This time we have Declan Shalvey in the hot seat, artist of the Award Winning Hero Killers, and frequent collaborator of Andy Winter. He most recently provided the artwork for Classical Comics new Frankenstein book. Also a great guy, and a fantastic artist and creator in his own right. This interview was done over two days, and I'd like to take another chance to thank Declan for taking part!

I've been having a dig around on the Internet and had a look at a lot of the other creator tools out there. I was wondering if anyone had tried any of these and if so, what they thought of them? Please note: this list does not include links to web comic "portal" sites like ComicSpace or Web Comics Nation (although ROK Comics could also be considered one of those).

Comics creator tools comprise software and online tools for the purpose of creating cartoons or comic strips, either for print or online or mobile phone publication. Several companies have developed creator tools, while some online companies and TV channels use them as "value added" services to enhance their web sites. Many online services employ Flash to but some use Scalable Vector Graphics.

I was reading Dirk Manning’s ‘Write or Wrong’ column on www.newsarama.com in which he was banging on about how ‘The Dark Knight’ was a cool movie, obviously on it’s way to top box office ever and all that. The points he followed up his intro with were of the ‘that’ll teach folk to assume comics are for kids’-variety and how can comics publishers/creators benefit from such an upsurge of interest in comic-book properties? Especially when the interest shown is by people who think comics are basically The Beano and the licensed stuff on the shelves in Tesco? Aside from the fact that the majority of people who do think like that are happily immersed in a virtual fantasy world already when you consider the millions of games consoles sold, has anyone wondered whether that the culture has changed so drastically that the simple pleasure of reading has now become, for some, an effort? For some it actually is, I don’t mean (and do not, in any way, mock) those who have difficulty with the printed word.