Paul Cornell's Friday Newsletter

Sophie Aldred in Salvation’s Child!

While I was away, Winter is Coming did a big article on Doctor Who’s Sophie Aldred appearing as the clone warrior army the Partheni in the graphic novel my company Cosmic Lighthouse is publishing next year: Salvation’s Child.

Salvation’s Child is the graphic novel Prologue to Adrian Tchaikovsky’s best-selling SFF novel series The Final Architecture. (So new readers can start here!) It’s by Adrian himself, artist Mike Collins, colour artist Pippa Bowland and letterer Simon Bowland. We’re publishing it together with our partners ComiXology.

In that article you can see lots of panels featuring Sophie, and read quotes from everyone involved.

Check out these pre-order links at Amazon US and Amazon UK.

And you can find Cosmic Lighthouse at these links on BlueSky and Instagram.

Salvation’s Child will be released by ComiXology Originals on June 16th, 2026!

Get Signed and Personalised Copies of My Work!

Now that Thought Bubble has gone, I’ve re-stocked my Ko-fi online store, with all my current works, which you can get cheaper than anywhere else, plus you can have them signed and personalised! Right now, it’s just for UK residents, but that’ll change as I sort out international postage.

The Mighty Avengers vs. the 1970s is Out Now!

I’ve got a book out now from Bloomsbury that’s part of a new range of popular studies of Marvel Comics! The Mighty Avengers vs. the 1970s is fully illustrated with panels from the comics, and is my journey through how Marvel’s main super team navigated that difficult decade. This is very much a labour of love for me, a book I’ve wanted to find a way to write for the longest time.

You can order it from the publisher (and from all good booksellers), now with some preview pages at that link that really show off our full colour art!

Lots of Interviews!

I’ve been getting out and about to promote my current works! Here I am guesting on one of my favourite podcasts, Marvel by the Month…

Here I am on the Words, Images & Worlds podcast…

And ere I am with my fellow Marvel book writers on Comic Book Club…

Of Intrigue and Espionage

I have a story in this just-announced forthcoming volume from Stars and Sabers publishing, which is due out in October 2026. I’m in good company, as you can see from the full announcement here.

Telefantasy Time Jump

The new podcast from me and Lizbeth Myles covers the history of SFF on TV, from 1953 onward, with our regular episodes (on the 14th of every month) covering a show released that year in the UK, and the Patron Bonus episodes (on the 28th) covering a show from the rest of the world. The shows for November (covering 1963) are Doctor Who and The Outer Limits. The main episode is available free wherever you get your podcasts. To get the bonus episode, you need to follow us on Patreon at £3/$3 or above. (And you get access to seven years of Hammer House of Podcast bonus episodes!) You can find all the info here.

My Linktrees

You can now find all my social media links, my website/blog and links to where you can buy my books, in one place here, thanks to Linktree!

The Work of Friends

My friend the author Sandra Wong has started a podcast! We Contain Multitudes has her interviewing famous guests about what they love, aiming to put more joy into the world!

And here’s something I promised to someone I met at Thought Bubble. The Knight Shift by Ryan Twyford and Luke Horsman is a Kickstarter for a very promising comic.

“The Knight Shift is a dark-fantasy comedy, inspired heavily by my favourite sitcoms and cartoons! If you like Monty Python, Adventure Time, The Office or Terry Pratchett, this is that with a coat of Dungeons & Dragons, so give it a shot!” says Ryan.

My Week(s)

After my last Newsletter, I drove up to a writers’ retreat in Cumbria, and shared what in retrospect was a pretty idyllic week with my peers. Three of us, my included, made the main meals (the other two were qualified chefs!), we worked or went out on outings during the day, then gathered for dinner and board games. Living communally like that turned out to be very appealing, with everyone doing their bit. Liz and I got out to see a couple of castles. I did very little work, mostly researching an introduction I’ve been asked to write for a forthcoming collected comics edition. I’d decided, given how stressed I’d become, that I needed a rest. I mostly got one, though in some ways my stress continued, and I had one very bad day of tension and anxiety. Still, there is a lot to be said for falling asleep in an armchair by a log fire in a dark autumn afternoon.

At the end of that week, Liz and I, and several of our companions at the retreat, headed south to Harrogate for the Thought Bubble convention. I’d changed my accommodation choices this time, and therefore, though traffic at my table was slightly down, I made a much bigger profit. Still, that’s not what TBubs is about. On the Friday, Rachael Smith and I were delighted to go along to the Vision and Labour exhibit at the Mercer Gallery, featuring art from many of Avery Hill’s graphic novels, Who Killed Nessie? having its own wall and display case, showing our work process. I have rarely felt so proud.

The son of the owner of the local coffee shop where I live, who has no interest in comics, just happened to be in Harrogate that day, popped into the gallery and sent his Mum an amazed text when he saw my name! That evening, I went on to dinner (of course a curry, because that’s what Harrogate does best) with the B7 Media gang, which was lovely.

I spent the next two days doing something I adore, selling hand to hand, with breaks for an actual meeting (very promising); a talent meeting with possible creators for future Cosmic Lighthouse titles (also very promising!); half an hour of portfolio reviews (lots of talent on display, not sure how useful I was) and the 2000AD writer talent contest.

There’s a great write-up of that contest here. I found it very heartening to be one of the judges (with Leah Moore and Rob Williams) and see what a great level of talent was represented by the ten finalists, all of whom had to pitch a Future Shock in two minutes. They were taken care of too, with gentle treatment from host Mike Molcher and much encouragement. We settled on a worthy winner, Lilith Allen, who told her story precisely in the four pages available, with economy and impact.

On Saturday we had a night out with our ComiXology partners, which mainly took place at a pub the cellar of which had suffered a CO2 leak, meaning that barrels couldn’t be changed because nobody could go down to the cellar.

At the table across the weekend, I was delighted to be placed opposite Rachael Smith, both for the camaraderie and the mutual Nessie signing opportunities, but also because I got to play with her son (and star of Nap Comix) Henry. It was a pleasure to see Adrian Tchaikovsky and his wife Annie so much, and to catch up with so many comicker peers. When one woman expressed an interest in the Salvation’s Child cover on my table, saying she was a great fan of Adrian, I was able to wave a hand and say ‘and here he is!’ I also, however, tried to sell the upcoming book to a tall lad who turned out to be Adrian’s son.

What will pin these moments in my memory is the powerful association of all of this with the 2025 Thought Bubble mascot, designed by Ng Yin Shian. (Ever since Liz said she’d like to wear that outfit I’ve associated it with her.)

At the very last moment of the convention, just after the applause had gone up for the completion of the weekend, I found these three cosplayers, Emi, Lea and Emily, and they made a wonderful ending to my journey.

To Be Continued

I’ll be back in Harrogate next year! And I really want to do more retreats!

And I hope to see all of you here again next week!