Canadian Comix News & Culture
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Thursday, August 31, 2006
Iran Cartoon Contest Reaction
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/31/2006 06:38:00 AM Over on the BDQuebec discussion boards some of the luminaries of Quebec comix culture weigh in with a fairly heated discussion (begun here, I think) of Marc Pageau's contribution to the Iran Holocaust Cartoon contest. Read it before the thread is closed! (courtesy imperfect Google translation)
follow this link:
Forum BDQuebec
Other Events:
In addition to the Hobbystar Fan Expo this weekend, there is a much smaller affair in Montreal:
The Montreal Card and Comic Expo:
Centre de la Jeunesse Ukrainienne
3270 Beaubien Est
Montreal
Sept 3
10-3Labels: links
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Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Who is "Big Daddy Warbucks?"
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/30/2006 01:39:00 AM Some confusion in Alberta over the character Daddy Warbucks. NDP leader Brian Mason wants full disclosure over campaign financing of the Conservative party, labelling Big Oil "Big Daddy Warbucks." As far as I know, it's just "Daddy Warbucks," no "Big." Although the character is fairly large...
In other Western Canada/Harold Gray-related news, Chester Brown's paperback edition of Louis Riel is being launched at the Doug Wright Awards, and we have this snazzy poster to prove it:
In other news, coverage of the controversial Fan Expo is gearing up. Comic Book Bin is sending a crew and the Torontoist blog is listing 5 reasons to go and five not to go:
3.) Shopping = not so great after you consider the entry fee. I like shopping, and last year I picked up some decent bargains, but the reason they were bargains is because I'd already factored in the cost of attending the convention for another event. Yes, there is a lot of cool stuff to buy at the Fan Expo. Yes, the prices are usually quite good. But when you're paying twenty to forty bucks just to get in the door, that cancels a lot of the value. I can't recommend attending this thing for the shopping alone, and you can usually do that for other conventions.
As well, The Toronto Star covers the manga fan subculture and cosplay, comparing fans of anime and manga unfavorably to North American-style science fiction and comics fandom. With comments from UofT manga clubster and Hobbystar employees.
Lastly, to catch up. Recent coverage of Canadian comics creators:
1. Tania Willard's book about First Nation's teen suicide.
2. Svetlana Chmakova previews the second volume of her OEL manga Dramacon.
3. Dave Sim's new webcomic is a resume for young Canadian actress Siu Ta.
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Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Michael "Bud" Riley, 1925-2006
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/29/2006 01:55:00 PM Cartoonist of the Canadian Whites
The Toronto Star reports today on the death of Michael Riley two weekends ago. Riley created and drew Terena of the Jungle for an unnamed Canadian publisher sometime in the 1940s. (The strip is so obscure that when I was contacted by the Star for info I could find no reference anywhere, not in my admittedly tiny collection of 1940s black & White comics, not even in John Bell's generally informative essay in Canuck Comics, which mentions many many 1940s cartoonists. If anyone has any more info about Terena of the Jungle, please let me know.)
As ad-man for most of his life, Riley also seems to have contributed to the look of Canadian post-war popular culture, creating graphics for many long-gone Canuck products.
I'm posting the bulk of the obit here because it may be the best information published on this creator:
Michael Riley, 81: Comic book artist
Helped to create this country's superheroes
After WWII, designed graphics, logos for products
Aug. 29, 2006. 01:00 AM
LINDA NGUYEN
STAFF REPORTER
Terena of the Jungle was a knife-wielding woman in a stylish polka-dot bodysuit whose tales of action and adventure delighted Canadian comic readers during World War II.
She also provided girls with a positive role model, something uncommon in an era of damsels in distress.
The character was created by Michael Riley, who was among a group who wrote and illustrated the first Canadian comic books, known as the "Canadian Whites."
Riley, known as "Bud" to his close friends, died Aug. 19 at the age of 81.
"The beautiful, daring Terena, gallant queen of the jungle.... She sees a lone explorer in her kingdom about to be a victim of a blood-crazed headhunter and without hesitating, goes to his aid," his son Craig, 50, chuckled as he read an original template of the comic book.
Riley's name will likely never be mentioned in any art-history class, but he was an important part of this country's comic-book history.
To stabilize the Canadian dollar, the federal government labelled American comic books a non-essential good and banned them in 1940. The move inadvertently led to the golden age of the Canadian comic book, as publishers and artists like Riley seized the opportunity to create this country's own superheroes. The group included painter Harold Town and Leo Bachle, creator of Johnny Canuck.
The Canadian Whites got their name because they were printed on white paper with black ink, since coloured ink was rationed.
The golden age of Canadian comics ended in 1946, when the end of the war brought a resumption in the distribution of American periodicals.
Peter Birkemoe, owner of the Beguiling comic book store in Toronto, said that during the war, many artists like Riley realized the commercial potential of their comics.
"These were businesses, this wasn't an art collective or art-driven," he said.
But he noted that the comics still remain icons in the comic book industry.
Craig Riley said his father was always an artist at heart and devoted 30 years to designing logos and graphics for popular products, including Mad Hatter chips and Canada Dry Viva Orange drinks, until his retirement in the early 1980s.
"He was an artist. That's what he did all his life. He became a commercial artist and then a graphic designer. But the important thing is that he freehanded everything," he said.
He described his father as a quiet, unassuming and considerate man, who lied about his age to enlist early in the air force because it was "the thing to do."
Riley, who was married to his wife Evelyn for almost 57 years until she died in 2004, never got over the death of his "life's dancing partner," his son said.
"Their marriage was fantastic. They really complemented each other and they loved to dance. More than 50 years later, he still stepped on her toes."
Long-time Scarborough residents, the two used to dance at Balmy Beach when they were younger. They met during the war at a Legion dance.
Riley leaves two sons and four grandchildren.
TheStar.com - Michael Riley, 81: Comic book artistLabels: obituaries
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Don't Touch Me Independent Comics #15 launch party - Tonight in Toronto
:: Posted by dave h @ 8/29/2006 09:58:00 AM  DTM #15 - The Ghost Issue - will finally be released 9pm at the Augt 29th Toronto Comic Jam (www.torontocomicjam.com). Guest editor Michael Fikaris has put together one of the best issues we have had so far, with contributors from Australia and Canada.
Contributors in #15 are:
Dave Lapp - Toronto, Canada - www.childrenoftheatom.com
Nick Potter - Melbourne, Australia - www.pigmeat.cjb.net
Mandy Ord - Melbourne, Austraila
Kieran Mangan - Melbourne, Australia - www.silentarmy.com/about.html
Lachlan Conn - Melbourne, Australia - www.forepaw.org
Tim Danko - Auckland, New Zealand - www.deadxeroxpress.com
Michael Fikaris - Melbourne, Australia - www.silentarmy.com/about.html
Clayton Noone and Stefan Neville - Auckland, New Zealand - www.cityoftales.co.nz
Glenn Frenzy - Auckland, New Zealand - www.longdiv.com
Indira Neville - Auckland, New Zealand
Jason Marcy - Oshawa, Canada - www.jasonmarcy.com
Carol Wodd - Melbourne, Australia
Tom Civil - Melbourne, Australia - www.breakdownpress.com
Fats bonk - Brisbane, Australia - www.listerart.com.au
Please consider coming and joining us, copies are $8 each.
Please support your grass roots comics underground!
Questions, contact Dave Howard at dave@donttouchme.ca.
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Shojo Manga! Girl Power! Girls' Comics From Japan opens September 6 @ The Japan Foundation, Toronto
:: Posted by dave h @ 8/29/2006 09:05:00 AM The Japan Foundation, Toronto Media Release: August 15, 2006
The Japan Foundation, Toronto presents:
Shojo Manga! Girl Power! GIRLS' COMICS FROM JAPAN
September 6 - October 4, 2006
The Japan Foundation, Toronto
131 Bloor Street West (Bay subway station) 2nd Floor of the Colonnade building
Opening Reception and Lecture by Curator Dr. Masami Toku: September 6, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
Gallery Hours: Monday - Friday, 11:30 AM - 4:30 PM & Thursday until 7:00 PM
Special Saturday Openings: September 9, and 16 Noon - 5:00 PM Closed: Sundays and all other Saturdays
Free Admission
TORONTO (August 15, 2006):
The Japan Foundation, Toronto presents the exhibition Shojo Manga! Girl Power! Girls' Comics From Japan curated by Dr. Masami Toku of California State University. The exhibition will be on display from September 6 - October 4, 2006 at the Japan Foundation, Toronto. In conjunction with the exhibition, curator Dr. Toku will present a lecture entitled "The Power of Shojo Manga: Its Value and Contribution to Visual Culture and Society" on September 6, 2006.
Featuring more than 200 works by 23 artists, this exhibit is the first of its kind to explore the unique styles of female manga artists and examines their contributions to the development of Shojo Manga. The exhibit is divided into three main periods: 1) The dawn of Shojo Manga, 2) The diversity of Shojo Manga, and 3) The new generation and new directions in Shojo Manga. In a sense, Shojo Manga serves as a commentary and a narrative of the lives of Japanese girls and women as they negotiate their changing social roles, aesthetics, and societal expectations. Interpersonal relationships, love, sex, and women's self-representation are amongst some of the many themes found in Shojo Manga.
Overall, this touring exhibition is a comprehensive introduction to newcomers and an in depth exploration of the evolution of themes and expressions in Shojo Manga. It provides convincing explanations for manga's enviable role in Japanese popular culture and its increasing international appeal.
Shojo Manga! Girl Power! is part of an international touring exhibit that has traveled to California State University, Chico, University of New Mexico, Columbia College Chicago and The Pratt Institute, Brooklyn.
Dr. Masami Toku is an Associate Professor of art education at California State University, Chico. Her research interest is the cross-cultural study of children's artistic and aesthetic developments in their pictorial world and how visual popular culture influences children's visual literacy. In her lecture, Dr. Toku will provide an overview of the works exhibited in the current exhibit and examine more closely the individual creators of Shojo Manga, providing a deeper look into the development and impact of this form of visual pop culture. For more on Dr. Toku see www.csuchico.edu/~mtoku/vc
Media Contact:
Nobiru Nakamura
The Japan Foundation, Toronto
131 Bloor Street West, Suite 213 Toronto, ON M5S 1R1
tel: 416. 966.1600 ext. 233
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New Fall Comic Art Workshops in Toronto from Max The Mutt Animation School
:: Posted by dave h @ 8/29/2006 06:46:00 AM Max the Mutt Animation School announces their Fall curriculum for the Sequential Arts here.
Artist Walter Dickenson says: "Of special interest are the workshops by Bojan Redzic. This guy is a real underground cartoonist from Serbia (has 4 graphic novels in his native tongue) and his drawing is very cool. I think some of the sketch jammers might dig his work and be interested (see the website for examples). He's also a very good teacher (I took an excellent perspective class with him)."
New Fall Comic Art Workshops in Toronto!
Max the Mutt Animation School is proud to present a new series of Fall workshops for the aspiring comic book artist and writer.
These include:
Extreme Figure Drawing with Dave Ross
Ty Templeton's Comic Book Boot Camp (Part 1)
Perspective for the Comic Book Artist with Bojan Redzic
Fundamentals of Caricature and Cartooning with Bojan Redzic
The History of Comic Books & Graphic Novels with Kevin A. Boyd
Workshops will begin the week of October 10 th and end the week of November 30th, running for a total of 8 weeks.
Shorter versions of some of these workshops were offered last fall and winter and were sold- out. We recommend students reserve their place quickly to avoid disappointment. Space is very limited.
For more information on these workshops and our new full time diploma for the comic book artist "Illustration for Sequential Arts" please check out our website at: www.maxthemutt.com
For additional info on the school please access our blog at: www.maxthemutt.blogspot.com
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Capitaine Quebec
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/29/2006 03:19:00 AM 
Car racing person Paul Tracy apparently antagonized race fans in Montreal this past week.
News: Tracy takes on Quebec
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Bra-Man?
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/29/2006 03:15:00 AM 
Comic Book Bin reviews Bra-Man #1, a comic book apparently produced in Canada and based on a webcomic.
"This series is filled with sex jokes that aren't offensive for the sensible mind. In fact they should appeal to teenagers with too much time and who don't get enough sex."
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Heaven's Love in New York Times
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/29/2006 03:08:00 AM The Comics Reporter linked to this NYT article yesterday. The article is about Christian comic strips and profiles Kevin Frank's Heaven's Love Thrift Shop. When the strip launched a few weeks ago, it began its Sundays-only run with only 15 papers.
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Big in Japan
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/29/2006 03:01:00 AM 
Sequential has received unconfirmed reports that BC cartoonist Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is responsible in part for the #3 book on Amazon Japan. Hachidori, a book about ecological issues like food mileage and the Kyoto Accord, features illustrations/comics in Yahgulanaas' patented "Haida-manga" style.
Apparently, a 20,000 copy print run August 24th was heavily pre-ordered (a "sell-out") and the publisher had to print another 20,000 copies the next day. The book has sold 80,000 copies in Japan since April 2005.
According to an email from the artist explaining things:
"The kick that started this latest interest was a NHK (TV) report. The tv did not mention publisher price or where to buy the book- the buyers researched it out making the interest all that more impressive.
The book is in part translated --apprx 30 pages- 10 are haida manga- the rest a series of essays about ecological recovery strategies.
There is interest in the drawing style as well as the simple messages- problems are not solved by results but through process- ie "I do what I can"
"
Interested readers who are more confident in their abilities to read Japanese are invited to visit Amazon.jp or contact the publisher themselves.
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Monday, August 28, 2006
Seth in New York Times
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/28/2006 03:17:00 AM It's been almost a year since the New York Times Magazine announced it would be serializing the work of several cartoonists in a feature called "The Funny Pages." Since then, comics fans have been treated to the publication of two full-colour stories by masters of comic art: "Building Stories" by Chris Ware and, most recently, "La Maggie La Loca" by Jaime Hernandez.
The latest artist to receive the NYT treatment is the Canadian cartoonist Seth. His serialized story is set to debut Sept.17 2006 in the New York Times Magazine (a supplement available to readers of the Sunday NYT). Sequential caught up with Seth for the lowdown on this new story.
Sequential: What is the name of the new work that you are producing for the NYT?
Seth: The title of the strip is "GEORGE SPROTT (1894-1975)."
Sequential: What is it about?
Seth: As the title implies it is a work about the life of one man, George Sprott.
Obviously, George died in 1975 so the entire piece is set in the past but
much of it takes place in "real time" allowing the reader to watch things
unfold. Narratively it jumps around in time and much like Wimbledon Green it has a variety of voices. George, of course, is an old man like almost all of my characters (for some inexplicable reason) and without giving away a single element of the story I will say that I have tried to retain some Canadian-ness to the setting and subject matter.
Sequential: Is it a stand-alone work or part of a larger graphic novel?
Seth: It is a stand-alone work. All-in-all probably running for about 20 to 22 installments. Each installment a "chapter." What I will do with the work later is debatable. It may end up in an "Art of Seth"-type book sometime in the future or perhaps I will expand it a bit and come up with some kind of "clever" format to republish it. Either way, it is a story I have grown fond of and George is a character I "like" quite a bit.
Sequential: How do you feel about producing work for such a prestigious venue?
Seth: Excited. Thrilled --some trepidation. There is always a fair amount of stress in these sort of opportunities that takes the edge off a straightforward emotion. You always end up with mixed emotions. Is the work good? Can you sustain the reader's interest over the run of the story?
On the flip-side there is the gratification that you will be reaching many
many readers who would never have encountered your work and may actually go out an purchase one of your books.
Mostly it is a tightrope of trying to structure the work for a weekly
experience and of making sure that none of the key elements that make
telling the story important get lost in the process of reduction that such a limited space requires.
(Seth's latest graphic novel is Wimbledon Green. He recently published Forty Cartoon Books of Interest, a supplement to Comic Art #8.)
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Saturday, August 26, 2006
The monthly Montreal Comix Jam for August 30
:: Posted by max @ 8/26/2006 12:31:00 PM Hello to All!
Don't forget! This month's Jam will be held in our
usual lair at the Sala Rossa's Spanish Restaurant
(Montreal), next Wednesday August 30 at 8 PM. Also
don't forget your pencils, pen and a cardbord to put
your papers on. The tables there don't have a smooth
surface. Welcome to all newcomers, including UbiSoft
workers and all our colleagues from Turkey or Britain!
Jane Jam's High Priestess
Bonjour à Tous!
N'oubliez pas que le prochain jam aura lieu dans notre
repaire habituel du Restaurant Espagnol de la Sala
Rossa au 4848 St-Laurent (Montréal), Mercredi prochain
le 30 août à 20 heures. N'oubliez pas vos crayons,
stylos , papier et cartons pour y déposer vos planches
car la surface des tables sont rugueuses. Bienvenue
aux nouveaux, qu'ils soient de Turquie, d'Angleterre,
ou travailleurs chez UbiSoft!
Jane Grande Prêtresse du Jam
The monthly Montreal Comix Jam
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Friday, August 25, 2006
Quickly: More Show Reports
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/25/2006 05:10:00 AM Courtesy of Kevin Boyd, Super Fan Show promoter, more links:
A livejournal photo parade from someone who worked the show (try to spot the Guelph connection):
pers: Comic Book Super Fan Show!Labels: links
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Stagger Lee Blues
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/25/2006 04:27:00 AM Exclaim! has a profile of Derek McCulloch and Shepherd Hendrix's new graphic novel from Image, Stagger Lee.
The book is part historical treatise/part noir thriller about the subject of the urban myth and blues standard Stagger Lee, really Lee Shelton, a gambler who shot a man in an argument over a hat in 1895. One of the original Murder Ballads, versions of the song have been covered by a Who's Who of 20th Century Pop Music, although the version I first heard was probably The Clash's "Wrong 'Em Boyo" from London Calling.
Treading a bit on Robert Crumb territory, McCulloch, who readers might remember from the back pages of Cerebus, circa 1985, has apparently attempted to weave the history of the song and the history of the event into one grand narrative, told in part from the point of view of the song's original composer, a ragtime pianist:
"I knew I wanted to tell the story of the murder and of the political events surrounding it. I knew I wanted to invent a character, a piano player, who would be the composer of an early version of the song. It hadn't occurred to me how thoroughly male the story was. I thought of a line that occurs in the [version] Nick Cave unearthed: 'There's something I have to say before you begin/You'll have to be gone before my man Billy Dilly comes in.' Similar lines occur in other versions. I started to imagine a scenario that would account for [that] element entering the 'Stagger Lee' canon, and suddenly realised that I had not only my female lead but the thread that finally tied the whole book together."
Despite the humdrum cover, the graphics in the article are quite intriguing.
And because everyone who writes about the song has to list their fave versions, here's mine:
1.Down Home Boys, "Original Stack O'Lee Blues",(Down in the Basement, Old Hat).
2.Woody Guthrie, "Stagolee" (Bound For Glory,Smithsonian/Folkways).
3.Duke Ellington and His Kentucky Club Orchestra, "Stack O’Lee Blues" (lots of versions).
4.Cab Colloway, Calloway, "Stack O' Lee Blues" (lots of versions).
5.Ma Rainey, "Stack O'Lee Blues" (Document: Complete Recorded Works, Vol 3, 1925-1926).
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Haida Manga Mural
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/25/2006 03:28:00 AM 
The Vancouver Art Gallery presents Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas at its monthly FUSE event. Yahgulanaas is the Haida artist responsible for the Rocking Raven comics and he will be creating a mural which visitors are invited to finish. Art rockers Sinoia Caves, the Battles, and the Book of Lists will also perform.
Friday, August 25, 6-11 pm
Straight.com Vancouver | Arts Choices | Art rock
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Thursday, August 24, 2006
Stupid Comics
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/24/2006 05:33:00 AM 
This Week's Blast from the Past:
"SUPERKIDS, a free educational comic published by the Office Of Energy Conservation of the Department Of Energy, Mines, and Resources of Canada and charmingly illustrated by Don Inman"
DO NOT WASTE ENERGY!
Stupid Comics
Link via conservative comics columnist Colby Cosh via the new Journalista by Dirk Deppey! A seismic shift in comics news reporting (maybe).Labels: links
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Reviewing the Reviewer
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/24/2006 04:24:00 AM Review of Fredric Wertham and the Critique of Mass Culture by Bart Beaty
Sequential doesn't usually cover too many US-centric comics links but the story of Fredric Wertham has an unique Canadian angle. This is a review of Calgary's Prof. Bart Beaty's recent book on Wertham:
"This is a book that every comics scholar should read and own. It is a thoroughly researched and contextualized look at one of one of comics' most maligned figures that simultaneously offers an interesting re-reading of the history of communication and media studies in the US. It is not going too far to describe the book as an apologia for Wertham – Beaty shows how his influence in the budding field of communications studies was curtailed and ultimately written out of textbooks, and presents a detailed and rigorous defense of Wertham's value and relevance."
Tof Eklund's Review of Fredric Wertham and the Critique of Mass Culture Labels: links
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Stuart Immonen Webcomic Relaunch
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/24/2006 03:52:00 AM 
Never As Bad as You Think
As someone who follows very few webcomics (the only ones I've ever read with any frequency are by Chris Onstad, Hope Larson, and Kean Soo), I'm venturing out of my territory to report that Marvel and DC artist Stuart Immonen and his wife Kathryn have relaunched a previously/partially serialized online comic on their homepage. As one of the more internationally successful Canadian cartoonists/illustrators, Immonen's latest venture qualifies as big news in a way.
From what I've seen, the strip is highly stylized and has an interesting premise: "For those interested, "Never As Bad As You Think" takes randomly generated words each Friday to direct the plot which results in a narrative structure similar to Richard Linklater's "Slacker".(an Immomen quote from the soon-to-be-revamped Comics Journal boards)
(thanks to Heidi MacDonald for linkblogging this item)
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Deft and dangerous
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/24/2006 03:29:00 AM The featured subject of a recent CBC documentary and co-author of the best book on Canadian cartooning (The Hecklers), political cartoonist Aislin (aka Terry Mosher --do single-named cartoonist ever get tired of having their names discussed by media? Seth? Moebius? Baru?) has been profiled by several newspapers this week:
The Montreal Gazette/National Post ran an article covering the production of the doc: ""I'm a cartoonist. I sit down and draw and - boom - it's done. So I'd ask him, 'Why am I walking up and down this street?'"
More:
"Mosher's work has been published in newspapers and magazines, including Maclean's and Time, plus dozens of books. His latest book, What Next? (McArthur and Company), will be in bookstores in October, as will Mordecai's Montreal (Madison), edited by David Macfarlane and illustrated by Mosher.
CBC's Rex Murphy once said, "Aislin is vivid, steely and fierce. His cartoons are a diary of every folly and controversy that has meshed with the sad Canadian consciousness over the past three decades."
(the doc is being rerun on CBC Newsworld: Thursday August 24 at 10 p.m. ET)
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Wednesday, August 23, 2006
More Convention Mania
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/23/2006 02:20:00 AM 
Sequential hardly ever links to convention reports but
since we're in the last throes of convention season for fans of comics in Canada, I thought I'd see if there's any bloggers out there who have posted con reports recently. Paradise Con's "Fan Super Show" was this past Sunday and there are already a few reports out, most notably from the blogging brothers (?) Jason Truong and Danny T. Jamie Coville also has some photos online (that's one of his up top). Any others?
As well, the Toronto Star reported on the Hobbystar vs Paradise conflict recently, quoting some of the major players in the drama:
Peter Birkemoe, the sage of sequential art: "Hobbystar is ``trying to hurt other people's comics events in the city," says Birkemoe, owner of the Beguiling store, which has chosen not to exhibit at any more Hobbystar shows.
"We make a lot of money at that show, ... but in spite of all that (we decided not to do the show) even though it was a way to reach out to new people," he says. "But it's obvious that what they're really trying to do is be the only game in town."
and Aman Gupta, Hobbystar owner and putative Mephistopheles of the metropolis: "Most of the people who come don't know or care about this. The people behind these attacks are doing it on purpose and want to try and bring us down. It's just business and what I'm trying to do is look out for the Fan Expo." Labels: Hobbystar vs Paradise, links
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Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Welcome to the Vancouver Comicon
:: Posted by dave h @ 8/22/2006 12:43:00 PM Via Jason Pultz
Link to Upcoming Vancouver Comicon Events
Comix & Stories
a day of alternative & small-press
comics, zines, artwork & culture
Sunday, August 27, 2006
11 AM to 5 PM
Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street (Main & 15th Ave.),
Vancouver, BC.
Creators and publishers appearing (as of 18/8/06):
James Jean (Fables, Process Recess)
Corey Lewis (Peng, Sharkknife)
Brandon Graham (Escalator)
Steve Rolston (One Bad Day, The Escapists)
Marc Bell (Nog a Dod, The Stacks, Worn Tuff Elbow)
Josue Menjivar (Way Off Main, Everyday Things)
Robin Bougie (Cinema Sewer)
Fred Grisolm (Hate Song)
David Lasky (Urban Hipster)
Scott Faulkner (Moxie, My Sweet)
Camilla d'Errico (Burn, Zevon-7)
Robin Thompson and Ira Hunter (Champions of Hell)
Kelly Everaert, (Eyes of the Zombie, Jungle Tales)
Susan Ferguson (Antic Comics)
James Lloyd (Other Stuff, The Trip)
Jason Pultz (Comic Strip (scarybear & Friends))
Laura Eveleigh (Little Illustrated Books)
Ken Boesem (The Village, 1918)
Miriam Libicki (Jobnik!)
Sarah Haxby (Peargirl)
Sean Esty (Marooned)
Verne Andru (420, Rock and Rule)
Justin Pasieka (1989)
Trevor Frick
Mike Myhre, (Space Jet Comics)
Jordan Neufeld (Sticks and Stones)
Trevor Metz (Crossfire Comics)
RC Johnson (Eraser Dust Comics)
Mary Kim
Don King
The Radar Friends
Critical Hit Comics
The Sonar Gang
Perro Verlag Books
Skeleton Key Press Creator Tables: $30
Publisher Tables: $60
Dealer Tables: $60
Admission: $3.00 per person
Please note that some of the material at this show may not be suitable for all ages
For more information about this show, please call 604-322-6412 or email lswong@uniserve.com
Labels: links
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CBC Comics Archives
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/22/2006 06:34:00 AM 
CBC.CA presents over 20 radio and tv clips about cartoonists and comics taken from the last 50 years of material in the CBC English-language archives. Included in The Comics in Canada: An Illustrated History are interviews with Seth, Chester Brown, Arn Saba, Lynn Johnston, Dave Sim, Peter Whalley, Adrian Dingle, Stan Lee, and many others.
(thanks to Brad Mackay for piecing together this amazing resource!)
The Comics in Canada: An Illustrated History - Arts and Entertainment - CBC Archives
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Monday, August 21, 2006
Marc Pageau Interview
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/21/2006 05:27:00 AM 
Canadian Entrant in Iranian Holocaust Cartoon Contest
by B.Munn
August 21, 2006
"It is in the Human nature to defy authority."
When the cartoons published by Denmark's Jyllands-Posten were republished with some additions in an Egyptian newspaper and publicized by a few religious leaders in the Islamic world, the resulting protests and violence became world news. Partly as a response to the controversy (and partly because Iran's Prime Minister disputes the fact of the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were killed), the Iranian newspaper Hamshahri, and later the website irancartoon and Iran's Palestine Museum of Contemporary Art, announced a contest for cartoons discussing the Holocaust. An exhibition of some of the cartoons runs until September 13 and the winner will receive $12,000.
As Sequential reported last week, the only Canadian cartoonist selected to compete (and, as far as we can determine, the only one who entered) is Marc Pageau, a Quebec cartoonist, illustrator, writer, and editor. Pageau answered a few questions by email about his involvement in the contest. Sequential would like to thank him for his time and candour in answering (and also for asking and answering some additional questions himself, explaining his postions in more detail).
On the occasion of the opening of the exhibit featuring the cartoons in Tehran, we asked Pageau why he entered the contest.
"Are you kidding me? Last February, the news reported the world Danish cartoons controversy on the depiction of Mohammed the Prophet for weeks, each single day! Have you ever seen that in the past? Never! It's history for the cartooning field! And this international contest was organized as an answer to this cartoon controversy! A great and extraordinary opportunity!
"I wanted to be part of it for sure! And I sincerely thought a lot of Canadian cartoonists would enter it. You can't imagine how surprised I was to realize, seeing the list of participants at the end of last May, that I am the lone Canadian to participate! Even some United-staters enter it!!!
Why not Canadians? What's wrong? Negative prejudices?"
On the subject of free speech, Pageau is equally enthusiastic:
"It was stipulated that this contest was organized to test the Freedom of Speech of the Western world, wasn't it? So, I think that for a cartoonist, that is fantastic!
"And, as I strongly believe in Freedom of Speech, why not give it a chance, even in a country that seems not really democratic and ruled, as everyone knows, by an authoritative religion such as Islam? It is the
ultimate challenge!
"More: it would give me a chance to test for myself Freedom of Speech here, in Canada and in the United States! How will the knowledge of my participation be received by fellow cartoonists, journalists, average individuals and friends? It will be interesting to follow the reactions!"
Although the contest caused a few ripples around the world when it was first announced, including satirical responses from Art Spiegleman and others, the revelation of the participants in May and the recent opening of the exhibit has generated relatively little criticism.
Pageau is unperturbed by potential criticism of his participation. Despite the fact that creating controversial cartoons is something of a risky endeavour, he is also fairly blase.
"Some will say I am stupid, because Iran is the #1 enemy of the United States! Come on! Since the beginning of the Iraq war, everybody is the enemy of the United States, even Canada! You don't believe me? Try a Google search with the word "Canuckistan"!
"Even the Pretzels are the enemies of the U.S.A., for menacing the life of the President Bush years ago!"
And on the subject of that controversy over the Danish cartoons?
"It's obvious that this is just another good example of mass manipulation! The Muslim fundamentalists have learned it very well from the U.S. administration! I mean, just watch the chronology of the events:
1. these cartoons were first published in September 2005 in Denmark with almost no reactions from the Muslim World;
2. they were published later, in October of the same year, in an Egyptian newspaper with, again, almost no reactions from the Muslim world;
3. last February: the explosion (well orchestrated by the Imans!);
4. and a little later, the same month, we learned that there were some false cartoons very insulting for Muhammed the Prophet included with the 12 original ones published in Denmark!!!
"When I studied Fine Art at Laval University, in Art History I learned that Islam doesn't permit [artists] to picture the human body, but nobody told me that it is completely forbidden to draw Muhammed the Prophet or Allah for everybody in the world, Muslim or not! What is that? I can realize a caricature of God, Jesus, Yahweh, Buddha, Raël but not Allah or Muhammed?...
"Come on! After all, it is only a little drawing! It is not a crime! In what way is it illegal? I don't kill anybody...
"Drawing a cartoon criticizing Muhammed is attacking and insulting Islam? What about Jesus, my God, considered in the Quran for centuries as only a little prophet lost in the multitude of other prophets? Isn't it insulting for all the Christians?
"And I bet easily that a lot of people in the world drew at home much more silly cartoons of Muhammed than before in History since last February's events! It is in the Human nature to defy authority...
"I was very shocked when the Canadian and United-stater newspapers refused in block to reprint these very inoffensive cartoons. A great gain for the so-beloved Freedom of Speech of the western world, really! They showed there a lot of courage compared to the U.S. soldiers who died trying to implement Democracy in Iraq! Or simply, maybe they are less idiotic!!!Welcome to the Mighty America, land of the Freedom of Expression!
About his cartoon:
"I sent 4 cartoons to the contest [out of a possible 5].
"When I draw a cartoon, the principal subject is often (if not always) human stupidity. That is what I want to criticize and mock, not the people (exception made of the politicians and the soldiers!). And believe me, fighting stupidity is an endless war...
"Am I naive? No! I am only cynical to the death since the beginning of the Iraq war and I am totally fascinated by the stupidity of humankind...
"When people get angry at me for a cartoon, I'm sure that is because they recognize their own stupidity in it and they don't like it! And when they are angry enough to [notify me], the most often message is insults and personal attacks, always done anonymously! They usually don't have the balls to sign it with their true name... How courageous!
"I like controversy and very dark humour! The editorial cartoonist I admire the most is Jean-Marc Reiser, one of the founder of Hara-Kiri and Charlie Hebdo, two French satiric/subversive magazines (totally politically incorrect) [published] in the 60s and the 70s. This guy is a Master!
"Of course, controversy is not very popularI am sure I won't win this contest (or anyone else) with this attitude!"
Finally, Sequential asked Pageau what he hopes people in Canada and around
the world will take away from viewing his cartoons:
"I don't expect anything at all! I think that the negative prejudices that I suppose the majority of Western people have towards the Muslim World will surely bias their point of view on the contest and they won't even take a look at the cartoons!
"I guess most of them imagine that all the participants are dirty evil-doers so they won't give a damn...
"It seems that it is almost criminal these days in America to express publicly sincere opinions about the forever war in the Middle-East... And they dare to call their country LAND OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!!
"Please, let me laugh (out loud)!!!"
From the point-of-view of his potential detractors then, is this contest anti-Semitic?
"That doesn't make sense for me!
"If I draw a cartoon mocking or criticizing the stupidity of the Foreign Policy of the United States, I am anti-American. If I draw a cartoon mocking or criticizing the stupidity of Foreign Politic of Israel, I am anti-Semitic. If I draw a cartoon mocking or criticizing the stupidity of the Islam, I am anti-Muslim. If I draw a cartoon mocking or criticizing the stupidity of the actual Government of Canada, I am anti-Canadian. If I draw a cartoon mocking or criticizing the stupidity of the actual Government of Québec, I am anti-Québécois.
"And if I draw a cartoon who shows a dog, I am anti-animal. If I draw a cartoon who shows a stone, I am anti-mineral. If I draw a cartoon who shows a tree, I am anti-vegetable. Where would the anti-everything stop? Can I draw something without being insulting? If not, I believe that our beautiful Western Democracy is totally sick...
"If I am forced to be anti-something, then I am anti-stupidity!
"I've been insulted so many times for my cartoons on the awful Iraq war, even by some U.S. Marines and U.S. soldiers who are fighting in Iraq for Democracy and Freedom of Speech!! As you know, I am totally fascinated by Stupidity!
"And more, take a look at [this article] (Jews and Arabs share genes, Stanford research scientist says). So, anti-Semitic, a cartoon contest organized by Arabs? They seem to be Semites themselves.
"And what about this Cartoon contest organized by an Israeli Jew himself: ISRAELI ANTI-SEMITIC CARTOONS CONTEST. Would you call him anti-Semitic?"
Marc Pageau's Blog
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Take that, Herriman and Schulz!
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/21/2006 03:45:00 AM For Better or For Worse: Best Strip Ever?
A columnist for Editor and Publisher has named Lynn Johnston's For Better or For Worse the best newspaper comic strip of the last 111 years. On the basis of art, sprawling cast, age of characters, emotional resonance, and lack of sexism and ethnic stereotyping, E&P's Dave Astor says FBOFW beats out U.S. contenders like Peanuts, Calvin and Hobbes, Doonesbury, Krazy Kat, Little Nemo, and Terry and the Pirates for top spot.
Beyond a dismissive reference to Pickles, no mention of any other current strips (Zippy? Lynda Barry?).
(thanks to Comics Reporter for the link)
'For Better' the BestLabels: links
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Sunday, August 20, 2006
Industry Night at the Vic - the last Thursday of each month (Toronto)
:: Posted by dave h @ 8/20/2006 07:58:00 AM Sent by Frecklebean Cafe editor/publisher, friend and hardworking backroom comics supporter Walter Dickenson:
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Friday, August 18, 2006
Jewish graphic novel authors at Harbourfront (Toronto)
:: Posted by max @ 8/18/2006 08:50:00 PM  Co:Steven M. Bergson
Want to meet some interesting author-illustrators in
Toronto during the Labour Day Weekend?
There are 3 presentations on Jewish graphic novels at
Harbourfront (2 panels, 1 slide-show lecture) as part
of Ashkenaz --- and 2 of them are FREE!
Sept. 3 @1pm : THE STORY OF THE JEWS with STAN MACK
Veteran cartoonist and writer Stan Mack has never used his documentary style of graphic design to better effect than in his stunning Story of the Jews. Through projection of graphics onto a screen accompanied by his lively narration, the book is transformed into a historical drama. “Who could have imagined that 4,000 years of Jewish history could be fun to read about?”—Eric Alterman, media critic, The Nation and salon.com
Sept. 3 @5pm : GRAPHIC LIVES: BEN KATCHOR & BERNICE EISENSTEIN
Artists and writers Ben Katchor and Bernice Eisenstein both employ graphics in their storytelling. Using multi-media techniques, they will screen illustrations and dramatically evoke the real and imagined events in such acclaimed books as Katchor’s The Jew of New York and Eisenstein’s I was a Child of Holocaust Survivors. “ Katchor (has) created a dead-end-street theater of the absurd full of pocket-hole repairmen, calendar salesmen, and apartment-house lobby designers.”— Boston Phoenix “ Eisenstein's I Was A Child Of Holocaust Survivors is a unique hybrid as text and drawings, a variation on the adult graphic novel, converge to create a powerful and emotionally charged memoir.”—Susan Cole, NOW
&
Sept. 4 @2pm : ILLUSTRATION, PASSION AND MEMORY: JEWS AND THE GRAPHIC NOVEL with BEN KATCHOR, BERNICE EISENSTEIN and STAN MACK
A new literary genre is emerging. Called the graphic novel, it haphazardly incorporates memoir and fiction, documentary and fantasy. Though clearly not always a novel, the form always uses illustrations and text, and is intended for adults to enjoy. Pioneered by Will Eisner and Art Spiegelman, the graphic novel has roots —though not solely— in Ashkenaz culture. Three of the finest exemplars of this new genre, Ben Katchor, Bernice Eisenstein and Stan Mack, will discuss their contentious relationships to this new, highly visible, form. Is it literature? Art? How will it develop? Join them for a lively discussion.
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Super Fan Show
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/18/2006 08:13:00 PM We almost forgot about this (thanks to the Beguiling mailing list, we remembered):
TORONTO COMIC BOOK FAN SUPER SHOW
SUNDAY, AUGUST 20, 2006
Toronto Hilton Hotel, 145 Richmond St. West (at University Ave.)
$5 - 11am-6pm
some of the creators appearing: Ken Lashley (The Flash), Stuart Immonen (Nextwave), Phil Jimenez (Infinite Crisis), Cameron Stewart, Francis Manapul, J. Torres, Eric Kim, Dave Ross, Chip Zdarsky, Ramon Perez, Sean "Cheeks" Galloway
Toronto Comicon
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Dangerous When Provoked
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/18/2006 07:12:00 AM 
Coming soon to your TV: a real live caricaturist.
CBC Monday, August 21 at 8 p.m.
Repeating Sunday, August 27 at 2:30 p.m.
On CBC Newsworld: Thursday August 24 at 10 p.m. ET,
Saturday August 26 at 2 p.m. ET and Sunday August 27 at 6 a.m. ET
Montreal's Terry Mosher (aka Aislin) is one of the two or three cartoonists who are almost household names in Canada. This status will be confirmed when CBC gives Aislin the Life and Times treatment on August 21. The Life and Times documentary series is usually reserved for those the CBC considers top-rated pop culture figures: major artists, politicos, and old hockey players, but this particular subject is sure to provide lots of grist for the documentary mill:
the master satirist, who has made a career out of unmasking others, is a bit of a mystery to those around him. "I don't know the deep inside of Terry," says Freed. "I don't think anybody does."
During his early years as an artist, Mosher wrestled with some powerful inner demons. Now 63, the once heavy-drinking, coke-snorting, smoker and bar brawler says he reached "the edge of oblivion" before resolving to change his life.
more:
CBC-TV: Life and Times
Mosher is also part of an upcoming stage revue, The Four Anglos of the Apocalypse, a satirical show about living as an English-speaker in Quebec (Sept. 5 to 10 at the Centaur Theatre, 453 St. Francois Xavier in Old Montreal).
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Thursday, August 17, 2006
The Lonely Canadian
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/17/2006 04:36:00 AM 
Among the 240 listed cartoonists who submitted entries to the Iranian Holocaust Cartoon contest is one Canadian name, Marc Pageau, a cartoonist from Quebec. Sequential hasn't been able to dig up a copy of his cartoon, but Pageau had this to say about the contest back in February, from his infrequently updated blog:
"I will respect a certain personal and professional ethics while trying not to offend anybody in this debate on the freedom of expression by the caricature. I consider ALL RELIGIONS on the same equal footing and I intend well to treat them all in the same way, i.e. by the silly things of which they go all guilty.
If there are some fundamentalist integrist ones among the readers of this blog, it doesn't matters they are Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hinduists, Raelians or others, you will always be able to sue me!
I will never thank you enough for it, because this surely will make me famous in the whole world and you also, for the demonstration of your own stupidity!
I will publish my caricatures on this blog as soon as the results of the contest will be known and as I will get the O.K. for it by the organization of the contest.
And you? Will you participate?
If yes, good luck!
LONG LIVE TO THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH!"
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Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Beaty on Blanchet
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/16/2006 01:52:00 PM 
Bart Beaty provides a nice little review of the Pasteque-published La Fugue by Pascal Blanchet. I've been curious about this distinctive-looking book for awhile so it's nice to have the lowdown. Blanchet is an illustrator by trade and the book looks more like a picture book than narrowly-defined comic, leading Beaty to call for more illustrators to do comics. I remember reading an interview with Chris Oliveros who once talked about doing the same thing when D&Q first started, asking illustrators to do comics, leading, with few exceptions (Seth, Vellekoop), to many pretty comics with crappy narratives.
Conversational Eurocomics
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Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Doug Wright Awards News
:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/15/2006 07:51:00 AM Brad Mackay writes:
The 2nd annual Doug Wright Awards for Canadian cartooning will take place on Sept. 14 in Toronto at the Ballroom of The Gladstone Hotel.
The evening will kick off at 8 p.m. with an on stage interview of Chester Brown by Seth on the occasion of the softcover release of Brown's best-selling Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography (Drawn &Quarterly).
Following this the awards in two categories, Best Book and Best Emerging Talent, will be announced and handed out by Phyllis Wright (widow of Doug Wright). As well, Canadian broadcasting icon Lister Sinclair will be on hand to help induct the late cartoonist George Feyer into the Giants of the North Hall of Fame.
As well, the Awards are looking for volunteers:
"Do you like comics? Do you like cartoonists? Are you energetic and resourceful? If so, you're the man and/or woman for us! The Doug Wright Awards need volunteers for their 2nd annual awards ceremony to: man the door, to pick up and drop off guests, to show onvited guests to their reserved seats, to co-ordinate the catering, to plan music - and more. Interested parties should contact our event co-ordinator John at john.corcelli@gmail.com."
Discussion:
The Comics Journal Message Board
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