Making Comics in Australia Panel Discussion

What's it like making comics in Australia? Is there really a way to make a living writing or drawing? Do you have to get your book published by one of the mega publishers? Where do you even start? If you have ever asked yourself any of these questions or more, this panel is for you! On the panel we have icons of the Australian comics industry Dr. Queenie Chan, Christof Bogacs and Robin French, They each have their own story of how they got started and their experience trying to "make it". This discussion is sure to be packed with great advice, priceless insight and a huge amount of lived experience. About the speakers: Queenie Chan was born in Hong Kong, and migrated to Australia when she was six years old. Her first published work was a 3-volume mystery-horror series called "The Dreaming" for LA-based manga publisher TOKYOPOP, reissued in 2024. After that, she collaborated on several graphic novels with best-selling author Dean Koontz and Kylie Chan, and produced her own works such as fairy-tale inspired fantasy "Fabled Kingdom", and biographical comics on famous historical queens called "Women Who Were Kings". She has also published "The Mystery Cases of Sister Holmes" with Viz. She has a PhD on Capitalism and Digital Comics from Macquarie University, and is working on a self-contained sequel to "The Dreaming" and some short stories. Please visit www.queeniechan.com for more information. Christof Bogacs is a non-binary comics writer from Sydney, Australia. He’s the writer behind the semi-autobiographical ‘Earth of Chris Cleevy’, published by HarperCollins, based on his experiences with childhood OCD and ongoing fear of aliens. He is also the writer behind the very much not autobiographical Lex Luthor: Diabolical Genius over at DC. He is also a fully trained mall Santa, but that’s not really relevant. Please visit christofwritescomics.com for more information Robin French (they/any) is a British-Australian transmasc storyboard artist, illustrator and animator based in Sydney, Australia (on Dharug country). Robin has a 12 year career working in storyboarding for animation, currently as Storyboard Lead at Glitch Productions on shows such as The Amazing Digital Circus, Gaslight District and Murder Drones. Previously, They have also worked on shows for Disney and Nickolodeon. Robin has three self-published graphic novels under the imprint Feral Rainbow. As a lifelong lover of fantasy and horror, they love to use the supernatural as a metaphor and framing for difficult topics, and often explore themes of queerness and family in their work. Robin also loves raising awareness about the beauty and strangeness of the natural world. Please visit sketchrobin.com for more information.