2012 in Review: Hayden Fryer

Hayden Fryer

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

After many years of both being on the back burner and more or less in development hell, getting the ball rolling on my "Darkest Night" series through the release of "Act One".

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

That's a tough one, my shelves and boxes are literally overflowing with comics that I've picked up and really enjoyed this year! I'd say the biggest one was finally getting my hands on Mike Mignola's complete (to date) run of Hellboy TPB's. Delving into that world, watching the many layers peel back as Hellboy's character arc unfolded all the while in the midst of subverting story expectations was really a complete joy.

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

The beach, I most definitely enjoyed going to the beach earlier in the year! (The holiday and break at the time was well overdue.) That and finally getting a chance to really dig into HP Lovecraft's work; "At The Mountains of Madness" specifically was really an eye opener for me in terms of its scope, awe and naturally horror.

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

Visually I've stepped up the size of my original sequential pages from A4 to A3, the follow on effect being the introduction of heavier attention to the backgrounds/set locations, detailed shadows and various digital effects to "finish" the page. As a sideline to the heavier digital focus, I've also stepped out of my comfort zone a bit by experimenting with Indian Ink as a painting medium.

On the writing side, I've been lucky enough to give it a lot more focus this year through a couple of collaborative projects with Paul Abstruse and Ryan Wilton. Traditionally I've drawn from either my own outlines or other writer's scripts; so a core process that the needed to be re-defined this year was finding a different way to bring the smaller detail, movement beats and dialogue stages of the story that were being fleshed out either during or after the final art all the way back to the scripting stage.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Rounding out the first arc of "Darkest Night" with the upcoming release of "Act Two" and hopefully later in the year, "Act Three". Also those aforementioned two collaborative projects will either be hitting shelves or getting very close to it, "Enormis" with Paul Abstruse and "A Gun For All Seasons" with Ryan Wilton!

That's all assuming the world doesn't end...

http://www.billydemonslayer.com/

2012 in Review: David Blumenstein

 

  David Blumenstein and Andrew Fulton

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2012?
 
Going on the Caravan of Comics and getting to know the other caravaners better.

Coming across an amazing comics scene in Ann Arbor, MI, thanks to (among others) Kids Read Comics' Jerzy Drozd and Dan Mishkin.

Seeing Sarah (aka my hot cartooning wife) meet some of her favourite comics artists (John Porcellino, Bill Messner-Loebs) and watching her slowly create a graphic novel right before my eyes.

Finishing 100 pages of my "Bret Braddock" comics and getting the kind of mixed response I hoped for (amused/angry/litigious).

Being newly in the Australian Cartoonists Association and, while it's an organisation in flux thanks to an aging membership and a crumbling print media, feeling quite at home with the people themselves, a great bunch of guys with amazing links back to Australia's cartooning history.

Being part of Squishface Studio, putting on many great, informal, events and some big-arse exhibitions. Hoping we can keep it going another year.
 

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

Bought minis at MoCCA Fest, favourites being ones by Greg Kletsel, Tasha Harris and Paul Hoppe. I like them because I like them, that's why. Met some brilliant artists in Chicago, the ones who collaborate on "Trubble Club", a jam comic that's that's really good. Enjoyed stuff by Jeremy Tinder and Sam Sharpe (and probably more because all the panels are by different people and oh god I'm confused and sleepy.)
 

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

I only enjoyed comics this year. Some of the TV shows I watched and pissed on include "Mad Men", "Boardwalk Empire", "Sons of Anarchy" and "The Newsroom", all shows with an incredibly high opinion of their characters, all portrayed much more nobly than the writing deserves.

"Breaking Bad" is still great, though. "Looper" was a good movie.

Loads of my friends are becoming big time published authors! Anna Krien is a lovely person and wrote a great Quarterly Essay about animals and ethics you could go pick up at a snobby-type bookshop.

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

Many. Thanks to people at Squishface I've loaded up on brushes, brush pens, colour, bristol board, art paper and all sorts of things I'd barely tried before.

I'm writing a graphic novel. That's not something I would've thought to do before this year.

I finally caved and bought a slate computer with Wacom capability and it's going to blow the arse out of my old storyboarding methodology. Good for on-the-spot digital illustration, too.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Getting better with all the new pens and brushes I've been trying.

Continuing to grow Squishface, do new things there and maybe even figure out a way to make it pay for itself.

More little steps forward for the attitude and quality of the Melbourne comics scene.

Maybe taking a Caravan-style trip to SPX if I can afford it.

Last two years have been packed with tons of comics stuff. More next year, thank you.

Oh, and I'm finally making a series of my animated cop show, "The Precinct". It's a little mini-series of shorts called "Be A Man" and it's coming out probably Mar/Apr.

http://www.nakedfella.com/

2012 in Review: Joshua Santospirito

Joshua Santospirito

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2012?
 
Finishing drawing the Long Weekend ... which took me many years! And in November I had an exhibition of crazy comics that spread across an entire small room in a gallery - I worked on them for about a year so that was tops too.
Who are some of the comics creators that you've discovered and enjoyed for the first time in 2012?
 
Anders Nilsen's "Big Questions" com...plete...ly turned my world upside down. I can't really put it into words though why. I KNOW why ... I just don't know quite how to put it into words ... other than to say it was quite breath-taking ... and perhaps I shouldn't even try any further to put it into words as it might cheapen the experience for me ... just read it.

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

Ryoji Ikeda's multimedia (possibly the weakest noun for what I witnessed) performance at the MONA FOMA in Hobart in January was mind-blowing. It was like he opened up your skull and placed the entire universe inside it and then shut it with a loud *clunk*.
 
Have you implemented any significant changes to your working methods this year?

Yes - the exhibition that I did involved me designing comics that were designed to be spread across the wall and read on the wall, as opposed to on the page in a book or even one single sheet. So that was quite radical for me! The Sleuth exhibit at Inflight Art gallery was all about surrounding the reader with the world so it was really fun and liberating - John Retallick pointed out that it was sort of related to McCloud's infinite canvas.
 
What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Doing Chris Downes and my performance of The Shipwright and the Banshee at the 2013 MONA FOMA in Hobart - it's a comics-related performance. AND Printing and promoting The Long Weekend in Alice Springs.

http://joshuasantospiritoart.com/

2012 in Review: Ant Sang

Ant Sang

 

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

 

Having Shaolin Burning selected as a finalist (Picture Book category) at the NZ Post Children’s Book awards was great. It won an Honour Award in the end, and it was a fantastic night spent with so many talented authors and illustrators at the event. Another highlight was seeing Shaolin Burning artwork up on the big screens at the Frankfurt Book Fair’s NZ Pavillion (though I wasn’t there in person).

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

 

I’m loving the artwork of James Harren and Becky Cloonan. Becky’s artwork has a beautiful fluidity to it, and James’ work packs a mighty punch… the guy’s really on fire at the moment.
 

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

 

I loved Robert Harris’ novel Lustrum. A great retelling of a politically tumultuous, five year period during the dying days of the Roman Republic (after 63BC). Focusing on Cicero and told through the eyes of his slave, Tiro, the book is an amazing look at the politics of the time. Had me googling the history of Rome for days afterwards. TV-wise, loved watching all of The Wire (crime series based in Baltimore). And currently digging Homeland (post 9/11 terrorist schnanigans). 

 

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

 

My working method hasn’t changed drastically this year. I’m still pretty old school and love working with brush and ink. I reckon my Photoshop colouring has improved this year though. I’ve been experimenting with more tones and depth and have been enjoying the results so far. 

 

What are you looking forward to in 2013? 

 

Planning to make comics and get into some filmmaking.

2012 in Review: Frank Candiloro

Frank Candiloro 

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

It’s been a big year for me comics wise – I’ve managed to put out 4 books ranging from 30-70 pages each, had a number of interviews and positive write-ups of my work, was involved in Big Arse 2, got featured in Best Art Ever on Comics Alliance a few times, Brian Michael Bendis bought one of my books.… it’s been very encouraging to say the least :P

But if I had to name one major highlight, it would be finally putting out Behind The Crooked Cross; it was something that I wanted to do for a long time and was reluctant to do so since it was a World War II story and it being so different to the comics I usually make. I'm glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone and made something that was very difficult and emotionally exhausting to create. In the long run, I think it paid off. I think it’s my best work to date. 

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

It’s been a big year for Image Comics, and in particular their reboot of Prophet was something of an eye-opener for me; it made me discover the work of Brandon Graham, Giannis Milonogiannis and Simon Roy. They each have different and unique styles but also work quite well together, delivering an awesome, dream-like sci-fi environment, reminiscent of Moebius. Another highlight was discovering some of the old stories that Steve Ditko wrote and drew, such as Mr A, the H. Series and Avenging World, reflecting his objectivist views. It just re-affirmed how great of an artist the man is.

Regarding the local comic scene I discovered a lot of great artists who I had known of for a while but had never sought out their comics until this year. People like Tim Molloy, Scarlette Baccini, Peter Foster, Fil Barlow, Matt Kyme and Matt Nicholls did some superb work this year, among many others, and it’s pretty inspiring.

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

I went on a trip to the US in July, and stayed a while in New York. I had always been interested and influenced by New York culture and it was an amazing, stimulating city, with so much character and history. The Museum of Modern Art, Greenwich Village, Grand Central, Broadway, Little Italy, I could have stayed there for a year and not get enough of the place; it made me think about a new direction for my future comics. It’s inspired me to make a story about it, which should be out at the end of 2013. 

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

I realised that if I wanted to make at least 4 comics a year, I’d have to get a lot more stringent about my creative process. So I decided that I’d draw for 6 hours each night, whether it be comic pages or just random artwork if I’ve completed a comic. It’s important that you’re always making art no matter what it is or how terrible you believe it may be.

I also decided that I’d begin writing the next comic while finishing the current comic I’d be doing. It’s not because I want to speed up the creative process, but simply that I have a lot of ideas for future books, and writing them down in script form ensures that I’ll get around to making them.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Naturally I’m looking forward to putting out more books, and also to see how much more the local comic scene grows. It’s still fairly small but the overall quality of the books is vastly improving, so I think there are bright days ahead. Here’s to many more great comics.

 http://www.frankcandiloro.com/

2012 in Review: Tim Gibson

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

Launching my Online Graphic Novel www.MothCity.com has been massive for me. It’s a story that I’ve wanted to tell for many years, and it’s exciting to have it up there for people to read. It’s a project that I really love doing, and that I’ve poured my soul into for many years, so it’s really a giant sigh of relief that it is out there and readable, but also so great looking forward into 2013 and where the story, characters and website will go.

Who are some of the comics creators that you've discovered and enjoyed for the first time in 2012? 
 
I’ve been delving into some old EC comics via a great book called ‘Four Color Fear’, and have recently been enjoying the art and stories of Hugo Pratt, via ‘Corto Maltese – The Ballad of the Salt Sea.’ I’ve enjoyed both books for their old fashioned yarns and beautiful art work. For more recent modern work I enjoyed reading a short series called ‘The Cape’ written by Jason Ciaramella and Joe Hill, with art by Zach Howard and Nelson Daniel.

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

I just went to the exhibition of ‘The Gloaming’ which is the sculptures and art of an old Weta Workshop friend of mine, Johnny Fraser-Allen. It is a beautiful combination of Johnny obsessions; film sculpting, fantasy art and storytelling. You can learn more about it on its facebook page http://www.facebook.com/JohnnyFraserAllensTheGloamingTrilogy

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

I’ve been working predominantly for myself this year, which is a big change. I previously had a central city studio at the start of the year before setting up in my apartment, where I’ve been steadily working. This, combined with the fact that I’ve working more hours on my comic than I ever did in 3D animation means I’m not getting out a lot…

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

The continuation of the Moth City story I’ve got a solid buffer of pages in my back pocket, and they’re being published every week published online at www.MothCity.com, so I’m really looking forward to the reactions to that work.  I’ll also be getting back into some freelance illustration, animation and graphic design work to keep my ‘Clark Kent’ career ticking.
 

www.MothCity.com

2012 in Review: Marijka Gooding

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

Being introduced to the Melbourne comic book scene and all its lovely people. I think because the Melbourne scene is still quite young there is this stronger feeling of camaraderie and support amongst its members.

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

Early this year I discovered the Nobrow books. Nobrow are a small, independant publishing group from the UK, started in 2008, who specialize in beautifully crafted, one off comics and publications. Their work hit home for me the importance of looking at books as physical objects and as commodities to be kept and admired.  This pushed me to see my own work as a final, packaged product and take into consideration basic aesthetics like the weight and feel of a book.

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

Mostly due to the comic book (Gooding's debut graphic novel, Strange Behavior.), I've been a bit of a shut in this year so my most enjoyable moments have been mostly small wins, like the day I found a slightly squished Caramello Koala wedged in between the couch cushions.

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

I am happy to say that this year I finally become friends with typography. After undergoing, and almost failing, first year typography classes at Uni, I had written myself off as never being any good at it. I found the whole thing so intimidating with its strict conventions and anal retentive specifications that I completely avoided using type in any of my work. It wasn't until I started to collecting examples of type myself (old tins, on the side of old trucks, wrappers, vintage signage, comics) that I started to really love it.
 
I noticed that the work of the comic artists I admired (particularly Dan Clowes, Chris Ware and Charles Burns) all had this strong, graphical consideration of type and I think that all stems from their mutual respect for both the written word and image. I wish someone had shown me sooner how exciting and varied type could be.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

 

The Big Arse 3 comics launch scheduled March next year.

 http://www.marijkagooding.com/

2012 in Review: Damon Keen

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

Helping to get New Zealand's first crowd funded comic, Faction, out into the world! 

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

I made some great discoveries this year, so that's a tricky one. Finally got around to reading Charles Burns - and in particular Black Hole. It's always great when the storytelling and art come together so seamlessly, and Black Hole is beautiful and disturbing. I love stories that manage to include the surreal and dreamlike, but without becoming self indulgent and nonsensical, and Black Hole pulls it off brilliantly. Loving his new stuff too - the Hive is great.

Also finally read Dharma Punks by Ant Sang! Embarrassingly late I know - but well worth the wait. I think that it may just have catapulted straight to the top of my all-time favourite NZ comics. 

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

Freaking LOVED the Mars landing by the Curiosity rover in August. We watched it live on NASA TV. It's what I imagine sport fans must feel like when their team wins something. What a bloody awesome achievement, One of those rare moments it felt good to be a human being. The Higgs Boson discovery was also mind-numbingly awesome. 

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

It's my first year of being freelance - so I've had to do lots of boring changes - like figuring out how to do my taxes and invoicing. Blergh. More interestingly, my drawing and comic creation has gone nearly entirely digital, from sketches through to the final work - a fun experiment, but I think the results have been promising so far. I still thumbnail the story outline first in a notebook though, so not quite there yet!

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Rocket boots. Better instant meals. Otherwise, continuing to grow Faction, I think. It's an exciting challenge. Nationally, it'd be nice to see the disgusting government we've got crash and burn, and globally, it'd be good to see some action on climate change. Anything. Anything at all. But I'm not holding my breath.

http://www.factioncomics.co.nz/