Friday, July 29, 2022

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!


Monday, March 7, 2022

Remembering Joe Wylie

Above: Chris Knox, Joe Wylie and Barry Linton (via AudioCuture, I believe this picture may have been published in an issue of Strips).

I was saddened to hear today that cartoonist and animator Joe Wylie passed away on the 5th of March.

Above: an example of Joe's cartooning from the recent reprint of Maureen Cringe.

Wylie is probably best known in the local cartooning scene as a founding contributor to the comics anthology, Strips. His main contribution to Strips was his ongoing feature, Maureen Cringe, which was recently republished in limited editions by Spanko Comics publisher Matthew Campbell Downes (see my earlier posts HERE and HERE).

Above: Gig poster for Toy Love at Auckland's Glue Pot (1979), via AudioCulture.

Wylie had an extensive career as an artist and animator: he created artwork and album covers for such bands as Toy Love, Dalvanius Prime, Neville Purvis, Patea Māori Club and many more. In animation he worked on a variety of projects - from music videos to cartoons - notable projects included Hanna-Barbera's Scooby Doo, Where Are You!, Toy Love's ‘Bride Of Frankenstein’ music video and the short film, The Nightwatchman (1993), which he wrote, animated and directed (you can watch it HERE).

Above: Maui Records label designed by Joe Wylie (1984), currently in the Te Papa art collection.

In 2015 Arthur Baysting wrote a great career overview of Joe for AudioCulture which you can read HERE, and there is an extensive biography and screenography of Joe's work at NZ on Screen which can be read and viewed HERE. You can also visit his website HERE.

My condolences to his family, friends and fans - who will continue to enjoy the amazing legacy of work he has left behind.

- AK!