ROK AND A HARD PLACE COMPETITION WINNERS!

ROK Comics is pleased to announce that the winner of its 2008 ROK and A Hard Place Competition, run in association with the Birmingham International Comic Show, is British comics artist Ian Stacey.

Ian's entry, titled 'Noah and A Hard Place' was a stand out winner for the BICS team and wins him a Nokia 95 mobile worth almost £500.

The BICS judges also spoke highly of John Maybury's 'SpaceBabe' entry and Ian Stacey's other shortlisted entry, 'Crossroads and A Hard Place'.

'The Noah strips works on every level,' felt James Broxton, who judged winners from a high quality shortlist along with indie comics distributor Shane Chebsey, owner of Smallzone. 'It's a nice job, and Ian is a deserved winner.'

'It's fantastic news,' said Ian on learning of his win, 'Thank you very much and thanks also for finding my work a new home.'

Freelance cartoonist and illustrator Ian Stacey had already won high acclaim for his ongoing strip Wet Paint before taking the plunge and bringing it to ROK Comics for web and mobile distribution. 'There's some very funny material that made me laugh out loud,' says Monty Python team member Terry Jones, while top comic creator Alan Grant has described Ian as 'an exceptionally funny cartoonist.'

'He aims at just about every target under the sun, from genetic modification to Batman, and hits the mark in every case.'

Ian recently began offering a collection of many of his Wet Paint cartoons for sale via his web site www.ianstacey.net, with all proceeds going to the Big Issue Foundation.

'When we first discussed the idea of a competition to tie in with BICS we were determined to stretch comic creators from the get go,' says ROK Comics Managing Editor John Freeman. 'The cartoonists rose to the challenge, with some great entries.'

'We wanted comics with someone telling the story of a difficult choice they've had to make in their life,' said Shane. 'It certainly makes a change from superheroes, and makes compelling reading.'