Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Afterlife Inc, Big Punch Magazine, Comics, entertainment, John Lock, Lucy Brown

Hitting Hard – Big Punch Magazine

Published Sun, 15 Feb 2015 16:30:49 -0600

Jon Lock writes for Bleeding Cool:

Several years ago, I started work on a comic called Afterlife Inc., the tale of a con-artist named Jack Fortune who dies and takes over the afterlife, running it like a business. Somewhere along the way I crossed paths with Nich Angell, the creator of 7STRING, a comic in which music was magic and warring tribes battled with guitar swords, keytar blades and drum cannons. Little did we realise how that chance encounter would change our lives, and books, forever. In 2013 the worlds of Afterlife Inc. and 7STRING collided in The Heavenly Chord, a crossover with wide-reaching implications. Quite unintentionally, a multiverse had been born, and nothing would ever be the same again…

Big Punch Studios is a collaboration between myself, Nich, Lucy Brown (editorial and lettering) and Alice White (design and video-wizardry): four friends, creators and game designers with a passion for "big studio" storytelling on an indie scale. Spinning out of the pages of The Heavenly Chord, we are very pleased to announce the launch of our latest creative venture: Big Punch Magazine!

Big Punch Magazine is a quarterly publication serialising five brand new ongoing series from the team that brought you Afterlife Inc. and 7STRING. Available as both a physical and digital subscription service, Big Punch Magazine will deliver 46 pages of full-colour comic action directly to your door every 3 months in our spring, summer, autumn and winter issues.

In CUCKOOS, we follow the crew of the Reflektor, a multiversal ship adrift in the corridors between worlds, endlessly searching for a home. ORB introduces us to an alternate 20^th Century, where the fate of humanity rests in the hands of a young girl, an aged prophet and a floating stone warship from beyond the veil. A talking sword falls into the hands of Elsie Blackwood, introducing her to the life of a swordhunter and the quest for the 99 SWORDS. In THE WALL, skilled teams of catchers defend the city of Prizm from deadly falling crystals, using dazzling feats of aerial acrobatics.

Big Punch Magazine also features the triumphant return of Cat & Meringue, fresh from their famous daily webcomic and 1000 Days of Adventure!

While each story in Big Punch Magazine is its own unique world – bringing you sci-fi and fantasy, comedy and action – greater plot threads weave throughout, with implications even for the worlds of Afterlife Inc. and 7STRING. At Big Punch Studios we're creating a pocket multiverse – one you don't need to collect hundreds of titles to keep track of!

Big Punch Magazine Issue 1 will be launching at London Super Comic Con on the 14^th March 2015, with copies winging their way to our subscribers shortly afterwards. More information about our new stories and everything you can look forward to can be found on our website. If you'd like to receive Big Punch Magazine direct to door every 3 months, be sure to check out our subscription page for all the details.

Here at Big Punch Studios, we can't wait to reveal what lies in store for Big Punch Magazine. We're incredibly excited about our forthcoming projects and we hope you'll join us on the adventure. In the meantime, please enjoy this free sample of 99 Swords Issue 0.

Welcome to the worlds of Big Punch Studios…

99 SWORDS ISSUE 0

Years ago, a legendary swordsmith forged 99 swords. These blades were weapons of great power and magic, but in the eyes of their creator each was a failure – a mere stepping stone on his path to creating the ultimate weapon. Now, in a world transformed by the coming of the swords, legend tells that whoever gathers all 99 will gain access to the mythical 100th sword and ultimate power. Many swordhunters embark on this quest, but only one can be victorious…

Story by Jon Lock and Lucy Brown

Art by James Stayte

Letters by Lucy Brown