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Here's a simple competition for everyone who buys a copy of the latest issue of Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi! to enter! Here's how it works: 1. Buy a copy of the Second Issue of Oi Oi Oi! on all good Newsagents' shelves right now. With 56 pages of the best in Australian comic book art, and sixteen pages in full glorious colour for a mere $7.95 how can you go wrong? This is what it looks like (in case you haven't been paying attention):  2. If you are finding it difficult to find a copy, click here for a link to our Distributor's Store Locator. Enter your suburb, and the Store Locator will tell you the nearest newsagent that is carrying this wonderful Australian comic. http://publicationsolutions.com.au/publications/aussie-aussie-aussie-oi-oi-oi/ 3. Even if the Store Locator indicates that the magazine is in the shelves near your home town, please ensure you ask for it by name. Lately, many newsagents have been caught out, reading their own copies at the back of their stores! You see, newsagents are enjoying the latest issue so much, they are keeping it in staff tea rooms all around the country and forgetting to put it back on the shelves...  4. After you have enjoyed reading the latest issue, select your favourite page from the story Seven by Brisbane-based artist, Alisha Jade. Seven is going to be the first on-going serial to appear in Oi Oi Oi! and I'd like to know which page was your favourite! (I don't know why I have to know that. I'm kind of nosey like that!) Then colour it in. Crayons, water colours, ANY medium you like...it really doesn't matter!
5. Once you have coloured in your favourite Seven page, send it to: Oi Oi Oi! Competition, PO Box 187, MARGATE BEACH, 4019, Queensland. Now there will be many Readers who will not want to desecrate their copy of Oi Oi Oi! by colouring a page in, let alone cutting it out to send in...and I totally understand that! So, a photocopy is okay too! 6. With your coloured-in page, please also enclose a photocopy of anything that will prove your age: a copy of your birth certificate, a copy of your driver's licence or your 18+ card....You see, this isn't a competition just for younger readers! Like this competition, Oi Oi Oi! plans to be a comic magazine for all ages! 7. There will be seven x $70 prizes: 1. A $70 Prize for the winner of those entrants under 7 years 2. A $70 Prize for the winner of those entrants under 14 years, but over 7 years 3. A $70 Prize for the winner of those entrants under 21 years, but over 14 years 4. A $70 Prize for the winner of those entrants under 28 years, but over 21 years 5. A $70 Prize for the winner of those entrants under 35 years, but over 28 years 6. A $70 Prize for the winner of those entrants under 70 years, but over 35 years, and, 7. A $70 Prize for the winner of those entrants over 70 years. Competition closes last mail on December 7th, with winners announced on the Comicoz web blog (here!) seven days later on December 14th. Overseas readers welcome to enter. (Copies of Issue Two are available from our web-store for overseas readers.) Judges decision is final, with no correspondence entered into. (I have to say that, not simply because all competitions say that, but because I don't want people writing in to me later on once the competition has closed complaining that their grandfather didn't win when they really thought his entry was exceptional....)  The Wedd Family. Photographs in this post Copyright Steve Little; Used with Permission. The Late Monty Wedd's family had good cause to celebrate in Coffs Harbour recently. The collected volume of Monty's Ned Kelly newspaper series from the early 1970s was launched at the Bunker Cartoon Gallery, just before the announcement of the 2014 Rotary Cartoon Awards. The ceremony, held on September 20th, was attended by Monty's widow Dorothy and all of their children.  The Launch began with Comicoz Publisher Nat Karmichael giving a speech about his recollections of meeting Monty Wedd for the first time, and the conversations between the two men that lead to the book being published. Monty's son Justin followed with a speech on behalf of all of Monty's family, talking of his Dad's passionate interest in Australian history. He spoke of how his Dad believed that comics were the best way to teach the younger generation about Australian history. Justin told of Monty's military career and how he came to write and illustrate the definitive reference book Australian Military Uniforms 1800 - 1982. Justin then shared some of the details of his Dad's collection of artefacts housed at the Monarch Museum in Williamtown. A fascinating life!
 "Who should I make it out to?" Dorothy personalising another copy of NED KELLY... Besides the Ned Kelly book launch, though, there were other serious matters on hand: the 2014 Rotary Cartoon Awards! But, just to ensure the night did not become too serious, guests were first wonderfully entertained by the madcap antics of Balloon Dog Eddie (known to others as Rob Feldman)...
If you have never seen Balloon, er, Rob Feldman in action, as someone used to say: "Do yourself a favour..."  You HAD to be there! Rob Feldman in his element! Entertaining EVERYONE! Was there anyone NOT laughing?!
 Just some of the crowd on the Award Night...A Splendid Time was had by All!
 Well, that's it from me now until next year!  Artwork Copyright Leslie Vamos. Thank You to all the fantastic female artists and cartoonists who contributed. Thank You to all who have bought a copy...because it is YOU who are keeping Alive the Australian Art of Cartooning and Comic Book Storytelling. Why not buy a SECOND copy and Share this Magazine with Someone You Love? Overseas Readers can now order copies of Issue #1 and #2 (or a four issue Subscription) from our Web-Store. A local Subscription service is also available for Australian Readers who are tired of battling the Newsagent Stands and want to get the latest issue before all their friends and neighbours. Click here to be transported to the Store!
Completing the discussion on what to expect in the Second Issue of Oi Oi Oi! (in all good Australian Newsagents' stands from tomorrow), it seems appropriate to discuss the fabulous cover artwork by Lesley Vamos. I first met Lesley at the Gold Coast Supanova earlier this year, and was enchanted by her book of postcards (From Me to You co-produced with Jimena Sanchez). I have tried to find a place on the internet where you can still buy these beautiful, whimsical pieces of Art, but I may have to ask Lesley herself. Her website link is here if you want to ask her yourself. In the meantime, I have enclosed a few of the pieces of artwork that grabbed my attention. The small nature of my reproduction on this web-page really doesn't do them any justice. I don't think I was game enough to ask Lesley if she might be interested in drawing the cover of the Next Issue of Oi Oi Oi! until Melbourne's Supanova. But luckily for me (and Oi Oi Oi!'s Readers), Leslie agreed even though she only had a proof copy of the First Issue to flick through. Here's a wander through the creative process...
I actually turned down Lesley's first attempt at a cover for Oi Oi Oi! I felt really bad about this, as she had clearly put a lot of work into it. At the time, Anton had just done animals on the First Issue, and I thought the magazine needed to move on from that. Just remember that this was written in early June, and at the time I had already decided (why I cannot now remember) to make the book an all-female Australian Cartoonist and Artist affair. I had also just secured a contract with Integrated Publication Solutions, and I was anticipating having the Second Issue out on the newsstands sometime in November or December. (The contract was later changed when I agreed to have the First Issue of the magazine released much earlier in the year...) This is what I wrote to Lesley to let her know what I was looking for at the time: "...something with a touch of Summer approaching might be useful. [A cover that] may not appear at first glance as a comic-book cover; but rather as a beautiful piece of ART." (My emphasis at the time.) I then gave Lesley a couple of ideas... "The sun setting by the beach, tide just gently lapping, maybe someone surfing, people playing, and someone (maybe a couple) under a jetty reading a copy of Oi Oi Oi! without a care in the world. OR An apartment building, or a home, perhaps someone (or people individually) reading (perhaps a copy of Oi Oi Oi!) in each apartment, windows open to keep cool, maybe with the TV on but ignored, perhaps with an ironing board with the ironing forgotten, with the sun going down in the background, another day done...."  Lesley followed this brief and allowed her own instincts to lead, suggesting "I'd love to go along the lines of a house in Paddington -- one of the terraces, with a couch out the front for people watching, bike against the gate, washing out of the window, people lazing about with bowls of curry and coffee in odd mugs...." From then on, there was little I needed to do to guide Lesley, and it was a joy to see the progress made in the art over the coming weeks. Few modifications were needed, although some were made.... This picture (at the left) is what Lesley calls "VERY rough", although it clearly gave me an idea of the direction she was taking (and one I was most happy with). The 'modifications' were superficial things really. It was my wife Carlene who suggested some of the 'changes' that I relayed to Lesley. Given the position of the cat, there was a likelihood she would get lost in the logo, and she adds an interest in the illustration. And with the issue being all female artists/cartoonists, the suggestion was made that all the characters in the cover could be female, with modern styles: piercings, tattoos and girls' washing on the line. Carlene also suggested "a small stray dog wandering along the front of the property"...
  Illustration of Sarah by Sarah; Copyright Sarah Catherine Firth Continuing my Blogs about the wonderful array of female Artists and Cartoonists appearing in the Second Issue of Oi Oi Oi! that is out on many Australian newsstands next Thursday... In today's Blog, I will discuss the various thoughts I had that went into the selection process of choosing these two artists' work for inclusion in the latest issue. Sarah Catherine Firth (above) can be found online by clicking here for her link, and you will find all manner of information about her there. To cut a long story short, Sarah is based in Melbourne and has a variety of artistic works that traverse a wide range of mediums. Her passion for running a series of comic workshops for indigenous children in Jervis Bay piqued my interest, and her passion for "using drawing, visualisation and storytelling as a powerful engagement tool for education, business innovation and problem solving" struck me as an artist who believes in her work. On accepting Sarah's work for this Second Issue of Oi Oi Oi! I am well aware of the controversy that some of the contents of her story may bring to some readers of the magazine. I am aware, too, that there are those that will decry its inclusion because it does not meet their perception of what comics are about. That is, it is not suitable for children. And there may be potential readers who chose not to buy the magazine because of Sarah's story's inclusion. I have included it, because I am not planning on censoring any artists' or cartoonists' works. As I mention in my Submission Guidelines, I do have the "option to reject any material that I feel does not meet my subjective standard"...of "art that may not be up to scratch, or stories that maybe dodgy from a legal viewpoint, or stories that contain pornographic illustrations that might render the issue subject to censorship by authorities." I do not feel Sarah's story fails this test. I have included Sarah's story, because I believe the art and the story have merit.
Madeleine Karutz (above), on the other hand, nearly didn't made the pages of the soon-on-sale Second Issue of Oi Oi Oi! for completely different reasons... She told me she was a student studying Media Arts and Law, and had had her comic work published in Voiceworks, a national youth magazine that (to be honest) I had never heard of even though (I have since learnt) it has been published regularly since 1988! Don't be ignorant like me: click here for the link to the magazine! Madeleine then wrote a synopsis of her proposed work with some visuals to give me an idea of her art style. I was interested, so let her know her proposal had been accepted. Then I received some some seriously understated emails from Madeleine...
With the deadline of June 30th imposed on artists and cartoonists, and all other submissions from all the other artists and cartoonists already in, the next email from Madeleine (on June 22nd) confirmed my fears: "I've got three of the eight pages done and inked...so what is the deadline looking like?" I decided to prepare a stand-by story...
On June 30th, right on deadline, Madeleine's story arrived. Have a read of it when Oi Oi Oi! is released on Thursday. There was no way I could not publish it. Read it yourself, and tell me if Madeleine is not one of the most assured new comic talents in this country... I was in a bit of a dilemma with the Second Issue of Oi Oi Oi! I was given the opportunity to publish two great works by two great female artists...but both looked good in colour. The First Issue of Oi Oi Oi! was in black and white, and my contributor guidelines had clearly indicated that the preferred medium was to be in black and white. So what would you have done?
Caitlin Major is an illustrator and animator from Brisbane and best known for "Space Pyrates", a web-comic that she co-created with Matthew Hoddy and now available in two volumes (click here for the link). Caitlin and Matt moved to Toronto (in Canada) recently, where she say she "loves to draw magical girls and cuties". I came across Caitlin's "Milly" comic work when I first met Caitlin (and Matthew) at the Gold Coast Supanova earlier this year, and thought at the time it deserved a wider Australian audience. It was the story structure that really interested me: in a short space of time, one gets the feel and really cares for the character...
Scarlette Buccini calls herself a 'scientist, musician, big sister and cartoonist'. Although these days, I would have to say, she is concentrating on being a musician. Her band, Dear Plastic, has just (three days ago) released their first album "The Thieves are Babes" on iTunes. (Here's the link!) Scarlette's comic book work is reasonably well-known within the Melbourne comic community. Her zombie girl character Zombolette, (with pet guinea pig Cameron), has been compiled in the one volume from fellow Australian comic book publisher Milk Shadow Books (click here for the link). However, when Scarlette said she had a story "too short to publish" and that she was "not really sure what to do with it"... well, how could I resist?? I am pleased to announce that, because both of these stories read better in colour, both of these stories have been printed in full glorious colour! That's right! Sixteen pages of Oi Oi Oi!'s Second Issue -- out this Thursday, in newsagents all around this country -- are in colour! How can you not support these fine Australian Artists and Cartoonists?! The Second Issue of Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi! is going to be released in many good Australian newsagents this coming Thursday. I am so excited about this edition, because it is a giant leap up in quality from Issue One. Over the next few days on this Blog, there might be an opportunity to tell you, Dear Reader, about what you can expect to see within those pages...! In Philip Bentley's review of the First Issue (see last Blog), he felt there was no collective theme running through the magazine. And with this Second Issue, this is addressed! (The Third Issue plans to revert back onto chaos like the First, but that's a story for another day...!) This Second Issue features all the best in Australia's Female Artists and Cartoonists! The Second Issue of Oi Oi Oi! features three Brisbane-based Artists, and today I will speak of two of them. I have already spoken highly of Mel Stringer in an earlier posting (when I admired her work in the now sadly-defunct Rave Magazine), so everyone will know how honoured I feel to have her work in Oi Oi Oi! Mel describes herself as "a regular zine maker and day dreamer". One of her most recent endeavours had been invited into a duo art exhibition in Japan curated by Yoshitomo Nara; and I recently saw a copy of the programme in the gift-shop of the Queensland Museum of Modern Art. She has also launched Girl Glue, a bi-monthly zine "dedicated to showcasing female artists and inspiring girl creative", although I must confess to not yet having seen a copy. Read about it here.   Mel's brand new story for Oi Oi Oi! is called "Lost Dog". I was concerned that the translation on the printed page would be difficult, given that Mel supplied the work in pencil. However, Mel felt that to ink it, the story would lose some of its spontaneity. With a fine collaboration between Mel and Oi Oi Oi! Designer, Ryan McDonald-Smith, as well as a great printing job, a perfect synthesis has been made! I made absolutely no changes to work by another Brisbane Artist, Alisha Jade. Alisha describes herself as "an independent creator with a passion for minicomics, copic markers and dark tales". Alsiha's story "Seven" is going to be the first on-going series to appear in Oi Oi Oi! and the first episode will appear in the Second Issue. I am really excited about this tale, because you can tell the work is one of an artist working on something that really excites her! There was a band in Brisbane a few years back called The Five, and their 'gimmick' (if you want to call it that) was their plan was to release their music in five different ways (CD, sheet music, EP, live and...er, I have forgotten the fifth!). They planned on playing five live shows and then breaking up! How wonderful! I only got to see one show -- but it was a beauty! Alisha has taken a most similar concept into her story! She plans on releasing seven volumes of "Seven", each book containing seven chapters and each chapter containing seven pages! And with Oi Oi Oi! seeking eight pages of story, by adding an extra title page, it seemed an ideal inclusion. (It also guarantees Alisha an appearance in the magazine until our 50th issue!) In 'Real Life' Alisha works as a Project Manager, which is why (she says) she is becoming even more productive!
Tomorrow, I will tell you more about what to expect in the Second Issue of Oi Oi Oi! Just remember, tell your friends and families -- it's out in the newsstands next Thursday! A most literate and lucid Review of the First Issue of Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi! (and fellow publisher Silent Army's anthology Dailies #4) can be found on Matt Emery's wonderful Pikitia Press Blog. (Click here for the link.) The review is the first in what is planned to be an on-going association with Australian comic luminary Philip Bentley. When Philip gives his constructive feedback it always comes with honesty, and from years of experience in the Australian comic arena. I have mentioned Philip's book A Life in Comics in a previous posting, so perhaps a quick recap of his background is in order.
Philip was one of the co-founders of Melbourne's Minotaur, working there from 1977 right up until 1989. From a creative perspective, he was Publisher/Editor of two 1980s publications Inkspots and Fox Comics. But for mine, his lasting legacy is going to be the sadly under-circulated magazine that he has been publishing since 2005: Word Balloons. These self-published volumes feature in-depth interviews with many Australasian comic artists, writers, creators and publishers. As such, I see them as future reference material for future Comic Historians, where the material enclosed will be well-mined for information. The magazine also serves as a time capsule for the local comic scene, with Philip reviewing many publications since 2005 within the pages, which is a similar course that he plans to follow in his Pikitia Press contribution. Personally, I came across Philip's Word Balloons quite late in its run, but I highly recommend all people with a passion for the local medium pick up some (or all!) of the Back Issues Philip has on his own personal Blog. Click here for Philip Bentley's Fragments from a Second Shore. (I note that Matt has the earlier issues (#1 through to #9) on his Pikitia Press store, accessible by clicking here.) |
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.
In 2024, the Australian Cartoonists Association bestowed Nat the honour of The Jim Russell Award for his "outstanding contribution to Australian cartooning". He is available for public speaking. Since 2011, Nat has self-published over twelve comic-related books and many more comics. He is presently the Membership Secretary of the Australian Cartoonists Association. He is the Lead Judge in the Ledger of Honour Awards for the Comic Arts Awards of Australia (formerly the Ledgers). Nat has now retired and spends most of his time with his long-suffering wife, occasionally seeing 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 on this website in the coming months... 
Nat by Charlotte
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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