Why not surprise someone you love with a copy of Dillon Naylor's Batrisha and the Creepy Caretaker this Halloween? Special discounted price from now until the end of October! Click here for details.

As Australians today wake up to learn that Queen Elizabeth II has passed away, there will be many filled with grief and sadness. Many more will be feeling an increasing anxiousness about the future. She has, after all, been a part of the lives of most of us – the Australian Head of State since 1952. Whether you agree or disagree with the notion that a foreigner ought to be in that role is a question for another day.

“Always look on the bright side of death – just before you draw your terminal breath!” is a well-known couplet from a Monty Python film. And while it’s not a time to be flippant, one of the proven means of reducing stress, increasing our energy levels, and promoting a sense of well-being is by laughing. Australians have had a long history of being able to laugh at themselves.

One of “the funniest cartoons in the world” was how the 1933 Stan Cross cartoon “For Gorsake, Stop Laughing – This is Serious” was once described. The era was known for the early construction of city skyscrapers and rising unemployment, and these buildings were seen as a sign of optimism for the future. The cartoon features one of the workers losing his grip, saved only from certain death by grabbing the pants of one of his mates.

And with the death and destruction of World War II all around them, Bluey and Curley were two comic strip diggers who shared laughs with Australians during their darkest days of the War. It’s a humorous heritage that has spanned decades, sustaining us over the trials and tribulations of the past. Simply, comic strips have been around since the turn of last century, and we have been a happier nation for their presence.

From Ginger Meggs, now running in newspapers for over one hundred years, to more recent features like Swamp and Insanity Strip, comic strips have done more than entertain us. Over the years, they have released endorphins, a natural chemical in the body promoting a sense of well-being in Australians. These daily features are well-loved, and for so many years and for so many people, are the bedrock of the reading experience of a newspaper.

So, who would decide to remove them? Some unsmiling bean counter from the Murdoch Press, apparently. From the 11th September, a decision has been made to remove all daily comic strips from all Murdoch newspapers. It’s unclear why. Economics, perhaps. Just as staff artists, photographers, and journalists have been cut over the years, someone has decided that the daily comic strip feature must go. It’s a short-sighted decision, to my thinking.

When life is difficult, or when we’re in a disagreement with someone, having an ability to laugh or having a sense of humour can help. Isn’t that how we got through COVID? Without laughter, we are lesser people. Cancelling the daily comic strip in Australia is a serious decision. It indicates to the world we have stopped laughing.

Today’s headlines are filled with grief and sadness. We can’t bring back Queen Elizabeth II. Someone somewhere can choose to ensure the daily comic strip continues in the daily newspapers. We need laughter to bring some light to an already grim world.

Here's the link: nationalcartoongallery.com.au/rotary-cartoon-awards/

I've just completed a review of the Emile Mercier Exhibition-Book Launch at the National Cartoon Gallery, Coffs Harbour for the Australian Cartoonists Association's next issue of their Inkspot journal. There are also some pretty pictures that I sent with the words.

In the early evening of Friday 27th July, a casually dressed man of slight build, was wandering alone in the National Cartoon Gallery. His warm brown eyes were examining the many framed Emile Mercier cartoons on the wall and was clearly a little emotional.

Michael Mercier, son of the famed cartoonist, was reflecting on some of the times he was able to recall his late father drawing some of the cartoons on display. “I can remember him clear as anything, sitting at the table at home illustrating this one”, he told me as I approached, pointing to an original. “And nearby, a small glass of whiskey!”

Michael and his wife Donna had flown up from Melbourne to attend the opening of the Exhibition of these cartoons (and on display at the NCG until 3rd October). Michael was so overwhelmed with memories of life with his father, Emile Mercier (1901-1981). He shared with all who were willing to listen of his many recollections of his dad’s work and the type of person he was, from the time he took to draw an individual cartoon (about three hours) to the antics of a passionate North Sydney rugby league fan!

A few years ago, Michael donated almost two thousand of his father’s cartoon originals to the National Cartoon Gallery, with the hope that they would be shared with the Australian public. Although there was not enough room for them all to be displayed in this exhibition, the selection at least gave an idea of the breadth of Emile Mercier’s cartooning skills. From 1949 to 1968 when he worked for the Sydney newspaper The Sun, Mercier was able to depict a way of life that no other cartoonist has since: from the inner-city Sydney wives sharing life over a fence, to the Australian preoccupation with sport, and so much more. His New Caledonian heritage clearly gave him that unique perspective.

Choosing the cartoons for a book to commemorate this exhibition was no easy task. ACA members Gary Clark, Ian Jones, Phil Judd, and Dr Richard Scully (and others) were able to pick and comment on a selection, and these cartoons were all displayed on the night. The book Emile Mercier: A Selection of Cartoons was published by Nat Karmichael’s Comicoz imprint (www.comicoz.com) with the express purpose of raising funds for the National Cartoon Gallery. The book was launched on the opening night of the exhibition.
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Lindsay Foyle, who also wrote an introduction to the book, formally opened the exhibition, and launched the book. Nat Karmichael and Margaret Cameron gave speeches, both acknowledging Michael Mercier’s generosity and Emile Mercier’s wonderful talents. As the evening wore on, Michael’s earlier emotions were overtaken by an immense sense of family pride. And rightly so. 

After a couple of problems with my web-page for a couple of months (even up to yesterday), I'm pleased to report that ... as far as I know ... things are now back to normal and working well on this site. In just over a week's time, I'm heading off to Coffs Harbour to attend the National Cartoon Gallery's launch of their book (my boook?), Emile Mercier: A Selection of Cartoons. It's going to be held on the evening of Friday, July 22nd. Yes, of course, you are invited! If you are able and would like to come, click here to obtain your tickets! Only $10 for adults (and less for seniors and children over the age of five).

​It's with great sadness that I learnt this morning of yesterday's passing of Australian comic great, Peter Foster. I wrote extensively about Peter's contribution to the comic world in a previous blog entry (you can read it by clicking here), so I won't repeat myself again here. Today, I have more personal memories, of the man he was away from the comic book history pages.

Knowing he was back in Australia, way back in the 1980s, I approached Peter with a (hair-brained?) idea of making a new newspaper comic strip, based on a character I published in one of my earlier comics - Hero Australia! I'd written the plot synopsis for about three weeks' worth of strips and was seeking someone to illustrate it. Peter politely declined. He was forever the gentleman. With his letter (because that was how we communicated in those days!) he enclosed some preliminary pages of a character he wanted to publish: The Eagle.   

​Peter's passing, in some ways, seems to be the culmination of my reflections over the past three months. My wife has not been well. Probably for the first time in many years, I have began to enjoy more of my time away from work (both my place of employment and the work that I do in front of this computer). My paid work has, in this post-COVID world we are entering, been even more busy: double shifts, overtime shifts, staff shortages. So, I suppose it's no surprise that I am enjoying time away from it.

Further, I've begun to make a conscious decision to walk away from parts of the Australian comic scene medium that I have for so long been involved in. Earlier this month, I decided to 'resign' from my position as Lead Judge in the Ledger of Honour Awards (a section of the Comic Arts Awards of Australia). I've been involved in it annually for quite some years now. I first let Dr Bruce Mutard know, before informing the others on the judging panel. And although it's some months away, I've decided not to stand on the future (2023-24) committee of the Australian Cartoonists Association when the nominations are called later this year. While it would be good to be still involved in both collectives, especially during the ACA's centenary in 2024, I feel it's time to make other plans. (You've read it here first. No-one except Carlene knew of these plans!)

I've also had to (perhaps with more reluctance than the other two positions) decided to decline the offer of curating an original comic art exhibition for the National Cartoon Gallery in 2023. I was offered this wonderful opportunity earlier this year. Most of my reasoning is because Carlene is not well. But there's also been other reflections behind these decisions. I'm now 64 years of age. Some of my comic contemporaries (and I won't name them here) are also unwell. I'm 65 years of age this year. It's time to stop - or at least slow down - and smell the roses. Relax. Enjoy life without pressure. To feel what life might be like were I retired. Read some comics. Sell some comics I know I won't read. Buy some that I have wanted to read. Spend less time on Facebook. I want to find some way of slowing down and enjoying being in the moment (although that hasn't happened at work yet).

Will I stop publishing comics? Perhaps not yet. Some of my plans still involve working on some future projects. But someday soon, I know I shall have to stop there too. 
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And perhaps that is where I should leave this post. For today, at least.