Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Happy New Year Folks

Thanks for your continued support

Hi Folks,

Well, it’s that time of year once again and so without further ado and because a picture paints a thousand words I’ll leave this year behind with a picture, drawn by me and painted by Malta’s own, Stefan Agius and to say I’m now back working hard on Worlds End – Volume 2 – A Hard Reign’s Gonna Fall with my new Colour Flats Assistant Wizard, Gabriella Golden – look for NEW artwork at last very soon.

This little illustration of our heroes on the rock out amongst the seas of Gaeyrth will be available on the Websites early in January 2015.


Until next time, have fun!

Tim Perkins…
December 31st 2014

Thursday, November 27, 2014

MaltaComicCon 2014

Best Convention on the Planet

Hi Folks,

Well, by the time you read this little promotional missive I shall be en route to the best convention known to mankind – MALTACOMICCON in the capital city of Valletta on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Malta.

Over the past six years I have been invited out a total of seven times by some of the most wonderful people you could ever hope to meet. I feel extremely humbled and honoured to be in this very privileged position. I now look on the organisers as great friends whom I visit every year on the run up to Christmas.

Truth told, my continued involvement with the guys this year, with the passing of my Mum has given me the impetus to carry on and get back into working again – indeed it gave me back my deadlines. Although I am still a few days off completing the final pencils, something I had hoped to pull back in time for the convention, I have, however completed all the layouts onto the Bristol board and will be showing those as stats along with the completed pencils for the pages thus far. To all intents and purposes the second book’s storytelling (the most important thing for me) is complete at long last. I just wish Mum was here to share that with me.

I am looking forward to showcasing and launching 2 NEW products, which will go on general release upon my return to the UK.

The first is my second Sketchbook: “12 – The Witching Hour”


 The second is as yet a TOP SECRET, other than the Teaser Art below:


 I am excited, as always and cannot wait to meet everyone there.

The Venue has to be seen to be believed; a medieval fortress with walls so thick you could not span it with arms outstretched. Little wonder, Malta has never been successfully invaded and conquered.

With this year’s events, I was remiss in publishing the Blogs from my notes I created upon my return from last year’s event. They remain languishing in limbo, but at some point it would be nice to write them up properly. I will however be Blogging about this year’s event, again upon my return.

In the meantime, watch out Twitter Fans for my Tweets – @TimPWizardsKeep – that is, if I can find the time during the convention. There is so much for folks to see and do there, it’s finding the time to fit it all in.

Oh, well, I’m off now, but look forward to telling of my exploits on the island this time around, real soon…  

Until next time, have fun!

Tim Perkins…
November 27th 2014

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Worlds End now available at the following stores


New stockists
Hi Folks,

Great news as we announce that the following retail outlets have begun to stock our products. If you live in the North West of England you can now purchase the Worlds End graphic novels from the following stores:

Travelling Man - Leeds
32 Central Road, LS1 6DE
Tel: 0113 243 6461
Opening Hours:
Mon - Fri: 10am - 6pm
Sat: 10am - 5:30pm
Sun: 11am - 5pm

Travelling Man - Manchester
4 Dale Street, M1 1JW
Tel: 0161 237 1877
Opening Hours:
Mon - Sat: 10am - 6pm
Sun: 11am - 4:30pm

Travelling Man - Newcastle
43 Grainger Street, NE1 5JE
Tel: 0191 261 4993
Opening Hours:
Mon - Sat: 10am - 6pm
Sun: 11am - 4:30pm

Travelling Man - York
54 Goodramgate
YO1 7LF
Tel: 01904 628 787
Opening Hours:
Mon - Sat: 10am - 6pm
Sun: 11am - 5pm

OK Comics
19, Thornton’s Arcade
Briggate
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS1 6LQ
Tel: 0113 246 9366
Opening Hours
Mon - Sat: 9am - 6pm
Sun: 11am - 4pm

The Batcave
3-5 Lower Cockcroft
Northgate
Blackburn
Lancashire
BB2 1JD
Tel: 01254 667488
Opening Hours
Mon - Sat: 10:30am - 5:30pm

 
 One of the best things about all these shops – and there are lots of very positive things to say about each of them – is that as well as stocking the bigger publishers like Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and the like, they also support smaller publishers such as ourselves here at Wizards Keep Publishing.

I have been buying from these guys now for a good number of years and can’t tell you how excited we are to get this support.

Please drop in at any of the above stores whilst you are next out shopping in the area. All of them have excellent stock for all ages, are pleasant and easy to look around, and are run by knowledgeable and friendly staff.

And whilst you browse there, please remember to ask to look at our Worlds End books and if you like them, please make a discerning purchase for yourselves and/or for members of your family that like to read an exciting and interesting, visually stunning story… oh, and don’t forget to tell them who sent you.

Thanks in advance for your continued support guys and…

Until next time, have fun!

Tim Perkins…
September 16th 2014

Thursday, August 28, 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the KING


Jack Kirby – My yearly celebration of the man and his art

Hi Folks, 

Well it’s that time of year once again and time for me to remember the man whose artwork, writing and storytelling were responsible for my career decision to become a comic book creator when I was still an eight-year old boy.

As they say, a picture paints a thousand words, so I will simply say – if you can get hold of a copy of the magnificent tome – The Artist’s Edition of Jack Kirby’s New Gods do yourselves a massive favour and do so. The artwork is as close as you can get to the original artwork with all the paste-ups and white outs, notes and some production wear and tear. A truly beautiful book produced by IDW.

In the meantime, whilst you await its arrival, feast your eyes on some more Jack’s magic.

I hope you gaze at it with the same sense of wonder that I did as a young boy and do as a much older boy even today.

Click on each image to see a larger version, as always. 










  
Until next time, have fun!

Tim Perkins…
August 28th 2014

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Worlds End 11oz Ceramic Mugs


A look at our NEW Merchandise

Hi Folks,

I’m pleased to announce today that, at long last, we have launched the full range of new Worlds End 11oz Ceramic Mugs.

So without further ado… you can check out the full range of artwork available here in the Wizards keep News Pages

The full range of six Worlds End Series 01 Mugs are available now to purchase from the Wizards Keep & Worlds End Shops!

They are just the job for enjoying your favourite brew whilst reading Worlds End any time of day, any time of year.

Until next time, have fun!

Tim Perkins…
August18th 2014

Sunday, July 06, 2014

Gabriella Golden


Tim’s NEW Colour Flats Assistant

Hi Folks,

With a much-needed bounce back to life in general here is a Blog I have been proudly waiting to post for some time.

Here on display is the first of the pages to be colour flatted by my new assistant, Gabriella Golden, the latest addition to the Wizards Keep Publishing roster.

Evidence that if one believes in one’s dreams enough they will be made manifest.

We hope you enjoy checking out this first piece of colour flatting from, Gaby, as much as we do here in the studio.

And now, without further ado...


Artwork: Pencils Tim Perkins - Colour Flats Gabriella Golden

Please let us know what you think.

I know that Gaby would love to hear back from you all.

Until next time, have fun!

Tim Perkins…
July 6th 2014

Saturday, May 10, 2014

My Mum, Grace


27th March 2014

 
Hi Folks,

Many of you are probably wondering why things have been so quiet of late on the websites, forums, social networks and here on the Blog. A few of you already know the reasons and to you I offer my heartfelt thanks for keeping this to yourselves, as requested.

The date above will stay forever etched on my heart, as it was the day my wonderful Mum, Grace, passed away. I still cannot believe the words even now as I write them down for all to see. Sadly Mum succumbed to Pneumonia, whilst trying to recover from her two major operations and at 80 years old this proved too much, even for her.

I am so proud of how she was in hospital, which being in for so long must have been both frightening and heartbreaking too, as she was never away from Dad, except for the short periods of time when they had visited hospital for operations in the past.

I am also so proud of my Dad, who despite being heartbroken has conducted himself like the true gentleman he is. My family too have also done my Mum proud, as they say, in the way they have also been throughout this sad time.

I think a lot of my determination and drive is due to that, which belonged to my Mum. She was a strong, proud and elegant lady, but most of all she was a loving Mother.

Thanks to those of you that knew about this and have made or sent long and incredibly supportive phone calls, emails, text messages and direct messages via social networks. These and all the support of Dad and family and friends have helped me to try to come to terms with all the recent events.

I still turn and reach for the phone on occasion to give Mum a quick call and when I realise I can’t I say a few words in my studio. I see Dad almost every day still and I guess at best we can say we are all coping.

Mum wouldn’t want me to dwell on the sadness though and I can hear her saying, “Come on, love you need to get your work done.”

If it hadn’t been for her I may never have completed my education or followed my Dreams, because like my Dad she always believed in me and even whilst in hospital she was aware I wasn’t producing much, if any work, because I was visiting daily.

I made Mum a promise the morning of her passing, as we left the hospital side ward where she lay. I promised I would get the second book out now as soon as possible. It’s been so hard of late – unfortunately I still haven’t managed to sit at the drawing board, except to literally sit there, listening to my music, along with my little dog, Bentley.

With positive thoughts and vibes now re-entering my life I plan on settling down to the task in hand and honouring my promise to my Mum.

Thanks to everyone for your patience, especially the guys at Area 51, the organisers of the SciFi Weekender. I will definitely take up your offer of a guest spot next year again, especially in light of the wonderfully human response you gave to me at first when I didn’t want to tempt fate and gave back word on the morning of 27th. Followed by the messages of condolence after you received the sad news later in the day.

It’s certainly at times like these that you see the true human spirit in action.

And so, like so many times in the past when I have written about the passing of creative people I have admired, I would like to end this little Blog by saying:

Farewell, Mum, I love you more than even you knew. I miss you, but feel your presence around me even now. You have always been one of my biggest heroes and my champion. The photos at the fantasy art exhibition in 2001 and my book launch in 2011 told me as much, if I hadn’t already known.

Godspeed and I’ll continue to look after my Dad, and Brother, Chris, as well as all the rest of the family.

XXX    

Until next time, have fun!

Tim Perkins…
May 10th 2014

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Sci-Fi Weekender


Convention Guest


Hi Folks,

It’s been a while since I Blogged, due to my Mum having two major operations in early February. Work has also been slow on the second book due to travelling backwards and forwards the 60 plus mile journey to the hospital every day since.

I am happy to say that although Mum still has a lot of recovery time ahead of her, she is doing remarkably well.

Today I would like to officially announce, albeit a month or more late, that I will again be attending Sci-Fi Weekender – the convention in North Wales, which I attended as a guest last year. I was asked along as a guest by Matt Lemon a while ago, but with all that has been happening of late had only previously managed to add this fact to the Worlds End website Gatherings & Events page.

Also going along for the event will be Dez Skinn, Glenn Fabry, Simon Bisley, Will Simpson, Pat Mills, amongst a whole plethora of other Sci-Fi writers, actors and associated Sci-Fi guests.

If last year’s event was anything to go by then I am excited as heck to be going along once more as an official guest. I am certainly looking forward to seeing everyone in costume, all the showmanship of the event and as many folks as possible dropping by the stand to say hi.

I’ll be taking along the usual Worlds End Fare, Graphic Novels, Ashcans, Colouring & Storybooks, and other merchandise, etc – as well as the full line up of Worlds End themed Mugs.

I’ll also be sketching and displaying the latest pages from Worlds End Volume 2.

I look forward to seeing some of you guys real soon.


Lined up for the future are Blogs on last year’s Thought Bubble and Malta Comic Conventions and one to mark the official launching of the full line up of Worlds End Mugs on the website, as well as a review of Sci-Fi Weekender too.

Until next time, have fun!

Tim Perkins…
March 18th 2014

Thursday, February 06, 2014

Jack Kirby


The “KING” of Comics

Hi Folks,

It’s twenty years today that I received the phone call at the Defiant Offices asking if I could let Jim and the gang know that he had just received news that Jack Kirby had just passed away.

That phrase had such a deep impact on me at that moment in time that it felt as though I had lost someone I knew really well. I had never met the man himself and had hoped that during my time working in the USA I would get the chance to meet him.

He had been due to come to one of the UKCAC comic conventions in the early nineties, but due to ill health had to give back word. So I figured my time in New York may enable me to say thanks finally in person for his influencing my career choice with his wonderful work.

It wasn’t to be and telling Janet and Joe and the other folks in the offices on that fateful Sunday afternoon was not nice to do at all.

The office went into shutdown mode – our muse had gone.

Having bought “The Art of Jack Kirby” book by Bill Wyman, during my first big stint in New York and seeing some of his artwork for sale in the comic shops for around $45 to $95 per page I had figured on buying at least one page to take back home with to hang framed in my studio upon my eventual return home to England.

The day following his passing the same pages where on sale for a minimum $2,500 – so now even his original artwork was out of reach.

There isn’t a single day when some aspect of his writing and art doesn’t touch someone on this planet – his work is certainly still studied on an almost daily basis here in my studio.

I find it really sad that Marvel Comics have never sought to set things right with their multi-billion dollar empire with Jack, in the first instance when he was alive and since then with his family following his death. But the myth of Jack being just another artist hired purely to draw the ideas of Stan Lee continue to perpetuate throughout the world’s perception of this misinformed myth. Even Stan Lee in his interviews still adheres to this made up myth. It would seem that contracts signed offering millions of dollars to continue the lies can overcome someone’s need to admit that Jack played a far bigger part in the turnaround of Marvel Comics.

Stan was and continues to be a great front man and his flowery, melodramatic, over-the-top dialogue helped to entrench Marvel’s position in the grand scheme of things, but he didn’t invent it all.

Thankfully the boycott of Marvel’s products, including their films and the boycotting of work from them is a true endorsement of this awful miscarriage of justice – albeit in a small way.

I had hoped that somewhere in the midst of the ensuing 20 years since his death, Marvel would have done something unprecedented in their history as a publisher, especially as they are now owned by that “wonderful, family oriented” company Disney. 

Yet, here we are celebrating the single most important visionary of the 20th Century to work in comic books and his sad passing back in 1994 without the “right” thing having been done.

It would be great to think that finally sometime during the next 20 years someone, with a conscience would initiate doing something to make all creators of comics on this planet proud of, but somehow I doubt that corporate suits within the Disney/Marvel empire are even capable of recognising that what they continue to perpetrate is wrong.

So, with that in mind, I would ask everyone reading today’s Blog to raise a glass high to the sky, To Jack!

Thanks for showing us the endless possibilities of your imagination!!!

I'll leave you this time, folks with a photo of Jack and some of his wonderfully inspiring artwork...










 
Until next time, have fun!

Tim Perkins…
February 6th 2014

Friday, January 31, 2014

Worlds End Competition


Winner Announcement

Hi Folks,

First of all, let me extend a belated Happy New Year.

And now…


Below: Winning Entry Artwork Coloured by Stefan Agius


Until next time, have fun!

Tim Perkins…
January 31st 2014