Australian indie comic Greener Pastures has amassed an international fanbase in its 30+ years of life, and to celebrate its cult classic status, co-creator and artist Tim McEwen is launching a brand new story set in the 1990s. Greener Pastures #8 will feature art by Dave Sim, Nicola Scott, Jon Sommariva, Chris Wahl, Mark Sexton, Al Barrionuevo, Dean Rankine, Ashley Wood, and more, all inked by McEwen for continuity.
“We wanted to do something really special for our return, so I thought I’d reach out to some of the friends we made over the years,” McEwen said in a statement. “Over my time in the Australian comics scene, I’ve had the opportunity to rub shoulders with a who’s-who of comic greats—many of whom I called on for this new issue. There are some great stories I could tell about the people who said no (get me on your show and we can spill the beans!) but we’re so grateful to all the ones who said yes. The result is something truly worthy of Trevor’s long-awaited return.”
Greener Pastures #8 reworks a script originally intended for publication in 1997. The working title, “Sex & Violence,” has been changed to “Sweet Sweet Release,” which hints at a scintillating time for protagonist Trevor Bovis at The Berlin Club. The Beat can exclusively reveal Ashley Wood’s art for the comic, depicting the exterior of the local nightspot, below.
McEwen and his team aren’t stopping with just one new issue. Following the Kickstarter campaign for Greener Pastures #8, the series will continue on with tales that are “primed and ready to go,” per the press release.
“We were inspired by people like Dave Sim, who had one of the longest-running indie titles with the most issues—so it feels good to carry the torch and inspire the next generation, even if it’s with the longest-running indie title that has the fewest issues,” McEwen said. “If all goes to plan, we’re going to turn that around over the next couple of years or so, as we’re already working on the next stage in Trevor’s evolution. Whether you’ve been following us since the beginning, or you’re just discovering us now, we hope you’ll take that journey with us.”
Check out the cover for Greener Pastures #8 and preview pages from McEwen below.
In addition to the contributors listed above, Greener Pastures will also feature work by Mel Stringer, Louis Purdy, James A. Owen, Thomas Campi, Marty Abel, Jeffrey ‘Chamba’ Cruz, Gary Chaloner, Matt Huynh, Camillo Di Pietrantonio, Katie Houghton-Ward, Louie Joyce, Campbell White, Erin Hunting, Jason Chatfield, Meghan Valins, Ben Hutchings, Zen Pencils, Pia Michalandos, Ben Mitchell, and McEwen’s children, Samuel McEwen and Annabelle McEwen.
Pages from Barrionuevo and Joyce, inked by McEwen, can be seen below.
Greener Pastures was created by McEwen and Michael Michalandos in 1990. The award-winning series ran as a regular comic strip in the University of New South Wales newspaper Tharunka, then was self-published starting in 1994. Before the launch of Greener Pastures #8 this year, the last published issue was #7.5 in 1998.
Greener Pastures #8 is live on Kickstarter until March 8. For more, visit GreenerPasturesComic.com.
