2014 Sticky Zine Fair

 
Blurry out-of-focus poorly lit photos of some comic people at the 2014 Sticky Zine Fair.

 David Blumenstein and Anthony Woodward

 People

More People

 Andrew Fulton

 Ive Sorocuk and Alex E Clark

 Jase Harper

 David Blumenstein

 Myles Loughran

 Frank Candiloro

 Phil Bentley

 Marc Pearson

 Michael Fikaris

 Simon Hanselmann

 Michael Hawkins

 Grant Gronewald

 Chris O'Brien and Joanna Anderson

Sam Wallman

David C Mahler

2013 in Review: David Blumenstein

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2013? I did a bunch of stupid political comics in the lead-up to the federal election because I was angry at all the participants and the yucky little games they play in the media.
The best one was called The Bolt Report. I entered it in the Lord Mayor's Creative Writing awards and it won one! Then Andrew Bolt found out about it, threw it to the attack dogs on his blog, and they got quite nasty -- especially the ones who thought it was real, who got quite mad at the "teacher" for her leftist subversion!
I asked Tristian if he'd like to respond to all this, and he has.

This has all been a lot of fun, but I'm not sure anyone learned anything. Anyway, the piece (and some of the comments from Bolt's blog) will be on display at the City Library early next year.
Also, I got a chance to collaborate with a Guardian journalist, Paul Owen, on a piece recapping the federal election. That was great and I want to do more comics journalism stuff. I'm researching something about lobbyists at the moment.
I had a few cracks at live cartooning, at a show called "Picture This" at Comedy Festival and at the Melbourne Writers Festival in "Draw! Draw Faster!". That's fun.
Am also enjoying the occasional ACA meetups, and the Stanleys conference is always nice because I get to chat a bit with "proper (paid) cartoonists".
What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2013?
I've been enjoying the political cartoons of David Pope and David Rowe. And Chris Downes always does good stuff.

Michael Hawkins does comics but the thing I liked most of his this year was his work in an exhibition called Fleshtonez.

Pat Grant's "Toormina Video" is an excellent, moving short comic and was just as excellent as a staged reading at the Opera House.

Good seeing collections of Dillon Naylor and Tim Molloy stuff come out thru Milk Shadow Books/Madman. Hutcho too, but we all know I love him.

Andrew Fulton does excellent comics despite having childrens to raise; that's always impressive. And he runs the Minicomic of the Month Club. Those minis are often real good.

Daniel Reed's Grubby Little Smudges of Filth looks really good, but Comixology's "web viewer" is broken so I haven't read it yet.


Myles Loughran's "Laugh Until You Spew". I'm not that into diary comics but I like his, and there's a heartwarming ending after all the spew.

 Every so often I go to All Star Comics and I pick up an American comic that looks interesting. They're all about zombies fighting crime or scientists fighting mutant zombies or zombie scientists going back in time to meet Abraham Lincoln, and they all want to be written like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and look like Hellboy.

But they're not.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2013? I just watched the last two series of "Eastbound and Down". "Breaking Bad" finished well, too. "Justified" continues to be good.

Anna Krien's "Night Games" and Tom Doig's "Moron 2 Moron" are excellent booky-books.

Liking Katharine Murphy's writing on Guardian Australia. David Marr is pretty brilliant too. Maybe they'd like to collaborate on a comic?

Been listening to Harry Shearer's "Le Show". Angry coverage of important things, and sketches which make you sad. It's comedy, but not really.

I go to Tassie a lot. It's nice.

What are you looking forward to in 2014? Finishing my animated cop show, BE A MAN.

Jase Harper's upcoming graphic novel looks good, only seen peeks of that in Squishface and on his blog.

We just renewed the lease on Squishface for one more year?

www.nakedfella.com/

Paper Trail

 
More comics link blogging dashed off in a haphazard fashion... 

Michael Fikaris project, Arte Moris, is in it's last couple hours of crowdfunding.

Michael & Death Flatmates by Ralphie.

Josh Perks reviews James Davidson's Moa Vol One.
 

David C Mahler is currently on an international comics traipse through North America with a hobo's bindle full of a new anthology Flying Fox. Marc Pearson, Katie Parrish, Ben Sea, Leonie Brialey, Ruskidd, J.R Blue, Michael Hawkins, Merv Heers, Sam Wallman and David feature in this spunky little package. Read about Flying Fox on David's tumblr.

  
Roger Langridge writes about convention sketching.

Brian Lawry writes about Sarah Laing's The Fall of Light.

Bruce Mutard features on Double Spread.

 

Selection of Australian landscape reprint comics from the 1940's - 1950's on the Pikitia Press tumblr.

RM Rhodes dissects American Captain.

  

Aru Singh interviews Faction Comics' Amie Maxwell and Damon Keen

Daniel Best chronicles the production of the Pitt Brother's ill-fated adaption of Gully Foyle.

David Blumenstein writes up the 2013 Stanley Awards conference. Part one and part two.

Robert Smith reviews Adrian Kinnaird's From Earth's End: The Best of New Zealand Comics.

Elliot Francis Stewart: Back to the Wall.

Pat Grant performs Toormina Video at the Sydney Opera House.

Dylan Horrocks and Bryan Crump discuss children's comics including James Davidson's Moa.

Paper Trail masthead courtesy of Toby Morris.

TIM DANKO - Once Launch

 

Some poorly taken photos from Tim Danko's Once launch party at Silent Army in Melbourne.

Fulton

Anthony Woodward

2012 in Review: David Blumenstein

 

  David Blumenstein and Andrew Fulton

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2012?
 
Going on the Caravan of Comics and getting to know the other caravaners better.

Coming across an amazing comics scene in Ann Arbor, MI, thanks to (among others) Kids Read Comics' Jerzy Drozd and Dan Mishkin.

Seeing Sarah (aka my hot cartooning wife) meet some of her favourite comics artists (John Porcellino, Bill Messner-Loebs) and watching her slowly create a graphic novel right before my eyes.

Finishing 100 pages of my "Bret Braddock" comics and getting the kind of mixed response I hoped for (amused/angry/litigious).

Being newly in the Australian Cartoonists Association and, while it's an organisation in flux thanks to an aging membership and a crumbling print media, feeling quite at home with the people themselves, a great bunch of guys with amazing links back to Australia's cartooning history.

Being part of Squishface Studio, putting on many great, informal, events and some big-arse exhibitions. Hoping we can keep it going another year.
 

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

Bought minis at MoCCA Fest, favourites being ones by Greg Kletsel, Tasha Harris and Paul Hoppe. I like them because I like them, that's why. Met some brilliant artists in Chicago, the ones who collaborate on "Trubble Club", a jam comic that's that's really good. Enjoyed stuff by Jeremy Tinder and Sam Sharpe (and probably more because all the panels are by different people and oh god I'm confused and sleepy.)
 

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

I only enjoyed comics this year. Some of the TV shows I watched and pissed on include "Mad Men", "Boardwalk Empire", "Sons of Anarchy" and "The Newsroom", all shows with an incredibly high opinion of their characters, all portrayed much more nobly than the writing deserves.

"Breaking Bad" is still great, though. "Looper" was a good movie.

Loads of my friends are becoming big time published authors! Anna Krien is a lovely person and wrote a great Quarterly Essay about animals and ethics you could go pick up at a snobby-type bookshop.

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

Many. Thanks to people at Squishface I've loaded up on brushes, brush pens, colour, bristol board, art paper and all sorts of things I'd barely tried before.

I'm writing a graphic novel. That's not something I would've thought to do before this year.

I finally caved and bought a slate computer with Wacom capability and it's going to blow the arse out of my old storyboarding methodology. Good for on-the-spot digital illustration, too.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Getting better with all the new pens and brushes I've been trying.

Continuing to grow Squishface, do new things there and maybe even figure out a way to make it pay for itself.

More little steps forward for the attitude and quality of the Melbourne comics scene.

Maybe taking a Caravan-style trip to SPX if I can afford it.

Last two years have been packed with tons of comics stuff. More next year, thank you.

Oh, and I'm finally making a series of my animated cop show, "The Precinct". It's a little mini-series of shorts called "Be A Man" and it's coming out probably Mar/Apr.

http://www.nakedfella.com/

Skinny Arse Comics Launch: Melbourne Writers Festival 2012.

Skinny Arse Comic Launch 2012 - Illustration Bruce Mutard

The Skinny Arse Comics Launch at the 2012 Melbourne Writers Festival is the brainchild of Melbourne cartoonist Bruce Mutard who has been very proactive in comics events in Melbourne as well as travelling Australia and the globe to attend comics events and spread the gospel of Australian comics.

Five comic books are being launched at the Skinny Arse in conjunction with the 2012 Melbourne Writers Festival including Pikitia Press's third release; Peter Foster's adaption of the Australian literary classic For the Term of His Natural Life.

Facebook event here. 

From the press release:

Unforgotten by Tohby Riddle (Allen & Unwin)

In this beautiful new book Unforgotten Tohby Riddle brings to life what remains largely unseen in the everyday. Exploring the idea of ‘who helps the helper’ and ‘who gives to the giver’, Unforgotten is a stunning book that both adults and children will connect with.

In a time of chaos and constant distraction, Unforgotten reminds us of the place of peace and calm, while at the same time including themes of faith, doubt, friendship and compassion.

All You Bastards Can Go Jump Off A Bridge by J. Marc Schmidt (Milk Shadow Books)

Creator of of the cult classic graphic novels, Egg Story and Eating Steve, and the co-creator of The Sixsmiths, J. Marc Schmidt furiously rains down over 200 pages of comic stories covering art, romance, religion, anger, pop culture parodies, sex and death in his latest collection, All You Bastards Can Go Jump Off A Bridge.

Featuring over a year's worth of webcomics, plus loads of rare strips from small press and anthology titles, All You Bastards Can Go Jump Off A Bridge explores human behaviour, and why it can sometimes be so hard to just get along with each other. Features a foreword by Tango's Bernard Caleo.

For The Term of His Natural Life by Peter Foster (Pikitia Press)

Peter Foster's adaption of Marcus Clarke's classic Australian novel For The Term of His Natural Life. Depicting the hardships of convicts in Tasmania in the early days of the colonisation of Australia. Sixty-four pages of vibrant colour with several pages detailing the original creation of one of Australia's first graphic novels and a foreword from Marcus Clarke scholar Laurie Hergenhan.

"Showman?" The Bret Braddock Adventures Book 1 & 2 by David Blumenstein (Nakedfella Productions)

A webcomic since 2009, the tale of Bret Braddock, wealthy arsehole, recently came to a poignant end. Now the whole story is collected together in two jam-packed volumes. An essential read for anyone who's ever been told "The cheque's in the mail". Created by David Blumenstein.

The Trials of Francis Bear by Gregory Mackay (Milk Shadow Books)

Melbourne indie comix legend Gregory Mackay's latest expedition into the world of the his most beloved character, Francis Bear. This time Francis has to deal with War, punishment, technology and the bottle, all whilst never losing the beautifully sparse signature sarcasm or simple style that makes the book so unique.

This is a free event, and will feature MC-ing by the King of comics examination, Bernard Caleo. Also comics maestro Bruce Mutard will be popping by for some hijinks!

All of the artists will be in attendance, so there'll be lots of signings, short speeches and other fun. An after party will be held nearby (Location, TBA).