2014 in Review: Roger Langridge

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2014?

I guess my highest-profile thing, cartooning-wise, has been adapting Jim Henson's unmade TV project, The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow, as a graphic novel. The thing I've enjoyed the most is probably sketching – I've found a loose, free style when I sketch that I'm really happy about, and I'm keen to apply it to something substantial in the future.

What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2014?

John Allison's Bad Machinery, Fantagraphics' Barnaby reprints by Crockett Johnson, Laura Park's internet postings, Jim Woodring's Fran, David Quantick and Shaky Kane's Maybe It's Because You're A Robot,  Rob Davis' The Motherless Oven,  Roman Muradov's (In A Sense) Lost and Found. David Hine and Mark Stafford's The Man Who Laughs was the Mark Stafford book I've been waiting for for 20 years.

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

Music: Big thing right now would be the music of Gary le Strange (Waen Shepherd) – which is to David Bowie and 80s synth-pop what The Rutles were to The Beatles. Not just funny, but great songs too. 

TV: Peter Capaldi's been an excellent Doctor Who so far. Matt Berry and Arthur Mathews' Toast of London. John Morton's new sitcom W1A. Reeves and Mortimer's House of Fools. Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle. Outnumbered by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin. 

Radio and podcasts: I discovered Andy Zaltzman and John Oliver's The Bugle podcast this year and have been bingeing on past episodes. John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme on BBC Radio 4.  Kevin Eldon Will See You Now. Isy Suttie's Love Letters. 

Books: Eleven by Mark Watson. Ben Aaaronovitch's latest, Foxglove Summer. Thirteen Chairs by Dave Shelton.  Several books by Tom Holt. 

What are you looking forward to in 2015?

Working on a new long-form Fred the Clown story, a tribute to the films of Buster Keaton, which I'm planning to serialise on the web before eventually finding some way to get it into print. I've been promising myself I would do this for a decade, and the stars have aligned to allow me a window of opportunity to make it happen, so I'm going to jump on it before it gets away.

Roger Langridge Blog

2014 in Review: Scarlette Baccini

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2014?

Being part of Dale Maccanti's 'Peter Pumpkinhead' project was heaps of fun, I loved seeing it all unfold. I was also very happy to have my short story 'Bug' published alongside some terrific comics by some very talented ladies in the second issue of 'Oi Oi Oi!'. And, last month I wrote my most ridiculous script yet. I can't wait to draw it.

What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2014?

I was lucky to share a table with Mark Hobby at this year's Armageddon, where read and thoroughly enjoyed his first issue of 'Job Dun, Fat Assassin'. Jase Harper's 'Awkwood' was also a real treat, and I happily devoured Chris Gooch's 'Very Quiet, Very Still'.

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

My band put out its debut full-length album this year, which was a monumental amount of work, but very satisfying. The whole process taught me a great deal about life, art, effort, and misery. I hope to take all of those lessons with me into my comic book universe.

What are you looking forward to in 2015?

I'm looking forward to having enough time to tend to my comics again, and to publishing my most ridiculous Zombolette story so far.

Scarlette Baccini

Dear Plastic

2014 in Review: Sharon Murdoch

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2014?

Drawing more, using a sketchbook every day and not getting too caught up in how it looks - in the past I think I got too precious about my sketchbooks which is why I have several that stop a few pages in. 

Now I have found the perfect sketchbook - from Japan City in Cuba St, $4 each, soft card cover, stitched spine and beautiful slightly off white paper. They even have rounded corners. Because they are cheap and soft covered and light I can shove them down the side of my bag, roll them up, whatever, write my grocery list inside, rip out what really appals me, stick stuff in, scratch things out. I'm onto my fourth one. There's nothing fabulous in them, but every few pages will have something that's OK. 

I am more often working pretty close to early sketches for some of my political cartoons. They are more energetic. I've also been photographing drawings from my sketchbooks and then drawing over them on my phone, which has a stylus. The drawings look like they have been done on brown paper and had bits twinked in. 

Workwise, I started the year doing one political cartoon a week, and I now have three spots a week - the latest is with the Sunday Star Times which is a national Sunday paper. I view the political cartoons a bit like the political poster. I used to work with a activist design group called the Wellington Media Collective, and doing political cartoons has given me a road back to that work. I can choose what I want to cartoon about, and comment on what is important to me.  

I am also taking part in the Three Words anthology. Got my three words. That is a challenge for me because I am used to working on a single frame in political cartoons, even though I quite often draw up several frames contained within that. But setting out to tell a story is very different.

What are some of the comics/cartoons you've enjoyed in 2014?

This year I really enjoyed Lisa Hanawalt's My Dirty Dumb Eyes. But I have also been looking at a lot of older work - some of it really old - J. J. Grandville's work from around 1842. Posada, Edward Lear (who I love more and more), George Grosz, Ben Shahn, George Booth, and B Kliban.

What is something non-comics/cartoons that you have enjoyed in 2014?  

Walking. Not in the bush, just around town, getting to places in the city. The things you see, the things you hear. Tea and toast at the Preservatorium on Wednesday mornings. Walking to school with my daughter who is 13, and realising how short this time with her is. The movie of the graphic novel Adele Blanc Sec, and the NZ movie The Deadly Ponies Gang. Listening to some old Robert Wyatt, and Radiohead. Also the doco The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness about animator Hayao Miyazaki, and seeing his new movie The Wind Rises.

What are you looking forward to in 2015?

Seeing if I can actually make a decent job of that Three Words cartoon. Going to work each day. Work finishing on the buidling site opposite our place so I can wake up to hear birds and people walking past rather than a concrete truck and nail guns, and the site manager who yells, "another day in paradise!" at 6.30 evey morning. I won't even start on world peace and halting climate change ...

Sharon Murdoch Twitter

Sharon Murdoch tumblr

2014 in Review: Jerome Bihan

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2014?

Surely the best thing about 2014 is to have finished a collection of a monthly mini comic, that is a achievement for us for sure, we've manage to pull this off, and to be honest it was a challenge. we also got a residency until summer 2015, so we have a free studio until then!  we have more surprises in stock for 2015:  more books in English, another collection we will be launching for the Angouleme comic festival and more....tbc.

What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2014?

It is hard to follow the production, there is so much of it in France alone, but I tend to follow little publishers or fanzine and mini comic makers more than the big publishing houses. So this year I have been getting mini comics from Australia (minicomic of the month club) and Leipzig, Germany (Tiny masters), or Spaceface Books (U.S)

Books I enjoyed this year are:

'Pompeii' by Frank Santoro

'The End of the Fucking World' by Charles Forsman

'Ils ont de nouveaux pouvoir' by Ronald Grandpey

'Frances' by Joanna Hellgren

'Tournevis' by Olive Boogers

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

Well, it kinda is but anyway, I've given my job up. I am now only getting up for comics (and a couple of other things)

What are you looking forward to in 2015?

I have a few objectives to meet, finishing a book I started almost two years ago, keeping on doing my mini comic super8 ( I  am working on the second issue) and on the publishing side we have more projects in stock and we will like to keep on publishing other people's work too. So go 2015!!!!

Radio As Paper

2014 in Review: Matt Kyme

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2014?

My highlights are mostly connected to IF? COMMIX, the humble indie publishing company Andrez Bergan and I founded in the end of 2013.

Seeing the first two issues of That Bulletproof Kid finally hit the stands was my biggest personal highlight closely followed by the staggering amount of people that came to the launch for That All Star Bulletproof Kid. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that people would line up for over 30 minutes outside Classic Comics to buy something I had produced. I’m still in disbelief that so many writers and artists I cannot thank Jason Franks, Fred Russell-Atkins, Andrez Bergen, Cameron Laird, Matt Nicholls, Franco Polizzi, Lego Legion, Arthur Strickland, Thomas Tung, Matt Emery, Joe Roberts, Daniel Watts, Sebastian Ciaffaglione, Harrison Chua, Chris McQuinlan, Michael Bradshaw, Adam Rose, Matt McGrillen, Brad Castles, Asela DeSilva and Erik McAlister contributed their amazing talents to that project. The first print sold out in four days, so yeah… that was pretty good.

That launch was particularly memorable because it was the first ‘IF COMMIX launch’ in which Andrez and I released Bullet Gal, Carmen (by Mike Speakman), Tobacco Stained Mountain Goat, Tales to Admonish #3 and of course, That All Star Bulletproof Kid. It was great to have Andrez in Australia at that time so we could launch our wares together (and actually meet for the first time).

What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2014?

This was the year I fell way way behind with reading comics. Writing, illustrating, producing and publishing comics and graphic novels through IF? Commix (while working full time and having two young children) is seriously time consuming. I’ve only managed to keep up to date with The Walking Dead and Invincible but that’s about it. I’ve managed to read a few local indie comics here and there but have lots to catch up on.

One that really stood out to me was Frank Candiloro’s ‘Onna-bugeisha’. I think that and his earlier work ‘Behind The Crooked Cross’ are just exceptional. I have to catch up on his newer works. He’s so prolific it’s hard to keep up with him.

It’s been encouraging to see such quality comics coming from indie publishers. Considering  that the local comics are largely made by amateurs (and that is in no way an insult) with limited time and resources, it’s encouraging to see the quality of writing, art and production is ever improving. The local comic veterans who helped pave the way for the new breed are getting better and better, constantly evolving and maturing in storytelling and presentation. New faces and comics are popping up all the time and in many cases, the quality is surprisingly high, demonstrating a real understanding and love of the medium. I think there is a lot of accumulated skill and knowledge out there in the comic community. I hope these sparks can ignite some interesting projects in the future. There are some people out there who work tirelessly promoting and helping other creators.

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

Easy. Family rules supreme. My wife and kids rock.

What are you looking forward to in 2015?

I know there are a bunch of interesting projects on the horizon from some crazy talented people such as Victor Dean Hampstead, Luke Salmon and my partner in crime Andrez Bergen. I’m always interested in what my bud Matt Nicholls in working on. I hope some of the local companies and creators who’ve been successful the last few years are able to continue crowing their brands and I hope some of the lesser known projects can get the recognition they deserve.

Personally I’m looking forward to seeing how long IF? Commix will putt along before the wheels fall off. 2015 will see more issues of That Bulletproof Kid and Bullet Gal hit the stand. I can’t wait to get the collected Bullet Gal which Andrez is putting together with Under Belly Comics in Canada. There are some new Tales To Admonish on their way. So yeah, that stuff.

If? Commix