Panel of comic artists share expertise

Publishing a comic book is no easy undertaking, but a panel of experts have offered up their expertise to help burgeoning Auckland comic artists succeed.

Auckland Central Library hosted a panel discussion on Thursday titled ‘So You Finished Your Comic, Now What?’ which featured four prominent New Zealand artists.

The free event had a panel which covered topics such as growing an audience, and the pros and cons between publishing online and in print.

Panel host and Mt Roskill resident Zak Waipara, whose comics focused on retelling traditional Ma¯ ori folklore, said the nature of publishing had changed with the advent of the online selfpublication, removing the need for traditional publicist gatekeepers.

‘‘The internet has become certainly liberating in that it has removed nearly all publishing costs,’’ Waipara said.

The best advice he could give to new authors was to not just reproduce common comic tropes, such as superhero stories, but to find something relevant to themselves, he said.

‘‘You have to find the thing only you can do, the story that only you can tell,’’ he said.

Extra Ordinary author Li Chen from central Auckland, said while corny, perseverance was a key step towards becoming established and successful.

‘‘People always email me and ask for hints and tips as if there was some sort of short cut, but the core of it is you have to like what you do, you have to do it all the time, and be committed to doing it,’’ Chen said.

Chen’s slice-of-life comic about her cat hit international recognition in 2012 after becoming the second most supported Kickstarter campaign in the comics category, earning $66,580.

Rooster Tails author and Pt Chevalier resident Sam Orchard said artists needed to start getting their work out to the public as soon as possible.

‘‘You just have to put up a whole bunch of bad stuff and then eventually you’ll look back and it wasn’t as terrible as you first thought,’’ Orchid said.

He reiterated Chen’s advice about perseverance, saying even if the work ‘‘makes you cringe’’ it’s best to keep on pushing forward.

Rooster Tails is a web series which tells the stories of queer and transgender people in New Zealand.