Matt Emery
What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2012?
Corresponding with folk around the world for research has been a lot of fun. Getting recollections from artists and writers that worked during the heyday of comics has been really interesting. Finding some new directions for my own comics outside of gag writing has been tough but revelatory.
Who are some of the comics creators that you've discovered and enjoyed for the first time in 2012?
This year or maybe last year I discovered James Davidson's work, great stuff. Also love what I've seen of Lauren Marriott's work. Ethan Rilly's Pope Hat's was a great read, I miss the days of indie pamphlet comics. Love what Chuck Forsman has been doing and the folks at Oily Comics.
I've been wading through Titan's reprint collections of English newspaper strip Modesty Blaise. The sole writer of 40 years of her adventures, Peter O'Donnell, sure knew how to put together tight serialised adventures with little regard for the PC conventions of today. I love these books, particularly New Zealand artist Neville Colvin's run on the strip, beautiful work. IDW's Library of American Comics keep producing gems with the Otto Soglow volume Cartoon Monarch a beautiful production of cartoons from yesteryear. I've long desired to join the secret cult Bushmiller society and fantagraphics reprints of Ernie Bushmiller's Nancy have been a great entry point. Still devouring the second Nancy volume, I see why this work is praised by a certain group of cartoonists.
Not particularly new to me as a creator but heck, new English translations of Tezuka's work from vertical and Digital manga. great stuff. Truly a golden age of reprints.
What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2012?
Been thumbing through several beat up paperbacks of short stories, Pierre Boulle, Philip k Dick, Vonnegut, J G Ballard, and a Playboy collection. New Dredd film was a long awaited thrill. Spending a week at the beach on the Gold Coast was very relaxing.
Have you implemented any significant changes to your working methods this year?
Spending more time on drafts and attempting some longer pieces.
What are you looking forward to in 2013?
Launching Paper Trail a magazine I'm editing about New Zealand and Australian comics. Traveling to some conventions in the States. Also very keen to see a few books about New Zealand comics in print that are in production for 2013.
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