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simonrussell.bsky.social
simonrussell.website
@simonrussell.bsky.social
After decades around and inside comics and art, finally worked out how I want to use the two!
simonrussell.website
Thomas Frank’s options
1) send this squad out with these tactics, convinced it will work eventually
2) change his squad to make them work
3) change his tactics

1 seems far-fetched 2 is unworkable (even if he had Conte level credentials) 3 could actually work but he’s not shown any interest
#coys
January 2, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
25 writers and artists from the Awesome Comics Podcast community have produced the latest edition of Drawn Under the Influence, a collection of new comics on the theme…

https://downthetubes.net/latest-drawn-under-the-influence-anthology-offers-new-strips-from-the-awesome-comics-podcast-community/
January 2, 2026 at 7:31 AM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
Here’s everything we published in 2025 - plus the #CroydonSpaceport CD with @tcfsr.bsky.social, of course, and our #ColossiveCartographies 5th birthday party @goshcomics.bsky.social.

Thank you all for being part of it. Have a Colossive 2026!
December 31, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
An interesting year with a few cool commissions along the way.
Thanks for continuing to like & buy my work during 2025 and I hope you still dig my stuff in '26. You can't beat human-made art and I'll do it til I drop! Cheers all. 👻🥂😈
#illustration #caricature #portrait #artwork #horrorart
December 30, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Stars!
We've just made our latest donation to St Christopher's hospice - £104.35 - from sales of our books and #zines, bringing our running total up to £5,629.36.

Colossive thanks to everyone who's helped us get this far. And if you'd like to help us raise even MORE, head to bit.ly/ourhospice ❤️
December 29, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Top 3 results for 2025:
-Organising the first Cartoon County Open Market day (hoping for three in 26)
-Editing the great anthology DUI 4
-Helping 5 different comic artists with production issues

For 26 My own shizzle:
-Finish drawing Herakles
-Start painting The Mabinogion
-Firm up a How To project
December 29, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
This is open until the end of Dec if you wanted to fill this in and have a chance at a £50 stash of comics!

…If you DID fill in the survey in the autumn, but DIDN’T get this email, but DO want to help the research and maybe win comics, DM me and I’ll send you the link so you can joint the party 🥳
Soooo…who received an email yesterday from The Audience Agency/UK Comics Creator Survey?? 👀
December 29, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
Some good news for the end of the year - Our comics residency program will continue in 2026! There are 6 spots between May and December. You can find all the info here: komikss.lv/residency/
December 29, 2025 at 12:45 PM
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Attention Planet Earth! All 21st Century editions of Ugly Mug are available again for a brief time in the House of Harley Etsy shop... get your orders in before Thursday 8th Jan...
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Hous...
#comics #Britishcomics #independentcomics #undergroundcomix #UglyMug
December 29, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
I considered writing a long carefully constructed argument laying out the harms and limitations of AI, but instead I wrote about being a hater. Only humans can be haters.
I Am An AI Hater
I am an AI hater. This is considered rude, but I do not care, because I am a hater.
anthonymoser.github.io
August 27, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
You’re right and you should say it, tbh.
December 28, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
Merry Christmas from Aces Weekly!
Merry Christmas from Aces Weekly!
A Christmas present for yourself, comics fan? How about Aces Weekly?
downthetubes.net
December 25, 2025 at 8:28 AM
He can argue we wouldn’t have LOST the game without VAR getting things right but not that we would have WON if it hadn’t.

Adversity pushed our players to do the opposite of what seemed to be his basic plan (attack under cover of passing back to our keeper) but we can’t win if we don’t attack #coys
Thomas Frank criticized VAR-upgraded red for Xavi Simons and a missed VAR foul on Romero as decisive factors in Tottenham's 2-1 defeat.
Save What Matters
Curate Feeds | Make Collections | Customize Email Briefs
briefly.co
December 21, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
The latest edition of my free comics newsletter co tintues my wee series on 22 panels by Alex Toth that blow my mind. Feel free to post suggestions below!
cannonhillcomics.substack.com/p/toths-22-p...
Toth's 22 Panels That Blow My Mind (Part 2)
Wherein I continue my awestruck look at the master's work
cannonhillcomics.substack.com
December 20, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
In a new blog post, I review the amazing work of J. Webster Sharp.
https://comics.edpinsent.com/2025/12/19/space-chameleons-and-other-chimeras-of-the-mind/
"The reader is drawn into a vortex by the hypnotic flow of images, each successive tableau more outrageous than the last"
December 19, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
In case you missed it, I’m sharing the first “Strawjack” adventure by Keith Page on my Substack, with Keith’s full permission. Please enjoy! open.substack.com/pub/crucible...
Strawjack: The Terror of Romney Marsh
Introducing a Substack presentation of the graphic novel adventure by Keith Page
open.substack.com
December 20, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Well reasoned
I decided, as someone who occasionally gets asked to comment on the state of the UK Comics industry, to read the Comic Book UK White Paper. I encourage everyone who works in comics to read the proposals themselves, and form their own opinions.

comicbookuk.com/wp-content/u...

#comics #whitepaper
December 19, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
I decided, as someone who occasionally gets asked to comment on the state of the UK Comics industry, to read the Comic Book UK White Paper. I encourage everyone who works in comics to read the proposals themselves, and form their own opinions.

comicbookuk.com/wp-content/u...

#comics #whitepaper
December 19, 2025 at 6:24 PM
This walkthrough is a lot more entertaining than listening to any tale of corporate accounting has a right to be.
When he talks about the AI companies ‘raising’ $100s millions or or even billions… that really means BORROWING doesn’t it? The financial term makes it sound like they made the money
Here’s the finale of this week’s three-part Better Offline special NVIDIA series. I walk you through why there are millions of Blackwell GPUs sitting in warehouses, and why AI’s lack of any profits makes NVIDIA’s future dependent on debt.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...
Linktr.ee/betteroffline
December 19, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
1) In case you missed any, here are James Bacon's three reports for Downthetubes from Singapore. Many thanks to him, the team Singapore Comic Con, the bookshops he visited, the artists he met, curators and more!. First: downthetubes.net/in-review-an... ... / more...
December 19, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
There's a new micro-survey in town! While analysing the data we identified an area that needed more digging.

…It's the money, guys: we need to know more about comics incomes.

Are we being crushed by cost of living crisis or are we soaring like eagles on a wave of interest in comics and GN?
December 19, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
Since the state UK comic industry is much under discussion, reposting this article by Tim Pilcher, published in 2020, might be of interest here: downthetubes.net/creating-com...
Creating Comics: Why British publishers attempts to launch a graphic novels line keep failing, and how to do it better
Are there better ways to publish graphic novels?
downthetubes.net
December 18, 2025 at 3:55 PM
This addresses the concerns I had (and much more) in my replies to John overnight far better than I could
So much potential when someone is able to talk in the language of funders and so much overlap with the interests of the makers, but very little looking away from profit+loss charts
First off, I think there are some brilliant ideas in here for publishers: tax reliefs, targeted business support and advice, a big push into export markets, all of these are great ideas. I hope they can make them happen.
December 18, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
The Dark Cat Returns on another grail page for Zack Cahill from We3 by Morrison and Quitely. We talk about this page and others in episode 316 of the book club.
December 18, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Reposted by simonrussell.website
Our new Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar comic is available today!

I created this comic entirely because of my grudge against a comic book company that’s been defunct for 20+ years.
Good morning! Last night @greenarcher.io released the newest issue of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar!

Details about why I created this issue (edited by the extremely talented @carlypage.bsky.social) are in our newsletter.

But, I wanted to tell you about the hacking group featured in this comic…
The Gr33n H0rm3tz Matter!
Just in time for the holiday, treat yourself to an all new Johnny Dollar adventure (stay tuned for a special offer)!
greenarcher.io
December 16, 2025 at 2:52 PM