Welcome to the website of Australian graphic novelist, screenwriter, artist and editor Shane Walsh-Smith!
Media-friendly bio
Shane Walsh-Smith is an award-winning Australian graphic novelist and screenwriter who works across a broad spectrum of genre fiction. His books (written under his pen name Shane W Smith) have been shortlisted for awards a total of six times, including twice for the fan-favourite Undad.
His epic fantasy graphic novel, Triumviratus, a story about jealousy, betrayal, and a world brought to its knees by the misadventures of three young people in love, was the first graphic novel ever to win the Best Fiction award in the ACT Writing and Publishing Awards.
His scripts are also starting to gather accolades, including a number of finalist and semi-finalist results for an original TV comedy pilot, and two wins for his TV spec scripts.
Shane has a Bachelor degree in Creative Writing, and might be the only person in the world to get a comic published in a refereed academic journal. He lives in Australia with his wife and four young children.
Publications and Creative works
Long books
Academaesthetics (2007)
The Lesser Evil (2011/12, 2017 remaster)
Peaceful Tomorrows (2013, 2017 remaster)
The Game (2014)
James Flamestar and the Stargazers (2014)
Undad (2015)
Undad – Volume Two (2015)
All The King’s Men (2016)
Triumviratus (2018)
Undad – Volume Three (2020)
How to purchase one of Shane’s graphic novels
Scripts
Matchsticks 2.0 (2019)
Fifteen Minutes – a BoJack Horseman spec script (2019)
Surface Tension TV pilot (2020)
Emergency Exit – a Utopia spec script (2020)
A Safe Place (2020 – forthcoming)
Legacy: a Farscape spec script (2020 – forthcoming)
OTHER WORKS
Line in the Sand – video game demo (2015)
Short pieces
Custard (2006 FIRST – Vertebrae)
Parlour Tricks (2012)
Pestilence (2012) (with Gavin Thomson)
I Am Become Death (2013)
Killeroo: Gangwar (with Darren Close and Dan Gibbs) (2012-2017)
Exposure (2014)
A Moment In Time – Tango With Orangos (2015)
The Cold Light of Day: Australia Burns (March 2020)
Awards
Scripts
SURFACE TENSION (pilot)
LA International Screenplay Awards Winter 2020 – Semi-finalist
Houston Comedy Film Festival 2020 – Finalist*
NYC International Screenplay Awards – Finalist
Portland Comedy Film Festival Summer 2020 – Finalist*
New York International Screenplay Awards 2020 – Semi-Finalist
Scriptation Showcase 2020 – Semi-finalist*
Inroads Fellowship 2020 – Finalist
ISA Pitch Challenge – Finalist
Imaginarium Convention Screenplay Awards 2020 – Finalist*
FIFTEEN MINUTES (BoJack Horseman spec)
Feedback Fan Fiction Festival 2020 – Winner
Houston Comedy Film Festival 2020 – Finalist*
Portland Comedy Film Festival Summer 2020 – Finalist*
MATCHSTICKS 2.0
WildSound Fantasy/Sci-Fi Screenplay Contest 2020 – Winner
Top Indie Film Awards 2020 – Nominee
Underground Indie Film Festival 2020 – Official Selection
*final results still pending
GRAPHIC NOVELS
TRIUMVIRATUS
ACT Writing and Publishing Awards for 2018 – Winner (Best Fiction)
ALL THE KING’S MEN
ACT Writing and Publishing Award for 2016 – Highly commended
UNDAD
Australian Shadows Award for best graphic novel in 2015 – Finalist
ACT Writing and Publishing Award for 2015 – Highly commended
THE GAME
Aurealis Award for best illustrated work/graphic novel in 2014 – Finalist
PEACEFUL TOMORROWS
Aurealis Award for best illustrated work/graphic novel in 2013 – Finalist
Selected interviews and guest spots
“The Evolving Zombie Metaphor” at HorrorDNA (May 2015)
Interview with QRD (June 2015)
Interview for Comic Con-Versation (June 2016)
Podcast interview for So You Want To Be A Writer (June 2016)
“Writing for kids: How to write comics” (August 2017)
ComixLaunch #156: Adapting Your Comic as a TV Pitch (July 2018)
ComixLaunch podcast #239: Australia Burns (Feb 2020)
WildSound Sci-Fi and Fantasy Film Festival interview (March 2020)
#sparkchamber interview (June 2020)
Follow Shane
on Facebook
on Twitter
via his mailing list