| Rich Johnston | |
|---|---|
 Johnston at the 2007 New York Comic Con | |
| Born | Richard Johnston United Kingdom |
| Area(s) | Comics journalist, gossip columnist, comics writer |
Notable works | Lying in the Gutters Watchmensch Bleeding Cool |
| Awards | Shel Dorf Award, 2012 |
| Children | 2 |
Richard "Rich"Johnston is a Britishcomics creator, columnist,[1] and founder of the comics news siteBleeding Cool.
The Comics Journal described Johnston as having claimed to be "the oldest extant comics news reporter on the Internet."[2] His past columns include "All The Rage" (forSilver Bullet Comic Books), and "Lying in the Gutters" (forComic Book Resources).
Johnston grew up inPontefract,West Yorkshire. He subsequently moved to London.[3]
Rich's Revelations was originally a simple relisting of British magazine comics news.[4] Johnston began writing gossip onUSENET newsgroups in 1994 asRich's Ramblings.[5] He then took the column, around onto the burgeoning World Wide Web, with "Rich's Revelations" on the now-defunct Twist And Shout Comics website.[6] He later started the comics gossip column "All The Rage" forSilver Bullet Comic Books, laterComics Bulletin.[7]
Johnston wrote the column "Lying in the Gutters" forComic Book Resources,[8] posting rumours and gossip, with atraffic light icon imparting advisory caution as to the possible credibility of each rumour: a red light denoting the least likelihood of accuracy, a green light for the most credible reports, and a yellow light for those that fall somewhere in between.
Johnston's writing does not often impart sources. About that, Johnston said, "I often obfuscate sources to hide their identity—even deny that a story has sources on many occasions." Johnston sees himself as part of a tradition established by the "British tabloid press, one that seeks to entertain rather than inform."[2]
On 27 March 2009, Johnston announced his launch of the website BleedingCool.com.
Bleeding Cool was nominated for the "Favourite Comics Related Website"Eagle Award in 2010[9] and 2011 and won in 2012. It was named as one ofPC Magazine's top blogs of 2010.[10] and Technorati gave it a perfect 1000 score for influence in the comics category.[11] Johnston was awarded theShel Dorf Award for Best Comics Blogger for his work on Bleeding Cool in 2012.[12] He was also nominated in 2011[13] and 2013.[14]
Johnston has written a number of comics, mainly consisting ofone-shots andgraphic novella. The first consists of parodies, such asWatchmensch[15] andCivil Wardrobe (alluding toMarvel's 2006 storyCivil War).[16] The second include his original work, bothcreator-owned and those based onlicensed properties, likeDoctor Who: A Room With A Deja View,[17]The Flying Friar (based on the life ofJoseph of Cupertino)[18] andChase Variant which started life atMam Tor Publishing'sEvent Horizon.[19]
In 2007, he wrote theIDW trading card setGeorge W. Bush and the Weapons of Mass Distraction.[20][21]
He wrote and drew a number of pages for thePopbitch book and curated theHarrods Comic Timing exhibition of original comic book artwork.[22]
In 2009, he had a story scheduled for theSpearmint anthology fromImage Comics withSleaze Castle writer-artistTerry Wiley.[23] He wrote a short story, "Rustlin Up Business," for the second volume ofOutlaw Territory, published in February 2011.
He has also writtenKate and William: A Very Public Love Story, a comic commemorating thewedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, published byMarkosia.[24]
In 2012, he wrote a comic serialised inDark Horse Presents entitledThe Many Murders of Miss Cranbourne, with art fromSimon Rohrmüller. He also wrote a series of parody comics forBoom! Studios, taking on Marvel Studios films, withIron Man,Thor,Captain America, andThe Avengers reinterpreted as "Iron Muslim", "Scienthorlogy," "Captain American Idol," and "The Avengefuls," respectively.
Johnston writes and draws weekly cartoons for the UK bloggerPaul Staines, appearing each Monday and collected atRichAndMark.com.[25]
Johnston wrote briefly for newspapers likeThe Guardian[26] and magazines likePlayStation World.[27] The now-closed publicationPunch magazine named him Young Writer of the Year Award in 2001.[28]
His poster campaign for theChurches Advertising Network in December 2006 generated coverage,[29] including a leader in the Times Newspaper[30] and an appearance on BBC'sThe One Show.
He was an advertisingcopywriter until 2009.[citation needed]
Johnston contributed to the BritishChannel 4sketch showSmack the Pony as well as forBBC Radio 4's satirical sketch showWeek Ending and the stage/TV showThe Sitcom Trials.
He appeared as an interviewee inAfter the Chalk Dust Settled, a documentary included on the DVD release ofSteven Moffat's sitcomChalk.[31]
He was a zombie extra inShaun of the Dead and a congregation member in the movieHitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.[32]
He wrote and directed a series of radio advertisements for telecommunications companyTalkTalk starringMark Heap.[33]
In 2006, he appeared as a character in the comic bookCSI: Dying in the Gutters as a source of "inside joke" humour by featuring him as the victim in a murder mystery set at a comic book convention and using other notable real-world comics creators as suspects in the crime.[34] He also appeared as a character in theJodie Picoult novel,The Tenth Circle[35] and made a more major appearance in theLeverage novelThe Con Job.[36]
Johnston has two daughters.[37][38]
Ramblings 98 has had a number of forms. Originally a simple relisting of British magazine comics news, Rich's Revelations, it has been praised, condemned, exhalted and threatened with libel suits. This culminated in a series of targeted attacks that led to the author conducting a vote. The final tally was 104:5 in favour of the continuing of the column with an advisory label, written by Greg Morrow and a name change to Rich's Rumblings. But that was then.
Archives: Feb 1998 to Sep 1999 (Rich Johnston is an advertising copywriter, co-self publisher of Twist And Shout Comics, BBC comedy writer and comics columnist. He currently lives in South London, England.)
