Graphic Voices at Auckland Writers Festival 2015

Above: The four cartoonists taking part in A Graphics Affair; from top left: Rachel Fenton, Damon Keen, below left: Sam Orchard and Ant Sang.

The Auckland Writers Festival returns for 2015, and continues its love affair with graphic literature - boasting events featuring several well known local cartoonists.

A Graphic Affair, taking place on Sunday May 17th, from 4.30pm - 5.20pm, is a FREE event featuring four NZ cartoonists taking to the Aotea Centre Limelight Stage to present stories from one of their works. 

The line-up features: Rachel Fenton, a former winner of AUT's Graphic Fiction Prize and recent participant in the NZ Book Council's Graphic Novelist Exchange Residency in Taiwan; Damon Keen, editor of the NZ comics anthology Faction, and the upcoming High Water collection; Sam Orchard, author of the autobio webcomic Rooster Tails, and the comic series Family Portraits; and Ant Sang, author of Shaolin Burning, The Dharma Punks, and designer of the TV series Bro' Town.

For more information, visit the Auckland Writers Festival event page HERE.

Above: Ant Sang.

Ant Sang will also be leading a special workshop entitled, Comics 101.

Limited to 40 participants, join Ant to discuss, draw, and explore the creative process behind creating a graphic novel. Tickets are $45, with the workshop taking place on Friday May 15th, from 9am - 10.30am, at the Goodman Fielder Room, level 4, Aotea Centre. For more information, visit the Auckland Writers Festival event page HERE.

Above: Zak Waipara.

As a part of the Family Day Events on Sunday May 18th, Zak Waipara will be sharing Maori Myths - Maori mythology and legends with a modern twist. An animator and cartoonist, readers may remember Waipara's work from the late 90s comic Children of a Dying Nation, he has also worked as a designer on Maori Television's children's show Miharo, and a wide variety of children's books.

This event will be taking place at the Herald Theatre from 1.15pm - 1.45pm, and is suitable for ages 5-10. This is a free event, but tickets are required for booking. For more information, visit the Auckland Writers Festival event page HERE.

The Auckland Writers Festival will be held at the Aotea Centre from the 13th - 17th of May. Tickets are on sale now, so get in quick for the best seats in the house, and visit their website for a full list of events HERE.

- AK!

First Look: Faction Presents: High Water

Above: The cover for Faction Presents: High Water by Tim Gibson. Artwork copyright Tim Gibson 2015.

Since launching Faction in 2012, editors Damon Keen & Amie Maxwell have been raising the bar for local comics anthologies, attracting top talent creators and presenting beautiful collections with high quality production values. After three successful collections, Keen is spearheading Faction's first spin-off special edition, High Water.

Above: A final printed copy of Faction Presents: High Water. Copyright Faction Comics 2015.

Keen has been teasing photos of the recently arrived advance copies at the Faction Comics Facebook page, so I checked in with him to find out what the scoop is on the soon to be released High Water and what surprises we can expect from this collection!

Above: Artwork by Chris Slane. Copyright Chris Slane 2015.

AK: So what is High Water, and can you explain the overall theme of the collection?

Damon Keen: High Water is a Faction Special - so not part of our usual run on Faction - kind of like a Marvel Annual I guess! I hope to do one of these every couple of years, depending on our budget. Faction Specials are going to be themed issues, so a little different than the normal Faction free-for-all, and with higher production values to make them really stand out.

High Water is themed around climate change - largely because it's an issue that I think is in urgent need of discussion - but also because I noticed that no one else had done anything like this before. Cli-fi is starting to 'heat up' (yuk yuk yuk) as a genre in novels recently, so I thought now was the perfect time to put something like this together. I also got a lot of enthusiasm from the artists for this issue, including some creators that I'd wanted to get in Faction for a while - like Sarah, Dylan and Chris - so in a lot of ways, the comic came together quite organically.

Above: Artwork by Sarah Laing. Copyright Sarah Laing 2015.

AK: And tell us a bit about your design/production specs that you went overboard on to make this collection awesome?

DK: Because I wanted this to be a really stand-out comic - with an issue dear to my heart - I wanted it to leap off the shelves; so I went a little nuts on the production values! This comic is a hardback, with cloth binding AND built in bookmark - because why not?

Also the creators produced some wonderful artwork and I really wanted to try to do their vision justice. I went with a heavy matt stock for the pages - quite a different look from the glossy sheets of Faction. On top of the creators, Tim Gibson did us a knockout cover - and Ant Sang supplied us with some beautiful artwork for the interior pages, so frankly, as a graphic designer, working with this material is just a joy.

I can't wait to get this out there!

Above: Artwork by Cory Mathis. Copyright Cory Mathis 2015.

Faction Presents: High Water is a full colour hardcover, weighing in at 96 pages.

The contributor's include: Chris Slane, Christian Pearce, Cory Mathis, Damon Keen, Dylan Horrocks, Jonathan King, Katie O’Neill, Ned Wenlock, Ross Murray, Sarah Laing and Toby Morris. With additional artwork by Lei Wen, Ant Sang, and a cover by Tim Gibson. All this and an introduction by Lucy Lawless.

Look for the High Water collection launch announcement soon!

- AK!

Above: Back cover of High Water. Copyright Faction Comics 2015.

EVENT: The Dharma Punks Graphic Novel Launch!

Above: The cover of The Dharma Punks graphic novel by Ant Sang. Copyright Ant Sang 2014.

Its been crazy busy here at Earth's End Central, with the launch of Earth's End Publishing's first graphic novel, the long awaited collected edition of The Dharma Punks by Ant Sang!

It will launch tonight (October 23rd) at a special signing event at Heroes For Sale, 582 Karangahape Road, Auckland, from 6.30pm. Ant Sang will be on hand to sign copies, there will be refreshments, and even a music set from the PCP Eagles!

If you pledged on Kickstarter, you will be able to collect your special editions with exclusive extras from this event, and also from the Earth's End booth 95, this weekend at the Auckland Armageddon Expo 24th-27th October. We will also have copies on sale at Armageddon Expo all long weekend, with Ant Sang signing, along with myself with copies of From Earth's End: The Best of New Zealand Comics, Damon Keen from Faction, and the Sheehan Brothers of The Inhabitants fame!

If you don't live in the Auckland area you will still be able to pick up a copy of The Dharma Punks from your local retailer when it is released next Friday, 31st of October. You can pre-order it now at your retailer - as word of mouth will help get this book out there - and if they need directions on where to find us, you can send 'em to: earthsendpublishing@gmail.com!

So hope to see you tonight or over the long weekend, as The Dharma Punks makes its long awaited return to a bookshelf near you!

- AK!

Ant Sang's The Dharma Punks graphic novel available at last!

Above: The cover of the collected edition of The Dharma Punks by Ant Sang. Copyright Ant Sang 2014.

Today I can announce the publishing date for Ant Sang's The Dharma Punks graphic novel will be October 31st, 2014! This will be the first publication from Earth's End Publishing, a new boutique publishing house formed by myself, Damon Keen and Kelly Sheehan!

Originally published as an eight issue comic series between 2001-2003, The Dharma Punks has been out of print for over a decade,  and has since gained a reputation as a local comics classic. Collected under one cover for the first time, this 424 page volume features re-mastered artwork, exclusive bonus material, and an introduction by Elizabeth Knox (Wake, The Vintner’s Luck).

For the uninitiated, Ant Sang is an award-winning designer & cartoonist. His previous graphic novel Shaolin Burning spent eight weeks in the Booksellers Top Ten List, and was a winner of the Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction Award in 2012.

Above: A preview page from The Dharma Punks by Ant Sang. Copyright Ant Sang 2014.

Synopsis:

Auckland, New Zealand, 1994. A group of anarchist punks have hatched a plan to sabotage the opening of a multi-national fast-food restaurant by blowing it sky-high come opening day.

Chopstick has been given the unenviable task of setting the bomb in the restaurant the night before the opening, but when he is separated from his accomplice, Tracy, the night takes the first of many unexpected turns. Chance encounters and events from his past conspire against him, forcing Chopstick to deal with more than just the mission at hand.

Still reeling after the death of a close friend, and struggling to reconcile his spiritual path with his political actions, Chopstick’s journey is a meditation on life, love, friendship and blowing things up!

Above: A preview page from The Dharma Punks by Ant Sang. Copyright Ant Sang 2014.

About Earth’s End Publishing:

Earth’s End Publishing is a newly formed boutique publishing house, aimed at bringing into print comics and graphic novels by some of New Zealand’s best cartoonists. Formed by Adrian Kinnaird, founder of the From Earth’s End blog and writer of From Earth’s End: The Best of New Zealand Comics; Damon Keen, designer and co-publisher of the NZ comics anthology Faction; and Kelly Sheehan, experienced bookseller and writer of the comics series The Inhabitants. Our modus operandi is to produce beautiful, exceptionally designed comics, and to make them available throughout New Zealand and the world.

Copies of The Dharma Punks are now available for order from Earths End Publishing. Email: earthsendpublishing@gmail.com. A special retailer price is available. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries or require further information. 

Publishing details:

The Dharma Punks
Ant Sang
Trade paperback, 424 pages
RRP: $39.99
Released: 31st October 2014
ISBN: 978-0-473-28906-5

So check out our new Facebook page HERE, or follow us on Twitter for future Earth's End Publishing announcements and updates!

- AK!

Kickstarting The Dharma Punks graphic novel!

Above: The Dharma Punks #1 by Ant Sang. Copyright Ant Sang 2014.

Last night at an event in Auckland, I announced the launch a Kickstarter campaign to publish the long out of print NZ comics classic, The Dharma Punks by Ant Sang!

Originally published as an 8-issue comic series from 2001-2003, The Dharma Punks follows Chopstick, a punk who is a part of an anarchist plot to blow up ‘Bobo’s’ a multinational fast-food restaurant. Unable to move on after the death of his close friend, and struggling to reconcile his spiritual path with his political actions, Chopstick’s journey is a meditation on life, love, friendship and blowing things up!

When it was released the series gained a cult following, and early issues regularly outsold bestselling comics like Amazing Spider-Man and Uncanny X-Men at local comic stores. Since The Dharma Punks, Ant has gone on to produce the well received graphic novel Shaolin Burning (2011), and was the designer of the hit animated TV series, Bro'Town.

I recently took to Facebook and Twitter to ask readers what New Zealand comic they would like to see back in print, and The Dharma Punks was the clear favourite. Over a decade after it’s release, the original issues have become increasingly scarce and hard to find. So to remedy this situation I've joined forces with Damon Keen - the editor of Faction Comics, and writer Kelly Sheehan to form Earth's End Publishing: with the intent to publish The Dharma Punks complete collection!

Now to make this a reality, we've turned to popular crowd-funding platform Kickstarter to raise the $8500NZ needed to get this 400 page graphic novel back into print! The Dharma Punks Kickstarter campaign HERE will be running through the month of May. For more details check out our video below:

As you heard in the video, there are some great rewards, from signed copies of the graphic novel, to exclusive artwork and prints only available through this campaign.

We'll be updating the project throughout the month, with new support videos from some notable fans of the original comic series and a first look at some the rewards artwork, so keep an eye on the campaign and help us make this very worthy project a reality!

If you would like a preview taste of The Dharma Punks, there will be a special Free Comic Book Day issue available this weekend exclusively through Heroes For Sale on K'rd in Auckland, and Arkham City Comics at Three Kings Mall in Auckland, and MK1 Hamilton!

- AK!

Faction Comics #1: Hot Off The Press!

Above: Cover of Faction #1, by Greg Broadmore.

You may remember back in October I featured a story on Faction Comics, a New Zealand comics anthology that editor Damon Keen was seeking crowd-funding for through PledgeMe. Well the good news is their target was achieved, and a printed copy of Faction #1 is now available!

Above: Art from June+Bug by Ant Sang. Copyright Ant Sang 2012.

It's 68 pages of full-colour comics from some of New Zealand's premiere comics talent, including: Ant Sang, Roger Langridge, Karl Wills, Tim Gibson, Lauren Marriott, Czepta Gold, Christian Pearce and many more!

You can order the print edition from the Faction Comics website HERE for $19.95NZ +postage. You can also subscribe on the website for a FREE digital edition!

So order a copy today, and get in on the ground floor of what promises to be an exciting development in local comics publishing!

-AK!

Faction Comics needs YOU!

Above: a detail of the cover of Faction Comics #1 by Greg Broadmore.

Faction Comics is a new New Zealand comics anthology edited by Damon Keen to be launched in December as a full-colour comic book and digital edition for computers, iPads and smart phones. It already has an impressive line-up on New Zealand comics talent, including such heavy hitters as: Greg Broadmore (Triumph), Ant Sang (Shaolin Burning), Roger Langridge (Fred The Clown), Karl Wills, Jonathan King, Christian Pearce, Ned Wenlock and many more!

Above: An image from Ant Sang's contribution to Faction Comics #1, June+Bug. Copyright Ant Sang 2012.

You can subscribe for a FREE copy of the digital version right HERE at the Faction website. But for the print version to launch and be promoted successfully, it needs your help! Right now Faction Comics is appealing for funding on the New Zealand crowd funding website, PledgeMe.

Above: An image from Damon Keen's contribution to Faction Comics #1. Copyright Damon Keen 2012.

If you haven't heard of PledgeMe, it is modeled on the US crowd funding site Kickstarter: creatives seeking funding for a project have a limited time to appeal to the public for donations or 'pledges' (via credit card) towards achieving their funding goal. Pledges can range from as little as $10 right up to a couple of hundred, and depending on the size of your pledge you will be rewarded for your patronage (eg. a $25 donation will get nab you an exclusive Faction bookmark, or $200 will see you receive an original drawing of yourself as a superhero and a copy of the printed book). Pledges will only be charged if the project reaches its target funding goal within the set time-frame.

Faction Comics' PledgeMe appeal has 9 days left to reach its funding goal of $4,500. It's just over two thirds of the way there, and needs YOUR help to make it across the finish line!

So if you enjoy New Zealand comics and would like to see this title get off to a great start, please consider supporting this project by pledging HERE. 

Every bit of support at this stage helps (and yes, pledges can be accepted from outside of New Zealand as long as you have a valid credit card). For more information and to subscribe for the digital copy, visit the Faction Comics website HERE and join their Facebook page HERE.

-AK!

NZ Comic to Film: Last Flight

Above: a page from The Sparrow by Damon Keen. Copyright Damon Keen 2011.

Originally published in local NZ comics anthology New Ground in 2008, The Sparrow is now the basis for the short film Last Flight by it's creator Damon Keen. You can read the original comic HERE, and get a first look at the impressively visual trailer HERE.

Above: Page 9 from The Sparrow by Damon Keen. Copyright Damon Keen 2011.

Damon is currently submitting it to several film festivals, so keep an eye out for it and check out the official website for more details and updates HERE.

-AK!