Daniel Reed
What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2012?
I think Pat Grants 'Blue' was a great achievement, those spreads where the kids are on the rail line amongst all of the crazy vegetation were just amazing. I also liked Sam Wallman's 'Being Born is Going Blind' and lots of others.
Who are some of the comics creators that you've discovered and enjoyed for the first time in 2012?
I had seen bits and pieces of Charles Burns work before, but I read 'Black Hole' for the first time this year. Has to be said that it stuck in my head for ages. The line work is so clean, dark and emotive. The weird story marries perfectly to the images.
I also read 'Safe Area Gorazde' by Joe Sacco. It was certainly not as easy to read as 'Black Hole' but succeeded in many other ways. I think the reporting (of the war in Eastern Bosnia 1992-95), in comic format had a much greater impact on me than it would have done had I seen it in a documentary format. Not sure that I can put my finger on why...
What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2012?
Was introduced to "The Game of Thrones" TV series, which is cool. Gigs by 'The Mountain Goats', 'Bonnie Prince Billie' and Robert Forester were all really enjoyable. "Graphic Novels! Melbourne!" documentary was a hoot!
Have you implemented any significant changes to your working methods this year?
Working a lot in colour at the moment. Compositing together water colour, ink and pencil images in PhotoShop.
What are you looking forward to in 2013?
Getting to as many book launches, drawing nights and meet-ups as I can. Writing and drawing as much as I can. Seeing Hawthorn beat the Cats for the first time since 2008. Other than that, my title "Grubby Little Smudges of Filth" is due out in limited release hard cover sometime in 2013, so I'm looking forward to that too.
