This week's Illustration Friday topic is a lot of fun - "Robot"! I almost missed it.

The one that sprang to mind for me was a little robot from a 4 page Moth and Tanuki story that appeared in Mania magazine, back in 2007.

Here's the final page only - I think it makes sense on its own - just imagine a mystery package being left on a train and the right robot being deployed for the job.

Labels: Illustration Friday, Mania, Moth and Tanuki, saxophones

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

The Mania Summer Special is out now. This one contains Moth & Tanuki's final colour adventure.

I really liked this episode until I discovered a really stupid typo in it (why are these things only visible in print?). This Christmas story is a nice place to leave the series (if there can be such a thing - it wasn't my decision). The cheapskates out there can read this one in the shop, as it's not sealed in a plastic bag :) .

I don't know if I'll anthologise the M&T stories. I haven't ever done that with anything else (Maelstrom, Busker Jim, Riffin' to Oblivion, Children of the Moon, etc.) and don't really see a reason to start now, particularly as colour printing is expensive and I'm not familiar with any layout programs.

There's the second part of a black-and-white M&T story still to come in OzTaku, but nothing more after that. Actually, I haven't drawn anything since I finished Moth & Tanuki and I don't know if I'm missing it that much.

Labels: Mania, Moth and Tanuki, OzTAKU

It's Mania time again with issue #79 December 2007, out now, featuring the penultimate episode of Moth & Tanuki. Mania gets a bit previous this time of year, with the November issue off sale before the end of October to make way for this December issue. However, that means that this isn't quite the end for Moth & Tanuki. The next issue, the Summer Special, will feature the last episode.

This one stars Tanuki in a weird, non-crime fighting vignette about bizarre worship. That begins to cover another aspect of Tanuki that I've been gradually developing (also in OzTaku). He both is and isn't what he appears to be. Pastel colours this time, after last month's bright primaries.

I'm really happy with these last few stories - the M&T world has expanded considerably and the gags are much tighter. Had the series continued I would have brought back one or two earlier characters, and I do think the next four were the best scripts I've ever written. The next (and final) one will star Mothy - it's about her turn!

Labels: Mania, Moth and Tanuki

The latest Mania, #78 November 2007, is out now (cover pic shows the foil bag the issue comes in), featuring the latest episode of Moth & Tanuki.

The page shown above is page 2 of Kart Attack, which wasn't an easy episode to draw (but one of the funniest so far, so I had to do it :)). Todd, the kid in the red hat from previous episodes, is sick with chicken-pox, so Tanuki stands in for him in a Kart race. Actually, I reckon I could have got about 10 pages out of this material, but it's a very tight 4 pager.

The artwork involved lots of shifts of perspective, "jump cuts," closeups and distance shots, several crowd scenes and the use of layers (for eyes looking through visors and reflections). Once I got the print issue, I did my usual scouring for mistakes - I was worried some of those car numbers would be hanging in space the way I placed them before I lined them up with the art - but the only one I found was something I'm not sure I want to change anyway :).

As this story is full on cartoony and over the top, I thought I'd go for something much more character-based with the next episode. Also, I went for bright primary colours this time, so the next one is pastel-shaded to reflect the change of pace. I'm still enjoying this series a lot, and try to let the stories go wherever Moth & Tanuki want to take them.

Labels: Mania, Moth and Tanuki

The latest Mania, #77 October 2007, is out now.

This time I thought I'd feature a different page from the story - this is page 3. The gag grew through a number of drafts and it still works as a 2 pager without the last two pages.

The 4 page version has a good ending but left room for me to play around with the middle of the story. For that reason, I could really space the panelling out on this page, even to having room to draw Moth and Tanuki whole and letting the backgrounds drop away to become backdrops. The dialogue reveals some of the dynamics of Moth and Tanuki's supportive codependency (something usually lost in the rush of the story). My major reservation was having large areas of flat colour - even though I matched it a bit on the facing page - but the pages came out really nicely in print.

My main principle with M&T is no rules. If the story needs to work a particular way, visually or narratively, that's where I want to go with it. However, while this one is a downbeat story, it came out so well visually that it may influence how I do similarly paced future tales.

Labels: Mania, Moth and Tanuki

The latest Mania, #76 September 2007, is out now.

I thought the subject matter of this one might be a little edgy, but the basic idea is actually based on a true anecdote I heard someone tell recently.

Who you gonna call?...

Labels: Mania, Moth and Tanuki

Also in Mania, #75 (out now) are The Ratty Things in their 5 page debut, as an extra comic (along with Moth & Tanuki - see below). I put a few panels from the original version of this story up for the topic of Run for Illustration Friday last year, but here's all of page 2, which serves as a reasonable introduction to their world.



I like the idea of there being an underground mammalian sub-culture happening through the Ages of the Dinosaurs. I have played a bit fast and loose with some elements in this story, but I may tighten this up in future, if I do more RT stories.

Of course, they're not really rats, but some other sort of primitive mammals. Maybe they're multi-tuberculates (though they became extinct, so possibly not), but you've gotta admit "The Ratty Things" is way catchier than "The Multi-Tuberculates" :).

They're not without friends in this world though...







The original 4 page version of this story (which has a totally different ending) was done as flip comic for Adam Gunn (of Camel Comix)'s anthro anthology - a project later abandoned. Here's a cover picture that Gunny drew of them - I reckon he captures the essence and energy of this strip, which I intended to be a bit like a Saturday morning cartoon in comic form.

I'd like to do some more Ratty Things at some point! So this month's Mania 9 pages of my stuff in it, which is more than I've had in most pure comic anthologies I've been in, and it's in colour - please consider!

Labels: Mania, Mania August 2007, Ratty Things

This month there's 9 pages of my comics in the current issue of Mania, #75, August 2007 - the regulars, Moth & Tanuki, in a 4 pager, plus another 5 page comic! More on that in the next post. If you like my comics and haven't bought Mania before, this one's a good place to start!




This episode of "Moth & Tanuki" kicks off with a familiar setting - Mothy's father's Invention Room - though evidently some time has passed between this and the last time it appeared (actually in OzTaku #1.2, which has also recently come out).

Yep, here comes that kid again - some people never learn! I'm trying to work him in every third or fourth episode as he brings something different to the strip. He's in the one I'm currently working on, which is different to anything I've ever drawn before and he even gets a name!







Here's a quick throwaway panel from this same story, which I'll elaborate on in another post. I imagine a lot of people (in Australia) fondly remember cereal toys.

But wait, there's more...

Labels: Cereal toys, Mania, Mania August 2007, Moth and Tanuki

The July 2007 issue of Mania, #74 is out now.

Seeing this in print was a revelation - I'd experimented with the colour scheme quite a bit this time, going for more pastel shades. While I was working on it I got dissatisfied with the look and was concerned it might not work, but it did! The colour scheme was partly necessitated by featuring lots of browns and purples for animal and evening shades.

My working title for this episode was "A Ferret to Remember" but everyone I mentioned this to hated it :). This title is much better. Again, I'm happy with the way it came out - a decent story and a good gag, with room for both Moth and Tanuki to do things.

There may be a bonus coming up in the next Mania.

Labels: Mania, Moth and Tanuki

The June 2007 issue of Mania, #73 is out now, with Moth & Tanuki into their eighth colour adventure.

I'm completely happy with the way the story in this one worked out - good characters, a nice plot that includes a crime, some comic action and a decent gag to finish with. I don't ever want to get into formulaic work but, if I did, this could be a good episode to model on. There's no superheroey stuff this time though. There is one mistake (I'm including one each episode to check if you're awake :)) - they're only ever visible in print!



Relating to yesterday's post, Busker Jim and his dog put in a minor guest appearance - it seemed natural to include them, given the Dog Training School context. I don't consider any of my past characters completely done with - they're still around, just not currently being actively cast in things. This is the second time I've referenced an old strip in Moth & Tanuki - the earlier one was a Maelstrom reference (as seen in my Illustration Friday Invention pic.

Labels: Busker Jim, Mania, Moth and Tanuki

The May 2007 issue of Mania, #72 is out now. Moth & Tanuki are up to their fifth issue appearing in this magazine (and their seventh episode).

This time I thought I'd post a whole page as a teaser. This is an episode I drew over Summer, when it was still hot (and actually before the shark scare at Phillip Island). I had worried about the timing with going to press, but global warming has ensured that it's still unseasoningly hot and beachy right now.

Tanuki puts in an appearance on the cover, with a bit of recaptioning (which made me LOL when I noticed it). The cover has a lot happening - click on the pic if you want to see a larger version.

OzTaku also did a bit of creative M&T recaptioning in #1.3 (in the previews for next issue). There was a thread on a forum a few years ago where people started doing this with a pencilled M&T page I'd posted - they do seem to lend themselves to it. Maybe I should post an uncaptioned page here some time :).

Labels: Mania, Moth and Tanuki

The April issue of Mania, #71, is now out, featuring a story with Tanuki effectively going solo. It also brings back that boy from Sk8brd Tanuki, so he's now an ongoing character for this series.

The concept for this one is pretty straightforward. It was an interesting process, because the story started life as a one pager (which I never finished inking), then I rescripted it as a two pager, and it finished up as four pages. While it's fairly simple, I think the final result is the ideal length.

Of course, I made one minor mistake in the finishing stages, but most people I've showed this to can't spot it. No matter how hard you scour printouts of your story before submission, some minor thing seems to get through. I used to wonder why other people let this happen - now I know :).

This is the brightest colour scheme I've used in print yet, centred around almost primaries. I was overjoyed with the result - it practically glows in the magazine. This isn't to say I'll always work similarly. The boy character usually requires a red of some sort for consistency (on his hat), whereas I often work in a palette that excludes reds.

I'm playing around with colour schemes a lot in these episodes. The one I'm currently working on is much more subdued - I wasn't even sure I liked it until I started placing the colours on the pages.

The little purple guy in the pic at left is the same robot seen floating in the bath in OzTaku #1.2, so possibly another ongoing character...

Labels: Mania, Moth and Tanuki

The new issue of Mania magazine (#70, Mar. 2007) is out, featuring, Going Bananas, the first 4 page colour adventure for Moth & Tanuki!

This episode takes a different spin on the duo, using them to bookend what is essentially someone else's story. The timing wasn't ideal, as the great Australian banana famine ended between the time I submitted this strip and it seeing print, which wasn't that long, so hopefully it's still fresh in people's minds.

So, who would find a truckload of bananas just too tempting? I don't know if I'll reprise this character at some point (I do have a backstory in mind), but there are plenty of other bizarre adventures in store.

Labels: Mania, Moth and Tanuki

This is a one page version of one of the 2 page strips that appeared in the February issue of Mania. That issue is now off sale as the March one is out, so more on that soon. It's probably the last of these one pagers I'll post, though another two were nearly completed, but uncoloured (they've also been reworked as longer pieces).

Labels: Mania, Moth and Tanuki

The new issue of Mania magazine (#69, Feb. 2007) is out - spot Tanuki on the cover!

Inside you'll find two more 2 page strips featuring Moth & Tanuki. These are a bit different in style, as I've grown into the format.

Both strips this time feature Mothy a bit more. Originally, I'd set up the stories to alternate featuring either Moth or Tanuki, but some necessary reshuffling of episodes has meant these two ran together.




There's always a balance between gag-based and character-based strips. I think this is pretty much one of each. The second one is probably a good indicator of the way ideas come about (regular readers of my blog will know where this one came from - see the pic above).

From here on, it'll be 4 page mini-epic stories, which is a great format to work with - there's scope for plenty of action and storytelling.

Labels: Mania, Moth and Tanuki

The new issue of Mania magazine #68 (Jan 2007) - featuring two 2 page Moth & Tanuki comics in colour - is out now! The two stories are an "Introduction" piece (about Blogging :)) and Sk8brd Tanuki.

It's fun introducing these characters all over again, to a completely new audience. I think, considering the younger age-group that the focus will tend to be more on Tanuki (than the Moth focus of the OzTaku black-and-white series). I've been pleasantly surprised by the popularity of these characters, but they bounce off each other nicely and they're capable of shifting between extreme humour, satire and pathos as needed.



Time-wise, the Mania colour strips all take place after the entire run of the OzTaku stories, so Moth & Tanuki are completely settled in her father's house, and established in their work and relationships with other characters. There's more of an ensemble feel to the Mania episodes, with a regular and recurring cast.

During the period I was trying out for Mania (who had rejected a different series I offered early last year), I did some of these stories in a one page form. I might put one up here a bit later - the 2 page (better and more complete) version appears in this issue of Mania (#68). One of the later ones even went from one (packed) page, to a two page script, to a four page episode that I'm currently working on.

Mania #68 is available now from all good newsagents and supermarkets in Australia...

Labels: Mania, Moth and Tanuki