Cirrus@Austlit

'Introducing Bleak Tales: six full-colour comics to make you feel blue!

'This collection of short comics explores the morbid and downbeat side of Owen Heitmann’s art. With each page turn, you’ll be transported to a world of despair, where the characters are haunted by their pasts, thwarted by fate, and plagued by their own inner demons.

'The stories in Bleak Tales originally appeared in black-and-white in various anthologies, including international publications that had little or no distribution in Australia. They have all been revised and newly coloured for this publication, with each story coloured in a different style to suit its content.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Step into the world of Sun, Sand & Self-Doubt, a captivating comic detailing one unforgettable day in an otherwise typical Australian summer.

'Siblings Trudy and Sam are holidaying with their parents at a beachside shack, where the sea breeze carries the promise of idle pleasures such as skipping stones, rockpooling for crabs and sailing makeshift toy boats. The days stretch out endlessly and childhood is free of obligations.

'But while confident, adventurous Sam revels in the freedom of the beach, his younger sister Trudy is haunted by insecurities. Her inner turmoil casts shadows that no amount of sun can chase away… until an unexpected moment changes her life forever.

'Sun, Sand & Self-Doubt is a must-read for anyone seeking a heartfelt, vibrantly illustrated experience. It’s not merely a nostalgic paean to Australian childhoods; it’s a poignant exploration of resilience, growth and the enduring power of familial bonds.

'Join Trudy on her journey of self-discovery in this coastal tale that captures the essence of sun-soaked days, the ebb and flow of the tide, and the profound beauty of a transformative summer.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'In the far flung reaches of space, First Officer Daniel Gray is alone. Alone in a vast spaceship, and alone in the even vaster universe. As the last member of the human race, he follows the same routine every day, waiting for his clock to wind down and bring to an end all the possibilities that once filled mankind’s future.

'And then one day he encounters something unexplainable - something that opens the door to more possibilities than Daniel had ever imagined…' (Publication summary)