Graphic novels / comic books

A blunt look at colonialism: The Outside Circle

Posted on

I had the pleasure of reading Patti LaBoucane-Benson and Kelli Mellings’ The Outside Circle as well as interviewing The Outside Circleboth creators for Prairie Books Now. As a graphic novel it’s not only beautifully drawn, it’s a wrenching story of gang life, family and the legacy of colonialism in Canada. I’d say it’s appropriate — and would highly recommend it — for anyone in their late teens through adulthood who wants to learn what Canada’s history and government policies have resulted in for too many Indigenous people, and how reconnecting with family, either chosen or blood, and cultural teachings, can help. The Outside Circle is published by House of Anansi Press.

You might not think a PhD dissertation could be the inspiration for a graphic novel. But with The Outside Circle, Patti LaBoucane-Benson and Kelly Mellings have brought to life in a powerful story Canada’s colonial history and its effects on Aboriginal people today.

Continue

Dramatizing 1867: The Loxleys and Confederation

Posted on

When I was growing up, Canadian history was generally not thought of as being as “exciting” as U.S. history. Sir John A. MacDonald and Confederation just didn’t seem as dramatic as George Washington and the American Revolution. Well, things have changed — at least in terms of how Canadian children can learn about the country’s history. I had the opportunity to talk to the creators behind The Loxleys and Confederation, which was the sequel to The Loxleys and the War of 1812. Taken together the two graphic novels put a personal stamp on Canada’s precarious position in the 19th century, as the nascent country struggled to avoid domination by the expansionist United States.

 

For many Canadians, learning our history is a bit of a chore.  We feel, perhaps, Americans get all the exciting history — perhaps because Hollywood keeps telling us how thrilling it is — but Canada’s story is, well, boring. Right?

Maybe we just aren’t looking at it with fresh eyes.

Continue

Lagoon, Signal to Noise, and other great books I’ve read lately

Posted on

As part of a determined “read things for fun” kick (as opposed to “read for review/story research/copy edit” which had become most of my reading) as well as an attempt to read more diversely, I decided to stop adding things to my To Be Read list and start TBRing them. And thanks to many good recommendations and things like K. Tempest Bradford’s challenge, I got to read some awesome books.

Continue

Classic Canadian comic heroes to be collected for first time

Posted on
Splash page from Johnny Canuck’s first adventure.

You may not have heard of Brok Windsor or Johnny Canuck, but back during the Second World War they were part of Canada’s Golden Age of comic books. Comics from the U.S. were deemed “non-essential” imports under wartime legislation and as such were not allowed into Canada. But kids were already hooked on superheroes, adventure comics, humour books and more. So a homegrown Canadian comic book industry was born — and it lasted until the end of the war.

Continue

Thunder God Thursday: Walter Simonson’s Ragnarök

Posted on

simonson-ragnarok-teaseShould you be interested in Walter Simonson’s Ragnarök? If you’re already familiar with the writer-artist’s work, particularly his acclaimed run on Marvel’s Thor, you can probably skip to the line below.

TL;DR – Shut up and take my money. Yes, it’s that good.

Continue

Why you should read Walt Simonson’s entire run on Thor

Posted on

MightyThorOmnibuscropIn the 1980s, superhero comics were in the process of reinventing themselves for a more sophisticated audience, and one of the creators who took advantage of that was writer/artist Walt Simonson when he took the reins at Marvel Comics’ Thor.

Chris Clarememont and John Byrne had made their mark on The Uncanny X-Men; Frank Miller and Klaus Janson had overhauled Daredevil into something epic. (Byrne and Miller, of course, later revolutionized Superman and Batman, respectively.) But Simonson, who had worked on The Mighty Thor in the late 1970s, already had mythic material to start with, and when he returned to the title he built it into a world-shattering story.

Continue

SN Google Plus