Paper Trail

A gem from Cakeburger.

The Caravan of Comics makes it's way to the Fantagraphics bookstore and gallery this weekend for presentations and a screening of Graphic Novels! Melbourne!.

Caravan members recently guested on Dans Ta Bulle podcast.
 

Meredith Van Halen writes about decontextualisation on tumblr.

Tim Danko has a Pozible campaign for Tim Danko's Comic Book.

The steamrolling monster of  Ladies Auxiliary Night at Squishface studios in Melbourne happens again at the end of this month with Ceili Braidwood and Lauren Hills and Sophie Parsons Cope (aka Soufex).

 Ceili Braidwood and Lauren Hills

Have you looked at Moonbeard yet?

Parker and Emdin's Time Toilet.

Darien Zam writes about an obscure New Zealand confectionery brand.

Sarah Laing shares her recent contribution to the Nga Pakiwaituhi NZ comic exhibition.

Interview with Darren Koziol at The Australian Comics Journal.

 Australian comics Kevin Patrick interview excerpt with the State Library of Victoria.

Frank and Becky are part of a kickstarter campaign to fund publication of a Capture Creatures hardcover.

Alice Online reviews Joshua Santospirito's The Long Weekend.

To round things out, a series of covers from Australia editions of Harvey Comics' Mazie from 1955. Mazie was published in Australia by three series from  Magazine Management, Jubilee Publications and Approved Publications. Cover artwork is likely the work of prolific Harvey artist Warren Kremer (June 26, 1921 – July 24, 2003). Kremer was the creator of or helped refine many of the most well known Harvey characters, including Casper the Ghost, Hot Stuff, Joe Palooka, Little Audrey, Little Max, Richie Rich, and Stumbo the Giant.

Happy 40th Birthday, Sarah Laing

Interview: Mat Tait

As part of the celebration of german composer Wagner’s bicentenary in 2013 The Goethe-Instituts around the globe have commissioned works to view the composer through the prism of the present day and age. The perspectives collected are personal, subjective, international and multimedia. New Zealand cartoonist Mat Tait has contributed a comic adaption of the opera The Flying Dutchman currently serialised in 13 or 14 parts every Tuesday at the My personal Wagner Blog. I asked Mat a few questions about this project via email.

When were you approached to take part in the My Personal Wagner project?

I was approached by Bettina Senff from the Goethe Institut towards the end of last year. From what I understand she saw my work in the NZ Comics and Graphic Novels book that Dylan Horrocks put together for the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Did you have much prior knowledge or interest in opera or Wagner specifically?

Almost none! I knew a little of Wagner's work, but probably as much as most people (I imagine), ie Ride of the Valkyries thanks to Apocalypse Now. So yeah, I was pretty ignorant.

Did you draw inspiration from anywhere in particular for your adaption? Particularly the use of large sweeping spreads with inset panels?

The inspiration for the format came mainly from the fact that the source material was intended for the stage, and it seemed to me that using large panels as analogues of stage sets or backdrops might be an interesting way to go. Also I'd been reading Chris Ware's Building Stories not long before and I think that definitely influenced me to be a little bit more formally daring than I would be usually.

Will your Flying Dutchman adaption eventually appear in paper form?

Yes; though this was commissioned as a web-based strip the intention was always to see it print at some point. I tend to envisage things in print in a kneejerk way even when doing something for the web. It's probably a fault and somewhat old-fashioned but I love print and can't help it.

Can you take us through your process for creating a page from this project?

I wrote a rough draft for the script then a more finished one before moving on to doing roughs of the page layouts and finally starting to do the finished pages, which constitute the final draft as I make a lot of changes as I go. I pencil and ink  each page onto about A2 size paper, then do the inset panels, text and any other bits and pieces separately. All of that's then scanned and put together in Photoshop. It's a good way of working for me as I'm able to play with stuff on the page and see what is and isn't working, and then make changes relatively easily.

Will we see more of your collaborations with Mike Brown on New Zealand folklore tales in the Werewolf Cartoon alley?

Yes possibly, though we're looking for print venues at the moment. I think the next story, which is almost completed, will probably be in an upcoming issue of Faction. Beyond that we're not sure, though we have some options.

Artwork © Mat Tait.

English Comics Diversion: Tip Top Dec 15th 1951

Laughs - H.B.K. Hislop

Another Gallery of Laughs covers from the late 1940's and 1950's by New Zealand Publisher H. B. K. Hislop.

Background notes of H.B.K. Hislop here. 

Earlier Laughs cover gallery here.

 

Stamina Clothes - Walter Lacey Jardine

 
The following advertisements featured in Australian magazine Parade during 1950's and 1960's for Stamina Clothes. I could easily imagine these being presented to the clothing executives in a Don Draperesque presentation. Several of the illustrations are signed by Walter Lacey Jardine (1884 - 1970) and I would likely attribute them all to him. Jardine showed an early aptitude for art and apprenticed at 12 years of age with newspaper artist J. H. Leonard. For the next twenty years Jardine worked in newspapers contributing full page black-and-white illustrations for the Sydney Star (Sun from 1910). 

After a successful career as a commercial artist in Australia, Jardine went to America in 1923 and became famous for his pen-and-ink drawings on scraper-board. Jardine quickly found commercial illustration work for Hearst’s Cosmopolitan Magazine, Good Housekeeping, The American Legion and Motor Magazine. Jardine also worked in advertising with clients that included Durant Motors Inc., General Motors Corporation and the Packard Motor Car Co., E. R. Squibb & Sons (toothpaste) and York Manufacturing Co. (refrigerators).

Returning to Australia in 1928 Jardine opened a studio and worked primarily freelance until the 1950's where he took up teaching by correspondence with the Art Training Institute in Melbourne. From 1945 to 1959, Jardine in partnership with W.F Paterson created the company Walter Jardine Advertising Service (later Jardine, Paterson & Co). Jardine worked into his retirement designing a set of postage stamps at age 80. Jardine passed away in 1970 at age 96.

  

These last two illustrations depict Jardine's variations on a similar theme.

Source: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/jardine-walter-lacy-10615