Author Archives: Kevin

Canadian Comics: Profiling Emily Carroll of His Face all Red, Dream Journal Comics, and Anu-Anulan and Yir’s Daughter

Despite being relatively new to the wonderful world of webcomics, Emily Carroll is a name that pops up with a frequency that seems to be steadily increasing with every month.

The Vancouver, BC local has only been doing comics “in earnest” (her words) since last May, but already she has been featured on The Comics Reporter, Robot 6, Scott McCloud’s Blog, Comics Alliance… I could legitimately keep going for some time, but instead I’ll finish by mentioning that Emily is also up for a Joe Shuster Award this year and she is currently collaborating with Eisner-nominated group The Anthology Project on their second volume.

Artist Interview: Adriana Blake of Fall on Me (aka, Cuenta Conmigo)

I honestly believe that there is a webcomic out there for everyone.

Whether you’re interested in buddy comedy action stories or anthropomorphic cats performing historical reenactments of the American revolution, there’s likely a webcomic creator out there doing something that speaks directly to you.

This week’s interview features Ontario-based artist Adriana Blake, who writes and draws a webcomic with its own unique niche market; Fall on Me, which she has been cartooning since February ‘09, explores the lighter side of day-to-day newlywed life.

Artist Interview: Ray Fawkes on the upcoming graphic novel One Soul

Oni Press is billing it as ‘the most ambitious book (they) have ever published’.

It stands out as a fresh new example of the stylistic horizons that only a comic book could explore while, narratively, it presents a unique approach to exploring questions of meaning and existence

These are just a couple of the reasons why I was extremely excited to talk to Ray Fawkes about his new graphic novel, One Soul.

Canadian Comics: Profiling Alex Fellows and Spain & Morocco

Take two socially and sexually awkward young men, give them a couple of backpacks and a few dollars to spare, then send them halfway around the world to a land as intimidating as it is exotic.

Now put that premise into the capable hands of Montreal-based artist Alex Fellows, a comic creator so talented he was nominated for a Doug Wright Award in the Best Emerging Artist category and then nominated again for that same award six years later.

Toss in a dash of surrealism alongside some genuinely interesting use of colour to convey tone and mood, and congratulations! You’ve successfully whipped up a steaming fresh batch of Spain & Morocco, the graphic novel currently being serialized online by Fellows over at www.spainandmorocco.com.

Seven Questionably Cast Heroic Movie Mentors I’d Like to See on the Big Screen

By now, it’s likely you’ve heard the big news that Waterworld’s Kevin Costner has been confirmed for the role of Jonathan Kent in the Superman reboot. In each of the various origin stories surrounding Superman’s journey from a Smallville schoolboy with severe pubescent growing pains to the world-famous Man of Steel, Jonathan ‘Pa’ Kent plays a seminal role in Clark’s development. To any and all who may be skeptical of Kevin Costner playing Clark Kent’s human Dad, I say this: It could be worse. Here are seven examples of mentor figures in classic hero movies that could have been cast differently, to varyingly entertaining affect:

What If: Gravity Prisoners Bono and MODOK met in the Gutters

Welcome to March.

Here in Calgary, this translates to: “Hope you like -28 degrees Celsius, b*tches.” (For you backwards American types, this equates to -18.4 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Just a quick update this week – ostensibly to show you that we care, but in actuality because there is a bomb wired to the underside of my desk and if we miss a weekly Fabler Blog post it WILL go off. Sort of like Speed meets Newsies, but with all of the musical numbers written by Sting and performed as duets by Dennis Hopper and a young Christian Bale.

Godzilla wreaks havoc on comic shops, Spider-Man Musical just a wreck (and more news of this nature)

Dear internet,

Today we are a comic book news aggregator. Oh what? We can do that?

That’s right, internet. When we’re not interviewing crazy talented comic book writers and artists, talking up the current Fabler content, or ‘critically analyzing’ social web outlets like Formspring and Kickstarter, we reserve the right to arbitrarily talk about new stuff that interests us.

We can say we choose our own adventure ’round here at the Fabler Blog. Can you?

Fabler Blog Update for the week of February 16th

Hey Fabler friends, guess what’s on the menu for this post?

If you guessed an entree of more savoury Formspring goodness, pat yourself on the back, grab some utensils, and pull up a chair.

Oh, but I kid. Please, contain your raucous laughter so we can move on to topics of substance. So this week I thought we’d take a look at some of the content our fabulous users have updated to The Fabler. If the term fabulous is too effeminate or grandiose for some, you could substitute ‘creatively talented but rough around the edges’. Sort of like Jeff Bridges.

A selection of comic artists and writers who Formspring (or, interviews without interviewers)

Hey guys, you know what’s sweet? Formspring. As more comic artists and writers embrace its Q & A approach to direct interactions with fans, it virtually eliminates any work associated with my role as an interviewer/blogger. Those comic artists and writers use it as a method to answer relevant, compelling, or as the case often is, utterly ridiculous questions posed to them directly by their fans. Here are some comic-related Formspring accounts that you might find worth a perusal.

Commenting on the 2011 Joe Shuster Award Nominees

The Joe Shuster Awards are presented annually to talented comic artists and writers from the Northern Wastes we affectionately refer to as ‘Canada’. Named after some artist guy who co-created a superhero or something, they celebrate outstanding achievements by Canadians in the fields of comic books, graphic novels, and webcomics. As of yesterday, the official nominees for the 2011 Shuster Awards have been published online at the Joe Shuster Awards home page. Take a gander for yourself if you’d like, but I’ll break it down for you anyway.