Week 2 "Supa Star Guest"- Post Con Jibberish from Gold Coast Supanova

(I'm not going to go into deep recounting here, just wanted to throw all this here to recap a great Comic book highlight on this year's calender, and thank everyone for their kindness and support. Great sales and response for issue 4 and the Trade, virtually sold out of the stock I had for the two shows, plus the extras I chased from Black House between shows. Anyways...)

How can you top the greatness that was Melbourne Supanova?

By moving it to the Gold Coast!


Seriously, Queenslanders are traditionally very kind to me and this little comic series, and I am very grateful for the support I got from the two days at the Gold Coast Exhibition and Convention centre, Broadbeach. I am virtually out of copies of the TPBs that I took to the cons (plus the boost in stock from Black House during the week), and from what I gather (and hope), the 4th issue seemed to be a hit among the fans I spoke with. I want to thank the familiar faces who have stuck with the series so far, and for the new people who dove right in by getting a trade and #4 in one hit.

One of the highlights for me was speaking to one female teen, who was buying issue 1 for her brother, who had just signed up for the army. About an hour later, the girl ran back to the table, stating she had just read the issue while standing in a queue, and ended up purchasing the TPB and the latest issue :D. There was another guy just like this, who bought #1 on Saturday, then the rest on Sunday, then read them at the show, and came back to ask when #5 was out. Sometimes it's easy to forget that regardless of whether or not blogists, reviewers, other creators etc. see/comment on the work or not, there are the regular punters out there who still appreciate the work that is being put out by Australian comic creators. The viability of the "industry" (cottage or not) is not solely dependent by the circulation between other comic people and the like, but whether the work reaches (and strikes a cord with) either traditional non-comic readers, or people who up until that point were unfamiliar with the potential works being produced here. I love the fact that for instance, this weekend past, I attended a Sparring Seminar with Grand Master CK Choi: A Taekwon-do pioneer, and the first World Champion in Taekwon-do sparring. During a lunch break, one of the younger Black Belts (a former student, and good kid) asked to see some of my comic book stuff. I happened to have sets of my comics in a box in the car, so I showed him an issue. Within 5 minutes, I had completely sold out of the several sets of comics I had! It beat out the overall quiet afternoon session in Melbourne recently, that's for certain :P

Anyways, I don't want to get into saying too much here, only that I had a great time, am again very thankful to the Supanova team and volunteers that took care of us over the two cons, and appreciated the guest status. I'm terrible with names, but I'd like to mention Daniel Z, his partner Libby, Missy, Felicity, and then Dion, Mark, Dee, Bruce, Quinny, Chris, Andrew, Ethan, the rest of the Supanova crew: Thank you :D

Jim Kelly, man, what an awesome guy.

Plus, my comic book friends/pros who were very kind to me, and had great conversations with- Tom Taylor, Tristan Jones, Stewart McKenny, Tim McEwen, Paul Abstruse, Wayne Nichols, and international visitors Carlos Pacheco and Brian Michael Bendis.

Above all, I have to thank Baden Kirgan of Black House Comics, and my close friend Chris Sequeira- What a great time we had, hey mate? and many more to come :D

Here's a spattering of images in no particular order :D


The Black House Comics seminar


Dave, Chris and the gang show their support. Best fans ever ;)


I finally get to scribble a head in Tim McEwen's sketchbook :D


The awesome Tony Stark/Iron Man doppelganger, IronMate :)


See? Even escaped criminals read 'The Soldier' ;P


A meeting of the minds: Tim McEwen and Chris Sequeira.


A friend stops by with a great group of "sailors". How often can you say you've been photo-bombed by Jesus?


(Cool)Shite/Joffree street production's "Q-dog" David Quinn, DC/IDW/Gestalt writer Tom Taylor, and Marvel/DC/Black House writer, and Cuban drug dealer (;P) Chris Sequeira.


The lovely Dee of 'Girls Read Comics too"/Supanova, Quinny, and Chris.


Too many people in this, but there's Anime Stars and Marvel artist Carlos Pacheco thrown in the mix too.

Nobody makes a better entrance than Aussie artist Paul Abstruse. Disco.


My concern is that Chris doesn't seemed too concerned...


More scribble at the con: Ghost Rider


Me and good mate, (Cool) Shite/Joffree Street production's Bruce Moyle.


The fantastic Marvel artist, and down to Earth guy, Carlos Pacheco, and my ubber baggy shirt.


Speaking of fantastic guys, Aussie Artist/Writer of IDW titles such as Ghost Busters & Ninja Turtles, Tristan Jones.


One of a series of classic photo bombs by Tom Taylor ;P


More scribble: Iron Man vs Thor.


Soldiers like 'The Soldier"... Who'd have thought? ;P


Danielle and Wade stop by for comic books :D


More scribble- Up the Bunnies!


Robocop!


When not "raiding Tombs", apparently Lara Croft and her video game pal read 'The Soldier Legacy' ;P

I didn't get a chance to leave the table much, but nice talking also to Wayne's friend Sam (and writer of their new graphic Novel release), plus Cameron of Funny Web Comics, and his partner Sabrina. Lovely people. Plus Scott "Agent-X" Hampson dropped by, good friends Wade and Danielle (who was spotted by fans herself as one of the past top 12 "MasterChef"s), and loyal followers Dave, Chris, and the gang who I owe a lot for their continual Queensland support. Thanks, guys. Annabelle McEwen was showing off her fantastic comic wallets (I want a Kirby "Thor" one ;D), and as previously mentioned, Todd, Amanda and the guys from Kaboom Comics, and Geek Speak TV, spent a little time at the table doing a mini-interview and telling me the series is doing well out in Toowoomba.

Anyways, thanks again, looking forward to Sydney Supanova in June, and Brisbane later in the year!
More art stuff soon as I get back into gear :D

1962 Marvel Fan Art Submission- Wish me luck :D

Wish me luck- The day before Gold Coast Supanova, I submitted an art piece, based on the 1962 Marvel Characters by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, with Steve Ditko, Don Heck, and Larry Lieber, for a "thing I don't think I can say yet". Partly because, it might not even make the cut. Fingers crossed. The brighter/warmer coloured one was the last minute change I went with. I was originally trying to skew the colour scheme into the darker version below, but right before I left it alone to submit, I changed my mind. It just wasn't working for me.

This was definitely one of those images that I felt was abandoned, or "let go" rather than what I felt could be called "Completed". The nature of deadlines I suppose.

Geek Speak TV gives 'The Soldier Legacy' some love ;D

(Aussie comic great, and Supanova Art director Tim McEwen snaps Chris Sequeira, Paul Abstruse, and me (at a rare moment away from the table ;P) while I shop for back issues of 1960's 'Tales of Suspense': Captain America by Kirby and Sinnott= Awesome ;P)

Haven't done the post-Gold Coast Supanova recap yet, but just wanted to give a big thanks to Todd, Amanda and the Crew from KaBoom Comics at Toowoomba, Queensland, who are the folks behind Geek Speak and Girly Geek Speak- Podcasts, posts and TV show that reviews all sorts of comic book/pop culture stuff. I was pleased to discover that 'The Soldier Legacy" Comic books are selling very well in my sunny state, and was honoured to have been interviewed by the show, and mentioned on the blog and podcast, in the same breath as Stewart McKenny and Tom Taylor, and among gentlemen at the con such as Brian Michael Bendis, Carlos Pacheco and Aussie Tristan Jones. All the links below, thanks again guys. I look forward to seeing my nervous stammering through Amanda's questions ;P

The write up: http://girlygeekspeak.com.au/geekspeak/the-soldier-legacy-paul-mason/

The Supanova recap by Geek Speak: http://girlygeekspeak.com.au/blog/geek-speaks-supanova-experience/


The kind mention in the Post Supanova podcast: http://girlygeekspeak.com.au/podcasts/geek-speak-live-podcast-7/

Bobby N. Melbourne Supanova Photo blog

Bobby N. has another talent apart from comics: Sneaky, Candid Photography ;D Here's another set of cool photos with some awesome Australian Artists/Writers at Melbourne Supanova, April 2012.

Too bad I ruined a few ;D

http://bobbynsblog.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/supanova-2012-melbourne.html



(Photographs appearing in post taken by, and copyright. by Bobby N.)

A Review of Soldier Legacy #1- 4 by Comic Artist Paul Abstruse

I was surprised by my good friend and talented Australian Comic Book Artist/ "Rock Star", Paul Abstruse on Facebook http://www.paulabstruse.daportfolio.com/ with this review of my latest Soldier Legacy comic books. I was very touched. I don't get many reviews of the work, but what made this quick review important to me was that Paul is coming from a knowledge base in comic production/ toiling for the craft. Anyways, thank you Paul, and congratulations again on the latest Zenescope project :D

"ok buddy....just finished all four issues.
As i read it, i felt there was a nice blend of gruff bravado and call of duty that gives the protagonist's a purpose of being. With the soldiers side of the story, the tough talking internal monologue is reminiscent of Frank Millar's Sin City. On the grandson's side, he struggles with the unknown. The personal touch for his feelings concerning his ex girlfriend made the story real to me. I feel the writing was well paced. The individual page cliff-hangers worked well. I was most impressed with the layouts. I never had any trouble following the page. For the most part my eye was always directed to the right spot. Diagonal panels seem to work very well with your style. There were a couple of pages where i felt that the characters breaking out of the borders were unessarary. But that is only nit-picking. The impact panels were always large and bold, which is important. The colours work perfectly. And throughout the whole book the art is consistent. And that my friend is very hard to acheive.

And as a fellow comic book artist i can see how much work has gone into these 4 books. To write, pencil, ink, letter and prep for printing is such a mammoth task, you really have to hand it to anyone who does it. The last issue has left me biting my nails and wanting to see how the story ends. It has also left me wondering if there will be a continuation of the series once the story arc is done.

So congrats on the work you have done so far. You deserve all the recognition you get and then some. Your book embodies all that is good about comics and the australian spirit."

The process: Rough layouts for Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes #8

Teeny little SPOILER ALERT: I mention nothing in the text below, but if you're currently reading this story arc from 'Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes' #5 & 7 (with a little bit in #6), don't try to figure out who's who and what's going on too closely, m'kay? ;D

Just throwing up some recent images of the pencil layouts for "Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes #8" Not only did I do the back up story for this (with Chris Sequeira), I also provided some layouts for the main writer/artists team story to get the book in on time. This was interesting from my point of view of not only working the opposite way to my back up story (virtually "Marvel Method", by which Chris and I discussed plot, I went away and created art, then lettered it based on Chris's dialoguing of my pages)- In the main story, I was working off a full script (written by Chris), which was one change to the method, plus the fact that in regards to the art, my job on a page was finished, only to go as far as the blocking out/pose/gestural level.






The interesting part is seeing how the main artist (in this case, the gentleman, Phil Cornell) chooses to use the panel/pages in the final printed version, or whether he chose to not use a page/panel at all/altered it (in the case of a few pages; This is by no means a problem at all, in this instance, I am merely assisting the artist in nailing the deadline by eliminating the first step in the visualizing of the script. One artist may see the scene in a different manner as to how other sees it, that what makes the collaborative process interesting in this case. It was a fun and noteworthy experience in the departmentalized approach to comic creating.






I don't have digital pages of the final product to show before and afters, but those who happen to pick up a copy at the current Supanovas running, off blackboox, or from Newsagents soon, will be able to get a "behind the curtain" view of the collaboration process. (Incidently, it was a very cool script, and I look forward to reading the conclusion to this current story arc ;D)

Enjoy :D

Something left of field: A quick review of "No Map but Not Lost".

Ok, this is a little different, as I'm not one to actually DO reviews. Sure, I'm studying postgraduate in comic books (albeit Superhero books), and could, (given the proper amount of time, sleep and brain-function) string together a half-decent, coherent comic book review if I chose to. But, at any given point of a day, I have that many stresses and odd jobs pulling me AWAY from creating my OWN stuff, that even now as I type this I know I'm avoiding the pile of drawing I need to complete tonight and before the convention on Saturday. Add to that the constant slight feeling of inadequacy I'm sure many artists feel when producing work (be it for personal gratification or for public consumption), and the fact that I know I'll have to ditch another mind-relaxing gym session to get back on top of things, means this review is less of a proper review, and more like a "rambling thoughts on something I liked".

I guess in this mindset, this is the reason why I found somewhat of a connection, or more like what resonated with me, in the reading of a wonderful book by Melbourne's Bobby Nenadovic (or pen name 'Bobby N.'), entitled "No Map, but not Lost: The Self Published Comics 1995-2001" (published by Milk Shadow Books 2012). For a start, regular readers (all 3 of you, including me)or anyone unfortunate to get stuck talking to me at a convention about comics, would know that if it's not Jack Kirby, chances are I'm not reading it (a big exaggeration, but not far from the truth). This week, I read two Milk Shadow titles (the other being Ben Hutchings's beautiful silent work "Walking to Japan"), but a number of things stood out for me regarding Bobby's work, which I'd like to touch on.

Firstly, I'll get this out of the way that I was a fan of Bobby N. the person before I'd properly read any of his work. I had seen his images from "Digested" (his series published by Gestalt Comics) from Bobby's website http://www.bobbyn.com/ , and very much dug (an academia term) his sense of design, line work, composition and overall mise en scene of the worlds he created on the page. Overall though, after meeting him, I became a fan of Bobby himself. A very nice guy, no B.S about him. He seems to listen, and gives opinions which come from a basis of knowledge of the artform, but with a realistic awareness of the comics scene in general.

But, in saying this, I tried not to let this influence the way I read someone's work, or my opinion of it. In that way, I can still enjoy an old school Frank Miller story or a Mel Gibson movie without feeling overly guilty, or that the text is tainted because of the "jerkness" that comes from the person in question....to a degree though, I'm only human ;P. So I'm saying I don't like to let the person influence my reading of their material.

In Bobby's case though, I still feel "No Map but not Lost" was such an enjoyable reading experience, and such a personal book, that I feel as though it was quiet journey that you take with him, spoken and unspoken. What I mean by that wanky statement, is that the commentary at the end of each chapter gave you the reader insight into the creative process, skill progression, comic methodology (good or bad in whether he completed the story) and overall personal thoughts into each strip he unashamedly or proudly included in the collection, but at the same time you get this unspoken journey, which demonstrates the growth and development of emotion and themes within the artwork of this fantastic cartoonist. Sure, he probably alludes to this in the commentary, or that they slowly go from "What the f$%^ was I thinking?" to one of the comments at the end of one of my favorites from the book ('Withheld') "...one story I could proudly stand behind and say 'this is mine'." But like any good sequential story teller will say "Show, don't tell", Bobby's work certainly shows, and the connection and afterthought you will develop from reading this book will certainly resonate with you too. Not only in the development of storytelling and pace, the wonderful use of scale, panel size or shadow to convey a mood or manipulate the pacing, but even in the themes of the story. Again, from 'Withheld', I'm still trying to figure out plot points/find the hidden meaning long after reading the strip.

(Maybe all those bombastic, silver age Kirby stories have melted my brain to a point where the quiet stories are both a lovely change of pace, but have destroyed my ability to "get" things ;P)

Perhaps, (and most likely why I've chosen to procrastinate more by ignoring my own work to do for this spontaneous ramble) the reason I liked this book very much was that it speaks to me as a comic creator myself. Booby N. alludes to life experiences and events in his comics and commentary that I too share, as well as the same mindset towards them (though he can probably express these thoughts better and more eloquently than I can). He also reminded me (through including the first few strips such as "Assassinator pt1 &2") of the mainly action-only strips (with no context or plot) I first started drawing as a kid. I find myself nodding my head or finding something very much in common with any points in much the same way as I connect with some of the comments 'The List' creator Paul Bedford has made in the past regarding his own comics making drive and upbringing. Particularly as I mentioned at the start of this article, many of us on the Australian scene have to sleep very little in order to fit in time around our "day jobs"/study/commutes/eating/showering etc. to be able to produce work which competes with larger, international works, produced by teams of people who do that as their only profession, with characters of unlimited marketing/cross media channels and 50-70 year publishing history.

It's a hard slog.

Often you doubt why you bother at all. And yet, Bobby N.'s book reminds me that on some level, it's important to remember that you're suppose to ENJOY the work. And, that like the lessons he learnt from Dave Sims, it's important to keep 'climbing that mountain'- I guess in a sense not just for the general public who may or may not enjoy reading your comics, but on an artistic level, for YOURSELF. In the day to day grind of life, and all its problems that pile up and threaten to crush your spirit, you need that "oasis", as Bobby N. best puts it.


I appreciate the reminder, Bobby. Thank you.

"No Map, but not Lost" is available from various comic book retails (inquire online) or from Milk Shadow book's website https://www.milkshadowbooks.com/blog/?products=no-map-but-not-lost
(Photo above: Taken at Melbourne Supanova 2012 L to R: Chris Sequeira, Bobby N., and me. Colin Wilson's awesome car on the LHS too ;) )

QUEENSLAND! Get These at GOLD COAST SUPANOVA APRIL 21st-22nd

My last weekend as a "Supa-Star Guest" is coming up. Bittersweet, but very thankful.

Chris Sequeira (Dark Detective: Sherlock Holmes, X-men Vs Vampires, Justice League Adventures) and I will be talking all things Black House Comics on the Saturday at 11:20am in the Supanova Seminar room.

And I hope to be con sketching like a mad man. Looking forward to the turnout. All single issues $5, the Trade Paperback is only $20!

See you there :D

Week 1 "Supa-Star Guest" Post-con jibberish- Melbourne Supanova 2012

Man, what a weekend :D

Melbourne Supanova 2012 as a "Supa-Star Guest" was just something else, and whether this be the peak of my Australian comic career or not, I am certainly grateful, and have a lot of cool stories and memories.

So this is just a huge thank you and recap of the people I met, caught up with, or have helped me this weekend with furthering my journey in this crazy career path. This recap/"thank you-fest" might seem silly or pointless to some, particularly when I thank people merely for talking to me, but being thankful for kindness or advice, and never forgetting where you came from (good or bad), is an important part of my process, and being a grateful human. I believe I'm not a "hand out" sort of person- I'll "bust my gut" (for lack of a better, less disgusting term) to work hard to get where I want my work to go, and where I myself want to be. I don't have any misconceptions of where I may sit on the food chain in different aspects of my life, or where I may be heading, but I like to think I'm not one to B.S why I'm there at a certain point without believing I have credible reason, and a body of evidence for being there. Luck, and a bit of belief from others is a massive help. Anyways, without any more waffle, nonsense and padding, here's the recap (which, is kind of more waffle, nonsense and padding too ;P)

(*I have a lot of names to cover here, I wrote a quick list, so I hope I get you all. If not, it's not because I appreciate you any less, it's because I'm STILL firing on very little sleep, and a massive pile of work still to fight through.)


Before I get into it, the massive highlights were definitely hanging out with Jim Kelly from "Enter The Dragon" (one of my childhood to adulthood top flicks)- Chris and I happened to be seated next to his table a breakfast where we talking on a range of things like Bruce Lee, his favorite directors, The West Coast, pre-fight prep...man, heaps of great stories and anecdotes. It was nice of Chris to "fact drop" the world title history- it ended up giving us some common ground and "talk a little shop"....I know, right? Jim Kelly!). Then later, I caught up with him where we talked more on Ali, and a heap on his career. What an awesome, down-to-Earth, cool guy. I got this awesome print signed too(above), there's some history there in that pic, that's for sure. He even took some copies of 'The Soldier Legacy' comic books :D Next week, I endeavor to get the photo with him. Looking forward to catching up.


Following this awesome breakfast, was a Bus ride where Chris and I chatted for a while with one of my favourite writers, Brian Michael Bendis. We'd met briefly the day before, but it was nice to be able to sit and talk. Man, there were some great little insights into his work, plus some current stuff with film and animation (and a few other hidden gems from this)- again, a cool guy, very nice to hear him say kind things about the Soldier Books I gave as a gift, and getting the photo too. Marvel artists Carlos Pacheco and Billy Tan were great to talk to as well, got a "Utimate Thor" book signed- very pleased. Even more pleased when he ask me to sign 'my' book. What a nice guy.(Billy remembers the Soldier from 'Tides of Hope', which was very cool, and it was great getting a photo too.)


Looking forward to Bendis's seminar- Quinny (the seminar man at Supanova) said the script insights were great. Should be awesome fodder for the thesis work.


Regarding the new releases of 'Soldier Legacy #4' and the first Trade Paperback; I want to publicly thank Baden Kirgan of Black House comics and Jeffries Printing services. The support regarding the deadlines, printing and shipment of stock was just phenomenal, everyone who picked up the Soldier trade on the weekend agreed on the top quality of the printing, and also, to turn around top quality and big quantities of two different books (Soldier Legacy #4 and Dark Detective #8) in a short space of time, is just epic.

I also want to thank very, very much, my collaborator, partner in crime, mentor and close friend Christopher Sequeira on another adventure-filled weekend. From hatching plans, to plotting stories & ideas, to personal advice, and for being eternally optimistic when I would be more than happy to beat myself up about things, Thank you mate. It's always a pleasure catching up and spending time on the tables with you. I'm glad people are so positive about the Dr Nikola/1880's Soldier team-up- I can't wait to begin the concluding installment, and our future projects, starting with our Parahuman #1 story.

To Supanova "Grand Master" Daniel Zachariou, and his wonderful team including his partner Libby, Missy and Felicity, and James, Norelle, Roger and the rest of the crew who ran around for us all weekend- a great show, thank you so much for your help, looking after us, belief in me and the Australian series, and I look forward to the first Gold Coast show this weekend. It's shaping up to be huge! (and Daniel, your kind words about the Soldier Legacy 'Tides of Hope' page are a highlight, thanks again.) http://www.supanova.com.au/

Tim McEwen, http://greenerpasturescomic.blogspot.com.au/ Stewart McKenny http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_McKenny(and your better half, Wendy ;D): thank you again for your company, and encouragement, I hope you dig the latest issue of Soldier. (Tim, did you spot the old Australian comic nod? ;D) Tim, your daughter Annabelle ran the 'Tides of Hope' section so professionally, I was very impressed, and the comic page wallets were very popular too.


Tom Taylor and Colin Wilson: two gentlemen of the Australian/International Comics scene. It was awesome to be neighbors, and to touch base again. Congratulations again too, Tom, on the new digital Batman gig, and thank you for the kindness you showed on your upcoming thing (more on release). http://www.tomtaylormade.com/ It was also great to touch base with Wolfgang Bylsma of Gestalt Comics; another nice guy- and I'm going to have to chase up that book I was after- it was one thing on the list I didn't get to achieve ;S http://www.gestaltcomics.com/

Tristan Jones, a pleasure to finally put a name to the face, a top guy and great to have a chat with. I'm currently in the midst of reading 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles: Infestation'. Great story so far, it's my first read of TMNT ever, so I'm coming in fresh. Looking forward to catching up again on the Gold Coast (and at King's Comics! Great stuff mate).http://tyrannosaurusjones.tumblr.com/


Caught up with Bobby N http://www.bobbyn.com/: another top guy (I luckily know a few ;P), got his great new book from MilkShadow books called "No Map but not Lost" (James Andre, nice guy, thanks mate, great seeing you, and meeting your partner Matilde-Rose) Have read a few chapters so far; this book is basically a chronological journey through Bobbby's artistic/comic strip development, from his earliest embarrasing strips to his current stylings. It's a wonderfuly format- basically each strip ends with a little commentary on his possible influences, and not beling afraid to say "what the f%^& was I thinking?". It's inspired me to one day locate all the riducilus comic book pages I drew as a kid growing up under a heavy diet of Kungfu/action films and comics. One strip was a comic with all the top martial arts moive actors playing different roles. It was basically a Hong Kong version of 'The Expendibles', except it was detectives (Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan ;P) investigating a string of hitman-related killings (by a Chow Yun Fat....type cast much? ;P) -predating Sly by nearly 15 years... (and an Oscar-worthy idea it was too) o_O

Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah,Bobby, great book, Milk Shadow did a wonderful job too, and a highlight to catch up. Would love to get in with one of your conversations with Paul one day. I'm still laughing.
(And Brendan! Saw you briefly, will catch up more next time hopefully :D) https://www.milkshadowbooks.com/blog/

Speaking of Milk Shadow, I got to see Ben Hutchings briefly; I've been chasing 'Walking to Japan' for 6 months, since I last sat next to them at Armageddon 2011. I finally got a copy, and I can tell you- as someone who does non-stop action comics, the pace, the overall quiet, serene feeling you get when you read this beautifully done comic, I just got totally drawn it. It's beautiful. Honestly, if you haven't seen it, or have a copy. Get it. It's also unique in that being at a newspaper format, on real newsprint, it gives the comic a documentative quality to it- a use of the physical media to give the work an extra added dimension, that compliments the whimsical narrative of this journey to Japan. (do I sound like a wanker or what? ;P) https://www.milkshadowbooks.com/blog/?products=walking-to-japan

Paul Bedford: Congratulations on the impending nuptials :D and great to catch up, my brother from another mother. Can't wait to receive my ordered copy of 'The List', it looked awesome at the show, and great to finally see it in its intended form. http://www.facebook.com/thelistgraphicnovel

Darren, great to touch base mate, congrats on getting (hopefully) all the sketch variants in for "Killeroo: Gangwar", and thank you for getting the latest books. I hope you dug them :) http://killeroo.bigcartel.com/

Paul Abstruse: You too brother, thanks for getting the trade :D I know Superhero-y stuff isn't your bag, but I appreciate the support. Look forward to catch up on the GC, man :D http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paul-Abstruse/162939740430794


Paul from Aussie Fake Tatoos, Up the Bunnies! Too bad we lost, but awesome tat, thanks again (it's starting to be a show tradition ;P)

Bruce and Quinny from (Cool) Shite & Joffre Street productions: Top blokes- didn't get to catch up much, I know you guys are always super busy, and run off your feet, but thank you again, and will hopefully touch base again on the GC. As I said you on Saturday Bruce, your podcast acknowledges my Australia comic work even exists, so I'm very appreciative of that. http://www.coolshite.net/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beginnings-Anthology/249559031765013 Emma J, Gavin, Rob of 'Beginnings Anthology': Lovely to see you again/meet (in Rob's case), great to talk to you guys a little more in person- I hope you had a good con, keep up the original content, it trumps simply pumping out prints in the long run. My brain is seriously failing here without adequate sleep and blood sugar, but keep up what you're doing :D And from the sounds of things, you have a good body guard in Alisha J ;D (great talking to you more too, Alisha, I will get to a D 'n' D soon, I swear! :) ) And great to touch base with Ben Grimshaw (ahh, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place ;P), Michelle (Good luck in South Africa!), and Sarah in her awesome Captain America Jacket (which I'm guessing is too small for me, right? ;( ) http://flavors.me/essieteric

Frank Candiloro, dude! Another great, thoughtful piece of work. Still reading it, but it's so unique, I always love the design elements you employ, and the subject matters you attempt to interweave throughout your stories fantastic and interesting. http://www.frankcandiloro.com/

Emmett, great to see you again, albeit brief, I appreciated you coming over to tell me the 'Iron Sky" director was around- I was just strapped to my table at that point. Anyways, all the best, mate.

For the friends and fans from Melbourne or interstate, who took the time to talk to me, and/or buy the comic books, I thank you. I'm nothing without you and your support.


(Australian Comic guests with Supanova staff Norelle :) L to R: Me, Chris, Norelle (hope I'm spelling that right...or even getting that right :P), Wolfgang, Tom, Colin, Stewart and Tristan. An honour to be in this picture).

Well, I'm wiped. I'm struggling to put together the most basic of sentences, so I'm signed out. I look forward to the possibilities of an even bigger and better Gold Coast show this weekend :D

UPDATE: In my half-asleep-ness, I totally forgot to mention we touched base with Darren Koziol of Dark OZ, home to the Australian Horror Comic Magazine 'Decay'. Nice to touch base again, and Chris mentioned to me we might be doing a couple of pages for them sometime this year. Totally left of field for me, but look forward to the challenge ;D A lovely guy, and works hard to continuly promote his publication. http://www.darkoz.com.au/