Canadian Comix News & Culture

   Friday, September 29, 2006  
Nuit Blanche

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/29/2006 12:48:00 AM
Graphic Novel Cabaret at the Toronto Reference Library
Atrium
10 PM
Sept 30th

Panel discussion/interviews with local cartoonists and Beguiling personnel including Kalman Andrasofszky, Chris Butcher, Ramon Perez, Chip Zdarsky, Peter Birkemoe and stef lenk.

Press Release
   


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   Thursday, September 28, 2006  
Montreal Book Launch for Marc Bell's NOG A DOD : Oct 3rd

:: Posted by max @ 9/28/2006 01:37:00 PM
Co:Andy Brown

Tuesday, October 3rd
Boa Bar, 5301 St-Laurent, Montreal, PQ, 8pm, free

Announcing the Montreal Book Launch for NOG A DOD: Prehistoric Canadian Psychedooolia edited by Marc Bell!

This is news to both book lovers and art afficianados. Presented by Conundrum Press, the event will include a one day art show by contributor S.P. Ehman.



Nog A Dod: Prehistoric Canadian Psychedooolia


Please join us at BOA BAR for the release of Nog A Dod, a landmark in Canadian Oddball Art Publishing, edited by Marc Bell (cartoonist responsible for Worn Tuff Elbow, Shrimpy and Paul and The Stacks).

This new book from Montreal's Conundrum Press documents nearly a decade of work by a loosely affiliated group of artists including Bell, Peter Thompson, Jason McLean, Amy Lockhart, Keith Jones, Owen Plummer, Tommy Lacroix, Tara Azzopardi, Jonathan Petersen, Dirty Debbie, S.P. Ehman, Scott Evans, Julie Voyce and Mark Connery.


Their work falls somewhere between children's book art, comics, psychedelia and fine art. Nog A Dod focuses on some of their greatest self-published achievements: The Book Of Sweden, Bucktooth Magnifying Glass, Ultra Sommy, The Perpetual Motion Machine, Carousel, Strawbaby, Flip Flop Prophets, Volvo Rollbars, Knoze Clippah, Pee On The Owl, Long Time Journey and many more. Several "Nogs" will be in attendance for this launch including Marc Bell and local artists who are featured in the book.


In this weeks MIRROR
"For most folks, open-ended doodling is an activity limited to occupying fidgety hands while tied up on the phone. For the Canadian artists assembled for the latest book from Montreal's Conundrum Press, however, it offers a whole new vista of expression. Nog a Dod: Prehistoric Canadian Psyckedooolia is a weighty tome...
...bursting with sketches, jams, abstract comics, odd texts, collages, altered photos and all manner of combinations thereof. Expect wizards and wildlife, hobos and hot rods, priests and pyramids, monster machines and mustachioed macho men. Do not, conversely, expect to make heads or tails of the damn thing."
- Rupert Bottenberg

This weeks Hour
"...The impressive, extensive, half-colour tome by Conundrum Press, edited by comic artist Marc Bell, unites the work of dozens of artists, loosely related by either style or provenance, in a pleasing order that doesn't really presume any. The idea was to present in a new context works from a particular scene that were originally created as self-published artists' books. Treat yourself to a chunk of psychedoolia history..." -
   


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Infrequent Review: Rabbit and Bear Paws

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/28/2006 08:15:00 AM
Canuck Graphic Novel Review: Rabbit and Bear Paws
   


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Week(end) of BD

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/28/2006 01:23:00 AM
According to Michel Viau at BDQ this weekend is chock full of comics events in Quebec:

1. Week of BD Launch
in conjunction with www.lecteurs.ca, a bookshop-based week of comics-related talks and roundtables beginning with a talk about webzines but continuing on Friday with a roundtable talk with Jimmy Beaulieu, Michel Viau, Eric Theriault, Alexandra Oakley et Francois Mayeux.

at Librairie Le Fureteur
25 rue Webster
Saint-Lambert, Quebec

2. Michel Rabagliati Tour
The Wright Award-winner continues to promote the launch of Paul a la Peche.

Monet
2752 de Salaberry,
Galeries Normandie,
Montreal
6pm-8pm
   


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   Wednesday, September 27, 2006  
"UNDERCARD" BOXING COMIC DEBUTS AT STUMPTOWN

:: Posted by max @ 9/27/2006 08:06:00 AM
Co:Chris Gumprich

UNDERCARD, a new six-issue serialized comic by creators Chris Gumprich ("Evening Shift") and Dennis Culver ("Funwrecker," "Plastic Farm"), will be debuting its first issue at the Stumptown Comics Festival, Table 70, October 29-30 in Portland, Oregon.

UNDERCARD focuses on Joe White, a journeyman boxer who never got his shot at a championship. After losing everything, he finally sees a way out, unfortunately, it's through his iron-fisted protege.

"Every boxing story seems to be about the underdog champion," Chris Gumprich, writer and co-creator, said, "but for every Rocky Balboa, there are thousands of other guys who never quite make it. UNDERCARD is about one of those guys - a past-his-prime loser who still thinks he has what it takes."

"I've always wondered why there weren't more boxing comics," said Dennis Culver, artist and co-creator, "for some reason it's an overlooked genre. But after Chris and I worked together on the ROUND FOUR mini last year, we both realized that there was a solid story to tell."

"We plan to self publish this in limited quantities on a quarterly basis and if demand is strong we'll publish in wide release as a trade paperback," said Gumprich. "However, if there is an interested publisher out there, we'd be willing to put this out at an accelerated pace. We feel so strongly about it that we're putting our money where our mouths are. It's not easy for either of us, but that's what the story's about - sometimes you have to make sacrifices."

UNDERCARD #1, cover price $5.00, won't be released until October 29, but it can be preordered here on their preview site.
   


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Salon du livre du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/27/2006 06:29:00 AM
Thanks to BDQ:

Salon du livre du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean

A French-language book festival featuring guest-appearances by several foreign and Quebec cartoonists, including Pascal Girard, Tristan Demers, Jocelyn Jalette, Yvon Brochu, & Fabien Rypert.

Includes the BD Crossroads/Carrefour BD, 4 days of BD and animation-related programming.

Sept 28-Oct 1, 2006
Holiday Inn Convention Centre
Saguenay, Quebec
   


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WOTS, pt 2

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/27/2006 03:23:00 AM
Continuing from yesterday, maybe the last of the Word on the Street Blog-a-thon:

Richard at Beyond Robson talks about Word Under the Street and the sexy mixing of cartoonists and punk rockers.

Michael in Vancouver finds the cartoonists less interesting than the filming of a new superhero movie.

cerealboxreader posts lots of great interviews to Youtube, including a Video of Chester Brown talking about writer Colin Wilson

Chris Mclaren gets a shitload of books signed.

Of the many books that launched at the festival, Toronto artist Stef Lenk's Carnival, the first chapter of a new graphic novel.
   


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Lillian S. Robinson, 1941-2006

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/27/2006 03:08:00 AM
Concordia Professor, Comics Scholar

Lillian S. Robinson, a feminist scholar and activist, has died of ovarian cancer in Montreal. A respected lecturer and writer, Robinson was for the past six years Principle of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute at Concordia Univerisity. A seasoned protestor and former SDS-member, she wrote several scholarly books of criticism and cultural theory. Her last, Wonder Women: Feminisms and Superheroes, was published in 2003 by Taylor and Francis.

Concordia has posted a full obituary and has established and is soliciting donations for the "Lillian S. Robinson Scholars Program" to bring lecturers to the Institute.

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   Tuesday, September 26, 2006  
Masters of Innovation: Chris Landreth & Donald McWilliams in Toronto

:: Posted by dave h @ 9/26/2006 08:40:00 PM
MASTERS OF INNOVATION:
CHRIS LANDRETH & DONALD McWILLIAMS

The Toronto Animated Image Society in partnership
with the The National Film Board of Canada presents

Masters of Innovation: Chris Landreth & Donald McWilliams

Join TAIS and the NFB for an evening of unique
perspectives on animation. At 7pm, Academy
Award-winning animation filmmaker Chris Landreth
(Ryan) will discuss his creative process. At 8PM, Academy
Award-nominee and McLaren's friend and biographer Donald
McWilliams (Sunrise Over Tiananmen Square, Creative Process
- Norman McLaren) will reveal 'The Unknown McLaren'.

WHEN
Thursday, September 28
Chris Landreth @ 7PM
Donald McWilliams @ 8PM

WHERE
NFB Cinema
150 John Street

ADMISSION
FREE

------------------------------
TAIS EXPLORES AND PROMOTES THE ART OF ANIMATION
AND SUPPORTS ANIMATORS AS ARTISTS!

Toronto Animated Image Society
60 Atlantic Avenue, suite 102
Toronto, Ontario
M6K 1X9

tais@bellnet.ca
www.tais.ca
416-533-7889
   


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The films of BRUNO BOZZETTO (IN PERSON!) in Toronto

:: Posted by dave h @ 9/26/2006 07:52:00 PM
THE TORONTO ANIMATED IMAGE SOCIETY IN PARTNERSHIP
WITH THE INSTITUTO ITILIANO DI CULTURA PRESENTS:

THE FILMS OF BRUNO BOZZETTO (IN PERSON!)


September 26 + 27



Please join TAIS and the Italian Cultural Institute for two very exciting events with renowned Italian animator: Bruno Bozzetto. Born in Milan in 1938, Bozzetto is the master animator behind several features and countless shorts. Over the course of his prolific career, he has achieved international success and acclaim for his vast body of humorous, sophisticated and satirical animations. (www.bozzetto.com)

Allegro Non Troppo (1977) is both a celebration of Fantasia's artistry and a witty lampoon of it. In this satirical, feature-length animation a theatre manager brings together an orchestra, a pompous conductor, and a cartoonist - who draws a series of clever animated vignettes to accompany each musical number. Highlights of this animated classic include Bolero in which the contents of a bottle of Coke dropped by a spaceship evolve into amoebas, then vertebrate animals and eventually humanity. (Newly restored 35 mm print!)

Bozetto's Short Animations (1967-2004) An eclectic collection of sardonic shorts spanning Bozzetto's lengthy career. In recent years Bozzetto has turned his hand to flash cartoons, most notably with the award-winning "Europe and Italy", a witty and graphically elegant commentary on European vs. Italian socio-cultural attributes.

ALLEGRO NON TROPPO
Filmmaker in attendance
RESTORED 35mm film print!
Tuesday, September 26 7 pm
Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto
PWYC

BOZZETTO'S SHORT ANIMATIONS (1967-2004)
Wednesday, September 27 7pm
Innis Town Hall. 2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto
PWYC

CONTACT
Toronto Animated Image Society
60 Atlantic, Studio 102
Toronto, Ontario M6K 1X9

Michele Stanley
416-533-7889
tais@bellnet.ca
   


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Word On The Street Wrap

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/26/2006 05:41:00 AM
Word On The Street 2006 was this past weekend and there were several appearances and events involving cartoonists in Vancouver, Toronto, and Halifax.

A few reports:

-Maktaaq at Metroblog blogs Joe Sacco and Word Under the Street.

-The dad of a comics fan blogs about his daughter's encounter with Runaways artist Adrian Alphona.

-Shawn shares some superhero sketches from WOTS Halifax.

-The Halifax Chronicle Herald mentions our cartooning friends briefly.

-The festival drew 200,000 people in Toronto, according to one sceptical blogger.

-More general, non-comics photos here.

Any more?
   


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Captain Canuck Movie News

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/26/2006 05:30:00 AM
The long-hinted-at Captain Canuck movie project seems to be inching forward, according to the profile of TVO kiddie show producer JJ Johnson in the Toronto Star.

Richard Comely's Captain Canuck property is one of those "half-decent ideas in search of competent content and execution for 30 years" stories but in today's wacky media environment a movie based on the mostly defunct 1970s property seems almost possible. Johnson, a successful producer who idolizes Steven Spielberg and James Cameron, may well be the man for the job.
   


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   Monday, September 25, 2006  
Expozine 2006 registration

:: Posted by max @ 9/25/2006 07:48:00 PM



Co:expozine.ca
This year's Expozine, Montreal's annual small press, comic and zine fair, will be held on Saturday November 25, 2006 from 11 am to 6 pm, at 5035 St-Dominique, between St-Joseph and Laurier.(map)

This is the same location as last year - a first for Expozine which in previous years had to seek larger spaces each year - The space is a large hall in an old convent in the north west end of the fashionable Plateau district of Montreal, just before the hip Mile End neighbourhood.

Growing substantially every year it's been held so far, it's organizers expect over 200 creators of all kinds of printed matter in both English and French to attend this time. In the past five years, Expozine has become one of North America's largest small press fairs, attracting thousands of visitors as well as exhibitors from as far afield as Chicago, Toronto, Ottawa, and Quebec City! Decidedly one of the city's cultural success stories.

Exhibitors: To reserve your table at Expozine, fill out the super easy web registration form before November 1, 2006. You can also register by phone by calling 514-278-4879, or register in person at Monastiraki, 5478 St-Laurent corner St-Viateur, from Wednesday to Sunday from 11-5 p.m.

Sponsors: For information on becoming a sponsor, contact organizers at expozine@archivemontreal.org, or call 514-282-0146.

Everyone else: be there or be square ;P
   


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Les Derniers Corsaires

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/25/2006 12:53:00 AM
ComicBookBin's Herve St.Louis ">reviews Les Derniers Corsairs, the new book from Quebec publisher La Pasteque. The book is a historical adventure by Jocelyn Houde & Marc Richard:

"Something I liked about this story, is that it wasn't bugged down in military details that non experts could not decipher. I would have loved to see more development of secondary cast members, such as the other officers and sailors s on the ship or some of the soldiers in the headquarters of the Royal Navy. More link to other pirates of the seas to ground the title of the book with the past of both corsairs and the British navy would have improved the story.

The artwork is a mix of Blain and Milton Caniff from Terry and the Pirates. The line work clearly dates the work in earlier days and suits the story."

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   Sunday, September 24, 2006  
The September Montreal Comix Jam

:: Posted by max @ 9/24/2006 12:30:00 PM
Hello To All!

A reminder that this September Comix jam will be held in our usual lair at Sala Rossa's Restaurante Espagnol (in the room near the stairs), 4848 St-Laurent, this coming Wednesday, September 27 at 8 PM. Don't forget to bring your pen, pencils, papers, clipboards and imagination!

Also, visit our Comix Jam's blog to see some of our jammers art at: www.comixjam.blogspot.com

Bonjour a Tous!

Un pense-bete pour vous rappeller que le Comix Jam de Septembre aura lieu dans notre repaire habituel du restaurant espagnol de la Sala Rossa (la salle juste a cote des escaliers) au 4848 St-Laurent, ce mercredi, 27 septembre at 8 PM. N'oubliez pas vos stylos, crayons, papiers, planches et votre imagination!

N'oubliez pas de visiter notre blog pour admirer quelques realisations de nos jammers sur: www.comixjam.blogspot.com

See you all there!
A la revoyure!

Jane
Jam's High Priestess
Grande Pretresse du Jam
   


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   Saturday, September 23, 2006  
More Chester Brown in Toronto

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/23/2006 07:16:00 PM
Torontoist reminds us that Chester Brown is shilling the new trade paperback edition of Louis Riel at Booth 200 at Sunday's Word on the Street. Click the link to find the link to the Globe's quickie interview with the man in question.

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   Friday, September 22, 2006  
House of Sugar Update

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/22/2006 06:43:00 PM
Thanks to The Beat, an update on fledgling publisher Hope Larson's struggle to get Diamond Distributors to carry her first book, Rebecca Kraatz's House of Sugar.

Diamond had initially refused to carry the book because of it's "unprofessionalism" --a position the distributor explained in a crappy form letter filled with hilarious typos and non sequitors.

Apparently, after the publicity and maybe some intervention from helpful net types (?), Diamond has reversed it's decision and the book will be carried after all.

And don't forget, you can meet both Larson and Kraatz at the Word on the Street event in Halifax this Sunday.
   


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Hot For Teacher

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/22/2006 07:49:00 AM
Thanks to Tom Spurgeon, this teacher evaluation of Ty Templeton from a student who experienced one of his classes at Max the Mutt studios.
   


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Cartoonist's Brother Gets Burial

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/22/2006 07:30:00 AM
Cartoonist Roy Peterson, in my mind most associated with Alan Fotherinham columns in Maclean's during the 80s (do they still do those?), attends the funeral of his brother who died in battle during WWII.

winnipegsun.com - Winnipeg News - Aircrew to go to their final rest
   


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Sim on Wrights

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/22/2006 07:25:00 AM
People just can't seem to stop blogging about last week's Wright Awards. This time around it's Dave Sim who provides a lengthy recap of the ceremony and several personal observations and photos of his experience.

Included is Sim's reminiscence of Doug Wright:

I did an interview by mail with Mr. Wright for the first issue of the Now & Then Times back in 1972 and still remember vividly the excitement of getting two syndicate proofs of the Max & Mini panel he was attempting to syndicate at the time, a long hand-written letter (unfortunately) both long ago misplaced, as well as a paperback of his Doug Wright's Family strips and a Doug Wright's Family original both of which I still have.


And a blow-by-blow of the Chester-Seth interview:
At one point, answering a question about his Libertarian political views Chet said, "All of my friends are liberals" and I momentarily considered yelling "HEY!" really loud from the back of the room for comedic effect (being, I was pretty sure, the only other person in the room besides Chet whose politics were to the right of Pierre Trudeau's) but thought better of it (yelling tends to frighten liberals terribly at the best of times and therefore has limited comedic applications in their native habitats)
   


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   Thursday, September 21, 2006  
Behind the Scenes with Lynn Johnston

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/21/2006 07:10:00 AM
Everyone linked to this new feature at For Better or For Worse --"The Making of a Comic Strip". Apparently it has something to do with pencils and paper...

FBorFW.com
   


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Beguiling Blog

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/21/2006 03:14:00 AM
Toronto's The Beguiling have added a blog to their homepage. It looks like it will be about new releases and signings, something Chris Butcher seems to cover at his own blog and at Torontocomics.com. But at least its all in one place.
   


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The Canada Council Deadline is Oct 1st!

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/21/2006 03:09:00 AM
Did you know you could get a grant to create your next graphic novel?

The Canada Council for the Arts provides grants to working artists for their next project. The deadline for applications is October 1, 2006.

The Canada Council for the Arts - Grants for Professional Writers: Creative Writing

Don't let the "creative writing" title fool ya --cartoonists can apply as well.
   


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Word Under the Street

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/21/2006 02:49:00 AM
Another comics event in Vancouver --part of the national Word on the Street literary festival (kind of funny that this event in Vancouver is all "alternative" and underground but has a prominent place on the main program's website).

(Sequential mentioned the Halifax version of this yesterday and Chris Butcher has more details.)

Lots of punk rockers (like Nardwuar), scenesters, and zinesters but also lots of cartoonists. Look for a full cohort of the West Coast's inky-fingered fraternity, including Colin Upton. Joe Sacco (at least his publisher is Canadian) also makes an appearance.

Sunday, Sept 24.

THE WORD UNDER THE STREET Presented by Min[t] Records

all day
Comics Contest
Create your own three-panel creation here and enter it to win a fabulous library of signed books, courtesy of Drawn & Quarterly and Raincoast Books.

all day
The Ink Muffins
Keep your eyes peeled for this impromptu cheerleading squad led by WUTS regular Robin Konstabaris. “You can do it, you’ve got guts, you won’t get no paper cuts. ’Zines are clever, ’zines are fun, bet you can’t stop at just one. Go ’zines!”

12:00–4:00
Nardwuar the Human Serviette and punk rock photographer Bev Davies
If you don’t know who MuchMusic’s Nardwuar the Human Serviette is by now, his 2007 Punk Rock Calendar (featuring photography by the lengendary Bev Davies) and recent 2-DVD set, Doot Doola Doot Doo... Doot Doot!, will certainly bring you up to speed in no time. This annoying, brilliant, bizarre and astounding character has made a name for himself by interviewing everyone. From former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to Snoop Doggy Dogg, he has tackled them all. And at the Mint Records table, you’ll have the chance to meet him and get signed copies of his latest stuff.

ON STAGE

12:00
Self-Publishing Comics
Want to find out how to create and market your own comic? Kevin Leeson and Todd Ireland of Critical Hit Comics, and Owen Plummer and Jo Cook from Perro Verlag Books, discuss the joys and perils of self-publishing comics and how to get your book into the public’s hands. Moderated by Leonard Wong (Vancouver Comicon).

1:00
Art Class with Robin Thompson
Interested in comics or cartooning, but not quite sure how to put pencil to paper? Check out this introductory art class to try your hand at drawing, creating characters and coming up with stories. Materials supplied, and all students will receive a free copy of Thompson’s comic book, Captain Space Man. Class limited to a maximum of 20 participants, so sign up early to avoid disappointment. Ages 11-16.

2:00
Webcomics
Comics delivered to your house via computer! Local webcomic artists Ed Brisson, Jason Pultz and Jordan Nuefeld talk about their online efforts and give tips on what it takes to create a webcomic that people will want to keep coming back to. Moderated by Leonard Wong (Vancouver Comicon).

Host: Sean Cranbury, Sophia Books

3:00
Joe Sacco (Seattle, WA)
But I Like It
This collection of rock-and-roll and blues oriented strips includes Sacco’s graphic novelette of life on the road with punk band The Miracle Workers, newly-expanded and supplemented with sketches, notes and a CD. Add some stories done for German magazines and papers and some Sacco-designed rock show posters, and you’ve got an eye-popping compendium of life on one of the most dangerous beats of all: the world of rock’n’roll. Sacco is a widely acclaimed, award-winning comics journalist, whose publications include Palestine, The Fixer and Safe Area Gorazde: The War In Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995. He is currently working on a book about the southern Gaza Strip — both journalistic and historical — called Footnotes in Gaza. (Fantagraphics Books) Adopted by Eve Corbel and Sarah Leavitt.

4:30
Comics and the Classroom
Educators and comic creators Ken Boesem, Sarah Haxby, Julian Lawrence and Leonard Wong share ideas on how to use comics as a cross-curricular learning tool and a resource for promoting reading and literacy.
   


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   Wednesday, September 20, 2006  
Rabagliati and other news

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/20/2006 03:14:00 AM

Apparently, Michel Rabagliati's newest French-language graphic novel Paul a la Peche (Paul Goes Fishing) has its proper release today. According to his publisher La Pasteque's website, the book was extensively reviewed by major Montreal media this past weekend. An interview and review from La Presse, an interview with CBC radio, and others are available online.
(thanks to Google translation)



In Other News


The awesome new Marc Bell-edited Nog A Dod: Prehistoric Canadian Psychedooolia from Conundrum Press has its official launch in Toronto this Sunday, September 24th at the Gladstone Hotel. Bell and contributors Amy Lockhart and S.P. Ehman will be on hand for the festivities.


As well
-Two comics-related perspectives on the Dawson College shooting in Montreal last week. First, editorial cartoonist and Dawson College teacher Stan Roach describes his experience of the event for his paper. Second, Comic Book Bin's Herve St.Louis discusses the political issues that are emerging in the wake of the shooting.

-The Beat reports that the Toronto Fan-Expo had a crowd of 42000 a few weeks ago, a 21% increase in attendance over last year, according to the show promoters.

-Guelph cartoonist Seth launched his new strip in the New York Times this past Sunday. The first installment can be seen here. An excellent Marc Ngui-Seth interview from Carousel magazine has also just been made available online (the same issue has an excellent Ngui strip) and Seth (recently nominated for an Ignatz for Wimbledon Green) will be appearing in Halifax at the Word on the Street Festival this weekend.

-Speaking of the Halifax Word on the Street Festival, this year there is a huge Graphic Novel component to the fest, including a "How to Draw Comics" workshop. Guests include: J. Bone, Scott Chantler, Michael Cho, Darwyn Cooke, Eric Kim, Rebecca Kraatz, Hope Larson, Steve Manale, Steve McNiven, Ryan North, Mark Oakley, Bryan Lee O'Malley and Seth.

-Lastly, Chris Butcher has more on the art of Canadian cartooning Giant George Feyer.
   


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   Tuesday, September 19, 2006  
Under-blogged

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/19/2006 06:17:00 AM
Among other things lately, Sequential missed linking to two of the larger Canadian comics events: comic book conventions in Montreal and Vancouver.

Robin Bougie filed one of the only reports on the Sept. 10 Vancouver Comicon, reviewing the latest Real Gone Girl by Vancouver's Miriam Libicki. Colin Upton doesn't really do a con report but he has a great rant about US Cultural Imperialism.

The Montreal Comic-con also came and went this past weekend. A few posts over at the BDQ forum are testament to this fact.

Sequential will endeavour to blog about future cons before they happen.
   


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   Monday, September 18, 2006  
More Wright Awards

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/18/2006 05:13:00 AM

The Wright Awards homepage has been updated and there are now several photos of the event online, including the one to the left featuring Sequential's own Max blogging away as the festivities wind down.

Other reports:
-Robert Haines reports on both the 2005 and 2006 Wright awards, showing off some weirdly sad Seth ephemera.
-The torontoist has a great photo of Lorenz Peter and a concise summary of the winning books
-D&Qblogs the celebrities on hand (but forgets Shortbus star and former Chester Brown girlfriend Sook Yin-Lee)
-the lowdown on the Beguiling employee health plan
-CBC Arts Online also has a full report, including an interview with Lorenz Peter
-a limited edition 24-page collection of Hall-of-Fame-inductee George Feyer's cartoons also was available at the awards --a few copies may still be available at the Beguiling for cheap
   


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   Thursday, September 14, 2006  
Chester Brown interviewed by Seth and the winners of the 2006 Doug Wright Awards

:: Posted by max @ 9/14/2006 10:53:00 PM

Ok, Reporting live from the Gladstone's ball room, here it is, a flawed recording but interesting none the less.

Apologies for the poor quality of this recording, things went awry a bit.

Update: after a bit of manipulation I was able to get a more audible version of the interview out of my backup recorder, so here's that.

If you really just cant stand these you can rest assured that in a few days a version of the interview recorded for the CBC directly from the board will the released. But for more immediate gratification you can download a 13.426kb mono file here of the interview.

But, who wone you ask?

I'm very please to announce the 2006 Doug Wright Awards for Canadian cartooning recipients.

For Best EMERGING TALENT

Dark Adaptation by Lorenz Peter (Pedlar Press) with a special mention for Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki (Kiss Machine)

For BEST BOOK, drum roll please...

Paul Moves Out by Michel Rabagliati (Drawn & Quarterly Books)

I'll leave the publishing of audio of the nights events to be released by others with a better audio view on the nights occasions than I.

So that's it for another year kids. I'm going to go shmooz, you all go and make or read some more great comics!
   


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   Tuesday, September 12, 2006  
Cartoonist Judges Writers

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/12/2006 01:37:00 AM
Syndicated cartoonist Sandra Bell-Lundy is the judge in the Fifth Annual CanWrite! Conference Story Contest presented by The Canadian Authors Association.

"The top ten selections will be published in an anthology launched at the 86th CAA Annual Conference in Ottawa July 5-8, 2007. The top three winners will also receive $500, $200 and $100, plus free conference registration. This short story contest is open to all ages and all Canadian and US residents."

According to the article, "Lundy is also the author of two best-selling book collections - Hello, Daughter and Coffee, Tea and Reality."

Stoney Creek News
   


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   Monday, September 11, 2006  
One for the Nipper

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/11/2006 12:41:00 AM
Journalist and Wright Awards honcho Brad Mackay has pulled off a stellar bit of promotion for Thursday's Doug Wright Awards event --he's written an article about Doug Wright for the Ottawa Citizen! The piece reveals many interesting tidbits of biographical information about Wright, the creator of the pantomime strip Nipper (later called Doug Wright's Family), including the fact that Nipper debuted before Wright had any children of his own or was even married.

Mackay also talks about his earliest encounters with Wright's work:

"My earliest memory of the strip goes back to the first time I picked up a small, mail-order collection of Doug Wright's Family strips nearly 30 years ago [...] This strip, along with most of the ones included inside the book, are so well-drawn and well-observed that over the years I confused them with my own childhood experiences."
   


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Catch of the Day: Michel Rabagliati Tour

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/11/2006 12:29:00 AM


According to La Pasteque's website, Wright-Award-nominated cartoonist Michel Rabagliati is hitting the road for a whirlwind tour of Quebec bookstores in support of his new graphic novel, Paul a la peche.

Thursday September 28: Librairie Monet, Montreal
Friday September 29: Librairie Champigny, Montreal
Saturday September 30: Librairie Pantoute, Quebec City
Sunday October 1st: Bouquinerie Cartier, Quebec City
Thursday Oct. 5: Le Fureteur, St. Lambert
Saturday Oct. 7: Fichtre, Montreal
   


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Bestselling Quebec Graphic Novels

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/11/2006 12:00:00 AM
At the BDQ forums, Michel Viau gathers the latest info about Quebec BD that has made the bestseller list of the major Quebec comics-friendly stores. Unsurprisingly, of the stores mentioned, the indie-loving Fichtre has the most local books among its top 15 sellers.

Full list

Translation
   


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   Sunday, September 10, 2006  
Hey kids! Comics!

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/10/2006 11:40:00 PM
Nathalie Atkinson breezes through a carload of comics in her monthly review column for the Globe. This time around the focus is on the latest kids comics and Atkinson provides pithy one-sentence summaries of several popular books, including Northwest Passage, Scott Pilgrim, Flight 3, and several other books created by people who are not Canadian.

globeandmail.com : Hey kids! Comics!
   


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   Friday, September 08, 2006  
Giant Female Canadian Cartoonists Invade NYC

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/08/2006 06:07:00 AM

Curator Dan Nadel has put together an exhibit called Telling Tales: Contemporary Women Cartoonists for a New York City gallery. Included among the chosen artists are former-cartoonist Julie Doucet and emerging cartooning giant (and 2005 Wright Awards nominee) Genevieve Castree:

"Telling Tales is a subjective look at the last four decades of comics drawn by women.

Long a boys club, comics have, since the rise of the late 1960s underground, opened up to women as a medium like any other. Unfortunately, most current historical surveys are notable not only for the absence of women artists but also the absence of women as protagonists or even subjects in the medium itself. And while a gender-based exhibition might marginalize women even further, Telling Tales seems necessary as a slight corrective to the usual historical narrative.

The seventeen artists included here were chosen for their unique points of view and their idiosyncratic approaches to cartooning. All are free from the usual stylizations of comics, making stories that rely as much on line and mark as narrative and dialogue. Each artist has made an indelible mark on the medium..."


drawn and quarterly
   


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Chester Brown on Tour

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/08/2006 05:59:00 AM
According to THE BEAT, Chester Brown will be touring the Western part of the country to promote the paperback release of Louis Riel. The tour really gets started with Chester being interviewed by Seth next Thursday at the Wright Awards, but the rest of the tour, beginning with a stop at McNally-Robinson in Winnipeg, doesn't get properly underway until October:

Wednesday, October 11th Winnipeg, MB McNally-Robinson

Thursday, October 12th Brandon, MB Pennywise Books

Friday, October 13th Saskatoon, SK McNally-Robinson

Saturday, October 14th Calgary, AB Calgary Wordfest

Monday, October 16th Edmonton, AB Greenwoods Bookshoppe

Tuesday, October 17th- Saturday, October 21 Vancouver, BC Vancouver
International Writers Festival (exact date TBA)

Sunday, October 22nd Victoria, BC Bolen Books
   


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Best Headline: Omemee Cartoonist gets Boost

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/08/2006 05:41:00 AM
Kevin Frank's Christian-themed syndicated comic strip, Heavens Love Thrift Shop, was profiled by the NYT awhile back. Now comes the ultimate honour: a profile in Lindsay This Week, a newspaper from the Kawartha region that Mr. Franks calls home.

In the article, Franks talks about his religious beliefs, his correspondence with Charles Schulz, and his Canadian citizenship.

Mary Riley: Omemee cartoonist gets boost from New York Times
   


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Tokyo Ghost Launch

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/08/2006 05:18:00 AM

The official launch of Quebec cartoonist Djief's new comic, Tokyo Ghost T.1 takes place tonight in Montreal. Apparently a sort of horror comic in the spirit of the latest wave of films from Japan, the book is a full-colour tour-de-force.

L'Imaginaire
2740 boul. Laurier à Ste-Foy:
(3e étage du centre commercial Place Laurier)
6:30 PM

(link courtesy BDQ)

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   Thursday, September 07, 2006  
New Guy Delisle Book

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/07/2006 05:19:00 AM

Wright Awards-nominated cartoonist Guy Delisle has a new book out. Shenzhen documents his time in China, and is billed as a sequel of sort to Pyongyang.

Delisle also recently visited his English-language publisher,
drawn and quarterly. That's him with Chris Oliveros.
   


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New Fan Expo Links

:: Posted by Bryan @ 9/07/2006 05:07:00 AM
Probably the last on this subject for awhile, unless someone emails me something amazing.

-Filip Vukcevic does a con report at IGN.Comics. He argues that, given the population of Canada, the show is equivalent to San Diego. Also includes lots of nerd-speak about the cavernous nature of the convention hall ("You know the Geonosis droid factory in Attack of the Clones?") and the escalator system, as well as an attempted interview with a Hobbystar official (Aman Gupta?):
"I tried asking the head Fan Expo organizer a few questions, really, just things about the new space and the attendance - I wanted to help him pimp the con - but he briskly declined (while he was basically standing around, not doing much of anything). It seems that unlike Marvel's Civil War, this conflict may have a "bad guy" and a "good guy" - the question remains: who is who?"


-A nicely edited YouTube video by Peter Sankey.

-Newsarama Floor Report

-Video game lover gets engaged at Fan Expo, eats at Hard Rock

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