Gary Chaloner (Perth Only)
Gary Chaloner has been a professional artist and writer since 1982. He has been called both a 'veteran' and a 'mainstay' of the comics business in Australia. Which seems a back-handed compliment if ever there was one.The Sydney-born creator first started his career as a publisher of his own work, through his imprint CYCLONE COMICS. Cyclone grew to publish a range of mysteriously popular comic books in the 80s and 90s with titles as diverse as The Jackaroo, The Southern Squadron, Dark Nebula, GI Joe Australia, Flash Damingo and CCQ (Cyclone Comics Quarterly).
Gary's overseas work includes US editions of The Jackaroo and The Southern Squadron; a very odd issue of The Badger for Mike Baron; the award-winning Planet of the Apes: Urchak's Folly (OzCon Award for Favourite Writer); The Olympians, a two-issue prestige series for Marvel/Epic Comics that featured Gary's art inked by Gary Martin with covers inked by Todd McFarlane and Karl Kesel; editorial and creative duties on Dark Horse Down Under for Dark Horse Comics - this series featured the first US appearance of Gary's creation Morton Stone: Undertaker.
In late '98, he completed a ten page story that was scheduled to appear in issue nine of Kitchen Sink's Harvey Award winning The Spirit: The New Adventures - as luck would have it, the title was cancelled with issue eight.
He sites the work of Hergé, Roy Crane, Will Eisner and Alex Toth as his artistic inspirations. In fact, he's worked with the late, great Will Eisner on developing a new series of stories featuring Eisner's early creation: John Law, Detective, running online now at JohnLaw.us.com.
In December 2004, IDW Publishing released the first print edition John Law - Will Eisner's JOHN LAW: Dead Man Walking. This edition was the recipient of the Ledger Award for International Title of the Year.
Besides John Law, his current creator-owned projects include a pulp-adventure series Red Kelso, an Australian adventure series The Jackaroo - and coming soon, Morton Stone, Undertaker.
Since 1990, Gary has lived in the South-West wildlands of Western Australia, having fled the gaudily-lit streets of Sydney and Perth, for the rolling hills and forests of a better place. His favourite wine is the 2002 Blue Loft Pinot. He is in love with Belinda Prideaux.
Gary looks forward to meeting all his fans at Supanova and is appearing at the Perth expo Saturday and Sunday from 11.00am to 5.00pm.
* Guest confirmed health and other commitments pending.