Gamebook Friday: Heroes, Freeway Fighers, and Pirates Vs Dinosaurs

There's all sorts of stuff happening this Gamebook Black Friday. First off, I have a special offer running from today until Cyber Monday, whereby if you buy a signed hardback copy of YOU ARE THE HERO or YOU ARE THE HERO Part 2 from me direct, you will receive a signed copy of Christmas Explained: Robins, Kings and Brussel Sprouts, absolutely FREE! To place your order simply follow the instructions at the end of this link.

Secondly, tomorrow there is a Fighting Fantasy signing event at Forbidden Planet in London, where Ian Livingstone and Jim Burns (and hopefully artist Simon Coleby) will be signing copies of the collected trade paperback of Titan Comics' Ian Livingstone's FREEWAY FIGHTER. Unfortunately, writer Andi Ewington, letterer Jim Campbell and myself are not able to make it, but Andi and I have both signed book plates that will be available at the event from 1-2pm on Saturday.

Lastly, NEVERLAND - Here Be Monsters! has just one week left to run and it needs a bit of a push to get it over the finish line. If you've been thinking about pledging, now would be a great time to commit. And if you have already backed the project, please continue to spread the word to all and sundry. Remember, the more money the Kickstarter raises, the more impressive the finished book will be, and you won't be charged a penny until the Kickstarter ends at 10pm on Saturday 2nd December (and event then, only if the project actually funds).

Thank you for your support. :-)

Gamebook Friday: Celebrate 35 years of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks this September

This September, two events in particular are taking place to mark the 35th anniversary of the publication of the first Fighting Fantasy gamebook, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain.

If you are in or around Ealing on the night of Friday 1st September, why not come around to You Are The Beer-O: Stout of the Pit, the regular meet-up for FF fans hosted by James Aukett?

On this occasion, You Are The Beer-O is teaming up with Fighting Fantasy Fest 2 to put on the world's first Fighting Fantasy pub quiz and raise money for the men's health charity Prostate Cancer UK, in memory of artist Kevin Bulmer, who illustrated Freeway Fighter, and who sadly succumbed to the disease in 2011.

You can find out more about the event here, on the event's Facebook page, and you can buy your ticket for the pub quiz here, through Eventbrite.

Please note that spaces are limited and this event is for over 18s only.

And then on Saturday 2nd September, at 9:00am sharp, the doors will be opening on Fighting Fantasy Fest 2 at the University of West London in Ealing, at which point attendees will be able to register, collect their backpacks, and enter the venue.

Following a welcome talk in a lecture theatre (that seats 300 people) the day will be filled with all manner of FF-related activities. There will be two separate strands of talks, featuring the creators of the original gamebook series as well as new companies taking Fighting Fantasy in new and interesting directions, and one of these is FoxYason Music Productions.

FoxYason Music Productions will be presenting the launch of the a new, exciting range of full-cast, original audio dramas, beginning in September, with the release of the first story in the series, The Warlock of Firetop Mountain. Members of the production team, plus cast, will be at Fighting Fantasy Fest 2 to officially launch the range featuring interviews, clips, a Q&A and the plans for the future range.

Other highlights of the day will be Nomad Games showcase of Fighting Fantasy Legends, and inkle Studios taking attendees back to the world of Steve Jackson's Sorcery!, while the creative team behind Ian Livingstone's FREEWAY FIGHTER will be there to talk about the gestation of the very first Fighting Fantasy comic.

There will also be guest signings (and we do not charge for signatures at Fighting Fantasy Fest 2, in case you were wondering), role-playing game sessions, cosplay, an FF exhibition, numerous traders, a cafe and bar on site, and the opportunity to hang-out with fellow gamebook fans, as well as an auction of rare FF items!

With only seven weeks to go until the big day, make sure you don't delay and grab your tickets today!

The Freeway Fighter signing at Forbidden Planet, London

Yesterday, Saturday 20th May 2017, fans of comics and gamebooks gathered at the Forbidden Planet Megastore in London for the signing of the very first Fighting Fantasy comic, Ian Livingstone's Freeway Fighter, published by Titan Comics.

In attendance were writer Andi Ewington, artist Simon Coleby, letterer Jim Campbell, variant cover artist (and original cover artist for the Freeway Fighter gamebook) Jim Burns, creator of the original adventure Ian Livingstone, and Yours Truly, since I edited the comic.

Signing pre-orders in the back room at Forbidden Planet.

Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks were also available for fans to pick up and have signed at the event, as were copies of my Pax Britannia novels.

The fans gather for the signing, including the usual suspects.

Two fantasy legends were reunited for the event - the original Freeway Fighter cover artist and author, Jim Burns and Ian Livingstone.

It was a special day for me too, because I got to meet Jim Burns for the first time, having interviewed him for the original YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.

Jonathan Green, author and editor, with Jim Burns, artist.

You can see more photos from the signing here.

Ian Livingstone's Freeway Fighter has been very well-received and you can read reviews of it all over the web. And of course Issue #2 goes on sale next month and is available to pre-order now, while the variant covers for Issue #4 have also been released.

Ian Livingstone's Freeway Fighter issue #4

Cover A by Simon Coleby & Len O'Grady - Cover B by Ben Oliver - Cover C by Tazio Bettin & Luis Guerrero

Gamebook Friday: Freeway Fighter signing at Forbidden Planet, London!

Tomorrow, Saturday 20th May 2017 from 1:00-2:00pm, many of the creative team behind Ian Livingstone's Freeway Fighter, published last Wednesday by Titan Comics, will be visiting the Forbidden Planet Megastore in London to sign copies of the very first Fighting Fantasy comic.

Joining writer Andi Ewington, artist Simon Coleby, original gamebook cover artist Jim Burns, letterer Jim Campbell, and author of the original Freeway Fighter gamebook, co-creator of the FF series and co-founder of Games Workshop, Ian Livingstone, will be Yours Truly, since I worked as editor on the title. Having edited three short story anthologies (to date) this is my first professional comic-editing gig and it's been a lot of fun to work on.

As well as being able to pick up various variant cover editions of the comic, at the Forbidden Planet signing Freeway Fighter fans will also to be to buy two limited edition Jim Burns giclee prints (each one £29.99, 18" x 24"), signed by Jim Burns and Ian Livingstone. These will only be available at the event and will not be available later from the Forbidden Planet website afterwards!

The event is bound to be very busy, so make sure you start queueing early, may your STAMINA never fail, and maybe I'll see you there...

Freeway Fighter the Comic - Launch Day!

Andi Ewington first approached me about working on the Freeway Fighter comic with him last summer. As well as coming on board in an editorial role, the plan was that I would run a Kickstarter to fund production of the comic, Andi having already assembled a team of veritable comic talent to help turn his script into a piece of glorious sequential art, including artist Simon Coleby, colourist Len O'Grady, and letterer Jim Campbell.

However, before I could get underway with setting up the Kickstarter, Andi got in touch to say that Matt Mastracci had come on board as executive producer*, providing the financial backing which meant we wouldn't need to crowdfund the comic after all.

Then began the process of creating the comic, from refining the script - making sure it worked as both a comic and a Fighting Fantasy product, linking back to the original Freeway Fighter gamebook by Ian Livingstone - to Simon producing the art, which was then coloured by Len and finally lettered by Jim Campbell.

As things currently stand, Issue #3 is well on the way to being finished, with work having already begun on Issue #4 and its variant covers.

The next piece of good news was when Andi revealed that he Matt and Ian had been in talks with Titan Comics who would being coming on board as publisher, which brings us to this very day, when Issue #1 of Ian Livingstone's Freeway Fighter goes on sale for the very first time. It includes an exclusive introduction by Ian Livingstone himself and a letters page featuring letters by some very well-known figures within the world of comics indeed.

If you're in or around London on Saturday (20th May 2017) why not pop along to the Forbidden Planet Megastore on Shaftesbury Avenue from 1:00-2:00pm, when the creative team behind the Freeway Fighter comic - creator Ian Livingstone, writer Andi Ewington, artist Simon Coleby, original cover artist Jim Burns, and editor Jonathan Green - will be taking part in a mass signing.

Maybe I'll see you there...

* And all because he read about Andi Ewington's dreams of publishing a Freeway Fighter comic book in YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks!

Forthcoming Events

A couple of dates for your diary...

Essex Book Festival - Saturday 25th March 2017

I shall be appearing at the Essex Book Festival in Chelmsford, on Saturday 25th March 2017, as part of the Steampunk Author Showcase, along with m'colleagues Toby Frost and Raven Dane.

If you're in the area, why not stop by? The event will be taking place from 2:30pm - 3:45pm but I shall also be selling my wares on the day, include my Pax Britannia books, as well as my steampunk-inspired Alice's Nightmare in Wonderland.

To find out more, and to book tickets, follow this link, down the rabbit-hole...

Freeway Fighter Signing - Saturday 20th May 2017

Join an all-star Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks line-up at Forbidden Planet, launching Titan Comics’ Ian Livingstone's Freeway Fighter: The Comic on Saturday 20th May from 1 – 2pm!

Forbidden Planet are pleased to welcome Gamesmaster Ian Livingstone, artist Jim Burns, editor Jonathan Green, and creators Andi Ewington, Simon Coleby and Orlando Arocena, bringing us the first leg of a furious three-way road trip.

Celebrating 35 years in 2017, Fighting Fantasy brought together choice-driven storytelling with a dice-based role-playing system to create a world in which ‘YOU are the hero!’ The series sold over 18 million copies worldwide and has been translated into over 30 languages.

In the new comics series, an unknown virus has wiped out over 85% of the world’s human population. Former I-400 Driver Bella De La Rosa is one of the 15% – living every day as if it were her last. Now, eighteen months after the collapse of civilisation, faced with a new world order where violence and chaos rule the Freeway. She must hone her racing skills and survive any way she can! 

Stepping away from the usual mix of orcs and goblins, FREEWAY FIGHTER is a road trip like no other. Dare you take it? If yes, turn to paragraph 132!

Fighting Fantasy Fest 2 - Saturday 2nd September 2017

On Saturday 2nd September 2017, a host of dedicated Fighting Fantasy fans will gather at the University of West London, in Ealing, to mark the 35th anniversary of the publication of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, and the subsequent series of adventure gamebooks it spawned. And you could be there too!

Tickets are now on sale for Fighting Fantasy Fest 2, via the official Fighting Fantasy website here.

Gamebook Friday: Freeway Fighter - The Comic!

Fans of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks may well already know, but coming from Titan Comics in Spring 2017 is FREEWAY FIGHTER, a comic book based the Ian Livingstone-penned Mad Max-esque post-apocalyptic road-trip of a gamebook of the same name, written by Andi Ewington, with pencils and inks by Simon Coleby, colours by Len O'Grady, and letters by Jim Campbell.

Some FF fans may also have already been aware that such a project was in the offing, thanks to being members of the Facebook group or even because they read about it in YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks.

However, not many people know that I am actually the editor on the project, and it is a project that I am very proud to be a part of. There are many comic book creators I would love to work with, one day, and Simon, Len and Jim were three of them. In fact, thinking that I may never get a better chance to work with Simon, I commissioned him to produce the cover art for SHARKPUNK. And yet here I am, only eighteen months later, and I've worked with him again.

Although I dotted a few 'i's and crossed a few 't's here and there, FREEWAY FIGHTER the comic is really Andi Ewington's baby, and I thank him wholeheartedly for inviting me to join this project. A huge thank you must also go to Matt Mastracci, who has financed the project, and what makes him involvement all the more special to me is that he came on board after reading this passage in YOU ARE THE HERO!

If you have yet to, I would urge you to join the Ian Livingstone's Freeway Fighter: The Comic Facebook group, and check out more about yesterday's breaking news item here and here.

Freeway Fighter

Ian Livingstone's Freeway Fighter might have been published 31 years ago today, but it will be zooming back into your realities soon.

To find out more, join the Facebook group here.

Shakespeare Sunday: London Super Comic Convention 2016

Yesterday I attended the London Super Comic Con, held at London's Excel Centre. Whilst I was there I met up with a number of people who will be of interest to fans of Fighting Fantasy, 2000AD or even Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu.

Andi Ewington, the mastermind behind the comic book prequel to Ian Livingstone's Freeway Fighter was there, along with his self-published comic Overrun...

Ian Edginton, renowned 2000AD comic scribe and Shakespeare Vs Cthulhu contributor, was also there, promoting the fantastic Brass Sun: The Wheel of Worlds graphic novel...

Brian Bolland, famed 2000AD artist and the man behind the cover of Steve Jackson's Appointment with F.E.A.R. was there...

And I also ran into Gavin Mitchell, who is pencilling, inking, colouring and lettering Steve Jackson's The Trolltooth Wars all by himself...

Who drew me this...

You can see more photos of my day here.