Instantaneous

I'll be there yelling "Panel Pops" and denying the two pieces with my name on them are actually mine.

Aussie Support acts

Lets get the fact that I went to see Beyonce on Tuesday night out of the way (It was fun, though the precise theatrical nature and lack of spontaniety of the show means the spark that seprates good from great is missing).

I was always under the impression that international acts touring Australia had to have a local act support them. This wasn't the case of Beyonce; someone by the name of Chris Brown was the support, an artist who produces shrieking girls and ringtones (accompanied by probably the worst dj I've ever heard).

I do remember Massive Attack got into some sort of trouble because their local support act was relegated to play in the foyer. Has something changed? Support acts is a great way of building an audience - I've become fans of Jens Lekman and the Mocking Birds (ironically neither of them local) because of their support act status.

If something has changed, its a sad thing for local musicians.

Free Comic Book Day

Free Comic Book Day is happening on May 5th and every year i kick myself because i want to put together a promotional freebie but things always get away from me.

So this year and inconjunction with the publication of Sureshot Presents Best of OzComics, I'm thinking of asking retailers with old issues of OzComics Magazine to give them away. so they don't lose any money from the sales I'll send them replayment copies of the new Sureshot Presents for each copy given away.

Does this seem like a good idea to people?

It always irks me slightly, when i see those big A4 magazine issues taking up space on the shelf distracting from other books. So it would clear some space.
But is the magazine a good give away? They are at the least 18 months old, at the most 3 years - dated in any case. Would this bug someone who picked them up?

I'm not really concerned with the lose of sending out the new SSP for free (i did make money from selling the ozcomic mag in the first place) and I trust retailers to do the right thing.

but if anyone can poke holes into the idea that would be appreciated

(cross posted with a post at Pulp Faction)

New comic shop in Adelaide

I only discovered that Tony from Adelaide Comic Centre had sold his shop to some new owners. I have no idea who they are - rumours i've heard

• South Africans
• a couple of Tony's largest customers

not that it matters.

i checked out the new store and its moved from the dingy John Martin Plaza to a perferct nerd storm vertex next to a Trading Card shop, across from a Movie Madness Memorobilia Store and Gamequest store. Of course this adds a bit of competition to the stores book/poster/card/gimmick sales but this sort of grouping of similar stores tends to increase customer window shopping because it becomes destination shopping. (two furniture stores next door to each other in a small town creates more sales if there were just one or if they were in opposite sides of town).

Anyway, the store itself seems a lot bigger and there is a lack of a fine layer of dust that seems required in a comic shop but it is early days yet. What did piss me off is the "bags by front counter" which i ignore because it simply shits me. I went to find a new issue Birds of Prey and a back issue of Starman #2 or the Kyle Baker Shadow. I couldn't even find the "S" section. Why can't the simple use of the alphabet and dividers be employed? Why can't the backissues of a particular title be ordered by issue number? Simple shit like that is so easy but I can understand chatting about which way Superman's spitcurl should loop is important.

The shop had been there for 2 months and shit was still splayed out everywhere. Sigh.

The Australian comics were in one row alng the bottom in the middle of the shop, still the same issues of Easy Cliches (which i should buy sometime) - the newest books waspleton Experiments #5 (it could have been #6 but i was dazzled by too much stuff). I didn't see to much manga but i wasn't looking that hard.

The store is slightly better than when Tony ran it, which is not that hard.

Snova - the ugly

The smackie bitch that fucking wacked me on the back of the head for no reason other than she was a smackie bitch.

Ok here's a rant

I've always been pretty tolerant with Supanova. Expensive tables, no problem I'll share. Guests who are rarely that exciting - i'll just have to work harder. Poor locations - luck of the draw. lack of comic programming - that's cool commercial realities and all. i understand that the con is meant to make a small group of people money, no one wants to lose money. When products were banned from sale, i shrugged my shoulders and thought "oh well, that's reality", when i had to spend ages trying to get any sense out of a volunteer on where my artist alley table was supposed to be i thought "oh well, you pay peanuts", when an organiser chastised a fellow creator for at least 10 minutes because of he needed to point out his intolerance and thereby hampering her making sales I thought "well his opinion is his perogative". When i had to listen to 2 hours of fire sirens because someone other than me fucked up and all i got was a bottle of coke as recompense even though i lost at least a dozen of sales i thought "shit happens". When moderators on the Suapnova forum chastised anonymous posters, i thought "that's ironic".
And I have to say that in the past Supanova has been supportive of the 24 hour challenge where 2 winners have taken up free artist alley tables. And I'm grateful that they chose to be part of it.
But, BUT, friends this last weekend was the last straw. Probably the first time that organisers actions have directly impacted my sales.
Selling Australian comics is hard, at the end of each day my voice is wrecked from talking. unlike most everything else at supanova, people need to be convinced to buy australian comics. especially when there are $30 pieces of plastic shaped like cartoon characters to be had or $600 lightsabers. I have about 4-6 different techniques i use to close sales, i'd like to think i'm a pretty good seller but its all talking.
So when they started fucking having people yell into microphones for minutes at a time, having to listen to endless iterations of "For the glory" and "more than meets the eye" and other slogans they interrupted my sales pitch. They lost me sales. And for what? Ambience? every one fucking winced and stared daggers at their closest loud speaker. Promotion of 300 and Transformers - well i'm glad i downloaded 300 and will do so for Transformers because i;'d rather not have my ticket money go to some moron marketing company who thought having people yell over a loud speaker is promotional. The whole exercise was for nothing, the only thing it achieved was to make it even harder for me to sell the work of really great creators. And there is one thing i hate is people that make my life harder, it royally pisses me off and in response i think they can go suck my fucking shit dry.

Photos of me=ugly

Snova - the bad

The asshole who had to read The Age next to me on the plane.

Getting almost no sleep; i'm an awful sleeper when i've drunk beer, especially outside of my own bed. I think i slept about 12 hours over 3 nights. Means I was not my usual self.

I put on 3kgs while i was away.

I didn't realise that towels weren't supplied by the hostel until 2 in the morning and i was drunk and really yucky.
Having to sleep in that state=bad.

The coffee at Gloria Jeans

Paul Abstruses facial hair configuartion.

Practice Cactuses facial hair configuration.

Sales of Sureshot Presents were pretty meh
SSP1 x 10
SSp2 x 12
SSp3 x 18
SSp4 x 15
Sales have been falling every year and are now pretty much on par with Doujicon. I dunno if its the positioning of the table in Artist Alley, the lack of comic guests, or the product itself. There were probably the most comic shops/back issue sellers at a supanova I've seen for awhile (still can't find Starman #2!) but I'm not sure how they all went. I'd like to hear how other artist alleyers did over the weekend.

Getting too drunk and telling Avi what i think of his work on oztaku in less than flattering terms.

Having to listen to the same speil from the Animavericks for 16 hours which i know off by heart "hey do you like anime? Animavericks is the first offical anime and j-culture magazine is australia. We get all our information from japan. blah blah blah"

The incredibly lackluster announcements spruiking Artist Alley. Instead of something to the point like "Support original ideas and visit artist alley" or "Sick of supporting corporations only interested in exploiting your wallet? Try artist alley" or "be cutting edge, don't be a follower, try something new in artist alley" we had to listen to "Hey, this is an announcement announcing that there are comics and things being sold in artist alley on the edge of the floor, these creators could be the next David Yardin and Stewart Mckenny and Alex Maleev so you might get to buy from the next comic superstar blah blah blah". I am paraphrasing, but the general point was that it was long-winded and pointless - no one listens to those things unless it starts with "Blah Blah is discounting" or "So and So is now speaking..."

Paying $7 for a copy of the Tom B's Dicks series only to discover that its only 17 pages long.

Being solicted by a prostitute, I don't look that much like a loser.

Having Practice Cactus continually refer to me as being gay and then trying to woo me by giving me a copy "Adventures of Leatherboy" as some sort invitation to start a relationship. I hate breaking hearts, but I'm sorry Steve.

Snova - The good

Last weekend was the Brisbane Supanova and i along with EvilDan, Jing, Washii and and the weirdly named Owen Heitmann travelled from Adelaide up to Brisbane. We were joined by Steve Martinez aka Stan Martino aka Practice Cactus aka the creepy guy with the camera.

This is what I enjoyed
Meeting up and relaxing with cool creators, esepcially the Howards, FingerBang Andy and Cool Hand Weber. Plus the very cool Will Kelly and Brett Weekes invigorating the brisbane scene (that's what people told me they were doing), Fitts and Team Azerath. Friday and Sunday were alot of fun, saturday night at RG was okay too.

$9 jugs of beer is always good.

$6.50 steaks that tasted awesome=good. Plus having a chinese duck dish that didn't suck=good. Chairman Mao taste in pork=good.

Watching EvilDan take photos of his genitals with Practice Cactus' misplaced camera=gold.

It's all pretty hazy but if anyone wants to add stories in the comments go for it, or even record a skype call to pulpfactory and we can use it for the next podcast. i have one involving one ex-girlfreinds and aliases.

Good books
Guh: Book 1 and Book 2 - i think this is the standard now for strip collection/art books. The best thing i've read all year.
Wrong - Jing's new book
but i am slightly burnt out on comics at the moment but i will revisit the books i bought later.

"Comics - is English for manga" (though my new phrase is "Comics - like manga but you read it backwards").

In the first annual publisher pinball deathmatch Sureshot Presents beat Phosphorescent Comics 7,800,000 to a combined score (both Ben and Karen's scores) of 2,800,000. you are in my sites Wolfgang! and i'm not forgetting you Cunning!

I'm not sure if its a good thing but at a set of traffic lights i had reason to say "that's the way we roll" (ironically said of course) and a pretty girl turned around and laughed 'with' me, it could have been 'at' me.

Being remembered by Alex Maleev, who i drank with 2 years ago.

Selling out of Matt Huynh's Cab and Daniel Reed's Crumpleton's Experiments.

My talking Napoleon Dynamite and Emma's new hand painted Girlie Pain's coin purse.

4 new sketches in my sketch book

having a whole row to myself on the flight back

having the chance to go back to Brisbane to do talks on Australian comics as part of some writers festival (unlikely tho)

Sureshot Presents Best of OzComics Magazine

Straight off the printer's press and scanned in just fo' yo, fo sho.

The new issue feature interviews and features about the history of Australian Comics and self-publishing.


The new 'kung fu' cover. NEW! And Limited!

Plus Mandy just had another 200 copies of Ordinary Eyeball printed (the first print run of 300 barely lasted 9 months).

Good times!

Brisbane - Emergency

Peter one of the people from team Radelaide has pulled out at the last minute, if anyone wants to go to Supanova THIS weekend, let me know.

Or if you want accomadation (bunking with us at Bunk) or a spot with me on Artist Alley

Australian Comics Podcast Online

The Australian Comics Podcast Online is up, with my dolcet tones, Maggie's twang and Komala bluetooth chirp. We mainly talk Supanova and the scene in general.

Its good (and 22mb) and if you want to ask a question or need relationship advice, drop Maggie an email and we'll address it on the show.

Artist Alley - Brisbane Supanova 2007

Run down on who's there

David Russell's Enchanters - storyboarder/illustrator has released a book. Looks nice.

Shiny Verse - at first i thought this was some sort of Firefly fan club, its actually a webcomic, that doesn't look to0 bad.

Guh! Comics - Jase Harper is a great cartoonist and hopefully his Guh! book will have his autobiographical funny stuff, and even if it doesn't it will still be good.

Oztaku - do yourself a favour and get Michael Li's "9V" and "Last time I fetched water", beautiful beautiful stuff.

Snowbunny Luv - she might be selling a book or art

Brisbane Anime Society - i'm guessing its the Anime Society of Brisbane

Local Act Comics - get Ma B, get Vigil. just get there and get!

Novus Ordo - Star Wars costumers

Sureshot Presents - that ME, I'll have the first four issues of SureShot Presents, including the new "Best of OzComics Magazine" PLUS Daniel Reeds Crumpleton's Experiments AND MATT HUYNH'S CAB. I would buy it all, but that's just me.

Team Radelaide/Fistfull of Comics - my comrades from Adelaide - Sarah Milne, Dan McGuiness and Owen Heitman, with special appearance by Erin McGregor. Its all good stuff. But if i had to choose I'd get Basic Wage Kids 1-3, Pretty Zombies 1 and 2, The Angry Comic Shop Guy 1-4 (you can even have them signed by Peter, the star of Angry Comic Shop Guy), 5031 1-4, Fistfull of Comics 1-6 and How to Save the World.

Animavericks - Monash Anime Society who have their own magazine, it seems.

Edge Comixs - According to this, Edge Comix are the people behind old-skool alt-comix Groovy Gravy and The Protectorate.

Cult Fiction Comics Australia - Comics on CD-Roms, plus some print based stuff.

Shifting Time - A web comic, which is kind of funny in a funny space comedy kind of way

Dan Green - a voice actor from an anime cartoon

Blue Scar Productions - I have no idea

David Yardin - Artist working with Marvel on various x-men, storm and black panther books.

Stewart McKenny - Another really great artist, who's worked with Phosphorescent Comics, Dark Horse and Marvel.

Golgotha Graphics - Jules Faber, pick up "What happens when I die" and hopefully his recently completed Golgatha #2. OR I CAN BE COMPLETELY WRONG ANDTHIS COULD BE MATT G's "SURFING THE DEADLINE" which is also good.

501st Legion - grown men and women who dress up like fictional fascists from a movie that came out about the same time as Bad News Bears and Bugsy Malone. I'll be dressed like a Walter Matthau's character from Bad News Bears.

Cassi Walker and Friends- no idea who Cassi is but she won't be lonely, she'll have her friends

Trick Monkey and Aure Demon - Komala says they are good, and since she has better taste than me so, they must be good.

Queensland Star Trekkers Fan Club - oh my god they're only two table spaces away from the 501st Legion, i hope there isn't a rumble. Seriously, then their mum's will have to do all the sewing fixing their little costumes.

Dark Redemption - Fans who serviced someone else's trademark for the, i dunno, the good of humanity. And they are right next to the Star Trek people, blood will be spilt my friends.

Storm Publishing - the people behind the long running Jaegar and Mission.

Siberian Publishing - Every year i recommend the same book and every year i get the title wrong, so in that vein I suggest you get the book with the "killing howling doggies", ask for it by name. Get Billy as well.

Kriss Hades - this MIGHT be the axe man in a death Metal band, if so err WHAT?

Big Time Comics Revue - Will Kelly's comics are usually really good, i like the Rvaen stuff. - I think LF Weber will be sharing a table with Will selling his Crab Allan graphic novel and the new version of Sureshot Presents Crab Allan: Gothic Boogaloo. Big Time is also an anthology with ALL the great brisbane creatots in it.

PHATSVILLE - just buy it all, because its funny

Plump Oyster Comics - if you like bizzare comix, that feel organic and creepy then buy these. Otherwise if you like sweet romantic comics get Mel Stringers stuff in Girlie Pains.

Wink Death - I can only guess (apparently some sort of card game)

ANd OUTSIDE Artist Alley, Phosphorescent Comics, publishers of Azerath and Witch King, which are good comics.

(and if anyone can fill those holes, let me know)

Australian Comics Podcast

Just finished recording the Pulp Faction Australian Comics Podcast, with Maggie, Komala , myself and a very late Troy.

It was fun and hopefully educational.

my eye on the goldchain

I've fractured collarbones and ribs, been knocked out, sprained ankles, impaled my leg on a cementary fence (well it went in about an inch), had my fingers crushed, had about 9 stictches on various cuts on my hands but the very worse injury is getting a tiny nick in your eyeball. The first time this happened to me was in San Francisco about 14 years ago, i hadn't released what had happened and thought i was allegic to the cat i was sharing a floor with - my eye just wept and wept, my nose just ran and ran, just miserable.

On friday i was chopping wood (the last of it - about 1.5 tonnes) when i bent down to get a log a shrub jumped over and poked me in the eye. 3 days, a doctors visit, an eye full of orange dye, 12 drops of antibiotics, 10 hours of sleep (over 2 nights) i can finally keep it open and function.

wear safety glasses people

Good Friday for Launches

For people in Sydney
Matt "Stikman" Huynh is launching his opus dedicated to his home town Cabramatta.

Cab: Collaborative Auto-Biography
5th April (6.30pm – 8.30pm)

blank_space
374 Crown St
Surry Hills 2010

Matt's work is gorgeous and sophisticated and a pleasure to behold.

More details on CAB and Matt

Enjoy the Wine

For those in Melbourne

Conceived on a Train: A book of cartoons, Illustrations and graphic stories done in Melbourne
is launching on

April 5th, 6pm

at
Trades Hall Bar
Carlton

it features Mandy Ord (Dirty Little Creep, Sensitive Creatures, Sureshot Presents Ordinary Eyebal) and Anthony Woodward (7 Page Digest). It will be hosted by Shaun Micallef (who is quite funny).

more details

For those in Adelaide
Panels and Gutters is taking place at the
Grace Emily
Waymouth St
Adelaide

On saturday the 6th from about 2 onwards, this monthly get together of comic artists and fan is sponsored by Pulp Fiction Comics. (i most likely won't be there the first time i've missed it in years).

For those in Brisbane
Please prepare the Fortitude Valley for me and my compatriots' pleasure for the weekend of April 13-16. We will be there for Supanova but more importantly carousing.

For those in Perth and Hobart
Go rent a dvd there's rarely anything good on the telly.

TV Comedy

Been watching two shows beamed into my computer by random.

Sarah Silverman Program - I think Silverman first got into my consciousness when i spotted her in Something About Mary - she was sexy. She seemed to be on the periphery, but I understand why, her show is probably the most cleverest sitcom for awhile. Great storylines, interesting gags but the problem is that its not funny. "Jesus is magic" barely made me smirk and 6 episodes of her show made me laugh twice; one joke involving Black God and the other about OCD and anal sex.

The White Rapper Show - is hilarious. Hosted by MC Serch who used to be in 3rd Base a group i really liked back in the day. Now he looks like he's a Courier Van driver, overweight with the wackest goatee ever. Prince Paul also makes many an appearence looking very bored - what happened to the most innovative producer in hip hop? Sigh. But its funny, making fun of all the cliches intentionally or not. None of the MC are that great, and the guy who wins the prize doesn't deserve it but they were never going to go anywhere anyway. Hollaback, aight!

Australian Comics - Reference site

An interesting resource about comics published in the mid 80s to mid 90s, with some commentary about print runs and success (or failures).


http://home.vicnet.net.au/~megazeen/content.html

Instantaneous - Art Exhibition

Pulp Fiction Comics in Adelaide is curating an Art Exhibition to be held at the Grace Emily Hotel.
(Originally it was going to be called "Panel Pops" but that got vetoed by naysayers. NAYSAYERS!)

But in any case, INSTANTANEOUS will be a collection of single comic panels made by local artists. The show will open 1st of May and run for the month.

if you an artist and are interested go to the INSTANTANEOUS page.

I'll be attempting a piece, so yours won't be the worst.