Photo taken by my wife Carlene on one of our comic-free days; visiting Wynnum, a bayside suburb of Brisbane on the occasion of my 58th birthday.
Comicoz is my publishing imprint. Just in case there are any people out there who may be interested in knowing a little more about the person behind Comicoz and this web-page (that is, me!), this page is for you. There is nothing quite like a request for an interview to allow one to reflect on oneself and the journey taken to get to here. In December 2016, I was asked by Julie Ditrich, Founder and CEO of Comics Mastermind (click here for the link), to submit responses to questions she wanted to know the answers to. I have already posted these answers on my "Comic Related News" Blog that is updated when time allows, but because the original Blog entry is likely to be eventually submerged under all the comic events that take place in my life (and not all are recorded, given my busy schedule), and because it seemed such a reasonably good reflection of who I am and where I am going I decided to re-post it here. I must say that I am usually uncomfortable talking about me: the message to my mind is highlighting the amazing array of cartoonists and comic book artists that live or have lived in this country, and I would rather talk about and praise them and their works than talk about me. However, for what it is worth, these are my responses to Julie's questions and to let you know how I fit into the world of the Australian scene. To be honest, I feel my publishing output says more, so once you finish here why not head over to the Store and see if there are any new books or comics on Australian cartoonists and artists that you might like to support...
Cover Artwork by John Dixon, Cover Designed and Coloured by Gary Chaloner; A Cyclone Comics/Comicoz co-production. This was my first comic to appear in the Australian newsagents - in the Summer of 1988. John Dixon was the first Australian artist whose work I admired and championed -- and still do, as he is my favourite.
How long have you been working in comics and in what capacity or role?
I'm a publisher. When I was in primary school (in the late 1960s), I wanted to be a cartoonist. However, in the early 1970s I read a newspaper article featuring the Australian comic historian John Ryan. This article first inspired me to consider becoming an Australian comic book publisher. I wrote to John detailing my 'plans', and he was kind enough to write back to me. He shared his own plans to write a book on the history of Australian comics and sent me many of his monographs. These detailed numerous past Australian comics and artists (including John Dixon). The die was set! In 1976, still a teenager with dreams, I self-published my very first comic book; and I have been publishing Australian comics on and off ever since.
Do you consider yourself a hobbyist, pro-am or professional?
I try to ensure that all of my publications are professionally presented. However, only "Ned Kelly, Narrated and Illustrated by Monty Wedd" has been selected for distribution in Australian booksellers' shelves. Until all of the books that I publish become best sellers (or even break even!) I have to consider myself merely a hobbyist. My accountant agrees. [*Since writing this, the Distributor of Ned Kelly has gone into liquidation, so I currently have no books on the booksellers' shelves. Sadly.]
What category of comics do you predominantly work in? (i.e. comic books, graphic novels, comic strips, web comics, zines / mini comics, digital comics, other)
At time of writing, I have self-published eighteen comic books (with ten distributed on the Australian newsstands, and one internationally) and six comic-related books; and with more in various stages of completion.To date, I've also edited six issues of the Australian Cartoonists' Association's journal Inkspot. While I appreciate a good zine, like reading web comics, and I am passionate about comic strips, these are not areas I have personally worked in.
I'm a publisher. When I was in primary school (in the late 1960s), I wanted to be a cartoonist. However, in the early 1970s I read a newspaper article featuring the Australian comic historian John Ryan. This article first inspired me to consider becoming an Australian comic book publisher. I wrote to John detailing my 'plans', and he was kind enough to write back to me. He shared his own plans to write a book on the history of Australian comics and sent me many of his monographs. These detailed numerous past Australian comics and artists (including John Dixon). The die was set! In 1976, still a teenager with dreams, I self-published my very first comic book; and I have been publishing Australian comics on and off ever since.
Do you consider yourself a hobbyist, pro-am or professional?
I try to ensure that all of my publications are professionally presented. However, only "Ned Kelly, Narrated and Illustrated by Monty Wedd" has been selected for distribution in Australian booksellers' shelves. Until all of the books that I publish become best sellers (or even break even!) I have to consider myself merely a hobbyist. My accountant agrees. [*Since writing this, the Distributor of Ned Kelly has gone into liquidation, so I currently have no books on the booksellers' shelves. Sadly.]
What category of comics do you predominantly work in? (i.e. comic books, graphic novels, comic strips, web comics, zines / mini comics, digital comics, other)
At time of writing, I have self-published eighteen comic books (with ten distributed on the Australian newsstands, and one internationally) and six comic-related books; and with more in various stages of completion.To date, I've also edited six issues of the Australian Cartoonists' Association's journal Inkspot. While I appreciate a good zine, like reading web comics, and I am passionate about comic strips, these are not areas I have personally worked in.
This is only a draft of the cover of a book by Graeme Cliffe that I am presently working on. The cover was designed by Neville Bain. I am really excited about this book, because it is one that will stand the test of time. (In my opinion, of course!) *As I update this page, the book is soon due back from the printer any day now. The cover is a little different, but the contents will be what will blow people away -- there is a lot of detail in there!
What three published or unpublished works are you most proud of in your comics career or journey and why?
I tend to look forwards rather than backwards. So, although I am very proud of my back-catalogue, I am most proud of the books that are going to be published. Three of the titles that I plan to release later in 2017 all under my Comicoz imprint:
1. From "Sunbeams" to Sunset: The Rise and Fall of the Australian Comic Book (1924 to 1965). The material is completely written by Graeme Cliffe, after about nineteen years of extensive research. This book is the most comprehensive examination of Australia's Golden Age of comic books ever. Even -- dare I say it?! -- putting John Ryan's Panel by Panel in the shade. This will be the seminal book on the topic in years to come: it has to be published!
2. A collected volume of Gary Chaloner's Cyclone Comics works from the 1980s. In 1988, Gary gave me the opportunity to see my Air Hawk comic book series in the Australian newsagents for the first time; so in some ways, this book is my opportunity to repay the favour to him.
3. A John Dixon retrospective that I plan to market to the Overseas market. (My two Air Hawk books have sold more copies to overseas readers than all other books that I have published combined.) I know I am biased, but I believe John is one of the greats of the Australian comic scene, and I don't want his legacy to ever be forgotten.
What title / project are you currently working on?
Bold Ben Hall - An Authentic Biography, Narrated and Illustrated by Monty Wedd. Again, my Comicoz imprint is the publisher, with the late Monty Wedd the creator. I am most proud of this book project, as it is a massive undertaking, running at over 400 pages long. As far as I know, Bold Ben Hall was the longest continually-running single comic strip adventure to appear in Australian newspapers.
From a comic perspective: I plan on releasing another issue of Oi Oi Oi! and a series of Magpie for the local and international market is in the early stages of production. {*While this was - and is - true when I wrote this, I am at the whims of the creators. I am waiting for Magpie's creative team to send me more product. I still do plan on releasing another Oi Oi Oi! - and I feel it will be the final issue - although I cannot presently say when that will be. There are just too many books to publish! I am writing these words in April 2019.]
I tend to look forwards rather than backwards. So, although I am very proud of my back-catalogue, I am most proud of the books that are going to be published. Three of the titles that I plan to release later in 2017 all under my Comicoz imprint:
1. From "Sunbeams" to Sunset: The Rise and Fall of the Australian Comic Book (1924 to 1965). The material is completely written by Graeme Cliffe, after about nineteen years of extensive research. This book is the most comprehensive examination of Australia's Golden Age of comic books ever. Even -- dare I say it?! -- putting John Ryan's Panel by Panel in the shade. This will be the seminal book on the topic in years to come: it has to be published!
2. A collected volume of Gary Chaloner's Cyclone Comics works from the 1980s. In 1988, Gary gave me the opportunity to see my Air Hawk comic book series in the Australian newsagents for the first time; so in some ways, this book is my opportunity to repay the favour to him.
3. A John Dixon retrospective that I plan to market to the Overseas market. (My two Air Hawk books have sold more copies to overseas readers than all other books that I have published combined.) I know I am biased, but I believe John is one of the greats of the Australian comic scene, and I don't want his legacy to ever be forgotten.
What title / project are you currently working on?
Bold Ben Hall - An Authentic Biography, Narrated and Illustrated by Monty Wedd. Again, my Comicoz imprint is the publisher, with the late Monty Wedd the creator. I am most proud of this book project, as it is a massive undertaking, running at over 400 pages long. As far as I know, Bold Ben Hall was the longest continually-running single comic strip adventure to appear in Australian newspapers.
From a comic perspective: I plan on releasing another issue of Oi Oi Oi! and a series of Magpie for the local and international market is in the early stages of production. {*While this was - and is - true when I wrote this, I am at the whims of the creators. I am waiting for Magpie's creative team to send me more product. I still do plan on releasing another Oi Oi Oi! - and I feel it will be the final issue - although I cannot presently say when that will be. There are just too many books to publish! I am writing these words in April 2019.]
I didn't include the book, "Joe Shuster" (to be published by Comicoz) in my reply, because I am unsure when it will be available for publication. I understand the artwork is almost complete. Illustrated by Sydney-based artist Thomas Campi, I really believe this work will be Thomas' break-through in the American market. The story tells the tale of Joe Shuster, the co-creator of the comic book character Superman. Since I wrote this, I have actually published this book - and see it go on and win the 2019 Gold Ledger Award for artist Thomas Campi: an honour indeed to have published it. The book's title changed for the Australian audience, too: "Truth, Justice and the American Dream: The Men Behind Superman". See the Store tab for more details!
Which three comics creators have been your biggest influence and why?
1. My Father introduced me to the wonderful world of comics at at very early age, when he must have brought home every age-appropriate comic on the market. I was 'reading' comics before I could read. Newspaper comic strips were a natural extension of this when I could read.
2. John Ryan. John gave me a sense of the history of the Australian comic medium that, up until then, I was totally unaware of. He also was the first to introduce me to the earlier works of John Dixon, which I had then been previously been ignorant of.
3. Writer Andrez (Andrew) Bergen. To be honest, I was really rocked by Andrew's illness late in 2016. Following the release of the character of Magpie in my comic anthology Oi Oi Oi!, we (Andrez, Magpie co-creator Frantz Kantor and I) had made plan to meet in Melbourne in late August (2016) to formulate plans for an international release of Magpie when Andrez fell ill. At the time, I thought he had stood us up at the planned meeting. It was only on my return to Queensland that I learnt the true extent of his illness, and I was horrified (and, I admit, a little embarrassed by my earlier thoughts). It has lead me to re-evaluate my Life. Although I am nearly 60 years of age, and conscious that I have only a few years available to me to get as much published material out there, I am also now aware that I need to be kinder on myself and not push myself as hard. Although I still have my comic book plans (some of which I have already described), they are not the be-all and end-all that they once used to be. Some of the other recent events in my personal life over the past few months have really underlined this.
What three personal attributes or core values have contributed to your success?
An 'ability' to work with little sleep! No, seriously, I have a saying that I subscribe to and that I think really sums up my personal attributes: "I strive to have the strength to change what I can, the inability to accept what I cannot, and the incapacity to tell the difference". (Bill Watterson said this first in a Calvin and Hobbes strip.)
1. My Father introduced me to the wonderful world of comics at at very early age, when he must have brought home every age-appropriate comic on the market. I was 'reading' comics before I could read. Newspaper comic strips were a natural extension of this when I could read.
2. John Ryan. John gave me a sense of the history of the Australian comic medium that, up until then, I was totally unaware of. He also was the first to introduce me to the earlier works of John Dixon, which I had then been previously been ignorant of.
3. Writer Andrez (Andrew) Bergen. To be honest, I was really rocked by Andrew's illness late in 2016. Following the release of the character of Magpie in my comic anthology Oi Oi Oi!, we (Andrez, Magpie co-creator Frantz Kantor and I) had made plan to meet in Melbourne in late August (2016) to formulate plans for an international release of Magpie when Andrez fell ill. At the time, I thought he had stood us up at the planned meeting. It was only on my return to Queensland that I learnt the true extent of his illness, and I was horrified (and, I admit, a little embarrassed by my earlier thoughts). It has lead me to re-evaluate my Life. Although I am nearly 60 years of age, and conscious that I have only a few years available to me to get as much published material out there, I am also now aware that I need to be kinder on myself and not push myself as hard. Although I still have my comic book plans (some of which I have already described), they are not the be-all and end-all that they once used to be. Some of the other recent events in my personal life over the past few months have really underlined this.
What three personal attributes or core values have contributed to your success?
An 'ability' to work with little sleep! No, seriously, I have a saying that I subscribe to and that I think really sums up my personal attributes: "I strive to have the strength to change what I can, the inability to accept what I cannot, and the incapacity to tell the difference". (Bill Watterson said this first in a Calvin and Hobbes strip.)
I am often asked which is my favourite Oi Oi Oi! cover. It is a bit like having to name your favourite child. This week, I like the Special Nostalgia Edition, with the cover illustration by Glenn Lumsden and designed by Ryan McDonald-Smith. But next week, it may be Issue #1 because it was the first.... Or Issue #2 because it was nominated for a Ledger Award. Or Issue #4....
What three personal challenges have hindered you in the past and that you are working to overcome?
First and foremost, a lack of time. I still work full-time, and have a wife and family. My wife, who is not really a comic fan, does (rightly) expect that I spend some time with her rather than in front of a computer attending to emails and working on the latest publishing projects, or attending comic-related events.
Linking the first point, my life has had - and also has, present tense - many unfortunate personal family dramas that make Home and Away look tame, and that in the past have kept me out of the comic game for many years. Some of them still impact on our day to day life. (Most people do not know them, and I tend not to speak of them. Here is not the place.)
I suppose from a creative point of view, most of my comic-related projects have been costly exercises, in that I have lost a lot of money on most of them (with the possible exception of Ned Kelly). And there are only limited funds for all these projects.
There are little ways to overcome the personal family challenges; I could choose to live alone and ignore the dramas. But, then, please refer to my earlier quote from Bill Watterson! From the financial position, I think crowd-funding is a recent innovation that pleases me no end. The fact that many people have supported my projects by buying my books and magazines is also a source of gratification that makes it all seem worthwhile.
Do you belong to a comics group or network?
I am presently the Deputy President of the Australian Cartoonists' Association. With the assistance of Phil Judd and Chris Barr, I also edit their quarterly journal Inkspot. The Australian Cartoonists Association is the world's oldest cartooning organisation, and was first established in Sydney in 1924. www.cartoonists.org.au is the link. [As I update this page in late April 2019, I am now a mere Committee Member of the ACA. I still edit Inkspot, although my assistants have changed over the years. Currently it is Steve Panozzo. Phil still assists.]
Where do you want to be in three to five years?
Older. Wiser. Not really happier, as I am pretty content as it is. I also hope to still be reasonably healthy; because without that at my age, you have nothing.
First and foremost, a lack of time. I still work full-time, and have a wife and family. My wife, who is not really a comic fan, does (rightly) expect that I spend some time with her rather than in front of a computer attending to emails and working on the latest publishing projects, or attending comic-related events.
Linking the first point, my life has had - and also has, present tense - many unfortunate personal family dramas that make Home and Away look tame, and that in the past have kept me out of the comic game for many years. Some of them still impact on our day to day life. (Most people do not know them, and I tend not to speak of them. Here is not the place.)
I suppose from a creative point of view, most of my comic-related projects have been costly exercises, in that I have lost a lot of money on most of them (with the possible exception of Ned Kelly). And there are only limited funds for all these projects.
There are little ways to overcome the personal family challenges; I could choose to live alone and ignore the dramas. But, then, please refer to my earlier quote from Bill Watterson! From the financial position, I think crowd-funding is a recent innovation that pleases me no end. The fact that many people have supported my projects by buying my books and magazines is also a source of gratification that makes it all seem worthwhile.
Do you belong to a comics group or network?
I am presently the Deputy President of the Australian Cartoonists' Association. With the assistance of Phil Judd and Chris Barr, I also edit their quarterly journal Inkspot. The Australian Cartoonists Association is the world's oldest cartooning organisation, and was first established in Sydney in 1924. www.cartoonists.org.au is the link. [As I update this page in late April 2019, I am now a mere Committee Member of the ACA. I still edit Inkspot, although my assistants have changed over the years. Currently it is Steve Panozzo. Phil still assists.]
Where do you want to be in three to five years?
Older. Wiser. Not really happier, as I am pretty content as it is. I also hope to still be reasonably healthy; because without that at my age, you have nothing.
The 150+ page "Trundle" hardcover book by Neil Matterson (with cover design by Ryan McDonald-Smith) is one of my favourite books that I have published, even though it has only sold less than twenty copies...
August 2021 Postscript. Well, I've been updating this webpage-blog monthly for over ten years now, and this particular page is looking a little dated ... even though I updated it in 2019! I'm five years older and, maybe, just a little wiser. (Maybe.) Graeme's book has been published, but Gary's and the Air Hawk volume have not been. I had initially thought Graeme's book would be the pinnacle of my publishing career, and for a while there I felt I wasn't going to publish any more comic-related books, but somehow that idea has gone by the wayside. Many are now in development. Sometimes life just gets in the way of the publishing, sometimes other opportunities present themselves. I'm still a Committee Member of the Australian Cartoonists Association, although I no longer edit their journal Inkspot and I am still Lead Judge for the Ledger of Honour Awards (although the overall Awards are no longer known as the Ledgers). I may end up my association with both over time (to allow myself more time in my pending work retirement to read more comics, and to spend more time with Carlene) but that time has not yet arrived. All things considered, nothing much has changed: I remain happy with my lot, despite my children reporting that I am becoming a little more deaf (confirmed recently with a hearing test) ... !