First Look: Faction Presents: High Water

Above: The cover for Faction Presents: High Water by Tim Gibson. Artwork copyright Tim Gibson 2015.

Since launching Faction in 2012, editors Damon Keen & Amie Maxwell have been raising the bar for local comics anthologies, attracting top talent creators and presenting beautiful collections with high quality production values. After three successful collections, Keen is spearheading Faction's first spin-off special edition, High Water.

Above: A final printed copy of Faction Presents: High Water. Copyright Faction Comics 2015.

Keen has been teasing photos of the recently arrived advance copies at the Faction Comics Facebook page, so I checked in with him to find out what the scoop is on the soon to be released High Water and what surprises we can expect from this collection!

Above: Artwork by Chris Slane. Copyright Chris Slane 2015.

AK: So what is High Water, and can you explain the overall theme of the collection?

Damon Keen: High Water is a Faction Special - so not part of our usual run on Faction - kind of like a Marvel Annual I guess! I hope to do one of these every couple of years, depending on our budget. Faction Specials are going to be themed issues, so a little different than the normal Faction free-for-all, and with higher production values to make them really stand out.

High Water is themed around climate change - largely because it's an issue that I think is in urgent need of discussion - but also because I noticed that no one else had done anything like this before. Cli-fi is starting to 'heat up' (yuk yuk yuk) as a genre in novels recently, so I thought now was the perfect time to put something like this together. I also got a lot of enthusiasm from the artists for this issue, including some creators that I'd wanted to get in Faction for a while - like Sarah, Dylan and Chris - so in a lot of ways, the comic came together quite organically.

Above: Artwork by Sarah Laing. Copyright Sarah Laing 2015.

AK: And tell us a bit about your design/production specs that you went overboard on to make this collection awesome?

DK: Because I wanted this to be a really stand-out comic - with an issue dear to my heart - I wanted it to leap off the shelves; so I went a little nuts on the production values! This comic is a hardback, with cloth binding AND built in bookmark - because why not?

Also the creators produced some wonderful artwork and I really wanted to try to do their vision justice. I went with a heavy matt stock for the pages - quite a different look from the glossy sheets of Faction. On top of the creators, Tim Gibson did us a knockout cover - and Ant Sang supplied us with some beautiful artwork for the interior pages, so frankly, as a graphic designer, working with this material is just a joy.

I can't wait to get this out there!

Above: Artwork by Cory Mathis. Copyright Cory Mathis 2015.

Faction Presents: High Water is a full colour hardcover, weighing in at 96 pages.

The contributor's include: Chris Slane, Christian Pearce, Cory Mathis, Damon Keen, Dylan Horrocks, Jonathan King, Katie O’Neill, Ned Wenlock, Ross Murray, Sarah Laing and Toby Morris. With additional artwork by Lei Wen, Ant Sang, and a cover by Tim Gibson. All this and an introduction by Lucy Lawless.

Look for the High Water collection launch announcement soon!

- AK!

Above: Back cover of High Water. Copyright Faction Comics 2015.

Faction #3 is unleashed!

Above: The cover for Faction #3, by Ben Stenbeck. Copyright Ben Stenbeck/Faction Comics 2014.

The latest issue of NZ's premier comics anthology Faction is out now!

Issue #3 features a line-up of all-star local comics talent, including: Tim Gibson (Moth City), Li Chen (Extra Ordinary Comics), Katie O' Neill, Mat Tait & Michael Brown, Jonathan King, Cory Mathis, Toby Morris (Don't Puke on Your Dad), and Mukpuddy, with a cover by Ben Stenbeck (Baltimore) and an introduction by yours truly!

Its 86 pages of full-colour comics for $24.95 (+postage), which you can order online HERE or look for it at selected comics and bookstore retailers.

- AK!

News From Earth's End: September Edition

Above: The cover of Faction #2, by Christian Pearce.

The second issue of the latest NZ comics anthology, Faction #2 is out now! It's 90 pages of kiwi comics goodness, featuring: Allan Xia, Cory Mathis, Damon Keen, the Sheehan Bros, Rachel Royale, Michel Mulipola, Ned Wenlock, James Squires, Mukpuddy and myself!

It's available from selected retailers and the Faction website HERE for $24.95 (+ postage).

Above: The cover of Moth City: Volume 3 Part 1, by Tim Gibson. Copyright Tim Gibson 2013.

Tim Gibson's webcomic Moth City continues to draw great reviews and industry attention, with it's fifth issue dropping on ComiXology next Wednesday HERE.

Above: Let Me Be Frank #4: Celebrity by Sarah Laing. Copyright Sarah Laing 2013.

As a part of the Auckland Libraries' Comic Book Month, author and cartoonist Sarah Laing will be giving a talk about he latest novel, The Fall of Light, and comic books in general at the Point Chevalier Library, this Saturday Sept 28th from 2.30pm -3.30pm. She has currently released four issues of her excellent comic series Let Me Be Frank through Pikita Press, that can be purchased online HERE.

Above: Issues of Let Me Be Frank on the Earth's End Spinner Rack!

Overload, the annual NZ Comic & Manga convention returns in 2013 with a much larger venue, the ASB Stadium, Kohimarama road, Auckland. The event features a range of comic creators and illustrators selling their work as well as a cosplay contest, and special guest manga artist Range Murata. It takes place this Saturday 28th of September, from 10am - 6pm. Entry is $5, with FREE parking available!

For more details on what to expect from Overload this weekend, visit the website HERE.

The From Earth's End: The Best of New Zealand Comics collection is on the way; I'll have news in the coming weeks for the exclusive book launch in Auckland and signings taking place in November! For more updates and exclusive content make sure you LIKE the Facebook page HERE, and follow me on Twitter: @adriankinnaird. More to come soon...

-AK!

Faction Comics hits the air-waves!

The recently released first issue of Faction Comics was featured on TV3 News last night, and can be viewed HERE.

It features an interview with editors Damon Keen and Amie Maxwell, as well as contributors Ant Sang and Lauren Marriott aka Ralphi.

Faction Comics #1 is now available at selected comic shops and to buy online, and subscribe for a FREE digital download HERE.

-AK!

Faction Comics #1: Hot Off The Press!

Above: Cover of Faction #1, by Greg Broadmore.

You may remember back in October I featured a story on Faction Comics, a New Zealand comics anthology that editor Damon Keen was seeking crowd-funding for through PledgeMe. Well the good news is their target was achieved, and a printed copy of Faction #1 is now available!

Above: Art from June+Bug by Ant Sang. Copyright Ant Sang 2012.

It's 68 pages of full-colour comics from some of New Zealand's premiere comics talent, including: Ant Sang, Roger Langridge, Karl Wills, Tim Gibson, Lauren Marriott, Czepta Gold, Christian Pearce and many more!

You can order the print edition from the Faction Comics website HERE for $19.95NZ +postage. You can also subscribe on the website for a FREE digital edition!

So order a copy today, and get in on the ground floor of what promises to be an exciting development in local comics publishing!

-AK!

Faction Comics needs YOU!

Above: a detail of the cover of Faction Comics #1 by Greg Broadmore.

Faction Comics is a new New Zealand comics anthology edited by Damon Keen to be launched in December as a full-colour comic book and digital edition for computers, iPads and smart phones. It already has an impressive line-up on New Zealand comics talent, including such heavy hitters as: Greg Broadmore (Triumph), Ant Sang (Shaolin Burning), Roger Langridge (Fred The Clown), Karl Wills, Jonathan King, Christian Pearce, Ned Wenlock and many more!

Above: An image from Ant Sang's contribution to Faction Comics #1, June+Bug. Copyright Ant Sang 2012.

You can subscribe for a FREE copy of the digital version right HERE at the Faction website. But for the print version to launch and be promoted successfully, it needs your help! Right now Faction Comics is appealing for funding on the New Zealand crowd funding website, PledgeMe.

Above: An image from Damon Keen's contribution to Faction Comics #1. Copyright Damon Keen 2012.

If you haven't heard of PledgeMe, it is modeled on the US crowd funding site Kickstarter: creatives seeking funding for a project have a limited time to appeal to the public for donations or 'pledges' (via credit card) towards achieving their funding goal. Pledges can range from as little as $10 right up to a couple of hundred, and depending on the size of your pledge you will be rewarded for your patronage (eg. a $25 donation will get nab you an exclusive Faction bookmark, or $200 will see you receive an original drawing of yourself as a superhero and a copy of the printed book). Pledges will only be charged if the project reaches its target funding goal within the set time-frame.

Faction Comics' PledgeMe appeal has 9 days left to reach its funding goal of $4,500. It's just over two thirds of the way there, and needs YOUR help to make it across the finish line!

So if you enjoy New Zealand comics and would like to see this title get off to a great start, please consider supporting this project by pledging HERE. 

Every bit of support at this stage helps (and yes, pledges can be accepted from outside of New Zealand as long as you have a valid credit card). For more information and to subscribe for the digital copy, visit the Faction Comics website HERE and join their Facebook page HERE.

-AK!