Yes I did. And it was awesome.

Graphic is a weekend festival of comic art at the Sydney Opera House presented in workshops, screenings, talks and performances – the highlight of which was supposed to be Gotye and some silent comics that I failed to see.

Armed with a combination media-pass and paid up seats, I saw:

• Talking with Gods: A Grant Morrison Documentary
• Understanding Comics with Scott McCloud: the art of visual communication
• Wordless Storytelling and Peter Kuper’s “Revolutions and Art”
• Oz Comics Show and Tell with Oslo Davis, Matthew Taylor, Mandy Ord, Matt Huynh Pat Grant and Leigh Rigozzi
• Tekkon Kinkreet: cult anime with live music from Warp
• and attended a comic making workshop with Pat Grant.

It was a fantastic and mind-blowing experience.

While I was disappointed Crumb pulled out, Scott McCloud is kind of like a hero to me – Zot! was probably the only superhero comic I ever got into and his comics theory is kind of like having your brain unpacked and then put back together.

And I had somehow managed to get him on air on my radio program. OH YEAH.

After Scott McCloud’s talk I waited in line to get my copies of his books signed and then told him I’d organised that particular interview.

He said that my presenter, Louise Maher, was one of the best prepared interviewers he’d had recent experience with and said it was really enjoyable.

Scott McCloud said I must have done a great job as a producer to get her so well prepped. She may have gone home armed with a stack of his work. *cough*

You can listen to the audio of that interview on the link above.

Also amazing was the Oz Comics panel: with Matt Taylor’s presentation of his work with an actual Swedish friend playing heavy metal, Matt Huynh’s Chinese dragon dancers and Pat Grant’s interactive web comic thing Blue.

The workshop with Pat Grant was also fantastic; he had us walking around a table and scribbling characters for a zine.

But to be frank the sound at Tekkon and Grant Morrison was turned up so loud it hurt my ears, kind of weird for events at the Opera House!!

I still can’t wait till next year.