Stan Pitt Science Fiction Illustration

 

Selection of Stanley Pitt Science Fiction Illustrations for Thrills Incorporated and Novel covers.

Stanley Pitt Sci-Fi Novel Covers.

Examples of Stanley & Reginald Pitt's story Only Skin Deep for Boris Karloff's Tales of Mystery #33.

Comics in Australian Advertising 1930's - 1940's Part Two

Part two of an irregular series showcasing comics in Australian advertising from the Australian Woman's Weekly circa 1930's and 1940's. Although uncredited it's quite possible the artists of these worked on comic books, illustration and commercial art as many artists of this era did.

Comic in Australian Advertising Part One.

  

 

Source: http://trove.nla.gov.au/

David C. Mahler Interview

 

One of my highlights of last year was publishing Deep Park by David C Mahler. The process of putting together Deep Park with David was a great learning experience and I was really happy with the finished work. David is a crazy hard working cartoonist and though I've mentioned he'll get snapped up by some other industry that will pay him handsomely for his talent, I admire his steadfast dedication to making comics.
 

David Mahler's 2013 published output of comics and contributions to magazines and anthologies.

Buy David C Mahler's comics from his online store.

For new comics follow David's tumblr.

The following is excerpted from a series of cartoonist interview zines, with the first one focused on David's work launching at the annual Sticky Institute zine fair, Melbourne Town Hall, Feb 9th.


What got you interested in making comics?
Growing up in Canada I'd get a new Archie comic every time I went shopping with mum. These were the first comics I ever read, and they left a huge impact on. When I moved to Belgium at age seven I delved into the immense Franco-Belgian catalogue, another huge impression. I'd draw comics with a friend of mine, just weird crap like various ways the teletubbies could die, and a superhero made out of bubblegum, and a dramedy about a community of ants (no joke, soz DeForge). When I finally came to Australia at age ten I went from Marvel/DC to manga to alternative and underground comics, all of which presented their own influences. The combination of words with images is surely what drew me to the medium - the meeting and symbiosis of two crafts is just such a powerful form of expression and storytelling, I really think it's the pinnacle.

I occasionally wonder as to why I draw comics…I've come to the conclusion that I simply want to tell stories, stories that affect people in the way the comics of my childhood and youth affected and shaped me. Maybe a comic of mine makes you happy, maybe it makes you sad or contemplative or confused or excited. If I make you feel something then I have achieved my purpose and that is just the most blissful concept for me as a creator.

I think it's incredible how fictional characters can truly affect our lives and how we grow up, who we become. As a boy I learned from Archie, I learned from Tintin. It sounds silly, but if we think back to our childhoods and the books, movies etc that left an impression on us I think everyone would realise that their personalities are the direct results of factors such as fictional characters. So maybe I also draw comics to shape people, to foster them through the guise of entertainment. Shit, this got kind of deep, sorry. Ha, it got 'deep park'.

How long was Deep Park in gestation and what inspired the theme park setting?

I had a seriously intense creative period at the start of this year. All of a sudden I was writing about twenty stories at once, it was really exciting. When you proposed that I draw something for Pikitia Press I decided to sit down and choose the story I would work on to completion. I changed my mind about five times, but eventually realised that a few stories could be merged together to create a manageable, fun, and, in my naive mind, respectable narrative.

Deep Park was originally going to take place in a large Central Park style park in the burbs. I wanted to create a story that weaved together a bunch of seemingly independent narratives to create a larger story, a concept I carried out to the final draft. The shift of setting to a theme park was really serendipitous, a bunch of things came together almost simultaneously - first of all, I came to terms with the fact that the park idea just didn't present enough opportunities for interesting scenarios…at the same time I came across these bizarre Disney theme park 'documentaries' on the Lifestyle Channel, ha ha. They were basically just long advertisements that explored the history and lesser known sides of the various parks, but they were imbued with this sort of magic that made everything seem so awe-inspiring and beautiful. I found them all on youtube and would just get blazed and freaking dream of going to Disney Land!

I started youtubing ride throughs, these videos where people just film a roller coaster ride from the front seat. So you're just riding a roller coaster but you're not, it's kind of depressing in a lot of ways. I started 'researching' and found this whole culture surrounding ride throughs, people who travel countries purely to ride roller coasters, they're obsessed. To them, these rides are Nirvana. What a concept. Weirded out but fascinated, I kept looking - I found some ride throughs from a theme park/water park that my friends and I would go to in Belgium. I almost cried when I watched the videos as all these memories came flooding back…but then I started to look on the edges of the screen, the parts you're not meant to focus on. Chipping paint, scaffolding, plywood. How fucking depressing! I finally, FINALLY woke up to the truth that these theme parks are just cultivated, false happiness. Disney isn't a world of wonder. It's a fucking complex of spit and polished facades with people dressed up to make you feel happy and forget about reality. It's bonkers, man. It's so, so weird. How did humanity get to this? How can we smile with glee and child-like wonder as we're rolled along the It's a Small World Ride? Take away the paint and bright colours and you're sitting in a dark warehouse, in a cold metal box looking at rotating statues and gears. That's freaky.

Originally Deep Park was going to be a standard US size comic, what inspired the change of format?

Artistic integrity, purely. Originally each page was a twelve panel grid. I wanted to fit so, so much into this book but couldn't be bother drawing more than 28 pages. Thus, I just condensed everything and told myself it'd be fine. I showed my dad a few finished pages and he just said this is a mess and I can't read it. He was right, but I couldn't accept it, I just called him old…finally about three days from the deadline I realised that this comic I'd been working so hard on was a mess and I couldn't read it. Breaking the pages in half (with some panel re-arranging) was the smartest move I could've made, I really dodged a bullet and learned some massive lessons about page composition, pacing, word placement etc. So thanks dad.

2013 in Review: Andrew Fulton

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2013?

I think my highlight of 2013 was putting together the new round of the Minicomic of the Month Club - the response to that has been great - we got a whole bunch of new subscribers on, and a lot of those I think from people that aren't normally "comics people". Even having a goofy picture of me in the paper didn't take the shine off.

Also getting up to Sydney for the Graphic festival - especially seeing people get up and perform their work as part of the Radio With Pictures show, that was a Good Time.

What are some of the comics/cartoonists you've enjoyed in 2013?

I'm pretty terrible at remembering when things come out, so this are really just things I can vaguely remember from recently. Sorry to everyone who made something I really liked that I can't see from my desk.

I've been really enjoying getting my Oily subscription in the mail, that's always a fun envelope to see. There was one from Nick Drnaso I liked, and Real Rap was funny. Also Pete Toms and Connor Willumsen. And I got some stuff from Peow studios in Sweden, some real nice printmakerly stuff with some spaceships. I keep picking up these Joe Lambert minis I have. Um. *looks at tumblr* Alex Schubert. Pat Grant. Ben Juers. Domitille Collardey. Lisa Hanawalt. Neil Sanders' weird dudes on Instagram. I liked Blood & Thunder as a thing, loved Lachlan Conn's piece in it. Steven Weissman. David King. Sams Wallman and Alden

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2013?  

I got a new dayjob, but there's no interesting story there. Also I'm enjoying watching my kid play in U10s basketball waaay more than I thought I would.

What are you looking forward to in 2014?

2013's been a pretty slow year, I'm looking forward to maybe dragging myself out of this slump I'm in right now and getting some drawing done. Maybe some mince pies will sort me out?

mumblier.com/

2013 in Review: Owen Heitmann

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2013?

Every published story is a thrill, but I was particularly pleased to have my story 'Doing The Harry Holt' included in the anthology Unknown Origins & Untimely Ends: A Collection of Unsolved Mysteries (Hic & Hoc Publications).

 

It's also been great fun to organise Comics With Friends And Strangers (a monthly meeting for like-minded folk in Adelaide who enjoy drawing comics), together with my girlfriend, Gina Chadderton (a talented cartoonist herself). Cartooning can be a solitary business, but I find it a refreshing change to create in a group atmosphere, and it's also been wonderful to meet up with other local artists, many of whom I wasn't aware of before.

 

And, of course, it was an honour to be asked to write the introduction to Dillon Naylor's Da 'n' Dill: The Showbag Years.

What are some of the comics/cartoonists you've enjoyed in 2013?

There have been a lot! I'm sure I'll forget some, but... cartoonists I've just discovered this year have included Vera Brosgol (Anya's Ghost), MK Reed and Jonathan Hill (Americus) and Garen Ewing (The Adventures of Julius Chancer). I knew of Walt Kelly already, but only just read his Our Gang stories, and enjoyed them a lot. Old favourites I've continued to devour include Floyd Gottfredson (thanks to Fantagraphics' Mickey Mouse reprints), Caanan Grall (Max Overacts) and Trudy Cooper (Oglaf)... but really, there's too many to mention! Being in a relationship with a cartoonist also means I get lots of amazing comics drawn for or about me, and those are really top of the list.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2013? 

I was stoked to finally see Weezer play live, after having been a fan for more than half my life. I also remain addicted to golden age radio plays. 

What are you looking forward to in 2014?

Fantagraphics beginning their Don Rosa Library reprint series of his Donald Duck and Uncle $crooge comics. And maybe buying a house, if I don't spent all my money on comics.

24hourcynic.com/

2013 in Review: Justin Randall

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2013?

Seeing the first French translation of my work.

What are some of the comics/cartoonists you've enjoyed in 2013?

The Maxx & Jim Woodring.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2013?