Could this be the face of the world's most notorious supervillain? Photographs of Ragnarök are extremely rare, and in fact in many countries it is illegal to print or publish photos or drawings of him. However, the image below - seemingly taken by a CCTV camera - has recently come to our attention: it shows a large man fitting the most common descriptions of Ragnarök (though the image is of rather low quality, it is just about possible to see the scar over his right eye).
As I'm sure you've all guessed by now, the characters in the New Heroes series are fictional. In real life, there are no superheroes... Or are there? Perhaps there's no such thing as a superhuman, but that doesn't mean that ordinary humans can't be superheroes.
Let me tell you about Adam Dodson. Between October 2005 and February 2006, Adam embarked on a fund-raising walk along The Macmillan Way, from Boston in Linconshire to Abbotsbury in Dorset. That's 290 miles!
On June 10th, 2006, Adam completed the Three Peaks Challenge: in 22 hours he climbed Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales. And that 22 hours includes the time to drive from one mountain to the next...
Next, Adam is planning to tackle The Viking Way, a 130-mile walk through Lincolnshire.
And he's doing all this not for personal glory, but to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Relief and for his primary school. Yes, I said "primary school". And no, Adam's not a teacher. He's a student.
I'm sure that if Colin Wagner, Danny Cooper and Renata Soliz were real, they'd be as impressed as I am with Adam's achievements. When I was ten years old I wouldn't even have thought of devoting so much of my free time to fund-raising for charity!
Adam Dodson, you are helping to make this world a better place, and I truly believe that you are a true hero! I salute you!
For more information about Adam's heroism, or if you would like to help sponsor his next challenge, please visit Adam's Fundraising Challenges.
Part 2 of the exclusive New Heroes serial "Pressure" can be found over on the... guess where?... Yes! It's your old pal, the Features page.
Interested in winning copies of The Quantum Prophecy and Sakkara? Then purchase the latest issue of Doctor Who Adventures (#18, dated 29 Nov - 12 Dec) for a great (and very easy) competition!
Website updated... As you'll have seen by now, the website has received a facelift. If for some reason it looks a little odd (i.e., some of the old green borders left behind) that's because the images are cached in your web-browser. Clicking the browser's "reload" button should sort that out. If not, then hold down the Ctrl key (or the equivalent on your computer) while clicking the "reload" button. Enjoy!
Starting today... "Pressure"! A five-part New Heroes serial, exclusive to this website!
I'll be uploading one new episode each week until the end of the year! Who says you can't get something for nothing?
You can find it on the Features page.
A quick note for a couple of concerned readers: It doesn't matter whether you read the novels or the
stories first. The short stories don't contain any spoilers for the novels. They might, however, contain
some carefully-hidden hints...
Mike's 2006 World Tour, part II: November - The Report!
Update: To save downloading time, I've decided to give the tour report its own page,
which you can find here.
Mike's 2006 World Tour, part II: November - Updated
Following the success of my October adventures in London, Longford and Galway,
I'll soon be off on my travels again! A week-long tour of the south and west of Ireland.
Here's the probably-final schedule:
| Date | Time | Location | ||
| 20th | 11:00 | Central Library, Waterford | ||
| 20th | 13:30 | Ardkeen Library, Waterford | ||
| 21st | 10:30 | City Library, Cork | ||
| 21st | 13:30 | Glanmire, Co. Cork | ||
| 22nd | 10:00 | The Granary Library, Limerick | ||
| 22nd | 13:30 | Sean Lemass Library, Shannon | ||
| 23rd | 11:00 | Westside Library, Galway | ||
| 23rd | 12:15 | Westside Library, Galway | ||
| 25th | 09:00 | Dublin City Comic Book Con (I'm not actually a guest at this one or anything; I'll just be going along!) |
Note: The library events are organised for specific schools, so as such they're not officially open to the public. But if you happen to be in the area, feel free to drop along!
Also, if would like me to speak at your school, please click here for details!
What's that? You don't know the password for the Restricted Area? You're not looking in the right place! The password appears quite clearly in The Quantum Prophecy. Read the book again if you're still not sure. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it! Hint: It's somewhere closer to the beginning than to the end...
Just for fun, I've added a few new features to the website's Restricted Area (note: the Restricted Area is only accessible to those who know the correct password!).
To the Midlands and the West...
I spent much of yesterday driving from Dublin to Lanesboro, Co. Longford (where I had the pleasure of doing a QA session and a reading to a group of particularly bright youngsters), then to Galway, where I got lost and only barely managed to reach my destination (Galway City Library) in time for another session, this one with a larger bunch of equally bright but slightly older youngsters.
My good friend Maura turned up at the Galway session to show her support, and seemed to enjoy it as much as the kids did. Afterwards, Maura took me on a fascinating whirlwind tour of Galway's attractions (intriguing enough to make me want to go back and spend a lot more time there) which terminated in a highly recommended little eaterie called Mustard.
I checked out of the hotel at 5am and drove back to Dublin in a vain attempt to avoid the rush-hour traffic. Everything was fine until I reached the end of the M4, whereupon Time Stood Still.
Overall it was a great trip, but next time I'll check out of the hotel an hour earlier...
I've just set up one of those MySpace thingies. Because I'm very old and set in my ways, I really have no idea how it all works, but please feel free to check it out and add me to your list of friends!
I've added two new wallpaper images to the Features page... Check 'em out!
One of the very first comics I ever read was The Dandy, way, way
back in about 1970, and the comic is still going strong! The latest issue (No. 3385, 14th October 2006),
features a special giveaway in which readers can write in to claim one of thirty-five free copies of
Sakkara! Which means that at last, after thirty-six years, I've finally got my name printed in
The Dandy! Yes!
The New Heroes Book 2: Sakkara is now available in all good bookstores throughout the UK and Ireland... If, for some bizarre reason, you can't find it in your local bookstore then feel free to ask them to order a few copies!
A few people have written to ask me about "By the Book", a five-page comic-strip published in
Futurequake issue 4.
In answer to the most common question: "By the Book" is a superhero tale, but it's not part of the
New Heroes series, nor does it use any of the NH characters.
The next most common question about the story is "Where can I find that story?"
Unfortunately, copies of that issue of FutureQuake are now difficult to find...
But despair not! The artist - the far-too-talented Bolt-01 - has agreed to allow me to put the story
on-line! And, as a special bonus,
for the first time ever "By the Book" is available in glorious MikeyColor!
Added a new wallpaper image to the Features page... It's everyone's favourite four-metre-tall blue maniac, Brawn! (Additional note: The image is now officially known as "Brawn in the USA" - thanks to Lucy Harfield for that one!)
With just a few weeks to go before the publication of Sakkara, it's time for a little announcement:
Stuck for something to read while waiting for Sakkara (only fifty-two days to go now!)? Check out these great alternatives!
For younger readers:
This is a free plug for my friends Matt and Dave, and their new books
about Yuck, the world's most disgusting boy! Yuckweb has lots
of info about Yuck, his books, and everything you ever wanted to know about bottom-burps and nose-nuggets!
For older readers:
2000 AD, the Galaxy's Greatest Comic, reached its
landmark 1,500th issue this week! Catch this issue quick, because it's got all
new stories, including the first part of "The Connection", a five-part Judge Dredd tale that leads
into the upcoming mega-saga "Origins"!
Leonia and I - plus our faithful sidekick Sparky - drove up to Belfast on Saturday morning for
MeCon 9. Even though we were only able to be there
for the day, we had a tremendous time, and got to have nice lengthy chats with the talented
comic artist Paul J. Holden and equally talented
comic writers Leah Moore & John Reppion.
The only downside to the event was that the location was so far from the city centre that we didn't
have any time to go shopping. Oh, and the other downside was that on the way home we got lost
trying to find somewhere to eat in Newry. And then we gave up and decided to go on to Dundalk. Where we
also got lost.
But despite the getting-lostiness, it was a great convention packed with lovely people, and if time permits
we'll be going back next year!
Just thought I'd announce a couple of upcoming events...
I'll be attending MeCon 9 in Belfast, NI, next weekend. The event runs from August 4th - 6th, but unfortunately we'll only be there for the Saturday. Come along if you can make it!
I'll be a guest at Octocon in Maynooth, Co. Kildare, ROI. Octocon runs from October 14th - 15th. The Octocon crew interviewed me for their "42Qs" section: check it out on their website!
"Wait, what's this?" I hear you ask (well, I imagine that I hear you ask). "Another new book?"
Quantum Prophecy: The Awakening is simply the US title for the first book in the series. The US
publishers (Philomel, a division of Penguin Books) weren't too keen on "The New Heroes" for
the series title, but they did like "Quantum Prophecy", so we decided to go with that for the series title
and "The Awakening" for the title of volume 1. It's the exact same book as The New Heroes: The Quantum prophecy, but with a lovely new cover, fewer Us and more Zs(that is; American spelling).
It's due for publication in April 2007.
To make things a little easier, I've uploaded the Sakkara advert to YouTube.
If you're lucky enough to have a reasonably fast internet connection, and your computer can play files in WMV format (Windows Media Audio and Video), then check out my home-made advert for Sakkara! Just right-click here, and select "Save Target As..." (or "Save Link As..." - it'll be something like that!). Be warned: the file is about 7.5mb, so it'll take some time to download over a dial-up connection!
For your convenience, there is now a second domain name attached to this site! You can use either www.TheNewHeroes.co.uk or www.QuantumProphecy.com... They both lead to the same place, however!
Richmond Clements reviews The Quantum Prophecy over on one of my favourite websites, 2000 AD Review!
I've added another couple of wallpaper images to the Features page; a pretty cool (if I do say so myself!) rendition of Titan's logo, and - by popular request - a larger version of the Dioxin image from "The Offer".
Yay! This is me being chuffed! The Quantum Prophecy gets a great mention in the latest issue of 2000 AD, courtesy of The Mighty Tharg, the comic's alien editor.
For those not in the know, 2000 AD is a UK-based weekly science fiction comic that has been running since February 1977 and is currently on issue 1488. It is the home of some of the most incredible science fiction and fantasy characters ever created, including Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Rogue Trooper and hundreds of others. I've been buying the comic since the very first issue so as you can imagine my collection - complete! - takes up a very large amount of space!
2000 AD has been a tremendous influence on me: the very first novel I ever tried to write
was an adaptation of the classic Judge Dredd story "Judge Death" (which has recently been reprinted
in Judge Dredd: The Complete Casefiles 03). I abandoned my attempt after about
a page and a half, when I discovered that writing novels is actually quite a bit harder than reading
them!
In 1979 2000 AD began an adaptation of Harry Harrison's novel The Stainless Steel Rat, and I loved it so much that Harry became my all-time favourite writer. About ten years later, I learned that Harry was to be a guest at a meeting of the Irish Science Fiction Association, so I went along to meet the great man. It wasn't long before I was contributing stories to the ISFA's magazine FTL, and even less long after that before I became editor of the magazine and chairman of the association.
In 1990, some of the ISFA crew organised a science fiction convention called Octocon. A call was put out for volunteers to help at the con, and one of those who answered that call was the beautiful and vivacious Leonia, with whom I instantly fell in love and later married!
So in many ways I owe my career and my happiness to 2000 AD! Check out the comic's website and make sure you start buying it every week!
As you'll have seen from the opening screen, I've made some changes to the site, including a whole new section: the Character Index!
Because so many people have asked so nicely, the first chapter of The Quantum Prophecy is now on-line!
Angela writes:
Dear Mike, can you tell me the password for the restricted access part of the web-site?
Mike replies:
Of course I can! It is my website, after all!
Steven J. writes:
Hi i cant find the password for the new heroes pages!
Mike replies:
Hmm... Did you try looking under the sofa cusions?
Renata writes:
Hey, you! Either you stole my name for your character Diamond or I AM Diamond! Since I don't think you
would steal anything, I must be Diamond. Therefore I am one of the New Heroes, so please tell me where I
can find the password for the New Heroes area of the website!
Mike replies:
Hi Renata! What are you doing browsing the internet? You should be off saving the world or something!
If you really need to know the password, you'll find it hidden in the pages of The Quantum Prophecy.
Of course, when I say "hidden" what I really mean is "right there in plain sight." You just have to know
where to look...
Piero writes:
Hi Michael, I was looking for your books on the internet this morning and I found a mention of
something called Sakkara. Is this the top-secret title for the second book in the New Heroes series?
Mike replies:
Yes indeed, Piero! Sakkara will be published in October 2006 in the UK.
Click the image below for more details!
Inspired by a recent question from a number of New Heroes fans who want to design their own superheroes, I've decided to help out a little by putting my character outlines on-line. When I was creating my characters I printed out lots of copies of these "templates" and drew all over them until I came up with designs that I liked. You can find the templates by following the link on the Features page.
On the Features page I've just added The Offer, a brand new story that again features one of the minor characters from The Quantum Prophecy! As a special treat, the story also introduces a character who plays a small role in the next book...
A special note to members of the New Heroes: as requested, I've added a link to the Features page that will take you to the restricted area of the website!
I'll be signing at The Dublin Comic and Toy Convention at Wynn's Hotel on March 25th. I'm not sure yet what times
I'll be signing, but come along anyway: I expect to be around all day! You'll also get to meet top comics artist
Glenn Fabry!
Check out the Comet Comics website for more details!
Excellent news: My editor has just told me that The Quantum Prophecy is up for a third printing!
Leonia and I have just returned from Manhattan, where we attended the New York Comic Con. Read all about our adventures on the Weblog!
Enjoyed The Quantum Prophecy and eager for more? Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until later in the year before the sequel - ???????* - is released, but to tide you over, on the Features page you'll find a wee tale featuring one of the minor characters from The Quantum Prophecy...!
* Sorry, the time is not yet right for the title to be revealed!
The lovely Leonia and a friend discover The Quantum Prophecy
in Eason's, Liffey Valley Centre, Dublin!
The Kent Book Company's website has some photos from my visit to their showroom on January 27th! (Please note: due to some bizarre technical glitch, the photos make me look more bald and less handsome than I am in real life!)
Check out Five for another chance to win a copy of The Quantum Prophecy!
I've just returned from a brief but incredibly hectic tour of London and (part of) the south of England! Full(er) details can be found on the Weblog.
No superhero is complete without an Official New Heroes Superhero I.D. Wallet! Now available on the Features page!
Want to win a signed copy of The Quantum Prophecy? Then skip on over to Jetix and enter their Superhero quiz! Note: to participate in the competition you have to be a resident of the UK and aged sixteen years or under. But even if you're not, check it out anyway: you can still play the quiz, and the graphics are cool!
Michael Carroll appeared on Dustin's Daily News today, on RTÉ2. If you have a fast internet connection you might be able to catch the show in the Dustin's Daily News Archive (though I don't know for how long it'll be available).
Lucky you! Exclusive to this website, you can now find the brand-new official New Heroes Security System! Available now on the Features page!
Added a further three wallpaper images to the Features page... These depict actual scenes from The Quantum Prophecy!
Excellent news! I've just been told that The Quantum Prophecy will receive a second printing! Not bad for a book that's only been out a week!