Sector 13; the 2000AD Fanzine - Law of the Wild!

 

Hey Everyone!

In my last post I hinted at some comics work I've been quietly working away on, so let me take the time to give you lot a bit of background on what this project is all about!

During the first Lockdown last year I was approached by Peter Duncan about contributing some material to an extra special edition of his all ages anthology SPLANK! It was Peter's intention to showcase the wealth of British comics talent with a special bumper issue of his comic during the time when COVID 19 meant comic conventions and fairs had to be cancelled, as well as collect donations for NHS charities to help those who needed it most during this difficult time.
I took Peter up on his kind offer and used it as an opportunity to revive my own anthropomorphic, autobio comic strip; Paws for Thawt! 

The free digital download for SPLANK went live on May 28th 2020. If you missed the launch post you can read more about it here!
I can also happily say that since this issue of SPLANK! my Paws for Thawt webcomic has kept going strong! I'm continuing to post weekly updates on the Paws for Thawt Tumblr and Instagram pages so give them a like and a follow to stay up to date!

Anyway, you're probably wondering what all this has to do with this latest project and Sector 13!?
Well, after my involvement with SPLANK! Peter introduced me to the 2000AD Fanzine he is Editor for and presented me with the script for a short anthropomorphic he thought would be a perfect for for my illustration style!

Sector 13 itself is a strictly non-profit 2000AD tribute comic founded by the Belfast-based fan group of the same name. What started as a compilation of articles and photo stories featuring the groups cosplayers, has turned into a high quality A4 sized publication teeming with talent from the British indie comic's scene! You can read more about Sector 13's story and get hold of previous issues over on Peter's website: BOX OF RAIN
Or check out the Sector 13 Facebook page for regular updates and news!

The story that I'll be working on for this next issue is called "Law of the Wild" written by the fantastic Ed Whiting!

Ed has written stories for Sector 13's pages previously, making his debut with his 50's throwback Futureshock story "Lethal Weapons" April this year! Ed has also produced his own self published comic "Bigger Fish", a 44 page gritty crime story set in the New York of the early seventies. Bigger Fish is available from Get My Comics (follow the indie tab and then look under B for £5.99) https://getmycomics.com/Release/Indie

"Law of the Wild" is a quirky anthropomorphic, sci-fi based, hard boiled detective story! It combines sci-fi body swapping ideas with the seedy criminal underbelly of a noir detective story, all told with quirky anthropomorphic characters! It's so much fun!! Here, to wet your appetites for what's to come, I'll share some character sketches for two of our main characters! Colt Winchester is this story's super cop! A gruff, no-nonsense detective who's not afraid to get his hooves dirty in the fight against crime! He's a horse by the way!

Inspiration for Colt came from a combination of Bojack Horseman and one of my favourite anthro comics of all time; Blacksad by Juan Díaz Canales (writer) and Juanjo Guarnido (artist). Seriously if you haven't heard of it check it out! It's incredible! 


Next up we have this villainous venomous viper; Sebastian Ssstan! Sebastian is our story's criminal mastermind, highly intelligent and superior, he might get away with his heinous criminal operation if it weren't for Colt's meddling!
Sebastian was mostly inspired by the Disney characters; Sir Hiss (Robin Hood) and Kaa (Jungle Book) with a nice dash of the stereotypical Supervillain aesthetic.

If you liked to look of these guys, then keep your eyes peeled for the reveal of more character concepts soon!

Don't forget to give the Sector 13 Facebook page a like in order to keep up to date with upcoming news and sneak peeks for this story and the rest of the issue's content, as well as any snippets I might share on my own social media!