Artists in Conversation (Papercuts Comics Festival 2021 day 3)

For the third day of Papercuts Comics Festival, join us for a conversation between four acclaimed Australian comic creators! Ariel, Brenton, Jason and Safdar’s books take readers to widely varied locations – from the magical world of Hyalin, to Broome in the late 1940s, to Australian immigration detention centres in the here and now. Despite the diverse settings and styles, the stories of these multi-award winning authors share common themes and messages.

Whether your tastes lean more towards high fantasy, middle grade adventure or investigative journalism, this panel promises an engaging discussion about the work, careers and techniques of our four guests. With their books receiving praise from the likes of Shaun Tan and Noelle Stevenson, this is a perfect opportunity to learn more about some of the creators currently reshaping Australian comics.

Come along and hear about each of their experiences working on long-form narratives that take years to create. Readers and aspiring comic creators alike are sure to leave this session inspired and impressed.

Safdar will be appearing remotely, as may Ariel and Brenton (dependent on border restrictions at the time of the event). Jason and any other guests able to appear in person will be available to sign books after the panel, and the work of all panellists will be for sale thanks to Greenlight Comics.

Adelaide-based comic creator and Papercuts Comics Festival co-director Georgina Chadderton will chair the discussion.

This session will feature sign interpretation in Auslan, provided by Deaf Can Do.

Ariel Slamet Ries

Ariel Slamet Ries is a Naarm/Melbourne-born, Denmark-trained Australian-Indonesian comic artist and illustrator. They are best known for Witchy, a coming-of-age fantasy webcomic that won an Ignatz Award in 2020 for Outstanding Online Comic. Witchy is published in print by US publisher Lion Forge / Oni Press and online with support from US webcomic publisher Hiveworks Comics. Witchy was also nominated for the 2015 Ignatz for Outstanding Online Comic, the 2016 DINKy for Outstanding Web Comic, and the Danish “Pingprisen” for Best Online Series in 2017 and 2018.

Ariel studied animation at The Animation Workshop in Denmark for 4 years and is passionate about telling stories with marginalised folks at the centre, often with a fantasy or sci-fi twist. Beyond Witchy, which has been included on almost every ‘best of’ and ‘must-read’ list for LGBTQI+ inclusive webcomics, their other work as writer and artist includes Cry Wolf Girl (released by UK publisher ShortBox), which also received an Ignatz Award in 2020 for Outstanding Comic.

Brenton E McKenna

Brenton McKenna (also known by his alter ego and middle name, Ezsra) is a respected Yawuru artist and creative educator based out of Broome. As Australia’s first published Indigenous graphic novelist, his magnum opus consist of the three volumes in the Ubby’s Underdogs series: The Legend of the Phoenix Dragon, Heroes Beginnings and Return of the Dragons (all published by Magabala Books). The trilogy draws on a combination of his own childhood experiences, his grandmother’s stories about Broome, and the monsters and heroes that existed in his head.

Brenton’s other comics work includes illustrating Kid Phantom for Frew, and creating the daily newspaper comic strip Ole Champ for The West Australian. He has also contributed illustrations to books such as High Five to the Boys: A Celebration of Ace Australian Men (Random House Australia), Bold Tales for Brave-hearted Boys (Allen & Unwin) and Bush Holiday (Scholastic Australia). He has spoken at the US Library of Congress’ National Book Day Festival, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Bangalore Literature Festival and the Brisbane Writers Festival, among others.

Jason Pamment

Jason Pamment is a South Australian author and illustrator who has always loved dreaming up stories of adventure set in vibrant worlds filled with strange and wonderful characters. One such tale is his debut graphic novel, Treasure in the Lake (released on 7 September 2021). The story follows best friends on the verge of high school, who find a forgotten town at the bottom of a dry lake bed. The setting is largely inspired by Jason’s childhood adventures exploring creeks and forests in Adelaide, his hometown. Treasure in the Lake has been featured on the front cover of American Library Association publication Booklist and is published by HarperAlley (in North America) and Allen & Unwin (in Australia / New Zealand).

Outside of creating comics, Jason directs and designs for award-winning animated films, children’s television shows, music videos, commercials and video games. He’s contributed to such films as The Orchestra (Feather Films) and the Nick Cave-narrated and Oscar short-listed The Cat Piano (The People’s Republic of Animation), as well as the BAFTA winning video game Florence (Mountains).

Safdar Ahmed

Safdar Ahmed is a Sydney-based artist, musician and educator. He is a founding member of the community art organisation Refugee Art Project, and member of eleven, a collective of contemporary Muslim Australian artists, curators and writers. Safdar is the author of Reform and Modernity in Islam (IB Tauris, 2013) and the Walkley Award–winning documentary webcomic Villawood: Notes from an immigration detention centre (2015). That webcomic was expanded and adapted into the graphic novel Still Alive (2021), which is available through Twelve Panels Press.

Safdar’s other comics include the graphic memoirs The Good Son and My Struggle With Crohn’s Disease. His drawings and comics have appeared in such publications as Overland, Meanjin and The Lifted Brow. He also sings and plays guitar with the anti-racist death metal band Hazeen, alongside fellow comic artist Can Yalcinkaya.

Papercuts Comics Festival

This event is Day 3 of the wider Papercuts Comics Festival running from 16 to 20 September 2021. For more details about the range of free events open to the public as part of the festival, head to our website: www.papercutscomicsfestival.com.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.

The festival is also supported by Arts South Australia and City of Adelaide. Artists in Conversation is presented in collaboration with the University of Adelaide Department of Media.