Au revoir, mon ami!

Well, 'tis the night before a comic Christmas for 1000 lucky kids across Liverpool and the surrounding 'burbs as we Etheringtons head up-country for four days of workshop shenanigans, book signings and giggles aplenty.

After last September's mini tour we're a little better prepared for the experience and now cannot wait to share our brand new Comic Cookery Workshop with schools and libraries and teachers and parents and tons and tons of excitable young creators.

We'll be offline till the weekend but shall return with news and pics and all the usual gubbins.

Till then, two quick bits of news:

(1) The Cardiff Comic Expo was superb and we cannot wait to see next years event grow into a two-day show. A big thanks to everyone involved in putting together such a great day and a BIGGER thanks to all you guys who came down to meet, greet and chat.

(2) This weeks Dandy may have an accidental reprint of Yore! but it has the very first episode of my new comic strip, Tag Team Tastic, with Warwick Johnson-Cadwell on art duties. We're in a winner-takes-all competition with three other tasty strips so please pick up a copy and check it out. We'd like your vote!

See you soon!

Don't worry - YORE not going mad!

Regular Dandy readers will be afflicted this week by a sudden overwhelming bout of Déjà vu. Arriving at the YORE page, their eyes will NOT alight on a new episode in the ongoing adventures of Piggy, Doombar and Elfin. Instead they will be given another chance to appreciate last week's escapade.

It appears that a pack of rabid gremlins (no doubt insulted by Piggy during a Quest) have managed to infiltrate the Dandy headquarters and chucked a sequential spanner in the works.

We've now caught the blighters and given them all a good smack on the bottom and normal Questing will resume on the 10th March.

If you're yet to pick up an issue, then ignore everything I've said and grab your copy this Wednesday!

Bloggin'...

Had to drop in and show you this super-fine piccie by long-time Etherington buddy The7Artist7 over on Concept Art!

As he describes it: "This is just about what my face looks like when visiting this thread!".
If you look very closely you can even see the Baggage cover on the screen! Awesome! Cheers bro!!!

Lorenzo!

New mini series starts in the Dandy today!

Well, what a lot of things I have to tell you about! First up, of course, it's Wednesday, and that can only mean one thing - it's Dandy day!

This week's issue features another 44 pages of pure comicy delight, including the third instalment of YORE!

While you're eating a bag of sweets and enjoying this week's adventure with Piggy, Doombar and Elfin, here's an exclusive little peek at some artwork from a future epiode...

However, the fun doesn't stop there, as this week also sees the beginning of a series of very special mind-bending puzzle pages from the imagination of yours truly, which will hopefully befuddle and confuse in equal measure! The series is called Professor Popalop, and will run for 6 weeks or so. In the spirit of always showing you something a little exclusive, here's some art from the series which will appear in the comic soooooon...

And all that wasn't enough, next week sees the launch of Robin and WJC's awesome...

Whoop!

Lorenzo!

It's a funny old Web World ... and a Baggage Bargain!

So, you've made something - maybe it's a book, maybe an album. Perhaps you've fashioned an Elvis wig from your own bellybutton fluff. It doesn't matter. You've MADE something. And then you release it into the wild to be consumed (hopefully) by the entertained masses. But how far can your creation travel?

Well, today's little gem reveals that Monkey Nuts: The Diamond Egg of Wonders is available from the Lawyerment bookshop. This is a website that describes itself as:

"...Malaysia's premier and leading web portal in providing a broad array of self-help legal guides to consumers and businesses globally. It is a super useful site at a comprehensive gateway to legal resources."

Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.
Bit odd, but if Sid and Rivet's adventures help the international legal community, well ... who are WE to argue.

In other (more sane) news, BAGGAGE is currently available for pre-order via amazon for the cheap-as-a-portion-of-chips-from-a-posh-chippy price of only £6.69.

Go book your place on the Graphic Novel train of adventure - today!

How Red is YOUR nose?

Ah, Red Nose Day ... that annual opportunity to make an absolute nit of yourself in the name of charity (as opposed to every other day when we all make nits of ourselves for free.)

I know we're a little early here - the big day being 18th March - but I'm ready to start the ball rolling.






















Ahem. Nuff said. Oh, and I do have front teeth by the way. Honest.

Anyway, it's an extra special Red Nose Day this year as Comic Relief has a MONSTER theme! Regular Etherington readers will know we have a bit of a 'thing' for monstrous critters so I was delighted when my dear wife brought home my very own HONKUS.  Three different nosey varieties can be found in your nearest Sainsbury's, Oxfam branch or via the online store - Honkus, Chucklechomp (glasses) and Captain Conk.

Here they are in a wine glass. Just coz.

There are a million and one things you can do to raise money, individually, in groups and at school, and Teachers can get there hands on a wealth of free resources HERE! 

But Red Nose Day is also about having fun and this year see's the launch of the Little Monster Noses' Academy of Fun, which is every bit as excellent as it sounds. Kids can have an absolute blast exploring the site and can keep the fun going by ordering their own free Monster Book of Fun Fundraising kit HERE!

Now go forth, my friends - buy a nose, spread some cheer and help make a difference!

20% Off our Giant 600 page sketchbok until 21st Feb!

Hey folks! Yep, it's been a while, but we're doing it again! From now until the 21st Feb we're offering you 20% off the mighty 600 page El Sketchbook Lorenzo Deluxe Collection! This book has been one of our best-sellers every month since publication last year, and some of you have been kind enough to drop me a few lines to let me know you've enjoyed it, for which I thank you so much! Please have a read on the image attatched of a few testimonials from guys and girls who have already taken the plunge and picked up the book!


You can also get this saving off our lovely 320 page Malcolm Magic comic book - the one that started it all! Simply GO HERE, choose the books you want and enter the code "HAPPYUK" at checkout to make your lovely big saving!

Oh, and don't forget, we're going to be appearing at the Cardiff Comics Expo on the 26th  of this month! Details HERE!

You're welcome!

Lorenzo!

Etheringtons invade Scribbler Magazine!

We love Scribbler. But what's not to love about a quarterly magazine for kids (aged between 7-11) who love to draw and write and read? Absolutely nothing, that's what.

Better still, the good folks at Scribbler seem to quite like us!

If you are lucky enough to already have a subscription to this fantastic activity-packed magazine, then you will have just received Issue 42 and spent a pleasant afternoon pouring over the Guest Author interview, featuring us Etherington Brothers in all our daft glory.

It's a monstrous four-page segment (we're not greedy, we've just got lots to talk about) and features a bonus guide to creating awesome monsters and a competition in which five lucky readers can win a copy of Monkey Nuts: The Diamond Egg of Wonders.

We simply cannot recommend the magazine enough (they asked some really, really good questions) and for only £12 for an annual 4-issue subscription it really is fantastic value for money.

You can find all the details HERE.

So go on - spoil your kids!

It's Dandy Day!

Yes yes! This week's Dandy comes out today and BOY! What a monster! A whopping 44 pages of comic goodness, including epsiode 2 of YORE! Whoop!

Add to that no less than SIX pages of the incomparable Jamie Smart's glorious comic goodness, along with strips by Nik Holmes, Andy Fanton, Wilbur Dawbarn, Lew Stringer  and Nigel Parkinson, and you have yourself a serious bundle of goodness! To celebrate the launch of the new issue, here's some previews of environments and character concepts for episode 13 of YORE! Enjoy!

Back to School with a Blast!

Recently we had the great pleasure of visiting the Bristol Grammar School and holding a workshop with 140 year 7 students and their teachers. Here we are in action.
The camera can be so cruel when you're caught in the middle of a sentence...

It was a fantastic day and it gave me good pause to think about the school experience in wider terms. A lot has been written about the education system and many notable individuals have added their own thoughts, some supportive, some negative and some just amusing. A good example of the latter comes from the pen of American author, Walter Percy:

"You can get all A's and still flunk life."

Wise words, Walt, wise words. But my absolute favourite (serious) quotation, and one we Etheringtons try our very hardest to live up to, was coined by famed 20th Century poet, William Butler Yeats:

"Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire."

If you want children to pass exams they have to learn FACTS. This we know. But if you want to light the fire of inspiration, well ... that can be far harder. One great way in which schools seem to be really embracing this ideal however, is through their visitor programme.

Sportsmen and sportswomen, artists, authors, musicians and more are invited to talk to small and large groups, and share their experiences. We were delighted to be invited by Lucy Shepherd to host a workshop at BGS and, judging from the photos below, I think it's fair to say everyone had a good time!

It is with immense pride that we share our creative process and use our experiences to encourage students of all ages to think about their work in new, exciting ways.

If you would like to know more about our school workshops and maybe even book us in for a visit (we want to spread the good word far and wide) simply drop us a line at: theetheringtonbrothers@hotmail.co.uk.

Burn the Behemoth!

Valentine's Day not your thing? Fear not - we Etherington's have the answer and solution to your every entertainment need. If romance is not on the cards then why not indulge in a little harmless lightsaber action. And don't try and tell me Star Wars is not your thing ... I simply won't hear it!

Yes, it's a brand new Etherington penned, Clone Wars comic strip adventure, set deep in the outer rim. The powerful iron city of Thousand Thousand has survived countless conflicts without assistance - so what new threat could cause its inhabitants to cower in fear?

Discover all the answers by picking up an action-packed copy from your latest newsagent TODAY!

Everything's better with YOU

Happy Valentine's Day! A little piccie to start the week for my wonderful girl, who continues to be my best friend and my greatest inspiration. I love you, baby!
x
Lorenzo!