jasonfranks

 Cover concept for a GN  called DEUCE I am working on with Nic Hunter.



-- JF

Haven't heard a lot about Bruce Mutard's new graphic novel, THE SILENCE (Allen and Unwin 2009) in the couple of months since it's been out, but it's a terrific book that deserves attention.
 
While on a business trip to procure some artwork, gallery manager Choosy and her artist boyfriend Dmitri discover an amazing new artist. As they search for the mysterious artist's identity they are confronted with the age old questions of art versus commerce and the nature of art itself.
 
If you're looking for exploding monster trucks, this isn't the book for you (see me after class, I have one of those for you). If you're interested in a serious attempt to solve a difficult philosophical question, rendered with staggering aplomb in Mutard's polished, realist style, you need to check it out.
 
What is perhaps most impressive to me is that Mutard is willing to tackle the big philosophical questions ("What is art?") without resorting to action blockbuster theatrics or ceding the argument to a despairing 'it's all too hard.' He operationalizes the problem with a pair of interesting and well-realized characters and uses them to demonstrate his Zappa-esque conclusion in no uncertain terms. But, over and above all of that, Mutard uses comics to frame the problem in a way that no other medium could have.
 
This book actually predates Mutard's prior offering, THE SACRIFICE, although it has changed publishers and undergone a substantial reconfiguration since it was first completed. The illustration looks just about as polished as SACRIFICE, although I don't think the dialogue is as natural in the first half. But that's just a quibble. This is a classy and intellectually rigorous book and I'm looking forward to reading it a second time.
 
It's not available in the direct market, because Allen and Unwin don't play that way, but you can find it in bookstores Australia-wide. It's also available on amazon.com, or you can buy direct from A&U.

-- JF

 
Coming in 2010 from Slave Labor Graphics, publishers of LENORE and JOHNNY THE HOMICIDAL MANIAC:

THE SIXSMITHS, an original graphic novel by Jason Franks and J. Marc Schmidt.

New strip today is called "Antichrist".

Off to Sydney for Supanova, I'll be back next week!

-- JF

An essay that I wrote for the Australian Horror Writer's Association about the comics industry:

CREATING A GRAPHIC NOVEL: A PRIMER FOR AUSTRALIAN WRITERS

-- JF

 Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to introduce my new webcomic/graphic novel project with my esteemed colleague, J. Marc Schmidt:


THE SIXSMITHS is a comedy/drama about a family of ordinary Satanists who have fallen on hard times. Thursday of every week, 9am Australian Eastern Standard Time.  

JMarc and I are about halfway through the accompanying graphic novel as I write this; stay tuned for more info! 

Hail Satan!

-- JF

As you may recall, I wrote about Bruce Mutard's landmark graphic novel, The Sacrifice, a couple of months back when I read an advance copy.

The official launch was Wednesday and it is now available. 

I went along to the event. The launch was MCed by Bernard Caleo, writer, artist, editor, publisher and showman. There was a big crowd in attendance--Bruce's editors and many of the guys from Melbourne's comics scene, including Greg Gates, Phil Bentley, Colin Wilson, Bobby N, James Andres, Dillon Naylor,  Paul Bedford, and Mandy Ord. Probably more guys I didn't even see.
Bernard provides better coverage here and I'm sure Bobby will blog it before long, he was there with his new camera and he usually gives much better coverage of these things than I do.

There is a clear movement by Australian book publishers to produce graphic novels, much like Pantheon et al are doing in the US, and the Sacrifice is part of the vanguard of this movement... but never mind all that nonsense, it's a terrific, though-provoking work of historical fiction. Mutard's work is polished and assured, massively researched and highly nuanced; oversized in format as well as in scope.

If you live in Australia, you should be able to find it in any good bookstore, filed in the Fiction section under M--check it out, you won't regret it. If you're overseas... well, there are no foreign editions scheduled at this point but you can order it online from Readings  (or a number of other places, I'm sure): http://www.readings.com.au/product/9781741751178/the-sacrifice

-- JF