2012 in Review: Michael Hawkins

Michael Hawkins

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2012?

My comic highlights this year were threefold.  Mid year I went to the states and Canada on a comics tour, met heaps of awesome talent like Pat Aulisio, Lale Westvind, Conor Stechschulte, Mollie O’Brien and others whose amazing work I was previously ignorant of. Second highlight would be watching the rising star of my good buddy and favourite cartoonist ever Simon Hanselmann. Thirdly meeting on a weekly basis with a steady group of drawing buds (Sam Wallman, Marc Pearson, Elliot Lamb and so forth) has made a great difference to my quality of life.

Who are some of the comics creators that you've discovered and enjoyed for the first time in 2012?
 
Best books? All of the above people. Also locally Grant Gronewald (HTML Flowers) and Katie Parrish and overseas Michael Deforge, Patrick Kyle, Leslie Stein and Derek Ballard. Seems to be a lot of people working at a peek level of inspiration and producing things in individual styles that seem extreme in their newness. Find it easy to point to a general vibe than individual books.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2012?

Massively into Dennis Potter at the moment, starting with the Singing Detective and working through all his series and teleplays. Best book I read was We have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. Favourite five songs this year: My Time by Roberto Cacciapaglia & Ann Steel, In High Places by  Mike Oldfield, A Matter of Trust by Billy Joel, Myth by Beach House, Pyramids by Frank Ocean.

Have you implemented any significant changes to your working methods this year?
 
Swapped from photocopying to digital printing. Started a Tumblr. Also used to try and have one major comics series or project on the go at once, this year decided to just start a bunch and let them vie for my attention.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?
 
Organising an erotic art show with some of my favourite local cartoonists. Hopefully going to Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival.

http://comics-by-hawkins.tumblr.com/

2012 in Review: Daniel Reed

Daniel Reed

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2012?
 
I think Pat Grants 'Blue' was a great achievement, those spreads where the kids are on the rail line amongst all of the crazy vegetation were just amazing. I also liked Sam Wallman's 'Being Born is Going Blind' and lots of others.

Who are some of the comics creators that you've discovered and enjoyed for the first time in 2012? 

I had seen bits and pieces of Charles Burns work before, but I read 'Black Hole' for the first time this year. Has to be said that it stuck in my head for ages. The line work is so clean, dark and emotive. The weird story marries perfectly to the images.

I also read 'Safe Area Gorazde' by Joe Sacco. It was certainly not as easy to read as 'Black Hole' but succeeded in many other ways. I think the reporting (of the war in Eastern Bosnia 1992-95), in comic format had a much greater impact on me than it would have done had I seen it in a documentary format. Not sure that I can put my finger on why...
 
What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2012?

Was introduced to "The Game of Thrones" TV series, which is cool. Gigs by 'The Mountain Goats', 'Bonnie Prince Billie' and Robert Forester were all really enjoyable. "Graphic Novels! Melbourne!" documentary was a hoot!

Have you implemented any significant changes to your working methods this year?
 
Working a lot in colour at the moment. Compositing together water colour, ink and pencil images in PhotoShop.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?
 
Getting to as many book launches, drawing nights and meet-ups as I can. Writing and drawing as much as I can. Seeing Hawthorn beat the Cats for the first time since 2008. Other than that, my title "Grubby Little Smudges of Filth" is due out in limited release hard cover sometime in 2013, so I'm looking forward to that too.

Grubby Little Smudges of Filth