February 14th, 2008
Insect versus Lizard
**UPDATE** I’m away for a week. There are copies of the book available in Crow Corner Comics and in the George Bernard Shaw where the exhibition will be running for a few weeks. Cheers dudes, will get them in the rest of the shops when I’m back.
The above is a panel from a new Twised Tales story for 2000AD. Insects vs Lizard. What could be better?
I used to work in a petshop and I kept lizards for years but it’s something I grew out of. Keeping a living creature in a small glass box for amusement or bragging rights is wrong. It’s a theme that crept into Mr AMPERDUKE.
When I was 19 I was planning to start a large scale cricket farm, food for lizards. The sums worked out but finding a location in Dublin because of the smell, the noise and the very real threat to the local ecosystem if they all escaped were the pitfalls. I’ve heard some nutty and disturbing stories about keeping reptiles, one that has stuck with me is this; a chap had some baby leopard geckos in a tank but he fed them crickets that were too big so the food attacked the residents and ate out their eyes. Horrible.
Another mad one from the petshop; we had these nasty Nechradon-like fish called Arowanas, they’re a big status symbol in Asian communities, I’d feed them all the dead fish each day but it was never enough. I came in one day to see a tank was empty. It had been known to happen that they would jump out their tank, (only one could be kept in a tank) and be found dead on the floor as a thin brown desiccated strip. I looked around and could find him. Then I noticed that he was in a different tank about 3 tanks down the row. He jumped across into another one and devoured all the little gay and happy fish. Every one of them.
Man I could write for hours about this shit.
So the launch is tonight then I’m off to Austria for a week. I’ll put up pics etc when I get back. Thanks to everyone who has ordered the book so far.
February 15th, 2008 at 1:28 am
ah bobatron a wrote a long, detailed and very heartfelt reiew of ole ampers last night went to publish and it all just disappearred! at like 4am gah! starting my norfolk comedy tour tonight so will rewrite it afterwards unless i get the ride….as if, i’ll be writing my blog
good look tonight, I’ll be with you in spirit so if you find an odd stain, that’ll be my ectoplasm
love and snoodles
lorc
February 15th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Bobbity,
The very best of luck for the launch and all future adventures. I’ll be purchasing a copy very shortly and will give it a good going over in the blog before too long. Perhaps I could place your name alongside David Sque and interview you? Like a mad famous person?
By the way, the above post was delightfully disturbing. Please write more on the topic.
February 15th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Those are some beautiful stories of lil animal death there, Bob. Sorry again I didn’t make it out last night, if it makes you feel better I stood Jackie up too. Hope it was a cracking evening and that the world copped on to how talented you really are.
I.e., not very. I kid! You’re too talented you bastard. Makes the rest of us look bad…. especially Dec.
February 15th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Thanks folks.
Lorcs I look forward to your critique as always.
Fustar, of course, I’ll mail you later. Yeah I have loads of these nutty stories. Man working in a petshop, where your stock is alive is crazy. The official line with most of the animals was, ‘if its sick, kill it’. Mad. I worked there for exactly one year and it warped me.
No probs Mooney! There was a great turnout, sold loads, met some great heads, drank a few pints.All good. And yes, Dec is as talented as the Chuckle Brothers
February 16th, 2008 at 4:05 am
got my copy of amperduke today in the post.
Austria,eh?
more and more like Hitler each day Bob…
February 16th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
ban all non-captive bread imports/sales of animals
make sure the person your selling to knows his/her stuff.
then maybe we wont end up with so many blind snakes and starving toads on the doorstep…… dont get me started!!!
aminal trade….. it breaks my heart!
sorry couldnt make it the other night….. not a baby sitter to be found!!
February 16th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Jeez, is February the official ‘Rip on Declan’ month!?
Hey, anybody reading this post!
The Eagle award nomination list is up and someone’s nominated Bob for Favourite writer/artist. Support your favourite scumbag and vote for Bob!
……also, someone nominated this ‘Declan Shalvey’ fella for favourite newcomer artist. And no, this ’someone’ isn’t me!
http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/nominate.asp
February 17th, 2008 at 4:28 am
Dec, Done & Done. Best of luck.
February 17th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Got it yesterday bob, cheers, looks deeeeadly.
It’s impossible not to have a mad time in Austria.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:01 am
Dec why have I just voted for you for best newcomer artists? didn’t you win one of these last year? surely that makes you at least a slightly used aritst?
February 19th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Hero Killers won. I got a taste for acolades now….. need more……
February 20th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Done and done.
Bob, I finished Mister Amperduke over the weekend, and loved it. I wanted to write up some poncy long-winded review of it using long words like “deconstruction” and “disembowelling” (not to mention “defenestration”, just because it’s a great word), but there’s not really much point, and I reckon it’d be a bit too obviously ironic to write some hugely wordy review to praise a comic that’s got no dialogue in it.
All that aside though, I loved it and thought it was great. To use a phrase nicked from elsewhere, it’s discouragingly brilliant. Nobody else could make me give a rat’s ass about a bunch of lego men, put it that way.
February 24th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
finally got my amperduke review up (almost a euphemism) it’s at the jimmny blog
jhomunculus.blogspot.com
love and snoodles
enjoy austria
bring us back some leather pants with sausages in ‘em
lorcs
x
February 25th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Hah! Dec the newcomer, I love it.
Thanks Amperduke readers, yes, it’s all that and more. I’ve struck upon the idea of a forum to discuss/answer questions about the story. Plus we can trade all kinds of abuse and members only slagging.
Lorcan you’re a decent man