Tuesday, July 31, 2012

EVENT: Auckland Zinefest 2012


Auckland Zinefest returns this year as a part of First Thursdays, taking place this Thursday, 2nd of August on K Road.

First Thursdays is a community-conscious collaboration of artisans and art lovers whose ultimate goal is to showcase new and exciting talent in the fields of visual arts, music and performance. The DIY themed festival taking place from 6pm-9pm, features a variety of free art events taking place at shops, galleries and creative spaces along Karangahape Rd. Some of the activities include: a handmade craft & zine market, zine making and screen printing workshops, light installations, live music, fashion shows and theatre productions. 
The Zinefest will take place in St Kevin's Arcade with around 30 stallholders, including a great line-up of local comics talent!


Sarah Laing, cartoonist behind the Let Me Be Frank w
ebcomic. She's going to be selling a selection of her autobiographical/fantastical comics, some of which have appeared in her blog. She's also going to be selling some one-off, hand-painted and bound books and her son Otto's book of monsters.


Each of the handcrafted books are 12 pages long and bound with embroidery thread. They are arranged into five groups: eighties pop icons, toys made for my children, significant women, my tea cup collection, and cans in my cupboard. She'll be selling them for a bargain price of $15, so be in quick!


Marc Streeter is the creator of the weekly ActionMan Adam webcomic, which follows the hilarious mis-adventures of a young Canadian looking for love in Christchurch.


He'll be debuting his latest collection at the event, ActionMan Adam: Things Change. Last year Streeter chose to acknowledge the events of the Christchurch earthquakes in the webcomic, and incorporate their effects on the characters in the on-going story. It was a bold creative move which has payed off handsomely for readers. Its sensitively handled, and adds a much greater depth to the characters and proceedings, making the laughs that much more welcome. Highly recommended!


Brent Willis, Wellington cartoonist and editor of the Bristle anthology will be there with his latest creation for the event: Wark! #1. Brent Willis has steadfastly stuck to the DIY ethic and self-published for the last 15 years (because he likes it). Expect to discover a wide range of his other titles at his table: there's just about a comic for every occasion!


Sam Orchard, creator of the Rooster Tails webcomic will be there, representing himself and the Dunedin Comics Collective. Rooster Tails features Sam's charming comics about being a trans and queer dude in Auckland. The Dunedin Comics Collective have so far produced two issues of the comics anthology DUD, featuring comics and a CD of Dunedin music. A third issue is currently due for release soon...

Richard Fairgray, creator of Blastosaurus will be present with a host of new material, including collections of Ghost Ghost and I Fight Crime!


And lastly, the Sheehan Bros creators of The Inhabitants and Into The Woods will be there, along with myself, representing the New Zealand Comics Collective: selling locally produced comics from creators across the country, including newly arrived stock from Toby Morris and the latest issue of Radio As Paper!

The Zinefest market will be taking place Thursday 2nd of August, 6pm-9pm in St Kevin's Arcade on K Road. You can find out more information about Auckland Zinefest HERE and First Thursdays HERE.

-AK!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Roger Langridge Wins an Eisner Award for 'Snarked!'

Above: Roger Langridge at San Diego Comic Con 2012, pictured with Michel Mulipola of Gotham Comics.

Congratulations to Roger Langridge for taking home his first Eisner Award over the weekend for his comic series Snarked!.

This is Roger's first Eisner Award, having been nominated three times previously for his outstanding contributions to comics. This makes him New Zealand's most internationally awarded cartoonist, having previously won three Harvey Awards (‘Best Publication for Younger Readers’ in 2010 for The Muppet Show Comic Book; ‘Special Award for Humor’ and ‘Best Writer’ in 2011 for The Muppet Show Comic Book and Thor: The Mighty Avenger, respectively).


Above: The cover of Snarked! #6. Copyright Roger Langridge 2012.

Snarked! is published in the US by Boom Studios. The children's humour series takes its starting point from the works of Lewis Carroll, but takes the characters off in new and unexpected directions.

The Eisner Awards are America's most prestigious comics award. They are named after cartoonist Will Eisner, creator of The Spirit comic series and originator of the graphic novel format with his landmark 1978 publication A Contract With God. Established in 1987, the Eisner Awards are presented annually at a ceremony as a part of the Comic-Con International Comic Convention held in San Diego, California.

His crowded trophy cabinet may need some extra reinforcing soon, as Snarked! is also nominated for an additional three Harvey Awards, which will be announced in September.

You can view more of Roger's comics at his website HERE and the official Snarked! site HERE.

-AK!

Sunday, July 1, 2012

News From Earth's End: July Edition

Above: Czepta: The Prophet Rides Again webcomic announcement art by Czepta Gold. Copyright Czepta Gold 2012.

Today sees the official launch of Czepta: The Prophet Rides Again, the new webcomic by Czepta Gold. Formally known as Ed Butler, creator of the comics Wulfpak and Hell Bound, he's taken on this new persona to completely embody the spirit of his new creation, a heady mix of: 'Astral Projection, UFOs, Egyptology, Giant Robots, Hallucinogenic Substances, Surfing, Islamic and Christian references, Rastafarianism, Buddhist Wizards, Virtual Cybernetic Cities, and Cyberpunk Villains'.

He's how Czepta Gold describes the series over at his website:

'The story of Czepta has been manifesting itself in my mind for about two years now. It has become the means for me to express my views on the world and human society today and where I would like to see us go. The story has grown organically, feeding off many of the experiences and lessons I’ve accumulated during this time. Some small and some dramatic. I’ve been wanting to do this my whole life, create my own stories, specifically in comic book form. This is my Dream. My childhood dream, which also happens to be the main theme of 'Czepta', Dreams. What they are, why they are important, and how they are the key to saving ourselves and this world we call home. Dreams are the essence of enlightenment and unless we start living like enlightened beings, our problems both personal and global, are only going to get worse.

The title of this comic, and of the main character is 'Czepta'. This is a word I created during a time when I was looking for a new name to go by as an artist. I was looking for something that described and represented all I hoped to achieve and become. So, in effect I would have to rise and embody it. Like Clark Kent, the weak newspaper reporter, I felt I needed to create a Superman persona that could beat my personal weaknesses into submission. Imprisoned by my own personality, I had (and have) many bad habits and methods that were blocking my path to success. Often it seems like only Superman could break through the barriers between me and my goal.  To get all the things done that I wished to achieve, I needed to become someone stronger than my current self.'

He's clearly set himself some lofty goals; and while I'm not quite sure how all these influences will mix, the art is polished and slick, promising to be something clearly unique. There will be two new pages to view each week at his website HERE, and you can join the Facebook fan page for updates HERE.


Above: A Judge Dredd fan appreciation, as drawn by local cartoonist Jason Winter.

The trailer for the much anticipated new Judge Dredd film, simply titled Dredd, has finally been released (view below). It features kiwi actor Karl Urban under the helmet, for this back-to-basics approach to the character from director Pete Travis (Vantage Point) and screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Sunshine). 


With a much more modest budget than the Stallone miss-fire in the 90s (around 30 million), this version focuses on Dredd taking down drug queen Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), a former prostitute who now controls a 200-story slum tower with a dangerous new drug called 'Slo-Mo' (which allows its users to experience reality at a fraction of its normal speed). Judge Dredd creator John Wagner has given the film his blessing, so now its up to the film going public to decide its sentence when its released here on October 4th in 3D and 2D.


Above: Poster for Simon Morse's new tattoo studio Dr. Morse Inc.

Cartoonist Simon Morse, creator of such cult comics as Straightjacket Ninja and Toolbox, has opened his own tattoo studio in Wellington, Dr Morse Inc. Known for his fine lined artwork and illustrations, you can now have the artist personally use you as the canvas for his next creation or for whatever work of art you have in mind! Here's some great examples from the studio's Facebook page:




Dr. Morse Inc. Tattoo Studio is located in the James Smith Building, Level 4, Cuba St, Wellington. Ph: 04 472 0270. You can join the studio's Facebook page HERE.

Above: A preview from Popeye #3, artwork by Tim Neely.

Via Comicbook Resources, here's a 7-page preview of Popeye #3 from IDW, written by NZ cartoonist Roger Langridge and illustrated by Tim Neely. You can read this extract of classic comics mayhem HERE.


Above: A comics flyer from PASO, created to promote eco-tourism and awareness for travellers visiting New Zealand. Artwork by Matthew Kelly.

PASO is the creation of German couple, Patrick Grossmann & Sonja Heydorn, a small organisation dedicated to promoting eco-tourism and green sustainable living. They are currently traveling around the world, and at each location they visit they contact local cartoonists to create comic flyers to promote eco-tourism guides for travellers visiting that region. For the creation of their New Zealand flyer, they got in touch with Matthew Kelly, creator of the satire comic Kiwiman, via a link from Earth's End. Financed through crowd funding, this flyer has been printed and distributed to I-sites throughout New Zealand.

You can visit the PASO site HERE for more information and an update on Patrick & Sonja's travels, as well as some other cool comics promoting eco-tourism from their travels in different countries. And don't forget to check out Kiwiman comics HERE for more of Matt's work!



Above: Eric Resetar's Crash Carson and Richard Fairgray's Blastosaurus by Jason Winter.

And finally, cartoonist Jason Winter is at it again, with some cool artist appreciations of Eric Resetar's Crash Carson, and Richard Fairgray's Blastosaurus! You can check out more of Winter's artwork HERE.

If you want to find out more about the current happenings in the New Zealand Comics scene, you can join the discussion HERE at the official Facebook page, and visit the newly re-vamped New Zealand Comics website HERE.

-AK!