What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2014?

Well, this year I managed to get another Hoppers out of my head and onto paper which seems like a not-so-large achievement but I guess to me it signifies a bit of “Oh this thing is actually happening.” I also scratched out the entirety of the series and have set myself some deadlines of “finish it before you’re eighty” which is also at this point (should it happen), an achievement.

What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2014?

I went to Japan last year and saw the work of Yuichi Yokoyama and pretty much bought everything I could get my hands on. Colour Engineering is spectacular – it really bridges the comics/art media in a way that I really appreciate. I’ve also got a copy of Brecht Evens’ The Making Of and Simon Hanselmann’s Megahex sitting on the shelf waiting for the festive season to sneak off and read too. My comics reading doesn’t seem to line up that well with “Things released in that year” but Sam Wallman killed it all with A Guard’s Story and Katie Parrish’s work is stunning.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2014?

I enjoyed a lot of art making this year. In particular I got to do a bunch of research on Daphne Oram and her oramics machine – a 1950’s electronic instrument of sorts that uses celluloid to make sound. I made a replica of it out of wood and showed it in a gallery in Melbourne. I guess I’ve enjoyed having some dedicated art making time. Which I probably have every year, but this year has felt a little more comfortable or less stressed or something. I’ve also been doing a lot of gouache works which has made me want to bring the colour on into my comics more. Which I guess will happen at some point. Natural evolution, whatnot.

What are you looking forward to in 2015?

I’m doing some travel next year which I can’t wait for. I got an Australia council residency in London to go do some recording and research which will be fun and not laboursome or back breaking. Woo! Also I've promised Josh Santospirito ( @ San Kessto publications) that I'll speed it up a bit (for my own sake, old age, etc) so next year we're releasing Hoppers 3 & 4 in June and November (I think. Josh will be weeping silently at these dates probably because i always get them wrong. I am my own bureau of misinformation)

I’m also working on a show of drawings with my partner Mish Meijers at Cross-Arts gallery in Sydney in June 2015 that will probably turn into a publication at some point. It’s called Dear Minister for Women and is basically to educate the current minister for Women about women’s history and issues along with a bunch of smartmouthed and pissy outpourings of outrage. Because still angry.

Tricky Walsh