John Joseph McNamara Sports Digest Gallery part one

New Zealand artist John McNamara provided sporting portraits and illustrations for articles featured in Sports Digest during the 1950's - 1960's. At the time he was living in England and employed as a cartoonist by Amalgamated Press as well as working on various newspaper strips, most famously Francis Durbridges' Paul Temple. On some occasions McNamara's illustrations are credited as reprinted from UK publications but I suspect he was also providing work via the mail for the New Zealand published Sports Digest which was edited by Wellington journalist Brian F. O'Brien from 1949 to 1979.

McNamara's compatriot on Fleet Street, Neville Colvin, also had spot illustrations featured in Sports Digest.

I'm convinced there are a lot of comics, cartooning and illustration work by McNamara that are now forgotten or weren't credited to him. I'd love to hear from any of his family members that might be able to provide clearer picture of his career in England.

 

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Comicpalooza 2: Chris Gooch & Brendan Halyday Interview

This weekend at Comicpalooza 2 alongsideThe Fuglies by Antoinette Rydyr and Steve Carter, System Earth 5 by Tom Garden and The Misadventures of Peter Pumpkinhead by Dale Maccanti & Tennille Owens + various, Chris Gooch launches Very Quiet, Very Still  through Melbourne publisher Optic Pop Press. I asked Chris a few questions about Very Quiet, Very Still and his comics work this year. I also asked Optic Pop Press main man Brendan Halyday a few questions about publishing Chris' work.

Comicpalooza 2 event page.

Chris Gooch tumblr.


 

Matthew Emery: You're fairly prolific with posting series of sketches on tumblr, How important is your sketchbook work in creating comics?

Chris Gooch: Apart from doing covers or title page stuff I don’t really use my sketchbook for comics much – they’re pretty separate actually. I’ve tried to use it as a break from the really coherent, literal drawings that comics often need where I can just relax and draw purely for the sake of enjoyment. It’s also the only time I use reference material (which I generally try to mostly avoid), without feeling like a scumbag.

Emery:  Portions of Very Quiet, Very Still featured in two issues of 51% from Optic Pop Press, what was behind the decision to collect these with further material in one book rather than continuing as serial releases? Hidden and Gasoline Eyedrops are both single contained narratives do you have a preference between these and serial work?

Gooch: So basically our original plan was to publish approximately 100-150 pages of comics in a serialised format and then collect it in one volume. But, once the work for the third issue was done we just decided to skip the last step and go straight to Very Quiet, Very Still.

As for single vs serial work, I’m not really sure. I don’t think I’ve had enough experience with either yet to properly decide. I certainly like buying self-contained (and preferably lengthy) comics though.

Emery: Earlier this year you took part in a mentorship program with Melbourne cartoonist Mandy Ord that resulted in the comic Gasoline Eyedrops, what were some of the things you took away from the mentorship?

Gooch: Well, one thing I really appreciated and benefited from was hearing about Mandy’s life as a cartoonist and artist, how she’d continued to make work over a 20 year career (ongoing, of course) and established a personal narrative and visual style.  I’m really grateful for the time I got to spend with Mandy for the mentorship – she had a great deal to teach and offer and help me with - too many to adequately list, describe, etc. Basically, as someone who wants to make comics, Mandy’s is an example I’d hope to follow in. Honestly, it was really, really great.

Emery: What is your favourite part of the comic making process?

Gooch: Um, not sure… Not the writing though. That’s definitely the hardest part.

Emery: How did you get involved with publishing Chris Gooch's comics?

Brendan Halyday: First let me say, this guy is unbelievably talented. 

I remember seeing his work probably three years ago at a Melbourne Comic Creators meet and thinking he was pretty advanced for his age (he was 18 or 19 at the time). I ended up helping him with the design, production and print management of his 1792 graphic novel. When i came to the point where i wanted to expand my own publishing line, Chris was at the top of my list. He showed me three stories he was sitting on, we reworked two of them and they became the two stories in 51% issue one. 

After releasing a second issue we decided to skip straight to a graphic novel collection. With 80 pages of brand new material, another 20 completely redrawn and the last 60 pages tweaked, plus chris has done an ink wash for the entire book, its like a whole new work.

Emery: In conversation you've mentioning being involved in an editorial capacity on Chris's comics and also the need for more editing in local comics in general. Have you seen any progress in this area?

Halyday: When we started working together, I edited Chris a lot more. Lately, he's improved so much, it's happened less. Chris is really good at taking constructive criticism and building it into a work. He has a really good instinct for what does and doesn't work. Everyone can benefit from an editor, but Chris's need for one has diminished in the time i have been working with him. He is more polished and less raw now than two years ago.

Generally I believe the local comics scene would benefit from a more editing. Often books look good and read poorly or vice versa. And lets face it, few, if any, creators can look at their own work with any real objectively. Usually the creator has limitations they can't seem to see, let alone get past. That's where an editor helps, its not just about fixing a work its about developing an author and their skill set. 

I haven't seen an increase in local comics being edited well though. The percentage seems the same as 2 years ago. Its hindered because Australian comics haven't a hope of the kind of profitability needed to pay creator(s) even minimum wage – let alone pay an editor on top of that. There isn't the amount of demand, nor the supply chain necessary to create the substantial volume of orders which then result in better economies of scale in production that increase  profitability to a level where we have sustainable books with editors. 

And while many comic creators work for love, (or are pure hobbyists) very few editors will do the same thing. Thus, supply of good editors is sorely limited. There are a handful of good editors in the scene, typically, they all have more work than they can cope with, and there are not enough of them to meet the need.

Emery: What has been particularly challenging for you with moving into publishing work other than your own?

Halyday: The time it chews up is the biggest challenge. I'm lucky enough to have a wide skill set and  experience in pretty much every part of comic making a comic – from story to art, lettering, design, marketing, editing, printing. I have the skills, it is not having the time, due to needing to work a day job/business to pay the bills, thats the hard part.

I think the other challenge is connecting with enough buyers. I get frustrated with the mentality of existing comic buyers, who, from the outside looking in, you might expect to be an adventurous bunch. But it feels like so many of them tend to be conservative in their choices, and it can be hard to get them to try new things. Its almost like they'd rather buy a bad Superman comic than a good comic featuring characters or stories they don't know. I am very grateful when someone does buy a comic i publish though, if you've bought one of or books in the past, THANK YOU. I'm confident we are offering a better product than many of the Marvel and DC books on the shelves right now, and Very Quiet, Very Still is a great opportunity for people to try us out.

Comicpalooza 2: Dale Maccanti Interview

Melbourne is the champion of serial comic launches and Saturday November 8th brings the second installment of Comicpalooza at the Queensberry Hotel, 593 Swanston Street, in Carlton. The best comic shop in the world, All Star Comics, are generous sponsors of the event.

Fresh from it's debut at this years SPX, Pikitia Press will be launching The Fuglies by Antoinette Rydyr and Steve Carter. Other comics launching on the day are Very Quiet, Very Still by Chris Gooch, System Earth 5 by Tom Garden and The Misadventures of Peter Pumpkinhead
by Dale Maccanti & Tennille Owens + various artists from the webcomic.

Michael Lombardi's take on Peter Pumpkinhead

I asked White Cat Press publisher Dale Maccanti a few questions about the forthcoming The Misadventures of Peter Pumpkinhead collaborative comic and other comic related generalities.

Matt Emery: You mentioned to me in conversation recently that you were a reluctant publisher, ideally you would have someone else take over those responsibilities. What are some of the challenging parts of publishing you've experienced and do you see benefits in being a publisher and the freedoms that might afford you?

Dale Maccanti: I’m a reluctant publisher because that’s never been my primary goal. I, like so many others, want to be a published writer but have had to self-publish to make it happen. It would be great if a notable publisher picked up my book, leaving me just to do the fun and creative parts but that hasn’t been the case.

I'm only new to the publishing world and have no doubt experienced some of the challenges even the largest publishers have come across. The obvious challenges are raising capital, enforcing deadlines and marketing. Personally, the most surprising challenge has been coping with wearing many, many hats. As the editor of an indie publishing house, you're expected to be the master in every aspect of publishing; writing, art, inking, lettering, layouts, marketing and the list goes on. 

When I released my first book Ink Tales, I had no experience in publishing but I did know what I liked and had the ability to make it happen. That’s the beauty in self-publishing, you can tell any story you want. Whether it be an anthology about tattoos or a tale about a mischievous pumpkin-headed boy. At the very least, I know I'm making it a bit easier for other writers and artists to be published.

  Pat Sullivan and his wife Marjorie judge a "Draw Felix" competition.   

Emery: You have a Felix the Cat tattoo, what do you think about Australian animator/cartoonist Pat Sullivan's claims to creating the character?

Maccanti: For those that are playing at home, Pat Sullivan's New York animation studio produced a short called Feine Follies in 1919, featuring a black cat named Master Tom (a Felix prototype). Animation historians are split over whom exactly created Felix the Cat. Was it Pat Sullivan or lead animator Otto Messmer? 

Personally I think it was Sullivan because he created a short called The Tail of Thomas the Kat in 1917, where a black cat has his tail removed, a classic trademark of the early Felix the Cat shorts. It's a shame to think that a creator can lose ownership of something they created but I take solace in the fact that it wasn't disputed until after his death. 

I've been a big fan of Felix since the 90s show The Twisted Tales of Felix. Hopefully with DreamWorks purchasing the rights this year, we can look forward to more Felix on our TV screens. 

Rob O'Connor contribution to Peter Pumpkinhead

Emery: What inspired doing a webcomic via multiple artists, The Misadventures of Peter Pumpkinhead'?

Maccanti: After launching Ink Tales late last year, my publishing slate was pretty empty and I was keen to get started onto something new. I didn't necessarily want to jump back into another 2-year project, so I looked over some of my old projects. Sitting in my Mac, collecting virtual dust was a completed 10-page comic called The Misadventures of Peter Pumpkinhead'. It was scheduled for a graphic anthology 3-years ago but was knocked back very late in production. I felt bad that the artist, Tennille Owens had done so much beautiful work and no one was going to see it. 

Coincidentally around that time, I had seen some interesting online comic jams, where an artist would continue on from the previous artists work. I thought it'd be interesting to use my character Peter Pumpkinhead and see if it could gain some interest online. Thankfully it has gained some traction and we've had about 30 different artists contribute to the webcomic over at the White Cat Press website. Not only that, but I'll be launching volume 1 of The Misadventures of Peter Pumpkinhead at Comicpalooza 2 on the 8th of November. Finally Tennille's pages will see print along with the artists from the webcomic.    

Tangible Evidence by Jason Paulos from Ink Tales anthology

Emery: What has been a highlight for you so far in your time making and publishing comics?

Maccanti: A few things immediately come to mind. The first is getting my writing into the public eye. I spend a lot of my free time sitting in my small, dark office/spare bedroom hitting buttons on a keyboard. It's incredibly satisfying to finally see my work enter the physical world and have people pick it up. That's why I enjoy conventions so much, I get to speak to supporters of my work and thank them. It still blows my mind that people other than my friends and family like what I write, it's very humbling. 

The other major highlight is publishing other artists work. It's not always easy to get your art out there and if I can make that more accessible, then I've done my job as a publisher.  

Emery: I've heard mention that some Australian Comic creators believe Australia could support a "Comics Industry", what are your thoughts on that?

Maccanti: I personally would love to see that happen and it's definitely a possibility. A few key factors would be the Marvel and DC movies putting superheroes back on the map. The growth of pop culture conventions   allowing Australian Comic creators to sell directly to our key demographic. The international market has also opened up with online platforms like Comixology Submit. 

A long-term sustainable industry is still going to be difficult to achieve but we're moving in the right direction. The fact that Australian Comic creators believe it's possible means we'll be striving to achieve that very goal. And who knows what will happen once Paul Bedford's 'The List' is made into a movie. Hopefully it'll show the film industry that it isn't only Marvel and DC that have good stories to tell.  

Emery: What do you have planned for White Cat Press in 2015?

Maccanti: 2015 is going to be twice as big for us! We're going to publish not one but TWO books. The Misadventures of Peter Pumpkinhead Volumes 2 and 3 are scheduled for the end of 2015 (hopefully at Comicpalooza 3). You'll get to see more exploits from the pumpkin-headed boy, along with the amazing artists of the webcomic over at the White Cat Press site.

Our other big announcement is that artist Trevor Wood will start penciling our first graphic novel After the Snow.  The script has been in development for a couple of years and Trevor has been working hard on the art style and characters. We'll have plenty of previews for all of our upcoming projects over on the White Cat Press Facebook page.

You can also follow Trevor Wood's work at on his FB page.