How can Australia grow its local graphic novel industry?

Eliza Baker

The graphic novel industry in Australia has had its peaks and troughs since the 1940s, though has rarely become larger than a modest 'scene.' Now, the increasing accessibility of global online content has created a surge in demand for graphic-based works which provides Australian publishers with an opening to create more of their own. In 2021, graphic novels in Australia were the category with the largest growth at 86%, and figures continued to climb by 34% in 2022. However, considering its larger, long-established competitors in the US, Japan and Europe, how can Australia manage to compete and grow its local graphic novel industry to become financially viable and sustaining?

The report will concentrate on how Australian publishers can produce more homegrown graphic novels while facing up against cultural misconceptions, overseas competitors and production challenges. Currently, the areas of graphic novel publishing experiencing the most momentum in Australia are those for the children and young adult markets, as these are where the manga/graphic novel ‘boom’ largely originated. However, the buzz around graphic-based works has also drawn attention to a smaller subsection of graphic novel publishing: the adult literary market. This area, which currently faces more barriers to growth in terms of cultural perception and demand will be the focus of this report. To ensure the research question is thoroughly addressed, the report will not examine the content of graphic novels themselves, what makes a graphic novel successful in the market, or how to create graphic novels for Australian audiences. The research gathered includes existing literature on graphic novels and the graphic novel industry in Australia, as well as empirical data conducted through interviews with industry professionals and observations made while visiting bookstores in the Melbourne CBD.

It must be stated that this report is limited by its length and the perspectives of the publishing professionals who were available and willing to be interviewed within the given timeframe. The Australian graphic novel industry is discussed as a whole, but those interviewed are incidentally all Melbourne-based and therefore oversight may exist concerning the industry in other states and territories. Future research could benefit from more perspectives from professionals beyond Melbourne, including graphic storytellers, publishers, researchers, booksellers and arts and governing body members.

Note on language

For scope, this report will focus on ‘graphic novels’, a form of graphic storytelling distinct from ‘comics’ and ‘manga’. Manga is recognisable for its art style and is generally printed in black and white, while comics are more often conflated with graphic novels, though are shorter and serialised. Graphic novels are long-form, exist as standalones or in volumes, and are the dominant format for Australian graphic works. ‘Graphic storytelling’ will be used as the umbrella term for all these forms, and ‘graphic storytellers’ will refer to the artists producing them. ‘Comics’ and ‘comic artists’ will occasionally appear as interchangeable terms in more suited contexts.

Challenges

Some of the challenges to publishing graphic novels for an adult audience in Australia, such as Australia’s small market and competing forms of entertainment, affect the local publishing industry as a whole and are therefore too layered and extensive to be adequately addressed in this report. The most glaring obstacles unique to graphic novel publishing, which are more easily targeted with actionable solutions at the time of writing, will instead be discussed.

Perception of graphic novels in Australia

Demand is fuelled by perception, and the historical perception of graphic novels in Australia has been a significant hindrance to the industry’s growth. Short-form comics were introduced to Australia from the US in the early 20th century, and ‘graphic novels’ emerged as a format in the 1980s. Due to their costly nature, Australia’s small population, the head start of the US and European industries, and a lack of government funding, Australian publishers prioritised attaining international publications instead of producing their own. Audiences in Australia were discouraged from having an interest in comics, thereby preventing them from being recognised as a form of literature or art. Dr Elizabeth MacFarlane, who directs the course ‘Graphic Narratives’ at the University of Melbourne, says there is a persistent perception in Australia that graphic novels are only for children. This assumption is perpetuated by teachers treating graphic novels as a gateway for reluctant readers, with the aim being they will eventually graduate to ‘real literature.’ Teaching graphic novels in schools, MacFarlane posits, can encourage an understanding of the ‘intricacies and the beauty of the medium,’ as can including graphic novels in more literary prizes. Recent prize-winning and shortlisted Australian graphic novels such as Safdar Ahmed’s Still Alive and Lee Lai’s Stella shortlisted Stone Fruit have helped draw attention to the medium’s storytelling capabilities, and winning prizes has proven beneficial for other formats. Evelyn Araluen’s Dropbear, which won the 2022 Stella Prize, saw an 832% increase in sales in its prize-winning week, and it has since bolstered poetry’s popularity. Dropbear was already performing well in the wake of the ‘Instapoetry’ boom, but this is not unlike the manga surge now creating momentum for Australia’s graphic novel industry. Dr Ronnie Scott, graphic novel researcher, says it is hard to predict whether a major win for a graphic novel would have a knock-on effect on the format or not. Regardless, the more the term ‘graphic novel’ is heard alongside literary praise, the greater potential for outdated perceptions in the public eye to shift, and for market demand to grow.

Costliness and labour

The laborious nature of producing graphic novels is one of the main obstacles to growing the industry in Australia, especially when paired with persisting ideas of juvenility and their niche adult market. For graphic storytellers, it is the time and effort of producing a graphic novel manuscript when they’re often juggling other income sources. For publishers, it is the long lead times and costs to print and distribute them compared to other print formats. Lower advances and print runs for graphic novels are a consequence of the Australian market’s small size, and because of their shaky local success in the past, many publishers cannot justify the time, resources and risks. Colour printing, which is rarely undertaken in Australia, means that graphic novels must be printed overseas, adding shipping time and expense. The global reduction of paper mills and printing plants in the past decade also play a role in rising costs, and more Australian books may have to be printed overseas in the future. Golding is doubtful much can be done to decrease the labour intensity of graphic novel projects and believes their logistical challenges will always have to be taken into consideration. ‘We just have to face those realities … and do the work: be very clear-eyed about “what are the lead times we need”, “what are the costs.”’ He, alongside Elizabeth Macfarlane, believes gaining more government support and funding is the more feasible, if less likely solution. Another thing that can aid publishers is to continue developing their capabilities in-house, of staff who are ‘savvy readers of comics … who are comfortable editing comics and speaking the language of comics with creators, publicists and production managers.’ With limited control over and capacity to decrease these practical challenges, attention is best placed on other aspects of the industry in Australia to help make them worthwhile.

Competition of overseas titles and visibility in the Australian market

Perhaps more of a challenge than their financial risks and resource intensity is the fact that Australia is leaping on the graphic novel train late in the journey. The manga and comic industries in Japan and the US are long-established, their markets are much larger than Australia’s, and their reach is now global. Indeed, the current manga and graphic novel booms in Australia have been fuelled by international high-production TV adaptations—the availability of Japanese anime nowadays has been a segue, for many fans, into the manga titles they originated from. It is a similar case with Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series, all four volumes of which secured a spot on the top ten bestsellers in the children’s and YA category in Australia in 2022 after the release of the Netflix series in April that year. As Sophie Splatt, graphic novel researcher and the APA’s 2023 Beatrice Davis Editorial Fellow, points out, it is difficult to see how Australian-published graphic novels can compete with international titles that are marketed and publicised to this degree.

To add to matters, Australian graphic novels—and those in general—are facing a shelving conundrum. Unlike the larger, well-defined categories enjoyed by prose books in bookstores and libraries, graphic novels tend to be lumped together regardless of target age or content. Golding poses:

If I wanted a book about unions, like Our Members Be Unlimited, do I go to the politics section, where it might be in some bookshops, or do I go to the comics section? If I go into the comics section, is it next to a Superman comic, is it next to a horror manga comic, it is next to Heartstopper?

One idea Golding favours is to shelve graphic novels in two places: alongside other graphic novels, but also amongst prose books based on their genre. MacFarlane agrees, saying it is important to reach beyond audiences who are interested in the graphic novel form to include those who might be interested in their content. A look through four prominent bookstores in the Melbourne CBD uncovered that this is not yet a mainstream practice. Readings State Library, Readings Emporium, QBD Emporium and Dymocks on Lonsdale Street all shelve their graphic novels in a dedicated section of the store and are dominated by international titles and manga. For Australian graphic novels to gain more visibility and be considered ‘normal books’, breaking them from their lonely shelves and encouraging readers from outside their typical fanbase are simple yet effective steps booksellers and librarians can initiate.

While some suggestions for the graphic novel industry in Australia have been touched on, this section will now unpack potential solutions in greater detail. Three case studies on different areas of the industry: research, residencies and publishers, will be analysed to demonstrate what steps are being taken to grow Australia’s graphic novel industry and how their successes can inform future action.

‘Comic artists do not work in a vacuum’: Comic Art Workshop

As discussed, a major obstacle for graphic storytellers in Australia is a lack of support and time to dedicate to their craft. The Australia Council for the Arts’ ‘Graphic Storytellers at Work’ report discovered that 50% of surveyed artists supported themselves with work that is non-creative, and 47% found a ‘lack of financial return on their practice’ to be one of the main challenges of their field. Government funding and grants can help alleviate this, though grants are competitive and in limited supply, and only fund short periods of solo work. Considering 46% of artists cite peer-to-peer education as contributing to the development of their artistic skill sets, mentorships and creative communities must also fit into the equation—‘it’s important they’re not just working in a vacuum,’ says MacFarlane. Comic Art Workshop, a residency created in 2015 by MacFarlane and Dr Pat Grant and supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW, brings sixteen graphic storytellers in different career stages together for two weeks and provides them with accommodation, food and workspaces. Alongside seminars and workshopping sessions, industry professionals and mentors broach topics such as ‘finding an agent, working with publishers and freelancing’ as well as practical insight on art making. The opportunity for artists to network and foster industry relationships is particularly important. Spence and Henningsgaard, analysing the international publication routes of Australian graphic storytellers, found that 62 of the 69 graphic novels surveyed had found publication through direct networking between creators, publishing professionals, and others in the industry. Indeed, Grant and MacFarlane observed that the ‘supportive relationships’ nurtured through Comic Art Workshop have perhaps been more significant than the improved manuscripts. The workshop’s effectiveness is evident by the number of graphic novels that have been published following the residency, including Chris Gooch’s Under-Earth, Our Members be Unlimited by Sam Wallman, and upcoming publications by Sarah Firth and Joshua Santospirito. Comic Art Workshop, at this stage, is the only comics residency of its kind in Australia—for the local graphic novel industry to grow, so do the opportunities for graphic storytellers to work on their craft. Of course, residencies cannot run without funding, and until state governments become more attuned to the needs of the graphic novel industry in Australia, similar initiatives may not receive it.

Mapping, archiving and promoting: Australian Comics Folio

For graphic novels to accrue the level of regard currently reserved for literature and art in Australia, it is important to study and discuss them with the same degree of rigour and respect. ‘Folio: Stories of Contemporary Australian Comics’, a research project in partnership with the National Library of Australia, Australia Council for the Arts, and Craig Walker Design, is undertaking the task to ‘map, archive and promote Australian comics and graphic novels produced in the last 40 years, and the artists who created them.’ Comprehensive and ambitious in scope, Folio will act as an educational resource for existing and aspiring comic artists as well as fuel general interest. Dr Ronnie Scott, one of the project’s chief investigators, says Folio will compile the kind of information that artists would share at collectives like zine fairs and comics meetups, providing easier access to those living beyond Australia’s comic epicentres in Melbourne and Sydney. One major focus is a set of forty or so interviews with graphic storytellers, broaching topics from developing characters, to the role of a publisher in their career, to printing and production technologies—‘It’ll be all about the nodes and connections.’ 

Scott also explains that Folio can inform policymaking and help direct government funding— whether it goes towards upskilling artists or supporting a publisher for a project—based on what artists value most. MacFarlane, another chief investigator, hopes too that the project can help governments recognise the unique considerations of graphic novels, that they require a ‘separate and specific kind of support’ from art and literature. It is an important step towards acknowledging and honouring a practice that is emerging in Australia from a long period in the underground, and crucial for further bringing it into the light. In uniting communities of graphic storytellers to incite discourse and mutual support, the industry in Australia will hopefully be able to find more stability in the years to come.

Diversifying publication routes: Scribe Publications

Scribe is an Australian independent trade publisher who has become notable in the graphic novels space since 2021 for the three graphic novels they have published in that time. With its roots in Australia, but another location in London and a presence in the US, Scribe has a favourable network for originating and distributing graphic novels. The opportunity for Scribe to jump aboard publishing graphic novels arose ‘organically,’ says senior editor David Golding, ‘but I think the timing does reflect the vitality of the Australian comics scene, as well as a greater interest in comics from readers in Australia and around the world.’ Golding asserts the key to being able to survive and grow in the graphic novels space for adults, which is currently niche and ‘undefined’, is about publishers playing to their strengths. Scribe thinks carefully about whether a given market is ‘big enough to support a book and the effort [they’re] going to put into it.’ Known for their books on politics, Golding says it ‘[gave] them a position’ when they published their first graphic novel, Our Members be Unlimited—the same goes for Two Week Wait: An IVF Story: ‘Health is an area we’re strong on and known for.’ To mitigate risks and labour intensity, Scribe is supplementing their homegrown graphic novels with overseas acquisitions and selling the rights to their graphic novels to international publishers. ‘Like any kind of gambling or investment, it’s about diversification.’ Their third graphic novel, Men I Trust, is by Australian cartoonist Tommi Parrish but was originally published in the US by Fantagraphics: ‘They’re a well-established, respected independent publisher, and we worked with them.’ Scribe also have an upcoming title they are translating from a French publisher and are publishing some of their Australian titles with their branch in London. Forging connections for 'simultaneous publishing' with an Australian and an overseas publisher is something that other industry professionals, such as agent Annabel Barker, are working hard on. Giving a comic artist a 'home … is important from an author care perspective … but helps to make the project financially viable.’ Given that Scribe is set to produce more graphic novels in the coming years, it is clear their ethos of ‘no golden path’ is allowing them to stretch and thrive in this space. Cross-industry collaboration and aid from larger industries can enable Australian publishers the flexibility and security to produce graphic novels while local demand remains difficult to predict.

Conclusion

The challenges facing Australia’s graphic novel industry are complex and multifaceted, and some of its most blatant ones, such as cost and labour intensity, are not so easily contested. While artists and industry professionals can advocate for more appreciation of Australian graphic novels without much difficulty, continual support from government bodies and arts organisations is required to ensure the longevity of critical initiatives like the Comic Art Workshop and the Folio project. More collaboration between governments, arts bodies, graphic storytellers and researchers is recommended to help ensure the unique considerations for graphic novels are understood and solutions, particularly funding, can be directed to the most appropriate places. Australian publishers can mitigate the risks of producing graphic novels by diversifying their acquisitions and working in collaboration with publishers and creators from more established, international industries. It may be that the adult graphic novel market in Australia never flourishes to the degree that the market for younger readers currently is, but as an important subsection with a passionate community, steps can be taken to continue improving its stability and the capacity for its artists to sustain work and community. Whether it be an industry or a ‘scene’, ongoing commitment to cultivating a ‘comic culture’ in Australia has long been in the works and the results of its efforts are more observable by the year.

About the author

Eliza Baker is a writer, editor and bookseller living in Naarm/Melbourne. She has completed a Graduate Diploma in Writing and Publishing at RMIT and an editorial internship at Melbourne indie publisher Affirm Press. She enjoys reading in the sun, Nintendo classics, and big trees.