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Cartoonist, illustrator and Panic Coordinator to Breakfast television since 1992, Paul Rainey is all this and less. Why not take a mosey around this site and experience the joy of his comic strip work? Or visit any or all of his other sites for more of the same sort of thing, which are as follows...

There's No Time Like The Present

I started work on There's no Time Like the Present, or TNTLTP for short, in September 2004. This is my long comic strip, or "graphic novel", which I am currently serialising in printed form. So far, six parts are available and can be ordered from the shop section of the site. The first thirty seven pages of the story can be read here for free.

 

 Dear Robert and Partner

Leon has trouble with his neighbours. My entry into the 2007 Graphic Short Story prize recently printed as an actual reality comic containing "extras". Visit The Shop to buy a copy using Paypal or contact me for other payment methods.

 

Book of Lists

Currently on hiatus, Book of Lists is my diary strip where events are ordered by category rather than in their linier occurrence. It ran between the start of 2003 and was paused at the end of 2006. There are over forty completed comic strip lists there for you to read.

2000 AD Prog Slog Blog

One day in 1977, I bought the first issue of 2000 AD. Thirty years later, I bought it again along with most of the following eleven hundred in a moment of madness in an eBay auction. Obviously, this would be a total waste of money if I didn't read them all. Why not record the experience of reading twenty years worth of comics in a contracted period of time, I thought. Thus was born, the 2000 AD Prog Slog Blog.

"if you're experiencing Scrotnig withdrawal, Paul Rainey's excellent Prog Slog blog does exactly what it says on the tin" - The Guardian Film Blog

Some comic strips that I have drawn in recent years can be read here also...

Some sci-fi joke strips, just for fun.

He's a mouse and he's a vampire. what more do you need to know about Mouseferatu?

Will somebody please answer the phone? Go here for Cat Man

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West Enders, being a thinly disguised satire of BBC soap, East Enders. From late 2003.

Other comics by the author that are available to buy are - - -

Swill The Alien
Telephone Thing
Book of Lists

To contact Paul Rainey e-mail him here.

Mailing List: To join my mailing list please e-mail your details to here.

PJANG 1

Issue one of PJANG (short for the Nick Cave lyric "Peaople Just Ain't No Good") is now available and I strongly recommend that you give it a go. You might remember Rol Hirst, PJANG's writer and publisher, as principle creator of long running nineties comic The Jock which he did mainly with artist Nigel Lowrey. Even if you don't, if doesn't matter. PJANG is a collection of short and utterly engaging strips drawn by Tony McGee, Andrew Cheverton and Kelvin Green. From the heart breaking to the satirical to the damn right cruel. You can order copies directly from Rol at his website here using Paypal for only £1.75 including post and packing. See, it's not even very much money.

Paul Rainey 03/07/08

Love Bomb 2 Review

I came across this review of Love Bomb 2 at Comics Village while surfing the internet today. It's interesting to encounter a new review of work I did so long ago. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no copies left of it for sale, However, Swill the Alien, who made his first appearance in it, has his own one off comic still available for purchase from The Shop if you're interested.

Paul Rainey 18/06/08

A Music Paper and Amusing Paper

A Music Paper and Amusing Paper are two different comics by Alistair Maceachern that collect together strips he's produced between 2005 and 2008. Published in tandem, they both feature humorous and astute observations on music fanzine publication and every day live, respectively. Alistair and I shared a table at No Bar Codes over the weekend and seeing his work for the first time I was impressed by, and a little bit envious of, the strength, originality and confidence of his art style. Visit Alistair’s website to see samples of his work and then contact him for information on how to get a hold of these comics.

Paul Rainey 04/06/08

No Bar Codes Report

Thanks to everyone who said hello and bought comics off me yesterday. I've written a report on the No Bar Codes event which is slightly longer than posts to this section of my website generally are but can read it in full at the pbrainey news blog.

Paul Rainey 01/06/08

No Bar Codes

This Saturday, I, along with some of the best small press cartoonists currently around, will be appearing in Camden Town at the No Bar Codes event. We will be displaying our work and trying to coax visitors into sampling our wears. Full details of the event can be found here. To help promote it, David Baillie has been conducting interviews with some of the exhibitors. One he did with me can be read here. If you're in the area, why not pop in and have a look? I know you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Paul Rainey 30/05/08

Mini Reviews of TNTLTP 7

A couple of mini reviews for There's No Time Like The Present part 7 have started to appear. Rol Hirst has one on his blog and Factor Fiction Press on theirs.

I'm still in the process of rolling out Part 7 and Dear Robert and Partner to retailers. In the meantime, you can order copies directly from here by visiting the Shop or by other methods. Contact me directly for details.

 

Paul Rainey 26/05/08

 

2000 AD Prog Slog mentioned in The Guardian Film blog

For the Guardian Film blog, Mark Hooper raises the question that any person with at least a partial knowledge of 2000 AD has will have asked themselves; Why Are There No Decent 2000 AD Films? He deals with the subject with aplomb, but I mention it here because he finishes his entry mentioning my 2000 AD Prog Slog. “In the meantime, if you're experiencing Scrotnig withdrawal, Paul Rainey's excellent Prog Slog blog does exactly what it says on the tin: an exhaustive review of every issue (or "Prog") of the comic. So far he's up to 1986. Hollywood producers take note.” That’s pretty cool, isn’t it; having your blog mentioned in The Guardian Film Blog. Although, I’m sure at the very end there, Mark is telling Hollywood to take note of 2000 AD and not necessarily my blog. Although, Hollywood, if you’re reading this and need some help sorting out potential movie franchises from 2000 AD then I’m your man.

Paul Rainey 20/05/08

The Girly Comic 17

What I feel is the most impressive thing about The Girly Comic is that it has been running for as long as it has and still maintains a high quality. I picked up a copy of number 17 at Bristol, as usual, and, after reading it last night, enjoyed it a lot, as usual. Its only downfall might be that we all start taking it for granted.

If anything, issue 17 is an improvement. Regular features Spacegirl by Motodraconis and the strips by Lee Kennedy seem to be getting better. However, one off Sisters of The Head written by Daniel O'Mahoney and illustrated by Terry Wiley is a particular stand out. Seeing Terry back in The Girly Comic anthology feels a bit like when a Brian Bolland Judge Dredd story used to appear in 2000 AD; It didn't happen as often as you would have liked but you knew that 2000 AD was the only place that you could guarantee this was going to happen.

Publishers Seleina Lock and Jay Eales are rolling out all the strips that have appeared in The Girly Comic  and guy equivalent, Violent, onto their website. There is some good stuff there. I recommend that you take a look.

Paul Rainey 17/05/08

Lost Shoe 4

Something else I've mentioned here before is Lost Shoe Comics by Alex Potts. Over the weekend I met Alex for the first time and got a copy of issue four. Unlike issue three which features a long and self contained narrative, four has a collection of shorter, punchier and entertaining strips hanging from the lead, Turd Party, Alex's entry into the Graphic Short Story Prize of last summer. For me, Alex is the small press find of the last year. His art is appealing, his sense of humour strong and his timing faultless.

Paul Rainey 16/05/08

Buffalo Roots

Buffalo Roots by John Cei Douglas was published a couple of years ago but I at last got to pick up a copy after being seduced into it by a chocolate brownie. Buffalo Roots is a beautifully illustrated tale of the love affair between an artist and his muse. (Don't panic, Real Cliff, if you're reading this; it's only a story). A very affecting tale that takes full story telling advantage of the landscape format and mixes full colour work with black and white illustration in an innovate way.

Paul Rainey 15/05/08

Crazy Pants 1

Five minutes walk from the Comics Expo’s main hall at the Ramada hotel sat a small group of self pressers. Amongst them were Peet Clack and Pete Rajski, the creators responsible for Crazy Pants. I've mentioned Crazy Pants here before, when I talked about the substantial and free promotional edition they did over a year ago, so it's great to see the comic officially released at last... along with another substantial and free promotional comic (?!).

Undoubtedly, Crazy Pants is a lovely looking comic containing great artwork, excellently reproduced, usually with some toning at least and often in colour. How they managed to do all of this, along with the free editions, and charge just £2.50, I would love to know. Some strips, such as Wong-Tong work as intriguing and visually impressive openers to longer stories whilst others, such as Over-Reacto, are entertaining tales in their own right. What I find particularly compelling is the dynamic between the two Peters. At least one strip is obviously a jam but others look to me like they've helped each other out with the art, the story or both. The result is a comic greater than the sum of its parts by two very accomplished writers and artists.

Paul Rainey 14/05/08

Space Babe 113 4

Continuing my run down of cool comics I purchased at this years Comics Expo, I picked up a copy of Space Babe 113 no. 4 by John Maybury. Space Babe 113 is described as a young woman's erotic adventures in space but this doesn't really do it justice particularly if this conjures in your mind images of jaded old cartoonists without the stomach for pornography rendering their sexual fantasies in comic strip. Instead, Space Babe 113 is a flirtatious, funny strip which oozes energy. Undoubtedly, the art is both simple and excellent at the same time, but the strip also contains sharp dialogue and the story a strong momentum. As far as I am aware, all four issues are still available. Visit the dedicated website for details.

Paul Rainey 13/05/08

West 5

Thanks to everyone who bought stuff from me or just came over and said hello at The Comics Expo in Bristol over the weekend. I had a very enjoyable if shattering time. Over the next few days I intend to use this space to mention many of the cool comics I picked up starting with West No.5: The Last Bounty.

As regular visitors to this website will know, West creators Andrew Cheverton and Tim Keable have been my convention-table buddies for the last few years. However, just because we are friends it doesn’t mean that I am only just saying what a good comic West always is. Its considered dialogue, beautiful pacing and classic artwork make it not just a necessity for those with an inclination towards good westerns but also for anyone who likes good comics. Highly recommend by everyone here at pbrainey.

Paul Rainey 12/05/08

pbrainey at Bristol Comic Expo

I am exhibiting at the annual Comic Expo in Bristol this weekend with my friends Andrew Cheverton and Tim Keable, the writer and artist team responsible for West. If you're attending, then please feel free to stop by and say hello. I will be selling, amongst other comics by me, There's No Time Like The Present, including the recently released Part 7, and Dear Robert and Partner. I will also be struggling to provide adequate sketches and giving away free copies of Memory Man and Love Bomb to customers, whilst stocks last.

Paul Rainey 09/05/08

Dear Robert and Partner is GO!

The printed or, as I like to call it, the "actual" version of Dear Robert and Partner is now GO! Dear Robert and Partner is a self contained one off publication telling the story of one man's trouble with noisy neighbours. It also contains extras explaining and elaborating on the circumstances behind the strip.

You can buy a copy directly from me using the Paypal button below (non UK residents, please visit The Shop for yours). Price includes post to the UK. Alternatively, you can contact me directly for details on how to order a copy via the post. It will be rolled out to retailers, such as OK Comics in Leeds and GOSH in London, over the next fortnight or so. I will also be selling copies at this year's Comics Expo event in Bristol on May 10th and 11th.

 

Paul Rainey 06/05/08

Part 7 is GO!

Eighteen months in the making, Part 7 of There's No Time Like The Present is now GO! You can buy a copy directly from me using the Paypal button below (non UK residents, please visit The Shop for yours). Price includes post to the UK. Alternatively, you can contact me directly for details on how to order a copy via the post. It will be rolled out to retailers, such as OK Comics in Leeds and GOSH in London, over the next fortnight or so. I will also be selling copies at this year's Comics Expo event in Bristol on May 10th and 11th.

If you're new to There's No Time Like The Present and feel a little bit interested then you can sample the opening pages for free here. If you like what you see then parts 1 to 6 are kept in print and can be ordered from The Shop. You can even subscribe if you want to ensure that you don't miss an issue (the free copy of Dear Robert and Partner offer is now closed, I'm afraid.)

 

Paul Rainey 04/05/08

Actual Version of Dear Robert

I am currently putting the finishing touches to a printed version of my strip Dear Robert and Partner. The actual reality copy will include behind the scenes extras and a new colour cover. My intention, in addition to selling it from here and at events, is to send a free copy out to subscribers to There's No Time Like The Present with number seven to thank them for their patience between issues. I'll let you know when it's ready but, if you would like a free copy, now is a good time to go to the Shop and subscribe to TNTLTP before they are both available.

Paul Rainey 24/04/08

Part 7; Nearly there...

Not a dream! Not a hoax! Not an imaginary story! Part 7 of There's No Time Like The Present is finished. Eighteen months in the making, part 7 took so long because of a couple of side projects and other distractions. It will be another fortnight or so before it is available to buy as I have the preparation and printing to do yet but, in the meantime, here is the cover in glorious black and white for you to look at.

Paul Rainey 12/04/08

I am Fiction!

Thanks to Martin Shipp for making me aware of this, a review of the novel London and The South-East by David Szalay for the Independent. It starts, "Paul Rainey, 40, is in sales" and continues, "When Paul isn't trying to sell thin air, he's smoking too much, drinking too much, eyeing a barmaid on whom he has a childish crush, or conducting meaningless banter with colleagues". I have spent my entire adult life trying to prove that I am not a fictional character and now this ruins everything. I've been trying to talk about how this makes me feel with my friends Albert Steptoe, Brian the Snail and Harry Potter but they all think I'm over reacting.

Paul Rainey 07/04/08