GARY CHALONER

Award-winning Adventure Illustrated#2 has a silver lining!

In a ceremony held at Old Parliament House in Canberra on Friday, 29 November, the Bronze, Silver and Gold Ledger Award recipients of the Comic Arts Awards of Australia were revealed! Adventure Illustrated #2 received a Silver Ledger!

I wasn’t able to attend the Awards, but I sent a few words along to express my thanks…


29 November, 2024 
Read by Tim McEwen

Thank you to the Judging Panel for thinking this issue of Adventure Illustrated was worthy of an award.

Thanks to all the Kickstarter backers that had the patience of an ancient Elder God as I got the issue finished while dealing with some major and ongoing health issues. You are all amazing and I am forever grateful.

Thanks as well to the retailers who supported the book.

Huge thanks, of course, to the contributors and friends who helped make the issue what it is: 

Graeme Jackson for his amazing colours; 

Tad Pietrzykowski for his contribution to the first issue and allowing me to play with a couple of his characters; 

Darren Close for advice, his inking assist on a couple of pages, and for allowing me to use his character, Killeroo, to beat the crap out of Flash Damingo. It was very cathartic let me tell you. (I’m really starting to dislike that sawn-off little runt.)

Dazz has spent some time in hospital this past week with his own health issues. Hopefully by the time this is being read out, he’s safely back home and on the mend.

Thanks also to Baden and his wonderful team at Jeffries Printing who always do a terrific job.

Shout out to Bernard Caleo, Glenn Lumsden, Leigh Chalker and Danny Best for their friendship and support, both professionally and personally. And to Bel, my long-suffering wife who lets me do what I do… when I can do it.

Hopefully there will be more issues of Adventure Illustrated. With next year being the 40th anniversary of Cyclone Comics, there might be some surprises in store.

So, finally… 

I’m sorry for not being here in person, but it would be remiss of me not to take this rather unique opportunity to embarrass Tim (who has to read this out to you all):

Adventure Illustrated, if you aren’t aware, is an anthology featuring three stories. Two of them feature some old and new Cyclone Comics characters, but the third all-important centre spot stars Michael Michalandos and Tim McEwen’s Greener Pastures.

I’m so happy and proud to have GP in the book and to share this award with them. I’m dead keen to see what the lads have planned for the irrepressable Trevor Bovis in the coming months and years.

If you haven’t already backed the Kickstarter for the first trade collection re-presenting the first four classic issues of Greener Pastures, you still have time! Get on it people!

As I write in the foreword to volume one…

There is no Australian comic book… no comic book, period… quite like Greener Pastures.

THANKS EVERYONE!!

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'In the spirit of reconciliation I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. I pay respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.'