Sydney Opera House Celebrates Comic Culture with Kevin Smith (Clerks) and George Miller (Mad Max)

Kevin Smith and the “Clerks” cast, 1994

Get your geek on at GRAPHIC, the Sydney Opera House festival that celebrates comics, graphic storytelling and animation. Here are our highlights from the line-up, which was announced today.

Kevin Smith—creator behind cult classics Clerks and Mallrats—opens the festival. The comic book enthusiast will discuss the superhero blockbuster frenzy, dig his teeth into Marvel vs. DC, and more (if you’ve ever watched any of the Evening With Kevin Smith series, you’ll know what we mean by more: no topics, from anal fissures through to his thoughts on Prince, are off-limits). The slacker icon will be joined on stage by his Silent Jay partner in crime, Jason Mewes. And yes, there will be Q&A time.

Post-apocalyptic action your thing? Go behind-the-scenes with the masterminds behind Mad Max. Writer-director George Miller will be joined in conversation with co-writer and illustrator Brendan McCarthy, and co-writer and dramaturge Nico Lathouris in an exclusive panel discussion, which will include never-before-seen footage and images.

Another must-see is a live performance from metal drummer turned composer/pianist Ólafur Arnalds. The Icelandic artist is known for providing music for The Hunger Games and soundtracking British crime series Broadchurch, and now he’ll appear live on-stage with a 13-piece orchestra accompanied by visuals from videographer Máni Sigfússon.

There’s lots of free stuff too—like the Australian premiere of The Walking Dead season 6; discussion by animation studio Animal Logic about their work on The Lego Movie; and screening of She Makes Comics (a film about females in comic culture).

Ticket sales and registration for free events commence at 9am on Friday August 14. GRAPHIC will be held on September 28 and October 10-11 at the Sydney Opera House. Head here for more information including the complete program. 

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