Warhammer Wednesday: The Solemnus Crusade

Black Templar Space Marines appear to be popular at the moment, what with the release of Marc Collins' new novel about High Marshal Helbrecht*. So, today seems like the perfect time to remind you that I have written a few stories about the Black Templars Chapter myself.

In reading order they are: 

Sanctuary - a short story which first appeared Issue #38 of Inferno! magazine.

Crusade for Armageddon - the first in a planned trilogy, that follows the brothers of the Solemnus Crusade as they seek revenge against an Ork Warboss on the war-torn planet of Armageddon. It also features Steel Legionnaries and the crew of a Titan.

Conquest of Armageddon - espionage, timey-whimey shennanigans, Chaos Marines, more Orks, and a Kroot. What more could you ask for, excepte perhaps for the trilogy to have been finished?

The Relic - set after the events of the two novels. As it says on the Black Library website, "Dreadnought Brother Jarold leads warriors from the Black Templars Chapter in battle against the greenskins in the frozen Dead Lands. Following a distress beacon, they find another Dreadnought in the ice, buried for half a century. When the orks attack en masse, the two Dreadnoughts make a last stand against the bestial invaders."

The Armageddon Ominbus - my Black Templars stories were combined into this short-lived print-on-demand title, which now goes for upwards of £90 on eBay. Shame I've only got the one copy myself.

War for Armageddon: The Omnibus - The Relic is also available in this new omnibus that features of work of various other BL authors as well, with stories all set during the Third War for Armageddon.

Click on the images below if you would like to buy of of these titles.

Dave Allsop's accompanying illustration for Sanctuary.

* I don't think the High Marshal was a thing when I started writing Black Templar stories for the Black Library.

Warhammer Wednesday: Genestealer Cults

I was in the central London Warhammer store at the weekend and I have to say, I love the look of the new Genestealer Cults codex. I love the look of the miniatures, and the variation between them. I many way, they remind me of the good old days of Necromunda, and the huge range of figures that came with that game, birthed from its fertile background. Which is appropriate, seeing as how my first novel for Black Library was originally going to be a Nathan Creed novel, the climax of which had the bounty hunter uncovering a Genestealer cult.

I've always had a soft spot for Genestealers. The first short story I wrote for Inferno! magazine (and my first published 40K short story), Salvation, featured Genestealers (and a Carnifex).

Six years later I wrote another Space Marines vs Genestealers story, Sanctuary, which was reprinted in The Amargeddon Omnibus in 2011. It would be nice if Black Library republished that one as part of a collection of Genestealer stories. (In the illustration, Chaplain Wolfram of the Black Templars Solemnus Crusade takes on the Genestealers, as drawn by Dave Allsop.)

And if the opportunity ever arose, I would love to write a gamebook featuring a Genestealer cult.

Meanwhile, the new/old White Dwarf continues to go from strength to strength, and this month comes with a free comic written by George Mann.

I is for Industries, as in SLA Industries - a.k.a. Dave Allsop's art

Dave Allsop once illustrated a Black Templar story of mine that appeared in Inferno! magazine (and available again as part of The Armageddon Omnibus) called Sanctuary. Here's the picture:

Chaplain Wolfram - kicking bottom and taking names

How cool is that?

Dave did a few pieces for Black Library, back in the day, but he - or at least one of his creations - is in the news again at the moment. And very exciting news it is too!

Anyway, Dave is another of those wonderful artists who've kindly agreed to be a part of Artists' Month here on www.JonathanGreenAuthor.com, so on with the interview...

1. How did you start out as a professional artist?

I've been working in the games industry since 1993 through a variety of different jobs. I've been a games designer, writer, graphic and concept artist, but I've been working as a freelance Illustrator since 2003. I was getting tired of video game work so I decided to pack that in and go back to just straight art, and I've been here since.

2. What was it that gave you your big break and led to what you are doing now?

My big break was getting on board with Magic the Gathering. I'd done concept art on Phyrexia back 1997 but in 2000 I started getting actual card illustrations to do.

3. What is your preferred method of working? Which medium suits your style best?

I work solely in Photoshop these days. When painting I've always been digital, but until recently I did the sketch phase in paper and pencil. Now I do all my sketches in Photoshop as they're easier to alter and manipulate. Plus I don't have the hassle of scanning it all in.

4. Which setting do you prefer – Warhammer or Warhammer 40,000?

Oh, that's a difficult one - I guess WH40K, as I'm more familiar with the setting. But I really like the grittiness of both.

5. What is the appeal of working creatively within these settings?

I've not produced art on Warhammer for quite a while, but when I did I just liked how grim and detailed everything was. GW has spent decades honing and defining their style. The imagery is instantly recognisable and great fun to work on. I grew up on the GW settings.

6. How did you set about illustrating the Black Templars short story Sanctuary for Inferno! magazine?

I was always a fan of the genestealers, and I wanted to get across the unstoppable force of them, they just keep coming and coming. In the art I tried to have the genestealers literally swarming the Chaplain, so the illustration is intentionally crowded. In a way I wanted it to harken back to Space Hulk, which is all confined spaces and claustrophobia.

7. How does working for Wizards of the Coast compare to working for Black Library?

Both have distinct visual styles, but the tone is very different. My art for Wizards tends to be brighter and more colourful. My work on Black Library tends to be closer to my own style and preference - dirty, high contrast and bleak.

8. Of which piece of work are you most proud?

Probably the new cover for SLA Industries.

9. Is there anything you haven’t illustrated that you would still like to?

Chaos (40K or WH), particularly Nurgle. A few classic D+D monsters I've not done yet. My own version of the Cthulhu Mythos.

10. What are you working on at the moment?

Several art commissions for Paizo, and getting ready for Conpulsion in Edinburgh on the 6th of April!

11. What advice would you give to any aspiring artists wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Work on your art every day, and for as long as possible; most of your learning will come through repeated effort and challenging yourself. As far as working professionally, prove to your art director that you are eager, reliable and punctual. If you can be all of these things, more work will follow.

You can find more of Dave's art here, at his website, and here, on DeviantArt.

Thanks again to Dave for being involved - and good luck with the movie!

All images shown are variously copyright Wizards of the Coast, Games Workshop and Dave Allsop, all rights reserved, (c) 2012.

February Releases - Curse of the Mummy and The Armageddon Omnibus

The latest large-format edition of Curse of the Mummy (my third Fighting Fantasy gamebook) is now out from Wizard Books. You can pick up your copy here.

Also out this month, is The Armageddon Omnibus, published by the Black Library as part of their Print on Demand range. I've known about this for a while, of course, but now the rest of the world does too - and apparently that news it going down a storm in certain quarters.

Crusade for Armageddon, the story of the Black Templars of the Solemnus Crusade and their search for the murderer of their Chapter World Morkrull Grimskar, was my first Warhammer 40K novel and was published back in 2003. It was followed two years later by a sequel, Conquest of Armageddon, which threw Chaos and another Space Marine chapter into the mix, along with Imperial Stormtroopers and Armageddon Ork Hunters.

And having been out of print for five or six years, both books are now available again, together for the first time, as The Armageddon Omnibus.

But even better than that is the fact that collected along with the two Black Templar Armageddon novels are the short stories Sanctuary (which only ever appeared in Inferno! magazine #38) and The Relic (which first saw print in Legends of the Space Marines).

But even better than that, is the fact that the omnibus contains some brand new, original content. Yes, you heard me right - brand new, original content. A History of the Most Honourable and Holy Solemnus Crusade charts the Black Templars' journey from their Chapter World to the war-torn shores of Armageddon, and everything in between.

So, what are you waiting for? In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war - and it's available as Print on Demand!