Interview: Creating Cartoon Capers

Above: James Davidson. Photo credit: Grant Matthew/Fairfax NZ.

In this weekend's Sunday Star Times, James Davidson spoke with Arthur Whelan to discuss the origins and years of hard work that went into creating his comic book series Moa. You can read the full interview at the STUFF website HERE.

The complete Moa hardcover collection is available now from Earth's End Publishing HERE.

- AK!

Announcing Earth's End Publishing's New Title: Moa by James Davidson!

Above: The cover for Moa by James Davidson. Copyright James Davidson 2017.

Earth's End Publishing is proud to announce our latest release, a collection of James Davidson's acclaimed children's comic book series, Moa. Set in colonial New Zealand, Moa chronicles the wild adventures of the Moa Rangers, Kiwi Pukupuku and Possum Von Tempsky, defenders of our native forests. Moa combines the fun and humour of classic Disney comic books with New Zealand's historical past and Maori mythology to create a classic adventure series sure to delight and entertain readers of all ages. This deluxe treasury collection contains the complete Moa story in a hardback edition that is destined to become a family favourite.

Above: Artwork from Moa by James Davidson. Copyright James Davidson 2017.

James Davidson is an educator, serving as the Head of the Arts Faculty at Opunake High School. Moa has been a way for him to explore the layered history and mythology of New Zealand through the medium of comics, and to create stories that can entertain and educate kiwi kids about the land they live in.

"Moa is hands-down my favourite New Zealand comic book, and being able to bring James' wonderful stories and characters to a wider audience of kiwi kids is exactly why we formed this publishing house," says Earth's End Editorial Director, Adrian Kinnaird. "As an educator James knows his audience and how to appeal to their sense of fun. It's going to be a real treat to see young readers discover the adventures of Kiwi and Possum, a comic series that could take place in their own backyard."

Moa will be released in April 2017, and will be debuting with an exclusive author signing at thebChromacon Arts Festival, held April 8-9th at the Aotea Centre, Auckland.

Above: Artwork from Moa by James Davidson. Copyright James Davidson 2017.

Synopsis:

When a sacred Maori treasure is stolen by the dastardly Otto, it's up to the Moa Rangers, Kiwi Pukupuku and Possum Von Tempsky, to return the taonga and save the day! Ride along with Kiwi and Possum on their side-splitting adventures battling mythical creatures and dangerous hunters in colonial New Zealand!

Ordering Information:

Copies of Moa are now available for order from Earths End Publishing. Email: earthsendpublishing@gmail.com. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries or require further information. You can also follow us on Twitter: @EarthsEndComics and Facebook: www.facebook/EarthsEndPublishing.

Publishing Details:

Moa
James Davidson

Hardback
170mm x 235mm
Full Colour, 120 pages
RRP: $32.99
ISBN: 9780473386351
Ages: 5+

Release Date: April 1st, 2017

Praise for Moa:

"It's the type of book that ought to be in every single school library, every public library children's section and ideally in every bookshop in the country. I'm really excited by it, to me it's the first time we have had a good, all-ages, New Zealand comics series since the days of Terry and the Gunrunners in the 1980s."
- Dylan Horrocks, Radio NZ Nights

Above: Artwork from Moa by James Davidson. Copyright James Davidson 2017.

Coming Attractions: NZ Comics to watch out for in 2014

Above: The cover of Incomplete Works by Dylan Horrocks. Copyright Dylan Horrocks 2013.

It's been another banner year for local comics publishing, and the future continues to look brighter with a very promising line-up of titles already announced for next year!

Recently Victoria University Press announced that in March they will be releasing Incomplete Works, a collection of short stories by Dylan Horrocks. Assembled together for the first time, these stories span the length of Horrocks' career, from early contributions to Fox Comics like 'Little Death (1986)', to rare Pickle gems - 'Letter from Catwoman (1991)', and other memorable stories like 'There Are No Words In My Mouth' (2000), 'The Physics Engine' (2006) and many more. It will come in at 192 pages, for an RRP of $35.00.

Horrocks' other major project, The Magic Pen (which you can read online for free HERE), is also nearing completion, with an eye to publish later next year.

Above: Morgan Goes to Nowhere, by Richard Fairgray, Terry Jones & Tara Black. Copyright Richard Fairgray, Terry Jones & Tara Black 2013.

Blastosaurus creator Richard Fairgray and his team of collaborators have recently turned their attention to publishing picture books, with their well received first effort, Morgan, the Moreporks and the Moon currently out now. Co-written by Fairgray, Tara Black and Terry Jones, Morgan's night-time adventure will surely be a hit with any child who enjoyed the picture books of the late Maurice Sandak (In the Night Kitchen would be a good comparison here). Morgan's next adventure, Morgan Goes to Nowhere, is due out in April.

Above: Moa #4, by James Davidson. Copyright James Davidson 2013.

Over at Pikitia Press publisher/blogger Matt Emery has just announced an exciting line-up of forthcoming NZ comics for 2014. This includes a new issue of James Davidson's Moa and Sarah Laing's Let Me Be Frank; a collection of Tim Bollinger's Wellington Stories, Barry Linton's Lucky Aki, MVH's webcomic Die Popular, and Bob McMahon's Claire Melody.

Above: The New Supreme #2, by Harry Bennett (1940s). Copyright the Harry Bennett Estate 2013.

For NZ comics history buffs there will also be The Art of Harry Bennett, by Tim Bollinger, Geoff Harrison and Matt Emery, which will finally piece together the story behind one of NZ's most enigmatic cartoonists; and New Zealand Reprint Comics, a survey and catalogue of New Zealand's rich history of reprinting foreign material from the 1940's - 1970's, compiled by comics historian and collector Geoff Harrison.

There's still plenty more titles to look forward to in the New Year, but we are clearly already off to a great start.

- AK!

Goblin Quest marches forward!

Above: Goblin Quest panel 1, by James Davidson. Copyright James Davidson 2013.

So what do cartoonists do to keep themselves busy over the summer holidays? Moa comic creator James Davidson was itching to start a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' comic, in the style of the classic Fighting Fantasy books by Steve Jackson & Ian Livingstone (which this author spent many and afternoon reading in the early nineties).

Above: Various books from the Fighting Fantasy series, by Steve Jackson & Ian Livingstone. Copyright Steve Jackson & Ian Livingstone 2013.

After receiving an enthusiastic response to the idea on the New Zealand Comics Facebook page, Davidson has set up a Goblin Quest Facebook page, and kicked this jam comic off with Page 1, introducing readers to our disgruntled protagonist, an unnamed Goblin recently banished from his village on a quest for riches:

Above: Goblin Quest page 1, by James Davidson. Copyright James Davidson 2013.

There will be a new comic creator picking up the story from where the last page left off, with upcoming creators including: Michel Mulipola (page 2), Cory Mathis (page 3), Matt Emery (page 4), Sean Lewis (page 5), Stuart Hallam (page 6), and I'll be contributing page 7 - with more artists to follow. Expect lots of twists and surprises as the story evolves and a great variety of art styles!

If you would like to follow - or even contribute to the story! - join the Goblin Quest Facebook page HERE.

- AK!

EVENT: Armageddon Auckland 2012

Above: Iron Man by Bob Layton. Copyright Marvel Comics 2012.

Armageddon Expo is back in Auckland this Labour Weekend, with its usual mix of pop culture madness - celebrating everything from comics to video-games, films, television, wrestling, and everything in between. The event will be taking place at the ASB Showgrounds in Greenlane, Auckland from October 19-22nd: with a special preview night on Friday 19th from 6 - 9pm, and opening hours from 10am - 6pm Saturday to Monday.

Focusing on the comics front, there will be a healthy presence of local and international comics creators at the event.

The international guest list is headed by Bob Layton, best known as one of the definitive Iron Man artist/inkers. His significant runs on the title include: Demon in a Bottle, in which Tony Stark becomes an alcoholic; and the time travel adventure Doom Quest.

Above: Marineman by Ian Churchill. Copyright Ian Churchill 2012.

Artist Ian Churchill came to prominence in the mid-90s illustrating Marvel titles like Cable, and has continued to work on mainstream titles for Marvel and DC Comics like Uncanny X-Men, Supergirl and the Teen Titans. Recently, Churchill has put aside his gritty superhero art style to develop his own more whimsical creator-owned title, Marineman, published through Image Comics.

Above: Green Arrow as illustrated by Harvey Tolibao. Copyright DC Comics 2012.

Auckland comic store Heroes For Sale have brought over Filipino artist Harvey Tolibao for the Expo. A ralative new-comer to comics, Tolibao broke into the US industry with a 2007 Iron Man Annual for Marvel, and is currently the artist on the new 52 version of Green Arrow for DC Comics.

Above: The cover of Funtime Comics #26, cover by Lee Yan Marquez. Copyright Funtime Comics 2012.

New Zealand Comics will be well represented at the event, with the New Zealand Comic Creators booth and several independent booths.

New this year will be the latest issue issue of the Funtime Comics anthology, featuring new work from: Ned Wenlock, Tim Danko, Bob McMahon, Isaac Freeman and others! You can also expect to find a wide range of NZ comics and graphic novels at the NZCC booth, including favourites like Shaolin Burning, The Inhabitants, ActionMan Adam and first looks at upcoming comics like the Faction comics anthology and Moth City!

Above: Moa #3 by James Davidson. Copyright James Davidson 2012.

Issue three of James Davidson's excellent all-ages series Moa is out in time for the convention, and James will be at the NZCC booth on Saturday to sign copies!

Above: Nice Day For a War by Chris Slane and Matt Elliot. Copyright Chris Slane and Matt Elliott 2012.

Fresh back from the Treviso Comics Festival in Italy, Chris Slane will be at the booth on Sunday with copies of the award-winning Nice Day for a War, and the last rare copies of Maui: Legends of the Outcast (grab them while you still can!). He'll also have some of his artwork on display too.

Above: Saurian Era, by Cory Mathis. Copyright Cory Mathis 2012.

Its been a while since we had a new comic from Cory Mathis, but this year Saurian Era makes a welcome return, with more dino action than you can shake a prehistoric stick it!

Above: White Cloud Worlds Vol. 2. Copyright Paul Tobin/White Cloud Worlds 2012.

A new volume of White Cloud Worlds featuring the fantasy art of some of New Zealand's finest artists will be available exclusively at Auckland Armageddon, well ahead of its official release date on November 2nd.

Richard Fairgray will have the first full-colour Blastosaurus Hardcover available at Armageddon, along with new collections of the all-ages series Ghost Ghost and the comic strip I Fight Crime.

Armageddon organiser William Geradts has been cultivating his own line of webcomics very successfully for over a year at www.beyondrealitymedia.com, and now has a classy range of print collections available to buy, featuring the first volumes of the comic series: Attica, The Inspiration Duncans, and The Warden, exclusively at the Beyond Reality Media booth.

Above: Jeremy from Gotham Comics takes a quiet moment out with his stock for the event...

And for all your other comic needs, NZ's leading comics supplier Gotham Comics will be there all weekend with specials galore! For preview night only, if you spend $100+ you'll get a $20 credit! They'll have nearly 5,000 comics priced between $2 - $5 and all blue bin back-issues at $5 each!

This will be plenty more to see, do and buy this weekend at the Auckland Armageddon Expo, so visit the official page HERE for more details!

-AK!

Road To Armageddon: Hamilton & Wellington 2012

It's that time of year again, the start of the Armageddon Expo season in New Zealand. And this year it's extending it's scope, with it's first Hamilton based expo. Taking place this weekend, April 14-15th at the Claudelands Event Centre, bringing it's circus of all things sci-fi and geektastic to the heart of the Waikato!

Above: a cover from the acclaimed comic series 100 bullets, by Dave Johnson. Copyright Vertigo/DC Comics 2012.

As always there'll be a health presence of local and international comics guests.

Headlining this year's guest list is Dave Johnson, comic artist and award-winning cover artist of such books as:100 bullets, Punishermax, Batman, Unknown Soldier and many more. He also collaborated with writer Mark Millar on the highly acclaimed Superman mini-series Red Son, which recast Superman as a communist Russian superhero. Aside from his comics work, he's also a veteran animation designer, working on such shows as: Batman Beyond, Justice League, Legion of Super-heroes, Venture Bros. and Ben 10.

Above: A Witchblade cover by Stjepan Sejic. Copyright Top Cow Productions 2012.

Ron Marz is a long-time comics writer, having written for just about every major comics company in the business, including DC Comics, Marvel, Top Cow, Dark Horse and CrossGen. He's often been the go-to writer for fantasy with a cosmic scope, leading to extended runs on such titles as:Green Lantern, Silver Surfer and Star Wars. In Green Lantern he co-created the popular character Kyle Rayner, who replaced a temporarily crazy Hal Jordan (it was the 90s, look it up kids!). More recently he's been writing the Witchblade franchise for Top Cow productions, and it's spin-off titles Magdalena and Artifacts.

Above: The Inhabitants, by the Sheehan Bros. Copyright Sheehan Bros 2012.

There will be a strong NZ Comics presence at the event, with myself and Kelly Sheehan (one half of the Sheehan Bros) manning the NZ Comic Creators Booth. We'll be selling a wide variety of local comics, from creators all across the country. If you missed the Comics Generation exhibition that recently took place in Wellington (see last months posts), we'll have stock available from those young creators for you to check out!

Above: Cover of Moas #2 by James Davidson. Copyright James Davidson 2012.

James Davidson will be there with copies of the latest issue of his full-colour all-ages adventure series Moas. Set in Colonial New Zealand, it features Possum Von Tempsky and Kiwi Iti, two Moa riding adventurers. It looks to be a rollicking great yarn in the Carl Barks tradition, so be sure to seek out a signed copy!

Above: Blastosaurus: The 'Fries With That' Caper' issue 00, by Richard Fairgray & Terry Jones. Copyright Richard Fairgray & Terry Jones 2012.

A permanent fixture on the local convention scene, Blastosaurus creator Richard Fairgray will be on hand with a new print issue of Blastosaurus:The 'Fries With That' Caper' issue 00. If you'd like a preview of what to expect, you can check out two free issues of the new full-colour Blastosaurus series at the official website HERE.

Above: Ghost Ghost Squared by Richard Fairgray. Copyright Richard Fairgray 2012.

He'll also a copies of Ghost Ghost Squared available, a sequel to Ghost Ghost, a comic he wrote as a child and redrew recently.

Above: Armageddon Expo and Beyond Reality Media head-honcho Bill Geradts, with copies of The Inspiration Duncans Hardcover collection.

Leading NZ webcomics site Beyond Reality Media will be well represented, with print copies of two of their titles available for the first time! The Inspiration Duncans series written by Bill Geradts and Richard Fairgray with art by Gonzalo Martínez, will be available in a special 80-page Hardcover edition. The Warden series, written by Bill Geradts and Christian Gossett with art by Alan Robinson, will also be available in a softcover collection. Keep an eye out for both of these eye catching books and the creators signing at the Beyond Reality Media booth (as well as the Warden in person!).

The Armageddon Expo Hamilton is on this weekend at the Claudelands Event Centre, open from 10am-6pm. Tickets are available on the door and from Ticketek HERE. I'd strongly recommend buying tickets in advance to avoid the endless lines that can sometimes build up at these events, as no one wants to spend an hour waiting in line!

If you can't make it to Hamilton, fear not, it will all be happening again NEXT weekend in Wellington, 21st-22nd at the TSB Bank Arena ((whew!)). For more information on other events taking place over the weekend at the Armageddon Expo, check out the official site for news and updates HERE. We'll see you there! (I'll be the person NOT in costume).

-AK!