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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

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James Andre is a talented writer who's part of the local Melbourne comics scene. The other day he asked me to produce an illustration to accompany a short piece of writing on his new blog so I had some fun drawing the above piece today.

James' imprint 'Milk Shadow Press' has already produced some very nice material. Have a read of his work, and if its your cup of tea, email him for some more.

-Bobby.N

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Ok, Im in the homestretch, & I know i winged about this a while ago, but im struggling with the colour scheme for the cover just a little. I've redrawn & inked the original because, well, I didn't like the inking in certain parts.


Anyway... these 2 covers are the final contenders.

-Bobby.N

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Just so you all know... to now get to my site, redirect your browsers and emails to my new domain.

www.bobbyn.com

I've decided to ditch the 'bluetoaster' moniker because, while I liked the quirky name, I think its better to associate my work with my name rather than an obscure moniker that i continually have to explain to people. It's just been a drag over the last few years as people have gotten to know me and my work, and bluetoaster has just become counter-productive. I'll be re-jigging the site over the coming weeks to be in line with the 'bobbyn' idea, so stay tuned for a slightly new look.

Anyway, for now... my previous emails are the same but you need to replace the word 'bluetoaster' for 'bobbyn'.

So bobbyn@bluetoaster.com is now bobbyn@bobbyn.com

Got it? Good.
Later.

-Bobby.N

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A cold wintery-day... but this month's meet was great. I arrived at about 2.25pm, and was greeted by Greg, Colin & Jason sitting around chatting...


"You're late!" Greg teased - as I'm usually one of the first 'seat-warmers' there. Jason was on anti-biotics nursing a bad cold, but impressively made it down to the meet... or perhaps he just wanted to spread the pig-flu around... dunno. Anyway, soon Paul Bedford mosied on in lookin all 'chirpy'...


How Paul manages to sell books with THIS attitude I'll never know.





Greg was lucky enough to have a pre-release copy on show of Bruce Mutard's upcoming book THE SILENCE. Wonderful stuff. Definitely on my 'to buy' list.

Colin also brought in a signed & sketched copy of a massive hard-cover book of his (for one of Greg's friends). All black & white and simply beautiful. Can't for the life of me remember the title.



John Retallick was like a finch... too fast for my camera to capture. Stand still man!


The the old faces like John, Jen & Avi graced us with their presence. John 'hoofed' into some delicious looking hot soup and bread, while others drank beer while dipping hot pototoe wedges in sour cream. Ooh yeah.

The afternoon was a great light-hearted romp in the warm confines of the Prince Alfred Hotel as the overcast cold blew outside. Funny enough, we discussed 'movies' more than 'comics' this time. We reminisced and laughed out loud about the fantastic old 'dont-make-em-like-they-used-to' Warner Bros cartoons like Daffy Duck in ROBIN HOOD, and Buggs in THE BARBER OF SAVILLE, and WILE-E COYOTE, etc, etc.... it was great.

For those of you that missed out... suffa.
You missed a good one.

See you all next month.

-Bobby.N

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I've always got a pad or sketchbook with me soemwhere. In my sketchbooks (the cheap A4 ones with black covers you buy in artshops) I tend to always use blue pencil... I just like the look & feel of it & my brain-to-hand really gets firing with this colour pencil on this textured paper. Can't explain it. Don't ask. I also carry around basic lined notebooks (again standard from most newsagents of stores) and always write/sketch in a black BIC finepoint pen (one of those 'el-cheap-o' type pens... but man they're nice on notepad paper.

Anyhow... here is a page from one of my sketchbooks.


Later.

-Bobby.N

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Well the next issue of DIGESTED is coming along very nicely indeed. It's about 4 times the page count of issue-1 already, so Im polishing all the corners, and tying up all the loose ends, and making sure it makes a nice splash this year in our humble Melbourne scene.

So while you continue to be so patient, I thought I'd post the lineart for part of the continuing OXYGEN story that you'll see in the upcoming issue. Enjoy.

DIGESTED.02: (Sample page from 'Oxygen')

-Bobby.N

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I was looking forward to the coming long weekend. Feels like we haven't had a meetup in ages. Must be the cold weather. Anyhow... noon arrived, and i left my girlfriend Zora to her escapades at Highpoint Shopping centre, while I made off to this month's meetup. First, was a short pitstop at my favourite artshop ('WestArt' on 46 Buckley St, Footscray), where I picked up a few things. Then it was onto Cartlton & the meet.

I get there early at around 1.30, and was the only one there for a while until Mr Greg Gates turned up. Her ordered a beer, and people slowly dripped in like a tap. It wasn't too long before the place was jumping with comicbook enthusiasts.


The regulars were all there...

Chatting away about comics, movies, and everything else.


An absent regular, Dave Cunning, showed up. It was good to see him again, but it may be a while before we see him at another meetup, as he's moving to Bendigo for good. A damn shame, as Dave's one of the very few local creators that I feel simpatico with when it comes to his views and approaches to producing comics. Lets hope we still see him contributing to comics in the future.

It was a great gathering this month. Many, many new faces who looked to have enjoyed themselves. Now it's the long wait until the next one.

Keep those fists scribbling.

-Bobby.N

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The good news is, I've found a day-job and can now resume finishing the last parts of DIGESTED.02 and be able to actually pay to get it printed for all of your greedy little mits. The not-so-good news is, my new job takes a lot out of my day. I start at 8.30am and finish at 6.00pm. I leave my home for work in darkness and I finish work in darkness. Suffice to say, I only see my house in daylight on weekends. Within the first few weeks of this new gig, I've tried working on my book after work and dinner (and notwithstanding rare moments of success), I've found my brain is putty.

I've resigned myself to the system I used in finishing my previous book WITHHELD, where I'm getting up before my day-job to work on my book. So far, it's been very good. The routine has kicked in, and the weekends are an added novelty of watching my right hand ink a page with sunlight falling on it. Sunlight!

So, here's a sample of one of the last short stories I'm inking before I start the final book construction. Should be about 56-70 pgs when DIGESTED.02 is all put together.

DIGESTED.02 Short Story: Pavlov's Dogs.

Anyone obsessed (or even mildly interested) with comics is welcome to Melbourne's informal monthly gatherings on the first Saturday of each month. We discuss, show work, and generally have a relaxed afternoon in leafy Carlton. Come along.

This month's
MELBOURNE 'COMICS' MEETUP:
Prince Alfred Hotel
Grattan St, Carlton
Sat-June-6th
2pm - 6pm

See you there.

-Bobby.N

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Well, the night finally came. The publisher Gestalt swung by my city of Melbourne and launched their new book FLINCH. I finished work at 6.20pm (yeah, I got a job a few days ago... that means that DIGESTED.02 should be published soon-ish), and rushed down to Dymocks on Collin's St. A great big wonderful crowd turned out to listen to the speeches, see the original artwork on the walls, get their books signed by the authors, and pick up a great selection of books by Gestalt.

Tom Taylor's friend (who's name escapes me) MC'ed the evening.

And everyone enjoyed the speeches, nibblies, and drinks.

Even 'Secret Life of Us' actor Samuel Johnson was there...


Local comicbook writers and artists were smattered amongst the crowd... as Tom Taylor, Shaun Tan, and Wolfgang Bylsma got up for their respective speeches.

Wolgang Bylsma (Gestalt Publisher) and Shaun Tan (Picturebook artist) got up and talked about how much they adore the comics medium, how it's emerged from below the waterline, and how hopefuul they are of it's continued growth. They talked of a deep-felt obsession that I myself have long had... it was very affirming to hear.

After the speeches, I got to catch up with some of my comicbook buddies.

Some of my original artwork from WITHHELD was up for people to have a squiz at.

Then it was down to getting RSI through frantic signing.


The famous Shaun Tan being swamped with sketch/autograph requests. Check out his website.

The moment above when actor Samuel Johnson came up to Shaun Tan wanting books signed was a memorable one. Shaun had no idea who he was, as he proceeded to sign his book he asked "and what's your name?"

A peculiar moment when the world seems flipped up-side-down... and you smile. Good on you for digging picture books Samuel. (BTW: Liked your work in the recent UNDERBELLY.)

MEMORABLE MOMENTS:

• Seeing FLINCH in print. Wolfgang went through a real rollercoaster getting this book out to the public. It's great to see a publisher who cares about the importance of the work itself.
• All the speeches... particularly Wolfgang's & Shaun Tan's.
• Seeing/chatting to Tom Bonin again. He only recently came back to Australia from the UK, and flew down from Canberra just for the launch.
  
• Chatting with various people at the event. Fans, newbies, my friends, and my betters. Thanks for supporting this great medium.
  
• Talking to Shaun Tan about THE LOST THING, and sitting next to him in the signing. One thing I admire about Shaun is that he's a real illustrator. He lives what he does on paper. It matters to him. Each of his signed sketches for people was different and considered. Its great to meet someone like that. Its rare.
  
• The chat about THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL that myself, my girlfriend Zora, Greg Gates, and Jason Franks had. Don't ask.
• The finger food.
• All the author signatures in my copy of FLINCH.
  
• The late train ride home with Zora.
  

So... congrats to Wolfgang and all the authors. FLINCH is wonderful. Do yourself a favour and buy it.

-Bobby.N

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An albeit 'chilly' day was still sunny in the shadow of Melbourne University today. What can I say month after month, except... we all had a great time. A few regulars failed to show up (Yes, Im looking at you Paul & Jason), but those that did come, had a drink on your behalf.


I grabbed a copy of Colin Wilson & Tom Taylor's THE EXAMPLE comic (brown & yellow cover sitting on the table)... and I must say, it's the best thing I've seen in a while. A great read... and only $5 too! Get it here, or come to this Thursday's book launch of FLINCH in Melbourne and get a signed copy.


Brendan & Matt... sitting in a tree... K.I.S.S.I.N.G....


Once again, come to the FLINCH booklaunch in Melbourne and get your copy signed by the likes of Colin Wilson, Shaun Tan, and many, many more!...

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EVENT DETAILS:
Thursday, 7th May 2009 18:30~21:00

VENUE:
Dymocks Melbourne
234 Collins St
Melbourne VIC 3000
Australia

Tel: 03 9663 0900

Email RSVP would be greatly appreciated by 1st May 2009 to flinch@gestaltpublishing.com
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See you all on Thursday...

-Bobby.N

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