CIIF

I haven't been following this blog up of late as I've had a few medical problems around the start of the year - nothing major but time consuming - and I'm suffering from a ghastly cold which my daughter kindly brought home from school. She only suffered mildly for a day or so but it has floored me. And I'm still working on the two new books which are due in soon. There has been a bit of interest in the Italian comic and a couple of people have sent me very nice e-mails about it. This seems to be the place where there is an interest in comics and maybe it is worth exploring. Someone was telling me that Eastern Europe, South America and parts of Europe are an area to investigate but they are notoriously hard to get into - a bit of a "closed shop", mainly because of language barriers amongst other things. Another source was telling me that the CIIF - the Creative and Innovative Industries Fund - is also coming up again here in Northern Ireland. However, he was also telling me that there is little point in applying as the Arts Council and group have already decided who they want to get the money and it will be targetted within a specific way. That's the way they do things here in Northern Ireland. The main emphasis will be on technologies and the set up of digital networks - so the money will go to more technological and software manufacturers who are already established. At least that's what he's heard - he works with granting bodies - and I've no reason to disbelieve him. The Fund is not about genuinely creative ideas at all but feeding money to companies which the Northern Ireland government have decided that they want to fund. This is the way it was done the last time I think which is why so many statutory bodies such as local Councils received money from the Fund. I had thought of reapplying but there seems to be no point. Of course I could be wrong but I'm told that this is the way it is. A bit depressing really. Maybe it's time to look to Eastern Europe or South America and see what we can do there. Maybe I'll bursh up on my Spanish and Portuguese or even Serbian. Now that I'm feeling a bit better I'll try to keep his blog up to date. One can always hope

More About Comics

I haven't been doing this for a number of weeks as I've been trying to get a couple of things done and there's been really nothing to talk about. The comics industry seems to have gone completely flat with nothing of interest happening, The only thing I've even looked at is an edition of Heavy Metal which I get sent to me but even that now seems more of the same. Is there nothing happening out there? I seem to remember a comics press somewhere in Scotland who sent me some of their comics which remuinded me of some of the old underground stuff which used to be around in the 1970s - and nothing wrong with that. But they now seem to have disappeared and I haven't heard from them since. And of course there are Print Media Productions, I'm not sure where they are although I know that the publisher is in Bosnia which seems tobe producing stuff, although it's more for downloads. And that seems to be the future of comics. I'm old fashioned enough still to enjoy the comic you can hold in your hand rather than on your phone - but then I'm something of a dinosaur anyway. There's going to be a big comics and media convention in Belfast this weekend though. I can't go as things are really busy at the moment but my friend Adrian will be there and we're to meet up and discuss it. We'll see what comes out of it - though I would suspct that it'll be more about media and tv than about actucal comics. It might be good but it'll be busy and I don't think I would be able to sit down and really discuss things. But Adrian is helping to organise it so we'll see what it turns up. It's all very depressing but there might be hope. If anybody's out there willing to take a chance get in touch. Will head off and get something to eat, then it's back to writing the books. Sorry I haven't something more positive to say. That'll come I think - I hope. Will get back to writing this after I've the books finished