Brenton E. McKenna Brenton E. McKenna i(A139132 works by)
Born: Established: 1982 Broome, Kimberley area, North Western Australia, Western Australia, ;
Gender: Male
Heritage: Aboriginal ; Aboriginal Yawuru
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BiographyHistory

Brenton E. McKenna, a young Indigenous graphic artist and novelist, was born in Broome in 1982 and lived there until he was fifteen. In his teenage years he taught himself to draw by copying images from comics and a cartooning book given to him by a high school art teacher. He draws his inspiration for his form of the graphic novel, from sources that include Aboriginal mythology, folklore from various cultures, urban history and legend, war correspondence and military stories, science fiction and the natural world. However, his main sources are from his memories of growing up in Broome. (Source: Dictionary of Australian Artists Online http://www.daao.org.au)

Most Referenced Works

Personal Awards

2023 winner Magabala Fellowships and Scholarships Magabala Fellowship to develop sequels in the 'Hairy Holes' series.
2016 recipient Australian Indigenous Creator Scholarship

to provide specialist mentoring and training within the graphic novel genre, and enable him to attend the annual Australian Comics Festival to further pursue professional opportunities

in his field.

2010 recipient May Gibbs Children's Literature Trust Fellowship

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Ubby's Underdogs : Return of the Dragons Broome : Magabala Books , 2019 15403204 2019 single work graphic novel young adult

'It is the late 1940s and Broome, a small pearling town in the heart of an ancient land, is still recovering from WWII. Ubby and her gang of Underdogs cross into the Forbidden Zone on the Broome coastline in a desperate bid to locate their missing friend Sai Fong who has disappeared without a trace. What they encounter is worse than anything they could ever have imagined. To survive, the Underdogs must call upon the local gangs to unite, solve the mystery of the Dragon Summoner, and make contact with the mysterious Phoenix Dragon to fight the battle of all battles against an evil and unearthly enemy. What is at stake is the future of humanity itself.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2020 shortlisted Comic Arts Awards of Australia
y separately published work icon Ubby's Underdogs : Return of the Dragons Broome : Magabala Books , 2019 15403204 2019 single work graphic novel young adult

'It is the late 1940s and Broome, a small pearling town in the heart of an ancient land, is still recovering from WWII. Ubby and her gang of Underdogs cross into the Forbidden Zone on the Broome coastline in a desperate bid to locate their missing friend Sai Fong who has disappeared without a trace. What they encounter is worse than anything they could ever have imagined. To survive, the Underdogs must call upon the local gangs to unite, solve the mystery of the Dragon Summoner, and make contact with the mysterious Phoenix Dragon to fight the battle of all battles against an evil and unearthly enemy. What is at stake is the future of humanity itself.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2020 shortlisted Comic Arts Awards of Australia
y separately published work icon Ubby's Underdogs : The Legend of the Phoenix Dragon Broome : Magabala Books , 2011 Z1767589 2011 single work graphic novel young adult adventure

Ubby is a smart, young Aboriginal girl who is twice as tough as the streets she lives on. She is the leader of a rag-tag group of youth known as the 'Underdogs'. When Ubby meets Sai Fong, a Chinese girl who has arrived fresh off the boat from Beijing, street life in Broome takes on a multitude of new dimensions. From the moment the two girls meet, they find themselves immersed in a series of bizarre adventures influenced by Aboriginal and Chinese myths and legend, and secrets never before exposed.

'This is a heroic tale that measures the limits of courage and friendship. Ubby's Underdogs: The Legend of the Phoenix Dragon boasts a multifaceted narrative with staggering graphic detail in order to introduce a series of complex characters with links to other worlds. Amidst a backdrop of fictionalised Aboriginal and Chinese mythology in the unique multicultural town of Broome, Brenton's first graphic novel leaves you gasping for air and in anticipation of things to come.'

(Source: Magabala Books website; http://www.magabala.com)

2011 nominated Deadly Sounds Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music, Sport, Entertainment and Community Awards Outstanding Achievement in Literature
Last amended 26 Jul 2019 12:23:29
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