Rachel Smythe wins Eisner Award for Best Webcomic for Lore Olympus!

Above: Online publisher Webtoons congratulates Rachel on her win.

The 2022 Will Eisner Awards (aka the comics ‘Oscars’) were held last week during the San Diego Comic-Con, on July 22 at the Bayfront San Diego Hilton. This ceremony saw Wellington cartoonist Rachel Smythe take home Best Webcomic for her global webcomic sensation, Lore Olympus. 

An exquisitely illustrated romance, Lore Olympus is centred around the personal lives of the mythological gods. Here's the synopsis: Witness what the gods do…after dark. The friendships and the lies, the gossip and the wild parties, and of course, forbidden love. Because it turns out, the gods aren’t so different from us after all, especially when it comes to their problems. Stylish and immersive, this is one of mythology’s greatest stories ─ The Taking of Persephone ─ as it’s never been told before. 

 

Above: Rachel Smythe with her Eisner at the awards ceremony.

Lore Olympus is one of the most read comics on the planet: since its launch in 2018 on Webtoons. The webcomic has attracted 1.1 billion views and 5.8 million subscribers to date. It has also become a best-selling graphic novel series in print, with hardcover and paperback editions launching last November, and volume 3 in the series is due out in October. An animated series based on the webcomic is also in development from the Jim Henson Company.

Above: Rachel Smythe with a display of the print graphic novels at a Barnes & Noble.

Congratulations to Rachel and her continued success! You can read Lore Olympus HERE and follow Rachel Smythe on Twitter HERE.

AK!

Tragicomic brings Shakespeare to Comics and Screens!

Above: From left:  Liv Scott as Isla Stevenson and Nova Moala-Knox as Hannah Moore. Photograph by Tabitha Arthur.

Tragicomic is a ground-breaking new digital media experience, debuting as both a webseries and a webcomic, inspired by William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

The series is the latest project from The Candle Wasters, the SPADA New Filmmakers of the Year for 2017, a team of four young women (and a token dude) from Wellington. With help from New Zealand On Air, they make fierce, funny, feminist webseries that have so far amassed over 5 million views worldwide. 

The Candle Wasters are: Claris Jacobs, Elsie Bollinger, Minnie Grace, Robbie Nicol & Sally Bollinger. Their production name is derived from a Much Ado About Nothing quote which refers to people who stay up late at night wasting candles. Claris, Elsie, Minnie, and Sally met at Western Springs College in Auckland. They began making webseries when the youngest of the group was just 17. Robbie Nicol, of the popular political satire White Man Behind a Desk, joined the writing team in 2016.

Above: Nova Moala-Knox as Hannah Moore. Photograph by Tabitha Arthur.

Tragicomic follows Hannah Moore, a world weary 15yr old, she’s an aspiring cartoonist searching for the truth about her missing dad. Tragicomic invites you to revisit Hamlet and high school through the eyes of a teenage girl. Lovesick, isolated, and venting her feelings through her comics, Hannah is on a quest to discover what really happened to her absent father. All the while uncovering a secret from her family's past that will follow her for the rest of her life. Tragicomic is a ten part webseries and twenty part webcomic, created to be read and viewed together.

Tragicomic breaks new ground by inviting the audience to scroll through both film and cartoon components of the story. We see the protagonist, Hannah, upload her comics to the internet, and you can scroll down to see what she has created. The majority of comics are drawn by Sally Bollinger (who also co-directs the webseries).

Above: Tragicomic artwork from the comic version by Sally Bollinger.

Bollinger's comics have been published in The Millennial, and NZ woman's comics anthology Three Words, and the recent children’s Annual. In 2015 she received a mentorship from the Society of Authors to work on a graphic novel. Her mentor was cartoonist Dylan Horrocks, who also makes a Stan Lee-like cameo in Tragicomic, providing guidance and encouragement to Hannah as she develops her comics. Like one of Hamlet’s soliloquies, each comic gives the audience an insight into our hero’s mind. The webcomics grow increasingly dark as the fairytale characters grow to represent Hannah’s increasingly paranoid view of the people in her life.

You can watch part one of Tragicomic when it is released on YouTube and RNZ this Friday, 3rd of August. You can check out The Candle Wasters website HERE, and subscribe to their youtube channel HERE, so you don't miss any upcoming episodes!

- AK!

Summer Reading: Extra Ordinary Comics 500!

Above: Extra Ordinary Comics 500: The Tombs of Black Paw by Li Chen. Copyright Li Chen 2018.

The Christmas rush is over, so I'm starting the New Year off by sharing some of the great local comic reads I've been catching up on over the summer. 

First up, I can't recommend enough the 500th webcomic from Li Chen's Extra Ordinary Comics! It dropped last month, and it's a doozy : Li, and her cat Shoelace, discover a map to the treasure of the infamous pirate cat, Black Paw. Following the map leads them on a wild and humourous journey, with branching options for the reader - there are different paths you can choose, taking you on a unique reading experience with multiple plot twists, puzzles and endings! With all its branching options this comic rewards repeat reading, so see if you can discover all the story options in the great interactive adventure!

You can read it on Li Chen's website, Extra Ordinary Comics HERE, (as well as the other 499, obviously). You can also support Li Chen's creation of Extra Ordinary Comics on Patreon HERE.

- AK!

REVIEW: Pizza Sneakers by Marc Streeter

Above: Pizza Sneakers banner by Marc Streeter. Copyright Marc Streeter 2017.

Pizza Sneakers is a new webcomic by Marc Streeter, whose work I've been a fan of for years, dating back to his first webcomic, ActionMan Adam. Marc's comics combine a wry sense of humour with a healthy dose of pop culture, which never fails to bring a smile to your face. Whether he's riffing on the pitfalls of super-human powers or questionable 90's fashion trends,  it's always presented with a bright colour palette and great comedic timing - two essential qualities for any successful webcomic. Rather than an ongoing set of characters, Pizza Sneakers is purely a gag generator, going with whatever topic Streeter decides to put to paper (or pixel).

Above: A page from Fish Guy, by by Marc Streeter. Copyright Marc Streeter 2017.

I picked up a limited print copy of Pizza Sneakers from Marc at Chromacon earlier this year, but you can now read these comics online at the Pizza Sneakers website HERE, and follow the Facebook page for new updates HERE. So what are Pizza Sneakers you ask? According to the comic's introduction, 'they are the greasiest and yet mouth wateringly delicious comics I've ever made. You dear reader clearly love fresh kicks, hot slices, and comics with extra mozzarella'. Dietitians may frown upon it*, but I definitely enjoy my comics with an extra serving of cheese, so head over to the Pizza Sneakers website and check out Marc's offerings for yourself!

* Recommended serving: 1 strip per view. Additional servings may result in a light pain in your sides and facial muscles. If pain persists, consult your local doctor to decide if Pizza Sneakers is right for you.

- AK!

Above: Humble by by Marc Streeter. Copyright Marc Streeter 2017.

REVIEW: Rufus Marigold by Ross Murray

This week sees the launch of Mount Maunganui artist Ross Murray's completed webcomic, Rufus Marigold. A thoughtful, and darkly funny comic about a character living and dealing with Social Anxiety Disorder. Inspired by his own personal experience battling anxiety, Murray successfully obtained funding from Creative New Zealand earlier this year to create a comic strip that would help shine a light on this rarely discussed condition.

Above: Panels from Rufus Marigold by Ross Murray. Copyright Ross Murray 2016.

When we first meet Rufus - portrayed in the artwork as a chimpanzee, visually the odd-man out - we find him struggling to deal with everyday interactions: answering the phone, running into a friend on the street; brief exchanges that are major internal challenges for Rufus to deal with on the fly. We then accompany him on more stressful situations that are relatable to many, like a new job interview. Murray's clear-line art style accompanied by flat colouring works perfectly for this subject on a number of levels. Stylistically, it recalls the artwork of safety instruction manuals: clear and easy to follow visual representation without unnecessary detail, which is fitting given its subject matter and Rufus' internal struggles (remain calm, don't panic). It gives his world an antiseptic appearance: non-threatening, but at the same time distanced and detached. The muted tones invite us into Rufus' head-space, where we get to relate and empathise with him as he experiences anxiety in work and social situations.

Above: Panels from Rufus Marigold by Ross Murray. Copyright Ross Murray 2016.

This visual detachment allows us to enjoy the bleakly funny aspects of Rufus' interactions (eg. announcing his mother's death to avoid a work presentation) as situational comedy without judging or short-changing the character. No doubt drawing on his personal experiences, Murray understands the inherent humour in these situations and uses the 'set-up/punch-line' language of the comic strip to express this with panache. 

Above: Panels from Rufus Marigold by Ross Murray. Copyright Ross Murray 2016.

Yet beneath the humour there is a very carefully calibrated emotional arc. As the strips progress Rufus' anxiety increases; he begins to drink more to manage social gatherings and interactions. Soon he reaches breaking point, when his social anxiety affects his ability to act in an emergency situation. The climax and resolution of Rufus Marigold's journey are both wordless strips which speak volumes. Creativity is what ultimately brings Rufus back from isolation and allows him to communicate and connect with others. It's a story that is probably more common than many of us are aware of, and I'm grateful to Ross Murray for creating Rufus and sharing his experiences with us.

Above: Panels from Rufus Marigold by Ross Murray. Copyright Ross Murray 2016.

You can read the full Rufus Marigold webcomic HERE. And for more information on Anxiety, you can visit the Ministry of Health website HERE and the Mental Health Foundation of NZ HERE for information and helpful links.

- AK!

Weekend Reading: Visits by Jem Yoshioka

Above: The cover image from Visits by Jem Yoshioka.

Start your weekend off right by treating yourself to some great local comics online! 

This week Jem Yoshioka returns, with another gorgeous auto-bio comic, Visits. In Visits Yoshioka continues her series of stories that explore her heritage and identity as a Japanese-New Zealander, as previously chronicled in My Father's Face and Folding Kimono. This comic documents her three visits to Japan, and how that experience made her feel. 

Above: Page 12 from Visits by Jem Yoshioka.

It's thoughtfully articulated, with a textural layering of patterns in the artwork that makes the reading experience feel immersive and authentic. We get to experience these visits through Jem's eyes and the wealth of visual details she captures brings these memories to life in a very tactile way that you can almost touch - no easy feat for a webcomic!

You can read the full comic HERE.

- AK!

A Life with Comics, Chapter 3: Escape To New York

It's been a long time coming, but the third chapter of auto-bio comic strip, My Life with Comics is here! Since it's been a while, I've included the first two chapters here to get everyone back up to speed.

In this chapter I discover Marvel Comics, specifically The Amazing Spider-Man. I was getting these issues from a second-hand store, so there was a good mix of current (early 80's) and older issues (70's and 60s reprints like Marvel Tales), so I got to really experience some of the best Spidey comics created - from the classic Lee/Ditko material, to John Romita Sr. (who I'm channelling for this strip), Gerry Conway & Gil Kane, Ross Andru and more.

This strip is also dedicated to my grandmother, May Kinnaird, who passed away last year at the age of 93.

- AK!

The Mighty NZ Comics Digital Update: Part 1

Above: The cover of Rena's Journey by Karl-Heinz Schradt. Copyright Karl-Heinz Schradt 2013.

The global audience for digital comics continues to grow exponentially, thanks to the ever increasing affordability of e-Readers, tablets and other digital viewing platforms. Over the last 15 years, webcomics and digital downloads have grown from a curious side development to an essential component of the comics industry. This development has offered huge opportunities for upcoming cartoonists to get their comics seen without the high costs of printing; a particularly great development for cartoonists from countries like New Zealand - which are too small to support a local print industry, offering the potential to court an international audience by sharing their work online.

There's such a growing wave of NZ digital comics available that I'm going to have to make this a multi-parter!

Above: A trailer for Rena's Journey by Karl-Heinz Schradt. Copyright Karl-Heinz Schradt 2013.

First up, Karl-Heinz Schradt spent several years completing his first graphic novel, Rena's Journey. The 148 page graphic novel is an adventure story set in modern day New Zealand, drawing on the rich history of Maori mythology. You can read the  complete story on Schradt's website HERE, and if you'd like to enjoy the story in print form, you can order it HERE for $29.99NZ or at participating Auckland booksellers.

Above: The return of Kiwiman, by Matthew Kelly. Copyright Matthew Kelly 2013.

Kiwiman, the Wingless Wonder returns! Matthew Kelly's satirical take on a local superhero goes weekly, starting today with the first page of 'Crossover on Finite Islands'. Check back in every Friday for the latest update from the Kiwiman website HERE.

Above: A promo piece from The Aegean Era: Origins, by Mark Holland with Brad Goff. Copyright Mark Holland 2013.

If you're a reader of Faction Comics, you may recall the short intro piece for Mark Holland's The Aegean Era: Origins that appeared in issue #1. The first chapter of this mythology based 'Mythpunk' adventure is now completed and available to read HERE.

Above: Sarah Laing looks back at her time as a radio DJ. Copyright Sarah Laing 2013.

Over at he blog Let Me Be Frank, Sarah Laing has produced a four part series on her experiences working as a radio DJ. You can read them here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4!

Above: More unsettling adventures for Mr. Unpronounceable! Copyright Tim Molloy 2013.

Tim Molloy's Mr Unpronounceable Adventures collection was a sleeper hit when it was released last year, and he's an opportunity to read a brand new story via Molloy's Tumblr page HERE.

There's plenty more local comics material out there in cyberspace, so read up and I'll have another update for you to check out next week!

- AK!

Moth City now available on ComiXology!

Above the artwork for Moth City Season 1, by Tim Gibson.

I'm taking a brief reprise from my hiatus (I'll be back next week!) to announce that Tim Gibson's fantastic webcomic series Moth City, is now available to buy and download from ComiXology - the world's largest digital retailer for comic books. Check it out HERE for only a crazy 0.99 cents US for the first issue!

Above: a sample page from Moth City by Tim Gibson.

Written and illustrated by Tim Gibson, Moth City is an alternate-history noir. The Nationalist Army of China comes to Moth City to purchase a mysterious new weapon to win the 1930s civil war, and instead steps into shadowy intrigues as a daughter tries to escape her father, a scientist tries to avoid his death sentence and a dictator tries to control a world falling apart.

"F@#king great!" - Mark Waid (writer of Daredevil and Kingdom Come)
"An engrossing and entertaining read... It's sharp and it's brilliantly illustrated..." - Multiversity Comics
"A crime/horror series with a highly polished style... and a healthy dash of noir" - From Earth's End

Here is a link to Moth City on comiXology, and once you are up to date, be sure to visit the Moth City website HERE and register for free weekly updates and more!

-AK!

Welcome To Moth City: A Preview

Above: Moth City announcement artwork by Tim Gibson. Copyright Tim Gibson 2012.

Moth City, an ambitious new webcomic by writer/artist Tim Gibson makes its debut this coming Monday 29th of October at mothcity.com.

Set against the backdrop of the 1930s Chinese Civil war when the governing Nationalist Party fought Mao’s Communists, Moth City tells the story of an American weapons tycoon who must solve the bizarre murder of his chief scientist, before his city’s inhabitants are wiped out by the warring factions.

Its a crime/horror series with a highly polished style, reminiscent of the great American adventure artists like Milton Caniff and Alex Toth, with a healthy dash of noir.

Gibson came up with the idea for the graphic novel while traveling across Asia, and upon his return he caught Kim Hill's radio interview with Ant Sang promoting his graphic novel Shaolin Burning, which inspired him to make this project a reality.

Before trying his hand at comics, Gibson worked as a designer for Weta Workshop on such films as: Tintin, District 9, Avatar and George Miller's aborted JLA. You can also see his artwork in the second White Cloud Worlds art book, coming out in early November.

Here are some exclusive sample pages to give you a taste:

Visit the official site HERE, and for updates you can join the Facbook page HERE and follow Moth City on Twitter @MothCityInsider.

-AK!

GO READ: City Lights 2: Planet Of Fear

Above: City Lights 2: Planet Of Fear, cover by Jonathan King. Copyright Chad Taylor & Jonathan King 2012.

The second chapter of the thoughtful sci-fi serial City Lights by Chad Taylor & Jonathan King is now available to read at The Brighter Future website HERE (and Chapter 1 HERE). In this chapter, scientist Jim Green debriefs Pentagon military generals on his potential discovery of alien life on a distant planet, and what it may mean for mankind.

Above: Dr Green debates the potential threat to Earth from the existence of alien life-forms. Art by Jonathan King. Copyright Chad Taylor & Jonathan King 2012.

Once again this strip nicely skews the conventions of the sci-fi genre, playing off the fantasies of alien invasions embedded in our popular culture and contrasting it with the reality of our planet's limited safe guards and technological reach. It will be interesting to see where this goes next. As the saying goes: To be continued...

-AK!

Beyond Reality Media: The House That Bill Built

For the last 15 years, William Geradts (or 'Bill' as he's more commonly known) has been the mastermind behind New Zealand's biggest popular culture convention, the Armageddon Expo.

From a humble beginning as a comics swap meet in a suburban meeting hall, the Armageddon Expo has grown to accommodate a wide variety of popular culture interests over the years, from comics and manga, gaming and sci-fi film and television guests. As it's grown in popularity, it's also increased in size to match; from a floor of Auckland's Aotea Centre to the entire building, it's now so large the ASB Showgrounds is the only venue in Auckland with enough room to contain it. The Expo now hosts up to six events a year, held across New Zealand and Australia in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Melbourne and Adelaide.

Above: William 'Bill' Geradts.

You would think organising this rotating line-up of events would be enough to keep Geradts busy, but over the last year or so he's being dropping curious hints on his Twitter account about plans to broaden his media empire in a more creative direction...and he's now ready to share the results.

From this Friday he'll be making the move from promoter to publisher, with his new online comics company, Beyond Reality Media. Launching with four new comics (and one reprinted), they will be available to read online for FREE with daily updates of two new pages from each title every week. To produce these titles, Geradts has recruited local and international talent to bring these concepts to life.

He's a breakdown of the titles on offer:

Attica: Launching July 1st

Written by William Geradts & Christian Gossett

Art by Darick Robertson & Richard Clark

Synopsis: What if the ancient world’s bloodiest conqueror walked the modern world as its greatest prophet?

Warden: Launching July 4th

Written by William Geradts & Christian Gossett

Art by Alan Robinson, colours by Cristian Gonzalez

Synopsis: What if the world’s greatest superhero is actually something else entirely?

The Inspiration Duncans: Launching July 5th

Written by William Geradts & Richard Fairgray

Art by Michel Mulipola & Gonzalo Mertinez

Synopsis: Patrick discovered the missing link…then killed it. He’s REALLY sorry.

The Red Star: Launching July 6th (previously published by Image Comics)

Created, written & drawn by Christian Gossett, produced with Team Red Star

Synopsis: One of the most celebrated graphic novel series of the decade is an epic mythology inspired by the art and history of the Soviet Union.

Robert Rankin's Empires: Launching July 7th

Written & drawn by Robert Rankin

Colours by Coleen Littleford-Allen

Synopsis: A girl adventurer, a monkey butler, alien invaders and the darkest magic on Earth. The year is 1895 and the world is coming to an end.

It's certainly an interesting and varied line-up of titles, and he's what we know about the creators:

Christian Gossett (co-writer of Attica & Warden, creator of The Red Star): This artist & writer came up through the film industry as a concept artist for Lucas Film, his main claim to fame was his design for Darth Maul's double-sided lightsabre. His comic series The Red Star was originally published through Image Comics in 2001. After several appearances at Armageddon Expo in the early 2000s, I believe he caught the eye of Weta Workshop's Richard Taylor, and was soon providing concept art for King Kong and other film projects for the effects company. The most recent project he contributed to was Alice In Wonderland for Disney.

Robert Rankin (creator of Empires): Is a cult British fantasy/humour author of 33 novels, including Necrophenia (2008) and Retromancer (2009). He originally trained as an illustrator before becoming a full-time writer, so this will be the first project he's fully illustrated himself in over thirty years. The results should prove interesting...

Richard Fairgray (co-writer of The Inspiration Duncans): Richard is best know as the local creator of Blastosaurus, which was published monthly in New Zealand before catching the attention of film producer Jeff Katz, who enlisted Richard and his comic for his American Original publishing company. While Katz has proved to be 'all talk, no walk', Richard has continued to produce his own comics and animation projects, including this new collaboration.

Michel Mulipola (artist of The Inspiration Duncans): Joining Richard on The Inspiration Duncans is Michel Mulipola, a local up and coming Samoan comic book artist. By day he is a comic store clerk at Gotham Comics in Onehunga, and by night he is living the dream as a wrestler AND comic artist (a deadly combination of creativity!).

Alan Robinson (artist of Warden): Alan Robinson is a Chilean artist, responsible for the Weekly World News comic series for IDW. His work can also be found on the Terminator: Salvation Prequel, some Star Wars books, and as co-creator of Lost Squad.

Darick Robertson (artist of Attica issue 1): An A-List talent, Darick is best known for his artwork on such best-selling comics titles as The Boys, Transmetropolitan and Punisher. Taking time out from his busy schedule to provide the artwork for issue one of Attica is a real win for Bill and his team, a move that's guaranteed to turn industry heads.

Richard Clark (artist of Attica issue 3 onwards): Richard Clark has worked for a wide variety of entertainment clients, including: HBO, Playboy, The Wall Street Journal and Marvel & DC Comics. He recently providing finishes over Darick Robertson's breakdowns for The Guild:Vork for Dark Horse.

I think Bill's making a very savvy, smart move here by providing the comics free online before collecting them together as print collections. I've talked about this before, but New Zealand has never had the population to support a print network for comic books they way the US has, despite some noble efforts in the past. As it stands today, it can barely support local magazines and newspapers as the real move towards digital media has truly begun in earnest.

I was curious to see if Bill would attempt a print run, as he does in fact have a very strong and potentially profitable network of distribution set-up through his convention circuit. It would have been an interesting experiment, but the smart money is really online, where his books will be able to reach a much larger audience than our limited print population. Plus his network will still be in place to distribute the online material in collected editions, with the first paperback of Attica due in time for the Auckland Armageddon Expo in October.

So for the first look at these books, visit the Beyond Reality Media website HERE on Friday for the launch of Attica, and witness one of the biggest moves in New Zealand comics for some time. It will be interesting to see how this develops, check back here for creator interviews in the coming months ahead.

-AK!

All images and logos in this story are copyright Beyond Reality Media 2011, except for The Red Star copyright Christian Gossett 2011.