Born and raised in Surrey, England, Alex Cara has lived in Ōtautahi Christchurch since 2004. A graduate of the Ilam School of Fine Arets, where she specialised in printmaking, Alex now focuses on freelance illustration and creating comics. Her work has been published in Three Words (Beatnik, 2016), an anthology of New Zealand women's comics, educational magazine Connected, and modern fairy-tale compendium Diamonds and Toads (PJ Paterson, 2019).[1]
Her interest in comic art stems from exposure to The Beano, Steve Bell's political cartoon strips and the manga of Rumiko Takahashi, developing into a particular love for European BD and full-colour artwork. She studied Printmaking and the Elam School of Fine Arts, with a minor in Anthropology.[2]
Her first foray in to the New Zealand comics scene was as the artist of Nothing Fits, a collaborative graphic novel written by Nate Tamblyn, self published in 2014 vai a Kickstarter campaign. Now a regular attendee of the monthly Funtime Comics workshops, Alex has insinuated her way onto the New Zealand Comics table at both the Christchurch and Auckland Armageddon Expos, where you might have seen her smiling inanely at passersby and looking inept while trying to handle money.[2]
She is currently working on a personal comic novella project titled The Pearl, which may not ever see the light of day. Some of her top comic idols include Posy Simmonds, Chris Ware, Nocolas de Crécy and Fumiko Takano.[2]
More recently, Alex exhibited in the 2023 Shortbox Comic Fair and was awarded first place in the Autobio category of the 2024 Minicomic Awards with her short comic Fancies.[3]
Publications[]
- Nothing Fits (Webcomic) (Written by Nate Tamblyn; Webcomic, 23rd of December 2011-22nd of February 2014)[4][5]
- Nothing Fits (Written by Nate Tamblyn; Self-published, 19th of September 2014)[6][7][8]
- The Pearl (In production, 2016-Present)[2]
- Notes from a Captain's Log (Self-published, 2016)[9][10][11][12]
- "Stars//Longing//Skunks" (Words provided by Susan Rugg; Three Words: An Anthologyof Aotearoa/NZ Women's Comics, 14th of March 2016)[2]
- Dreams of Here: Far from Home (Self-published, 2017)[13][14]
- Miscellanea (Self-published, 2019)[15]
- "Betty Batham: Biologist" (Connected: Shifting Views, 2019)[16][17]
- Baby Versus Cat (Self-published, 2020)[18]
- "Monday 23rd March." (Lockdown: Tales from Aotearoa, November 2020)[1]
- Love (Self-published, 2022)[19]
- The Graduate (Self-published, 2023)[20][21]
- Fancies (Self-published, 2024)[22][23]
Covers gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lockdown: Tales from Aotearoa ISBN 978-1-877375-65-1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Three Words ISBN 978-0-9941205-0-2
- ↑ https://www.alex-cara.com/about
- ↑ nothingfits.thecomicseries.com/comics/first
- ↑ https://nothingfits.thecomicseries.com/comics/136/
- ↑ https://natlib.govt.nz/records/32986772?search%5Bil%5D%5Bcollection%5D=National+Schools+Collection&search%5Bil%5D%5Bprimary_collection%5D=National+Library+of+New+Zealand+Catalogue&search%5Bil%5D%5Bsubject%5D=New+Zealand+fiction+21st+century&search%5Bpath%5D=items
- ↑ https://nothingfits.thecomicseries.com/comics/137/
- ↑ https://nothingfits.bigcartel.com/product/nothing-fits
- ↑ Notes from a Captain's Log ISBN 978-0-473-37585-0
- ↑ https://alex-cara.tumblr.com/post/159281609435/two-finished-books-ready-to-take-to-chromacon
- ↑ https://nothingfits.webcomic.ws/comics/138/A never-before-seen slice of New Zealand comics faux-history; A long voyage is depicted through a selection of ink-wash 'Cartoons', in a style reminiscent of Taranaki Punch. 36 pages, stapled softcover, matte paper. 260 x 170 x 4mm.
- ↑ https://natlib.govt.nz/records/38182116?search%5Bpath%5D=items&search%5Btext%5D=notes+from+a+captain%27s+log
- ↑ https://nothingfits.webcomic.ws/comics/138/"O! Fortunate reader You will find within these pages nine settler narratives, fun for "New Chums" and "Gone Natives" alike, and rendered in extravagant colour. Thrill to the fears and fancies of these exotic intruders, with their night-terrors and naiveties, and dreams of here, far from home." 52 pages, matte perfect-bound softcover, b/w and full colour throughout. 215 x 280 x 6mm.
- ↑ https://natlib.govt.nz/records/38170640?search%5Bpath%5D=items&search%5Btext%5D=Dreams+of+Here%3A+Far+from+Home
- ↑ https://alexcaraart.bigcartel.com/product/miscellaneaAn artbook featuring sketchbook extracts, illustrations and comic development work. Interior pictures: www.alex-cara.com/books 2019 40 pages Full colour, stapled softcover 210 x 297 x 5mm
- ↑ https://www.alex-cara.com/?itemId=t8b8ct3kkrm4zchd5kdqikcgahk97y"Betty Batham: Biologist", published in Connected: Shifting Views. Ministry of Education, 2019
- ↑ https://www.alex-cara.com/?itemId=acn8nj6oejsvy8p0osj5t3lhdhzwau
- ↑ https://www.alex-cara.com/?itemId=qkf9oiffos7hvx8jx1mzgcqbzrl93w
- ↑ https://www.alex-cara.com/love 2022 / 4pp.
- ↑ https://www.alex-cara.com/?itemId=zw7idjlw3vx5mrh2elxnc00h9jx1ga
- ↑ https://www.alex-cara.com/?itemId=euw8jn2pwbq4e50p23n7ehf5bh9a3q
- ↑ https://www.alex-cara.com/fancies 2024 / 5pp.
- ↑ https://alexcaraart.bigcartel.com/product/fanciesA collection of six minicomics about childhood, dreams, creativity, and obsession. Interior pictures: www.alex-cara.com/books 2023 86 pages Full colour, perfect bound softcover 210 x 297 x 8mm