Inkspot78

ISSN 1034-1943

SINCE 1924 – THE AUSTRALIAN CARTOONISTS’ ASSOCIATION

the official australian cartoonists’ magazine

autumn 2017

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afrewgoodmen

frew’s glenn ford and phantom artist antonio lemos talk + bill leak, edd aragon, clem seale and much more

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the official australian cartoonists’ members magazine | autumn 2017 www.cartoonists.org.au

CONTENTS ACA Membership Application Stop Press! Vale Bill Leak Special Feature: The Phantom The Bunker Cartoon Gallery Opinion Piece: Lindsay Folye Domestic Report: Victoria The Wakley Awards You and Me and the Space...

Phil Judd Milestone/Int’l Report Your View: Space and Aliens Face Off! Cartoon Collecting Hatch,Match & Dispatch The Process: Dave Dye Rob Feldman Mania!

Book Review Inkspotlight: Martina Zietler New Committee Bios Next Issue/Next Stanleys The Last Word NEW! ACA BOARD: PATRON VANE LINDESAY PRESIDENT JULES FABER president@cartoonists.org.au DEPUTY PRESIDENT NAT KARMICHAEL comicoz@live.com.au SECRETARY STEVE PANOZZO secretary@cartoonists.org.au TREASURER KERRY-ANNE BROWN treasurer@cartoonists.org.au MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY GRANT BROWN membership@cartoonists.org.au NEW! COMMITTEE: CATHY WILCOX cwilcox@fairfaxmedia.com.au PETER BROELMAN peter@broelman.com.au MARK KNIGHT markwarrenknight@gmail.com IAN McCALL mccallart@bigpond.com.au ROBERT BLACK robert@robertblack.com.au ACA AFFILIATED ORGS: NATIONAL CARTOONISTS SOCIETY President: Bill Morrison www.reuben.org

P2 P3 P4-13 P14-15 P16-17 P18-19 P20-21 P22 P23 P24-29 P30-31 P32-33 P34-36 P37-42 P43 P44-45 P46-50 P51 P52 P53

CARTOONISTS’ CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN President: Terry Christien www.ccgb.org.uk FECO President General: Peter Nieuwendijk YOUR INKSPOT TEAM: EDITOR: Nat Karmichael SUB-EDITORS/WRITERS: Daniel Best, Antonio Lemos, Glenn Ford, Dietmar Lederwasch, Lindsay Foyle, George Haddon, Cathy Wilcox, Steve Panozzo, Geoff Hook, Phil Judd, Ian McCall, Eric Lobbecke, Frank Hellard, Dave Dye, Paul Hardacre, Martina Zietler, Jules Faber, Jason Chatfield and Nat Karmichael.

LAYOUT ARTIST: Chris Barr COVER: Illustration by Antonio Lemos. Images of The Phantom are Copyright © King Features. Some of the images used in the Frew article are Copyright © Frew Publications.

INKSPOT is produced four times a year by the Australian Cartoonists Association PO Box 318 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 inkspot@cartoonists.org.au www.cartoonists.org.au Phone: 1300 658 581 ABN 19 140 290 841 Australia Post Registration PP 533798/0015 ISSN 1034-1943

nat-ter AT CLOSE to one hundred years old, the Australian Cartoonists, Association (in its various incarnations) is the world’s oldest cartooning body. Since 1924, this organization has been a social outlet for its members, a chance for Australian cartoonists to join together in camaraderie and celebration of one of the most loved of professions – the world of cartooning.

Inkspot, the official journal of the Australian Cartoonists’ Association, is less illustrious but no less important in not only recording the activities of its Members, but also in sharing the history and the simple joie de vivre of the medium. The magazine has been available exclusively to the Association’s members for a little over thirty years, first being published in 1986.

For the first time in its history, this issue of Inkspot is going expand the perimeters of the Association by being made available in many Australian libraries and comic book shops. If this is the first time you have seen a copy, may I welcome you to the wonderful world of Australian cartooning, in

all its guises: from editorial cartoons to comic strips, from caricaturing to comic books, and from illustration to animation. Cartooning, and in particular the Australian Cartoonists’ Association, embraces so many disciplines.

If you enjoy Inkspot and want to support Australian cartooning, you may consider becoming an associate member. Membership entitles you to receive four copies of Inkspot a year, a chance to meet Australia’s best cartoonists, and become a part of the colourful history of the Australian Cartoonists’ Association. (There is an Award Night that the public is welcome to attend towards the end of every year.

This year’s ceremony will take place in Canberra, with more specific details available next issue.)

Whether you are already a Member or if this is the first time you have been introduced to Inkspot, welcome to this Special First Issue for 2017!

Nat Karmichael Inkspot Editor Deputy President

SS? E R D D A MOVING OVED? JUST M

the spot and ists k n I p e e K n n Cartoo Australia n a part of o Associati et the L your life! ip Secretary h Members new address, r know you can continue u o so that y e benefits of th enjoying bership: m .au e M r u o y nists.org o o t r a c @ secretary

PLEASE DO NOT CUT THIS COPY OF INKSPOT. PLEASE PHOTOCOPY THIS PAGE.

STOP PRESS!!

VALE BILL LEAK (1956 - 2017) JUST as Inkspot was going to press, we learnt of the passing of Bill Leak.

The Australian cartooning profession has lost an immense treasure and one of its more illustrious sons in Bill Leak.

In recent years, Bill’s cartoons attracted much controversy and polarized public opinion, but he proved to be resolute and fearless in the application of his craft.

Between 1987 and 1998, Bill amassed 20 Stanley Awards to his credit, eight of those for Cartoonist of the Year and they remain the benchmark for those who follow in his wake.

On behalf of the Australian Cartoonists’ Association and its many members in Australia and overseas, I offer my condolences to his wife Goong and his sons Johannes and Jasper.

Jules Faber President Australian Cartoonists’ Association The next issue of Inkspot will pay a special tribute to Bill. If you have a photograph or a particularly fond memory of Bill that you are willing to share, please send to the Inkspot Editor by the 25th April (comicoz@live.com.au)

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From the history of the Australian comic publishing icon Frew Publications to a travelling Phantom art exhibition, this special edition of Inkspot highlights arguably Australia’s favourite comic character‌.

thephantom

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A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF FREW words by daniel best FREW has been an Australian cultural icon for decades. The company has been publishing comic books since it was founded in 1948 for a mere £500. Along their journey, Frew has published many Australian artists and writers in titles such as Catman, The Shadow, Sir Falcon and other American fare. But their major success has been their long-standing connection with King Features Syndicate, and the publication of The Phantom. Frew first started publishing the title in late 1948, and has continued to publish the title ever since, resulting in one of the longest unbroken comic book runs in the world.

Jim Shepherd took over from the original founders of Frew in 1987. The company started life as an independently run publisher and Shepherd continued that, breathing a new lease of life into The Phantom. First and foremost, Jim was a fan of the character and an astute businessman second.

He oversaw the title breaking away from the old restrictions that had been placed upon it (that the title would reprint the newspaper strip) and new stories emerged. This included the first Australian-sourced story, written by Shepherd and illustrated by the late Keith Chatto. Shepherd then began to reprint unedited versions of old stories, along with covers created, and credited for the first time, by Glenn Ford and Chatto, and others.

Shepherd also oversaw a spike in popularity that came from the release of a Hollywood movie featuring the character.

Frew produced some of their own merchandise and many licenses were issued for trading cards, diaries, posters and other ephemera through King’s Australian agent. Shepherd introduced the concept of reprints and square bound annuals, beginning with the 1000th issue. He enlisted the services of family members and trusted employees, but it was his vision that has allowed many to argue that without Jim Shepherd, The Phantom as published by Frew would have ceased to exist beyond the 1990s.

Shepherd’s passing in 2013 at the age of 80 saw the running of the company fall to his wife, Judith, and son Stephen.

Although Judith made it known that Frew was up for sale, the association with King Features was maintained, ensuring that The Phantom continued to be published on a regular basis. In 2015, Judith stepped down from her duties. Stephen had left shortly before this time, allowing the company to be left in the capable hands of Dudley Hogarth. Although the Shepherd family still owned Frew, the search was now on for a serious buyer. Frew had made contact with interested parties in 2015, and serious offers were fielded.

Judith Shephard suggested to Phantom artist Glenn Ford that he and business colleague René White table a proposal to buy out Frew Publications. White had for years been the owner/operator of The Phantom Vault, an on-line store that specialised in Phantom merchandise. Ford and White’s offer was accepted and became the new owners of Frew, obtaining the license to The Phantom after some renegotiation with King Features.

Glenn and René retained the services of Dudley Hogarth, and are presently in the process of rejuvenating The Phantom.

They have chosen Australian artists to illustrate their covers, including Jeremy MacPherson, Gary Chaloner, Shane Foley, Jamie Johnson, Lindsay Walker and photographer Steve Shepherd, who continues his family’s connection with the company. Frew has now exploded with a new life. Posters, limited ‘signature editions’ of comics, jigsaws, special issues (such as a colour tribute issue devoted to the late American artist Paul Ryan), covers created especially for the New Zealand market and limited, signed portfolios featuring the art of Glenn Ford, Glenn Lumsden, Jeremy MacPherson, Antonio Lemos, Jamie Johnson, Chewie Chan and Lindsay Walker are all now available.

Frew have also managed what was once considered impossible: introduce a new comic into the mix. Titled Kid Phantom, this comic will be drawn by Queensland-based artist Paul Mason and written by Sydney-sider Andrew Constant. Kid Phantom will chronicle the adventures of the 21st Phantom when he was a boy. The comic will be aimed at younger readers and will keep the overall feel that has made The Phantom, and Frew Publications the long running success that it is today.

Images for these stories have been supplied by Frew Publications, Antonio Lemos and Steve Panozzo. The Phantom is © Copyright King Features Syndicate. Some images are © Frew Publications. Photograph of Antonio Lemos supplied by Antonio Lemos. autumn 2017

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frewcoverartist antoniolemos

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PHOTO: Frew artist Antonio Lemos

MY LIFE AS A FREW ARTIST words by anotnio lemos I WAS born on 4 August 1940, in Uruguay, in a city called Artigas. I was the fifth of seven children. My parents were not particularly artistic – my mother was a housewife, and we lived in a modest home. My father was a butcher, although I have no memories of him, as he committed suicide when I was two years old, plunging my mother and seven siblings’ living conditions into poverty.

During my childhood and adolescence, I used to read comics from neighbouring Argentina and Brazil, as Uruguay had no comics of its own. I was an avid reader of books, novels, newspapers, magazines and of almost anything in print that I could get my hands into. My favourite character as a teenager was a cowboy called Colt Miller. Later I got into others: Nippur, Prince Valiant, Hogarth’s Tarzan.

While still at school, I used to copy the comic illustrations to imitate their style, as I dreamed of drawing like those artists.

I thought the comic book art of that time was excellent.

Although I cannot now recall many of the local artists’ names, their professionalism and attention to detail impressed me greatly even at that early age. They influenced me to create my own characters, scripting, drawing and inking their adventures in my school notebooks, sometime even painting them with my coloured pencils.

Later I started collecting comics, and I used to spend a lot of time drawing and marveling at the skills of foreign artists.

Most of them are long gone, but I kept their works and continued to enjoy their creations. I discovered new talents as the years went by. The classics remain with me, even now: Stan Drake, Hal Foster, Dan Barry, [Burne] Hogarth, [Luis] Dominguez, and [Hugo] Pratt. And the new wave that brought [Carlos] Giménez, [Alberto] Breccia, the Villagran

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brothers, John Buscema, and a long list of others too long to name here.

Due to my family’s economic woes, I enlisted as an apprentice in the Uruguayan navy as soon as I could. This meant travelling to Montevideo, the capital. Although I failed in my first attempt, due to my poor physical condition at the time, I eventually was accepted and entered the service. It was my first paid job. I stayed in the Navy for a further twenty three years.

My career as an illustrator began in 1968, when a lady reporter from the Montevideo daily newspaper El Dia (one of the biggest newspapers in Uruguay) visited my ship. She was on assignment to write about life on board a destroyer. When we met, she saw stories I had drawn about ships in heroic deeds. A month later and I was drawing as a freelance artist for the same newspaper!

This in turn led to me becoming one of the founding members of the Uruguay School of Art (sadly, now defunct). The Director was working alongside me in the same newspaper, together with Jose Rivera, the greatest Uruguayan illustrator, who became also part of that team.

In 1979, I took part and exhibited in the first showcase of Uruguayan Comic Strip Artists. Up until then, I had mostly been drawing countless illustrations for articles, interviews, short stories and more.

My career came to a turning point as a result of my work as a comic strip artist. In 1979, I collaborated with the wellknown Uruguayan artist Eduardo Barreto on the series Atla of Atlantis. This strip was sent to Australia, and was published here for over a year in the Spanish community newspaper El Español en Australia. Sadly, Eduardo passed away in 2011.

Last year my wife Amanda and I wrote a book about his art.

He had a stellar career working for the American market, and was regarded as one of the greatest comic book artist in the

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world. He was working on The Phantom just before his death.

In 1980, married and with a son, I retired from my career in the Navy, having attained the rank of Chief Petty Officer. As a result of this comic strip work, a contract was sent to me in Uruguay and lead to my migrating to Australia with my family in 1981. Soon my work was appearing in both ethnic and mainstream print media and it now covers in excess of 12 books in six languages.

The New South Wales Education Department invited me to create, develop and lecture in special art courses for TAFE (Technical and Further Education) students in Spanish in 1986. I maintained this position for three years, and lectured at Ashfield, Liverpool and Sydney Technical Colleges in New South Wales. I had to decline a position at Walt Disney Productions in 1989 to undergo training in animation techniques, as I had just been appointed a position with the Department of Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs.

I came to The Phantom in 1993, at the insistence of a friend who told me of a vacancy in Frew Publications drawing just covers. I applied, was accepted, and today, over twenty years later, I continue to produce covers for The Phantom as well as commissions for fans all over the world. These days, my only work is on The Phantom’s covers. I love doing them, but at my age, I do not want to sit again for hours on end on my drawing board pencilling and inking entire episodes of a character, as I used to do when I was young working on all sort of illustrations and cartoons for the newspapers I used to work for.

I usually do several sketches of any given job, searching for the right feeling to be added to the action. The sketches are

initially on pencil, but I paint the most promising to check to see if the colours match. If the job is a fan´s commission, I usually send a few sketched ideas based on the fan’s preferences. Once I get approval I polish the sketch, later transferring it to an illustration board to complete the job. In the case of black and white jobs for publication, a transparency is placed on top of the board’s illustration where the colours for each area are indicated to the colourist.

Not that they always follow your instructions, though...

I seldom use mixed media, and have never painted anything digitally myself. With a lot of effort I practiced acrylics as much as I could, to infuse my paintings with something more than just colours. Sometime I succeed, sometimes I don’t.

But as you know, art is a work in process, and you gradually discover new ways of solving problems and honing your skills as you go along.

These days, I don’t have much time for hobbies. When I am not involved in any drawing task (very rarely!) I tend to read. I live in the western suburbs, where I own a flat with Amanda, my wife of 54 years. We have travelled several times to Uruguay throughout the years. All in all, we try hard to enjoy life as much as we can...

You can read more information about me on my website theartofantonio.com Thank you for your interest in my work. A great hello to all Phantom fans and comic books readers everywhere. We are much more than readers of a comic book. We are a family, whose members share the same ideals of Justice, Fairness and Freedom for all. Long live The Phantom!

Other images for this story have been supplied by Antonio Lemos. Photograph of Antonio Lemos supplied by Antonio Lemos.

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Last year, Glenn Ford appeared at the Stanley weekend workshop (just before our annual Stanley Awards night) and gave us an insight into the workings of his comic company Frew. Today, he returns to give Inkspot a chance to read of his plans for his company’s plans for The Phantom – and more...

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WHAT’S NEW AT FREW words by Glenn Ford, Co-Publisher of The Phantom comic WHEN René White and I eventually acquired Frew, after protracted negotiations with both the existing owners (for the company and assets) and King Features (for the publishing rights), we hit the ground running. Readers – or ‘phans’ as we call them – had been waiting for two months without an issue and were getting anxious. Amidst the frustration of not getting their Phantom fix and the fear of closure to 70 years of publishing history – the natives were restless!

Luckily for us, Dudley Hogarth, Frew’s publisher since the exit of Steve Shepherd, decided to stay. Showing typical foresight, Dudley already had the next two issues prepared and print-ready, so the transition period was made a little easier.

During the initial stages of ‘getting down to business’, big decisions had to be made. We were well aware of how much an institution Frew had become. With so much history behind it, a highly recognisable product that’s as iconic as Bonds and Vegemite, a title with world record of an unbroken print run of over 1700 issues and a fiercely loyal fan base – we were almost afraid to do anything!

Some things did need to change, however! A cursory glance at the sales figures revealed that, although the business was a viable one, it was not what it used to be. What were the reasons?

Firstly, the covers weren’t working anymore. Jim Shepherd had used blown up tracings of story panels that were mechanically coloured at the print stage. We felt that this downplayed the importance of the Australian readership.

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When the contents were reprinted the cover needed to be unique, to demonstrate that the comic had been repackaged for the local market. There was nothing that made the Australian reader feel that they were buying something especially for them. They needed acknowledgement! Hence the ‘Frew cover artist’ returned! Regular cover artists, Antonio Lemos and Jeremy MacPherson had been contributing on an irregular basis, and were, incidentally at the top of their game; so now new artists were introduced to provide some variety. In our first year as the ‘New Frew’ there were covers

by Australians Gary Chaloner, Jamie Johnson, Shane Foley, ‘Chewie’ Chan, Marcelo Baez, Lindsay Walker and (of course!) myself. International artists Romano Felmang, Angelo Todaro, Paul Ryan, Sal Velluto, Caanan White and Alex Saviuk also appeared.

Secondly, there was the problem of content. From the earlier days, Frew had always cut or modified artwork to fit the number of pages available in a regular issue. One of the smartest decisions Jim Shepherd made was the introduction of complete and unedited editions – he was determined to print all the Lee Falk stories as originally presented, even if it meant changing the page count or running the story over two or more issues. This decision, almost singlehandedly, was responsible for sales of The Phantom reaching new heights – not since the war had Frew seen such figures! The problem was Jim completed his mission: all of the Lee Falk stories had now been printed in unedited form.

Astutely, Jim started relying on reprints from Swedish publisher Egmont (then Semic) as a source of reprints, as the US daily and Sunday newspaper strips were starting to evolve into longer stories. Frew’s publishing schedule would not allow any waiting for these stories to wrap up. These Swedish stories were selected on their suitability to fit within the thenaccepted style of Frew at that time, the Lee Falk/Sy Barry autumn 2017

mold. With this subjective selection process, many Swedish stories have not yet been published by Frew.

René and I began to look further afield, deciding (erroneously, as it turned out) that as much new material as possible needed to be introduced. We just couldn’t keep reprinting the same old material, even if there were a few years in between printings of the same story. We pulled out some of the older Egmont stories that had been unpublished for many years. We also started digging up foreign stories that had never been published in English before. Our third choice was to produce own material. Jim had toyed with this in the 90’s, with four locally produced stories – three of them illustrated by the late Keith Chatto and the fourth by myself – all of them written by Jim. From all accounts, these were successful from a sales perspective, although for whatever reason they weren’t followed up with further local productions.

When those new stories were published, we received a good response…or so we thought! We had made it one of our new policies to engage with social media more, to seek the co-operation and suggestions of our readers. This worked well: we received good, constructive criticism and sage advice, but as it turns out, the people we were listening to only represented the ‘vocal minority’…they didn’t actually represent the bulk of our readership.

It seems that most of our readers are over 50 males – something we intend to change, incidentally – that want to see the 1940’s Lee Falk/Wilson McCoy stories reprinted again and again. This may sound unfair, but I can understand it. Growing up reading The Phantom was a special thing to these guys. I remember getting my hair cut every fortnight (I don’t do that anymore), arriving at the barber’s early so that I could read the stack of Frew comics sitting there.

These fans want that feeling of nostalgia and a reminder of happier, simpler times, that reading an old Phantom comic will give them. It’s a constant that some people need in their lives, and irrespective of how well they adjust to change, this is something they want to remain! I understand that. I understand it even more, now that I can see it reflected in sales figures!!!

So, we have essentially two factions of our readership that need to be satisfied. Those who seek variety and want to see the character develop and those who are happy with the way things were.

We’ve held surveys and run competitions, and all have led to the same decision: to satisfy the traditional Phantom reader, we’ll continue to publish the facsimile editions that are bagged with each year’s annual, and we’ll continue to publish the Replica Series, which is reprinting the issues from #200 down to #1 (and increased the releases from three to four issues a year).

We plan to soon publish Giantsize Phantom #1, reintroducing the Frew anthology title from the 1950s. This was a 100-page comic that reprinted all of Frew’s other characters, along with a Phantom story. The first new issue will feature a newly-coloured Falk/McCoy Phantom story and will reprint the first issues of The Phantom Ranger, Catman, The Shadow and introduce a new, short Sir Falcon story from Shane Foley. All capped off with a beautiful Glenn Lumsden cover! We’re hoping this title may satisfy some of the older readers and perhaps introduce these characters to a younger audience. This may mean that some

of these characters could get newly-commissioned stories.

On the subject of newly-commissioned stories, we’ve got a few irons in the fire. First up will be Kid Phantom – a new title aimed at younger readers. René and I are quite excited about this! It’s the adventures of The Phantom as a young boy. In the original 1953 story (‘The Childhood of the Phantom’), a young ten-year-old Phantom is sent to school in America. He doesn’t settle in well and gets into trouble. Six years elapse in between the panels when he gets scolded as a ten-year-old to when he enrolls into college – and it’s those six years that the comic will cover.

Although it’s been written for the younger reader, it’s been produced with a reverence for the lore and history of The Phantom. The more-than-casual Phantom reader will find enough references and allusions in these stories to keep them suitably entertained. It’ll be published in February, and is drawn by Queensland artist Paul Mason, who’s given it a wonderful energy and rhythm. The writer from the second issue on will be Sydney’s Andrew Constant. The first issue was written by Henriquez – a pseudonym for a new and talented writer who has written Frew’s first graphic novel (‘The Sword of the Caliph’); and illustrated by Italian Giancarlo Caracuzzo, and is planned to be published later this year.

There is also a new, continuing ‘Phantom by Gaslight’ series of eight-page episodes, involving The Phantom of the late 19th century and Julie, his twin sister who moonlights as the Girl Phantom. Set in London, the series will feature wellknown 19th century literary and gothic horror characters and will shake up the Phantom universe. It is being written and drawn by Australian creatives Christopher Sequeira and Jason Paulos, respectively. René and I have more plans, although nothing that I can divulge just yet. Everything gets announced once it’s approved by King Features, so best check our Facebook page for further announcements.

Personally, I’m hoping these new, locally-produced stories will generate enough interest to continue using Australian artistic talent for years to come. I think Frew is really fortunate to have such world-class talent gracing our pages – it makes us look good!

Images of The Phantom are Copyright © King Features. Some of the images used in the Frew article are Copyright © Frew Publications. autumn 2017

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thephantomshow by dietmar lederwaseh

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THE PHANTOM ART SHOW words by dietmar lederwasch ALMOST 40 years ago, the Newcastle Art Gallery opened its doors – a new purpose-built gallery celebrated for its innovative floor plan and hanging system. One of the first exhibitions held, was “Ghost Who Walks Can Never Die”, a celebration of pop art inspired by the long standing Phantom comics. For the Gallery’s 40th anniversary the “Ghost who Walks” will return in The Phantom Art Show to be held between 10 June - 20 August 2017 and curated by Peter Kingston and Dietmar Lederwasch.

The 1977 exhibition introduced Newcastle to up-andcoming artists of the Australian art world. These included works by Peter Kingston with his timber cut-outs, serigraphs by Garry Shead, paintings by Richard Larter, collages by Richard Liney, movie producer Phillipe Mora and Australia’s greatest psychedelic artist, Martin Sharp.

These emerging artists all evolved to become some of Australia’s prominent creatives.

In 2017 The Phantom Art Show at the Gallery will host the largest array of artists ever gathered to celebrate the art of the Phantom. Over 50 artists’ works will be exhibited, ranging from the first ever Phantom comics from the United States and Australia, through to Euan Macleod’s depiction of the father of the first Phantom.

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Although there will be a focus on Australian artists, many local Novocastrians will also be showcased. These include Michael Bell, Dallas Bray, Chris Capper, James Drinkwater, Ron Hartree, Aleta Lederwasch, Claire Martin, John Morris, Lezlie Tilley, Peter Tilley, John Turier and Graham Wilson. Each artist in this exhibition had an individual reason for choosing to be involved with The Phantom Art Show.

The Phantom started as a daily newspaper comic strip in 1936 and is still running today in over 500 newspapers internationally. The feature tells the story of a costumed crime-fighter who lives in a Skull Cave, in the fictional African country of Bangalla. Unlike many comic heroes, the Phantom relies on his strength, intelligence, humour and reputed immortality to defeat his enemies.

Due to this long running history, the exhibition has a multigenerational appeal. Everyone “owns” the Phantom in their own way and through different interpretations of him; we can recognise him as human rather than a superhero. The exhibition is a touring show, capturing a shared love of the comic. It has travelled to many Australian galleries from Sydney to Toowoomba, with others to come.

After an exhibition at The Bunker Cartoon Gallery in Coffs Harbour, a Newcastle display will follow, before heading back to Sydney and then overseas to Los Angeles in 2018.

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THE

art SHOW

The cult classic comic hero comes to the Bunker

10 march–14 may 2017

Dick Frizzell, GRIEVING PHANTOM

The Ghost Who Walks, Reinterpreted by some of Australia’s foremost artists PETER KINGSTON, GaRry Shead, Charles Blackman, Dick Frizzell, Euan Macleod, Reg Mombassa, Michael Leunig AND MANY MORE

ONLY $5 ENTRY

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY OPEN 7 DAYS 10am–4pm John Champion Way (off Hogbin Drive at Racecourse Roundabout) Coffs Harbour  02 6651 7343  bunkercartoongallery.com.au  facebook.com/BunkerCartoonGallery General Gallery Admission: $5 Adult; $3 Child under 16; Under 5 and Friendship members FREE 14

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PHOTOS: Phil Judd doing his best Ginger Meggs impersonation; Yvonne and Gary Clark at the opening of the Swamp Exhibition (photo courtesy of Steve Little)

newsfromunderground the bunker cartoon gallery | words by margaret cameron Our Ginger Meggs exhibition over the Christmas holiday period was well attended, particularly in January. There were many loaned pieces of memorabilia on display. Our thanks in particular go to our avid collectors of ‘all things Meggsy’: Peter Curnow, Barry Gomm and Peter Kingston. It was wonderful having so many old copies of the comics, as well as lots of early commercial items produced in Ginger Meggs’ heyday.

A lifelong love of Ginger Meggs brought many supporters with their children and grandchildren, most of whom had never seen Ginger Meggs comics before but were fascinated by this little larrikin.

This was followed by our Swamp showing, which was equally popular. Fans were drawn from far afield, who found the details from watching cartoonist Gary Clark’s website.

Thanks to Gary and Yvonne for their assistance.

Now it’s Phantom time and the Bunker has been transformed into an underground Phantom ‘paradise’! We are most privileged to be the home of The Phantom for two months from 10th March until 14th May, as he travels around Australia visiting various galleries looking for the perfect cave. Of course he has found the Bunker where the underground environment will be just what he needs to really come alive!

Massive thanks go to curators Peter Kingston and Dietmar Lederwasch who have put together this unique collection of Australian Phantom paintings, sculptures, games, artefacts, and of course The Phantom’s chair. Featuring some of Australia’s best known artists, this exhibition will have something for everyone, whether they are long-time fans or those new to this exciting character. Some of the artists featured will be Gary Shead, Charles Blackman, Dick Frizzle, Euan Macleod, Reg Mombassa, Michael Leunig, Peter

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Kingston, Dietmar Lederwasch, along with many more.

Surprises will be in store for all visitors to the gallery during this showing and we encourage all fans of The Phantom to make their way to Coffs Harbour for a visit.

Opening night was pretty special, when the Bunker unveiled its Phantom character. Special guests Dick Frizzle, Reg Mombassa, Peter Kingston, Dietmar Lederwasch and Mambo creator Dare Jennings were all invited to officially open the Exhibition and signed quite a few autographs! Make your way to Coffs Harbour while the exhibition is still on: you’ll regret it if you miss this exhibition!

The rest of the year is set for a great run as well. The Bald Archy Prize exhibition follows straight after The Phantom, followed

by A Rotary Retrospective in the lead up to the Rotary Cartoon Awards to be held on Saturday 12th August at the Bunker.

Entries will be due in by 2nd July, with entry forms going out shortly.

We are also very excited to announce that we will shortly be taking delivery of more than 1500 works by the late Emile Mercier, generously donated by his son Pastor Michael Mercier from Melbourne. Mercier was a significant and prolific cartoonist throughout his life. Beginning his career at the age of 22, Mercier sold his first cartoon to Smith’s Weekly in February 1923 and continued with freelance sales to the diggers’ magazine Aussie, The Bulletin, the Melbourne Punch, the Melbourne Herald, the Sydney Sportsman and the ABC Weekly, amongst other publications.

All up, the Bunker is quite a busy place; we do value the support of all those involved in the publication of Inkspot.

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PHOTO: (from left to right): John Dixon, Bill Mitchell (glasses at back), Theo Batten (standing in for Eric Jolliffe who was not at the event) John Spooner, Rt Hon Bob Hawke (Prime Minister), Jim Russell, Alan Moir, Gary Clark.

opinionpiece words by lindsay foyle

WHEN a delegation from the Black and White Artists’ Club approached The Bulletin magazine in 1985 about starting an awards night, the Club was a Sydney-based association.

Once the proposal was agreed to, the first thing the group did was to change its name to The Australian Black and White Artists’ Society. Membership was sought from all over Australia, with about 120 artists entering the awards and over 400 attending the first black tie event in 1986.

The Bulletin continued to run the awards as The Bulletin Black and White Artists’ Awards. The magazine managed all costs and decided where and when the presentations would be held. It remained an annual major media event until 1992, when The Bulletin ended its full support of the awards. That same year, the organisation formally became known as The Australian Black and White Artists’ Club. In 1994, when The Bulletin completely withdrew its support for the annual event the Club decided to continue running it, renaming it the Stanley Awards.

The first edition of Inkspot was produced as a newsletter soon after the first Black and White Artists’ Awards. It

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has grown since then, with 77 issues now having been published. The magazine, along with the Stanley Awards (and the Year Book), is what keeps the organisation going – without them, there is no reason for the collective to exist as a national body.

Soon after the 1994 awards were over, planning started for the 1995 event. Apart from the 1988 Stanley Awards – which were held in Melbourne – all the previous events had been conducted in Sydney. With help from Jenny Hughes, I proposed to the Committee that the event be held in Canberra. My reasoning was that the membership was no longer Sydney-based, as it had been a decade before, and it seemed time to rotate the Awards around nationally.

Once the decision was approved, Steve Panozzo set about organizing the first Stanley conference, with Hughes managing most of the other behind-the-scenes work.

For the first time a special guest was not invited, and the Stanley Awards (held at the National Press Club) were presented by individual members. After the dust settled, everyone considered that it was one of the most successful

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Stanley Awards – up to that time. I was relieved it all went so well. Since then, there have been many Stanley Awards nights held in different places around the country – from New South Wales to Victoria, Queensland to South Australia. Some were more successful than others, but all reflected the fact that the Club was now a national organization.

This was underlined when, in 2000, the rules governing the running of The Australian Black and White Artists’ Club were changed. It was decided that the Board and President did not have to come from Sydney, with Rod Emmerson becoming the first non-Sydney-based President since the organisation was established. Reflecting further change within the industry – artists no longer sat at drawing boards producing black and white cartoons and illustrations – there was another name change in 2002 to the Australian Cartoonists’ Association.

The ACA has now been in full control of its own destiny for over 20 years. Considering the organisation has had little money and few assets, it has done a great job and far better than expected. This has been a result of much hard work from a few dedicated members. Nobody did more than James Kemsley to put the ACA on its feet. He was always pushing for things to be bigger, better and done as well as possible. In his view it was hard work which kept everything ticking over, making the Stanley Awards and Inkspot worth having – he wanted every member to be proud to be a member of the ACA. However, in my opinion, if the ACA is to survive some changes are necessary.

The information of where and when the Stanley Awards are to be held needs to be made much earlier. The President should be able to announce at the Stanleys the date, city and venue of the next year’s awards. Planning for the year following that should also have begun, so the membership knows two years ahead of time some of the details of future events.

Some will say this is hard, that everybody is too busy to work that far into the future. But all these decisions only have to be made once, making it no more time consuming if it is made earlier. Many venues are often booked years in advance, so this would fit in better with those venues.

There have been many changes to Inkspot over the years – and many editors. Without trying to dictate how to edit the magazine, there needs to be a bigger emphasis on the Stanley Awards. If this does not fit in with Inkspot’s editorial direction, then an insert promoting the Stanleys needs to be sent out with the magazine.

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“

“

The first edition of Inkspot was produced as a newsletter soon after the first Black and White Artists’ Awards. It has grown since then, with 77 issues now having been published.

Four editions of Inkspot need to be published annually.

After the Stanley Awards, an issue needs to be released with a full report on the event. The following edition needs to carry information about the next Stanleys – the where, when and why issue. It is like being on a treadmill.

Next issue needs to contain information about the content of the conference. The conference is important – it supplies members with a tax deduction for attending. Once most of the membership worked in newspaper offices, but these days many are freelancers. The tax deduction should convince these members that the expense of attending is justified – but it needs pointing out.

The third issue needs to fully detail the whole weekend, with a big push to encourage everyone to attend. The event needs to reflect the importance of the Awards as something not be missed. Without large attendances the Stanley Awards will disappear and so too will the ACA. What is needed to get things happening is a Stanley Awards Subcommittee to do nothing but work on the Stanley Awards.

One for each year. Although there shouldn’t be a problem with people serving on more than one subcommittee. The subcommittee should identify which hotel (or other venue) the Stanley Awards would be held. Once that was settled, activities in the city for those who wanted to bring family along should be looked at.

The object should be to report quarterly to the ACA Committee on the progress of the planning. This might not involve the amount of work that it first appears. There are members who would be involved in planning a Stanley Awards night, who might not want to take on the bigger role of a Committee member. If the planning begins to get bogged down in any stage, there would be time for the ACA Committee to identify this and step in.

By the time the announcement was made at the end of a Stanley Awards, most of the groundwork would have then been done. With this announcement, there should then be the opportunity to say in which city the event was to be held in two years’ time.

The Stanley Awards is the only big national event the ACA conducts, and it should look like the important event it is, and one not to be missed. On another note, there are only eight years from the centenary of the establishment of the ACA. Perhaps it is not too early to start thinking about what can be done to celebrate that date on 17th July 2024.

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domesticreport victorian ACA scene | by george haddon

LAST December, nine ACA members in Melbourne helped give children with special needs, with their families and carers a very special day. And, hopefully, a chance to forget their problems – if only for a few hours.

The event was the amazing annual “Christmas Party for Special Children”. This has become an annual event for some of the local ACA caricaturists who generously make their time available.

3000 children who are sick, terminally ill, disadvantaged, physically or mentally challenged are treated to a wonderful day of entertainment, amusements, activities, 18

great caricatures – and gifts from Santa.

The ACA has been volunteering at the Christmas Party for a number of years and is now one of the most popular attractions and with the longest queues – second only to Santa!

A thumping great thank you to my mates Paul Harvey, Alan Rose, Jock Macneish, Peter Mathieson, Tony Bramwell, Anthony Pascoe, Danny Zemp and Chris Kelly for being there again.

The children weren’t the only ones who went home tired with big smiles. It was a special day. autumn 2017

PHOTOS ON LEFT PAGE: (first row) - Jock Macneish, Alan Rose, Danny Zemp, Anthony Pascoe, Peter Mathieson, Paul Harvey and Tony Bramwell; Jock Macneish, Alan Rose, Danny Zemp, Anthony Pascoe, Peter Mathieson, Paul Harvey and Tony Bramwell (second row) - George Haddon (left) and Tony Bramwell; Chris Kelly and Santa. (third row) - Anthony Pascoe. Peter Mathieson (left) and Paul Harvey. (fourth row) - Tony Bramwell and Peter Mathieson; Danny Zemp (left) & Anthony Pascoe.

PHOTOS ON RIGHT PAGE: (first row) - Paul Harvey drawing; Paul Harvey drawing. (second row) - Alan Rose drawing; Alan Rose drawing; Chris Kelly drawing. (third row) Chris Kelly drawing; Tony Bramwell drawing; Tony Bramwell drawing. (fourth row) - George Haddon drawing; Paul Harvey drawing. autumn 2017

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PHOTO: Walkley winning cartoonist Mark Knight proudly sporting his new nose job.

awardsroundup by steve panozzo and cathy wilcox

THE 61ST WALKLEY Awards for Excellence in Journalism were presented in front of more than 600 journalists and media identities last December in the Plaza Ballroom at Brisbane’s Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event, supported by Tourism and Events Queensland, was hosted

by Sky News’ David Speers.

Of the thirty-four categories presented, there were only three that mattered! Congratulations to Herald-Sun cartoonist Mark Knight, The Australian Financial Review’s David Rowe and recently-retired all-round cartooning legend, Bruce Petty, all ending their year on a high.

Knight, in winning his fourth Walkley for cartooning, demonstrated a “perfect blend of wry humour and wit”, according to this year’s judging panel, which included freelancer Peter Byrne, multiple-Stanley Award recipient Anton Emdin and Opinion Editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, Helen Pitt. “Knight has a nice cheekiness, which should be a staple of all cartoonists’ work”, they added. “He captures a great likeness, and it’s all timely and done within punishing daily deadlines.”

Rowe picked up his third Walkley, this time in the Artist category. His portfolio showcased his trademark limitedpalette symbolism and devastating caricature skills.

The judging panel remarked on Rowe’s masterful use of

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traditional art materials. “We love the looseness of Rowe’s linework and colour,” opined the judges. “These are art masterpieces executed under tight deadline pressures.”

The 2016 Walkley Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism went to Petty, who found himself in retirement mode after a 55-year career of creating devastating political cartoons in a ground-breaking unique drawing style. For his many avid followers and fellow cartoonists, he singlehandedly rewrote the rule book on what a political cartoon should look like. Creighton Burns, one-time editor of The Age, said, “Petty’s the only bloke in the world who can draw the global economy in one frame.” “He was a breath of fresh air in newspapers with his bold, free line,” said fellow cartooning legend, Ron Tandberg, “and was one of the influences that nurtured my desire to be a cartoonist.”

Meanwhile, the results of the Amnesty International Award for Cartooning was decided after the last edition of Inkspot went to press. Cathy Wilcox, one of the judges, reported the judges all had a different preference initially in deciding the winner. “When we discussed it we decided Glen Le Lievre’s entry was outstanding by a majority of measures.” It topped off a great year of accolades for Glen, following his November acclaim as the Australian Cartoonists’ Association’s Cartoonist of the Year.

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PHOTOS: (first row) - Subway and Census and by Mark Knight. (second row) - Malcolm X & Ali and New Clothes by David Rowe; (Third row) - Bruce Petty; David Rowe with his latest Walkley; White Ribbon by David Rowe

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PHOTOS: Narrator Realee Hill accompanied by music from Dean Stevenson and drawings by Cathy Wilcox.

showstopper by cathy wilcox

YOU and Me and the Space Between was a critically acclaimed family show that ran for a week at the Seymour Centre as part of the Sydney Festival last January. The show featured live drawing from Sydney Morning Herald and The Age cartoonist Cathy Wilcox, while the story was narrated by local actor Raelee Hill and accompanied by a delightful soundtrack composed by Dean Stevenson. The story was about a girl who lived on the island of The Proud Circle in the middle of the ocean, and who had been told that the island was all that was out there. Exploring the meaning of place and belonging, the tale followed a community that

had to recognise that they had to use teamwork to stop their island from disappearing forever through a sprung leak.

The magical tale unfolded in front of the audiences’ eyes as the community’s journey emerged through Cathy’s drawings that were projected onto a large screen on stage.

This funny and heroic tale was written by one of Australia’s finest playwrights for children, Finegan Kruckemeyer, and was brought to life through narration, music and Cathy’s live drawings. The end result was a magical adventure that made for a unique and utterly charming theatrical experience.

MESSAGE FROM GEOFF HOOK In response to his entry in the Australian Cartooning Hall of Fame THANK you with all my heart for this supreme honour.

It is the ultimate accolade to be accepted into the Hall of Fame and join such greats as Stan Cross himself.

My thanks to the Committee and all Member of the Australian Cartoonists’ Association.

My thanks also to the many politicians and public figures, without whose co-operation I would never have attained this honour.

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PHOTOS: Phil Judd conducting one of many workshops at the Bunker Cartoon Gallery.

phil’smilestone by nat karmichael

THIS summer holiday, cartoonist Phil Judd, completed just under 50 cartooning workshops! This has helped him cross the line for a total of more than 600 workshops over the past seven years. Each year, Phil gets to see thousands of children in all sorts of locations, and has put together up to 18 differing workshops over that time. “I have so many

different workshops – this stops it from getting monotonous, and keeps it interesting for both myself and the children.” Phil hopes to one day become as proficient as some of the fiveyear-olds attending his classes: “It’s frightening how good some of the younger children are nowadays!”

Here’s to the next 100, Phil!

internationalnews by cathy wilcox

AS reported by the Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI), Turkish cartoonist Musa Kart from Turkey’s oldest national daily newspaper, Cumhuriyet, has been detained, arrested and jailed pending trial since 31st October 2016, along with a number of colleagues for “committing crimes on behalf of the Fethullahist Terror Organisation and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)” .

This has come amid a wave of arrests as President Erdoğan has cracked down on media and public criticism of him and his government. He is seeking to reintroduce the death penalty for organisers of last summer’s attempted coup.

In a joint statement co-signed by Cartooning for Peace and Cartooning Movement, CRNI says: that they called on the leadership of democratic nations to pressure the Turkish government to release him and other improperly

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held and innocent prisoners.

Musa Kart has a daily spot in his newspaper and, since his detention, the newspaper has either run it blank, or printed cartoons by other cartoonists around the world drawn in solidarity with him.

For more comprehensive coverage check the link: http://cartoonistsrights.org/statement-musa-kart/ In the meantime, more locally, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance has penned a letter to Peter Dutton and Malcolm Turnbull calling for the release of Eaten Fish, a cartoonist who attempted to give witness to the experience of himself and others who have been detained without hope of release on Manus Island.

In 2016, CRNI bestowed Eaten Fish the Courage in Editorial Cartooning award. MEAA are gathering signatures of numerous respected names and will initiate a petition for members to sign.

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TONY LOPES (NSW)

JASON CHATFIELD (NEW YORK )

AL ROSE (VIC)

yourview

theme: space and aliens (part 1) | compiled by phil judd 24

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DANNY ZEMP (VIC)

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CHRISTOPHER DOWNES (TAS)

ANTON EMDIN (NSW)

PHIL SOMERVILLE (VIC) 26

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ANTON EMDIN (NSW)

MARK LYNCH (NSW)

ANTON EMDIN (NSW)

TIM MELLISH (QLD)

NIK SCOTT (VICTORIA)

PHIL JUDD (QLD)

MARIA SCRIVAN (USA)

DANI VITZ (NSW)

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ROY BISSON (VIC)

PHIL JUDD (QLD)

IAN JONES (QLD)

ANTON EMDIN (NSW)

PHIL SOMERVILLE (VIC)

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GARY CLARK (QLD)

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faceoff!

artwork by eric löbbecke | compiled by phil judd WELCOME to our new regular feature FACE OFF! Every issue we will feature a number of caricatures from one of the many talented caricaturists in the ACA ranks. This feature was originally intended as a one-pager, but with these fantastic submissions by Eric Löbbecke we couldn’t stick to that scenario. ENJOY!

If you are a carciaturist who’d like to feature or would like to suggest one please email your suggestions to Phil Judd at: inkspot@comic-express.com

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If you are a carciaturist who’d like to feature or would like to suggest one please email your suggestions to Phil Judd at: inkspot@comic-express.com

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PHOTO: An early gathering of the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Black and White Artists’ Club, at the launch of Jim Russell’s book in Myers Melbourne.

Neil Matterson, Mark Knight, Ian McCall, Geoff Hook, Vane Lindsay; seated is Jim Russell.

cartooncollector by ian mccall

I HAVE been collecting original cartoon art and books for over 30 years. At the moment my collection numbers over 800 pieces of original cartoon art and around 2,000 books, including comics and graphic novels. Although the original artworks are stored in large archival sleeves in order to preserve them, I periodically bring them out to show people who are interested in viewing them. Today, I plan to tell you about my collection and where it all started.

Like many kids, I loved drawing cartoons. Every night when my Father came home from work he gave me the Melbourne Herald; and I would lay on the floor and copy the cartoons.

One night as I was scribbling away, I said to Dad, “I wanted to be a cartoonist when I grow up.” Dad glared at me. “No, you have got to get a real job.”

But I kept copying every different cartoon. One day WEG [William Ellis Green] came to my brother’s High School fete and drew my caricature. It remained on my wall for years, teasing me. Because of dad’s demands, I got a ‘real’ job in the Public Service, but the cartooning passion remained. One lunchtime as I walked through Myers, I saw Ron Tandberg launching his latest book. I bought it, asked him to sign it, and we chatted about drawing cartoons.

I asked him, “How do you draw the cartoons so small so that they fit inside one column?”

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Ron laughed and said “I don’t draw them that small. First I draw them onto a piece of paper and then hand it to the Editor.”

“So what happens to the piece of paper, with the cartoon on it?” I queried “I give them away to friends, or they pile up in my desk.”

“May I have one?” I asked.

“Of course” Ron replied. So the next day, I went down to The Age office and scored my very first original cartoon. Here is Ron’s piece about the infamous Norm Gallagher from the Waterside Workers Union. It was published in The Age on the 3rd October 1984.

Well that started it.

I remembered WEG had visited my high school and that he lived just around the corner from my place. So I rang him and called into his home. I saw for the first time so many amazing, original cartoons that he had on the walls of his study. The interesting thing that came with WEG’s Editorial cartoons was the enormous size. They were painted on Boards about 50cm x 70cm and he used different pieces of graphic additions which were stuck on his work. I learned all about duo-shade board, letraset, blue pencil work, and bromides that he used in many of his large editorial cartoons.

WEG invited me to visit the newspaper’s Art room one day

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in early 1985 to meet some of the other cartoonists there. The first person that I met at the Herald Sun was Neil Matterson.

Then I caught up with Geoff Hook. Again, I was staggered at the size of the piece compared to the printed version. I loved this work: the Red Rattler, so typical of Melbourne’s train culture. Geoff gave me some of his contacts from his time in Tasmania, where he first started.

So, I rang Kev Bailey at the Hobart Mercury. This lead to contacting his son Scott “Boo” Bailey. My collection was starting to grow. I soon realised that there were cartoonists from all over Australia. When I was talking with Geoff he mentioned the Black and White Artists’ Club in Sydney. He also talked about the cartoonists conference that was hosted by Wayne Baldwin, in about 1984 or 1985 in South Australia and what an amazingly, fun-filled weekend it was with cartoonists from all over Australia getting together. [Editor’s note: Wayne is planning on writing an article about this event for a future edition of Inkspot.]

I started to go to the large city newsagents to buy the interstate newspapers and all sorts of magazines, just to find about the cartoonists. I was intrigued by magazines like the Australasian Post, Pix and People and the amount of cartoons that they published. From these investigations I was able to meet Vane Lindsay, a legendary contributor to the Australasian Post.

When I visited him in his house, I learned about the history of cartooning in Australia and saw some of his historical pieces. He was an icon, and his book The Inked-in Image, became a valuable reference for my growing collection. He certainly captured the typical Australian the images. It was then I realised that not only had I seen his work in so many issues of the Australasian Post but that he had adorned the covers of so many classical Australian books. I joined the Australian Black and White Artists’ Club [now the Australian Cartoonists Association] in 1985 and received my first Inkspot in March 1986.

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I spent all lunchtimes at the newsagents and bought every interstate newspaper and cartoon book that came out. During 1985, I rang Murray Ball in New Zealand and he sent me one of his early Stanley strips. I began contacting many cartoonists in Sydney and they too sent me samples of their work. I started to meet and chat with a lot of cartoonists around Melbourne as well. I met Rolf Heimann and he gave me some of his amazing work to add to my collection. I began to realise that there were so many different areas where comics were published, and not necessarily in mainstream media. Rolf’s cartoon of a frill-necked lizard in the shape of Australia amazed me. I later contacted Mark Knight who was the cartoonist for the Financial Review. We chatted many times before Mark moved to Melbourne to start work with the Sun newspaper.

In 1987, Jim Russell came to Melbourne to launch his book, The Potts and Uncle Dick. At the launch in Myers, there was a small gathering of cartoonists: Vane Lindsay, Jeff Hook, Neil Matterson, Mark Knight and myself. Jim launched the book in style at lunch time. As we chatted and began talking about the Australian Black and White Artists’ Club, someone suggested that maybe we should have meetings in Melbourne. Vane jumped at the idea and so we started the regular meetings at the Asti Restaurant in Carlton. Soon the Stanley Awards were held in Melbourne at The Southern Cross Hotel in 1988. The Australian Black and White Artists Club was growing and spreading out.

Here is a photograph (left) of the early gathering of the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Black and White Artists Club, at the launch of Jim Russell’s book in Myers Melbourne.

Neil Matterson, Mark Knight, Ian McCall, Geoff Hook, Vane Lindsay; seated is Jim Russell.

My collection is never complete. Even as I started writing this article it has grown. I love to go back through old magazines and books, and try to track down cartoonists to find out what they are doing now. It is interesting to see what they have moved onto after cartooning.

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hatchmatch&dispatch belated dispatch - edd aragon | by eric löbbecke Multiple Stanley Award Recipient: Caricature (1988); General Illustrator (1988); Symbolic Illustrator (1992, 1993)

The first time I met artist Edd Aragon was when I walked into the News Limited Art Department in October 1988. The Art director John Thorby was out and not available for our afternoon meeting about some illustration work. Peering into the office opposite, I saw a seventies-style partitioned room filled with what seemed like a hundred desks. From within this tiny space, there was a smoke haze that plumed all about, with the smell of bromide chemicals mixed with the dust and ash trays. It was an exotic smell that emanated from his cigarette…

And then I saw the art that was coming out of this room.

The desk was filled with a mountain of drawings stacked high with fine ink pen drawings and airbrush illustrations. The productivity of quality and artistry that Edd Aragon pumped out of that claustrophobic space during my first years in the game was inspirational and trail blazing. The rest of the department all practiced the airbrush to try imitate Edd’s innovative use of acetate French curves masks. A mastery in draughtsmanship under-pinned his final subtle renderings of left-field resolutions to dry political and business subjects.

At the time he illustrated exclusively for The Australian and The Weekend Australian, in those heady days when illustrations rivalled the written word for space in Australia’s broadsheets. That is the reason Edd was lured to the other side of the fence to ply his trade, poached by Art Director John Sanderman and John Moses, where his work appeared very frequently on the oped pages, Spectrum and also regularly in the sport pages. Amazingly Edd never won a Walkley, although he was nominated for the Black and

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White Artist of the Year in 1985. Awards that required selfregistration were not a priority for Edd. Edd Aragon was born in Manila, Philippines, in 1949.

He was the founding director of the Philippine Society of Cartoonists and worked for the Philippines Daily Express.

He was also an animator and Art director before arriving in Australia in 1979, when he joined News Limited as a cartoonist. Edd also worked for GMA News Online as a contributor. Edd spent much time experimenting with a paint formula that made use of Ultra Violet light-reactive paint, allowing him to paint canvases that could only be seen in the dark. This created a unique experience that was first exhibited in 2008 at Banyuhay in Hebert Arts & Music Centre in Tandang Sora, Quezon City, with pictures of musicians, nudes and his esoteric figures, and life size paintings of the mother of Katipunan. He also exhibited at the prestigious Yuchengco Museum in Makati City in 2011 in what was called his home-coming exhibition, named “Under a Different Light”.

Edd died in his sleep on Tuesday, 13th October, 2016.

Friends on social media recorded that he had complained of shortness of breath, and had been sent home with antibiotics after a health check. His art will live on in my mind, where in our profession the innovator and adaptor breeds new life into the art form. After following his illusive artistic life since he left News, I gain great solace knowing that I had the privilege to have been inspired by this man’s creativity and his unforgettable productive life.

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Clem Seale and Robert Emerson Curtis c 1944

by Max Dupain (1911-1992) gelatin silver photograph Collection: National Portrait Gallery, Canberra Purchased with funds provided by Timothy Fairfax AC 2003

hatchmatch&dispatch dispatch - eric clement “clem” seale | by lindsay foyle Born in Queensland 1915 and Died in Sydney 2016

ERIC Clement “Clem” Seale, the son of William Charles Seale and his wife Claire Kirkby, was born in Queensland in 1915. About a year after his birth the family split up. Claire decided not to hang around and moved to Auckland – taking her three children – to be near her sister, a single woman running her own wardrobe and costume hire business. Claire was not long in New Zealand before she died, leaving the children to be raised by her sister.

After leaving school Seale became an apprentice in the lithographic department at The New Zealand Herald. In 1938 he moved to Sydney and freelanced as an illustrator before joining a commercial art studio. He also joined The Cartoonists Club – as the ACA was called at the time – and remained an active member into the 1990s.

In 1942 he married Lyndon Marjorie Poole, and the couple first lived in Castlecrag, before buying a home on Sydney’s northern beaches at Mona Vale where he lived for the next 61 years.

During the early years of World War II, Seale tried his best to ignore what he believed was a European conflict.

His anti-war views changed when the Japanese entered the war and – with Australia and the Pacific Islands becoming targets – Seale launched on an unconventional career. Trained as a newspaper artist, he put his skills to good use as a member of the Camouflage Section attached to the Australian armed forces.

In a little-known aspect of Australia’s war effort, military camouflage artists, led by Professor William Dakin

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(1883-1950), a zoological expert at the University of Sydney, devised ingenious ways to conceal men, weapons, installations, aircraft and machinery. Seale joined artists, experimenting with differing shades, surfaces and textures. Their job was to create problems for the enemy with the visual interpretation of objects. Artists were employed because they had working knowledge of two very important principles – abstraction and illusionism.

After the war Seale was briefly employed on a radio magazine before joining the Sydney Morning Herald in 1947 as an illustrator documenting the daily life and times of the city.

In 1963 – along with other members of the Collaroy Sub Branch of the Returned Services League of Australia – he became a founding member of the Collaroy Beach Club.

Seale left the Sydney Moring Herald in the mid 1960s to go freelance and in 1968 started work at the University of New South Wales as a tutor-lecturer in art and later in graphic communication. From 1980 he was, has he put it, “in splendid retirement.”

In his later years, he travelled overseas, carrying a small pad and a black ink pen to record the sights. His retirement years were spent around Mona Vale, where he was a popular identity. He eventually sold his beloved home (Greenlea) and moved to an apartment 300 metres away. Lyndon died in 2001.

His children John, Anna and Stephanie, four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren survive Clem Seale.

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hatchmatch&dispatch reflections on alex stitt | by his first lieutenant, frank hellard

In our last edition of Inkspot, we learnt of the sad passing of animator, friend and colleague Alex Stitt, in a well-written article by Peter Viska. Just as our last issue went to press Peter was given this wonderful piece, written by Frank Hellard, who worked with Alex for thirty years. It was too good not to share it with our readership.

AFTER eleven years on newspapers and magazines, illustrations, cartoons, maps, diagrams, photo retouching and even crosswords my job was gradually being reduced to laying out pages. Boredom! Suddenly, out of the blue came the magic of animation. I moved into a fully equipped animation studio working on a backlit disk and loved the ideas of drawings moving and acting.

An experienced American team taught us the basics and how to work as a team on the job. At this time Alex Stitt was doing his compulsory army service. He joined us after a three month introduction into this fascinating business. With some experience of his own with animation, everyone in the studio gradually became aware that Alex arrived at work with record covers designs that he was finishing at home each night.

I began working with Alex and a large team at John Wilson Productions which soon became Fanfare Films. An exciting three years followed, until Alex and Bruce Weatherhead, our other designer, left the company to start their own design works.

I was still doing works designed by Alex for Fanfare until that company got into trouble and folded. So, I joined Alex and Bruce at their company. I had a great time for about nine

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years. This included working on the brave Jigsaw Factory experience – that is, well-designed toys and games.

The partners then parted and Alex’s company became Al et Al (him and us). Many television commercials and two features followed, all written and directed by Alex. As an experienced animator I was stunned to find Alex preparing few drawings, photographs, coloured gels and who knows what, heading into the camera room and yet spending quite a few hours creating something quite revolutionary.

Rarely did he use any in-between drawings, instead he used multiple exposures a plenty – extraordinary works like no other. He was still working hard at all hours, creating very original, sparkling works of all kinds.

But after working for Alex for 30 years I still had no idea of the volume of his stunning produce. In fact it was only when, after my retirement, I received a gift of his great book STITT Autobiographics that I was amazed at what a huge collection he had added to Australian design.

The book itself is a huge, brilliant display of the work of a real genius. Even today, leafing through this book often, I am very grateful that I had the pleasure of working so long with this gentle, humble friend.

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theprocess

an insight into the creative process: dave dye IN THIS issue ‘The Process’ page visits comic book cartoonist Dave Dye. We are taken through his process from script to finished page. Dave gives us some insights into his thought processes of layout and techniques he has developed to achieve.

Dave kicks us off running us through the initial contact and

1 STEP ONE

Notes were made regarding details of characters and the setting; and reference matter sourced from my library or the world-wide-web. For this story I only needed to find reference for a suitable rifle.

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brief - “ I was contacted on Sunday afternoon by Darren Koziol (Editor of Darkoz Comics) and asked if I could complete a 4-page black and white story in 2-3 days. He was going to print and had four pages to fill. He had sent the script (written by James Broadhurst) with the request, and after a quick read I knew I could do it within that time, so I said ‘No worries, cobber’. “

2 STEP TWO

The pages and panels were roughed out in pencil on A4 paper.

These mainly indicate panel layouts on the page with compositions within the panels.

When completed they were sent to the editor for approval and amendments via email as low resolution images.

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3 STEP THREE

Upon getting feedback from DK I began final pencilling using H or HB lead on A3 Bristol Board.

DK does all the lettering so I do not need to rule lines for text.

STEP FOUR

When the pencilling is completed the pages are inked; usually panels borders first, using a variety of dip pens, markers and brushes.

For this particular job I predominantly used markers to increase speed of output.

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STEP FIVE

I use a ruler and a 0.8 Artline pen for the straight lines of the panels.

The large-area solid blacks are inked with a sable brush and Speedball Super Black ink.

STEP SIX

The circular panels were inked using a compass with the ruling pen attachment.

After completion all pencils lines are rubbed out.

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7 STEP SEVEN

The four pages after completing the inking.

STEP EIGHT

I then added grey washes using a sable brush (not the same as my inking brush).

And Winsor & Newton watercolours (a mix of Black and Ultramarine Blue).

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9 STEP EIGHT (cont’d)

STEP NINE

The good thing about zombie stories is that uneven washes The pages were then scanned at full size (A3. Final print size suit the genre. is A4.) at 300 ppi.

And final touch-up of lines and mistakes were carried out in Manga Studio 5 on a Cintiq 13HD. Levels are adjusted to make the blacks denser.

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10 STEP TEN

The finished files were sent to DK via Dropbox. Darren added the text digitally; and the story was printed in DECAY #22, and is available from the online store.

For more of Dave’s work, please check out: http://wotsleftbooks.weebly.com/ 42

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bookreviews

| by paul hardacre

the mighty one: my life inside the nerve centre steve macmanus. rebellion publishing.

302pp, paperback.

http://www.rebellionstore.com/products/the_mighty_one EVEN during the final years of Joh oh Bjelke-Petersen’s nineteen year gerrymandered-reign over Queensland, with his power on the wane, Brisbane remained something akin to an overgrown country town, renowned as much for its rustic, provincial populace and sleepy jacaranda-lined streets as for the iconic Castlemaine Perkins Brewery, producers of the parochially legendary XXXX Bitter beer. Naturally, beneath the surface, Brisbane wasn’t all bowls club raffles and inviolable innocence – a violent and bloody underworld revolving around illegal gambling, prostitution and drugs, long-entrenched and facilitated at the highest levels of politics and law enforcement, helped earn Queensland the moniker of the ‘Moonlight State’. But in 1985, when I was wending my way through Year 6 at Salisbury State Primary School, the political apocalypse that was the Fitzgerald Inquiry – which revealed the vast scale of police misconduct and political corruption, and resulted in the imprisonment of three Government Ministers and a Police Commissioner – remained some years away yet. So was the social regeneration that the Inquiry catalysed, and throughout the Brisbane suburbs, cultural deviance of any kind remained frowned upon.

Imagine, then, the impact when my best friend showed up in class one day clutching a copy of something called 2000 AD featuring Judge Dredd,, the cover depicting a barechested and spike-haired hero, as much Billy Idol as Cú Chulainn, gleefully fighting off a snarling horde of chitinous humanoid monsters with just a weird dragon-shaped laser pistol and a clenched fist! The topline proclaimed in caps that “SLÁINE IS BACK IN TIME KILLER!” and it soon became clear to me that the cover portrayed Sláine Mac Roth, warped warrior of the Sessair, wielding a leyser gun in battle against the Diluvials (“One of the root races of men!”) as they besieged the Eternal Fortress of the Ever-Living Ones, Dinas Emrys. A fantastic Pat Mills script exquisitely rendered by Glenn Fabry and, later, David Pugh. And there was more, so much more.

A blue-skinned test-tube super-soldier and his three dead, now ‘bio-chipped’ comrades scouring the devastated planet Nu-Earth – host of the stalemated war between the totalitarian Norts and the comparatively civilised Southers – in search of the Traitor General (Rogue Trooper, created

by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons). A poignant and sophisticated ‘ballad’ of a 50th century ‘everywoman’ working as a stewardess on a year-long space voyage,

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accompanied by her murderously loyal and pathologically misguided robot dog (Alan Moore and Ian Gibson’s brilliant The Ballad of Halo Jones, described as “possibly the first feminist heroine in comics”).

A cold-hearted, stony-faced law enforcement officer in the dystopian North American future city of Mega-City One, armed with a Lawgiver pistol, riding a Lawmaster motorcycle and empowered to dispense instant justice as judge, jury and executioner. Riddled with chronic unemployment, Mega City One was beset by bizarre, boredom-induced crazes – everything from the Aggro Dome to Ugly Clinics, Block Wars to the Hunters Club (the latter an illegal organisation dedicated to the murder of random citizens) – and seemingly only the grizzled lawman Judge Dredd (created by John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra and Pat Mills) and his fellow Judges stood any chance of imposing order on the chaos.

And outside the walls of the Mega-City, in the irradiated hell of the Cursed Earth, 111 citizens who proclaimed that it was “better to die in hell than live in Mega-City One” endure an arduous 2,000 kilometre trek to ‘new lives’ in the New

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“

A blue-skinned test-tube supersoldier and his three dead, now ‘bio-chipped’ comrades scouring the devastated planet NuEarth...

“

Territories (The Helltrekkers, created by John Wagner, Alan Grant, José Ortiz and Horacio Lalia).

That this wildly outlandish assembly of 32 pages was “In orbit every Monday” meant that Mondays at Salisbury State Primary School were seriously looking up. In the conservative, police state mentality of 1985 Queensland, 2000 AD encapsulated subversion of a grandly miraculous, international kind. How it ever made it onto the racks at my local Cripps Street Newsagent, I’ll never properly understand.

Apparently the arch-deviant behind this mind-blowing assembly of “thrill power” was an alien named Tharg the Mighty (also known as ‘The Mighty One’), ably aided by his semi-indentured army of script and art ‘droids’ who laboured night and day in the fantastically vague ‘Nerve Centre’. As editor of “the galaxy’s greatest comic” Tharg peppered his editorial pronouncements with Betelgeusian words and phrases that not only informed letters to the editor and other reader interactions, but carved out a beloved niche in 2000 AD fan culture. At the same time ‘The Mighty One’ oversaw the development and publication of classic strips ranging from Invasion!, Flesh, M.A.C.H. 1, Harlem Heroes, The V.C.s, and Ro-Busters to Strontium Dog, A.B.C. Warriors, Nemesis the Warlock, Anderson: Psi Division, Ace Trucking Co., the comic adaptation of Harry Harrison’s The Stainless Steel Rat and Zenith. Penning a four-page script for Tharg’s Future Shocks was de rigueur for any aspiring comic writer; a quirky futuristic tale that was zarjaz (that’s Betelgeusian for ‘fantastic’) and met with Tharg’s approval would help to

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ensure further opportunities with 2000 AD. The human behind the rubber alien mask was a then young man from London, Steve MacManus, who was promoted to editor of 2000 AD after six years navigating the maze of IPC Magazines publications. Almost four decades later, MacManus shares his experiences in “The Mighty One: My Life Inside the Nerve Centre”, an enthralling and immersive tale that’s as much about corporate politics, artistic egos and the financial bottom line as it is about comics.

From accounts of his formative forays in the classic postwar British comics Valiant, Battle, Action and Starlord, and detailed elaborations upon their interconnection with 2000 AD, to entertaining yarns of his time as editor during the comic’s ‘golden years’ and eventual role as managing editor of the 2000 AD Group – when he oversaw the development of the Judge Dredd Megazine, the 2000 AD spin-off Revolver, and the “intelligent, mature, politically and socially aware” Crisis – and his deft negotiation of myriad perils as ownership of 2000 AD and its related properties shifted from the IPC Youth Group to Fleetway to Fleetway-Egmont (and, later, Rebellion Publishing), MacManus maintains a gregarious and conversational tone throughout; The Mighty One reads like a familiar friend confiding over a game of pool and a pint at the pub. This generous book from the definitive editor of the galaxy’s greatest – and in Queensland, circa 1985, most subversive – comic is essential reading for comicfolk and lovers of 2000 AD and its legacy: “sharply dark and dramatic” strips “heavy with action, implicit plot and intrigue”…. Highly recommended.

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inkspotlighton highlighting the talents of martina zeitler interview by phil judd

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When did you first start drawing/cartooning? Do you have a first memory?

I started as a child, doodling Snoopy and Charlie Brown. It was a fun thing to do, then I grew up and became serious and stopped drawing. A few years ago, I realised there was not enough fun in my life, so I started cartooning again.

What was your first break in the business?

My cartoon was selected to feature in the Upward Diaries an annual High School diary publication at the tender age of 14…does that count? …OK, more seriously ….I’m still waiting. autumn 2017

What category of cartooning does your work cover? What formats do you use?

I draw a single gag cartoon, non-political in nature.

I particularly enjoy drawing aliens and mocking the professional workplace. I sometimes feel that my day job is living a Dilbert cartoon – a never-ending source of inspiration. I draw digitally on my iPad in ‘Graphic’, a vector application.

How do you create your ideas?

They either come to me in a flash of inspiration (alas, only about 5% of the time!) or I mind map out a cartoon until I unearth a pun worth sharing. When I initially started 47

cartooning I searched online for help in coming up with a pun. It’s one of the few times I’ve been disappointed in my Google hunts. It revealed nothing (well at least, nothing that worked for me)! So, going to my engineering routes, I had an urge to ‘design a process’, one that was reliable and would yield results even when you started with absolutely nothing but a blank sheet of paper. It resulted in a mind map thingy and I’ve been using it ever since.

What is first the drawing or writing?

Good question…for me it is the writing. I mean it makes logical sense, doesn’t it? Surely you need to have the idea (the writing/content/pun) before you start drawing? But I realised some start with the drawing after reading one of Bob Mankoff’s blog posts, (http://www.newyorker.com/ cartoons/bob-mankoff/first-things-first-unless-theyresecond). This really blew my mind.

What materials, technology and methods do you use currently to create your work? Any favourites?

I love digital. It hides a shaky hand, it lets you edit whilst leaving no evidence of the change behind. Now I pretty much create all my work digitally. I roughly sketch out the cartoon in ArtStudio (an iPad app). I do all my drawings on the humble iPad. (I’m dreaming of a Wacom with all 48

the bells and whistles). I then export the sketch to my photo stream and import it back into Graphic (iPad vector app, which I also have on my Mac). I then simply trace my sketch and colour it in. I typically then simply export the final image as a jpeg. For works such as my ‘art of series’ I export it as vector file and upload onto my Mac. There I can do more fine editing and composition balance (which is difficult to achieve on the iPad). I have set up templates (like for the tea towel) and paste my image into them, all still in vector format. Final versions are jpegs for the web and tiffs for the local digital fabric printer supplier.

Have you ever won any awards for your work?

Yes, my diary winning cartoon.

What’s the best thing that has happened so far in your cartooning career?

Acceptance as a cartoonist on www.cartoonstock.com Do you have any favourite Australian cartoonists?

Jeff Hook, Tandberg. I grew up reading their cartoons in the paper. I remember our grade one teacher kept a scrap book of Hook’s work. Every day we would hover around the cartoon in hunt of that hook. I think his work is what inspired me to draw. I remember thinking some of the work was autumn 2017

rather risqué. It was the first time I ever saw a naked bottom (albeit a cartoon one) on display within a paper… I guess we lead a rather sheltered life back then.

Who would you say are your five favourite cartoonists that inspire you?

Larson, Leunig.

What are your favourite five comic strips, books or films that have inspired and motivated you?

As a child, it was Snoopy and Garfield.. I don’t have a favourite strip these days. I prefer the single gag panel.

Where does your current work appear?

On my website and social media accounts. I have a few online e-shops and sell some of my work there. I’m now on Cartoonstock.com too.

Where can we find out more about you, your business and your work? www.justoutsidetheboxcartoon.com (Check out my funky header illustration on the home page. When you swish the mouse over it, it slides around - perhaps a bit of a poor man’s cousin when compared to a video, but it does catch

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you by surprise and it is a bit of fun.) Be patient while it loads up, I’ve had a few technical page load issues as of late.

What are you currently reading, cartooning or general wise?

The sequel to Norman Doidge’s first book The Brain That Changes Itself, The Brain’s Way of Healing.

What music do you enjoy? Do you listen to anything while working?

I’m an all or nothing person. I find a song or band I like and then ‘play them to death’ as my family often says. At the moment I’m into The Cat Empire, an Australian ska and jazz

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band. If it’s possible to wear grooves into a digital track, then it would have to be ‘Brighter than Gold’ (Watch them here https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM_rIaUm7ac ). As a side note, Graeme Base drew their album cover to Steal the Light.

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Do you have any other special talents besides cartooning?

Or talents you’d like to have?

Does engineering count?

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newcommittee part 2 | compiled by nat karmichael

STEVE PANOZZO is a freelance cartoonist and caricaturist, currently living on NSW’s Central Coast. His 32-year career began at The Manly Daily in Sydney in 1985. After a brief stint in Perth, he spent 10 years working for The Australian and The Daily Telegraph. These days, he is the resident cartoonist for The Australian Journal of Pharmacy and produces “live” caricatures for weddings, corporate events and conferences.

ROBERT BLACK is a corporate cartoonist by day, wannabe cartoonist by night. After working as a graphic designer for 15 years and in need of a new challenge, Robert abruptly changed careers in 2011 to become a fulltime corporate cartoonist. Focused on creating visual ideas and metaphors as business tools in live settings, he learnt to draw ‘on the job’ while working with many of Australia’s largest corporations. In his copious spare time, and to the dismay of friends and family, Robert works on The Sharp End, a personal sideproject he started in 2013 to exercise his love for bad puns and visual gags.

GRANT BROWN is a professional kid who has been freelance cartooning now for some 20 years, 10 of which have been on the ACA Committee in various disguises. Outside of cartooning, Grant also enjoys all things Cricket, Star Wars and Minions. Will this caricature do? It was done a few years ago when I had hair.

Recently retired, KERRY-ANNE BROWN (KA) keeps busy looking after her family, their activities and keeping the financial cogs working for the ACA. She can also be found tending to her garden and singing out of tune.

PETER BROELMAN (BROELS) thinks he’s been involved with the ACA in varying capacities since 1999 but he isn’t too sure as it’s a bit of a blur. He’s edited Inkspot, worked on the website, served as South Australian Vice President, Secretary, President of the ACA, helped organise around 10 Stanley Awards and licked stamps and stuffed envelopes. The highlight after all these years was seeing the late great Tony Rafty locked out of his hotel room in his underwear at the 2007 Stanleys. Legend.

MARK KNIGHT is a dashing man with quick wit. All who know him will agree. Politicians love him. Old ladies come up to him asking for autographs. Young men drink with him until the pubs close. Everyone likes him. He is the cartoonist for Melbourne’s Herald Sun and is working so hard that he has not had time to write about himself here and just won’t have the opportunity to object to what I have now said about him. All of it is true, mind you.

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nextissue

LOOKS like we at an end of another jam-packed edition of Inkspot. We hope you enjoyed it!

Please write and let us know you thought we did a good job (or send along a suggestion or three as to how we can improve the magazine if you didn’t).

If you would like to contribute (and, to be really honest, everyone wants to know what you have been up to and wants to hear from you), please send your articles on a Word Document. 200 or 400 words will give you a half page article, 480 to 520 words is about a page, and 1200 words will allow you to really take over three pages in the magazine. Send a cartoon or two to go with your words (this is helpful for people who just want to look at the pictures), and ensure the images

are no less than 300 dpi and at the width of an A4 page. CMYK is preferred in jpg format please.

And next issue? Well, besides sharing your thoughts and memories of Bill Leak, we really plan to spill the beans on the what, where and when of this year’s Stanley Awards! Who is appearing? Where in Canberra will it be held? All these and more questions will be answered in our next jam-packed edition of Inkspot.

Make sure you don’t miss it! If you are not a member, fill in that Membership Form! Do it today! You know you want to!

In the meantime, here’s the first Official Announcement of our first Special Guest for the 2017 Stanley Awards….

stanleys stanleysupdate by jules faber

THIS year the ACA will be bringing an old friend to Australia as our special guest for the Stanleys weekend.

Nancy Beiman, animator and educator, hasn’t visited our shores since 2004 and she’ll be here sharing her experiences with us.

Nancy has worked in various fields of animation including as a director, animator, storyboard artist, and character designer. A well-travelled animator, Nancy began her career in New York City in commercials, then worked in Germany directing and animating before working as a supervising animator for Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment in London in the late 1980s and at Warner Brothers in the early Nineties. By the mid-1990s Nancy worked at Disney as a supervising animator and development artist on films that included Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore, A Goofy Movie, Hercules and Treasure Planet. She has also animated

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Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Snoopy, Bugs Bunny, Bunny and Daffy Duck in addition to her own characters.

With a plethora of other films in her back catalogue, Nancy has recently turned her talents to teaching storyboarding at Sheridan College in Canada. She has also authored two animation books entitled Prepare to Board! and Animated Performance (which we’re hoping to have available for sale at the Stanley Awards). Nancy Beiman will have a wealth of information and experience to share with us – she’ll detail her career, offer demonstrations and workshops across the weekend. She will also be joined by a secret guest who will be revealed in an upcoming issue of Inkspot.

You’re not going to want to miss meeting Nancy, so start making your plans now for the Stanley Awards’ weekend in Canberra!

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thelastword

Photo taken by New York member Jason Chatfield outside Trump Towers.