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Tonite: Montreal Comix Jamdetails here Bar des Pins, 3714 Park. Thursday, January 31 at 8 PM Labels: comic jams, events, Montreal, Quebec - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Pia Guerra vs Dave SimNot really, but here are some comics-related links concerning both:
Labels: floppies, interviews, interweb, manga, Newfoundland, Ontario, publishing, Toronto - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Wednesday, January 30, 2008 Tonite: Industry Night at the Victory Cafe Industry Night @ The Vic This Wednesday Labels: events, Ontario, Toronto - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Tonite: Plain Jane Star Wars Cecil Castellucci (THE PLAIN JANES) and Scott Hepburn (STAR WARS)Labels: events, graphic novels, Toronto - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Wednesday: Dave Sim, Pascal Blanchet, 2007 Direct Market
Labels: bestsellers, comics retailers, floppies, graphic novels, manga, publishing, Quebec, reviews - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 Tonite: Extraction Book Launch, TorontoWhen Comix and Journalism Collide … Journalistic graphic novel portrays the dirty business of global resource extraction in the 21st century. TORONTO Tuesday, January 29, 2008 COMIX JAM The Cameron House, 408 Queen Street West LAUNCH 8:00 p.m. info: 416-703-0811 http://www.cumuluspress.com/extraction Cumulus Press recently released a new title EXTRACTION! Comix Reportage. This 'graphic novel' started with four journalistic stories about the mining industry. These stories were scripted then handed over to four comix artists (including 2007 Doug Wright Award winner, Joe Ollmann) to create a multi-styled comic book about mining that, according to Joe Sacco, "is the perfect idea for a graphic treatment." Cumulus Press will launch this book of comix journalism within the January edition of the Toronto Comix Jam, whose jammers will create collective strips of journalism based on articles provided for the evening. Here the challenge will persist between the 'give' of verifiable facts and the 'take' of graphic interpretation, between the 'push' of fact-based details and the 'pull' of visual narrative. The craft of comix journalism does not stem from the combination of text and image, content and structure. It is the added meaning derived from the interaction between the symbolic and the realistic, the literal and the figurative that gives it strength. The extraction of natural resources today is a dirty business. Since 2000, most energy and mineral prices are skyrocketing. Junior mining prospectors and unscrupulous transnational corporations rush into new territories to suck what's hot out of the earth's lucrative veins. In today's gas, oil and mining industries, the pace of exploration, extraction, transformation and delivery of the world's resources is mind boggling. The German magazine Der Spiegel speaks of a Third World War for the world's resources. It is more like a blitzkrieg. EXTRACTION! looks into the exploration, exploitation and extraction gold, bauxite, uranium and oil, from a common-good social justice perspective, in Guatemala, India, Quebec and Alberta, respectively. Labels: Alberta, cartoon reportage, comic jams, graphic novels, Ontario, Quebec, Toronto - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - New Location for the montreal comic jamBonjour a Tous! Eh oui, suite a la fermeture de l'Utopik et de la fin de ses memorables soirees de pouesie, a la demande generale, le Comix Jam se tiendra au Bar des Pins, 3714 rue du Parc Jeudi prochain, le 31 Janvier a 20hres. Comme d'habitude amenez votre attirail du dessinateur et votre bonne humeur! Yup! Following the closing of Cafe Utopik and the end of their memorable poetry nights, by general request, the next Comix Jam will be held at Bar des Pins, 3714 Park, this coming Thursday, January 31 at 8 PM. As usual, bring your artist gear and good humor! A la Prochaine! See Ya there! http://comixjam.blogspot.com/ Labels: comic jams, events, Montreal, Quebec - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - The literary picture show on mcgilldaily.com Local illustrator Pascal Blanchet recounts the rise and fall of an idyllic Quebec small town in his newest book, White RapidsBy Alex Weisler Culture Writer Like Persepolis and Maus, White Rapids is a testament to the rising mass appeal of the graphic novel. "Graphic novels have been garnering increasingly mainstream attention and critical respect in recent years, with "slice of life" stories overshadowing the capes and tights familiar to the medium. The genre's literary merits have come to light with a slew of popular new works: Persepolis, recently adapted into a feature film; the Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus; as well as more subversive books like Alan Moore's Lost Girls, an erotic take on Victorian children's fiction." -->> Pascal Blanchet's White Rapids is published by Drawn & Quarterly. It's available for purchase at the publisher's store (211 Bernard O.) for $27.95 or on their web site at drawnandquarterly.com. Labels: bd, new books, preview, publishing, Quebec - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Monday, January 28, 2008 Tonite: Monkeytown Comix Jam ![]() For the gang in Moncton and environs: Okay, we're de retour after skipping December... The next monthly Monkeytown Comix Jam is this coming Monday, January 28 at the Laundromat (corner of Cameron and St.-George.) Starts about 7pm; ends when Marky kicks us out. (Usually 2am.) Show up! Drink beer! Draw comix and stuff! Ke, pis on est back apres avoir sauté le mois de decembre... Le prochain Monkeytown Comix Jam aura lieu lundi le 28 janvier au cafe Laundromat (angle Cameron et Saint-George.) On commence, comme toujours, vers 19h. Venez! Boire de la biere! Faites des bedes... et stuff. Labels: comic jams, events, Moncton, New Brunswick - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 1comments - Monday Links: Doucet, Johnston, Taillefer, Nunavut ![]()
The current plan: Continue tying up loose ends with various "FBorFW" characters (a process that's taking longer than Johnston expected). Then, no later than this September, freeze all these cast members in time. After that, the 1979-launched comic will focus on the younger versions of the characters. Labels: comic strips, graphic novels, interviews, Lynn Johnston, Ontario, Toronto - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Congratulations, Rebecca DartRebecca Dart, proud Canadian. Welcome home! ![]() Labels: cartoonists, events - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Friday, January 25, 2008 This Weekend: Small Press Expo VancouverSat Jan 26 1-5 pm Small Press Comic Expo Jem Gallery, 225 East Broadway Vancouver http://www.inkstuds.com/?p=250 Labels: British Columbia, events, Vancouver - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Webcomics Round-upA new batch of serialized and not-so-serialized webcomics are online this week:
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Do you have a new webcomic or news about your ongoing webcomic project? Would you like to see your work linked to through Sequential? Let us know. Labels: webcomics - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Thursday, January 24, 2008 Jim Munroe: How to Publish a Graphic Novel without an AgentWriter Jim Munroe (Therefore Repent!, Everyone in Silico) pens a how-to essay about getting published and submitting work:
Labels: graphic novels, how-to, publishing - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - The "Canadianness" of CerebusAn interesting essay about Dave Sim by David Fiore, quoting Sim's ex-wife Deni Loubert:
Labels: analysis, blogosphere, graphic novels - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Reminder: Jay Kennedy Comics ScholarshipThe deadline for the Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship is fast approaching (January 31st, 2008). Applicants must be college students in the United States, Canada or Mexico that will be in their Junior or Senior year of college during the 2008-2009 academic year. Applicants DO NOT have to be art majors to be eligible for this scholarship. http://www.reuben.org/ncsf/scholarship/ Labels: comics scholarship - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Wednesday, January 23, 2008 transculturelle: Montreal Manga & Anime ConferenceFriday and Saturday, January 25 and 26 at McGill University in Montreal, Thomas Lamarre will be hosting a workshop on shoujo anime and manga. Academic papers on gender, genre, and culture will be presented by the likes of Frenchy Lunning, Toshiya Ueno, and Ian Condry. There is no charge to attend. More info here. - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Wednesday Newsiness: Oscars, PiQ, thoughtcrimesMontreal cartoonists Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski have been nominated for an Oscar for a short stop-motion film produced by the NFB. Ezra Levant states his case agian, this time for the Globe. Chris Butcher takes a look at the replacement magazine for anime bible Newtype USA and previews the Spring offerings from D+Q. Hubbub on the Bookshelf: Bookninja reports on a libel scare at the Toronto Small Press Fair. Labels: censorship, events, graphic novels, manga, Ontario, publishing, Quebec, Toronto - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Tuesday, January 22, 2008 Tuesdays Newsday: Censored!Some quick links about comix-related stories in Canada:
News that Deva and Smyth are relinquishing ownership of Little Sister's is being met with shock and sadness, but also with a sense of profound gratitude for the leadership role they've assumed on issues that resonate with the queer community. Issues like spearheading the response to Aaron Webster's murder in 2001; community policing; housing issues in the West End; and a community resource and gathering space. Labels: censorship, interweb - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Vancouver Roundup: Inkstuds, et alLots of Inkstuds-related posts around these days: First, go listen to the latest Inkstuds podcast, featuring Jeet Heer, Dan Nadel, and Tom Spurgeon. The subject is "Comics as Art" (as opposed to what? "Comics as Dirt?" "Comics as Nature?") and aside from late appearances by two of the 3 guests and some laissez faire moderating, it is an fun hour of listening pleasure. Jeet has the summary. Second, the Inkstuds gallery show opened last Friday. Reports are here, here, here, here, and here Labels: British Columbia, events, exhibits, pod casts, Vancouver - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Quebecor Files for Bankruptcy ![]() Quebecor World Inc. has filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. and Canada, according to a variety of reports. Often characterized as the second-largest publicly-traded commercial printer in North America (see RR Donnelly and Quad/Graphics), Quebec-based Quebecor is the printer of choice for many comic book and graphic novel publishers. Despite having made arrangements for $400 million in funding last week, the debt-laden printer still faced approval from its creditors, the deadline for which came and went with no comment over the weekend. Then yesterday the company asked for and received creditor protection in Quebec, with a "Chapter 11" filing to follow in the U.S. Quebecor World's debts are being covered but it has a lot of them, according to this Reuters article. The company's stock lost half its value on Monday, plunging 17 cents on the Toronto Stock Exchange. An autopsy is performed here. From Quebecor's own press release:
Labels: Ontario, printing, publishing, Quebec, Toronto - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Friday, January 18, 2008 This Weekend: Wintercon, EdmontonThe Wintercon anime con takes place this weekend at the University of Alberta and is sponsored by BAKA, the U of A's anime and manga club. Art, film and other events at the links below. Wintercon Jan 19-20, 2008 University Education building, University of Alberta, Edmonton http://www.bakaclub.com/news.php http://www.bakaclub.com/con1.php more Labels: Alberta, conventions, Edmonton, events, manga - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - This Weekend: Vancouver Comic JamThe January Vancouver Comic Jam will be taking place at the JEM Gallery (255 East Broadway) as part of the Ink Studs art show on Saturday, January 19th. The Jam will return to the Clubhouse Restaurant from February onward. When: Saturday, January 19th, 2007. 7pm until late. Where: Jem Gallery, 255 East Broadway, Vancouver (Broadway, between Main and Kingsway) Who: Anyone who is of legal drinking age is invited. How Much: Free. Bring your own pencils/pens. Paper is provided. Labels: British Columbia, comic jams, events, Vancouver - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - This Weekend: Vancouver ComiconVancouver Comicon Sunday, January 20th, 2008 11am to 5pm Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street (corner of Main and 15th Ave) Admission: $3.00 Kids under 14: Free! * Camilla d'Errico (Nightmares and Fairytales, Avril Lavigne's Make 5 Wishes) * Philip Barrett (Matter) * Stephanie Blakey (Comics by Steph) * Ken Boesem (The Village) * Robin Bougie (Cinema Sewer) * Jonathan Dalton (Lords of Death and Life, Fablewood) * Laura Eveleigh (Little Illustrated Books) * Kelly Everaert (Trilogy of Terror) * Maxine Frank (Maximum Superexcitement) * Donald King * Carrie McKay * Mike Myhre (Space Jet Comics) * Robin Thompson (Champions of Hell, Hemp Island) * Beth Wagner (Isaac and Lee, Forest Through the Trees) * Critical Hit Comics Labels: British Columbia, conventions, events, Vancouver - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Today: Nik Kowsar: The Price of FreedomPolicart Nik Kowsar, ex of Iran, gives a talk today at York University: "The Price of Freedom" McLaughlin Senior Common Room, 140 McLaughlin College, York University. (www.yorku.ca) Noon. Iranian cartoonist and journalist Nik Kowsar will give a talk on "The Price of Freedom of Expression," as part of the series McLaughlin College Winter Term Lunch Talks 2008. Labels: events, political cartooning, real world - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Tonite: Insktuds Opening Celebrating 2 years of the Inkstuds podcast, an exhibit of comic art at the Jem gallery in Vancouver. It starts tonight with an opening party. Be sure to swing by for the art show opening on Friday, January 18th. The show features artwork from the following local comic folks: Phil Barrett, Marc Bell, Joseph Bergin III, Jordyn Bochon, David Boswell, Robin Bougie, Ed Brisson, Rebecca Dart, Ted Dave, Sean Esty, Gareth Gaudin, Pia Guerra, Don King, Robin Konstabaris, George Metzger, Mike Myhre , Julian Lawrence, Miriam Libicki, James Lloyd, Steve Rolston, Ron Turner, Jason Turner and Colin Upton. Labels: art show, British Columbia, events, exhibits, Vancouver - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Thursday, January 17, 2008 2008 Convention ScheduleBelow is a rough draft of the 2008 Convention Schedule for all comics and comics-related conventions in Canada. Sequential will hopefully be issuing several of these updated schedules throughout the year, as well as promoting the individual events as they occur. If you have any additions or corrections, please email us. Sequential is interested in all comics-related events that take place across the country and we will do our best to link to your event, even if it is only a relatively tiny, single-day collectibles show in a small town. Please let us know. 2008 Conventions Wintercon (anime event) Jan 19-20, 2008 University Education building, University of Alberta, Edmonton http://www.bakaclub.com/news.php http://www.bakaclub.com/con1.php more Vancouver Comicon Sunday, January 20th, 2008 11am to 5pm Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street (corner of Main and 15th Ave) http://mypage.uniserve.ca/~lswong/Comicon.html Toronto Comicon Feb 3, 2008 Metro Toronto Convention Centre http://www.hobbystar.com/hobbystar/ConventionsPoster_20080203.html Animaritime March 7-8, 2008 Delta Beausejour hotel, Moncton, New Brunswick http://www.animaritime.org/index.html Toronto Anime Con March 15-16, 2008 Metro Toronto Convention Centre http://www.hobbystar.com/hobbystar/Conventions.html March 16 -- Vancouver Comicon Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street (corner of Main and 15th Ave) http://mypage.uniserve.ca/~lswong/Comicon.html Winnipeg Comic and Toy Expo March 30th, 2008 Canad Inns Fort Garry 10am - 5pm Admission $2.00 http://manitobacomiccon.com/index.php Edmonton Pop Culture Fair Sunday, March 30, 2008 10 am to 4:30 pm Edmonton Aviation Heritage Centre 11410 Kingsway Avenue http://www.popculturefair.com/ Toronto ComiCON Annual Fan Appreciation Event Metro Toronto Convention Centre http://www.hobbystar.com/hobbystar/Conventions.html April 12-13, 2008 Montreal Toy Con Sunday, May 4th, 2008 10am to 5pm COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT MONTREAL AIRPORT 7000 Place Robert-Joncas St-Laurent, QC http://site.toysonfire.com/montreal_toy_con/montrealtoycon.html Anime North May 23-25, 2008 Doubletree International Plaza Hotel Toronto Congress Center Renaissance Toronto Airport Hotel http://www.animenorth.com/index.php May 25 -- Vancouver Comicon Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street (corner of Main and 15th Ave) http://mypage.uniserve.ca/~lswong/Comicon.html July 6 -- Vancouver Comicon Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street (corner of Main and 15th Ave) http://mypage.uniserve.ca/~lswong/Comicon.html Paradise Toronto Comicon July 12-13, 2008 Holiday Inn on King Street http://torontocomicon.com/ Montreal Comicon June 15, 2008 http://www.majorcomics.safeshopper.com/ - site may be down? [google cash and myspace] mtlcomiconATyahoo.ca Fan Expo Canada August 22-24, 2008 Metro Toronto Convention Centre http://www.hobbystar.com/hobbystar/Conventions.html August 24 -- Comix & Stories, Vancouver Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street (corner of Main and 15th Ave) http://mypage.uniserve.ca/~lswong/Comicon.html September 7 -- Vancouver Comicon Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street (corner of Main and 15th Ave) http://mypage.uniserve.ca/~lswong/Comicon.html Montreal Comicon Sept 13-14, 2008 http://www.majorcomics.safeshopper.com/ VCON Vancouver’s Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Gaming Convention October 19-21 Radison President Hotel, 8181 Cambie Road, Richmond, BC http://www.vcon.ca/ November 16 -- Vancouver Comicon Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street (corner of Main and 15th Ave) http://mypage.uniserve.ca/~lswong/Comicon.html Labels: Alberta, British Columbia, conventions, Edmonton, events, manga, Manitoba, Moncton, New Brunswick, Ontario, Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Jeff Lemire Wins Alex Award ![]() The American Library Association has warded on of ten 2008 Alex Awards to Jeff Lemire's Essex County Volume 1: Tales From the Farm. The awards recognize adult books that also appeal to children. They are handed out by YALSA, the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the ALA). Toronto-based Lemire's graphic novel tells the story of an imaginative 10-year-old boy who lives on a farm near Windsor, Ontario. Congratulations to Jeff Lemire! See all winners. As well, YALSA has released a list of the 43 best graphic novels for teens and the list includes several Canadians. (via Dirk Deppey) Labels: awards, graphic novels, international, Ontario, Toronto - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Quebecor UpdatesAs noted earlier in the week, mega printer Quebecor World has received tentative financing intended to bail out the company after record losses. Since the deal still needs to be approved, Quebecor missed its financing deadline Tuesday and the stock tumbled. Quebecor is the major printer for Marvel and DC, as well as several other comics outfits. Labels: printing, publishing - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Thursday Links: Important Comics News ![]() The latest issue of Menushell is out. The latest issue of Comicopia is out. The BDAng imprint of Conundrum Press is profiled in this article from THIS magazine. Jay Stephen's long-awaited "Lost" Teen Titans Annual is now out. 600 thousand people have visited the Tintin exhibit at the Museum of Civilization.(via Michel Viau) Vampira, R.I.P. Labels: bd, exhibits, fanzines, floppies, graphic novels, U.S. superhero franchises - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Tuesday, January 15, 2008 Ciné-Salon/Movie Night + Art Jam @ Centre St-Ambroise, Sunday, Jan. 27, ![]() Co: Rupert Bottenberg On Sunday, Jan. 27, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., the new Centre St-Ambroise space in St-Henri (directions below) hosts a dual-purpose soirée. Downstairs, in the Griffon Room, we'll be screening DVDs of a wide assortment of odd and entertaining material-short films, TV shows, cartoons, possibly a feature film or two, video oddities and local content. If you're a local filmmaker or video artist with material you'd like to screen, please email Rupert at rupert.bottenberg@gmail.com to discuss. Upstairs in the Maxwell Haus gallery/studio, there will be an art jam (paper and clipboards provided), an opportunity for comic artists, illustrators, animators and other visual artists to collaborate on improve drawings and get to know one another. Everyone, pros and amateurs alike, are welcome to participate! Cheap, good beer available of course (quality McAusland product!). The Centre St-Ambroise is at 5080 St-Ambroise, between St-Remi and Chemin de la Côte St-Paul. You can get there by taking a short ride on the 78 bus from Lionel-Groulx metro, the 37 bus from either Vendôme or De l'Église metro, or the 36 bus. Should be a good one, hope to see you all there! - RUP Labels: art show, bd, comic jams, Montreal - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Quebecor May Get $400 Million BailoutCanadian printer Quebecor has been offered $400 million to help stabilize its losses. The money comes through Quebecor's parent company, Quebecor World and private equity firm Tricap Partners Ltd. Tricap previously had great success bailing out Stelco. The money is unsecured and the plan still has to be approved by the creditor banks. The Toronto Star has the full story. (previous entries about Quebecor) Labels: Ontario, printing, publishing, Toronto - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - James Turner Interview: Comics ReporterTom Spurgeon interviews Rex Libris creator and Doug Wright nominee James Turner: I think Rex has become legendary for being text heavy. If one cannot achieve fame, go for infamy and take kickbacks from ophthalmologists. Labels: comics in libraries, floppies, graphic novels - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Western Standard Mohammed Cartoon Controversy, part 20Ezra Levant, the publisher of the now-defunct Western Standard magazine, appeared before a closed hearing of the Alberta Human Rights Commission last Friday. The hearing was ostensibly to determine if the complaint against the Standard and Levant (publishing hate literature) warrants a further hearing. Levant published the controversial Danish cartoons depicting Mohammed in 2006. Dirk Deppey does a very nice job of rounding up what actually transpired at Friday's hearings, mostly because Levant has posted video of the day. (The videos are also available on youtube.) The actual hearing involved Levant and his lawyer sitting across a table from Shirlene McGovern, who is identified by Levant as an agent and human rights officer with the Alberta Human Rights Commission, an agency of the provincial government of Alberta. Despite Levant's hyperbole (he describes his interrogator and the entire process as an example of "the banality of evil") and grandstanding (if you can call calmly reading a statement in a tiny meeting room grandstanding), this is an important case. Levant essentially manufactured this debacle by tinging his reporting/reprinting of the cartoons with his usual schtick in order to challenge the hate crime/speech laws. Does a Canadian citizen have the right to complain to the government if someone publishes a cartoon that seems to violate a religious article of their faith? And does the government then have the right to punish the publisher (or even to subject them to any legal or judicial process)? It's hard to see past Levant's U.S.-style conservatism, but the issue of freedom of speech, a freedom not exactly enshrined in Canadian law, is important and an ongoing source of controversy in this country. For the record, the hate laws in Canada carry a punishment of up to 2 years in prison. A conviction may result if it can be proved that the cartoons were abusive enough to incite violence against a person or group or if the cartoons only "promoted hatred.". This is our law. Anyway, center-right columnist weighs in with his pro-censorship rant here. The left-wing rabble.ca site has some more-or-less coherent discussion at their boards. Labels: Alberta, censorship, legal news, political cartooning, publishing - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 1comments - Johnston to Ditch Hybrid Strip?This article from the U.S. Ventura County Star seems to indicate that Lynn Johnston will cease to use the framing sequences around the reprints of her popular For Better or For Worse comic strip: Speaking via phone from her studio in Corbeil, a town in Ontario, Canada, Johnston, 60, said that after tying up loose ends, she plans to stop writing material about the modern-day characters, although she will make a few mainly cosmetic changes to the classic versions. "I'll fix up some of the old illustrations that I want to improve, and flesh out some story lines," she said. Labels: comic strips, Lynn Johnston, Ontario - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Quick LinksPolicart Peter Pickersgill is profiled by his own paper, Newfoundland's Exploits Valley Advertiser. Writing for the McGill Tribune, Carolyn Yates discusses the rise of webcomics, with some comments from creators and Canadian academics. Copyright News: iPod tax struck down; University bookstores hampered by copyright act and distribution rights; looking forward to copyright wars in 2008. Labels: copyright, political cartooning, webcomics - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Alberta Writer Pens Joe Sinnott Bio80-year-old cartoonist and inker Joe Sinnot has a new biographer in the person of Red Deer, Alberta writer Tim Lasuita. Brush Strokes with Greatness profiles U.S. artitis Sinnott's long comic book career. Sinnott is perhaps most famous for the slick line he gave to Jack Kirby's pencils on the 1960s Fantastic Four comics. Sinnott also enjoyed a long run on Treasure Chest comics. Lasuita was introduced to Sinnott while working on another project about Tom Gill, who drew The Lone Ranger for more than 20 years. Sinnott, a student, had assisted Gill on his freelance work for nine months before striking out on his own. His enthusiasm, energy and magnetism during the interviews for Gill’s project left a lasting impression on Lasuita. "Everybody has a favourite uncle — that’s Joe," he says. "He’s talented and humble, all at the same time." Once his book on Gill was off to the publisher, Lasuita approached Sinnott about doing a book on his remarkable career. Sinnott, 80, jumped at Lasuita’s offer to leave something behind for his family. Upon reflecting, he was amazed to discover just how much work he had done. Sinnott’s ledgers suggests he pencilled more than 2,700 pages for various romances for Charlton Comics alone, in addition to his copious output for Marvel. "And that was after supper," he says. Labels: Alberta, comics history, U.S. superhero franchises - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Monday, January 14, 2008 Jeet Heer on Julie MorstadThe critic Jeet Heer examines Milk Teeth by Julie Morstad. This collection of surrealist illustrations is part of Drawn and Quarterly's art book series. If you were forced to describe Julie Morstad's drawings in a few quick words "subdued, languid creepiness" might do the trick. Subdued and languid: no matter how macabre the situation her characters find themselves in they never scream, their almond-shaped eyes vacantly stare out at their bizarre predicaments, and an air of genteel languor, as at an Edwardian tea party, hangs over every scene. Creepiness: insect and snakes crawl everywhere, limbs have a way of mutating into odd shapes (often looking like the furry squirrel tails), heads are frequently detached from bodies. Labels: drawings, illustration, reviews - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - D+Q News ![]() Over at the Drawn and Quarterly blog, lots of interesting news:
Labels: comics in school, comics retailers, events, graphic novels, publishing, Quebec - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Inkstuds: Best of 2007 ![]() Robin and Colin discuss the minis, graphic novels, anthologies, and zines of the past year, in glorious stereo, on the inkstuds podcast Labels: pod casts - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Friday, January 11, 2008 Brad Mackay on Comics Journalism ![]() For This Magazine, Brad Mackay writes on the history of reportage by cartoonists, with a behind-the-scenes look at the origins of Extraction!, the Cumulous Press collection of comics stories about mining. Along the way, he also touches on Joe Sacco, Art Spiegleman, the 19th Century cartoonist JW Bengough and early comics reportage in Canada (like the image of the Riel Rebellion from The Canadian Illustrated News above):
Labels: cartoon reportage, comics history, interviews, political cartooning, Quebec - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Weekend LinksComics-related news and opinions from across Canada:
Labels: Alberta, Calgary, censorship, comics retailers, events, graphic novels, manga, political cartooning, U.S. superhero franchises - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 1comments - 3rd Quadrant Moving DayVenerable Toronto comic shop 3rd Quadrant has moved to two new locations:
Labels: comics retailers, comicshoptalk, Ontario, Toronto - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Thursday, January 10, 2008 Raincoast DownsizingRaincoast Books, the Canadian publisher of Harry Potter and distributor for Fantagraphics and Drawn and Quarterly, has announced it is suspending its publishing activities and will be concentrating on its distribution business. In a move that Bookninja editor George Murray calls a "huge 'fuck you' to Canada," Raincoast will close its Mississauga warehouse and fire 20 employees. It will follow through with plans to publish and promote 15 books in Spring 2008 and then close the publishing division. Raincoast blames the rising Canadian dollar for its decision, citing massive discounting of up to 20% over 2007 as a response to consumer demand for cheaper books, resulting in huge losses. Raincoast's actions were long predicted: many in the industry expected some sort of downsizing following the conclusion of the Harry Potter series --basically Raincoast's reason for existing as a publisher (Raincoast got in on the groundfloor of the Potter gravy train and kept putting out a few other books per year so it could call itself a Canadian publisher, goes the argument). Publishing accounts for approximately 5% of Raincoast's revenue. Raincoast will continue as one of Canada's largest distributors, with a 50-publisher roster including D+Q, Fanta, and Chronicle Books. Raincoast heavily promotes these publishers to booksellers and online through their blog, and distributes approx. 10,000 different titles per year throughout Canada. Raincoast's stated claim of following the dollar is an aspect of one of the biggest stories of 2007, dollar parity with the U.S. and the effect on book prices. The Globe and Mail sums up the numbers game in Canada: prices, particularly prices of Canadian titles, can only come down so far here, especially given the limited economies of scale available in a country of 33 million and the discounting practised by the country's dominant retailer, Indigo Books and Music. As Roy MacSkimming, author of The Perilous Trade: Book Publishing in Canada 1946-2006, observed yesterday: "If Canadian books had to be priced according to real costs in a totally sort of Adam Smith world, with no government support, they'd be way higher than they are already." Remarked Carolyn Quinn, executive director of the Association of Canadian Publishers: "You can't get blood out of a stone. Profit margins in this country are "very small ... and a book costs what it costs," even with subsidies from the federal government's Book Publishing Industry Development Program, among other publicly funded support networks. ---- more: Toronto Star cbc Canadian Press Labels: dollar, Ontario, publishing, Toronto - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Wednesday, January 09, 2008 2007 in Review2007 in Review by Bryan Munn 2007 was a great year to be following the world of comics and comic art. It was also frustrating. Great because there was so much going on: edition after edition of beautiful comics from young cartoonists and re-issues of classic material from the best cartoonists of days gone by. Frustrating for almost exactly the same reason: it is very hard to keep up with all that is going on in the world that can be classified as "comics" --be it comic strips, magazine and editorial cartooning, European comics, manga, graphic novels, memoirs and reportage, and everything else. I find the entire world of cartooning and the culture of comics readers and fans fascinating and some days it is all I can do to absorb a few panels and snippets of news, let alone keep up with all the comics reading I want to do. At Sequential, we try to stay on top of the Canadian dimension of comics by monitoring how comics stories are reported in the mainstream Canadian media (newspapers, tv and magazines), as well as how comics are covered in the specialized niche world of fan media, including zines, podcasts, comics news sites and blogs. By linking to these stories, and by passing along news and announcements about upcoming projects and events from individual cartoonists and publishers, we hope to help create an overall picture of the vibrant culture of comics in this country. The picture that emerged this past year is a large and sprawling composite panorama, with very few details accurately sketched-in. Many of the 2007 entries at Sequential resemble long checklists or snapshots rather than full reports --an indication of the great variety and number of comics news stories that find their way to the net in some form or another these days. So, to help get a handle on some of the major threads, Sequential presents "The Year in Review." Top Trends and Newsmakers There were several major stories that were tracked at Sequential in 2007. What follows is a list if the people and trends that had the greatest impact on comics culture in Canada. Stories not included in this list, but nevertheless worth revisiting, include the trial to decide ownership of a collection of original art created by the late Ben Wicks; the evolution of fan culture in Canada, from the growth in cosplay to the big changes in the Toronto convention scene; the continued growth of the graphic novel market to the point where it seems impossible to keep up with the new GNs being published (or even to read all the reviews in the newspapers! --there were hundreds of blog posts at Sequential tagged with the graphic novel label). One story that affected me personally was the closing of Now and Then Books, the long-running comic book shop that was an early champion of comic art and the source of a large number of my own favourite comics experiences. An important story, but not the most important. Here are the top 6 trends and newsmakers: ![]() 1. Lynn Johnston Lynn Johnston was the biggest cartoonist newsmaker of 2007. Other cartoonists cut big deals, published books, and had great reviews, but Johnston remained the most financially successful and popular comics artist in the country. Besides riding the top of the bestseller lists with her book collections and being among the most widely syndicated comic strip cartoonists in the WORLD, the news of the radical changes Johnston planned to implement in her strip For Better or For Worse had a thunderous impact on the world of comics. When after 26 years of producing one of the most popular international comics strips, Johnston announced her semi-retirement and the re-formatting of the strip into a "greatest hits" with new framing devices, the her fans and even general readers were alternately baffled, amazed, and saddened. In addition, her decision to wrap-up the various story threads of the strip, freezing the characters in time, had the same effect. Most notoriously, Johnston wound up the long courtship of Elizabeth and Anthony, provoking much internet discussion and criticism. Everyone had something to say about Johnston in 2007, and her professional decisions and personal life gave us much to talk about (Johnston and her husband Rod Johnston announced their separation in September). Even Dave Sim couldn't hold back the love, blessing us with a blog post on the similarities between For Better or for Worse and Cerebus. ![]() 2. Manga, or Japanese Cultural Imperialism in Canada 2007 was the year translated Japanese comics continued to rule the graphic novel bestseller charts in Canada. Spearheaded by VIZ's Naruto campaign and aided by the broadcast of several key anime series by kid-centric channels like YTV and Teletoon, manga had a huge presence in chain bookstores and comic shops. According to some sources, manga accounts for roughly two-thirds of graphic novel sales in the U.S. and Canada. The industry seems to be dominated by VIZ (distributed in Canada by Simon & Schuster), but several other publishers, most notably Tokyopop, own large chunks of the manga sales pie. Canadian publishers also joined the fray in 2007. Drawn and Quarterly had continued success with the work of Yoshihiro Tatsumi: Abandon the Old in Tokyo won a Harvey Award and more volumes are planned (D+Q also plans to publish the work of Seiichi Hayashi in 2008). As well, UDON continued to publish successful versions of several anime and video game properties in addition to launching a new line of Manwha/translated Korean comics. Demented Dragon, a relatively young start-up, has also entered the manga publishing waters. The trend of publishing Japanese-style comics by Western cartoonists, known as "Original English Language" manga (OEL) continued to grow. Besides the manga-influenced stylings of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series, Kitchener, Ontario's Svetlana Chmakova lead the pack with several new publishing deals and the continued success of her Dramacon series of graphic novels. Dramacon chronicles the romantic experiences of a group of con-goers and it is perhaps at the convention level where manga's influence in Canada is most felt: the popularity of the aforementioned cosplay, wherein young fans dress as their favourite anime and manga characters, has all but eclipsed the traditional superhero or Star Trek costume as the clothing of choice at comic book conventions across the country. The social aspect of cosplay, not to mention the huge amount of material targeted at a female audience (shoujo/yaoi), has also increased the number of young women and girls who read comics --something traditional Western comics and graphic novels have not really been able to do for years. (see all entries with manga tag) ![]() 3. Quebec BD and translations It seems like there were more original Canadian graphic novels published in French than ever before in 2007. According to Michel Viau, there were 86 albums published in Quebec in 2006 and I expect that number to be much larger when the results come in for 2007. At the very least, the record 10 albums published by Mecanique Generale and 6 albums published by La Pasteque represent something of a high-water mark in terms of volume, presentation, artistry, and love of comics. In addition to the large number of wonderful-looking French-language comics published in Quebec in 2007, the year saw several prominent cartoonists receive top-notch translation treatment. Following the successful translations of Michel Rabagliati aand Guy Delisle, D+Q published Pascal Blanchet's award-winning White Rapids and the book has enjoyed brisk sales and rapturous reviews in the English press. Condundrum Press broached the translation market with its BDAng imprint, featuring editions by Line Gamache and Richard Suicide. Even France's venerable indie outfit L'Association got into the action with an (albeit non-tranlated) anthology of work by Henriette Valium. Quebec, and especially Montreal, sometimes seem to have a more thriving scene, with a social aspect and a higher proportion of zine and art comics production than the rest of English Canada put together. ![]() 4. Webcomics Publishing comics on the web seems to be the safest and easiest way to present comic art to the widest variety of people these days. Certainly, the number of people who surf the web is much larger than the number of people who might stumble across your minicomic, zine, or graphic novel in a comic book shop or independant bookstore. Hence, the webcomics phenomenon. For example, 2007 was the year that the Shuster Awards recognized webcomics with a separate category (Dan Kim was the winner). Comic strips and comics books continue to migrate to the web, with several webcomics also making the transition to print in newspapers and book collections. U.S. cartoonist Nicholas Gurewitch's Perry Bible Fellowship webcomic was a bestseller as a book collection on the Chapters-Indigo and Amazon.ca graphic novel list, while Marvel Comics made a poorly-received attempt at archiving old comics online. As well, 2007 saw a further consolidation of webcomics publishing, as cartoonists continued to move out of the wilderness of indy webcomics and the myspace/comicspace social networks for the relative collective/protective safety of umbrella sites and large syndicates. While established cartoonists like Stuart Immonen could carve out a space online for their comics work, younger artists sought out venues through larger forums like DC Comics Zuda or the Vancouver start-up Zeroes 2 Heroes. The debut of Transmission X, a collective of Toronto area cartoonists who have already established themselves in print comics and illustration (similar to the Act-I-Vate crowd in the U.S.), and the general high quality of the serialized work being produced by the collective, perhaps points the way to the future of webcomics. (see all webcomics tags) ![]() 5. Classic Reprints 2007 also saw several reprint projects launched, exploring and celebrating the heritage of Canadian comics culture. Coming in for special attention was Laurence Hyde, a cartoonist and filmmaker who began his career in the socialist press of the 1930s. Hyde's 1950s anti-nuclear woodcut novel Southern Cross was reprinted twice: it was reprinted in full by Drawn and Quaterly and was also included in a bestselling anthology of woodcut novels edited by George Walker, Graphic Witness. In addition to the La Pasteque's reprints of the Red Ketchup series, plans are in the work to reprint several other Canadian cartoonists of the past, most notably a two volume edition dedicated to Doug Wright, due from D+Q in 2008. D+Q also forged ahead with its ongoing projects, including Moomin, the Gasoline Alley series and Clare Briggs' Oh Skinnay! (these last 2 edited by Jeet Heer). The history of Canadian comics was also celebrated in John Bell's Invaders from the North, a colourful overview of comics in Canada, based on years of collecting and research by the dean of Canadian comics historians. As a nice coda to Bell's book, the U.S. fanzine Alter Ego reprinted the classic 1970s history, The Great Canadian Comic Books. ![]() 6. The Dollar The Canadian and world economy were a top comics story in 2007. The value of the U.S. dollar relative to Canada's had a huge impact on prices, although U.S. book and comic publishers were slow to respond to these changes, leading to some creative merchandising on the part of booksellers and comic shop owners and complaints from readers. Several schemes were suggested by retailers and bloggers and prices are beginning to stabilize to reflect the more-or-less dollar parity that should prevail for the next half year, at least. The U.S. economy in general is heading for a down-turn, with some predicting a recession for 2008. The war in Iraq, the sub-prime mortgage crisis, and other aspects of Empire, are some of the bigger drags on the shared Canada-U.S. economy that mean bad news for consumers in the new year. Illustration gigs, publishing deals, and book sales may suffer in the long run. The world of comics printing is already in for a change, as the ongoing Quebecor saga demonstrates. Sequential tried to take the pulse of the changing comics retail trade in 2007 with a series of Comic Shoppe Talks and regular convention round-ups. Attempts were also made to track bestsellers. We will be interested to learn how the dollar effects the business in 2008. (see all comics retailers tags) ------------- General Overview and Summary Publishing Graphic novel publishing in Canada continued to grow in 2007, with several new imprints entering the fray. Established stalwart Drawn and Quarterly continued to lead the way, with a number of bestselling and award-winning graphic novels by Canadian, U.S., and international creators to its credit. Well-received volumes published by D+Q included Exit Wounds, by the Israeli cartoonist Rutu Modan, Shortcomings (Adrian Tomine, USA) reprints of Moomin comic strip (Tove Jansson, Finland), and Abandon the Old in Tokyo (Tatsumi, Japan). D+Q's stable of Canadian cartoonists also had a good year: 2007 saw new books from Julie Doucet, Guy Delisle, and Pascal Blanchet. As well, Seth polished off his high-profile George Sprott serial for the New York Times. Large Canadian publishers and distributors continue to benefit from the manga craze (but ventured into the graphic novel wilds with a few books) while new books from Cumulus Press, Pedlar Press and a host of self-publishers, zinesters, and webcomics types kept up the indie spirit. Quebec publishers Mecanique Generale, La Pasteque, L'Oie de Cravan, and Conundrum Press issued a record number of books in 2007 (see #3 in the Top Trends list above). New work by Delisle, Blanchet, Jimmy B., Leif Tande and PhlppGrrd were some of the highlights of BDQ in 2007. Outside the world of graphic novels, the few publishers of U.S.-style comic books in Canada were basically silent in 2007: Dreamwave continues to be a non-starter and Mr. Comics has severely curtailed it's publishing compared to 2006, with no changes to their website since August. Ditto the most recent incarnation of Captain Canuck, whose newest series seemed to just fade away in 2007. ![]() Awards It's a measure of the general popularity of comics that graphic novels now find themselves nominated for mainstream book prizes. In June, The Jack Chisvin Family Award in Holocaust Memoir/Literature was awarded to I Was A Child of Holocaust Survivors by Bernice Eisenstein (McClelland & Stewart). However, the majority of prizes handed out to Canadian comics and creators in 2007 came from within the comics readership and fan communities. (all awards tags) Passages ![]() Several cartoonists passed away in 2007, ranging from the tragically very young to older Giants of the North. Please join with us in bidding a final fond farewell to these artists.
Here's to a productive and fun comics year in 2008! (images copyright Lynn Johnston, Svetlana Chmakova, Catherine Lepage, Cameron Stewart, Graeme MacKay, & Seth) Labels: analysis, British Columbia, Lynn Johnston, Ontario, Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 1comments - Tuesday, January 08, 2008 Zombie Comics Go to War
Labels: comics retailers, comicshoptalk, Edmonton, graphic novels, Halifax, Nova Scotia - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Friday, January 04, 2008 Hobbystar Fan Appreciation Con, etc ![]() Kevin Boyd has posted some details about the February 3 Hobbystar Toronto Comicon: Scheduled guests already include Captain America's Mitch Breitweiser, Legion of Super-Heroes' Francis Manapul, Agnes Garbowska, Andy Belanger and Richard Zajac. As well, although there are no details about the March 15th Animecon, details about the April 12-13 Fan Appreciation show are also forthcoming: We're currently filling the spots available for professionals for the April 12-13 Fan Appreciation show. We've got an amazing selection of pros committed already, but as per the policy of my associates, announcements won't be made until February. Tiziano and I have been working very hard on this, and we are really trying to make this a special event for the fans and I think some jaws will drop when they see who is coming! If you are a pro, or know of a professional creator who wants to attend this event and set up a table, please let me know. I'll also be getting in touch with people I know locally as we finalize the remaining out of town guests. Everyone who is signed on by late January should make it onto the published list. So far we've got a great balance of modern popular artists and "legend" status creators with decades of experience. Labels: conventions, events, hobbystar, Ontario, Toronto - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - New Year NewsSome quick links about Canadian comics to kick off 2008:
Labels: comics on stage, links, manga, tools of the trade, U.S. superhero franchises - Stumble It! - Leave a comment!| 0comments - Archive by Region Alberta - British Columbia - Calgary - Gatineau - Halifax - Moncton - Montreal - New Brunswick - Newfoundland - Nova Scotia - Ontario - PEI - Quebec - Saskatchewan - Saskatoon - Toronto - Vancouver - Victoria - Winnipeg - Archive by Month August 2002 - September 2002 - October 2002 - November 2002 - December 2002 - January 2003 - February 2003 - March 2003 - April 2003 - May 2003 - June 2003 - July 2003 - August 2003 - September 2003 - October 2003 - November 2003 - December 2003 - January 2004 - February 2004 - March 2004 - April 2004 - May 2004 - June 2004 - July 2004 - August 2004 - September 2004 - October 2004 - November 2004 - December 2004 - January 2005 - February 2005 - March 2005 - April 2005 - May 2005 - June 2005 - July 2005 - August 2005 - September 2005 - October 2005 - November 2005 - December 2005 - January 2006 - February 2006 - March 2006 - April 2006 - May 2006 - June 2006 - July 2006 - August 2006 - September 2006 - October 2006 - November 2006 - December 2006 - January 2007 - February 2007 - March 2007 - April 2007 - May 2007 - June 2007 - July 2007 - August 2007 - September 2007 - October 2007 - November 2007 - December 2007 - January 2008 - February 2008 - March 2008 - April 2008 - May 2008 - June 2008 - July 2008 - August 2008 - September 2008 - October 2008 - November 2008 - December 2008 - January 2009 - February 2009 - March 2009 - April 2009 - May 2009 - June 2009 - July 2009 - August 2009 - September 2009 - October 2009 - November 2009 - December 2009 - January 2010 - February 2010 - March 2010 - |