Comics Podcasts

Comic Book Funny, episode #3

Tue, 06 May 2008 23:52 GMT

Self-indulgence is the watchword in

with

BEN HUTCHINGS AND DAVID BLUMENSTEIN

Episode #3: Look At What You See

http://www.nakedfella.com/radio/comics_episode03.mp3

In this hour-long slice of cartoonist overkill, we report on how the Comic Book Funny events at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival went, and present chunky excerpts of Week 2's discussion, featuring Benno, Glenn Smith and Ross Tesoriero (sorry about the audio quality). Also, we finally talk a bit about local comics we like rather than bagging out crap ones.

Beyond this,

we chat about our recent visits to Sticky, Gallery 696 and the Melbourne Bar & Bistro (”Melbourne's Cumhole”)
Ben updates us on his drawing board situation
we try out some product placement
Ben's Tootleg Boy music gets some well-deserved media love
David honks the horn for “Comics In A Day” at the Melbourne Emerging Writers Festival
Ben tells of his encounters with FAMOUS PEOPLE!
and we end on a song!

Links:
Ben Hutchings - http://www.effect.net/geeen/
Glenn Smith - http://glennoart.com/
Ross Tesoriero - http://www.weirdgalaxy.com/
Aural Text on 3RRR! Thanks to Alicia Sometimes and Stella Glorie for saying “Sing A Song Of Bum Sex” and “Shlong Surgery” live on air - http://www.rrr.org.au/onair.php?pid=21
Trumpet ice cream - http://www.tiptop.co.nz/our_brands.asp?category_id=6
Sticky zine shop - http://www.stickyinstitute.com/
Gallery 696 - http://www.696.com.au/
Brunswick Bound - http://artabase.net/gallery/24-brunswick-bound
Patrick Alexander - http://chickennation.com/
David Tang - http://www.eclectical.org/davidtang/
stikman - http://www.stikmancomics.com/
Paul Elliott from Polyester Books asked the question about how some comix have good art but bad stories and vice versa - http://www.polyester.com.au/
Supanova Pop Culture Expo - http://www.supanova.com.au/
Armageddon Expo - http://www.armageddonexpo.com/
Melbourne Bar & Bistro - http://www.melbournepubs.com/v/465/
Any comics we mentioned without their own website can probably be found at Tabula Rasa Australian comics gallery - http://www.tabula-rasa.info/AusComics/
Try a Google search for Gerard Ashworth. I did, and found full copies of some of his comics online, in PDF format!

Tootleg Boy tracks in this podcast:
- Little Bit Of Jesus

“The Never Ending Story” was written by Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey. We adapted our arrangement from a MIDI file, author unknown.

Special thanks to our new robot announcers.

Idle drawing, and what’s up with The Precinct

Sat, 03 May 2008 09:04 GMT

John Kricfalusi is the gent who created Ren & Stimpy. His blog is full of excellent lessons, advice and rant on various subjects. I saw today he's having his visitors try drawing his lovable Republican stooge, George Liquor (American), so I thought I'd take a crack at it. He's not kidding when he says drawing the character is hard. It's a strange and complex construction, and tough for me to guess what he might look like when he changes expression.

Above left is my first quick sketch, above right I had a proper go at drawing the character freehand. The lines are rough but I think I got the flavour.

Here I tried to get a little creative and ran into trouble. They're OK drawings but the lower one in particular is off and requires more research. The dudes and chicks who work for John are close to 100% at capturing his style — it's a bit scary sometimes.

Doing this I wondered if all the storyboards I've been doing for Flash productions are having a negative effect on my ability to visualise a three dimensional character. I should go do some life drawing…

Back to business: Ackersley gots a taser.

So Woody The Producer is back from his Amero-European sojourn and seems pumped about how The Precinct went over at MIPTV. My co-writer, Adam, and I are nutting out the plotting for the second half of the series so that I can get a more finished pitch document to those who showed interest.

Special quiz question: who's your favourite Canadian actor, and why? Specifically, I'm after ones with interesting VOICES!

Now on Facebook!

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:12 GMT

I'm now on facebook. Just swinging around and seeing how it all works but already there seems to be a brilliant bunch of people there.

Comickers are grouse!

Be my friend...if you wanna...

Cheers

John

Listen to Mandy Ord Next week!

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 23:39 GMT

Our confirmed guest for next weeks inaugural program for the now ongoing and regular TheComicSpot is non other than Melbourne comicker extraordinaire Mandy Ord.

Mandy will join myself, Jo Waite and Bernard Caleo in the studio 'LIVE'.

Thursday 24th April
5.00 - 6.00pm EST on 855am 3CR or streaming at 3CR.org.au

We'll be discussing her latest longform work 'Rooftops', as well as some of her other material methods and madness.

We'll also be looking at some newer comic relaeses and giving you an idea of what's on in Melbourne around the comic scene for the next few weeks.

Listen in, spread the word.

Cheers

John

Comic Book Funny - live session #3

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 17:39 GMT

Another great talk this week with Bernard Caleo, Neale Blanden and Clint Cure. We showed Clint's award-winning animated short The Lecture, Bernard performed his version of the opening to No Country For Old Men via spoken word and live drawing under a camera, and all three talked about what it is to be plugging away at an artform generally considered (derided!) as a “kiddie pastime” and whether their comics are actually “FUNNY”, “ODD FUNNY” or “NOT FUNNY”. And Neale explained beloved Disney character Goofy's disturbing early history as a servile Negro.

Bernard says something, with passion. Clint looks on.

Following the session, a quiet chat with the cream of Melbourne's comics community.

Nicola Hardy, recently returned from debauched art tour of Europe, and Neale.

Next week, Saturday April 12, 4pm, Bella Union bar, Trades Hall: the very last Comic Book Funny live session for the Comedy Festival, featuring Nicki Greenberg, Andrew Weldon and myself. Be there!

TheComicSpot - hourly, monthly on 3CR

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:42 GMT

Three things
1. - missing march
2. New ongoing time on 3cr
3. Launching Waldo's Hawaiian Holiday

March went missing for me due to a completely unexpected family emergency. All is better with the world now and I've sprung back into things with a good April in store. The weekly show has been pushed back for the time being as things sort themselves out on a personal front but i am happy to announce where we go from here.

TheComicSpot will now be an hour long show every last Thursday of the month on the DIY Arts Show on 3cr. That's 5pm every Thursday live on 855am in Melbourne and streamed at 3CR.org.au.

I am honoured to be asked by Gestalt Comics to help launch their new book Waldo's Hawaiian Holiday at Brunswick Bound bookstore this Friday the 4th April. Check out details here.

Hope to see you there.

John

Comic Book Funny, live session 2

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 05:37 GMT

It was a good afternoon! Lots of people came down and received wisdom from comics legends Glenn Smith, Ben Hutchings and Ross Tesoriero.

A cheeky chappie with a funny comic

Glenno and Ian Marks of FOFFLE Magazine

Ross and Ben with Arran McKenna

Bonus photo: Comic Book Funny session 1, featuring Dean Rankine, Pat Grant and Jo Waite

If you think you have what it takes to do funny comics, or just want to read some good ones, be sure to check out the last two Comic Book Funny events, Saturdays at 4, Bella Union Bar, Trades Hall.

Next week: the theatrical stylings of Bernard Caleo, plus Clint Cure and Neale Blanden drop some animation realities on you.

Your official reminder:

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:52 GMT

This Saturday at Comic Book Funny — uber-funny comix people!

Ben Hutchings (writer/artist of You Stink And I Don't and The Killer Foetus), Glenn Smith (Necrotardation, Glenjamin) and Ross Tesoriero (Entrailer Trash) launch their brand new comics — so brand new I HAVEN'T SEEN COPIES OF THEM YET. They will talk comics, show some animation and generally be the great blokes they always are. And you can touch them if you want to.

A landmark event, since these guys are from NSW/ACT and will only be in town for the weekend. Get your Melbourne-based arse to the Bella Union Bar at Trades Hall, 4pm THIS SATURDAY to meet three of Australia's funniest comics artists!

EDIT: Here's our article from Wednesday's edition of The Age!

What’s happening with The Precinct?

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:29 GMT

Things are happening.

Woody The Producer and I applied for, and received, a travel grant from Film Victoria. This means that he and The Precinct are going to an event called MIPTV in Cannes, France. MIPTV is a big-arse television market. International distributors and networks go there every year to check out which programs they might be interested in sinking money into/showing to the public. So Woody’s being there to sell the concept to bigshots in person could help us get this thing moving faster.

We are looking at perhaps co-producing the series with a Canadian company, which supposedly delivers tax benefits to both sides. I’ve never personally spoken to the Canadians in question, so that’s something needs doing before we go any further with them…

Being that I have no experience in this field (dealing with companies, being a company, doing things that aren’t making cartoons or eating a parma) I canvassed a few people whose opinions I respect on how a deal with, say, a large American Hollywood concern might unfold. These varied slightly:

· “You will be anally ruptured by the entertainment industry.”

· “You will be anally ruptured by specific representatives of the entertainment industry.”

· “You will be anally ruptured, then paid for your discomfort.”

But seriously — the outlook appears bleak for the (relatively) young, inexperienced TV series creator who wishes to have their series produced and yet keep a hand on the tiller of their creation.

· “When a PROPER writer is brought in, you may be allowed to contribute.”

· “[They]’ll pay you out.”

· “You can’t expect final say [on anything].”

· “After development…[snip] fired… [snip] lawyers and money.”

· “Anal.”

So this has led me to think about what it is I want as far as The Precinct and myself. Unfortunately, this is an idea I really like, so I’m bound to be somewhat precious about it. If I was smart I’d come up with a shit idea I have no personal attachment to and try to sell that.

But since we’re here now, here is what I would most want from an ideal deal: the freedom to write my own show, or to delegate the writing to people chosen by myself. Input welcomed and encouraged from absolutely anyone — producer, co-producer, distributor, network, asshole emo kid with eyeshadow I saw at Grill’d — but final say on what goes to air.

Is that greedy? Does anyone get that? Will the money man always be able to force me to change my show to live-action and my characters to tweenage hairdressing students?

For now I have faith that, having made the right deal/s with the right people, I would be allowed to make a good, silly cop show without enormous interference.

Shoot me down!

Comic Book Funny, episode #2

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 01:03 GMT

Apologies for the mobile phone shenanigans in this episode of

with

BEN HUTCHINGS AND DAVID BLUMENSTEIN

Episode #2: Don't Be Shame, Be Game

http://www.nakedfella.com/radio/comics_episode02.mp3

In this episode, we are sex-obsessed. We talk about the comics in free youth magazine STREETWIZE and how its spin-off, GAOLWIZE, helped inmates get laid safely, we discuss the least erotic comic book ever made in Australia and even many of Ben’s Tootleg Boy music tracks are about sex. Sexy!

Also, we plug our own stuff again, touch on the giant “Life: Be In It!” ball and classic Aussie cartoonists, there’s plenty of swearing and David impugns the reputation of a dead cartoonist. Plus an exclusive interview with William Shatner!

You can download Ben’s music at his website. Here are the tracks used in this podcast, so you know which ones to get:

Sing A Song Of Bum Sex
I Am Saucy
Pop Punk Is So Exciting
Shlong Surgery
I Rode To Woden
There Is Nothing Like A Sex

Go ahead and comment below if you feel like it. Or send your audio responses to david, at nakedfella dot com.

You can subscribe to the show’s RSS feed here:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/NakedfellaProductions

Thanks to Benno, we're on iTunes now! Do a search or something.

Logo Time - Our First Competition!

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:16 GMT

To celebrate the news that TheComicSpot will be an ongoing part of comics culture in Melbourne i'm running my first competition.

Design us a logo!!

It should incorporate 'TheComicSpot' and something along the lines of 'Australian Comics and Culture'.

The winning entry will receive a pack of at least a dozen decent comics - i've got plenty to spare. How bout 9 Issues of Image Comics Negative Burn Anthology series, Eddie Campbell's Bacchus: Book 1 and a run of 12 issues of the Luna Brthers series Girls? I'll add a few more i'm sure.

They've all been read because that's what they are for: and you can win them, read them and pass them on simply by coming up with a logo for TheComicSpot that we can pop at the top of the blog and include in any promotional material we publish about the place. That's not a bad carrot i reckon.

Let's say an end of March deadline and the winner will be announced on the first program in April on 3CR.

Comment or email me if you need more details. And please spread the word.

Cheers

John

ps - eps 4-6 of the summer series up on the weekend hopefully.

The Comics Lifestyle - living out loud.

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:11 GMT

Gentleman John Weeks at comicslifestyle.com has been generous to TheComicSpot and Nakedfella by linking to our respective podcasts.

Big thanks from this end and look forward to more exchanges as we go. Check them out - a great community and clearing house for quality Australian & International Comics goodness.

Cheers

This just in...

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:07 GMT

TheComicSpot has been granted a regular spot on the 3CR program grid - YAY!

The new weekly half hour program will begin in April and will be able to heard across Melbourne, streamed online and I will post the audio up here a few days after each one has gone to air.

If you have ideas for topics, comic books or book comics you'd like us to review or just want to share the love drop us a line in the comments section or write me thecomicspot(a)hotmail.com

Cheers

John

...feeling quite chuffed

Another worthwhile comics podcast…

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:11 GMT

…lives here:

http://www.thecomicspot.blogspot.com/

John Retallick, Bernard Caleo and Jo Waite talk Australian comics with a bit more history and intellect than we do. But of course, we have hilarious faked interviews and they don't.

Apology Day.

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:17 GMT

This morning i have witnessed Australia's new Prime Minister deliver a formal apology to the Indigenous People of Australia for the oppressive public policies enforced on them particularly in relation to having children forcibly removed from their care during the 20th century. I challange you to read 'Bringing Them Home' and not be moved.

Today i am a proud Australian for the first time in over a decade. And i don't even vote for the Labor Party. Well done Kevin. But let us not forget who put this whole reconcilliation process in place at a Federal government level.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhqAFLud228

We've said sorry for the Stolen Generations but there is a hell of lot more to be done yet.

I commit to doing my bit.

Cheers

John

Listen to Episode 3 - Talking with Phillip Bentley.

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:40 GMT

If you listened to the first episode you'd know that i have only recently been active in persuing my passion for Australian comics. This wave of interest in comics came during a bout of chicken pox a couple of years ago.

When i started searching around for more information on Australian Comics i found that there wasn't a great deal to be had. There were snippets here and there but nothing that had an overarching narrative so that i could get my head around 'the scene'. I wanted to know what had come in the past, who the players were, who the boosters were, whose tradition i might find myself in the line of. I didn't want just a list of what had been published and when - though that is usefull in its own way. I wanted a riproaring yarn about the geeks, freaks, nerds, outsiders and outcasts that came before me and i wanted to hear tall tales and true. Difficult stuff to come by There was some genre nostalgia material online but that's not really my scene.

There wasn't and hadn't been for some time an Australian comics industry as such. There had been peaks and troughs of creativity. Boom and bust cycles where it looked as though a few voices had been heard above the fracas of the British and US comics flooding these shores. But comics in the literary, underground tradition? Where was i to go? How was i to know?

It was then that i came across Word Balloons. Phillip Bentley's fanzine detailing his time in comics as a reader, collecter, retailer and creator. It also featured long, informed, intelligent and in depth interviews with (gasp) Australian comic creators. I was a pig in mud and loving it.

Word Balloons is a brilliant publication - i've lapped it up. Ask Phillip for your copies - email secondshore(at)yahoo.com. Meeting Phil at the DoujiCon in July 07 was great as i actually got to question him first hand. Jo, Bernard and i took the opportunity to grill him even further when he came into the studio.

Around 25mb, an hour long and went to air on 3CR on Wednesday 9th Jan 2008 at 9am.

Cheers

John

Listen to Episide 2 - Nicki Greenberg Interview.

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:07 GMT

In the second episode of the summer series we invited Nicki Greenberg to come into the 3cr studio to have a chat about her brilliantly executed graphic adaptation of 'The Great Gatsby' published through Allen & Unwin. This is one of the standout book comics published in Australia in 2007.

Nicki came in after Bernard, Jo and myself had the obligatory conversation about what we call these things that we like to read. Comic books, sequential art, grahic novels etc etc.

I'm gonna do an Eddie Campbell and have a little aside here about semantics - I think i've decided on 'book comics' for those with a spine i can put on the book shelf and 'comic books' for those comics i need to pop away in some other fashion. I know this sounds primarily format driven rather than content driven but i get to exercise my preferneces in terms of content at the point of deciding whether i'll get the comic in the first place. What i call it once i've decided i want it is a matter of semantics.

As thecomicspot is a radio show going to a general audience i've decided it's good to make the distiction between format descriptions and content descriptions. In my case my preferences when reading comics are for Australian Literary Book Comics. I like other stuff too but if there is any type of comic i want to see grow, expand and take a larger share of the entertainment dollar and cultural conversation in this country then that is where i've planted my flag - So there!

Where was i ?

Oh yeah - download and listen to episode 2 because Nicki Greenberg is fantastic, her book is ace and we loved having a decent conversation with her about her work - including her adaptation of Hamlet that's in the works.

Around 25mb, an hour long and originally aired on 3cr on Wednesday 2nd Jan at 9am.

Cheerio

John

Listen to Episode 1 - Our Comic Origins.

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 23:09 GMT

Over the summer of 2007-08 i produced six episodes of TheComicSpot for 3CR 855AM Community Radio in Melbourne.

I enlisted Melbourne comic creators and boosters Bernard Caleo and Jo Waite as my co-hosts.

In this first of six episodes Bernard Caleo, Jo Waite and myself give our comic origin stories. Why we read comics, how we got into comics and what we love about comics - especially Australian comics. We had a ball in the studio. Considering it was the first time we'd sat together in one room to talk about comics i think we did a bang up job.

I've not got a player embedded in the blog as i haven't figured that one out yet so go off and download the show as an MP3.

It goes for an hour, weighs in at around 25Mb and for clarity's sake the show went to air originally on Wednesday 26th Dec 2007 at 9am. It was an auspicious boxing day for all those involved.

Cheers

John

Theme Song!

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:40 GMT

When the summer series of TheComicSpot got the go ahead at 3cr i knew we needed a clarion call for all the disaffected readers of comics in Australia.

We needed to instill in this anthem all of the pent up frustration of not being taken seriously in our choice of reading literature. The anthem had to bare the pain we share from being in love with a medium saddled with the weight of men in tights and women in bikinis.

We had to shout to the world that comics could be more - were indeed more - would forever be more than what most people think they are. And that we were in love with them! (the comics that is- not the men in tights and women in bikinis)

And so - Bernard Caleo stood tall, wind streaming through his hair, took the bull by the horns, put on the creative beanie, picked up the ukelele and penned a mighty song that will last through the ages.

Please dear reader - listen - and be moved by our collective desire to be heard.

Thank you for your time.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And do stick around - the first Episode of the Summer Series will be online shortly - just working out the kinks.

John

Comic Book Funny, episode #1

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 01:12 GMT

Time for the first “official” episode of

with

BEN HUTCHINGS AND DAVID BLUMENSTEIN

Episode #1: Have A Big Wank!

http://www.nakedfella.com/radio/comics_episode01.mp3

Ben and David inaugurate their possibly ongoing podcast. Featuring an exclusive interview with Stan Lee, talk about getting your comics out to an audience, news about how comics are invading the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and a number of naughty excerpts from Lord Of The Rings.

WHERE STUFF'S AT

0:54 - selling your comics to people?
7:37 - ‘Tales From The Pub'
15:47 - Lord of the Rings: gay?
18:03 - Comic Book Funny, the Comedy Festival show
27:52 - Comics Craft!
28:10 - “interview” with Stan Lee
32:50 - sign off

LINKS

http://www.glennoart.com/
http://www.nickigreenberg.com/
http://www.effect.net/geeen/

Go ahead and comment below if you feel like it. Or send your audio responses to david, at nakedfella dot com.

You can subscribe to the show's RSS feed here:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/NakedfellaProductions

Don't ask me about iTunes, ever.

As if this isn’t an “arts hub”

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:31 GMT

I occasionally write a comics/animation-related column for the website artshub.com.au (subscription-based). If you subscribe you can read my latest column there. If not, I might put it on the site at some point.

Instead I'll show you some art I'm working up for an exhibition I'm in soon. They're action movie video covers with a Precinct twist to them:

I should have four or five of them when I'm done.

A couple of quick links

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:47 GMT

First of all a big congratualtions to 'Melbourne's own' Shaun Tan on winning the biggest book comic related prize in Europe (link1)(link 2). It's truly appropriate that his book is called 'The Arrival'. It's an apt description of what is happening in the comics scene here at the moment.

In other news... TheComicSpot's own co-host Bernard Caleo is in rehab - Comic Artist Reheb - lend him your support through this difficult period!

Pinch and a punch...

Welcome and a brief history.

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 18:59 GMT

Thanks for checking out TheComicSpot blog. As you can see I'm just getting started but be assured that this is the place to find intelligent and insightful conversation and writings about Autralian Comics and Comic creators.

I've been reviewing comics on the DIY Arts program on 3CR throughout 2007 and realised there was far too much to talk about in those glorious but brief times.

In the summer of 07/08 I produced six episides of TheComicSpot for the 3CR summer programming period which I will post up on this blog in mid Feb when i'm off work.

Hope you enjoy these shows and I hope to provide regular postings throughout 2008 with more interviews and more discussion about what is a very exciting time to be interested in comics with an Australian voice.

Subscribe to the blog to keep up to date and see you all soon.

John