Peter Lane

Leigh Chalker (00:00:09):
Welcome to episode two of Tuesday Chinwag. And I’m Lee Hawker from Battle for Bustle and we’re here with our guest this evening, Mr. Peter Life in the Fast Lane. I’m sure you’ve heard that daggy joke before, haven’t you mate?

Peter Lane (00:00:29):
<laugh>? No I haven’t.

Leigh Chalker (00:00:37):
Straight off the cuff Lane was debating that before going No, he said that. Fuck. Oh that’s a

Peter Lane (00:00:44):
Terrible, well, believe it or not, in my over 40 years on this planet, I’ve not heard that one.

Leigh Chalker (00:00:49):
Oh, there you go. I’m glad I’m the first. If you don’t remember me for anything else, mate side Peter Lane from Sky’s Karn Library issue one just dropped couple of weeks ago, made through Reary Comics, so

Peter Lane (00:01:08):
Certainly did

Leigh Chalker (00:01:10):
It did. And there’s a couple of issues of it now just to mention anyone watching the show before Pete and I get into having a chinwag, you can get that from Peter himself. Details will be available shortly. And the comics network shop mate, that Comics network sponsor this show. So we’re on the network. You can get Pete’s comics through the network in the shop. So just head on down there and check it out. And there’s lots of others in there too, so. Good shit. Alright mate. So the big one, who?

Peter Lane (00:01:49):
Peter Lane <laugh>. Yep. Peter Lane creator of Sky’s, Kevin Library. What else would you like to know in the, who’s the, who’s, who’s,

Leigh Chalker (00:02:02):
Well where did young Peter come into this world mate? Whereabouts it from?

Peter Lane (00:02:07):
Newcastle, new South Wales is where I was born, but I spent a lot of my time growing up in WA and then we moved to Queensland and then we moved to Melbourne. So I’ve been around a little bit.

Leigh Chalker (00:02:23):
Yeah, yeah. You have done some traveling, you’ve grown up in a few different states mate your way around. So this little life of travel that you started out on mate, was that where your imagination started kicking off the storytelling and stuff like that? Or to keep you quiet in the back of the car as you were traveling across the country, mum and dad threw your couple of comics, what whereabouts did all of this start make to lead us to this point?

Peter Lane (00:02:48):
Well, when I was in Tasmania I actually, I actually remember the day that I walked in to a secondhand bookstore and I found a big pile of comic books and one of them was Marvel Tales 106, which reprinted the first appearance of the Punisher. And that just got me hooked man. I was into it after that, you know what I mean? I was just a Marvel zombie.

Leigh Chalker (00:03:15):
So how many comics are we talking in this bookshop mate? Was it Child’s imagination of It seemed like a hundred, but it’s actually only 10. Or was it legit? Big box of stuff mate.

Peter Lane (00:03:26):
Oh, it was a big pile and back then when I was about eight years old though, like 10 cents, 20 cents each. And of course they scrolled them on the cover and texture and all that, which I didn’t mind at the time cause I was just a young kid. <laugh>

Leigh Chalker (00:03:44):
Now aren’t, cause you’re a collector of such items as well these days.

Peter Lane (00:03:49):
Yeah, CGC greeted and all that. But yeah, at the time I found that Mar Tails issue and I also found an issue of Green Lanin as well. But the spy one, the Marble Tails one is what hooked me in a little bit more. I don’t know, the Green Lanin one was okay, but it didn’t leave an impression on my young brain at

Leigh Chalker (00:04:12):
The time. Yeah, so at that point you sort of pursued the Marvel way or you are dabbling in both worlds. You went mar

Peter Lane (00:04:19):
It was mainly Marvel. I, excuse me, I’d pick up Hulk and Conan and anything with a Marvel logo on it. But yeah, I mainly liked Spidery Ghost Rider, like I said, Hulk Conan, all that kind of stuff. Then I later picked up GI Joe and Transformers and yeah, I got into it.

Leigh Chalker (00:04:41):
Yeah. Yeah. So you still got those or you’d get rid of them, sell ’em off or?

Peter Lane (00:04:46):
No, unfortunately in all my movements a few of them fell by the wayside. But I’d pick up collecting again.

Leigh Chalker (00:04:56):
Yeah, were they well read.

Peter Lane (00:04:58):
Oh yeah,

Leigh Chalker (00:05:00):
Well read, yeah, covers hanging off sort of thing with dog beard and stuff like that. Cause I mean that seems the total opposite of you now men. Cause you know you got these comic books in plastics with nine point nines and stuff on ’em now. So <laugh>.

Peter Lane (00:05:17):
Yeah, that’s kinda like that. I mean back then even that Marvel Tales issue that I was talking about before, it had a really annoyed me cuz it had a panel that was just torn out. So as a kid back then when I was eight I couldn’t get on the internet and go, oh I need to get this copy again so I can read it. So for years I was thinking, oh what happened in that panel? You know what I mean? It was a bit annoying. Yeah,

Leigh Chalker (00:05:43):
Yeah, I can totally get that. I had a few of those comic books of old that when dad was younger, tear little ads out and stuff. They had weird ads in their sixties comics man, like 3D glasses and a little comic book hand of a dude that could see his skeletons and stuff. So I don’t know whether dad wanted 3D glasses or beat Arnold Schwarzenegger in a week with this. I dunno. I do recall him laughing about that and seeing those ads in other comic books. But it is what it is man. But I guess the reason why I ask you about where you travel and where you grow up and that is because much all of us things that you see, places you go and that when you’re a kid as much as you don’t think about them often they’re in the back of that big old file and system we got in our head. So I guess when you started reading comic books and stuff, we gestating ideas of things that you could write down, jotting down notes. As a young kid, what were you doing to fuel your writing, which because even though we’re at now in 2022 Sky’s Karn Library goes back into the nineties, 1998 if I recalls. That’s spot on.

(00:07:32):
So I guess growing up I take it you’re a similar age as me, mid forties, early forties, that’s sort of a age bracket.

Peter Lane (00:07:43):
Of course we all stop aging after 40

Leigh Chalker (00:07:46):
Ish. Oh man, nothing’s gonna improve this head I tell. But <laugh> <laugh> just ages and ages. One of those apples you see out in the sun, man that just fades away to seeds anyway I guess to get to that point in the nineties. So you’re going through the eighties collecting comic books, reading them like a mad man moving around Australia and stuff like that. Now I reckon you probably kicked into gear at a good time. Cause late eighties, early nineties was a pretty big period for comic books. Lots of stuff out there from varying publishers and stuff. And then in 1998 you brought out Skies, Karn Library issue one with your artist at the time was Shane Foley, is that correct? Yep. Spot on. And I’ve noticed that he’s also gone on to keep doing some stuff, mate. I read the fan over a few weeks and he was drawing some stuff for Matt Kim in the back of that. So good pedigree.

Peter Lane (00:09:05):
Yeah,

Leigh Chalker (00:09:06):
So I kicked it off mate, this is what I’m doing.

Peter Lane (00:09:12):
Well I was running a comic shop at the time in Bundaberg <affirmative> in Queensland. That’s when I was in Queensland and excuse me, sorry about that. Yeah, I was living in Bundaberg, Queensland at the time and I was running a comic shop and he was actually one of the customers that came in and he was a regular customer picking up his order and we got to talking and he is telling me about an anthology that was coming out at the time and he said, oh I know that you’re interested in writing and all that kind of stuff. Do you want to team up on a story and short story for this anthology? I’m like, yeah, cool. And so I was kind of going home digging through old stories and stuff, trying to get some inspiration. And then I remembered I’d written this story back in Writer’s workshop class in the early nineties. It was about 93 called Sky’s. Yeah. Was like, yeah, I’ll give that a shot. I kinda rewrote it a little bit and handed it to him and he came back with some pages and I like, whoa, that’s really cool. Cause it was the first time I’d seen my story transformed into a comic book and it kind of blew my mind and I thought, wow, maybe this is something I really want to do. Because at the time I didn’t really think about creating a comic until he brought it up. So yeah,

Leigh Chalker (00:10:42):
You were just happy at that stage in the retail environment, being surrounded by comic books and stuff mate and just enjoying the reading and the collecting stuff. Yeah,

Peter Lane (00:10:52):
I mean I’d had a go getting together with friends and creating little superhero universes and all this kind of jazz and I looked at it as fun, but I didn’t think I’d be releasing a comic book or anything. What

Leigh Chalker (00:11:08):
Was the one character from that universe that you remember creating?

Peter Lane (00:11:12):
The Superhero Universe? I did, yeah.

Leigh Chalker (00:11:17):
What was his name?

Peter Lane (00:11:18):
Blood Rage.

Leigh Chalker (00:11:20):
Blood Rage?

Peter Lane (00:11:21):
Yeah. What I did is I stole how aliens have acid blood <affirmative>. I gave this dude acid blood, hence blood rage. And I made him a Native American. Yeah. But I didn’t end up using him, but who knows, maybe in the future. No

Leigh Chalker (00:11:41):
It’s still there. Mate’s still, you’re still remember him. So I must have been a good one cuz

Peter Lane (00:11:47):
<laugh>

Leigh Chalker (00:11:48):
My first one, if you can believe it was like bloody, oh what was his name? Paris or some crap. But anyway, we won’t talk about Paris. That was awful <laugh>. But alright, so mate, to let you know got Tom McGee here and his question for you is tell us more about the lane verse.

Peter Lane (00:12:09):
Oh wow. Well, apart from Blood Rage, I had a gang of heroes called Hood Watch who basically were a neighborhood watch gang of superheroes. A bit like the New Warriors. Trying to think who else. I had a character called Eon who was a half vampire dude who wore camo clothes and he was a teenager, A bit like Mors. I think that’s about it. There are a couple of others, but they don’t spring to mind

Leigh Chalker (00:12:42):
And they still percolating.

Peter Lane (00:12:45):
No, no. I’m fully focused on Sky’s Kevin Library now, but you never know. He might jump into a book with those characters one day, who knows?

Leigh Chalker (00:12:52):
Well that’s the beautiful thing about Sky is as we’ll get into it shortly cuz I find it a really intriguing idea, man. I guess one thing now, sky’s Karn Library is an unusual title. It’s not an ev, not deaf note or <laugh>, something along those lines that like a Stephen Cigar movie

Peter Lane (00:13:19):
Wrong bit.

Leigh Chalker (00:13:21):
Yeah, <laugh>, just watch all that sort of stuff. I used to love them in the a late eighties though. Were like fucking can’t remember a bar now, man. But anyway, I digress. So Sky’s Karn Library, where did the name come from? And was I guess the name, the germ of the story or was the story already there and then the name came second?

Peter Lane (00:13:53):
Well I came up with a concept in a writer’s workshop class like I said around 1993. And at the time I was kind of forced to come up with a concept from the teacher teaching the class. So she basically said, you gotta come up with something in 20 minutes, how they always want you to write a story and go write this story. Anything off the top of your head. So I was kind of sitting there going what am I gonna do? And I just started throwing concepts against the wall. I’m like a fox and he can be an arctic fox and a library and it can be in a cabin. And so I’ve thought of all these concepts, threw ’em all together into a blender and yeah, came up with at the time the Kevin Library. But that lady became Sky’s Kevin Library cuz that was the name of the character.

Leigh Chalker (00:14:49):
And then over time it just progressed into the stories and ideas that came with that. Yeah,

Peter Lane (00:14:56):
Yeah. I decided to flesh it out and make a timeline as you do.

Leigh Chalker (00:15:01):
Everyone does. Yeah, well it’s a big timeline. You’ve told me a little bit about it, which I won’t say too much about it because spoilers and stuff for further issues and things at 1998 Australian comics at that point from memory were starting to get into news agents and things like that. We weren’t lucky with computers and things and layouts and emailing it’s printers and stuff. You had to do the leg work and to get one of these things made, there was a lot of phone calls and trying to work things out back then. So

Peter Lane (00:15:42):
Yeah.

Leigh Chalker (00:15:43):
How difficult did you find that first issue out in 1998? Tell us the story. Is there?

Peter Lane (00:15:51):
Yeah, it wasn’t easy. Like you say, it was 1998, so we’re kind of around the early internet kind of era, but I wasn’t really into it all then and there was no digital printing on hand or anything. So I was basically going to TAFE at the time and I knew this girl that worked at a printer up in the hills and when I say up in hills, I mean past Bill mumbo kind of stuff. So it was an old printer and yeah, she’s like, oh I know you wanna put this comic together and why don’t you use my printer? I went, okay cool. The printer has long since been grown over or collapsed or I’m not sure what happened to it, but I did the Google search on it. It doesn’t exist anymore <laugh>. But yeah, no, I got it printed up and they used plates at the time because like I mentioned, they didn’t do digital, they did plates back then.

(00:16:56):
And so I had to get those made and print that up and honestly after I got it printed up and I had to do 500 at the time, you can’t just get 50 or a hundred or whatever you want in digital you can these days. So yeah, I had to save up, get 500 made black and white with color cover. But yeah, I was saying the day I got it, I was actually a little bit disappointed cuz it didn’t come out exactly the way I wanted it. So I was kind of looking at the cover could have been a bit better and it’s not how I imagined it, but after a while I kind of brushed it aside and went, yeah, okay, I’ve got this comic now I’ve got 500 copies that I’ve gotta get out there and I worry about a higher quality print run on the second issue and all that has.

(00:17:55):
So yeah, I got out there, basically went door to door to comic stores. I actually went door to door to actual bookshops as well. Yeah. Cause I thought why not? You know what I mean? As you say, back then we didn’t have the internet so we couldn’t make up a website and put it on there and sell it. So I was mainly going door to door to these businesses and seeing who’d accept it. And a few bookshops actually did accept it, which was cool. I actually didn’t think, I also went to markets and stuff as well and sold a few copies there and over the years I sold quite a few copies, which was nice.

Leigh Chalker (00:18:36):
Yeah. So how old were you at the time that you were out walking mate?

Peter Lane (00:18:42):
Oh, twenties.

Leigh Chalker (00:18:43):
Twenties.

Peter Lane (00:18:44):
Yeah. Early twenties. Yeah,

Leigh Chalker (00:18:46):
Yeah. Oh, Dave died. Good day Dave. Yeah, it’s a lot of work. But as you said last time we were talking you, you got bugger all of those original first 500 left. Yeah,

Peter Lane (00:19:04):
Yeah. Not many at all. And some of them got destroyed in the movements as well. So I sold a fair whack, but then anything that was left <laugh>, it actually got destroyed in water damage at my parents’ place. So yeah, I had a handful left after that.

Leigh Chalker (00:19:25):
Yeah, yeah, right. Oh that’s a bummer. But I mean at the time that would’ve been heartbreaking mate, I would assume. But that yeah, would be, it’d be rather annoying I would assume. But mate, so you brought out Sky is Sky’s issue one, Karn Library issue 1 90 19 98, you’ve gone through the sales going to local businesses, comic bookshops, bookshops, doing the hard yer and stuff. Got it. Printed yourself at this point I come to where, so you’re in your comic bookshop, but where were you at this point in terms of with the comic book? Did you want to bring out an issue? Two was issue two in the process, did you have an idea that you wanted this to be ongoing or was the limited series, where were you at that point?

Peter Lane (00:20:35):
Well, after the first issue did pretty well, I thought, yeah, I wouldn’t mind doing a second issue. So <laugh> it actually got, I’d written the story, given it to Shane, we’d gone along with it and he was driving an ambulance at the time. I’m not sure if he still does, but he is a very busy man at the time and he wasn’t doing the Phantom or anything at that point. So we’d gotten halfway through doing the issue and of no fault of anyone’s, it just didn’t get completed unfortunately. But that was looking really, really good. So it kind of broke my heart a little bit, but it might be released at a later date and I’ll get into that a bit later. But, so it got half done. A lot of inks were completed, actually met a few more artists over the years, which added a little bit more to it on the ink side of things. But then they kind of moved on and after a while you get disheartened a little bit and go, maybe it’s not meant to be. And life gets in the way and you end up doing other things, family jobs, all that happens. And so it kind of got pushed to the wayside. Other things took its place. But yeah,

Leigh Chalker (00:22:02):
You still had the fire burning, I assume over that time you say it sort just put, things do get in the way, man. There’s a long time sometimes between drinks, you know, can’t help that just, it happens sometimes. Yeah. You obviously move to, from the comic shop down to Melbourne. Yeah. You’ve been there a while now.

Peter Lane (00:22:32):
Yeah, been there quite a while. Quite a few years. But you’ve

Leigh Chalker (00:22:37):
Got marriage, you got kids or anything like that? Oh

Peter Lane (00:22:41):
No, I, I’ve got fur babies.

Leigh Chalker (00:22:43):
Yeah, yeah. <laugh>, they keep you on your toes, I tell you. The little buggers. Yeah. Geez. They’re always looking into your shoulder, right? It’s like where are they? I guess So we’ve gone through life now outta, I guess we’ll come to when you decided that it was time to get back into Sky’s cabin Library. I, I’m throwing, I want to get this comic book back out there.

Peter Lane (00:23:26):
Yep.

Leigh Chalker (00:23:27):
When was that? Mate? Was 19 2019 2020

Peter Lane (00:23:34):
<laugh>. It was actually many, many years later. 2021.

Leigh Chalker (00:23:39):
Yeah,

Peter Lane (00:23:40):
Believe it or not. And I went to well I was <laugh> kind of funny when I think about it now cuz how it all started with Shane Foley being a regular customer in my comic shop. Well I’m a bit of a regular customer in alternate worlds <affirmative>. And so I was going in there and I was speaking with the owner time to time and he mentioned that oh we we’re doing this local creator day thing coming up. I know that you did a comic book a few years ago and yeah, a few years ago, a few decades ago. But yeah <laugh>. And he said, do you wanna put your comic in there and have a little stall? And I’m like, I only ever had one comic and I’ve got barely any left, maybe a handful or so which survived. And I said, I don’t really see the point in doing it. He’s like, ah, just do it. Just go and do it. This guy there called Gary, I want you to meet Gary Der. And he showed me a poll of books, r e comics <affirmative>. Whoa. I was looking at them thinking, wow, I’ve never seen Aussie comics like this before. They’re all glossy and, cause I’d been out of it for a while, you know what I mean?

Leigh Chalker (00:25:00):
So you hadn’t collected for a while during this period

Peter Lane (00:25:04):
I had collected, but

Leigh Chalker (00:25:06):
That’s why you there. But you hadn’t been into collecting Australian comic books.

Peter Lane (00:25:11):
I didn’t even know they existed at that point, honestly. I thought it was all dead and gone, you know what I mean? Yeah. And I know I’m not the only one cause I’ve heard other people say the same thing. They’ve come into it and gone, whoa, I didn’t even know there was a Aussie scene for comics. Yeah, I was the same way. He handed me these River e comics, little pile of them and I’m like, whoa, look at all these titles. I couldn’t believe it. You know what I mean? And they’re full color and I was used to doing black and white cuz they had to print off 500 at the time. And I did my own comic book and I was having to sell 500 copies and I didn’t know I was, didn’t we’d reach the point where you could go full color and not spend 20 grand on a comic <laugh>.

(00:26:01):
And they had glossy pages and everything. So I was kind of blown away again. I thought I wow. And yeah, he said maybe you wanna have a speak with this Gary D. Guy. And I’m like, yeah, maybe I do. Looking at the comics. So I, like I said, I was blown away and so I went to this local creator day and actually sold pretty much what I had left of Sky’s Cabin Library the old 19 98 1. I spoke to Gary there, which was good. Finally met the guy and I thought, yeah this is a good bloke. And yeah we got to talking about rebooting Sky Kevin Library and I was totally excited.

Leigh Chalker (00:26:47):
Yeah, well that sounds like a pretty bloody good day mate. So I suppose you can thank the bloke from alternate worlds for twisting your arm there. Grab those couple of comics and come on down. So yeah, now mate you being the writer and you’re gonna, and you’re rebooting skies, you and Gary in around the coldron coming up, fermenting ideas and stuff man to we could do this, you could do that sort of thing. Build in some positive energy, getting your GED back up into it. So I’m doing it you reckon? And you’re all teed up. So you’re artist that’s on Mount Jason Paul, certainly not an underground artist who means in Australia, he’s well known, he’s been around, he’s very, very good, very talented, very he’s there.

Peter Lane (00:27:59):
Yeah.

Leigh Chalker (00:28:01):
What was your pathway that led you to him?

Peter Lane (00:28:07):
It was like fate really. I was kind of scrolling through Facebook.

Leigh Chalker (00:28:11):
You seem to be getting lucky with this fate thing then it’s popping up a bit in this story.

Peter Lane (00:28:19):
I know, right? Yeah. But yeah, I was just kind of scrolling through Facebook and he just so happened to put an ad up saying Oh I’ve got a bit of a break, my services are available. And I thought oh cool. And I sent him a message and then we had a few phone calls and stuff and basically what I did is I rebooted Sky’s Karn library for River re anthology and we just did a little eight page thing together to introduce it in that. I’ve actually got a copy of it right here.

Leigh Chalker (00:28:55):
Yep. Check it up mate. Let everyone see.

Peter Lane (00:28:58):
Let’s have a look. There it is. So that was what came next. Yeah, see it there. It’s a bit glossy. There we go.

Leigh Chalker (00:29:10):
Gotcha. Now it’s available through you and publications shop.

Peter Lane (00:29:16):
Yeah, there’s a regular version that’s available through every publications shop that cover that I just showed you. The variant are we selling at shows but it’s got a very limited print run. Gotcha. So if you want a copy of it, you’ve gotta be quick.

Leigh Chalker (00:29:32):
Yeah, yeah.

Peter Lane (00:29:35):
<inaudible>

Leigh Chalker (00:29:36):
<laugh> had nothing wrong with that. I just go out in the street with a big Batten mate and just clock people I’ll, how many, many people can run faster than me. So I guess that little eight page teaser, well short story that you did for Reverie that also gave you the opportunity I guess. And Jason I don’t even know Jason but I’m just calling him Jason. I’ve known him for 20 years cuz I guess I have reading the Dark Nebula and stuff when I was a kid. So it’s like

Peter Lane (00:30:23):
We all know him a bit. We all red hair but the hippo and all that.

Leigh Chalker (00:30:27):
Yeah. Yeah. So for now he’s Jason. So I gave you guys time to get to know each other and work together and stuff and sort of create a bit of a bond I guess. So with the new one, the big release that’s just happened in the last month of bang 2022 Skies, cabin Library brush

Peter Lane (00:30:56):
Off the presses. Yeah.

Leigh Chalker (00:30:57):
Fresh off the presses. Now you’ve got three stories in that comic book. Yeah.

Peter Lane (00:31:05):
Yep. Three

Leigh Chalker (00:31:06):
Stories. All right. So what other artists mean? So you’ve worked with a few different artists and stuff obviously now. I guess was it easy working with three artists for three different stories to bring the comic book together and to bring it to life? Cuz I assume they’ve all got different ways of working and that’s something as a writer that it feels like pick up their vibe and stuff and mesh with them. So how easy was that process mate to get those three stories together?

Peter Lane (00:31:38):
I actually find it really fun. Those three stories are all about me. They’re all by Jason <affirmative>, sorry about that. They’re all by Jason in that first issue as well as the anthology one. But then after that, that’s when I’m still working with Jason mind you stories. But because I want to get them out on a kind of regular basis, I decided, you know what, I’ll get a few different artists on this one and just to keep the ball rolling along. And yeah, no I’m finding it a lot of fun. I enjoy the process of talking with different artists and seeing their side of it and how they approach things and everyone’s different and it’s just fun. I’m finding hell of all of

Leigh Chalker (00:32:31):
Fun. Are you finding when you get a page in from the artist do you work in a way where you just give the artist the script and talk about what you’re envisioning and stuff? Do you do little thumbnails? Do you do any drawing or anything or do you get the opportunity to send off the script and then a week or two later these things just start being sent to you an email and give you happy smiles when you look at ’em? What’s

Peter Lane (00:33:09):
What? It was actually really good working with Jason Paulos first is he taught me a lot of stuff with how comics are properly made <affirmative> and that was really good. That was a great learning curve. So I actually learnt how to put things together for the artists describing the panels and what’s going on in the panel, all that kind of jazz. I did have a go at doing little thumbnails like you said, cause I’ve done a little bit of artwork before. I did a comic strip back when I was back when I was young which I forgot to mention. But anyway <laugh>,

Leigh Chalker (00:33:48):
We can talk about the comic strip mate.

Peter Lane (00:33:54):
I’d actually completely forgotten about it. But anyway, sorry about that. Losing my voice here. That’s all right. But no, Jason taught me a lot. He, he’d show me the panel layouts basically he was showing me all stuff so it would make his process easier, which is fair enough. But it was good for me cause I learn all this new stuff and how to write a comic correctly. Because before you were saying before I was just kind of handing the artist a script and saying, there you go. And I kind of found out with Jason that it’s like not every artist kind of wants to work that way. But yeah, that was great learning all that.

Leigh Chalker (00:34:35):
Yeah, I mean I’m someone that was isolated too and just doing this bloody comic book for 20 odd years so I can understand life getting in the way and things like that with you. But it did for me as well I guess. Oh, okay. Left my, just trying to think. The one thing I’ve noticed when you start, in your case working some, I guess collaborating, talking, speaking to other creators and stuff you do, it’s amazing how much you learn just in a Friday night drink and draw for example, just seeing how other people approach a character or a scene and that sort of stuff. So I guess it can spark things off. I guess what I’m suppose I’m getting to is it’s strange how no matter however you like to do the process or wherever you think you are, I guess we’ve, everyone I’ve ever met never spoken to learns while they’re working. And it’s a beautiful thing to be able to speak to people, you know what I mean? And talk and you don’t have to take everything, I guess you pick and choose to what suits you as the creator and the individual, you know what I mean?

(00:36:04):
So yeah, I think you’re very lucky working and learning of someone of that echelon men. Oh yeah. Certainly would’ve been given you a huge boosting confidence too. Oh shoot, definitely.

Peter Lane (00:36:18):
Yeah. And I found working with him with the stuff he’s taught me, it’s a lot easier to communicate with other artists and the other artists have gone well when I’ve handed them the script and the description of the panels and all that, they’re like, oh this is really easy to read. Thanks for this. And it’s like, yeah cool. I know what I’m doing <laugh>.

Leigh Chalker (00:36:43):
Well there you go. I mean, hey mate, that’s

Peter Lane (00:36:47):
Not really,

Leigh Chalker (00:36:48):
That’s part of the mystique, isn’t it mate? Like oh there you go. Thank you. Now veer backwards in time. Your comic strip.

Peter Lane (00:37:00):
Yeah.

Leigh Chalker (00:37:00):
What was that all about? When did you start this? Cause that’s peaked my interest that now, so I’m not letting you off that hook mate. So let’s have, let’s step back and come back to this comic book strip. So lay it on me. What was that all

Peter Lane (00:37:15):
About before <laugh>? It’s a whole period of time I’d completely forgotten about. Yeah, no

Leigh Chalker (00:37:24):
<laugh> mate, I’m with you. That between ourselves, <laugh>

Peter Lane (00:37:33):
In the early nineties actually there was this newsletter called the Lilydale Progressive, which is in Tasmania, which is a local newspaper for Lilydale obviously. And I thought I was kind of reading the newspaper thing, it’s kind of missing something. Maybe I should try out a little comic strip for them. And I came up with this character called Bullocks the Bore and <laugh>, I went there with it and it was amateurish but they must have seen something in it. And before I knew it they’re like, yeah, okay, give us some more. And I’m like okay cool. So I did about 14 strips for them.

Leigh Chalker (00:38:20):
Yeah, right. Was that weekly or monthly?

Peter Lane (00:38:24):
It was a I’m trying to think. I think it was a monthly newsletter. Yeah, I think it was monthly. Yeah. Yeah.

Leigh Chalker (00:38:34):
Well that’s pretty cool start. So have you got any copies of those floating around that you might sneak into a little printed edition of something further down the track? Mate?

Peter Lane (00:38:49):
I’m not sure. I’d have to look at them again. I’d have to dig them up and I’ll either vomit or I might print them inside, <laugh>

Leigh Chalker (00:38:59):
Them in the back there just like, I reckon that’s cool man. Lilly Dale sounds like it was a progressive little place mate. I mean that good on Lilydale. I’ve never been there but I like it the way they think. So good on helping out Young fell and getting some confidence into him with his creativity. I like that. That’s cool. So Pete question or a prompting word that I really like mate because I think it’s always interesting to find out why over this long have you done it to yourself

Peter Lane (00:39:44):
<laugh>,

Leigh Chalker (00:39:45):
To keep that fire burning, to never give up on Sky’s Cavern library and stuff. And we know that, and it seems to me that you said the word before that fate at certain points has just touched you on the shoulder and led you to in this path. But was it a compulsion to see, because you’ve mentioned to me you’ve got a number of issues. I won’t give them away to people for spoilers and that, but if you could get away with it, there’s a certain number of issues that you would like to tell Sky’s cabin library’s story. I guess with the why is it your compulsion to tell guys story that’s kept you burning? Has it always been there? Like a dream might finish it?

Peter Lane (00:40:49):
These things always kind of simmer away in the background of your brain as and with every comic you read or every creative thing that you do, you’re, I remember that old comic I used to do and I’d still like to tell his story and it’s like I’d be inspired by, cause I also collected CE for a while by Dave Sim. I’d get inspired by him little art Va going about his way. But what really I really liked about that is he had an end point. He knew where he wanted to go. He knew that his story would be finite and he had issue 300 in mind. Not that I want to get to 300 <laugh>, that’s not the number.

Leigh Chalker (00:41:37):
Yeah. And he’s the size of a twig. Spaghetti 49 working the here <laugh>. Ah dear. Yeah. Have I got many issues interview years ago? We me do it <laugh> nothing you said you would bet anyway, <laugh>, I just twisted your arm but <laugh>, yeah,

Peter Lane (00:42:25):
The Crow. I know you’re a fan of the Crow as well. Yeah. And that had a finite amount of issues. So that’s another good example. He knew where he wanted to end up with that took him a few years but he got there and we got a really great story out of that as we both know. But yeah, no you’re right. There will be a finite number of issues in Sky’s story and I’ll like things with an ending and they might not always be a happy ending, but if you can wrap it up in a nice kind of neat way, it’s always satisfying for the reader.

Leigh Chalker (00:43:06):
Absolutely.

Peter Lane (00:43:08):
Yeah. And something about that too.

Leigh Chalker (00:43:13):
Yeah, yeah I do. I wonder why I do it to myself though man, every day. But <laugh> get there eventually in the time as we know rolls it’s out

Peter Lane (00:43:28):
Through the

Leigh Chalker (00:43:30):
Yeah, yeah. Yes. <laugh> for me, having read the first issue of Sky’s Karn library, which I mean I found one compliment I can definitely give you is so you could go anywhere with it really. I mean yeah this is a fox with a history that has the ability to take people into books and stories. I mean the possibilities that endless, that must excite you as well. I know you’ve got Hey Spy,

Peter Lane (00:44:23):
Hey Spy.

Leigh Chalker (00:44:24):
He’s a good dude.

Peter Lane (00:44:26):
Yeah, no he’s one of the reasons why I’m getting back into this.

Leigh Chalker (00:44:31):
Well we’ll get to your enthusiasm soon man. It can be very infectious. I know you’ve got your story with Sky’s Karn Library and your number of issues you want to do, but with the possibility of books, I mean you don’t even necessarily have to stick to books that are on the shelves man. You could be making up book titles and injecting these characters into that. I mean this, there’s so many spinoffs you could do and that must excite you too. You’d probably be just notepads of ideas I would assume.

Peter Lane (00:45:17):
Yeah, oh yeah, I’ve got quite a few ideas. It’s kind of like a double edged sword though. Sometimes it can be a little overwhelming as well. And it’s like what do you focus on in the story? Do you focus on that aspect where he’s going on adventures in books or his assistant is going on adventures in books or do you focus on his story himself? And I’m kind of trying to find a balance there where I can tell those stories as little one-offs, but I can also along and reveal little parts of his backstory as well. So

Leigh Chalker (00:45:56):
Hopefully

Peter Lane (00:45:57):
I off.

Leigh Chalker (00:45:58):
Yeah. Cause I look forward to seeing where you go with Sky, cuz you’re quite on Facebook as well and your places that you can go to see Sky as well as your own Facebook page and stuff. There’s a Sky’s cabin library Facebook page, anyone that’s out there, jump on follow, do all that sort of stuff.

Peter Lane (00:46:23):
Yeah, definitely.

Leigh Chalker (00:46:24):
<laugh> got, there’s artwork coming in from a lot of different people as well. Different images and pictures and stuff. You’ve got a lot of creators that I guess I’m leading in two different directions here, but you’ve got, how shall I say, sky’s main story. His life, his beginning and end is what you want to cover. But of late, you’ve got some other things coming in the near future from other varying artists and creators around. I know you’ve got if I can say you’ve got a Vivian Jones and Sky Cabin Library crossover coming, got some, no doubt you’ll be in a few other stories and stuff coming

Peter Lane (00:47:27):
Torn.

Leigh Chalker (00:47:29):
Oh there you go. There you go. Right. So that’s coming up. So you’re open to broadening the world. The other thing, which is a great thing, it’s a positive thing cuz it skys cabin library. I do. I really like the concept of it man. It is. It’s just so open, so much scope. You’re also very free with showing people the process of your artists and stuff like that. They’ve I’ve noticed videotaping themselves, drawing different panels and things like that, which I also think is cool to do and a cool insight for people. Again, I would say perhaps it was fate to begin with man. But I guess where I’m going with this and what’s happening for you now with the first issue coming out and then all these stories and that popping in bounce and had ideas flowing in that is, I don’t think it’s fate now, man. I think of the people I’ve liked an awful lot of people that I’ve met in the comic book community.

(00:48:45):
But you’re a very, very enthusiastic creator and member of the community, which I like. You’re very positive. You’re positive to everyone. You do the best you can to support artists and creators. And it’s not even for I guess selfish reasons if you know, buy my book, I’ll buy yours. That sort of stuff. You’re just so involved in it man. And it’s a beautiful thing. The positive, the energy that’s involved. And I actually think now, man, fate, nothing to do with you. I think you are bringing people to you Judy, your positivity and I just want to give you a thumbs up for that man because negativity, it’s a bad thing. And if more people positive like you and creating and envisioning things that they want to do, it’d be a beautiful place. Man the world

Peter Lane (00:49:45):
Life’s too short for all that.

Leigh Chalker (00:49:47):
Yeah, yeahs

Peter Lane (00:49:48):
Planet for finite amount of time and why not make the most of it.

Leigh Chalker (00:49:54):
Yeah, absolutely man. Absolutely. So when you got, with the new experience you’ve had and seeing your first Sky story in a Rry comic book, what was your feeling then? Did you just Oh,

Peter Lane (00:50:16):
Life changing man. Yeah, absolutely. Life changing. I mean you warned me about it when we were chatting with each other. You’re saying, man, it’s gonna change your life mate. And I’m like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. But then even with you telling me that once you get it, it’s like whoa, this is amazing. Especially when you see it. Oh thanks man.

Leigh Chalker (00:50:42):
So that’s sweet is kindness and supportiveness does not go unnoticed by many of us and it should be noticed by all of us. So good on man. Well said Ben.

Peter Lane (00:50:55):
I’m gonna get ready.

Leigh Chalker (00:50:57):
No, don’t not just use that energy and keep on creating brother cuz that’s what we’re all about here is just trying to support each other and keep us all moving forward.

Peter Lane (00:51:08):
Yeah

Leigh Chalker (00:51:08):
Mate. Yeah, it’s funny when you print that comic book, hey after such a long battle to get it out there, you would’ve had a couple of beers that night mate that would’ve, I saw your video, you unboxing video. That was a lovely touch as well man. See how happy you, thanks. The thing wrong with that video mate was that your backyard was probably, I’d say half an inch too too tall. Could have done with a, it might need a lawn mower man. But anyway, <laugh>, <laugh>, <laugh>. Move on from that. Hey

Peter Lane (00:51:53):
Yeah, I’m moving a A

Leigh Chalker (00:51:56):
<laugh>. Yeah so I guess the next thing where, when’s the, when’s got Sky one out you hard at work on Sky issue two, when are you having a look and think about that mate, you said earlier you wanted to keep some momentum up in that. So what are your thought processes with that?

Peter Lane (00:52:24):
I’m gonna try and get them out once every three to four months. So a quarterly basis. That’s my main name at the moment and I think I can achieve that. I mean spy himself, the man that just <laugh> messaged us then the man he’s helping me along with issue too and yeah he’s doing a great job coloring that. It’s

Leigh Chalker (00:52:54):
Awesome. Now is he, who’s for issue two mate? Who’s your artist working with you on that one as well?

Peter Lane (00:53:01):
Issue two’s a funny one. It’s a little bit of a cheat cuz it’s the second story from the 1998 issue. But what we’re doing is we’re taking the art and we’re basically rewriting all the dialogue lettering it all, basically remastering the whole thing, coloring it and releasing that as issued too. But it will have a new backup story on that as well. So that should be cool and rewriting it so it’s in continuity with the first issue and the world that we’ve kinda established in that.

Leigh Chalker (00:53:39):
Yeah, that’s cool man. I look forward to seeing that one as well and watching where you go with it mate, cuz I certainly hope that you can get to the issues and finish sky’s story mate. So it’s be well worth the read cuz I, the first one is only just the little taste of what’s to come. So now I think

Peter Lane (00:54:11):
Just on that, sorry, just on that. No I think I’ve come to the point in my life where I know what I wanna focus on now and the Sky’s cabin library is the thing I think that I want wanna focus on for the rest of my journey as it were. Cause you say there’s so much I can do with it and so many possibilities. So I’d like to focus on that from here on out.

Leigh Chalker (00:54:42):
Yeah, that’s an awesome goal to have man I think. And it’s not just people that are creatives either and people in comics, man, I think everyone needs goals man. You know what I mean? And everyone has their story to tell and that’s what I love about comic book genres and that’s why I enjoy talking to fellow creatives I guess, or people that are involved in the community cuz the person that you are and I am integrates into the story in which you tell and it’s glad that you’ve having the opportunity to tell that story man. Cuz for me you sound like you’re on the same, a similar path to me when I made my mind up that battle for bustle is what I’m gonna do by hell or by hook or crook mate hell or high water. I’m gonna get through those nine issues and if I don’t do anything after that ever again, you know what I mean? For me that is my story, you know what I mean? But I’ll always everything but you, you’ve identified that as your creative extension I guess, man. So

Peter Lane (00:56:03):
Yeah, definitely that’s that offer. Bustle is your Lisa, that’s what, yeah I wanna,

Leigh Chalker (00:56:10):
Yeah all my half suck mango depending on how you look at it mate. <laugh> like we gotta get through it yet. So it’s like anything can happen. It’s all an hour glass isn’t it? As we said <laugh>. But what dreams struck by lightning bolt, shaza bang, any power in the world that you’ve got, where would you like to take sky the most mate? Can you see it? What level if you know it all transport

Peter Lane (00:56:48):
Well I do have a little bit of a plan in that I’ve got a friend that’s into it sort of things. <affirmative> computer games or that kind of jazz. So I wouldn’t mind making Sky Kevin Library a computer game at some point. It’s certainly something I’m working on a little bit behind the scenes <affirmative> so fingers crossed, gotta give these things a shot. Absolutely. If it doesn’t eventuate then so be it. But gotta keep keeping on

Leigh Chalker (00:57:23):
Better to give it a go mate than not. Cause I mean if we all sat around here listened to everyone that said no you can’t, none of us get anywhere mate. So you know, got only forward but only forward. So I guess well winding down the show, having little bits of reflection here in your journey from 1998 through to now, what’s been your proudest moment? What’s been the highlight for you so far on this comic book journey meant?

Peter Lane (00:58:06):
I think what we’ve already talked about, just getting the finished product in my hands. You probably even saw on the video I was you, as you say, you can’t replicate those moments, can’t when it happens blows your way. It’s a life turning point. And that’s how I felt when I opened that box on that video looking at the comic going wow, this is what it’s all about. And it just pushes me to want to do more and more and more. You know, get addicted to it as you know.

Leigh Chalker (00:58:47):
Oh it’s

Peter Lane (00:58:47):
A

Leigh Chalker (00:58:48):
Man, I totally get the addiction to seeing your comic books turn up. It is, it’s a good day. Yeah, funny, funny story. The first box of comics that I ever got, I was at work and I was, you’re tracking them and I teed up the finish work one o’clock one afternoon cuz the driver was supposed to deliver ’em at one 30 or something. So I get this text message at about 1230 delivered now. I’m like, what’s going on here? I freaked out cuz my dogs are in the yard and apparently the dudes delivered them. So in my mind I’m thinking like, oh my god, this box of comic books has just been launched over the fence and the dogs are gonna be into him. I was freaking outta work, right outta work man. I am pegging it down Bayswater Road, you know what I mean?

(00:59:49):
Get that red light, the longest red light in your life, you know what I mean? Give it some. And then on the right hand side of the road, here’s the delivery van and this dude’s having his lunch. So a lu tick I’ve pulled up man and I’ve just run across two lanes of traffic to just bang on this dude’s window. He is totally freaked out in having his Sanger and shit mobile phone. And I’ve gone, dude, you just did a delivery of comic books and he window comes down this far as what? Anyway, we went through this process and in the end he’s like, yeah mate, it’s delivered so bolted home and Lloyd man was like contemplating, he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to chew it or pee on it. And thankfully I got home in the nick of time that he didn’t have to make that decision.

(01:00:50):
But that was a crazy adrenaline rush for the first box of battle for Bustle comics and then ringing up an apologizing to work that I’d exited rather swiftly with out letting anyone know. But why do we do these things? It’s good times man. It’s good times. So Pete mate, again thank you for your enthusiasm. I know with me in particular over the last year, 18 months mate, you know what I mean? And saying today and enjoying battle for Bustle. I’ve enjoyed greatly seeing your journey to getting issue one out because I’ve known you battle and pushing through it and talking about it, mate. So I’ll, I’d love to give you a double thumbs up and congratulate you on that. Thank you. I hope other people watching the show still feel this way about getting their comic books and what they do in the community cuz it’s not just about creators, it’s collectors reviewers, Incs, writers, editors like anyone that supports the community. Hopefully enthusiasm is brimming amongst all of you. I’d like to say everyone can get Sky’s cabin library from the comics Net Shop touched in today. There’s a whole heap of other comic books there that are well worth the look. It’s a great big ocean in creativity out there.

(01:02:42):
Ums. thanks Gary. Yeah, mate. So I wish you the best man and we seeing you again and seeing plenty of skies, Karn, library and okay. And before we go I would just like to thanks Shane for looking after us for the show to thank all the chin wagons that are out there watching the show and having a listen. Hope we’re going all right. I would like to say community is unity and I would just like to also add, go and buy some Australian comic books or support anyone, go to your comic book conventions, reach out, say day, and thank you very much. So next week we’ve got Gary D from Reary Publications on the show, so that’ll be an interesting chat. So thank you everyone for watching, listening, dancing, driving, doing whatever you’re doing or been doing. And yeah, we’ll see you Tuesday, 7:30 PM next week. And remember, everyone’s got something to hide except for me and my monkey <laugh>.