I've spent a bit of time recently reflecting on the past and contemplating where to go from here. For each quarter, over the past five years, I have edited a magazine of some sort. Let me show you.....
"Back in Issue #73 – which, as Lindsay Foyle correctly pointed out, was really issue #72 – [ACA President] Jules [Faber] wrote in his Parlay that a couple of Queenslanders planned to “build Inkspot back to its former glory”. Here we are now, a further fourteen issues since that date. The best and most satisfying part of working on Inkspot during that time has been the fact that we have brought it back from a once-a-year sort-of, maybe-magazine to a quarterly publication that I know many members are proud of.
"Sadly, this will be my last as Editor for the time being. It's just that since I first put out my nationally released comic magazine Oi Oi Oi! #1 in about March 2014, I have edited a magazine each quarter for the past five years. I'm in need of a break and (maybe) a sleep.
"That’s not to say I won’t contribute articles for whomever wants to take it on. And that not to say I won't want to do it again. I might even be ready again after the Stanley Awards!*
*In 2021!
"I’d like to thank those Layout Artists/Designers who have worked with me and shared my vision over that period: Phil Judd, Chris Barr, Dave Emerson, Judy Nadin, Cam Winks and Steve Panozzo. And my thanks mostly to Carlene, who has allowed me this indulgence for this long."
I thought I would post this for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, because some cartooning people have been asking me "What's happened to INKSPOT?" And while I had some editorial input into the next issue (which was to be and will be my last ...for quite a while), I don't want to be held responsible for the delay. I'm hopeful the magazine can return to the quarterly schedule that I put in place during my tenure, although I understand those who work on it (for no fee) do have busy lives, and (unlike me) need to have some sleep....
I'm also posting this, because - looking at both magazines from some distance now (even if it's a matter of only a few months!) - the time and effort expended into the magazines have produced an end result that I can honestly say I am extremely proud of.
Answer: Neither! Due to a mix-up at work, I put in a request for the wrong days off. I am bitterly disappointed, but willing to cop it on the chin.
Working on Graeme's book about the History of Australian Comics has left me in a state of wondering … Where do I go from here? How can I top this? Surely, this is the pinnacle of my Australian comic publishing? Certainly, I have to help market the book; something that I plan to do in the not-too-distant future. But creatively, and in a publishing sense, where can I go to top this? It's a question that has had me perplexed for some time … and I have come up with an answer that I will share with you in the times ahead … after I get over this 'Man-Flu'!