Among the other great Australian anthology comics of the period were Inkspots (produced by the Minotaur Books people), LAF (Little Australian Funnies), Fox Comics and OzComics.
While there was certainly rivalry between some of the camps, and even unpleasant snobbery by some individuals, for the most part there was a feeling of unity of purpose, with many artists crossing over between different publications (as time permitted).
For starters, I thought I'd put up the Reverie covers, which
give some indication of the fine artists who found their way into this
publication through those years, due to the astute editorial insight of
Gary Dellar. The scanner has played havoc with some of the dot screens
used, particularly for greys, so if some of these images look spotty it's
the process at fault!
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Covers:
#1 Art: Gary Dellar, Colour: Paul Harris #2 Paul Harris Logo: #2-#7 Paul Harris #3 Gaston Vanzet #4 Ian Thomas #5 Tony Ramsden #6 Michal Dutkiewicz #7 Fil Barlow All characters and graphics are © Copyright to their respective creators (including me). |
If you've glanced at the photo below, you're probably wondering, "Who
are these charismatic people and why are they dressed so anachronistically?"
The cover of Reverie #6 mentions the First Australian Comic
Convention, held on 16th, 17th and 18th January, 1986, at the Sydney Opera
House, which is where this picture was taken.
Speakers at the convention included Will Eisner (The Spirit)
and Jim Steranko. Stan Lee unfortunately had to cancel.
From left to right: Michal Dutkiewicz, me, Jenny and Gary Dellar and Gary's friend, Phil.
If you think Reverie sounds like your sort of thing and you'd like to have a copy of #4 in your collection, please drop me a line, as I have a small stack of remaining copies and can send one: serious collectors only and I DON'T want to see this turning up on Ebay.
I'm pleased to say most of the Reverie crew have gone on to produce other excellent work. Still, an often forgotten but crucial period in Australian comics history. There were so many great artists associated with this comic, but George Hall and Paul Harris were there from #1, along with Gary.
Here's a few links for artists who appeared in Reverie. If you know of any others, please let me know!
Michal Dutkiewicz (Lambiek Comiclopedia entry and artwork). What's fascinating here is the appearance of "Verity Aloeha," who made her debut on the cover of Reverie #6, but never graced its pages with her presence (though she might have, had it continued).
Peter Hughes (co-creator of "Bloodsword," with Robert Shaw) is now a proprietor of the ever reliable and extensive Melbourne comic shop, 
There's still plenty of comics activity in Australia. To see what I mean, and find about the current scene, go to:
Back to Ian Thomas Graphics main page.