Props to the Babes + Issue 7 Preview

MINIONS!

Long time no whitter!

It's been a crazy couple of months here at the Headquarters, what with finishing the calendar and putting together The Epic Issue 7 -- Issue 7 will from this day forward always be referred to as The Epic Issue 7 because it is going to be an incredible 60 advert-free pages -- as well as maintaining a very sensible "normal person" job and catching two kinds of flu, we are plum tuckered out!

So how on earth are we going to manage to fill 60 pages without publishing a single advertisement? Well, there's going to be a little of this...



and this...



and some of this...



a disproportionate amount of this...



as well as a buttload of reviews of some amazing new releases from Fat Wreck, Alternative Tentacles, and some other folks we love to hear from AND all of the regular features you know and love. We've got a completely thrilling interview with Austin Lucas, an introduction to Craig Jeffrey, The Exposed, 10 Minutes with Alexis from rockin' bespoke retailers Smarmy Clothes, and the long-awaited interview with the BWB calendar's Ms. March, musician, model, and all-around awesome chick, EnglanE.

*takes breath*

Wow!

Speaking of sexy things, thank you so much to all of you who helped with the 2011 Babes with Brains Calendar! We managed to raise £100 for Women's Aid, and given that this is our first calendar and we had no real publicity outside of the old FB, that's not too shabby. We're already getting volunteers to model for 2012 and I cannot WAIT to get started.

In other news, congratulations go out to our COTC columnist Jen Johnson and arch villain Keiran for getting married -- they had an awesomely weird, cupcake-filled, Rick-rolled (yes, really) wedding, and good times were had by all.

And we're also very sorry to have to extend condolences to the very same Jen (and her family) for the loss of her mother this week. We love you, dude.

And then there's Arizona. We've been glued to the newspapers all week since we heard about the shooting in Tucson and although it didn't directly affect anyone at the Headquarters or our vast network of contributors (as far as we know), we're thinking of the victims and wishing good things & fast recoveries for the wounded. Although it's true that it might not be completely fair to blame the actions of one obviously disturbed individual on anyone or anything, we sincerely hope that everybody (regardless of political persuasion) takes this as an opportunity to take a step back and stop being horrible to each other. Obama is not ruining the world, and all Republicans do not share the sentiments of Glenn Beck. Sometimes you've got to turn off Fox or MSNBC or whatever and just be nice to people. Is that too much to ask?

Probably.

Nevertheless, Fox news is issuing a "challenge" to all Americans via Glenn Beck to renounce all violence. Nice move. Too bad for them that, contrary to popular belief, not all Americans listen to Glenn Beck. If they really wanted to get through to people, they'd put it on the Simpsons.

Cardiff is relatively unaffected. It feels crazy to me that I'm here while all America continues to experience these crises. It's the kind of feeling you get when you don't personally experience a huge change but know that it happened -- did it really happen? If I go back, will everything be different?

Probably not. People don't change.

It's kind of comforting in a way.

Babes with Brains Calendar for Women's Aid

Have just updated the website with a pre-order link and a preview of our Babes with Brains Calendar for Women's aid. We have Women's Aid's official blessing and thank you, so we're good to go!

Our models have been chosen (the seven published cover girls and the next five) and we're trying to arrange another few photoshoots to get some new pictures for the occasion.

I'm going to re-post the info I posted to the website here, because it's important, and I'm just going to tell you the same thing, so:

Villains, Minions, Virgins of the Undead! The Antagonist is thrilled silly to present our 2011 Babes With Brains Calendar!

It's twelve months of full-colour, spiral-bound glory featuring twelve (and just maybe a top secret lucky #13) beautiful women chosen for their considerable intelligence and kindness of disposition!

All proceeds will be donated to Women's Aid to help them in their quest to end domestic violence.


Babes with Brains

Babes with Brains: a tongue-in-cheek title for an overdue concept. For those of you just joining us, the models featured on the covers and throughout the issues of The Antagonist are the Babes, women of all ages and walks of life chosen for their intelligence over their dress size, lovingly photographed in places and situations that are personal as they are playful. This project is attempting to show, one issue at a time, that all women are beautiful and that there is nothing sexier than a woman who can crush you with her mind (as if anyone needed convincing).

We've had the honour of photographing some incredible women over the past year and half, and now we're bringing them all together in a series of new pictures for a cause: to raise money for Women's Aid.

Domestic Violence is a serious problem that affects women, children, and men all over the world. One in four women in the UK alone will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. Women's Aid is a charity that strives to put an end to the violence, raising awareness and protecting the affected, saving countless lives in the process.

It's an important cause, and that's why we're donating all of the proceeds of the calendar to help them in their mission.

Some of the models you know, and some of them will be new to you. We have stunning previously unpublished photos of Kitty Moran, Elizabeth T, Jen Sheehan, Lisa Ray, Emily V, and Ophelia from Issues 1 - 6, as well as some new faces including the lovely Liz Wride, Kylie R of Issue 7, and a special guest appearance from our personal rock star, Englane Read (see above).

The calendars are full-colour, spiral bound, designed from scratch by the Editor and include noteable dates (Pagan, Christian, and Antagonistic!) all year round. They are available by pre-order only, and you must place your order by midnight GMT on the 5th of December. They will be shipped to you anywhere in the world from the Headquarters, hot off the presses, in time for Christmas (or Yule). You can get them on the website or from our Squid Shop.

For more on Women's Aid, click here.

We'd like to remember those affected by domestic violence in the calendar. If you have anyone you'd like mentioned, please contact us.

Submit to issue 7!

Issue 6 has been out for a week now and I've been getting some good feedback -- more than usual, anyway, and it's the kind I like. One nice man said when he read it he felt like he was on another planet (???), and I've got three new (excellent) writers. Yay!

It's already time to get started on Issue 7. I know because I dreamt in InDesign last night. You didn't know you could do that, did you? It was fairly technical, and I was laying out the music section. Some people have dreams about flying. I dream about fonts.

Anyway, a lot of the content for Issue 7 is already in and ready to go. To all of y'all out there who sent in your stuff -- thank you! We've got some great interviews with EnglanE, Craig Jeffrey, and The Exposed, a new short story by gonzo fictionalist Robin Ganderton, and far too many amazing pictures of Kylie to choose from. That's a pretty good start!

I still need any features, rants, reviews, fiction, poetry, pictures, obscenities, and anything else you want to send in. I need everything before the end of the month because I want to get this issue out EARLY! So if you've got something you'd like to see in it, send it over! As always, it's primaryantagonist@gmail.com.