Oz Talent Appreciation for Australia Day

You may not know this where you are, today is Australia Day in the Land Down Under. A brief history lesson, prior to 1901 all the current states were a bunch of colonies then a unified country was born.Â Today is like Independence Day in the US, instead of turkey we have shrimps on the Barbie!

The world knows of The Eisner Awards, in Australia we have the prestigious Ledger Awards.
To acknowledge excellence in Australian comic art and publishing. Named after pioneering Australian cartoonist Peter Ledger (1945”“1994), the awards were first held in 2005 to help promote and focus attention on Australian creators and their projects, both in Australia and overseas. Initially, the awards were held annually and announced online on or around Australia Day, 26 January.

In the wonderful land of Oz we love our comics thankfully we do have Comic Conventions, they attract enormous crowds yearly no matter the location. Having celebrities such as Stan Lee, Joe Kubert, Brian Michael Bendis, David Finch, Nathan Fillian, William Shatner and the like.

Supanova Pop Culture Expo is the OG of cons, since 2000, is where the adoring public comes face to face with Supa-Star celebrities and the creative talent that inspire their imaginary worlds under one big roof.Â Gathered from and surrounded by the wonderful worlds of comic books, animation/cartoons, science-fiction, pulp TV/movies, toys, console gaming, trading cards, fantasy, entertainment technology, books, internet sites and fan-clubs, the result is an amazing atmosphere tailor-made for expressing your inner geek and where getting into cosplay (cos-tume role-play) is the obvious thing to do!

Go to www.supanova.com.au

Oz Comic Con is another con which provides the fun and excitement that Supanova brings, a junior player compared which began in 2012.

Check them out in http://www.ozcomiccon.com

New Zealand’s Armageddon Expo also has venues in some cities Australia as well as across the pond in NZ. I visited Melbourne to meet my hero Kevin Eastman which was a dream come true!

Go to http://armageddonexpo.com/au/

One of the top web show based in Oz is Kapow! Join the hosts Al, Sonya, Ray and Jill as the talk all things pop. Whether it’s comics, movies, anime and colletables.. Kapow has it all!
Check out their Facebook page and on Youtube: https://www.facebook.com/KapowComicBookShow/

Below some of my #TeamCC Brothers shout out their appreciation to their favorite Australian talent!

“Christian Read from Gestalt Comics, his storytelling has the ability to do chilling as @#%â‚¬ work and still make you laugh.. that’s extraordinary talent!” “I admire Nicola, to break into the American scene – that ain’t easy!” Dean Rankine, thanks for my self-portrait! You make me look bettter than in person!” “Also to all the people I meet at the Cons! Sorab, Mr Hobby, Andrew Tribe, Richard Smith (your Mask is truly underrated!), Ben Slabak, Matt Kyme, Darren Close, Mr Sexton, T-Rex, Red J, Stewart McKenny (the nicest guy in con history!), Mr Lindsay, DK and my mate Nathanael!”Â The Crusader from Down Under, Dodgy! @dodgy86inthemix

“As I mentioned on the last podcast of Undercover Capes, Nicola Scott’s artwork is phenomenal and absolutely mesmerizing. Her outstanding artistic skill is utterly breathtaking and the comic book industry has been a much better place because of it. Whenever I look at any comic book panels she has drawn, what I notice is a unique and rare ability to convey a story within a story, full of passion, strength and intense dedication that very few in this world could ever hope to match. Nicola’s artwork isn’t solely about “showing you something”; it possesses a much more profound meaning than that. Her artwork is highly capable of tapping into your emotions and seeping in to your very soul. Speaking of soul, have you seen her work with Image’s Black Magick series? It’s fantastic! Do yourself a favor and pick it up.”

“Nicola is unquestionably one of my most favorite artists out there today. NO ONE can draw Wonder Woman like she does. She is a remarkable talent who’s work will undoubtedly stand the test of time.”

-Â ‘Iron’ Mike aka 13th Crusader @13crusader

“As far as Australian creators go, I don’t think you can go far wrong With Ryan K. Lindsay.”

“His work is great at showing the intricacies of relationships, whether it’s the unrequited love in Negative Space or the get what you can attitude of some of the characters in Chum.”

“For complex stories that represent the complexity of human interactions,Â give his books a go. You will not be disappointed.”

-Â Johnny ‘The Machine’ Hughes @johnnyhughes70

Author Profile

Shane Tydeman

The Wonder from Down Under,
Dodgy is a senior contributor to Comic Crusaders. Co-Host of The Yeah-Nah Wepa Show! An advocate of indie comics and is creator of Indie Comics podcasts Flipside Focus, Sunderkatz and Think Indie Podcast!

An unapologetic movie fan, NBA fan, action figure, trading card fan! Also an advocate for Depression awareness!