BPM

CUCKOOS

ISSUE 2 SUMMER 2015

•
ORB
•
99 SWORDS

ORB PREPARE
FOR GODFALL
•
THE WALL
•
CAT & MERINGUE
•
SLIPSTREAM

CAT & MERINGUE

E ELITE!
THE WALL: MEET TH
•

TION CIRCUIT
AND MORE...

OA D : B PM H IT S T H E CONVEN
ON THE R

PLUS! CUCKOOS MORE ACTION IN

CONTENTS
CUCKOOS
‘A SIMPLE TRANSACTION’,
HE SAID!
Words by Jon Lock
Art by Nich Angell
Letters by Lucy Brown

ORB
CHAOS IN THE SKIES OF
NEW YORK
Words & letters by Jon Lock
Art by Jack & Will Tempest

99 SWORDS
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
Words by Jon Lock & Lucy Brown
Art by James Stayte
Letters by Lucy Brown

CAT &
MERINGUe
MAKING A SPLASH
Words by Alice White
Art by Nich Angell

THE WALL
‘LET’S CATCH SOME Welcome to
BIG PUNCH MAGAZINE!
SERIOUS CRYSTAL!’
Words and art by Nich Angell
Letters by Lucy Brown

Greetings, one and all, as we return in

EDITORIAL
TUNE INTO MELODIA, THE
triumphant fashion for BPM issue 2. Tarry
WORLD OF 7STRING not, for worlds of wonder and adventure
Words by Lucy Brown await just beyond the next page!

Big Punch Magazine published by Big Punch Studios. In this issue: The Reflektor ventures deep into
‘7STRING’, ‘Afterlife Inc.’, ‘Cat & Meringue’, ‘Cuckoos’,
‘Orb’, ’99 Swords’ and ‘The Wall’ Copyright 2015 Big uncharted territory… Tyler Goldensheath
Punch Studios. All rights reserved. The characters,
events and stories in this publication are entirely makes an explosive entrance… The Elite
fictional. With the exception of art used for review
purposes, none of the contents of this book may be Catchers spring into action… Aliens and
reprinted in any form without the express written
consent of the license holders. First Edition. First superhumans clash… And Cat & Meringue
Printing: June 2015. Big Punch Studios is Nich Angell,
Lucy Brown, Jon Lock and Alice White. mess about in a boat!

Website: www.bigpunchstudios.com Enjoy!

Email: bigpunchstudios@gmail.com
 meet the team

Head on over to youtube.com/user/bigpunchstudios/videos to watch the BPM promo, plus our other videos!

Have you ever found yourself in a strange Meanwhile, in addition to providing nourishing
situation and wondered how you ended up back rubs and words of encouragement,
there? For the team at Big Punch Studios, it’s Ali, Jon and Lucy have been busy wrangling
a feeling we’ve been getting more and more words, lettering letters and weaving our design
lately! There we were, minding our own wizardry to sculpt the printed majesty you hold
business, casually making comics, when along before you.
came 2015, and all the madness and excitement We’ve also been busy touring the comic
of Big Punch Magazine! conventions of this green and pleasant land!
Since Issue 1 came out, we’ve been working For more info on the Big Punch road trip, turn
hard to bring you this next thrilling instalment to Big Punch Tower at the back of this issue
of Big Punch action. Nich, in-house art maestro, and let Cat & Meringue guide you through our
along with the one-two punch of superstar mobile shenanigans.
artists Jack Tempest and James Stayte, has Read on, Punchbags! Adventure awaits in
been working his fingers to the bone producing Issue 2 of BPM!
blistering pages of multi-coloured wonder.

facebook.com/ youtube.com/user/
@BigPunchStudios BigPunchStudios.com
BigPunchStudios BigPunchStudios

AWESOME CONTENT THIS WAY >

 CUCKOOS
INTRO PAGE
There is life beyond the limits of the world you know. Out in the Extraverse, the space
between universes, people eke out an existence as Birds: wanderers without homes
or origins. The crew of the Reflektor, an Extraversal ship, travel these treacherous
corridors in search of business, trade and something more… but a recent job has taken
them deep into unknown territory, and things are never as simple as they first seem…

THE CAST
TWICE
THE CAPTAIN If you want a job
His ship. His rules. done well, do it
yourself.

NIIN GALLIARD
Always ready to Pilot. Hero. Legend.
learn. Not always Or so he’d have you
ready to be taught… believe.

GLORION AMARANTH
Class is in session. ??????

NARRATIVE COMMENCING...

GET READY!
 CUCKOOS
INTRO PAGE
In an alternate 20th Century, the course of human history changed
dramatically when Earth made contact with a higher form of life. Now,
under the guidance of the Absolute and its seven heralds, the Paragons,
humanity has entered an unprecedented golden age. But out of the blue,
this perfect stability has been shattered by the arrival of a dying alien
entity: the Orb. Now, a second, healthy Orb has appeared above New
York, and all hell is about to break loose…

THE CAST
PARAGON FOUR
Superhuman prophet of an age of
wonders. Following contact with
a mysterious entity in Antarctica,
Four’s connection to the Absolute,
her godlike benefactor, has been
called into question: something she
seems strangely happy about…

THE ORB
??????

NARRATIVE COMMENCING...

GET READY!
www.bigpunchstudios.com/subscribe
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 CUCKOOS
INTRO PAGE
Years ago, a legendary swordsmith forged 99 magical swords, forever changing the
world with their power. Now, Swordhunters scour the world in search of the 99 blades,
on the promise of the ultimate prize should they assemble them all. Elsie Blackwood, a
young, bored graduate, didn’t really care. But then she found a talking sword. And then
Tyler Goldensheath, a rogue Swordhunter, kicked in her wall. Life is weird like that.

THE CAST ELSIE BLACKWOOD

Rich in education. Poor in
load-bearing walls.

TYLER GOLDENSHEATH
Knows how to make an
entrance.

THE MAN SWORD

‘Manny’ to his friends.
If he had any.

NARRATIVE COMMENCING...

GET READY!
TO BE CONTINUED!
 CUCKOOS
INTRO PAGE
For the inhabitants of the city of Prizm, the Wall marks the edge of the known
world. All who venture beyond vanish without a trace. Cyanne, leader of a skilled
team of Catchers, has already lost a brother to the mysteries of the Wall. Now,
she’s determined to learn what lies on the other side… but first she has to protect
her home from the showers of deadly crystals that fall from the sky!

THE CAST
CYANNE
True Blue.

JADE
Ever Green.

MIL
Red and ready.

NARRATIVE COMMENCING...

GET READY!
 SLIPSTREAM
YOUR GUIDE TO THE MULTIVERSE

Undecided where to take your next holiday? Here at Slipstream we are committed
to guiding you through the best sights in the multiverse. If you sing your booking
to us over the phone, you’ll get a 5% discount on all flights to Melodia.

MELODIA Head of State:

Trouble Clef;
Commander
Melodia is the primary sentient node of the R5-type verse known as the
Lars Troubleclef
Ariaverse. Despite the imbalance in microelements, Melodia has a full set
of physical laws based on frequency and harmonics that makes it unusually Capital: Sopranopolis
stable among the Unreal realms. This universe sings. Its unusual nature has,
of course, attracted a certain amount of attention, and the Bird sect known Currency: Plectrums
as the Nightingales has been studying it for many years. (col. Plecs).

Melodia itself is a fascinating planet with a highly erratic orbit (see: when Languages: Melodian. A complex
to go) and is home to a humanic society roughly split into four nationalities tonal language where pitch and
known as “Clefs”. Travellers should note that at time of writing, Melodia has timbre can be the difference between
fallen into a global inter-Clef war and many centres of population are unsafe. a love letter and an insult.

Government: Interestingly, although Melodians have very clear national identities, they have very little concept of borders.
Each of the Clefs exists in a number of enclaves scattered across three continents. As such, local government is very much the
norm. Notable exceptions are the highly militaristic Trouble Clef, a dictatorship, and the secretive Altern Clef, which appears to
be led by a council of Elders.

Infrastructure: Within built up and technologically advanced areas, there are excellent transport systems in place. However,
most Melodians rely on personal vehicles (both ground and air) or, failing that, their own two feet.

Getting There and Back: Since the Ariaverse is in the Unreal realms, passage can be bartered from the Cuckoos that frequent
the area. In fact, you are likely to meet many Melodian Birds if you spend any time with the convoy, and several former Cuckoos
have settled on Melodia. Unfortunately, the recent actions of one such Cuckoo endangered the very existence of the Ariaverse,
so you will have to be very persuasive for the Nightingales to let you in.

When to go: Due to its highly elliptical orbit, Melodia is prone to extremes of temperature and climate. During its summer
phase, it can be nigh on tropical, while the winters could be mistaken for mini ice ages. Decide whether you want to ski or
sunbathe.

Where to stay: There are a number of major cities and cultural centres on Melodia, perhaps the most significant of which is the
Trouble Clef mega-city of Sopranopolis. Sopranopolis also constitutes the only defined national zone on Melodia, the closest
thing to what some might call a ‘country’. Other significant centres include the Brace Clef cities of Four-Four and Six-Eight, and
the Altern Clef city, Drakencoda.

What to see: The hanging village of Trill is a must-see, although only masters of the Altern Clef art of String-ja can gain access.
The Tremor Clef is deeply spiritual in nature and the mountaintop temple complex of Arpeggia boasts a monastic atmosphere
and some spectacular views. Environmentalists may wish to visit the vast forests of Nocturne, although this is only recommended
for the most experienced of travellers. Remember that the current unrest may limit travel in many areas.

Politics: The four Clefs have existed as they currently appear for many centuries but the recent history of Melodia has been
tumultuous. In the past few decades, the Trouble Clef has gone from a scattered tribal community to a vast military-industrial
complex. Having united all of the ancestral lands, dictator Lars Troubleclef has turned his attention to the areas occupied by
the other three Clefs. He is basing his right to rule on the ancient Melodian myth of the Soloist. He claims that as the Soloist, it is
his duty to unite the world and lead it forward into a new age. However, since the majority of Melodians left the legends of the
Soloists behind long ago, they are understandably unwilling to accept this new world order. The resulting world war has, so far,
been very one-sided, with the Trouble Clef launching surprise attacks on Four-Four, Trill and the outlying villages of the Tremor
Clef. The situation was not helped by the strange events of the last summer, when a mysterious hole appeared in the sky above
the Colla Parte mountains. The phenomenon was short lived, but reports say that the mountains have changed shape since,
presumably due to some seismic activity.

NEXT ISSUE: Slipstream guides you through the dizzying heights of the Aeroverse from Cuckoos Issue 1!
 BIG PUNCH
T O W E R
Joseph left us speechless
when he came to MCM
London dressed at Zach
from 7STRING!

We had an awesome show at

MCM in London. Check out
our table, as modelled by the
fabulous Jon Lock.
Below, Nich gets carried away
whilst explaining the wonders
of the Extraverse.

We gave away
plenty of BPM taster
comics on Free
Comic Book Day!
Thanks to Komix!
in Melksham, Proud
Lion in Cheltenham,
and Atomic Comics &
Games in Yeovil.
GET IN TOUCH!
Did you enjoy your latest issue of
BPM? If so, Cat & Meringue would
You awesome Punchbags love to hear from you! Feel free to
have been sending us your contact Big Punch Studios via email,
BPM pics! Special thanks or through our website, Twitter or
to Phil (pictured), Shaun, Facebook pages, and the fearless
Pete, Ben and Jack! feline and daring dessert will answer
your questions here, direct from Big
Punch Tower! See you in Issue 3,
Punchbags!
bigpunchstudios@gmail.com

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@BigPunchStudios

www.BigPunchStudios.com