Paul Cornell’s Friday Newsletter

Sign Up to Learn Who Killed Nessie?!

Who Killed Nessie? is the title of my forthcoming crowdfunding project from Zoop, with award-winning artist Rachael Smith, a comedy cryptozoological murder mystery!

And just look at this amazing cover!

Here’s what we’re pitching:

“Lindsay Grockle, a sceptical, rational young woman, agreed to be the manager of an isolated hotel in the Great Lakes to get over a terrible break-up that left her with zero self-confidence. Her partner was romantic, whimsical, a believer. And she kept telling him there were no such things as fairies. She arrives to find the former manager on his way out of the door, as if he’d been freed from a terrible burden. The rest of the staff have all elected to go on leave this weekend. Because this weekend is… the convention.

Lindsay doesn’t know what that is, but is pleasantly surprised when some charming, but eccentric patrons arrive, patrons who want to hide their faces or shelter under huge coats or all walk together in single file, as if they’re one long creature pretending to be several people. And there’s a just slightly too big cat that’s started to hang around. And the lake outside seems to have suddenly become both deserted of wildlife and weirdly choppy.

But still, Lindsay goes to bed in the hotel that night sure that her weird guests are having the best time she can provide.

She’s woken in the early hours by the cat, who tells her she has to come quickly. There’s been a murder.

Lindsay can’t quite decide which part of that to deal with first, the murder or the talking cat, but she’s quickly hustled to the ballroom, where, on the floor, lies the enormous corpse of… the Loch Ness Monster.

And around Nessie are gathered the convention attendees, now revealed as who they really are: legendary creatures from all over the world. There’s Bigfoot and the Jersey Devil and a Unicorn and a Succubus and a minibus-load of Yokai from Japan… and outside in the lake there’s the Kraken and many more water-based monsters. And the cat is actually the Beast of Bodmin. Or Bob for short. And oh dear there really are Fairies.

Every year, Lindsay is told, the cryptids gather here for their annual convention. But never has there been a murder. Suddenly, they can’t trust each other. They’ve locked the doors and prevented all external communication. The only person they can agree on to solve this mystery is Lindsay.

Who Killed Nessie?, a new graphic novel by Paul Cornell, the award-winning comics writer, and Rachael Smith, the award-winning comics writer/artist, is a comedy whodunnit about finding confidence through rationality and accepting a world of mysteries… by solving one.”

If you’d like to be alerted when the crowdfunder launches, and get first go at early bird offers and exclusives, you can sign up here!

My 2000AD Strip Starts Next Week!

Next Wednesday, 31st January, Prog #2367 of weekly UK comics anthology 2000AD is released, and it’ll contain the first episode of my three part strip The English Astronaut, with art by Laura Helsby, colours by Matt Soffe and letters by Jim Campbell. It’s my homage to Moorcock, and I had an absolute hoot with this punky outburst. Laura’s art is fabulous. ‘Godspeed, you absolute stallion!’ Forbidden Planet mail order has it here, but you can also pop into your UK newsagent or local Tesco! (Art below by Laura and Matt, issue cover by Cliff Robinson and Dylan Teague.)

My Gallifrey One Schedule and Subscriber Meet-Up!

I’m delighted to once again be a guest at Gallifrey One, my home from home Doctor Who convention, on 16th-18th February at the L.A.X. Marriott in L.A.. You can find a list of all the program items I’m on here. Really pleased with what I’ve got this year.

And one thing that’s not on that schedule is this year’s meet-up for Subscribers to this Newsletter, that is you, if you’re reading this! It’s at 11am on Saturday, 17th February, beside the Starbucks in the hotel foyer. I’m looking forward to chatting with you all!

Game Republic Panel Transcript!

You remember that games event I did in Leeds, which was why I was in a hotel room and couldn’t do a proper Newsletter last week? Well, there’s now a write-up of some of what was said on the panel, from myself, Rhianna Pratchett, Charles Cecil and the Chair, Dr. Jackie Mulligan.

(Left to right: me; Charles; Rhianna; Jackie.)

Saucer Country News!

Loads of our backers now have their copies, and it’s been wonderful to see the reactions on social media. Digital copies should be being sent out very soon now.

Here’s my friend Sarah doing an unboxing video for it on Instagram!

The comic store version of the Finale comic will be in stores on February 7th, out from Image via Chris Ryall’s Syzygy company, and there will also be a comic store version of the Complete(d) graphic novel, more details to come on that.

You can see the Previews entry for the issue, and see the first four complete pages, here.

“First there was Saucer Country, a dark thriller that blended UFO lore and alien abduction with political intrigue, all set in the hauntingly beautiful Southwest. The story continued in Saucer State... and now, the series reaches its long-awaited conclusion in this special one-shot, as co-creators Cornell and Kelly present the final story of alien abductee Arcadia Alvarado's campaign to be US President... and her search for the truth of what happened to her!”

And if you get your copy from Bird City Comics, you can get this exclusive textless cover variant by Peejay Catacutan, only available from them!

Con and On Collected Edition

The collected edition of Con and On, with all five issues plus some lovely extras, will be out from Ahoy on 26th March, and is now available to pre-order from these links at Amazon UK and Amazon US. (And here it is at B&N.)

Witches of Lychford: Fantasy Cricket

That’s the title of the second and final new Lychford novella that paid subscribers to this Newsletter have now started recieving in serial form. (Because of Substack’s platforming of Nazis, I’m getting rid of the paid option when this serial is completed.) Episodes of the new serial will appear, as with the previous ones, at 5pm UK time on the first four Thursdays of every month.

If you subscribe now, you get to read all of the previous episodes, that is the whole last novella, Night of the Gnomes plus the Christmas Special Don’t Forget to Catch Me, as well as getting the new episodes going forward. It’s $8 (or the equivalent in your currency) per month, or $80 per year.

My Ko-fi and eBay Stores

I’ve re-stocked my Ko-fi store, where you can buy my books and comics, signed and personalised, and now I’ve set up shipping to a range of international destinations.

Similarly, I’ve now re-stocked my ebay store, full of Bronze Age Marvel comics at bargain prices, a Doctor Who item or two and, err, a guide to learning Japanese!

Hammer House of Podcast

Hammer House of Podcast, in which myself and Lizbeth Myles watch the Hammer horror movies in UK release order, is (usually) out on the 13th of every month, with our January episode being about Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell. You can get these episodes free wherever you normally get your podcasts, as well as on our site, but if you sign up to our Patreon, for any sum of money from £1/$1, you get an extra episode every month too, on the 27th, in which we watch Patron requested movies and films from other horror studios of the same era.

(Emphasis on the top hat there.)

Find my Books at Bookshop.Org and Help Out Indie Booksellers!

Bookshop.org is a collective selling tool that sets up a marketplace for all indie bookstores in the UK, functioning exactly like Amazon, except you’re supporting your local bookshop. You can find a selection of my books here, and I get a little cut of the proceeds too if you order from here!

My Linktree

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

So much stuff this week!

If my new strip starting in next week’s 2000AD were not enough to attract you to the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, right now Rob Williams, Henry Flint, Arthur Wyatt and Annie Parkhouse creating another one of those game-changing Judge Dredd epics, ‘A Better World’, and Rob wants to get the word out that Dredd continues to be one of the longest real-time ongoing stories in the world of comics, a strip where genuine change is part of the DNA.

My friend the artist Emma Vieceli, together with writer Malin Ryden, has had her LGBTQ romance webcomic Breaks collected in a new volume from Orbit! And here she is doing an unboxing video! (Our second of this Newsletter, which is a record.)

My friend Antony Johnston’s second cosy murder mystery, The Dog Sitter Detective Takes the Lead is out now, and is full of lovely whodunnit doggy energy.

And finally, my friend Bonnie Burton’s classic book Crafting With Feminism is now the subject of a digital sale, at a very low price point. Check it out!

My Week

It’s been a really good week, full of positive energy. Tom has earned two Brilliant Days, despite a Monday evening when, because I was waiting for an important phone call, and Caroline wasn’t available, and we went past the time we normally play ball, he had a meltdown. I’m usually woken these days by the sound from downstairs of a small boy singing, not quite in tune, Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’. He’s also regularly performing ‘Rain’ by A.J. Tracey. If only I were on Tik-Tok.

I’ve been having thoughts about a new book, and gradually assembling a plot for something that right now seems kind of literary, even. I’ve also had pitches accepted and moved on up in two places, comics-wise, and sent off two more pitches, as well as hearing about onward movement in all sorts of projects.

Yesterday, Caroline and I went to the funeral of a friend’s partner, and, far from being a solemn occasion, it actually added to the positive vibe, being a wonderful celebration of the man’s academic and personal achievements and qualities. Lots of love in that room.

And of course I’ve enjoyed the announcement of Who Killed Nessie? and the prep I’m doing for Gallifrey. (I think we may have the best ever Cornell Collective put together this year.) Dry January and getting my 10,000 steps in every day, plus the B12, have really added to my good mood, and, far from being woozy and exhausted, I now find myself bursting with energy. Time to plant those bulbs!

I’m so looking forward to Liz and I having another Gallifrey One and L.A. adventure, and, oh wow, to the big meeting I’m having out there. All in all, good stuff on the horizon, lots of love around me, much work brewing or in progress. After how hard the last few years have been, I’ll take it.

To Be Continued

If you’re going to be in L.A., save the date! 11am on Saturday, 17th February for the Subscriber Meet-Up at Gallifrey One!

And I hope to see you all again next week!