Monthly Archives: August 2010

Canadian Comics

The Fabler is, among other things, a growing international community of comic book artists, writers, and fans.

The word ‘international’, however, might seem a little inconsistent with the content we’ve predominantly featured here on The Fabler Blog.

I’ll be the first to admit that in The Fabler Blog’s first year of life, I’ve maintained a strong emphasis on Canadian talent in the profiles and interviews I’ve posted. This, I believe, is rightly so – with the exception of very few news blogs, such as Sequential and the Joe Shuster Awards Blog, Canadian comickers don’t often receive a load of media coverage.

My contributions to The Fabler Blog have largely been an attempt to increase that load, while also providing content relevant to the interests of a growing online community of comic artists.

The Fabler Blog’s contribution to the figurative Canadian load, however, may distract some from the true international nature of the site. (Whew, what a mouthful!)

So here’s my pitch: I’m moving all existing profiles, interviews, and news updates about Canadian comickers into a whole new category – a column which I will continue to contribute to regularly.

Profiling Eric Kim and The Complete Plays of William Shakespeare

Have you ever felt that Coles Notes versions of classical literature weren’t quite ‘Coles Notes’ enough?

I mean, sure they managed (using black magic and wizardry) to congest Crime and Punishment down to a palatable 85 pages of overview, and yes, Jane Austen is a lot more sensible when you don’t have to muddle through hours of haughty Victorian prose.

Still, do you ever find yourself thinking that they really could have gotten where they were going a lot faster?

Enter Ontario-based comic artist Eric Kim, who answered a resounding ‘yes’ to the above question. To prove that any classical narrative could effectively be reduced to two-to-four panels of dialogue, Kim set about putting to shame one of literature’s greatest icons; the bard himself.

Interview: Jim Zubkavich talks Skullkickers and UDON’s 10th Anniversary

Jim Zubkavich, project manager and co-founder of UDON Entertainment, has a new series coming out through Image Comics that looks like it will kick some major bone tissue. The title? Skullkickers. The premise? Two un-named mercenaries stir up some major trouble in a ’sassy’ fantasy setting. The Fabler caught up with Jim to chat about Skullkickers as well as a decade of UDON.