2013 in Review: Joshua Santospirito

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2013?

Well ... publishing the feature-length graphic novel/comic/sequential art thing - The Long Weekend in Alice Springs was the biggest highlight. That was pretty rad. Did a bunch of launches ... and was pleasantly surprised to find that some people actually read it! And BOUGHT it!! So that was pretty freaking great. You can check it out at www.sankessto.com 

I had about five launches in different places - the Alice Springs one was the best! It was in Watch This Space gallery - and the launch was on the same night as the exhibition opening - there was sooo many people there - it was slightly insane. Craig San Roque (the bloke who wrote the original essay) was the MC, and did the catering based on the themes of the book (he did it quite well actually, I didn’t know he could cook - man of many talents) and there was guests of honour. It was very exciting to see the excitement in the town, especially given the content of the book is so raw and difficult. 

 The other thing that I'm finding really fun is publishing comics by other artists here in Tassie that I think are really interesting - its a curated-type project I've called Down There. A different artist does a booklet with each issue: I did the first issue in July (Sleuth: there's somethin rotten on the Apple Isle) to get the ball rolling whilst I asked a few other people to contribute - the next issue is by Tricky Walsh which (at time of writing) will launched in the next fortnight - December 2013. It's called Hoppers 1: the 'manias. It's a totally different experience publishing other people's comics and I love what she's made. Next year there will DOWN THERE comics by Tom OHern (a nutter from Hobart, really - google him - he's great), Gary Chaloner (who now belongs to Taswegia, hands off) and Lindsay Arnold (old comics guru, jazz drummer extraordinaire). Watch out for future issues through San Kessto Publications (my wife and I also started this publishing venture this year). 

What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2013?

I just read The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg - it charmed my pants off. I am currently naked from the belt down. 

I read Alex: The Years Have Pants by Eddie Campbell - he’s just ... he’s ... I ... oh stuff it - it’s good. Real good stuff. 

Myself and a few other blokes in Hobart have started a Graphic Novels reading book group where we meet up every two months and eat chips and talk about a specifically chosen book that we all read - it’s really fun! Just last time we read Jason’s Athos in America. That guy is really great. Such a strong visual language which has such amazing effect. 

I reread Hicksville by Dylan Horrocks ... I read that every year though. It’s important to read that at least once a year. I hope you do too. 

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2013?  

Dark MOFO: The Winter festival in Hobart - was OUTSTANDING!!!

Particularly Ryoki Ikeda’s Spectra - which was this public art “sculpture” which involved 49 lights beaming up 15 kilometres into the sky at the Anzac Memorial in Hobart, allll night long. The whole town came to life at night-time, there was little kids up way past their bedtime running between the lights throughout that beautiful sound installation that made it seem like there was a UFO landing ... and there was hundreds of people HUNDREDS - just standing there at midnight, in the pouring rain, staring up into the sky in wonder. Every night for a whole 10 days!! it was really great! Amazing to see a whole town come out of its shell. Art can bring people together (aww). But the whole festival was a bit like that - come down next Winter! 

I finally watched the film “Wake In Fright” ... don’t know why it took me so long. Possibly the best film I’ve seen from Australia. 

What are you looking forward to in 2014?

I’m looking forward to getting cracking on my next medium-length project which I haven’t quite named yet - but it involves some history of my hometown of Melbourne and my family’s interaction with the city - the Aeolians who came in the 1890’s. It’s based on my Dad’s research into his father’s life - which was really fun to read. Hopefully it works well as a comic. I’ll keep ya’ll up to date as best I can.

 www.sankessto.com

2013 in Review: Frank Candiloro

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2013?

I published 4 books this year. I branched out a little from just straight ahead horror and explored other themes and genres, which has been taking me out of my comfort zone a little bit more. With the exception of one (Budd & Luu - Part II) I was able to get all my books involved in launches, from Big Arse 3, Ive Sorocuk's Halloween launch and the Over The Moon launch that I organised with Alisha Jade. I made my first all-ages comic -  Beyond The Moon, which has been received very well. I was also to be a part of the Cordite Poetry Review organised by Kent McCarter and featuring a lot of great local talent, visually interpreting poems into comic form, a new experience for me. I even got to meet my favourite writer in comics, Grant Morrison at the Graphic Festival in Sydney, and gave him some of my comics! (he commented on the "wood cut" style, which was heartwarming to hear). Seeing Art Spiegelman's talk at the same festival was also very illuminating, revealing a whole heap of german-expressionist and wood-carved comics that I never knew existed. It kind of validated my weird illustrating style!

The biggest highlight was the presentation I did about finding the right attitude and discipline to create comics at the ZICS convention in Brisbane, as part of the Skillz To Pay The Billz workshop, and I found it very humbling and inspiring to write and share with others. Not to mention that I've met some great people this year, who have motivated me to become a better artist. 2013 was quieter compared to 2012, but I still had a few small little victories here and there.

What are some of the comics/cartoonists you've enjoyed in 2013?

My favourite comic this year has been Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarksy, which has only had 3 issues so far but it's been pretty damn good. Another great find has been Thomas Ott and his great book - The Number 73304-23-4153-6-96-8 (rolls right off the tongue!) Excellent dark, noir-ish drawings. Punk Rock Jesus by Sean Murphy came out last year but the trade came out in 2013 and it was an incredible read, really electrified me like no other comic. And would you know it, I actually managed to read Hellboy for the first time this year!

Of course I checked out a lot of great Australian comics that were released in 2013 as well, such as Mr Unpronouncable by Tim Molloy, Strange Behaviour by Marijka Gooding and My Sister's Voice by Alexis Sugden. Everything else sucked! (Joking, I swear!)

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2013? 

*stares at question*

Non.....comics? What is this?

Um, uhhhh, I had an apple the other day. That was good. I guess. 

What are you looking forward to in 2014?

What I'm looking forward to the most is the latest book that I'm working on - Onna-bugeisha. It's a 95 page samurai story which involves treachery, honor, revenge, love, lust, anger, blood, you know, everything that makes a comic good! I'm hoping for it to be finished around late April/ May (if I'm lucky) and although it's a bit early to say at this time I'm hoping to have a launch for it.

I'm also hoping to make 3 more books, continuing the tradition of 4 books per year, and I hope to push them a little bit more at conventions, in stores outside of Melbourne, and digital downloads on the internet. Here's hoping that FrankenComics becomes a bigger and bigger monster with each passing year!

frankcandiloro.com/

2013 in Review: Richard Fairgray

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2013?
Finally catching up on my work so that I've now averaged a page for every day i've been alive (and currently 47 days ahead), selling thousands of copies of a picture book without anyone realising it's actually a comic, and finally having quality tee shirts for my staff to wear at shows (after ten years of shitty shirt makers letting me down).

What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2013?

The obvious ones. Saga, Lock and Key etcetera. Lots of old stuff (as usual).

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2013?

That's a hard question.

What are you looking forward to in 2014?

Releasing more books than ever before (including a new project that starts next October that might just kill me...figuratively).

blastosaurus.com/

2013 in Review: Colin Wilson

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2013?

In a year where I've had no original work published - a first for me in probably 15 years - I guess my personal highlight was seeing my name in the opening credits for the film Bullet to the Head, based on Matz and my series Du Plomb Dans La Tete first published in France ten years ago. The fact that the film never made it to the big screens in Australia, and in reality bore no relationship whatsoever to our original source material might seem like a little churlish to mention at this late stage. But what the hell...... one of my books made it to the big screen! Thanks Sly......

A second highlight for me this year has been watching the career path of my good friend and occasional co-auther Tom Taylor, who has progressed from our comic adaption of his short theatre piece The Example back in 2007 to working as one of DC Comics top writers on series such as Injustice and Earth 2, not to forget the wonderful work he is doing on The Deep (published here in Australia by Gestalt) with James Brouwer. Good stuff....

What are some of the comics/cartoonists you've enjoyed in 2013?

Spending so much of my time working on producing my own stories, I actually read very few comics these days. But one of the series that really caught my eye is Stuart Immonen and Wade Von Grawbadger's (hey, great name!) current run on All-New X-Men. Not ever being a superhero fan I find the story completely impenetrable, but the art those guys are turning in (along with Marte Gracia and Rain Beredo's impressive colour) continues to amaze me month after month.
 

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2013?  

For a variety of non-comic related reasons 2013 has been a very difficult year around here, and so these days I prefer to put this year into the bottom drawer and work towards improving the prospects for the next one....

What are you looking forward to in 2014?

Comic related, I have two books scheduled for publication in Europe next year, via two major French publishers. The first is a one-off single volume for an already well-established and very hi-profile series published by Dargaud, the second is the first book in a new original series for Delcourt. I am working with the same co-authors who wrote the two Jour J books we published with Delcourt over the last couple of years - Fred Duval and Jean-PierrePécau, and everyone has high hopes for this new series - my first for Europe in many years. Currently I am completing the final pages of this first book, and the current plan for 2014 is to get as much work done on the second volume of the series before heading over to Europe mid-year for an extended book signing tour. These things never go completely to plan, but at the moment everything is shaping up for a very interesting year.......

colinwilsonart.com/

2013 in Review: Jason Franks

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2013?

I got to work with some brilliant artists this year on the new Sixsmiths book. A lot of new collaborators, like Dean Rankine, Sarah Howell, Tim McEwen, Gregory MacKay, Trev Wood, Jase Harper, Sacha Bryning, and Anton McKay, as well as a crew of my old mates: Bruce Mutard, Bobby N., Luke Pickett, Jan Scherpenhuizen, Greg Gates, and Ed Siemienkowicz. It's been incredible.

The other highlight, of course, was going to SPX with Matt Hoddy, Caitlin Major, and Keith McDougall and that crazy freak who does Guzumo. I haven't been to SPX since 2006 and it's grown, but it stills feels like the same show. It was a pleasure to reconnect with some old acquaintances ( and to make so many new ones. What a blast! Massive thanks to Warren and Bruce for organizing it.

What are some of the comics/cartoonists you've enjoyed in 2013?

2013, for me, was the year of genre comics. Fatale, Locke and Key, Luther Strode, Saga, Amala's Blade, Chew and Witch Doctor remain my favourites. Most of these books started running in prior years, but in 2013 my intake of alternative books and manga was diminished. Not sure why that is; it wasn't a conscious decision. As far as local works go, Tim Molloy's collection Mr Unpronounceable Adventures was the stand out for me.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2013?  

In 2013 I found a lot of new opportunities in the medium of prose on the back of my first novel and that gave me a lot of validation. Prose can be a grind, because every word has to be perfect, but it's been really good to be able to just focus on the writing and not have to project manage and produce every aspect of the work. That has been a nice change. 

What are you looking forward to in 2014?

I'm looking forward to a more relaxed 2014. 2013 was nuts: book launches, honeymoons, hospitals, mortgages, the con circuit, on top of some brutal deadlines at my day job have really worn me down. Next year I'm looking to simplify things. I want to ramp up some new projects, in prose and comics, and I want to have a more evenly productive year.

jasonfranks.com/

2013 in Review: David Follett

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2013?

Biggest highlight for me is my nearing the completion of my first draft of Uncle Silas 2: Earth, sequel to Uncle Silas: Genetis. Thankfully this adventure is mostly out of the forest from book 1 so when it comes to inking and colouring stages, things should move along quickly. The tripled page count might negate that advantage somewhat, but the illusion of productivity will sustain me. I've ditched the sunday newspaper comic format entirely so the pages flow along like runny butter in comparison to the staggered doubled-up page design Dark Horse edition of book 1.

Which was a decision not of my making, by the way- when I eventually re-release it I'll publish it how I originally intended- large and landscape. Yet again this has been a massive undertaking for me as it's pretty well happened in my own spare time and this year's been packed with plenty of distracting incidents. Ah, the romantic life of a cartoonist/comic creator… sitting at a desk for hours on end neglecting food, sunlight, personal hygiene and going slightly insane… It's blindingly obvious why we get the girls.

Getting my Sunday comic strip Harry the Dog, NewsHound nominated for a Stanley this year, and a Highly Commended from the Illustrators Australia Awards was also pretty nifty.

Also being involved with the [imi] creativity research project put on by the QUT, ARC and Australia Council has been a big highlight. This led to artist's placements with Halfbrick Studios for a week working on generating app concepts, and then with Mod Productions for my own app idea. Stay tuned on that one...

What are some of the comics/cartoonists you've enjoyed in 2013?

Pat Grant's Blue, Anzac Tale by Holfeld and Starke, collected books of Paulos' Hairbutt the Hippo, Franquin's Spirou, Gottfredson's Mickey Mouse run, E.C. Segar's Popeye, Eddie Campbell's Alec the Years Have Pants, the Blake and Mortimer reprints… Oglaf is a joy that never ceases to entertain.

I'm sure there's more that I can't remember off the top of my head right now.

And a bunch of stuff earmarked for reading but not gotten around to yet.

Enjoying the revamped Comic Spot Podcast as well. Two clinks from me.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2013? 

Read Shogun for the first time- brilliant and epic. A terrific matching of narrative/plot and emotional depth. A page turner! Colin Cotterill's Jim Juree stories- a great companion series to his Dr Siri books. Douglas Adams/Gareth Evans Dr Who story SHADA was a fun ride. Tim Flannery's Here on Earth was compelling. Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom is mighty fine escapism for the young at heart. Writing Irresistible KidLit by Mary Kole is awesome and highly recommended. Snowboarding in the Spanish Pyrenees was utterly brilliant, too. That last one's not a book, by the way.

What are you looking forward to in 2014?

Keeping up what I've done in 2013, pretty much. And winning the lottery so I can focus all my time on my comics and I don't have to freelance. I hope no one else steals that idea.

unclesilas.com.au

davidfollett.com/

2013 in Review: Scarlette Baccini

 

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2013?

The highlight for me was undoubtedly visiting TCAF with the Caravan of Comics, and the rest of the North American tour. I met so many incredible artists (including David B!), and it motivated me to work harder and aim higher. I'm slightly less crap at public speaking now too, I think.

I had heaps of fun and also learned a whole lot organising The Naked Launch in April - I launched my first self-published efforts, Jesus Reloadeth'd and Zombolette's Floppy #1.

What are some of the comics/cartoonists you've enjoyed in 2013?

Tim Molloy fried my brain in the best possible way with Mr Unpronounceable Adventures. I'm a big fan. I also really enjoyed Roman Dirge's latest issues of Lenore.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2013?

I play in a band, and we're just wrapping up an album that we've worked on all year - so much hard work, but very rewarding. Launching our first single in October was great fun.

What are you looking forward to in 2014?

Getting back to my Zombolette comics - I haven't drawn her since March and I miss her! I'm also working on a couple of kids books, which is a whole new area for me, and I'm really excited to see how it goes.

scarlettebaccini.com/

2013 in Review: Sarah Laing

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2013?

Having my Let Me Be Frank comics published by Pikitia Press! And getting paid to work on my Katherine Mansfield graphic novel. Also having my novel The Fall of Light published, with sequential art running between the chapters. 

 
What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2013?

The comic that I most recently loved is Anders Nilsen's The End - very affecting and his grief was brilliantly rendered. I went on a memoir binge and enjoyed Lucy Kinsey's Relish, Nicole George's Calling Dr Laura, Ellen Forney's Marbles and Uli Lust's Today is the last day of the Rest of your Life. I've been reading lots of kids' comics because I'm always getting them out for my son, and I was particularly excited to discover Luke Pearson. We both just read Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller, which was pretty awesome. Locally, I loved Toby Morris'  Don't Puke on Your Dad (so touching! So familiar!) and I'm really enjoying Dylan Horrocks' frequent updates of his Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen story.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2013?  

Novels are my weakness. I loved Jhumpa Lahiri's The Lowlands and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah. I also discovered Patrick Ness, and was thoroughly disturbed by Sally Gardner's Maggot Moon. I've also been reading all of Jennifer Egan's back catalogue because I loved A Visit from the Goon Squad so much.

What are you looking forward to in 2014?

I am looking forward to getting some stuff finished! I want to send off issue 5 of Let Me Be Frank, and also I'd love to get my Katherine Mansfield project done. But everything takes longer than I hope it will...

 sarahelaing.wordpress.com/