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Writers Dan Abnett and Nik Vincent
Dan
After graduating from Oxford, Dan worked for a while as an editor of comics and children's books before turning to writing full time. In the dozen or so years since then, he has written for a diverse range of characters - including Superman, Star Trek, Conan the Barbarian, the X-Men, Johnny Bravo, Batman, Rupert the Bear, Dr. Who, Mr. Men, The Terminator and Postman Pat. He created the popular series Sinister Dexter, which he continues to write, along with other strips, for 2000 AD, and has recently helped rejuvenate the Legion of Superheroes for DC Comics, work that has resulted in a Harvey Award nomination. His writing for the Black Library, particularly the best-selling Gaunt's Ghosts and Inquisitor Eisenhorn novels has also been award-nominated recently.
Nik
After completing an honours degree in English and History in Scotland, Nik worked in advertising and magazine publishing before embarking on her main career as the mother of two daughters. When the girls started school she found herself at a loose end and spent more and more time sitting in the office reading, while Dan worked. Finally she could stand it no longer and started to write down some of her own ideas. Nik has written mainly for children for the last four years, including Bananas in Pyjamas, Thunderbirds Sesame Street, Scooby Doo and many other comics and short stories. She has also co-written a children's encyclopaedia of Dinosaurs as well as two fantasy novels, with Dan, for the Black Library imprint.
Their creative process
Dan and Nik live and work together in a Regency townhouse in Kent, England. When they collaborate, their first step in any project is the generation of ideas. That happens the traditional way - by talking. Questions like "what about?" and "then what?" are bandied around until ideas start to emerge. Then a list of possible starting points is drawn up and sent to the client. By the time the list is complete, it's pretty much impossible to know who came up with what. It's a real joint effort. The client then chooses his favorite idea and Nik sets about assembling and digesting the required research, often from resources that the client has supplied. From this, Nik produces a thorough brief they can both work from. Next they sit down to discuss each scene of the comic and prepare page breakdowns to be sent back to the client for comments. These are the equivalent of a thumbnail sketch of what will be dealt with on each page of the comic. When the client is happy that the comic will include everything he needs to say, either Dan or Nik writes a first draft. This first draft is checked and edited by the co-writer before it is sent back to the client for further comments. This process is then repeated until the client is happy with a final script, which is handed over to the artist.
Telescopic view
Nik particularly enjoys working for Telescope, because it satisfies her love of research and the pleasure she takes in structure. She is also able to exploit her knowledge of sales and marketing gleaned from years spent in advertising and publishing.
Dan has relished the Telescope challenge, which has allowed him to adapt his style of fiction writing into a form that can deliver specific information in ways that can be easily understood and remembered. His work as a school governor in the last two years has made him especially conscious of the mechanics of learning and development.
Telescope allows Dan and Nik to develop ideas from some of their favorite stories, King Arthur CEO is a case in point, where their knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject matter allows them to tell a much loved story in a new way, weaving in the elements required to do the job. Reinventing a character like Merlin is always amusing and seamlessly marrying the wisdom of his original character with the job he needs to do in this comic was a real pleasure.
Working with Anthony is also a huge bonus because he is both friend and colleague. His adaptability, graphic style and technical excellence combine to ensure that the artwork not only accomplishes its task, but is stunning into the bargain.
 Colourist Alan Craddock
I began reading and collecting US comics in the 60's. My first commercial work was a short SF comic strip in the 2000AD 1979 Sci fi special. That same year I signed up as an illustrator with an artist's agency and produced several hundred paintings in oils and acrylic over the next 15 years.
Other work includes video covers, magazine cover illustration, children's books (covers mainly), computer game covers. Lots of fantasy illustration including posters and 17 paintings for Merlin Publishing for their trading card series of Battle Cards.
I produced many paintings of superhero characters over that period, particularly for the Superheros monthly and annuals in the early 80's. In the early 90's I bought a Macintosh computer with a view to teaching myself to paint on the computer. With Angus Mckie, I met Dave Gibbons and he asked us to colour Martha Washington goes to War (written by Frank Miller). This was my opportunity to do what I always wanted to work in comics using my painting skills.
My comic work includes;
Action Man - Panini - '96/2002 ongoing monthly series
Spider- Man - Panini - '97/2002 ongoing monthly/bi-monthly series
Digimon in Wickid magazine - Panini - '2000/2002 ongoing monthly series
Tweenies - BBC ongoing monthly series
New secret project - BBC
Dr. Who - 42 weekly strips in the Radio Times
Cartoon Network and Lego promo material
Neil Gaiman's Mr. Hero - Tekno Comics 18 issues
Neil Gaiman's Wheel of Worlds - Tekno Comics 2 48 page specials
Martha Washington goes to War - Dark Horse - with Angus Mckie
Superman at Earth's End - DC Comics - 48 page
Elseworlds - with Angus Mckie
Marvel Portraits of a Universe - Marvel Comics US -
Fantastic Four illo
2000 AD, Judge Dredd Megazine + Rogue Trooper Special- Fleetway
Artist Anthony Williams (Ant)
 I've been stripping for fifteen years man and boy. Over the years, I've drawn numerous licensed characters from Barbie to Scooby Doo, and such icons as Superman and Spiderman. I produce illustrations for advertising and marketing for clients such as Time Warner, Virgin, Heineken and Burger King. I regularly create magazine and newspaper illustration for both the UK and US market and have had four children's books published. As well as being the head honcho of The Comic Stripper, my illustration business, I am the creative director of a UK based marketing and publishing company.
On the seventh day, I rest.
Inker Andy Lanning
 Since leaving art achool in 1986, Andy has worked on just about everyone of his childhood favorite comic characters: The Punisher, Batman, Superman, The Fantastic Four, Spiderman, The X-Men, Wonder Woman, Captain America, The Justice League of America, as well as many children's titles such as: Ghostbusters, Danger Mouse, Bear in the Big Blue House and others.
He is currently inking Wonder Woman, a Thing mini-series and the Legion of Superheroes (which he co-writes with one of Telescope's writers, Dan Abnett). All in all, he's very happy with his lot, even though for many years he's had to work with that old hack, Anthony Williams!
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