What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2014?
Having Let Me Be Frank #5 published, of course! Being invited over to London to talk about comics at the Australian NZ literary festival. Also, drawing 150 final draft pages of my graphic novel - it’s taking me forever but I’m on the home straight now.
What are some of the comics you've enjoyed in 2014?
Locally, it’s been super exciting being involved in the Three Words project and getting to read amazing comics by New Zealand women. There is so much talent here! I also loved reading Ant Sang’s Dharma Punks, Sam Orchard’s Family Portraits, Dylan Horrocks’ two new books, Mary Tamblyn and Alex McCrone’s Nothing Fits and Brent Willis’ Thrust Justice - he is hilarious. Internationally, I was pleased to get my hands on Gabrielle Bell’s Truth is Fragmentary, Eleanor Davis’ How to be Happy and AK Summers’ Pregnant Butch.
What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2014?
Sneaking off to Paris when I was in London was pretty cool. I went on a bit of a TV binge this year, gobbling up Orange is the New Black, Broad City and True Detective. I compulsively listened to Serial (it’s over! sob!) and I read quite a few books without pictures. I just finished The Wilds, Julia Elliott’s southern gothic-meets Sci-fi, which reminded me of Nic Lowe’s Arms Race. I was moved by NoViolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names and Miriam Toews All My Puny Sorrows. I loved Tracy Farr’s The Lives and Loves of Lena Gaunt and Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale for the Time Being. Now I’m wondering what to read next...
What are you looking forward to in 2015?
The Three Words book being published, of course! I’ve got a job making comics out of Italian WW1 poems in translation, which I will draw in a shipping container made out like a western front trench. I can’t wait to read the other comics in the Faction climate change issue (I have one in there) and also I’m looking forward to being an honorary Australian in the latest issue of Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!
