Labels: art, blogosphere, can-con, capes

Captain Canuck #1 (cover dated, July 1975) hit newsstands in May 1975. In the years since Captain Canuck has been featured in a range of media, including The Toronto Star, The Los Angeles Times, The National Post and The Record, Time and Maxim magazines, many online periodicals, as well as some very cool online fan/tribute sites. In 1995 Captain Canuck was immortalized on a Canadian postage stamp. More recently, Captain Canuck has inspired scholarly articles, been featured in textbooks, and fueled much online speculation about the possibility of a Captain Canuck major motion picture. IDW recently published two beautiful hardcover volumes reprinting Captain Canuck issues #4-14, along with the Captain Canuck Summer Special, all remastered from their original coloring. In this interview Richard Comely discusses the origins and history of Captain Canuck.

Labels: blogosphere, can-con, canadian superheroes, capes, interviews

Labels: blogosphere, comics history, floppies

Labels: blogosphere, comics retailers, new books, Ontario, Toronto

Labels: blogosphere, how-to

Labels: blogosphere, comics, old cartoons

Labels: blogosphere, mini-comics, Toronto

Labels: blogosphere, British Columbia, C-List, capes, comics history, Expozine, Montreal, new books, pod casts, U.S. superhero franchises, Vancouver, video, webcomics

Labels: blogosphere, comics history, links

Labels: blogosphere, British Columbia, Calgary, graphic novels, interviews, PEI, profiles, Victoria

Labels: blogosphere, C-List, comics in libraries, events, graphic novels, links, tcaf, TCAF09, Toronto, webcomics

Labels: blogosphere, C-List, Calgary, conventions

Labels: blogosphere, C-List, cartoon reportage, interviews, links

BEFORE YOU START
"Someone wrote in another Xeric testimonial that you should not attempt self-publishing and all of this business unless you have no choice. This is really true. It's a tonne of work, there's no money in it, and trying to put comic books out there for public consumption is another full-time job on top of doing the actual (creative) work. I have tried to get rid of my bookish compunctions from every possible angle. I went to art school to learn how to make stuff to put into books. I talked emptily about potential book projects for years. I took a course in book publishing so I could make other peoples' books. I've read a million books looking for one that hasn't been written or illustrated yet. And yet all of this has still brought me here."

Labels: blogosphere, how-to, links, Ontario, tools of the trade, Toronto

Labels: bd, blogosphere, graphic novels

Labels: blogosphere, seasonal

Labels: blogosphere, graphic novels, international, interviews, Toronto

Both of my comic stores can no longer subsidize the chasm that is building between their costs and revenues. Fluctuating exchange rates of 5% to 10% were somewhat manageable but now approaching 30% with no signs of bottoming out or stability in the very near future? Well, that is starting to scare retailers.

Labels: blogosphere, comics retailers, dollar, international

If we agree that Canada should have a distinctive policy for its comic book industry, then the next question is what strategy to must use to enact its policy. Should the Canadian Government and provinces be actively supporting the comic book industry through grants, loans, tax credits, or help for representation abroad? Should for example, a special push be made to create comic books for special groups like children and aboriginal Canadians? In the book world, most type of literature is supported, but material such as cookbooks and travel material are not supported to the same extent as fiction. In the film world, the government does not support pornography, reality television, and game shows. In animation, because most of the contents is geared towards children, there are stricter guidelines and requests for clear overt Canadian contents in the works. In video games, there doesn't seem to be any oversight over the contents of the products, probably because the job creation aspect is the ultimate objective of the government as opposed to the promotion of Canadian culture.

There are many genres of comic books touching very different target markets, not sound support strategy can be generated without first understanding what it is one seeks to promote. In hindsight, perhaps Canadian comic book readers should take their local industry more seriously and start asking themselves what kind of comic books they would like their fellow Canadians to create.

Labels: analysis, blogosphere, can-con, news, Ottawa

Allo, pascal girard (www.paresse.ca) et moi (velue.blogspot.com) sommes a St-Malo, en ce moment, pour tout le mois d'octobre, dans le cadre d'une residence organisee par le festival Quai des bulles (www.quaidesbulles.com). On a demarre un blog pour l'occasion : Les malouins temporaires (lesmalouinstemporaires.blogspot.com), qui vous donnera l'occasion de plus ou moins suivre nos aventures (!) bretonnes.

Et en passant, au Quebec, nos deux nouveautes de la rentree sont sorties : Tantrum, de Jules Feiffer (traduction francaise d'une de mes livres preferes) et Par un fil, de Jean-Nicolas Vallee (enfin un livre personnel de ce veteran de la bande dessinee quebecoise). Si votre libraire prefere ne les a pas, il est incompetent. Donc il serait grand temps pour vous de changer de libraire prefere (faites-lui remarquer, quand meme).

D'ici la mi-novembre, aussi, paraitront (pas chez MG mais dans la collection [strips] des 400 coups, aussi dirigee par votre humble serviteur) un nouveau Ben, de Daniel Shelton (L'envers de la retraite, qui reprend l'integrale des strips de la deuxieme année de Ben) et le gros evenement : Une piquante petite brunette, qui rendra enfin disponible une partie de l'oeuvre d'Albert Chartier, pionnier de la bande dessinee quebecoise.

Et a la Pasteque paraitra sous peu le recueil Paresse de pascal girard et Quelque part au debut du XXe siecle, collctif dirige par Nicolas Langelier pour lequel j'ai fait quelques dessins.

A bientot,

bise aux filles,

Jimmy

--
Jimmy Beaulieu
-----------------------------------
mecanique generale >>> www.mecaniquegenerale.org
la chronique velue >>> http://velue.blogspot.com/
monsieur populaire >>> www.myspace.com/monsieurpopulaire

Labels: bd, blogosphere, can-con, canadians abroad, events, events links, festivals, francophone, Montreal, Quebec

"I've been covering the comic book industry for years and have always found the level of professionalism and maturity of players involved lacking. Many times, I have written and said that what passes for public discourse in this industry would get all participants fired from their respective jobs, were they in any other mature industry." - Herve St-Louis

Labels: Alberta, analysis, awards, blogosphere, British Columbia, Calgary, can-con, cartoonists, Gatineau, grants, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver

Hello Max, I do not have a blog account and so I am unable to comment directly at Sequential. Please post this comment as found below:

I'm glad to see Sequential address this issue and not run away. I think you are ignoring the truth about how the DWA's advertise themselves. Place the words 'Canada's premier comic award' or 'the country's premier comic award' into google and see what comes up (don't forget to look at the cached results, also). There can be no debate that the DWA's refer to themselves this way.

So, Bryan Munn is deeply involved with the DWA's and Sequential? That might explain his Sequential post on June 27, 2008: "... the 4th Annual Doug Wright Awards, the country's premier comics awards ...", though that was lifted right off of the DWA's website. Or on The Comics Journal message board, Brad MacKay wrote, "...Canada's premier cartooning awards meets Canada's best-known cartoonist" and, "...the 4th Annual Doug Wright Awards, the country's premier comics awards...". Check The Beguiling's website, as well as the TCAF site, to see the same sentiment. Brian and Brad are both deeply involved in the DWA's and they are the ones writing these words. A lot of people don't see any difference between being 'Canada's premier awards' and 'THE Canadian awards'. In fact, the DWA wording of 'premier' is probably more pretentious and self serving than 'THE'.

Herve may have been over the top with some of comparisons, but he certainly brought a long discussed topic out into the open. I cannot speak for Herve but it would seem to me that the issue really is that the DWA's are self described as 'Canada's premier awards', while containing no French Canadian content.

Further, your suggestion of having the Wright's merge, or work alongside, the Prix Bedelys is an strange suggestion. There is another, much more obvious, pairing. But we all know that would never happen, and only because the DWA membership meeting would resemble a scene from Cronenberg's Scanners at the suggestion.

Best,
Robert Haines

Labels: awards, blogosphere, can-con, events, festivals, Letter to the Editor, publishing, tcaf

First I think that it's clear the DWA's present themselves as A Canadian award, not THE Canadian awards. A point made by Brad MacKay but also consistent with my impression of their promotion of the awards. St-Louis's argument seems to be build a lot on the idea that something other than this is true.

About The Doug Wright Awards

The Doug Wright Awards were established in 2005 to cast a spotlight on the range of cartoonists and comic artists working in Canada.

Language of work
[SeqEd:accepted for submissions]

For the first year at least, The Wrights will only consider works that are available in English or are wordless. (French-language works that are translated into English will be eligible.)

"If the Harvey Awards, were to refuse all comic books by blacks or women, until they bleached their skin white or undergo hormone therapy to change their gender, it would be clear to everybody that their policy and the support of those awards was morally wrong"

Numerous times have I inquired locally in Montreal, as to why more effort is not made by French creators and publishers to translate the huge amounts of work produced here into English for the larger North American market. Or why there are so few sites promoting the Quebec community outside of the Francophone sphere.

Labels: Alberta, analysis, awards, bd, blogosphere, can-con, cartoonists, comics history, francophone, furries, Montreal, news, people, Quebec, tcaf

• The amazing Norwegian cartoonist Jason was in Toronto yesterday, and as Ty Buttars notes, his original art is sold exclusively through The Beguiling.

• Kevin Boyd has some "behind-the-scenes" notes about the upcoming Shuster Awards (this Saturday!) as well as links to the Superman-related event the awards-planners have cooked up. As well, Boyd comments on several controversial nominees for the Wright Awards.

• Jian Gomeshi interviews the curator of Vancouver's KRAZY! gallery show about some of the controversial inclusions over at the CBC's Q podcast.

• Speaking of podcasts, Montreal's Billy Mavreas is interviewed by the Inkstuds gang about his new graphic novel. As well, Canadian Underground comix pioneer Marv Newland is interviewed.

• A French-language review of everyone's favourite new character, Burkette.

Labels: blogosphere, events links, Ontario, Toronto

Labels: blogosphere, comics history, Quebec

Labels: blogosphere, graphic novels, mini-comics

Labels: blogosphere, conventions, events, hobbystar, Ontario, Toronto

• For The Guardian, Regina's Jeet Heer writes on the recent Siegel/Superman decision, with a history of the case and some thoughts ton capitalism and morality. Sample quote: "The battle between the cartoonists and their publisher was a cultural clash as much as an economic one. Bookish boys from the lower-middle class, Siegel and Shuster simply weren't prepared to deal with wise guys like Donenfeld."

• On a related note, new court dates have been scheduled for the case, as noted by newsarama's new legal expert, Jeff Trexler.

• Speaking of newsarama, one of my favourite features at the newsarama blog is the weekly "Quote/Unquote", with a round-up of the choicest utterances from the comics blogosphere.

• Writing for The Montreal Gazette, John Kalbfleisch provides a look back at JW Bengough, the 19th Century cartoonist and member of the Giants of the North. Like many of his inky-fingered breed (Little Nemo's Windsor McKay, for one), Bengough had a side career as a sort of vaudeville humourist, giving "chalk talks" involving quick caricatures and jokey picture stories delivered on the lecture circuit.

• The best cartoonists in Montreal? The Montreal Mirror thinks so.

• Tintin becomes a target in an exhibit of hockey-themed art at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.

• Chris Butcher looks back at his 2006 comics industry predictions for 2007 and sees how his oracular powers worked out.

• Photos from the Michel Rabagliati exhibit Paul vu par le Fanzine Bidon at the Galerie Morgan Bridge in Quebec City (see sample photo above; link via bdq)

• Canada's Udon Entertainment is the new distributor of Apple, an anthology of Korean art & comics: APPLE stands for "A Place for People who Love Entertainment", and features original stories and illustrations from the best creative talent Korea has to offer. Over 40 artists from the video game world are represented in APPLE Volume 1, including the artists behind the mega-hit Lineage MMORPG series, superstar Hyung-Tae Kim (Magna Carta, War of Genesis), and dozens of other pro illustrators, animators and graphic artists.

Labels: blogosphere, comics history, copyright, graphic novels, international, links, manga, Nova Scotia, Quebec

• Jeff Lemire has a new 5-page comic online.

• This past Saturday, Happy Harbor Comics in Edmonton hosted their annual 12-Hour Comic Challenge for charity. Jamie Hall of The Edmonton Journal has a report.

• No, it's not Guy Delisle. Sudbury cartoonist Sue Dewar writes about her trip to China.

• Patrick Berube reviews Delisle's Chroniques Birmanes for Comic Book Bin and cofrims it will be translated by D+Q.

• This Georgia Straight article makes coherent sense of the latest press release from Zeros 2 Heroes, including the news that Astral Media has committed $18,000 towards script development for the latest winner of the Comic Book Nation contest.

• Another Vancouver web-based company, Optimum Wound Comics, has announced their first graphic novel release, Croatian artist Danijel Zezelj's Rex. Comic Book Bin has the press release.

• Steve Murray writes about how his parents used comics as positive reinforcement for the National Post.

• Teletoon is airing a few animated episodes of U.S. cartoonist's Aaron McGruder's Boondocks after the offending eps were yanked from the Cartoon Network. I can't tell if this is news or not --this isn't really an animation blog and I don't follow the show in question (it's pretty crappy).

Labels: blogosphere, British Columbia, comics on film, comics on tv, Edmonton, graphic novels, publishing, reviews, Vancouver

Project Wonderful uses an auction process for it’s buyers and sellers. If you want to run an ad to attract visitors to your site, you need to compete with other sites doing the same thing. You can do this on a site by site basis (someone can advertise, for example, on one or both boxes on my GirlAMatic site) or you can do it as a campaign. In the latter case, you enter in criteria and have PW bid on your behalf on sites that meet your specs. Personally, I use a combination of both. For instance, I find that I get a really good Q Rating on Wahoo Morris, probably because the two stories are somewhat similar and both Craig Taillefer and I are Ottawa-based creators. 'Course, maybe it's something entirely different. Regardless, I keep on bidding on his site because I like the results that I get.

If we assume, just for a sec, that those 4112 are unique individuals, then my $108.60 ad spend is pretty amazing. Even if it's quarter of that (say 1000 unique individuals), then I'm only spending 11 cents on each person. When I compare that to how much I spent going to various conventions slogging my work (keeping in mind that I went to both the Alternative Press Expo and the Small Press Expo from an advertising point of view and NOT to sell things), it's remarkable. $100.00 doesn't even cover the table costs, let alone manufacturing, travel, lodgings and food. I would never get that type of awareness going to a convention and I've certainly learned my lesson. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

Labels: blogosphere, graphic novels, Ottawa, webcomics

Labels: blogosphere, cartoonists, comics history, publishing

Labels: awards, blogosphere, events, Ontario, Toronto, U.S. superhero franchises

So Cerebus must be clever, not powerful, in order to come out even, let alone ahead. Which is also very Canadian. A Canadian is someone who is running, just to stay where he is and feels accomplishment when he does so. He is a survivor. If he comes out ahead, it’s never for very long. This issue is is a good example of the survivor who knows all the tricks, never misses a beat or loses an opportunity. This, of course, is all hypothesis on my part. I’m not saying Dave is saying all this in Cerebus. I’m not saying he isn’t either.

Labels: analysis, blogosphere, graphic novels

• Convention promoter and blogger Kevin Boyd offers up his list of the top graphic novels of 2007. He provides 30 mostly superhero titles which he winnows down to a top 10.

• Robin Bougie posts his top 10 graphic novels of 2007, in response to that lame Time magazine list. And Bougie's list is pretty good!

• Chris Butcher takes a stab at Dirk Deppey-style linkblogging, including pointers to some "best-of" lists and sneak peaks of Kean Soo comics. As well, Butcher has photos from the Faith Erin Hicks/Svetlana Chmakova signing at the Beguiling, including a great snap of the snow-bound front entrance to the store.

• Maclean's profiles several programs devoted to teaching comics at the university level.

• CBC reports on a new Fantastic Four comic created for the Puerto Rican market. They get it wron, however, when they claim that the franchise is "en espagnol for first time."

• Greg Roch of Comics Readers in Regina reports on sales of gonorrhea in his shop.

• Eye Weekly's Sasha gives the nod to Steve MacIsaac's comics in a Best of 2007 round-up.

• The Tyee reports on cartoonists Dan Murphy and Bob Krieger being dumped by the Vancouver Province newspaper:

Murphy and Krieger were told by Province management that their cartoons would no longer be regularly published on the editorial pages of The Province, they were offered other positions at the newspaper as well as the option of leaving the employ of The Province with buy-out payments.

Labels: blogosphere, British Columbia, comics retailers, graphic novels, political cartooning, U.S. superhero franchises, Vancouver