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!

New Release: The Kabuki Comic by Joe Wylie

Above: The Kabuki Comic by Joe Wylie. Copyright Joe Wylie 2021.

Following on from the limited edition release of Joe Wylie's The Adventures of Maureen Cringe comic book in February (read about it HERE), Spanko Comics publisher Matthew Campbell Downes has produced a follow-up, The Kabuki Comic - a second collection of Joe Wylie's comics originally published in Strips #7, 8, 9, 10 and 13. For the uninitiated, Joe Wylie was an original contributor to Strips, New Zealand's first widely distributed anthology comic series in the late 1970s, which featured a number of cartoonists who have gone on to have successful careers in the comics and arts scene, including Colin Wilson, Barry Linton, Judy Darragh, Grant Major and many more.

Above: Artwork from The Kabuki Comic by Joe Wylie.

Picking up where The Adventures of Maureen Cringe left off, The Kabuki Comic continues Maureen's adventures in the 26th century with Ultratibetan musical warrior Omo K'Chang in Kabuki, alongside other strips, Decline of the West parts 1 & 2 and  K'ta2. Wylie's artwork continues to evolve in these new chapters - the psychedelic energy is still present, but the details feel cleaner and more polished, with some great uses of Zip-A-Tone.

Above: A poster of the cover of Strips #8.

As a great bonus, there also a tipped in poster reproduction of Joe Wylie's Strips #8 (1978)!

Spanko Comics has also reprinted The Adventures of Maureen Cringe for those who missed out on the first edition. Both of these titles are a limited run of 100 copies, available now directly from Spanko Comics for $10 each via this TradeMe link HERE (or search on TradeMe for 'Joe Wylie').

The great news is the proceeds are going to Joe Wylie himself, so this is a great opportunity to support one of our great cartoonist and get your hands on some of his long out-of-print comics before they sell out!

- AK!