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Ok. just finished the 4-pager for TANGO-9 (Love & War), and will be burning it to CD & sending to Mr Caleo during the week (4 pages shown below):

Every so often while doing a story I discover new tricks & techniques that I think worked really well for me. So too was the case with this story. I got the hang of a certain construction & execution that I'm really pleased with & that I'll carry forward into my other work if it continues to work well and add to the look of the page.

I also did some work on my bigger secret project. Ah well... its my Moby Dick.

I've come full circle to the realisation that I really enjoy cross-hatching and adding 'volume' with it in my work. It always use to grate at me when I'd try to do a 'clean-line' style (like Tintin or Charles Burnes) and fall short in my goals. (I guess its the artist in me thats always trying extend and cover new ground)... but it just doesn't look right in my style. I always feel like I'm paying most of the attention to the drawing (and I think it shows)... rather than just drawing a well-read comic in my natural style. Thats one of the things I learnt in doing the previously mentioned short TANGO piece... that of just sitting down and doing a natural story in (as Crumb puts it) my lite"E-Z duz-it" style... my "get-it-done-already" style... and I had a wonderful time at it when I approached it this way. It just flowed.

Anyway.. spoke to Jason Franks this morning, and we're all set for Armaggeddon this October-17th in Melbourne. We'll be sharing a table (Possibly with J. Marc Schmidt)... so put it in yer diaries.

Later.

-Bobby.

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Here's the first page of my submission to Bernard Caleo's upcoming TANGO-9 anthology. I hope Bernard doesn't mind me showing a preview (consider this post free publicity Bernard!)... come to think of it... geez, I hope i get into TANGO-9!.. otherwise won't I look stupid?



So as not to spoil the final story (and the wonderful 'printed' experience you'll get when you read it on paper), this is all you're getting of this. Remember paper everyone?... well.. I personally think comics are best experienced that way. No offense to the handful of excellent web-comics out there, but I think online comics resemble something akin to 'advertisements'. They're far too disposable when viewed on screen (in my opinion). To me, comics attain their 'fetish' aspect (as Wolfgang puts it) when you can hold them in your hand and 'touch' them. Read them alone & 'covet' them.

Anyway... the above image is part of a 4-page story. I only have 2 pages left to ink and then I'll send it off to Mr Caleo. I really had a ball doing this, and even if this piece doesn't make it into TANGO-09... I'll probably release it in a mini book of my own.

Later.

-Bobby.N

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A
A nice cold & drizzly day greeted this month's local Melbourne comicbook meetup. I got there about 2.30pm and was greeted by the regulars...




Colin Wilson had just come back from the San Diego Comicon where he & Tom Taylor had spent a week signing behind tables for their new DC comic Star Wars Invasion. This was one of the rediculously massive bags at the convention for patrons to put their 'stuff' in. Geez, and I thought we were a consumer culture here in oz?





Ant playing charades with Henry...

HIGHLIGHTS THIS MONTH...

• The meetup itself. It really was that good.
• Brendan Halyday's little comic
• Colin Wilson's stories from the San Diego ComicCon
• Greg Gates' & Colins' books that they brought along. The Moebius comics were just amazing.
• Greg Gates' sample inked pages done on the back of magazine pages.
• Talking Bukowski with James Andre.

It was a nice big turnout this month. Lots of people, hot wedges, and drinks. For the absentees... you sure missed out.

-Bobby.N