INTRODUCTION
09-04-07: Hi! Welcome to The Matthew Craig Dot Com.
Inside, you'll find just over three hundred pages of bespoke comics, by artists as far afield as Belgium and California - as well as plenty of stories ilustrated by your humble host. There's a wide range of stories for your consideration, from one-page vignettes to forty-page novellas. Click the COMICS link above to start reading.
If you prefer paper to pixels, I also sell print editions of many of my stories. Click through to the SHOP to see what we have on offer. All UK prices include postage and packing, and all books come with (some very understated) freebies, such as stickers and sketchcards.
If you've never read a comic before - or are returning to comics after a long absence - then you're in for a treat. There are whole worlds - universes, really - just waiting to be discovered. And once you've devoured the stories to be had on this website, you might find yourself wanting more.
But where to get it? And what to read?
You could just visit your local library, bookshop or comic shop, and pick the first thing that looks interesting. But if you'd like some more specific recommendations, then please click through to the PROSE section of the site, where you will find reviews of some of my favourite comics of all time, as well as essays on all aspects of comics and comics culture. There are more such essays to be found here.
I hope you enjoy what you find on The Matthew Craig Dot Com. A lot of love, hours and ink have gone into making the site you see before you. Thanks for dropping by, and I hope to see you again soon.
Best Wishes,
//\Oo/\\
SITE UPDATES
26-04-10: Hooray! New strip! Welsh Superhero Wunderkinds TRYHARD AND TEARAWAY! Enjoy, and I'll see you at the London MCM Expo, May 29/30th, at Excel London.
30-12-09: Whew! That was a long year, wasn't it?! Sorry I haven't been around much: busy busy busy!
After a year of craft fayres, comic shows, caricaturing and cultivation, I've finally gotten around to uploading two new strips to this fine webbed site.
SPACE HONDLE is the latest adventure starring my postmortem pooch (and this site's muse and mascot). Watch in awe as we are abducted by aliens! Breathe a heartfelt sigh as Hondle is forced to liberate a race of berobéd munchkins! And Shriek! as your humble host is forced to escape an alien space mine in only his boxer shorts!
(it was that kind of day...)
LE MOT FAUXis a science fiction ghost story in which a dead man returns home, a lonely scientist contemplates his madness, and a fat man eats a sandwich. A bittersweet drama, and (with any luck) the first chapter of a new series.
Print editions of both comics are also available, either through me, or from Nostalgia and Comics, Birmingham, or Legacy Comics, Halifax. First Brum/Yorks., then The World!
And if that ain't enough for you, there's always plenty going on over at Bostin Heroes.
I hope 2009 has been kind to you. Let's hope that 2010 is even better. I'll be ripping this place apart and rebuilding it on an ongoing basis, over the next couple of months. You may have noticed that a couple of old comics have already vanished. Enjoy the rest while you can, Craiganauts: the cull's a-comin'!
And if any links or pages stop working, then please, rest assured: I Am On. It.
In addition to all the braw new comics I'll be making next year, I'll also be adding sections on the cariacture and commissioned art I've been selling in 2009. Yes, you too will be able to buy a piece of original, one of a kind, unique and snowflake-special art from your humble host. I'm also hoping to be putting together some comics workshops over the next few months...but more on that, and everything else, as it happens.
So here's to the New Year, gang: let's make it a good'n!
11-10-09: Hello! A quick update on current progress:
My new Hondle story, SPACE HONDLE, is complete and in print. I won't be uploading it for a little while, as I'm about to start work on my new Trixie Biker story, BAD PENNY, while also redesigning the site. Space Hondle sees my postmortem pooch and I abducted by aliens - or are they?! - and while Hondle learns the value of a feather duster, and liberates a race of munchkin-aliens, Craigy faces his toughest trial yet: A Hard Day's Work! If you want a copy of this forty-page faboo, please drop me a line (£1.50 plus postage, complete sets of Hondle comics £5 plus postage).
The new issue of Bostin Heroes debuted alongside Space Hondle at last week's BICS. Collecting the second story arc, GODVILLA (£2.50 plus postage) sees the team come to terms with their new role as they take on a rampaging monster on the streets of Birmingham. But when they finally meet their public, will the Boshers finally come a-cropper?
You can also buy a small selection of my titles from two of Britain's finest comic shopppes: Nostalgia and Comics, Birmingham, and Legacy Comics, Halifax. So there's no excuse, now, is there?
The new Bostin Heroes story, IL BOSTINO, began serialisation the other day. It's only a short story, set in one small café, somewhere in Wolverhampton, but I like it. Art by Paul Eldridge, who is ace.
Reviews and Interviews: thanks to Jon and Jules of Rhubarb Radio for inviting me to be interviewed at the Custard Factory a few weeks back. Listen to The Big Paws here, and indeed every Saturday. And superthanks to Lee and Stacey for all the kind words they sent my way on the Small Press Big Mouth podcast.
Having had a wizard time at BICS, I'm going to be at Leeds' Thought Bubble convention on November 21st. In addition to Space Hondle and Godvilla, I'm hoping to have at least one new book for your delectation. I'll also be at the Moseley Art Market on October 24th, as well as the Ironbridge Craft Fayre over the next couple of Sundays. I've also started taking art commissions - Superhero Makeovers: original caricatures based on you or whoever you want me to draw. Contact me for more info, or come along to Moseley and meet me in person! Hoorah!
And that's that. Sorry the place has been a bit quiet of late, but I've been working myself sick making new stories just for you. Hondle, Trixie, Healing Hans (oops! Spoliers!) - you're going to love what comes next.
See you soon,
Craigy
//\Oo/\\