Gestalt Publishing
| Company type | Independent publisher |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Wolfgang Bylsma, Skye Ogden |
| Headquarters | Perth , Australia |
| Products | Graphic novels, comics |
| Website | gestaltcomics |
Gestalt Publishing is an independent Australian publisher specializing in graphic novels, with a strong emphasis on promoting Australian creators and fostering new artistic talent.
History
Established in 2005 in Applecross, Western Australia by Wolfgang Bylsma and Skye Ogden, Gestalt's founders brought experience from the underground and editorial comic scenes dating back to the early 1990s. Operating out of Perth, the company actively engages in numerous conventions and festivals throughout Australia.
Gestalt’s portfolio includes acclaimed works like The Deep: Here Be Dragons, Eldritch Kid, Unmasked, and Flinch. Their roster features distinguished artists such as Shaun Tan, Tom Taylor, Andrew Constant, Colin Wilson, and Terry Dowling.
The 2013 documentary Comic Book Heroes showcased Gestalt’s founders alongside key creatives as they endeavored to break into the United States market.
From 2018 to 2019, editor-in-chief Wolfgang Bylsma partnered with the Indigenous Literacy Foundation to mentor Indigenous comic artists at "Stick Mob Studios" in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), resulting in the publication of three comics: Storm Warning, Exo Dimensions, and Mixed Feelings.
Gestalt also collaborated with Big hART to produce print editions of the award-winning comic series Neomad, created through the Yijala Yala project involving the Roebourne community. This graphic novel received the Gold Ledger Award in 2016.
In 2022, Wolfgang Bylsma launched Comics On Country, a nonprofit initiative dedicated to supporting First Nations storytellers through comic arts.
Indigiverse
In 2022, Gestalt joined forces with Comics On Country and Ice Cream Productions to introduce the Indigiverse, a superhero universe rooted in Aboriginal Australian culture. This project presents several comic series focusing on Aboriginal heroes and traditional narratives.
The inaugural series, Dark Heart, debuted in July 2022, written by Scott Wilson, a Gooniyandi-Miriuwung Gajerrong man, with illustrations by Katie Houghton-Ward. It centers on an "Elder Protector" safeguarding the world from encroaching darkness. The second installment was scheduled for release in November 2022, with two additional series planned for rollout in 2023.
Books
- His Dream of the Skyland
- Changing Ways: Book 1
- Changing Ways: Book 2
- Changing Ways: Book 3, Chapter 1
- The Deep Vol. 1: Here Be Dragons
- The Deep Vol. 2: The Vanishing Island
- Torn
- Lark Case Files: Black City
- Lark Case Files: Devil City
- Neomad
- Exo Dimensions Vol. 1
- Mixed Feelings Vol. 1
- Storm Warning Vol. 1
- Vowels
- Eldritch Kid: Bone War
- Eldritch Kid: Whisky and Hate
- Karnak
- Plato's Allegory of the Cave
- Rombies
- The Example
- The More Things Change
- Proud Heart
- Believe
- MIDAS
- Fly
- Sebastian Hawks
- Waldo's Hawaiian Holiday
- Unmasked Vol.1: Going Straight Is No Way To Die
- Unmasked: Caddy Full of Blood
- Wastelander Panda Vol. 1: Exile
- Walled City Book 1: His Dream of the Skyland
- Walled City Book 2: Nocturne
- Flinch
- Lustration Vol. 1
- Character Sketches
- Khulan
- Talgard: Tome One
- Talgard: Tome Two
- Flock Book One: Warbird
- Cleverman Vol. 1
- Cleverman Vol. 2
- Dark Heart Vol. 1