| Garen Ewing | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1969 (age 42–43) |
| Nationality | British |
| Area(s) | Artist, writer |
| Notable works | The Rainbow Orchid |
| Official website | |
Garen Ewing (born 1969, England) is an illustrator, designer and most notably a comic creator, being the writer and illustrator of The Adventures of Julius Chancer - The Rainbow Orchid.
As an aside, Ewing is a part-time researcher and writer on the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878–80) and was interviewed by Sue Cook on BBC Radio 4's 'Making History' programme in this capacity in October 2004.[1]
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After self-publishing several fanzines, he started King Rat Press in 1988 with the anthology Cosmorama, which included contributors such as Steve Pugh, David Wyatt, Warren Ellis, Paul H. Birch and Sara Russell. In 1994 he had his full length comic version of Shakespeare's The Tempest published, and a copy resides at the Shakespeare Library, Stratford-upon-Avon. Since then, he has worked as an illustrator and designer.
His most recent work, an example of the ligne claire comic form, is a mystery adventure, The Rainbow Orchid, and has received much critical acclaim, including two nominations for a National Comic Award (2004). The book is published by Egmont UK.[2] He was also one of the contributors to The DFC, the weekly kids' comic published by David Fickling Books (an imprint of Random House), writing and drawing 'Charlie Jefferson and the Tomb of Nazaleod',[3] as well as being one of the artists featured in Dez Skinn's Comic Art Now: The Very Best in Contemporary Comic Art and Illustration (ILEX Press, 2008). In February 2011, his poster design for Return to the Forbidden Planet was released as a stamp as part of Royal Mail's British Musicals set.[4]
Realm of the Sorceress, a fantasy/SF adventure that appeared in the fanzine Panemonium (1987–1991); The Tempest, a comic strip adaptation of the William Shakespeare play (1994); and Captain Powerchord, a humorous music-based strip that appeared in the local entertainment guide 5D (1993–1994, collected in 1996). Ewing has also contributed comics and illustrations to a wide variety of titles, including the Accent UK anthologies, Solar Wind and the Feed America's Children charity comic to name just a few.
Ewing's main work, an adventure story set in the 1920s. An expedition sets off to northern India to find the mystical Rainbow Orchid, and save the sword of Tybalt Stone from falling into the hands of Urkaz Grope. It is published by Egmont UK.
A Rainbow Orchid spin-off for Accent UK's Twelve. The anthology was based upon the twelve Labours of Hercules, and Ewing's work is based on the ninth task; the Girdle of Hippolyte. In the story, the reporter William Pickle gets his first big break by wheedling his way into getting a photo of a rare ancient Egyptian artefact.[5]
A Rainbow Orchid spin-off for Factor Fiction's The Girly Comic, which works as an origin story for the character of Lily Lawrence as she performs at a London theatre, where two young men compete for her attentions.