jones was found to be the perfect cast member for the TV show .

And that’s how we all got know him…

Bringing classic northern music hall with a cheeky grin and good boy mop top charms to American teens to swoon over… 

Crazy with an upper case C for sure!! 

Whether it was the producers of the show or Davy himself? he never appeared to sell himself out.

He loved the sap, the uncool; he was hangin’ with the likes of Zappa but never did abandon those traditional Mancunian and Northern roots.

In 2004 I got to see Davy play a social club, in Ashton- Under- Lyne, it was a sit down doo full of 50 plus year old women swooning away over this orange skinned,  greying haired Monkee with the pearliest blinding set of teeth I’d ever seen… this sure was Hollywood does Manchester.

He sang Day Dream Believer but that was only nod he gave. 

This was show tunes all the way baby!!

I remember looking around the hall at all the smiling faces and that knasher filled mouth twinkling back at them… as much as I wanted to disapprove I couldn’t resist but sit there and grin like a love sick puppy just like the rest of them...

This pint sized star knew how to work the ladies for sure, talking and flirting in-between songs. 

Granted it’s not at the top of my list for coolest gigs, but it’s certainly up there with one of the most charming.

As the news of Davys death has sunk in overnight, I’ve been listening to the albums and took it upon myself to get the A to Z out and head up to Openshaw and see if 20 Leamington Street was still around, disappointingly it wasn’t. 

The whole area is undergoing redevelopment and they are building a new school where the terrace houses once stood.

But just like everything and everyone…. 

There comes a time where you have to bow out, but when that time comes make sure you’re like Davy… where you will forever be remembered, watched, listened, and loved by the millions, you’ll forever leave your mark in this realm to carry on to even greater things within the next.

So… so long Davy! 

I’m sure that twinkliest star that’s in our skies, are your teeth!!

R.I.P

Davys' backings make this song, and this is my all time faveourite Monkees song!