BY ACCIDENT, I learned
about the Adelaide Toy and Comic Fair
while visiting the city in late April. So I dropped in on the Saturday morning
and bought a ton of cool comix from local creators. I was informed that Adelaide
has a vibrant comics scene, which is obvious from the high-quality material I
picked up (and even the stuff that I’ve bought previously in Sydney from dudes
like ComicOz, who publish DECAY and Retro Sci-Fi Tales).
My thanks to Anthony and
Miranda for the long, friendly chats we had on the day. You guys are all very
talented folks.
In For The Krill #3-5 (Panic
Productions, 2010-16) ***¾
Writers: Jill Brett and
Greg Holfeld/Artist: Greg Holfeld
A crime noir tale
involving penguins? Hey, it works for me. There’s a conspiracy happening on the
ice floe, but who’s gonna believe the son of a cannibal, who’s main claim to
fame is terrible haikus? Murder, mayhem and tenpin bowling...this entertaining
series has it all. Holfeld’s art is amazing, even though I found it hard
sometimes to distinguish between all the main penguin characters.
Find out more about the series at http://inforthekrill.tumblr.com/.
Sovereign’s Dread Book 1 (Comics On
Demand, 2016) ***¼
Writer/Artist: James
Wilkinson
This is a classy-looking, A5 graphic novel, broken into three
sections by Wilkinson. His Photoshop-enhanced artwork is a bit hit’n’miss, but is
spectacular at times and the lush paper it’s printed on doesn’t hurt either. A
young guard, a cynical warrior and an arrogant royal from different kingdoms are
thrown together when a supernatural army invades their world. I first saw the
idea of magic being like a drug explored in Buffy
The Vampire Slayer, and Sovereign’s
Dread explores that theme as well. Get your copy at https://www.facebook.com/sovereignsdread/ or https://sovereigns-dread.myshopify.com/.
Dappled (New London, 2016) ***¾
Writer: Anthony N.
Castle/Artist: Chadwick Ashby
I got talking to Anthony
at the fair and he was a really nice guy (as I’m sure is Chadwick, but I didn’t
really chat to him as much as Anthony). Anyway, these guys strive to produce
work as good as anything you’d see from Image, and I’d say they’re succeeding. Dappled is a stark, B&W horror tale
that touches on the taboo subjects of suicide and self-harm in teenagers. It’s
pretty damn good.
Rag Doll (New London, 2015) *****
Writer: Anthony N.
Castle/Artist: Chadwick Ashby
Dappled cost $6 but the
guys struggled to find change for my tenner. I told them to keep the change. Instead,
they gave me Rag Doll – and I’m so glad they did. This is a wonderful tale
about a discarded old rag doll trying to find a new home before making a brave
and heartbreaking decision in a rubbish tip. The story is whimsical, sad but
ultimately uplifting while the art would fit nicely into a children’s book.
In
fact, Rag Doll could be reformatted
as a children’s book and I think it would sell very well. I enjoyed it a
helluva lot.
Anthony and Chadwick are
a formidable team. Check them out at www.newlondoncomics.com
and www.facebook.com/newlondoncomics.
Hail #1-3 (self-published, 201?) ***¾
Writer: Miranda
Richardson/Artists: Rosanna Lam and friends
I chatted with Miranda
for a while and had a lovely discussion about the Adelaide comix and zine
scene. I picked up the first three issues of Hail and it turned out to be
another revelation. Hail is superficially
a superhero tale, but it’s also a story about a woman with severe anxiety
problems and her battle to deal with them. But she’s not alone in her fight. Lena
literally shatters like glass and falls to pieces when under duress. Friends
encourage her to take this crippling disability and turn it into a positive by
fighting crime. By the end of issue three, Lena is a fully functioning
superhero with an amazing support team. It’s a very uplifting story and I found
the characters extremely likable. Rosanna’s art is part-manga, part-realistic
and all good. Support this great local comic by heading to www.hailcomic.com.
And on a related note...
I’M ALWAYS happy to
support the local comic scene, especially those that make it to newsagency
shelves. So...naturally, I grabbed this mag when I spotted it on the stands.
Kid Phantom #1 (Frew, 2017) ***½
Writer: Gabriel Henriquez/Artist:
Paul Mason
So this is The Phantom’s version of Superboy ,essentially: how a young Kit
Walker became the Phantom. Interesting kick-off issue with FREE stickers (which
I’ll never complain about). The story wasn’t the strongest, but I enjoyed Mason’s
art and I love the idea that it’s an ongoing series, so readers can see how
young Kit blossoms and grows into the masked hero we know and love. So, it’s a
cool A5 full-colour comic, but will anyone buy it? Who knows, especially at AUD
$7.95? There are a lot of loyal Phantom fans who buy the regular comic, so
maybe Frew have hit a home run here. We’ll know for certain if and when a
second issue appears.
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