Campbell Whyte shares some sequential work in progress here.
Wellington cartoonist Draw's abstract ball point pen work is featured on Art Sponge.
Edward Grug III and Luke Milton launch the third volume of their webcomic Glorious Bounty at this weekend’s Supanova Convention in Perth. Find them at the Monster & Robot Industries table in artists alley.
I was in my pre-teens when my father gave me copies of 2000Ad Prog 4 and Prog 9 which along with Carl Barks ducks comics and Frank Hampson's Dan Dare got me hooked on comics for life. Thirty years later I'm eagerly awaiting Dredd's second incarnation on film and a vote of confidence from Dredd co-creator John Wagner gives me hope this will be a more accurate portrayal of a character that's grown as I've grown up with. ( Unlike his American counterparts Dredd has aged in real time in his comic book world)
Several months after the wrap of shooting in Cape Town, South Africa, the first glimpse of Judge Dredd in action arrives today with the release of the trailer for Dredd. It promises to be a more faithful adaption of John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra's creation than the 1995 film starring Sylvester Stallone and made on a fraction of that films budget. Wisely producers DNA Films and scriptwriter Alex Garland have opted for a more modest story than Stallone's convoluted epic. The new film depicts a night on the job for Dredd as he takes rookie Judge Anderson through her paces. Instead of the hyper futuristic cityscapes synonymous with Dredd's world we will see something a bit closer to our reality through budgetary concessions. Dredd's uniform has translated well to film looking similar to Dredd's appearances in early stories drawn by Mick McMahon and Ron Turner.
The obvious New Zealand connection with the new Dredd film is Dredd himself being portrayed by New Zealand actor Karl Urban. Urban's insistence at an audition that Dredd's face never be revealed in keeping with his appearance in comics was an early good omen for faithful fans.
The other slightly reaching New Zealand connection is Dredd scriptwriter Alex Garland's father is English cartoonist Nicholas Garland who emigrated with his family to New Zealand at age eleven in 1946. In 1954 Garland returned to London to study at the Slade School of Fine Art. In London Garland became enamored with the work of Wally Fawkes through his Flook strip in the Daily
Mail. He was also a fan of the artists of early Mad magazine, Will Elder, Wally Wood and Jack
Davis. Garland's initial professional work was for Queen Magazine and The Spectator and he has consequently worked well into his seventies including almost forty years at The Daily Telegraph, finishing up in March 2011.
In the mid sixties Garland collaborated with Australian Barry Humphries to produce their Barry Mckenzie strip for Private Eye. Barry Mckenzie detailed the exploits of a strong jawed Australian in London and was commonly used by Humphries to jeer at some element of English life that he found particularly repellent or fatuous. The Strip was very successful and even spawned two feature films. It was discontinued in 1974 after a disagreement with editor Richard Ingram.
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.
Isometrics the newspaper strip was based on a book about isometric exercise called How to Exercise Without Moving A Muscle by gridiron football player, coach, and executive Vic Obeck. Obeck features throughout the strip describing and occasionally demonstrating his exercise techniques. The scripting is by Ridwan Aitken with artwork by Enrique Badia Romero. Romero is more well known to English audiences for his collaboration with Donne Avenell on Axa which featured in The New Zealand Truth throughout the eighties. Romero also illustrated Modesty Blaise prior to New Zealand artist Neville Colvin and succeeded him when Colvin retired from the strip.
Isometrics featured in The New Zealand Herald during the seventies and a collection was printed and published by Wilson and Horton in 1975.
