And the Police State Starts Here...

Well it was only a matter of time before governments start cracking down on creative stories that explore themes of state control. A comic writer, Mark Sable, was pulled in for questioning by TSA officers at Los Angeles airport for creating a comic, Unthinkable (Boom! Studios) which is all about 9/11 and terrorism.

How long will it be before all creative acts will need to be vetted through a state controlled censor? Scary, scary times, people.

More about the story here and here.

The problem seems to be that government officials can't tell the difference between fact and fiction, between a comic book and reality. What does that say about their IQ?

Strangely enough, I was discussing with a friend at the weekend how many US border guards in New York are comic fans. Whenever he's explained he's over in the US for a convention, they light up and are genuinely interested. I guess their enthusiasm doesn't extend as far as the West Coast.

"Thought crimes" upheld and seditious writing suppressed in the "Land of the Free"? Unthinkable? Sadly, not any more.

"Wake up" - Rage Against the Machine

Vote For Me! (Again!)

The nominations for the 2009 Eagle Awards have just opened up so I’m asking all you lovely people in comic book land to nominate Erotic Comics: A Graphic History Volume 1 for the Favourite Comics-Related Book Award.

The Eagle Awards are the longest running (since 1977) and most prestigious comic-related awards in Britain. The best thing about the Eagle Awards are that anyone can vote, which means they really are the people’s choice—so get your granny, auntie and cat to register and vote!

Simply go to eagleawards.co.uk and register your nominations. You don’t have to vote in every category if you don’t want to, just vote for Erotic Comics: A Graphic History 1 in the Favourite Comic-Related Book and that will be fine!

The lovely Cassandra Conroy is now organising the Awards and this is her first year, so I hope it all goes swimmingly for her. In the press release she stated: “When I took over the Eagles last year from my father, Mike Conroy, people said that I had an uphill battle to keep the Eagles at the top of the UK awards scene. And when circumstances meant that the main hall of the Bristol Comic Con—our traditional place of ceremony over the years—would not be able to be used in the evening, we realised that there was no way that the Eagles could be run as they usually are, for 2009 at least. But I didn't want my first year as organiser to be a no-show, and so after a lot of discussions and opinions, we're still going to be running the awards.'_

But the nominations close on Friday 22nd May 2009, which is only 11 days away! So please vote as soon as you’ve read this. After that, the top five nominations in each section will be up for voting on after Monday 1st June 2009. So you’ll need to vote again after that date! The full list of Award Winners will be released to the world on Monday 15th June 2009.

Hopefully I have more of a chance of winning this, than I do of an Eisner or a Harvey! Let’s keep it British! ;-)

"Wake up" - Rage Against the Machine