Wednesday night, Anzac eve, I found myself reclining on a deck chair in the State Library of Victoria's out-side-in Experimedia (the outside walls of the old library form the inside of this more recent wing). I was there to watch Graphic novels! Melbourne! and self styled 'mad maestro' Bernard Caleo introduce the movie he directed with Daniel Hayward, a documentary about the burgeoning graphic novel scene in Melbourne, of local artists pitching themselves against a form at a distance from the country which has so roundly defined it these last many years, the United States. Bernard himself is an integral part of the scene in Melbourne, both as an artist in his own right (Mongrel, among others) and as mentor and editor of the collection Tango, his passion has brought many of these talented artists into the orbit documented here.
Graphic novels! Melbourne! is very much a who's who of talent in the genre and Shaun Tan is identified as the author of the first published graphic novel in Australia, The Arrival. I remember attending a Wheeler Centre afternoon session several years ago when Shaun Tan interviewed Nicki Greenberg on her recently published Hamlet, the friendship between the two and the passion they shared for graphic novels was infectious and indicative of the camaraderie and low key egos prevalent in this group. Two of the many things I like about the comic book scene are the a) unabashed geekiness of artists and fans; and b) the enthusiasm the artists have for each others work and their willingness to share.
Bruce Mutard is one of my favourite draftsman, his clean lines and shading recall an earlier era of comics, and his stories are well thought out and precisely executed, the narrative is central to the work. The Sacrifice is the first of a trilogy set in Melbourne during World War II and is well worth reading, it deals with war, politcis, family and love, and it is beautifully rendered.
[fine lines, Bruce Mutard]
Mandy Ord is next up, Bernard the roving reporter visits each artist in their homes or at work, it feels very much like he has popped round for a cup of tea and a chat (he has), and this gifts the documentary with an easy intimacy - Bruce Mutard's mum makes an appearance and shares a few thoughts. Mandy began writing letters as a kid to her pen pals and the drawings began to form from there, she uses thick lines and plenty of ink. Pat Grant is an artist I hadn't met before on paper, his themes as a Sydney sider are naturally different from the Melbourne set - surfing and the race riots in Sydney, his new book Blue addresses racism and immigration in Australia.
Nicki Greenberg, artist, lawyer and mother has produced one of my favourite graphic novels - The Great Gatsby, an inspired retelling of the classic - forget Baz, this is brilliant. Like the later rendition of Shakespeare's Hamlet Nickie reproduces these tales from her own visual lexicon, you can tell she has imbibed the books, remembered them by heart and filtered them - a very talented artist - Buy! Read! Enjoy!
[crazy love, Gatsby, Nicki Greenberg]
Other interviewees include Oslo Davis the cartoonist, and Erica Wagner from Allen & Unwin who have published many of these titles and created a space on bookstore shelves for a form once shunned by the 'literary types'. To reinforce the point an academic at the University of Melbourne comments, 'comics are another stream to the creative writing bow'.
Bernard Caleo ends the documentary on Ruckers Hill in Northcote with the city outlined in the near distance, he tells us, 'What a great time to be in Melbourne and reading comics'. Indeed! Graphic novels! Melbourne!
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