May - June '23 NEWSLETTER masoncomics.com.au |
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#20. May June...don't make it bad... Or something like that. Welcome those interested in my comic book work and stuff. Hope you're well :) |
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The inaugural Metro Comic-Con 8-9 July, Melbourne 2023 Big thank you to the fantastic organisers of the inaugural Metro Comic Con for the invitation to attend their event. I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends, peers and Melbourne readers, having not being able to visit the city since my last convention there in 2017. I'm also looking forward to seeing my fiancé Amanda Bacchi return to the MC stage to host some fun panels with some of the guests.
For information about the great guests and fantastic ticketed events on that weekend, see here: https://metrocomiccon.com.au | | |
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New Phantom Pholio collection for 2023: Some Phantom Phans tuned in to social media and podcasts like X-Band: The Phantom Podcast would have heard that next weekend Frew Publications will have a booth at a Sydney convention coinciding with the annual Lee Falk Memorial Dinner (more about that in the final wrap up). To coincide with Frew's appearance will be new things available to purchase such as the 2023 limited Phantom Pholio print poster collection. Each pholio contains a collection of high quality A3 prints, individually signed by each artist and numbered (only 100 sets available).
Last year I was fortunate to be a part of the collection (Pholio collection #8), which featured 12 Phantom cover artists illustrating to the theme "Phantom: Generations". Mine (right) featured a poster based on my "Phantom in Vietnam" series. This year's theme is "Phantom Rogues", and I had the fortune of getting the call up to base mine off another story I had released in the last 12 months.
Since you're kind enough to follow along to my scribbling here, you get first look below before Friday/Saturday. See the image below for a peak. After the convention, I'll make sure to share Frew's link to purchase any remaining Pholio collections in an upcoming newsletter if you're interested in the set. Cheers again to Frew :D | | |
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Griffith Animation Cartoon Corner #3 Imps' Night Out (2021) This year I began sharing a link to past Griffith Film School animation short films while I've been in the mix of lecturing the 2023 graduate animation students through their pre-production. There's a fun mix of 2D, 3D and stop motion films currently in the works, I just saw their final review before the next trimester, with Pre-production transitioning soon to production. I can't wait to see what work they achieve over the break weeks.
This month's recommendation is a wacky short, and one I supervised from prep-production, and into post, by Liam Burford, and produced by Teagan Barnard: IMPS' NIGHT OUT - a silly, tongue-in-cheek 4 minutes in the style reminiscent of the 1950s UPA-style animated shorts (if you remember Mr Magoo or Gerard Mc BoingBoing, you're in the ballpark). 2 demon spawns from Hell are let loose on the city streets for a night, but unbeknownst to them, they're stalked by a possibly unhinged Exorcist... From the weird hivemind of Liam and his collaborators comes a bananas little film that I hold dear. See if you can spot one of my stupid suggestions and favourite moment in the film. | | |
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So, on the left here is colouring for the Phantom Pholio print. On the right, in procreate software is a close up of a work-in-progress panel for another colour story that will come out in a few months. It's a part 1 of a 3 parter Amanda and I wrote for Frew, and I was recently asked to colour. I will share more when things get closer to date. It's currently giving me a breather from some of my Vietnam short stories, but I commence page breakdowns and pencils for the next three in the series planned for release in the future. Mentally and visually nice to play somewhere different every now and then.
Just thought it worth sharing a teaser; if anything it sits with my attempted approach to colours for comics; find the emotive colour within the more "realistic" approach to the environmental lighting of the scene depicted. Blah blah blah, you get the idea. |
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Final words, thought-streams and jibber jabber: Hello to the O.G subscribers, and hello to the new subscribers, and welcome too if you got here from the masoncomics website direct, or any friends and family still hanging with me here, following my stuff. The Australian Phantom reading and collecting community were stunned and saddened recently with the untimely passing of one of the nicest gentlemen you'll ever meet. Richard Fry, organiser of the Lee Falk Memorial Bengali Explorers club charity dinners, passed away, and Amanda and I just wanted to express our sincere condolences. I had only known Richard for a few years, since being a guest speaker the dinner in 2017 on the back of the release of Kid Phantom comics, and chatted briefly to him in emails and at dinners in subsequent years, the events being an important visit and highlight on my calendar. A witty mind, Richard was a kind host, and passionate about his interests, studies of law, and loved his family. Richard's initiative, along with Dr. Antonio Di Dio, annually raises auction monies for the Children of Westmead Children's hospital, and brings/welcomes Phantom "Phans" together to catch up, laugh and enjoy good food and company. Richard passed away a couple of weeks out from this year's dinner, and valiantly, the dinner is carrying on thanks to the efforts of good friends Bradley and Joyful Peach, who have been taking care of the art and memorabilia auction catalogue and print material for the dinners for a number of years. It will be a hard dinner but a memorable one, and important to celebrate a good man and his efforts. Our hearts and thoughts go out to Richard's lovely wife Bronwyn, his sons and family, Dr Di Dio, The Peachs and Richard's other close friends. Much love from Amanda and I.
I hope you and your family are safe and well wherever you are and whatever you're doing. Feel free to drop me a line with any suggestions you might have for things you'd like brought up in this newsletter space, and I'll try to only bother you when I've got something decent to share. Thanks for your ongoing support, and appreciation for the comics and drawings. Share the website address for newsletter sign ons if you think you might know someone who would be keen to see this stuff or catch some news and comic info.
And if you're interested, and visiting the Frew booth on the weekend, I might be around. I don't like the convention, and am purposely not on the marquee, but I'll always support Frew.
Anyways, Warm regards, Paul.
pmason83@gmail.com P.S: This month's share section: TWO THINGS: Firstly below, you'll find 4 pages of the greyscale art-only pages from The Phantom #1925 (2022). This was originally handed in as a greyscale regular story back in early 2020, but Frew returned to me at the end of 2021, asking for it to be coloured. So, for those that are curious, this is a sample of what was originally intended.
(Oh, and secondly, a black and white teaser for an upcoming thing. See ya!) |
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