COUNTDOWN TO AA2014

In just a shade under two weeks I’ll be heading north to attend the premiere (and to be honest, only) UK Transformers convention, Auto Assembly (over the weekend of August 8th-10th). This event just keeps getting bigger and better, and this year’s Transformers 30th Anniversary bash looks to the biggest and best yet.

I’ll be there, as will a host of other Transformers luminaries — voice actors, writers, artists — including fellow Regeneration One-ers Andrew Wildman, Stephen Baskerville, John Paul Bove and Jason Cardy. So what’s happening over the weekend? Well…

The Regeneration One panel: on the Saturday, myself and the aforementioned Regen One-ers will be post-morteming the series now it’s all done and dusted, forensically examining every high and low, giving our final coroner’s verdict on the 20+ issues, and of course answering your burning questions.

The Urban Species signing: on the Sunday, I’ll be doing a special signing at the Urban Species table, where they’ll be launching their Simon Furman Signature range of Transformers T-shirts. Come by and get your SFS T-shirt (see below), which are being offered for sale re-signed by me, exclusively for AA.

TF Regeneration One #100 script & comic packs: on sale at my own table, over the whole weekend, these will be the most covetable script/comic packs of all. Having sold out at London Film and Comicon, I expect these to go quickly. If you want to pre-reserve one or more (at £20 each) before the event, reply to this post and I’ll set one aside. These are only for collection at the event. Sorry.

And of course I’ll be bringing a whole of bunch of other comics, TPBs and scripts for sale at my table, where you’ll find me camped out for the majority of the weekend. Look forward to seeing you there! For more details, check out the Auto Assembly website here.

SCREAM… AND SCREAM AGAIN!

Waaaay back in 1984 I was first dipping my toe in the mighty pond that is the comics biz as assistant editor on Scream!, the tragically short-lived ‘creepy’ comic published by IPC Magazines. Among the amazing strips Scream! showcased was The Thirteenth Floor, written by John Wagner and Alan Grant (under the pen name Ian Holland) and drawn by Spanish artist Jose Ortiz. Featuring Max the computer, an A.I. that creates a virtual 13th floor in the Tower Block it oversees in order to punish wrongdoers, The Thirteenth Floor ran in all 15 issues of Scream! and then transferred to Eagle, another title published by IPC at the time. Well now, Scream! has stirred from its resting place, in the shape of a second collection of the The Thirteenth Floor from Hibernia Press. This quality collected edition is a true labour of love, and — other than the great and now hugely rare strips collected within — features an all-new introduction by yours truly. All Hibernia titles can be ordered through their online shop here. I urge you to check it out.