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Hey, I'm in Macbeth in Belfast in November. If anyone wants to come see it.

https://live.advancedticketing.co.uk/k?v=southbankplayhouse&r=1476530783909

http://www.pauljholden.com/blog/2016/09/16/midwinter/

Manchester, 15th September 2016, Dan Whitehead, veteran games journalist and author of best-selling retro gaming book Speccy Nation, is happy to announce today that legendary 80s game franchise Midwinter has been reborn in comic book form.

The game, originally released in 1989 for Atari St, Amiga and PC, has been hailed as a pioneering combination of post-apocalyptic story, cutting edge first person exploration, strategy and survival. The game was created by acclaimed designer Mike Singleton (Lords of Midnight, Dark Sceptre), who passed away in 2012.

The 4-episode comic series is set just before the events of the game, telling the story of how General Master came to take over Midwinter Island. Interior art is by PJ Holden (Judge Dredd) with an exclusive cover by Steve Pugh (Hellblazer, Animal Man).

////more at link (including preview images)

I was asked to do a portfolio review. I don't think Brian knew exactly what he was letting himself in for:

http://www.pauljholden.com/blog/2016/05/24/portfolio-review-brian-corcoran/

Help me out,what stuff is leaking in from the future, here's a list of things I'm currently finding fascinating for various reasons:

AI (obviously) deep learning. And the fact this stuff will suddenly become much smarter than we are before we're really even aware of it (great article on it here: http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-1.html ) (Also AI is starting to play roles in jobs I don't see - like figuring out stock markets and more)

Self Driving Cars - I reckon we've 5-10 years before we start seeing these on the road. Though there's some suggestion that Elon Musks Tesla 3 cars ARE self driving and we'll see these within a year (certainly his previous tesla's had a software option turned on that allowed a certain amount of self driving).

(I only ever buy second hand cars, which means I've only in the past few years had a car with electric windows, so god knows when I'll ever afford one of those - and, it may well be that by the time I do it'll be pointless because...

UBER - destabilising taxi companies everywhere (except in Norn Iron, because our taxi drivers come with their own balaclavas). Uber want to buy self driving cars though, and are pursuing this themselves.

I can see an inflection point coming, where self driving cars have low to zero insurance requirements (either insurance underwritten by the car company as a way to show that these things are safe or insurance companies themselves realising that self driving cars have low costs) in either case, I can then see normal cars having skyrocketing insurance, which will reach an unaffordable point very quickly.

At some point it may well be cheaper to have an Uber self-driving car account than it will be to have any kind of car. (And tbh, I welcome that - I know others like driving, but for me nothing but a pain).

The self driving requires a very limited form of AI - specifically around machine vision and spotting what's on the road. But as AI improves this will only get better.

Robots/Automation of jobs. We're already seeing it but it feels under the radar - every self checkout till represents a job automated away. There's stuff going on in the background I'm sure we've no idea about. Roomba's cleaning warehouses? Who knows.

I don't think we necessarily need humanoid robots or even smart robots for this to be a big threat to jobs, dumb automated checkouts aren't that bright but do require a lot of infrastructure in place to work.

Loss of jobs / Jobs not being replaced fast enough. I do think in the very long term this won't be an issue but in the short term I think we'll see vast numbers of layoffs with no new work.

Universal Basic Income - a flat amount of money handed out to everyone. Could be this isn't the solution, but it feels like - at least - an alternative for when the jobs all vanish.

and ....

CRISPR - a tool for replacing sequences of DNA. We have the technology now to take a sample of your DNA, remove genes you don't want and replace them with genes you do and inject them back in to you and (I think) using a virus replace all of your faulty DNA.

That shit is real (http://www.umassmed.edu/news/news-archives/2015/04/editing-hiv-out-of-our-genome-with-crispr/)

But isn't happening, more for ethical reasons than practical reasons.

I'm sure there's loads of other future stuff... but let's see if we can limit it to stuff we actually think we'll see in use in the 5-10 year span.

-pj

Hey ho!

At a super last minute notice, I'll be heading to London Super Con. This is costing me a fortune, so if anyone wants to get a commission from me I'm taking preorders...

(I don't have a table, but will have arranged something for collection...)

-pj

Hello chums, you might like this:

FMoF debuts in comics with a first look at @PaulTobin & @PaulJHolden sci-fi epic GUNSUITS #WW http://bit.ly/1I0iF3t  pic.twitter.com/mC5InoSFkR

Me drawing monsters and mech suits...

I like the sounds of this, art sized books reproducing the original comic art.

I'm assuming the biggest stumbling block will be tracking down all of the original art, but assuming you can get anything from anywhen, what would you like to see...?

I'll go first:

Rogue Trooper book 1 (I've seen that first page in the flesh and it's incredible, and huge - so the artsized book would be bloody massive...)

City of the Damned, it's no secret I love this

Cry of the Werewolf - yes please! Let's see all those hairs on the wolves Steve Dillon was always complaining about

-pj

I have a mailing list, this year, at least, I'll be doing a monthly email (January's has gone out) showing exclusive artwork (usually my favourite page I've drawn that month) and, this month, I'm giving away a sketch to one lucky subscriber. There's around 85 on the list so far, which means you've a decent shot at winning it - you can sign up here:

http://pauljholden.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=6151a84c84a759b2a27bd2d6b&id=e5404b8724

I'll be picking a winner on the 27th of Feb ... so hurry up!

Saw this in the news agent: 3d partworks printer http://3dprinter-collection.com

Any thoughts?

I realise it's an expensive acquisition over the 90(!) week purchases period, and 90 weeks is a long time to wait to do something, but for the first time I find myself rationalising away - "well, better paying £900 over a long period than springing £500 on a 3d printer and never using it" and "at least you can learn what to do with it with each issue" and finally "look, they're clearly aiming this at families so this 3d printer will be sort of idiot proof with software etc, it could actually be fun".


But maybe I'm being a nincompoop

Talk me out of this...

-pj

On this weekend, I'll be there (as well Glenn Fabry & Simon Bisley - I'm clearly very much on the C list here).

I'll be sketching, selling prints, and I'll have copies of Dept of Monsterology and Numbercruncher, for anyone who wants to buy a copy...

-pj

This thursday at 9:30am I'm hosting a little comic book club in the Lyric Theatre Cafe in Belfast - this is -VERY SPECIFICALLY- about looking at portfolios/small press comics and giving advice/reviews.

If it's the sort of thing that you'd find useful or interesting, please come along.

(Obvs you're welcome to just turn up and have coffee too...)


-pj

http://www.dublincomiccon.com

Hi gang, I'll be at that-taking commissions up front (if you're interested) €60 for a head/shoulder water colour sketch piece on water colour paper.

(I'll also be at Dice, doing the same!)
-pj

(At last)

First issue available to buy on comixology: https://www.comixology.co.uk/Dept-of-Monsterology/comics-series/20259

Hopefully the remaining three issues should follow in good time...

In other news: there's a short one off to follow and then another story...

https://www.facebook.com/events/1407168846195778/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

So, Will Sliney's new comic book (written by Rob Williams, I think) will be launching at Oliver Plunkett in Cork. Me, Stephen Mooney and Ruth Redmond will be there as a support act, but think of it as a mini con.

It's being organised by Dublin's The Big Bang comic shop, and so we should have, by then, all four issues of Dept Of Monsterology with us. Come get 'em! (I ay even have a couple of hard back numbercrunchers, which appear to have sold out)


I'll be sketching on the day, but to be sure of getting a commission, you'd be better asking me BEFORE the event and I can do it and bring it with me.

Convention sketch pricing:

Prices €20 for pencil (midshot/headshot)
or €35 for water colour (same drawing with watercolour applied to it, they do look pretty...)

(here's one I like http://instagram.com/p/f59TDvxHHl/ here's a Dredd head http://instagram.com/p/e2SV15RHK1/ )

I'd hope to open up commissions this year, but I start Jury service on the monday following this signing and have NO idea what I'll be doing...

-pj

As they say round these parts, vote early! vote often!*

Numbercruncher is up for "Best Miniseries" at the website Broken Frontier.

http://www.brokenfrontier.com/broken-frontier-awards-2013-vote-now/

They've been generally very supportive of numbercruncher AND Dept of Monsterology, and, while I don't expect to win, it'd be nice to try...!

-pj
(*only joking, vote early, but vote once. But tell your friends and make sure they vote too!)

Gordon Rennie and I will be heading to the Big Bang comic store in Dundrum, Dublin on Friday the 25th of October at 4pm to sign copies of Dept of Monsterology (and, inevitably, whatever else is proffered). Well then be heading to Belfast to sign in Belfast's Forbidden Planet at 2pm on the Saturday the 26th of October.

Big Bang has an exclusive print to give away to the first 100 people, and I might have some treats for those heading to Belfast too...

Will probably be doing quick sketches on the day, but if you're after one of the colour sketches I've been doing at cons, you can ask now and I'll bring one along with me - €30 in Dub, £25 in Belfast.

-pj

via Irish Comic News

http://www.irishcomicnews.com/2013/09/event-mcm-belfast-comic-con-kings-hall-belfast-7-8-june/

Well, can Ireland sustain TWO MCMs?

I realise this is early, but wanted to mark the ground, so to speak.

I'll be signing between 2-4. This is the Belfast launch for Dept of Monsterology (out on the 16th Oct) and, some ways it's also the last hurrah for Numbercruncher (issue 4 of which is also out the 16th.)

Expect, me, probably some free prints, certainly free sketches, signing comics and just generally being convivial.

I'm told the Emerald Garrison will also be in attendance...

I'll remind you again closer to the time...

-pj

Hi gang, Rob informs me (via the medium of twitter) our 2 part Nurture story is in the Judge Dredd Meg this month. So here's a sneakety peakety at page one. (and there's some bg info on my blog if you like: http://www.pauljholden.com/blog/2013/08/17/judge-dredd-megazine/ )