By Kieron Gillen on December 11th, 2008 at 2:29 pm.
In a fascinating cross-cultural exercise, Cliffski from Positech hired comic-artist Jamie McKelvie to provide his characters for Kudos 2. Since people seemed to be charmed by his distinctive hot-punk-girl style, I thought you’d like to hear his new one PHONOGRAM: THE SINGLES CLUB is out now in all good comic shops. The reviews have been glowing, Warren Ellis has been raving about it and it’s about the concept of music as a literal magical force. I’ve put Jamie’s one-page comic-intro beneath the cut, to give a taste. That’s Phonogram: The Singles club, drawn by Jamie McKelvie and written by… oh, shit, is that the time? Gotta go.
11/12/2008 at 14:31 Will Tomas says:
Shameless, Gillen. Absolutely shameless.
11/12/2008 at 14:44 Ian says:
All of a sudden Jim looks positively modest and subtle. ;)
11/12/2008 at 14:44 Fede says:
Shameless. But we like you nonetheless.
11/12/2008 at 14:48 Bobsy says:
And by coincidence I picked this up today over lunch. IT HAD BETTER BE GOOD, GILLEN.
11/12/2008 at 14:49 Ben Hazell says:
Okay – so what if you’re the sort of person who reads graphic novels, but mainly gets them from Amazon, and has no idea where to actually go buy a real comic book in London, but does want a dose of hot punk girls – what then?
11/12/2008 at 14:53 Owen says:
Kelleron Girlen. Nope, don’t think I’ve heard of him.
11/12/2008 at 14:58 RedRum says:
Picked it up at lunchtime, havent done any work since so must be pretty damn good!
Ben – ‘comic shop london’ typed in google brought many answers to your question, tho I’d hesitate before walking into a Forbidden Planet, horrible places that they are – is that just me?
11/12/2008 at 14:59 Chris Evans says:
I shall have to search in Cardiff for a comic shop, I am sure I have seen one somewhere…
I must say that when reading Cliffski’s blog, and your blog Kieron about Kudos 2 and Phonogram respectively, Jamie’s name kept cropping up in both, but I thought nothing of it until this post :O
11/12/2008 at 14:59 Seniath says:
Why even bother pretending this has something to do with games, you’re not fooling anyone :P
<Oblig shame you on you comment>
11/12/2008 at 15:00 qrter says:
It is kind of weird that that phonogramcomic site doesn’t seem to include any links to an online shop-type situation. Or even links to any realtime shops that stock the thing.
11/12/2008 at 15:06 Dracko says:
Warren Ellis has been raving about it?
Guess I can avoid it, then.
11/12/2008 at 15:10 phuzz says:
Warren Ellis has been raving about it?
It probably has photographs of horrid things then :(
PS, anyone want recommend a decent comic shop in the Bristol area?
11/12/2008 at 15:10 The_B says:
Quick! Someone make a throwaway Piracy/DRM comment! SOON GILLEN WILL BE BIGGER THAN SPORE.
(On a more serious note: Phonogram comes highly reccomended from me, not that I’m an authority figure on anything or anything)
11/12/2008 at 15:16 nabeel says:
i c what u did there
nabeel
11/12/2008 at 15:17 Tom Lawrence says:
@Ben Hazell: In London? Man, you’re screwed. No way will there be a comic shop in that tiny backwater burg…
Ahem.
Erm, more seriously, there are enough comics ships in London that the question “where do you live in London, exactly?” is pertinent.
To pick a London place more or less at random I’ve heard good things about Avalon Comics in Battersea, who also do online ordering.
There’s always Forbidden Planet, too, who have a megastore in London.
11/12/2008 at 15:17 Gap Gen says:
phuzz: There was one at the bottom of Park Street, no idea if it’s good/still open, though…
11/12/2008 at 15:20 Gap Gen says:
EDIT: Oops, I guess not… http://travellingman.wordpress.com/2008/02/18/closure-of-travelling-man-nottingham-bristol/
11/12/2008 at 15:22 John Walker says:
Kieron’s not telling you that Phonogram is riddled with DRM. First of all you have to log in to his blog each time you want to turn a page, and you can only read it three times before it seals closed.
11/12/2008 at 15:25 Lu-Tze says:
Aww man, I used to live next to Travelling Man. Awesome place.
11/12/2008 at 15:28 qrter says:
Oh, mr. Walker. You made me laugh. You are now my favourite!
11/12/2008 at 15:28 Kieron Gillen says:
Central London:
GOSH comics
Forbidden Planet
Orbital Comics
If you’re up in Camden, Mega City Comics is on the road opposite Camden station, just down from the Good Mixer pub. I admit, I’m not very familiar with other ones.
All should have it, or at least be able to get it you if it’s sold out. I know Forbidden Planet ordered more than they would have for most Indie books because some of the staff totally love it.
Bristol:
Forbidden Planet
Area 51
No idea if they have ordered copies, but they’d be able to get them in if you ask. I’d be disappointed if they didn’t order any, because the comic’s set in Bristol.
Dracko: Sarcasm apart, Ellis has done more for actually pointing people towards fine comics than any other major creator I can think of. And that’s not even thinking about stuff he was involved in like Artbomb.
You can order the trade of the first series off Amazon, if you want to plumb our back history. Midtown in the US and Page45 in the UK do a good mail order service.
EDIT: And yeah, Travelling Man Bristol has closed down. Which is a shame, as it was a really good shop. Any other travelling men across the country come highly recommended.
KG
11/12/2008 at 15:31 Meat Circus says:
Ooh, that reminds me. I must pick up a copy of Absolute Sandman vol 4. from Gosh.
11/12/2008 at 15:31 Kieron Gillen says:
Meat: I’ve got a party on tonight for PG1. Details on my blog.
KG
11/12/2008 at 15:33 Gap Gen says:
John: At least you don’t have to sign up to the Kieron Gillen Social Club. Right?
11/12/2008 at 15:40 RedRum says:
Gillen – finished it – loved it. Think I may have lost my job over it – strangely enough my boss didnt believe me when i insisted that it was useful in my job as a programmer – go figure.
Page45 is my local, a lovely, lovely comics shop staffed by lovely, lovely people.
11/12/2008 at 15:43 Meat Circus says:
Re: Gillenblog…
“Error establishing a database connection”
11/12/2008 at 15:44 Kieron Gillen says:
Page45 was where Jamie used to get his comics and can’t speak highly enough of it.
(Thanks. And don’t worry – work isn’t important. Only dancing is important)
KG
11/12/2008 at 15:46 Kieron Gillen says:
Prince Arthur near Euston from seven, basically.
KG
11/12/2008 at 15:49 phuzz says:
Ha! I must have driven past Area 51 yesterday, it’s right next to a friends house, (and not that far from my dealer…).
Once I’ve double checked my finances consider this a purchase.
11/12/2008 at 15:50 SLDeviant says:
Girls Aloud isn’t a real band.
11/12/2008 at 16:00 Ian says:
If you buy a copy is it linked to your brain so that you can’t sell it second hand?
11/12/2008 at 16:08 Acosta says:
Fantastic, now say when us, non-english speaker peasants can expect to see the comic in our markets (Spain in my case), I don’t know how the localization of comics really works, or perhaps I have to wait for an Amazon release and forget about and Spanish version?
11/12/2008 at 16:11 RedRum says:
KG – You havent seen my dancing, I was once described as a cross between the tazmanian Devil and the Energiser Bunny. Although I was ‘feeling fruity’ in quite a hectic D&B night out at the time
11/12/2008 at 16:12 RedRum says:
KG – You havent seen my dancing, I was once described as a cross between the tazmanian Devil and the Energiser Bunny. Although I was ‘feeling fruity’ in quite a hectic D&B night out at the time…
11/12/2008 at 16:14 RedRum says:
Oops, apologies just made a silly boo-boo
11/12/2008 at 16:20 Meat Circus says:
Girls Aloud are real enough for me.
11/12/2008 at 16:21 Tom Lawrence says:
@SLDeviant: Girls Aloud are about the best thing to happen to mainstream UK pop since Britpop. Really it’s all down to Xenomania, but still.
11/12/2008 at 16:31 Pags says:
I once dated a girl who looked like Penny B. Just thought I’d throw that out there.
If I had money I’d be in Euston celebrating the launch of a comic I’m still yet to own, but my coffers are bare. Maybe next time.
11/12/2008 at 16:31 Meat Circus says:
I HEART BRIAN HIGGINS isn’t it.
11/12/2008 at 16:51 SLDeviant says:
@Tom Lawrence: Damning with faint praise.
11/12/2008 at 17:05 Cian says:
May have to wait for the trade on this one, getting hold of issues in Ireland is bad enough let alone Sweden. Anyway to get them delivered?
11/12/2008 at 17:20 Ginger Yellow says:
Ben Hazell: I get most of my comics from Mega City in Camden and Orbital on Charing Cross Road.
11/12/2008 at 18:10 ZenArcade says:
I remember chatting up a really hot comic book girl in a really tiny, low-fi comic book shop in the states once, it was awesome, shame I know fuck all about comics though.
11/12/2008 at 18:55 Noc says:
Must . . . not . . . turn this into an argument about . . . comic book . . . piracy.
11/12/2008 at 19:03 Pags says:
Yeah, I hate comic books about pirates too Noc.
11/12/2008 at 20:15 Heliocentric says:
Comic funnies on paper? Surely not. I have internets.
11/12/2008 at 20:20 solipsistnation says:
@ZenArcade: My local comic shop is staffed mostly by lovely young ladies. I haven’t tried chatting them up since I’m, you know, married, but still.
11/12/2008 at 20:22 user@example.com says:
Ugh. Bristol.
Forbidden Planet’s not too bad, for a Forbidden Planet. It’s better than it was when it was in Broadmead, at least. I went into Area 51 once, after TravMan closed, and I’m still in therapy.
11/12/2008 at 20:33 Andy Johnson says:
I noticed the other day that Kieron’s been interviewed by the site I write for… I don’t think it’s scheduled to go up yet but I’m looking forward to reading it!
11/12/2008 at 22:40 Thiefsie says:
PC Gaming since 1873.
Hmmm
11/12/2008 at 23:12 Alex says:
For shame. For shaaaaaame.
…still buying it, though.
11/12/2008 at 23:36 Larington says:
@ Chris Evans: ‘The Comic Guru’ in Cardiff has moved, as I understand it, the person who owns/rents-out the properties in wyndham arcade got, err, greedy so my friend who runs it has re-established it somewhere in witchurch…
Just checked the website and the address hasn’t been updated so I’ll have to remind him to get onto that.
12/12/2008 at 01:59 mister slim says:
@Gap Gen
“At least you don’t have to sign up to the Kieron Gillen Social Club. Right?”
I thought RPS was the Kieron Gillen Social Club.
12/12/2008 at 02:24 Larington says:
Oh and having scanned through the image a second time, I can’t resist the temptation to write:
“Girls Aloud aren’t a real band.”
Oh yes – I went there.
12/12/2008 at 10:44 Mickiscoole says:
Nice “Long Blondes” reference in the comic.
12/12/2008 at 13:08 Hugo says:
Pathetic.
12/12/2008 at 13:13 Hugo says:
Just FYI, I come here for PC Gaming news, not to have your shitty comic shoved up in my face. Don’t you have a blog for this shit? Fuck off.
12/12/2008 at 13:29 Sum0 says:
Yes, fuck off Kieron! …from your own website! …wait that doesn’t work now, does it
12/12/2008 at 13:29 Dan Lawrence says:
Angry internet man is shouting!
12/12/2008 at 13:30 Dizet Sma says:
Hugo, take a few deep breaths, man. Take a nap or something, keep all that righteous anger for the weekend rampage with your clan, eh?
12/12/2008 at 13:35 Bobsy says:
That’s IT! I’ve had it up to here with all this comuck talk! All day all the time it’s comucks, comucks, comucks! I’m NEVER coming here again! WELL DONE RPS, YOU’VE JUST LOST A NON-PAYING CUSTOMER!
12/12/2008 at 13:58 Jim Rossignol says:
We’ve sacked Kieron for this outrageous breach of RPS protocol, and will be forwarding this case to the High Court Of Indignation in Brussels.
12/12/2008 at 14:11 Kieron Gillen says:
The rozzers will never take me alive.
KG
12/12/2008 at 14:14 Ian says:
I think we should all do as Hugo says.
As the many used-as-a-reply images tell us, THE INTERNET IS SERIOUS BUSINESS.
12/12/2008 at 14:14 ack says:
@Ian:
Bookstore DRM
12/12/2008 at 16:32 Dolphan says:
There were a couple of copies on the shelf of the (fairly small) Forbidden Planet in Aberdeen, where I happened to be, which I thought was somewhat impressive. Now there is one.
12/12/2008 at 17:50 Ginger Yellow says:
Hmm, no copies in Orbital today, so I had to go to the hated FP, where there were a couple. All I can say is, comics heavy on Long Blondes and Pipettes references rule. Keep up the good work.
12/12/2008 at 20:11 Miles says:
This is an excellent thing that that there Kieron has made. I recommend it to everyone who has eyes.
12/12/2008 at 21:02 Sören Höglund says:
Not enough 8-panel grids. After Rue Britannia, I thought you were to 8-panel grids as Alan Moore was to 9-panel grids, but no.
12/12/2008 at 22:23 Kieron Gillen says:
I’ve got 8 8-panel grids in the main story!
(And the 2nd B-side is a modified 8-panel)
KG
13/12/2008 at 12:31 Vanderdecken says:
Oh, Mr Eight Panel Gillen, you make me swoon.
14/12/2008 at 17:02 Christian Otholm says:
I agree with Hugo, Gillen. Damn you for coming to my house, kicking my door down, turning on my computer, stealing all my tea, making tea, going on the net, logging onto RPS.com and forcing me to click and read a brief article about your other work! Daaaamn you.
PS. Tell McKitten: weird, imposing redheaded guy from last year’s NYCC says hi.
15/12/2008 at 01:27 Dolphan says:
The best introduction to Nick Cave ain’t a best of. Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus or possibly the latest one. Fact.
:p