News From Earth's End: An August Pictorama Special!

Above: Tank Girl by Ant Sang. Tank Girl is copyright Jamie Hewlett & Alan Martin 2012.

Today I'll be presenting a round-up of recent local comics art and photos from the Auckland Zinefest that took place earlier this month.

Last week Ant Sang took a stab at drawing a Tank Girl pin-up, with sensational results! (see above). Tank Girl is of coarse the British comic creation of Alan Martin & Jamie Hewlett, which became a generation X icon in the early '90s before it was almost banished into cultural obscurity by the mediocre 1995 film adaptation. In recent years the character has enjoyed a resurgence, thanks to renewed interest in Jamie Hewlett's artwork and his involvement in co-creating the cartoon rock band The Gorillas. Whoever is controlling the rights of Tank Girl should get in touch with Ant about producing some official artwork for them STAT!

Above: An advance poster for Rufus Dayglo's Solid Gold Death Mask. Copyright Rufus Dayglo & Sofie Dodgson 2012.

Speaking of Tank Girl, her latest comics have also featured the artwork of ex-New Zealand resident and former Pistake artist Rufus Dayglo. Dayglo has produced 6 volumes of Tank Girl adventures with co-creator Alan Martin, and is now working on a brand new creator owned series Solid Gold Death Mask, with writer/colourist  Sofie Dodgson. The series follows a demigod assassin, in liege to a penguin, searching for her missing mother whilst her psychotic sister raises an undead army to wage war. Judging by the advance artwork, if you dig Tank Girl you'll want to check this out! Bookmark the official website for more information HERE.

Above: Art commissions by Dylan Horrocks: including Tank Girl and Dr. Strange. Tank Girl is copyright Jamie Hewlett & Alan Martin 2012. Dr. Strange is copyright Marvel Entertainment 2012.

Dylan Horrocks has been working through a back-log of beautiful art commissions; including Tank Girl, Dr. Strange, Moomins and a whole range of other requests which you can view HERE.

Above: Popeye goes western in this cover for Popeye #7 by Roger Langridge.

According to advance comics solicitations for November, Roger Langridge will be writing AND drawing issue #7 of Popeye, the series he's been scripting for IDW which has had a rotating cast of artists of late. Here's the synopsis: It's Wild West action this issue, as Popeye faces the return of Olive's old boyfriend, Ham Gravy... and the fearsome Desert Yeti! Can Popeye defeat the terrible beast before Ham steals his girl? Plus: More larks with Sappo, as Wotasnozzle presents his latest invention: the Electric Cow!

Above: A photo of me manning the New Zealand Comic Creators stall at Auckland Zinefest 2012.

Finishing off with photo coverage of the Auckland Zinefest 2012, he's some of the comics related stalls via the First Thursday's Facebook page (photos by Laura Forest: www.lauraforest.com and Ying: www.sayadesign.co.nz).

Above: Brent Willis and his range of comics, next to Kelly Sheehan and myself at the NZCC table.

Above: Sarah Laing, artist of Let Me Be Frank.

Above: Sarah's son Otto selling some of his own comics.

Above: Blastosaurus and Ghost Ghost creator Richard Fairgray.

Above: ActionMan Adam creator Marc Streeter on the left, next to Sam Orchard's table.

Above: More young comic creators: Sadie and Esther Galloway.

The event was well attended despite the stormy weather, with lots of interest and solid sales from all the NZ comics stalls involved.

-AK!

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!

Coming Attractions: Roger Langridge boards Popeye for IDW

Above: Popeye sketch by Roger Langridge.

Welcome back to From Earth's End, we're getting the New Year underway with some big comic announcements from local creators. Kicking off today with the news that Roger Langridge, the NZ writer/artist behind such acclaimed titles as Snarked!, The Muppet Show Comicbook and Thor: The Mighty Avenger has been tapped to write a new Popeye series for IDW that will debut in April.

Above: A fun homage cover for Popeye #1, by Bruce Ozella (based on Joe Shuster's Action Comics #1). Copyright IDW/King Features 2012.

Based on the iconic comic-strip by E.C. Segar, this new series will see Langridge team-up with newcomer artist Bruce Ozella, whose art is a dead-ringer for Segar. In a press release from IDW, Language expressed his long-time affection for the character: "Ever since I was a kid, the two cartoonist who have had the biggest influence on me have been Carl Barks and E.C. Segar, so getting a change to write Popeye is quite a thrill. I'm especially pleased that IDW have decided to go with a Segar-flavoured interpretation. As much as I like some of the later versions of the character, for me, it's those early strips where the magic really happened. Just as well Segar drew everybody with big feet, because Bruce and I have some enormous shoes to fill!"

Above: a sample page by Bruce Ozella. Copyright IDW/King Features 2012.

The comic will feature a mix of long and short form self-contained stories, with a denser panel count than most regular comics to capture the original pacing of the strip. As Langridge explained in an interview with Comicbook Resources, "I've deliberately made each story quite dense -- eight panels per page is the norm -- to try and evoke that Segar feeling. We're not going the whole Segar route of twenty-four panel pages(!), but I felt a bit of density was desirable. It seems to be a good rhythm for the stories so far, allowing us to pack a lot of plot and gags into every issue."

Langridge also offered his take on the spinach powered sailor, "to me, Popeye is someone who thinks in straight lines. Mentally, he's not complicated. This is right, this is wrong; we need to achieve this, so let's just go and do it in the most direct way possible. He's not the sort of character who experiences a lot of doubt; on the rare occasions when he does, it's a real crisis for him. The best Popeye stories generally give him something to feel righteously angry about -- that can be an external threat or an emotional one, because he's quite thin-skinned, emotionally. And, of course, it helps if he's got an excuse to clobber somebody at some point!"

Popeye debuts from IDW this April. So keep an eye out for it, and come back here tomorrow for another NZ creator announcement!

-AK!