Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: Comics, comixology, Da 'n Dill: The Showbag Years, Dillon Naylor, entertainment, Headspace, Patrick Purcell, robert crumb, Ryan Lindsay, winter city

The Aussie Comics Round Up – Headspace, Da 'n Dill, Winter City

Published Wed, 28 May 2014 16:00:00 -0500

by Hannah Means Shannon

Comments

By David Holloway

Since my last report from down here in late 2012, it's fair to say that the Australian Comics biz is on the improve. Reflecting the worldwide resurgence in comic sales, there's a small but dedicated bunch making inroads, alongside a new cohort of artists and writers. Here's a small sample of creators I've caught up with over the past couple of weeks:

Headspace

Ryan Lindsay is starting to garner some attention in the bigger end of the industry, and rightly so based on his output to date. His latest work is a fascinating story of a cop called Shane, who's living in a town called Carpenter Cove. The only thing is, the town is purely a construct of another person's mind. It provides a huge canvas for Lindsay to paint the story on and the first two issues show it's likely to be a hell of a ride. Eric Zawadzki is the lead artist on this eight-issue monthly, available via Comixology.

Check out more of Ryan's work here.

Da 'n Dill – The Showbag Years

Milk Shadow Books are Australian publishing stalwarts with an expanding catalog. One of the more recent is one that'll appeal to those who want to check out a comic with a very distinctive Australian flavor. The comics I love most are those that place themselves very firmly in a particular time or place and that's exactly what Da 'n Dill – The Showbag Years does. This volume reprints a series of comics from the early 1990's by Dillon Naylor and it's a hell of a ride reading them. I usually try to avoid comparisons but Naylor's work contains that Robert Crumb feel – normal situations with some surreal art and cutting social commentary. It's that good I'm sad I missed it first time around and I'm damn glad I'm reading it now.

Have a look for yourself here.

Winter City

Given my previous coverage of Winter City on Bleeding Cool, I'm at risk of the sycophant label, but this book is going strong with it's eighth issue about to be released and it deserves the attention. The story and art remain top notch and I'm hoping there'll be a trade of this series in the future. I caught up with creator Patrick Purcell at a convention this month and he's upbeat about the local industry and the expanding role he's hoping to play within it, with a couple more titles in the works. Check out Winter City here.

David Holloway is a freelance writer based in NSW Australia – you can find out more about him here.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!