Red Lion Revelations! September 22, 2009 Edition

We've got a lot of stuff to cover this time out so let's get to it; beginning with the news that...

-------------------

WE'RE MOVING: That's right, folks! After almost ten years of living in the lovely lakeside tourist resort of Port Stanley Ontario Canada ( www.port-stanley.com ) Red Lion Publications publisher Jonathan "A" Gilbert has decided to pick up stakes and relocate himself and this company's operations to the thriving metropolis of, well, we can't reveal the exact location at the moment but we can tell you that is is a large population cent re somewhere in southwestern Ontario. Truth be known, our fearless publisher has been considering moving for a number of months now so when this recent opportunity arose he jumped at the chance. There are still a lot of details to work out regarding the move but once he has them nailed down he will be letting everyone know here at http://redlionpublications.blogspot.com and at http://dispatchesfromthegreatwhitenorth.blogspot.com . So keep your eyes on those URLs, folks.

--------------------------

RESCHEDULING: Due in part to our publisher's decision to move later this year, after giving it a lot of serious thought we've decided to reschedule the release of our first comic, RED LION SPOTLIGHT,. While we haven't yet set a firm date for its release we are tentatively looking at some time in the spring of 2010. We feel that not only will this delay give us time to settle into our new digs but it will also give our creators more time to work on their comics. As with future news regarding the big move be sure to check our company's blog for updates.

--------------------------

LINE-UP: While the release of RED LION SPOTLIGHT has been delayed the lineup for our flagship title remains the same. Issue #1 will feature Steve Skeates' "Stateside Mouse", issue #2 will reintroduce Lloyd Smith's "Kragor The Savage" and issue #3 will star Jonathan "A" Gilbert's "Mister Chameleon". Also in development here at Red Lion Publications are two books by Jonathan "A" Gilbert including one that will expand on the MLJ/Archie Superhero Lines serial by our publisher that is running at http://dispatchesfromthegreatwhitenorth.blogspot.com . We've got other treats planned for 2010 and beyond but we're going to hold off on talking about them for now until we've got a firmer grasp on our schedule.

---------------------------

ART NEWS: As you know we've been looking for pencilers over the past number of months. Well, after an extensive hunt we are pleased to announce that we've found two very talented artists to work on upcoming projects. One is Ademir Sabic from Bosnia-Herzegovina who will be using his talents to bring Lloyd Smith's "Kragor The Savage" to live and the other is David Johnson from Oklahoma who is to be the penciler on Jonathan "A" Gilbert's "Mister Chameleon". We'll be telling you more about these talented gents in the coming months but for now we just wanted to introduce them to everyone as we are pretty darn excited about them joining the Red Lion Publications team.

------------------------------

That's it for this installment of RED LION REVELATIONS. See you again soon.

------------------------------

Jonathan "A" Gilbert, publisher

Red Lion Publications

Red Lion Revelations! May 22, 2009 Edition

The latest in news and information about Red Lion Publications!

by

Jonathan "A" Gilbert, Publisher

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SCHEDULING: Lately lots of folks have been asking me about our publishing plans so I thought I'd start off this update by bringing everyone up to speed.

Our first comic will be our previously announced showcase title RED LION SPOTLIGHT. While we haven't, for a variety of reasons, set an exact release date as of yet I can say with almost total certainty that the first issue will be out some time in the fall of 2009. RED LION SPOTLIGHT will start out as a quarterly and will hopefully go bi-monthly beginning with number five. As for what RED LION SPOTLIGHT will be showcasing, currently plans call for the first issue to feature Stunning Steve Skeates' "Stateside Mouse", issue number two to feature either "Guns & Rosa", "Officer Omega" or "Kragor" by Lucky Lloyd Smith, the return of my "Mister Chameleon" in number three and a little something we are calling "The Spirit of Robin Hood" in the fourth issue. While we are hoping to stick to that line up things, as they inevitably seem to do in this business, could change and if and when that does happen we'll be announcing it here so be sure to check back with us from time to time.

------------------------

UPDATE: Last time out I mentioned that our very own Steve Skeates had done a series of interviews including one with my buddy Richard Vasseur at Jazma Universe Online. Steve's chat with Richard has now been posted and can be found at...

www.jazmaonline.com/interviews/interviews2009.asp?intID=351 .

-------------------------------

NEW BLOOD: The staff at Red Lion Publications continues to grow with its most recent addition being Mike Rickaby. As well as being an extremely talented colorist, inker and letterer (as well as a personal friend of mine and Lloyd's) Mike is also head honcho of CE Publishing Group which can be found online at http://cepublishing.wetpaint.com . For those of you who aren't aware, CE Publishing Group is sort of the sister publishing firm of Red Lion Publications as not only did I used to be that company's editor-and I continue to give Mike input whenever he asks my opinion-but CE Publishing Group also reprints some of my and Lloyd's old Blue Moon Comics Group material. As well, CE Publishing Group is going to be publishing a new story plotted by me, scripted by Steve Skeates and penciled by the legendary Dick Ayers called "Possessions" that is slated to appear in ALL-SMASH FUNNIES VOL. 2 NO. 2. Pretty neat, eh. So welcome aboard, Mike. We're glad that you are part of the Red Lion team.

------------------------------------

HELP NEEDED: So there's Lucky Lloyd Smith, the stunning and ever-sensational Steve Skeates, the Wonderful Warren Montgomery, Mighty Mike Rickaby and me, Jazzy Jon Gilbert who are what can best be referred to as our wacky and wild bullpen. A pretty great buncha guys if I do say so myself and really talented, too. One thing we are missing though in our bullpen is pencilers, so if you are a penciler and you think you've got what it takes to work with this bunch of crazies follow the submission guidelines at the right hand side of this blog and show us what you can do. We're looking for all styles of sequential artwork (no poster art, please), that will fit the wide range of genres we plan to publish. That includes by the way golden age material, sword & sorcery, western, horror, funny animal, mystery, war and of action-adventure, science fiction and of course super-heroes. And while we don't plan to publish manga we will look at something in a manga style too as it just might fit a certain look that we have in mind or may fit a particular concept in a way we had not previously considered. Who knows? A film noir-mangaish look for "Mister Chameleon" just might work if done correctly but we'll never know for sure unless someone sends us something to look at. So send us your samples today and let us see what you've got.

---------------------------

THE WRAP: That's if for this update. Not sure when the next one will be so be sure to check back from time to time. Meanwhile, why not pay a visit to Lucky Lloyd Smith's newest blog. Titled "Blinded Me With Comics" and appearing each and every Friday its The Lucky One's weekly look at comics of the 1980s. So when you got a minute give it a look. The blog can be found at http://blindedmewithcomics.blogspot.com .

That's it. See everyone soon.

RED LION REVELATIONS! March 20, 2009 Edition

The following are some news items we'd like to share with you.

-----------------------------

ITEM: When we recently heard of all the media exposure that our very own Steve Skeates is getting we were pleased as punch for him. For starters Sir Steve is the subject of an extensive interview with John Schwirian titled "The Unique Voice and Vision of Steve Skeates" which appeared in Alter Ego #84 and was released on March 11. Then around March 25 Back Issue #33 hits the stands and there our favourite writer continues his conversation with John Schwirian focusing for the most part on The Teen Titans. Both mags are available at most comics shops or can be ordered through www.twomorrows.com . Pretty neat if ya ask us but that's not all. Any day now there will be a piece posted at www.jazmaonline.com/interviews where The Stunning One is being interviewed by my buddy Richard Vasseur. And finally, Mr. Skeates takes pen in hand himself and scribes a very informative article about his days as a writer for Tower Comics in the Sensational Sixties. We've had a sneak peak at said article and loved every word of it. To read it yourselves you'll have to pick up a copy of Comic Fan #4 (published by Main Enterprises) which hopefully will soon be available at www.mainenterprises.ecrater.com .

Congrats with all this, Steve. We're proud of ya!!

-------------------------------

ITEM: Congrats-and a warm welcome, too-to Warren Montgomery who has recently joined the Red Lion team as inker and letterer. We've known and been a fan of Warren's since the late 1980s and are pretty darn excited about him coming on board. Over the years has has worked for a number of companies including Boneyard Press, London Night Studios and Blue Moon Comics as well as having lettered two 112-page hard cover books by Lydia Venieri. Warren's also worked in web design over the past 13-years ( www.warrenmontgomery.com ) and is Jonathan "A" Gilbert's web master at www.jazmaonline.com/edispatch . Here at Red Lion Publications Warren will be inking and lettering Mister Chameleon along with anything else he wants to take on. We do wonder when he plans to sleep though because as well as web design work and inking and lettering for us Warren is writing a book about his experiences as a prostate cancer survivor and works as a purchasing supervisor at The Red Lion Hotel on the River (no connection with us if you are wondering) in Portland, Oregon. Glad to have you with us Warren and we're all looking forward to working with you.

---------------------

ITEM: Warren's not the only busy guy these days. Our lovable publisher, Jonathan "A" Gilbert, also has a lot on the go. He's so busy in fact that he's decided to take a break from his blog at http://dispatchesfromthegreatwhitenorth.blogspot.com for a few weeks and concentrate on some of the writing projects he has in the works. What might they be, you ask? For starters he has two Mister Chameleon stories on the go. Then when he needs to take a break from scripting the exploits of everyone's favourite 1930s mystery-man he's busy with a little something called Robin Hood 2790. And if that wasn't enough he's also researching a book titled "Did you know about...?" which is an expanded version of his the same named newspaper column he wrote for two and a half years. With all that to do plus his regular duties as editor and publisher for Red Lion Publications the Jazzy One thought it might be a good idea to take a bit of a hiatus from his blog for a few weeks. But he will eventually return to E-Dispatches from the Great White North and if all goes according to plan the most likely time that will be is some time in the middle of April. Meanwhile, for those of you who need your fix of comics history be sure to check out Red Lion editor Lucky Lloyd Smith's daily dialog in his persona of The Groovy Agent where he talks about the great days of comics of the late 1960s and 1970s. He always has interesting and entertaining things to say, so be sure to visit http://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com .

--------------------------------------

That wraps things up for this time out. Be sure to come back here periodically for further updates about Red Lion Publications.

RED LION REVELATIONS! March 10, 2009 Edition

News and Commentary from Red Lion Publications Publisher Jonathan "A" Gilbert.

With so much in the works at RED LION PUBLICATIONS we thought it might be a good idea if we took a few minutes and tell you about a couple of things we are developing.

-----------------------------------------------

UPDATE: As you know our first comic, RED LION SPOTLIGHT, is slated for a fall 2009 release but what we haven't told you yet is what will be appearing in its first issue. While we have a number of concepts in development we wanted to launch the title with a bang and we couldn't think of any bigger of a bang than Steve Skeates' "Stateside Mouse". Sir Steve, as he is affectionately called here at RED LION PUBLICATIONS, began his comics writing career in the 1960s and has worked on a number of true classics including "Fightin' Five", the "Lightning" series from Tower's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS, "Aquaman", "Hawk & Dove" and "Underdog". With "Stateside Mouse" Sir Steve not only continues his tradition of telling stories from a different perspective but this time adds a few unique twists through the funny animal character of Stateside Mouse. This is most definitely Steve Skeates at his best and should be on everyone's must buy list come the fall.

-------------------------------------

NEWS: Another issue of RED LION SPOTLIGHT that should be on everyone's must buy list is issue number three where we proudly bring back the 1930s mystery-man "Mister Chameleon". Created by Jonathan "A" Gilbert in 1974 and first seeing print in 1990 this Hollywood California-based crime fighter has been published by New Voice Productions, SeajayVentures, Blue Moon Comics Group and, most recently, CE Publishing Group. We will fill you in on plans as we come closer to publication date, but we can tell you that Mister Chameleon's first appearance at RED LION PUBLICATIONS will begin with a revised origin and brand new artwork. Stay tuned to this blog for further updates.

------------------------------

WANTED: And speaking of artwork we're looking for pencilers, inkers and letterers to work on not only the new "Mister Chameleon" series but other projects we have in the works. If you are interested in submitting samples please take note of our submission guidelines here at the blog.

------------------------------

WRAP-UP: That's it for now. I'd love to tell you about some of the other projects we have in the works (including new versions of The Hooded Cobra, Solomon Wyrd and Young Immortals--not to mention Lloyd's Kragor the Savage, Officer Omega, and Guns and Rosa projects-- along with our Robin Hood issue of RED LION SPOTLIGHT) but I've got to save something to talk about next time; right? So make sure you check this space, along with the various characters' blogs, for periodic updates. 'Til next time!

Jonathan "A" Gilbert

WRITER/EDITOR LEAVES CE PUBLISHING GROUP TO START OWN COMPANY

After nearly three years with CE Publishing Group comics writer/editor Jonathan "A" Gilbert has resigned from the company to start his own small publishing firm.

"Basically it was time for me to move on", says the former newspaper reporter and columnist who resides in Port Stanley Ontario, Canada.

"Actually I've been thinking this over for a while but recently certain opportunities came up that lead me to conclude that if I didn't make the move now I most likely wouldn't have".

Co-founded by Gilbert and fellow comics creator and former blue Moon Comics Group publisher Lloyd Smith the company is called Red Lion Publications. Gilbert is the company's publisher and writer/editor while Smith is writer/editor and the company's tech wizard.

"I'm a bit of, well, actually I'm a major Luddite so it's great to have Lloyd on board. He's also a fantastic writer and I'm really looking forward to see what he's told me he has planned in print".

Another fantastic writer who is going to be contributing to Red Lion Publications is comics legend Steve Skeates.

"I've been a fan of Steve's work (which has included Aquaman, Teen Titans, Supergirl, Captain Fear and Blackhawk) since the 1960s and he has been one of the two major influences on my approach to comics writer", explains Gilbert.

"Steve's a mentor, friend and one heck of a talented guy. It's great to have him writing for us".

The work of Gilbert, Skeates and Smith will make its Red Lion debut in the company's first planned comics publication, Red Lion Spotlight. Slated for a fall 2009 release Red Lion Spotlight is a showcase-style of title along the line's of DC's Showcase comic from the 1960s and 1970s.

"That's the only title we have planned for the moment", states Gilbert. "While eventually we plan to release other comics and are looking into publishing trade paperbacks, magazines and books we're just taking our time and focusing on one title at a time along with our web content".

Red Lion Publications' web content can be found at its blog located at http://redlionpublications.blogspot.com and its website found at www.geocities.com/lloyd_63/redlionpublications.html . The folks at Red Lion Publications can be emailed at RedLionPublications@yahoo.ca .

The Astounding Origin of the Red Lion Blog

Back when I was growing up in London, Ontario, Canad,a in the 1960s, whenever I picked up the latest MARVEL comic at my neighbourhood variety store, I rushed home as fast as I could to read it. But before I would find out what adventures my favourite hero (or, in the case of The X-Men or The Avengers, favourite heroes) was having that month I would first turn to the "Marvel Bullpen Bulletins" page and the letters page of the particular comic I was reading.

With the "Bullpen Bulletins" page, I would learn what was going on in the Greater Marvel Universe; what new titles were in development, what my favourite writers, artists, and letterers were up to and, most importantly, what wonderful bits of wisdom Smilin' Stan Lee wished to share with Marvel fanatics such as myself in his "Stan's Soapbox" column.

Then on the letters page I would not only find out what other fans thought of an issue that had been published a few months previously, but I would also see what the letters page editor-who I believe was usually Roy Thomas-had to say to the readers about that issue, plus, on occasion, find out what was in store for the comic I was reading in the coming months. Basically it was like a fan club on the printed page, and back in the days of my youth in the 1960s (and 1970s for that matter) I hung on every single word as it opened my eyes to what a fan like me thought was pretty neat stuff.

So when Lloyd Smith and I decided to set up this blog for Red Lion Publications, when trying to decide what approach should be taken to its content, my thoughts immediately went back to the "Marvel Bullpen Bulletins" and Marvel letters pages of my childhood. What I wanted to do here was for this to be a place where we would not only plug our latest comic, but also a place where you can get to know The Red Lion Revelers better and comment on what we are doing. So in the coming weeks and months, Lloyd and I will be writing articles/columns with exactly that in mind, plus from time to time giving you a sneak peek at what we are working on. And hopefully in the coming weeks and months you'll be writing back to us here, letting us know what you think about what you are reading here plus commenting on what we've got in development. All in all we want this blog to be a fun place for you and for us, so feel free to jump in any time. We look forward to hearing from you.

Jonathan "A" Gilbert, Publisher