Mauretania Exhibitions and events announced

ROK Comics creator Chris Reynolds is one of several artists involved in events marking the centenary of the maiden voyage of the RMS Mauretania.

Chris has published several strips under his Mauretania Comics imprint.

An exhibition featuring comics and paintings by Newcastle Stuckist Painters and Mauretania Comics artists Paul Harvey and Chris Reynolds plus guest Stuckist Mike Tilley will run at the Newcastle Arts Centre between 18-29 September 2007. The Centenary Exhibtion Opening Night event takes place on Tuesday 18 September, between 6.30 - 8.00 pm.

On 16 November, there will be events in both Newcastle and New York to mark the centenary of the sailing, at the bar of Newcastle Arts Centre and at a venue in New York, with a centenary phone call between the venues. Paul Harvey and Chris Reynolds will be in Newcastle, while representatives of US Stuckist groups, joined by New York Stuckist Terry Marks and Connecticut Stuckist Tony (Baloney) Juliano will be in marking the event in the US.

The Mauretania was the longest-ever holder of the famous transatlantic speed record, the Blue Riband. Built in Newcastle, she sailed the line between Britain and the New World completely successfully for 25 years.

Further Information
• For more information on the Stuckism art movement visit: www.stuckism.com
• Mauretania Archives: www.tyneandweararchives.org.uk/mauretania/index.htm
• Building the Ship in 1906: www.amber-online.com/exhibitions/mauretania
• Newcastle Arts Centre Limited, 67 Westgate Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 1SG Telephone 0191 2615618

I think I'd rather be reading a comic

Going to the toilet, cutting your toe nails and and having sex are just some of the activities people get up to when talking on the phone, according to a poll released this week by Britain's Post Office.

The survey found seven per cent of people had "been intimate" with a partner when on the telephone to someone else, with men were more likely than women to have been involved in a romantic clinch when chatting on the phone, with nine per cent admitting to answering a call when making love compared to five per cent of women.

The survey found one in 10 people admitted to taking a call while otherwise engaged. It also found that people in the Newcastle region, for example, were also most likely to chat to friends while sitting on the toilet, with 44 per cent of people admitting to it compared with just 21 per cent of Scots.

A total of 2188 people were questioned for the survey, which lists these top ten "other activities"...

The Top Ten activities people indulge in when on the phone are:

1 Surf the internet (65 per cent)
2 Watch TV (64 per cent)
3 Lie in bed (54 per cent)
4 Eat (48 per cent)
5 Cook (43 per cent)
6 Draw / doodle (41 per cent)
7 Clean (34 per cent)
8 Use the toilet (31 per cent)
9 Get dressed (25 per cent)
10 Shop (26 per cent)

"We are certainly a nation of talkers," commented Martin Moran, head of telephony at the Post Office, "and judging by these figures, we won't let anything stand in the way of a good old gossip, which could turn out to be a fairly pricey habit."

ROK Comics offers BICS goers the chance to win a top mobile

Comics to mobile publisher Rok Comics is pleased to announce its support for the 2007 Birmingham International Comics Show (www.thecomicsshow.co.uk) which takes place 13-14 October 2007, with a competition to win a top of the range Nokia mobile phone, an annual subscription to all of ROK Comics content via its WAP subscriber service and other goodies worth £500 in total.

Every pre-registered attendee will be in with a chance to win the Nokia phone, which will include a pre-loaded SIM Card worth £30 and a selection of ROK entertainment content and software. The winner will also get a 12-month subscription to the ROK Comics WAP service.

The winner of the phone will be announced at the weekend.

"We're delighted to be part of BICS," says ROK Comics Managing Editor John Freeman, who will be part of a special panel on digital comics at the event on Saturday 13 October. "These events are a melting pot of ideas and talent and for me, it's a great chance to meet and talk comic ideas with fans and professionals."

Taking place 13 – 14 October 2007 at Birmingham's ThinkTank, the Birmingham International Comic Show is set to again be a major event in the comics calendar for British fans. Special guests include Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, Superman and Star Wars artist Kevin Nowlan, top Judge Dredd artist Mike McMahon, and Adi Granov, the man behind the fantastic upcoming Iron Man Movie armour design. Esad Ribic, who's currently working on Marvel's fully painted Silver Surfer series which is wowing fans and Matt Hollingsworth, who will be conducting a special extended version of his popular colouring demonstration. (Click here for the full guest list)

Doctor Who and Wisdom fans will also be interested to find out that Paul Cornell will be making a Saturday appearance at the show and will be taking part in our special writers panel along with Mike Carey and Tony Lee.

Other guests confirmed include: Alan Davis, Dave Gibbons, Charlie Adlard, Mark Buckingham, Duncan Fegredo, and Lew Stringer, plus many many more.

An Evil Alliance

Thoroughly silly but very funny, even if it is (deliberately) not the best drawn comic...