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.
