Salisbury man's comic no joke
* Local News
2 Nov 10 @ 03:00pm by Katelin Nelligan
ZOMBIES invading St Kilda, blood spurting from mummies and
skeletons walking the Earth - it is all in Darren Koziol’s comic book.
It was the Salisbury resident’s lifelong love of comics that prompted him to make his own.
The first issue of Decay was published in March after a year of planning. Mr Koziol says it has since grown to become
the largest Australian-made comic series being sold. “We have so many talented artists and writers in Australia and I
hope this will give them an opportunity to keep their work here, rather than going overseas,” he says.
The 36-year-old edits, publishes and commissions work for the comic, as well as writing some of the stories. One story called Oz Zombie involved a zombie invasion across the world, with scenes set in St Kilda, Semaphore and the Adelaide CBD. “It’s important to make the comic something people in Australia can identify with,” he says. “I’m hoping that will help to boost its popularity, because most comics that can be bought here are from the US or UK. I love cars, so I make a point of using Australian cars in all my comics.”
Mr Koziol says he has been thrilled to have famous artists and writers, such as David DeVries, Glenn Lumsden and Dave Heinrich, calling him to be part of the project. “These guys have been involved in projects like The Phantom and Batman overseas, so to have them knocking on my door, offering their work for free, is just amazing,” he says. As for the future, Mr Koziol has his sights set on the big screen. “I’m hoping we can branch off into other things.
“We’ve got some children’s books in the works and I’ve also been in touch with people from the film industry. “Everyone’s so excited to be involved in producing something here in Australia.”
Decay is available from Kollectable Kaos, Research Rd, Pooraka, and comic specialty shops in the city.