Paul Cornell’s Friday Newsletter
For July 5th. Things *have* got better!
My Schedule for London Film and Comic Con Tomorrow
Tomorrow, Saturday, 6th July, I’ll be guesting and doing panels and signings at the London Comics Festival, which is part of the London Film & Comic Con at Olympia!
I’ll be signing at 10am and 2pm, and running a game show, Imaginary Stories, with six great comicker guests, at Noon! “Six comics professionals compete in two teams in a game of hilarious true stories and completely fabricated lies.”
You can download a PDF of the Saturday schedule here.
My Schedule for Develop on Tuesday
I’m a guest at the Develop games conference in Brighton, which runs from 9th-11th July. I’ll just be there on next Tuesday, 9th July, for a panel at 2pm in Room #3: Tips and Insights on Narrative Design from Leading Writers.
“Award-winning writers Rhianna Pratchett, Charles Cecil (Revolution, Broken Sword), Paul Cornell (Doctor Who, Marvel) and Judi Alston (Dreaming Methods) share their experiences, insights, learnings and tips for creating high quality narrative games with Dr Jackie Mulligan (Game Republic). The panelists will explore how to make narrative games on a budget, techniques to explore character, using new technology like AI and VR to enhance storytelling in games and trends in narrative design in particular stories being interpreted across multiple media. The session will also include a Q&A.”
I’m delighted to be part of such an excellent line-up.
New Project: Cryptid Interviews
I’m one of many contributors to this lovely group interview about Ahoy’s ongoing Project: Cryptid title. Take a look here.
Doctor Who: Goth Opera is Out This Month!
My podcast partner Lizbeth Myles, already one of Big Finish’s most acclaimed writers, is going to be adapting into audio drama for them my Doctor Who novel Goth Opera!
This Fifth Doctor vampire adventure with Nyssa and Tegan guest stars Richard Armitage, Natalie Gumede and Micah Balfour, and will be out in July!
You can read all about it here at Sci-Fi Bulletin and pre-order at Big Finish’s site here.
(This lovely final cover art by Sean Longmore.)
I’m a Hugo Awards Finalist!
The graphic novel by myself, artist Valeria Burzo and colour artist Jordie Bellaire, The Witches of World War 2, is a Finalist in the Best Graphic Story or Comic category in this year’s Hugo Awards!
The Awards will be given out at the World Science Fiction Convention in Glasgow (August 8th-12th), and I’ll be at the ceremony. So wish me luck!
Those of you who are members of the convention, and thus able to vote, will find the complete digital version of the graphic novel in their Voter Packets, courtesy of our kind publishers, TKO.
Thanks again to everyone who nominated us!
The Complete(d) Saucer Country is in Stores in September!
The Syzygy/Image edition of The Complete(d) Saucer Country, which has an entirely different design from the Zoop crowdfunded edition, will be in comic and book stores on September 4th, and is now available for pre-order from Amazon!
We’re Going Back to Thought Bubble!
Lizbeth Myles and I will once more be running at table at the great Thought Bubble comics convention in Harrogate on 16th-17th November! I’m looking forward to meeting once again so many lovely comics fans.
The Death of Wolverine
As announced here on ICv2, on 27th November Marvel will be releasing an omnibus edition of the Death of Wolverine storyline, featuring not only the miniseries of that name, but also my entire run on the comic. I’m very pleased that all this material will now be available in one volume.
There are going to be two covers, this regular one from Alex Ross…
And this direct market exclusive version from Joe Quesada.
It’s available to pre-order on Amazon, and at all good bookstores and comic shops.
I’m In a New Anthology!
I’m one of many authors who’ll have stories in Jendia Gammon’s forthcoming cross-genre anthology, which she’s funding on Ko-fi! Check it out here!
My Ko-fi and eBay Stores
I’ve re-stocked my Ko-fi store, where you can buy my books and comics, signed and personalised, and now I’ve set up shipping to a range of international destinations.
Similarly, I’ve now re-stocked my ebay store, full of Bronze Age Marvel comics at bargain prices.
Hammer House of Podcast
Hammer House of Podcast, in which myself and Lizbeth Myles watch the Hammer horror movies in UK release order, is out on the 13th of every month, with our June episode being about Wake Wood. These modern Hammers will take us until the end of the year, and then we’ll be announcing our sequel podcast!
You can get these episodes free wherever you normally get your podcasts, as well as on our site, but if you sign up to our Patreon, for any sum of money from £1/$1, you get an extra episode every month too, on the 27th, in which we watch Patron requested movies and films from other horror studios of the same era.
(We differ quite a lot about this one.)
Find my Books at Bookshop.Org and Help Out Indie Booksellers!
Bookshop.org is a collective selling tool that sets up a marketplace for all indie bookstores in the UK, functioning exactly like Amazon, except you’re supporting your local bookshop. You can find a selection of my books here, and I get a little cut of the proceeds too if you order from here!
My Linktree
You can now find all my social media links, my website/blog and links to where you can buy my books, in one place here, thanks to Linktree!
My Week
I wake up to a sense of relief, hope and optimism. A Labour landslide, and a LibDem MP in my own constituency! Last night was tough, nervy, could the polls be wrong? Would the fascists of Reform really get 13 seats? The answer was no on both counts. (They got four.) There was a great sense of pleasure in the departure of arch rightwinger Liz Truss, transphobe Joanna Cherry and cartoon posho Jacob Rees-Mogg. I was pleased that former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who always struck me as an honest broker, retained his seat, against all odds, by using the old-fashioned tactic of staying put and going door to door. He’ll be the moderate who tries to convince the Tories the way back to power isn’t to the right.
I’m a fan of Keir Starmer. I think ‘means well, earnest, slightly dull’ isn’t a bad look compared to the frothing at the mouth weirdos on the other side. (And ours.) There are a lot of questions to be answered about trans rights. (The Labour manifesto is honestly very positive, the rhetoric in the campaign not so, but the fact that J.K. Rowling is snarling is a good sign that she’s seen through a few platitudes designed not to make this a campaign issue.) But I think Starmer is being honest about trying to calm it all down and give everyone dignity and respect. I look forward to standing with trans people on those issues inside the relative safety of a Labour administration. I’m not about to start yelling at them about it, however, before they’ve announced anything. (Particularly given the manifesto.)
Last Friday was the ‘wash up’ meeting after my local Festival. I ended up with a mission to keep bringing authors to our little town, and told the committee I loved them. It was that sort of evening.
I’ve been writing the new novel at speed this week, and have finished the first section (of four) at 25,000 words. It’s a frothy, bouncy, comedy fantasy. I’m loving being back in the wordcount mines. I’ve also very much enjoyed prep for San Diego Comic Con this week. I’ve already got quite a few meetings scheduled. Also, it turns out I have to queue for an exclusive. I mean, look at this thing!
That’s my friend Christopher Jones’ exclusive SDCC variant cover for #1 of Titan’s new Doctor Who. (Check out who else has a pro badge besides the Doctor and Ruby!) Some very precisely chosen deep cuts in that crowd from Who fan Chris. If you want one, you’ll have to race me when the Convention Center doors open. (Or after the con, eBay will probably have some.)
I am lacking sleep. I need to nap, and to celebrate later. Lots of work to do from here. But change has come. And in the end it wasn’t ‘a damn close run thing’. Phew.
To Be Continued
I’m looking forward to seeing some of you at the London Film and Comic Con tomorrow and maybe at Develop on Tuesday. Do say if you’re a subscriber!
And I hope to see all of you here again next week.
Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! It's certainly been a good week