Michael Fikaris has developed primary research for this collection of Australian Small Press Comics out of an interest in the potential for the distribution of art/stories via physical formats in a pervasively digital future. Fikaris has recently set up the ‘silent army storeroom’, a research initiative within his own working studio up the back of an established Melbourne group studio warehouse. Fikaris’s broader research interests and outcomes are motivated by the rapidly expanding practices and roles of comics in the 21st century. He has recently co-edited a book, featuring contributions from leading comic art communities, journalists and activists published by Kus! Komiks (Latvia) in late 2019. Fikaris was also awarded Australia’s National Platinum Ledger Award for contribution to Australian comics.
