May/June '22 NEWSLETTER masoncomics.com.au |
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#13. Deploy!
Flock #1 Digital Comic release, The Deep season 4 sets sail, Phantom stuff in the pipeline, and other stuff. |
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FLOCK #1 licensed to Gestalt Comics I am very pleased to announce that FLOCK has been licensed to Gestalt Comics for publishing and distribution, starting with issue 1, which was recently kickstarted. This meant that additional support has come onboard in the form of great lettering and graphic design expertise by Wolfgang Bylsma (EIC Gestalt, also currently lettering and design for Neverlanders for Penguin Random House), and after the fulfilment of the kickstarter pledges, Flock is set to get a wider release. None of this would be possible without the support of readers and friends like you, so thank you for helping to get the book off the ground. Gestalt have published an amazing array of Australian writing and artist talent, including Shaun Tan, Ryan Griffen, James Brouwer, Tom Taylor, Andrew Constant, Justin Randall, Nicola Scott, Gary Chaloner, Christian Read, Gary Proudley, Emily Smith and many more. | | |
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Above: A peek at the new Cover spread with new masthead and back cover design by Wolfgang. |
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The Phantom: 'Nam story on 2022 Comic Arts Award of Australia Shortlist The Shortlist was recently announced for the CAAA (formerly Ledger Awards), and I was surprised and humbled to be among the list of great comic book, graphic novel and web comic stories featuring Australian comic makers. This story "It Ain't Me, It Ain't Me", features Lee Falk's the Phantom in Saigon on the eve of the Tet Offensive of 1968; kicking of one of the major events of the Vietnam conflict. It also aims to touch on the events of 'The Battle Of Long Tan', and a nod to a classic Lee Falk and Wilson McCoy daily story 'The Jungle Patrol'. This is part of an ongoing collection of stories featuring the Phantom in-country during the height of the war.
Below is a page for the 8 page short, I wish to congratulate my friends Andrew Constant, and Nicola Scott for their respective nominations (and that also makes two for Frew), as well as Jess Walton, whom I shared a Writers Festival stage with recently (nominated for her book "With Stars in Their Eyes" a lovely story), and everyone who had a nice nod for their respective work. Cheers CAAA committee, that's very kind.
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Above: A small panel snippet from something I just handed in this weekend; My first Phantom: Vietnam story assignment since completing the last one towards the end of 2019. Not sure where Frew will stick it, but was happy to be back playing in the sandbox. |
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THE DEEP animated series season 4 debuts on CBBC UK, out in other regions soon...! Based on the all-ages Gestalt Comics graphic novel series The Deep: Here Be Dragons and The Deep: The Vanishing Island by Tom Taylor and James Brouwer, the 3D animated adventure series for kids and tweens has finally debuted this week, starting in the UK and then elsewhere in the world afterwards. Previous series 1 - 3 currently available on Netflix, and repeats on ABC ME, I had the lucky honour of joining James on his concept design team for a few months back in 2020 to help design creatures, props and some environment studies for half the new season; everything from sea creatures to bathroom props. I am very excited to see what the ideas look like in the final episodes, and just wanted to thank and congratulate James, Tom, plus Avril Stark at A Stark Productions, Wildbrain HQ, and Wolf at Gestalt, plus the entire animation series team. Have faith in the fish! |
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Flock #1 Digital Comic and Digital Process Zine out now for Kickstarter backers: If you did happen to back Flock in the recent Kickstarter, you'll hopefully know that the Digital Comic copy and the Process Zine have been sent to your email accounts :D I've had a couple of people so far have a read and enjoy it, but if you're planning on waiting for the print copy to arrive, I'd say go download the files, but avoid looking inside until the book arrives in your doorstep in June/July. I'd hate for you to spoil the story for yourselves.
In the meantime, if you're reading this, and you haven't gotten the dropbox access yet, contact me :) Maybe you haven't returned the survey and I missed entering your email address, or there was a sharing issue (as I discovered how fiddly the dropbox process actually was...) Live and learn. Anyways. |
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Final words for May/June Hello to the new subscribers who indicated on the recent surveys for FLOCK that you wouldn't mind seeing what's doing here with upcoming comics and news. Welcome :D On my to-do list at the moment is a pile of university assessment marking for Pre-production , with more expected from this course, and Art Direction, in the next fortnight. My hard-working colleges from here in GFS and also if you're a teacher yourself, you'll know that night night marking and feedback crunch as the end of the trimester /semester looms. Despite the tricky part of converting art into scores, I'm looking forward to seeing the students recent efforts, and the further development of their upcoming graduate animated films. All the best to GFS animation 3rd years in the next couple of weeks.
I also have a list of commissions for the kickstarter, all topic in my wheelhouse, so should be a fun task. I might share those sketches with you as I go.
I also have tentatively begun roughs for FLOCK #2, and about the thumbnail both the next Phantom: Vietnam short story, and a story that both Amanda and I plotted and pitched a while ago, that I'll be converting to shorts. It's a character in Phantom lore I have been dying to draw a story for, and playing with the 'Meatpie Western". Some of my favourite films are "The Furnace", and 'The Proposition', and I have "Sweet Country" in the chamber ready to go check out when I have a spare moment...in 2024 perhaps...
Oh, I have heard that a long-drawn variant cover for FREW will now make its way into the next upcoming Phantom Pholio collection of prints, as part of Frew Publications June sale release, coinciding with the Lee Falk Memorial Bengali Explorers Club Charity Dinner weekend in Sydney; I will share the image here when Frew reveals to readers what it is, though I must admit that I thought it might not ever see daylight, and some crafty spotters may already know what it is. It's being put to use, that's the main thing.
Which reminds me, I have a charity donation drawing to complete. The LFMBEC raise thousands of dollars for the Westmead Childrens Hospital each year with their annual dinner (up to 33), and I think one of the best things to discover about the Phantom readership when I came onboard Frew in 2016 was the existence of this great group of readers, collectors and enthusiasts. It was an hour to be the guest speaker in 2017 when Kid Phantom first kicked off, and it's always a lovely night of catching up with good friends and good people. https://www.lfmbec.org Finally, much love to my partner Amanda, who is still marching on each day, doing her very best, and aiming to recover from illness. She makes me very proud in her efforts. A reminder for us to keep punching on every day, one day at a time. Love to you and your families, and thank you always for your support of my words and scribbling. Warm regards, Paul.
pmason83@gmail.com |
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