On January 1st, this year, I invited 100 Australian artists and cartoonists (50 male, 50 female) to voluntarily contribute to a new comic book anthology that Comicoz planned to release to benefit beyondblue. The final deadline for entries is in two days time. As preparation for the hardcover book soon begins, it is with great pleasure that I announce the title of the book:
"AUSTRALIA!" Yes, as simple as that! I won't release the names of the contributors to the volume just yet, although it gives me great pleasure to announce that the cover will be illustrated by Lesley Vamos. More details later in the week! The Copier Jam! Exhibition of current Australian Comics and Zines opens in Childers - tomorrow! I know Curator Jeremy Staples has plenty to be proud of and should be commended for getting the comic (and zine) message out there in our community. Comicoz is just as proud to be associated with the event, and I will post pictures of the Exhibition and -- if possible -- the Opening when photos come to hand. To join in the celebrations, Comicoz has released a special Copier Jam! issue (our Fifth!) of our comic Oi Oi Oi! and that also officially goes on sale tomorrow. Of course, all the subscribers to that magazine are already in the know -- they received their copy a couple of weeks ago! ![]() I really wish I could be attending the Opening -- it's at 10.30 in the morning, if you are in the neighbourhood, and it's FREE! -- but I have been chained to this desk (at left) for the past three weeks, and I am too exhausted to do anything! (I tidied it up somewhat for the photo!) Yes, if you have been wondering why there have been no manic missives about the wonderful world of Comicoz from me, that's the reason! I have had a (temporary three-week) promotion in my working life which has necessitated me working from really early in the morning and coming home late at night. (Let's put it this way: I leave in the dark and it is dark when I arrive home. My Vitamin D levels are really low, I suspect!) I have not -- yet? -- got to the stage where I can work on my beloved comics full-time... Anyway, that is all behind me now! My boss is back from her holidays and I should be able to keep you informed and up to date with the next exciting project from Comicoz -- when next we meet!
Our sincere thanks to Rosie who spent all morning one morning last week finishing the photographing of Monty Wedd's original artwork for Bold Ben Hall. Now I have to get the files in some semblance of order for chief Comicoz Interior Designer, Ryan McDonald-Smith to get to work....
West End’s Junky Comics is host to an exhibition of underground comic art from long running Brisbane anthology Phatsville Comix beginning on Sunday 16th August. The exhibition will feature select pages of original art from the comic which has been running for 13 years and 19 issues. The official opening of the exhibition is at 4pm on Sunday 16th August, and the work will remain available to view throughout August.
An accompanying publication featuring the work will be available for purchase at the store. Phatsville Comix founders; Ben Sea, J-Stew, Glenn (Bad Teeth) Manders and Giles will show their work alongside other talented creators from Australia’s comics scene including Ben Hutchings, Glenno Smith, Jase Harper and Dean Rankine. Junky Comics (click here for a link), has also become a hub for Brisbane comics artists to connect and share their work. Junky has become known for its stock of great alternative titles selectively imported from niche publishers abroad as well as its wide selection of local mini comics and zines, including Phatsville Comix. Phatsville Comix began in Brisbane in 2002 when five animation students worked together to create a comic book free of editorial constraints and economic imperatives. What was born of this group was an underground comic with a punk rock aesthetic. Since its inception Phatsville Comix has attracted an audience that hungers for the surreal and offbeat stories not offered by mainstream companies. Click here for a link to their Facebook page.... Some of Australia’s most talented comic artists have contributed to the comic over the subsequent years, showing the respect and broad appeal that the book has garnered. The open door policy to submissions has also meant that many young artists have had a chance to see their work in print for the first time. I really don't want my Comicoz Web-Blog to turn into anything other than a place to share information about Australian and Australian-related comics, cartoons and the cartoonists and artists behind them. But on this occasion, I am going to make a great big exception, as I Thank Blog reader George Lee for solving and sharing one of my childhood mysteries...the ending for the comic series The Last Boys in the World, as run in the English comic series Valiant. George reports that this episode appeared in the 20th May 1967 edition. I am going to offer George anything from the Comicoz back catalogue, but even that won't be enough to thank him for sharing this piece of information, that has me skipping on an euphoric high going into my week...
A quick quiz with a prize. Just to see who reads these posts. What's the name of this week in Australia? First correct comment on this Blog wins a copy of CARTOONS, COMICS and COWS IN CARS. Free. From Comicoz. Go for it. Is there a clue in the picture? I'm not saying...
One thing that frustrates me: recording a programme on the television, with plans to watch it later, only to find the ending has not recorded! Or not knowing the ending of a serial. Anyone share that frustration? I believe it all stems from my younger days, when I started reading this weekly serial in the English boys' comic, Valiant... And even though my father kindly asked the newsagent to keep a copy aside for me each week, I never got to find out how this serial ended! Of all the incomplete programmes and stories that I have never found out the ending to, this is the one I would most like to see reprinted! Just to find out what happened at the end of the story! Of course, I don't even know who owns the present copyright to this material, once published by Fleetway Publications in the 1960s... From memory, I think the "monster" ended up being the boys' headmaster; but what happened to the people in the town and how normal life resumed, I have no way of knowing! I suppose that is why a lot of people end up becoming comic book collectors. But I have not the time! Even so, it is quite difficult to locate some of these old English comics....even with the modern-day benefits of eBay....
There's a lot going on this month. Yesterday I told you about The 2015 Rotary Cartoon Awards at Coffs Harbour's Bunker Cartoon Gallery. I've already mentioned the Copier Jam! Exhibition that Comicoz is taking part in, at Childers. Well, here's another event!
The Zine and Indie Comics Symposium, or ZICS as it is more commonly known, is now in its third year and is being held on the weekend of August 22 and 23 at The Edge. That's in the Brisbane's Cultural Centre (near the State Library). What's that to do with this month? Well, like last year (and the year before that!) the collective is seeking funds to get the project underway! They have a Pozible Campaign on the go ... and they need your support! At the moment they are only 25% of the way there. So, have a look at the Rewards on offer, and see if you can't help out! TO all my independent comic and zine-publishing Friends, why not support this initiative and buy a table to sell your wares? The cost is ultra-cheap, compared to some of the other markets and conventions you support....so, I say, get on board! And if you are from out of town, and are looking for a place to board...get in touch with me! You have just over two weeks to buy your tickets to this upcoming event. The Rotary Cartoon Awards at the Bunker Cartoon Gallery in Coffs Harbour is waiting to hear from you! At only $35, this is an excellent opportunity to mix with some of Australia's finest cartoonists, and see some amazing original artwork. I had the opportunity to attend last year's event, and didn't come home disappointed (even if I wasn't entered in any of the Awards!)...and that is exactly how you will feel too! So, get your tickets today! They are available from The Bunker directly or by clicking here and being taken to their secure booking site.
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Comicoz is Nat Karmichael's publishing imprint. Nat is committed to preserving a permanent collection of Australian comic and comic strips. He feels that there is a need to recognise comics' contribution to and depiction of Australian culture.
Nat Karmichael.
Since 2011, Nat has self-published over twelve comic-related books and was Publisher-Editor of Oi Oi Oi! -- the last series of nationally-distributed comic books of original stories to appear on Australian newsstands. He is a member of the Australian Cartoonists Association and edited the Association's journal Inkspot for 14 issues from late 2015. He remains the Lead Judge in the Ledger of Honour Awards for the Comic Arts Awards of Australia (formerly the Ledgers). Nat has now retired from his former occupation as a Clinical Nurse in the Psychiatric Emergency Centre in Queensland's largest public hospital, so that he can spend more time with his long-suffering wife and their six children and fourteen grandchildren. He still plans to publish more comics and comic-related books, the details of which you should see here in the coming months... Comicoz acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay respects to elders, past, present, and emerging, and extend that respect to all First Nations peoples.
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