the Pure Evil Anthologies 1996 - 2001
image by fikaris for cover on reprints of issue 5
Beginning as a handmade chapbook in 1996 as Pure Evil, this anthology series went on to be the spine of the braddock coalition - a group of comic artists self publishing each others work, the seminal first release was edited by Gregory Mackay, Michael Fikaris and John Weeks. Loosely using the philosophy ''every lost cause needs a reason" and the ever faithful mantra of 'not mild' these anthologies saw a variety of collaborative pages and energy of youth gone wrong in the suburbs of Melbourne.
Pure Evil 2,3 and 4 were edited and published by the Braddock Coalition ( Fikaris and Mackay) from 1996 - 1999 with local energy abound in Melbourne town as our silent army began to form with troops high on ink spirit moving to Melbourne from all over the continent.
The artistic generosity of the group saw it's collaborators working together and sharing many roles in a harmonious non profit entity of the printed concern.
The landmark issue 'Pure Evil 5' was created with screenprinted cover and hand stenciled numbered editions in 2000 at the first Braddock Studios rented by Fikaris in Fitzroy. The issue was edited again by Fikaris and Mackay with help from Jared Lane and Kieran Mangan.
Although some issues were reprinted in 2007, the idea was to make rare and beautiful books, hand cut and detailed and 'to go boldly where no Australian comic art had been before' in editions that would be affordable to the working class aswell as appealing to the connisseurs of such a thing.
'Pure Evil 6' was the final anthology with extra effort and local printing specialists involved, seeing the Braddock Coalitioin's first larger print run and outsourced printing with wraparound colour covers and perfect bound digest of 120 pages. Edited and designed by Fikaris, Mackay and Mangan with digital preperation (our first) by Lachlan Conn. The issue also marked the first artist residency of the group at a gallery in Melbourne with an exhibition and a series of eclectic comic book launches at Linden Centre of Contemporary Art in St.Kilda.
Pure Evil 2,3 and 4 were edited and published by the Braddock Coalition ( Fikaris and Mackay) from 1996 - 1999 with local energy abound in Melbourne town as our silent army began to form with troops high on ink spirit moving to Melbourne from all over the continent.
The artistic generosity of the group saw it's collaborators working together and sharing many roles in a harmonious non profit entity of the printed concern.
The landmark issue 'Pure Evil 5' was created with screenprinted cover and hand stenciled numbered editions in 2000 at the first Braddock Studios rented by Fikaris in Fitzroy. The issue was edited again by Fikaris and Mackay with help from Jared Lane and Kieran Mangan.
Although some issues were reprinted in 2007, the idea was to make rare and beautiful books, hand cut and detailed and 'to go boldly where no Australian comic art had been before' in editions that would be affordable to the working class aswell as appealing to the connisseurs of such a thing.
'Pure Evil 6' was the final anthology with extra effort and local printing specialists involved, seeing the Braddock Coalitioin's first larger print run and outsourced printing with wraparound colour covers and perfect bound digest of 120 pages. Edited and designed by Fikaris, Mackay and Mangan with digital preperation (our first) by Lachlan Conn. The issue also marked the first artist residency of the group at a gallery in Melbourne with an exhibition and a series of eclectic comic book launches at Linden Centre of Contemporary Art in St.Kilda.
' the POX girls' from W.A meet with Fikaris at the young writers festival in NSW 1997 w/ Pure Evil 2 & 3.
