News Archives

Gosh well... it's been a while hasn't it?

Posted on 28/01/2006 at 18:27:29 by MakTheYak
 

I've been pretty busy as usual but I've got news and so I'm here to spill the beans!

So I'm going to be spending the 11th of March somewhere different from how I usually spend my 11th March's. That's right I'll be exhibiting at the UK Web and Mini Comix Thing! It's the UK's best Comic Con dedicated to Web Comics and the Indy Press (no whips and ancient artefacts involved) and it's super fun! I went as a visitor last year and loved it so this year I took the plunge and bought a table.

If you've been wanting to come and see me (for whatever reason) then the last Comicon in Brighton was a no go due to pretty pricey tables and my lack of enthusiasm but I think this is going to rock! And as another plus, as if I needed one, it's practically on my back door in London. It's actually hosted in my old University, so you can't get much closer to home than that!

Also, big news in the print world... not me, but this is about my favourite comic available only in print: Malcolm Magic from Studio Blink Twice. Well, I guess not exactly about MM but I thought I'd get the link in there. See those talented guys the Etherington bros. have decided to break headlong into the web comics world with a new toon called One Night In The City. It's not live yet so I'll give you the details when it's up but man this is gonna be hot! If you aren't familiar with their work, but their Malcolm collected editions now, as these guys are going to be the next big thing!

 

And a Happy New Year!

Posted on 01/01/2006 at 11:40:29 by MakTheYak
 
A Happy New Year to you all - I hope it brings you an even more fulfilling and exciting time than last year!
 

Merry Christmas

Posted on 26/12/2005 at 00:03:21 by MakTheYak
 

Well in the few remaining minutes of it I thought I'd better drop in to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas! I hope you had an enjoyable day and got lots of lovely presents. And for those who don't celebrate it, well I hope you had a nice day too, regardless :)

Sorry for the lack of comic update - but I thought I'd give myself a day off (since it's Christmas and all...). OK sure I could have done it beforehand but feh... I didn't get the chance. Mucho apologies. Either way, I'll update later to make up for it so Keep your eyes peeled (or sign up to receive email reminders!).

Merry Christmas!

 

The Disney Problem

Posted on 19/12/2005 at 00:53:41 by MakTheYak
 
So I went round to a good friend of mine's for dinner the other night and it turns out that in his new job he's working with the European arm of Disney. What it sounds like his role is is to basically convince the stakeholders that Disney is great and at the top of its game and generally all hunky dory.

No mean feat if you ask me.

Now I know in America, Disney is a well loved brand. They do very well and attractions like Disney Land / World are as popular as ever, bringing in people from all over the world. But I'm not sure how much like the UK it is, in that the people who love Disney the most are not always the kids.

It seems to me that kids these days are not so young as they used to be. Even at an early age, they don't want a train set as much as they want a laptop, or a mobile, or a TV for their bedroom. They're growing up just too damn quick! In a similar way, they don't seem to enjoy 'kiddie' things for as long as they used to, and prefer entertainment aimed at adults at a much earlier age.

And so what I'm trying to say is that perhaps there is as much market in the adults who grew up with Mickey and Donald as there is in the kids. Disney of course realise this with all their ranges of adult clothing which I'm sure sell very well, yet still the focus of the company seems to be with the children.

The truth is, I don't think they know where to focus. Of course they realise the childrens entertainment market is changing (how long is it since you saw any new (decent) material with tradition characters like Mickey Mouse?) but to shift away from family entertainment as a focus would effectively destroy everything they have built up since the start of the company.

Apparently there is a game from Disney in the works that's causing much controversy as it depicts killing (only of dinosaurs or something similar) in a more graphic way than you might expect. Should this happen, when many parents will most likely go and blindly buy a piece of Disney merchandise safe in the knowledge that they can leave their kids with it?

And so this is the situation as I see it for Disney and from where I'm looking it seems to be quite an uncomfortable one. I really hope my freind manages to paint a good picture for the stakeholders, but it's certainly a task I don't envy.
 

New Ghibli Film

Posted on 13/12/2005 at 10:22:21 by MakTheYak
 

And so much more! OK first up, anyone that's a Ghibli enthusiast, such as myself, will be thrilled to learn that Studio Ghibli have announced their next epic. Due to be released in July 2006 (they keep very quiet about these things until quite near the release date, don't they?) the new film will be directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son, Goro, and it's called "Gedo Senki"" or Gedo War History. Apparently it's an adaptation of Ursula K Le Guin's "A Wizard of Earthsea", which I have to confess not having read, but I'm looking forward to it all the same! See the poster artwork here!

Sooo... XBox 360, eh? I don't like this console. Apart from the nasty incident I had on EBay with one buyer trying to rip me off for my console (nasty business, I won't get into it) it's not a nice machine. OK so it's got your HD output and whatnot but look at it. It may look smaller and sleeker than the last one but it isn't. Side by side they're pretty much the same size and to make things worse the 360 has a power block the size of a small conurbation. The Premium package weighs 7.5Kg or thereabouts which is ridiculously heavy. I was quite shocked when I picked up a box. But despite its clear evilness and reports of crashing, scratching discs and power block overheating (causing fire hazards), it seems to have sold rather well... selling out completely within a few hours in the US and Europe.

But wait... what about Japan? It just launched there so what do they think? See for yourself! The already low-priced console (in Japan) is selling so badly that they have slashed its price to less than half of what it should be. As the article states it is uncommon in Japan to reduce items unless you are trying to clear stock that just won't sell... oops! Nice try Microsoft...

Interesting news over at Ctrl-Alt-Del - it looks like they are really pulling out the big guns and have commissioned an ANIMATION of all things. But such wonders don't come for free and it would seem that you have to pay what amounts to quite a hefty price for what is likely to be a couple of minutes of animation. Not sure what to think about this really until I see the final product but from the trailer the animation looks nice. Can't say not not even a little bit jealous although I'd probably want to draw it myself if I were to do an animation. It all comes down to time - if anyone can arrange a few extra hours in the day that would be the perfect Christmas gift!

Lastly, a little announcement - I will be exhibiting at the UK Web and Mini Comix Thing on March 11th this year - would be great to have people come along and say hi and to look at all the great comics on show / sale there. I'll have T-Shirts, mini comic collections, badges postcards and Nintendo DS game skins for sale, plus I'll be giving away free sketches so come one come all!