Shaking it up

I realise you’re all talking about Daft Punk’s new album this week and look,I would really like to tell you The Boiled Lances are going to head in that direction…but they’re not. They never will. It’s a shame, I know.

But getting off the subject of music for a second, I’d like to tell you all about an up-coming exhibition that you should not miss! It is Exhibitchin’ II. On May 31, this momentous event will be showing the works of all the massively talented folk:

Ben Hutchings
David Blumenstein
Sarah Howell
Ive Sorocuk
Patrick Alexander
Scarlette Baccini
Arran McKenna
Marta Tesoro
Jase Harper
Andrew Fulton
Erin Hunting
Alex Clark
Sarah Badcock
Rob Macfarlane
David Pereira

It will be an awesome show and I urge you all to get along to check it out. The full details can be found here: Exhibitchin’ II.

More Kranburn on it’s way

You’re probably expecting a No Man’s Bad today, but I’m interrupting it’s course to tell you something about Kranburn today.

IT’S COMING!!!

Yep, it’s almost the start of June, which means it’s time for the next issue. This will be the first ever issue to show entirely new pages. All this time you have had to option to read the comic first online, but now…you’re in new territory. Scared much?

But in the lead up to this momentous occasion, I want to share something with all the tech lovers out there. We’ve officially launched a Kranburn live wallpaper for your android phones! It’s 99c and features a shot of Brand in his usual bloody form. You can take a look at the animation here and if it tickles your fancy, you can purchase the app on the google play store.

Enjoy and stay tuned for the release of Kranburn #7.

Hello 2013

Happy new year and all that junk. I hope you all had a half decent break (or a full decent break).

2013 has begun and FEC is ready to continue kicking arse like 2012. What’s on the cards?

Well, we will be continuing the publication of Kranburn, of course. Issue #6 is coming up soon (I’ll get to that date in a moment) but we will also be releasing a collected edition of issues 1-6 this year. I can’t tell you much just yet, but I can promise all our international readers that ordering this bad-boy will be much easier and cheaper than the avenue we currently have available. I understand that the postage costs from Australia is a bitch and we want to fix that for you.

Seven is another series we will continue to see published throughout 2013. Alisha has been storming along with pages for book 2 and has already begun working on book 3. I swear — sometimes it feels like I’ve got two of the most prolific comic creators in Australia. My two prolific and even more profane little angels.

These books will be released at the same event as about 14 other books from the numerous talented comickers Australia has to offer. This particular event is fast becoming the most exciting day for comic fans in Melbourne – Big Arse. This is the third Big Arse to date and I can honestly say it will be my favourite yet. The line up is amazing! So mark down the date in your calendar – Saturday 2 March. There’ll be more info coming as we get closer to the date, but just note it down while you’re thinking of it.

But one of the biggest pieces of news we have is the launch of a new webcomic. Great Works will no longer be released as a webcomic (still available in print though) and is being replaced with No Man’s Band. It’s a straight up comedy in your old strip format, written by Lee Zachariah (you should all be familiar with him by now) and illustrated by Mike Bradshaw (of Whatcha Podcast). This will be launching on Thursday. Yep – THIS Thursday.

Get ready, you magnificent bastards!!!

The Score

If you’re currently reading this, odds are you’re a fan of pop culture. I’d even go so far as to assume you enjoy films. If I’m wrong, don’t correct me. Feel free to close this window and continue perusing the world wide web for something else to fill your Friday afternoon. But if you do enjoys films, you may very well be one of those people. Which people? The people who are frustrated….fed up…….sick of the Hollywood machine filling your local cinema with mind-numbing rubbish. How many times do we have to witness Adam Sandler in a wacky “new” situation where he gets to scream and talk like a baby? Or sit through vampire love stories which play to the fantasies of naive young girls or lonely old women?

Well you can help work against the Hollywood machine.

Thom Holland, the illustrator of our very own Great Works, is doing his bit to fight against the same old drivel we’re served up on a weekly basis. He is directing a short film that is throwing out the formula and working towards something with mind and heart. A modern expressionist thriller with three characters; two rival musicians…and the music itself. The film is entitled ‘The Score’ and it will tell you a story using the focused elements of lighting and music composition.

So how can you help? It’s currently seeking financial support through Indigogo. If what I’ve said has piqued your interest, then head over to the site and donate. The link is: indigogo/thescore

There are many more details of what you will receive for your generosity over at the site (including a much more thorough description of the film) so please click through and check it out.

The next time you’re at the cinema and the trailers send you into a fit of eye-rolling disdain, then you can look back on this day and think either “Well, I’ve done my bit towards work of more substance” or you can think “I hate this junk, but I’ve got no choice….oh well, let’s see what Brett Ratner can provide for me tonight.”
If you’re the latter…..go to hell.

We Are Out and About

We’ve got a busy couple of weeks coming up. Tomorrow we’ll be amongst all the local talent at the Comics Market in Carnegie. This will be from 10am at the Carnegie Library. The facebook event can be found here. It’s going to be a great day, with stacks of local comics available. We highly recommend you get along to discover some of amazing works that is made in your neighbourhood!!

And then the following weekend, we will be set up in Artists Alley at Oz Comic-Con. This will be FEC’s first time attending a con and we’re craaaazy excited for it! If you’ve been wanting to meet some of the creators, now’s your chance. The illustrious Ben Michael Byrne will be at the table on the Saturday, so if you were hoping to get your copy the latest Kranburn, he’ll be happy to sign it for you. Not only will Ben be signing comics, but he’ll also be doing sketches on the day. Don’t miss out!

On the Sunday, we’ll have the prolific Thom Holland (tsholl) with us at the table. You would know him best for his art on Great Works. He’ll also have his sketch pad handy on the day and will be available for any pieces you were hoping to get your hands on.

If you’ve made plans to leave the country and are going to miss out on picking up our comics, don’t forget we have our online store set up with all the current releases. Or if you’re urgently wanting to read a copy of Kranburn and can’t wait ANY LONGER, we also have it available in high-res digital format over on our products page.

Looking forward to seeing you all!

Kranburn 3 Release Date

We’ve now had the competition. Our winners have received their early editions of Kranburn #3. We wish them well and hope they’ve enjoyed their prize. But now it’s time to get to the actual release of Kranburn.

As you all know, Kranburn gets a new issue released every 3 months and that time is less than a fortnight away. So get ready for Saturday, 2 June. That’s when you can all get your grubby little mitts on issue 3.

There’s no launch party this time around. We’ll have copies supplied to the stores around Melbourne and we’ll also be attending the monthly Melbourne Comic Meet with a box full of copies for sale. For those of you who have never been to the meet before, it’s a great afternoon spent at The Prince Alfred Hotel from 2pm onwards. Plenty of comic creators and fans having a drink and chatting about all that is comics. Lovely! There could also be a chance of Ben Michael Byrne being there on the day, happy to sign any copies.

There will also be a new addition coming to our store that is very exciting. More will be shared on that in the near future, but for now – please get yourselves ready for launch of Kranburn #3.

The Kranburn Competition

You should all know by now that Kranburn is being released every three months. (It actually occured to me last month that the set schedule was more frequent than Brian Michael Bendis’ ‘Powers’. Take THAT, Bendis!) This kind of schedule is bloody exciting for us at FEC. However, I’m sure for you avid Kranburn readers, three months is a long wait.

That said, we’ve decided we want to give all you Kranburn lovers a treat. We’re offering you kids the chance to win a copy of Kranburn issue 3 a whole month earlier than the scheduled release date! Yep, you can win a preview copy. This is your chance to get a copy before all your friends do. Think of the levels of smugness you can reign over them!!!

WHAT YOU CAN WIN

We’re giving away 5 copies at the end of April. But not only that, they will all be permanently branded by your favourite creator, Ben Michael Byrne. 4 copies will be signed by Ben….and the fifth one will also have a sketch by him! Holy shit!

HOW TO ENTER

It’s pretty damn simple. All you have to do is go to our facebook page and “like” us.

And if you’re one of the awesome people who have already done this, don’t worry – we’re not leaving you out. If you post a link to “like” us on your facebook page, then you’re in the draw to win too!

It cannot get any easier than that. So get clicking!

Winners will be drawn on April 30th. Details of who has won will be posted that day.

Kranburn 2

Just under three months ago, we launched a comic most of you are familiar with – KRANBURN. It’s been a treat to enjoy the huge levels of support for this publication in such a short span of time. Thank you all so much!

At the launch, we were asked by quite a few people when they could expect the second issue. Well, you can stop wondering. On March 3, we will be launching the second issue in the series. We will be putting out KRANBURN #2 alongside a massive list of other publications from Melbourne comickers at the Big Arse Launch. I have no hesitation in saying the Big Arse Launch is THE day for Melbourne comics. If you’re interested in seeing what the local scene is about, get your sorry butt here – the level of talent in one room is going to fry your eyeballs!

The details are:
Saturday, March 3.
2pm start.
@ Sentido Funf
243 Gertrude Street
Fitzroy.

And since I like you all so much, here’s the official poster.

And that’s not all I’ve got to tell you. I want to confirm that KRANBURN will be released on a schedule of every three months. No exceptions. We’re not here to stuff about. You will get a new issue every three months and you will read them!
Understood?!
GOOD!

See you all on the 3rd.

A Golden Age

The other day, I ran into an illustrator whose work I have followed for quite a while. He’s recently been posting pages for a comic he’s been working on, so I immediately asked him how it was all coming along. Now, the fan in me was asking out of sincere interest…it came from a place of humble dedication to someone’s work I enjoy. However the publisher in me was asking with an evil ploy in mind. I intended to gauge whether he’d be interested in showing me some more of his works and potentially allowing FEC to represent him. *insert maniacal laugh here*

But it didn’t work out that way. Before I could get him and his talent within my grasps, he proceeded to tell me that another local publisher has shown interest in putting out his comic.

Now I could have been disappointed about this. I could have cracked the shits and gotten in a huff. I could have even lied and told him that the other publisher won’t do as good a job as FEC would. But really, I was just happy to hear that it was getting made. And what made me even happier is that there were numerous doors open to him. A great local comic creator has options! Options!!!

So we both went on our merry way and all I could think was “How great is it that the Melbourne comics scene is getting so healthy that we’re seeing creators with these opportunities?!”

We’re living in a Golden Age, my friends. Australian comics are getting bigger and better everyday and I’m hugely grateful to be a part of it!

2011 Wrap Up

It’s almost the end of 2011 and holy moley has it been huge. I’ve had the launch of FEC, the release of Kranburn in print, graduating, quitting my job and gaining a new job.

I just want to thank all the people who have shown so much support and friendship over the year:

All my family and friends who have helped and listened to me talk about FEC, even though comics is of no huge interest to them.
My team of creators. I wouldn’t be even writing this if it wasn’t for you guys.
The local creators who have been an absolute treat getting to know. The monthly comic meets are a blast and I recommend everyone make it down sometime in 2012 if you’ve not been to one before.
The local comic shops. In particular, All Star & Classic. These two stores have been a fantastic help in getting FEC’s name known throughout the year!

2011 has been a blast and I can’t wait to wait to jump into 2012. There’s already works in the process of getting made and who knows what will come after them. It’s gonna be a great year!!!

The Remnants of the Bash

Well, we’ve had the launch. First and foremost, I’d like to thank Little Mule for helping me put on a great function. Also, a big shout out to my main man, Joel Baldini. He helped me throughout the day getting all the merchandise into our venue. Secondly, I wanna thank everyone who came out and showed some love. You all earn a badge of honour in my book! The turn out was fantastic. I think the most enjoyable thing to see was the new faces. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the folks who have shown support from the beginning. But it’s always a bit of a thrill to have some totally random stranger rock up in support.

A BIG congratulations to the creators of FEC! I realise Lee & tsholl have already been witness to a launch of their comic (Great Works), but it’s exciting nonetheless. And Ben Michael Byrne got to witness the launch of his baby, Kranburn. I know lots of people have been pretty damn excited about getting their hands on this one, so I’m sure it was a thrill to not just have the product available, but to see people lining up to purchase it! As a publisher, I know I get a warm & smooshy feeling in my belly seeing the hard work of our creators come to fruition.

Here we have a bunch of pics taken from the function. Thanks to the lovely Miss E for taking these great shots!

So what next, I hear you say? To answer your question – HEAPS!

I believe there were a quite a few people asking Ben about when issue 2 of Kranburn will come out. Just to put your minds at ease, we’ll be releasing each issue tri-monthly. So that gives you three months to read your first issue 600 times over in anticipation.
Next week we will get back into the swing of things with the Great Works webcomic. Act III will start next Wednesday and we’ll continue to post a page weekly on our fancy new site.
I have a couple of new projects lined up for the near future with some more local creators. It’s great to see the FEC family growing rapidly!

There ya go – we’re not stopping anytime soon!

If you’re interested in purchasing any of the comics, head on over to our products page here and take your pick.

While I’m here, I’d also like to give a shout out to a great local supporter of all that is comics – John Retallick of The Comic Spot. He interviewed me a short while back and has posted the interview online here. It was great having a chat with him about everything FEC. If you’re still wondering just what the hell we’re about, have a listen and you’ll get a thorough glimpse into what makes me tick. There’s also a top chat with Frank Candiloro of Frankenmation Entertainment.

I think that about wraps up all my news. Yep. So thanks again to everyone for all the support and I’m sure you’ll be hearing more from me soon enough.