Samuel George London talks 'Band of Warriors'

Just a reminder that Sam's Kickstarter closes today (Friday January 29th) so the good news is that there's still time to get onboard as a backer for this...

I recently caught up with one of the busiest men in comics...Mr Samuel George London...not only does he present a weekly podcast ('Comics for the apocalypse - catch-up on any episodes you've missed right here ) but he can often be found Kickstarting new comics. Sam was kind enough to spend some time chatting to me about his great sounding new project, Band of Warriors...

‘Band of Warriors’ then...give us the elevator pitch... Jordan Thomas summed it up best by saying "boobs, bloodshed and betrayal" but to slightly expand on that, BoW merges actual historical events with Celtic and Greek mythology in an epic tale of adventure, betrayal and vengeance.

I think the story is partly inspired by your wife’s connections in France – is that right? That's right. My wife is French and specifically from Brittany. Breton people are very proud of their history, particularly their Celtic heritage and I relish the opportunity to try and capture that spirit in a comic.

So was this a particular period of time that you’d studied before? Or was it a more recent discovery? I had some knowledge of Greek mythology but I had no idea about the actual history from around the time of its creation. So, it was really interesting to learn about the history based on fairly recent archaeological discoveries.

You envisage this potentially as a 6-part series is that right? This first issue is part of a 6 issue arc I have planned but it also has scope to become an ongoing series if we get the right level of support. I hope we get there because I'd love to tell the full story.

So, you have plans to really flesh out this world...is it one particular geographical part of the world that you want to focus on or would you like to see the characters travel their world? Great question! This first issue is based in one particular part of the world, which is the palace of Knossos specifically but for the rest of the story there's a fair amount of travelling to other locations involved.

You’re clear that the art for the book is historically accurate. I've made it as historically accurate as I could but with mythological elements thrown in. So that bit won't be but it'll be a lot of fun.

I’m not sure I can think of any other comics from this time period – have you come across any? I’m sure there are probably loads of bande dessinée books out there but I’m just not familiar with them... Kill the Minotaur is set at the same time and even includes King Minos as well but it's more of a comic book interpretation of the original Minotaur mythos. Whereas BoW is attempting to reflect actual history along with the mythology.

You’re perhaps best known as the writer of the ‘Milford Green’ comic series but you’ve written a number of different comics series I think... Thanks and yes. My other series include The S Factor with Chris Panda published by Action Lab, which is about the dark underbelly of a superhero dating reality TV show. Then there's Project Hoax with Dan Butcher, which is an all-ages one-shot horror comic. And lastly, there's Access Denied with Mikael Hankonen from the Milford Green series, which is about humans visiting androids living on Mars for the first time.

Federico Avila Corsini is an artist I haven’t come across before – how did you ‘meet’ him? I put an artist call out on both Twitter and Reddit, and thankfully Federico got in touch with me via Reddit. I'm so glad he did because otherwise I wouldn't have come across him.

What was it about Federico’s art style that made you think he’d be the right artist for this project?

He has the right balance of realism and fanaticism in his art to capture the historical accuracy as well as the mythology. When he first sent through the character designs, I was over the moon at how they turned out.

What has Nicole, the editor, been able to add to the project would you say? I've worked with Nicole on every project I've written so far apart from the original Milford Green but she seems to be able to point out small things in the story that needed tweaking in order to really put the icing on the cake. In regards to BoW #1, she managed to iron out the creases that I had in a big action scene. I honestly can't wait for everyone to see it.

Thanks for your time Sam!

You can find Band of Warriors on Kickstarter right here

You can follow San on Twitter @SamuelGLondon

Samuel George London talks 'Band of Warriors'

I recently caught up with one of the busiest men in comics...Mr Samuel George London...not only does he present a weekly podcast ('Comics for the apocalypse - catch-up on any episodes you've missed right here ) but he can often be found Kickstarting new comics. Sam was kind enough to spend some time chatting to me about his great sounding new project, Band of Warriors...

‘Band of Warriors’ then...give us the elevator pitch... Jordan Thomas summed it up best by saying "boobs, bloodshed and betrayal" but to slightly expand on that, BoW merges actual historical events with Celtic and Greek mythology in an epic tale of adventure, betrayal and vengeance.

I think the story is partly inspired by your wife’s connections in France – is that right? That's right. My wife is French and specifically from Brittany. Breton people are very proud of their history, particularly their Celtic heritage and I relish the opportunity to try and capture that spirit in a comic.

So was this a particular period of time that you’d studied before? Or was it a more recent discovery? I had some knowledge of Greek mythology but I had no idea about the actual history from around the time of its creation. So, it was really interesting to learn about the history based on fairly recent archaeological discoveries.

You envisage this potentially as a 6-part series is that right? This first issue is part of a 6 issue arc I have planned but it also has scope to become an ongoing series if we get the right level of support. I hope we get there because I'd love to tell the full story.

So, you have plans to really flesh out this world...is it one particular geographical part of the world that you want to focus on or would you like to see the characters travel their world? Great question! This first issue is based in one particular part of the world, which is the palace of Knossos specifically but for the rest of the story there's a fair amount of travelling to other locations involved.

You’re clear that the art for the book is historically accurate. I've made it as historically accurate as I could but with mythological elements thrown in. So that bit won't be but it'll be a lot of fun.

I’m not sure I can think of any other comics from this time period – have you come across any? I’m sure there are probably loads of bande dessinée books out there but I’m just not familiar with them... Kill the Minotaur is set at the same time and even includes King Minos as well but it's more of a comic book interpretation of the original Minotaur mythos. Whereas BoW is attempting to reflect actual history along with the mythology.

You’re perhaps best known as the writer of the ‘Milford Green’ comic series but you’ve written a number of different comics series I think... Thanks and yes. My other series include The S Factor with Chris Panda published by Action Lab, which is about the dark underbelly of a superhero dating reality TV show. Then there's Project Hoax with Dan Butcher, which is an all-ages one-shot horror comic. And lastly, there's Access Denied with Mikael Hankonen from the Milford Green series, which is about humans visiting androids living on Mars for the first time.

Federico Avila Corsini is an artist I haven’t come across before – how did you ‘meet’ him? I put an artist call out on both Twitter and Reddit, and thankfully Federico got in touch with me via Reddit. I'm so glad he did because otherwise I wouldn't have come across him.

What was it about Federico’s art style that made you think he’d be the right artist for this project?

He has the right balance of realism and fanaticism in his art to capture the historical accuracy as well as the mythology. When he first sent through the character designs, I was over the moon at how they turned out.

What has Nicole, the editor, been able to add to the project would you say? I've worked with Nicole on every project I've written so far apart from the original Milford Green but she seems to be able to point out small things in the story that needed tweaking in order to really put the icing on the cake. In regards to BoW #1, she managed to iron out the creases that I had in a big action scene. I honestly can't wait for everyone to see it.

Thanks for your time Sam!

You can find Band of Warriors on Kickstarter right here

You can follow San on Twitter @SamuelGLondon

Beyond Milford Green & Comics for the Apocalypse

Listening to the Awesome Comics podcast (available here) I heard about a new comics podcast, Comics For The Apocalypse (available here), so I tuned in and loved the show, so I thought I'd get in touch with host Samuel George London and ask him all about it...

Hi Samuel, so what's the concept behind your new podcast?

On my new podcast, Comics For The Apocalypse, I interview interesting guests about what comics they'd take into the apocalypse. It's basically Desert Island Discs but for comics. 

Surely you're too busy creating comics, running Kickstarters to do a weekly podcast AS WELL, what inspired you to do this?

Last year was my first year creating comics and really getting involved in the comics community, and after a really fun year I wondered what else I could contribute to comics apart from making comics and thought, maybe I could do a podcast. However, I wanted to make it different and an actor called Brett Goldstein (Superbob) started a podcast called Films To Be Buried With. Where he interviews guests about what films they'd like to be buried with. It's a great podcast and I thought at the start of the year wouldn't that be cool to have for comics, and I took upon myself to create it.

So, a new episode every Monday - who have you had on so far and who would you REALLY like to have on as a guest?

Of the episodes that have gone live, I've interviewed Sarah Millman of NPC Tea, Dan Butcher of Vanguard and the next episode is with Aaron Rackley of Little Heroes. I'd really like to interview Mark Millar, Robert Kirkman and Jen Bartel.

So, for anyone who hasn't read Milford Green (picture above) - what can you tell them about it? And, more important, where can they get it?

Milford Green is a Kickstarter-funded comic I made last year that centres around a socially awkward Victorian inventor called Alfie Fairfield who lives in an ordinary English village in 1897. That is until one Summer's evening, Alfie sees some kind of flying vehicle shoot across the sky and crash land into a field. Being a curious fellow who is interested in any type of machinery, he investigates to find out that we are not alone in this universe. You could describe it as Victorians vs aliens but in the next instalment, Beyond Milford Green, it's more Victorians working with Aliens. People can find out more on the publisher website, Signal Comics (here)

What can you tell us about your new Kickstarter campaign?

Beyond Milford Green immediately follows on from Milford Green, with Alfie and his next door neighbour, Mary, heading to the United Galactic Alliance in a spaceship. When they arrive, the president of the U.G.A. asks them to go on a peace negotiation mission with the Cinux, which will decide the fate of the galaxy. Will there be peace… or war?

The Kickstarter runs through February but began yesterday and folks can take a look by following this link... www.SignalComics.com/Beyond

signed prints from the Milford Green kickstarter

Tell us about PJ Holden's early bid for this year's 'nicest man in comics' award?

The second stretch goal (if we get to £5,000) is a print of Grand Emperor Krogan drawn by PJ Holden and, if the stretch goal funding level of £5,000 is reached, then PJ has offered to donate his fee for drawing the print to the registered Little Heroes comics. They do great work and you can find out more about them here 

PJ was on the podcast - the episode is here - and it's a blast!   

Aaron Rackley, from Little Heroes comics has also been on the podcast, you can find his interview here

How long does it take you to write an issue of Milford Green?

It varies. The first instalment was 40 pages and my first comic, which took about 3 months. This second instalment is 60 pages and I worked with an editor to improve my level of writing. All in all that took about 3 onths as well, so maybe I'm getting a bit faster per page. Before beginning a scrips I always try to have an outline using an 8 point story arc, which prevents as many stumbling blocks during the process as possible but I think it varies from script to script and what else is happening in my life at the time as well.

What do you like to do away from comics?

Apart from comics I like to exercise, usually strength training stuff as well as yoga. Pub walks are always a winner too. Finally, I'm a big cinema-goer and usually go once a week.

There were beermats for the last Kickstarter - Best. Reward. Ever.

What comics are you reading at the moment?

I read The Walking Dead, which got me into comics in the first place a few years ago, on top of everything that Robert Kirkman writes. I also read everything by Mark Millar. Finally, at the moment I'm enjoying Blackbird by Jen Bartel and Sam Humphris, as well as Redneck by Donny Cates and Lisandro Estherren.  

Who would you get to ask about your Apocalypse comics and why?

This is pie in the sky thinking but I'd love Jonathan Ross to interview me about my choices for Comics For The Apocalypse

Comics For The Apocalypse podcast

Listening to the Awesome Comics podcast (available here) I heard about a new comics podcast, Comics For The Apocalypse (available here), so I tuned in and loved the show, so I thought I'd get in touch with host Samuel George London and ask him all about it...

Hi Samuel, so what's the concept behind your new podcast?
On my new podcast, Comics For The Apocalypse, I interview interesting guests about what comics they'd take into the apocalypse. It's basically Desert Island Discs but for comics. 

Surely you're too busy creating comics, running Kickstarters to do a weekly podcast AS WELL, what inspired you to do this?
Last year was my first year creating comics and really getting involved in the comics community, and after a really fun year I wondered what else I could contribute to comics apart from making comics and thought, maybe I could do a podcast. However, I wanted to make it different and an actor called Brett Goldstein (Superbob) started a podcast called Films To Be Buried With. Where he interviews guests about what films they'd like to be buried with. It's a great podcast and I thought at the start of the year wouldn't that be cool to have for comics, and I took upon myself to create it.

So, a new episode every Monday - who have you had on so far and who would you REALLY like to have on as a guest?
Of the episodes that have gone live, I've interviewed Sarah Millman of NPC Tea, Dan Butcher of Vanguard and the next episode is with Aaron Rackley of Little Heroes. I'd really like to interview Mark Millar, Robert Kirkman and Jen Bartel.

So, for anyone who hasn't read Milford Green (picture above) - what can you tell them about it? And, more important, where can they get it?
Milford Green is a Kickstarter-funded comic I made last year that centres around a socially awkward Victorian inventor called Aklfie Fairfield who lives in an ordinary English village in 1897. That is until one Summer's evening, Alfie sees some kind of flying vehicle shoot across the sky and crash land into a field. Being a curious fellow who is interested in any type of machinery, he investigates to find out that we are not alone in this universe. You could describe it as Victorians vs aliens but in the next instalment, Beyond Milford Green, it's more Victorians working with Aliens. People can find out more on the publisher website, Signal Comics (here)

What can you tell us about your new Kickstarter campaign?
Beyond Milford Green immediately follows on from Milford Green with Alfie and his next door neighbour, Mary, heading to the United Galactic Alliance in a spaceship. When they arrive, the president of the U.G.A. asks them to go on a peace negotiation mission with the Cinux, which will decide the fate of the galaxy. Will there be peace… or war?

The Kickstarter runs through February but began yesterday and folks can take a look by following this link... www.SignalComics.com/Beyond

signed prints from the Milford Green kickstarter

How long does it take you to write an issue of Milford Green?
It varies. The first instalment was 40 pages and my first comic, which took about 3 months. This second instalment is 60 pages and I worked with an editor to improve my level of writing. All in all that took about 3 onths as well, so maybe I'm getting a bit faster per page. Before beginning a scrips I always try to have an outline using an 8 point story arc, which prevents as many stumbling blocks during the process as possible but I think it varies from script to script and what else is happening in my life at the time as well.

What do you like to do away from comics?
Apart from comics I like to exercise, usually strength training stuff as well as yoga. Pub walks are always a winner too. Finally, I'm a big cinema-goer and usually go once a week.

There were beermats for the last Kickstarter - Best. Reward. Ever.

What comics are you reading at the moment?
I read The Walking Dead, which got me into comics in the first place a few years ago, on top of everything that Robert Kirkman writes. I also read everything by Mark Millar. Finally, at the moment I'm enjoying Blackbird by Jen Bartel and Sam Humphris, as well as Redneck by Donny Cates and Lisandro Estherren.  


Who would you get to ask about your Apocalypse comics and why?
This is pie in the sky thinking but I'd love Jonathan Ross to interview me about my choices for Comics For The Apocalypse