Rich Johnston

Rich Johnston (born 21 November 1972 in Gloucester, England) is an online columnist who writes about the comic book industry. Johnston grew up in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, and later attended the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where he studied politics. Johnston is based in Soho, London, and works as an advertising copywriter; he currently lives in Kingston Vale, London, with his wife, Janice Hodgson, and their young daughters, Eve and Alice Johnston.

Lying in the Gutters

Johnston's column "Lying in the Gutters" is currently hosted at the "Comic Book Resources" website, [ [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=column&id=11 CBR's "Lying in the Gutters" Archives] . Accessed January 18, 2008] although earlier incarnations of the column have existed under various titles since 1994, when it appeared as postings to USENET. "The Comics Journal" declared Johnston as having claim to being "the oldest extant comics news reporter on the Internet."cite journal | author=Dean, Michael | title=Online Comics Journalism: Does It Exist? Part 3: Rich Johnston's Honest "Lying" | journal=The Comics Journal | year=2005 | issue=266 | pages= 21–23 ] He mainly posts stories based on rumours and gossip, with a traffic 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 column does not often impart sources. Johnston notes, "I often obfuscate sources to hide their identity—even deny that a story has sources on many occasions." However, his column has reported first on many topics of note regarding the comic book industry, something "The Comics Journal" attributes in part to "Johnston's discerning intelligence and an attitude that sometimes approaches iconoclasm." Johnston sees himself as part of a tradition established by the "British tabloid press, one that seeks to entertain rather than inform..." He cites his biggest influences as "Private Eye", The Guardian Diary, and Popbitch.

Popular topics include nonpayment for work by publishers, swipes of work by creators known as the "Swipe File," censored work, spoilers for upcoming storyline, creative changes, speculation over "hot" comics as well as repeated plugs of his own work.

Comic book work

Johnston has also created comic books, notably "Rich Johnston's Holed Up" (2004, Avatar Press), [ [http://www.holedup.net Official Holed Up site] . Accessed January 27, 2008] "The Flying Friar" (2006, Speakeasy Comics), [ [http://www.flyingfriarcomic.com Official Flying Friar site] . Accessed January 27, 2008] "Dirtbag" (1995, Twist and Shout Comics), [ [http://www.twistandshoutcomics.com/titles/dirtbag.html Official Dirtbag site] . Accessed January 27, 2008] "The X-Flies" (1997, Twist and Shout Comics), [ [http://www.twistandshoutcomics.com/titles/xflies.html Official X-Flies site] . Accessed January 27, 2008] and "Civil Wardrobe" (2006) [ [http://www.wowio.com/users/product.asp?BookId=1354 Civil Wardrobe download] . Accessed January 27, 2008] (this last one alluding to Marvel's 2006 "event," "Civil War").

In 2007, he wrote the IDW trading card set "George W. Bush and the Weapons of Mass Distraction." [ [http://www.idwpublishing.com/titles/bushcards.shtml Weapons of Mass Distraction] . Accessed January 27, 2008]

In 2008, publishers Markosia announced a reissue, in colour, of his Flying Friar graphic novel. [ [http://www.markosia.co.uk/Comics.aspx?ID=4 Flying Friar from Markosia] Accessed January 27, 2008]

Johnston writes and draws weekly cartoons for the UK blogger Guido Fawkes, appearing each Monday and collected at RichAndMark.com. [ [http://www.richandmark.com RichAndMark.com site] . Accessed January 27, 2008]

Performance work

Johnston has written for the British Channel 4 sketch show "Smack the Pony" as well as for BBC Radio 4's satirical sketch show "Week Ending" and the stage/TV show "The Sitcom Trials". He played a zombie in "Shaun of the Dead" and was a congregation member in the movie "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1262679/ Rich Johnston at IMDb] . Accessed January 18, 2008]

Journalism

Johnston has written briefly for newspapers like "The Guardian" [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2001/feb/28/internetnews.g2 The Guardian, Feb 28th, 2001] Accessed January 27, 2008] and magazines like "Playstation World" [ [http://www.gamesradar.com/ps2/f/all-the-write-moves/a-2007071911468272068/g-20060313151238825080 Playstation World UK] . Accessed January 27, 2008] and was awarded "Punch Magazine"'s Young Writer of the Year Award in 2001. [ [http://www.sequart.com/interviews/?interview=740 Sequential Tart interview, November 2002] . Accessed January 27, 2008]

Cultural impact

In 2006, he appeared as a character in the comic book "", which uses Johnston's notoriety in the comics community 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. [ [http://www.idwpublishing.com/dyinggut.shtml IDW's Dying In the Gutters' site] . Accessed January 27, 2008]

His poster campaign for the Churches Advertising Network in December 2006 caused considerable media interest, [ [http://news.google.co.uk/archivesearch?q=times+churches+advertising+network+beer&um=1&sa=N&cid=8616803907404920 Google News Cache] . Accessed January 27, 2008] including a leader in the Times Newspaper. [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article639683.ece Times newspaper, September 15th 2006] . Accessed January 27, 2008]

His comics and gossip work has also been referenced in the media, as a comics commentator, [ [http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article2289162.ece Times newspaper, August 20th, 2007] . Accessed January 27, 2008] a gossip reporter, [ [http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0611,singer,72528,20.html The Village Voice, March 7th, 2006] . Accessed January 27, 2008] or a comics creator. [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2220813,00.html G2, The Guardian, December 3rd, 2007] . Accessed January 27, 2008]

References

External links

* [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=column&id=11 Lying in the Gutters] , Johnston's online column.
* [http://www.richandmark.com RichAndMark.com] , Johnston's collection of non-commercial performance work.
*imdb name|id=1262679|name=Rich Johnston
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2108743,00.html Guardian Report on George W Bush cards]

Interviews

* [http://www.sequart.com/interviews/index.php?interview=740 2002 Interview]
* [http://gelatometti.blogspot.com/2004/11/metti-interviewwho-watches-watchmen.html 2005 Interview by Jim Lee]