Australian creators take the spotlight at Oz Comic-Con

Though Melbourne is Australia’s arts capital, opportunities for local creators are few and far between. However, events like Oz Comic-Con help put these creators in the spotlight while bringing them together in the name of pop culture.

(Oz Comic-Con event-goers playing a crowd game. Credit: Patrick Lyne.)

Oz Comic-Con is one of Australia’s premier geek culture events and has been running for 13 years. Every year, the event is hosted across Australia, with this year’s Oz Comic-Con taking place in six different cities, including Melbourne. Hosted in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, the expo floor features exhibitors ranging from authors and artists to cosplayers and actors.

“There’s over 250 stands this year,” says Expertise Events General Manager Zac Fitz-Roy, who said this number is narrowed down from around 600 applicants.

For exhibitors, it’s not just a chance to show off their wares, but a chance to network and connect with fellow pop culture lovers.

“Events like Comic-Con give an opportunity to connect with thousands of people that share their interests and passions,” says Zac Fitz-Roy. “Whether it’s just to engage and show off their work and get feedback, or meet fans – all of those opportunities are amplified when you come to an event of this scale.”

That is definitely the case for Sydney artist Alex Tripp. With current projects such as The Phantom and Marvel: Crisis Protocol, Alex is now living the dream after a health scare that almost left him paralysed, and Oz Comic-Con allows him to pursue his passion and meet like-minded people.

(The Artist Alley. Credit: Patrick Lyne.)

“I wasn’t really around anyone creative my whole life,” he says. Despite uncertainties about his future, and not having artistic aspirations, his injury forced him to reconsider his career path.

“My school advisor, career advisor, and my parents would say there’s no money in it, so don’t ever pursue it.”

For him, it’s not just about the opportunity to sell artwork, but also a chance to make personal and meaningful connections.

“I didn’t have anyone I could talk to, but I started coming to these events and I made a lot of friends.”

One of these people is Ben Bradi, who hosted a stall right next door. As a fellow artist, they both met at Comic-Con and have been friends since.

“We met at the first Oz Comic-Con I did in Canberra,” Alex tells me.

“At the time, I started with only five prints, and Alex helped show me the way, I suppose, and now I’ve got an entire wall of colour.”

Sure enough, the wall behind his table is covered with artwork up for sale, and being able to advertise one’s work at a convention is a dream come true. But he tells me that’s not the only benefit of being invited to a convention.

“The best part about [Oz Comic-Con] is the community. We artists don’t normally get to communicate with other artists since we work on our own, so one of the biggest things for me has been the amount of Aussie artists that I’ve met in the time I’ve been attending.”

Artists weren’t the only exhibitors in attendance, and the other end of the aisle is dedicated to book authors, including fantasy novelist Kylie Chan. With a professional writing career spanning nearly twenty years, she’s a Melbourne Comic-Con regular.

“Every single author in this row is a good friend that I know extremely well and have known for years,” she says with a big smile.

“The writer network in Australia is close and supportive, and everybody knows everyone. Katie on the table next to me is my editor.”

Kylie then indicates to the other side of her table. “Kerry here has helped me find good cover designs.”

She then indicates down the aisle. “Devin Madson on the end – I’ve helped her with character building. So every single writer here I count as a friend. This is my community.”

(Event-goers playing 'Just Dance.' Credit: Patrick Lyne.)

Devin Madson is an Aurealis Award-winning author, and isn’t the only writer in attendance with the accolade.

On the other end of the aisle sat sci-fi author T. R. Napper, who also won the prestigious Australian speculative fiction award in 2023.

“The best thing about Comic-Con is that you get to talk to readers,” he says.

“Social media’s fine, but it’s energising to speak to people who have read your work… It also means being exhausted. This is the opposite of the average day for most writers. Normally I’m inside my own head and I don’t have to talk, so that part is a bit droning.”

Another person feeling the burn is indie author Jonathan Weiss, who says he longs for his couch after spending time touring Australia.

“It’s been really fun being at Oz Comic-Con because it means I get to connect directly with readers", Weiss said.

“I never get to do that online because it feels like I’m screaming out into the void. In fact, I sell most of my books at these events, and that’s how I make all my superfans.”

As one of the few solely independent authors at Oz Comic-Con, he discussed about the benefits it has over traditional publishing.

“Self-published means I get to call all the shots. I get to design the covers, I get to call who edits it, who proofreads it. I get to publish them in crazy numbers as well.”

His table sported multiple books that he funded himself, and out of his peers, he had the most titles on display.

“You get to keep all the money that you make. There’s not really any middleman, and you’re not waiting to have royalties paid to you. The downside to that is I have to put the money up front.”

Though there are obvious benefits, he has to fund and organise everything himself. But that’s not the only downside to indie publishing.

“It can get a bit lonely. Unless you’re really going out and finding people on social media, you’re just a guy writing a book. Between times when I’m not at a convention, I’m just sitting and writing a book and I’m not really seeing anyone for a week at a time because I’m a bit of a recluse.

“So [Comic-Con] means the world. It’s just being able to meet people in person. It’s a much stronger connection than anything you can do on social media. There, people don’t want to be advertised to and they don’t want to be talked to. Here, they actually come up and talk to you. It means the world to be here.”