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Long-time friend, comic book author, & garlic farmer Tom Bonin came down to Melbourne for a few days. A few of us decided to get together in the spur of the moment and say hello to the man we haven't seen in over a year on a warm Monday evening.


We didn't strictly talk 'shop'... but a few of us brought along some of our current projects.


Jason brought in some photocopied samples of a short-story that Bruce Mutard is illustrating for him. It looks fantastic, I have to tell you. It's a real step up from Bruce's previous work, which already puts us all to shame anyway! Stay tuned.


The writers.


Even though Tom Taylor states that he's a 'writer'... don't think he can't create exciting visuals too. Tom took the above pic with my camera. Shhwaaar!



The man of the hour (Tom Bonin) brought along his folio too...



My favorite. A Moebius-style illustration. Grade-A stuff Tom.



Great chats and nice pub food were enjoyed by all. Hopefully Tom can make it to Melbourne more often so I can get to look more regularly at his great finished pages... though he's just bought a house some 100 leagues away, so it doesn't look likely.

Anyway... see the rest of you at the next meet-up, which should be on 3rd-April... though that's also Easter Saturday, so I'm not sure what's going to happen there?

-Bobby.N

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The regular monthly meetup came up on my calendar again, and as I drove down toward the city in an absolutely beautiful sunny & warm Melbourne afternoon at about 12.30, I decided to duck into Minotaur bookshop (as I ritualistically do), to see what's new. There I bumped into a few of the regulars (Greg Gates & Jason Franks).


I picked up Lewis Trondheim's LITTLE NOTHINGS-3.

Then we all headed off to the comics meetup. Jason & I drove, and Greg grabbed a lift with me. I remember Greg commenting on dark storm clouds to the west, to which I replied, "Yeah, depends on whether in comes this way."

We got to the meet just a little after 2pm. It was a nice little turnout.



Greg 'hoofing' down a sandwich.

Then we commented on how at 2.45pm, it looked like it was 9pm in the evening. It looked like the sun had just set outside... and then this happened...

It began to hail ice the size of golf balls.


It was relentless.



We were amused at how (out of nowhere) rediculously heavy and big the storm was.

Then it started to flood, as the earlier volume of ice started to melt... all the while STILL hailing. By the time I left (which was earlier than usual from a meet) it was manic on the roads. I was stuck in the city for almost 3 hours trying to find a way out! (Usually it takes 5 minutes.) Cars' windshields were riddled with holes & looked like a drive-by killing, and people's house roofs looked like Swiss Cheese. The event was all over the news, and broadcast worldwide. It was freaky.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS:

• The HAIL STORM... (duh)
• Picking up Lewis Tronheim's new book
• The (always good) comic talk at the meetup
  
• Finally getting out of the city after 3 hrs
  

I commented to the guys how the meets we've had at the begining of each year recently have been cursed. Last year at this time we had the aweful bushfires. This year it was floods. Next year (I joked) we'd be sitting at our meetup and see zombies walking the streets. Bloody weird I tell ya.

Anyway... come down to our meetups y'all... they're great!
Really :)

-Bobby.N