LISTEN UP: Ross Murray discusses Rufus Marigold on Nine to Noon

Above: Rufus is the life of the party... from Rufus Marigold by Ross Murray. Copyright Ross Murray 2019.

Mount Maunganui based illustrator Ross Murray has produced a graphic novel broaching the subject of social anxiety, a story he tells from his own tough experience. Rufus Marigold is Ross' first book, featuring a self-loathing nervous wreck of a man-monkey chimpanzee, who works in an office brimming with apparently socially competent people.  In comic form we see the eponymous hero of the book, Rufus Marigold continuously facing awkward social situations, enduring sleepless nights, battling with his negative interior voice and struggling with small talk.

As Ross tells Kathryn Ryan, Rufus Marigold is both funny and dark. You can listen to the Nine to Noon show HERE.

Rufus Marigold by Ross Murray is published by Earth's End Publishing and available now for $34.99 from all good bookstores and can be purchased online HERE.

- AK!

EVENT: Rufus Marigold Book Launch and Art Exhibition!

Join Earth's End Publishing for the launch of our latest graphic novel, Rufus Marigold by Ross Murray.

The launch will be held at The Tuesday Club, 42 Airedale Street in Auckland Central, along with an exhibition of original art by Ross Murray, featuring his eponymous character and an exploration of related themes from his book.

Kindly sponsored by Garage Project with refreshments provided. Copies of Rufus Marigold will be available for sale on the night courtesy of Unity Books Auckland.

The Rufus Marigold Art Exhibition will continue after the book launch at The Tuesday Club from Friday 1st of March to Sunday 3rd of March. You can RSVP at the  Facebook event page HERE.

So come pick up a copy of the book, meet the author, and view some amazing artwork!

Announcing: Rufus Marigold graphic novel from Earth's End Publishing!

Above: The cover of Rufus Marigold by Ross Murray. Copyright 2019 Ross Murray.

Over at my publishing house, Earth’s End Publishing, we're proud to announce our latest publishing endeavor - a collection of Ross Murray’s acclaimed webcomic, Rufus Marigold.

Initially released online in 2016, Rufus Marigold explores social anxiety disorder through the prism of its eponymous character and drew a devoted audience and praise for it’s equally humourous and at times heartbreaking insight into this much maligned subject.

Above: Artwork from Rufus Marigold by Ross Murray. Copyright 2019 Ross Murray.

After seeing the initial webcomic online, Earth’s End was quick to reach out to creator Ross Murray and work alongside him to develop this series into a unique and beautiful graphic novel. 

The print version of Rufus Marigold will collect all the original material and adds brand new additional vignettes, furthering and deepening the story of man-monkey Rufus and his attempts to define himself as something other than a complete and utter nervous wreck.

Above: Artwork from Rufus Marigold by Ross Murray. Copyright 2019 Ross Murray.

Ross Murray is known for his sharp art and vintage style illustrations. Recently his work has graced the covers and interiors of the Lonely Planet Epic series. In additional to his commercial work, Murray has also been making comics since 2014 when his Pets Talk Records strip appeared online. In 2015 Murray contributed to the Faction High Water anthology, edited and produced by Earth’s End co-founder Damon Keen. 2018 saw his humourous takes on Star Wars and Home & Away featured on the Vice website comics section. Rufus Marigold is Murray’s first full length graphic novel.

Rufus Marigold by Ross Murray will be released March 1st, 2019 in bookstores and comic shops across New Zealand. Copies will also be available to pre-order directly from our website store.

Praise for Rufus Marigold:

“A ruefully familiar, hilarious webcomic turned-turned magnum opus. Rufus Marigold delights and horrifies in equal measure. A must-read for anyone who has ever felt awkward in social situations, and anyone who’s ever had a dream.”
- Sarah Laing, Mansfield & Me

“Rufus Marigold is deliciously funny, uncomfortably honest, and painfully, beautifully human.”
- Dylan Horrocks, Hicksville

“A brave, heartfelt story that shows with absolute clarity the devastating impact of social anxiety.”
- Brent Williams, Out of the Woods

Ordering Information:

Rufus Marigold is now available for pre-order from Earth’s End Publishing website HERE, or email: earthsendpublishing@gmail.com to place an order if you are a retailer.

Publishing Details:

Rufus Marigold
Ross Murray
Paperback with french flaps
Width: 160mm, Height: 216mm, Weight: 450grms
Full colour, 200 pages
ISBN: 9780473448035
RRP: $34.99

Ages: 16+ Mature themes
Release Date: March 1st 2019

- AK!

Road to Armageddon: Tauranga and Christchurch 2018

The Armageddon Expo machine rolls on, with pop-culture events coming to Tauranga this weekend and Christchurch over Queens Birthday Weekend! 

The events will feature a star-studded line-up of TV and film guests, including: a dynasty of Luthors: John Shea (Lex Luthor from Lois & Clark) and Katie McGarth (Lena Luthor from Supergirl); as well a healthy guest list from the Arrowverse of DC Comics shows: Katrina Law, Paul Blackthorne, Echo Kellum, David Nykl (Arrow), Keiynan Lonsdale (The Flash) and Mehcad Brooks (Supergirl). Other TV guests include: Garrett Wang (Star Trek: Voyager), Lauren German and Lesley-Ann Brandt (Lucifer), Daniel Portman (Game of Thrones), animation guests Christy Carlson Romano (Kim Possible), Brad Swaile (Death Note), WWE wrestler "Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, and international Cosplayer Ashlynne Dae.

Above: Comics guest Sloane Leong.

On the comics side of things, the international comics guest is Sloane Leong. Sloane is a self-taught cartoonist, artist and writer of Hawaiian, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Choctaw, Welsh and German ancestries. She explores themes of survival, displacement, relationships, spirituality, identity and mental illness through literary vehicles like science fiction, horror, adventure and slice-of-life genres.

Her work focuses on exploring silenced narratives from marginalized communities and people of color, to connect personally with individuals through storytelling, with an aim to cultivate a kinder, more understanding future. She has been self-publishing her own comics since she was 16 and has done various work for companies like Image Comics, Top Cow, Cartoon Network, DC, Dark Horse, Boom! and many more. Her current projects include: A Map to the Sun, to be published by First Second in 2019, and Prism Stalker from Image Comics.

The NZCC (New Zealand Comic Creators) will have a presence at both conventions, featuring a great selection of locally published comics titles from NZ cartoonists. I'll be attending the Tauranga convention with cartoonist/artist Ross Murray (Rufus Marigold), and the Funtime Comics team will be on hand for the Christchurch event. Local comics publisher Beyond Reality Media will also have a booth with their latest graphic novel releases!

Armageddon Tauranga will be held on May 26-27th, at the ASB Baypark Arena (81 Truman Lane, Mount Maunganui) from 10am to 5pm both days (Early Access from 9am available Sat 26th only). Tickets are available now through iTicket HERE, and at the gate on the day.

Christchurch Armageddon will be held on June 2-4th 2018, at the Horncastle Arena, Queen's Birthday Weekend. Open from 9am to 5pm all three days. Tickets are available now through Ticketek HERE, and at the gate on the day.

For more information on these events, visit the Armageddon Expo website HERE.

- AK!

EVENT: Golden Summer: Ross Murray & Greg Straight

This Friday, come along to the opening night of Golden Summer, a joint exhibition featuring new artworks by Greg Straight & Ross Murray (Highwater, Rufus Marigold).

An ice-cream run to the corner dairy; that road trip up the coast; a cold one on a long, hot afternoon. Golden Summer celebrates all this and more on a nostalgic journey around New Zealand.

Greg Straight’s artwork embodies a longing for simple pleasures from days gone. And Ross Murray’s work explores the way contemporary ideas of nostalgia are linked to the things we consume. Both celebrate collective memories of the New Zealand summer.

The exhibition will be held at Endemic World (62 Ponsonby Road, Auckland), kicking off at 5pm and is sponsored by some iconic NZ brands: Tip Top, L&P, Eta and Garage Project. 

The opening is from 5pm-8pm, and the exhibition will run from March 3rd - 14th. So head along and bask in the presence of iconic images capturing the great Golden Summer! 

- AK!

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!