Inkspot 88

Inkspot

Issue #88, Autumn 2020 www.cartoonists.org.au

ACA Board

Patron VANE LINDESAY

President JULES FABER president@cartoonists.org.au

Deputy President DAVID BLUMENSTEIN david@experienceillustration.com

Secretary STEVE PANOZZO steve@noz.com.au

Treasurer MARTINA ZEITLER treasurer@cartoonists.org.au

Membership Secretary PETER BROELMAN peter@broelman.com.au

Committee: ROBERT BLACK robert@robertblack.com.au

NAT KARMICHAEL comicoz@live.com.au

IAN McCALL mccallart@bigpond.com.au

JUDY NADIN judynadin@optusnet.com.au

CATHY WILCOX cwilcox@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Affiliated Organisations

National Cartoonists Society

President: Jason Chatfield www.nationalcartoonists.com

Cartoonists’ Club of Great Britain

Chairman: Richard Skipworth www.ccgb.org.uk

FECO

President-General: Peter Nieuwendijk www.fecocartoon.org

Professional Cartoonists’ Organisation (PCO)

Chairman: Clive Goddard www.procartoonists.org

Your Inkspot Team

Editor: Steve Panozzo

Contributing Editor: Nat Karmichael

Contributors: Gavin Aung Than, Wayne Baldwin, Robert Black, Shelley Brauer, Peter Broelman, Warren Brown, Margaret Cameron, Jason Chatfield, Patrick Egerton, Anton Emdin, Jules Faber, Christopher Downes, Lindsay Foyle, Matt Golding, Judy Horacek, Phil Judd, Steve Keast, Rik Kemp, Darren Koziol, Glen Le Lievre, Vane Lindesay, Eric Löbbecke, Tony Lopes, Mark Lynch, Ian McCall, Terry Mosher, Judy Nadin, Peter Player, Greg Smith, Peter Viska, Cathy Wilcox and Martina Zeitler

Cover Art: Cartoon by Glen Le Lievre

Inkspot is (usually) produced four times a year by the Australian Cartoonists’ Association in January, April, July and November.

Deadline for next issue is 14th JUNE

PO Box 5178

SOUTH TURRAMURRA NSW 2074

ABN 19 140 290 841

ISSN 1034-1943

Australia Post Registration PP 533798/0015

Presidential Palaver

Hello and welcome to another edition of Inkspot, hot on the heels of the last. In that issue, I spoke about cartooning and the economy. Since then, there have been multiple assistances put in place to help people during this time, but disappointingly, not a great deal to help people engaged in the arts. For an industry that contributes more to the economy than sport or mining, you’d think the government might want to help out a little.

One thing I know, regardless of whatever troubles the rest of 2020 may have in store for us, it won’t stop us. It’s impossible to stop true artists from creating and that’s what we’ll do; we’ll keep creating and we’ll lead from the front, because that’s what cartooning has always done, as the first art form of them all. We’ve always led and we will continue to do so.

One great example is our own Lindsay Foyle. After a lifetime of achievement in cartooning, we have gratefully named Lindsay the Official Historian for the ACA. His dedication to Australian cartooning and its history, is unparalleled. Congratulations, Lindsay. These are difficult times for some of us, so be sure and reach out to a friend if you need someone to talk to. Whilst

most of us are quite used to a life of seclusion and isolation, it’s not necessarily for everyone and some people may be struggling. Let’s keep an eye on each other to make sure we’re all not just surviving, but thriving through this unprecedented time.

I’ll retire now, to let you get into this cracking issue. As usual, it’s jam-packed with cartoony goodness, which is just the tonic when we’re stuck at home for hours on end.

Don’t forget that, should you find yourself with any spare time, you are welcome to contribute to Inkspot. Be it through articles, cartoons or anything else you may consider interesting to your fellow cartoonists, the editor is always keen to hear from members. Anyway, enough from me. Get into it!

Editorial Notes

Surprise! I know it hasn’t been all that long since you received the last Inkspot, but since many of us have been stuck at home, it’s worth having quality stuff to read at a time like this.

It’s been wonderful to see how many cartoonists have been putting their creative talents to use during COVID-19. From Harry Gold creating his own retro cartooning “tonight show”, The Harry Gold Show on YouTube, to regular watch-along videos from Frantz Kantor and Paul Harvey’s caricature class on Facebook Live, it’s been a joy and a rare treat to see our colleagues in action while being locked-down.

Steve Keast has also stuck his neck out and kicked off a progressive comic book on Facebook called The World’s Most Epic Comic Ever in the World! Each cartoonist who writes and draws a page

nominates the next artist to continue the story, making the whole enterprise wonderfully random - it’s worth a look. At this point, I’d like to apologise to Sean Leahy - last issue, we erroneously reported that Sean had left the Courier- Mail and joined the Sandgate Guide. While Sean has indeed joined the Guide, he is still producing a cartoon for the Courier-Mail once a week (for their Saturday edition).

The topic for the next Your View On... will be At Home. The deadline is 14th June. So get scribbling!

Contributions for inclusion in Inkspot are always welcome. Please email your views to inkspot@cartoonists.org.au

From the Judy Nadin Fan Club President

Like most long-term tradesmen, I’m genuinely impressed by the diverse craft displayed by my peers. I recognize their talent and often envy the way they can achieve something I cannot do. That said, I generally look at artwork in a fairly blasé way. I see so much of it and a quick perusal is generally enough to gauge the worth (or MY idea of the worth) of a piece. So... I was sitting at the kitchen bench last night and the most recent Inkspot was by my elbow. I took it up casually (I’d already read through it, of course) looked at the cover and said to myself, as I often do when I see Judy Nadin’s work, ‘Jesus, she’s good’. But then, I noticed a little more and then a little more, then a lot more... And I became somewhat more intense - my comment rose to ‘Holy shit! This is fantastic!’ Every tooth in Dave Rowe’s mouth is a bloody masterpiece! The gold chain? Crikey, it must have taken her a month just to do the bloody chain! Every link is PERFECT. The hair - don’t get me started! I spent way too much time examining the piece, square millimetre by square millimetre. It is one hell of a good caricature - world-class by every conceivable measure. I realize that I may be late getting on the ‘Total Fan Of Judy Nadin’ boat, but give me a paddle, because I’m fully on board!

Roger Fletcher MURWILLUMBAH NSW

Rolfing Along

Just got Inkspot. Great job again. Your work is much appreciated! Hope to catch up with you again one of these days.

Rolf Heimann ALBERT PARK VICTORIA

The Tickled Pink-in Image

I’m pleased to tell you that Vane received his copy of Inkspot this morning, so that kept him busy today! I also had a look, what an outstanding cover. I’m so glad that during this period of ‘captivity’ when I can’t really take my dad on his usual little outings, that he has something to work on; that is, his next article for Inkspot. It’s heartening to see him, with his very limited vision, working away in his studio with the same enthusiasm as he had when his sight was normal. Come to think of it, he’s working from home like most of us!

Helen Lindesay

MELBOURNE VICTORIA

Panel by Panel by Thanks!

Thanks for the copy of Inkspot, it arrived Wednesday. Very professional job and some great reading. It’s a long way from a Ditto spirit duplicator and walking endlessly around the kitchen table! Thanks for the piece on John. Most enjoyable!

Jan (Ryan)

BRISBANE QUEENSLAND

COVID-19 & HUMOUR

If we’ve lost our sense of humour, we’re done for, argues WARREN BROWN - it’s our best defence against COVID-19

CORONA-COMICS

NAT KARMICHAEL has a few ideas to help the Aussie comic book industry survive the coronavirus...

LIMBERING IN LOCKDOWN

JASON CHATFIELD has a few tips for the socially-isolated cartoonist and tells of his terrifying COVID-19 experience

A DECADE IN THE DARK

DARREN KOZIOL’s Dark Oz Comics is celebrating 10 years in business - it’s a remarkable story of survival

INKSPOT: THE EARLY YEARS

How long has Inkspot been essential reading? The answer: always! Here’s WAYNE BALDWIN to tell you the story...

WILL DYSON

VANE LINDESAY turns his attention to one of our greatest-ever cartoonists, WILL DYSON, in Beyond Their Pens

DARREN PRACY

He was set to be one of our best editorial cartoonists - LINDSAY FOYLE looks at the tragically short life of DARREN PRACY

VALE: MORT DRUCKER

Kind and generous, MORT DRUCKER was both a legendary caricaturist and a friend to us all

REGULAR FEATURES

their latest production!

That Old Sinking Feeling

COVID-19 has affected our families, our social structure and our workplaces. It’s now threatening to undo our national psyche. The Australian sense of humour is what has united us through World Wars and the Great Depression. Now, more than ever, it’s our best defence against the novel coronavirus, argues

People, now is not the time to lose your sense of humour. And yet that seems to be just what some of us are doing.

At the morning news conference, an anecdote unfolded where a colleague told a coronavirus joke to a group of friends online and was instantly hauled over the coals: “This isn’t time for jokes! People are dying!”

In recent years we seem to have been collectively installed with a high-dudgeon/outrage switch which is slammed on at the first whiff of something running counter to some “responsible” narrative. Certainly the coronavirus pandemic is frightening - bordering on terrifying - but we are all in this ghastly contagion together and to inject some levity into a dark chapter in our lives can only be a good thing.

Like most of us I’ve never experienced real suffering. I didn’t grow up in a Great Depression only to find myself then fighting in a world war, so I really don’t pretend to know what true hardship is, but I have found it startling to watch the absurd over-the-top antics of Australian shoppers fighting over dunny paper. A month ago we were lionising the selfless behaviour of Australian volunteers during an unprecedented bushfire season and next minute we’re involved in fisticuffs in aisle three over value packs of two-ply.

If you can step back from the frenzy for a moment and take a look at how comical the situation is you can’t help but giggle at how silly we are. It’s the things we’re unfamiliar with - shortages in supermarkets, face masks, isolation, obsessive hand washing - that are all so unexpected and so new, the situation is ripe to be made fun of. Historically, the Australian sense of humour was borne of hardship - conviction, antiauthoritarianism, drought, the bush, crime, war - it was a kind of

WARREN BROWN

egalitarian pressure-valve; everyone was in the same barbed wire canoe up a certain creek so we might as well have a laugh.

Then, of course, is the old saying, “Comedy = Tragedy + Time”. Every now and then someone will say something funny but slightly off-colour about a recent, unfortunate event followed by the cheeky, meek disclaimer, “too soon?”

Possibly one of the best examples of this is the sinking of the Titanic - a bench-mark catastrophe if there ever was one, claiming 1,517 lives - but the image of the sinking ship, the iceberg, the band playing, people shuffling deck chairs - has been a mainstay for comedians and cartoonists almost as soon as the mighty ship hit the bottom of the Atlantic over a century ago. The humour is not lampooning or laughing at the gravity of the tragedy itself - rather, it’s an abstract instrument to play on our natural fears and then alleviating what is an unthinkable situation into something humorous.

The same with the coronavirus. Yes, people really are dying and, yes, we are frightened and our lives have been turned upside down, but we’re all in this together so why not try to find a way to have a laugh? It’s important to take the Mickey out of things that frighten us and or even repulse us - it helps give us balance, a bit of a reality check when we’re veering down the path of panic.

And if you can’t find something humorous in a bleak situation, imagine Abraham Lincoln’s wife when she was asked, “Apart from that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?”

Warren Brown

This article originally appeared in The Daily Telegraph and is reproduced with permission

Can Comics Recover from COVID-19?

by NAT KARMICHAEL

Even a cursory look at the internet will tell you that the novel coronavirus event is bringing creative people to the fore: there are many funny videos and cartoons to be found online, as people adjust to our new way of living.

I travelled into Brisbane’s CBD recently after work to see if the local comic bookstore was still open. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was, and startled to discover I was the only customer seeking to pick up my current favourite title (which is presently Daredevil).

“It’s good to know that comic-retailing remains an essential service,” I quipped. The proprietor informed me that it wouldn’t be for too much longer, when he shared the most recent comic news - perhaps known to everyone but myself! Diamond Comic Distributors had stopped distributing comics due to the COVID-19 virus. Diamond, for far too many years, have had the monopoly in distributing comics around the world. That they had made the decision not to do so left me stunned. No comics? What was the world coming to?

Of course, in my work environment, we’ve been preparing for when it really impacts on our health-care system. I work in the Psychiatric Emergency Centre at the Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital and, although I have been hearing the news of job losses in coffee shops and other retailer outlets, it wasn’t until I couldn’t get my comic fix that I really appreciated the impact this virus was having on the world economy!

The last time American comics stopped reaching Australia was in the 1940s. In 1939, due to our increasing involvement in the Second World War, the Australian Government began enforcing import licensing regulations. This controlled the amount of US dollars (then purchased from England) that could be spent on published comics and syndicated proofs of American comics. This, in turn, led to a total ban by July 1940. Then, as now, creative people adapted to the current situation, and so was born the “Golden Age” of Australian comics.

Unlike the Americans, who had introduced the ‘production line’ of comic creating (that continues to this day), local comic creators did not have that luxury. Most of the comic artists in Australia handled creative production themselves, apart from the publishing. Australian comics historian John Ryan identified those he thought were that era’s “top comic book illustrators”: Monty Wedd, John Dixon, Hart Amos, Stanley Pitt, Vernon Hayles, Moira Bertram and Phil Belbin

In the same way that Australian artists rose to the fore in the 1940s, I feel that now is as good a time as any to look at the silver lining behind COVID-19 and wonder if there are ways of adapting to the current situation.

Frew Publications, as the only local comics publisher still appearing on newsstands today, is probably in the best position to exploit this opportunity, given that newsagents have not - yet? - been shut down. Frew is one of the publishers

that first established itself in the 1940s when businessmen Ron Forsyth, Jim Richardson, Jack Elsen and Peter Wilson formed the company (with the name coming from the first letter in each partner’s surname). While the company has been primarily occupied with reprinting old Phantom stories, in recent years its owners (since 2016, Rene White and Glenn Ford) have been utilizing many local cartoonists for both cover artwork and internal stories. In the process, they have engendered much goodwill in the local comics scene.

A recent development in the medium has been the development of online comics. I’m not convinced that the major publishers, Marvel and DC, have really been interested in developing the online market. Perhaps that will now change; it’s too early to tell. My feeling is that the profit margins are not as substantial as with physical comics, which, for example, carry multiple cover alternatives that have appealed to the collector in preference to the longer-term benefit of seeking a newer and increasing readership. There have been few Australian creatives publishing online, but with physical outlets likely to close up shop (either due to the economic downturn or by Government legislation) and people becoming more socially isolated and needing new reading material, the opportunities are there for the taking.

My favourite online comic is by a couple of Sunshine Coast creatives, Teloka Berry and Priscilla Wu A Week in Warrigilla has been running for two years now; it is as engaging as ever, with over a thousand subscribers. Do yourself a favour and check it out! Here’s a link:

https://tapas.io/episode/1008842

Comic one-shots and series are also able to be found via the various crowd-funding platforms available these days. Given the reluctance of most Australian comics stores to support local creatives, many local self-publishers have been increasingly exploring this avenue. This would be another way for the comics medium to reach potential audiences post-COVID-19. Dark Oz, run by South Australian publisher Darren Koziol for the past ten years (see the Inkspot feature this issue), has been increasingly marketing his comic books using crowdfunding, allowing his comics to reach the wider world market.

The post-COVID-19 world is going to be shaped by massive social change and it is difficult to predict what that world will look like. It’s my belief that the comics medium will be influenced heavily by that change, with creative storytellers finding new ways of reaching those who want to read and listen. There are ways for Australian creatives to harness that change, with some of those opportunities available even today. Comic books and graphic storytelling will not die - they will simply adapt and evolve into this newer form. This medium that we love shall continue.

Nat Karmichael

SELF-ISOLATING CARTOONIST EXERCISES

Morning Stretches and Foam Rolling for the Back, Chest and Shoulders

by JASON CHATFIELD

Cartoonists all have to spend long hours at the drawing board in mostly bad posture, and we all have the same conversations with our physical therapists… These are some exercises I do to alleviate these aches and pains. You can use a theraband at home for the last couple if you can’t get to a gym. The only other thing you need is a mat and a foam roller - you can get one of those on Amazon pretty cheaply. I hope these help you.

A great book I highly recommend with more stretches for cartoonists and illustrators is Draw Stronger by Kriota Willberg (right). It is a great resource for any working cartoonist.

Oh! And one last thing - you’ve probably heard a lot about a standing desk being better for your posture. Well, it’s very true. I started doing it in 2013 (I’ve since switched back to sitting, because I’m a putz, with the knees of a septuagenarian) but I do highly recommend it.

What’s even better?

The HAND-standing desk. Try it out!

Chat-felled by COVID-19

While most of us know all about the novel coronavirus, and most certainly how it has affected our livelihoods, not too many of us know people who have actually caught it. This has led to some pretty cavalier behaviour by some members of society determined to view it as just another bug or, worse, carry on like it’s “situation normal”.

Jason Chatfield is probably cartooning’s “poster boy” for COVID-19, having only just recovered from it himself.

The Ginger Meggs artist, who now resides in New York City, “got outta Dodge” at the end of March as the veil of disaster came down on the city, managing to catch the last plane from La Guardia Airport with his wife, Sophie, and their dog, Morris. After they landed in St. Louis, they then drove to a friend’s isolated farm in Oklahoma, as far from civilisation as they could get. However, at some point before escaping St. Louis, Jason came into contact with the virus.

“To keep our friends safe, Sophie and I isolated ourselves until we had both let the virus have its way with us.”

Chatfield recounted their excruciating experience in a visual diary, published on his website as a warning to others.

“I drew up the symptoms - day-by-day - so you know what they are if you do become an unfortunate victim of this ridiculous virus,” he said. “It isn’t official medical advice, but

I hope it helps somewhat so you can get to a testing facility faster than I did, and flatten the curve.”

During his twelve-day ordeal, Chatfield reported the daily progression of symptoms and experiences that he “wouldn’t wish on anybody”. They included soaring temparatures, passing out in the shower and losing all sense of smell and taste. At one point, he had trouble breathing and he felt like his chest was slowly filling with flour.

“You breathe in and it sounds like the sound Coco Pops make when you pour milk on them,” he wrote on Day Seven.

Jason’s “COVID-19 Diary”, posted on his website, has attracted a lot of media attention, due in no small part to the illuminating, self-deprecating illustrations and Chatfield’s characteristic frankness.

See more at: www.jasonchatfield.com/coronavirus

A Decade in the Dark: Ten Years of Dark Oz Comics

by DARREN KOZIOL

It is almost unheard of for any indie publisher to last ten years, regularly publishing, especially in Australia. Yet Dark Oz has done exactly that - a phenomenal milestone. The end of 2019 wasn’t just the end of another year, but the end of a decade – a decade of Dark Oz comics! Featuring the biggest showcase of Australian creators! How do they keep going, what struggles are faced, where is the growth, how is it viable when so many people keep screaming “print is dead”, and what has attracted over 175 creators to be a part of this epic journey that is still going strong?

We love making uniquely Australian comics, often set in local locations, using the odd national landmark, and adding a true-blue Aussie flavour to the style and characters. Not all stories are set in Australia, but they all stem from local creators. The aim, even with the horror comics, is to have fun, to always create entertaining stories. There are no political messages, no lecturing, just enjoyable stories... with amazing art.

What attracts so many creators to Dark Oz comics?

Dark Oz publishes the anthology comics Decay (24 big issues) and Retro Sci-Fi Tales (ninth issue in progress now), which have been described as Australia’s versions of Heavy Metal and 2000AD. Several other titles have also been published (eg Sisters and Cthulhu). Dark Oz is Australia’s longest running modern indie comic book publisher, creating and producing consistently for ten years!

Established in January 2009 by Darren Koziol, the first Dark Oz comic, issue #1 of the Mature Readers horror anthology Decay, was released in March 2010. It took over a year to put the first issue together, but after that the momentum was rolling – with a total of five issues of Decay produced in 2010 and six issues in 2011.

These first eleven issues feature some of the most well known creators in Australia, with names like: Frantz Kantor, Glenn Lumsden, Jason Paulos, Dave Follett, Anton Emdin, Chris Wahl, SCAR, Jan Scherpenhuizen, Greg Holfeld, and many more. That list has now grown to over 175 names, too many to list here - you can see them ALL on the ‘Creators’ page of the Dark Oz website.

Dark Oz comics are recognised for featuring new emerging talent alongside established professionals in fantastic anthology comics. Many new creators have had their first work published in Dark Oz comics.

Mutual respect, integrity and upfront honesty, along with high quality products and being a part of such an amazing team. It’s certainly not the money. Unfortunately the support for local comics in Australia, regardless of quality or content, will never be enough to make indie comics financially viable. Production costs are high, while we keep the cover price down, so fans can enjoy the comics. Dark Oz takes care when reproducing artists’ work in print - colour matching, test printing, proof checking, and printing on quality gloss paper. Creators are published in these high calibre productions alongside other talented creators - it’s the “who’s who” of comics! Their work is seen by a national audience, even international (with Kickstarter campaigns, social media and even San Diego Comic Con in 2016).

Artists can contribute a single pin-up/splash page or a short story in a time frame to suit. New creators are always contacting Dark Oz to join the team and be a part of the comics.

And WOW, what fun! Artists enjoy freedom, a chance to try something new, explore different styles and techniques, to draw that thing they’ve always wanted to draw but didn’t have a home for: engaging horror and spectacular science fiction! Rocket cars, little green men, space vixens, robots and dinosaurs - the only limit is your imagination. As the Dark Oz logo says:

“Australia’s version of Heavy Metal and 2000AD”

”Dreams Inspire Reality”

Pat Mills

“the godfather of British comics” creator of 2000AD , reviews Decay #20 and Retro Sci-Fi Tales #2 from Dark Oz

“I’m very impressed by Dark Oz comics. The standard of writing, art and editing is very high. These are excellent collections with a lot of energy and enthusiasm attached to them. They have a lot in common with ‘2000AD’ and also the various French sources which were my original inspiration for ‘2000AD’.

Aussie Classics

And ‘Warren Comics’ - like ‘1984’ - from yesteryear and ‘Heavy Metal’

I like the mainstream quality about them - they’re accessible and cool - and anyone could pick them up and “get it”. That’s important in these days where fandom tends to dominate and forgets about the “man in the street” reader.

I’d be really interested to see them go to the next level and pick up a big audience - they deserve to.

Retro Sci-Fi Tales - superb. Great retro styling - especially on ‘Marilyn’ [art by Michal Dutkiewicz - right]. Covers were excellent, especially ‘Diner’ [in Retro #2]. Decay is also very good, I can see why both titles are popular in Oz! ‘The Human Farms’ , ‘The Night Before Christmas’ and ‘The Getaway’ particularly stood out for me.

I am most impressed with what you

‘Australian Classics’ issue

The ‘Aussie Classics’ issue, Decay #19 (April 2015), brought together all-new one-off short stories of iconic Australian comic book characters from the 80’s & 90’s. Written & drawn by their original creators. These characters had never before all appeared in one single comic. Released with multiple covers, one for each character or team (plus one ‘zombiefied’ group cover, and one limited bumper variant): The Southern Squadron, The Dark Nebula, Da ‘n’ Dill, Bug & Stump, Greener Pastures and Hairbutt the Hippo. Creators: Dave de Vries, Tad Pietrzyowski, Jason Paulos, Dillon Naylor, John Petropoulos, Mark Sexton, Tim McEwen, and more.

The Comic Book Manifesto

55 top Australian comic book creators each gave new and insightful tips on creating, writing, drawing and even self publishing comic books. An amazing wealth of knowledge - ‘a pocket guide of tips and quotes, for the aspiring comic book creator’.

This booklet, from some of the most experienced creators around, is an invaluable resource for beginners and anyone wanting to start making comics. Every school and library in Australia should carry this. Now up to the third printing, both PDF (only $5) and print copies ($8 plus post) can be ordered at www.darkoz.com.au

guys are doing. I’m sure you’ll go from strength to strength! I love the name Dark Oz!” -

Pat Mills

SIMPLIFY

1. All good dr Awings still come from the use of b A sic sh A pes. e very time i get bogged down in A pose or over think something, i A lw Ays remind myself to go b A ck to b A sic sh A pes.

2. l ess is more.

3. o ne of the best bits of A dvice i got when i w A s young A nd leA rning the cr A ft, w A s to A lw Ays look At your work in reverse. e ither by holding A nd turning your sheet of pA per up on A window, or by flipping it p hotoshop - you c A n see instA ntly where your dr Awing is going wrong! i still use this trick to this dAy.

- Nahum Ziersch

art by Tim McEwen

art by Jason Paulos

Dark Oz Against the Wall

Always looking for new & varied ways to raise awareness of the comics and the creators involved, several art exhibitions have been held. These photos are from the biggest displays, in a gallery at the Salisbury Council chambers (April 2017) and in the foyer of Hoyts cinemas at Salisbury (May 2018). These exhibitions consisted of posters and framed prints. Dark Oz has accumulated a large collection of original art from the pages of Decay and Retro Sci-Fi Tales, with a number of small displays at conventions over the years. One day we hope to have it all in a gallery for an ‘Art of Dark Oz‘ exhibition, then ultimately into a library or museum!

Heavy Metal Down Under

“Darren Koziol (the DK force of nature behind Decay magazine) and his merciless band of tormentors (over 100 strong!) have been churning out dreamhaunting tales for years now! If you’re a horror fan and you haven’t checked out his tome of torturous glee, do yourself a favor and sink your teeth into a copy post-haste! Your nightmares will thank you for it!”

- Dan Berger, managing editor, Heavy Metal (2014)

The story ‘Death From Above’, from issue #15 of Decay, was selected by Kevin Eastman to run in issue #268 of Heavy Metal - The World’s Foremost Adult Illustrated Fantasy Magazine.

Australian movie director/producer

Luke Sparke contacted Dark Oz in 2016, to make a prequel comic book for his new horror movie Red Billabong. The short 5-page story reads as an intro, or prologue, to the movie!

The story was included in an 8-page souvenir booklet given to everyone who attended the national premieres, with cast & crew in attendance! It was then included in specially marked Blu-Ray releases. And the story can be found in Decay #22.

A great number of Australian artists now have their work in front of film & TV industry professionals, because Dark Oz editor Darren Koziol was chosen as one of only 25 people (and the only comic creator), out of 300 competing authors, to meet dozens of Australian film & TV producers & directors, to pitch stories from Dark Oz comics for ‘adaptation’ to the small or big screen.

Organised by Screen Queensland and the Queensland Writers Centre, held in March 2019.

A convention of genre fiction authors running workshops, panels, presentations and markets. Organised by the Queensland Writers Centre, held in November 2019.

Dark Oz was invited as a ‘guest’ to present a workshop on creating comics - writing, self publishing, sourcing and working with artists. The focus on ‘keeping it real’ for aspiring indie creators - all that Dark Oz has accomplished is within reach of anyone wanting to follow in these footsteps.

Pat McNamara

art by Federico de Luca

Michal Dutkiewicz Sands Gonzaga

Darren Koziol Greg Gates David G. Williams

San Diego Comic Con International 2016

Dark Oz was the only Australian exhibitor at San Diego Comic Con International (SDCC) in 2016, with a stall in the Small Press area of the main trade hall. Promoting the work of over 100 talented Australian creators at the world’s biggest comic book convention. This was a fully self funded venture by Dark Oz, no funding or grants - it was tough, but worth it for the fun, contacts made, and the incredible experience. There is a long waiting list, even for exhibitors, at San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) - tickets and exhibitor booths are snapped up in minutes every year when sales open. But Dark Oz was jumped to the front of the queue, for being so unique and different!

Knowing that the US market prefers standard sized US comic books, rather than the magazine size (like 2000AD and Heavy Metal which Dark Oz comics were traditionally based on), a new line of comics was made just for this event.

A total of nine exclusive San Diego variant comics were produced - and met with great enthusiasm by the SDCC crowds! These comics collected and remastered the ‘best of’ material from ‘Decay’ and ‘Retro Sci-Fi Tales’, into new comics - ‘Ozploitation’ and ‘2525’.

Also, the new Sisters comic book, vampires vs bush rangers, was launched at SDCC. Front cover art by Frantz Kantor with 28 incredibly detailed internal pages by Michal Dutkiewicz.

FCBD - Free Comic Book Day

Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is an annual event, on the first Saturday of May, celebrated the world over! Comic book shops give away hundreds (thousands even) of free comics, while also putting on their own events - Artists Alley, creator signings, face painting, character sketching, etc.

Every year, since 2015, Dark Oz has teamed up with the Adelaide Comics Centre to host a Dark Oz creators signing session! Many local creators, even visitors from interstate, join the table to meet and greet fans and introduce new readers to the world of local talent and comic books!

Michal Dutkiewicz, Nahum Ziersch and others (FCBD 2016)

Catching up with Australian visitors at the Dark Oz table at San Diego Comic Con Darren Koziol, Neville Howard, Alana Marshall, Cristian Roux, Justice Pie

Over the last two years, Dark Oz has explored new options to promote these Australian comics and the creators involved to reach a wider international audience! Six Kickstarter (crowd funding) campaigns have been run, and all have been successfully funded.

Black Label comics

Following on from the success of the San Diego variant comics, resized to US comic book format, the new line of Black Label comics has recently been released. Far more work than most people realise, taking the stories from Decay , at A4 (magazine) size, and formatting them to US size. The stories are fully remastered - art extended, B&W stories coloured, fully re-lettered, even new pages added. Special Limited Edition variants were also produced, hand signed with metallic silver framed covers and exclusive cover art. Guaranteed the highest quality comic books in Australia, definitely for mature readers - for fans of dark humour and over-the-top absurd violence.

MAD MAX fan magazine

There has certainly been some Mad Max influence in Dark Oz comics over the years. So it was a natural progression for Dark Oz to produce the world’s first ever Mad Max fan magazine.

The first issue was for the fans at the events they run. The second issue is mind blowing, with contributions, articles, interviews and behind-thescenes photos from some of the original cast & crew, and stunning cover art by Frantz Kantor.

More than just comics...

Dark Oz is now supplying graphic design & illustration work to business, storyboarding for film & TV, creating personalised comic books, etc. We are also producing album covers for bands (even printing the album sleeves) and making our own record album sleeves to hold Dark Oz comics (see below).

Head online to Kickstarter to view these six campaigns, each with a wealth of additional images and information:

- Christmas Special comic (Dec 2019)

- Retro Sci-Fi Tales #8 (Aug-Sep 2019)

- Black Label Edition DARK OZ (May-June 2019)

- MAD MAX Fan Magazine - Silver City (Jan 2019)

- Retro Sci-Fi Tales (Oct 2018)

- DECAY #24 (Mar-Apr 2018)

Additional work for creators

Many creators are now receiving additional work and contracts after being seen in Dark Oz comics.

‘Best of’ collections...

Two volumes of Decay are currently in production - one B&W and one colour. An international publisher in the Czech Republic is also putting together a collection of stories from Retro Sci-Fi Tales, which will be out late 2020.

After 10 years does it get any easier? ...”Not really.”

We’re constantly working, adapting, improving and learning. Never rest on your laurels or past achievements. The Dark Oz brand continues to grow.

A big Thank-You to all!

Thanks to every contributor over the last 10 years, to all the fans and customers, and to everyone who has helped at every level (family, friends, mentors, supporters, critics, etc).

Here’s to the first 10 years, and a decade of decades to follow. These comics are a legacy for future generations to enjoy!

Dark Oz comics - every issue is a showcase of the incredible talent Australia has to offer.

“

Be sure to follow the progress of all Dark Oz productions and events on Facebook at ‘DECAY horror comic ’ and the website - www.darkoz.com.au

Dreams Inspire Reality” - DK

where are they now?

The eighth in a series of “catch-ups” with hard-to-find cartoonists as they sit down and have a chat over a cuppa with IAN McCALL. This issue: RIK KEMP

I regularly chat with Rik Kemp and his wife, Janet, and felt that it was important to share a story about Rik and his role as a cartoonist.

I first came across Rik’s work in The Bulletin in 1987 and I tracked him down and we chatted. He kindly sent me one of cartoons. I have always been interested by his unique sense of humour and instantly recognisable drawing style. I recently asked Janet to update us with some brief information about him.

Rik was born in England in 1939. He lived in London and worked as a press telegrapher for The Sun and News of the World. In his spare time, he loved drawing cartoons and had a few published in England, but kept to his full time work. He married Christine, but by 1976 they had divorced. They had 2 children, both of whom are still living in England. Susan is a nurse and is working extremely hard during this challenging time of coronavirus. His son, Stephen, runs a cleaning business and is also working very hard.

In 1978, Rik married Janet and they emigrated to Australia in 1981. She worked as a teacher and Rik took up freelance cartooning with considerable success: he was published in Australasian Post, The Australian Women’s Weekly, Woman’s Day and The Bulletin of which he was so proud. His success as a cartoonist kept him in full-time paid work for about 5 years, perfectly timed it turned out, as their daughter Gillian had started high school. Gillian was fortunately blessed with the artistic genes of both parents and works as a tattooist.

Rik didn’t draw editorial/political cartoons or caricatures in his career, choosing to focus on gags and pocket cartoons. Inspired by his family, his cartoons have been usually based on everyday life. Last year, Rik turned 80 and he is currently enjoying his time in retirement in Queensland. 2

RIGHT:

“ When I got this early example of Rik’s work I was fascinated with the details that were written on the original cartoon before it was handed to the printer”

-

“Now I know why they put a kangaroo on the back of the dollar coin - it’s always bouncing up and down!”

Rik and Janet enjoying life in Queensland

A classic Rik cartoon from The Bulletin, 1987.

Ian McCall

Rik at his drawing desk

“Blimey - I never thought I’d get this far!”

ABOVE: A self-portrait from 1984

your view on...

ROBERT BLACK (Victoria)

MARTINA ZEITLER (Victoria)

MARK LYNCH (New South Wales)

CATHY WILCOX (New South Wales) PETER PLAYER (Western Australia)

PETER BROELMAN (South Australia)

thanks to everyone for your amazing contributions!

NEXT ISSUE: At Home!

Please send your contributions to: inkspot@cartoonists.org.au

MATT GOLDING (Victoria)

STEVE KEAST (New South Wales) JASON CHATFIELD (New York)

LINDSAY FOYLE (New South Wales)

GREG SMITH (Western Australia)

Macpherson by Mosher

Lately, The Montreal Gazette’s Terry Mosher has been writing a biography of Duncan Macpherson, arguably Canada’s greatest political cartoonist. He is excited to announce that the hefty 400page book has now been published by McGill-Queen’s University Press. While the official launch has been delayed until September due to COVID-19, Terry has signed, advance copies of Professional Heckler: The Life and Art of Duncan Macpherson for sale to his cartooning colleagues. For details, get in touch with Terry at terrymosher@aislin.com

Historical Honours

In recognition of his research into the history of Australian cartooning, Lindsay Foyle (right) has been made an Honorary Associate in the School of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences at the University of New England. The honour is also in advance of research he is currently undertaking on Australian cartooning, working in conjunction with Assoc Prof Richard Scully, Prof Robert Phiddian, Dr Stephanie Brookes and Dr Lucien Leon. Sadly, there is no money to go with the appointment, but there are oodles of kudos. Lindsay has also been appointed official historian for the ACA, in advance of our own centenary in 2024. Congratulations, Lindsay!

What’s This, Zen?

The third book in Gavin Aung Than’s Super Sidekicks series was released in April. Than, creator of the hit Zen Pencils, says the books grew out of his longtime obsession with superheroes and is his first book series for kids.

Quick Off the Mark

Mark Lynch is close to launching his new book on an unsuspecting, sociallyisolated world. Called How I Spent My Coronavirus Vacation, the book will feature plenty of Lynch’s trademark cartoons (some of which are scattered throughout this issue of Inkspot). His previous book, The Wit and Wisdom of Donald J. Trump, was a runaway bestseller, so expect lots of similar rib-tickles from this master of the single gag!

INSANITY STREAK HITS A SCORE!

An insane congratulations to Tony Lopes and his rather odd strip, Insanity Streak, which celebrated it’s 20th birthday in April. In that time, the strip has earned him 11 Stanley Awards. Twenty years of off-the-wall gags isn’t easy (just ask him!) and in an era marked by the culling of strips by newspaper bean-counters, it’s all the more remarkable. Great work, Tony!

ConStruction Starts on National Cartoon Gallery

After two years of planning, the longawaited redevelopment of the National Cartoon Gallery in Coffs Harbour has begun. Earthmoving equipment has moved in and the original WW2 bunker has been waterproofed before work starts on laying the foundations.

It’s been a very busy and successful four months for the project team since the Deputy Premier of NSW, John Barilaro, performed the “sod turning” at the Gallery in December. The final building paperwork was completed in February and the construction certificate was received. Coffs Harbour City Council demonstrated their solid support by allocating an additional $191,000 to the project. In March, a building contract was signed with local builder, FM Glenn, and construction commenced.

The $3m building project has been made possible by a grant of $2.6m from the NSW State Government through its Regional Cultural Fund as well as the financial support from Coffs Harbour City Council and local businesses. Project Manager for the project, Graham Lockett, is delighted with the progress so far.

“We recently signed a contract with FM Glen and we feel confident that the project is in good hands, “ he said.

“As a show of great community support, a number of FM Glen’s sub-contractors and suppliers have made financial contributions to the construction budget. We appreciate their support and we are happy to be working with such great local companies.”

The building should be completed by December and open for Christmas holidays, offering a great tourism and cultural asset for Coffs Harbour.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Gallery is currently closed and some planned exhibitions have been cancelled or moved

to alternative dates. Mark Tippett’s Toons for Wildlife fundraising exhibition, which has amassed over 30 entries so far and due to open 5th June, has been placed into hibernation for the time being. The 2020 Rotary Cartoon Awards will still go ahead, but the mechanics of judging and presenting the awards are yet to be determined. Interested cartoonists are asked to check the Gallery’s website for submission details: www.nationalcartoongallery.com.au

ABOVE: Action at the National Cartoon Gallery in April and early May (photos: Margaret Cameron)

THE EARLY YEARS Inkspot -

This issue of Inkspot is the eighty-eighth since it began in 1985. Pretty impressive for a little members-only magazine, put together for free by people with a deep passion for cartooning. Our first editor was WAYNE BALDWIN, so we asked him to cast his mind back on Inkspot’s early days - and here’s the result!

In 1985, the Sydney-based Black and White Artists’ Club decided to change its state-based focus and instead become a national body which would embrace cartoonists from all over the country. While it became a national club, it was still very Sydney-centric. Over 50% of the members lived in Sydney and the Board members were required to live in Sydney so they could attend regular meetings.

After the first Bulletin/Black and White Artists Awards night (dubbed “The Stanleys” on the night by MC Mike Carlton) - which, not surprisingly, was held in Sydney - the Club’s Secretary, Elizabeth Lambert, put together a four-page newsletter entitled The Inkspot to carry news of the Annual General Meeting and a summary of the awards night. This, ladies and gentlemen, is where the name Inkspot originated!

After receiving the news sheet, I approached the President, John Thorby, with the suggestion that the ABWAC distrib -

Sounds easy doesn’t it? But remember, we’re talking 1985 here. Back then, most communication was via what we now call “snail-mail” or. rather more expensively, courier delivery. And to phone someone interstate, you had to make STD* phone calls which were also very expensive.

So, I sat down and wrote letters to cartoonists all around the country asking for information to be included in Inkspot. Ohh! I paid for the stamps as well. Some received a request for an interview where I would send them the questions and they filled in the answers. Others received requests for information about new books they were releasing or exhibitions of their work. I wrote to many, many cartoonists about anything and everything to do with cartooning - begging for information to fill Inkspot!

To their credit, the vast majority responded and provided me with valuable information to fill many issues. After receiving

ute a quarterly newsletter to members. The purpose would be to keep members in other areas of Australia informed of national cartooning activities and to introduce members to each other. Please remember that, back in 1985, the internet didn’t exist. There were no mobile phones, no texting and definitely no Facebook! So Inkspot was created with the aim of helping members keep in contact and to make them feel that they were part of a national organisation.

The “deal” I agreed with John was that I would collect all the information to be included in Inkspot, put it all into copy format and send the copy to him in Sydney. John then arranged to have Inkspot printed and posted to members throughout Australia.

the information, I then had to create the newsletter itself.

Back in 1985, very few people had a personal computer. I certainly did not, so the type was put together like most journalists at the time did - on a typewriter! Mine was a cheap portable typewriter, so the quality of the typeface was poor. The cartoons and pictures to go with the stories were all photocopied. These photocopies and typed text were then cut into small pieces and manually assembled into the finished Inkspot copy-ready format. A lot of good old-fashioned “white out” was used to remove the lines created from the pasting.

This finished copy was then posted (again, by snail-mail) to John who added his President’s Message to the members’

The main conference room at Hotel de Ville de Paris

ABOVE: Inkspot covers for issues 1, 5, 11, 17 and 19, featuring artwork by (l-r) Wayne Baldwin, Bill Mitchell, Mark Knight, Neil Matterson and Gary Chaloner

section. It was then printed and posted out to members all over Australia.

Inkspot number1 was published in March 1986. It was 10 pages long, printed on double-sided A3 paper without any staples. It was very much a newsletter, not the magazine we know today. Topics included ‘What’s New?’, ‘Books’, ‘Exhibitions’, ‘New Members’ (including a couple of people called Ian McCall and Jim Bridges... I wonder what became of them?), and ‘Meet Your Fellow Members’ (see the panel below!).

Subsequent issues were published approximately every three months. Editions were not always the same size; the length varied on the amount of information I could obtain to fill each edition. Inkspot number 2 was only eight pages, while number 4 was fourteen pages and not printed using a dot matrix printer. Wow! So high tech, but still put together via the old cut-and-paste method.

An interesting feature of issue 3 is a survey conducted by Inkspot - in the midst of a “Buy Australian” campaign being staged by newspapers - of how many Australian comic strips were being published by those same papers. Of the total number of strips being published by capital city papers in 1986 (185), only 25% (62 of them) were Australian. Do as we say, not as we do - nothing much changes!

Come March 1988, and Inkspot Number 8. The Australian Black and White Artists’ Club had a new President, a young upstart by the name of James Kemsley. James had visions of transforming Inkspot from a newsletter into a fully-fledged cartooning magazine.

The first step on this path was with Number 10 in September 1988 - it was the first to use staples!

Steve Panozzo had come aboard the ABWAC Com mittee and had access to New Limited’s brand-new Apple Macintosh, so Inkspot’s text was produced entirely in (wait for it) Adobe Illustrator! He advises that it was such a slow process, not knowing then he was using completely the wrong program. James soon approached the ABWAC Committee with a request for $500 to purchase a PC publishing program so that the cut-and-paste could finally be discarded and Inkspot could get a truly professional look.

For me this meant I no longer had to produce the copy. But I still had to source the material to fill Inkspot and send it to James via snail mail! No email yet. James had started producing Inkspot at his home studio in the Southern Highlands. Steve would drive down from Sydney on a Friday night and the pair would spend the entire weekend assembling Inkspot, assisted by several bottles of wine and grandfather port. Although the various sections were produced on James’ computer, those elements would still be hot-waxed or glued into place (much like newspapers at the time) on a master page before being sent to the printers.

Inkspot number 11 was another breakthrough edition – it was the first one with a glossy front cover.

Inkspot now actually looked like a magazine! The number of pages in each edition slowly crept up to 24 then 36 and even a whopping 48 pages for edition 24.

My task of obtaining material became a little easier as technology changed our lives in the 1990s - email saved me a lot of money on stamps and allowed quicker return time for information enquiries. Google allowed me to readily find new books being released and to view newspaper articles in different states. I worked as the editor of Inkspot for the first 23 editions and as contributing editor for a number more. After that, the editorship swapped around other members who had the time to devote to the task on an ad hoc basis, with some becoming a bit more permanent. It was a good experience and one with great memories. I am proud to say that it assisted in laying the bedrock for the Australian Black and White Artists’ Club to become what it is today: the Australian Cartoonists’ Association.

But, folks, please remember that Inkspot is only good if you assist by providing stories and information to the editor. All the best, and keep up the great cartooning work!

Wayne Baldwin

“Meet Your Fellow Members” from Inkspot #1, March 1986, featuring (clockwise): Mark Lynch , Geoff Hook , Geoff Pryor Kev Bailey and John Stoneham

Beyond Their Pens

by Vane Lindesay

The Australian artist Will Dyson is better known for his scathing cartoons, his Australia at War lithographs, and his satirical dry-point etchings, but little is known about his literary achievements, for his talents were not exclusive to graphical comment. Dyson was also a competent writer, publishing in 1933 his critical and denouncing Artist Among the Bankers, illustrated with twenty of his cartoons.

His book, as with his cartoons, challenged the mighty assumptions of Finance and Big Business.

Over 244 loaded pages, Dyson expands and hints of a cure for democracy and of poverty and the ‘Money Machine’ which (of course) is controlled by the banks. Portions of some chapters have been published in the New English Weekly.

The following year, the prestigious Golden Cockerel Press published Sermons By Artists, where each artist based his sermon on a bible text. Of the ten artists - which included the cartoonist David Low - Dyson chose Mathew vi, 28-29: “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin”.

Admirers of Dyson’s cartoons would be familiar with his often quite lengthy captions consisting of forty or fifty words. In a wordy essay, Dyson castigates man’s greed but praises his tools, particularly his machines. He does not appear to resent the passing of the Arts and Crafts movement. Morality and the graces, or their lack, emerge as the lesson from this sermon.

Dyson’s constant references to God, and to ‘virtues’, is puzzling. They form a large part of his sermon. If Dyson had anything like a religion it would be the Douglas Social Credit movement; its doctrine diagnoses the trouble as the then-continual lack of community purchasing power, compared with goods and services that must be sold.

It was to be during his mid-career with The London Herald when Dyson wrote and published his second set of verses. At this time, hostilities between European nations were well under way to become The Great War (1914-1918). Dyson was commissioned by the Commonwealth as the first Australian war artist. In the latter part of 1918, Dyson prepared sixty-five of his Western Front lithographs and drawings for

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

This issue: WILL DYSON

exhibition at the Leicester Galleries, later published during 1918 as Australia at War. It included a poem of five verses being a ‘Dedication to the Men of the AIF’.

Dyson was well aware of the suffering and aching misery the men bore on the Western Front. His deep feeling for them is expressed in the final verse of his dedication:

To you, and you, I declare these things That have no merit save that they, for you, Were woven with what truth there was in me Where you went up, with death athwart the wind Poised like a hawk - to save the world, Or to succour poor old bloody Bill Beleaguered in a shell hole on the ridge.

His last creative writing was a collection of quite moving Poems in Memory of a Wife, published in 1919, a melancholy tribute to his wife, Ruby.Peace had been declared and with the war at an end, Dyson - twice wounded - had to endure further suffering at the death of Ruby, a victim of the worldwide influenza pandemic.

The first of the poems, Death is But Death, is often quoted, the others lesser, but all declaring utter despair. These poems were not his first. At the age of twenty-two, Dyson composed The Crucified Venus, a long poem of seventeen four-line verses inspired by the Norman Lindsay pen drawing of that title. The poem was published in The Bulletin on 26th July, 1902.

William Henry Dyson died aged 58 at his Chelsea, London address on 21st January, 1938.

ABOVE: Drypoint etching by Will Dyson BELOW (left): Dust jacket of Dyson’s Artist Among the Bankers (1933) and BELOW (right): Dyson cartoon drawn in Melbourne in 1925

Darren Pracy was born Darren Edward Pracy in Sydney on 3rd January, 1962, to Brian and Frances Pracy. Six years later, his sister Kim arrived. The family lived in Condell Park, in Sydney’s north-west, and Darren attended Hurlstone Agricultural College and he originally intended to be a veterinarian. Among his peers, he was not considered a brilliant student - nor a poor one either. However, he often avoided study and passed his exams easily.

He was also not as competitive as many of the other students at the selective high school. He liked the music of the time and was very keen on the American girl band The Runaways He also followed the Canterbury-Bankstown rugby league team. Nobody was really aware of Darren’s drawing abilities until year 9 or 10, and then, all of a sudden, they all realised he was a cartooning genius and his entire education focus changed.

He approached The Bulletin in May 1977 about contributing cartoons. He was politely informed the magazine did not have room for his work, as the magazine was committed to using Alan Moir’s cartoons. Pracy also sent cartoons to Nation Review where he had some success.

In September 1977, he met Larry Pickering and became a lot more confident he could make a career as a cartoonist. He also started corresponding with Paul Rigby, then working in New York, sending him letters and drawings. Rigby responded with suggestions about how he could improve, including adding more detail into the background of his cartoons.

He was a talented young artist, achieving much in his short lifetime, becoming daily editorial cartoonist at a major city newspaper while still a teenager

LINDSAY FOYLE profiles

DARREN PRACY who left us all-too-soon in 1984, at the age of only 22

His school friends thought Pracy had a dry and eccentric sense of humour and that there seemed to be something old-fashioned about him; not a big personality, but very charming and funny. As well as dry observations on school life, Pracy started making political commentaries, too. For a few years The Harvester, the school magazine, was full of his work. He would draw the characters quickly, and it became noticeable that he was spending a lot of time working on the detail in the backgrounds. And even then, there was always a Gladstone bag somewhere in the cartoons, possibly after a suggestion from Rigby.

After completing four years of high school and gaining his School Certificate in 1977, Pracy contacted The Daily Mirror in December about a job. Someone in the art department (possibly Monty Wedd) recommended to Des Condon, then Art Director, that Pracy should be offered a cadetship. The recommendation was acted upon and the cadetship was conferred. Rigby was quick to congratulate him. Soon after, Darren and his family moved to Picnic Point in Sydney’s south west. In 1979, he started drawing a comic strip, Nutty Nature, which was published in the Sunday Mirror. He was a busy boy and completed his four-year cadetship in three years, becoming a graded press artist in 1980.

Nutty Nature impressed Ron Ford, the Editor-in-Chief of The Sun, who offered him the job as the paper’s daily cartoonist in October 1980. It was an offer too good to refuse. He was 18 when he started in December, becoming the youngest editorial cartoonist in Australia. He was also drawing covers for the

Australian edition of MAD as well as contributing to the Police Gazette and theatre programmes.

The Sun was a direct competitor to Fairfax’s afternoon newspaper, The Daily Mirror. It was one of Sydney’s oldest newspapers, beginning in 1887 as The Star, also known as The Star: The Australian Evening Daily, until 1910, when it was taken over and renamed The Sun. The Sunday edition was the original home of Ginger Meggs

When Pracy arrived at The Sun, he replaced Berto (Umberto Valenzuela) who had been cartooning there since 1975, after winning a competition run by the paper to find a daily cartoonist. He was a good artist, though, as a native Chilean, he did not understand Australian slang or colloquialisms and he could not come to grips with the idiosyncrasies of Australian politics. Berto stayed on at Fairfax for some years, but eventually left to work for an advertising agency.

Pracy’s cartoons made a big impact at The Sun and he was well liked by the other artists working there. They said he was a nice bloke who looked like he could have been an accountant, wearing slacks, a tie, glasses and arriving at work each day carrying a Gladstone bag. The bag had been a trademark in his cartoons at school and continued with his cartoons in The Sun. It was an object he hid in every cartoon, which often featured a ginger striped cat and a budgerigar which would comment on the news.

He claimed his major influences varied from MAD’s stable of cartoonists, Disney and Warner Brothers cartoons along with contemporary editorial cartoonists including Paul Rigby. He corresponded with MAD artists such as Don Martin and Sergio Aragones

Not long after Pracy left News Limited, Larry Pickering started talking about leaving The Australian, where he had been cartooning since 1975. He talked to a number of cartoonists to establish if anyone was interested in the job. Eventually Bill Mitchell agreed to leave The Daily Telegraph to take it on. Pickering and Mitchell then started looking around for someone to fill the cartooning hole on The Daily Telegraph. Des Condon was also in on the search for Mitchell’s replacement. One of the cartoonists he is said to have considered was Pracy as Condon was said to be keen on getting him to return to News Limited. Condon had a bit of a reputation of keeping things to himself. When he retired, he told everyone he was going on holidays. It is quite probable he never mentioned to Pickering or Mitchell he was looking for a cartoonist to work on The Daily Telegraph. The job later went to Paul Zanetti who had been working in the Fairfax art department.

Pracy also joined the Junior Chamber of Commerce in Strathfield along with his sister Kim. She was writing poetry and Darren was drawing accompanying the illustrations. His first book, Pracy: Draw Your Own Conclusion… (1981), was an anthology of his cartoons from The Sun, and included a self-

ABOVE: An early Pracy cartoon - note the Gladstone bag!

ABOVE: Sydney Savage Club, 1984: (l-r) Bill Mitchell, Jim Russell, Les Dixon, Paul Zanetti and Pracy

Lindsay Foyle examines the Pracy Collection at the State Library of NSW

portrait on the inside back cover. A second collection, Hawke, Line and Sinker (1984), was endorsed both by Neville Wran, the Premier of New South Wales, and Nick Greiner, who was the Leader of the Opposition. Pracy had grown in confidence and placed a drawing of himself along with caricatures of Greiner and Wran on the cover.

At Fairfax, Pracy would arrive each morning and draw his cartoon for the next day in a booth at the end of the art department. It was in a corner and only had two walls, which did not reach the ceiling. Three afternoons a week, George Molnar would occupy it when drawing his cartoon for The Sydney Morning Herald. Another artist for The Sun, Tony Rafty, also used the room when it was free.

Outside this humble structure sat the cadet artists. They were often more interested in having fun than working. However, Molnar was only there to work and occasionally the door would fly open and he would explain to the trouble makers, in not-too-polite Hungarian-flavoured English, that they were “making too much noise”.

In 1984, following Pracy’s arrival at The Sun and his increase in salary, he was able to convince a bank manger to lend him enough money to buy a home unit in Penshurst. It was only a short walk to the station and a half-hour train ride to the city.

Even after he arrived at The Sun, Pracy was still developing his cartooning style. Many of his jokes had a gentleness about them which reflected his personality. He began drawing on Duoshade board, as did most of the daily cartoonists of the time. There were hints of Rigby in his style, and it looked as if he was influenced by Mitchell too. However, it was obvious his drawing style was evolving as he gained experience.

Pracy was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Trust grant to study cartooning in Britain and the United States in early 1984. He visited Carl Giles in Britain, the Disney Marketing office in New York City and the Disney Animation Studios in California as well as the National Cartoonists’ Society, the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists and other professional cartoonist associations. He also visited Paul Rigby, Pat Oliphant and the MAD office.

Soon after he returned home - on 17th July, 1984 - he applied for the job of Marketing and Promotions Manager for HannaBarbera Australia. He intended to do the job while continuing to draw his cartoons for The Sun. He was successful, and was offered a contract... but never had time to sign it.

On 19th September, 1984, Pracy drew his cartoon for the next day’s paper and sent it off to the production department. He would normally then go home. This day was different. At around 5pm, a cleaner tried to get into the room where Pracy worked, but it was partially blocked by him lying on the floor. She turned around and asked two of the artists, Peter Byrne and Eddy Scanlon, if they could help move Pracy, who she thought was sleeping.

While nobody would ever admit to it, it was not uncommon for under-the-weather artists to sleep in the office. sometimes making small shelters out of cardboard and sticky tape. They would spend the night inside the makeshift accommodation, unnoticed by anyone peeking into the art department.

Once Byrne saw Pracy, he knew something was seriously wrong. He was blue and barely breathing. Byrne and Scanlon lifted him up and placed him on a coffee table in the middle of the art department. Byrne, who was a trained Bondi lifesaver, tried to revive him. Scanlon rang for Doctor ScottOrr who had rooms on the floor above; he wasn’t there and a security guard went looking for him. It was then that another artist, Charles Altmann, arrived and suggested that Pracy was already dead. Byrne knew, in matters like this, to only take advice from a doctor. So, he kept trying to revive Pracy.

As all this was going on, a tour guide ushered around 20 people into the art department. They were on an inspection of Fairfax’s editorial offices, which was a regular event and tours were never announced. Entering the art department, the tour guide seemed oblivious to what was happening inside, calmly pointing out the desks the artists sat at, the drawing equipment they used and the artwork on the walls.

While this was going on, a number of those on the tour looked on in horror at the events unfolding in the middle of the room. Byrne had removed Pracy’s shirt and was applying mouth to mouth while attempting heart massage on the unconscious Pracy. Once the tour was over, the guide, never appearing to notice anything unusual, ushered everybody out and continued on with the tour. After about 20 minutes the doctor arrived, but it was too late to save Pracy. He had passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage.

The cartoon he had drawn was duly published the next day. It was a comment on Andrew Peacock being banned from a TV show. It showed a couple in front of a television set watching

a programme featuring Bob Hawke, with the wife saying: “Personally, I think it’d be a good idea if ALL pollies were banned from ALL TV shows”.

Later that day, a would-be cartoonist rang The Sun asking, “as Pracy has died, would you be interested in hiring me as his replacement?” He was told very forcefully, “No”. The job eventually went to John Shakespeare.

Before he died, Pracy had been working on a third book of his cartoons. But it was incomplete. Darren’s parents gathered all the material together and completed the book. Berto was commissioned to draw a cover for it, however it did not suit and it was discarded. The Best of Pracy was published in 1985.

This article was compiled with assistance from Pracy’s sister Kim Dunphy, school friends Greg Wallace, Grant Crothers and artists Peter Byrne, Paul Zanetti, Mark Knight, John Thorby, Max Foley, Warren Brown and Alan Moir, along with documents in the National Library of Australia, The State Library of NSW and Hurlstone Agricultural College.

Lindsay Foyle

ABOVE: Bob Hawke assumes the leadership of the Federal Labor Party in 1983

BELOW: NSW Premier, Neville Wran, received the Pracy treatment

Vale Mort Drucker (1929-2020)

Hands Down, the Caricaturist’s Caricaturist

by JASON CHATFIELD

When I was a kid, living at my Mum’s duplex in Perth, I would get $4.49 per week from my paper route. I probably should have been saving it, but as soon as that cash hit my palm I would jump on my bike and zoom down to the corner store to blow all of it on the latest issue of MAD - okay, it was $2.95 (cheap!), but I blew the rest on sweet, sweet candy.

It was exhilarating as a kid to discover that there was a magazine that was not only full of the best cartoons I’d ever seen but was full of funny and wildly irreverent writing. There was nothing like it. Including Cracked. MAD informed not only my sense of comedy but so much of my visual style. I’d trace over pages to see if I could figure out how to draw like Sergio Aragonés and Don Martin, but most of all (more than anyone else) Mort Drucker.

I wanted to draw like Mort Drucker. Everyone did. He was every cartoonist’s hero. When you ask any US cartoonist who influenced them to want to be a cartoonist, Mort comes up on the list 9 times out of 10. In 1985, When Michael J. Fox was asked by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show when he knew he’d really ‘made it’ in showbusiness, his answer was, “When Mort Drucker drew my head in MAD Magazine”.

When I was a teenager, I would spend weekends sitting in the basement at my best friend’s place, poring over his Dad’s old 1950s-1980s collections of MAD, replete with Mort’s parodies, such as The Oddfather and Star Blecch. If my eye could get any closer to the pages, it would have stuck to ‘em. My tiny young artist brain couldn’t fathom how someone could not only draw someone’s perfect likeness from one angle (without it looking like a goofy big head on a stick) but then on the next page draw them just as perfectly in profile, or from a 3/4 angle. It was mind-boggling to know that comic art could be this good.

Mort was a detail guy. His parodies would be packed-to-thebrim with what’s called “chicken fat” - additional gags and hidden jokes that would make reading and re-reading the

parodies so enjoyable. But Mort was very serious about his art. He liked it to be perfect.

I first met Mort at the legendary “Bunny Bash” back in 2005, when I was just a 21-year-old kid visiting from Australia. The Bash was a huge cartoonists’ party hosted by the wonderful Bunny Hoest and John Reiner at their gigantic castle in Long Island. That day, among some of the biggest names in cartooning, I bumped into Mort, who very generously spent a long time talking to my girlfriend and me. Well, I was frozen and could barely speak, so he carried on talking, wanting to know all about her marketing career. I was awestruck that someone like Mort was just hanging around at this party I’d been lucky enough to get an invite to. He took a photo with myself, Tom Richmond and Ed Steckley (see next page) before we headed back to the train, and it hung in my studio from the moment I got back home.

As Tom Richmond wrote on Mort’s passing:

“There are few cartoonists who have been more universally respected, admired, and loved among his peers than Mort Drucker. His talent was staggering and no less so than given the fact he had no formal training. He was a perfect storm of talent, hard work, and dedication... Mort went on to do over 300 movie and TV parodies for MAD, defining a genre that is cited by some of the greatest directors, actors, filmmakers and writers in cinema and television as both a source of inspiration and a badge of honor when being drawn by Mort in the pages of MAD magazine”.

Years later, the very generous Adrian Sinnott organised a personal visit to Mort’s studio. When I arrived, Mort and his wife Barbara were very welcoming. Adrian had explained that I was here from Australia and, not anticipating that he’d know me from a bar of soap, explained that I was a cartoonist and before Adrian could finish, Mort rang out, “Of course! I remember you from the Bunny Bash. How’s your girlfriend’s marketing career going?”

I was dumbstruck. He had not only remembered who I was, but remembered our conversation from years ago. We proceeded to chat, talk shop and he pulled out all his old MAD and TIME covers to show me and talk through his process. We talked about how he learned how to colour after years of working in black and white, then he pulled out a blank sheet of paper, a pacer pencil and started showing me the expression you can get in drawing hands.

If you ask any cartoonist about the one thing they admire about Mort (other than his prowess as a caricaturist), it’s his ability to draw hands. He drew each of the knuckles, the segments of the fingers, the palms, showed me how to get motion and humour into every line, and all with just pencil roughs. You know when someone shows you how a thing works and it just ‘unlocks’ something in your brain? That happened. I learned

more about drawing that one afternoon than in the whole time I’d been a cartoonist to that point. My style and approach to cartooning fundamentally changed from that day forward, thanks to Mort’s time and generosity.

From that day on, whenever I would sit down to draw a caricature, the first thing I would do would be to take a dive into my collection of Mort’s art, to fill my head with his decisions and try to encourage bolder ones from myself. You can imagine how excited I was when MAD finally released the full 5 decades of his work in book form years later. It’s the only book I packed in my suitcase when I moved to America.

That afternoon seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye. Then, before I left, Mort signed a copy of MAD for me, not knowing I was a huge Spider-man fan…

Six years after my visit, I was hosting the NCS Reuben Awards in Washington DC, and Mort was being awarded the NCS Medal of Honor that year. It was the first Reubens he had attended in a long time and it would turn out to be his last. He spoke at length that about his work and career, and that night - offstage when I

“I wanted to draw like Mort Drucker. Everyone did. He was every cartoonist’s hero. When you ask any US cartoonist who influenced them, Mort comes up on the list 9 times out of 10”

said hello - he asked how I’d been and that I should drop by again for a visit with Adrian. I did not expect him to remember me at all.

The last place I saw Mort was the first place I saw Mort: at what would turn out to be the last ever Bunny Bash in June of 2018. Mort was in fine form, talking to old friends, meeting new ones and generously drawing for adoring fans and their kids. Barbara wasn’t with him on account of her health but John Reiner had driven him over to be with everyone and he was the highlight of the party. I wanted to tell him I’d finally got into MAD, but all I could say was thank you. I was so grateful to him for being so generous, and for sharing his work with the world.

Mort died on 9th April at the age of 91. Every cartoonist who heard the news invariably said, “Oh, no. Not Mort”. I think we all kind of thought he was invincible. Like some kind of cartooning demigod. But, we all have to say goodbye to our heroes sometime.

I recently got to sift through ex-MAD Art Director Sam Viviano’s studio in New York. We went through years and years of his illustration art, but we also found an old original of Mort’s that I proceeded to spent ages obsessing over. I had never seen a Mort Drucker original in my life. In this particular parody, he had perfectly aped Ronald Searle’s style to fit the tone of the piece (above). It was absolutely pitch-perfect. Everything else about it was obviously brilliant, too, but that particular detail jumped right out at me. I had never seen this piece before.

I’m forever grateful for the time Mort took to sit with me in his studio that one afternoon. So many cartoonists had the same experience with Mort - a man so generous that, without his wife, he’d be signing things and drawing things for free for anyone who asked, never having any time for actual paid work. He was a true gentleman, and a genius talent. The world is lesser for him not being in it. We’re lucky to have his decades of work to enjoy. Rest in Peace, Mort.

Jason Chatfield

ABOVE: Jason Chatfield’s prized signed edition of MAD

RIGHT (top): A panel from Drucker’s art for The Oddfather (1972)

RIGHT (bottom): A proud Drucker holds aloft his Reuben divisional award in 1989

Farewell, Mort

Mort Drucker Remembered by his Australian Mates

GROUNDBREAKING AND PIONEERING

A massive loss of an artist that I grew up reading in the 70s and 80s. And I am sure most of us did, not to mentioned being influenced by him or those influenced by him. I was fortunate enough to meet him at one of the Reubens I went to, and he was a softly spoken humble man with seemingly time for anyone wishing to talk to him. A truly groundbreaking and pioneering cartoonist.

Phil Judd

MY GREATEST INFLUENCE

I was very saddened to hear that Mort Drucker passed away at the age of 91. Mort’s illustrations in MAD magazine were everything to me when I was young and still are today. I would say he has been my greatest influence & the reason why I started to caricature as a kid. Mort meant so much to my community, he was a hero to so many. The best way for me to express what Mort’s work means to me is to paint him. I’ve painted Mort as Rembrandt (below), because he, too, was a Master. Vale Mort Drucker.

Judy Nadin

MARVELLOUS TALENT

Very saddened that the great Mort Drucker has passed away. As a kid, like so many others, I studied Mort’s caricature work in MAD for hours and learnt that not drawing what you see is just as important as drawing what you see and that caricature was more than just eyes and noses but the whole package.

I had the fortune to meet Mort and his lovely wife, Barbara, just the once at the Reuben Awards in Kansas City in 2003 with the late James Kemsley and Sean Leahy. It was in a hotel lounge that Mort was busy, moving from one admiring cartoonist to the other. I left him alone and figured that sooner or later we’ll cross paths. We eventually did when, by chance, I walked up to the bar to stand alongside him. I figured he had heard every question and accolade that day, if not for years, so I didn’t really have much to add other than a polite “G’day” as we waited for our drinks. He replied with a “Hello”, and I let him have his respite from the attention. I was happy with that.

Us Aussies crossed paths several times that weekend, Barbara was the boss and expertly asked him to donate a caricature of Norman Lindsay for the ACA’s Stanley Awards. He obliged of course. A lovely cartoonist and a marvelous talent. I know those at the NCS will be devastated by the news. Vale Mort and thank you.

Peter Broelman

ONE OF THE GREATEST

And just when you thought this year couldn’t get worse... we have lost one of the greatest artists to have walked this earth. Rest In Peace, Mort Drucker.

Anton Emdin

ABOVE: Judy Nadin’s magnificent portrait of Mort Drucker as Rembrandt

ABOVE: Anton Emdin with Mort Drucker at the 2016 Reubens in Memphis

Uderzo’s Influence Extends Beyond Asterix

by ERIC LÖBBECKE

“TCHAC!”

A big starburst, two vertical lines at the far left of blue-toned endpapers, featuring two expressive cartoon feet dangling from the top of the page.

The 5-year-old reader opens his new bande dessinée book at a page with an intricate line-drawing of a little Gaul character throwing a punch, saying (in French), “Ils sont fous ces Romains!” (“They are mad these Romans!”).

On the facing page, there’s a fat Gaul holding onto three Romans by the their necks under one arm saying, “Je me sens un peu faible Panoramix!...” (“I’m feeling a little feeble Panoramix!...”).

A nearby Druid stirs a boiling cauldron with a big ladle. There’s a beautifully-shaped speech bubble with considered, handwritten lettering. Translated in English (to cut this long story short) it says, “No Obélix,... you won’t have any magic potion! I’ve told you 1000 times you fell in it when you were very little!”

This was the gorgeous world that informed my early 1970s in Europe when I opened my very own copy of Astérix Le Gaulois. I describe these drawings with so much patience because they held me captive for hours in disbelief that a person was behind their creation.

This person was Albert Uderzo, who died of a heart attack on 24th March, 2020, at the ripe old age of 92 and as the official Astérix website still tell us, it was as if the sky had really fallen in (a great fear of the chief of his village).

Astérix was to be drawn as a tall athletic character but ended up a being drawn as a cunning, small, moustachioed warrior in a mythical village which was the last strong hold of the Gauls against Caesar’s Romans. He and Obélix received their powers by drinking the secret magic potion from the Druid’s cauldron, which kept them safe and created the backdrop to

their adventures, which took them to places such as Egypt, where the artist could parody the 1963 Elizabeth Taylor film, Cleopatra.

Uderzo was born on 25th April, 1927, to Italian immigrants and grew up in a commune near Paris. He started out by illustrating cartoons for French and Belgian publications at the age of 14. In 1959, he created Astérix with his creative partner, René Goscinny, who died in 1977. He subesquently went on to write and Illustrate the Astérix books on his own and ended up authoring 33 volumes before his retirement in 2011. There are now 38 books, translated into 100 languages (according to The New York Times) which have sold over 380 million copies worldwide. JeanYves Ferris and Didier Conrad now scribble out the comic and continue the legacy left behind by these two masters of their craft.

My passion for Uderzo’s work can still be seen in the way I construct my caricatures and colour them. He masterfully developed scenarios in every frame with meticulous attention to movement and interactions between the various characters. I didn’t read the words, because that was difficult for me, but I knew how the stories unfolded by analysing, for example, every inch of a fight scene, taking in every element that articulated a purpose or a reaction, which amplified a reality that fermented in my childhood imagination.

Idéfix, Obélix’s dog, was the first character I copied and memorised and when entering the Australian education system at the age of nine (with very little language for English School), I learned how to use the power of the pen and the scribble to communicate. I was inspired to mimic Uderzo’s mastery throughout those formative years and I found that his legacy also inspired many other artists I talk to on this subject.

Eric Löbbecke is the opinions page illustrator for The Australian and is currently researching his dissertation, “A Disruptive Working Model in Cartooning for the Digital Age”, for his Master of Fine Arts research degree at UNSW Art and Design.

Life’s a Pitch 3 Getting Your Animation Series Off the Ground

by PETER VISKA

Launched in 2013 by Patrick Egerton and David Webster, Cheeky Little is a passionate team of committed animation professionals, with four internationally distributed series produced under the company’s banner. Cheeky Little was the first Australian kids’ producer to secure global Netflix originals and has built an international reputation as a quality kids’ animation producer and trail blazer. This article was prepared by Patrick Egerton for Inkspot.

When the team at Cheeky Little considers any new intellectual property, there are always two things that drive our decision to take it into development.

First, it’s the idea. Often you can’t put your finger on exactly why you like a concept. You’re looking for something to spark your curiosity, quicken the pulse and compel you to start the journey and discover what it is.

Then it’s the creator, or creative team behind it! You need to understand their vision and whether there is the right sort of chemistry between you all to achieve that.

When Gary Eck and Nick O’Sullivan pitched us the Vegesaurs concept, it had instant appeal. It was just such a clever idea to mash up dinosaurs and vegetables into a completely new and unique ecology of creatures. The comic potential was there and the designs were so well crafted so there was more than enough to pique our interest. Gary is a talented comedian, writer and director and Nick is fantastic illustrator and board artist. They had already pooled their talents together to create a successful children’s book called Wake Up Sleepyhead, so we knew they worked really well as a team and in our early discussions it was clear we had

chemistry between us all to take it into development.

Initially, we pitched the bones of the concept to a few international broadcasters for a first impression. Everyone found the concept funny but some were concerned that it was visual pun proposition and that once you got past combining vegetables with dinosaurs there wasn’t enough scope to build a series. We were also aware that we had to ensure Vegesaurs was an unmissable alternative to other dinosaur shows. It was clear that to separate us from the pack of smilar shows already out there we had to embrace the vegetable first and the dinosaur second and this became a mantra in our development process. Vegesaurs might be a very silly concept at face value, but we decided to expand on that by building a world with a fully immersive imaginary ecology that feels real by presenting it as natural history. Each vegesaur has believable characteristics, diets and habitats and a defined place in the overall

food chain while still retaining some features of the actual fruit or vegetable each vegesaur is based on.

Next, what we most needed was a central character we could fall in love with and want to follow into this weird and wonderful world. Enter Ginger, our delightful young Tricarrotops and lead character in the series who is lost and alone and must find her way back to the herd. Add in three baby P-Rexes who Ginger has to look after and suddenly you have a makeshift family of herbivore and predator on a journey together, which is a strong dynamic to drive the story with a balance of comedy and epic adventure.

At the end of 2018, we won best-inshow at the Asian Animation Summit for our Vegesaurs pitch and, with the consistent support of Screen NSW, have continued to build international momentum towards financing a first TV series and - potentially - a feature film.

It’s also an interesting time to be developing an IP that endears kids to fruit and vegetables, in such a uniquely arms-length way, when there is an urgent global push to combat child obesity and promote healthy eating in kids.

Patrick Egerton

cartoon awards