Doctor Comics

Archive of Australian Alternative Comics: TiNA ARENA

Archive of Australian Alternative Comics, Art, Comics September 21, 2012

_{1999 event: Outsider meetings. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

On Sunday 27th September 1998, I drove from Sydney to Newcastle…to attend the two sessions devoted to the discussion of comics at the inaugural National Young Writers’ Festival. Accompanying me were three active members of the Sydney ‘small press’: Stuart Stratu, Anton Emdin and Ross Tesoriero. As there had been no formal attempts to discuss and promote ‘small press’ activity we were impressed with their inclusion in the event. As to its presence in a writers’ festival, there was some uncertainty as comics also has its drawing side. We were also a little curious…as to why the organisers had by-passed Sydney and only invited Melbourne and Canberra based creators! Nevertheless we were curious enough to make the trip. It offered an opportunity to meet with colleagues from interstate. Although familiar with their work, we had never met many of them.

_{1999 event: Tim Danko, Stuart Stratu, Q-Ray and Kieran Mangan. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

_{1999 event: Michael Fikaris(Froth) reading minicomic. (Photo by Louise Graber).}

_{1999 event: Carol Wood and Susan Butcher aka Pox Girls reading minicomics. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

The organizational aspects improved considerably over the next few years and the festival developed, expanded and diversified. Originally called the National Young Writers’ Festival it became part of the umbrella event TiNA…the acronym for This is Not Art. This became a multidisciplinary event in the week leading up to the October holiday weekend. It was spread around Newcastle and became known as the TiNa Arena. During the festival weekend the city becomes a catchment area for visiting youth…from a range of artistic, literary, music and media fields all over Australia. I even met a guy who claimed to have walked right across Australia from Perth to attend. I went to five consecutive events from 1998 to 2002…by which time comics discussions had moved into the Town Hall main room. A high point for comics creators is the annual comic and zine fair held on the Sunday afternoon. There was a busy trading event staged in the park then moved into the Mission theatre with accompanying live music.

_{1999 event: Anton Emdin(If Pain Persists) with Lewis P. Morley and Marilyn Pride(Red World Komics). (Photo by Louise Graber)}

_{1999 event: Tim Danko(Dead Xerox Press) and Stuart Stratu(Sick Puppy Comix). (Photo by Louise Graber)}

On arrival in the city that afternoon in 1998 we easily found the centre of activities laid out in various sumptuously appointed rooms of the Newcastle Town Hall and Civic Centre. There were panels and presentations in the Banquet Room…the Function Rooms and some impressively attired Committee Rooms in the Council Chambers and also at the nearby Wintergarden Cafe. We were, however, unable to find the venue for the discussion of comics. On asking for that information we were directed out of the main building to the back. There it was, a modest room with a few plastic chairs. A few attendees had to sit on the floor. No podium, no lectern, no microphone, no monitor, no vcr, no whiteboard, no jug of water, no media nor reporters were present. Furthermore, this was not a seminar but a workshop. Comics were not so much to be discussed as produced…and if there was to be any discourse it would be on matters of production rather than on content. Then I realised how appropriate all of this was in the then current scheme of things. It was the “accustomed” venue at a writers’ festival for the discussion of comics and it indicated how marginalised the form was. The established, pure literary forms such as the novel and poetry headed the hierarchy. Even emerging word based forms such as e-mail and writing textual content for the Internet and journalism had superior status and were located in the main hall. But comics and zines were out the back and out of sight, so to speak.

_{1999 event: Happy Pox Girl Susan Butcher. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

_{1999 event: Q-Ray(The Comic Messiah) and Kieran Mangan(Urrgh). (Photo by Louise Graber)}

Things changed over subsequent years. There have been comics events at the Sydney Opera House with international guests…but it was so different back in Newcastle, so ‘underground’, so beneath the radar. Comics were even made during the event in an upstairs, cut and paste graphics studio called Octapod…where minicomics had been produced. At the 1999 event I did a series of interviews with many of the comics creators in attendance. This became research material for my doctoral thesis. In closing, I welcome comments about this blog, especially if you have attended an events like this.

_{1999 event: Ross Tesoriero(Radiation Sickness). (Photo by Louise Graber)}

_{Event organiser Kylie Purr with Glenn Smith. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

This is the tenth in a series of posts called Archives of Australian Comics History…that document moments in the recent history of Australian comics, particularly alternative comics and the Australian Small Press. I started researching this subject in the late 1990s and it eventually led to my PhD thesis: Ph.D. Macquarie University, Division of Society, Culture, Media and Philosophy…A Study Of Contemporary Australian Alternative Comics 1992-2000 With Particular Reference To The Work Of Naylor, Smith, Danko And Ord, 2003. On completion of the research I donated the materials and comics I had collected to the National Library of Australia: Michael Hill Collection of Australian Comics.

1999 event: Michael Hill aka Doctor Comics. (Photo by Louise Graber) — _{1999 event: Dr. Michael Hill. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

BLOTTING PAPER The Comic: Production Report No.9

Art, Blotting Paper, Comics August 21, 2012

Work continues on the production of the second chapter of my artist book/comic…Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics. This report looks back at two of the main characters from the first chapter, the feline characters Cohl and Busch. These are funny animal characters that belong to Doctor Comics.

_{The cats in my Blotting Paper comic. (Felt pen drawing-©2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

These feline characters Cohl and Busch are named after famous cartoonists of mine Émile Cohl and Wilhelm Busch. They live in the apartment with Doctor Comics as his companions. They l-o-v-e fish! They also know about comics, as much and possibly more than their owner, the so called Doctor Comics. In lecturing mode Doctor Comics has been known to channel Cohl! That cat is incredibly well read but with a distinct bias toward bandes dessinées.

_{The subconscious landscape. (Monotype print-©2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

Printmaking is playing a formidable role in the design of the spirits, ghosts and apparitions in this chapter. I am experimenting with sequential prints. This is a hangover from my animation days when I utilised the technique to generate large volumes of artwork.

_{Dreaming time. (Monotype print-©2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

Monotype print in sumi ink of etheric body. (© 2012 Michael Hill)

In this chapter the Doctor Comics character is teleported into the supernatural world via a dream experience. To obtain a shadowy landscape for some ethereal figures he encounters, sumi-ink blots have been soaked on soft paper. Over and under-inking the blocks has resulted in intense black or under-inked white patches on the printed paper.

This dream sequence occurs toward the end of the chapter. There Doctor Comics confronts fearful looking ghostly figures that step out from the background. The monotype printing method and the use of sumi ink enabled the making of experimental images with a restricted palette. The incorporeal characters were manifested and embodied in this manner. Examples of these are in the monoprints of the etheric body and the shadowy phantoms above and below this paragraph.

And it’s not all ghostly material. There are also some amusing moments of Doctor Comics buying graphic novels, interacting with his cats and cooking.

_{Abstract drawing. (© 2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

This new chapter also includes experimental approaches to drawing including abstract, contour and blind contour. It’s creative fun time with this drawing process.

_{Abstract contour drawing.(© 2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

Using line as an element of construction and expression, drawn, printed or written, although restrictive, is quite expressive. I find that drawing details very carefully of constantly changing scenes with accompanying alterations in point-of-view leads easily into abstraction.

_{Abstract drawing to music.}
_{(© 2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

Drawing anything whilst listening to music invariably produces a pattern of abstract lines on paper that is most expressive. I follow the lines whilst I am making them and try to keep up with the tempo of the music. No erasers! A quicker tempo produces less inhibited lines and surprising shapes.

_{Blind contour drawing of Donald Duck.}
_{(© 2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

Another fun drawing exercise I have utilised is copying a character or object without looking at my drawing. I try to follow the outlines of the object but don’t look down to see how the drawing looks. Without the constant checking things can drift and shift out of perspective and registration. The contours can be accurate but out of place. How about you? Do you draw? Have you ever created images using printmaking methods? I would love to hear. Feel free to post a comment about your image-making approach on this blog and I shall respond. Till next post, Michael.

Archive of Australian Alternative Comics: COMICS IN RECORD SHOPS

Archive of Australian Alternative Comics, Art, Comics August 8, 2012

In the 1990s it was not unusual to find alternative comics in record shops in Sydney. Examples were Phantom Records, Red Eye Records and Waterfront Records. Customers could find an assortment of locally made comics…in a corner on the floor or on a shelf or display rack. Odd sized comics which did not fit the display racks were laid on the floor. A similar layout could be found in Brisbane at Rocking Horse Records…in Canberra at Impact Records and in Adelaide at Big Star Records and Dominator Records. It was in these record shops that I first found some Australian alternative comics. These became the subject of my research into comics. There were also specialist bookshops that stocked comics as well as fantasy, science-fiction and movie material. In Sydney such shops were Land Beyond Beyond, Comic Kingdom, Kings Comics, and Half A Cow. The latter was a really wonderful shop to browse in with its carefully selected subcultural range of goods. It also had that strange logo of a cow cut in half…across not along like the Damien Hirst version and in cartoon rather than realistic style. There were also mail order distros such as Chewing Gravel that sold Australian comics.

_{The shop in Glebe. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

_{Half A Cow business card with it’s eye catching sliced cow illustration.}

The reason why independent record shops were selling alternative comics…was perhaps due to the perceived affinity of both medium’s independent approach to production and distribution. This positioning of the small press in the independent landscape…created parallels with the independent music industry that had flowed on from the Punk Rock movement. The term ‘Xerox music’ referred to the independent production of Punk records where the distribution system also employed a D.I.Y. approach with product being delivered to interested shops by hand. Alternatively it could be distributed by mail order. There were similarities in the way alternative comics were produced and distributed. These comics of the 1980s and 1990s…with their small print runs (usually less than 500), were commonly printed on photocopy machines by their creators. This was instead of the more costly offset process or digital printing used by professional print technicians for commercial clients. After printing their comics the creators, like their musical colleagues, would distribute their work themselves. Visiting comics, books and record shops…on foot, bus, train or bicycle…were creators carrying small amounts of stock in their bags. Then they would return a week later to check on sales. Eventually most of the more mainstream comics shops carried some alternative comics. There were even some musicians who made comics. Ray Ahn, Ryan Vella and Glenn Smith are examples. Half A Cow’s affinities with independent music ended up morphing them from a bookshop into an independent record label. Have you ever bought a comic from a record shop? I would love to hear!

Louise Graber's Black Light Angels comic-first sold at Half A Cow in Glebe. — _{Louise Graber’s Black Light Angels Gothic comic-first sold at Half A Cow in Glebe.}

This is the ninth in a series of posts called Archives of Australian Comics History…that document moments in the recent history of Australian comics, particularly alternative comics and the Australian Small Press. I started researching this subject in the late 1990s and it eventually led to my PhD thesis: …Ph.D. Macquarie University, Division of Society, Culture, Media and Philosophy…A Study Of Contemporary Australian Alternative Comics 1992-2000…With Particular Reference To The Work Of Naylor, Smith, Danko And Ord, 2003. On completion of the research I donated the materials and comics I had collected to the National Library of Australia:…Michael Hill Collection of Australian Comics.

BLOTTING PAPER The Comic: Production Report No.8

Art, Blotting Paper, Comics, Japanning June 28, 2012

This is the first report documenting the production of the second issue of my artist book/comic…Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics. The new chapter is titled A Blot on His Escutcheon. It delves deeper into the character of Doctor Comics, the environment in which he lives and his life in comics. I am making progress with this and hope to self-publish it next year. The book is partly based on my career in art and design education in Sydney. I worked within these disciplines and their application within the areas of film, video, animation and visual communication. I have employed aspects of comics art in my teaching. Storyboarding, word and image projects and as a medium in itself are examples. I have also employed it in my study and research…the presentation of lectures and conference papers…the staging of conferences, symposiums and exhibitions and the writing of a doctoral thesis. My own comic has fictive passages as well as auto-biographical elements. Printmaking is being utilised as an image-making medium. This includes the Japanese sosaku hanga method, along with pen and ink drawing, collage and found materials.

_{Proposed title page for issue #2. (Pen and ink drawing and collage-© 2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

I’m currently learning to draw bones by reading the osteology chapters in anatomy books and studying the illustrations really carefully. In Chapter 1 I used fish bones as an image and as a printmaking substrate for the sosaku hanga technique. In Chapter 2 there will be drawings of human bones of the hand and foot. I have had the opportunity to study some broken bones incurred in falls from bicycles. Speaking of cyclists I also make reference to the Bookseller of Glee character.

_{Bones of the hand and foot. (Pen and ink drawing-© 2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

This bookseller rides a penny farthing type of bicycle and will play a part in this issue. I had my portrait of this fine gentleman in the Glebe Sesquicentenary Art Exhibition(see below). It was also a finalist in the 2010 Bald Archy Prize. Titled The Bookseller of Glee (mixed media-drawing, painting and collage on paper)…it is a postmodern portrait of Roger Mackell, co-owner of Gleebooks (4 times Australian Bookseller of the Year). He is a generous character gleefully disseminating books and promoting the joy of reading. The portrait caricatures him and his store’s contribution to the intellectual life of Glee Village and its nearby universities. In my portrait the main street is constructed from the writings of French literary critics and philosophers…whose work the bookshop stocked in the 1980s.

_{The artist…Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics and his portrait of a particular Glebe bookseller. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

More bones (pen and ink drawing-© 2012 Michael Hill) — _{More bones (pen and ink drawing-© 2012 Dr. Michael Hill. a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

I have been drawing more bones. In the meantime I am putting a call out for feedback on this post. I would really love to hear what you think of what I am doing with my blog and bones.

_{Bones of the hand, heel and hips. (Pen and ink drawing-©2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

Archive of Australian Alternative Comics: SAVAGE PENCILS

Archive of Australian Alternative Comics, Art, Comics May 30, 2012

Savage Pencils was an exhibition of contemporary Australian comics cover art that I curated at Silicon Pulp Animation Gallery, Sydney in 2001. It featured original art by Paul Abstruse, Ray Ahn, Gerard Ashworth, Anita Bacic, Xander Black, Neale Blanden, Anna Brown, Bronson Boyd, Susan Butcher, Bernard Caleo, Dakanavar, Tim Danko, Anton Emdin, Michael Fikaris, Edo Fuijkschot, Louise Graber, Ben Hutchings, Scott Johnson, Gregory Mackay, Alex Major, Kieran Mangan, Daniel McKeown, Chris Mikul, Alice Mrongovius, John Murphy, Dillon Naylor, Linzee R. Nold, Mandy Ord, Jason Paulos, Q-Ray, Kirrily Schell, Jan Scherpenhuizen, Shags, Bernie Slater, Glenn Smith, Cipta Tanamas, Dean Tarjavaara, Matt Taylor, Ross Tesoriero, Tolley, Ryan Vella, Kevin Whitfield, Colin Wilson and Carol Wood.

The invitation designed by Glenn Smith.

The exhibition catalogue contained the essays: “The Broken Pencils of Southeast Asia” by International Journal of Comic Art editor John A. Lent, “Why the Australian Small Press Make Eskimo Comics” by Tim Danko, and my own paper “Sick Puppies With Pencils”.

The Neale Blanden illustration was also used as the exhibition catalogue cover.

As a playful idea for the catalogue I asked the artists to draw a ‘savage pencil’. Here is a selection. All art is the copyright of the respective creators.

Colin Wilson

Butcher and Wood aka the Pox Girls.

Louise Graber

Ross Tesoriero

Alice Mrongovius

Linzee R. Nold

Shags

Chris Mikul

Matt Taylor

Ben Hutchings

Tolley

Bernard Caleo

Ryan Vella

Kirrily Schell

The notion of collecting comics art is a recent but growing trend in Australia. This exhibition offered 50 works ranging from the mainstream to the the avant-garde, from 44 artists representing every State of Australia except the Northern Territory. Some of the cover art was displayed on the gallery’s website.

Exhibition installation view. (Photo by Louise Graber)

The exhibition catalogue with cut-up Neale Blanden illo on the cover.

The title for the exhibition was taken from the alias of Edwin Pouncey, an English comics creator of the early 1980s whose ‘punk’ style of graphics proved inspirational to alternative cartoonists. This show celebrated drawing, a precious commodity in an age of appropriation and scanning, and the creative expression that drawing is given in comics. Here the drawing was both art and pop culture trash and very affordible.

Massive thanks to the people at Silicon Pulp! What they have done for local creators of comics art is immense! And to the artists, whether you exhibited, attended the exhibition or just read my blog post on it, I would love to hear your thoughts. This is the eighth in a series of posts called Archives of Australian Comics History that document moments in the recent history of Australian comics, particularly alternative comics and the Australian Small Press. I started researching this subject in the late 1990s and it eventually led to my PhD thesis: Ph.D. Macquarie University, Division of Society, Culture, Media and Philosophy, A Study Of Contemporary Australian Alternative Comics 1992-2000 With Particular Reference To The Work Of Naylor, Smith, Danko And Ord, 2003. On completion of the research I donated the materials and comics I had collected to the National Library of Australia: Michael Hill Collection of Australian Comics.

BLOTTING PAPER The Comic: Production Report No.7

Art, Blotting Paper, Comics, Japanning April 21, 2012

Design and production of Issue #1 of my artist book/comic…Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics…involved a range of graphic techniques. These included drawing, handwriting, collage, photography, typography and printmaking. Selected production items were displayed at the launch with a description of my working method.

_{Searching for inspiration with sketching and sake. (Photo-© 2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

The first stage of the process is getting an idea. This may come from reading and research, travel, visits to galleries to look at art and objects and make sketches. One sketch book in the photo below shows a collaged image of a fictitious Japanese monster Shitake Man. Some sake also proved useful at this preliminary stage.

_{Sketch book collage and sake cup. (Photo-© 2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

Concepts and images come to mind in the second stage, design. Sketching determines the shapes that will be obtained through image-making techniques.

_{Printmaking tools: chisel, blocks, type, sharpening stone. (Photo-© 2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

_{Bamboo baren, seals, string, sumi ink, brushes and printed postcard.(Photo-© 2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

Where printmaking is involved the third stage brings out brushes, ink and paper for the printing part of the project. A baren is piece of dried bamboo that has been stretched over a board. It is used to ensure that the paper makes good contact with the inked block. The pressure applied can be varied to produce the degree of intensity of the ink. The autumn postcard print in the photo above has been constructed from 5 layers of print.

_{Bench hook, brushes, bamboo jar. (Photo-© 2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

Copies of my artist book/comic…Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics …are available exclusively from the launch venue Hondarake: Full Of Books till 31 May 2012. The store is located at Level 1, 465 Kent Street Sydney phone: 02 9261 5225 online shop: http://fullofbooks.com.au

_{The book with original print on cover. (Original print-© 2011 Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

Another brief break between posts. I welcome your feedback on this event, if you attended, as well as to this and my previous posts, Michael.

Archive of Australian Alternative Comics: 2002 SEQUENTIAL ART STUDIES CONFERENCE

Archive of Australian Alternative Comics, Art, Comics, Japanning April 7, 2012

Conference poster designed by BOWB.

Ten years ago this event, the first Sequential Art Studies Conference took place on April 19 2002 in Sydney at the University of Technology, and by my reckoning, was the first scholarly conference on comics studies to be held in Australia, more than 3 years prior to the “Men In Tights” conference at Melbourne University in 2005 that also makes this claim! The conference was named after the descriptive term for comics, sequential art, introduced by Will Eisner in 1985. Thank you Will! Convened by Jeremy Allen and myself, with panels chaired by Jeremy, Spiros Tsaousis and I, the conference was held in association with Supanova Pop Culture Expo with support from Daniel Zachariou. The conference poster was designed by BOWB.

CALL FOR PAPERS

SEQUENTIAL ART STUDIES CONFERENCE, Sydney, Australia, April 19 2002 SUPANOVA POP CULTURE EXPO Sydney Showground, April 20-21 2002. This inaugural scholarly conference on comics will take place on the day preceding Australia’s largest comics convention and will be associated with that event. Scholars are invited to submit 250 word proposals which address alternative approaches to comics, whether local or global, recent or historical, online or offline, artistic or commercial. The conference will adopt a multidisciplinary approach and welcomes papers from a broad range of disciplines. Send enquiries and proposals, by email only, to either of the conference coordinators: Jeremy Allen: Jeremy.S.Allen@uts.edu.au or Michael Hill: Michael.Hill@uts.edu.au Interdisciplinary Studies, Faculty of Design, University of Technology, Sydney.

DEADLINE: Friday December 21 2001

PROGRAM

Michael Hill-Bite of the Mongrel Breed: A Study of Satire in Contemporary Australian Alternative Comics

Abstract: This paper involves an examination of the contemporary Australian alternative comics scene as a lively form of lampooning and derision in the late 20th Century. In contrast to the mainstream print media, many of the artists, creators and cartoonists involved antagonise, irritate and ridicule with their graphic humour and horror, provoking irreverent laughter as well as an element of fear and amazement within their limited audience. In so doing, they take advantage of what is a relatively unregulated outlet of creativity and visual communication. As a wide-ranging group of artists, their repertoire houses a mix of graphic styles and comic art genres and their attitude has strains of ‘larrikin’ and ‘ratbag’ humour.

Bio: Michael Hill is Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication and Director of the Interdisciplinary Studies Unit at UTS, and partner in Graber Hill, publisher of the alternative comic B.L.A.CK.

Craig Norris-Manga in Australia: erasing and re-animating Japan

Abstract: The export of manga (Japanese comics) from Japan to Australia is a journey from erasing race and culture to redrawing ideal bodies and communities. Using my two years of field research in Tokyo I argue that the export agenda of Japanese animation distributors is based on the erasure of Japanese racial characteristics and life-style to allow for easier localisation of animation and comics such as Astro Boy, Poke-Mon and Dragonball Z (Iwabuchi, 1998). I compare these producer-dominated ‘erased’ manga with the ‘redrawn’ manga of fan artists throughout Australia. I focus on the work of a number of manga fan-artists based in Sydney whose work appears in fan-zines, online, and on more unusual surfaces such as car-body art work.

Bio: Craig Norris is a PhD candidate at the University of Western Sydney. His research interests include cultural globalisation, audience-studies, and Asian/Australian popular culture flows.

Jeremy Allen-OZ.COM: Australian Comic Creators and the Web

Abstract: Over the last seven years the web has emerged as a focal point for comicsculture. It is a place for fans to connect, for the purchase of latest titles and back issues, for comic news to be broadcast, for upcoming comics to be ‘spoiled’, and for established comic companies to advertise. Significantly, it has also given a mass media voice to aspiring comiccreators. In this respect, the web has become a gallery of online comics to be appreciated by potentially millions of people across the world. It is through this new method of distribution and new form of comics that the Internet has perhaps had its most revolutionary impact on comics, by producing a true alternative to the ‘offline’ comics industry.

Bio: Jeremy Allen is currently researching his Ph.D. on Online Comics on an Australian Postgraduate Award Scholarship in the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building at the University of Technology, Sydney.

Zeldz Magnoonis-The sequential art of the skateboard sequence

Abstract: Skateboarding is an activity full of dynamic action and motion. Inevitably, attempts to capture this phenomenon require communication of this movement. Representing movement in print has obvious limitations and the most obvious solution is that of the photographic sequence. In this paper, it will be argued that these sequences can be read much like a comic strip. It will be demonstrated that they not only share characteristics of comic strips, but have developed alternative processes that could be of use to the comic creator.

Bio: After falling into the cauldron of magic comics as a baby, monsieur Magnoonis has been addicted to the medium ever since, currently studying visual communication and creating the mini comic Pepe’s Quest.

Kurt Brereton-From Paper to Pixels: Animating Drawings and Paintings

Abstract: Many artists and new animators work with desktop Mac and PCs at home or in schools and colleges. Great ideas can be well expressed using alternative approaches without resorting to high tech wiz bang special effects. New media and interactive multimedia technical restrictions have forced alternative animators to think big and work small. This talk will focus on practical and conceptual issues at play in working in multimedia.

Bio: Kurt Brereton is Adjunct Professor in Computer Based Art & Design at the University of the Sunshine Coast and the University of Technology, Sydney, Managing Director of Spark Interactive and an internationally represented visual artist, photographer and film maker.

Spiros Tsaousis- The Spatial Logic of Krazy Kat

Abstract: Modernist spatiality evidenced two strains – one orderly, mechanistic, logical and gridbased; the other fluid, dynamic, a transvaluation. However the rational and orderly exhibits the symptoms of anxiety, containing within its formulation the seeds of its unconscious propensity toward disorder and fluidity. Broadly tracing the spatial development of the comic strip from, say, Hogan’s Alley to Little Nemo to Krazy Kat evidences the movement of the medium between the two poles. In this paper I assert that the ‘logic’ of Krazy Kat is made coherent, legible and thematically consistent with appeal to its representation of space and place; and that its spatial presentation – its design and rearrangement of the comics page – is a significant departure from the relatively uniform and stable arrangements of comic strips such as Hogan’s Alley and Little Nemo.

Bio: Spiros Tsaousis has recently completed his thesis, “Disturbance of Distance: Postmodern Spatiality and the Comic Strip, Comic Book and Graphic Novel”. He has presented and published a number of papers on comics.

Adam Possamai-The Social Construction of Comic Books as a (Non) Recognised Form of Art in Australia

Abstract: Even if since the 1990s there is an emergent community of comic book artists, Comic Books in Australia appear to be negatively stigmatised as immature literature in everyday life and in academic spheres. Even if comics started in newspapers as a way to attract working class adults to buy newspapers, and later became a literature form aimed at young readers, this medium has reached its Lettres de Noblesses and has been recognised as an art form since the 1970s in Europe, Japan, and the USA, but NOT – as it appears – in Australia. The aim of this paper is to describe the social construction of comic books as an immature literature in Australia since WW II.

Bio: Adam Possamai lectures in sociology at the University of Western Sydney. His doctoral thesis won the Jean Martin Award for the best PhD in Sociology submitted in Australia during 1998-9.

Note: Jeremy Allen is now known as Jeremy Kerr and Spiros Tsaousis is now Spiros Xenos.

Well this post came up a bit sooner than I preferred but I had to report on the event asap. Whether you attended this event or have just read this blog post I would love to hear your impressions of either. Please post. It is the seventh in a series of posts called Archives of Australian Comics History that document moments in the recent history of Australian comics, particularly alternative comics and the Australian Small Press. I started researching this subject in the late 1990s and it eventually led to my PhD thesis: Ph.D. Macquarie University, Division of Society, Culture, Media and Philosophy, A Study Of Contemporary Australian Alternative Comics 1992-2000 With Particular Reference To The Work Of Naylor, Smith, Danko And Ord, 2003. On completion of the research I donated the materials and comics I had collected to the National Library of Australia: Michael Hill Collection of Australian Comics.

GIGANTOR V GOJIRA: Iconic Kitchen Art Installation

Art, Comics, Film, Japanning April 1, 2012

I now have two three dimensional sculptures of Gigantor and Gojira on the kitchen walls of our home: Gigantor the giant, remote controlled, peace-keeping robot, based on the manga Tetsujin 28-go (Iron man No.28) by Mitsuteru Yokoyama and adapted for animation, plus Gojira (Godzilla) star of the famous Japanese movie directed by Ishirō Honda. These plaques are the work of model maker, artist and comics creator Lewis P. Morley and were exhibited just last month at a gallery in Redfern, Sydney. Once installed, Lewis agreed to perform their christening.

Gigantor installed …above the stove in the kitchen. (Photograph and ceramic tile design by Louise Graber)

I have always thought that Gigantor’s body resembled a pot-bellied stove so I decided that it was appropriate he be positioned above the stove. His clunky design with rivets and pistons, prior to those more elegant mobile suit robots, such as Gundam that succeeded him, have some resonance with the metal stove and the various pots and pans on the shelves.

Gojira installed on the Japanese graduated toned wall. (Photograph by Louise Graber)

The whale eating Gojira, on the other hand, coming from the depths of the ocean and memorably seen in the 1954 Godzilla movie wading through Tokyo Bay, had to go over the kitchen sink.

Lewis and his magic silver signing pen signing Gojira. (Photograph by Louise Graber)

Christening Gigantor in steampunk style with steam from a boiling kettle. (Photograph and ceramic tile design by Louise Graber)

Christening Gojira with water from a metal jug. (Photograph by Louise Graber)

It was very kind of Lewis to come over, appropriately dressed in his Gundam T-shirt and perform this ritual. He now has visiting rights. This post was first published on the Doctor Comictopus blog.

UPDATE: GODZILLA GETS RESIDENCY CERTIFICATE IN TOKYO, June 2015

News photo: Godzilla officially welcomed to Shinjuku by the Mayor.

Well that’s 40 days since my last post…that preferred publishing frequency rate is getting more like it. Feel free to post about my blogging, comics art history and creative projects. I shall reply. Doc.

UPDATE: POSTER DESIGNS FOR THE NEW SHIN GODZILLA FILM, April 2017

BLOTTING PAPER The Comic: Production Report No.6

Archive of Australian Alternative Comics, Art, Blotting Paper, Comics, Japanning February 20, 2012

Returning to the shorter interval between posts again but for a good reason on this occasion. My artist book/comic Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics was launched …at Hondarake Full of Books in Sydney in February, 2012. It was accompanied by an exhibition of my handmade art postcards and the printmaking tools used in their production. Having gained a reputation for researching comics art there I was attempting to create it. I was proud of my comic, its launch and the attendance of my friends and supporters.

_{My anime fish prints hanging overhead. (Photo by Sal Jones)}

_{Zeera the Space Pirate creator Naomi Hatchman. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

_{Australian comics legends Glenn Smith and Gerard Ashworth. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

_{JMC Director of Animation Sean Callinan and Peregrine Besset creator Lewis P. Morley. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

_{It Lives! CEO’s Nick and Liz. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

_{HONDARAKE Store’s fabulous owners Hisae and Tomoko. (Photo by Louise Graber)}

_{Dr. Michael Hill (a.k.a. Doctor Comics) in foreground enjoying Dr. Gene Kannenberg, Jr. (onscreen) who launched my comic and entertained with his witty matching of comics and beverages…in a live cross from New York. (Photo by Andrew Hawkins)}

The book was launched by my colleague Gene Kannenberg, Jr. via Skype from the U.S.A. Noted comics historian, Kannenberg is director of ComicsResearch.org. former Chair of the International Comic Arts Festival…and the Comic Art & Comics Area of the Popular Culture Association…and author of 500 Essential Graphic Novels. He made a humorous speech and participated in a game of pairing comics with beer. What a great game! His matching including the work of creators Will Eisner, Lynda Barry, Hergé, Jack Kirby and Joost Swarte. Gene got a big response when he suggested black coffee with Steve Ditko…and Duff beer with Matt Groening, and an even bigger response when he brought his cat, Mr. Pickles, onscreen. Thank you Gene for the live TV launch! Thanks to my agent Andrew Hawkins for organising the event and store owners Hisae and Tomoko for hosting! Were you there? Send me your feedback, either about being at the launch or from reading this blog post. I would love to hear.

^{The limited edition numbered and signed book comes with an original print on the front cover (see photo above)…a numbered bookmark and printed bag (see photo of package below).}

Gene's copy. — _{Gene Kannenberg, Jr’s copy with his suggested matching drink, Ommegang Abbey Ale.}

BPSaleCard-1R — _{The complete package on sale.}

BPExhibition#1 — _{The 33 hand made and printed art postcards. (Original prints-© 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Michael Hill)}

_{Hairstyles, postcards and masks about with Richard Black and Louise Graber amused in the aisle_. (Photo by Harrison Hill)}

Both the art book/comic and the postcards involved printmaking as an image-making technique. I employed the Japanese technique of woodblock printmaking in my first animation film around 20 years ago. I have continued to use Japanese influenced printmaking techniques ever since. I have been involved in the scholarly and research aspects of visual communication, more so than in production. This artist’s book and the accompanying exhibition marks a more focused return to the ‘making’ of images and visual projects.

_{Copies of the first issue of my artist book/comic…Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics…are available exclusively from the launch venue till 31 May. Hondarake Full of Books, Level 1, 465 Kent Street Sydney. Phone: 02 9261 5225 Online: http://fullofbooks.com.au The store also stocks a selection of my handmade art postcards…each an original monoprint…signed and stamped by the artist(see displays in photos above). (All text and artwork-©2012 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics).}

BLOTTING PAPER The Comic: Production Report No.5

Art, Blotting Paper, Comics, Japanning February 4, 2012

Good news for me! The first issue of my comic Blotting Paper: The Recollected Graphical Impressions Of Doctor Comics is to be published…in a signed, limited edition. Scheduled for 11 February 2012 at HONDARAKE Full of Books in Sydney (details in the poster below). The comic will be launched by my friend and colleague Gene Kannenberg, Jr. via a Skype link from the U.S.A. Kannenberg, a noted comics historian, is the director of ComicsResearch.org. He is former Chair of the International Comic Arts Festival…and the Comic Art & Comics Area of the Popular Culture Association…and he has written widely on comics art including the book “500 Essential Graphic Novels.”

_{Poster designed by Louise Graber incorporating original print by Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics.}

The launch will be accompanied by an exhibition of 33 of my handmade art postcards. These have been produced following the sosaku hanga ‘creative print’ style. This method originated in a movement that emerged just over a century ago in Tokyo. Creative prints became the voice of a group of artists who went under the name Pan. They met for sake parties by the Sumida River. It was the centre of the Floating World of old Edo and site of the classic Ukiyo-e print movement. James Michener wrote: “…in contrast to the classical system in which the artist merely designed the print, leaving the carving of the blocks to one technician and the printing to another, the newer print artists preached that the artist himself must do the designing, carving and printing. A new term was devised to describe such a print-sosaku hanga, meaning “creative print.” ” (Michener, 1968: The Modern Japanese Print p.11). I follow this method in my printmaking.

_{One of my art postcards in the associated exhibition–© 2010 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics.}

_{Another of my art postcards…no two cards the same…similar but different!–© 2010 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics.}

_{An art postcard from my Abstract No.11 series-© 2007} _{An early effort in my series of making art postcards.}

_{(Pen and ink drawing and collage-© 2011 Dr. Michael Hill a.k.a. Doctor Comics)}

_{Above is a collage of 4 separate pen and ink/felt-tipped pen drawings. These separate drawings have been collaged together: (1) Sydney Harbour Bridge. (2) rear view of Doctor Comics walking (3) hand holding bag (4) hand inserting key in door. These drawings will be included in the first issue of the comic. The drawings are from different pages in the comic but have been brought together in this collage…and have been overlaid in the same graphic space. This grouping forms a visual sign or motif for promotion of the comic. I would love to read feedback on this and my other posts.}