2014 in Review: Ryan K. Lindsay

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

Kickstarting DEER EDITOR to success was huge because I'm super proud of that book and it was an insane fun experience. Then seeing 5 issues of HEADSPACE out the door was a great experience and lesson in making comics. Being published by Vertigo Comics is the sort of bucket list item I didn't think I'd possibly ever tick off, and to then have that boxing noir short partner me up with Tommy Lee Edwards and John Workman was beyond insane. And the final one I cannot divulge but let's just say it was my main goal going into 2015 and I landed it (yay!).

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

I am pretty sure HAWKEYE has been my favourite book of 2014, with each issue a crazy process bonanza to study. Closely behind it is DEADLY CLASS which kinda came out of nowhere and stole my heart only to stomp on it to a dark punk beat. D4VE was rdiculously funny while also rocking the bombastic action beats. HIGH CRIMES, STRANGE NATION, FATALE, SEX CRIMINALS, RAT QUEENS, SHELTERED, EAST OF WEST, DAREDEVIL, ELEKTRA, FIVE GHOSTS, THE MASSIVE. Surely others I am forgetting.

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

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER is my top flick of the year. Just perfectly in my wheelhouse with a 70s spy vibe over some great visual set pieces. Wait, but that's a comics movie, huh, so I shouldn't say certain episodes of THE WALKING DEAD and AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. have greatly pleased me. Hrmmm, WORDS FOR PICTURES was a great non-fic book...about making comics. Oh, I know, the SERIAL podcast really has been rocking my socks off, weekly. Also, my wife and kids are not comics, and I dig them :)

What are you looking forward to in 2015?

More writing. And actually getting paid for the pleasure. Some great books coming from mates Paul Allor, Ryan Ferrier, Ed Brisson, Kurtis Wiebe. I am strangely excited about the ANT-MAN flick. Finally putting out a trade of my own work. Maybe getting some sleep, and work/life/writing balance. Oh, the DAREDEVIL TV show on Netflix is going to be a religious experience for me.

2015 looks like it'll already be a quality follow up to 2014. I know sequels aren't often good, or better, but I have high hopes for us all.

Ryan K. Lindsay

2014 in Review: Brent Willis

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2014?
Having my first full-coloured comic Thrust Justice published by Pikitia Press.
Wellington Zinefest was extra good this year.
Got another issue of the Bristle Annual out.
Did some more Wharks too.

What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2014?
I got some good Thai comics recently, I can’t understand them because I can’t read Thai, but they look good.
Vincent Konrad’s No Soap Radio, Michael Sanders’ Epic Journey parts 1 & 2 (looking forward to the rest of the parts) The latest Dailies, the Moonbeard collection, and anything by Ben Hutchings is awesome.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2014?  
I enjoyed paying off my mortgage and then going on holiday in South East Asia (twice). I enjoy Wellington having an underground music venue again (the Pyramid Club) and there’s also a music venue within walking distance from my home (Moon). Haven’t been watching TV this year so I can’t say I’ve enjoyed anything on TV.

What are you looking forward to in 2015?
Looking forward to seeing the Three Words NZ Womens comics anthology. Also planning on doing another Thrust Justice and a Fungus Boy reprint. I might move house.

Brent Willis at Werewolf

2014 in Review: Jen Breach

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

Scholastic Graphix acquired Doug Holgate's and my three book middle grade graphic novel series Clem Hetherington.  It's ridiculous. And awesome. It's ridiculously awesome.

I heard Lynda Barry speak and saw an exhibition of Richard McGuire's process notes and original art for Here.  Both were extraordinary and I'll be thinking them for the next year at least.  

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

I always answer this question without looking at my bookshelf, so there are inevitably things I have forgotten.  I'm okay with this if you are.

Jase Harper made two of my favorite things of the year - his book Awkwood and his mini On My 42nd Birthday I Was Washed Out To Sea, which was completely perfect. Pat Grant's nailing it with his Ambient Yeast chapters. Fulto's We'm was a delight, as ever.   

Olivier Schrauwen’s Arsene Schrauwen, Emily Carroll's Through the Woods and Eleanor Davis' How To Be Happy were excellent collections of excellent works.  I really dug Kris Mukai’s Commuter, Kerascoet’s Beautiful Darkness, John Martz’s Cat Named Tim, Luke Howard's stylistically diverse range of mini comics. Daryl Seitchik’s ascerbic yet vulnerable tone is completely compelling and Leslie Stein's water colors continue to make me giddy.

My favorites of the year might be Sophia Foster-Dimino’s Sex Fantasy minis which are perfect and Jesse Jacob’s Safari Honeymoon.    

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

I feel like non-comics culture really stepped up this year - I saw amazing concerts, astounding art, shook what my mama gave me to some fun music and read some great books. Good job, culture, you done good.

I've been up to my elbows in post-apocalyptic stories as I write more Maralinga.  I've been particularly delighted by Dog Stars by Peter Heller, Far North by Marcel Theroux, Meg Rosoff's How I Live Now, Jeff Vandemeer's Annihilation and most extra especially Colson Whitehead's Zone One.

What are you looking forward to in 2015?

Doug and I will have a picture book called Something's Amiss at the Zoo out from Lothian Children's in the Australian winter and we'll be launching it at the Melbourne Writer's Festival, I think.  It'll be my first trip back to Australia in more than 2 years and I'm looking forward to seeing all my comics buddies in their shiny lovely faces.  

There are some other books that I'll be happy to meet - a collection of Dakota McFadzean’s Dailies and Max DeRadigues' Moose both from Conundrum, a new instalment of Ethan Rilly's Pope Hats series from Adhouse, Richard McGuire’s Here (is out in 2 days as I write this eeeeeeee!).  Max DeRadigues started a new Oily series in 2014 called Bastard and it's already great, more of that will be awesome.

I'm taking all of January off work to finish the first draft of Maralinga as a palate cleanser in between the second and third books of the Clem Hetherington series.  Just the idea of an entire month in the studio makes me swoon a little with happiness.  I hope Doug and I will be able to self-publish a little more Maralinga while we work on Clem Hetherington next year - it's been more than a year since the first twelve pages went up and we are nearly four months overdue on the second instalment.  I'm deeply embarrassed about both of those things and hope we can figure out that magical - and so far elusive - balance.

2013 was good, 2014 was better, 2015 will be best :)

Jen Breach

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