My boss Baden Kirgan has split the beans today on Facebook and Twitter courtesy of the Black House Comics Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=216084821781182&set=a.125927350796930.19582.121050057951326&type=1&theater
The quote reads:
Time to spill some beans.
A few weeks ago we were approached by an advertising agency who wanted to use Paul Mason's The Soldier Legacy in a campaign.
Negotiations ensued with the end result being that last Monday a TV spot was filmed for a major national brand using the Soldier (and his eight foot tall standee). I can't tell you the name of the company yet but the spots will air from October 9 around the country and will provide the widest exposure for any Australian comic that I can recall.
It was filmed in Kings Comics in Sydney, closing the store for the day. The entire shop was decked out top to tail with Black House Comics books, posters and merchandise - The Dark Detective, EEEK!
, After the World, Terra, The Twilight Age and of course The Soldier Legacy everywhere Marvel and DC would normally be. If only it was like that every day!
I will post photos from the shoot as they come to hand and once the ad airs a copy will be onwww.blackhousecomics.com - but stay glued to your sets October 9 - it'll be a big day!
So we all wait with baited breath until October 9th to see the little Aussie-hero-that-could make his debut on national TV.
Ok, it's time to get personal here. It's something I never do but I feel as though it's quite prudent in this case. So confession time:
This time last year, I was very concerned with the future of my work. I felt very stagnate, was very unsure of what the future held for my comic art. Towards the end of last year, I didn't even believe I would have the second issue printed due to some external topsey-turveiness, and I believed that I was invisible- that the style of artwork I was producing was not that appealing or marketable. I let people inadvertently get into my head that I wasn't going to get anywhere by myself and I needed to wait on them to organise things or write things or whatever. Thanks to one of my best friends and mentor Chris Sequeira, and the support from guys like Jan Sherpenhuizen, 'Chewy' Chan, Baden Kirgan, and a hell of a lot of sleepless nights and work at the drawing board/computer, I sit in a much brighter position with the series today. I have a scholarship to study my Doctorate, thanks to The Queensland College of Art (and my supervisors Paul Cleveland and Andi Spark), I have one of the only Australian comic publishers (Black House) printing and distributing my work, I was able to visit the 2011 San Diego Comic con with best mates and met some personal comic heroes and make new friends and contacts, I had work appear in the Supanova 'Tides of Hope' charity comic for the Queensland flood appeal (thank you Tim, Danny and Chris), I have work to appear in the next 'Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes' and a concept that is very close to my heart both in development and learning for me, to be in a national TV commercial for a major Australian Company. Tell me this at the start of this year and I would have laughed at you. Very hard. So I have to say I am very blessed. I'm generally not a religious man, and sometimes I feel like I've gone 15 rounds, but someone's definitely in my corner. I'm not saying it's been easy- my social life is lacking, and I probably can't kick someone in the head as easily as I use to (:P- I will get back into Taekwon-do eventually), but I figure if I keep my nose to the grindstone, I WILL get there eventually.
And if not, I'll teach it at Uni ;D
Thank you all, particularly my family and friends. Without those who pick up the book or post on the Social sites, I wouldn't have a voice. I hope these books entertain you in some way, I'm here to learn.
The Cover for Soldier Legacy #3, heading to wrap up production in a week :D Meanwhile...
