By Jonathan King
A seismic event in the world of New Zealand comics occurred when Bob Kerr and Stephen Ballantyne published Terry and the Gunrunners in 1982: we had our first graphic novel (several years ahead of the popularisation of the term). We just called it a comic – but it was beyond thrilling to read a book-length, rollicking adventure unmistakably set in New Zealand. (That Tintin himself got a cameo on one of the final pages of the book was even more mind-blowing.)
The New Zealand comics scene has certainly grown in the 40-ish subsequent years and, while no one's getting very rich, there are probably more comics creators in New Zealand than ever before, reaching wider audiences – with some able to work at it almost full-time.
My new book for 8-12-year-olds, The Inkberg Enigma, did take about three years of full-time work (requiring the support of Creative NZ and a very patient, in paid-employment spouse) so I think it'll be some time before I could jump straight into another one.
But there are some extraordinary comics creators who are finding new routes to get their work out into the world and who are building audiences both here and abroad in previously unimaginable numbers. Wellington writer/artist Rachel Smythe has been publishing Lore Olympus, a modern retelling of the relationship between Persephone and Hades, on an online platform called Webtoons for almost two and a half years. Her comic has a gobsmacking 3.9 million subscribers, has had more than 300 million views and recently announced a partnership with The Jim Henson Company to produce an animated series from it.