ROK releases Beatles Story comic, drawn by Arthur Ranson

ROK Mobile Comics has just released the first issue of its new audio comic The Beatles Story for iPad, iPhone and other mobile devices.

The eight-issue digital series collects, for the first time in its entirety, the classic and highly-acclaimed Beatles strip created by the late Angus Allan and Arthur Ranson for the British weekly comic, Look-In.

With new covers by Martin Baines, the digitally-enhanced audio comic also includes rare Beatles videos and other material to complement the comic, including audio commentary memories from writer and radio broadcaster Angie McCartney.

Working closely with artist Arthur Ranson - with some pages scanned from original artwork - and the estate of writer Angus Allan, the eight-issue digital audio comic is available for for iPad, iPhone, Android and other mobile devices, the strip complemented by fully authored audio enhancements that further bring this unique comic biography of The Beatles to life.

The launch coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Fab Four's beginnings back in 1962, when The Beatles - John, Paul, George and Ringo - took the charts by storm in 1962 with their first official release, "Love Me Do", quickly followed by "Please Please Me" and "From Me to You". Beatlemania soon swept across the globe as the Fab Four recorded a staggering 12 studio albums, 13 EPs and 22 singles from 1962 to 1970.

It is estimated they have sold over one billion records worldwide and The Beatles continue to influence many musicians and artists today, attracting a new generation of fans.

Beautifully realized, The Beatles Story charts the history of the band from their struggle for success in the early 1960s through their entire career until the band's split in 1970.

DJ Mike Read has called the strip "the only worthwhile strip record of the Beatles" and the creator-owned comic, first published in British comic Look-In has only ever been reprinted in an abridged form, both in the UK and in Europe.

The opening page of The Beatles Story
© Angus Allan & Arthur Ranson

"Before The Beatles - Their Story in Pictures strip, Angus Allan, comic-book and Paperback Writer, and I had been teamed up by Look-in Editor Colin Shelbourn to do The Elvis Story," recalls Arthur Ranson of the origins of his acclaimed Beatles comic strip. "Like Dreamers Do I suggested to Angus that we might retain the copyright - prompted by belief in its future possibilities and thinking possible returns When I'm Sixty-Four.

"Rather than just the Money there was also pride in ownership and an interest in creators rights. Creator ownership was at that time even less usual then it is now and Nobody I Know at the time had done that. Can’t now imagine the hubris that made me pushy so don’t Ask Me Why.

"When Angus heard the idea he was nervous about it," Arthur continues. "Apart from the gamble that a reduction in fee would later be recouped I think it ran against his idea of how professional comics guys worked and he might be seen as a  Bad Boy. I convinced Angus We Can Work It Out and the Two of Us took the proposal to Colin. I said I would not draw the strip on any other terms. (How was it I was so cocky?) With much less argument than I expected Colin agreed. Thank you, Colin.

"When Colin wanted The Beatles strip it was more or less understood that the same terms would apply. At Look-in’s expense Angus and I became Day Trippers, took A Ticket to Ride and went to Liverpool for research, visiting  Penny Lane and all.

"ITV Publications reproduced the strip as a paper book only four months after its first appearance in Look-In, hardly Any Time at All. The impression I was left with was that whoever organised the reprint was so miffed when he discovered that Angus and I had the copyright that he made no attempt to sell it on so it wasn’t exactly Here, There, and Everywhere. Angus and I took on an agent to act on our behalf and he landed some foreign versions.

"Some of the artwork was displayed at the Walker Art Gallery in their 1984 'Art of the Beatles' exhibition."

"Do You Want to Know a Secret? Drawing a weekly story with the hope of seeing it reappearing in a complete continuous format did need some thinking about," Arthur reveals. "The space where the title would go required filling, but not with anything that was essential. For new readers the breaks are then not apparent and the story will move without interruption, Act Naturally..." 

The Beatles Story is the latest audio comic project from ROK, who launched their first audio adventure comic Team M.O.B.I.L.E. earlier this year, with several new titles, including Houdini, new adventures of the world's greatest escape artist soon to follow, along with spy adventure Tomorrow We Live, written and drawn by Mike Collins.

The company is also working on a number of music comics featuring up and coming bands, and a collection of Angus Allan and Arthur Ranson's other creator-owned strip for Look-In, The Elvis Story.

• The Beatles Story by Angus Allan and Arthur Ranson, with new covers by Martin Baines

• From iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/app/the-beatles-story/id569176209?mt=8

• Android Edition: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rok.comics.beatles001

From Superheroes to SuperSized - a new exhibition by Giancarlo Caracuzzo

Who said that fatties are all unhappy and unpleasant? "From Superheroes to SuperSized", a new exhibition in Rome featuring the work of Giancarlo Caracuzzo, who drew our recently-released free Joe Whelan comic, sets out to disprove that.

Organized by Fat Lab, the exhibition presents works by Giancarlo Caracuzzo and Mauro Caracuzzo with Flavia Caracuzzo and an illustrated story of Giancarlo Caracuzzo and Katia Ravaioli.

Giancarlo Caracuzzo is a world-renowned illustrator, who drew the likes of Martin Mystere, Nick Rider, Iron Man and Spider-Man, and in recent years has contributed to the success of series and miniseries of horror, fantasy and underground, working for Marvel Comics and some of his best-known writers.

 

Caracuzzo offers here his latest, stunning work, a play on the paradox of fat versus thin, creating original and scandalous marriages in this age of media fundamentalism against thoase with weight issues.

The exhibtion also features drawings and works by artist and designer Mauro Caracuzzo and Flavia Caracuzzo.

The story Ernesto and Mirella featured in the exhibition is written by Katia Ravaioli and illustrated by Giancarlo, and takes its name from a blog (in Italian) already much talked about on social media sites. It's the story of two misfits who meet dancing the tango, learn to dance and fall in love each other, and eventually themselves.

• From Superheroes to SuperSized runs until 2nd November 2012 at the Gallery Interior Red, Rome, Via dei Banchi Vecchi 32. Web Page (in Italian): www.fatlab.it/fsts.html

• Ernesto e Mirella blog: http://ernestoemirella.blogspot.co.uk

ROK Comics expands its Audio Comics range

ROK Comics is pleased to announce the expansion of its audio comics range, with Team M.O.B.I.L.E., Houdini now on sale for iPad, iPhone and Android devices – and many more titles in the works.

All ROK Comics titles deliver great comic content, enhanced by a fully authored audio soundtrack and other features that only digital comics can fully exploit, including animation and, in the case of its music comics range, music videos.

Says ROK CEO Jonathan Kendrick: “ROK is pioneering the creation and delivery of original audio comic books across a range of new titles and we are delighted to be bringing comic books to life in this dynamic way via the latest technologies.”

Sales of digital comics are growing rapidly, but many are simply re-formats of existing print titles which fail to take advantage of the opportunities offered by digital devices. ROK has embraced the new medium head on, delivering not just great comics but extras that will appeal to all ages now well used in the potential of modern media.

“With all the extras, we wanted to complement the comic storytelling that make a comic a comic,” says editor John Freeman, “but add new elements that will give the stories even greater appeal.

“We’re hoping our carefully-created titles will appeal outside of comic fandom. We’ve had feedback from parents who tell us our audio comics are a great help with children coming to grips with learning to read for example.

Available now for free are Team M.O.B.I.L.E. #1, Team M.O.B.I.L.E. #2 and Houdini #1 – with many more comics in the works.

• An ongoing adventure comic, Team M.O.B.I.L.E. centres on the story of teenagers recruited into a secret organisation to battle crime, terrorism and other dangers – some stranger than others. The series was created by Jonathan Kendrick and features art by Andrew Chiu.

Team M.O.B.I.L.E. #1 is FREE for iPad and iPhone:
http://itunes.apple.com/app/team-mobile-comic/id516600477

Team M.O.B.I.L.E. #1 is free for Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rok.comics.teammobile01

Team M.O.B.I.L.E. #2 is free for iPad and iPhone:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/team-mobile-2/id549502691?mt=8

Team M.O.B.I.L.E. #2 is free for Android:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rok.comics.teammobile02

• Houdini is an ongoing adventure comic recounting all-new adventures of the world’s greatest escape artist. Written by magician Jamie Allan Nicklin and composer and script writer Simon Wheeler, the launch issue features art by the highly-regarded Spanish artists Rafael Broseta and David Belmonte.

The comic includes exclusive videos revealing magician’s secrets – some included for free, some offered as in-app purchase.

• Houdini #1 is FREE for iPad and iPhone at:
http://itunes.apple.com/app/houdini/id531385730?mt=8&ls=1

• Download Houdini #1 FREE for Android at:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rok.comics.houdini

Titles to come include:

Tomorrow We Live, scripted
and drawn by Mike Collins

• Tomorrow We Live, a gritty no-holds-barred action adventure set in a world of jaded spies and dangerous villains, adapted from a story by Simon Piers Thurlow and Hollywood screen writers Shawn Curran and George Sanders by Mike Collins, acclaimed artist on several titles for Marvel and DC Comics, as well as Doctor Who Magazine

The Beatles by Angus Allan and Arthur Ranson

• The Beatles Story, an eight-issue limited digital series collecting, in full, the stunning creator-owned comic co-created by Angus Allan and Arthur Ranson, which will include rare video of the Beatles

• The Elvis Story, an eight-issue limited digital series by Angus Allan and Arthur Ranson telling revealing the legend of the King, never re-published since its first appearance in British comic Look-In in the 1980s

• Ex Astris, an amazing science fiction comic set in the far future on an Earth transformed by alien intervention and environmental disaster, by Bill Storie

ROK is also publishing a number of “music comics”, featuring audio-enhanced comic strip, videos and other bonus material, including:

Rick Fury, drawn by Marc Olivent

• Rick Fury, an ongoing “action music comic” starring an alternate version of one of Britain’s best-known emcees, written by Rick himself with art by Marc Olivent

• Banned Across the Universe… In space, no-one can hear you sing – unless you pretend you’re someone famous, and probably dead! An ongoing action-humour strip by John Freeman and Kev Levell

• ZeZi: The Story so Far, a bio-comic about the Birmingham-based rap band, scripted by Jasper Bark and drawn by Andrew Chiu

• OG Niki: The Story So Far, a bio-comic about the controversial British rapper OG Niki, scripted by Jasper Bark and drawn by Marc Olivent

• Joe Whelan: The Story So Far, a bio-comic about the amazing Heavy Metal guitarist, scripted by Jasper Bark and drawn by Marvel Comics artist Giancarlo Caracuzzo

• Visit ROK Comics at: www.rokcomics.com

Declaration: John Freeman is Managing Editor at ROK Comics

Team M.O.B.I.L.E. Promotions available on YouTube

ROK's animation team have begin creating a number of promotional videos for our titles, starting, naturally, with our action adventure title, Team M.O.B.I.L.E.!

Here's their first promo for #1, which can also be viewed on the Team M.O.B.I.L.E. Comic YouTube channel.

The animation folk are busy working on several projects connected to our books – stay tuned for more information...

• Team M.O.B.I.L.E. #1 is available free for iPad and iPhone via http://itunes.apple.com/app/team-mobile-comic/id516600477?mt=8 and on Google Play for Android devices at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rok.comics.teammobile01

Creator-owned iPhone Apps on sale - at bargain prices

ROK Comics is offering comic fans three dedicated comic apps for iPhone at a bargain price of 99 cents (69p each), working in partnership with three dedicated comic creators whose work reflects three very different story genres.

• Ligeia the Vampire comprises 40 episodes of vampire, zombie and wartime menace, inspired by the story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe. Drawn in a style echoing the work of Alex Toth, Frank Miller and Alberto Breccia, the strip pays homage to HP Lovecraft and movies like La Maschera del Demonio.

The creation of artist Rodrigo Diaz Ricci and inspired by the work of Edgar Allan Poe, many of Ligeia the Vampire's adventures are set in wartime Europe, a time when the lines between good and evil are never clear cut. A graphic designer and comics artist, Rodrigo has worked for US and European comics publishers, including covers for the Greek newspaper Eleftherotypia and also for Mondo Ignoto’s Horror and Forbidden Archaeology magazines.

• Mobile Gospel is a quirky but fun re-telling of the gospel of Luke, the creation of Rich Diesslin, based on the book of Luke from his Cartoon Gospel Series (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).

Rich is is also the creator of the KNOTS or Not Scouting cartoons and a general single-panel cartoon called Out to Lunch. He is also the author and cartoonist of The Cartoon Ten Commandments and the cartoonist of A Journey Through Christian Theology, an anthology of theologians now in its second edition published by Fortress Press.

• Madd Science is a humour strip - the clue to its content is in the title! - by Steve English won the Rok comics competition a couple of years back, judged by the editor of the Beano, so it seemed a no brainer to include it in this first tranche of iPhone releases.

Steve's work has appeared in UK weekly comic The Beano and other publications. He's the author of a number of books including The Potted Guide to Theology with Tony Gray (recently translated into German) as well as Peter's Cat and Two by Two.

All three comic strip iPhone apps are available from the iTunes store via the links below.

• Ligeia the Vampire: The Treasure of the Vampire on iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ligeia/id409858722?mt=8

• The Mobile Gospel by Rich Dieslin is on iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/mobile-gospel/id409877719?mt=8#

• Madd Science by Steve English is on iTunes at http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/madd-science/id409860018?mt=8#