Creator and former Director of the Master of Animation course at the University of Technology, Sydney, Michael Hill (a.k.a. Doctor Comics) has loved comics ever since his mother gave him Donald Duck and Dennis The Menace to read as a child. He has a Master’s degree in animation and a PhD in comics, prompting his introduction on ABC Radio as “Doctor Comics”. A member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Comic Art, the Advisory Committee of the Q-Collection Comic Book Preservation Project and to The Comics Grid Journal of Comics Scholarship, he has lectured on Anime and Manga at the Art Gallery of NSW, Electrofringe, DiGiT Expo, the Japan Foundation and the Powerhouse Museum and been interviewed many times by the media. At the University of Technology, Sydney he held Directorial positions in Animation, Interdisciplinary Studies, Postgraduate Design and Visual Communication. Previously, he was Lecturer in Film and Video at Sydney College of the Arts and made some notable experimental films. His considerable experience of Art and Design education ranges from technology and management to research and he has worked as a consultant to several institutions including the NSW HSC curriculum study of Anime in Japanese Language and Culture. Having donated his collection of research materials of Australian alternative comics, the Michael Hill Collection of Australian Comics to the National Library of Australia he is now spending more time on creative projects. He has exhibited at the Silicon Pulp Animation Gallery, DAB LAB Research Gallery, Bunker Cartoon Gallery and in the 2010 and 2011 Bald Archy Prize touring exhibition. In 2012 he published the first issue his own comic/art book Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics.
In this blog he will be commenting on aspects of comics and comic art as well as reporting on the continuing creation and development of his semi-autobiographical comic/art book Blotting Paper. His blogs on comics are intended to be more relaxed and entertaining than his papers published in scholarly journals and his current posts on The Comics Grid. Expect 2 or 3 posts per month.
He has another blog using the avatar Doctor Comictopus that is comics based but more wide-ranging and somewhat playful with topics such as art, film and travel particularly exhibitions of comic art and films based on comics, and related comics fantasy inducing material such as toys, fashion, graphics and suitable wine, coffee and pastries to accompany the reading of comics.
Consult his website Michael Hill (a.k.a. Doctor Comics) for more detailed information about his scholarly work, publications, presentations, media profile, and a gallery of his artwork.
