Gary Chaloner
Gary Chaloner is an Australian comic book artist, writer and publisher. He is known for his creations The Jackaroo, Flash Damingo, Red Kelso and The Undertaker Morton Stone, as well as his work on Will Eisner's John Law.
Chaloner began self publishing in 1985 with David de Vries, Glenn Lumsden and Tad Pietrzykowski under the Cyclone Comics imprint.
In 1989 he illustrated an issue of Mike Baron's Badger. Chaloner undertook the artwork on Eternity Comics' Ninja High School. He was the writer/artist of Planet of the Apes: Urchak's Folly by Adventure Comics in October 1990. Together with writer, Stephen Jewell, Chaloner illustrated Epic Comics’ The Olympians published in 1991–1992.
In 1994 Chaloner was the Australian editor for Dark Horse Comics' limited three issue Dark Horse Down Under, which included his creation, The Undertaker Morton Stone, with artist, Ashley Wood. He also worked for Marvel Comics.
In 2002, he worked with Will Eisner to develop new stories featuring the Eisner creations John Law, Lady Luck and Mr. Mystic. These stories were first published online on the now-defunct comics collective site, Modern Tales, and then were published in print in 2004 by IDW Publishing. He also worked for DC Comics.
In 2005, he inaugurated the Ledger Awards, Australian comic book awards that 'acknowledge excellence and achievement in Australian comic arts and publishing'. In 2023, he stood down from the Comic Arts Awards' organising committee, citing a need to refocus on his health, and creating and publishing new comic book material.
In 2013 was the writer and artist on Breckinridge Elkins: Mountain Man in issues #7-9 of Dark Horse Comics’ Robert E. Howard's Savage Sword, published in February–September 2013 in the United States
Other projects of note include covers and illustrations for Tim Byrd's Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom, Cyclone Force, and Proud Heart: The Love of Achilles, with writer Gary Proudley, Unmasked, Astro City. In 2016 he produced the cover art for Frew Publications' The Phantom, the first Phantom story to be set on Australian soil.
In 2015 The Undertaker Morton Stone Vol. 1 was a finalist in the Aurealis Award for best illustrated book or graphic novel, an annual literary award for Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror fiction.
He was the 2017 recipient of the Jim Russell Award, made to the individual or organisation who in the opinion of the Australian Cartoonist's Association Board has made a significant contribution to Australian cartooning.
Across 2017–18, he published nine issues of Cyclone Redux: The Adventures of Flash Damingo and The Jackaroo under the Cyclone Comics imprint. These issues reprinted his material from earlier Cyclone Comics editions.
His current projects under the Cyclone Comics imprint include Adventure Illustrated, The Undertaker Morton Stone, and The Jackaroo.
In July 2021, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
He currently resides in Tasmania, Australia.