Showing posts with label dylan horrocks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dylan horrocks. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Paper Trail


My last two months have been ultra mega busy and thus my paper trail links have piled up to oblivion. To get back on the horse I'll post a few mini Paper Trails this week. Maybe I'll even post that SPX report that I should have done last month...

Latest additions to the Pikitia Press Store,  Mat Tait's Love Stories and David C Mahler's Deep Park are still searingly hot from their SPX debut's and make great Christmas presents!



Extra Ordinary recently their posted 300th strip.


Panels from Simon Hanselmann's forthcoming Life Zone from Spaceface Books. Preorder now.






Early place holder cover preview for Simon's Fantagraphics book  MEGAHEX.


Bernard Caleo documents Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly's visit to Melbourne's Squishface Studios.


Teaser trailer for Karl Wills' Connie Radar short film adaption Over The Moon.



David Mahler writes about Evie Cahir.


Andrew Nette's Pinterest of Australian pulp novels. Love all the beautiful painted Horwitz covers.

 
Gerald Carr offers an in depth look at the case for Australian cartoonist/animator Pat Sullivan as the creator of Felix the Cat.


Jason Chatfield writes about South Australian State Labor Minister Chloe Fox's  legal threat against The Adelaide Advertiser for publishing a cartoon and a story that she claims caused “distress, stress and damage to her personal reputation”.


Support your local comic shop so they can keep running their underground bare knuckle fight clubs.


Bobby N shares a page from the second volume of The Sixsmiths, a forthcoming collaboration with Jason Franks.

Campbell Whyte wrote an impassioned plea to whoever stole his families luggage in San Francisco.


I love Blakes 7.


After nine years PulpFaction administrator Maggie McFee will be retiring the Australian comics Pulpfaction message boards in the next few days. PulpFaction was notable for many things including hosting yearly 24 hour comic competitions and I believe introducing Tom Taylor to his frequent collaborator Colin Wilson.

"It's with a heavy heart, but a heart full of good memories, that I announce the closing of Pulp Faction and the forums. The forums will be put into read-only mode in the next couple of days, so please log in and say any goodbyes while you can. The forums will remain online in a read-only state for at least the next 12 months. †"


Roger Langridge suggests 10 rules for drawing comics.


Dylan Horrocks has been posting pages every few days lately from his serial Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen.


The Norman Lindsay Gallery and Museum is one of the archival institutions currently threatened by bush fires in Australian. Australian has sadly been stricken by many natural disasters in the last several years with lives and property and likely many works of art being lost. I recall an ebay auction for an original R. Wilson McCoy Phantom daily strip being sold to raise funds for flood relief.

 Norman Lindsay

A new television series of popular New Zealand comic character Terry Teo has been funded by NZ on Air.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

NZ Comics, Cartoons + Art Sunday Gallery

In an effort to keep up while I'm traveling and in deadline hell over the next couple months expect some image heavy posts.

A couple Dylan Horrocks book covers for Victoria University Press. (Via Dylan's FB)



Roy Hunt depicts a NZ Christmas from The New Zealand Freelance Christmas Annual 1919. (Via Papers Past)


Roger Langridge draws Usagi & Fred for the Baltimore Comic Con fundraiser auction. (via Hotel Fred)



Colin Wilson Dredd/Rogue Trooper commission.




Picturesque Fairlie illustrations from Korero magazine May 8th, 1944 artist unknown.







Series of three John Kent illustrations of Margaret Thatcher and John Bull for BBC Newsnight. (Via The Political Cartoon Society)








Ben Stenbeck pencil drawing from 2003 (Via Monsters and Stuff)



Preview of Tim Molloy's limited edition mini The Origins Of The Sect Of The Bleeding Eye available at Tim's Strange Pageant exhibition.

Crime serial Stephen Clark from by Harry Bennett from The new Supreme Feature Comics #2 circa late '40s.



James Davidson previews pages from Moa #4 (via Moa Blog)




Monday, June 3, 2013

Al Nisbet Cartoon Controversy

 


The above cartoons by Al Nisbet published in the Marlborough Express and The Press have caused a furor in New Zealand over Nisbet's depictions of poverty and Polynesians in relation to the New Zealand government's food in schools programme. I've read several interpretations of the cartoons above and the wider view has been that Nisbet's depiction of overweight polynesian figures exploiting a government programme is an offensive stereotype.

Nisbet has spoken in his defence,

"Obviously the cartoon worked. It got reaction. You've got to push the envelope, otherwise you have namby-pamby PC cartoons. I do not apologise, because, to me, cartoons are meant to provoke reaction


Al Nisbet discussed his cartoons with John Tamihere and Willie Jackson on their radio show.
 
There have been calls to change racism laws after Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy made a statement that while she found the cartoons offensive and appalling but they were not deemed racist under the definition by law.

"It does not reach the levels of racism within the inquiries and complaints process within the commission."


(video here.)

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has commented prior to viewing the cartoons,

"By the description I was given it certainly could be offensive to people. I'm often the source of the humour in them, if you like, and I try and take it all with a grain of salt because cartoonists are notorious for taking a mile out of an inch."

Tom Scott commented critically on Nisbet's work to Radio NZ,

"Personally, 'cos I'm a virtuous, Ghandi, Nelson Mandela type person I don't tend to mock the more helpless people in our society. But he's allowed to, he's hired as a cartoonist to have a point of view. I wouldn't have drawn it, I don't think it's particularly funny, but he's entitled to do that sort of thing."

(Listen To Tom Scott on Radio Live here.)

Dylan Horrocks' statement of Nisbet's cartoons,

"A tendency to rely on crass (& racist) stereotyping is built into the history and conventions of political cartooning, whether the cartoonist is conservative, liberal, or whatever. The best political cartoonists are aware of that and deal with it critically & thoughtfully. Whereas lazy (or nasty) cartoonists revel in stereotypes without self-awareness or ethics & then say "lighten up, it's a joke."

Read further statements from Scott and Horrocks here.

Sean Plunket speaks to the Scott Mason, editor of the Marlborough Press on Radio Live.

3 News has commentary from Dame Susan Devoy, the Mana Party, the Green Party and Nisbet's editor at the Marlborough Express, Steve Mason.

Colin Espiner asks the question, "Should cartoonists be allowed to offend people?"

"Funny how I never heard such a hue and cry over Bro'Town, with its cringing sterotypes of Pacifica people. But that was written by brown people who live in Auckland, right? So it's OK. Along with all of Billy T James' back catalogue. So if Al's cartoons weren't racist, were they offensive? Certainly they were. They offended many ethnic groups, plus beneficiaries and the elderly, I would imagine, given the old geezer in the background of one of Al's efforts."

"And for the record, I don't agree with Al Nisbet on food in schools. I think the programme is a fine idea. Neither do I think many people living in poverty have a wide-screen television. But that's not the point.

Like Voltaire, I'll defend Al Nisbet's right to say what he thinks and a newspaper's right to publish it."

"Those who call for Al Nisbet or the newspapers he works for to apologise for daring to offend people need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and ask themselves what kind of world we'd have if we had a press that provided only bland, inoffensive, easily digestible fare. Or simply hop on a plane to China or Fiji and find out for themselves."

Ruth DeSouza has blogged about Nisbet's work and the broader issues of health and poverty.

"These despicable cartoons highlight the media’s role in perpetuating the myth that  responsibility for poor health (whether it’s about people who are obese, smokers or problem gamblers) is an individual and group one rather than linked with broader issues for example colonisation, economic restructuring or the devastating social consequences of state neoliberal policies."

Ric Stevens writes about the assumptions of audiences and compares Nisbet's work with other New Zealand cartoonists. One point Stevens makes that may have been missed by folk who have not read any of Nisbet's prior work,

"Having looked at hundreds of Nisbet cartoons over the past decade, I can personally vouch for the fact that he is even-handedly nasty towards everyone."

Alex Parsons' commented on the issue with a cartoon,



My Personal Take On Nisbet's Cartoons - M.Emery

I didn't find Nisbet's cartoons particularly humourous but rather more absurd. Adults dressing as kids to get free food and families financing lavish lifestyles from the savings made on Weetbix and milk all seems a bit nonsensical to me. The relevance of the older characters in the strip appeared ambiguous and the jokes/punchlines struck me as a bit sophomoric. I get the criticisms of using the under-privileged and weaker elements of society as a poor target for humour and I understand the sensitiveness of this issue. Like a lot of people cartoons I typically enjoy point out the foibles of the wealthy and powerful.

I don't however find them offensive. Growing up half-caste in New Zealand during the seventies and eighties I was unfortunate to experience racism first hand from Maori and Pakeha, often inadvertent, sometimes overtly. As I approach 40 I feel very inured to racial stereotypes and life's given me the perspective that what is happening to people in real life, is far more important than some lines on a piece of paper.

Nisbet has indicated he filed these as part of the grind of providing daily editorial cartoons without giving much thought to the reaction they would provoke. Expressing an opinion is a core part of an editorial/political cartoonists job. If it is a contentious issue that may cause pain and hurt, then they should be prepared to answer for any backlash. Using the 'right to freedom of expression' with no explanation should not be acceptable. I believe Nisbet has responded and offered multiple explanations for his work although he certainly hasn't sated his critics.

I found some of the responses to Nisbet's work disconcerting regarding censoring cartoons like his. However unpopular the reaction to his cartoons, I believe as long as no laws are being broken and his editors are satisfied with his work then they should not suffer censorship. All cartoonists in our part of the world should be able to enjoy this freedom. I'm probably the only New Zealand cartoonist that has had his house ransacked by police officers and been taken away in handcuffs with my cartoons and sketchbooks in evidence bags. At the end of that debacle I was assured, "No matter how distasteful my work was, I was breaking no laws, and I was entitled to publish it."
 
As it stands the ire and national debate raised by the publication of Nisbet's cartoons may have borne more fruit than if his commentary on this issue had been more insightful and pointed.

Thanks to my father, the various cartoonists that emailed me their opinions, and responses in the NNCC FB group. Thanks to Grant Buist for drawing my attention to Nisbet's cartoons.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Paper Trail



Tonight on the exciting sexually active Melbourne Comic scene from the facebook page for Merv Heers' Salary Man launch:

Listen up you little freaks ! Wednesday May 29th at 6pm Merv Heers will be launching ONE full size salary man comic as well as an attention seeking SEVEN mini comics ! That's right ma'am. The big kahuna. Outta sight !

Tonight at the Slient Army Storeroom 110 Franklin Street CBD, Melbourne, publishers and stockists of many fine Australian and New Zealand comics.

Salary Man comics tumblr.

Silent Army Storeroom.



If like me you were navigating planes, trains, and buses on Free Comic Book Day and missed out you can still enjoy Chugnut Comics Free Comic Book Day Comic #3 here.


Australian history comics from Michael Fikaris, Cannabis Australia.


Preview tumblr for Tim Danko's Comic Book now available for pre-order through Tim's Pozible campaign.


Leigh Riggozi talks about putting together anthology Blood and Thunder Anthology #2 showcasing some of the best comic illustration that Australia and New Zealand have to offer.


Video tour through Chromacon 2013.



Have you checked in with Dylan Horrock's Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen lately? 84 pages in, Dylan has been hitting a weekly schedule of late, a good time to catch up if you've fallen behind.


Brent Willis' Bristle anthology is back as a jumbo size annual featuring David Piper, Bryce Galloway, Ned Wenlock, Robyn Kenealy, David Tulloch, Edward Lynden-Bell, Tim Bollinger, Jerome Bihan, Robbie Neilson, Anders Gronland, Ross Payne, Matt Emery, Sarah Laing, and Lorenzo Van Der Lingen. Wellington launch is on Wednesday night (29th June) at the Bristol.




Simon Hanselmann puts the Problem Solverz into the Truth Zone.


Remember the Problem Solverz?



L S Marquez' The Tremblars.

 

2013 Zine and Indy Comic Symposium in Brisbane.


Is every cartoonist a musician as well? Stream Greg Broadmore and Christian Pearce's influential Hamilton post hardcore band Ghidrah's Invincible Deluxe here.


Haven't mentioned Oglaf in a while.


Alex Thomas interviews Tim Gibson.



Australian Cartoon Mueseum 2010 election showcase.


Gavin Aung Than pays tribute to Jeff Hanneman through the words of John Donne at Zen Pencils.


Daniel Brader and Yi Lang Chen's The Adventures of the Kite Family.


Esther interviews Hookups creator Jess Hansell.


Chris Cudby writes about behind the scenes of Hookups.

 

Anthony Woodward issues a minicomic challenge.  
   

Daniel Best's Rise and Fall of Newton Comics Pozible campaign is almost 2/5ths of the way to it's funding target. Best has recently added original art incentives from his personal collection. From Best's blog 20th Century Danny Boy:  

This was a Melbourne based company after all and has all the right ingredients for a juicy story - sex, drugs, rock and roll, comic books, crime, brothels, politics - you name it, Newton did more than dabble in it. Americans with an interest in comic book history? Well this is the FIRST full length book about an Australian publisher and, don't forget, they managed to take Marvel Comics for over $30,000 in 1975. That wasn't chump change.  Comic books were never like this before, or since.

 Take part in the campaign here.
  
(Not final cover.)

Dean Rankine visits New Zealand.
 

Karl Wills shares a couple more pics from the Connie Radar short film.  
   

Darian Zam's redbubble store of recreated kiwiana designs.
  


Amongst various paper ephemera last weekend, a satchel of original art including AFL cartoons from 1979 by Weg, priced $750-$1500.
 Weg
Ken Maynard
 
Comics of yesteryear showcase: Australian editions of GI Jane originally published in the US by Stanhall Publications. Stanhall published 11 issues of  GI Jane from May 1953 to March 1955. Jane like many comic wartime and post wartime heroines was the story of a G.I. gal who drove the soldier boys crazy, mixing humour with lashings of sexual innuendo.
  
 
Paper Trail masthead courtesy of Toby Morris.