Transformers the live action movie…

Robots in Disguise – A Review of the movie…

Having worked on the Transformers comics for Marvel way back in the middle eighties I thought I would revisit the characters by writing this review of the movie, something folks have been talking about since the first animated movie came out.Well I have just been to see the new Transformers movie and have to say the film is absolutely AWESOME and then some!!!

Kudos to Michael Bay and everyone that worked on the project and I mean everyone!!!The age of those in the theatre was around the late teens early to mid twenties, which means these guys and gals were there in the beginning with the toys and the animated cartoons and the comics.

It took me back to the thrills I had in my twenties myself, when I was lucky enough to cut my teeth on the comics industry by working on the Transformers comics.

Words won’t do the movie justice…All I will say is do yourselves a really big favour and go along to the nearest venue and see it for yourself…you will certainly see “More than meets the eye!”…

I won’t spoil the script by describing it, but will say that the scriptwriters did it absolutely right.

You will believe the robots are real…

I think this is the best of the films I have seen to date this year!!!

For anyone interested, there is some information and examples of the Transformers comic pages I worked on for Marvel at the Wizards Keep website.

These can be found here:

http://www.wizards-keep.com/index.asp?PageKind=CaseStudy&RefID=34644717&PageNumber=1
Again for anyone interested there is also a Transformers website www.seibertron.com, which has an interview with me which you can access through the Wizards Keep website or here by clicking on this link:

http://www.seibertron.com/people/interviews/view.php?interview_id=24

Well that’s enough “having-a-life” downtime for a while and it’s back to the drawing board and computer for me.

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
July 31st 2007

New Wizards Keep Retail Outlet at Botany Bay…

Wizards Keep – Believe in Dreams Joint UK venture announced…

I have recently signed a new deal for Wizards Keep with Botany Bay, here in the North West of the UK. This new retail venture finds me working with my wife Margaret for the first time. In the new outlet you will find all the regular Wizards Keep products plus some original artwork alongside new products produced by Margaret and also some products, which have been brought on board for this venture only.

Margaret’s new originated products are amazing and something I have never seen her do before.

The other third party products are in keeping with both the quality and also the feel of what is currently coming out of Wizards Keep Limited.

“Believe in Dreams” is a subsidiary of Wizards Keep Limited and is being used as a means to differentiate between Wizards Keep Limited originated products, which stem from my imagination and those originated by my wife Margaret and those of the third parties, which are bought in from outside wholesale sources.

These new product ranges will complement products currently produced by Wizards Keep perfectly.

I will be doing a signing over the opening weekend, more of which I will announce over the next couple of weeks or so.

So if you are in the UK and in the area, please come along and say hi…

I will be making a bigger announcement like I say over the next couple of weeks here and on the Wizards Keep website.

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
July 27th 2007

New Mattel Hot Wheels Comic published by Toontastic…

New comic work from Toontastic Publishing…

I have just signed on to produce full colour artwork for Toontastic’s new Hot Wheels comic book here in the UK.

This is the first regular comic work that I have accepted in a good few years.

I received an email from Editor-in-Chief, James Hill on Thursday the 21st of June asking if I would be interested in producing some full colour comic art for them again. It’s a few years now since my last work for them, but James is great to work with and I have accepted the commission.

The writer on the comic is: Ex-Marvel UK editor and writer, Ian Rimmer.

Ian gave me my first actual commission from Marvel UK back in the eighties.

So along with James, who was one of the first writers on Transformers back then, this brings part of the original Transformers team from the Marvel UK days back together again for the first time since the eighties…something I am really looking forward to being a part of.

It won’t affect my “Worlds End” output, and will in fact be beneficial to my production schedule on the graphic novel, as it keeps things fresh.

I am due to start work on the comic next week sometime.

I will be picking up the full art chores from issue #39 (Toontastic’s fifth issue, following on from Egmont’s run on the comic). My first issue goes on sale from around the end of September, here in the UK.

Although I have accepted a couple of outsourced commissions recently Wizards Keep is not going to be affected in any way and all the schedules are still on track.

Something as an aside: I have spoken to Harry Markos at Markosia this week, after sending off the latest pages and he has agreed to show some of the pages of the comic I am working on for them as a teaser, so look for these over the next few weeks on display here and on the Wizards Keep website.

I am still on with the pencilling of the Markosia comic and will run this alongside the Hot Wheels comic until it is completed and then it’s full steam ahead with the “Worlds End” graphic novel again, which I will then run alongside the Hot Wheels comic.

Ideally I would love to have the completed pencils for the graphic novel ready for Christmas and then I can concentrate on the paint job in Photoshop, so we can go to print ASAP in 2008…I’ll keep you posted!

I am looking forward to starting work on the new Hot Wheels comic and hope you guys like the stuff when we go to print.

Feel free to contact me and let me know what you think…

Wow it’s like the good old days this…

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
July 19th 2007

Time Out…

Well deserved break taken after two years + solid working…

Margaret and I have just returned from our holiday in Majorca, to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary. Wow where did all the time go and I’m not speaking about the holiday.

It’s amazing really it doesn’t seem two minutes since we first met, or got married, or had the children, (now no longer children), or I got into the comic business for the first time, or - I could go on…

It’s over two years now since I started up Wizards Keep Limited and that too has gone by so fast. I think that’s why both Margaret and I needed the break. This was the first holiday ever that we didn’t have Simon and/or Joanne with us since our Honeymoon.

I had never been to Majorca before, although Margaret had before we became an item in 1979. The break was as it says in the header a well-deserved break for us both. The nearest I came to working was reading my new Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus book occasionally.

I thought we would share some holiday photos of our time in Majorca with everyone so here we go…

Alcudia Beach - Day 1

Palms on Alcudia Beach

View across the bay

Yachts

Lots of space to lounge about on the beach

The Restaurante Tamarindo - where the Kebabs are nearly two feet long

The happy couple - Margaret and Tim

Me leaning on a Palm Tree - Day 1

Margaret doing her best Ursula Andress Bond scene

Cool Glasses, eh?

Last Evening on the beach - T-Minus 6 hours and counting until we leave

Margaret takes it easy

Tex-Mex in the Port area - Great steaks - A breeze has caught my shirt here, honest

The Pub London - My favourite haunt - Karaoke - Jimmy's Place

Jimmy Fixit - The DJ/MC - "Brilliant" and me. Jimmy kept us entertained all week

Meatloaf hits the stage

Meatloaf still on stage

Bat Out Of Hell - Middle Eight Section

Well we’re back now and it’s back to the drawing board and computers for me, and boy does it look like I’ll be paying for the break for a while too.

My workload looks a little like this at the moment:

• Finish the Markosia Project
• Start a series of Bookmarks for the guys that produce my Lithographic Printing
• Start back on with the “Worlds End” graphic novel
• Sort out the printing of some POS and leaflet graphics for a couple of retailers that have agreed to start stocking Wizards Keep products
• Sort out the printing of some POS and leaflet graphics for the new Wizards Keep – Believe in Dreams joint retail project with my wife, Margaret
• Launch the Hall of Fame section on the Wizards Keep website
• Launch the Photo Gallery section on the Wizards Keep website
• Finish off the Turnarounds for the sculptors to produce the masters so we can go into production with the Figurines range – There will be a new WIP section on the Wizards Keep website to view the production of these.
• Make sure folks are keeping up to date with the News section on the website
• Keep writing my Blogs
• Finish up the 2006-2007 Fantasy Art Unlimited course, which started later than usual last year, due to a number of unforeseen factors
• Start the 2007-2008 Fantasy Art Unlimited course ASAP
• Organise some meetings with artists, sculptors, painters, actors, dancers, theatre groups, singers, musicians, etc, around the Northwest of England to set up a conference for all the local schools to come along and speak to these creative folk with a view to hiring them as visiting arts professionals, which will go towards any of the Arts Entitlement, Artsmark and The Arts Award schemes
• Then there’s the day-to-day running of the business, emails, telephone calls, faxes – yes they still exist - and meetings.
• Oh yes and an upcoming project for another UK comics company, my first regular, on-going comics work in a good number of years, more of which I will announce in a new Blog over the next few days or so…

So as you can see my schedule at the moment is a little sparse and in need of filling, but I’m sure that I can find something to do…

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
July 9th 2007

Thrud The Barbarian by Carl Critchlow…

A Review of the comic book series.

I have known Carl for a great many years and known his work even longer.

I was there when Thrud first appeared in black and white in White dwarf magazine for Games Workshops then fledgling in-house gaming magazine – White Dwarf and found its humour very appealing.

It was therefore no surprise to me and indeed I greeted the news with great anticipation when I first heard Carl was going to be self-publishing a full colour comic version of his masterful creation.

If you haven’t seen it yet, please go out and buy a copy (details below), because you are missing a brilliant piece of work.

This latest comic issue #5 “Bungle in the Jungle is, as usual, a great rib tickler, full of nice touches with heroic fantasy pastiche in-jokes and puns galore. I love looking around the backgrounds to see the names of the Inns, characters and places and such like.

Just look at a couple of my favourites from throughout the earlier issues: To-Me Ku-Pa the Sorcerer and The Black Currant a death dealer pastiche. With names like these you know there’s fun afoot here.

I could tell you about scenes that will have you in stitches, but then that would spoil the fun of reading them and seeing them for the first time.

I don’t want to spoil this latest issue for folks that haven’t yet seen the insides either, but just one little taster hopefully won’t hurt and it is where we see the mighty sun god Hotlwotlbotl. It takes me longer to read this than other comic books, because there’s lots of hidden gems in there and also it just has me crying sometimes when the unexpected is slipped in.
In this episode we see Thrud, who usually starts a fight over a spilt pint, actually waxing lyrical and sounding more like a public school boy then a barbarian.

And now for a gratuitous plug for my good mate Carl:

Go on do yourself a favour and buy a copy now!!!

It’s really easy to do, just follow the instructions below…

Send a cheque or postal order for £2.60 (including P&P) made payable to Carl Critchlow to:

THRUD THE BARBARIAN
PO BOX 371
SOUTHPORT
PR8 6YE

Retailers and Non-UK enquiries please email Carl at:

info@thrudthebarbarian.com

By the way there's also a link on the Wizards Keep website to Carl's website and his Thrud website too.

Now then Carl about the money for this plug, did we say we would waver it if I got an appearance in the next issue?

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
June 29th 2007

Lancaster Comics Convention…

The Second Annual Showcase of Northwest Comics Creators…

Saturday November 17th – Sunday November 18th 2007

I thought I would just add a quick plug for this years upcoming comics convention in Lancaster.

Wizards Keep will again be in attendance and will be selling products from the stand and also I’ll have some artwork on display from the “Worlds End” graphic novel. Hopefully there’ll be some other stuff on display to view and to buy as well.

I’ll post more here and on the Wizards Keep website as soon as there’s more to add here. There will also be a new Photo Gallery on the Wizards Keep website so you will be able to check out some photos from last year amongst other photos of my exploits over the years in comics, as a concept artist and more besides. This new section will accompany the new Hall of Fame section, which will be going live quite soon and is my chance to show folks the work of the folks that have influenced me.

Last year’s event in Lancaster was excellent and we really enjoyed it and did well, which was nice. The event has grown from the one-day event of 2006 to the weekend event now scheduled to happen in November. It is an intimate event with visitors able to chat easily with the guests and exhibitors.

The site for the event is in a beautiful location and had a great deal of visitors last time around, so we are really looking forward to attending again.

If you are at all interested in visiting the Lancaster Comics Convention please visit www.lancastercomics.com - The website dedicated to the 2nd annual Lancaster comics convention. Included on the website are a list of links to the websites of guests, exhibitors and the Memorial site itself, which includes a map and directions how to get there, amongst other relevant information pertaining to the convention.

After the success of last year’s one-day event, the organisers have decided to devote an entire weekend to bringing small press and independent comics to the Northwest. The Convention will take place over the weekend of the 17th and 18th of November 2007 and once again will be held inside the stately surroundings of the Ashton Memorial, Williamson Park in Lancaster.

In addition to the main convention weekend there are a few new ideas being introduced to build on last year’s success, which the organisers are inviting folks to contribute to. First off, they’re planning to produce an anthology of comics, strips, cartoons and features to showcase the fine work that's being created in the small press at the moment. Then, there’s going to be an exhibition of comic art in the Williamson Art Gallery situated on the top floor of the Memorial building, which will run from the 13th of October until the last day of the convention on the 18th of November 2007.

So, in addition to the comics, exhibitors, guests and the events that’ll happen over the course of the main convention weekend, the organisers hope that the added elements of the exhibition and anthology will once again showcase the small press, as well as continuing to open up the market for sales up here in the Northwest.

I would advise folks to keep checking the website for more details, which will follow over the coming weeks regarding table prices for the weekend, how to contribute to the Lancaster Comics anthology and the art exhibition etc, but if you can’t wait, or if you have any other enquiry, don’t hesitate to contact convention organiser Ant Mercer at antmercer@hotmail.com.

Now it’s back to the drawing board for me, so…

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
June 28th 2007

Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus Volume 1…

A Review of the first book in the series…


Well my copy of the book came this last week along with The Ultimate Galactus hard cover TPB – a review of which will follow in a later Blog, and I have to say it was like being eleven all over again.

The book isn’t as big as I thought from pre-sales advertising billing it as an oversized coffee table format book. It’s only around as big as a regular Masterworks type book…but worth every penny.

DC have made a great move to ensure the colour integrity is as Jack’s work first appeared back in the seventies on his Forth World books. The paper stock chosen is similar to the one used back then in the regular comic books. This is a change from the regular graphic novel/trade paperback/hardback versions generally on sale nowadays. The paper is one, which absorbs lots of ink and as a result the colours aren’t as strong or garish (to quote some folks) on the page.

The book contains the stories from all four “Fourth World” books:

• Super Man’s Pal - Jimmy Olsen
• The Forever People
• The New Gods
• Mister Miracle

The book also prints them in the order that they appeared on the newsstands back in the early seventies. Excellent reproduction throughout, with an introduction written by Grant Morrison and an afterword by Mark Evanier, it also contains a couple of pages of Jack Kirby’s concept drawings from the series. At 396 pages in total the book is excellent value for money and a nice thick volume.

If there is a fault, and it is only something to watch for when reading it – the paper stock is quite brittle, because of the type used and so my warning is be careful when turning the pages so they don’t tear. A minor point and quite moot really in the grander scheme of things, I for one can’t wait for the next and consequent volumes to arrive.


Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
June 25th 2007