2014 in Review: Dave Dye

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2014?
Publishing my graphic history The Anzac Legend and also my comic Amazing Tales #1; both of which I've received encouraging feedback on.

What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2014?
I've read and enjoyed a number of Australian and New Zealand comics this year; these include Bobby N's Digested series, Andrez Bergen and Matt Kyme's Tales to Admonish series, and also Black and White, Craig Bruyn's From Above, Sorab del Rio's Zombie Cities, James Davidson's Moa Volume One, Bruce Mutard's The Silence, Toby Morris' Dreamboat Dreamboat, Pat Grant's Blue, Gary Chaloner's The Undertaker Morton Stone and Keith McDougall's The Many Faces of George Grosz.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2014?  
I always enjoy my golf, it's my weekly exercise. I try to get two 18 hole rounds in a week. My golf course is on the Murray River and it's beautiful down there. It's a way of getting back to nature after spending a lot of time at the drawing table. By "getting back to nature" you can take that literally as I spend a lot of time in the rough looking for my lost ball. The course has all the usual wildlife - roos, goannas, snakes, and heaps of kookaburras who find a lot to laugh at while I'm slogging and hacking my way around.

What are you looking forward to in 2015?
Nat Karmichael has invited me to provide a story for Issue 4 of Aussie, Aussie, Aussie OIOIOI! which will be on sale in April 2015. Other than that - more of the same; that is drawing and writing. I have started making notes for the second volume of The Anzac Legend so that will be developed into a draft, and start work on a few pages, and I also plan to have Amazing Tales #2 ready for print next year.

Wots Left Books

2014 in Review: Alisha Jade

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2014?
There have been quite a few! Experimenting with minicomics (and falling in love with them), the Itty Bitty launch, doing a panel at NYWF and getting Oh My! going. Oh, and Minicomicon, though that will be more of a highlight when it happens in February! I've also been absolutely stunned at the reactions I've gotten to my work this year, both at events and online. Hearing someone describe themselves as my 'fan' will be a surprise and a tear-jerker for a long time I think! Oh, and Fly the Colour Fantastica and being invited to be in Oi Oi Oi!

What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2014?
I've really enjoyed a lot of minicomics and comics I've seen come about through Kickstarter. I really liked Awkwood and In the Tasmania, along with Nothing is Forgotten, Nameless and the Scientist and Demeter. And seeing the work by the other contributors to Fly the Colour Fantastica, it was super amazing to see it progress and really kicked my butt to be better. I've been really enjoying a lot of comics and art by some of the incredible women in the community, they're just killing it right now.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2014?  
I really enjoyed the announcement that Majora's Mask is coming to 3DS next year...it's a little hard to think of 'outside' comics haha...I've really enjoyed pushing my copic marker work, that's been a real challenge. OH and discovering Daiso, my gosh what an amazing little store for the most surprising art and display tools! I also really enjoyed The Strain...maybe a little too much.

What are you looking forward to in 2015?
Lots more comics! Season 2 of Strain, Japan in March, Majora's Mask. I'm working on a comic called Seeds of Svalbard with Caitlin Major on art and that's due first half of next year, really looking forward to that! I suppose really just forging ahead and continuing to improve, are the main things.

Oh My! Comics

2014 in Review: Matthew Nicholls

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2014?
My biggest highlight would be releasing issue zero and touring all around Australia with illustrator Chris McQuinlan. It was awesome and so much fun. It would be great if I could do that every year.

What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2014?
I always enjoy releases from my fellow indie's, there's too many to mention here. I was also happy that Sandman started up again, even though it's as consistent as my comic Collateral.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2014?
I released my first book. It's a limited edition hard cover book of illustrated gothic poems. I'm so proud of this book, it came out exactly how I envisaged.

What are you looking forward to in 2015?
A better year than 2014. I had a lot of medical issues this year, so I'm looking forward to that being over and moving on next year. I'll be releasing a lot more through Boy In A Box Productions and I'm also hoping for a US released book.

Matthew Nicholls Writer

The Legend of Rock

Collateral

2014 in Review: Katie Parrish

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

I guess the coolest part of 2014 has been being booked up with art jobs and projects solidly since the start of the year, I’m really starting to feel like I’m going to make the final transition into young professional very soon. I can now walk to the super market in the afternoon, my pyjamas covered in paint and announce to anyone who looks, with a knowing nod and finger guns, that i ‘work from home’ it feels fucking great. also i got my first book published and started working as the art edit at the lifted brow.  

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

Arsene Schrauwen and grey by Olivier Schrauwen, new comics 3 by Pat Kyle, Mould Map 3 anthology (pretty much everything in it), Daryl Seitchik’s missy series, also oily comics is printing heaps of really great stuff. they're the main ones i think. but mostly Olivier Schrauwen <I LOVE THAT GUY>  

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

Trimming away the things I don't want/need in my life and making it into a metaphorical minimalist painting. I’ve spent all year making stuff in my shed and hanging out with people I like. its been sick. 

What are you looking forward to in 2015?

So far next year I’m collaborating with a magical writer to make a children’s book. I’m going to cCnada with my advice comics buddies for TCAF to sell some books and meet some publishers, then maybe releasing a book with some nice American people late next year, but I’m not totally sure that's a thing just yet. OH, and i’ll maybe start getting back into having shows. But mostly just drawing things. Its gonna be a good year.

Katie Parrish Time

2014 in Review: David Blumenstein

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

I got to be a political cartoonist for a few months at Crikey before they moved to a "phunny Photoshops" format. That was brilliant and I wish I could've continued because I would've gotten better.

Did lots of long comics, either pretending to be my little brother or just being angry about politicians and stuff.

Put together a really good anthology called Squishzine Brunstown which has been given away to 2000 people in the City of Moreland and gotten really great feedback from the general public, cartoonists, girls dressed as toast and Adalita.

Did more scribing/graphic facilitation/illustration jobs. Continued to make a living from drawing.

Was in exhibitions curated by Glenn Smith, Ben Hutchings and Tim McEwen.

Got comics into Australian MAD Magazine!

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

Stuff by Andrew Fulton. Chris Gooch. Sam Wallman. Ive Sorocuk. Jess Parker. Ele Jenkins. Jase Harper. Scott Reid. Patrick Alexander. OK, clearly I don't read enough comics outside of Squishface.

I just looked at a website called whatthingsdo.com which is really good. The Nib has had really good stuff on it, like that one by James Sturm recently. I read good minis by Joseph Remnant and Noah Van Sciver.

I read a comics bio of Brian Epstein which was written by a Broadway producer and sucks terribly. The likenesses are good, but Sarah ruined even that for me by pointing out the artist made Brian look less chubby and less Jewish. Feh.

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

I intended to watch True Detective and House of Cards and I haven't but I bet I'll like them when I do.

When I asked Matt Emery how he would cut down the page count of Squishzine Brunstown and he advised me to "take out some straight white males".

What are you looking forward to in 2015?

Minicomic of the Month Club. Maybe putting out another issue of Scare Campaign. Making more cop show cartoons. Homecooked Comics Festival.

Naked Fella