What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2012? I'm currently drawing the last two chapters of 'Sam Zabel & the
Magic Pen' volume 1, which is pure pleasure. Also: drawing a whole
lot of watercolour commissions earlier in the year; hanging out with
fellow NZ cartoonists Colin Wilson, Roger Langridge, Chris Slane,
Ben Stenbeck, Greg Broadmore and Rufus Dayglo in Italy and Germany.
Who are some of the comics creators that you've discovered and enjoyed for the
first time in 2012?
Auckland cartoonist Sarah Laing was recently awarded a six-month University of Auckland residency from the Micheal King Writers Centre to work on a graphic novel about Katherine Mansfield that is part-biography, part-memoir and part-fiction. Laing's comics have frequently appeared in Metro magazine and she is also a novelist, graphic designer and mother of three. A prolific output of auto-bio comics have featured on Laing's blog Let Me Be Frank in recent years. I asked her a few questions via email about her upcoming residency. Are you the first author to receive a Michael King Writers Centre residency to work on a cartooning project?
I'm
the first at the Michael King Writers Centre, but it's a joint
University of Auckland residency and I see that Dylan Horrocks was
awarded it in 2006: http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/dylanhorrocks
But yes, it's rare for a cartooning/graphic novel project to be chosen
for a residency! It's great that such a project is now being considered
a serious contender.
When
did you first experience Katherine Mansfield's writing?
Somebody
read me 'The Dolls' House' when I was in primary school and it all came
alive for me - she's such a visual writer; I can still picture
everything she described. I remember my grandmother telling us that
Mansfield's family, the Beauchamps, lived down the road from her family
when she was a child in Karori. My first writing prize was for a poem I
wrote in 7th form, called 'At the (York) Bay', after Mansfield's story. I
spent lots of summer holidays in Eastbourne as that's where my
grandmother and great aunts lived. Later I lived in a little lane off
Tinakori Road in Wellington, where Mansfield was born. My first
book published by Random House was a collection of short stories, and I
felt like I was following in a tradition established by her. She really
is still the most amazing short story writer, the way that she sets up a
scene and then disrupts it entirely. Her writing still feels very
contemporary.
Will your
project be purely comics or a combination of prose and cartooning?
This project will be a cartooning
one - a book-length graphic novel. Language does play a big part in my
comics though, and I will be working hard on that. There is so much of
the visual world to explore - Mansfield was stylish - she had that great
bob - and she lived in the 1920s and 1930s, and she hung out with all
the modernists and the Bloomsbury set (Virginia Woolf, D H Lawrence) She
pushed a whole lot of social boundaries, redefined literature, had
lesbian affairs, was the only writer that Virginia Woolf was jealous of.
She moved to France and Germany to try and cure her TB, but she died
young, at the age of 34. Recently I read Kiki of Montparnasse and I think graphic novels are such a great way of bringing historical figures to life.
What will your residency at the Writers Centre entail?
I
will be given a studio to work in at the top of Mt Victoria in
Devonport. It was built in the late 19th century, so I'm hoping it will
get me into the right era. Also I will have an office at the university
and access to the library, where I hope to read lots about Mansfield. I
think I might have to give lectures at the English department too, so
I'll be hustling comics and graphic novels.
Do you have a projected scope for the size of this project and when you'll complete it?
I'm
hoping it will take me no longer than a couple of years. But then I'm
still finishing an illustrated novel (to be published in July 2013) that
I started almost 4 years ago! I want to explore Mansfield's life, and
also I want to couple that with memoir, exploring how my own fascination
with her. I imagine that this will be a reasonably big book - 300 pages
maybe, and I want to do it all in inks and watercolour. I've recently
been reading Brecht Evans and I love his style and his way of story
telling. I'm also a fan of Joann Sfar and Vanessa Davis, who also use
watercolours a lot.
How was the experience of your short term residency at the Michael King Writers Centre in 2008?
It
was really great - it was just for 6 weeks but I really got to
concentrate. At the moment I work at home, on the dining room table, and
I have 3 kids, so when they're at home I have to clear everything away
or else they'll want to augment my art. The other thing that I've done
when I've been on residencies is minimise my internet access. I waste
such a lot of time! Then again, it's a brilliant resource for picture
references so I won't be able to cut myself off entirely.
You've indicated on your blog that you've had an interest in
doing a longer comics work for a while, did applying for the residency help
consolidate commencing this project or was it already underway?
I
thought this would be a good kind of project for a University
writer-in-residence - I'd have access to all the English department
expertise and a library full of books! I also had a lot of other ideas
jostling around - mostly memoir ideas. I still have a whole host of
short stories I want to draw in comic form - I'm hoping to get a few of
those started before the residency begins.
Dylan Horrocks' promotional illustration for Treviso Comic Book Festival 2012
Italy's Treviso Comic Book Festival 2012 was host to a New Zealand comics contingent with several New Zealand cartoonist's in attendance and various New Zealand comic events conducted during the festival.
New Zealand cartoonists congregate at Treviso. (photo courtesy Roger Langridge)
Sketching at Treviso, Greg Broadmore (Beard) Colin Wilson (Hat) Roger Langridge (Glasses). (Photo - Dylan Horrocks)
New Zealand comics exhibition (photos courtesy Roger Langridge)
Left To right: Rufus Dayglo, Alberto Corradi (Curator) Roger Langridge, Ben Stenbeck, Chris Slane, Dylan Horrocks, Greg Broadmore, Colin Wilson.(Photo - Treviso Comic Book Festival Facebook)
The New Zealand comics exhibition is featured in Treviso Comic Book Festival Facebook Galleries here and here.
Irish cartoonist and one-time Wellington resident Rufus Dayglo blogged about Treviso here and here.
Tank Girl sketch by Rufus Dayglo
New Zealand comics panel (Photo - Black Velvet Editice)
The Frankfurt Bookfair starts today with New Zealand comics amongst the New Zealand literary presence with Dylan Horrocks, Colin Wilson and Roger Langridge in attendance and dozens of New Zealand comics and graphic novels on display in the comic zone for prospective foreign publishers. New Zealand is the Guest of Honour at this years Bookfair providing an exposure and opportunities for a worldwide audience.
Greg Broadmore
Greg Broadmore writes about New Zealand comics for Bookfair blog here. (Chris at the last remaining Mark One store in the land in Hamilton is a very nice man just perhaps a bit cautious, comics retail ain't an easy business these days.)
Dylan Horrocks' 100 page guide to contemporary New Zealand Comics and Graphic Novels is being distributed at Treviso and Frankfurt and is available for download here.
Had to take a break from the Paper Trail over the last few weeks for travelling, editing work, bereavements, and REAL LIFE...
Here is a summary of the entire Internet: The big Pikitia Press news is the release of our new comic Peter Foster's adaptation of For The Term of His Natural Life this Sunday at the Melbourne Writers Festival: Facebook it here.
This Saturday is host to another comics event in Melbourne, capital comics city of Australia. Exhibitchin’! is the title of Squishface Studios latest effort to get comics into everybodies lives. As well as works from David
Blumenstein, Marta Tesoro, Ben Hutchings, Sacha Bryning, Sarah Howell,
Ive Sorocuk, Arran McKenna and Jo Waite, they'll be bitchin' tunes,
crazy costumes, chocolate-infested food, tarot readings, body art, a
comics jam, badge-making, personality testing, portrait drawing... and
an entire leg of ham.
Pat Alexander conducts a tour of Squishface studios in prep for Exhibitchin’!
A flux of comic printing plates have turned up on the Australian ebay in recent months, some from Australian reprints of foreign material and some from honest-to-goodness Australian drawn material. Most of these were destroyed after they had served their purpose. At the time of posting, this auction for a plate of the cover to Fiction House's Indians #21 had a few days to run.
Auckland based biennial literary zine POTROAST are looking for contributors for a special comics issue, details here.
Vice comics man Nick Gazin reviews Karl Wills's recent comic Princess Seppuku here.
Special Nippon edition of Karl Wills's Princess Seppuku
Inverted Dawn: Exhibition and comics launch at Tinning Street, Melbourne. Opening night September 6th - September 16th featuring Html Flowers (Cougar Flashy) and Girl Mountain (Simon Hanselmann)
featuring...
brothers hand mirror and
girl mountain live
Simon Hanselmann
Tom Spurgeon writes here about the recently passing of art critic and historian Robert Hughes and his connections with comics as a cartoonist early in his career for the Observer in Sydney and in his appraisal of the work of Robert Crumb.
F.E.C Comics are launching three new comics at All Star Comics in Melbourne, 22 September, 6.30pm. Have a look on Facebook here. I can't find anything on the normal Internet but F.E.C Comics are located here. From the press release: KRANBURN #4 Ben Michael Byrne returns
with the beginning of his second chapter. Brand begins his war against
Lord. Blood spillage is a promise. FIRESIDE TALES A horror
anthology collecting three brilliant stories from some very talented
Australian creators; Alex Smith, Andrew Shaw, Billy Tournas, Mike
Wszelaki and Will Pleydon. SEVEN Fairy tales were once not so child-friendly. Alisha Jade delves into these origins and presents her interpretations.
Congratulations to Trevor Wood and Jen Breach for their recently concluded webcomic, Sawbones. After five years and 289 pages Trev recently posted the concluding page and a blog hinting at upcoming projects. Five years is a long time in webcomics, many don't last five months, so it's commendable to see the work Trevor and Jen have created and their decision to bring their story to a close.
Panel from Sawbones
Melbourne cartoonist Doug Holgate is amongst the speakers at the second Spotlight on Specialists seminars at NMIT, Fairfield, Melbourne on Saturday September 8th.
There was a kerfuffle on the net a few weeks back with some folk critical of a forthcoming GARO tribute anthology. This provoked an interesting discussion of Kickstarter and publishing in general here and here and here and many other places. Of note the SP7 Alt. Comics tribute to Garo Manga edited by Ian Harker and Box Brown features amongst it's contributors Benjamin Constantine, a fine cartoonist from Brisbane. Check Benjamin out here and here and here.
Pikitia Press will be publishing new editions of James Davidson's Moa #1 and #2 later this year and all being well issue #3 will be available for the Melbourne and Auckland Armageddon cons in October.
Tom Taylor with a Colin Wilson 'warm up' sketch at Melbourne Armageddon 2011
Prolific Melbourne comics writer Tom Taylor has commenced a months residency at insideadog.com.au. Insideadog focuses on young adult literature and is managed by the State Library of Victoria. Over the course of the month Taylor is answering questions concerning writing and his career as well as providing insight into his work processes. Read Tom Taylor's contributions here.
Copyright 2012 Peter Bromhead
Michelle Hewitson interviews septuagenarian cartoonist Peter Bromhead for The New Zealand Herald here. The New Zealand Listener has a brief piece from earlier this year on Bromhead here.
Copyright 2012 Dylan Horrocks
Dylan Horrocks is conducting a visual storytelling workshop at the Whitireira Library in Porirua, Wellington, from 25th -29th June. Writers, artists, curious beginners and experienced cartoonists are welcome. The workshop costs $150, email Chris.White@whitireia.ac.nz for bookings.
Zombie Cities illustration by Martin Szabo. Copyright 2012 Silver Fox Comics
Sydney Publisher Silver Fox Comics are releasing their first graphic novel, Zombie Cities, at this years Sydney Supanova on June 15th. Silver Fox Comics debuted in 2011 with a modernised take on Zorro. Zorro was distributed via Gordon and Gotch to Australian newsagents which is exceedingly rare for a locally produced comic in this day and age.
Zombie Cities is 104 colour pages and written by Silver Fox publisher Sorab Del Rio with illustrations handled by multiple artists from around the globe.
Film Maker Daniel Hayward and Cartoonist Bernard Caleo have been making a
feature documentary Graphic Novels! Melbourne! that examines the extraordinary graphic novel
culture of Melbourne. Focusing primarily on four cartoonists, Nicki
Greenberg, Mandy Ord, Bruce Mutard and Pat Grant, the movie will
also cast its eye over the comics-making culture of Melbourne. To aide production of their documentary Hayward and Caleo are hosting a fundraiser in conjunction with Readings cinema in Carlton. For more details they have a dedicated page here.
Illustration by Glenn Smith 2001
Michael Hill writes about 2001 Savage pencils exhibition of contemporary comic art that featured work by Australian and New Zealand cartoonists here.
New Zealand comics blogger Adrian Kinnaird appears on this weeks episode of Media 7 discussing comics creator rights. View here.
Kidzone Copyright 1983 Bob McMahon
This week on Pikitia Press I'll have a feature interview with Dunedin cartoonist Bob McMahon.
Ballantyne Copyright 2012 Peter Foster and James H. Kemsley
I'm still in the midst of setting up Pikitia Press as a publishing entity but the above image is a proof of the second volume of Ballantyne adventures by Peter Foster and James H. Kemsley scheduled for July 2012. Reformatted from their several year run at the Sydney Sun Herald, Foster has meticulously coloured his black and white Ballantyne daily strips to produce a dynamic full colour adventure comic. More details about publishing plans this week with several comics and books by some of Australia and New Zealand's finest cartoonists currently on the publishing slate.
The Caravan of Comics cartoonists have completed their jaunt around American and Canadian comic events. David Blumenstein recaps their adventures here and Matt Taylor writes about the caravan here.
Melbourne Publisher of fine comic books, Milk Shadow Books, have announced a book of Fil Barlow's Zooniverse on their publishing slate. Barlow has been regularly producing animations for the monthly loopdeloop animation challenge, Have a look at his work here.
Mr Unpronounceable Copyright 2012 Tim Molloy
Tim Molloy has teased an image from his follow up to his first book with Milk Shadow Books, It shines, It Shakes And Laughs. Molloy's new book will collect previously published Mr Unpronounceable Adventures and feature new material.
Dylan Horrocks is the featured cartoonist on Comic Strip Tees with a character, Alice Brown, from his current web serial The Magic Pen. In a recent blog Horrocks noted Alice Brown would be a featured character in books two and three of The Magic Pen trilogy. I'm not sure but I think this is the first he has mentioned of The Magic Pen being a trilogy. Eagle-eyed comic fans will recall this Alice Brown image featuring in Dunedin anthology Dud a couple years ago.Comic Strip Tees are only available for a month so order yours now.
Colin Wilson is featured on episode ten from series two of The Living Room.
Khulan copyright 2012 Katie Houghton-Ward
Katie Houghton-Ward has teased an image from an upcoming installment of her series Khulan. Khulan debuted in the July 2011 issue of Heavy Metal with inks by Simon Morse. Morse commented this was likely his last comic work before fully going full-time in the tattoo world.
A new publisher in New Zealand, Faction Comics, are producing an anthology and are looking for contributors here.
