The last Comic Spot radio show! The first Homecooked Comics Festival!

No no no, say it ain't so!

But it is so - The Comic Spot, the fortnightly Australian comics hour on radio station 3CR, is coming to an end!  John Retallick: the mover, the shaker, the anchor, the rock, the organiser and motive force behind the show, is moving to Hobart (lucky Hobart!). As John says on the blog, The Comic Spot may well take on another form in the future, but this is the end of Volume One.

BUT in an amazing coincidence, the last show will be the first one we record in front of an audience! Yes, this Saturday, 28 January 2012 is The Homecooked Comics Festival to be held at (of course) Batman Park in Northcote, at the corner of Separations Street and Saint Georges Road.

The festival, presented by the City of Darebin, features a great line-up of events from 3 - 7pm, and the final Comic Spot 3CR show with your hosts John, Jo and Bernard will be recorded there and go to air next Thursday 2 February at 5pm on 3CR, 855 on your AM dial. The shows get podcast as well, so go to the blog to find an interview with the Australian comics creator of your dreams.

And come along to the Homecooked Comics Festival this Saturday and help us celebrate the great years of the Comic Spot radio show, to meet comics makers, hear comics music, see kamishibai, and make your own comics: it's going to be a grand day!

Homecooked Comic Festival Program
Main Stage

3pm: Welcome by Darebin City Council’s Mayor, Cr Steven Tsitas.

3.10–4pm: The ComicSpot Podcast.

4.10–4.50pm: Comic/Musical Mashup.

5-5.30pm: Live music by Squid Squad.

5.30–6pm: The Allen & Unwin Quiz Show.

6.30-7pm: Live music by Animaux.

Roving

4,5,6.30pm: Fight Choreography Workshops.

3-5pm: Kamishibai (Japanese paper drama).

4.30pm: Express Media Workshop.

5.30pm: Sticky Institute Talk.

6pm: The greatest comic book parade!

All day entertainment- Newspaper in a day, tattooing, face painting, giant panel painting.

Vale, Ralph McLean 1957 - 2010

Today in the hot sun at La Mama theatre in Carlton we farewelled a true member of Fitzroyalty, Ralph McLean. I have got to know Ralph over the past couple of years doing comics reviews on 'Yartz', the weekly arts programme that he began in 2000 for the community television station Channel 31. On Saturday afternoons a group of folks would arrive at his bedsit in Little Gore Street in Fitzroy and through a haze of cigarette smoke and snappy dialogue, Ralph would pull together a review and interview show about the arts in Melbourne.

There were some euphonious eulogists today - the service was delivered by Liz Jones, the grand wazoo of La Mama, and above, Francis Italiano, these days of Perth but once upon a time, and for eight years, Ralph's partner, spoke warmly of his time with Ralph. When some people would refer to Francis as Ralph's 'handbag' (ie when Ralph brought him along to shows), Ralph would correct them:

"He's not a handbag. He's a mink stole."

Above, on the left, Misha Adair, who spoke on behalf of the Yartzers, with Ralph's principles of 'making stuff' mysteriously appearing on his pin-striped suit. On the right, Scott Gooding, who had organised an extravaganza of 'Yartz' footage that screened on a monitor inside La Mama, which you could go and see before and after the service. Nice work, Scott.

Hermione Gilchrist also spoke beautifully about Ralph, and has blogged about him, with 'Yartz' footage embedded, here.

After the service and a beer with Mary Anne, who is my mum and one of the 'Yartz' theatre reporters, I cycled off through Fitzroy to community radio station 3CR on Smith Street in Collingwood, where I met John Retallick and Jo Waite and together we went to air with the last 2010 show of The Comic Spot. It was the round-up of the year, which has been a pretty remarkable one for Australian comic books.

After the show, we repaired to the Union Club Hotel, Ralph's local and the site of his wake, which was still going, where we drank traditional post-show G&Ts and laughed traditional post-show laffs.

Huzzah for community broadcasting, and huzzah for you, Ralph McLean, and all that you gave to the arts in Melbourne.

It was an honour to know you and work with you.

The return of 'The Comic Spot'

Look! Up in the sky! It's the smog! No, it's... The Comic Spot!

Yes, Melbourne's favourite comic book radio show is back on air...

John Retallick, the main mover and shaker, has returned to the studio with Jo Waite and Bernard Caleo, his faithful chorus, and a new timeslot for 'The Comic Spot':

last Thursday of every month, 5 -6pm, on 3CR, 855 on your AM dial.

http://www.thecomicspot.blogspot.com/

On Thursday 24 April we talked to the splendiferous, black-ink-stain-handed Mandy Ord (a funny story that was, too) about her book comic/graphic novel 'Rooftops' in the context of the rest of her comic book career, and her plans for the future. Very exciting stuff.

Next 'Comic Spot', Thursday 29 May, will be with Philip Bentley of 'Word Balloons' and 'Passionate Nomads' fame, and Bruce Mutard, whose book comic 'The Sacrifice' was launched the night before last (see post below).

Ah, Melbourne! You're such a happening comic book town!

Photo of Jo, Bernard and John is kourtesy of Mandy Ord and her kamera.