The last twenty four hours from http://twitter.com/mrtonylee

• 23:33 @warrenellis - Just saw your post. Damn, I hope he pulls through. Seeing him on his stool at SDCC makes my con. #

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I'm so gutted right now. Rory was one of those comic stars in the sky that we needed more than ever right now. Every fan and professional I know in comics has a good word about him, nearly all have a story about him, I have a couple of my own and I'll admit, I was chuckling about them a couple of minutes ago with a tear on my cheek.

I'll miss seeing Rory at San Diego. If they keep the stool there as a memorial, it'll be weird, yet touching. Rory was for me, as he was for many the first retailer to actively demand copies of my work. When I took the ashcan copies of Hope Falls to SDCC last year, he actually hunted me down to get one.

Rory Root has died, and the world is that little bit greyer now he's gone, but at least he's at peace now.

So this weekend is the London MCM Expo, which for a few years now has been I believe the largest Anime and Manga convention in the UK. and, over the last couple of years they've started to really push the comics side as well as movies, and this year, having bought out main rival Memorabillia they also have booths from Universal (previewing The Incredible Hulk), Wizards Of The Coast, WETA, 20th Century Fox (bringing preview stuff of The Happening), and with the location and the attendance they're getting already, if they can nail the comic side, they'll become the biggest UK comic convention, period. It's like a mangaesque 'San Diego Lite' for the weekend.

Anyway, apart from the stars from Anime, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy, Primeval etc that attend, we have a few comics people there this weekend...

( Click here to see... )

In addition to that, we have Eisner nominated Nick Abadzis, Markosia have a wealth of people signing including Cy Dethan, Rich Johnston, Andy Briggs, Annika Eade, Ian Sharman, Cherie Donovan, Ardden Entertainment are there showing off Flash Gordon, The Tozzer boys are there as ever, Sweatdrop Studio are there, as well as Self Made Hero...

Let's just say it should be a good day (and night) of comics fun...

So, who's coming?

So I've just been pointed to Comics Continuum, where they have the August Solicits for IDW Publishing up... Including this little gem.

DOCTOR WHO: THE FORGOTTEN #1

Written by Tony Lee, art by Pia Guerra, cover by Nick Roche.

Stranded in a strange Museum that's dedicated to him -- and with no TARDIS in sight, The Doctor and Martha must make sense of their surroundings, hindered by one small fact -- The Doctor has lost his memories of every one of his previous incarnations! With items relevant to each Doctor in their possession, The Doctor must try to use them to regain his memories before it's too late, starting with his earliest incarnation's memories, involving Susan, Barbara and Ian....

32 pages, $3.99.