One of our favourite small press comics of last year was Daniel Clifford and Gary Bainbridge's Sugar Glider #1 so it is with great sorrow we present the following press release what we just received. Turns out Sugar Glider is a big fat sell-out! I'm gutted! I thought she had more integrity that that! ...wait what? It means what? Oh awesome, that's good news then! Take it away, Russ...
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Surrounded by friends and family with it all figured out, Susie Sullivan is desperately unsure of her purpose in life. Casting ordinary pursuits aside, Susie takes to the Newcastle skyline as the crime-fighting…
SUGAR GLIDER SELLS OUT, GETS SECOND PRINTING
After successes at Thought Bubble, Leeds Alt Comics Fair, Travelling Man Newcastle and OK Comics, Sugar Glider has sold out and been sent back to print.
Readers and reviewers praised the 1st edition of Sugar Glider for its high production quality, but moving to a new printer has meant the 2nd edition looks even better.
The wraparound cover now really is wraparound thanks to full-bleed printing, which also means Sugar Glider is the size it was always intended to be. The colours and paper stock have also been improved.
Story
Set in Newcastle upon Tyne, Sugar Glider tells the story of Susie Sullivan - an 18yr old with a habit for giving up on hobbies, jobs and potential careers at a moment’s notice. Having given up on so many ‘dreams’ already in her short life, Susie is poised to drop out of college and give her mother, Brenda, an ulcer.
But Susie has a secret more likely to give Brenda a mischief; she’s gotten hold of a high-tech gliding suit and is quickly becoming attached to it. Susie’s late night crime-fighting adventures are becoming more frequent and more successful. But there’s something else about that suit - it bears a striking resemblance to the ones worn by MI5’s Vigilance super-agents. The same super-agents who are about to be rolled-out all across the UK.
Background
Sugar Glider comics are designed to capture the imagination of younger, mainstream and casual comics readers while still holding true to the ethics of the small-press/DIY community. To achieve this crossover appeal, Sugar Glider is presented in US comics dimensions, with a colour cover and 22 pages of story.
Helping to widen the appeal and accessibility of Sugar Glider, each issue is designed as an independent story, but with a larger arc becoming clear when all 3 issues are read together.
Sugar Glider 1 was launched at Thought Bubble in November 2010. Sugar Glider Stories 1, an anthology based in the Sugar Glider universe and drawn by 16 of the top artists on the UK comic scene, was launched at Leeds Alt Comic Fair in March 2011.
Reviews
“Reminded me of those old classics Billy the Cat and The Leopard from Lime Street…a strong debut.” - hiexcomics.blogpot.com
“Someone else said that Sugar Glider was the best small press comic they had ever read, I wish I had said it…I can, however, be the first to say that Sugar Glider Stories can take its place alongside the best small press comics I have ever read.” 9/10 - ComicBuzz.com
Future
Sugar Glider 2 is currently in production, and scheduled to be released in the early summer. Issue 3 is planned to be released in time for the Thought Bubble convention in November.
A second issue of Sugar Glider Stories will be published between issue 2 and 3 of the main title, building further on the SG universe. Although the format will be the same, Sugar Glider Stories 2 will feature small press creators writing strips as well as drawing them.
Sales
Sugar Glider and Sugar Glider Stories are each priced at £3. A double-pack featuring both comics can be purchased for just £5.
Daniel will selling Sugar Glider comics and merchandise at Bristol Comic Expo on 14th & 15th May - sharing table 47 in the Mercure Hotel with O Men and Spandex creator, Martin Eden.
Sugar Glider, Sugar Glider Stories and other titles by Gary can be purchased from the Unterwelt Comics store at http://gb.bigcartel.com
Online
The ‘Sugar Glider Comics’ Facebook is the best place online to find Sugar Glider news and reviews. The page also features Fan Art and Reviews sections for readers to share their SG artwork and thoughts.
Interviews with the Sugar Glider Stories artists (by Gavin Jones of the Sidekick Cast podcast) can be read at www.danielclifford.co.uk.
Creators
Daniel Clifford was born in South Shields, 1986. In the early 90s comics taught him to read, and in 2009 he set out to make comics that could have a similarly positive affect. Alongside his published works, he organises comics workshops with the artist Jack Fallows.
Gary Bainbridge was born in Durham, 1985. He has been making and self-publishing comics since 2005 across a range of genres from crime fiction to super heroics, from artist’s books to personal journals. His artwork has appeared in galleries in Newcastle & Japan.
Sugar Glider comics are designed to capture the imagination of younger, mainstream and casual comics readers while still holding true to the ethics of the small-press/DIY community. To achieve this crossover appeal, Sugar Glider is presented in US comics dimensions, with a colour cover and 22 pages of story.
Sugar Glider and Sugar Glider Stories are each priced at £3. A double-pack featuring both comics can be purchased for just £5.
ITEM! Doug Wallace of Self Made Hero is running in Sunday's London Marathon to raise money for The Book Trade Charity. Sponsor him HERE
Onto the Queen Mother comics. As I mentioned these are actual comics as opposed to a collection of one page cartoons, each detailing an adventure of the gin soaked old bat. In the first she tries to place a bet, rides off on her giant corgi “Corgantua” and meets up with some friendly queens of the leather clad variety. In the second, as the title suggests, she solves the mystery of the ghostly Green Lady. Both are quick reads but funny and again the art style really suits the general surreal sillyness of the stories.
granulac Here's a preview of the next Octopus Pie book cover. You'll soon be able to pre-order it! http://twitpic.com/4hc8ai
bintykins Looks like I will be doing some live painting @Upfest this year! 4th/5th June - you buggers better come cheer me on! Nervous already :D
splinister New blog post, Jennifer Wilde, about the comic book I'm working on with @stephenmdowney & @SubCitycomics 
