Comics Biz, the ezine of the Comics/Graphic Novels Portfolio comes out on the last Thursday of the month.* 

Go here for the Comics / Graphic Novels Mission Statement Page

Go here for the Comics Creator of the Month Profile

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Latest News

August 2010: Writing Graphic Novels - Workshop at NSW Writers' Centre
Fascinated by the interplay between words and images? Whether you want to write comic books, illustrated texts or just play with the possibilities of combining text and images, this workshop presented by comics writer/artist Chewie Chan will help you explore the challenges and rewards of writing for graphic novels. Full details and booking here.
Date: Sunday 15 August 2010.
Venue: NSW Writers' Centre, Rozelle, Sydney.

July 2010: Graphic at Sydney Opera House
Comic books, illustration, animation, music, multimedia and other new ways of telling stories have not only changed the face of our popular culture, they now define it. GRAPHIC, which is being held on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 August 2010, celebrates this brave new world in a weekend of specially commissioned productions. The program includes musical responses to graphic art and stories, workshops, panels, a film program, a games exhibition and an animation competition. Highlights include a world first reading of an unreleased Neil Gaiman story; an evening with Fantagraphics the world leading publisher of alternative comics; and workshops on publishing and Illustration. More information on the lineup can be found here.

May 2010: Popular Culture Association of Australia and New Zealand Conference
The Popular Culture Association of Australia and New Zealand (POPCAANZ) is holding its inaugural conference in Sydney from 30 June to 2 July 2010. The program covers visual culture (including comics, graphic novels, and manga), fashion, television, film, food studies, pop music, video and many other topics.
Dates: Wednesday 30 June to Friday 2 July 2010
Venue: Vibe Hotel, Sydney, Australia
Registration Fees: $320 (includes $50 membership fee) or $250 (concession includes $50 membership fee).
For more information go to the POPCAANZ website or download the program.

April 2010: ASA Minimum Comics Freelance Page Rates
To meet the needs of its Comics/Graphic Novels Portfolio members and comics creators around Australia, the ASA has just launched its new ASA Minimum Comics Freelance Page Rates. To view, go to  ASA Rates and Conditions page, or download the PDF.

Drawing Out, Drawing In: Spotlight on Graphic Novels (23, 24 and 25 April at the Wheeler Centre, Melbourne)
The graphic novel still attracts more than its share of stigma and snobbery, but its audiences are evangelical, its writers inspired and its sales enviable. And some of the most exciting developments in the form are coming out of Melbourne. With panel discussions, workshops and talks, and the help of some of the leading artists and writers in the field (including Bernard Caleo, Queenie Chan, W. Chew Chan, Oslo Davis, George Dunford, Nicki Greenberg, Bruce Mutard, Shaun Tan, Andrew Weldon and others) the Wheeler Centre is going to colour in the picture. Full details here.

March 2010: Supanova Seminars!
The ASA will be running the seminar Understanding Trademarking 101 at Supanovas around the country. Click the date for details:

Brisbane, 10 April 2010
Melbourne, 17 April 2010
Sydney, 19 June 2010
Perth, 26 June 2010

See also the Supanova website.

January 2010:  Aussiecon 4
Aussiecon 4, the 68th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), will place Australia at the centre of the science fiction and fantasy world in 2010. The convention will be held from Thursday 2 to Monday 6 September 2010 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Guests of Honour include award-winning Melbourne artist (and ASA Comics/Graphic Novels Portfolio member) Shaun Tan, award-winning author Kim Stanley Robinson, and dedicated fan Robin Johnson. The convention is a five-day event bringing together a premium field of authors, illustrators, publishers, and other leading genre figures including comics creators. It has all the features of an international writers festival but celebrates a very specific genre: science fiction, fantasy, and horror. For further information go to the website, or email.

November 2009: ASA Comics/Graphic Novels Portfolio Comics Page Rates Survey
The survey of Australia's comics creators is now complete! Download a PDF of the results here.