Mike Barry is a writer and illustrator from Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
Supported by a career in advertising, he created, crowd-funded and self-published his first middle-grade graphic novel Action Tank – Book 1 in 2017, which quickly gained popularity with readers and recognition with critics.
Action Tank – Book 1 was shortlisted for an Aurealis Award (Best Graphic Novel 2017), was included in the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge, and earned him a mentorship in the CBCA Maurice Saxby Creative Development Program. It also named in the 2022 American Library Association’s Best Graphic Novels For Children Reading List.
The success of Book 1 laid the foundation for the much anticipated second chapter in the series, the 2020 released Action Tank – Book 2, which was created thanks to another successful crowd-funding campaign, and with support the Creative Partnerships Australia MATCHLab program.
Action Tank – Book 2 was shortlisted for multiple literary awards, including the 2021 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, The 2021 Russell Prize for Humour Writing and the 2020 Aurealis Awards. In 2021, Action Tank – Book 2 won a Comics Arts Awards of Australia.
Aside from Action Tank, Mike has also joined forces with Australian kid-lit superstar Nat Amoore to create We Run Tomorrow, a heart pounding graphic novel / novel mashup about a group of comic book obsessed kids who kidnap their best friend and run away from home to become movie stars.
Mike has plenty to say, and can be found on instagram, twitter, and his other website. He also sometimes sends out info and updates via his email newsletter.
SO, ANYWAY… ORDER YOURS NOW!
In the USA? Get Action Tank here >
In Australia? Get Action Tank here >