Keilor Park writer and publisher Dale Maccanti is out to show there’s more to tatts than just anchors and sleeves.
Maccanti can’t recall when he stumbled across the idea of producing an oversized, tattoo-themed graphic anthology, but Ink Tales is almost ready for publication.
Featuring everything from tattooed femme fatales to high-tech tattoo viruses, Maccanti says Ink Tales will change the way people perceive one of the oldest art forms.
“I started searching for writers and artists to be involved with Ink Tales about a year and a half ago,’’ he says. ‘‘My aim was to get a broad range of Australian talent and really create a book that could stand up against the American comics juggernauts.
“The Melbourne comics scene is filled with great writers and artists, but I didn’t want to exclude Australian talents that I didn’t know personally. Thank God for social media.”
Maccanti says his love of publishing stems from reading comics as a kid.
“I loved cutting out the weekly Phantom newspaper strips, and in high school I read a lot of Spider-Man,” he says.
“With the help of local Melbourne comics shops like All Star Comics and Classic Comics, I was exposed to the local indie comics scene.
‘‘I knew I had to get involved because there is so much crazy talent in Melbourne.’’
Curiously, Maccanti is far from heavily inked himself.
“I’ve got only three tattoos – a Spider-Man, Felix the Cat and a Futurama tattoo – and they’re all hidden,” he says. “I just love tattoos. It’s an artform I’ve always had a great appreciation for.
‘‘I love finding out why someone got a tattoo, or what a particular tattoo means to them. I just find it a fascinating way to express yourself.”
Maccanti is collecting funds for the project through crowd-funding website Indiegogo until November 16.
» indiegogo.com/projects/ink-tales-graphic-anthology
