2012 in Review: Colin Wilson

Colin Wilson

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

Undoubtedly, for me the highlight of my year was attending the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany during October, along with Dylan Horrocks, Ben Stenbeck, Greg Broadmore, and Roger Langridge. Who would have thought that such a gang of comic reprobates would be included in the Official New Zealand Delegation to the biggest Book Fair in the world? NZ comics were invisible 35 years ago when I published the first issue of Strips, and look where we've got to now! If things carries on like this, in another 30 years we'll probably be considered part of mainstream publishing.........

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

For a variety of reasons, I don't actually read a lot of comics these days, but thanks to the internet I recently discovered a couple of European artists that have both really impressed me a lot. At a recent Supernova Con here in Australia Greg Gates introduced me to the work of Italian artist Corrado Mastantuono, who's work on Tex and other Italian comic stories I was completely unaware of, and, while i guess he is not strictly speaking a comic artists, everything I find by Marcos Mateu-Mestre just blows me away. He's an Spanish artist who has worked for, amongst other, Dreamworks and Sony Pictures Animation in the States.... check out his website at http://marcosmateu.net/.

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

There's life outside of comics?
 

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

The biggest change to my working method this year is that I've finally had the chance to slow down a little. Most of my comic work from the last few years has been for mainstream US Comic Publishers, and while it has been a lot of fun, I've found the constant deadlines really started to wear me down. About 12 months ago I decided that I needed to step off that runaway train, at least for a while, and started to accept more offers for European work. It is where my comic heart lies anyway, and my recent book signing tour of France, Germany and Belgium convinced me that I've made the right decision. The quality of comic work being produced over there these days is really impressive, and it was refreshing to discover that their biggest problem appears to be the sheer volume of books being published each year.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

World peace? Well, clearly that ain't gonna to happen, so I guess the highlight for me in 2013 will be starting work on my new series for Delcourt in France. Over the last couple of years I've worked on a couple of Jour J books for Delcourt, and I've recently signed on for a completely new project that is currently being written for me by the two writers of that series, Fred Duval and Jean-Pierre Pécau. I haven't had the chance to work on something entirely original for France for about 20 years, and so this is going to be a real challenge for me. I can't wait to get started.....

http://wilco4400.blogspot.com.au/

2012 in Review: Paul Mason

Paul Mason

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

Highlights? Oh man, 2012 has been very big, and extremely kind to me, so I hope I don’t bore you with my rundown. I “soldiered on” (yes, you’re damn right that pun was intended) with two more issues of ‘The Soldier Legacy’, plus a volume 1 trade paperback, published by Black House Comics. I also continued with my back up story with Christopher Sequeira in ‘Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes #8’, and another collaborative story that we’re hoping we can spin off to something larger in 2013, which I’m excited about. A sketch book also produced for my second trip to SDCC, which helped kick some goals. That trip, with the people and companies that Chris and I met with while we were over there, was a massive boost to the cartooning morale. At the very least, it was a strong validation to me that I’m not wasting my time scribbling, despite not being the most photorealistic of comic artists. (I won’t name drop; I’ll sound even more like a douche bag.) But at the very least, thank you Chris and Baden.

My other highlights were thanks to the good people at Supanova Pop Culture Expo, who had me as a guest in Melbourne, Gold Coast and Brisbane. The tours were fantastic, and chatting to the top guys of current mainstream comics was a blast. My last biggest highlight was thanks to the good folks of Oz Comic-Con, who very kindly had me, and a great line up of other Australian comic book makers, as guests at their Melbourne event. Chatting to Stan Lee about ‘The Soldier Legacy’ was very surreal.
 
Who are some of the comics creators that you've discovered and enjoyed for the first time in 2012?
 
I didn’t get a lot of regular comic reading in this year. But, there are a couple of creators: Tristan Jones, a Melbourne writer and artist (TMNT, Ghostbusters for IDW, and upcoming Sebastian Hawks), was also a guest at the cons I was at, and I got to see much of his illustration output as well as more of his writing. His digital illustration line has this lovely, “inky wire frame to hyper realistic” layered effect: a building of blacks, spatter, “grit” and lines that overlay and piece together these highly detailed, dark and disturbing, shadowy images.... I’m hopeless at describing them, google it. I finally got to read the complete volume of ‘The List’ by Paul Bedford, Henry Pop and Tom Bonin - I’ve been mates of Paul  for a while, but wanted to wait until I had the intended completion. I really enjoyed it; it’s the sort of book that dwells on your thoughts hours after you’ve put it down. Though I think I was more disturbed by the fact that I didn’t find it disturbing. I need some therapy, I think... ;P Bobby N’s “No Map but not lost” was fantastic.

The rest for 2012 are mostly older published stuff: I picked up Essential Rawhide Kid and discovered some of Jack Davis’s westerns for Atlas/Marvel. At the time I thought his figures in motion reminded me of Frank Robbins, until I was put on to Harvey Kurtzman; specifically his stories from Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline combat, during at conversation/portfolio review from Howard Chaykin (which would rival Alex Toth's review of Steve Rude. It’s almost word for word, just throw in a few “bullsh**”s ;P). I can see where I think Kurtzman’s figures, poses and ink line had influenced Jack Davis’s stuff. I’m wondering if Kurtzman did the layouts for the EC artists in some of these stories (?). And yes, Kurtzman would be another one. His stuff is fantastic- deceptively simple in detail, but thick line gives his drawings a very expressive look- contrasting with the more realistic styles that feature in the title (like Severin and Wood). The storytelling is very emotive, and layouts, much like Kirby post 1940’s,  show you can still have big impact through pose, camera choice and simple panels over flashy layouts of some modern books . Corpse on the Imjin is probably my favourite, Rubble ticks all the boxes re: layouts, story, passage of time, empathy etc.
 
What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2012?

Again, I was chained to the drawing table, so didn’t get to the cinema much. I did manage to see a few pics, which I enjoyed:  ‘the Avengers’, ‘SkyFall’, ‘Argo’, and ‘The Dark Knight Rises’.

I began lecturing in semester 2, so got to pick up a few classics on DVD that I always wanted to see, and show as parts of the class. Really though, I’m just a sucker for war and westerns, so any excuses was good enough. I enjoyed ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (not often a Hollywood remake is good, right? ;P), Clint Eastwood’s ‘Pale Rider’, and Steve McQueen’s ‘Hell is for Heroes’.

I also managed to drag myself away from the drawing board, and dipped my toe back into one of my old hobbies- Taekwon-do. Specifically, tournament fighting. I honestly thought I was Danny Glover when I did my first lesson back, just before the NSW state titles. But I managed to remember enough to take out the division, then rinse and repeat at the Australian titles, and earn a place on the Australian team for my 4th stint at the World ITF Championships next year in Korea. As long as I don’t bankrupt myself or break my drawing hand on some poor competitor’s face, I’ll be ok.
 
Have you implemented any significant changes to your working methods this year?

Hmmm, not really. I guess if someone’s interested in my nonsense, I did try to experiment with a different production method for every issue I do, if that counts. So what I mean is, for instance, with issue 4 I experimented with the Shitagaki method of writing a comic, from Colleen Doran’s Master class talk late last year (basically, post-it note sized thumbnail page layouts- no script). It’s a little Marvel method-y, but for a solo dude: thumbnail the thing, including balloon placements etc. With issue 5, I took onboard John Barber’s comments to me re: trying simplified layouts, so much of the pages contain horizontal “storyboard style” panels, rather than vertical, or diagonal layouts I tended to use for action pages. Trying to show what is needed in 1 panel, rather than 3, was another consideration I tried from talking with W. Chew Chan (so being more concise with camera choices); That sort of thing. Nothing drastic, just tune-ups based on talking it out and learning, try to take onboard as much advice as I can to hopefully improve.
 
What are you looking forward to in 2013?

I’m looking at 2013, and it already has me wincing :P

Comic book wise; failing an apocalypse, my current story arc will wrap up in 2013, so I’m looking forward to that.  A new TPB of the last couple of issues will probably be on the cards, a possible issue of this new project maybe? Yes. Let’s stay open-minded. I think a one-shot of the ‘Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes’ back up story is planned once I wrap up the last chapter. I’m looking forward to finishing this damn Doctoral thesis- I struggled this year to balance the drawing commitments with the reference reading, writing and typing commitments this thing demands.

There are a couple of things collaboratively that I’m waiting on, and hoping to hear news of. But in the meantime, I’m not struggling to find something to do. And travel. Lots and lots of travel planned in the diary.
I think ultimately, I’m just looking forward to seeing what 2013 can do for me; I figure all we can ever do is “stick to the plan”, whatever that may entail in your or my case (unless your plan is “sit around, doodle, and pray.” That plan sucks. Don’t do that plan). Work hard.

http://pm-comic.blogspot.com.au/

2012 in Review: Scarlette Baccini

Scarlette Baccini

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

Being a part of the Big Arse 2 launch was really special. I launched Zombolette, which is a collection of my comics about a zombie and her mutant guinea-pig best friend. Over the years I've come to care deeply for these characters, and I was really proud to see it all finished and in the hands of real-life nerds.

Watching Graphic Novels! Melbourne! at Readings with the good vibes of the local comic book community was also a mega highlight. I've always been a bit of a hermit in comic book land, but there's a real buzz in Melbourne comics at the moment, and finally being a part of it this year has been wonderful. The film kind of summed it up for me.

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

This year I discovered Warren Ellis, who created such a massive and wonderfully realised world that I felt totally lost in the landscape. I also very happily discovered about a zillion local creators. Tim Molloy's It Shines and Shakes and Laughs was so moody and delicious, I
can't wait to see more of his work. Ben Hutchings' Lesson Master killed me, and I think Walking to Japan is one of the loveliest creations I've seen. Discovering the prolificacy of Frank Candiloro was also really inspiring.

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

Seven Psychopaths! Possibly my favourite film of 2012. I'd been having conniptions over drawing a lot of violence in a new comic I'm working on, and that film helped me to sort out my feelings on the matter.

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

I used to be very haphazard about drawing, and so years of strangling pencils whilst sitting awkwardly on the floor has given me pretty awful RSI. A few months ago I got my hands on a proper drawing board, started sitting at a desk, and learnt how to use brushes. It's been a bit rough learning to use all these new tools, but I'm sure I'll thank myself later.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Finishing a Zombolette graphic novel, and a few other shorter projects that are a bit out of my comfort zone.

http://scarlettebaccini.com/

2012 in Review: Rebecca Clements

 Rebecca Clements

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

It must be just coming back to comics. I hadn't worked on any for so long and then with all my fresh motivation, I came back to Melbourne, got an exciting, rad studio in the middle of the city and suddenly had the freedom to work on comics and illustration again. Just that has been the best.

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

I don't think I've discovered any cartoonists. Sounds terrible but I just had no time for it this year, and enjoyed and needed mentally the distance from comics for awhile. Since I've been back, I've been just working on my own stuff constantly so no time for reading comics! Perhaps next year.

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

Game of Thrones season 2. Over and over.

Have you implemented any significant changes to your working methods this year?
 
Working at all. But yes, compared to how I used to work last year, I have cut out a lot of crap. I got rid of a lot of excuses I used to find to not work, got rid of the crappy bits of my ego, and I work on projects I really like, that are manageable, and I keep working, and work some more, etc. Part of it is being FAR less social. But it's marvelous for productivity.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?
 
Hopefully working a lot more! Producing a couple of books would be nice. And improving and pushing myself more and more. And maybe going in some new career directions.

http://kinokofry.com/

2012 in Review: T-Rex Jones

T-Rex Jones ( Photo by Bruce Moyle - Joffre Street Productions)

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

Two highlights -- I finally started writing AND drawing my own stuff. It's been a long time coming and a lot of confidence issues booted in the arse thanks to the tremendous support of other professionals (and great friends) out there in the industry, but I'm finally doing it! The second highlight is meeting those folks and finally finding myself connected to like-minded individuals, many of whom (as I said) are some of the best friends a guy could ask for.
 
Who are some of the comics creators that you've discovered and enjoyed for the first time in 2012?
 
There are a few. Rob Paolucci's a dude from Western Australia living over in New York now who has a really great sense of style and design. His layouts are particularly impressive and sense of movement from one frame to the next is something I find myself trying to emulate a fair bit now. He helped layout a fairly prominent book this past year and I got to see a bit of it. He's also got a real eye for dynamic movement in characters.

Guiseppe Camuncoli is an artist I'd been reading in Hellblazer for ages now, but really only just switched onto earlier in the year. I really love the way he details features -- hands, faces -- it's extremely emotive stuff. REALLY emotive stuff.

I've really only just started stepping outside of my safety zone recently, so a lot of the newer stuff -- the different stufff -- I've been getting has been from creators most people already know, but in doing that I've started finding new people and new things. I really like want Brent Schoonover and Jason Copland are doing. I really only got a solid look in on Emily Smith's work this year, too. All three of them are on to big, big things in the future, you watch!
 
 What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2012?

Adventure Time has basically validated my somewhat ridiculous thought processes. I'm loving X-COM: Enemy Unknown. I've been buying up a lot of film scores on vinyl. I always like having things to listen to when I work, and it's usually film scores, but over the years I found that there were soundtracks and scores that were only ever released on vinyl or were better on vinyl so I've been slowly accumulating a nice little library of obscure film scores.
 
Have you implemented any significant changes to your working methods this year?
 
Yeah, I switched mainly to digital, then switched again and went from digital pencils to inking traditionally. The range of experimentation I get working digitally is amazing and it's really made me much more aware of what I'm doing and how I can achieve certain things visually in other ways, particularly traditionally.
 
 What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Getting my first creator owned material out into the wild! I'm also planning a fairly dramatic shift in geographic placement sometime next year, so it should be interesting... See how it all goes.

http://t-rexjones.deviantart.com/?rnrd=43299

2012 in Review: Andrew Fulton

Andrew Fulton

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

My 2012 highlight would have to have been travelling to Mocca and TCAF with the Caravan, meeting up with cartooning weirdos on another continent. That was a good time in so many different ways. Getting the Minicomics of the Month club back up and rolling again has been fun too - I'm really enjoying what's been coming out of that.

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

I have been getting right into Steven Weissman - his Barack Hussein Obama was something pretty special in a way I find difficult to articulate. It's just the right blend of magic and nonsense, and the surface quality of his ink and zipatone combination is a wonder. I am shamelessly copying his whole deal.

I don't think he has put out any actual comics, I've been following Andrew Schick on instagram. He has this interesting, loose way of putting a drawing together that I like a lot. Instagram is a pretty fun place to follow cartoonists

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

My experience of things that aren't comics is sadly slim. I have enjoyed a *heap* of tweets. I have been really getting into Homeland, the Clare Danes terrorist tv show. I also got an rdio subscription, so have been listening to a lot more music than I have previously. I really don't know much about music at all.

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

I don't think my working method has changed all that much at all. I think maybe my drawing has become looser? I've been trying to plan and edit things a bit better too - I usually just start drawing on the top left of a piece of paper and hope that I can get at least a hint of somewhere by the time I get to the bottom right. There's been a higher percentage of strips I've made this year where I have made actual, considered decisions, and reworked things rather than just abandoned them.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

 
I have literally no clue what is going to happen next year.

http://mumblier.com/

2012 in Review: Darren Close

Darren Close (photo by Bobby N)

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

Getting a new Killeroo book out after about 7 years hiatus was pretty good, but returning to the collaboration side of things for a BIG book next year would probably be the highlight - so much talent in this country that hasn't been given its due thus far. And continuing to develop my own artwork has been particularly rewarding as well.

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

There's probably too many to name that fall into this category, mainly due to their entries to the OzComics Drawing Challenge on Facebook. Sacha Bryning, Steve Boyd, Rob O'Connor, Louie Joyce, Adam Rose, Arthur Strickland, Louisa Ginivan, Gee Hale, Mark Lauthier, David Follett, Aly Close, Greg Holfield... and that's just a few of them! Such a variety of great artistic styles too.

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

What is this "non-comics" you speak of?

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

Brush pens. My style has changed dramatically since I discovered Kuretake brush pens (thanks Sacha!), they're fantastic. I'm happy to have introduced many other artists to these great pens too, most of which have also enjoyed the difference they have brought to their own work.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

More Killeroo! I have an enormous amount of Killeroo material building up at present, and I'm very driven to re-establish the character with a series of one-shots, appearances in other comics, and the mammoth GANGWARS ANTHOLOGY book/s due for release in mid-2013. I'm also looking forward to seeing Australian creators continue to produce their own comics, the level of quality has really been stepped up over the last couple of years - it's very inspiring!

www.killeroo.com

Darren is also the founder of the weekly drawing group Ozcomics

2012 in Review: Ben Hutchings

Ben Hutchings

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

 
It would have to be opening the doors of Squishface Comics Studio.  I have barely left the place since it opened!  It has grown and become a household name nearly of it's own accord. (the houses of cartoonists)  I enjoy being there and sharing in the dramas surrounding the other cartoonists. 

There were also two cartooning trips - the Caravan of Comics, and a recent commercial job in Singapore with David Blumenstein, Pat Grant and Rebecca Clements.

Not to mention a trip to Japan where I visited the Osamu Tezuka museum for a second time, and got a personal tour of the Kyoto Manga Museum!
 

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

Nah not really!  I wasn't paying a huge deal of attention to anybody else's work, let alone their names, sorry.  That's not to say there was nothing good at all! 
I'm just slipping into senility or something.  Probably should be worried.  It could be that so much is happened that I haven't digested it all. 

But I did rediscover and get fresh inspiration from an old artist I have always loved. 
His name is Yamahami Tatsuhiko.  He is best known for a character called Gaki Deka.  What is funny about my work has been funny in his work for decades. 
He is fantastic, with a dirty, but detailed style. I have no idea what any of his comics are about, however.

I also discovered another manga artist by mistake because they have similar names and styles.  I was searching for Yoshiharu Tsuge, and mistakenly picked up some English
translations of the work of Yoshihiro Tatsumi, which looks similar.  This fellow does work of such poignancy, and gravity.  His themes include sexual frustration, loneliness and death. I very rarely do anything this heavy, but would love to.  So I would recommend seeking out both these manga artists.
 

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

Dredd 3D, Tintin, Avengers and many other excellent comic movie adaptations.  Seeing Avengers with the other Caravan of Comics dudes was a gas.  Americans know how to watch a movie.  They're so noisy.  And every one-liner they guffaw at so excitedly.  The floor at the end was covered in trampled popcorn and everybody was so darn excited about what they just watched.  When I watch a movie, we usually just walk out pretty much in silence and go for a wee.

I also discovered another band I love called Sparks.  I don't like any music ever, so they're like band #5.  It's good to have music to enjoy.  They repeat themselves a lot, with strange orchestral backing and hard rock riffs.  But mainly I just love the repetition.
 

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

Not significant changes, but I have noticed my skill slowly growing!  My lines are cleaner, my knowledge of anatomy is better, overall I think I've settled into a particular style that I really like. 
 

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Keeping commercial work to a minimum and finally leaping head - first into finishing the last ten pages of my graphic novel draft.  I will also have at least two trade paperbacks out through Milk Shadow Publishing, including two You Stink & I Don't collections, possibly a Glenjamin collection reprint too.

We talked about a book of serious, art-heavy fantasy and drama stories too, which might have to wait til 2014.  I have a selection of scripts which are very different than anything I've ever written before.  They are all melancholy and tragic, but the tone remains friendly and positive.  I'd love to see if I can pull that off.

http://hutcho.wordpress.com/