EVENT: Auckland Zinefest 2012

Auckland Zinefest returns this year as a part of First Thursdays, taking place this Thursday, 2nd of August on K Road.

First Thursdays is a community-conscious collaboration of artisans and art lovers whose ultimate goal is to showcase new and exciting talent in the fields of visual arts, music and performance. The DIY themed festival taking place from 6pm-9pm, features a variety of free art events taking place at shops, galleries and creative spaces along Karangahape Rd. Some of the activities include: a handmade craft & zine market, zine making and screen printing workshops, light installations, live music, fashion shows and theatre productions. The Zinefest will take place in St Kevin's Arcade with around 30 stallholders, including a great line-up of local comics talent!

Sarah Laing, cartoonist behind the Let Me Be Frank webcomic. She's going to be selling a selection of her autobiographical/fantastical comics, some of which have appeared in her blog. She's also going to be selling some one-off, hand-painted and bound books and her son Otto's book of monsters.

Each of the handcrafted books are 12 pages long and bound with embroidery thread. They are arranged into five groups: eighties pop icons, toys made for my children, significant women, my tea cup collection, and cans in my cupboard. She'll be selling them for a bargain price of $15, so be in quick!

Marc Streeter is the creator of the weekly ActionMan Adam webcomic, which follows the hilarious mis-adventures of a young Canadian looking for love in Christchurch.

He'll be debuting his latest collection at the event, ActionMan Adam: Things Change. Last year Streeter chose to acknowledge the events of the Christchurch earthquakes in the webcomic, and incorporate their effects on the characters in the on-going story. It was a bold creative move which has payed off handsomely for readers. Its sensitively handled, and adds a much greater depth to the characters and proceedings, making the laughs that much more welcome. Highly recommended!

Brent Willis, Wellington cartoonist and editor of the Bristle anthology will be there with his latest creation for the event: Wark! #1. Brent Willis has steadfastly stuck to the DIY ethic and self-published for the last 15 years (because he likes it). Expect to discover a wide range of his other titles at his table: there's just about a comic for every occasion!

Sam Orchard, creator of the Rooster Tails webcomic will be there, representing himself and the Dunedin Comics Collective. Rooster Tails features Sam's charming comics about being a trans and queer dude in Auckland. The Dunedin Comics Collective have so far produced two issues of the comics anthology DUD, featuring comics and a CD of Dunedin music. A third issue is currently due for release soon...

Richard Fairgray, creator of Blastosaurus will be present with a host of new material, including collections of Ghost Ghost and I Fight Crime!

And lastly, the Sheehan Bros creators of The Inhabitants and Into The Woods will be there, along with myself, representing the New Zealand Comics Collective: selling locally produced comics from creators across the country, including newly arrived stock from Toby Morris and the latest issue of Radio As Paper!

The Zinefest market will be taking place Thursday 2nd of August, 6pm-9pm in St Kevin's Arcade on K Road. You can find out more information about Auckland Zinefest HERE and First Thursdays HERE.

-AK!

Roger Langridge Wins an Eisner Award for 'Snarked!'

Above: Roger Langridge at San Diego Comic Con 2012, pictured with Michel Mulipola of Gotham Comics.

Congratulations to Roger Langridge for taking home his first Eisner Award over the weekend for his comic series Snarked!.

This is Roger's first Eisner Award, having been nominated three times previously for his outstanding contributions to comics. This makes him New Zealand's most internationally awarded cartoonist, having previously won three Harvey Awards (‘Best Publication for Younger Readers’ in 2010 for The Muppet Show Comic Book; ‘Special Award for Humor’ and ‘Best Writer’ in 2011 for The Muppet Show Comic Book and Thor: The Mighty Avenger, respectively).

Above: The cover of Snarked! #6. Copyright Roger Langridge 2012.

Snarked! is published in the US by Boom Studios. The children's humour series takes its starting point from the works of Lewis Carroll, but takes the characters off in new and unexpected directions.

The Eisner Awards are America's most prestigious comics award. They are named after cartoonist Will Eisner, creator of The Spirit comic series and originator of the graphic novel format with his landmark 1978 publication A Contract With God. Established in 1987, the Eisner Awards are presented annually at a ceremony as a part of the Comic-Con International Comic Convention held in San Diego, California.

His crowded trophy cabinet may need some extra reinforcing soon, as Snarked! is also nominated for an additional three Harvey Awards, which will be announced in September.

You can view more of Roger's comics at his website HERE and the official Snarked! site HERE.

-AK!