2012 in Review: Doug Holgate

Doug Holgate

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

It's been another pretty busy year, but I think having a book I worked on for Harper Collins, Planet Tad, featured briefly on the Daily Show, winning gold in a category of the Illustrators Australia awards and the Oz Comic-Con events in Perth and Melbourne were all standouts.

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

I seem to find new cartoonists and illustrators every couple of weeks, it's kind of part of my process I guess, to keep inspired and connected to what is going on in the world, so it's hard to list them all. But the people I've come back to numerous times this year (as well as in some cases formed some new friendships with) would be Jez Tuya (Brilliant, inspiring up and coming cartoonist and character designer from NZ), Rebecca Dart (Everything she touches is amazing, incredible character, energy and fun).

Tristan Jones (Probably one of the biggest inspirations for me this year in pushing myself to get a little looser and quicker with my own work) and Tony Cliff (Artist on one of my favourite comics/webcomics from the last decade I think, Delilah Dirk). I haven't really read much in the way of comics, but of what I have read Craig Thompson's Habibi stayed with me for weeks after reading. The new Prophet series (Brandon Graham and Simon Roy) from Image comics is a great big ridiculous space opera and Infinite Kung Fu by Kagan Macleod was a fantastic love letter to the history of kung fu in pop culture.

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

Lots of great movies, Looper, Cabin In the Woods, Dredd, Argo. My one major love outside of cartooning is history and politics, in particular the United States, so i was pretty consumed by the 2012 US election the last 12 months. I've been reading a lot of crime fiction this year especially a number of George Pelacanos' novels plus a lot of visits to the Zoo and the Melbourne Museum this year with the 3 year old.

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

Most of my freelance work is very clean and tight and as i said earlier, inspired by work the likes of Tristan Jones, Simon Roy, Toby Cypress, I've tried to play around with being a little looser with my personal work. So playing around with more blacks, textures and freeing my line-work up a little bit. Hopefully i can take a few more steps in that direction next year.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Getting my all ages graphic novel, Clementine Hetherington and the Ironwood Race, co created with and written by Jen Breach further along and to hopefully find her a home (Clementine, not Jen). Completing the Rombies: Ex Legio Mortis graphic novel, written by Christian Read for Gestalt Comics and some other comics and book illustration projects I can't really talk about just yet. The release of the first and second books in the Case File 13 series from Random House and hopefully another Planet Tad will be out next year. I also missed out on a number of planned OS trips this year due to timing and finances so hopefully carving out some time to get to TCAF, SPX or NYC con as well as some more local shows would be great!

 www.skullduggery.com.au

  http://clementinehetherington.tumblr.com

2012 in Review: Gregory Mackay

Gregory Mackay

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

Witnessing the opening of Squishface Studio the year was great, knowing there are a group of cartoonists just down the road is reassuring. Also the reoccurring Big Arse comics launch is great to see. The Chugnut retreat was a highlight, it's great to work alongside other cartoonists with few distractions and get some serious work done as well as hangout with people who are doing such great work. I enjoyed staying in the little huts and walking around at night.

Having my comic 'Slow Panic' published in the Tasmanian Literary Journal "The Island" was great. The comic, which won the Lord Mayors Creative Writing award for best graphic short story, was also published in the French Turkey Comics at around the same time.

The Comics Caravan trip was an epic journey, we covered a lot of ground and saw some amazing comics as well as touring New York, Toronto and Chicago. Meeting Chester Brown and having him remember my old comics was very special. I really liked touring around in cars and vans with so many great cartoonists, in such inspiring surrounds. MOCCA fest was really energising in New York, as was TCAF in Toronto. Seeing the basement at Quimby's Books and seeing The Trials of Francis Bear on sale there completed a long time goal.

Launching my new Francis Bear book at the Melbourne Writers festival was also a highlight.  Working with James Andre of Milk Shadow books was fun as we got the book to print in record time. I wasn't sure about  speaking in front of a big crowd like that, but I don't think I did too badly. Releasing the book has been marvelous and it's great to get so many new readers.

I travelled to Florida to participate in the Atlantic Centre for the Arts Graphic Novel residency. It was a three week residency with master artist Dean Haspiel. We hung out in the Florida sun and worked on and discussed comics and storytelling. I made some great new friends and learned a lot about comics in general. Megan Kelso was also great to chat to at the residency and in general all of the 24 cartoonists and writers were amazing to learn from. Talking to Tom Hart about Francis Bear was insightful, as I had identified a few areas I could have done things better.

I then traveled to New York again for the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival. I was caught up in Hurricane Sandy so getting around New York was a bit tough for a few days. After chatting to Chris Ware on the streets of Brooklyn and conversing with Charles Burns at the festival after party, the problems of staying in a disaster area seemed to vanish. Desert Island books were great in taking on the new book as were so many other comic shops in NY.

Being involved in projects that formed out of the residency has been a great challenge too. Filming for Graphic Novels Melbourne was great, even though I ended up on the cutting room floor. Seeing such a great and well realised film about local comics is truly heartening. Being a part of a separate documentary short film about my work was also interesting, look for it in the new year.

Self Publishing one 180 page book and writing two new books and working three jobs has been tiring, so I haven't had time for a lot of things I wanted to be a part of.  Getting picked up by Milk Shadow has meant a lot. Next year won't be as packed, so intend to get more comics done.
 

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

I discovered the work of Abner Dean and the incredible Gluyas Williams. These are comics greats from way back. Recent people would be Julie Wertz, Dustin Harbin, Michael DeForge and Julia Gfüroer plus many others.
 

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

I enjoyed watching the Presidential Election unfold in New York, my new comics buddies shed a tear during Obama's acceptance speech. Being in NY for the Hurricane was especially strange. Attending the ballet to see Swan Lake was pretty special, I was really stunned by the spectacle and energy, I love how the crowd boos the villain at the end. Seeing the new 4k print of Raiders of Lost Ark, was cool. You can see the edges where the effects have been spliced in. Going to MOMA, The Guggenheim, The Met and just hanging out on the streets of Brooklyn all informed my work. Playing the survival horror game Day Z at home on the PC got me through a lot of dark times, finally an emotional  game with no objectives that's endlessly playable.

Working as an Associate Director of The Other Film Festival was an experience. Getting to be a part of such an important festival here in Melbourne was really educational. Seeing so many films about disability that really emphasise the lived experience of people with a disability was edifying and emotional. Chatting with filmmaker Adam Elliott about story telling and animation was intriguing and I think I learnt  a lot from him about starting projects. Traveling throughout Australia for my regular job took time away from my comics, but allowed me to travel overseas and have great adventures.
 

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

I was always criticised for working small, so many people work on a huge scale. I tried this for a while on my new book only to realise during the residency that I should work actual size like Francis Bear. This has made a huge difference in my work surprisingly and I feel I can get a better result. Sticking with the Brause no 18 nib has been important, I was thinking of changing to a Nikko nib, but after a while I could see that I could get a unique recognisable line from the Brause. I love Multi-liners with their replaceable parts, but Microns can take so much more punishment it seems.
 

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

I have some new books in the works, and I am looking forward to finishing those. I have decided to give Francis Bear a short break to work on something else completely different.  I am also working on a children's graphic novel and several other short and long term comics projects.

http://www.milkshadowbooks.com/products/the-trials-of-francis-bear/

http://gregorymackay.com/

2012 in Review: James Andre - Milk Shadow Books

Can you talk about personnel changes for MSB this year?
 

Yeah, there's been a lot of shuffling about this year. Unfortunately we lost Brendan Halyday as our main art director. He's moved on to focus on his own art again. In his place we gained two new book designers. Matt Revert and Marijka Gooding. We also have an intern, Laura Renfrew lined up to start next year.

They're a good bunch. They're willing to take risks and stand by their creative decisions, and yet still be flexible in bringing out what the artist wants.

Also my partner, Matilde, and LukePickett who controls the website side of things over in Canada have really helped keep things running smoothly whenever there's been problems too.

What have been the highlights of 2012 for MSB?

We've be involved some great launches, the Skinny and Big Arse Launches. Moving into graphic novel territory. Finding and releasing work by new artists. Getting the website www.milkshadowbooks.com looking snazzy. Seeing our work in the Graphic Novels! Melbourne! doco film. And yeah, Getting on Neighbours.

Will MSB be implementing any digital publishing initiatives?

We've also got a Graphic.ly account set up. Nothing released through them yet though. We tried to contact Comixology too. No response. Although it looks like they generally just work with the bigger publishers. But yeah, we're definitely interested and still looking into it more.

What will MSB be doing differently if anything in 2012?

A few things. We're also looking into some wider distro networks within the comics community. More on that soon though.

Any forthcoming MSB projects you can tease?

Yeah, there's a few. We've got A Brush with Darkness by Dillon Naylor, You Stink and I Don't Volumes One and Two by Ben Hutchings, Mr Unpronounceable Adventures by Tim Molloy, Yuck! #7, a graphic novel sized Allochthonous Pop by myself and Luke Pickett, some Da 'n' Dil and a few other things.

I feel slightly sick looking at how much work it'll all be, but it's a good kind of sick.

   http://www.milkshadowbooks.com/

2012 in Review: Sarah Howell

Sarah Howell

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

It has been a massive year when it comes to comics stuff for me, there have been lots of great times, but if I have to name a handful they would be: starting Squishface Studio; starting the Ladies Drawing Auxiliary talk series at Squishface; teaching cartooning on a weekly basis; meeting Bill Messner-Leobs (co-writer of The Maxx) and his wife at a very pleasant comics meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Dave (Blumenstein) giving John Porcellino a copy of my comic when he met him at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival.

 

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

Organising Ladies drawing Auxiliary has introduced me to a pile of new creators that I wasn't aware of, or only knew a little bit about: Scarlette Baccini, Lily Mae Martin, Lee Lai, Megan Nairn, Leonie V. Brialey, Kate Moon, Adi Firth, Rebecca Hayes, Katie Houghton-Ward, and Lindsay C. Walker.
 
Also I read Jason Franks' work for the first time. I picked up The Sixsmiths from him at Sticky's Festival of the Photocopier. The Sixsmiths made me laugh and it captures the feeling of suburban Melbourne really well.

Probably my favorite international find was Englishman Luke Pearson. I read his Hilda and the Midnight Giant earlier in the year, and then picked up Everything We Miss from his publisher Nobrow Press while in Toronto. There is an influence from Chris Ware in Pearson's work, but his obvious love of the mythic makes his stories far more entertaining and moving for me.

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

I watched Wings of Desire again, mostly so Dave could see Peter Falk in it. I came home the next evening to find Dave listening to the Director's commentary, which was fascinating. The film wasn't scripted, Wim Wenders had a framework of the opening poem and the idea of the angels wandering around Berlin (this is before the wall comes down), but everything else is pretty much improvised. I found his comments resonated with my own preferred way of working.

Breaking Bad. I find Breaking Bad emotionally very affecting. Dave often watches it late at night before bed and I have to put ear plugs in because it agitates me too much before trying to sleep. Again we listened to the director and cast commentary and it is very inspiring, the amount and quality of thought and intention that goes into achieving the emotional tension of the show.

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

Research and writing a script! I mostly drew silent comics in the past and never enjoyed writing a script because for me the images always develop first in my mind, so I would thumbnail script. Last year I found myself inspired to do a historical comic and started researching. I was confident that I could just thumbnail script again, and was quite resistant to writing one, but as my research notes progressed I just got to a point where I realised for clarity and speed I needed to write the sequences and dialogue out. Now I'm really enjoying the process.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

More Squishface adventures, particularly Ladies Drawing Auxiliary. Mini Comic of the Month Club. Getting all nerdy at the National Archives and Old Parliament House in Canberra with the aim of getting a good chunk of my graphic novel done. Dave's comic about a fictional cult leader.

http://sarahhowellprojects.com/

2012 in Review: Kelly Sheehan

Kelly Sheehan

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

Seeing Darren start a new Inhabitants episode. Titled A Day at the Races it features new characters, the foregrounding of previous background characters and the backgrounding of previous foreground characters. It was meant to appear in the first issue of Fraction but fell victim to real life and will now, hopefully, appear in the second issue. Also finishing the latest of our little 'netsuke' comics. All going to plan I should be picking it up from the copy shop next week. Keep eyes peeled for Some were meant for sea. 

Enjoyed contributing to Bob's Tearoom of despair and subsequently being linked to by Tom Spurgeon. Writing for Bob's blog suggested some possibilities for writing comics which I'm slowly trying to sort out in my head. Nice to be included in Dylan's catalogue of New Zealand comics creators.

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

Am enjoying Brian K Vaughn's Saga. I've waited for years to like something by that guy. Y the last man left me cold and I wanted to enjoy Ex-machina but something didn't quite click. Saga grabbed me right away. Jonathan Hickman's Manhattan Projects is fun. It's good to have a monthly(ish) comic that I look forward to. Been a while since I felt that sort of regular anticipation. There's a seat of pants feel to the book that makes you feel Hickman is having the time of his life making it all up as he goes along. Great stuff.

Prophet from Brandon Graham and friends is my hands down favourite for this year. Like Hickman's comic there is a feeling of a free wheelin' good time. Reading interviews with Graham and co you get the idea that the creators are always trying to top each other. All of those titles have the fun, smart feel I associate with reading 2000ad when I was young. 

Finally, she's not new but I really liked Alison Bechdel's Are You My Mother? There seems to have been an almost indifferent response to it's release. I find this puzzling considering the accolades heaped on Fun Home. Anyway it's an astonishing piece of work and is less an autobiography than an interrogation of Bechdel's relationship with her mother in the form of a comics essay.

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

Breaking Bad season 5. David Thomson's The Big Screen, a history of film, the screens we watch it on and an exploration of the dangerous effect it has on us as individuals and as a culture. Thomson's vision is pessimistic, but so beautifully expressed that you can't help but be swept along. Some of the dead are still breathing:living in the future by Charles Bowden. Even more jaded than Thomson, Bowden has been covering the Mexican Drug War for way too long. This book is a collection of intermittent writings knitted together into a dream meditation on the coming world and the ecological and moral apocalypse we are staring down the barrel of. Excellent.

Mitch Jenkin's and Alan Moore's Jimmy's End was great. It is interesting to see Moore trying to come to grips with a new form. Not all of it worked but when it did Jimmy's End was fantastic. My favourite part was the end, it was like Moore had driven one of his spoken word pieces at high speed into the back end of Jenkins' film (though the gold face paint was a bit silly). Oh, and reading all of A song of ice and fire in a binge that lasted six week. When's the next one out?  
    

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

No. I still don't work regularly enough. I still have things that are half finished. That still makes me feel guilty  Would like to say this will change in 2013 but I doubt it.

What are you looking forward to in 2013? 

Making more comics with Darren. Seeing some of our work being part of the exhibition at St Pauls Street Gallery. Finally getting hold of Tim Molloy's It shines, it shakes and laughs (and his new Mr Unpronouncable book).  The combined thrill power of LofEG:Heart of ice and Jerusalem. Hanging with fellow cartoonists at various events. Seeing more work from Mr Timothy Kidd. Family stuff.

http://theinhabitants.blogspot.com.au/

2012 in Review: Jason Chatfield

Jason Chatfield

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

Personally I've been very grateful to have served out my term as President of the Australian Cartoonists' Association with a great team. I could have been lumped with a board of people who don't want to get anything done, but the great enthusiasm of people like Jules Faber and Peter Broelman have been a huge support. The addition of Comic Book Artist as a category in the Stanley Awards/Year Book/Membership Category is a very good indication of where the club is headed; a broader, more accepting association for not just newspaper cartoonists. Also taking the club online was something I'm proud of having achieved. It's a step in the right direction for the industry's future.

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

I finally got to meet Chris Wahl at the Stanleys Conference. I've been a big fan of his work for years -his line-work is enviably perfect. I also got to hang out with Sam Viviano, Art Director of MAD Magazine. His movie parodies in MAD were always excellent, and he's a great artist to talk with about having a successful career of growing as an artist, instead of stagnating and doing the same work over and over.

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

Glimpse, was a side-project I worked on this year of which I'm very grateful to have been asked to be a part of. It was a nice side-step from drawing a red-headed 12 year old all day. In short, it was a show with some incredibly talented Australian actors, with my work being projected and animated up behind them as they performed. I made a process video here: https://vimeo.com/54274483

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

Yeah - after spending most of my twenties as a night owl, working til 4 and waking at 12, I've gone to bed before midnight and got up early to work. I'm about as productive as before, but I don't feel like crap. I was dragging my body around and treating it like crap, slumped over the computer screen all night. I've switched to working at a Standing Desk now, with the Cintiq at about eye level. My neck pain has mysteriously disappeared.... How bout that.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Having more time to accept bigger projects, now that my time isn't as committed to the role of President. It was a rewarding position to be in, but it literally worked out to be like having a full time job for two years, on top of everything else. I'm doing my first solo show as a Stand-up in the 2013 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Integrating the technology I learned doing Glimpse, I'm animating my work live while doing comedy. Could bomb terribly, but I'm trying it anyway. It'll be at 7:15pm at the Portland Hotel from 9th - 21st April 2013.

http://www.jasonchatfield.com/

2012 in Review: Gary Chaloner

Gary Chaloner

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

Twenty-twelve started off being a very bad year (continuing on from an even worse 2011, filled with death and mayhem), but over the last six months, things have really turned around with a lot of work being done and cleared off the drawing board that should be seeing the light of day in the new year. I had a blast taking over from Emily Smith on Gestalt's Unmasked, written by Christian Read. By year's end I should be finished that. I've also got the first issue of The Undertaker Morton Stone in the bag for Gestalt as well. Issues two and three of the series are almost finished. On a good productive roll there. I've also been doing a lot of illustration work for a new series of adventure paperbacks featuring Doc Wilde by Tim Byrd. It was a very successful Kickstarter campaign that's now getting into high gear. The first book in the series should be available within the month. 

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

Kranburn by Ben Michael Byrne was a nice discovery. Enjoying that a lot. The story and characters have a lot of presence and Byrne's writing in general sucks you in and takes you along for the crazy ride.

Blue by Pat Grant was brilliant and totally deserves all the praise its getting. A well executed project from beginning to end. Utilising both web and print to maximum effect. Nicely designed, nicely drawn, nicely told.

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

Movies? John Carter, Prometheus, Dark Knight Rises (Bane's voice not so much), Avengers (Captain America's modern outfit, not so much). Yes, they're the usual suspects, but I didn't have much time to see too many flicks, so the big ones stood out.

Books? Went through a James Ellroy phase. Read the Underworld USA trilogy: American Tabloid (again), The Cold Six Thousand (again) and Blood's a Rover. I'm so over him now.

TV? The Walking Dead. Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, Bored to Death.

Music? Springsteen (The Promise and Wrecking Ball), My Morning Jacket, David Ruffin

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

God knows I try. But old habits die hard. Always searching for ways to speed up productivity while maintaining quality, but the older I get, the more comfortable I am with the old ways and the more unsatisfied I am with digital art, disposable pens, non-sable brushes. The big change is working standing up. The body knows no pain now.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Seeing all the stuff I've been working on recently getting out and about. An Unmasked print collection! More Undertaker!! Doc Wilde!!! I might even get around to finishing my Breckenridge Elkins adaption.

I'm also looking forward to seeing the revamped Ledger Awards (or whatever they'll be called) getting back up and running under the auspices of Supanova.

Now that the Australian Comics Journal website has been bubbling along with baby steps over the last six months, I'd like to see what the next phase for that is.

I've also got a secret graphic novel project for Gestalt to return to (working like a Trojan tin the meantime...) and a The Jackaroo collection to get out this year. So I hope another big, productive year is on the way.

http://garychaloner.com/

http://australiancomicsjournal.com/

2012 in Review: James Davidson

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

 
Receiving my copies of Moa 2 from the printer and looking at my work in colour for the first time. When I opened the box I was like wow! I’m a comic artist. Also, getting picked up by Pikitia Press really affirmed for me the value in making comics and the work I had been doing.

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

I picked up a cheap copy of Howard Chaykin’s American Flagg volume one at the Hamilton Armageddon this year. This is the first opportunity that I have had to actually read some of his work. His layouts and especially his use of text and words as a compositional element have been something I want to develop in my own work.
 
What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2012? 

My family and I recently went to see the Mary Poppins show at the Civic in Auckland. The kids loved it and the sets were spectacular. More 3D then a 3D movie!

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

Moving to colour has been the most noticeable change for me. After seeing issue one printed in black and white I knew I had to take the plunge and give colour a crack. My first attempts to colour Moa turned out pretty bad, thank goodness for youtube! I can honestly say that everything I know about colouring comics I learnt on youtube.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Making more comics! I’m aiming to get issues 1, 2 and 3 collected through Pikitia Press early in 2013. I would also like to get issues 4 and 5 released although, getting that many pages finished might be a bit of a stretch.

 http://moascomic.blogspot.com.au/