a weblog of sorts... by gary spencer millidge  

• Saturday 28 July 2006

grauniad rewievs starngehevan
British national broadsheet newspaper The Guardian has taken it upon themselves to employ a chap named Craig Taylor to review the third Strangehaven volume Conspiracies in today's edition.
It's quite a nice little piece, beginning "Millidge puts together a good-looking book" and goes on the encapsulate the flavour of the series.
The best part about it is that it's mixed in with other paperback fiction reviews rather than being placed in some kind of graphic novel ghetto. And the Review section of the paper sports an unrelated but extraordinarily appropriate cover by Karen Hall. Nice.
Books Review @ Guardian Online

my pal paypal
Spurred on in part by the impending review as related above, comes a long overdue online payment system for the millidge.com shop. It went live last night albeit only with the trade paperback selection of the Abiogenesis stock. More items to follow very soon. In the meantime, comments on design and functionality are very welcome.

• Tuesday 25 July 2006

back on the road again
My diary is starting to fill up again. Shortly after receiving an invitation from my French publisher Akileos to attend the Saint Malo Festival in November (where they will be launching the third French volume of Strangehaven), a new British event was announced for England's second city in December. The Birmingham International Comic Show is due to be held at The Custard Factory
Well, as I haven't been to either place before, I'm looking forward to both. Keep an eye on the 'appearances' section for the latest updates.
More details on both here:
Saint Malo Festival- Quai des Bulles
Birmingham International Comic Show

• Friday 21 July 2006

live and let d.i.y.
Feb 2006, what a mess ... July 2006, pure white heaven.
The back bedroom is done, as can be witnessed by the adjacent photographic evidence. In fact, Mrs. Strangehaven herself was so excited after the carpet fitters had completed their entirely splendid work that she insisted that we move our own bed into the back bedroom with immediate effect.
Now, it's so much darker at night and quieter in the morning than it was in the front bedroom that I'm sleeping like a baby (and waking up like an ogre with a sore head), but Mrs. Strangehaven is tossing and turning all night. Something tells me this current sleeping arrangement may not last.

this gentleman obviously prefers blondes
Bye-Bye Nikki Bye-bye Rose
Sad but true. We have lost two young blonde mascara-laden beauties from our British TV screens in the space of a single week.
Last Friday, the wonderfully over-reactive yet adorable Nikki was incomprehensibly and inexplicably voted out by the general public in the latest Big Brother eviction. Only the Saturday before, Billie Piper had bowed out in the season finale of the second series of the new Dr. Who.
I will miss the spunky Rose, an unexpectedly likeable time lord's assistant, but I fear I shall never recover from losing the nightly spectacle that was Nikki. Tears were shed in the Millidge household and our TV viewing at 9.00 PM will never be the same.

• Saturday 8 July 2006

strangehaven tour and england's dream ends on 1st july
Finally, the 10th Anniversary European Tour is over. Last weekend I attended the London Film & Comicon At Earls Court as a guest, rubbing shoulders in the Green Room with such luminaries as Carrie Fisher, that bloke out of The Tomorrow People and the big fat guy from Lost.
some bloke who wore a rubber costume in star wars another bloke who wore a rubber costume in star wars that bloke from The Tomorrow People. Jaunt!
The comics contingent was represented by Joker creator Jerry Robinson, John Mcrea, Andie Tong, Staz Johnson and Lee Townsend. Also present were the guys from Brodie's Law and Tozzer. Due to a number of factors, including atypical hot weather for a British summer, Wimbledon and a World Cup Quarter Final involving the England footy team, the floor might have been busier. As it was, I packed up early on the Saturday to watch Beckham get crocked, Rooney get sent off and Lampard and Gerrard miss penalties in the comfort of my hotel's bar. What a jolly evening that was.

an americian duology
Either side of the Comicon show, Mandy and I played host to Top Shelf supremo Chris Staros and his lovely wife Nita, all the way from Atlanta, Georgia. We took them to the seaside, toured the English countryside, fed them fish and chips and ploughman's lunches. Then, to get their own back, they treated us to This Is Elvis, the first night of the new musical stage production at Southend's Cliff's Pavilion.
It was actually much more enjoyable than I could ever imagined, and although it took some liberties with established Elvis continuity (according to Elvis disciple Chris), the musicianship, sound, lighting and performance were top rate. Rock'n'Roll!

• June's tasty tidbits 		cds
Crimson [Alkaline Trio] ***
Employment [Kaiser Chiefs] ****
Uninvited like the Clouds
[The Church] ****

film on dvd
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory [2005] ***

films on sky
House of Wax [2005] ***
Guess Who [2005] **
The Ladykillers [2004] ****
The Libertine [2004] ***
Amityville Horror [2005] **

tv
 Lost ****
Big Brother ***
Property Ladder ***
Dr. Who **

books
 On Directing Film [David Mamet]
Krazy Kat 1937-38 [Herriman]
Writing for Comics [David]

comics
Death Jr. Vol 2 #1 [Whitta/Naifeh]
Hard Time Season 2 #7 [Gerber]
Uptight #1 [Crane]
Detective #821 [Dini/Williams]
Casanova #1 [Fraction/Ba]
Solo #11 [Aragones]
Haunt of Horror #1-3 [Corben]
First Family #4-5 [Casey/Weston]
Hate Annual #6 [Bagge]
Springheeled Jack colour #1 [Hitchcock]
Thrud the Barbarian #1 [Crichlow]
Elephantmen #1 [Starkings/Moritat]

theatre
This Is Elvis ***

pubs & restaurants
The Popular Cafe [Leigh]
The Punch Bowl [Paglesham]
The Sarah Moore [Leigh]

footy
 England 0 Portugal 0 :(

squash results
 none played due to hols, gary getting a chest infection, gary injuring his shoulder and the atypically hot british summer.

blog archive
June 2006
May 2006
 April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005

All text and images (c) copyright Gary Spencer Millidge/Abiogenesis Press All rights reserved.