John Byrne

Learn to Draw Comics is a new title in the successful Learn to Draw series of instructional step-by-step books for beginners. It covers the basic techniques of drawing comic strips and graphic stories in a lively and accessible way.

The comic book tales of Star Trek have roamed the universe and spannedpublishers, but now Star Trek: The Stardate Collection collects the manyiterations of Trek in order... by stardate! Helmed by Trek experts Scottand David Tipton, and featuring special commentary and creator interviews,volume 1 starts at the beginning to reveal the motives, machinations anddecisions that shaped the intrepid crew of the U. S. S. Enterprise. For new andold fans alike, there's never been a Star Trek collection likethis! Includes Star Trek: Crew issues #1-5, Star Trek Alien Spotlight:Vulcans, and Star Trek: Early Voyages #1-6

A range of DLC, Si-DLC, N-DLC and F-DLC films were prepared using PECVD with various film thicknesses (100-200) nm. The simplest amino acid "Glycine" is used as a model biological compound to investigate surface adsorption phenomena. Following exposure to solutions containing glycine, surface characteristic has been investigated by various techniques. XPS analysis showed the appearance of a new peak at 400 eV (N1s) and a change in the intensity of the C1s and O1s peaks. Both Raman and FTIR spectra showed bands related to functional groups of glycine. AFM analysis showed a change in surface roughness of the films with the ratio of rms values increasing following exposure to glycine. Changes in the surface energy of the films were observed following exposure to glycine with an increase in the surface tension. Based on the kinetic study, the adsorption process obeyed the pseudo first order rate of reaction, and both ∆G and ∆H results showed that the adsorption is spontaneous and exothermic. The Freundlich-Langmuir isotherm suggest that the attachment of glycine is non- uniform and multilayer.

Comedy has always been one of the most high-profile, glamorous and potentially lucrative markets for scriptwriters, but it is also perceived as one of the hardest. In the fourth edition of this highly regarded handbook, John Byrne breaks down the basics of writing comedy into simple steps and shows you how to make the most of your own comedy writing talent and - just as importantly - your ability to market that talent. Here is a wealth of practical advice both on how to get your career off the ground and how to keep developing it. Whether you are writing comedy routines, sketches or sitcoms, and aiming your work at the page, the stage or the ever-expanding world of broadcasting, you will find something in this book to encourage, inform and inspire you. As with any art form, the basics of good comedy never go out of fashion. While the easy steps in this book are illustrated with examples of work by classic comedians old and new, you will also find useful advice on developing and adapting your work for the twenty-first century market, whether your aim is to promote your work online or simply to keep your gags fresh and topical in a world where the news changes by the minute and gets flashed around the world in seconds.

If you were born to dance, but are having difficulty with the first steps to stardom, this is the book for you. From finding the right training to getting an agent, from performing in music videos to working on the West End stage, this is a down-to-earth source book of tips that will inspire and encourage beginners and help those already in the profession to take their careers to the next level. Combining years of experience with quotes and advice from many successful names in the business, the authors will help you discover, develop and market your own unique performance style and abilities. With sections on choosing a career path, handling auditions, promoting yourself and managing the business side of your career, this book contains everything you need to achieve your goals.

Spanning the 1950s to the 70s, the plays capture the rebellious mood of a post-war generation growing up to a backdrop of James Dean, Elvis, sharp-suited glamour, hope and despair. John Byrne takes the slab room he worked in and makes it pure theatre: the scams, the dreams, the aloof but gorgeous girl, the despair of life back home, the obligatory tormenting of the office 'weed', and the mandatory boy chat and pranks all help the day to pass. Phil and Spanky explode onto the stage in a classic vaudeville double-act. Now considered one of Scotland's defining literary works of the twentieth century, the Slab Boys Trilogy premiered at the Traverse back in the late 1970s and early 80s taking Scotland, then Britain, and then Broadway quickly by storm. The Traverse revived the Slab Boys Trilogy for the theatre's fortieth anniversary in November 2003.

Almost every writer, whether professional or beginner, has thought of a good sitcom idea at one time or another, but fleshing that idea out is a long and complicated process of character development, plotting, dialogue writing and rewriting and then putting the whole package together in a way that will attract producers. In this book, successful sitcom writers John Byrne and Marcus Powell break that process down into a series of easy to follow steps. With chapters devoted to concept, characters and plot through to proposals, commissioning and production, Writing Sitcoms covers every aspect needed for success in the UK.