Owen Michael Johnson

Writer/Artist/Comic Creator (Raygun Roads//Reel Love//Beast Wagon) [email protected] • changelingstudios.com

[owenmichaeljohnson]

BEAST WAGON FINALE cover by John Pearson.

Double-sized last issue will be on sale February 2017.

[owenmichaeljohnson]

BEAST WAGON TAILS anthology released at Thought Bubble

This November, the team behind the critically acclaimed independent comic series Beast Wagon will release a short anthology collection featuring stories of cautionary and vengeful animal stories previously printed in Comic Heroes and Starburst magazines.

Fox-hunts gone awry, democratic ant colonies, rebellious Orcas and hedonistic bull runs - a perfect primer for the double-sized finale issue which is released in the New Year, Beast Wagon Tails features the full incidents glimpsed in the global ‘visions’ of Sherman, the main series’ prophetic tortoise, all delivered in the darkly humorous tone the series has become famous for.

All stories are penned by series writer Owen Michael Johnson (Raygun Roads, Reel Love) and lettered by Colin Bell (The Fiction, And Then Emily Was Gone) and illustrated by some of the UK’s finest artists including series co-creator John Pearson, Andy Bloor (Phonogram, Midnight Man), Martin Simmonds (Death Sentence, Heretics) and Jay Gunn (Surface Tension).

The anthology also includes ‘The Belly Of The Beast’ – an essay of the mythological reading of Beast Wagon by Scream magazine’s Max Deacon.

Extremely limited copies will be available at Thought Bubble Festival Leeds along with the previous four issues of the British Comic Award nominated cult hit. Beast Wagon Tails is the ideal companion piece to own before the storm of blood and fur promised in the final issue of the series.  

[owenmichaeljohnson]

Beast Wagon Chapter Four Preview 

Art by John Pearson 

Letters by Colin Bell

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Beast Wagon Chapter Four - Gluttire Written by Owen Michael Johnson Illustrated by John Pearson Lettered by Colin Bell Capacities are reached.

Captivities are breached. The pen-ultimate issue of the critically acclaimed British Comic Award nominated series by Owen Michael Johnson & John Pearson, with letters by Colin Bell Beast Wagon Chapter Four is available to pre-order now

Beast Wagon #1-3 is available to purchase as a bundle

[owenmichaeljohnson]

The 'False Prophet' tour is a bi-continental celebration marking the launch of Beast Wagon Chapter Four over the Summer, with dates in the following cities of the UK and US:  JUNE 25 - Austin Books 7 Comics, Austin, Texas USA JUNE 30 - Forbidden Planet, Glasgow, UK JULY 2-3 - Glasgow Comic Con, Glasgow, UK JULY 9 - Raygun East London, UK JULY 13 - Mission Comics and Art, San Francisco USA JULY 16 - Meltdown Comics, Los Angeles USA JULY 16 - Forbidden Planet Megastore, London UK JULY 23 - Raygun Comics, Richmond UK

If you are based near these fine establishments, it would be great to see some of you in attendance! 

[owenmichaeljohnson]

The Warriors lobby poster for Genesis Cinema & Rochester Kino screening of THE WARRIORS - A Rochester Kino Salon Screening on April 21.

Rochester Kino screens classic and cult films at various venues including cultural institutes and pop-up settings in London. The events are always introduced by Nick Walker with a brief talk followed by an informal group discussion over refreshments. Rochester Kino's instalment at Genesis this time is a rare screening of The Warriors (1979).

Colours once again by the mighty Mark Penman, with a design leg-up by Andrew James

You can book tickets for the one-off showing herehttp://genesiscinema.co.uk/GenesisCinema.dll/WhatsOn…

And bid for the piece in silent auction in aid of Positive East London's largest community-based HIV charity

[owenmichaeljohnson]

Beast Wagon Chapter Four - Gluttire Written by Owen Michael Johnson Illustrated by John Pearson Lettered by Colin Bell Capacities are reached.

Captivities are breached.  The pen-ultimate issue of the critically acclaimed British Comic Award nominated series by Owen Michael Johnson & John Pearson, with letters by Colin Bell Beast Wagon Chapter Four is on sale Summer 2016.

Beast Wagon #1-3 is available to purchase as a bundle

[owenmichaeljohnson]

Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice lobby poster produced for Genesis Cinema, East London. 

Ink on Bristol Board with digital colours by sometime collaborator and friend Mark Penman, whose sensational dark fantasy webcomic Eimurian Tales is a joy to read. 

The Genesis are running a charity auction for the piece, with proceeds going to Maytree Saving Lives Suicide Crisis Centre. 

[owenmichaeljohnson]

“The creators of Beast Wagon are coming to the Wild North for a signing tour at Travelling Man Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle! Beast Wagon is written by British Comic Award nominee Owen Michael Johnson (Raygun Roads) and illustrated by Leeds based illustrator John Pearson whose clients include Lionsgate Films, Starburst Magazine and Titan Comics and we're delighted that they'll be signing the first three issues of their black comdey comic set in Whipsnarl Zoo. A Synopsis of Black Wagon: In the middle of a summer heatwave, the new arrival at Whipsnarl Zoo heralds a primal disturbance amongst its animal population. Some believe it the harbinger of a vast cosmic event. For others, it is simply another prisoner. For some, it is a reason to revolt. Over the course of the day, the human and animal interactions grow stranger, and the boundary between the two begins to blur…“ Here's the details of when and where the signings will take place: Thursday 24th March - Travelling Man Newcastle (https://goo.gl/hxheX2) - 5pm till 6pm Saturday 26th March - Travelling Man Manchester (http://g.co/maps/n6d98)- 12pm till 1pm Saturday 26th March - Travelling Man Leeds (http://g.co/maps/cd5dq) - 4pm till 5pm

Facebook event: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/972177086202488/

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BEAST WAGON CHAPTER THREE REVIEWS

One of the strangest and most ambitious indie comics of the last few years - Scream Magazine 

Beast Wagon really is unlike anything out there - Comic Bastards

“A self-published series creatively competing with (and toppling) most of the big hitters, wooing both critics and audiences too much acclaim” - Flickering Myth

“One of the most exciting and inventive new book in years” - Big Comic Page

“Breathless and invigorating” - Comic Anonymous

“The fourth issue can’t get here quick enough” - Bleeding Cool 

These were nice! 

[owenmichaeljohnson]

Beast Wagon Chapter Three - The Empty Frame Written by Owen Michael Johnson Illustrated by John Pearson Lettered by Colin Bell An intervention is staged. A memory resurfaces. Stralti tells a joke. Patrick takes a trip. An abundance of anaesthetics and prosthetics. Things get weird. The third issue of the critically acclaimed British Comic Award nominated series by Owen Michael Johnson & John Pearson, with letters by Colin Bell "Beast Wagon was a force, a joy to read, a great original work. It's an excellent satire." - Kate Beaton Beast Wagon #3 is released Feb 27 and can be pre-ordered at http://changelingstudios.bigcartel.com/

Beast Wagon #1-3 is available to purchase as a bundle

Owen Michael Johnson & John Pearson will be signing copies at Gosh Comics, London 2pm-3pm Saturday February 27

[owenmichaeljohnson]

BEAST WAGON CHAPTER TWO - DREAMTIME

Exclusive page available at Comics Alliance 

Loves are tested. Plans are drawn. Doses are administered. Whipsnarl Zoo heats up. The second chapter of the British Comic Award nominated black comedy from writer Owen Michael Johnson (Raygun Roads, Reel Love) and Illustrator John Pearson, with letters by Colin Bell (Curb Stomp, The Fiction, And Then Emily Was Gone).

Beast Wagon Chapter Two launches 13th November at Orbital Presents Young Guns Art Jam, and is available throughout the weekend at Tables 60-61 of the Thought Bubble Marquee.  

Kickstarter backers receive their copies at the beginning of that week. 

[i-can-see-the-dark-light-deacti]

[owenmichaeljohnson]

Really jazzed to announce Team Beast Wagon are producing some exclusive strips for Starburst Magazine, the world’s longest running magazine of cult entertainment.

The first BEAST WAGON TAILS will run exclusively in Starburst Magazine #417, on sale September 18! 

Written by myself and illustrated by BEAST WAGON artist John Pearson, with letters by one-man comic industry Colin Bell (who wrote the UK’s best ever all-ages comic, now available as a complete collection here).

These are intended as spin-off stories in the fun tradition of cautionary tales, that should require no prior knowledge of Beast Wagon to enjoy, although they are connected if you are a reader and dig that sort of thing.

Many thanks to sequential art editor Ed Fortune for the invite! 

The first strip will also run with an ad for Beast Wagon Chapter Two which is on sale in November. It looks something like this

[owenmichaeljohnson]

Ideas On Icons

Just stumbled on this interview and thought it was great:

Screenwriter Max Landis​ giving serious critical academic analysis of pop culture IPs - more specifically talking his new Superman comic, American Alien, and all manner of comics both DC and otherwise. He also hits on Star Wars, Game Of Thrones etc. etc.

Highly recommended - big supporter of Landis + his ethos. 

Been thinking on a lot of these talking points recently so this is just a little musing of my own. I’m also reading Robert McKee’s Story, on loan from another writer, so maybe that has something to do with it. Digging into the nitty gritty of craft, structure, style, and the continuum of commercial/obscure and archplot/antiplot. Where my work falls and where I want it to fall. These things are occupying my creative thoughts of late. I digress. 

It's refreshing to see a professional with a toe in both comic book and filmmaking fields openly and honestly criticising the reliance on canonical elements of comic fandom - or a jettisoning of character - without it coming from a place of bitterness or a jaded attitude with commercial or corporate storytelling, which seems to me to be prescient among the literati. And calling out comics (medium and industry) when it’s being dumb is integral, but that’s another thing for another time. What I’m talking about right now is purely IP and iconic characters, the content of the work, and the way that work is discussed. 

It would appear to me when Landis calls-out bad comics it’s because he’s calling out how they were crafted, rather than just to moan that they’re juvenile or somehow devoid of intellectual merit. That this seems to come from a genuine, and evangelical passion for great pop culture arts, and a desire for them to be both artistically and creatively satisfying to produce, as well as satisfying and non-condescending to the audience to read, is something I feel all popular art does at it’s best. It’s something I strive for in most of the work i do.

These icons are metaphors, or fairytales, or whatever you want to call them. The key being they aren’t real. But that isn’t to say they do not have a purpose or do not serve a function. As a reader and viewer (a consumer of stories - primarily visual) when these things are constructed with a high level of craft, and loaded with connecting emotional resonance, and hinging on interesting or challenging ideas, I get a buzz off that. This is something we talk about on The Orbiting Pod a lot. I love those guys. They are comics academics (which makes them sound dry as hell, they’re also young and cool as all shit), as much as comics fans. In short, we don’t care how dorky the IP is. We just want a great story, well told. 

There’s an essay in my thoughts on pop art and the visual sequential storytelling mediums to be reclaimed by artists and audiences in there but it’s Thursday night and I’m tired, and there is comic script to be written, so I’ll just say I’ll write that down the road, and for now you should just watch this interesting video.

Not that one, the Max Landis interview at the top. This one is me signing off and going to bed. 

[owenmichaeljohnson]

Reel Love Act Two - The Reviews So Far...

So before I sit down to start the final chapter, I’ve collected all the Reel Love Act Two that dropped in since release in July (man, that seems like a looooong time ago already).

“Johnson is doing great things in Reel Love…beautifully observed.” – Forbidden Planet International

“Deeply personal and infinitely relatable, Reel Love is packed with emotion and humour in equal measure…Highly, highly recommended.” Big Comic Page

“Goes further to emphasize how much talent is poured into these two heartfelt chapters” – Comics Anonymous

“Engaging…beautifully done” – Fangirl Nation

“A bittersweet comedy full of angst, raw emotion and lost opportunities…a timeless tale worth hunting out” – Bleeding Cool

“A great achievement from an interesting and thoughtful creator” – Digital Spy

“Johnson’s greatest strength as a storyteller is his ability to pull his audience so deeply into his story through that undeniable sense of shared experience.” Broken Frontier

You can pick up Reel Love Act One and Two at Changeling Studios webstore or at the following stores:

Penrith Alhambra cinema, Penrith

Forbidden Planet, Glasgow

Orbital Comics, London

Gosh Comics, London

Imagination Station, 44 Bank Street Carlisle

Forbidden Planet

Now to end this sucker...

[owenmichaeljohnson]

BEAST WAGON CHAPTER TWO - DREAMTIME

Loves are tested.

Plans are drawn.

Doses are administered.

Whipsnarl Zoo heats up.

From British Award nominated writer Owen Michael Johnson (Raygun Roads, Reel Love) and Illustrator John Pearson, with letters by Colin Bell (Curb Stomp, The Fiction, And Then Emily Was Gone) comes the latest issue of the cult black comedy.

On sale late 2015.

[owenmichaeljohnson]

The Ink Circus 

 A sweaty brawl between music, comics and illustration organised in association with Glasgow Comic Con.

Friday July 3rd

Box Glasgow, 431 Sauchiehall Street, G2 3LG Glasgow, United Kingdom

Pre-convention party // 8pm til late // FREE Featuring live music from: Skull Puppies Raygun Roads & The Kittelbach Pirates Colin's Godson th'sheridans Plus live drawing from: Neil Slorance Iain Laurie Jack Fallows John Pearson Illustration Garry Mac Conor Boyle

[owenmichaeljohnson]

Preview of Reel Love Act Two due in July. Exclusive reveal on Digital Spy

CONCESSIONS

 Now in the depths of a teenage wasteland, the boy who embarked on a relationship with his local cinema is now a greasy slacker surviving on a diet of trashy horror flicks and hotdogs. 

 He secures a job at the city multiplex, where he falls in with a group of delinquent ushers. It is here, abused by customers and in the thrall of a gothic romance, that his vision for a dark new film beings to take shape.

Continuing the critically acclaimed cinephile fantasy series, British Comic Award shortlisted writer/artist Owen Michael Johnson (Raygun Roads, Beast Wagon) proves the sequel is always darker than the original. 

 Praise for Reel Love Act One

"I loved Reel Love. Energetic artwork and heartfelt storytelling make Reel Love a real winner." - Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Essex County Trilogy)

"An impressive debut…a raw and heartfelt tribute to cinematic inspiration bursting with ideas." - Adam Cadwell (Blood Blokes, founder: British Comic Awards)

"Frame by frame, reel by reel, Johnson has created something purely unique - a metafiction love letter to film, comics and childhood" - Laura Sneddon (The Independent On Sunday, The Beat, New Statesman)

"Poignant and endearing, Reel Love is the next step in the evolution of one of the UK’s most promising comic creators." - P M Buchan (The Times Literary Supplement, Starburst)

“Johnson’s created something genuinely haunting in Reel Love, an evocation of both the intensity of feelings unique to childhood and the spellbinding majesty of cinema, the ideas and the emotions so bittersweet and so powerful that they’ll stay with you long after the final page.” - Richard Bruton (Forbidden Planet International Blog)

“A charming story about a boy and his theater, done in the wonderfully emotional way that only comics can.” – Multiversity

“Thoughtful and carefully crafted…beautifully composed” – Fangirl Nation

“A perfect mix of highs and lows with the excitement of youth merging with the pains of growing up” – Comics Anonymous

“The story is conveyed beautifully by Johnson’s energetic, passionate artwork… This is a book that resonated deeply with me… you need to pick this one up.  It’s just that simple.” – Big Comic Page

“Acutely poignant without ever descending into the realms of the mawkish, this is a project that marks Johnson out as a talent to keep a very close eye on” – Broken Frontier

“Continues the twin themes of Johnson’s work; abiding love for pop culture and a keen eye for emotional detail… The framework of film, the love of story, is encoded into the book at the genetic level and it gives every page both immediacy and elegance.” – Bleeding Cool

“A charming short graphic novel… this book resurrected some wonderful memories for me, and did so in a thoroughly creative and interesting manner” – Comics Bulletin