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Comics journalism

5 Nov

I have read Joe Sacco for some years … and left it at that … then someone suggested that my comic was a bit like his in order to characterise it for other people on the web. I was a little surprised, because I never thought of that before much. I had been dimly aware that The Long Weekend was perhaps in the vain of Non-Fiction, but comics journalism is a bit of a stretch, oh well … she was doing me a favour so I’m not being pedantic about it, BUT – it did make me suddenly VERY interested in the world of non-fiction comics and all the cross-over areas that it entails so I started snuffling around a bit to see what more there was out there … quite a bit more actually, and a fair bit to do with the Arab Spring, seems that comics and cartoons are having a new heyday with political activism which is kind of nice.

I have recently come across this website – THE CARTOON MOVEMENT, which not only has cartoons but also comics from all over. A few of the comics are a little annoying, but some are ama-aaazingly interesting, so in that sense, it’s just like a newspaper really.

As an aside – here’s an article about Edward Said which also talks about Joe Sacco’s Palestine. Said’s work on Orientalism has become a little more prominent again this year with Craig Thompson’s Habibi being released, which I haven’t had the chance to read, but would like to once my credit card has the chance to be used again.

On a different note – I saw Frank Miller’s newie on the shelf of the local bookshop – Holy Terror, I had read some brief reviews and heard some opinions about this slightly divisive piece of work and … it only makes me want to read it MORE!!! The artwork was, as usual, astoundingly great … the topic …. well, I’ve always read Miller as having his tongue in his cheek with regards political correctness so I do hope that’s the case … I’ll read it that way.

Pages 18-22

1 Nov

Previous pages
Pages 1-4
Pages 5-7
Pages 8-9
Pages 10-13
Pages 14-17






Next pages – Pages 23-27

Phew, finished all those pages. Must say that long-term comic-making is completely time consuming for those who don’t know what they’re in for (I’m one of them … but now I’ve gone too far to stop … have probably completed about 50 pages in the last 5 months, another 60-70 to go depending on what I end up doing with the ending (which is still a little amorphous … the only part that remains unclear). I may go on to do a process blog next for those interested in the idea of adapting an essay (prose) into comics … particularly one that was contained in an academic collection, I’m not sure how many other comics are out there like this one … I suspect that there might be more than just me.

Bernard Caleo forwarded me something by Kate Fielding with artists Elizabeth Fielding and the wonderful comicer Mandy Ord – called “Their hook find hold deep in our flesh” … it is an interesting combo of historical research, comics, images and collage which gives a beautiful mood to the piece. It was contained in Meanjin and made up a thesis involving a couple more people as well in the larger piece (which I have not seen).

My Niece

29 Oct

Here’s a comic I made with my niece as the main character. She’s a bit of a bookworm. 

Pages 14-17

19 Oct

Previous 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.

Pages 18-22

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!!

New Zealand

12 Sep

When Nadine and I were in NZ last year (2010) we decided that kids are the ones who adults always take to see animals and stuff

… well STUFF KIDS!! We want to check out animals too!!

So we booked one of those wildlife cruises near Dunedin and checked out Sea Lions, fur seals and these really small (I think the smallest) dolphins called Hector Dolphins! Oh – and we went to see the albatrosses that hang out on Otago Peninsula and saw plenty of them … but we ALSO managed to see the big one!! The largest of the albos came for a bit of a poke around the boat – sooo fast!! Here’s a quick comic that I sketched out whilst we had coffee on land afterwards.