Friday, June 22, 2007  
Weekend Quick Links

:: Posted by Bryan @ 6/22/2007 05:07:00 AM

A short list of links to Canadian comics-related articles/news for the weekend:

-Robin Bougie's Cinema Sewer mag gets a mention in this Georgia Straight article about the cult film culture of Vancouver

-Tom Spurgeon reviews Hello, Me Pretty

-this University of Saskatoon exhibit on Dief the Chief contains some cartoon content

-Dominique Desbiens' Il manque aux humains un predateur was launched last night in Montreal

-editorial cartoonist Serge Chapleau has come under fire for alleged antisemitism in a caricature of Quebec politician Mario Dumont

-you can now read the Full Text of Jeet Heer's review of Invaders from the North --the article is a great short history of Canadian comic books and a criticism of superhero comics

-courtesy of Eric Theriault, Valium on Youtube

-the latest issue of the comic/fanzine Mensuhell is now on sale, including comics stories by EdLAB, Patrofskynoff, Jean-Marc Pacelli, Victor Brideau, 'El Quesnel, Nicolas Plamondon, Kurt Beaulieu, Jacques Boivin, Guert, Sirkowski, & Karl (link via BDQ Forums)

-one of my favourite things in the world are comics by young fans and Janet Hetherington (a comics fan from the 70s who has made a career in comics for herself as an adult) has just posted an old romance comic she created as a youngster on her new blog

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   Monday, April 02, 2007  
Comic Shoppe Talk: 8th Street Books, Saskatoon

:: Posted by Bryan @ 4/02/2007 12:02:00 AM
This week's Q & A is with Pat Thompson of 8th Street Books and Comics in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Pat also hosts Comic Chat with Theo and Pat heard o­n CFCR radio, FM 90.5, Friday at 6 and Monday at 6:30p.m.

My thanks to Pat for taking time out to answer these questions.

----------



Q. What is the general age/gender breakdown of your customers?

I have a full range of ages but the largest demographic is the 18-25
range.

Q.What do you sell more of by volume, graphic novels (including trades and manga) or monthly comic books?

Monthly comic books by far but the dollar value is close.

Q.What are your bestselling non-manga graphic novels?

Watchmen, 300 (once the movie was announced), V for Vendetta, Kingdom
Come, Ultimate Spider-man (all), Bone (all), Batman: Dark Knight
Returns, Batman: Long Hallowe'en, Batman:Dark Victory, Sin City (all)

Q. What are your bestselling non-superhero graphic novels?

Bone, Sin City, Archie Americana, Sandman, 300, V for Vendetta,
Books of Magic (the original), Star Wars any, Elfquest, Hardy
Boys/Nancy Drew

Q. What do you see as the major trends in graphic novels and comics retailing over the next year? The next 5 years?

I have expected for a long time that the big companies would switch
focus from monthlies to GN's but that hasn't happened. I hope/expect
more European stuff to start arriving in TPB form.

Q. What comics do you find yourself recommending the most?

I recommend many titles. Whenever a new customer comes in and asks about comics I find out what they are most interested in and then recommend with that in mind. No sense trying to sell Girls to a super hero fan.

Q. What are your favourite comics?

No favourites. I really enjoy anything well-written. Okay, maybe not manga for the most part and I do pick up super hero stuff first but I do read True Story Swear to God and Strangers in Paradise every month the same way I read Amazing Spider-man.

Q. Why are you a comics retailer?

I actually accidentally fell into this job. I really enjoy retail work and I'm a big fan of comics. It is what I want to do for a living and it is as close to having a hobby as I come.

Q. What bothers you the most about the current comics industry?

Hollywood having the rights to play with comic book characters and
change the characters to fit what some fool thinks is the best choice
for some fictional demographic. And that isn't even in the industry but
it is a significant driving force for getting new and lapsed readers
into the stores and these arbitrary changes don't make selling our
product any easier. In the industry I would have to say my largest
bother would be how Marvel treats retailers.

Q.The Can-Con question.

I guess the most prominent of the Canadian comics (consider Canadian as
any comic that has a Canadian involved in the creative process) is Zemo
by Tom Grummett. Not because it sells really high numbers but because
Tom is Saskatoon's most published comic artist. Pat Davidson who is a
rising star at Marvel in the inking department has quite a few books on
the shelves here at the store. Check his work in Cable Deadpool and in
the upcoming Marvel version of Treasure Island . Expat Kaare Andrews
(He lives in Vancouver -- I think he moved to escape the weather) just
wrapped up the amazing Dark-Knight-esque Spider-man reign. Even though he has
never lived in Saskatoon, Calgary's Cary Nord is doing amazing work on
Conan. There are of course many great Canadian artists and writers out
there and I don't have the knowledge and time to list them all here.
Locally we have some self-published comics that are worth the read.
Unfortunately the production has fallen off lately. Huw Evans and his
sons put out one issue of Tri-focal. Hopefully more to come. Lucas
Bradford has moved to Victoria so no more copies of brain pain have hit
my shelves in the last few months. Elaine Will has been concentrating
on art school so she hasn't put out anything new in way too long. Jesse
McGibney and Adam Kirk are both in school at Sheridan College in
Ontario so nothing from them until their work load is reduced.
I'm out of time. Comics are here and I'm one staff short. I love
Wednesday.

Q. Any upcoming events/signings/sales?

Just had a big sale for my file customers last Friday evening. Big
signings for FCBD. Every Wednesday is a big event. We call it new comic
book day.

8th Street Books & Comics
1010 8th Street East
Saskatoon, SK
S7H 0R9
phone: (306) 343-6624

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   Thursday, October 12, 2006  
Chester Brown Western Tour Day 2

:: Posted by Bryan @ 10/12/2006 03:17:00 AM
Yesterday Chester Brown was in Winnipeg (sorry, missed it)

Today he is in Brandon, Manitoba to continue promoting the paperback release of Louis Riel, his comic strip biography of the father of Manitoba (this historical fact I learned from the back cover of a Captain Canuck comic circa 1978).

Thursday, October 12th - Brandon, MB
3pm - 5pm: Signing at Pennywise Books. Location: 1031 Rosser Ave, Brandon
7pm - 9pm: Event at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba. Location:
710 Rosser Ave, Brandon

Tomorrow he is in Saskatoon.

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   Friday, September 08, 2006  
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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   Tuesday, August 15, 2006  
Lynn Johnston vs White Ninja

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/15/2006 07:26:00 AM
The Saskatoon Star Phoenix writes up the reader survey in advance of its announced shake-up of its comics page today, with some surprising suggestions. Beyond the usual contradictory responses (ie, something like Cathy is usually loved and hated in equal numbers), the most interesting letter includes the suggestion that For Better or For Worse be replaced by the locally-produced webcomic White Ninja. There are not many Canadian-produced comic strips in print but it is always interesting to see these surveys, in part to try to figure out just why some strips continue to exist (I'm talking to you, Get Fuzzy), or who actually reads newspaper comic strips (people without computers?).

Comics, as with art, all in eye of beholder

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   Monday, July 24, 2006  
Danish Cartoons Fallout Update

:: Posted by Bryan @ 7/24/2006 03:05:00 AM
Media in Saskatchewan are reporting that the student paper at U. Sask is not guilty of violating the province's Human Rights Code for a cartoon by Jeff MacDonald responding to the controversial Jyllands-Posten cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed:

Offensive cartoons published in the University of Saskatchewan student newspaper last March did not violate the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code.

The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission has ruled that cartoons of Jesus performing oral sex on a pig were within the realm of freedom of expression under the Code and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Janice Gingell, staff solicitor, says members of the commission didn't condone the cartoon's content.

Gingell says there was several factors considered in the decision, such as the actions taken by the Sheaf's board of directors to limit the damage after the cartoon was published. The fact that the cartoon was published in a university environment, where the free flow of a range if ideas is accepted, was also considered.


650CKOM Saskatoon --Saskatchewan's Information Superstation

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