Nerd Culture Podcast

When you think of ‘comic books‘ what is the first thing that comes to mind?

A quick survey around my work office revealed that for the vast majority of my non-nerd colleagues, ‘comic books‘ meant everything from specific characters, Spider-man, Superman, Batman etc, to common comic book tropes like ‘nerds‘, ‘cartoons‘, ‘Big Bang Theory‘, ‘superheroes‘ & ‘creative‘.

When I then asked which country they most associated with ‘comic books‘, every person responded with ‘America‘ or ‘U.S.A.‘.

This didn’t surprise me, and I’m sure it doesn’t surprise you either.

It is perfectly understandable that to the general public, ‘comic books‘ = America. They have been the dominant force in comic books for many years. But other countries do of course also have their own comic industry; France, U.K., Japan & Australia to name a few.

In fact, the Australian comics industry is rich with passionate and talented creators. Australian comics are reaching a level of popularity and appreciation that they have never seen before and as such are reaching audiences around the world. Whether that be on the world’s largest digital store comiXolgy (Paul Bedford‘s The List, Jason Franks‘ The SixSmiths etc), by winning prestigious Awards (Ben Templesmith, Ben Hutchings, John Dixon etc), or producing acclaimed work for international markets (Tom Taylor, Nicola Scott, Colin Wilson* etc). Australian comic creators are making their presence known, and nowhere is that more apparent than at the various conventions held around Australia, especially at Oz Comic-Con.

As their name suggests, Oz Comic-Con love comics, and ensure that at every event they put on they take the opportunity to showcase as much Australian and International comic talent as they can by featuring the largest range of Australian comic book guests of any convention in Australia.

In their past years they’ve featured a great number of comic creators, including the one and only Stan Lee! But this year they have an even bigger number of Special Guest comic creators and over 90% of them are Aussies! Not only is that an amazing ratio, it doesn’t even count the heap of awesome creators you’ll find in Artists Alley. This is a huge amount of Aussie talent on show and is a great opportunity for their existing and future fans to meet them, purchase their wares and maybe even get a sketch!

And for prospective comic creators, Wolfgang Bylsma, the Editor-in-Chief of Gestalt Publishing, will be present at the event and will be completing portfolio reviews for budding comic artists. Gestalt is Australia’s leading independent graphic novel publishing house, and the portfolio reviews are a wonderful opportunity for those interested in the illustration and comic industry to have their work looked at by a respected publisher. Joining Wolfgang at Oz Comic-Con Melbourne will be some of the talented artists published by Gestalt, including Andrew Constant (Torn, Broken Line) and Justin Randall (Changing Ways).

Australian Comic Creators are some of the most talented in the world. Their output encompasses the whole range, from sci-fi, to drama, to superheroes, to comedy and Oz Comic-Con is the perfect place to check them out. We never miss a show, and neither should you.

For a full list of the Comic Creators at this year’s Oz Comic-Con, check out their site and purchase your tickets now.

* Note: Technically Colin is from New Zealand, but I believe he now resides in Australia, and he is awesome so I wanted to include him here.

Freddy and Jason: A Nightmare on Elm Street star Robert “Freddy Krueger” Englund and Veronica Mars’ Jason Dohring join the all-star guest list at Oz Comic-Con Melbourne

One of horror’s biggest stars, Robert Englund, has set his sights on Australia and is heading Down Under to stalk the crowds at Oz Comic-Con Melbourne. Joining Englund in his takeover of the mammoth pop-culture event is small-screen star Jason Dohring, adored for his role as bad boy Logan Echolls in the cult-hit series Veronica Mars.

Best known to audiences as Freddy Krueger, the dream-haunting villain in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series, Englund has appeared in a wide variety of other films including Urban Legends. Englund has also undertaken extensive voice acting work, voicing characters in such animated shows as Justice League, The Batman and The Spectacular Spider-Man.

Dohring won the hearts of a legion of fans as the sarcastic and volatile love interest of the titular character in Veronica Mars and reprised the role in the 2014 Veronica Mars movie, which was funded by fans through Kickstarter. He also appeared in the television show Moonlight, a vampire romance series with a devoted following.

Oz Comic-Con Melbourne attendees will have the chance to take part in professional photograph and autograph opportunities with both Englund and Dohring, with Englund posing for photos while donning a razored fingered glove — the infamous weapon worn by his terrifying on-screen alter ego. Both Englund and Dohring will also be joining lucky fans at exclusive dinners on July 5. Seats to each dinner are limited and in demand, with tickets to dine with Englund already sold out. Only ten seats are available at the table with Dohring, so those wanting to dine with the star should act fast to secure their ticket.

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The creative team behind one of Australia’s most critically and commercially successful comic book series, Winter City, is moving towards an ambitious ‘Creator Owned’ publishing model and announces their first Creator Owned title – Left Hand Path!

With the outstanding success of the Winter City series, and the anticipation building for the upcoming all-age series, Mechanical Knight, the Winter City Productions team feel that their high quality output, experience and media reach will prove to be an invaluable opportunity for Australian independent creators. Their ultimate goal is to help elevate the international reputation of the Australian comic book scene.

In relation to the company’s new publishing direction, Winter City Productions founder Patrick Purcell said, “There is an incredible amount of artistic and literary talent in Australia but all the talent is failing to achieve the success it deserves due, in part, to a lack of direction. By sharing our marketing, production and editing experience, we hope to change the face of Australian comic books. We aspire to convert a niche scene into a thriving and viable industry. We want to show Australian comic book readers that Australian books can be just as exciting and entertaining as any international production”.

Left Hand Path is by Jason Franks & Paul Abstruse and tells the story of the Unconventional Incidents Unit (UIU) as they are called in to investigate a bloody massacre perpetrated by a demon who is loose on the streets of Los Angeles. Jason is a veteran of the Australian comics scene, with his books The Sixsmiths and McBlack to name a couple, and his excellent first novel Bloody Waters was short-listed for the 2012 Aurealis Award for Best Horror Novel. Paul is a well regarded artist in the Australian scene and also a tattooist. He has worked on his own projects as well as for international studios like Zenescope Entertainment.

Winter City Productions will officially announce Left Hand Path in the lead up to this year’s Supanova Expo Sydney (June 13-15) and the first issue will be available in print at the event. Also available at Supanova will be the next instalment of the Winter City series and the debut issue of Mechanical Knight!

And all aspiring comic creators should head to the Winter City Productions home page for submission and publishing guidelines: www.wintercityproductions.com. This is a great opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.

Hot on the heels of their recent announcement of the awesome Kristian ‘Hodor‘ Nairn attending this year’s event, Oz Comic-Con Melbourne are following that up by announcing two more awesome guests: Daniel ‘Podrick Payne’ Portman and Arthur ‘Rory Williams’ Darvill!

Better known for his role as Podrick Payne, loyal squire to both Tyrion Lannister and Brienne of Tarth, the Scottish-born Portman has been a recognisable face on the series since its second season. His appearance at the convention is welcome news for Game of Thrones fans.

And, for three years on Doctor Who, Arthur Darvill brought to life the loveable Rory Williams, a companion to Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor. One of the most well known stars of the long-lived show, Darvill is also a talented musician and stage actor, currently staring in Once on the West End.

Portman, Darvill and Nairn are just three of the guests who will be wowing crowds at Oz Comic-Con Melbourne, with other celebrities attending including television icon Richard Dean Anderson (MacGyver, Stargate SG-1), acclaimed actorTom Skerritt (Alien, Top Gun, Picket Fences) and awarded actress Veronica Cartwright (Alien, Resurrection).

The event will feature celebrity Q&A panels and professional photograph and autographs will be available with all guests, with Portman and Nairn teaming up for a photo option for Game of Thrones die-hards. For those looking for something a little bit special, limited seats are currently available for an exclusive dinner with both Portman and Nairn on July 5.

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Hodor!

Oz Comic-Con Welcomes Kristian Nairn to its Melbourne Line-Up!

Winter may be coming, but it’s no time for Game of Thrones fans to despair with Kristian Nairn, known for his role as the towering and gentle Hodor in all four series of the hit television show, set to appear at Oz Comic-Con Melbourne!

Bran Stark’s loyal helper will be in attendance at the massive pop-culture event on July 5-6, where Game of Thrones enthusiasts will be able to snap up professional photographs and autographs with Kristian. While Hodor is a man of one word, Kristian will be taking part in Q&A panels across both days, sharing stories from his time on the show. Tickets are also available to an exclusive dinner with Kristian on Saturday July 5 and, with numbers limited, fans should get in quick to secure their seat at the table.

Kristian will join an amazing line-up of guests at Oz Comic-Con Melbourne, with Richard Dean Anderson (MacGyver, Stargate SG-1), Tom Skerritt (Alien, Top Gun, Picket Fences) and Veronica Cartwright (Alien) amongst those already announced.

Tickets to Oz Comic-Con Melbourne, and the special guest dinner with Mr Nairn, are available now through Showclix (http://www.showclix.com/event/3808852). For further information please visit www.ozcomiccon.com.