Comics In Australia
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Australian comics have been published since 1908 and Australian comics creators have gone to produce influential work in the global comics industry (especially in
American comics American comics may refer to: * History of American comics *American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form ori ...
).


History


1900s

''Vumps'', the first Australian comic equivalent to British boy's papers, such as '' Boy's Own'', ''Chum'' and ''
The Gem ''The Gem'' (1907–1939) was a story paper published in Great Britain by Amalgamated Press in the early 20th century, predominantly featuring the activities of boys at the fictional school St. Jim's. These stories were all written using the pe ...
'' was published in September 1908. It featured illustrations, with the text printed below and lasted only one issue.


1910s

On 7 October 1911 coloured comics appeared in ''The Comic Australian'', a weekly publication containing jokes and poetry, which continued for 87 issues until June 1913. In 1916 a small format children's paper, ''The Golden Age'' commenced. It featured three pages of strips and cartoons, including ''Algy & Kitty'' by B. Ericsson. The publication ceased in 1917.


1920s

On 7 August 1920 the first continuing Australian
comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
, '' You & Me'', drawn by Stan Cross, appeared in ''
Smith's Weekly ''Smith's Weekly'' was an Australian tabloid newspaper published from 1919 to 1950. It was an independent weekly published in Sydney, but read all over Australia. History The publication took its name from its founder and chief financer Sir ...
''. In August 1925 the ''Sydney
Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' comic supplement was issued. It featured strips including ''The Two Rogues'', by L. de Konigh; ''Fish & Chips'' by Norman McMurray and ''The Strange Adventures of Percy the Pom'' by Wynne Davies. The 13 November 1921 saw the first issue of ''Us Fellas'', by
Jimmy Bancks James Charles Bancks (10 May 1889 – 1 July 1952), commonly J. C. Bancks, was an Australian cartoonist and commercial artist, water and illustrator best known for his comic strip ''Ginger Meggs''. Biography James Charles Bancks was born in En ...
, in the ''Sunbeams Page'' of the ''Sunday Sun'', this
comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
introduced the character of ''
Ginger Meggs ''Ginger Meggs'', created in 1921 by Jimmy Bancks, is one of Australia's most popular and the longest-running comic strip. The strip follows the escapades of a red-haired prepubescent mischief-maker who lives in an inner suburban working-class ...
'', the longest running Australian comic strip. The first ''Sunbeams (Ginger Meggs) Annual'' appeared in 1924, and continued to appear each Christmas for the next 35 years. A number of other children's papers, such as ''Pals'', ''The Boy's Weekly'' and ''Cobbers'', were released during this period. All contained a few strips but were mainly text and articles. The Society of Australian Black and White Artists was formed in Sydney in 1924, and still exists today as the Australian Cartoonists Association.


1930s

Following the demise of ''Pals'' the Australian comic book market was dominated by British comic papers until late 1931 with the launch of the first Australian comic book, ''The Kookaburra''. ''The Kookaburra'' featured characters such as Bloodthirsty Ben and Callous Claude; The Mulga Merrymakers, Perky Pete the Prospector; and Lucy Lubra the Artful Abo! On 20 May 1934 another Australian comic was published ''Fatty Finn's Weekly'', featuring '' Fatty Finn'' by Syd Nicholls. The rest of the comic only featured Australian artists with other strips such as ''Basso the Bear'' and ''Pam and Pospsy Penguin'' by Hotpoint and ''Ossie'' by George Little. While there was text below each frame, the panels contained word balloons. In the late 1930s the market began to be saturated by the release of reprints of US strips popularised by the women's magazines, '' The New Idea'' (''
Buck Rogers Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily American newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, b ...
'', ''Boy's Adventure World'', ''
Felix the Cat Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in 1919 by Otto Messmer and Pat Sullivan (film producer), Pat Sullivan during the silent film era. An anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic young black cat with white eyes, a black body, and a giant grin, ...
'', ''Hurricane Hawk'') and ''The Woman's Mirror'' (''
The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...
''). At the same time another US reprint genre, the tabloid format reprints of Sunday pages and supplements, printed overseas at minimal cost, emerged onto the market. Publications included ''International Comics'', ''Colour Comics'' and ''Wags'' featuring ''Buck Rogers'', ''
Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...
'', ''
Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the '' Detroit Mirror'', and was distributed by the Chicago T ...
'' and early works by
Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner ( ; March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series '' The Spirit'' (1940–1952) wa ...
. By 1939 there were political protests about the dumping of overseas magazines and comics in Australia, on behalf of the local industry.


1940s

With the onset of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
the Australian Government placed a ban on the importation of American comics and syndicated proofs. As a result, the local comic book industry flourished. Following the war, Australia incurred a huge national debt: local publishers found they had a captive market as import restrictions continued to be enforced, at the same time the modern American style comic book (mostly sans color) was adopted. In its
Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...
Australian talent produced exciting creations such as ''Yarmak'', ''
Captain Atom Captain Atom is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books, initially owned by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. All possess some form of energy-manipulating abilities, usually relating to nuc ...
'', ''Tim Valour'', ''Crimson Comet'', ''The Panther'', ''The Raven'', ''The Lone Wolf'', ''The Phantom Ranger'' and many others. September 1948 saw the debut of
The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...
by
Frew Publications Frew Publications is an Australian comic book publisher, known for its long-running reprint series of Lee Falk's ''The Phantom''. Frew formerly published other comics, including Falk's earlier creation ''Mandrake the Magician''. History Frew Publ ...
, the longest continuously published comic book.


1950s

This was a decade of recession for the Australian comic market, with production costs rising the prices of local comics rose. Comics faced increased public scrutiny, with censorship of comics beginning in 1954, competition from television (1956) and the re-introduction of American comic imports (1959).


1960s

The 1960s saw the demise of the few locally produced titles that had managed to survive the recession in comic book publishing in the previous decade. Sales of reprints such as ''The Phantom'' and the
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
titles continued to strengthen, with readers beginning to focus on new American imports, particularly the burgeoning
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
line.


1970s

In the 1970s there was a resurgence in local comic activity, drawing inspiration from the explicit and politicised American underground comic scene, although mainly associated with radical journals such as ''Revolution'', ''High Times'' and ''Nation Review''. Few comic books were published with the exception of ''Cobber Comics'' in 1971 and ''Strange Tales'' (which featured '' Captain Goodvibes'', the work of Tony Edwards) in 1974. Gerald Carr revived the Australian adventure style comic book also in 1974 with the best selling ''Vampire!'', coinciding with the horror comic boom of the times, followed by ''Brainmaster and Vixen'' (1977) and ''Fire Fang'' (1982). '' Vixen'' became Australia's first comic book superheroine.


1980s

Since the 1980s there have been fewer local reprints and more direct importing of foreign comics. On the local front new material started with the release of Tad Pietrzykowski's graphic novel ''The Dynamic Dark Nebula'' in 1982. Oz Comics in 1983 which debuted The Southern Squadron and the popular ''Reverie'' anthology comic lasting seven issues that was distributed nationally.. Later in the mid-1980s many more anthology comic titles appeared, forming the basis for the modern Australian self-publishing community. Three notable ones were ''Fox Comics'', which began in Melbourne in 1985 and lasted for five years and 26 issues. ''Phantastique'' from Sydney in 1986 lasted only four issues, as it was in the style of
Underground comix Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books that are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, ...
but with mainstream distribution – it generated national publicity from opponents
Fred Nile Frederick John Nile (born 15 September 1934) is an Australian former politician and Ordination, ordained Minister (Christianity), Christian minister. Nile was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1981-2023, except for a perio ...
and
John Laws Richard John Sinclair Laws CBE (born 8 August 1935) is a retired Australian radio announcer who had a broadcasting career that spanned 71 years. His distinctive voice earned him the nickname ''Golden Tonsils''. Career Best known as a talkback ...
. (Contributors included Christopher Seqiera and Leigh Blackmore). '' Cyclone!'' also from Sydney in 1985 was a more traditional
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
comic with an Australian flavour, it ran for eight issues as an anthology and then another five as ''Southern Squadron'' focusing on its most popular feature (plus other spin offs including ''The Jackaroo'' and ''The Dark Nebula'' as well as a 1990s revival – over thirty related comics were published in the series).


1990s

During the 1990s, Australian creators continued to place their work in Australian newsagents via distributors such as Gordon & Gotch, to diminishing success. Popular Australian comic books of the era include Dillon Naylor's '' Da 'n Dill'' (1993), '' Hairbutt the Hippo'' (1989), ''
Platinum Grit ''Platinum Grit'' is an Australian self-published comic book/online comic. The series is noted for highly sexualised drawings of women, surreal offbeat humor and tightly written scripts. The series was created by writer/illustrator Trudy Coope ...
'' (1993) and '' Dee Vee'' (1997). The 1990s also saw an explosion of comics in
zine A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...
form due to easy availability of photocopiers and cheap postage. Many artists who began by self-publishing photocopied black-and-white comics at this time have continued on to become popular illustrators and graphic novelists, including Mandy Ord, Ben Hutchings, Anton Emdin and Jules Faber. Australian artists/writers also began to regularly produce work for overseas comics companies, a development made easier by the internet, as a tool for both scouting talent and sending deliverables quickly (which was previously only possible by use of
fax machines Fax (short for facsimile), sometimes called telecopying or telefax (short for telefacsimile), is the telephone, telephonic transmission of scanned printed material (both text and images), normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or ...
). These include Wayne Nichols,
Nicola Scott Nicola Scott is a comics artist from Sydney, Australia whose notable works include ''Birds of Prey (comics), Birds of Prey'' and ''Secret Six (comics), Secret Six''. In 2016, she and writer Greg Rucka relaunched ''Wonder Woman'' for DC Comics R ...
,
Ben Templesmith Ben Templesmith (born 7 March 1984) is an Australian comic book artist best known for his work in the American comic book industry, most notably the Image Comics series ''Fell (comics), Fell'', with writer Warren Ellis, and IDW Publishing, IDW's ...
,
Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of Punch (magazine), ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literatu ...
, Michal Dutkiewicz,
Jozef Szekeres Jozef Szekeres (born 4 July 1970) is an Australian artist, animator, writer, toy designer, sculptor, creative director, arts lecturer, and a director of the Black Mermaid Productions creative team based in Australia. He is best known for his dol ...
, Marcus Moore, Julie Ditrich, and Doug Holgate.


2000s

In the 2000s, a significant market for Australian comic creators was commercial Australian children's magazines. Dillon Naylor led the way with ''Da 'N' Dill'' and the popular Batrisha the Vampire Girl in ''K Zone''. Other artists with regular work in these markets included Patrick Alexander, Jase Harper, Rich Warwick, Dean Rankine, Damien Woods and Ian C. Thomas. In 2007 Julie Ditrich and
Jozef Szekeres Jozef Szekeres (born 4 July 1970) is an Australian artist, animator, writer, toy designer, sculptor, creative director, arts lecturer, and a director of the Black Mermaid Productions creative team based in Australia. He is best known for his dol ...
launched the Comics and Graphic Novel Portfolio for and with the
Australian Society of Authors The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) was formed in 1963 as the organisation to promote and protect the rights of Australia's authors and illustrators. The Fellowship of Australian Writers played a key role it its establishment. The organisati ...
, which focuses on interests and needs for the comic and graphic novelist, both writers and artists, covering topics such as standardized contracts approved by the ASA for both creator owned comics/GNs and work-for-hire.


2010s

In the 2010s, online comics and
graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...
s became another form in which Australian comics creators made their presence felt overseas, Nicki Greenberg, Mandy Ord, Pat Grant, Simon Hanselmann, Ariel Ries and Gavin Aung Than being examples of this. More permanent venues, retailers and galleries devoted to independent comics work also began to appear, including Squishface Studio, Silent Army Storeroom and Santa Clara in Melbourne, and Junky Comics in Brisbane.


Australian comic book publishers


Reprint publishers

From the 1940s through the 1970s, many local reprints and translations of American – as well as British, European, and South American – comics were published in Australia. Since the 1980s there have been fewer local reprints and more direct importing of foreign comics. * Atlas Publications (1948 – c. 1958) — newspaper strip reprints as well as American comics from such publishers as
American Comics Group American Comics Group (ACG) was an American comic book publisher started in 1939 and existing under the ACG name from 1943 to 1967. It published the medium's first ongoing horror-comics title, ''Adventures into the Unknown''. ACG's best-known cha ...
(ACG). Published original Australian comics such as
Captain Atom Captain Atom is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books, initially owned by Charlton Comics before being acquired in the 1980s by DC Comics. All possess some form of energy-manipulating abilities, usually relating to nuc ...
(not to be confused with the Charlton/DC character), a full-color comic by Australians Arthur Mather and Jack Bellew (as John Welles). * Ayers & James (1940s – 1970s) — known for ''
Classics Illustrated ''Classics Illustrated'' is an American comic book/magazine series featuring adaptations of literary classics such as '' Les Misérables'', ''Moby-Dick'', ''Hamlet'', and '' The Iliad''. Created by Albert Kanter, the series began publication ...
'' reprints, although they published thousands of other comics, including
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
and other funny animal comics, and
Westerns The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier (commonly referred to as the "Old West" or the "Wild West") between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, and commonly associated wit ...
. * Federal Publishing Company a.k.a. Federal Comics and Australian Edition DC (1983–1986) — reprinted contemporary DC,
Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...
(taking over the license from Yaffa),
Charlton Charlton may refer to: People * Charlton (surname) * Charlton (given name) Places Australia * Charlton, Queensland * Charlton, Victoria * Division of Charlton, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in New South Wales ...
, and
Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...
comics, occasionally dipping into a backlist of stories acquired from K.G. Murray. *
Frew Publications Frew Publications is an Australian comic book publisher, known for its long-running reprint series of Lee Falk's ''The Phantom''. Frew formerly published other comics, including Falk's earlier creation ''Mandrake the Magician''. History Frew Publ ...
(1948–present) —
Lee Falk Lee Falk (), born Leon Harrison Gross (; April 28, 1911 – March 13, 1999), was an American cartoonist, writer, theater director, and producer, best known as the creator of the comic strips ''Mandrake the Magician'' and ''The Phantom''. At the ...
's ''
The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...
'' reprints * Gredown (c. 1975 – 1984) — published diverse range of magazine-size reprint comics, predominantly
horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...
(from ''
Eerie Eerie may refer to: * Feeling of creepiness * Eerie (magazine), ''Eerie'' (magazine), an American horror comic first published in 1966 * Eerie (Avon), ''Eerie'' (Avon), a 1947 horror comic * Eerie (film), ''Eerie'' (film), a 2018 Filipino horror fi ...
'' magazine) but also
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
,
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
, and other genres. *
Horwitz Publications Horwitz Publications is an Australian publisher primarily known for its publication of popular and pulp fiction. Established in 1920 in Sydney, Australia by Israel and Ruth Horwitz, the company was a family-owned and -run business until the ear ...
(c. 1950 – c. 1966) — predominantly published American
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
,
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
, and
crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...
reprints, mainly from
Timely __NOTOC__ Punctuality is the characteristic of completing a required task or fulfilling an obligation before or at a previously designated time based on job requirements and or daily operations. "Punctual" is often used synonymously with "on ti ...
/
Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...
/
Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...
. In the late 1950s, published some original Australian comics, notably adaptations of its
Carter Brown Carter Brown was the literary pseudonym of Alan Geoffrey Yates (1 August 19235 May 1985), an English-born Australian writer of detective fiction. Between 1954 and 1984 Yates published 215 ‘Carter Brown’ novels and some ...
novels,Craig Munro and
Robyn Sheahan-Bright Robyn Marie Sheahan-Bright is an Australian author, editor and publisher of, and on, children's literature and publishing itself. Career Based in Queensland Sheahan-Bright co-founded Jam Roll Press with Leonie Tyler and Robyn Collins in 198 ...
. ''Paper Empires: a History of the Book in Australia, 1946–2005'' (Univ. of Queensland Press, 2006).
but also ''The Phantom Commando'', created by John Dixon, but mostly worked on by
Maurice Bramley Maurice Bramley (11 September 1898 – 15 June 1975), was a New Zealand born Australian cartoonist and commercial artist. Biography Maurice William Bramley was born in New Plymouth, New Zealand, on 11 September 1898, the eldest son of William ...
, who drew it until 1956. *
K.G. Murray Publishing Company K.G. Murray Publishing Company is an Australian publisher primarily known for its publication of DC reprint comics. Established in 1936 in Sydney, Australia by Kenneth "K. G." Murray, the company was a family-owned and run business until its sale ...
a.k.a. Murray Publishers Pty Ltd (1947–1983) — Australia's dominant comics publisher for forty years, reprinted
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
titles via imprints which included Colour Comics, Planet Comics, and Murray Comics. Started out publishing original Australian material, including Moira Bertram's ''Flameman'', Albert De Vine's ''High Compression'', and
Hart Amos Hart Amos (2 December 1916 – 8 June 2000), was an Australian comic strip writer and artist. Biography Hartley Vincent Amos was born in Lindfield, New South Wales on 2 December 1916, the eldest son of an insurance company manager. Amos at ...
''The Lost Patrol''. * Larry Cleland a.k.a. Cleland (1946 – c. 1957) — owned by Vee Publishing Co. Mainly
Fawcett Comics Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. Its most popular character was Captain Marvel, the alter ego of radio reporter Billy Bats ...
reprints, then
Charlton Comics Charlton Comics was an American comic-book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T. W. O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line (comics), line was a divi ...
, after Fawcett's 1953 demise. In 1954, published what was probably Australia's first adult comic, the controversial, short-lived ''Steven Carlisle'', by
Keith Chatto Ronald Keith Chatto (1924 – 22 October 1992) was an Australian comic book artist and writer. He was the first Australian illustrator to draw a full-length episode of ''The Phantom'' comic. Biography Keith Chatto was born at Kogarah, New South ...
. *
Cleveland Publishing Cleveland Publishing was an Australian digest paperback fiction publishing company that operated between 1953 and 2019. The company was originally based at 276 Military Road, Cremorne, New South Wales. History The company's founder was John Patri ...
(1953–2020) a publishing company, run John Patrick ‘Jack’ Atkins. It predominately published digest paperback fiction. In October 1950 Cleveland Press (Cleveland Publishing) issued their first comic, ''The Twilight Ranger'', written by Michael Noonan and illustrated by
Keith Chatto Ronald Keith Chatto (1924 – 22 October 1992) was an Australian comic book artist and writer. He was the first Australian illustrator to draw a full-length episode of ''The Phantom'' comic. Biography Keith Chatto was born at Kogarah, New South ...
. In 1956 they introduced their trademark 100-page comic, ''King Sized Comics'', using reprint material, which included
Frank Frazetta Frank Frazetta (born Frank Frazzetta ; February 9, 1928 – May 10, 2010) was an American artist known for themes of Fantasy art, fantasy and science fiction, noted for comic books, mass market paperback, paperback book covers, paintings, p ...
's ''Johnny Comet'' and
Rick Yager Richard Sidney Yager (October 23, 1909 – July 22, 1995) was an American cartoonist most famous for his work on the Buck Rogers comic strip during its heyday in the mid-20th century. Early life Rick Yager was born in Alton, Illinois, on the ...
's ''
Buck Rogers Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily American newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, b ...
''. The comic was regularly issued until late 1959. Cleveland Press also issued a pocketbook sized series of western, romance and war comics, ''Silhouette''. They were one of the last major Australian publishers to print original Australian comics. * Newton Comics (1975–1976) — published
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
reprints, part of
Maxwell Newton Maxwell Newton (29 April 1929 – 23 July 1990) was an Australian media publisher. He was a founding editor of ''The Australian''. He was the owner of ''Daily Commercial News'' from 1969 to 1981, publisher of the '' Melbourne Observer'' from 197 ...
's eccentric short-lived publishing empire based around the tabloid the '' Melbourne Sunday Observer''. * Otter Press (1998–present) — contemporary publisher of ''
Simpsons Comics The following is a list of comic book series published by Bongo Comics based on the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. The first comic strips based on ''The Simpsons'' appeared in 1991 in the magazine ''Simpsons Illustrated'' (n ...
'' reprints, as well as selected children's and humor titles * Yaffa Publishing Group (1960s – c. 1983) — reprint collections of American newspaper strips and comics (including those originally published by
Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc. (often referred to simply as Archie Comics) is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the village of Pelham, New York. The company's many titles feature the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Jug ...
,
Charlton Comics Charlton Comics was an American comic-book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T. W. O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line (comics), line was a divi ...
, and Skywald), as well as Australian comics originally created for other publishers (such as John Dixon's ''Catman''). Many 1960s Yaffa comics featured original covers and occasional interior art by Australian artist
Keith Chatto Ronald Keith Chatto (1924 – 22 October 1992) was an Australian comic book artist and writer. He was the first Australian illustrator to draw a full-length episode of ''The Phantom'' comic. Biography Keith Chatto was born at Kogarah, New South ...
. By the late 1960s, was republishing duplicate reprints of the defunct
Horwitz Publications Horwitz Publications is an Australian publisher primarily known for its publication of popular and pulp fiction. Established in 1920 in Sydney, Australia by Israel and Ruth Horwitz, the company was a family-owned and -run business until the ear ...
comics. Through its Page Publications imprint, published
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
reprints.


Publishers of original content

In the 1940s, following the banning of the importation of American comics, a number of Australian publishing companies were formed producing comic books, using local comic book artists. Most of which disappeared in the 1950s as a result of import bans being lifted, a censorship campaign, and the introduction of television. The predominant publishing companies during this time included: * Fitchett Bros. Pty Ltd, established in 1936 in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, after the end of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
the company was acquired by
Southdown Press Pacific Magazines was a magazine publisher operating in Australia owned by Seven West Media. In March 2020, it was acquired by Bauer Media Australia in April 2020. In June 2020, Mercury Capital acquired Pacific Magazines as part of its purchas ...
. *
Frank Johnson Publications Frank Johnson Publications was an Australian comic book and pulp magazine publisher in the 1940s and 1950s. History Early publishing ventures Frank Charles Johnson was born on 27 August 1898 at Glebe, the youngest of seven children of William Pe ...
, established in 1941 in Sydney by Frank Johnson and closing in 1950 *
Hoffmann Hoffmann is a German language, German surname. People A *Adolph Hoffmann (1858–1930), German politician *Albert Hoffmann (horticulturist), Albert Hoffmann (1846–1924), German horticulturist *Alexander Hoffmann (politician), Alexander Hoffma ...
, established in 1943 in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
by Henry Edward Hoffman and closing in 1949 * Offset Printing Company (OPC), established in New South Wales. * NSW Bookstall Company Pty Ltd, established in 1940 Since the late 1970s, the comic scene in Australia has been largely driven by self-publishers who created, printed and distributed their own books, with a few publishers who were willing to publish the work of others gradually emerging. Of these, some companies, such as Phosphorescent Comics and
Gestalt Publishing Gestalt Publishing is an Australian independent graphic novel publishing house. They primarily publish Australian graphic novelists, and have an ethos of supporting and developing emerging talent. History The company was officially founded ...
, managed to become professional publishers of Australian comics and graphic novels. *
Black House Comics Black House Comics was an Australian independent comic book and graphic novel publisher. Publisher Baden Kirgan started the company in 2008 when he decided to create an "Australia Vertigo" comics arm within his commercially successful printing c ...
* Blackglass Press * Blood & Thunder Publishing Concern * Cardigan Comics — imprint of cartoonist Bernard Caleo, publishes ''
Tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...
'' * Dee Vee Press — publisher of anthology and one-shots, featuring creators such as
Eddie Campbell Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist. He was the illustrator and publisher of '' From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), and the creator of the semi-autobiographical ''Alec'' stories collected in ''Alec: ...
, Marcus Moore,
Gary Chaloner Gary Chaloner (born 30 March 1963, in Sydney) is an Australian comic book artist, writer and publisher. He is known for his creations ''The Jackaroo'', ''Flash Damingo'', ''Red Kelso'' and ''The Undertaker Morton Stone'', as well as his work on ...
, Mandy Ord, and Daren White * Flying Tiger Comics *Generation – published ''Generation'' annual manga anthology * FrankenComics – imprint of comic creator Frank Candiloro, published over 30 comics since 2010. *
Gestalt Publishing Gestalt Publishing is an Australian independent graphic novel publishing house. They primarily publish Australian graphic novelists, and have an ethos of supporting and developing emerging talent. History The company was officially founded ...
— Australia's largest independent graphic novel publishing house *
Giramondo Publishing Giramondo Publishing (Giramondo Publishing Company) is an independent Australian literary small press founded in 1995. It is a publisher of poetry, fiction and non-fiction by Australian and overseas writers, and works in translation from Chinese ...
— Co-publisher (with Top Shelf) of Pat Grant's ''Blue'' graphic novel *Kiseki – publisher of bimonthly manga anthology *Milk Shadow Books – publisher of underground comics, art and writing *Ozone —
Killeroo The first series of ''The Mighty Boosh'' was originally broadcast between 18 May 2004 and 6 July 2004. It features five main cast members: Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding, Rich Fulcher, Michael Fielding and Dave Brown, and centres on Howard Moon ...
and Darren Close *Oztaku – manga artist collective, former publisher * Phosphorescent Comics — Published ''The Watch'', ''Dunwich'', and other titles. Active in the mid-2000s. *Reverie Publications – publisher of anthology, firstly in 1985 and then re-established in 2018. *Sequence Comics – Edited and largely written by
Christopher Sequeira Christopher Sequeira (also published as Chris G.C. Sequeira, Christopher G.C. Sequeira, C.G.C. Sequeira) is a Sydney-based Australian editor, writer and artist who works predominantly in the speculative fiction (horror, fantasy, science fiction ...
included such titles as The Borderlander co-written by Steve Proposch and illustrated by W Chew Chan and Mr Blood illustrated by Jan Scherpenhuizen * STaB Comics *Storm Publishing Since 2002 international publishers have increasingly begun to publish
graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...
s by Australian comic creators, beginning with The Five Mile Press ( Dillon Naylor) and
Slave Labor Graphics Slave Labor Graphics (SLG) is an American independent comic book publisher, well known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat adult comics. Creators associated with SLG over the years include Evan Dorkin, Roman Dirge, Sarah Dyer, Woodrow Phoen ...
(J. Marc Schmidt, Jason Franks) and, more recently,
Allen & Unwin George Allen & Unwin was a British publishing company formed in 1911 when Sir Stanley Unwin purchased a controlling interest in George Allen & Co. It became one of the leading publishers of the twentieth century and established an Australian ...
( Nicki Greenberg, Mandy Ord, Bruce Mutard), Scholastic (
Shaun Tan Shaun Tan (born 15 January 1974) is an Australian artist, writer and film maker. He won an Academy Award for '' The Lost Thing'', a 2011 animated short film adaptation of the 2000 picture book he wrote and illustrated. He also wrote and illustrat ...
),
TokyoPop Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licens ...
( Queenie Chan, Madeleine Rosca),
Seven Seas Entertainment Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as w ...
( Sarah Ellerton), and Finlay Lloyd ( Mandy Ord).


Awards

*From 1984 to present, The
Stanley Award The Stanley Awards, also known as The Stanleys, are an annual comics award issued by the Australian Cartoonists' Association which recognize the best of Australian cartoonists and cartooning. They are named after Stan Cross and were first organi ...
s (run by the
Australian Cartoonists' Association The Australian Cartoonists' Association (ACA) is the Australian professional cartoonists' organisation and was established on 17 July 1924 as the Society of Australian Black and White Artists. It was the first association of newspaper artists in ...
) had a separate category for Adventure /Illustrated Strip Artist (between 1984 and 1999). This award was subsequently merged with the Comic Strip Cartoonist Award until 2010, when the category was reinstated as Comic Book Artist Award. *The ''OzCon Awards'' were also an important recognition of Australian comic creators from their inception in 1991, until the OzCons ceased. *The ''Kanga Awards'' were a much sought after recognition of Home-grown Australia Self-Publishing in the mid to late nineties. *The Ledger Awards, created in 2004 by
Gary Chaloner Gary Chaloner (born 30 March 1963, in Sydney) is an Australian comic book artist, writer and publisher. He is known for his creations ''The Jackaroo'', ''Flash Damingo'', ''Red Kelso'' and ''The Undertaker Morton Stone'', as well as his work on ...
in honour of famed Australian artist
Peter Ledger Peter Ledger (25 October 1945 – 18 November 1994) was an Australian cartoonist, comic book artist, commercial airbrush artist, and illustrator. Biography In addition to studying art, Ledger worked with surveying teams in the Australian outbac ...
, to recognize excellence in Australian comic art and publishing, ran until 2007. This was reborn from 2013 and retrospective awards were given for the years missed.


Conventions

The first true Australian Comic Convention was Comicon I (June 1979) held at
RMIT The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (abbreviated as RMIT University) is a public research university located in the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia., section 4(b) Established in 1887 by Francis Ormond, it is the seventh-o ...
in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
. Comicon II (June 14–16, 1980)Sallis, Ed. "Fan-Things," ''BEM'' No. 28 (May 1980), p. 35. followed at the Sheraton Hotel in Melbourne, and Comicon III (1981) was held in Sydney. The Australian Comic-Book Convention was held on 16–18 January 1986 at the
Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...
, featuring international guests for the first time, including
Jim Steranko James F. Steranko (; born November 5, 1938) is an American graphic artist, comics artist, comic book writer/artist, comics historian, Illusionist, magician, publisher and film production illustrator. His most famous comic book work was with th ...
and
Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner ( ; March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series '' The Spirit'' (1940–1952) wa ...
, who allowed the Spirit to be depicted as a
koala The koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only Extant taxon, extant representative of the Family (biology), family ''Phascolar ...
while
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
was a
kangaroo Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use, the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
. The convention was organised by three principles – Peter Mitris, Richard Rae, and former Federal Publishing licensing consultant Peter Greenwood (who is now based in Los Angeles as a worldwide licensing manager for classic television). They had hoped to turn it into an annual event based on
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
, but a lack of corporate sponsorship for such a large event caused it to be a one-off. It was the forerunner of the many later OzCon conventions, held from 1992 to 1998 in Sydney, with an additional event in Melbourne in 1997, and the comicfest! events, again in Sydney from 2000 to 2002.
Supanova Expo Supanova Comic Con & Gaming (also known simply as Supanova) is a fan convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy film and TV, comic books, anime, gaming and collectables. It is held annually in the Australian cities of Sydney, Brisbane, M ...
is Australia's largest con. It has been held in Sydney and Brisbane each year since 2002 and 2003 respectively and growing to include Perth and Melbourne since 2008. It features, in addition to comic books, a mix of current TV pop cultures, from science fiction and fantasy to anime and manga. It features special guest comic book writers and artists and actors from currently in-vogue series, movies and anime, as well as special effects creators.


Collections

National Library of Australia
www.wnichols.com
2005 – Site contains updates relating to comic book artist Wayne Nichols' work, galleries and a bio.
Australian Comics Collection
1930s–1950s (51 boxes, ~550 issues), includes items formerly in the collections of Mick Stone and Graham McGee.
John Ryan collection of Australian comic books
ca. 1940–1960 (9.25 m. / 66 boxes + 2 fol. Items)
McGee collection of Australian comic books
ca. 1940–1960 (312 boxes + 5 fol. Items)
Archie Comics
1987–1993 (25 boxes)
Michael Hill Collection of Australian Comics
1990–2000 (435 items)
Nick Henderson Zine Collection
1980–2010, ca. 2000 vols., including many comic zines *Nick Henderson Comic Collection, 1960s–1990s, ca. 350 items, includes Australian and Australian reprints of American comics
Geoff Pryor collection of cartoons and drawings, 1978–
(ca. 7290 drawings)
George Molnar collection
1955–1991 (ca. 2472 drawings)
Alan Moir collection of cartoons and drawings
1972–2009 (2008 drawings)
Ward O'Neill collection
1987–2007 (716 drawings)
Stan Cross Archive of cartoons and drawings
1912–1974 (4937 drawings + 71 photographs)
Judy Horacek collection of cartoons, 1996–2006 (80 drawings)Matilda collection
1981–1993 (ca. 270 cartoons, ca. 500 photographs, 2 sculptures, ca. 2 posters)
Stewart McCrae cartoon collection
ca. 1963–1980 (648 drawings)
Cartoons by WEG
1970–1990 (104 drawings)
John Spooner cartoon collection
1989–2008 (58 drawings)
Arthur Horner Collection of political cartoons
(211 drawings)
Percy Deane Collection
ca. 1910–1930 (68 pen and ink drawings) caricatures of Australian politicians published in The Bulletin, by cartoonists such as Sir David Low,
Livingston Hopkins Livingston Yourtee ('Hop') Hopkins (7 July 1846 – 21 August 1927) was a prolific cartoonist and caricaturist with successive careers in both the United States and Australia. Born in the Midwestern United States, American mid-west state of ...
, Tom Glover and Dennis Connelly.
Comic artists and illustrators oral history project, 1995–
(8 digital audio tapes) interviewer, Ros Bowden
Papers of Nan Fullarton
circa 1940-circa 1969 (4.7 m, 6 boxes). Papers of Nan Fullarton, author, illustrator, comic strip artist and ballet costume designer.
Papers of Stan Cross
1880s–1980s (0.56 m, 4 boxes) State Library of New South Wales *The Andrew M. Potts Australian independent comic book and fanzine collection, 1989–2003 (3 boxes, 172 items)
Collection of Australian reprints of American and English comics
1940–1967 (58 boxes) *Bulletin drawings, 1886–1960 (18,070 drawings), artists include
Norman Lindsay Norman Alfred William Lindsay (22 February 1879 – 21 November 1969) was an Australian artist, etcher, sculptor, writer, art critic, novelist, cartoonist and amateur boxing, boxer. One of the most prolific and popular Australian artists of hi ...
, Sir David Low, George Lambert, Geoffrey Townshend, and
Unk White Cecil John White (1900 – March 1986), known under the pen name 'Unk' White, was an Australian cartoonist born in Auckland, New Zealand. White came to Sydney in 1922 with the artists Joe and Guy Lynch and was soon immersed in the bohemian sc ...
. *Australian Black and White Artists' Club Collection of cartoons and caricature drawings, 1920s; 1943–1991 (approximately 4,000 drawings, watercolour sketches, duotone prints, bromide negatives and bromide prints) *Cartoons and caricatures of current events and public figures by
Livingston Hopkins Livingston Yourtee ('Hop') Hopkins (7 July 1846 – 21 August 1927) was a prolific cartoonist and caricaturist with successive careers in both the United States and Australia. Born in the Midwestern United States, American mid-west state of ...
and
Austin O. Spare Austin Osman Spare (30 December 1886 – 15 May 1956) was an English artist and occultism, occultist who worked as both a draughtsman and a painter. Influenced by Symbolism (arts), symbolism and Art Nouveau, his art was known for its clear use o ...
, ca. 1893–1909 (117 drawings and 1 reproduction on 21 sheets) *Caricatures and cartoons by
Bill Leak Desmond Robert "Bill" Leak (9 January 1956 – 10 March 2017) was an Australian editorial cartoonist, caricaturist and portraitist. Raised in Condobolin and Beacon Hill, Sydney, Leak attended Julian Ashton Art School during the 1970s. His ca ...
, ca. 1987–1991 (100 drawings) State Library of Victoria *Kevin Patrick Collection of Australian Comics, 1970–2005 (~170 titles) * Sarah Howell Collection of Australian comics (~152 titles)


See also

* List of Australian comics creators


References


Sources

*Burrows, Toby and Stone, Grant (eds.). "Comics in Australia and New Zealand: the collections, the collectors, the creators". New York; Norwood . Aust. Haworth Press, c1994.
Crook, Edgar. 'Comic capers in the National Library', in "NLA News", January 2005, Volume XV Number 4. Canberra: National Library of Australia, 2005.Harker, Margot 'Cultural pariahs : The National Library of Australia's collection of Australian romance comics', in ‘’The National Library Magazine’’, March 2009Harker, Margot ‘Preaching purity’, in ‘’The National Library Magazine’’, June 2009Nugent, Ann, ‘From Fatty Finn to the Phantom’, ‘’NLA News’’, June 1996, Volume VI, Number 9
*Patrick, Kevin

Melbourne: State Library of Victoria, 2006. *Ryan, John. ''Panel by Panel: a History of Australian Comics''. Stanmore, N.S.W.: Cassell Australia, 1979. *Shiell, Annette (ed.). ''Bonzer: Australian Comics 1900-1990s''. Redhill South, Vic.: Elgua Media, 1998. / 1876677066
Maynard, Amy. "The Melbourne Scene: A Case Study of Comics Production, City Spaces, and The Creative Industries".


External links


AusReprints
— Australian reprint publishers history and database
Australian Cartoonists' AssociationComics Australia -Commentary and critique on the Australian comics sceneThe Australian Comics Journal – Australian Sequential Art ReviewOwnaindi – Australian Comics Marketplace
Support and Buy directly from 25+ Australian Comic Creators
Reverie Publications
Australian Comic Publisher {{Animation industry in Australia 1908 establishments in Australia