Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Media Hype for Comics Weekend

A comical look at life
By Penelope Scott from the local paper - The Wellingtonian
And linky goodness!
From Earth's End
Comics Weekend Profile

Over at Dylan Horrock's site Hicksville Comics the Wellington book launch of the long awaited New Zealand Printing of Hicksville.

Plus a long interview with Dylan on the stuff website: Comic genius returns home

Friday, 26 March 2010

WHAT'S ON AT COMICS WEEKEND...

THE NEW ZEALAND INDEPENDENT COMICS FESTIVAL will run from the evening of Friday 2nd April to the evening of Sunday April 4th, at The Basement Gallery, 39 Dixon Street, Wellington.

It'll open on Friday night, at 5:30, and will be open from 10am on both weekend days. There'll be sales, there'll be chats. There'll be an exhibition... in fact, there'll be two!!!

The events we've scheduled so far are as follows:

2nd April, 5:30pm: Opening Night
Drinks, nibbles, opening talk, relaxed hijinks.

Which really is an opening FOR...
Two Exhibitions curated by Dr. Tim Bollinger, running 2nd -4th April.
Two exhibitions, NZ Comix in 70’s and The Work of H.W. Bennett, will be launched on Friday night and on display throughout the weekend. Dr. Tim Bollinger is a Comics Historian of some repute who has previously curated several comics focused exhibitions. He is a regular contributor to White Fungus magazine

3rd April, 5:30pm: Wellington Launch of Victoria University Press edition of Hicksville, by Dylan Horrocks
Hicksville is arguably New Zealand’s best know graphic novel, and the VUP edition is the first edition of the novel to be published in New Zealand. It has been translated into several languages, and its author, Dylan Horrocks, has been a guest of several comics and literary events, including the Les Belles Etrangères festival in Paris.

3rd April, 7:30pm: The Black River Digital New Zealand Comics Awards
A celebration of excellence in New Zealand’s independent publishing community, hosted by Fringe Festival comedian Nic Sando and also (we hope) featuring an interview with Burton Silver of Bogor fame.

Events confirmed but yet to be scheduled include: bande-dessinee with Travis Lealand-Mapelsden, Abstract comics with Dick Whyte, and engaging kids comics activities with G.C.R.

Hope to see you there! For more info, contact us at nzcomicsweekend(at)gmail(dot)com.

Sunday, 21 March 2010

Comics Weekend Sales Update

The NZCC (New Zealand Comics Creators) will be hosting sales at both Comics Weekend and Wellington Armageddon.

We will have close to our full range on offer at both venues, including the new edition of Dylan Horrocks' 'Hicksville', 'The Imposter' by Lee-Yan Marquez and a (near) new issue of my own 'Chicks With Knives'.

In addition, selected copies of Bryce Galloway's zine 'Incredibly Hot Sex With Hideous People' and some international comics TPBs will be available at Comics Weekend only.

If you have any comics or zines that you'd like to offer for sale at Comics Weekend please email
nzcomicsweekend (at) gmail.com.

Claire Harris
NZCC

Sunday, 7 March 2010

THE ERICS SHORTLIST

The following is the list of nominees in the 2010 Black River Digital New Zealand Comics Awards ("The Erics"). The Erics recognize excellence in the New Zealand comics community, and the following nominees are all deserving of accolades!

Best Comic
The Inhabitants by The Sheehan Bros
The Tangled Garden by Draw
Love Stories by Mat Tait
Hotpools by Ned Wenlock
Book by Hayden Currie, James Rowsell and Matt Henley

Best Strip
Western Park by Tim Kidd, www.westernpark.blogspot.com
Thumbscrew Theatre by Brent Willis, Salient 2007
Tim Bollinger's recurring series in White Fungus magazine
Jitterati by Grant Buist, http://jitterati.comicgenesis.com/
Desert Funnies by Grant Buist, http://pixton.com/uk/comic/p218znfk

Best Anthology
Bristle (ed. Brent Willis)
Radio as Paper (ed. Jerome Bihan)
Pictozine II (ed. Dave Bradbury)
Book (eds. Hayden Currie, James Rowsell, Matt Henley)

Best Webcomic
I Fight Crime, by Tara Black and Richard Fairgray, http://www.blastosaurus.com/I%20Fight%20Crime.htm
Tiny Kitten Teeth, by Frank and Becky, www.tinykittenteeth.com
Drawing Silence, by Draw, http://drawingsilence.com
Guzumzo Comics, by M. Emery, http://guzumocomics.com/
How to Understand Everything and not hate yourself, http://howtounderstandeverything.blogspot.com/

Best art
The Inhabitants, art by Darren Sheenan
Hotpools by Ned Wenlock
Chicks with Knives by Claire Harris
Utopia Now Vol.1 by Margaret Silverwood
Love Stories by Mat Tait

Best Writing
Passion of the Gimps by Clive Townsend & Brent Willis
The Inhabitants writing by Kelly Sheenan
Omnisexual by Robbie Neilson
The Garden by Draw


Best Debut
Book by Hayden Currie, James Rowsell and Matt Henley
Hotpools by Ned Wenlock
G33K by Renee Lyons
Skate Rat by Theo MacDonald
Girls can Really Fuck You in the Head by Elliot Stewart

Best short piece
Under the Bed by Tim Molloy (Single issue)
The Adventures of Happy Satan by Ari Freeman (Bristle #2)
Super Camel by Claire Harris (Bristle #1)
Commuters by Brent Willis (Bristle #1)


Categories Best Comics Related Website and Best Distribution will be decided based on popular vote.

ABOUT THE AWARDS

The Erics ceremony will be held on Saturday 3rd April at 7:30pm, hosted by Nic Sando. The evening will feature a interview with NZ cartoonist Burton Silver, of 'Bogor' fame.

This year, judging responsibilities will be shared between Roberta Gregory, (American author of ‘Bitchy Bitch’,) Andrei Molotiu,( editor and publisher at Fantagraphic Comics,) New Zealand Writer Elizabeth Knox, Ant Sang, (of ‘Dharma Punks’ and ‘Bro’ Town’,) Cornelius Stone, (probably best known for ‘Knuckles the Malevolent Nun’,) Claire Brunette, (one of the co-ordinators of the Wellington City Library Small Press collection,) Australian cartoonist and organiser David Blumenstein, and New Zealand’s pre-eminent comics historian, Tim Bollinger.