Wizards Keep - Believe in Dreams Botany Bay launch Weekend…

A look at the coming event…

Well at last the time is upon us and we will be officially launching the brand new Wizards Keep – Believe in Dreams outlet at Botany Bay on Saturday the 1st of September 2007.

Both Margaret and myself will be in attendance on both Saturday and Sunday.

I will be signing and sketching for part of the time too.

There will be lots to look at with Wizards Keep products well known to folks now such as:
Signed and numbered limited edition Sketch Books
Signed and numbered limited edition Giclee prints
Posters
Book Marks
Original comic book artwork from Marvel comics and 200AD

Then there are Margaret’s individually handcrafted greetings cards and Faerie Flower arrangements.

There are also lots of Faeries, Elves, Goblins, Dragons, and much, much more, which we have sourced to complement our present quality product range.

So, if you are in the UK and the area, and fancy a fun day out, come along and see for yourself, and say hello to Margaret and Me.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as can make it.

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…

August 29th 2007

New Worlds End graphic novel pages August 2007…

A look at some pages of pencilled artwork…Well a few folks…well, to be honest, lots of you guys have been emailing me and asking how the graphic novel is coming along, so I thought I’d just take a few moments to show a few of the latest pages. I was supposed to put these up about two months ago, but things have just been so busy here at the Keep.

Anyhow, thanks for being so patient…

I am presently over half way with pencilling the book and hope to have the rest finished ASAP.

As you guys know I am on with a job for Markosia and the Hot Wheels comic for Toontastic at the moment. Now once the Markosia work is complete then I’ll be running Hot Wheels alongside “Worlds End”, but fear not I’ll have the graphic novel ready to paint in Photoshop soon.

There are some larger versions of the images you see here over on the main website.

Something else to keep your eyes peeled for the new sections for the Wizards keep website: The Hall of Fame and The Photo Gallery.

Please feel free as always to email me and let me know what you think about the artwork for “Worlds End”.

I look forward to hearing back from you guys soon…

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
August 24th 2007

Godland…

A Review of the collected hardback book from Image…

I have just recently finished reading Godland the Celestial Edition One, and I have to say it’s absolutely Fantastic. It is drawn in the Kirby style and is written and sounds like some thing the “King” and a certain Mr. Stan Lee may have written in the 1960’s.

The word is cosmic and the scope of the stories is epic in proportion. The writer and artist team of Joe Casey and Tom Scioli take us on a whirlwind journey across the timeless cosmos, where we encounter along with the hero, Adam Archer (double letter name – just like the early DC’s and Marvel’s used) new alien races and a psychedelic cacophony of imaginative ideas and concepts.

It took me back to the seventies with Jack Kirby’s New Gods books and the cosmic storytelling of such stalwarts as Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin and the like.

There is more than a passing nod to the works of Kirby, but not just in the form of a pastiche of style, in both writing and artwork, but in using Kirby almost like he himself is the genre. The language used harps back to another time in the past, yet seems more modern in this day and age, because of its freshness amongst the angst ridden plots and characters in much of today’s American comic books.

Like the late Mike Wieringo, John Byrne Joe Madureira and the like of today’s comic book creators and as I have said earlier the seminal works of Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin the word out there is FUN!!!

The pace is just like Jack’s, fast and furious and concepts are thrown into the mix at a frantic pace…just how I like them.

The art is also fun to look at and drawn in a very nice Kirby-esque style. Full of action, great pacing and accompanied by great and bright colouring that enhances rather than detracts from the line art, it really is great to look at.

I, for one, hope to continue to see more of this collaboration between the writer/artist team of Joe Casey and Tom Scioli, respectively and cannot wait for the next collected edition of the Godland series

If there is a small negative for me it’s the fact that once or twice there is a little swearing thrown in, which I don’t think is necessary – the book is worthy of a read without pandering to today’s seeming need to do so. I don’t think Jack would have needed to, and to be honest this story is so good…it doesn’t either.

If you fancy a cracking read and being taken to another place – after all isn’t that what comics are meant to be – Total Escapism? – then do yourself a favour and pick up a copy today.

You’ll be glad you did…

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
August 22nd 2007

Mike Wieringo 1963 - 2007…

Tribute to a Great Artist!

I have just received some really tragic news from friend and colleague Jon Haward, that comic artist, Mike Wieringo has suffered a sudden heart attack and died on Sunday. Mike was only 44 years old, a vegetarian and worked out.

I had been in touch with Mike recently to ask him if he would like to add his name to the list of folks lined up for the “alternative artists” Worlds End Sketch Book which I plan to release following publication of the “Worlds End” graphic novel, and was awaiting a reply. I had really hoped to have a chance to work with this exceptionally talented comic book creator.

I had never met or spoken to Mike in person and only knew him through his marvellous work on Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Superman, Flash, and Tellos. I first became aware of his work in 1993 when I was working in the Defiant offices in midtown Manhattan and saw his work on the Flash, which was being inked at the time by my buddy and inker Bob Downs. I remember seeing the pages for the first time and thinking, wow I love this guy's work.

In the years since I have collected his work, because whatever Mike worked on had what I expect of a good comic book; FUN!!! The stories were always fun as where his depictions of the characters and settings. Ever full of life and hope and the aspirations for a perfect world, I for one will miss his wonderful and beautifully rendered storytelling. The world has lost a great talent yesterday, but I am sure he’ll be joining Jack and the rest of the comic greats for the jam of all jamming sessions in Heaven sometime soon.

I for one was really looking forward to his next Tellos work with his friend and colleague Todd Dezago. Sadly now this will never happen. I can only imagine what Mike’s family, and Mark Waid and Todd Dezago are going through at this moment in time. It’s a strange thing but you feel you know the artists and writers as you read their work over the years. They become a part of one’s life and yet although you may never have actually met them, it is no less sad when you hear of their passing.

My thought’s go out to all Mike’s family and friends at this very sad time.

There are two posts on the Newsarama website, which can be found here:

Newsarama Post: http://www.newsarama.com/Chicago_07/Ringo.html

Mark Waid, Todd Dezago, and Karl Kesel pay tribute to their colleague and friend here: http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=125150

For those who may never have seen his work, please check it out on the Mike Wieringo Website and Blog, which can be found here: www.mikewieringo.com

I used to enjoy seeing what Mike had sketched and put up there. That’s the trouble; sometimes we act as though we are all immortal. In Mike’s case his work will give him that privilege.

For now I’ll leave you with some of my favourite images drawn by Mike…

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
August 13th 2007

Ultimate Galactus Trilogy…

A way around continuity issues…?!

Much as been written in recent years concerning the self-imposed continuity issues surrounding the myriad storylines, created by its many collaborative teams of artists and writers over the years.

I have just finished reading the Ultimate Galactus Trilogy and I think this is certainly a better way forward for Marvel’s comics stories to be written, avoiding such issues.

I have never understood this constant going back to their roots avenues or re-writing origins and the beginnings of a character or characters, which in so doing often alienate the original readers.

Okay I haven’t kept up date with the American comics scene over the past five or so years, like I used to do, aside from reading Comics International and similar publications, reading stuff on the Internet and buying the odd comics here and there, preferring as it were to buy collected Masterworks, original Graphic Novels, Art Books, and things like Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus series and collected trade paper backs and hard cover editions from Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse and the like, but it’s not like I haven’t seen any comics at all during this period.

A lot of my work was outside of comics since 1999 and as such I didn’t find myself frequenting comics shops as much as I used to. The work I am now seeing coming out has somehow gained my interest again, but in a big way.

Okay back to the reason for this Blog.

I won’t spend too much time looking at and describing what goes on in the book, after all some of you reading this may not yet have seen the original comic books and have yet to pick up this collection, but I will say this…

The ideas behind the story and its characters are something, which could have alleviated any continuity problems, if they had been employed long ago. Okay the characters aren’t the same ones created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, exactly, but they are if you look at it from the perspective of being in an alternate dimension or some such…A kind of “What if” scenario. In these stories the characters we all know are more gritty, violent and in your face. If these kinds of stories are contained within the “Ultimates” books and books of a similar design, then the original Marvel comics can happily go about their daily business of storytelling, without having to appear all dark, grim, gritty and depressing, not that the Galactus story is in anyway depressing.

Maybe this is why I have taken to reading comic books, as well as the collections and odd trades, again, because some of the stories from the new Marvel and DC, etc, comics are once more fun to read, whilst the new Ultimates type storylines give the alternative stories an opportunity to be told, without the constraints imposed by existing continuity and also without affecting sales to younger kids.

Galactus is a great story with great art and is totally different because it remains in the alternative Ultimates Marvel universe. The characters, because the old continuity doesn’t exist (exactly) means that you can look at the story and characters through fresh eyes, much like being a kid again and seeing things for the first time. Well-done Marvel for doing something to write fresh stories, whilst keeping the integrity of what has gone before.

The story is a re-invention of the Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer, Galactus trilogy of the sixties. The threat from the alien god-like, menace is no less foreboding or exciting than the original, it’s just different. Nick Fury of Agent of Shield fame here is a Samuel L Jackson look-alike, who has a mean get-the-job-done and shoot ’em if you have to attitude. The FF are there and are somewhat like the originals but with a little harder edge to their demeanour. The Avengers, here called the Ultimates, are there as well and consist of a line up Captain America, Sam Wilson - The Falcon, Iron Man, Thor (no longer speaking with a medieval dialect), The Black Widow with Nick Fury at the helm. The X-Men are there and are the nearest to what folks know best as the actual original concepts, in my mind. The Silver Surfer is there too and bears more than a passing similarity to the latest film outing in the FF 2 movie, in this version. Then there is Galactus and here is the biggest change…but then that would be telling…and I said I wouldn’t.

An excellent read that had me hooked to the end. Kudos to the creative teams that worked on the original series!!!

Excellent cover choice! The design and packaging is great too. It looks like an over-sized Masterworks book and is very well put together, plus it looks great on the bookshelves!

If you haven’t read it then I can recommend you go out and treat yourselves to a copy or buy one from the web. Forbidden Planet’s website has some great offers on, especially when the books first come out…so go on and take a look.

I think you’ll be glad you did…

I’m presently reading Godland – Celestial Edition One, which arrived today and will give you my thoughts later…my initial reaction is…”Wow this looks like Fun!!! It is after all a Kirbyesque pastiche and looks to be excellently done too. I’ll read this and should be finished in time to start reading my next volume of Jack’ Fourth World series when it arrives…can’t wait…

Oh well back to Hot Wheels…

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
August 6th 2007

Latest Additions to the Wizards Keep Website…

A look at the latest sections…

Hi Guys,

I have been asked for a while now, when I would be putting up examples of both privately and commercially commissioned work.

Well I can now announce that there are two new Galleries added to the website, with a link in the Private and Commercial Commissions pages respectively, which you can find under the Shop pages on the left hand column of the website pages.

The two new sections been added as part of this year's schedule.

The sections are:

• Private Commissions Gallery
• Commercial Commissions Gallery

Simply scroll down to the bottom of the Commissions pages and click on the gallery links and you will be taken to the relevant pages.

A lot of people have requested to see commissioned work over the past couple of years, hence putting some on display at last.

The website is growing nicely and the next sections to be added very soon will be the Hall of Fame and Photo Gallery sections, which again folks have waited patiently for.

I will be adding more commissioned work as time goes on and I have tried to include as large an indicative selection as possible to show the breadth and width of commissionable work.

I look forward to hearing back from you with your comments as always. Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
August 1st 2007