For our latest installment of The Spinoff’s Comic of the Month we take a trip into the woods with Deadface Comics by Anthony Stocking

If there have been two major trends in local comics in recent years they’ve been comics born on social media, and comics that deal with very personal issues like mental health. Anthony Stocking’s work covers both of these bases, and stands out for its stark black and white style and its openness and honesty.

Anthony explains it best: “I started Deadface Comics back in 2016 as a way to say things that I wanted to say but didn’t really know how to say them, or rather deal with the immediate consequences of doing so. Over the years it evolved into a way for me to be completely honest and vulnerable with myself and express myself in ways that I need to but otherwise find it difficult. At the beginning I was living alone with no real support system in place and it caused me to slip into a rather deep and dark state of depression. I wasn’t well, at all, and I have always found it impossible to ask for help, to admit I’m wrong or to act when I need to. So I used the comics as a creative outlet doubled as art therapy. My fanbase kept growing and I was flooded with support and people telling me that they felt the same way as me. I had others telling me that my honesty about how I felt helped them deal with their own problems, which is one of the main reasons I have kept doing so to this day. So, yeah, I dragged myself out of the darkest parts of my depression and kept on going…with four panel Instagram comics.

 

See more of Anthony’s work at instagram.com/deadfacecomics

Previously:

Comic of the Month: Robbery at 365 Remuera Road by Ant Sang

For our second instalment of The Spinoff’s Comic of the Month we’re taking a trip back to 1943 for a piece of family history with Ant Sang.

Ant Sang has been drawing and publishing comics since his mid-90s punk mini-comic series Filth. Since then he’s completed three long form graphic novels: Dharma Punks, about a group of anarchist punk friends attempting to sabotage the launch of a multi-national burger chain; Shaolin Burning, a kung fu epic set in 17th century China; and Helen and the Go-Go Ninjas, a collaboration with Michael Bennett set in 2033 featuring eco-activists and time travel. As well as comics, Ant has worked in film and TV. His most recognisable work is the character design and illustration for the animated series bro’Town.

For The Spinoff’s Comic of the Month Ant has created a new story, drawing a piece of his own family history. Ant explains:

“A few years ago, I collaborated on a project with author Helene Wong – it was a comic for Auckland War Memorial Museum, chronicling the little-known lives and stories of Chinese New Zealanders and their influence on Auckland society. Since then, I’ve been interested in documenting more of these stories in comic form, and there’s a few anecdotes from my own family that I’ve been wanting to write.

The following story is one I’ve heard my mum tell many times at various family get-togethers. I based the story on both her telling of the story, and two newspaper articles which reported the incident.”

Previously:

Comic of the Month: School Demons by Indira Neville