SPECK COMICS
LIAM HANSEN AND STELLA ROPER
Liam Hansen jokes that they started a zine to make more friends; and as far as tactics go, it’s a pretty good one. With the support of Jennifer and Aidan from New Zealand mag Rat World , and a mission to empower and foster a community for emerging artists around Aotearoa, Liam launched their independent comic zine, SPECK , in mid-2022.
“I’m such an appreciator of comics and animation, without necessarily having the strong skills of illustration that Stella or any of our contributors have,” Liam says. In 2023, uni pal Stella Roper joined Liam in putting together the zine, having contributed to the first couple of issues as an artist. “I find that comics and zines are a great way to express what’s going on in the world, to kind of vent those feelings and find like-minded people,” says Stella, who has been making comics since the age of 11.
Now up to issue four, has published a wide array, we want to show a message but do it through humour in a captivating way,” she adds. “I’ve always wanted to be able to share information and get people involved and informed, but in order to do that these days, I think it has to be done in a visually palatable way.”
