Kendal Calling – LICAF 2017

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Our annual trip to the Lake District was a rollercoaster, promising to be even bigger in 2018.

This was the 4th time the Clockwork Watch team were at the Lakes International Comic Art Festival (#LICAF), an event that boasts an amazing contingent of creators, makers, authors, and illustrators.

The organisers have been super supportive of our project, with the team making all the respective hurdles a breeze, and we can’t thank them enough. Huge props to Carole, Julie, Jonathan (all the way from Canada), Chris and all the volunteers that make the weekend a family affair.

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We actually sold out of a Clockwork Watch title for the first time at a convention, making the Lakes 2017 a major milestone in the history of this project. It goes to show that promoting a Steampunk title in a town like Kendal works. People loved the story, in fact many came back after buying one of the books last year. It was great to hear their feedback, chat about plot points, and tease the future storyline.

LICAF covers all spectrums of the self-published comic sector more than any other convention that we’ve attended in the UK.  It is an event for creators, makers, and grassroots comics, making it a must for anyone interested in comic book art or writing.

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This year was a blast, as we forged closer links with some of the country’s top comic stores, artists, and a great contingent of creators from Australia, and Holland. One of the special treats was having time to chat, and plot 2018 with Stephen of Page 45, and the legendary Bryan and Mary Talbot, who signed copies of the final Grandville graphic novel at our table on Sunday.

We’d like to thank John Freeman and the ‘Down The Tubes’ blog for interviewing us, and express our gratitude to the town of Kendal. We love you and promise to be back.

Countenance Now on ComiXology!

Clockwork Watch: Countenance is now out on @comiXology in digital format. A chance to catch up before the launch of #Evolution at Thought Bubble this weekend!!! Be sure to check it out! http://bit.ly/2xAG5kv

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Evolution at Thought Bubble in Leeds. Table 22, Victoria Hall.

Megan Bradbury, who designed the cover for Clockwork Evolution will be joining writers Corey Brotherson and Yomi Ayeni at the launch of the new book at Thought Bubble Convention in Leeds this weekend. Evolution is the 7th graphic novel in our Steampunk story, and is based on live events that we have hosted over the past 6 years. Want to know more? We’ll be at table 22, in Victoria Hall. Come say hello!

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We Evolved at SDCC! Pre-Order and Get A Free Poster!

Just back from San Diego Comic Con and our story has evolved, spawning a new title called “Evolution – the 7th book in the Clockwork Watch series.

There was lots of excitement, sales, and interest in the story. We hope to bring give a full update soon with pictures.

This time around we’re working with a new artist, Ed Jimenez who is in Costa Rica! Our colourist is Kote Carjaval of Chile, and the eagle-eyed Mike Stock is our letterer.

You may may not know, but all our titles are handcrafted by Fabio Duarte Martins of Portugal. Every year he painstakingly crafts a new design for us, which brings the front page to life!

Now… we’ve brought some USA pre-released copies back with us, and they are now on pre-order!

The first 30 orders are being sent a free limited edition, signed poster featuring Saccadius Cartwright,  protagonist in our storyworld. These goodies were designed by the super talented Megan Bradbury!

 

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It’s That Time Again…

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For the past four years, Corey and I have braved the Wild Wild West to exhibit / launch our new titles at the phenomenon called San Diego Comic Con, probably the world’s biggest comic art convention, which is rumoured to have 180 thousand attendees every day. The experience is daunting, as we are probably the only black British independent creators in the Small Press section of the event.

Preparing for the adventure usually starts around November, when we realise it’s almost too late to get the next book ready for the Con which takes place in July. Corey (editor/adapting writer) – a very busy man, with several other writing projects on-the-go, has consistently nursed every book through to publication. Not much would happen without his support, and ingenuity, he is the backbone of Clockwork Watch.

Part of the process involves making sure our artists  (Jennie Gyllblad and most recently Ed Jiménez) has the time to finish the pages, checking-in with our letterer, Mike Stock, to see if he can fit us in, (he usually has a holiday scheduled around Comic Con time), and not forgetting our esteemed Fabio – Creative Director of FEST in Portugal, who works tirelessly to design a new title for every book.

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So, here we are again – flight and accommodation booked (at great expense), bags packed, and we’re almost ready for the ‘big off’,

Ahhh, and the new book “Evolution” is currently being printed in Memphis. It is way cheaper than shipping the books from the UK. Can you imagine the disaster IF they were seized, delayed, or returned to the UK by US customs? Perish the thought…

You can find us at  P-09 in the Small Press section,where we will have the new book, the Clockwork Watch: Omnibus, Tick Tock IPA: Omnibus, posters, and warm smiles.

For SCIENCE!

Yomi Ayeni
Creator of Clockwork Watch

#SDCC #BlackWriters #Steampunk #SDCC2017 #SDCC17

 

“Here’s How It Started” by Corey

Seems like a “When harry Met Sally” situation, but having editor Corey Brotherson at the helm of Clockwork Watch has changed lives. Here is his annual round up of how we started the project.

 

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(Read more…)

Illegitimacy… The Family Secret

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How would you feel if someone took your newborn baby away from you? In Evolution – Tale of the Alchemist, we follow Saccadius Cartwright’s fictional life from birth…

Being born out of wedlock in the Victorian age was seen as a shameful thing. This stigma meant many children were taken into social care and adopted, irrespective of the circumstances that led to the pregnancy.

A rich man’s mistress might not have the respect of everyone, but with the right resources – money from a lover – she could live quite well and be accepted in a certain segment of society. On the other hand, a single woman with a child had little opportunity to earn her own way, and if there was no one to help she could soon be lost to poverty or prostitution, which could lead to more illegitimate children.

And then there was the issue of title or inheritance, which is something we take seriously here in the UK. An illegitimate child was not entitled to the family name or to inheritance – even sons of royalty were often granted titles, but they were not entitled to inherit the title from their father – essentially Jon Snow in Game of Thrones.

During the Industrial Revolution, women migrated to cities for work and many lost family support. Some weren’t particularly streetwise – which led to a rise in illegitimacies. Some were desperate enough to abandon newborn babies, leaving them to die, others were dumped in the doorways of the local church or a foundling home.

When local villages couldn’t afford to subsidise living at home for the poor, the ‘workhouse’ came into being. All types of poor, including women with children, were put in such institutions. Many turned to prostitution to support themselves and their children.

“In earlier times, a girl had little opportunity to run away to hide her shame and start a new life. A single, pregnant girl would be hustled out of town quickly so the child wasn’t born in the parish and thus a local responsibility.”

“When cities became larger and more anonymous and the middle class had more money, another option became available. A woman might go away for an extended visit to a relative in a distant location. She might return a few months later as a ‘widow’, having supposedly met and married a husband who met an untimely end, leaving her with a small child. Or, she might take an extended trip and give up the child for adoption before returning home.” – www.geneaology.com

Evolution – Tale of the Alchemist, will be on sale at San Diego Comic Con, and other conventions including the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, later this year. The whole Clockwork Watch series is available through our online shop.

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