Inkspot 82 by Australian Cartoonists' Association

The Official Australian Cartoonists’ Magazine

cartoonists.org.au

Number 82, Winter 2018 $10 (FREE for ACA members)

PLUS:

The Ledgers! jeff keane! christopher downes! mark lynch! jimmy bancks! cathy wilcox! leigh hobbs’ world tour!

Patron Vane Lindesay President JULES FABER president@cartoonists.org.au Deputy President NAT KARMICHAEL comicoz@live.com.au Secretary STEVE PANOZZO steve@noz.com.au Treasurer MARTINA ZEITLER treasurer@cartoonists.org.au Membership Secretary GRANT BROWN membership@cartoonists.org.au Committee: ROBERT BLACK robert@robertblack.com.au PETER BROELMAN peter@broelman.com.au ANDREW MARLTON firstdogonthemoon@theguardian.com IAN McCALL mccallart@bigpond.com.au CATHY WILCOX cwilcox@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Affiliated Organisations National Cartoonists Society President: Bill Morrison www.reuben.org Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain Chairman: Noel Ford www.ccgb.org.uk

FECO President-General: Peter Nieuwendijk www.fecocartoon.org

Your Inkspot Team Editor: Nat Karmichael Layout and Proofreading: Steve Panozzo Contributors: Peter Broelman, Margaret Cameron, Ken Dove, Christopher Downes, Jed Dunstan, Roger Fletcher, Stephen Ford, Peter Foster, Lindsay Foyle, Tom Hamilton-Foster, Leigh Hobbs, Ian Jones, Phil Judd, Mark Knight, Vane Lindesay, Glenn Lumsden, Mark Lynch, Fran Stephenson, Jeff Keane, Steve Little, Ian MacCall, Valerie Parv, Gerald Peigneux, Al Rose, Buddy Ross, Cathy Wilcoxand Danny Zemp Cover: Collage design by Chris Barr

Inkspot is produced four times a year by the Australian Cartoonists’ Association in January, April, July and November. Deadline for next issue is 14th SEPTEMBER

PO Box 5178 SOUTH TURRAMURRA NSW 2074 ABN 19 140 290 841 ISSN 1034-1943 Australia Post Registration PP 533798/0015

Natter

Having a birthday can be a time of reflection. Whether it’s your 40th or your 60th (or even your 18th!), you know you’ve made it on your own, with all the pits and troughs along the way. When you belong to an organisation, celebratory milestones are cheered on a little differently. Besides reflection, there comes an added satisfaction that the anniversary has come through much hard work from a lot of people working together. In this issue of Inkspot, besides all our regular features, we acknowledge and celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Rotary Cartoon Awards soon to be held at the Bunker Cartoon Gallery. It’s also time to remind ourselves that it’s only a little over five years until the ACA celebrates its centenary…100 years as an organisation. It’s time to be proud of

PETER BROELMAN

ACA Board

It’s a bittersweet parlay this time around as, at the time of Inkspot going to print, we’ve learned of the passing of two fantastic cartoonists in John Jensen and Geoff Hook. Jensen, the son of cartoonist Jack Gibson, worked primarily in the UK on some of the biggest publications in Europe. He was also a founder member of the British Cartoonists’ Association, the ACA’s British equivalent. Closer to home was our friend and gentleman, Geoff Hook. The outpourings from members when learning of his death was enormous and the amount of cartoonists inspired by “Jeff” and his signature ‘hunt for the hook’ was far larger than I imagined. I only met him a few times but every time he made me feel like I’d known him my whole life. I know he’ll be greatly missed by the ACA membership. In cheerier news, the Rotary Cartoon Awards are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year and ACA members are more than welcome to make their way to Coffs Harbour for the celebrations and first inaugural Cartoon Festival! Festivities begin on Friday, 31st August with the launch of Monty Wedd’s Bold Ben Hall, then the Rotary Cartoon Awards on Saturday night, followed by

a public cartoon festival on Sunday, 2nd September. This will feature all sorts of fun stuff relating to our favourite medium. It’s great to see the Bunker doing so well after years of limited Council support. With the support of ACA members, it can continue to grow, which can only benefit all of us. Alright, enough from me, I’ll let you get stuck into your ACA magazine – created by members for the membership and beyond, this issue is as great a read as all those that have come before. Keep cartooning,

DANNY ZEMP

Issue #82, Winter 2018 www.cartoonists.org.au

Presidential Palaver

our Association and contemplate ways we can all work together to share that special milestone. In the meantime, I urge all members and friends of the ACA to join in the 30th birthday celebrations in Coffs Harbour on Fathers’ Day weekend (31st August, 1st and 2nd September). Monty Wedd’s family will be there to help launch Bold Ben Hall on the Friday night, which will be very special. Over the past thirty years, our organisations have become more intertwined as we share similar goals – especially the love of cartooning.

Nat

Letters

Number 82, Winter 2018

Parting Words

Ahead of the first Australian Cartoon Festival, we look back on 30 years of the Rotary Cartoon Awards!

My main interest in cartooning magazines such as Inkspot over the years has been in learning about other cartoonists and how they go about their craft. This interest has waned as I have aged. I now mostly look back rather that forward. I am afraid I have reached the stage where nostalgia has replaced passion, something quite unexpected considering my almost total involvement in my art for many years.

BEHIND THE LINES IN PARRA!

10 11

Cheers! Ken Dove CALOUNDRA QLD

LEIGH HOBBS reflects on his Tour of Duty as Australia’s Children’s Laureate

THE 2018 LEDGER AWARDS

ED: Thanks for your feedback, Ken. Before you let your membership go, however, we wonder if you know about the different tiers of membership now available?

Who won what and who was there at the 2018 Ledgers... STEVE PANOZZO wrote it all down and took lots of photos

KEANE TO SEE US

• Full Membership for professional cartoonists is $125* • Associate Membership (supporters and cartooning fans) is $60* • Pensioner Rates (members over 65 years) is $60* • Legacy Membership (families of former members) is $60*

14 21

*Plus GST

REMEMBER! As part of your membership, everyone gets Inkspot!

REGULAR FEATURES

Kind regards

Letters for inclusion in Inkspot are always welcome. Please email your views to comicoz@live.com.au

CATHY WILCOX on the Behind The Lines touring exhibition opening and why it’s good for Australian cartooning

AROUND THE WORLD WITH LEIGH HOBBS

Before I let my membership go can I comment that the individual cartoonists should remain the focus of Inkspot, as it now is. I do believe this is the sole interest of all members.

Nat

COVER STORY: 30 YEARS OF THE ROTARYS!

JEFF KEANE tells us a bit about himself ahead of getting on a plane for the 2018 Stanley Awards in Canberra!

DOWNES FROM DOWN THERE In the latest InkSpotlight, PHIL JUDD grills CHRISTOPHER DOWNES and discovers why My Little Pony is such an inspiration

16 Your View On... Mobiles! 18 Face Off! We showcase Steve Panozzo 19 Where Are They Now? Tea and a chat with Peter Foster

26 Beyond Their Pens Jimmy Bancks’ hidden talents! 29 Reviews Bonding with Casino Royale! 30 Vale: Steve Smith Inkspot WINTER 2018

There’s History in Those Cartoons! by TOM HAMILTON-FOSTER Thirty years ago, two men in a regional NSW town had a crazy idea - why not start an international cartoon competition? TOM HAMILTON-FOSTER was one half of that dynamic duo When then-Governor-General, Major General Michael Jeffery, and his wife Marlena were visiting Coffs Harbour some time ago, he expressed a desire to see the display of cartoons at the Bunker Cartoon Gallery. During that visit he turned to me and said, “This collection of cartoons and the Bunker are probably the best kept secrets in the country.” I know he enjoyed his visit because he laughed so much. All credit to our cartoonists. Being connected to Rotary, I did a little digging and found out that Rotary International first published a cartoon in its international magazine, The National Rotarian, in 1911. They also had a humour page called Stripped Gears, which published cartoons and jokes from 1940 until 1983. The page was discontinued in 1983, but popular demand ensured that it was resurrected in 1984, as the magazine was receiving over 250 cartoons per month. Clearly, Rotary as an organisation has been involved with cartoons for quite some time.

ABOVE: Dean Alston’s winning cartoon from 1989 4

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God, did we laugh! Dean Alston won Best Cartoon for his image of airline passengers struggling with smoke-free flying.

The first year of the Rotary National Cartoon Awards (RNCA) in 1989 was held at Nautilus Resort, with none of us having a plan about what to do, how to do it, or where we were going! But thanks to the Australian Black and White Artists Club [the earlier incarnation of the Australian Cartoonists Association], who saw that the competition was promoting black and white art, the competition took off. The RNCA offered a prize pool of $20,000 – quite a good standard in those days. There was a wonderful logo drawn – a cartoonist in front of an easel on a stool with a brush and visor drawing a cartoon. The big prize was for the “Best Collection of 10 (cartoons)”: can you imagine judging that sort of prize? I can assure all, it was hellish! But, by

From there the RNCA Awards, through support from sponsors, grew one step at a time. And over the years they have been many and varied.... and the presentation nights were sometimes an excuse for you know what – remember, if you can, the Darling Harbour and the Nikko Hotel presentation nights? If one didn’t have a good time at those, you would have had to have been asleep on your feet – black tie and all! Those big cheques were put on the bar and we might have had “a drink or two”! The winners of a RNCA over the years would get a phone call out of the blue: “Could you come to Coffs Harbour?” “WHAT! Have I won an Award? Which one?” No answer! But everyone over the years, to their credit, wherever possible has joined in to support the Rotarys and the presentation nights. The one thing that I have heard is that the cartoons have brought sheer pleasure to a generation of people in our country who may not have otherwise been touched by black-and-white art. On the other side, the members of Rotary have been enriched by the contact with cartoonists and their humour. Our members in Rotary have had a lot of laughs over the years but the common comment was always, “crikey - have a look at this one!” There is great historical significance in the Rotary National Cartoon Awards collection. Thirty years of the history of our nation - and some from international events - have been recorded for posterity, with a substantial portion of that collection displayed. Cast your mind forward: could there be a collection that is 100 years old which would be a valuable history lesson for our children and future generations? I suppose we can but dream - but let us make it a goal.

ROTARY CARTOON AWARDS 30th ANNIVERSARY

TOP ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): Alan Moir, Mac Vines and Dean Alston at the 1990 Rotary Cartoon Awards, held at the long-gone Hotel Nikko, in Sydney’s Potts Point; Winner of the 1992 Cartoon of the Year, Gerald Carr, flanked by Bill Mitchell, Neil Matterson, ABWAC President Steve Panozzo, Gary Clark and Tony Rafty ABOVE (LEFT TO RIGHT): Mark Lynch (already a perennial winner), ABWAC President Steve Panozzo, Tom Hamilton-Foster, Louis Postruzin (crouching), Glen Le Lievre, Peter Lewis and John Champion at the Big Banana, Coffs Harbour in 1993; Champo and Tom Hamilton-Foster receiving the Silver Stanley on behalf of the Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour City in 1993 RIGHT: Warren Brown’s winning cartoon from 1991 BELOW: A gaggle of winners from 1999 (left to right): Richard Jones, Craig Mann, Phil Spaarnen, Lindsay Foyle, Tony Lopes, Vince O’Farrell, Neil Matterson, Gerald Carr, Joanne Brooker, Darrin Mason, David Rowe, (unknown), Des McRae and Mark Lynch

Inkspot WINTER 2018

ROTARY CARTOON AWARDS 30th ANNIVERSARY

ABOVE (from top left): ABWAC President Lindsay Foyle, Chris Kelly, Mark Lynch, Gary Clark, Joanne Brooker, Sturt Krygsman, Vince O’Farrell and Cartoon of the Year winner David Rowe in 2000

ANTI-CLOCKWISE (from top left): They’re by turns funny, poignant, thought-provoking or just plain disturbing... and the that’s just the cartoonists! Peter Lewis’ 1994 masterpiece of Cathy Freeman; Judy Nadin’s portrait of Donald Trump eanred her top gong in 2017; David Rowe was in top gear when he nailed Jeremy Clarkson in 2015; Eric Löbbecke’s winning comment on Middle East conflicts from 2014 and (above) John Farmer’s take on Japanese whalers earned him the top gong in 2012

Inkspot WINTER 2018

ROTARY CARTOON AWARDS 30th ANNIVERSARY

BUNKING DOWN The Rotary Cartoon Awards didn’t always have a home. For the first six years, the competition was a wandering gypsy, presented both in Sydney and at home in Coffs Harbour, until a slice of wartime history presented itself as the ideal location for the Southern Hemisphere’s first dedicated cartoon museum. TOM HAMILTON-FOSTER was there. City Hill, where the Bunker Cartoon Gallery is located, was purchased by Coffs Harbour Council from the Federal Government. The Shire President at that time, John Smith, agreed that the area would be set aside for civic and cultural purposes. It was a concept that involved locating all the arts at City Hill, so the synergy and full effect of an Integrated Arts Precinct could be achieved. The Gallery first came into being as a derelict bunker left over from the Second World War that neither the Federal nor Local governments were interested in using for any purpose. It was thought to be an ideal choice because of its historical nature and so that it would become part of the proposed Arts Precinct. The Rotary Club of Coffs Harbour City was faced with the dilemma of storing six years’ worth of original Australian black and white (cartoon) art from its annual Rotary Cartoon Awards. They saw the opportunity to convert this derelict WWII bunker into a display space. There were several visits to the bunker before the decision was made to go ahead with its restoration. One visit had a twist to it. We entered this dark gloomy place and somebody commented, “Who has the torch?” There was none, so we all carefully walked along under the light of a cigarette lighter. After about a minute there was a cough behind us and I don’t know about anyone else, but my heart stopped in surprise: there was a person living in the bunker with no light, power or anything else! One enterprising member of the Coffs Harbour City Rotary Club said that he had some knowledge in seeking funding for projects, so an application to the Federal Government was lodged and approved. $100,000 was secured! Coffs Harbour City Council donated $50,000 and a further $80,000 was donated in services, cash or in kind from the Coffs Harbour community. The Bunker Cartoon Gallery then came alive. Opened on 24 August1996 by Senator Richard Alston, the then-Minister for the Arts gave the Bunker Cartoon Gallery some credibility. The Bunker remains part of the history of Coffs Harbour and it stands as both a credit to the community members who were involved in its restoration and to the ongoing network of volunteers that remain today.

THE BUNKER’S THIRD AGE: TOP: The Bunker in operation during 1943, incorporating Intelligance Operations, Cipher and Meteorological Officers and their staff; CENTRE: The Civil Aviation Authority occupied the Bunker from 1945 until 1980, leaving it to become derelict and this was the state it was in when inspected by the team from Coffs harbour Rotary BOTTOM: How looks as of July 2018, at the launch of Mark Lynch’s Grin Bin exhibition - a vibrant centre for Australian cartooning Inkspot WINTER2018

ROTARY CARTOON AWARDS 30th ANNIVERSARY

When the Bunker Became a Grin Bin! Mark Lynch’s latest collection of cartoon classics took over the Bunker Cartoon Gallery in May The Bunker Cartoon Gallery was alive with colour and laughs (and has been ever since, to be honest) at the opening night of Mark Lynch’s latest exhibition, Grin Bin on 25th May. Mark, his wife Jennifer and son Jack attended with Mark himself opening the exhibition. Always a favourite at the Bunker, Mark and his family chatted with the 60 assembled guests whilst enjoying some nibbles and a glass or two of wine.

“Start spreadin’ the news...”

Mark Lynch chats with Neil Manson

We love to hear the groups of people as they laugh their way around the gallery, as Mark’s works are amongst the most laugh-out-loud-inducing the Gallery sees! The Bunker thanks you, Mark.

Jen congratulates the lucky raffle winner Words by Margaret Cameron, Photography by Steve Little

Jack Lynch brought his Mum and Dad

Who’s Glad the Premier Dropped In? On a visit to Coffs Harbour in July, the Premier of NSW, Gladys Berijiklian, accompanied by long-time local member Andrew Fraser, dropped into The Bunker Cartoon Gallery for a community morning tea. The Premier then surprised us with the announcement of some funds to assist in the acquisition of much-needed audio-visual equipment!

PICTURED (from left): Margaret Cameron (Bunker Manager), Gladys Berijiklian MP (Premier), Andrew Fraser MP (Member for Coffs Harbour) and Paul McKeon (Chairman, Bunker Cartoon Gallery Inc.) 8

Inkspot WINTER 2018

ROTARY CARTOON AWARDS 30th ANNIVERSARY

Class Clowns Welcome!

During each school holiday break in Coffs Harbour, kids from near and far make a bee-line for the Bunker Cartoon Gallery. Neither sun, sand nor surf can compete with the buzz from creating a cartoon character of your very own – whether it be a cute and crazy pet, a dragon, or a manga monster. Budding cartoon artists of all ages jostle for the limited positions in the cartoon drawing classes run by well-known Australian cartoonists. Last holidays saw Phil Judd (left) educate and entertain packed classes on how to draw many cartoon characters in a series of hands-on workshops run over two days. Other similarly successful workshops have been presented recently by Jules Faber and Steve Panozzo. The results speak for themselves. Education continues to be a major priority in the palette of products offered at the Bunker, ensuring a promising future for the cartooning art form.

Cartoon Festival Countdown is ON! 2018 is a milestone year for the Rotary Cartoon Awards and the Bunker Cartoon Gallery - soon to be known as the Bunker National Cartoon Gallery!

is an opportunity for cartoonists to participate in some fun activities with visitors and will include a giant mural, busking, popup shops and more. Despite best attempts, major funding was not secured, however this didn’t daunt the organisers who are determined to make this happen and to make it a success!

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Rotary Cartoon Awards and the word has been spread far and wide through our networks. Prepared for a bumper crop to mark this amazing achievement, the volunteers at the Bunker are busily receiving and processing your entries. It’s going to be a BIG weekend. Friday night will see the launch of the new book from Comicoz, Monty Wedd’s Bold Ben Hall, at an informal ‘Pizza Night’ at the Bunker for those of you who wish to make the most of the weekend and arrive early on the Friday. Saturday night is our Awards Night featuring music by well-known local performer Heather Rose on keyboard and vocals. Our MC for this years’ Awards, Warren Brown, is known to all

ABOVE: Monty Wedd’s Bold Ben Hall

and promises to add his own special brand of humour to this event. The production of a souvenir publication is underway and will be for sale on the night. The biggest news is that our inaugural Coffs Harbour Cartoon Festival will be held on Sunday, 2nd September ,in conjunction with the Harbourside Markets at Coffs Harbour Jetty. This

The folks at the Bunker Cartoon Gallery are keen for this to become an annual international must-see event on the Australian Festival circuit, so the more input from our artists, the better! If you want to be involved, PLEASE contact Margaret at the Bunker as soon as you can. Those of you who generously provided letters of support for this event: THANK YOU! If you haven’t heard from Margaret yet, please get in touch and let her know you want to be involved! Margaret Cameron Manager Inkspot WINTER 2018

In May, the touring version of the Museum of Australian Democracy’s wildly successful Behind the Lines: The Year’s Best Political Cartoons 2017 opened at Parramatta Riverside Theatres. Subtitled “Three Ring Circus”, the exhibition’s opening ceremony threw the spotlight on three of Australia’s more prominent political cartoonists, setting out to discover what makes them tick. CATHY WILCOX was one of them. As readers may or may not know, the Museum of Australian Democracy (MOAD)’s annual exhibition of political cartoons, Behind the Lines, opens not once, but many times as it travels around Australia. This is thanks to the National Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach program, “an Australian Government program aimed to improve access to the national collections for all Australians”. A few years ago they came up with the genius idea of duplicating it, so the original exhibition can stay “home” in Canberra, while its clone can go from region to region. Its regularity of appearance in many parts of Australia has helped make it a guaranteed attraction for locals and tourists in far-flung places – I’ve occasionally heard from friends caravanning around the country, that they’ve turned up in, say, Darwin and seen my cartoons on show.

So, multiple openings mean multiple opportunities to invite actual cartoonists to do the opening, and speak to the visiting public about what we do. One such occasion was on 8th May this year at the Parramatta Riverside Theatres where a panel discussion was held with featured cartoonists, Fiona Katauskas, Glen Le Lievre and me, with comedian Dan Ilic as host. Dan is somewhat of a boy-genius in my opinion, who can quickly dig up the most significant and interesting work from us, then ask us knowledgeable questions of things the

audience really wants to know. As a practitioner in political satire (he heads the writers’ team for ABC’s Tonightly with Tom Ballard), he understands what we’re trying to do and is up to speed with the issues. The Riverside has a faithful tribe of subscribers to its events so you can be sure of a dedicated turnout, even if not a huge one. There’s a fairly good chance you’re “preaching to the converted” in this room – our cartoonists’ takes on Barnaby Joyce, crooked banks, climate change, threats to our democracy, asylum seekers and the Trump phenomenon went down a treat. People declared that cartoonists help them maintain their sanity in this crazy era of spin and “fake news”.

ABOVE: Ringmaster Dan Ilic tames Fiona Katauskas, Glen Le Lievre and Cathy Wilcox (photo by Lindsay Foyle) 10

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When cartoonists (employed ones at least) are a rare and endangered species, it’s good to see that what we do still resonates, and is valued by the public.

Lights Out on Leigh’s Laureateship by LEIGH HOBBS

I was honoured indeed to get the 20162017 Australian Children’s Laureate gong. For me it came, in a way, at just the right time. I had twenty-five years experience as a secondary art teacher under my belt, had written and illustrated quite a few children’s books, and had been a ‘visiting author/illustrator’ running workshops in schools for years. I had hoped to have, at the very least, the basic ‘survival skills’ when it came to working with kids.

I also got the chance to fly the flag at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. And there was a trip to Dublin and Belfast where, with the Irish Laureate (the brilliant illustrator P.J. Lynch), I visited Ballyholme Primary School in Bangor where a class of little Mr. Chicken fans had, in 2016, written to me with a long list of questions for the big yellow beast (left). There were also invitations to appear in the Oxford Literature Festival, the IBBY Conference in New Zealand and at the Hay-on-Wye Literature Festival in Wales, one session being with the then UK Laureate, the gifted cartoonist for The Observer newspaper (and kids’ book illustrator) Chris Riddell.

The Laureate’s role is, essentially, to promote the value and importance of reading, raise the profile of books in the lives of children and young adults, and act as a national and international ambassador for Australian children’s literature. Each Laureate, appointed on a biennial basis has, inevitably, issues which they choose to focus on. I felt (then as now) strongly about the importance of school libraries and librarians, and kids being able to read, write and draw somewhere in the school context, free from the pressures of assessment and ranking. Kids learn about books and reading primarily from school libraries and librarians; so, anyone with kids, and anyone involved in children’s publishing, ought to be aware that school libraries and librarians, as well as art and music subjects in schools, are these days on the endangered list. This is happening while politicians and bureaucrats bang on about literacy and school kids’ pastoral care.

Being Laureate was a terrific, challenging, energising experience. It was great to meet so many wonderful artists, cartoonists, writers, dedicated teachers and librarians. I was often asked for comment about these issues publicly, on TV and in print, whereas teachers and librarians cannot. And parents often aren’t aware that it’s happening.

Best of all, I had the good fortune to meet tons of enthusiastic, imaginative kids up for fun, keen, ready and able to read, draw and write their own stories in words and/or pictures. In short, to read and/or create, purely for the joy of it.

My laureateship was pretty hands-on, with workshops and presentations in every State and capital city at least twice. There were, in fact, thirty-four interstate and overseas trips during the two years, including stints at remote indigenous communities in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Leigh Hobbs being treated like a king at Ballyholme Primary School in Bangor, Northern Ireland

With Horrible Harriet, hamming it up in a bookshop

Inkspot WINTER 2018

Diana Nelson, who was to accept on behalf of the Bertram sisters, couldn’t attend - she, in turn, was represented by her daughter and son-in-law, Carolyn and David Geraghty. Jacie Horak accepted her husband’s award and atended with her son, Damon and daughter, Natasha.

Bernard Caleo, our compére

STORY AND PHOTOS BY STEVE PANOZZO

The 2018 Ledger Awards were presented on 6th July at the Bryan Brown Theatre in Bankstown. Named in honour of Australian cartoonist, Peter Ledger (1945-1994), the awards acknowledge excellence in Australian comic books and graphic novels.

Ledgers Supremo, Gary Chaloner

Unlike the formal sit-down setup for the Stanley Awards, the Ledgers are very much an unfrilled, theatre-style affair. While it’s free to attend, the bar was open for business. It all makes for a relaxed, convivial atmosphere. Our host for proceedings was Bernard Caleo who, in a wild, professorial kind of way, looked very comfortable on stage. Nat Karmichael conducted a fireside chat with Graeme Cliffe about his new book, From Sunbeams to Sunset: The Rise and Fall of the Australian Comic Book (1924 – 1965).

Nat Karmichael speaks!

An extremely proud Jacie Horak

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Daniel Best presented the Ledgers of Honour to the families of Yaroslav Horak and sisters Moira and Kathleen Bertram.

Jules Faber, Glenn Ford and Cathy Wilcox

In drawing up a shortlist of 12 nominees, the judging panel (Philip Bentley, Mal Briggs, Julie Ditrich, Christopher Downes, Jeremy Macpherson and Lucas Testro) had to discard 136 other hopefuls - talk about a tough job! In the end, the Gold Ledgers went to: • Giants, Trolls, Witches, Beasts by Craig Phillips (Allen & Unwin) and • Reported Missing by Eleri Mai Harris (The Nib) Silver Awards went to: • Home Time by Campbell Whyte (Top Shelf Productions) • Bottled by Chris Gooch (Top Shelf Productions) • Injustice 2 by Tom Taylor (DC Comics) • My Struggle With Crohn’s Disease by Safdar Ahmed (Self Published) and • Black Magick (issues #6-10) by Nicola Scott, Greg Rucka and Chiara Arena To top the evening, the venerable, much-loved Tim McEwen was awarded the Platinum Ledger for his outstanding service to Australian comics. Samuel and Annabelle spoke brilliantly about their Dad and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Congratulations all!

Tim McEwen and Don Ticchio

Carolyn Geraghty

Bruce Mutard and the secret envelope

Jacie and Damon Horak

Hayden Fryer, Nat Karmichael and Rob Feldman

Nicola Scott victorious!

Samuel and Annabelle McEwen

Nicola Scott and Julie Ditrich

Mal Briggs and John Clements

Tim McEwen in shock! Inkspot WINTER 2018

As Keane As Mustard! by JEFF KEANE

QUESTION: What does the most widely syndicated cartoon panel in the United States of America and the little town of Gympie (Queensland) have to do with each other?

helm of the feature and continued his father’s tradition of putting a smile on readers’ faces every day with the philosophy that “...a home filled with love and laughter is the happiest place in the world.” In 2007, Jeff was elected President of the National Cartoonists Society, and was re-elected in 2009. Along with other members of the NCS, and the helping hand of the USO, Jeff’s made numerous visits to military bases and hospitals around the world, including both Iraq and Afghanistan.

ANSWER: Everything! It all started in 1943 when US Army Private William (Bil) Keane worked as an artist/cartoonist in the Brisbane War Bonds office; at the desk next to him sat a young woman. He later described her as “a very pretty 18-yearold with a gorgeous figure and long brown hair… I got up the nerve to ask her out. We started laughing then and never stopped.” That young woman, who had spent most of her childhood living in a four-room canvas tent within the borders of the Amamoor Forest Reserve and Gympie, was Thelma Carne. The winding dotted line path these two followed led back to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (where Bil grew up), the creation of 5 kids, then on to Paradise Valley, Arizona and finally the creation of The Family Circus cartoon in 1960. First seen in just 19 newspapers, it eventually grew to appear in over 1,500 newspapers worldwide (including a few in Australia). The daily cartoon, which has always been drawn in a circle, was based on Bil and Thel’s real family experiences, and is now done by their youngest child, Jeff. Jeff Keane was born in 1958 and two years later his dad started chasing him around the house begging him to do something funny. 14

Inkspot WINTER 2018

Jeff Keane at work

So began his career as a cartoon model. As the inspiration for the “Jeffy” character, Keane later worked alongside his father for years. Starting out just answering mail and compiling books, Jeff’s duties were soon expanded to consist of all aspects of creating the daily cartoon: writing, penciling, inking and coloring. When his father died in November 2011, Jeff was already firmly at the

Jeff and his wife, Melinda created three cartoon characters of their own: Spencer, Matilda and Olivia. Of course, Keane chased his kids around begging them to do something funny, proving that The Family Circus really does keep going around in circles! With that in mind, Jeff is thrilled and honoured to get the chance to circle back to his maternal roots and have the opportunity, as a special guest at this year’s Stanley Awards conference weekend, to show through video, pictures, and lots of rarely seen drawings the circuitous path his Dad (and Mum) took over those many years. You’ll be surprised how those events - along with hard work, some luck, and many laughs - shaped the cartoon you see today. This year’s Stanley Awards & Conference will be on the weekend of Friday 16th to Sunday 18th November at Old Parliament House, Canberra. Look for a more detailed preview in the next issue of Inkspot.

ABOVE: Bil Keane at his studio desk TOP RIGHT: Thel as a young Queensland Beach Belle RIGHT: Keane’s landmark cartoon, The Family Circus, broke convention upon it’s debut in 1960 and is the world’s most widely-syndicated cartoon panel, appearing in 1, 500 newspapers worldwide BELOW: Jeff Keane inherited The Family Circus upon Bil’s death in 2011 - while the circular format remains for the daily panel, it’s no longer in black and white and the Sunday strip allows the format breathing room

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AL ROSE (Victoria) IAN JONES (Queensland)

GERALD PEIGNEUX (France)

BUDDY ROSS (NSW)

your view on...

Inkspot WINTER 2018

compiled by phil judd next issue’s theme: “Mobile Phones and Telecommunications” (Because we’ve got loads more of them!) Deadline for entries is 14th September. Send your cartoons to inkspot@comic-express.com

PETER BROELMAN (South Australia) JED DUNSTAN (South Australia)

PHIL JUDD (Queensland) Inkspot WINTER 2018

faceoff!

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this issue, we feature artwork by steve panozzo compiled by phil judd

www.thecartoonfactory.com.au

where are they now? The third in a series of “catch-ups” with retired or reclusive ACA members as they sit down and have a chat over a cuppa with IAN McCALL. This issue: PETER FOSTER! Back in 1986, I was talking with a Queensland cartoonist named Brian Doyle who, at the time, drew for Trucking Life. He asked if I knew his uncle, Peter Foster, in Melbourne. I didn’t, so I contacted Peter and that started a whole new friendship, broadening my understanding of the cartooning world of comic illustration. When I met Peter in 1986 he was drawing comics for DC Thomson, from Dundee in Scotland. They were producing the The Broons, The Beano, The Dandy, Football Library and Commando comics. Peter was drawing a whole series of realist, graphic stories about kids in boarding school, soccer teams and war for these magazines. Peter came along that year to meet up with the Melbourne members of the Australian Black and White Artist’s Club (as we were called in those days), to show us some of his work. It was amazing to see the intense detail and accuracy in every one of his pieces! As he learned more about the Club, and what was important to support his art, Peter changed his focus from sending off his work to Scotland. He started working with writers here in Melbourne to produce books and strips here instead.

One of his earliest local works was For the Term of his Natural Life, published in 1986. This was a graphic novel based on a novel, originally written by Marcus Clarke in the 1870’s to show the horrific manner in which convicts were treated, coming to Australia for petty crimes. Peter’s graphic version, published by Greenhouse Publications, clearly emphasised the harsh conditions and treatment that these convicts received. Soon after, Peter started working with James Kemsley Sr to illustrate a newspaper strip called Ballantyne which appeared in the Sun-Herald. James had worked as a patrol officer for the Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit after the Second World War in Papua New Guinea. So together they wrote and Peter illustrated the adventure stories about the people, religion, the tribes and conditions of the PNG jungle after the war. The strip ran for over 6 years from 1991 to 1997. Peter has produced several Ballantyne books and has republished them regularly. He won a Stanley Award for Adventure/Illustrated Strip Artist in 1993. Peter was born in Caulfield, Victoria in 1931. He commenced work at The Argus as a process artist and then started illustrating panels in the newspaper around 1956. After The Argus closed,

Peter with Ballantyne, Volumes 6 and 7

he changed careers and worked as an art teacher. During this time, he started contributing illustrations to New Idea’s romantic stories. Peter and his family went to England in 1978 and straight away, he secured work for DC Thomson and began illustrating the weekly comics. He returned to Australia in 1981 and continued working for them until around 1988. Peter has also been very busy illustrating children’s books for Ashton Scholastic and Longman Cheshire. Peter is now in his 80’s and still works exceptionally hard. He has republished many of his Ballantyne adventures, with volumes 9 and 10 presently at the printers. Peter’s work can be purchased from Matt Emery at www.pikitiapress.com. Peter has also continued with a strip called Local Guvmint, which is about a group of Australian animals who run a society like a local council. This was published in the Boroondara Press for a few months in 1990 and Peter is hoping that this will also be published in a book soon. He is passionate about music and has written a few musicals for his parish and community groups; they are performed each year at their events. Inkspot WINTER 2018

Roger That! by VALERIE PARV

The biggest lie in fiction is the disclaimer that any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Most writers and some cartoonists delight in sneaking friends and family into their work. Normally they’re heavily disguised – unless the friend is Roger Fletcher. We connected when I was scripting a sci-fi movie. A fan of his strip, Staria in the Daily Telegraph, I even entered a contest to name her telepathic alien friend who became Horrie, a better name than I proposed. Nevertheless, Roger’s style and ingenuity stuck with me. Needing a storyboard for the movie, I recommended Roger to my producer. The resulting storyboard was stunning. Embarrassingly he found a couple of logistical flaws in my script, showing his attention to detail. And total disregard for biting the hand that feeds you. The movie stalled in preproduction, but we remained friends. My late husband Paul Parv and I joined Roger (and his wife,

Marie) as members of the Australian Black and White Artists Club (now Australian Cartoonists Association). Paul, freelancer and illustrator of some of my nonfiction books, was qualified. I couldn’t draw for nuts but ABWAC needed numbers and had some cool get-togethers, so I became a full member. Them was the days. One day I suggested that Staria needed a love story. “Okay”, said Roger, “You write it”. Easier said than done. Firstly, I was limited by what could be drawn. Then I married Staria off and killed her lover. Vetoed because Roger didn’t want to leave her widowed, and disliked wasting a good villain, space pirate Dirk Dragn. So, Dirk stayed alive, Staria stayed single and I got a story credit. Roger phoned sometime later. Staria was investigating a murder on a galactic movie set. If I could title the movie, he’d make me the scriptwriter. The name, Scream Test, did the trick. He drew my logo on T-shirts worn in the movie - and blasted a character right through my logo. Getting even was easy. Remember the “no resemblance” thing? Well I deny to this day that the hero of my book, The Love Artist, bears any resemblance to anyone... even if he’s called Roger Torkan. My heroine objected to artists, after her painter-father walked out on her family. But Roger Torkan was different. He wrote events from his life into his strip, including the heroine. When his strip implied he might kill himself she rushed to his aid to find him merely changing a light bulb. Cue the happy ever after. And also the joke – how many cartoonists does it take to change a light bulb? Only one. The others draw their own conclusions. Roger also christened my autobiography if I ever write one. On my wall is an original Staria where she’s reading the movie script with my name on it. “Valerie Parv writes a good story,” she tells Horrie who “thinks” back, “Sex, violence and a cute puppy. This movie’s bound to be a hit.” So Sex, Violence and a Cute Puppy it shall be. Stay ’tooned. VALERIE PARV AM has published 90 books with sales around 34 million, translated into 26 languages including Manga. She still can’t draw. www.valerieparv.com

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CHRISTOPHER DOWNES interview by PHIL JUDD

When did you first start drawing/cartooning? Do you have a first memory? I remember being a big fan of Garfield when I was little. There’s a simplicity about that strip that must’ve really appealed to me - probably because I was able to understand the jokes. I remember drawing pictures of Garfield and thinking he was pretty easy to draw. I then came up with my own character called Hiss the Cat (I totally thought I had hit a jackpot with that idea). I drew heaps of mildly amusing gag cartoons featuring him. I think I was about 8 or 9 years old at the time. One of the cartoons actually made my mom laugh and I remember looking at it and trying to figure out why it made her laugh and not the other ones. I’m pretty sure it’s that baffling moment that marks my induction as a true cartoonist. What was your first break in the business? I don’t know if I believe in breaks. I believe in steps. I had a few times in my career that felt like, “This is IT! You’ve officially made it!” But then, you don’t get that second job, or the company that you do work for goes out of business. I believe in picking yourself back up after those falls and stumbling on. There have been a few times when I felt like giving up on cartooning, but after about a year’s hiatus, I would feel like I was stagnating. So, one time, I decided to make a daily comic journal. I ended up doing about 300 pages of that. It was really exhausting work but rewarding as well. I was starting to get noticed by many of my favourite cartoonists. Jon Kudelka was one of the cartoonists who saw my work and thought that I might be good for The Mercury. One of their cartoonists was retiring and they didn’t have anyone to take the spot. I was given that spot on the condition that I must always come up with a cartoon for that day. Seven years later and I haven’t missed a day! Now, you might say that getting that weekly Mercury cartoon was my big break. Maybe. These days I get to draw two cartoons a week. I feel extraordinarily lucky to have that, but I still have to work a second job to pay the electricity bill. What category of cartooning does your work cover? What formats do you use? I’m an editorial cartoonist. The Mercury isn’t an overly political paper. Even though my cartoons don’t have to mirror what is being said by the paper, I’ve noticed that they work better when the joke is in conjunction with what Tasmanians are talking about. And a lot of the time, it’s the weather.

How do you generate your ideas? I usually start the day by reading the local news to see if there’s anything that has a bit of a seed of humour in it. The best topics are always the more popular ones. I usually try to link to different stories together by a common thread. That’s usually a sure fire way to create a good joke. Unfortunately, it also can be a bit predictable. I’ve learned to find the things I like to draw (monsters, Tassie devils, supernatural things) and try to fit those in somehow. The fact that I’m enjoying the process of drawing always carries through to the finished product. The cartoons where I’ve had to draw dull subject matter always end up a bit lacklustre. What comes first - the drawing or the writing? Neither. And both. It’s like saying that you lace your shoe on one side before lacing the other side. It really depends on the joke. Sometimes the joke forms out of drawing. Sometimes I come up with the perfect punchline and have to figure how the drawing elements can work with that. Maurice Sendak said once that words and artwork “dance” to form a narrative. Inkspot WINTER 2018

I’ve always thought that was the most lovely way of describing it. What materials, technology and methods do you currently use to create your work? Any favourites? My cartoons are drawn on paper, then scanned into Photoshop, where I ink and colour them. Have you ever won any awards for your work? In 2015, I won the Stanley Award for Best Editorial/Political Cartoonist. It sits on my bookshelf right next to my award for “Being A Good Daddy” that my daughter made for me in kindergarten. What’s the best thing that has happened so far in your cartooning career? Back in 2016, asylum seekers on Nauru held a protest. It lasted for weeks. On day 48, they held up prints of one of my cartoons. I was told about this by a refugee advocate on Twitter. Suddenly, the weight of the importance of that action hit me. I never intended for that cartoon to be seen by anyone outside of Australia, but somehow these people saw it and felt moved enough by it to print it out and hold it up in front of cameras. They used one of my cartoons to be their voice. I’ve always been a strong advocate for refugee rights as well as human rights, but hearing this news made me realise how incredibly powerful something as simple as a cartoon could be. Any advice, tips or insights you could offer your fellow car22

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toonists or those aspiring to be? Don’t ever give up. If you want to be a cartoonist, draw cartoons. If you think you’re terrible at it, then keep going. You might actually be terrible, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be a cartoonist. As Jake says in Adventure Time, “Sucking at somethin’ is the first step to bein’ sorta good at somethin’”. Be stupid with your persistence. There were so many times logic told me to stop and “get a real job”, but I continued working at being a cartoonist. Also, practicing every day isn’t enough. Be willing to push yourself out of your comfort zone. If all you ever do is mediocre work, then you get really good at being mediocre. And don’t ever use fonts instead of hand lettering! It immediately looks fake and wrong. Many a comic has been ruined by the choice to use fonts. Do you have any favourite Australian cartoonists? Yes. It’s basically a membership roll call of the ACA. I love you all and I think you’re all brilliant. And I also like Jon Kudelka. But, I have to say that I am most inspired by Norman Lindsay. I love his linework. I love the motion that he captures in his drawings. He knew that posture was a great way to show character. Who would you say are your five favourite cartoonists that inspire you? Top of the list is Richard Thompson. I’ll never forget the day

I discovered his work. It lit me on fire! I couldn’t sleep, and I ended up having to get out of bed at 4am to sketch out ideas. Next would be Craig Thompson (no relation to Richard, but my top two favourite cartoonists both happen to have the same last name... weird!). I remember reading Blankets and having my mind blown. It’s incredibly beautiful and uses the medium of comics to its full potential. I also really related to the story. I also love Ronald Searle, Edward Gorey and Charles Dana Gibson.

“I’ve always been a strong advocate for refugee rights as well as human rights, but hearing this news made me realise how incredibly powerful something as simple as a cartoon could be”

What are your favourite five comic strips, books or films that have inspired and motivated you? I feel like any answer I give to this question would be way too obvious (I love Calvin and Hobbes, Bloom County and Peanuts), so I’m going to give a shout out to my favourite animated cartoon series. My wife, daughter and I LOVE to watch cartoons and I feel like some of the most exciting stuff right now is happening in that medium. Steven Universe: This is a great series and it really challenges a lot of stereotypes. The basic storyline follows a young boy who is half-human/half superhuman crystal gem (it makes

sense when you watch it). He is coraised by his single homeless father and three other crystal gems. All the characters are beautifully well-realised and it’s constantly surprising how tender and intricate the storytelling gets. Teen Titans Go!: This is a silly hyperactive nonsense show, but boy oh boy, it’s got some great typography! Really, If you ever want to see some inspired used of calligraphy and word balloons, this is a show to watch!

Over The Garden Wall: There’s no other cartoon like this one. It manages to go from funny to terrifying in a stuttered heartbeat. This cartoon is all about the setting: Autumn in New England. And it’s got kind of a Max Fleischer feel to it. There are only about 10 short episodes. You can watch the entire show in one sitting, but it’ll stick with you for a long time after that. My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Yes. It’s good. It’s better than it should be. If I ever feel like I have to do a project that’s destined to be mediocre, I think of this show and realise that things aren’t always what they seem, and great things can be made from unlikely subject matter. The Amazing World of Gumball: I love this because it mixes different animation styles and character design and it works! It’s really hilarious, too. Watch the episode called The Puppy.

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Any obscure cartoonists you can suggest checking out? I’m a huge fan of Patricio Betteo, a Mexican cartoonist. He and I actually became friends while I was doing my diary comics. He’s got an incredibly unique style that he has shined to a brilliant polish. I actually have a portrait that he drew of me and my wife. It’s one of my favourite things. Where does your current work appear? My work appears in The Mercury newspaper on Mondays and Tuesdays, and on t-shirts in the LORE podcast mystery box. Where can we find out more about you, your business and your work? I usually post a lot of my work on my Facebook Page: The Cartoons of Christopher Downes and on my twitter account: @cjdownes

My favourite type of music is the kind that isn’t afraid to get ugly. While I work, I usually listen to podcasts. I’m a dedicated listener to LORE and Imaginary Worlds. I also want to give a shout out to Jason Chatfield’s podcast, Is There Something In This? It’s excellent and therapeutic to listen to him and his friend, Scott Dooley, verbally work out gags for their New Yorker cartoon submissions. It’s the perfect thing to listen to while I’m working on my Mercury cartoons. Do you have any other special talents besides cartooning? Or talents you’d like to have? I used to swing dance, but I think I hurt my knee doing that (I was a violent swing dancer). I’d love to be able to freestyle rap. Whenever I see videos of people doing that, I’m so incredibly amazed.

What are you currently reading, cartooning or generalwise? I’ve just started a second job as a gallery attendant at MONA (The Museum of Old and New Art). I needed to get away from the computer and working at MONA provides a lot of creative stimulation. It’s a fascinating place to work and I love the artwork that is on display. What music do you enjoy? Do you listen to anything whilst working? I love Tom Waits and Johnny Cash. I’ve been listening to a lot of Childish Gambino and Janelle Monáe, too. Inkspot WINTER 2018

Beyond Their Pens This is the second in a series of articles on Australian cartoonists who have written published books, composed stage plays or have made a significant cultural contribution.

by Vane Lindesay

This issue: JIMMY BANCKS James Charles (Jimmy) Bancks, was known Australia-wide and to New Zealand newspaper readers as the creator, in 1921, of the red-haired, orchardraiding, school-wagging, football and cricket ‘champeen’, a fighting youngster with a ‘terrible right’ – the comic strip character Ginger Meggs. The long-running feature popular with newspaper readers attracted fame and fortune to Ginger’s creator, and added a further degree of public prominence when the Melbourne Herald carried advertisements of J.C. Williamson’s production of, “The All-Australian musical comedy, Blue Mountain Melody, written by J. C. Bancks (the creator of Ginger Meggs) with the greatest Array of Stage Celebrities Ever Identified with One Production”. Top-of-the-Bill were the popular Matinee Idols, Madge Elliot and Cyril Richard. Other Australian big names were Gus Bluett, Don Nichol, Frank Leighton, Agnes Doyle and Marie Le Varre among the claim “100 Others”. This lavish production with fifteen musical items was played at His Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, during the summer of 1934, with the claim to be “The greatest Australian musical comedy yet written, a magnificent achievement that sets a new standard in theatre production”. With the fifteen musical items, twenty-two actors plus chorus, and played on a revolving stage, Blue Mountain Melody opened on 3rd November 1934, to a season of forty-seven performances. As the title suggests, the New South Wales Blue Mountains form the background for two of the three acts of a story where a young painter, played by Frank Leighton, turns 26

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to boxing as an aid to earning enough money to support his painting and a girl he is in love with. A respected Melbourne newspaper, The Argus, had the grace (though others failed), to not only include Bancks with others, but to acknowledge his creation: “Mr J.C. Banks has striven to bring his book in line with the immortal tradition of musical comedy. He has chosen a fragile and meandering plot with plenty of spectacular effects, and decorated it neatly and wittily. Mr Charles Zwar’s music and lyrics are in the same vein, apt and pointed.” On the evening of 8th November 1934, a Gala Performance was staged for the visiting H.R.H. the Duke of Gloucester, which was relayed to Sydney’s Radio 2FC. On the 9th, The Herald reported the event: “Garlands of flowers adorned the interior of His Majesty’s last night. The whole of the façade of the

not one of this gathering. Another puzzling omission of Bancks and of Blue Mountain Melody, is from Viola Tait’s A Family of Brothers: The Taits and J.C. Williamson - A Theatre History, a Heinemann publication from 1971. Nowhere in this excellent history of Australian musical comedy is there any mention at all of Bancks or his Melody. One can only ponder on this omission, for Trait’s husband Frank greeted and escorted the Duke of Gloucester to the Royal Box on the night of the Gala. This series of non-events for Bancks leaves us with suppositions. Perhaps Bancks quarrelled at the tampering and altering of his libretto or, could the question of payment have led to such a breach of contract? We will never know. A Family Of Brothers lists twenty-two pages of indices, closely set in small 4-point type over 69 columns, which includes the Duke of York Theatre but not the Duke of Gloucester, nor of J.C. Bancks. We must make what we can of these strange non-events.

dress circle was wreathed with ropes of roses and the boxes of each of the two upper boxes were covered with massed flowers in blue, red and gold, while over the Royal Box a coat of arms in flowers stood out in bold relief.” After much gushing, The Herald described what the fifty or so high society women were wearing, but there was no report of the Duke going backstage to meet and congratulate the cast, and we have no reports from the forty-seven evening performances or of an appearance of the author of Blue Mountain Melody. We can only wonder whether Jimmy Bancks was present at the Gala Performance of his musical comedy. There were no press announcements as to whether Bancks was present at the opening or, at the final curtain, whether it had been customary for the author to take a bow with the principal performers. After the first night of Blue Mountain Melody, The Argus reported the Clapp Family “entertained a number of people at a supper party” at their home in Toorak. Special guests were officers from the American cruiser USS Augusta. Madge Elliot and Cyril Richard were also guests. Bancks was Inkspot WINTER 2018

At the end of the Melbourne seasons, Blue Mountain Melody opened at Sydney’s Theatre Royal. This was announced in The Home magazine in a review of the Melbourne production, not the Sydney show. The reviewer wrote, in part: “Mr Bancks has produced a very workman-like piece. Patently, some of the scenes have a certain haphazard shapelessness, but the patter is dry, salty and pungent, the author has fished some amusing sculcracks from the pool of his adolescent meditation.” From the scant information available, the critic of The Home appears to be “giving with one hand and taking back with the other”, for, scattered among the critical comments are the expressions “feeble plot”, “far from disdainful”, “airy fairy”, and “not a delightful opiate”. The variations of opinions from critics is confounding. Meanwhile, Jimmy Bancks was, at the age of forty-five, now at his peak producing the Ginger Meggs adventures together with his Mr Melbourne Day by Day double panel cartoons, a feature never other than domestic in theme. With the passing of the years, now these situations seem inconsequential for, since Bancks died during 1952 from, it is said, overwork, we will never know why the lack of appreciation for his musical comedy, Blue Mountain Melody, or, for Viola Tates’ omission of the Duke of Glousester’s Gala Performance and of any reference to the musical comedy or of its creator, Jimmy Bancks.

Submissions to Inkspot are most welcome. Please supply as Word documents (as a guide, a half-page article equates to between 200 & 400 words, a full-page article is around 500 words). Articles longer than 1,200 words may be edited for space. The resolution of images and photographs should be no less than 300dpi and submitted in JPEG format. The DEADLINE for Inkspot #83 (Spring 2018) is 14th SEPTEMBER.

MOVING HOUSE? JUST MOVED? Then update your address with us - we’d really hate it if you missed the next Inkspot! Get in touch with the ACA’s Membership Secretary today, so that you can continue enjoying the benefits of your membership… it’s easy: secretary@cartoonists.org.au 28

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Reviews Ian Fleming’s James Bond Agent 007: Casino Royale by Van Jensen and Dennis Calero Published by Dynamite Entertainment ISBN 9781524100684 $35.97 (available at www.angusrobertson.com.au)

I’ve just finished reading the graphic novel adaptation of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale by Van Jensen and Calero - finally a creative team with the guts, and the faith, to stick to Fleming’s actual creations and story. My love affair with all things Bond has been put through the wringer over the decades, courtesy of the cinema, yet even after the Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan humiliations I would still return, a bit like a desperate partner clinging to the notion that deep down their spouse was really a good soul, if only they’d give up the booze. Then, with the Daniel Craig film of Casino Royale, my faith was more than just a little restored - sure, they couldn’t resist modifying things, updating stuff, adding unnecessary characters and explosions - but it still contained enough of the original story to show someone had read the actual friggin’ book, and it was these bits that gave the movie it’s spine, its tension, its emotional punch! So grateful was I, to be not squirming with embarrassment at the portrayal of my childhood hero, that I began to come to terms with the fact that this was probably as close as I was ever going to get to the real James Bond. EON Productions (the producers of the “official” film series) were never going to go full-Bond, if indeed they ever had. Even in Dr. No, we could see the course set for future films:

less summary executions (“that’s a Smith & Wesson…and you’ve had your six”) and lots more silly blow-up endings with people in uniforms running about. But maybe after 40 years of bowdlerising Bond and disregarding Fleming’s stories, the creative powersthat-be had shown some good judgement and found that sweet spot between Fleming’s ruthless protagonist and a modern hero who wouldn’t totally alienate the younger generation with his misogyny, racism and drug addictions. But then this graphic novel adaptation of Casino Royale came along, and blew all that shit out of the water. What had I been thinking? Who was I fooling? This top-notch comic reaffirms what I have always known deep down inside: that Fleming’s Bond IS the best Bond, the benzedrine and champagne quaffing, 70-ciggies-per-day, friendless, snobby arsehole who not only survives, but thrives in the murky world of espionage. And the team that did this graphic novel brought that riveting character back to me, with great fidelity. Illustrated in a deliberately muted, understated and noir-ish fashion, and written with lashings of Fleming and Fleming-esque prose, this graphic novel is the closest a purist Bond-fan will get to a genuine Bond “movie” since From Russia With Love. A touch of Michael Fassbender in the visual depiction of Bond only further teases us for what could (but probably won’t) be in the post-Craig cinema world of 007. Well done, and thank you Van Jensen and Calero, for doing what EON can’t bring itself to do. Glenn Lumsden Inkspot WINTER 2018

Vale

Steve Smith

King of the Comics Passes Away Steve Smith, the owner of Comic Kingdom and one of the pioneers of comic book retailing in Sydney, passed away in May. I met Steve in 1980 as a fresh-faced kid straight from the country. I stumbled upon his Bondi Book Exchange store where I found what then seemed like a huge display of colour American comics. I was hooked! It was like finding Aladdin’s cave – I had never seen so many comics in one place in my entire life, and they were NEW comics as well, not ratty second-hand ones! That store soon became my home away from home and I used to drop by nearly every afternoon after University to talk superheroes and collecting with Steve. In those days in the early 1980s, I was so excited to find a friend that shared my passion for comics – it was still a nerdy thing to do. In 1986, Steve offered me my first full-time job in the comics industry at his Comic Kingdom comic book store, situated on the corner of Liverpool and Elizabeth Streets in Sydney. We used to shuffle past customers with the new comic books on new shipment day – but the squeeze and intimacy of the store meant you got to really know your customers. In the late 1980s, Steve moved his

The original Comic Kingdon store in 1985 30

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then) creaky stairs to buy huge piles of comic books. Unlike the newsagents of the time, collectors loved stores like Comic Kingdom as they stocked up-todate new US comics as well as extensive back-issues of hard-to-find comics. The huge piles of new comics would quickly disappear once word got out that a new shipment had arrived – remember, this was the pre-internet days when wordof-mouth was king!

Steve Smith

store to its current location in Liverpool Street and it became a regular haunt for Sydney comic fans. Weekend trading was crazy in those days, as everyone would jump on the train or bus to make their trip into the city to buy the latest comics and collect their standing orders. There were relatively few suburban stores at the time, so collectors made the trek into town to do the rounds of the various comic book, record and sci-fi stores. The shop was often packed with droves of excited customers climbing the (even

Working for Steve though wasn’t always fun and games: I remember we had plenty of discussions/arguments about the shop. After a brief break from the store and its frustrations, Steve hired me back and I managed his new Parramatta store, opened in 1989. The store found an immediate customer base as it made comic collecting far more convenient for fans in Western Sydney. Steve’s passing ends another chapter in the history of comic book retailing in Sydney. Comic Kingdom has been “closing down” for three years now, so its future is uncertain. What is certain is the stories and legend of Steve Smith’s Comic Kingdom will endure when fans reminisce about the “Golden Age” of comics collecting in Sydney. Condolences go out to his sister Lynn. Stephen Ford

Comic Kingdom today (71 Liverpool Street, Sydney)

The Last Word

Caption This Classic Bulletin Cartoon and Win!

So, you think you have what it takes to write a decent gag? To the left is an old cartoon from The State Library of NSW’s collection of cartoons from The Bulletin, selected by none other than the former Deputy Editor of The Bulletin and successful cartoon exhibition organiser, Lindsay Foyle, Esq. What you have to do is write a modern caption or gag for the illustration. Enter as many times as you like! Entries are welcome from anyone who reads Inkspot (and with our magazine appearing in libraries around the country and in selected comic bookshops, there are more and more people reading it!). The funniest caption (in the opinion of our judges) that arrives before the next Inkspot goes to press will win $100. The winner will be announced in the next issue. As usual, no correspondence will be entered into and the judge’s decision is final. Send your entries, either by snail-mail (to The Editor, Inkspot, P.O. Box 187, Margate Beach, Queensland, 4019) or by email to comicoz@live.com.au, with “The Last Word” in the subject line.

CONGRATULATIONS TO the winner from last issue! Well done, GORDON DUNLOP!

in the next Inkspot... We will be paying tribute to the inimitable John Jensen and dedicating substantial space to the one and only Geoff Hook. We invite your stories, thoughts and cartoons (don’t forget to hide your hook!). Please send your contributions to comicoz@live.com.au THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS 14th SEPTEMBER

HE: “I’m one of your biggest fans, Madam” SHE: “That thought had occurred to me, Sir, but I did not like to say so” Inkspot WINTER 2018