Zarjaz

"Zarjaz" is a fanzine for the long running British sci-fi comic "2000 AD". It was started in 2001 by Andrew J Lewis and ran for four issues. The fanzine contained comic strips based on various "2000 AD" characters and also ran an in-depth interview with writer Alan Moore. There were contributions from established "2000 AD" creators like Alan Grant and gave a start to others such as Adrian Bamforth and Simon Spurrier. It was originally printed in A4 format and reproduced cheaply giving it something of the feel of the original 2000 AD comic as it appeared in the 70s and early 80s. Issues 3 and 4 were printed in the smaller A5 size in an attempt to keep costs low and were published simultaneously.

Zarjaz was re-launched in 2005 by Colin J Dinnie under the Underfire Comics banner, with whom he had previously edited the small press anthology Rapid Fire. The new run has so far produced five issues but because the first was an "Issue 0" it is numerically only up to four. The new series features colour covers as opposed to the black and white of the original run.

Zarjaz is now being produced and published by "Futurequake Publishing".

Contributors

Contributors have come both from mainstream comics and the small press and include Alan Grant, PJ Holden, Al Ewing, Arthur Wyatt and Edward Berridge and has helped showcase for some of the newest generation of "2000 AD" writers and artists like Simon Spurrier, Adrian Bamforth and Nick Dyer.

It has also featured interviews with major "2000 AD" talent (from the past and present) including Alan Moore, Alan Grant and Frazer Irving.

There have also been stories which have been picked up and continued in "Zarjaz" like Al Ewing's "Bones of Eden," the first issue of which appeared in the "2000 AD Winter Special 2005". [ [http://www.2000adonline.com/?zone=thrill&page=profiles&Comic=Specials&choice=BONES "Bones of Eden" profile at 2000 AD] ]

Availability

Zarjaz is published twice yearly and sold in comic shops around the UK, including Forbidden Planet, [ [http://thequaequamblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/dont-like-buying-from-webshops-worried.html Announcement of being stocked by Forbidden Planet] ] as well as through the internet and mail order.

Awards

In 2002 "Zarjaz" won the "Best Self-Published/Independent" National Comics Award [ [http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/national02.php 2002 National Comics Awards] ] at the annual Bristol Comic Expo and came second to "Jack Staff" in 2003. [ [http://www.downthetubes.net/news_archive/2003/awards2003.html The Results of the National Comics Awards 2003] ]

Notes

References

* [http://www.2000adonline.com/?zone=input&page=fanzines&choice=zarjaz 2000 AD's Zarjaz profile]

External links

* [http://thequaequamblog.blogspot.com/ New blog] for "Zarjaz" and "Dogbreath"
* [http://zarjaz.blogspot.com/ Old blog]

Interviews

* [http://comicsvillage.com/column.aspx?ArticleID=125 New Squaxx On The Block] , interview between outgoing editor Colin J Dinnie and incoming editor Dave Evans, February, 2008