Here’s a comic I made with my niece as the main character. She’s a bit of a bookworm. 
Archive | October, 2011
My Niece
29 OctPages 14-17
19 OctPrevious pages
Pages 1-4
Pages 5-7
Pages 8-9
Pages 10-13
I have taken away page 17 for the time being – there are some matters that need to be dealt with a bit better and in a more culturally sensitive manner with this particular page. Apologies to anyone who has felt offended who has read it so far. I will endeavour to address the issues.
So I’m a little partial to maps … did you pick that up? We have a massive collection at home … bordering on a little obssessive … though I’ve chilled out after moving to Tasmania. I had a LOT of maps of Central Australia because for work I used to drive all over … not a bad job if you can get it. Tiring though.
The little cars driving in towards Alice was a little suggestion from Jen Breach, who’s a comic-writer that I showed this to earlier in the year when I was in Melbourne, Thanks Jen! Jen’s doing a 60 page comic with Andrew Fulton … who is THE BEST comic-maker in the country, hands down … slap-arse! full STOP! … *plop* (he does great fight scenes). And I’m a little excited to see what they’re cooking, but we must be patient.
The 3rd panel of the maps page with Craig holding the pointer at the Dead Centre of Alice Springs is a reference to this bunch of educational comics that Craig had from 1958 which had all these amazing historical accounts of explorers crossing the country. There was one that detailed the construction of the overland telegraph. Here it is – 
isn’t it a corker!!
Pages 10-13
15 OctPrevious pages
Pages 1-4
Pages 5-7
Pages 8-9
I will set up a post in the next week that has all of the pages on one post to make it easier to read in one hit.
This last page is one of my favourites … the concept is why. So often it is too difficult to even conceptualise how one should even THINK about complex matters. To draw a boundary gives you some clarity about how to even begin thinking … the barest of frameworks is often all that is needed so that you can begin. When I first read this article, this simple sentence was all that I needed to begin thinking about what it was that I was trying to even think about. Artistically this boundary is also a symbol for the cultural borderlands that characterise living in places like Alice.
Thursday
14 OctThis is a sketch that I did of Mr Gabriel Syme, it’s from one of my favourite books of all time – the swashbuckling, surreal … and ultimately somewhat religious forgotten CLASSIC!! The Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton. I always wanted to turn it into a graphic novel … I reckon it’d make a great film as well … provided Hollywood didn’t butcher it of course.
It’s strength lies in the fantastic characters, and the fact that it doesn’t take itself too seriously and the reader understands the pattern and knows where it’s going but is enjoying themselves so much that they go along for the ride … and then find themselves in the most unusual ending. WELL worth scrummaging out of a second-hand book shop. 
Pages 8 and 9
7 OctHere is a couple more pages, if you’d like to start from the beginning then go here –
Pages 1-4
Pages 5-7
Dark settings actually require a LOT more thought … must say I’d never drawn as much darkness before and learnt a lot from the process of doing this series of pages … a few more to come in this sequence, I’ll put it up in a few weeks. Feel free to comment on the blog, I note that Tom Singer himself wrote on the previous pages, for those who don’t know – he’s the bloke who’s actually mentioned in this comic – he’s the one with the psychological language who edited the book that Craig originally wrote this piece for.
For more Comica-Australiana that’s worth reading I TOTALLY recommend you read Pat Grant’s Blue.
I also just finished plowing through Mandy Ord’s beautiful collection – Sensitive Creatures which was really really really nice to read.
Me and Nadine in a few years time
1 Oct
Here’s a sketch I did of Nadine a couple of months ago
… and below is my projection of what she and i will look like sometime in the future … feel free to print the picture out, and add some very watery watercolour blue to Nadine’s hair and leathery brown to my skin.
Camp Chugnut 2011
1 OctHere’s some pics that I done at Camp Chugnut in Victoria earlier in the year surrounded by comicers all beavering away … some nice folks with some awesome art.
It was such a fun weekend that I’d really like to get something going in Tassie … perhaps there are enough comicers out there in Tassie? Perhaps not … I dunno. Maybe it could be a broader drawing weekend to attract more folks.
Joshua Santospirito Art 
