UBI MAJOR MINOR CESSAT
I’ve collaborated with Tom Pomplun, publisher of Graphic Classics©, for several years, adapting stories by the best of British and American authors, but I always thought of myself as a part-time scriptwriter because at the end of the day I became a writer more by accident than design. When Tom asked me to look for a retailer in Lancaster (UK) who might be interested in distributing free copies of Graphic Classics during Free Comic Book Day, it wasn’t a problem for me. A quick search and I found a little gem of a shop called First Age Comics, run by Mark Braithwaite.
Young and with plenty of enthusiasm, Mark has a contagious smile, so when I went to see him he was more than willing to distribute free copies of Graphic Classics and even persuaded me that I could do a book signing session. He told me that Andy Diggle would also be signing on the day. Needless to say, with such a big name at the event I was puzzled as to why I should be there. However, things had been set in motion and I had to carry on.
I was supposed to be doing my signing session late in the morning. The big day came and I arrived at the shop ten minutes early. After a cup of tea, at 11 o’clock I sat down, ready to sign copies. There were two or three people hanging around waiting for the main event who, seeing as I was there, approached me for an autograph, after all, you never know one day…
I was so flustered that morning I forgot to wear my reading glasses, and was left wondering why I couldn’t focus on the point of the pen as I wrote my first signature. After the first one however, everything went more smoothly. Sort of…
As I usual I was puzzled as to why young people would be interested in something that was so far from superheroes and manga, but Mark did a good job of introducing me and Graphic Classics.
By midday, all the copies were gone. At one o’clock it would be Mr. Diggle’s turn. In the best English tradition, a queue was already forming.
At twenty past one, Andy Diggle arrived running, sat in the chair, took out his pen and started signing. His fans were over the moon. I was too shy to ask for a signed copy.
I asked Mark some questions. Here are his answers:
Superman or the Hulk?
Superman. Not to be dismissive of the Hulk, there have been some very good Hulk comics over the years. The Superman concept has endured for so long and survived so many changes in the comics industry over the decades. The material that Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns have been writing recently are also definitely worth a read.
What’s in your drawer?
A seemingly endless supply of paperwork (it's a very big drawer), a calculator, two pens (one black, one red) and a diary.
On the road with…
My wife Lucy and daughter Katie. There's no-one else I'd rather travel with.
What was the first book you ever read?
I can't honestly remember the title but I do recall Meg The Hen being in it somewhere meeting with some accident prone pots and pans.
Comics or comix?
Comics. Definitely comics.
What would you read while travelling from Earth to the Moon?
I'd probably take a few carefully selected Green Lantern comics. Those and the Lord Of The Rings trilogy
Instead of taking sleeping pills, you would read a couple of pages of…
Currently I'm reading William Shatner's autobiography "Up Till Now" and "Showcase Presents Booster Gold Volume One".
It’s a waste of time to…
Regret. Always look at what you can do about the future. The past has already happened.
Never give up…
...never surrender!!!!
Why do you do it?
For the love of the game.
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Sunday, June 08, 2008 5:12:57 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00) 
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