Birmingham Dive Show!

Just got back from the Birmingham dive show and had a fantastic time. The Sport Diver cover went down really well, Sport Diver had no copies left by the end of the show and I was told that it was the first non-photographic cover they have ever published!

It was great to put names to faces and to just see all the new diving kit on display - very similar to comic shows in some respects. The Marineman trades were flying from the booth and it was also good to see a healthy amount of children at the show, which the diving and comic industries both need for continued success in the future...

The Marineman prints were well received and i'll be running up another batch for the Thought Bubble show in November. I'm really looking forward to it, hope to see you there...!

Sport Diver Cover!

Today is the release of the current issue of Sport Diver magazine - PADI's official diving magazine, featuring a brand new Marineman cover!

I think they did a great job and I'm really looking forward to getting a copy to see how it looks inside!

Please drop buy your local magazine retailer and pick one up!

Birmingham Dive Show!

I managed to get booth space at the Birmingham Dive Show this coming weekend which I'm really excited about! I think the dive community are an untapped audience for Marineman and Marineman could be a way for kids to get into diving until they're old enough to use scuba equipment.

I'll be in the PADI village at booth number PV36 so if anyone wants to come and check out the world of diving it would be great to have you turn up. Also, tomorrow sees the release of Sport Diver's latest issue which just happens to have an all-new Marineman drawing on the front cover! I'm really excited and can't wait to see it on the racks in the magazine stores. I was asked not to preview it until it was published so tomorrow I can finally post it for you to look at. They've done a Marineman feature and a short interview about my diving pursuits so please check it out!

Here's a link to the show for anyone who's interested...

http://www.diveshows.co.uk/

See you back here tomorrow!

Been a while since I last posted I noticed!

I've been doing all I can to get the Marineman trade into as many outlets as possible which is time consuming and also attending quite a few comic shows over the last few weeks.

I've also been drawing a brand new Marineman cover for SPORT DIVER magazine - the official magazine of the PADI diving organisation. They're doing a Marineman feature  in their next issue which is all kinds of cool in my opinion! I'll post the cover as soon as the issue is released.

I'm also working on a charity print to try and raise money for the British Heart Foundation featuring Marineman - I'll let you know how it goes as it progresses...

On a complete side note, the pop star Rihanna is filming a movie called 'Battleship' which I think is based on the classic board game - I came across photos by accident while surfing and it struck me that without the tattoos she'd make a pretty cool Charlotte Greene if it turns out that she can act.

See what you think...

Went to BICS at the weekend and had a great time. Even though it was only a one day show it was steadily busy despite being on a bank holiday. I caught up with all the usual suspects and the Marineman booth had a constant line which was cool...

When I was at the INFINITY AND BEYOND store signing the other week I agreed to draw a sketch of Marineman on the back of their - special shop anniversary Walking Dead comic.

I didn't get the time while I was at the store but managed to find an hour this morning. So here for the first time is Zombie Marineman - and he's still smiling even though he's undead!

Click on the drawing to go LARGE!

There's a comic festival in Breda, Holland that I'm going to be at this year.

If you live in the area or are making the trip then please drop by and say hi.

Here's a link to the show's website...

STRIPFESTIVAL BREDA 2011

The Daily Blam! ran a cool Marineman article that went live today, so if you want to check it out then here's the link...

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Ian Churchill Discusses His Series MARINEMAN | The Daily BLAM!

BICS!

Just wanted to let you all know I'll be at the Birmingham International Comics Show this weekend and my advance order of Marineman trades will be with me!

I only have 22 copies so If you can't wait 'til the official release date then come along and pick one up!
Once they're gone - they're gone, so come early to avoid disappointment...

I'll also have the regular singles too, so if you still don't have a complete set then this is as good a time as any to rectify that.

I've never been to BICS before so it'll be a voyage of discovery and I hope to see you there...

Cheers!

-Ian

There's a great review of MARINEMAN issue 6 on CBR - I'm really glad it was well received...

Here's the link if you want to check it out... http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=3737

The photos from the previous post SHOULD display correctly now...Enjoy!

Revised Post!

It's going to be at least another week 'til I get my computer back but I managed to get access to another terminal so here I am!

The really exciting news is that Marineman has made the cover of DIVER magazine - North America's longest established diving magazine, and not only that - they have featured a 6 page spread devoted entirely to Marineman!

How cool is that?!

It's making me feel the way I did when I first saw my work published at Marvel Comics!

It should be on the stands about now I believe, and this is what you're looking for...

DIVER Magazine - The comic issue!

As I said in the previous post, the San Diego Comicon was a rocking show, I got to see hardly any of it as I was at the Marineman booth most of the time, but everyone who stopped by remarked on how huge it was and what a great time they were having.

So many friendly people came by the booth with nothing but support for Marineman and the series. I had a lot of fun just chatting about the character and hearing about the character from different perspectives. A whole lot of families stopped by which was really encouraging as we need as many younger readers to get into comics as possible.

Quite a few Navy people showed up at the booth too who seemed to enjoy the Navy's presence in the series. A very pretty Navy girl from Florida (whose name I can't remember) was chatting to me while I signed a copy of the trade for one of her daughters and expressed that she'd love it if I could come up with a Navy inspired bikini! She was lamenting on the unflattering/unfeminine attire the Navy issue.
So if I find myself with some free time, I may give it a go and post the results right here...!

Anyway, here are a few snapshots from the show and I'll post again once my computer is fixed...

Me, Dennis and his prize!

Same again - different shot...

Me and Image Comics' Todd Martinez!

Richard Starkings' ELEPHANTMEN take Sea Port Village, San Diego!

Cheesy grin and a cool banner...!

" I'll see your beard, Robert - and raise you a baseball cap! "
Meeting the big talent that is Robert Kirkman!

Just rolled back in from The San Diego Comic Con!

What a show! It was fantastic and I want to say a huge and hearty thank you to everyone who took the time out of their con experience to come and say 'hi'!

The Marineman trades were flying out of the booth and even Jonathan Ross swung by to pick up a copy with his son!  For any blog followers who are American - In England, Jonathan Ross is as famous as Jay Leno!

The Marineman banner was won on Sunday by an excited Dennis Hoffman, and we had a lot of fun figuring out how to best remove it from it's mechanism!

I'm making this post from my ipod as my imac is currently being repaired so I'll make a more detailed report on the show as soon as soon as my computer is back...

I'll post soon!

Received a delivery of Marineman issue 6 today and it printed really well - so I'm very happy about that!

My advice is to NOT look at the back of the issue when you pick it up, as the story extends right to the back page! I needed all the pages available to me to fit everything into the book - hence the bar code on the front cover for this issue.

I'll look forward to reading what you think about issue 6 then....

-Ian!

Hey everybody,

Image Comics have just released a sneak preview of Marineman issue 6 on CBR - here's the link if you just can't wait...!


http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=9208


Due for release - Wednesday 13th July, the double sized monster is on it's way!

Even though I finished issue 6 a while back, the production side seems to have taken longer than expected but issue 6 will be out this month of July, rest assured!  And the trade will be not far behind it...

Everyone has been posting interesting movie actor choices after my last post, I'm really enjoying how you all picture Marineman in real life.

Now that he's lost his boyishness and put on a few pounds I think Zac Efron might be pretty good as Steve and I see Jessica Lucas as Charlotte, hands down!

Rob Lowe would make a good David Ocean but I'm still thinking on Jake and the Admiral...Hmmmm....

I've just finished updating the Marineman website, so if you haven't checked it for a while now would be a good time. It works fine in Safari, Firefox and Google Chrome but seems to have a few bugs in Internet Explorer. I also noticed a spelling mistake so I'll fix that tomorrow.

I'm prepping for San Diego and have a new banner in the works especially for the show which is ten feet tall! No one is going to miss that! I'm considering auctioning it on Ebay once I'm done with it if anyone would be interested. If you happen to be going to the San Diego show, I'll be at the Image booth the whole time and would be stoked if you came by!

I hope you all enjoy issue 6 when it hits the stores - I think you will!

I'll post again soon,

Cheers!

-Ian

Issue 6 has been lettered and is off to the printer - Hurrah!

I finished compiling the trade on Saturday and I'm confident you'll all be happy with it - I was!
Lots of extras plus a rocking foreword by Dave Gibbons!

DAVE GIBBONS!

How cool is that?!


While working on Marineman it was hard to stop my mind drifting and one thing I kept coming back to was who I would cast if there was ever to be a Marineman movie!

So just for fun - if you all want to have a think and post who you'd see in the roles - I'd love to see what you're all thinking!

Given an ideal world, I know who I'd choose and I'd be interested to see if your choices tally up with mine.

I'll look forward to seeing what you come up with...!


-Ian

Hey everyone,


Issue 6 is finished bar the lettering, which is due anytime now and then it's off to the printer - Hurrah!

I'm really pleased with how it turned out and I was getting excited and caught up with it myself - and I know what happens!

Again, there wasn't enough room for the Oceanauts feature in this issue, I needed all 42 pages to fit the story in, but rest assured there'll be two new Oceanauts features especially for the trade.

Speaking of which, the trade is what I'm straight on to once I end this post, beginning with the cover art and then page designs and onward...

I'll keep you updated as and when I can...

-Ian

Just wanted to mention that issue 6 is drawn and is now being colored in readiness for those fine folks at Comicraft to throw some fonts at it so we can get it off to the printer!

It certainly was a challenging issue  but I think it hits all the peaks and rings all the bells!

Anyway, back to work - I'll keep you posted (no pun intended!)...

So I just got back from the Bristol Comic Convention and I have to say thanks to anyone who came along to see me and support Marineman!

It was a wild show and I didn't stop sketching from show open to show close!

I'm pleasantly exhausted and back to finishing issue 6 so you can read the next part of Marineman's adventures...

I have six pages left to draw of 42 pages and the coloring, then I'm on to designing and producing the trade. It's a lot of hard work but all the comments you've been posting about how much Marineman means to you have made it all worthwhile and put a huge smile on my face - so thank you all!

Gotta get back to it... but i'll post again as soon as I'm able!

Marineman issue 5 hits the stores today and so far it's my favorite of all the issues, I hope you enjoy it!

I'm still chugging along with the mammoth double sized issue 6 -it's going to be a doozy with a fair amount of 'traditional' action for good measure.

Apparently, the only people who are eligible to vote for Marineman in the Eisners are fellow professionals! I know you'd all vote for Marineman if you could, and I really appreciate it!
So lets all cross our fingers and hope the pros in the biz have read and enjoyed Marineman as much as you and I have...

I'll look forward to reading your reactions to issue 5...

Cheers!

-Ian!

Well you could have knocked me down with a feather when I was informed that Marineman had been nominated for an Eisner Award for 'Best New Series"!








I never in a million years thought I'd ever get a nod from the Eisners! I still can't believe it...

Wow!

So please, when voting begins, vote for Marineman as best new series!


















Thanks!

One quick post - Some people have expressed an interest in seeing the Atlantis spread from issue 3 without the color over the top, so not one to want to disappoint, here it is!

Just give it a click to see it bigger...

Marineman Issue 5 is complete and off to the printer! Look for it in all good comic stores at the end of the month...

I'm very happy with how it turned out and I think it's my favorite one so far!

So now I turn to the massive task that is the double-sized issue number 6. I'm looking forward to it as it has some of the best bits of the whole series but at the same time, it's a little daunting as its 42 pages of story.

That's a whole lot of drawing, coloring and writing!

I may not have time to post for a while...!

I just had a link sent to me by the PR department at Image comics leading to a Marineman article on NPR.

Very funny article, if you want a giggle then go check it out!

Here's the link...

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2011/03/24/134760062/torrid-comics-confessions-im-cheating-on-the-sea-king-with-marineman

Hi everyone!

Just to let you know - Marineman issue 4 is released today!

A favorable review surfaced for it on Newsarama, the reviewer obviously wasn't keen on the first issue but seems to have come around to the fun side!

Here's the link...

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/best-shots-advance-reviews-110322.html

I hope you all enjoy it, I'm currently finishing off the coloring of issue 5 so the guys at Comicraft can do their funky lettering - Look for issue 5 to be available at the end of April.

Once again, thanks for all your support!

-Ian

Just a quick post to let you know I'll be at the brand new Kapow! Comic Con in London on April the 9th. I'll only be there for the day as Marineman is a hard taskmaster, but if you happen to be in the area and can get a ticket, then please drop by and say hi!

Here's a link to the show's website...

http://www.kapowcomiccon.com/gueststars

Hi everyone!

Marineman 4 is all tied up and out the door! Look for it toward the end of the month...

Cracking on with finishing 5 now...

MTV Geek did a feature recently on the best underwater characters and Marineman came in at number 3! Not bad for a character who's only been around for a few months! Here's the link...
http://geek-news.mtv.com/2011/02/17/the-7-best-superheroes-in-the-seven-seas/

Speaking of underwater - The sad news of today is that Jane Russell has passed away at the grand old age of 89. Watching her movie - 'Underwater!' - as a kid, was one of the key inspirations for me inventing Marineman. As I've mentioned before, I based the look of Marineman loosely on her co-star, Richard Egan. In my eight year old brain Marineman looked like Richard Egan, but in reality he looked nothing like like him!

For those of you unfamiliar with the movie, here is the 1955 trailer...Great movie but not as exciting as the trailer makes it look!

I know what you're thinking, that Ian churchill is like a bus - no posts for ages and then suddenly two at once!

Well the reason is that my wife went out earlier and returned with the latest issue of DIVER magazine that just so happens to have a cracking review of Marineman issue 1!

In reference to my earlier post, as a result I had to go about amending the Marineman website to compensate for interested parties who aren't specifically into comics, and who may be passing through having read the review! I certainly hope that as many divers as possible prove curious and seek Marineman out, not just for my own sake but for the sake of the industry. We need as many new readers as we can find!

So if you are a reader of DIVER magazine, and are thinking of trying Marineman out, then welcome aboard and I hope you enjoy the experience and come back for more...

DIVER is a great magazine and certainly worth checking out if you are partial to scuba diving.

Marineman was reviewed in the book review section and here it is if you're interested in taking a look...

DIVER's online magazine can be found at the end of this link...http://divernet.com/

The only problem with being a one man show, is just that - being a one man show!

It means that although you have control over what you're doing, you're constantly being dragged back and forth to different aspects of the production that demand attention!

So since my last post I've done the cover to issue 6, which I think is the best one so far, finished coloring issue 3, addressed some elements on issue 4 and got the coloring underway, laid out the whole of issue 6 and all the while trying to draw issue 5!

Issue 5 is penciled and i'm currently inking it. the final changes have just been made to the lettering on issue 3, so it's out the door to the printers and according to Image, should be with you in stores on February the 16th.

The best thing about being a one man show though, of course, is the ability to shape the project as you see fit, and although it's a lot of hard work - it's fun in equal measure!

Marineman issue 2 got a great response from everyone which I'm very grateful for, and issue 3 in my opinion is the most emotive chapter to date. I hope when you read it that you'll all agree...

I did a little Marineman thumbnail while liaising with Comicraft over mods to the lettering the other day so thought I'd post it, it might make a good pin-up or cover at some point. I think it has good kinetic movement to it.

Thanks again to everyone who's supporting Marineman, and I'll try to post again soon!

Hi everyone,

Marineman issue 2 is released this week, I hope you can pick one up and that you enjoy the read!

It's been a while since my last post I know - mostly down to a combination of illness and Christmas. Still on schedule though, even if it does mean burning the midnight oil!

I'm happy with how issue 2 turned out and for all those who thought issue 1 needed more action - well it's made up for in this issue. All part of the master plan...Insert maniacal laughter right here!

Issue 3 is a few pages away from heading to the letterer and next on the agenda is to get the cover to issue 6 finalized for solicitation. I'm still laying out issue 6 but it's looking like it may have to be double sized to comfortably fit everything in - I'll keep you all posted though.

I'd like to take the time to thank everyone for the support you've all shown me and my creation, it really means the world to me.

It came to my attention that Marineman was a sketch challenge on Deviantart recently, which I have to say was hugely flattering! There was some great renditions of Mr. Ocean in action and it was strange to see him drawn by someone other than me for the first time!

Here's the link if you're curious....

http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&q=marineman

More soon...And happy new year to you all!