#4 Strange Friends + Folklore Redux pt 2

 Happy Blog Day Everyone!

Let's start this off with the weekly strip:

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz

To those wondering, yes, that is the Mothman...or at least, my version of him.

His inclusion here was borne out of the myriad documentaries and books I've read on him this past month. I'd love to say this cryptid might appear in a future Brennan and Riz short story but I've no plans for him at the moment. He is the perfect example of modern folklore though, with the first reports on him kicking off in the late 1960s (if I'm remembering things properly).

Speaking of folklore and short stories...

Folklore Redux pt 2 

Let's kick off part 2 with a seasonal tale:

The Black Eyed Children Who Stole Christmas- I mentioned above about modern folklore, and this one is based on another one, the black eyed children. The basic myth is the sighting of children with pitch black eyes, the stories often revolve around the children turning up and knocking on doors, asking to be let in. The person behind the door doesn't let them in, feeling uneasy with what's going on.

There's of course different explanations behind them, ranging from demons to aliens. For this story, I kinda went with the former but not. I wove them into the world building I was doing (Riz certainly got a boost). I promise those story threads will be expanded on...at some point.

The other big factor in this story, and indeed, the one who makes it a Christmas story, is Santa...or more accurately, his legend. Sorry folks, no jolly fat man here, just a group of Seeley Fae keeping the legend alive.

The title is obviously referencing a certain famous Dr Seuss book and movie...

This story featured in Harvey Duckman Presents...Christmas special, which has been rebranded as Harvey Duckman Presents Volume 12. Get your copy here! 

The Gators in the Sewer- The first story in the American Trilogy, as I referred to it in my head. This marks the first time the characters visit somewhere not in the UK (aside from their brief jaunt to the Othed in the first Harvey Duckman anthology). Though it wasn't meant to be as before this story was written, I'd written a novella which had Alice essentially kidnapped the duo to tackle a case for her friend. That story ended up being put on hold (despite being completed) so I took the opening of it and used it here. I went back and edited the other story so they were used to beind abducted by their employer!

Anyway, the idea for the tale was actually a reader suggestion (he suggested the three ideas that became the American Trilogy, as we'll see next week). The first suggestion? Brennan and Riz in the sewers of New York City, tangling with the alligators under there. Now, everyone will have heard the stories, of people flushing baby alligators down the toilet when they got to big to be pets, leading to a number of them living in the sewers. It was all well and good but it posed a question of how was I to tie it into a story with Brennan and Riz? Getting them into the sewers wouldn't be a challenge, I've gotten them into weirder scraps, but I needed a better hook to link the Gators into the story. I think I outdid myself with the solution, one that I honestly can't remember how I came about...

To see what I'm talking about, get your copy here!

Useful Links

To get a copy of Brennan and Riz's first full length novel, click here!

To get their first short story collection, click here!

Join me next week as I dicuss the last two entries in the American Trilogy, till then,

Keep on writing!

#3 A Man Can Dream + Folklore Redux

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz

Folklore Redux

Diving into the main topic today, I realised last week that the last story I discussed in terms of the Folklore behind them was The Black Cat on the Prowl. By my reckoning, that means I'm behind by 12 Brennan and Riz short stories! I suppose that's what happens when I don't update the blog.

Anyway, without further ado, let's get cracking with the next 2 in chronological order from the Black Cat on the Prowl!

-Clockwork Knights in the Workshop-

So, this was the story that appeared in Harvey Duckman Presents Volume 3 (get yours here). Truth be told there's not an awful lot to say here as it's not based on Folklore other then initial idea being sparked by a set of stairs heading down to nowhere in near by Stockton. The stairs were remnants of access to the trainline but it was blocked off with concrete at one point.

The clockwork Knights were the result of me wanting to expand the world that Brennan and Riz lived in, and the name, came from fond memories of a Sega Saturn game I used to play.  What it lacked in folklore, it made up in fun banter as Valarie joined the boys in her first Harvey Duckman outing, and her second proper appearance in a Brennan and Riz short. This cemented her as a mainstay, which was good as I'd already written her into A Boy and A Rat by this point.

-The Wyrm in the Abbey-

Now, this one, that appeared in Harvey Duckman Presents Volume 4 (get yours here), brings the folklore the last one lacked. Using the historic seaside town of Whitby as its backdrop, this tale saw our three heroes (yes, Valarie joined the boys again!) Face off against a Wyrm (basically a serpent like Dragon like the Lamberton Worm I talked about in an earlier blog post). The tale is based on the folklore surrounding the Whitby Wyrm, a beast that was said to have terrorised the town and the Abbey, demanding virgin sacrifices (as was the style at the time apparently). In the story, the creature was defeated by the cunning of a wandering Knight. Scarborough Council gifted the town a silver wyrm statue in honour of this story.

While I haven't seen the statue myself, I couldn't let a story like this pass me by. I didn't tweak much of the original tale, keeping it as something that actually happened in the past, framing this story as a follow up. The silver statue gets to play a part as well.

I'd be amiss to talk about this story and not mention the character borne out of it, Gwen. She is the perfect example of a character created to fulfil a certain story need but taking on a life of their own that warps the story around them. I ended up rewriting a lot of it because of her. She's certainly someone you'll see again, sooner or later.

Well, that'll do for now, join me next time where I'll waffle on for a bit about Brennan and Riz's 2nd Christmas tale, The Black Eyed Children That Stole Christmas (was part of the Harvey Duckman Presents Christmas special but is now part of this volume) and the first of the American Trilogy, Gators in the Sewer (as seen in Harvey Duckman Presents Volume 5, available here).

Till then,

Keep on writing!

A recap and issue #2!

 Last time on this blog...

(If you want the issue #2 in the Brennan and Riz webcomic, you'll find it at the bottom of this page)

Okay, last time I properly updated this blog (not counting the Brennan and Riz Pandemic Blues posts) was 2019. Needless to say, a lot has changed.

I briefly mentioned it last week but in July 2022, almost 4 years after it was started as part of Nanowrimo 2018, A Boy and A Rat released. Yes, the first novel about Brennan and Riz had finally shown itself to the world, and it was a different beast then when I handed it over to the publisher the first time.

I'll do another blog post detailing that experience in full, as this book didn't have a smooth journey.

Till then, I do want to share the awesome cover art that was made for this book, and I think you'll agree, Riz has never looked so good!

Buy your copy here!

What's that? The book 1 part? Oh! That's right, the book isn't a one off anymore! Well, actually it was never planned to be a one off (my nanowrimo entry for 2020 was the then planned sequel, the long night, where Brennan never caught a break...or a cup of tea), but yeah, this is now the first of a prequel series. I've begun work on book 2...which I'll also talk about soon...

Harvey Duckman Presents...

Last time we spoke, Harvey Duckman Presents Volume 4 had been released, as had the Christmas special, well, guess what? They’re now on Volume 12 and counting! Okay, so the last two volumes are just the two specials given swanky new covers and put where they should have always been, but it's still something to celebrate. Plus, Brennan and Riz have been along each step of the way with stories in each one (in fact Harvey Duckman Presents vols 5-7 form a loose trilogy where our heroes fly off to the United States!).

With more stories to talk about, expect a return of my folklore series as I delve into each story.

There's also a brand spanking new Harvey Duckman website for you to check out!

Other things

Have I don't anything else you ask? Well, maybe a couple of things like be part of other amazing anthologies with other brilliant authors.

This includes the likes of:

The Decagon Key (featuring Gabriel from my long languishing Daemon Soul series)

Hope is an Act of Rebellion (Valerie's first solo story!)

Main Presentation...

You're still here? Ah, you want this weeks comic strip don't you? Well, I suppose I did promise it...

Again, sorry about the quality!

Till next time, I bid you farewell!

Brennan and Riz: Now in Webcomic Form!

 The blog lives again!

Yes, after a very long time (I'm trying not to look at the date of the last one), I'm back, which means, Brennan and Riz are back!

In a new format!

#1 "Somethings Cost Extra"

First off, I apologise about the quality of the image, I currently don't have access to a scanner or a good paint program. So its hand coloured for the foreseeable future.

Secondly, these are designed just to be humorous out takes from the pairs life and as such, aren't meant to be taken seriously. They're light hearted are intended to entertain, to the best of my abilities of course.

I'll be uploading a new strip every Wednesday on here and over on twitter. I've already got the next few planned and if they prove popular, I can increase the frequency of when they drop.

There's more to talk about, like what's happened in the years since I last posted here (A Boy and A Rat came out! Go and buy it!), but I'll do a proper post in the next couple of days to fill in all the blanks.

So that's it for this time!

Keep writing!