Seasonal Family Films Part 01…

A look at some of my all-time favourite, festive films…

Hi Guys,

Today, I thought I would like to share some of my favourite Christmas films with you starting with my all-time favourite, A Christmas Carol starring Alistair Sim.

This 1951 film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novella, has stayed with me, as my all-time favourite, since first seeing it as a young child on TV, although I do admit I have a fondness for both the Disney’s A Christmas Carol and also Jim Henson’s Muppet’s Christmas Carol too and I like the look of the new Jim Carrey version too out at the moment at the cinema.

The authenticity and attention to detail of the props, costumes and even the haircuts, elevates it above similar period piece films.

For me, in spite of several versions of the story being produced since this one, none have come as close to adapting the book, despite the additional scenes added to the film, which were not in the original story. These only serve to drive the story forward, however and unlike other adaptations, which add and subtract from the original source material, in this case, at least the additions are masterfully done and cause the viewer to believe they were indeed in the book too, until upon re-reading the novella they find them suddenly missing.

I have to admit to be somewhat dismayed when I first saw the film on video under its newly re-mastered colourisation. This was the case with the original DVD, until it was reissued as a black and white and colour version.

For me, just like the mood and atmosphere within the first Frankenstein, King Kong and The Day The Earth Stood Still films the original black and white version of A Christmas Carol was perfect without the addition of colour.

I expect at some point, given the chance I will watch it either on TV, if it is aired, as it most rightly should be, or on DVD over this seasonal period. I usually watch it late in the evening, with a cup of tea and a mince pie with maybe a wee dram o’ whisky at the end.

Hmm sounds good to me…perhaps this evening.

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
December 7th 2009

A Seasonal Reminder from Wizards Keep…

Posting Dates for this coming Festive Period…

Hi Guys,

First of all I would just like to take this opportunity to wish my Mum, a Very Happy Birthday! I hope you have a great time today and we’ll see you later for some fun!

Now just a quick reminder that folks wishing to make seasonal purchases (including special offers) from the Wizards Keep Website that the last shipping dates for goods are:

UK:
Friday 18th December - Second Class

Monday 21st December - First Class

Recorded Signed For™ - has the same last posting dates as the 1st or 2nd Class service that the customer has chosen to apply it to

Tuesday 15th December - Standard Parcels

Wednesday 23rd December - Special Delivery™

International Airmail:
Friday 4th December South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Far East, Asia, New Zealand and Australia

Thursday 10th December Japan, USA, Canada and Eastern Europe

Friday 11th December Western Europe

We will of course still be shipping products during this period, but any shipments will probably arrive between Christmas and New Year or even in the New Year now.

I hope you guys are all ready for Christmas, as it’s just around the corner now.I hope all you kiddiewinks out there have remembered to send off your letter to Santa.

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
December 6th 2009

A Review of this year’s Pickwick Night…

Festive Fun and Father Christmas…

Hi Guys,

Just a few lines today to let you know about how this year’s night of festive fun and frivolities down in the village of Whalley went down with us.

The weather was, after a very wet day, clear and cold, and really rather pleasant.

As always the Griswald-esque mother and daughter did a fine job of decorating their houses with large crowds gathered outside taking photographs and there were some folks dressed in period costume, although not as many as in the past.

Mum and Dad were both there this year, which made it all the more special for me and we walked around the village expecting to look in the windows of some of the local shops although we were amazed to see that a lot of them were closed this year and that the art gallery, which we always looked in, had gone.

There were lots of Christmas fairy lights, a lot of loud music from the obligatory, automated and animated organs on display, and the smells of Christmas spice, and mulled wine once more pervaded the entire village, but there was a lot less to see this year and there was also an absence of charities in the main.

I have to admit to feeling rather disappointed this year, especially as the weather was so agreeable and felt sorry for my Mum and Dad who had been really looking forward to looking around and buying things from the charity stalls. Even my brother and his wife were not in attendance this year and they have been present at this event with their charity stall for years now.

We made the obligatory stop inside the church hall for a cup of tea and a warm mince pie, although Mum had biscuits instead, where we saw Father Christmas pay a visit and had a queue of children, there waiting to speak to him. I wasn’t able to get a chance to do so myself, as he was obviously very busy, but I did manage to get a wave and a nod of the head from him, which was nice.

The nice thing though is the picturesque village with its old church and quaint looking shops really is straight out of a picture postcard Christmas card scene, especially at this time of year, although, again a lot of the shops were either closed, or had been replaced with beauty salons.

This one event always kick-starts the seasonal period for me and something I really do enjoy doing with my parents every year, so even though it wasn’t as well attended, by the charity stalls, or indeed the general public, as recent years, it was still great to go along with my parents and then stop off for a little supper at their home, before setting off to my home once more.

Unfortunately this year I forgot to take along my camera, which I left on the side of the studio workstation, due to the mad rush to get ready to leave for the evening, so there are no accompanying photographs this year.

No one managed to give me the correct answer to this year’s question either, although one person came quite close, so I am going to hold it open to the first person visiting this Blog to drop me a line here to become the winner.

The question was:

“What is the name of the “Mathemagician” in Worlds End?”

And therein lies the clue…

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
December 5th 2009

Grand Christmas Competition 2009...

This year’s art festive art competition…


Hi Guys,

First of all I would just like to take this opportunity to wish my Dad, a Very Happy Birthday! I hope you have a great time today and we’ll see you later for some fun!

Well, as is now customary here at the Keep at this time of year, we are announcing the amazing Wizards Keep Christmas Competition 2009 and this year we are looking at a Manga theme!

What you need to do this year is look at the Worlds End characters and draw them in a Manga style. You can find what they all look like here on The Worlds End Gallery

So hurry up and get artwork sent into us here at the Keep

Format of the Drawings:
The Drawings can be black and white or colour
A5, A4, or A3 in size
If sending via email, please use jpeg file format at 72 dpi
If sending artwork via Royal Mail, please do not send the original, please send us a photocopy

We will contact the winner at a later date and we will give instructions on how to get the artwork to us here at the Keep for publication

Prizes:
The winner will have their work appear on-line on the Website News Pages, here on the Blog and on our other Wizards Keep network places on the Internet, all 22, or so of them.

Add to that he/she will have the work published as part of the Worlds End Sketch Book, alongside many other comic book creators.

You will also receive six Sketch Books with your work in them and a prize package consisting of a Worlds End Ashcan, Mouse Mat, Poster and an exclusive Malta Comicon Poster.

There, it's that simple, so start scribbling down your ideas now.

To enter simply send your sketch via email to
mail@wizards-keep.com

Or by Snail Mail to:
Christmas “Manga-Worlds End” Competition 2009

Wizards Keep Limited

11 Walton Crescent

Blackburn

Lancashire

BB2 3TQ

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
If sending via the Royal Mail, please realise this option will only be available to UK residents, to guarantee reaching us in time by December 31st.

If sending via email your artwork must reach by December 31st.

The closing date for this competition is December 31st.

Entries received after this date will regrettably not be entered into the competition.

The winning entry will be announced and displayed here and on the website on January 1st.

GOOD LUCK Guys!!!

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…

December 4th 2009

Pickwick Night...

A Dickensian night out in the local village of Whalley…

Hi Guys,

As I mention at this time of year on my Blog, tonight will see me once again attending the annual Pickwick evening in Whalley here in the UK, whereby all the folks in the local shops and lots of charity stands, dress up in traditional Dickensian costumes to sell their wares for charity. I have been going along with my Mum and Dad for a good number of years and I am happy to say my Mum is hopefully accompanying us again this year, after missing last time around due to her operation. I will of course be taking some photographs, weather permitting to share here in a couple of day’s time.

The Christmas lights and the aromas of spicy, mince pies, candyfloss, sweets, steak and onions, mulled wine and Christmas spices never ceases to fill ones senses with the many seasonal emotions, which accompanies this time of year.

As always, we’ll be making our yearly pilgrimage to the UK’s answer to the Griswold’s Family Christmas in the film “National Lampoon Christmas Vacation”, which is in fact where a mother and daughter (living next door to each other in semi-detached houses) completely decorate their houses, so that not one single inch of garden or house on either side of the fence is left uncovered by fairy lights and illuminated decorations of all manner of shapes and sizes. It must take months to set up!

Hopefully the weather will be just right so it will feel even more Christmassy.

As always, please don’t forget, if any of you guys are in the area, just look for Scrooge and a kindly lady and gentleman and stop my Mum and Dad and me to have a chat…

Just to remind you all, like every year, I am going to try to make it interesting for you, because if you find me, I’ll do you a free sketch on the spot, and I’ll give the money you would have spent to the charity usually supported by my brother, Chris and his wife, Julie on the night. If the weather is unfavourable I will take your details and ship the sketch out free of charge, but if, like I say, the weather is just right I will sketch for you at the event amongst the Christmassy goings-on!

Once again this year as an extra bonus if you see me and can give me the answer to this quick question:

"What is the name of the "Mathemagician" in Worlds End?"

I will hand over a surprise early Christmas present and, if you are canny, there is clue somewhere in this very Blog, but remember you have to be canny.

So don’t be shy come over and have a chat and maybe we can have a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine together.

To help you once again in this endeavour, as always, I will be wearing my black Defiant Cap emblazoned with the Defiant Logo in white from my days working out in New York for Jim Shooter’s Defiant Comics.

Well here we are at T-minus 23 days and counting guys…

Please don’t forget to have a look at the Wizards Keep Website for some special offers open throughout the season until the 1st of January, inclusively and also remember it is FREE shipping with every order over £100.00.

Hopefully I’ll get to see you tonight…

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
December 3rd 2009

Wizards Keep E-card 2009...

From here at the Keep…

Hi Guys,

Well as is my custom, nowadays, here is the Wizards keep E-card, which is also on sale in the Greetings Cards section of the website, having joined up with the cards from previous years. These are available in packs of six or twelve, or in mixed sets:

I also decided this year to include the illustration on its own as it depicts my Worlds End characters in the place of Santa (Gweldar) and his little Elf (Geek) with a little boy (Ralf) giving Santa his wish list:


Hope you like it.

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
December 2nd 2009

T-Minus 25 Days and Counting...

Hope you have written your lists kiddiewinks…

Hi Guys,

Well here we are with the first of my Seasonal Blogs, as promised yesterday. This is a first for me, having one for each day, which will hopefully provide you with some festive fun and frolics for you too!

Yesterday saw me announce the FREE shipping offer for ALL orders over £100.00 and a list of the final postal dates for delivery in time for Christmas, here on the Blog.

Today sees the release of this year’s official Christmas card, which was added to the existing greetings cards in the Wizards Keep Shop, over on the website today.

You check out a larger version of the card cover and one of the artwork sans typography by clicking here too.

It also sees me looking back at 2009. I don’t know what happened to the year, but I blinked and it suddenly disappeared and I found myself in the here and now!

Unfortunately I missed all of my scheduled UK comic conventions, due to my workload and factors outside my control, but was delighted to attend the first ever Malta Comicon over the Halloween weekend.

Another highlight for me was setting up the affordable litho printing service at the start of 2009, which many of the folks in the UK comics industry have tried and found to be incredibly great value for money. Anyone wishing to know more should drop me a line at the Website email address.

I am continuing to work apace on Worlds End – Volume 01 – The Riders on the Storm graphic novel. I am very happy with the work, thus far and the remarks from those having seen it up to now have inspired me to new heights, so thanks to those concerned. I also have to say a special thanks to my wife and family, who continue to persevere with my working long hours to fit everything in.

I decided to hire a colour assistant on the book, earlier in 2008, Yel Zamor, who has helped enormously by producing the flat colouring for me. This was completed a short while ago and has helped enormously in the production of the digital painting process.

There are a number of projects lined up for release in 2010 and these are definitely on the 2010 schedule, as you read this Blog. Look for my Blog early in the New Year for all the information pertaining to all the forthcoming events and releases.

Now then, this is a seasonal Blog after all and one for my kiddie-wink type fans. I hope all you guys have sent off your letters to Santa. I have and this year I have managed to do this early, as part of my new resolutions for the New Year.
The last few years I have been pushing my luck, really, by sending the letters to Santa at the last minute, but this year I figured I would send it early to avoid it getting to him on time.

I hope you join me with your Mums and Dads, as each day we countdown to Christmas day, looking at lots of things, which remind me of Christmas and make this time of year so special for everyone.

Do drop me a line, especially if it is snowing near where you live.

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…

December 1st 2009