From Man... To Matua!
A look into the creation of one of my personal favourite comics from my new book!
Below is one of my favorite comics from my new book, Slices of Heaven: Uniquely Kiwi Comics about Aotearoa. It was also the last comic I completed for the book, I had three pages to fill and was stumped on what to do, I had a few ideas for other deep dives and a Kiwi-based superhero but neither fit the length of the vibe for the book (so I’m saving them for the sequel).
Like many of the comics in the book, this one popped into my head after I overheard a man lamenting about being called ‘Matua’ for the first time and saying it made him feel old. I wrote ‘Sailor Matua’ in my notes pad and promptly forgot about it until I revisited my ‘ideas and phrases’ notes, and immediately, it worked perfectly.
There are also many personal references in this one, which I’ll dive (quite deeply) into after the comic, but I think that, and its overall wholesome nature, is why it’s a highlight of the book for me.
Anyway, enjoy!
A lot of the panels and general design of ‘Sailor Matua’ are based on the older men in my life.
“If you’re going to do a job, you gotta’ do it properly” - Bernie Green, my Poppa.
Firstly this comic is inspired by my Poppa, I spent a lot of my time with my grandparents on my mother’s side growing up as they lived in the same town my mum moved back to. I’d stay there a lot and they helped raise us. After a stroke and general old age, it was harder for my poppa to mow the great stretch of lawn around their property, so I would go around once a fortnight and mow it for them.
But if you have ever met a man from his generation, he couldn’t quite give up this “task for a man” so easily and would follow me around with his walking stick as I mowed, making sure I didn’t “miss any spots” for the first few months, before finally trusting me.
Another thing he would do is exclusively drink crates/flagons of Lion Red, he’d nurse one while pouring it into the tiniest glass. Which seemed to be a counterproductive way to drink beer, as the bottle warmed up by the time he got to the bottom. But after each mow of the lawn, he’d get me to fetch an extra glass, and I’d join him to celebrate a “job well done”.
My Poopa, father, step-dad, and most of my uncles watch sports standing up with their hands behind their back, especially if a) they are at the pup which only has stools, and b) if the game is frighteningly close. I don’t know at what age this happens to a man, but I tell you what, I caught myself doing this at the back of a gig recently and a shiver went down my spine.
Fashion-wise, a lot of the older men in my family decided collectively (I assume) that they all just want to wear Canterbury-branded clothing. I’m talking log-sleeve jackets in the winter, and frighteningly short rugby shorts in the hot Waikato summers. And once they knock off work, they slide directly into those classic blue and black jandals.
If you see a pile of these bad boys on the doorstep, it means the uncles are around post-fishing with a feed, a 24-box, nylon string guitars, and good vibes:
“If I can I will, If I cannot, then I apologise” - My Uncle Wallys’ life mantra.
Finally, I wanted to capture the community spirit of small towns and of Māori, how involved we get in the community, in teaching sports, organizing school sports days, cooking up feeds, and the general passing down of knowledge and skills.
Growing up in a small town I had the classic teenage thoughts of “this place sucks, it’s too small for a big-shot like me, I can’t wait to leave” but as I’ve grown older I don’t think I would have wanted to grow up anywhere else, and I’m increasingly thankful for that town, and the people, and stories it contains.
The immense joy I had making this comic taking walks down memory lane, and putting so much of myself, my family, and those I love into each page has made it one of the things I am most proud of creating thus far in my career. And seeing it resonate with so many people, who can relate to the things woven into the pages, really reminds me of how lucky we are to be raised in a small town, and to live in such a small close-knit country.
Danz
If you want to grab a copy of ‘Slices of Heaven: Uniquely Kiwi Comics about Aotearoa’ you can purchase it below from my store! It contains this comic, plus five other warm and witty comics about the DNA of Aotearoa, celebrating our quirks, institutions, identity, and shared experiences!
