This new book is a wonderful showcase for Australian comickers across a broad range of styles.  It's called Australia! and proceeds will help benefit Beyond Blue.

The artists and writers were invited to contribute by Oi, Oi, Oi! editor and ComicOz Publisher, Nat Karmichael.  The majority of the stories appear in full colour and the production values are the highest I've seen for an Australian book (it's also hardbound and complete with a dust jacket).

My own piece in the book is a four page story introducing "Drover Girl," a long time character in my stable who I haven't completed pages for until this point.  If you like horses and Australian historical stories, you might find something to like in this.

There are a few page samples for the book, including the full first page of "Drover Girl" at: The Comic Oz Store.

You'll also find a one pager, "10 Great Things About Penguins," illustrated by the legendary Paul Harris!  We go back a long way, to the Reverie days of the early '80s, so it's nice to finally have collaborated on a piece.  His style is as hilarious and inimitable as always.

Those two pieces should give some idea of the range in this book.  Personally, I think it's one of those big, essential Australian comic anthologies that come along only once in a while - well worth the purchase price for individuals or libraries with an interest in our local comicking.

As for whether there will be more Drover Girl, at this stage I can't say.  If the right magazine was willing to commission me (as in pay), I'd certainly consider producing this as a regular feature.

Labels: Australian comics, Comic anthologies, Dillon Naylor, Drover Girl, Miscellaneous comic pieces, Reverie

These are the covers for the two Tango With Orangos books, published by Melbourne Comics to benefit Project Orangutan. They are superb!

My one-page piece, Treetops, features in both, but I strongly recommend the complete Deluxe edition, for the range of material included. While the Indiegogo campaign finished back in July, both are available here.

Labels: Australian comics, Comic anthologies

This week's topic for Illustration Friday is "Mermaid."

The picture here was a wraparound cover I drew for the third issue of Australian music comic The Ink, back in 2006.

There is a wordless comic story to accompany this cover illustration.  I developed that a few years back for submission to a large format, hand-printed Australian comic, with the idea of finishing it in the same two colours. As I never received a response from them, I didn't bother completing it, but I have been looking at it again. It may be another piece I complete toward my potential big anthology book.

Labels: Comic anthologies, Illustration Friday

I have a 3 page comic in the latest issue of Oi Oi Oi! magazine - issue #5.

This is apparently a special issue and won't be distributed through newsagents, but is available as part of a four issue subscription from the ComicOz Store.

However, if you can make it to the Childers Festival this weekend, you can pick up a copy for $5.00 (Childers is a Queensland town 40 SW of Bundaberg, 2.5 hours North of Noosa and 3.5 hours North of Brisbane).

The issue consists of  stories by Alisha Jade, David Piper and myself, with cover art by Chiara Arena (with help from Ryan McDonald-Smith).

My piece... well, more on that later, but if you like Australian Heidelberg School art, or Frederick McCubbin in particular, you may well enjoy this.

Labels: Australian comics, Comic anthologies

The new big, anthro comic Hush (issue #3 in the Funny Aminals series), edited by Bryan Stone and Jeff Lok, is full of wonderful, surreal, completely wordless animal comics. My one pager featuring Wuf can be found tailgunning right at the back!

It's available here.

















I'm increasingly drawn to this form of storytelling in comics, maybe partly because I'm tired of drawing borders and lettering word balloons, but also because there's something about this "silence" that lends itself to poignancy and strong visual characterisation.

Labels: Comic anthologies, Miscellaneous comic pieces

Lately, I've been thinking about the possibilities of putting together some work in compilations. I'm not keen to get back into any sort of self-publishing (having not missed it for the past several decades), but it'd be good to finish off some of this work for its own sake.

If I was to start putting books together, the most obvious first cab off the rank would be a Moth & Tanuki colour volume, collecting all the Mania episodes together, along with a few that didn't make it to the magazine, and one that subsequently appeared in Fist Full of Comics.

Although these ran as short funny 2-4 pagers, I always intended to do more episodes as "sequels" to some that appeared in the magazine, continuing stories or reprising popular characters. Here's a pencilled panel from one of those lost episodes.

Labels: Comic anthologies, Fist Full of Comics, Mania, Moth and Tanuki

Please click on pic for more information.

Labels: Comic anthologies, Miscellaneous comic pieces, Sketchbook

These days I don't get to conventions very often, but on Saturday I decided to check out Doujicon 4. One reason I like this trader and artist based comics convention is that it combines the local Western comics and manga/anime scenes better than any other. Also, it's small :).

 Best of all, the good people at OzTAKU have just released the OzTAKU Subsequence anthology, a compilation of manga tales from local (and some overseas artists), including the complete 16 page Moth & Tanuki story, Night of the Mothbots. I think it's one of my better efforts, and tells a substantial story that works as a standalone (so a good place to start).

The anthology itself is fantastic. Edited by Robet Eiva, it is in a digest-sized format familiar to manga readers (and pleasantly reminiscent of the underrated Xuan Xuan). With a catchy cover from Hollow Fields star Madeleine Rosca, it's full of fascinating stories in a wide variety of manga-related styles, along with short interviews. I really like this book - hope it gets the wide circulation it deserves!
Otherwise, I greatly enjoyed catching up with so many local comickers, new and old - talking to all these artists and writers, and picking up a stack of new books, is what I really enjoy at conventions. What really amazes (and pleases) me is just how many local female comics artists and writers were there - it's a good sign about the nature of our comics/manga scene here in Australia! I was knocked out by quite a few people's art, including getting to see some original pages (always a treat).

I'm feeling enthusiastic about the future of comic-making in Australia - it's never been more exciting!

Labels: Comic anthologies, Doujicon, Moth and Tanuki, OzTAKU, OzTAKU Subsequence

Labels: Australian comics, Comic anthologies, Tango, Tango Collection

The final issue of Fist Full of Comics volume 2 is out now, and I'm happy to have had work in all six issues of this revived Australian comics anthology. We need more books like this, for new comics artists to see their work in print and for established artists to feel free to play around freely with the form.

Feeling short of inspiration I went to my old lyrics book and found a short piece, "Coelacanth," from years ago, that adapted easily. As Owen (the editor) pointed out, the words and pictures complement each other and form a complete whole, unlike many poem comics, which merely illustrate the words. It's definitely my best effort in this form, although it was nice to have begun the tradition of poem comics appearing in the centre pages of FFoC. I had fun with this one, which is what comic making really should be about.

Labels: Australian comics, Comic anthologies, Fist Full of Comics

The theme for Tango9: Love & War certainly appears to have inspired, bringing out the best in Australia's comic writers and artists.

At 352 pages, this is the biggest Tango issue yet, and it has continued to become more book-like, now sporting a full colour cover and even bearing an ISBN (I wish more Australian anthologies would to this!).

My own 3 page piece, set (without specific mention) during the American Civil War, was difficult. This was a hard story to conceive, but even harder to work on. It was pleasing to hear Bernard mention in his speech at the double launch that other contributors were moved by the works they created, often struggling with deeply felt material (and it shows).

The story I chose to draw, "Nowhere to Hide," deals with the role of animals in war, surely a thankless task for even the most devoted among them, but often just resulting in extreme waste of life (but then war has always been about that). It also deals with the attitudes different people have to war itself.

For a while now, horses have been on my mind, so this story just told itself without much effort. While I researched it pretty thoroughly, I removed most specific references to keep the feel more general. I also (with Bernard's editorial encouragement) removed some wording, and probably should have removed more :).

While I don't like to single out favourites, some that struck me and have stayed with me (difficult among so much material) were Owen Heitmann's nuanced "Letter from home," Chris Downes' apparent true story "A Simple Act of Preservation" and Jessica and Grug's beautifully realised cartoon fantasy "Ellewin & Arlbard." I found myself returning repeatedly to the book, to discover new gems and revisit favourites.

It's a mighty book and highly recommended (for mature readers), both as a snapshot of Australian comics right now, but also as a classic anthology

Labels: Australian comics, Comic anthologies, Tango

Last night, The Tango Collection and Tango9: Love and War were both officially launched.

The turnout was remarkable, with quite a crowd braving the rain to huddle in the heat upstairs at Dante's in Fitzroy. The walls carried self-portraits and biographies of the contributing artists, so it was fun catching the backstory on people you found yourself chatting to (perhaps less so if they'd read yours :)). These are also included in the Collection.

Spendidly attired in white suit and panama hat, Tango editor Bernard Caleo gave an amazing and very entertaining heartfelt speech discussing the genesis of each book and thanking the many people involved in the creation and production of each. I'll discuss Tango9 in another post.

The Tango Collection strikes me as amazingly well-timed, and quite visionary on the part of Allen & Unwin. A number of local comic creators have had graphic novels published in recent years and many of them have short pieces in this compilation.

It's a big, thick book packed with so many of my favourite pieces from the series and exactly everything that a good comics anthology should be - this book is able to present such a fine collection by having ten years of fine material to select from. Great credit is due to Bernard Caleo, along with Erica Wagner and Elise Jones, for this care in selection.

The "Backword" explains in comic form Bernard’s original vision: he began the regular Tango comics anthology in 1997 as a forum for comic makers to have a go, with romance and all its meanings as the broad theme. With the emphasis on strong black-and-white art, these eclectic pieces have an immediacy and eloquence lacking in most mainstream comics, and are mostly aimed at a mature audience. As Dylan Horrocks says in his intuitive introduction (regarding why we do this), these are "small, secret stories that will slowly creep into your mind and haunt your dreams."

My piece in there is my one pager from last years "Love and Food," which was the only thing I drew last year, so it's heartening to find it at the beginning of this book. Maybe I should do more wordless pieces :).

This is a special and fun book, and one I hope that you will consider when buying presents!

Labels: Australian comics, Comic anthologies, Tango, Tango Collection

This one has been out for a little while - the latest Fist Full of Comics consists mainly of short one and two page stories - a strong issue with great variety.

My piece is a one pager that sprang into my head as I was finishing off a long, and somewhat depressing, piece for the next Tango (coming soon). Doing pieces that occur so spontaneously is about as fun as drawing comics can get.




The art was inspired by a '50s sensibility and '70s swapcard art, and also another major theme that's popular at the moment.

I worked with black and white and a single greytone, which is an approach I haven't used before. One of the best things about submitting to small press anthologies is that it gives you a chance to experiment and see the results in print - definitely something I'd encourage anyone to do, if you're thinking about starting off in comics!

Labels: Australian comics, Comic anthologies, Fist Full of Comics

Sticking to its regular bi-monthly schedule Fist Full of Comics #3 has been released. It's great to have an ongoing small press Australian anthology going at the moment, as the scene is pretty quiet of late.

I've been varying my contributions to this comic zine. Moth and Tanuki were begging for an outing, so here they are, back in glorious black and white in a 4 page story, "Comfortably Numbat," that I think is one of my better efforts. There are lots of Moth & Tanuki scripts waiting in the wings, so maybe I'll do this again, I'm not sure.

This time I've gone for total computer greytones, rather than using dotty screentones as I did in their OzTAKU appearances.This particular story has been completed in colour as well, just in case I ever do an anthology of all the short colour pieces that appeared in Mania

Although it's a satirical piece I reckon these characters could almost spin off into their own series :).

Labels: Comic anthologies, Fist Full of Comics, Moth and Tanuki

The second issue of Fist Full of Comics has just been released and it's evolving strongly, carrying the flag for Australia's independent comics anthology tradition.

As readers here will know, I've been watching the diminishing fortunes of Leadbeater's possum (mostly due to logging) for some time, and the devastating Marysville fire motivated me to produce a comics piece about the last Leadbeater's possum.

My aim was to create a flowing piece that reflected the feelings and disorientation of a fire survivor, without too much anthropomorphism. The comic page that resulted doesn't have any frames, but hopefully just draws the eye across it. The artwork was all completed in one day on 18th March. It was produced in an organic way using a lot of brushwork with some pen inking for the stark blacks, along with some pencil rubbing for the contrasting muted grey areas.

The status of Leadbeater's possum remains uncertain, though thankfully a few individuals have been found since I drew this piece. The IUCN is unlikely to upgrade its status for a while, though there can be little doubt that it should now be "Critically Endangered."

On Fist Full of Comics itself - I really enjoyed this eclectic issue, which is packed full of fine short pieces from a surprising range of Australian comic creators - nice to see so many of my favourites in there! I particularly like that the middle pages appear to have become a continuing spot for a poem/comic - in this case a beautiful moody piece by Catherine Brittle and Loren Morris. Only $3 - buy it now!

Labels: Australian comics, Australian wildlife, Comic anthologies, Fist Full of Comics, Leadbeater's possum

There may be life in the Australian anthology comic scene yet. I've always been a fan of past regional anthologies, such as Sporadic from Brisbane, Quasi from Canberra and Vacant Lot from Tasmania.

The irony is, I like these comics so much I tend to want to contribute to them (as with Sporadic), thus diluting the geographical aspect that is one of the attractions. When Owen Heitmann announced his intention of resurrecting the Adelaide comics anthology Fist Full of Comics (as appropriately suggested in his eye-catching front cover design, coloured by Loren Morris - see at left) - I had to submit something!

The first volume of Fist Full of Comics was from some years ago, helmed by David Milne, then Sarah Milne and Dan McGuiness (who are still present in this new issue). This new 24 pager features comics by about 10 local artists, along with a couple of text pieces to lend it some zineiness. It is currently available in Adelaide from Pulp Fiction Comics (34A King William St) or by mail order for $3 plus $1.50 postage from fistfullofcomics(at)gmail(dot)com.

The piece I submitted is a two pager, that happily ended up in the middle. This is a poem that I think has been misunderstood (and rejected) elsewhere in the past so I took the opportunity to revise some lines, particularly the end, to clarify its metaphorical aspects. While I've written a lot of songs, this particular piece was only ever really intended to be (not very good) poetry, and I think illustrating it has added something it needed :).

The art is a contrast of styles, between pure black-and-white linework and gritty textures for the tree itself, though all scanning was initially done in 2bit b&w. I think the result captures the look I was after.



I also knocked out a quick cover design, just in case :). This picture ended up on the back cover. The challenge was to design allowing for the required white border space - something I tried to integrate into the picture. I took the opportunity to experiment. I wanted to represent the concept, and work with flat colours and a limited palette towards a silkscreen print look. The basic design is a bit like a children's book illustration, but I tried to keep it mostly non-linear.

My one reservation about the anthology itself is that, due to the nature of the pieces, it necessarily has a MA (Mature Audience) rating, which means that the readership will be limited. This is often a problem for Australian comics - The Ink #2 copped this rating due to only one story, and a one pager at that. It was a fine piece, but meant that the issue (and the set) couldn't be sold so easily. Artists need a great deal of freedom, but this audience limiting factor is a dilemma for small-press works.

There is plenty to like in FFoC though, with Delta's A Brief Summary of Twilight being a particular favourite, and one piece I had to show to J, who really appreciated it!

If you're producing comics in Australia at the moment, I strongly recommend that you support this comic/zine and submit something - next issue submissions are required by the last week of March, for publication in early April - see guidelines. Go to it!

Labels: Australian comics, Comic anthologies, Fist Full of Comics

The latest volume of the ever fine Australian comics anthology Tango was released last week. This one is on the theme of "Love and Food" and includes a one pager by me. The roundup of Australian comic artists in the book is truly remarkable, with so many familiar - but unexpected names - along with some diverting new storytellers. It well reflects where Australian independent comics are now.

Mine is a wordless, short and sweet piece. The execution of the concept is probably a bit influenced by the bird and animal cartoons of the great English cartoonist (and designer of R&L cereal toys), Harry Hargreaves, though the content is rather different. Someday I'd like to do a proper write-up of Hargreaves, an amazing artist. My favourite version of The Wind in the Willows is illustrated by him.

And so this is Christmas. I haven't done a lot - the Tango piece being my only new comics work in 2008. It hasn't been a great year all in all, but I know I'm not alone in thinking this :).

Take care, all!

Labels: Australian comics, Cereal toys, Comic anthologies, Harry Hargreaves, Tango

The other day I was cleaning out stuff at my mother's house and found a copy of the first issue of Reverie. Kevin Patrick has written an excellent piece on this early Australian anthology comic - Reverie Remembered - originally written for Collectormania magazine. Thanks for the memories, Kev! I was happy to be a part of this widely distributed (but all too often overlooked) Australian comic of the early '80s. Gary Dellar did amazing things getting a disparate body of work neatly gathered in an ongoing anthology. His commitment was amazing, even to setting up his own press to print the later issues. This cover (featuring Maelstrom) is the one I did for no. 4. Kevin Patrick writes it up better than I could, so I highly recommend his review!

Labels: Australian comics, Comic anthologies, Maelstrom, Reverie

Here it finally is, The Ink #3, with my wraparound cover. Here's the original picture, and below you'll find a photo of the comic itself taken by Tonia Walden, who copublished this issue with me, and who has been absolutely invaluable in seeing it through to fruition (I totally recommend any of her other books as well).

Aaron Burgess of Comics Australia originally compiled the majority of the work in The Ink #3, along with the two previous issues, published under his FlatFly Media imprint, hence there are many conclusions of ongoing tales in here, as well as many fine standalone pieces.
Thanks to all who contributed!

Contents:
Cover - Ian C. Thomas
Front inner cover - Doug Holgate
Basic Wage Kids - Owen Heitmann
Riffin’ to Oblivion, Part 3 - Ian C. Thomas
Sasha’s Song, Part 2 - Troy Kealley
The Klaatu Controversy - Jeremy Macpherson
Hollow in “Birdie” - Aaron Burgess
B-Boy + Winston the Duck - Edward J. Grug III
The People You Meet - David Bird and Michael Nason
Isolation Room, Part 3 - Bobby Nenadovic
Songs for the Deaf and Stupid Present - Chris Wahl
What’s in a Name - Tonia Walden
Song So Uncertain - Liz Argall and Steve Martinez (/Fred Smith)
Resume - David Witteveen (/Dorothy Parker)
What’s New Pussycat? - Talitha Nonveiller
Missed Dreams - Hayden Fryer
Musical Giant - Michael Connolly
Citys Siren - Scott Johnson
Pied Piper - Gavin Thomson
Biffo (back inner cover) - Jase Harper

Contributor copies soon (if we have your address, otherwise, please email me).

Labels: Australian comics, Comic anthologies, Riffin' to Oblivion, The Ink

Aaar, here be Pirates, a thick (no, not like a plank!) mini comic, edited by Tonia Walden and with an excellent cover by Jase Harper.

This marvel can be bought for a mere $6 from the good people at Phase Two Comics. Inside you'll find space pirates, video pirates, fancy dress party pirates, dog pirates, disabled pirates, (non G-rated) teddy bear pirates and plenty of the more traditional sort.

Anyone who has been around here for a while will have already seen the first full page of my story, Over the Reef (that page is in the Archives here), so I'm not planning to feature anymore full pages... here's a couple of snippets though.

My inspiration was drawn from a couple of classic old Jeffrey Farnol novels - adventurous swashbuckling pirate yarns - thus the dedication on the first page. The style is a kind of romantic/realistic stark black and white look. I really like pure black and white. It's related to the way I drew Riffin' to Oblivion and it was fun and a bit of relief to be drawing in a completely non-Manga style again.

On the anthology itself: it's kind of a followup to Tonia's earlier two anthologies, Once Upon a Time and Eat Comics (which featured The Bunyip and the Whistling Kettle by me).

Most of the pieces in Pirates are short, humorous pastiches, with a few longer more dramatic stories thrown in for good measure (mine is a five pager). I think it's a balanced anthology with plenty of substance: a lot of different styles and, most pleasing of all, some unfamiliar Australian artists who don't usually appear in these books!

Labels: Australian comics, Comic anthologies, Miscellaneous comic pieces, Pirates