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What's doing and Comicstreet 2

30/11/2016

As I have said before, no doubt, there is usually a reason why no entries are found on this Blog of mine. I'm either busy working on the next comic-related project or I am busy working. On this occasion, it's both! Actually, it's more!

I have just finished a four-shift stint of night duty, that has left me spending one of my two days off duty totally spent and doing nothing but sleeping. It's one of the things about night duty: it renders me incapable of doing anything except work the hours required and then come home and do nothing but sleep. Work and sleep. Work and sleep. Fortunately, just before those night shifts, I was able to complete my editorial duties for the next (hopefully) pre-Christmas Inkspot magazine for the Australian Cartoonists' Association. The pages are now being designed by Chris Barr (who does a brilliant job), and I am really hoping we see the results before Christmas. In other news, I am happy to announce that Carlene is now almost 100% back to full health, so my at-home nursing duties are coming to a close.

With so much going on at work and home, then, I have not prepared for or had time to arranged anything for the Second Comicstreet to be held in Brisbane this Suturday. Sadly, I'm actually scheduled to work an afternoon shift, so I may have a small opportunity to see some of the talented people there just before I begin work that afternoon. If you are in Brisbane and are looking for an opportunity to pick up some excellent Christmas gifts for yourself or others, you could do a whole lot worse than zipping down to the Queen Street Mall from 12 noon...

I have other exciting comic news to share, but I may leave that until next time. I now have just one day off before I return to work, and it is expected by Mrs K (now that she is well) that I don't fill the whole day with comic-related activities. Much as I would like to. Besides, I have an Australian Cartoonists Association Committee Meeting tonight, and I have put forward some pretty exciting motions for the Committee to discuss (and -- I hope -- decide) that I want to be able to share with you when next we are here...

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The 32nd Stanley Awards

18/11/2016

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Hasn't Rob Feldman come a long way? From novice and budding cartoonist, to MC of the 32nd Stanley Awards....

A run down on who was honoured at the Stanley Awards, organised by the Australian Cartoonists' Association at the Parramatta Novotel last Saturday night, with the recipients in bold.

Caricaturist, Sponsored by The Australian: Judy Nadin
Other nominees: Rod Emmerson, Terry Dunnett, Anton Emdin, Paul Harvey

Children’s Book Illustrator, Sponsored by Copyright Agency: Leigh Hobbs
Other nominees: Peter Sheehan, George Haddon, Jules Faber, Andrew Weldon

Comic Book Artist, Sponsored by Supanova: Glenn Lumsden
Other nominees: Roger Fletcher, Dean Rankine, Rob Feldman, Gavin Aung Than
(It was pretty gratifying to know, from a purely personal perspective, that both the winner and one of the nominees -- Rob Feldman -- had their comic work published by Comicoz in the past twelve months.)

Comic Strip Artist, Sponsored by the Herald Sun: Gary Clark
Other nominees: Tony Lopes, Jason Chatfield, Ian Jones, Glen Le Lievre

Editorial/Political Cartoonist, Sponsored by Media Super: Glen Le Lievre
Other nominees: David Pope, Christopher Downes, Mark Knight, Pat Campbell

Illustrator, Sponsored by Wacom: Anton Emdin
Other nominees: Pat Campbell, Glen Le Lievre, Warren Brown, Mark Sheard

Single Gag Cartoonist, Sponsored by The Walkley Foundation/MEAA: Matt Golding
Other nominees: Cathy Wilcox, Judy Horacek, Andrew Weldon, Robert Black

There were insufficient entries in the Animation category, so the Award was withheld this year.

The 2016 Cartoonist of the Year, Glen Le Lievre. Photos supplied by Grant Brown.

Cartoonist of the Year, Sponsored by the Herald Sun: Glen Le Lievre
Other nominees: Anton Emdin, Christopher Downes, Mark Knight, Cathy Wilcox, Bill Leak

Jim Russell Award for Significant Contribution to Australian Cartooning: Gerald Carr

Australian Cartooning Hall of Fame: Geoff Hook, Ken Emerson, Eric Jolliffe

Best Cartoon on the Night: Rod Emmerson on the topic "Trumped".

Gerald Carr accepting his Jim Russell Award, presented to him by Roger Fletcher

If you are interested in seeing more photographs of the night, or a three page article on one of the Recipients listed above, then INKSPOT is the magazine for you! Inkspot is the Journal of the Australian Cartoonists' Association, and I am honoured to be the Editor. In the past week, I have been madly editing the next edition, so it is out before Christmas. I would dearly love YOU to become an Associate Member if YOU have a passion for cartoonists. (Or even a full-time Member if you are an Australian cartoonist, in any of the above categories.) Simply send me an email to comicoz@live.com.au and I can send you a Nomination Form.

Next year's Award Ceremony is going to be held in Canberra, and I am going to begin to lobby to have the 2018 Awards held in Queensland...

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Sickness and Health....

12/11/2016

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One might imagine that I might be torn between attending either Brisbane's Supanova or the Australian Cartoonists' Association's Stanley Awards, being held in Sydney. Both events are on today. The simple fact of the matter is that I have decided to stay at home! Carlene has returned from Bendigo, Victoria, with a viral infection (that required her being hospitalised when down south). Despite numerous blood tests, we are none the wiser to understanding what it is that has caused this disability. The good news is that she is improving. (For a while there she was finding it difficult to walk; and I was saddened to see her coming off the aeroplane shuffling along like an old woman, barely able to lift her feet, when I picked her up from the airport earlier this month.)

Carlene initially went down to Bendigo to give daughter Lora a chance to earn some extra Christmas money, while her children were looked after by Carlene. "I'd like [husband] Adam to slow down, someone to look after my kids, a chance to have some time alone in a motel, perhaps with a spa...." Lora told Carlene before she set off. Sometimes you can have your wishes filled, in the most unexpected of ways.... Sadly, Adam was involved in an accident at the farm where he works, with a quad bike landing on top of him. (He sustained near life-threatening injuries: all of his ribs were fractured, he had two punctured lungs and a broken clavicle.) Thanks to some quick work by Adam himself (who rang his Boss before collapsing), his Boss getting Adam to the Ambulance that had been notified and then the Paramedics stabilising him before being flown by chopper to a Melbourne Hospital, he was able to be saved. But it was touch and go for a while. So, Lora's wishes came true: she spent some anxious nights in a nearby motel while Adam lay in Hospital, her children were well looked after by Carlene, and Adam has now been forced to slow down...after spending some time in the Intensive Care Unit, he has now been given the okay to return home and faces months to recuperate....

One little secret that I have have kept from readers of this Blog, and from people in general, is that in late August, I headed down to Melbourne to meet up with Andrez Bergen and Frantz Kantor. We were planning on discussing the viability of getting Andrez and Frantz' character Magpie published into a stand-alone comic to market via Diamond Distributors. Given Diamond were unwilling to support an anthology title like Oi Oi Oi! ("They just don't sell.") we thought about marketing Magpie, given that superhero comics do sell. From Oi Oi Oi! to the world! Pretty much like Lora, in Life, you cannot make plans....

Out of respect for Andrez' family, I said nothing about the events of (or before) the weekend, It was a most distressing time. Now that Andrez has just recently shared the events publicly (on Facebook), I thought it reasonable to now share here. And I shall allow Andrez to share it in his words....

"As you can perhaps surmise from these photos by Brian Huber, I've sufficiently settled into hospital to attempt cunning camouflage exercises. Why am I here? Well [in later August], I returned to Australia on vacation and somehow contracted a Golden Staph infection en route.
"So...the day after I went to Mum's I collapsed.
"She called an ambulance' which took me to Frankston Hospital. I was then transferred to Alfred Hospital suffering from a cardiac arrest induced by the infection, which then led to a stroke and an operation on my head. I call this my lobotomy scar.
"So I'm not dead (not yet) and I owe my life to the fabulous medical staff here. Not to mention regular visits by Brian, Dad, Mum and others. I'm now at Caulfield Hospital for rehabilitation to rebellious atrophied muscles over the next two months. Exercise? Good Lord! https://www.alfredhealth.org.au/caulfield "

I'd like to publicly wish Andrez (Andrew) a speedy recovery, and wish him all the best in getting back on track ...and back in front of his typewriter/computer where I am sure he feels he belongs....

For me personally, although I was unhurt, it was such a distressing time, that I immediately put my magazine's publishing on hold. I suppose it would be fair to say that I have had a fair amount of time to reflect on what is important in Life over these past few months. I feel less inclined to go mad, bull at a gate to ensure that Oi Oi Oi! comes out strictly every three months (which is what I have done over the past two years). I still plan on putting out a mega issue of Oi Oi Oi! and I am still (slowly) working on Bold Ben Hall and I am also busily working on other areas relating to comics, but I am also conscious of others that I love around me who may need more of my time. So, while this has been a distressing time, I am learning to (better?) prioritise my time between them and my beloved comics...

Here's a picture (left) of me from a year ago, proudly holding Gary Clark's 2015 Stanley (Comic Strip) Award and standing in front of the magnificent Stan Cross cartoon brought down for the Award Night by the National Library of Australia. It seems hard to believe that is twelve months ago...so much has happened in that time. There is a great part of me that would love to be down in Sydney for this year's Awards, but I shall have to be content to simply attend the one in 2017 (where it will be held in Canberra).
The 2016 Cartoonist of The Year will be announced at the 32nd Stanley Awards at a gala dinner at the Novotel in Parramatta tonight. The nominees are:

Christopher Downes (The Mercury)
Anton Emdin (Spectator, MAD, GQ, Penthouse, People)
Mark Knight (The Herald Sun)
Bill Leak (The Australian)
Glen Le Lievre (The Sydney Morning Herald, Crikey)
Cathy Wilcox (The Sydney Morning Herald)

The Australian Cartoonists' Association will also announce the recipients of the following Stanley Awards: Caricaturist, Children's Book Illustrator, Comic Book Artist, Comic Strip Cartoonist, Editorial/Political Cartoonist, Illustrator and Single Gag Cartoonist.
The prestigious Australian Cartooning Hall Of Fame and the Jim Russell Award for significant contribution to Australian cartooning will also be awarded and announced...

CONGRATULATIONS to all the Nominees! I'll announce all the winners here, when I know and am able to do so....

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Nat Karmichael