2014 in Review: David C Mahler

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2014?
I put out an envelope of mini’s for Fulton’s Mini Comic of the Month Club, ‘Parcel of Spells’, which was a big struggle while trying to balance uni. It wiped me out for a few months but it was very rewarding, the most developed thing I’d made up til then I reckon. Since then I put out a cathartic mini, about seven months in the works, called ‘NY, NY’, which was a failure in my opinion as a comic but a big learning experience and overcome hurdle. So rewarding in the end.

What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2014?
I’ve only just gotten onto Chris Gooch’s stuff thanks to fantastic Optic Pop released ‘Very Quiet, Very Still’. Gone back and grabbed his catalogue, everything is rewarding. ‘Moonbeard’ was actually one of my favourite books of the year, it made me smile when I really needed it. Thinking back I haven’t bought many new books this year, I’m still working through my CAB 2013 pile…

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2014?
Growing up

What are you looking forward to in 2015?
Four month manga research trip in Japan, trying to scrape money together for TCAF ’15, plan on releasing two chunky books. 2014 will hopefully be the last experimental year.

David Mahler Comics

2014 in Review: Anton Emdin

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2014?
Drawing a proper big league superhero comic cover (The Flash #30, DC Comics). Well, ok, it was a MAD Magazine Variant, but still… something I wouldn’t have envisaged a few years ago.

What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2014?
Besides Aussie Anthologies like Phatsville, Blackguard, OI OI OI, Squishface stuff, I really haven’t read many comics at all.  Shame on me.  I’ve been dining out on a lot of cool illustration stuff that’s been popping up on my screen.  So much talent out there it makes the head swim.  I’m loving the character designers, especially - in particular seeing what the Dreamworks, Pixar etc. guys and girls get up to in their spare time.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2014?  
Family is what I’ve enjoyed the most this year.  My kids are finally growing into normal humans, and it’s nice to hang out with them.

What are you looking forward to in 2015?
Starting something new.

antonemdin.com

2014 in Review: Rae Joyce

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2014?
~ Being selected to participate in the NZ Book Council in association with PANZ graphic novelist exchange with Taiwan - #NZatTIBE - is certainly a personal highlight of 2014.

~ Forging a niche as the first graphic poet to have work published in the literary journals Two Thirds North (Uni of Stockholm), Thrush Poetry Journal, Poetry Bus (Money Issue), and Hermeneutic Chaos Literary Journal.

~ Taking a photo of the cartoon illustrated street sign for Bash Street in Dundee, when I was over as a finalist in the Dundee International Book Prize in October.

~ Co-editing the anthology of New Zealand women's comics and cartoons Three Words, with Indira Neville and Sarah Laing.

What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2014?
~ Co-editing Three Words has introduced me to some amazing and new-to-me work by New Zealand cartoonists, including the surreal mini-comics of Margaret Silverwood: "Utopia Now" "Waldoland" and "Paradise Lost"; and the pieces created for the anthology are outstanding, a particular favourite being Adele Jackson's personal family history comic.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2014?
~ I enjoyed having my unpublished novel highly praised by last year's Booker Prize judge Stuart Kelly. Woop woop - sucking in all the self-esteem boosts I can get!

~My kids are generally awesome - 13 y/o daughter started her rookie lifeguard training this year and 6 y/o son learnt to read fluently - and they give the best hugs (which are in demand for a woman working in the NZ comics scene).

What are you looking forward to in 2015?
~ Exhibiting work in the Taipei International Book Fair, taking part in workshops there and finishing the rest of the graphic novelists exchange residency.

~ Getting better aquainted with Tim Gibson and Ant Sang and out Taiwanese colleagues, Ahn Zhe, 61Chi, and Chuang Yung-shin.

~ Launching Three Words!

Snow Like Thought

2014 in Review: Jason Franks

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2014?
Left Hand Path,the first issue of my new series with Paul Abstruse,  was the clear highlight. It's really my first time putting out a book in full colour with obvious mainstream appeal and the results have been gratifying. Paul and I were both surprised that the book found a home with Winter City Productions and Pat Purcell has been tireless in getting the book into people's hands. Left Hand Path gives me a chance for me to demonstrate some longform genre chops that I've rarely had a chance to show in my comics work and I'm really proud of it. Paul, of course, deserves the lion's share of the credit. I think LHP is his best work in print he's been brilliant to work with. I can't wait for you fuckers to see the next issue. Paul has never looked better than he does with Eddy Swan colouring him and he too is a big part of the book.

Oz Comicon was a watershed convention for me, coupled as it was with the release of Left Hand Path #1. I got to be on some panels with creators I really admire and my work received some mainstream press coverage as a result.

I didn't put out a lot of new work in 2014 but I'm well pleased with how it's all going and I think I'm in a good position for 2015.

What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2014?
Awkwood, by Jase Harper, was perhaps my favourite book this year. Spread, by Justin Jordan and Kyle Strahm, is disgusting and clever. East of West, by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta, is all aces.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2014?  
Becoming a part of the (prose) speculative fiction scene here in Australia. At the start of the year I joined the Supernova Writer's Group and I've met some amazing local writers  through that group and at conventions like Continuum. It has been a real pleasure getting to know these guys, and guess what? Most of them like comics, too!

What are you looking forward to in 2015?
The publication of Sixsmiths volume 2. Finally. It's going to happen, I swear!

jasonfranks.com

Moonbeard Volume One Delays

Apologies to everyone who has pre-ordered Moonbeard Volume One, we've had a couple orders go missing in the post and also have been delayed in shipping orders, we underestimated the popularity of Moonbeard and our one man fulfillment operation (myself) has only just caught up. All orders should arrive within the next 7 days. If you haven't received your copy by then please get in touch.

Matt Emery
Pikitia Press Publisher