2013 in Review: Caitlin Major

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

This year myself and Matthew Hoddy ran a successful Pozible campaign to get Space Pyrates collected edition printed! We got 200 books printed and have already sold out and got it reprinted as two smaller volumes. We took Space Pyrates to almost every state (all except WA, but we'll get there one day!) and we also travelled to America for the Small Press Expo and it was very well received all over! I also contributed a comic to the Brisbane comic collective 'Ashcan.' The comic I submitted was a short prelude to my next big project which should see the light of day next year. I also participated in the 24 hour comic challenge, which was... challenging. I didn't finish my 24 pages but it gave me some good perspective on my workflow and how much I can achieve in a day.

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

I have been enjoying 'The Deep' by Tom Taylor and James Brouwer, and can't wait for the next instalment. I picked up a copy of 'Relish' by Lucy Knisely at the Melbourne Writers Festival which opened me up to the world of beautiful journal comics. Tim Molloy's 'It Shines and Shakes and Laughs' was brilliant! Becky and Franks 'Capture Creatures' made me want to pick up my paint brushes and give it another go. I'm excited to see where Sam Calcraft and Lex Rosek take 'Escape Velocity.' There are so many more that I can't possibly list, I've spent more money on comics this year than anything else I swear! 

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

There's something other than comics!? Not in my life! Oh there was that one time I went to the beach... that was nice. I guess.

What are you looking forward to in 2014?

Moving to Canada and going to Toronto Comic Arts Festival and other conventions in North America. Also releasing my solo comic project!

 

caitlindmajor.tumblr.com/

Paper Trail

Jerome Bihan on tumblr, A Strict Diet of Self.

Zen Pencils in Hindi.

David Blumenstein Flickr set for Camp Chugnut 2013.

Not comics: The Listener records remembrances of recently passed New Zealand artist Ralph Hotere.

Bookmarks catch up: Margaret Irvine writes about Eric Heath.

 

Becky Dreistadt & Frank Gibson guest on Panel Borders.

Jase Harper blogs the creation of his graphic novel at Awk-ward.

Wellington art gallery and zine/comic stockists Matchbox Studios.

 
 Nat Karmichael writes about Jackie Ryan's Burger Force.

 Ness interviews Bruce Mutard.

Callout for papers related to Australasian humour for the 20th Australasian Humour Studies Network Colloquium on 14,15 February 2014 at the National Library in Wellington. Ian Grant, Chair of the New Zealand Cartoon Archive at the National Libary, will give a keynote presentation on the history of New Zealand cartooning.

Details here.

 
Limited copies of Simon Hanselmann's St Owl's Bay broadsheet (with special deleted scene!) are now available from the Silent Army online store.

Lauren Davis destroys Dylan Horrocks website, writing about Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen.

Talking about New Zealand comics Panel discussion with  Dylan Horrocks, Sam Orchard, Adrian Kinnaird and Sarah Laing at ST PAUL St Gallery in Auckland.

2013 Zine and Indy Comic Symposium in Brisbane.
 

Facebook gallery of launch party for the collected book of Matthew Hoddy and Caitlin Major's webcomic Space Pyrates.

Cory Doctorow reviews Tim Molloy's Mr Unpronounceable Adventures, available now from Milk Shadow Books.

Bookmarks catch up: New Zealand Political Cartoon Annual 2012.

Bobby N photo blogs the April Melbourne comics meet up.

Alan Rose Cartoons and Caricatures.

Regular Show cover by Rebecca Clements.

Matt Huynh talks coffee.

Read three Matt Huynh comics debuting at this years Mocca Arts Festival.

   Paper Trail masthead courtesy of Toby Morris.

Places to Put Your Money

In it's last few days, the Space Pyrates Pozible campaign offers a variety of levels and rewards to raise funds for a collected edition of the Space Pyrates webcomic produced by Matthew Hoddy and Caitlin Major.

Support Space Pyrates here.

Read Space Pyrates here.

 
Longtime friend and publisher of Steve Ditko's work, Robin Snyder has a Kickstarter campaign here to produce a reprinted edition of The Ditko Public Service Package. Whilst many books have being produced in recent years from a variety of publishers featuring Ditko's work, this book presents Ditko's most personal work and money raised from it's publication directly benefits the artist himself.

Bob H's Ditko Weblog is the best source of Ditko news here.

2012 in Review: Matthew Hoddy and Caitlin Major

 Matthew Hoddy and Caitlin Major

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

Matthew: The highlight for me was going to all the conventions. Just getting out there, meeting everyone. Both fans and other creators. It helped me feel like this is definitely the right path I should be taking. Especially after some of our more successful outings. Was some real positive reinforcement.

Biggest highlight though was the Brisbane Supanova in November. Our first con was a year before at the Brisnova, in Nov 2011. We knew absolutely NOTHING about cons and had two issues of Space Pyrates to show off. Our wall was pretty much bare (with the exception of our banner and a couple of prints). We were offering cosplay commissions for just $10 and made absolutely no money from the weekend. BUT, we had the greatest time. Everything about it just felt right. Each subsequent convention we attended we learnt something new and put it to practice for the next con. So, to do a whole years worth of cons and come back home with all that knowledge? It felt like everything came full circle.

We've made a bunch of great new friends and discovered things I didn't even think could exist in Australia. Plus, added extra bonus? We found that Brisbane actually has a thriving comics community. Who'd have thought it, right?
 
Caitlin: I guess the biggest highlight of 2012 is the number of people that are reading Space Pyrates, whether online or in print. We've had a lot of positive feedback from our readers and the general public and it seems the amount of readers has increased tenfold since we started out in  Jan 2011. It's the best feeling in the world when someone recognises us at conventions and has read the comic online and really liked it. It feels like I'm finally becoming a real comic book artist!

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

Matthew: I discovered Atomic Robo this year. By Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegna. Both are from the US. The tone, writing and artwork just speak to me. Burned through all 6 published trades and have been buying the single issues of 'The Flying She Devils' as they're released. I've never really been into buying the singles and usually just buy the collected editions if they look interesting. But this series? Man, it has got it claws into me something fierce.

I mean, one of the villains is a time travelling dinosaur scientist that uses sub machine guns and can talk. Plus, it's owner created. Which is exactly the sort of thing we'd like to do. So I look to creators like that for inspiration. Overseas and at home.

 
Caitlin: I've been seeking out other female comic artists this year and I've really been enjoying Hope Larson's comics. She's got a great art style and a real knack for storytelling, and I love a character driven story as much as the next person! I've also been reading Jane Mai's autobiographical comics online (I'm still waiting patiently for my copy of her printed comic to arrive in the mail) they're really cute and funny.

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

Matthew: Something non-comic related? Oh man... I don't know... Feels like I've been neck deep in comics this whole year and can't remember anything else! Paranorman was a great stop-motion film from the studio 'Laika'. We do a bit of animation ourselves, and that movie in particular I appreciated a great deal. Dredd was really cool. LOOPER, oh man, that was a great sci-fi film despite it's plot holes (albeit time-travel related).

Did see Bill Bailey live. That was a hell of a lot of fun too!

Caitlin: I've been enjoying Gravity Falls a lot lately. It's like the new Adventure Time! Cute and funny and awesome and I absolutely love the art direction. It's probably the best thing to come out of Disney for a long time.

Have you implemented any significant changes to your working methods this year?

Matthew: The whole process of making Space Pyrates has been about learning. It's taken two years to get the this point and we're not even done! While I could draw before, albeit crudely compared to now, just pushing my artwork has been the biggest change. Thinking about it more critically and looking at what I could do differently to make thing better. Streamlining the whole process on my end anyway, from thumbnail sketches to finished & inked page. I've been watching a bunch of artists and trying to learn their tricks. Still need to learn a whole lot more though!
 
Caitlin: I wouldn't say significant changes, but I'm constantly trying to improve my work and I am always inspired by other artists to try different styles or techniques. Space Pyrates was intended as a learning exercise, to experience creating a comic and get my head around the production process and best practises.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Matthew: Finishing this story arc of SP and having it printed. Then? Touring around to all cities for conventions to promote it. Looking at relocating from Brisbane at some point too. Depending on work. Also looking forward to starting something new comic-related and promoting the hell out of that. Big plans!

Caitlin: We're releasing the collected edition of Space Pyrates next year so that's very exciting, I can't wait to have that tome in my hands! We've got a lot of conventions planned to promote the book and it's always fun going around and talking to people about comics. I'm also starting to work on a solo comic project, which is slightly different in tone and style to Space Pyrates, so looking forward to that too!

http://spacepyrates.com/