Link: http://www.thecomicsshow.co.uk

I was gutted not to see Birmingham International Comic Show (BICS) on the con calendar this year, it was the second con I ever went to and anyone that saw my pre-Bristol Expo post, will know that I get ridiculously sentimental about this kind of deal. We knew that the convention was going to be replaced by a smaller more intimate creator driven event but until now we didn't know who was going to be there. This press release should clear that all up with some impressive and surprising creators already attached:

Birmingham Comic Con Goes Prehistoric for 2011 27th August

Watch out for sexy cave girls and cave boys in Birmingham City Centre this summer as the Holiday Inn on Queensway plays host to some of the biggest names in comics including Mark Millar (Kick Ass, Wanted), Chris Sprouse, (Tom Strong) Dave Gibbons, (Watchmen) Sean Phillips (Criminal, Incognito) and the legendary Alan Davis, who’s list of creative credits rivals the length of a brontosaurus!

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Link: http://www.fantasyevents.org/bristolcomicexpo/

Although Cardiff is my hometown and we now have our very own comic convention, I have to admit that a substantial part of my heart will always belong to Bristol International Comic Expo. It was the first 'proper' comic convention I ever went to (only crappy comic book markets before Bristol), where The Sidekickcast did our first interview with creators and hosted our first ever panel, not to mention all the friends we've made whilst there. This year we're probably only going to be able to make it for the Saturday (14th May) so I thought I'd give you a quick rundown of the things we'll be going to see, what we think looks good and where you can find us during the day...that one is pretty easy actually, we'll be at the bar.

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Link: http://www.boom-studios.net/

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What a striking image (see above), who wouldn't buy a comic book with a cover like that? The image in question is by Tim Bradstreet (The Punisher, HellBlazer, Criminal Macabre) who does one of two covers for the 28 Days Later series from Boom! Studios the other cover artist is no slouch either as it's on Mr Sean Phillips of Criminal fame. You can't help but be drawn to this book as it stands out from everything else on the stands but of course we can't just judge a book by it's cover even if the cover on it's own is probably worth the price of addmission alone.

Luckily the quality doesn't end with the cover, we reviewed issue #1 of this series on the last episode of the Sidekickcast and it got four stars, it was really well handled but alot of setup. This issue feels like it moves at breakneck pace right from the offing, we've dealt with the setup now it's time to get into the nitty gritty of the 28 Days Later world; namely zombie killing and running for your life. The series bridges the gap between the first and second movies, focusing on Selena's return to the zombie infested mainland Britain and it's here that the book really succeeds. I believe this is the same world, it feels right. The pacing and momentum are just like the movies and the one character we recognise feels spot on; talking down to soldiers who are way out of their depth. Even the new characters we're introduced to feel right, they talk like Alex Garland wrote them, no mean feat and writer Michael Alan Nelson should be applauded for this.

The art very much does the job it needs to, ably telling the story and artist Declan Shalvey has a suitably dark and murky style that leaves you feeling a little dirty with each flip of the page. There's a great scene down a lift shaft that I don't want to give away but it had me genuinely terrified, playing on primal fears of the dark and enclosed spaces, add zombies to that mix and you have some shit your pants style anticts that won't won't leave your mind for some time. This is a prime example of the work Boom! Studios have been doing for a while now, good solid art and writing focusing on telling good stories no matter if it's an original concept or a tried and trusted franchise.

If you want to return to the 28 Days Later world you can't do any better than taking a look at this series and whilst you're at it you may aswell take a look at some of the other awesome Boom! Studios product out there. Oh and if anyone knows where I can get a full on poster of the Tim Bradstreet covers I'd be very appreciative.