EVENT: Bob Kerr: It Was the Fun of the World Exhibition

Above: Before I was Twelve Years of Age by Bob Kerr, Oil on board, 120x60cm.

High respected artist and illustrator Bob Kerr has a new exhibition of paintings, It Was the Fun of the World, on now at Whitespace Gallery in Ponsonby Auckland. Kerr will also be familiar to local comics readers as the artist and co-creator of the Terry Teo graphic novel series (with the Terry Teo and the Gunrunners coming back into print soon), and another new graphic novel to be released in September, Changing Times.

Above: Not What I Expected by Bob Kerr, Oil on board, 37x20cm.

It Was the Fun of the World is a series of sequential paintings reflecting on the story of Tim Armstrong,  who was arrested for sedition in New Zealand in 1916 and who eventually became a Labour party politician. The painting images are based on passages from a letter Armstrong wrote to his children while serving his twelve month sentence in Lyttelton Prison. In the letter he outlines his life experiences leading up to his arrest, so that they might understand his actions.

Kerr's paintings are highly illustrative - you can see the keen eye of a sequential storyteller at work here, but he also communicate a great deal through texture and brushstrokes - implying a strong sense of movement and place to these experiences captured in oil.

It Was the Fun of the World is exhibited now till the 26th of September at Whitespace Gallery, 12 Crummer Road, Ponsonby, Auckland. The paintings are available to purchase, and the gallery is open Tues - Friday: 11am-5pm, and Sat: 11am-4pm. You can visit the Whitespace website for more information HERE.

- AK!

Above: I Worked in the Flax Milling Industry by Bob Kerr, Oil on board, 40x40cm.

Terry Teo Returns!

Revealing the return of a classic kiwi icon, and a tie-in edition to the new TV series Terry Teo, to air soon on TVNZ!

At Earth’s End Publishing we are proud to announce the return of the classic kiwi kids graphic novel, Terry Teo and the Gunrunners by Stephen Ballantyne & Bob Kerr, to be published on 6th November 2015.

Originally released in 1982 as Terry and the Gunrunners, this distinctly local take on the Tintin graphic novel format was an instant hit with children across the nation. The popularity of the book made Terry an instantly iconic kiwi character – inspiring two sequels, and the much loved television adaptation, Terry and the Gunrunners (1985), starring Adrian Bell, Michael Bentine and Billy T. James.

Above: Remastered artwork by Bob Kerr from Terry Teo and the Gunrunners.

This new edition has been digitally remastered and restored from the original artwork and archives, allowing readers to experience Terry’s first adventure in vibrant watercolour – capturing all of the detail and delights of this action-packed, family favourite adventure!

There is also an exclusive behind the scenes look at the history of this kiwi icon, and the brand new TV series, Terry Teo (2015). Due to air soon on TVNZ, the new series is produced by Gerard Johnstone and Luke Sharp, the team behind the recent hit movie Housebound (2014). Starring Kahn West as Terry Teo, Kimberley Crossman and Michael Hurst, the series is produced by Semi-Professional Pictures.

Above: A first look at the new Terry Teo TV series cast. From right: Kahn West as Terry Teo, Drew Brice Ford as Caleb, Hanna Tevita as Polly, and Manon Blackman as Penelope Butterworth. Copyright Semi-Professional Pictures 2015.

The continued interest in this classic character came as a pleasant surprise to Terry Teo artist and co-creator Bob Kerr. “We weren't thinking about any of this when we started. We were probably rather naïve. We just wanted to create a story featuring some local kids having a ripping adventure with heaps of laughs along the way, and somehow that connected with readers. Steve and I are delighted that Terry has been remembered, and that 30 odd years later he is having another outing both in print and on the telly”.

Above: Remastered artwork by Bob Kerr from Terry Teo and the Gunrunners.

Synopsis:
Terry Teo is not your average schoolboy - he's a skateboarding super-sleuth about to embark on his very first adventure!

When he stumbles headfirst into the criminal schemes of the villainous Ray Vegas, Terry finds himself embroiled in a dastardly gun smuggling operation. Along with his karate-chopping sister, Polly, and older brother Ted, Terry must use all his street smarts to avoid Vegas' henchmen, defeat the smugglers, and save the day!

Ordering Information:

Copies of Terry Teo and the Gunrunners are now available for order from Earths End Publishing. Email: earthsendpublishing@gmail.com.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries or require further information. You can also follow us on Twitter: @EarthsEndComics and Facebook: www.facebook/EarthsEndPublishing.

Publishing Details:

Terry Teo and the Gunrunners
Bob Kerr & Stephen Ballantyne
Trade paperback 260mmx210mm
56 pages, full-colour
RRP: $24.99
Release date: 6th November 2015
ISBN - 978-0-473-33067-5

For more information, visit the Earth's End Publishing website HERE.

- AK!

Nice NZ Fan Art: Featuring Toby Morris and Jason Winter

Above: Captain Sunshine as depicted by Jason Winter. 

Here are two great examples of NZ Comics fan art; the first is by Jason Winter, revisiting the world's first 'environmental superhero' Captain Sunshine, created by writers Peter Farrell, Roy Middleton, Reuben Sandler and drawn by Colin Wilson in 1979.

Above: Captain Sunshine #1 (1979). Copyright Sundial Watches Limited 1979.

It was the first original full-colour superhero comic of its kind to be produced in New Zealand, with a massive estimated print run of 100,000 copies. The comic was created to promote an ill-fated sundial wrist-watch, which failed to catch the public imagination and quickly killed any chance of future comic adventures (Wilson pencilled a second issue which was never published, and the art has been lost to the ages...).

Above: Terry Teo, by Toby Morris.

Terry Teo was the hero from three original NZ graphic novels produced by writer Bob Kerr and artist Stephen Ballantyne, starting with Terry and the Gunrunners in 1982. The first graphic novel in the series sold 20,000 copies, and was popular enough to inspire a local TV series in 1985, starring Adrian Bell as Terry Teo. The graphic novel also produced two sequels: Terry and the Yodelling Bull in 1986, and Terry and the Last Moa in 1990.

Above: Terry and the Gunrunners by Bob Kerr and Stephen Ballantyne. copyright Bob Kerr and Stephen Ballantyne 1982.

-AK!