The Calgary Comic Expo, which has steadily been growing in both size and attendance since its birth in 2006, was this year extended from a  two day Saturday/Sunday event to a full three days. Friday being an ‘advance sneak preview’ day, before some of the larger media guests (read: William Shatner) arrived at the Con.

They additionally opened up the Expo to include the Stampede Corral itself, which is a significantly sized arena-style venue,  and to increase the overall size of the event grounds to something much larger than seen in previous years.

Somewhere in these new changes, a swarm of planning issues and miscellaneous ‘bumps’ have seemed to start popping up with routine frequency. For instance, I could have taken it as a sign of things to come when the very first panel I dropped by on Friday – a Q & A with Hellboy creator and ‘guest of honour’ Mike Mignola – seemed to fall flat several minutes in due to audio issues.

The issues? Paper-thin walls between panel rooms letting roaring applause and music flood in from the neighbouring panel, a conspicuous absence of microphones to aid Mike and the moderators in being heard, and repeat announcements on the loud speaker nearly every five minutes that there were still Photo Ops available for Shatner.

To Mignola’s credit, he powered through the panel as best he could and with an admirably resilient positive disposition.

Other issues have included: organizers routing attendees back and forth due to miscommunications about what panels should lineup where; frequent bottlenecking due to there only being one corridor linking the main hall to adjoining events’ rooms; late-starting panel guests and scheduled events; horrifically organized photo ops; etc, etc.

But then, these could all be seen as growing pains as Calgary adjusts to its largest pop culture expo taking on a life of its own. As it has grown in size, so too has its recognition spread as one of the larger North American Comic and Entertainment conventions.

I mean, for the first year ever, DC Comics has had its very own booth at the Calgary Expo. There was even a DC Nation panel featuring top writers and artists from the DC Universe talk about their plans for their respective post-reboot properties.

The DC Nation panel, for the record, didn’t reveal anything new. In fact, it seemed the panel guests (which included Jimmy Palmiotti, Gail Simone,  Francis Manapul, and Jeff Lemire) were constantly walking on eggshells for fear of ’spilling too much’. What I did take away from it is that Jeff Lemire’s new Frankenstein series is going to kick serious ass, Palmiotti’s vision of Jonah Hex in a crime-riddled turn of the century Gotham City is positively inspired, and Gail Simone’s Batgirl (Barbara Gordon once again!) has a funky new costume that in some way features new technologies more ‘relevant’ to current times.

Another sign of the Calgary Comic Expo growing in repute was the presence of The Joe Shuster Awards for Canadian Comic Book Creators, which were presented this evening for the very first time outside of Toronto.

The Joe Shuster Awards deserve some special mention in this post, and I’m going to give it to them.

I was a little disappointed in the turnout for this year’s awards, which I suspect was at least partially due to their being scheduled at the same time as the Costume Contest. The latter event has long been one of the biggest crowd-drawing events at the Expo. Comic fans missed an engaging, interesting event that not only celebrated the achievements of some of Canada’s top contemporary talents (more on that in a bit) but also inducted both Chester Brown and Todd McFarlane into their Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame.

In the case of Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, who is himself originally from Calgary, his father Bob was present to deliver an inspired acceptance speech of behalf of the legendary comic artist.

Regarding this year’s Shuster Award winners, I have to say there were a few (not unpleasant) surprises. While Fiona Staples picking up the award for Outstanding Cover Artist came as little shock (she has certainly earned it), it was interesting to see Tin Can Forest beat out such influential contenders as Darwyn Cooke, Bryan Lee O’Malley and Jeff Lemire to take home the award for Outstanding Cartoonist.

Tin Can Forest, which is Mark Colek and Pat Schewchuk, won for their graphic novel Baba Yaga and The Wolf. Baba Yaga and The Wolf marked their second book, and it was published by Koyama Press. I was glad to see them win the award for their truly outstanding effort – perhaps equally as glad as I was to see Koyama Press win the award for Outstanding Publisher.

Other award-winners this year included Julie Rocheleau for Outstanding Colourist; Scott Chantler’s Three Thieves Book 1: Tower of Treasure in the Comics for Kids category; Émilie Villeneuve for Outstanding Writer, and Francis Manapul for Outstanding Artist.

I was super-stoked to see Emily Carroll awarded for Outstanding Webcomics Creator – though she was up against some stiff competition in the category, (Kate Beaton, Karl Kerschl, Salgood Sam, etc) what she’s currently doing with her webcomics have impressed me like few others have.

Though Shuster Award Show hosts Ajay Fry & Teddy Wilson (of Inner Space fame) did an admirable job of keeping the ceremonies lively and engaging, it was also neat to see a variety of additional presenters participate. Former winner of the Harry Kremer Award for Outstanding Retailer Jay Bardyla (Happy Harbour Comic) was on hand to present this year’s award to Planete BD from Montreal, Quebec.

Shuster Awards Associate Director Robert Haines awarded the Gene Day Award for Self-Publisher’s to John Martz for Heaven All Day, while Kevin Boyd, the Executive Director for the Awards, gave a compelling insight to the life of Chester Brown.

It was also a treat for (comic legend in his own right) Ken Steacy to give an introspective into the life and times of Todd McFarlane.

Going into the third day of Calgary’s Comic Expo, I have high hopes for more quality events and panels with – hopefully – a lot less of the ‘hectic mess’ element prevalent over the first two days.

I’ll also be making my interview rounds – so, Fabler followers, you can look forward to some interesting individuals being profiled here in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, stay frosty. Or something.

-Written by Kevin de Vlaming

Historically the award ceremony has been held each year in Toronto, but 2011 marks an exception to this six-year trend. I have pointedly neglected to hide my enthusiasm that this year’s awards ceremony is to be held right here in The Fabler’s hometown of Calgary, Alberta at the 2011 Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo.

I was graciously asked to participate in the nomination process for this year’s awards, which I thought was super nifty, but it came with a price: no, not my firstborn child. I’m still holding onto that as a bargaining chip in case anyone ever comes knocking with the perfect recipe for Madras Chickpea Curry.

The actual price of participation is silence. Secrecy. I have been unable to share my thoughts on those creative comic types up for awards this year, lest the integrity of the whole process be compromised. Well, no longer! 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.

The standard categories are: Outstanding Comic Book Artist, Outstanding Comic Book Writer, Outstanding Comic Colourist, Outstanding Webcomic Creator, Outstanding Comic Cover Artist, and Outstanding Comic Book Cartoonist.

I’ve seen a few people ask about the last category there, so to clarify, the Joe Shuster Awards consider a Cartoonist to be ’someone who wrote and illustrated their own work. If someone else wrote the work they are eligible as Artist, if someone else drew the work they are only eligible as Writer.’

At a first glance, one thing that becomes apparent (which the National Post’s Afterword noticed too) is that Ontario’s Jeff Lemire is up for a whopping three awards (Cartoonist, Comic Book Cover Artist, and Comic Book Writer). His nominations for the Cartoonist and Cover Artist categories are, of course, for his work on the incredibly (and justifiably) hyped Vertigo title Sweet Tooth. His Writer nomination was a little more obscure, garnered largely for his “The Atom” stories that ran for a while in Adventure Comics and a few Superboy stories he also did for DC.

Also up for multiple awards would be Calgary’s own wonder-lass, Fiona Staples. (insert oohs and ahhs)

She’s up for Outstanding Comic Artist for her work on the miniseries Mystery Society (which was written by Steve Niles), as well as Northlanders #29 and Fringe: Tales from the Fringe #4. Her second nomination is for Outstanding Comic Book Cover Artist, and it is well deserved. In italics, even.  See below for proof.

To say that the competition is stiff would be to point out the glaringly obvious. Some of last year’s Shuster Award winners are once again in the running this year, such as Stuart Immonen, who won last year’s Outstanding Artist category, and Karl Kerschl, who took home the Webcomics Win for The Abominable Charles Christopher. But beyond that, Canadian talent really produced some top notch comic book content this past year.

Scott Chantler released his nonfiction war memoir graphic novel Two Generals to high critical fanfare in October, a fact that puts him in the running as a leading contender for Outstanding Comic Book Cartoonist. But then, not only is he up against the indomitable Jeff Lemire, but also long-time Canadian Comic favorite Darwyn Cooke for his recent Richard Stark’s Parker books, Hollywood -hyped Bryan Lee O’Malley for Scott Pilgrim Vol. 6, and Pascal Girard for his lovably quirky graphic novel, Bigfoot.

There are also a few new names to the Shuster Awards that are worth getting excited about. Most specifically, I’m referring to Anthony Del Col & Conor McCreery, co-writers of the IDW comic Kill Shakespeare. They’re up against some big names in the Outstanding Comic Book Writer category, such as Lemire, J. Torres, and Kathryn Immonen, but I think they can hold their own. For those that haven’t read Kill Shakespeare, the basic premise is one of Shakespeare’s greatest heroes, Hamlet, finds himself pitted against the Bard’s greatest villains in order to fulfill a prophecy that pits protagonist against creator. It’s clever, well-written, and ultimately filled with nuanced originality that sets it apart from a lot of what’s out there at the moment.

Also worthy of mention in the Outstanding Writer category is Jim Zubkavich for his comic series Skullkickers. I’m glad to see Zubkavich seeing some recognition for a truly fun, entertaining adventure series like SK – as with Kill Shakespeare, this series is one that definitely stands out on the shelves.

Some miscellaneous comments on other comic types up for nomination:

- It’s encouraging to see Mike Del Mundo’s name on the list for Outstanding Comic Book Cover Artist. Another first time Shuster nominee, his cover art this past year has been insane. Check it.

- Kudos to Salgood Sam’s Outstanding Web Comics Creator nomination for Dream Life. He’s approaching this project with a high concept that is presented in an accessible way, and the art really is top-notch, take notice sort of stuff.

- Every year, the Gene Day Award for Self-Publishers is presented at the Joe Shuster Awards ceremony to an indie cartoonist who has gone above and beyond in his or her comic creating efforts. This year Jason Bradshaw (whom we just featured recently on The Fabler Blog) made the nominees list, and I’m super stoked for him. Check out his website to see what goes on in the mind of Jason Bradshaw, and what makes his comic Boredom Pays # 2 a solid candidate for this year’s Gene Day Award.

In addition to the awards I’ve already mentioned, on June 18th the Joe Shuster Awards will also be honoring the work of comic creators in a Comics for Kids category, handing out the Harry Kremer Award for Outstanding Comic Book Retailer, and doling out yet another award for Outstanding Comic Book Publisher.

Stuff pertaining to nominees aside, two major celebrities of Canadian comics are also going to be recognized at this year’s Shuster Award ceremony. You may have heard of them. At the June 18th ceremony, Chester Brown and Todd McFarlane are to be inducted into the Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame.

This is especially cool for McFarlane, as he originally hails from Calgary himself. I can even name the High School he attended, William Aberhart High. How do I know this? Because Aberhart graduates who also happen to be comic fans like to bring it up in conversation. Repeatedly.

If you happen to be in Calgary from June 17th -19th this year, you can check out the Joe Shuster Awards Ceremony for yourself on Saturday at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo.

Otherwise, you can be sure The Fabler will be there to document the proceedings and talk smack about it here on the Blog.

-post written by Kevin de Vlaming

The season of holiday cheer and festive gifting has descended upon us like a feathered flurry of ravenous harpies.  Their joyful talons outstretched, poised to tear seasonal revellers into decorative ribbons of mirth and merriment.

If you love the holiday season as much as I do, you’re probably spending most of your time these days agonizing over what gifts to buy whom this year. Particularly those comic book fans that are always oh-so-hard to shop for – you know the ones, that sister with an obsessive webcomic fixation, or that husband that can’t be torn away from his DC and/or Marvel monthlies.

Well stress no longer, gentle reader. For The Fabler Blog has once again provided a list of gift ideas for comic book fans.

Actually, a lot of these gift ideas would  apply just as well to anyone on your holiday buying list, whether they consider themselves to be existing comic fans or otherwise.  These are gifts for anyone (that just happen to tie into comics in one way or another).

Most items on the list fall into a price range of around $15 – $40, with only a couple of notable exceptions.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Holiday Cards at Topatoco

The first item on the list isn’t technically a gift item, but I’m including it anyway.  Reason being, because Topatoco is awesome and holiday cards are the best presents for friends that don’t quite make your “willing to spend more than 5 dollars on” list but you still want to know you don’t quite hate them.

This year’s holiday card selection includes designs from Hijinks Ensue, Sam & Fuzzy, Exploding Dog, Bad Decision Dinosaur, and the always fabulous Brandon Bird. One set will set you back $15.

Machine of Death

What if all of your favorite webcomic writers and illustrators came together to produce a ‘Creative-Commons-licensed fiction anthology’ of short stories about a machine that could tell people how they are going to die? This hypothetical self-published collection of sci-fi tales would (naturally) be edited by Ryan North of Dinosaur Comics, and within its pages would be something so sinister… so dripping with insidiously evil energy, that even Glenn Beck would be forced to take note.

Blow your friends’ minds with the revelation that this book exists. Blowing may be initiated at Amazon or Topatoco for the meagre sum of around $18.

Questionable Content Vol 1

I can’t get enough Questionable Content. Seriously. Jeph Jacques lays down clever wit and believable character-driven stories of everyday life like Flava Flav drops borderline intelligible hype chants about being awesome. That is to say, he does it well. Scarily well.

Despite QC’s status as a long-running webcomic (of roughly seven years), Jacques only just recently released his first print collection of the strips with Questionable Content Vol 1. The book contains the first 300 comics, minus guest strips, and includes artist commentary.

A perfect gift for anyone interested in closely scrutinizing the personal lives of a circle of directionless, indie-music-loving friends as they crack jokes, get drunk, and consume lattes. $18  plus shipping.

Speaking of shipping, all of the items mentioned so far are available from Topatoco and are subject to their Holiday shipping deadlines. Check their site to find out how much longer you can put off your online Holiday shopping.

The Abominable Charles Christopher -  Book One

If spying into the love lives of infallibly clever indie rock kids falls outside of your giftee’s realm of interest, maybe they’ll be interested in following these exceptionally well-drawn adventures of a loveable, yeti-like beast.

Karl Kerschl’s ongoing masterpiece The Abominable Charles Christopher (his contribution to the Transmission X stable of webcomics) is one of the most highly-lauded internet comic strips out there.  And for good reason. It’s hard to put the innate charm of ACC into words, so instead I’ll recommend you pop on over to the site and read through a few strips yourself.

The Abominable Charles Christopher – Book  One is a prestige hardcover book collecting all of the comics from the first two years of the series. You can pick the regular edition up over at the TX Shop for $40.

Tangles

As if I haven’t gone on about Tangles enough, I will endeavour one more time to relate the sheer emotional power contained in this book about a daughter and her Mom’s struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease.

The author, Sarah Leavitt, wrote and illustrated this graphic memoir as a personal look into the ways in which her relationship with her Mother changed after the latter was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.  Alternatingly heart-wrenching and quirkily charming, I think that Tangles has perhaps the broadest appeal of any item on this list.

Available from Freehand Books for $23.95 US/CDN.

Two Generals

Have an estranged Uncle interested in Canadian WW2 history? A second cousin who likes adventure comic books that double as immaculately-researched period pieces? Or maybe you just know someone that appreciates good art, a good story, and a solid helping of Canadiana.

If any of the above are true, you may be interested in purchasing a copy of Scott Chantler’s graphic novel Two Generals for someone on your gift list. Ostensibly about Scott’s real-life grandfather Law Chantler as per the entries found in his WW2 war diary, Two Generals is really a story about friendship in the face of the uncompromising realities of war.

Two Generals can be purchased for $17.55 CDN on Amazon.ca.

Bigfoot

The latest graphic novel from Quebec-based illustrator Pascal Girard, Bigfoot is, according to publisher Drawn And Quarterly,  “a reflection on youth and budding romantic feelings”.  Drawn with wonderfully expressive simplicity, Bigfoot is the story of an average small-town teenager who finds unwanted internet fame when a youTube video of him dancing in his living room goes viral.

My recommendation of this book, which just released on December 7th, is based largely on Girard’s previous graphic novel, Nicolas. Nicolas is about Girard’s younger brother, who passed away when they were both very small. It really highlighted Pascal’s ability to capture readers through nostalgically relatable dialogue and simple-but-lively linework.

If Bigfoot can tell a story that’s even half as poignant as Nicolas, this D+Q graphic novel is one worth having. Consider it for the indie comic collector on your list, available for $20.95 CDN from Amazon.

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Box Set

Here’s where we segue into gifts that might gel better with more ‘mainstream’ comic fans. Beginning with – naturally – the box set of Scott Pilgrim Books by Ontario-based writer and artist Bryan Lee O’Malley.

I would wager ten solid hypothetical dollars that you know someone who loved the Michael Cera film, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, but has yet to read any of the comics on which the script was based. This is your opportunity to educate that person on what they’re missing out on.

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Box Set, collecting all six volumes of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s epic tale of a slacker versus the seven evil ex-boyfriends of the girl of his dreams, can be found on Amazon.ca for $56.70 CDN.

Sweet Tooth Vol 2: In Captivity

Though you’ll have to postpone your gift-buying until December 14th to pick up this title, it will most definitely be worth the wait.

The second collected Trade Paperback of Jeff Lemire’s Sweet Tooth saga, Sweet Tooth Vol 2: In Captivity, collects issues 6 to 11 of the post-apocalyptic tale about animal/human hybrids and an unlikely source of hope in a bleak world.

Sweet Tooth nabbed Lemire an Eisner nomination for Best New Series, a distinction well-earned for his uniquely expressive, distinct style of drawing and tense, gripping storyline.

Vol 2 of the Sweet Tooth saga may be procured at your local comic shop for around $14.99.

North 40 Trade Paperback

Another relatively new must-have trade paperback is the fantastically illustrated Cthuluean adventure, North 40. Written by Aaron Williams and illustrated by fellow Calgarian Fiona Staples, the collected run spanned six issues of Lovecraftian mayhem centering around a rural Midwestern  town.

The collected edition dropped on Nov 10, and I can attest that it makes a swell addition to any horror comic enthusiast’s collection. Williams writes a mean Midwestern narrative of tentacles, witchcraft, and surly small-town Sheriffs, but Staples really cements the viability of North 40 as a holiday gift bursting with awesome.

Her ability to render a wide selection of horrific monstrosities in varying situations involving mutilation, blood-sucking, and general ultraviolence goes uncontested.

The North 40 Trade Paperback can more than likely be obtained at a local comic retailer for somewhere in the neighbourhood of $17.99.

The Walking Dead Vol 13

You may have heard about this show that’s getting a little bit of attention on obscure blogs and irrelevant news sites. It’s about zombies, see, but it’s really big budget and it’s actually based on this really exceptional comic series… wait, you already know about this?

Maybe I’m not making any revolutionary statements by suggesting that you check out Robert Kirkman’s zombie epic The Walking Dead, now a critically acclaimed television series on AMC. But hey, if you have a horror comic fan on your list that keeps halfway abreast of current titles, chances are they have already read at least some of The Walking Dead comic series.

Volume 13: Too Far Gone, which collects issues 73-78, released on November 26th. This close to the Holidays, there’s a good chance that any current Kirkman readers may have put off purchasing the book in case someone close to them with a strong intuition towards comic gifts were to consider picking it up.

You could be that person of strong intuition. Seize the power today, live up to your potential as an ideal gift-giver, and buy Volume 13 of The Walking Dead for approximately $14.99 at your local comic shop.

The Green Lantern Omnibus Vol. 1

It wouldn’t really be a gift guide for comic fans if I didn’t include at least one obligatory product for each of the respective  DC/Marvel  fans on your list.

Green Lantern may be at the centre of the current DC hype machine on account of the pending feature film starring People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive, but the character’s appeal to long-time comic fans goes waaay back. So far back, in fact, that DC decided an Omnibus collecting the original Lantern Hal Jordan’s first adventures would be useful/neat/relevant to fans of the character.

This first Green Lantern Omnibus collected Green Lantern issues 1-21, as well as Showcase # 22-24. The epic-sized hardcover tome covers Jordan’s origin story, his induction to the Lantern corps, and the introduction of a host of characters and villains seminal to the Lantern mythos.

This book is available for $55.18 CDN from Amazon.ca.

Obsessed With Marvel

You know, there are countless DC and Marvel collected trades out there that would make perfect gifts for many of the comic book fans out there. Necessary trades, like collections from Ed Brubaker’s run on Captain America, or Grant Morrison’s superb take on the Batman & Robin title. Both the Green Lantern Omnibus and this last gift entry, Obsessed With Marvel, are less ‘necessary’ books and more companion novelty items that compliment any comic fan’s collection.

The good news there being that, unless you’re shopping for a completionist collector, they may be less likely to own either of these products.

Obsessed With Marvel is a Hardcover trivia book with an interactive digital component that keeps track of your quiz results.  Boasting 2,500 questions spanning every corner of the Marvel Universe, I can’t see this getting old anytime soon. Check it out over on Amazon.com, where it currently sports a modest $19.77 USD price tag.

- Written by Kevin de Vlaming

The term ‘monster’ is about as subjective as they come.  It could be applied equally well to Ted Bundy, Frankenstein, and Sesame Street’s lovable blue Muppet, Grover.  The only unifying concept behind the word is that a monster is someone or something who is radically different from what we are used to.

Someone or something with the potential to scare people based on either their looks, actions, or the overall psychology of their personality.

Movies often play up the visual aspect of a monster – big budget special effects, creative lighting angles, and ample scenes of over-the-top blood and gore characterize many modern horror movies.  Books, on the other hand, by necessity must rely more on the psychology behind a monster – what their motives are, how their thinking might differ from that of an ‘average’ person, and maybe creepiest of all, in what ways can they be related to on a human level?

At the end of the day, Frankenstein’s monster was characterized as much by his loneliness and need to reach out to another like himself as anything else.

Comic book monsters, when handled by the right authors and artists, can embody the best of both worlds. Visually, they could be as imaginatively striking and memorable as the most unique movie monster -  without detracting from a literary emphasis on the psychology behind their subject’s actions.

For this list, The Fabler Blog looked at a few semi-recent (meaning you won’t find any EC Comics here, though they are by no means unworthy) monsters that made their debut appearance in comic book form.  These monsters aren’t necessarily all evil, but they do embody the essence of the ostracized ‘other’ that has the potential to spread fear wherever they go.

In addition, they are all arguably compelling in their own right. Each ‘monster’ has a psychological depth all of its own, and each is portrayed graphically in a creatively unique way that sticks with you for a long while after.

Without further ado, Five Compelling Comic Book Monsters:

1. Grigori Rasputin (Hellboy) – reinterpreted by Mike Mignolia and John Byrne

First appearance: The real Rasputin was born in Russia, in 1869. Mignolia and Byrne’s take on the character makes his first appearance in Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, issue # 1, in 1994.

Origin: After Rasputin was assassinated in 1916 by Prince Yusopov, he was brought back by the immortal creatures known as the Ogdru Jahad to serve their will on Earth. His primary concern was to bring about the apocalypse, which he tricked Hitler into funding  by deceiving him into thinking he was actually building an occult weapon of mass destruction which would win World War 2 for the Nazis.

What makes Rasputin compelling: Really, Rasputin’s success as a compelling comic book monster  is the result of a convergence of several powerfully creepy themes. The sinister Nazi connotation, the real life Russian ghost story, the underlying themes of satanism/occultism… when the reader first sees Rasputin with his arms prostate in front of a group of Nazi SS, his image clouded by Mignolia’s signature shadowy style of art and an upside-down emblazoned on his robe, the imagery is powerful.

Aside from the iconic rendering which Mignolia casts Rasputin in, the character’s religious obsession with the Ogru-Jahad and Hellboy’s role in the apocalypse are huge elements of what makes him a memorable monster that stands out from the pack of occult comic villains out there.

2. Swamp Thing (Saga of the Swamp Thing) – created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson, made legendary by Alan Moore

First appearance: Swamp Thing Vol. 1, issue #1, 1972.

Origin: When Swamp Thing was first introduced, it was with the understanding that he was really scientist Alec Holland, transformed after a laboratory explosion in the Lousiana swamps.  This was retold by Alan Moore with a different twist – in his retcon, Alec Holland had died in the explosion, and Swamp Thing was a plant-creature that mistakenly believed he once was a man.

What makes Swamp Thing compelling: Alan Moore made Swamp Thing compelling. Not to knock Len Wein’s work on the character, but Moore’s run on Saga of the Swamp Thing re-envisioned the character as less of a paranormal super-hero detective with plant powers, and more as a tragic monster in a chillingly dark vision of the outskirts of the DC Universe.

Swamp Thing is not a monster because of its actions, but a monster because of circumstance.  Throughout his run on the title, Moore consistently upped the ante in terms of deep, textured storytelling that was uncompromisingly geared towards adult readers. Steve Bissette, who illustrated most of that run, lent an unnervingly detailed darkness to Moore’s saga.

3. John Griffen “The Invisible Man” (The Nobody) – created by Jeff Lemire

First appearance: The Nobody, a graphic novel released by Vertigo Comics in 2009.

Origin: Rather than reveal too much about the plot, we’ll just say that The Nobody opens up with Griffen, a mysterious bandaged stranger, hiding out in a motel in a small fishing town.

What makes John Griffen compelling: The Nobody is (obviously) a retelling of H.G. Wells’ classic novel The Invisible Man, only with Lemire’s uniquely Lynchian vision stamped all over it. That’s read, I said Lynchian – as in Twin Peaks, which Jeff has said he is a huge fan of and largely informed his work on this title. Lemire’s art and dialogue-light method of storytelling leaves a wonderfully disturbing sensation that something is somehow off in this small community, like a familiar song that seems to be a half-step slower than you remember it.

Lemire paces the book well, weaving a story of isolation and small town prejucide against a lone, troubled individual that ultimately keeps you turning each page with a rising sense of genuine anxiety.

4. Skinner Sweet (American Vampire) – created by Scott Snyder, with Stephen King’s initial support

First appearance: American Vampire # 1, 2010.

Origin: Skinner Sweet was the first true American vampire,  an outlaw of the Wild West cursed with a thirst for blood. The twist is, even vampires are subject to the laws of evolution, and Skinner  is the first of a whole new breed of bloodsucker.

What makes Skinner Sweet compelling: Despite his origin story (which was written by none other than horror master Stephen King) taking place in the American West of the 1880’s, the present tense of American Vampire is set in 1920’s L.A. Skinner Sweet is a quintessential American desperado out for revenge in an era of early Hollywood glam and high society.

This comes at a time when Vampires are known in pop culture for the cheezy romances they seem to crave more than blood. King and Snyder’s take on the mythos is refreshing, to say the least. Skinner is a well-written, layered character that isn’t necessarily truly evil, but doesn’t really have any redeeming qualities to speak of either.

Rafael Albuquerque’s art is a perfect complement to a story that is one part classic vampire tale, one part portrait of American history, and one part well-written Western.

5. Dr. Moses Lwanga (Unknown Soldier) – created by Joshua Dysart, though the original Unknown Soldier was created by Rober Kanigher and Joe Kubert.

First appearance: Moses Lwanga first appeared in Unknown Solider # 1, in 2008. The original Unknown Soldier first appeared in Our Army at War # 168, in 1966.

Origin: Dr. Moses Lwanga was a pacifist and a philanthropist with a keen interest in the conflicts in Uganda. When he is faced with real, human horror during a trip with his wife to the Northwest Region of Uganda, a voice in the back of his head guides urges him into violence. After his murderous rage subsides, he shears the skin from his face in a fit of self-loathing. He later awakes bandaged in a girl’s school, and unbeknownst to him at the time, the second Unknown Soldier is born.

What makes the Unknown Soldier compelling: Of all of the monsters on this list, Moses Lwanga is potentially the most disturbing. He exists because of real horrors that actually exist in our own world, and his violence is but a reflection of what’s actually out there.  He is a monster in the truest sense of the word in that his actions are brutal and horrifying, his psychology is foreign to us and frightening in and of itself, and his visage – much like the Invisible Man’s – is distorted by the mystery of a face covered with bandages.

Yet despite all of this, he is on some level relatable. His humanity perseveres, and on some level coexists with the monster he finds he has become.

Thanks for reading our list of Five Compelling Comic Book Monsters. Stay tuned for more regular Fabler interviews starting next week!

-Written by Kevin de Vlaming

His portfolio features credits on a diverse mix of illustrative projects; from poetry books to horror anthologies, fantasy short stories to noir-esque graphic novels.

In the latter category, Tuazon has illustrated two graphic novels written by Joshua Hale Fialkov (Elk’s Run and Tumor), and just recently saw the release of another book. His latest illustrative effort, titled The Broadcast, was written by Eric Hobbs and published through NBM.

The Broadcast, which released in August and began shipping early September, is a noir thriller set against the backdrop of Orson Welles’ famous War of the Worlds broadcast.

What struck me most about Noel’s art was his ability to create uniquely expressive panels using a variety of different approaches. For instance, The Broadcast was done in watercolor and felt, and the gloomy, dark resonance of his artistic tone really sells the overall mood of the story.

I talked to Tuazon, who is himself a long-time resident to Toronto,  about his contribution to the book, his early comic book influences, and even the particularities of his day job (as a storyboard cleanup artist).

The full interview is below:

KD: What can you tell me about The Broadcast?

NT: The context is based on the Orsen Welles’ War of The Worlds radio broadcast, which a lot of people thought was real. The story takes place in Indiana, where they’re also hearing the broadcast, and it focuses on four families from different backgrounds.

It’s set in the depression era, and has themes of conflict over land ownership and class prejudice. As the lives of these individuals tangle and intertwine,  a mysterious stranger shows up bruised and battered on the doorstep of one of the characters.

All throughout the story, the Orson Welles’ broadcast continues on, contributing to the paranoia of the characters.

KD: How did you get involved with this project, and what originally drew you to it?

NT: Eric Hobbs like the art of another comic I’d drawn called Elk’s Run, and he also was impressed by this water colour piece I used to have up on my portfolio site. It was an image of a little boy, done in pen and ink and gray washes. I had submitted it to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, they published in their magazine-newsletter The Bulletin, and that’s where Eric saw it.

He wanted that exact style for his book, so he got in contact with me. That was back in late ‘07.

KD: What tools did you use to illustrate The Broadcast?

NT: I just used fine tip Sharpie pens, since I have more control with those than with brushes, and they help keep my hand a little more steady. Then I used black water colour to water it down, and added some white. There are a few scenes where I switched to thicker Sharpie pens, and a few flashback scenes where I switched the style up a bit, but that’s about it.

KD: What did you have in mind when you came up with the specific look for The Broadcast?

NT: I wanted it to be murky, and to keep close to the style of that original illustration that Eric saw. I drew from the style of (Italian cartoonist) Gipi and several other European artists, and also to some extent from Jeff Lemire’s work.

KD: You’ve been drawing comics in one capacity or another for quite some time. Just scanning a couple of your biographies out there, I saw it mentioned that one of your first breaks in comics was with a strip in the Cerebus single page sections back in ‘89.

Before that, where did your interest in comics start?

NT: Back when I was in Elementary School in the Philippines, my parents did the book-keeping for a publishing house out there. I read some of the historical comics they put out,  about the lives of these important figures from the history of the Philippines. Then it wasn’t really until College that I read more comics.

A friend of mine in first year College showed me some of the better artists in comics at the time, like Bernie Wrightson, Jeffrey Jones… My brother, he was also starting to collect comics like X-Men and Alpha Flight. It’s funny, looking back at that John Byrne stuff now, I really like what he was doing compared to the other super hero stuff back then.

KD: Your dayjob is as a Storyboard Clean Up artist at Nelvana Studios, is that right? What can you tell me about that job?

NT: When they get the storyboards from the artists, the director will make changes on the board itself – it’s all digital now. I redraw it from his roughs, and it could be something as simple as opening or closing the mouth of a character, or as complex as redrawing an entire scene.

It’s all so much easier nowadays than the old method of cleaning up storyboards, which required visiting and revisiting the photocopier constantly.

KD: What else are you currently up to?

NT: Josh Fialkov, who wrote Tumor, recently showed me a proposal for a story that involves one of the characters from Tumor. It’s way too early to talk more about that, though.

I’ve been doing some illustrations for a poetry magazine, and I also illustrated a trilogy of poetry books by Carolynn Blanchette.

KD: You’ve illustrated poems, children’s books, Westerns, noir… Do you have a favorite subject or genre to draw?

NT: You know, I’d really like to do a horror. I haven’t seen many horror scripts come my way, aside from my work for Steve Bissette’s Taboo and a comic I did for a zombie anthology called Fleshrot.

I’m a big fan of the EC titles, and Wally Wood’s stuff. So I would like to do something in the future along that vein.

For more from Noel Tuazon, you can check out his blog. You can also find an extended preview of The Broadcast here.

-Interview by Kevin de Vlaming

Sure, back near the beginning of the month you had your fancy pants Academy awards ceremonies – but that’s not what I’m  referring to here.  Although I was pretty darn enthused about Jeff Bridges winning his first Oscar, and OMG did you see what Jennifer Lopez was wearing? Oh no she didn’t…

Ahem.

March has been a big month specifically for awards recognizing Canadian comic creators. Back on March 12th,  the Doug Wright Awards posted their finalists for the three categories of Best Book, Best Emerging Talent, and the Pigskin Peters Award (which recognizes “unconventional, ‘nominally-narrative’ comics”).

The contenders for these titles, touted as representing the “finest, most thought-provoking work produced by Canada’s vibrant comics community,” (a statement I would not disagree with) are as follows:

Best Book:

* Back + Forth by Marta Chudolinska (The Porcupine’s Quill)
* George Sprott: (1894-1975) by Seth (Drawn and Quarterly)
* Hot Potatoe by Marc Bell (Drawn and Quarterly)
* Kaspar by Diane Obomsawin (Drawn and Quarterly)
* Red: A Haida Manga by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas and McIntyre)

Best Emerging Talent:

* Adam Bourret I’m Crazy
* Michael DeForge Lose #1 (Koyama Press), Cold Heat Special #7 (Picturebox)
* Pascal Girard Nicolas (Drawn and Quarterly)
* John Martz It’s Snowing Outside. We Should Go For a Walk.
* Sully The Hipless Boy (Conundrum Press)

Pigskin Peters Award:

* Bébête Simon Bossé (L’Oie de Cravan)
* Dirty Dishes by Amy Lockhart (Drawn and Quarterly)
* Hot Potatoes by Marc Bell (Drawn and Quarterly)
* Never Learn Anything From History by Kate Beaton
* The Collected Doug Wright Volume One by Doug Wright (Drawn and Quarterly)

As diverse a selection of Canadian talent as ever there were – though a few of the finalists definitely came as no surprise (*cough* Seth, Marc Bell, Kate Beaton *cough*).

Then last Wednesday came the 2010 Shuster Award Nominees.

For those of you unfamiliar with the awards, they’re sort of like the American Eisner Awards, only with more bacon. (insert sound clip of a tumbleweed rolling down a deserted street)

Actually, that’s nothing like what they are. Named after Canadian-born Superman co-creator Joe Shuster, the Shuster Awards were founded in 2005 by the Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Association.  The idea was to create a national awards program that would celebrate outstanding achievements by comic book creators, publishers, and retailers.

This year marks the 6th annual Joe Shuster Awards.

The 2010 nominees are as follows (with bonus Fabler commentary!):

SHUSTER AWARD NOMINEES for Work Published in 2009

Artist

* Chris Bachalo
* Darwyn Cooke
* Marc Delafontaine
* Djief  Bergeron
* Dale Eaglesham
* Stuart Immonen
* Francis Manapul
* Cameron Stewart

Thoughts: I’m going to come right out and say it: I’m a huge fan of Stuart Immonen’s collaborative efforts with Brian Michael Bendis. Immonen’s work on Ultimate-Spider-Man and New Avengers really has been top notch, and I consider it some of the best art Marvel can boast on any of its recent titles. Not to mention, Immonen has been recognized for this before – he just hasn’t quite made the leap from nominee to award recipient just yet.

He’s certainly up against some Shuster award veterans here: both Dale Eaglesham and Darwyn Cooke have won in this category before, and Cameron Stewart is a long-entrenched name in comic book art.

Alternately, Marc Delafontaine (Delaf) could be a real contender for this distinction. He’s certainly one of the most creatively idiosyncratic artists on the list of nominees.

Cartoonist

* Darwyn Cooke
* Jeff Lemire
* Bryan Lee O’Malley
* Philippe Girard
* Michel Rabagliati
* Simon Roy
* Seth
* Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas

Thoughts: Holy heavy-hitters, Batman! The Cartoonist category is typically where most of the current “It” names in Canadian comics reside. Case in point: Bryan Lee O’Malley, Jeff Lemire, Darwyn Cooke, and Seth.

I think it’s pretty nifty that they included relative newcomer to the industry Simon Roy here, since while Jan’s Atomic Heart marked his freshman expedition into published comics, it really was an astoundingly well told tale.

Honestly, I’m thinking that Seth is the top contender here with his book George Sprott 1894-1975. George Sprott – which was originally serialized in the New York Times – has received wild amounts of critical acclaim, entrenching Seth’s status as a modern icon in comics.

Mind you, the Shuster Awards aren’t decided by public vote any more, which means it isn’t a popularity contest. Each creator stands an equal chance here, regardless of critical fanfare.

Colourist

* Brad Anderson
* Chris Chuckry
* Maryse Dubuc
* Nathan Fairbairn
* Lovern Kindzierski
* Francois Lapierre
* Dave McCaig
* Ronda Pattison

Thoughts: I’m a little biased in this department in that I’m a big fan of Dave McCaig’s work. His work on Northlanders, Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk, and New Avengers really sealed the deal for me, but I also especially dug the two issues he coloured on Star Wars: Dark Times.

That being said, Chris Chuckry has done some pretty swell stuff on Air and The Unwritten, and Ronda Pattison’s simple-but-playful range has worked very well on both We Kill Monsters as well as Atomic Robo and the Shadow from Beyond Time.

Writer

* Kelley Armstrong
* Ian Boothby
* Hervé Bouchard
* Maryse Dubuc
* Kathryn Immonen
* Dean Motter
* Ty Templeton
* J. Torres

Thoughts: I can’t speak fully on all of the nominees in this category, since I haven’t read all of the works they’ve each been nominated for (such as Kelley Armstrong’s run on Angel issues 18-22, or Maryse Dubuc’s Les nombrils, tome 04: Duels de belles).

I can, however attest to the skill that Kathryn Immonen crafts her stories with. Especially where Runaways is concerned – which is a tricky title to helm, since it has been the stomping grounds of such celebrated talent as Joss Whedon, Brian K Vaughan, and Terry Moore.

Ty Templeton has also been receiving solid praise for his work on Star Trek: Mission’s End. An important entry in the Star Trek mythos, it follows the original crew of the Enterprise on their final mission.

An interesting fact to note regarding the Writer category: Ian Boothby, Ty Templeton, and J. Torres have been nominees every year that this Award has been in existence, save 2009 – in which only Ty Templeton’s name was absent. Of those three, Ian Boothby (known for his work on Futurama and the Simpsons) is the only one to have yet to win. Perhaps this is Boothby’s year?

Cover

* Kaare Andrews – The Immortal Iron Fist 27
* Paul Bordeleau – Faüne, tome 2: La maison du Faüne
* Darwyn Cooke – Jonah Hex 50 (DC Comics)
* Darwyn Cooke – Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter
* Marc Delafontaine – Les nombrils, tome 04: Duels de belles
* Dale Eaglesham – Miss America Comics 70th Anniversary Special 1
* Dale Keown – The Astounding Wolf-Man 16 Variant
* Igor Kordey – Unknown Soldier 5

Thoughts: If there were an award for sheer cover badassery, it would doubtlessly go to Dale Keown for his Astounding Wolf-Man issue 16 Variant cover. It doesn’t get more badass than that. Or more pointy, for that matter. Pointy claws, pointy teeth, pointy brambles, even pointy fur!

As it is, the award (almost regrettably) isn’t for sheer badassery, and so Keown is faced with some stiff competition. If I were the entire panel of jury responsible for making award decisions, I imagine I’d be hard-pressed between Kaare Andrews’ zen-esque depiction of Iron Fist, and Dale Eaglesham’s tastefully nostalgic depiction of Miss America.

Webcomics

* Attila Adorjany – Metaphysical Neuroma
* Kate Beaton – Hark! A Vagrant
* Andy Belanger – Bottle of Awesome and Raising Hell
* Rene Engström – Anders Loves Maria
* Karl Kerschl – The Abominable Charles Christopher
* Gisèle Lagacé and David Lumsdon – Eerie Cuties and Ménage à 3
* Tara Tallan – Galaxion
* Steve Wolfhard – Cat Rackham

Thoughts: A few nominees from the 2009 Shuster Webcomics Award resurfaced this year – namely, Kate Beaton, Karl Kerschl, and Gisèle Lagacé and David Lumsdon.

Last year’s read like a who’s who of Transmission X artists – aside from Kerschl, the nominees also included Michael Cho, Ramon K. Perez, and Cameron Stewart (who won the award for his work on Sin Titulo).  While I’m the last to knock TX artists, as I am of the opinion that they produce some of the finest Canadian webcomics out there, it is good to see a little more variety.

Attila Adorjany, Andy Belanger, Tara Tallan and Steve Wolfhard are all new names to the category. Curiously, this also marks Rene Engström’s first nomination. I say curious because her comic, Anders Loves Maria, has been making pretty huge waves for a few years now. While the competition is pretty stiff in this category, it feels like now – with Anders and Maria finally finished – just might be the right time for Engström to take home the award.

It should also be noted that the above is actually not a complete list of nominees – in April we’ll see the nominees for the categories of Publisher,  Comics for Kids, and the Harry Kremer Award for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Retailer.

Subsequently, submissions are to be accepted up until May 10th for the Gene Day Award for Self-Publishing. Jesse Jacobs won the first-ever Gene Day Award last year for his book Blue Winter, Shapes in the Snow.

The winners of the 2010 Joe Shuster Awards will be announced at a presentation ceremony coinciding with the 6th annual Toronto ComicCON  Fan Appreciation Event on June 5th and 6th.

You won’t have to wait nearly that long to find out who will take home top honors at this year’s Doug Wright Awards – the winners for that awards program will be announced at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival on May 8th.

Hot butter.

Kevin@thefabler, signing out.

-Written by Kevin de Vlaming

2009 was an eventful year of Canadian comic releases, major label crossover events, and comic industry developments that will have huge ramifications for years to come.

It was also the year that The Fabler, founded by Bruno Steppuhn, was birthed into existence. Which, if you were paying any attention, also meant the launch of the Fabler Blog last May.

Since, as the old adage goes, ‘to know where you’re going, you have to know where you’ve been’, I think it’d be an ideal time to look back at the past year in review.

At least I think that’s how I think the adage goes. I’m not very good with adages. It might alternately be, ‘forget the past and the future, live in the now’. But that works less with what I’m going for here.
Let’s start by taking a brief glance at the Canadian comic landscape in 2009.

Jeff Lemire had a fantastic year. Hey, that rhymes! 2009 saw the release of Jeff’s original graphic novel The Nobody, as well as the launch of his own Vertigo series, Sweet Tooth. As if that wasn’t enough, he also released the collected version of his much acclaimed Essex County Trilogy.

Mariko Tamaki pulled in double honours, winning the Doug Wright Award for Best Book with Skim as well as the Shuster Award for Best Writer for her work on Skim and Emiko Superstar.

Jesse Jacobs and Kate Beaton each also ‘double-dipped’ from the Canadian recognition pool, both earning accolades from each of Canada’s two top comic award organizations. Jacobs won the Gene Day Award for Canadian Self-Publishing at the Shuster Awards, and saw his book Small Victories nominated for a Doug Wright Award earlier in the year. Beaton, the more-internet-famous-every-year creator of Hark! A Vagrant, was nominated for a Best Webcomic Shuster Award and won the Doug Wright Award for Best Emerging Talent.

While new series’ featuring Canadian talent emerged regularly throughout the year, there were three in particular that I feel were especially worthy of mention.

The first was North 40, featuring art by Calgary-based Fiona Staples. This limited series launched in July and concluded in December, and featured a midwestern town overrun by supernatural forces. Aaron Williams wrote a clever story of Cowboy-Western meets Lovecraftian Horror, and Fiona did a fantastic job of bringing those elements to action-packed, panel popping life.

Second would be James Turner’s Warlord of Io. Originally slated for print by Slave Labor Graphics, Warlord of Io wound up as a digital exclusive. You can pick up the first two issues of this uniquely conceptualized space adventure via Comixology, among other places.

Third is, naturally, Jeff Lemire’s Sweet Tooth. As one of the most hyped titles of 2009, the Vertigo-published tale of a young human/deer hybrid in a post-apocalyptic landscape certainly hasn’t disappointed. But then, Lemire isn’t an artist prone to disappointing his fans.

Unlike Jeph Loeb. But that’s another, completely unrelated conversation.

But of course, all of this just barely skims the surface of what 2009 held for the Canadian comics industry.

For all of you non-Canuck Fablers, 2009 has seen its fare share of news in the wider comic industry in general.

The year kicked off with a major announcement from Diamond Comics that some would deem controversial; they were raising their minimum purchase threshold, which would force some of the smaller-name titles out of distribution. The aforementioned Warlord of Io was one of the first comics cut as a result of this action.

Another of the year’s biggest headlines (if not the biggest headline) was Disney’s acquisition of Marvel. Certainly it was one of the most blogged about, with industry commentators putting forth banter as to whether the move would seriously impact the Marvel U, or merely improve distribution options while allowing Marvel complete creative control over its properties. Proponents of the second opinion pointed to Disney’s treatment of Pixar after it bought out the award-winning animation studio as an indicator of how Marvel would also likely be left to its own creative devices.

Both Marvel and DC ramped up the competitive status quo this year as well, each conspiring to use more event titles and ‘major title’ launches to enhance its own share of the comic market.

Marvel re-launched its fan favorite Ultimate Universe, in wake of the cataclysmic events of Ultimatum, while its 616 universe titles spent a year slowly (almost casually) dealing with Norman Osborne’s rise to power with the Dark Reign Event.

DC segued from Final Crisis into its inspired (and highly financially successful) Blackest Night crossover, and while a new Batman emerged in the form of Dick Grayson, Marvel brought the original Captain America back from the dead.

Bringing it closer to home, The Fabler launched at the Calgary Comic Convention in April of this last year. Since its launch as a service geared to help independent comic creators get their work seen on the web, it has built a small (but dedicated) community of initial artists, seen its share of major revamps, and started to find its footing as a long-term platform.

The Blog side of things attempted to establish itself as a news source for interviews with Canadian comic talent, while also providing unique perspectives into the industry and spotlighting the members of its own community whenever possible.

In case you missed any Fabler Blog interviews from the past year, collected for your handy reference below is a list of all of the artists/writers/creators/industry insiders we’ve spoken with to date:

Andrew Johnson (Kingdom, Golem: Small Town Massacre)

Eben Burgoon (Eben 007)

Alison Acton (Bear Nuts, The Faerie Path)

Jesse Jacobs (Small Victories, Blue Winter, Shapes in the Snow)

Joey Comeau (A Softer World, Overqualified)

Simon Roy (Jan’s Atomic Heart)

Jake Ekiss (of Indy Comic Book Week)

Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics)

Jordyn Bochon (The Day After V-Day)

Kate Beaton (Hark! A Vagrant)

Jason Turner (True Loves)

Michael Cho (Papercut)

Steve Rolston (Emiko Superstar, Ghost Projekt)

Doug Wheatley (Star Wars: Dark Times)

James Turner (Nil, Warlord of Io)

Lar deSouza (Looking for Group, Least I Could Do)

Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth, Essex County Trilogy)

Jay Bardyla (Owner of Happy Harbor Comics in Edmonton)

Fiona Staples (North 40, Secret History of the Authority: Hawksmoor)

Troy Little (Chiaroscuro, Angora Napkin)

Gareth Gaudin (Perogy Cat, Owner of Legends Comics in Victoria)

Richard Grzela (14u Comics)

Chris Johnston (Jet Pack Mike)

Vicious Ambitious (Calgary Indie Comic Company)

Stay tuned to the Fabler Blog for more 2010 comic goodness! (And more jabs at Boise, Idaho!)

-Written by Kevin de Vlaming

The gladiator arena of a shopping event known as Black Friday has also come to pass, marking another herald of the soon-to-be-frantic X-mas buying season.

If you’re like me and you don’t start buying your holiday gifts in June, there’s a good chance you’re still scratching your head over what to buy your rolling crew. That’s a crew that you roll with. Like friends, only with more rep. Nevermind.

Anyway, point is, if you have some presents left to buy for individuals even mildly interested in comics – don’t sweat it! The Fabler is here to help.

Presented for your X-mas shopping convenience, we’ve compiled a shortlist of some easily recommendable titles and miscellany, complete with links to their respective websites for online ordering.

I’ve arbitrarily chosen five categories to organize the following suggestions within, and – for bonus convenience – alliterated each of the category titles.

Canadian Comic Holiday Shopping Ideas

Humour

Hark! A Vagrant: Never Learn Anything from History

It is regularly unanimously agreed upon that Kate Beaton is hilarious. Her webcomic Hark! A Vagrant, which irreverently pokes fun at great moments (and people) in history, is validly difficult to read without chuckling. Try it, I dare you. Buying this collection of some of Kate’s best strips for someone as an introduction to her work has to be among the best things you could do for a person (providing they have any sense of humor at all).

Bear Nuts: Volume 1

Alison Acton writes a funny webcomic about a group of cute cartoon bears that live together in the zoo. Only the bears have personality disorders. Some have addictions, some dabble in sadomasochism, and still others regularly self-medicate. Oh, and there are actually bears named Gay Bear, Crack Bear, and Tanked Bear. I guarantee you know someone who will find Acton’s perverse imaginings a riot.

Least I Could Do: I Am Not a Credible Source

Ryan Sohmer and Lar de Souza are known for not one, but two famous webcomics. WoW fans might know them best for Looking for Group,  but Least I Could Do has to be their most consistently funny collaborative work. Whether you have a self-aware narcissist on your x-mas list that you’d like to spitefully mock, or if you just know someone who likes sex  jokes often embedded with pop cultural commentary, this collection of LICD’s sixth year of strips is a no-brainer.

Horror/Sci-Fi

Jan’s Atomic Heart

Robots, revolutionaries, and conspiracy plots abound in this future thriller set in Germany. Artist/writer Simon Roy might be new to comics, but his debut effort is a radtastic romp through an impressively fleshed-out alternate universe.  You don’t have to think robot terrorists plot are sweet to be able to appreciate receiving this book as a gift, but it probably helps.

The Nobody

Jeff Lemire appears twice on this list, and for good reason. The Nobody, a modern retelling of Orson Welles’ the Invisible Man, is a contemporary work of genius. Both poignant and faithful in tone to the original, the Nobody successfully transplants the mythos created by Welles to modern small town North America. With art perfectly matched to the book’s somber tone of isolation, the Nobody would make a swell gift for anyone with a love for classic thrillers, small town mysteries, or David Lynch films.

Heartfelt

The Complete Essex County

The second Lemire title that I mentioned, this trilogy collects all of Jeff’s individual Essex County tales (Tales from the Farm, Ghost Stories, and The Country Nurse) into one indispensable volume. Jeff has a talent for using his imagery an artfully sparse dialogue to tap into some of the most powerful emotions of the human experience; loss, loneliness, and ultimately, the sense of unspoken kinship that universally keeps families together.  I highly recommend this book for pretty well anyone, though hockey fans or individuals who grew up in rural surroundings might get a little something extra out of it.

True Loves (Vol. 2)

Jason Turner, together with his wife Manien Bothma, conspired to create the first volume of True Loves in 2006.  What resulted was an intriguing, genuine look at the beginnings of a relationship between two young residents of Vancouver, BC. Funny at times, while other times introspective and thoughtful, True Loves highlighted the ups and downs of an honest romance out on Canada’s West Coast. They released the second volume this past year, exploring the trials of the pair from the first volume as they endure the very real trials of a long-term relationship once the ‘puppy love’ phase has long since passed. Just a few panels of this comic are all it takes to be hooked. Also check out Turner’s website for samples of the fantastic art.

Hip titles for younger readers

Emiko Superstar

Written by Mariko Tamaki (of the provocatively well-worded graphic novel Skim) and illustrated by Steve Rolston, Emiko Superstar takes on teenage identity transition and self-discovery with a fresh sense of realism rarely present in young adult fiction. I don’t mean this book is filled with sex, drugs, and violence, for those reading into my previous statement – just that it doesn’t reek of the same dishonesty you might see in, say, a coming-of-age film starring some former mouseketeer (or something along those lines). More importantly though, Emiko Superstar really is a fun read.

Jellaby: Monster in the City

The second Jellaby book by Kean Soo is probably best bought together alongside the first, as Soo originally intended them to be a single, 300 page story. This Shuster Award-winning-story spins the tale of Portia, a ten year old girl who just recently moved to a new school, and her friendship with the titular character – a six foot tall purple monster named Jellaby. The story is undeniably charming, the artwork distinctive and eye-catching; really, what Jellaby represents is an instant children’s classic.

Hey, it’s a miscellaneous category!

Overqualified

The least directly comic-related item on my gift suggestion list, Overqualified qualifies as a great gift idea for fans of the webcomic A Softer World. Joey Comeau, who writes ASW, penned this collection of cringe-inducing cover letters as a project that originally started with several fake cover letters he actually made and mailed out. Through a series of these cover letters, Overqualified tells a story of a protagonist rife with human flaws as he candidly spills his guts out to strangers in desperate bids for employment.  Fans of A Softer World will immediately recognize Joey’s trademark dark witticism present in the letters.

Topatoco’s Collection of Holiday Greeting Cards

While Topatoco is an international purveyor of webcomic-related goodies and not a dedicated source of Canadian content, I would be remiss not to point out the excellent selection of Holiday Greeting Cards they have available for order. Be sure to check out card designs by Ryan North of Dinosaur Comics and Kate Beaton of Hark! A Vagrant.

Abominable Charles Christopher Signed Prints

Karl Kerschl’s epic weekly webcomic has earned him a healthy helping of accolades for its skilful narration and beautiful art. While technically this isn’t something exclusively released in 2009, you can place orders for recent strips to be printed, signed, and delivered for a very reasonable price.  Who wouldn’t love an artfully illustrated print of the large, furry, loveable (and easily confused) Charles Christopher?

“Social Media” is an overhyped, misunderstood, and often loaded term that has become THE generic buzzword of the past five years. The overarching term could be used to describe MySpace, Twitter, Blogging, Facebook, Bebo, and countless other digital technologies built around the idea of online two-or-more-way communication.

It is an abstract concept; a poorly defined, multi-faceted idea that many have yet to fully grasp, and even fewer have been able to master.

All the same, as it turns out, the comic community has been among those industries to embrace social media the most wholeheartedly.

Which is why I’m going to use this post to write about how useful social media can be for writers and artists looking to build a career, or even just a grassroots following, in comics (and in doing so, redundantly add my voice to the hype).

A social-media-focused post was inevitable, really. Not only does the phrase keep popping up in any sort of dialogue regarding the current state of the industry, (see Michael Cho on how comic artists are ‘internet hoes’) but it’s the most logical subject to segue into from my last Random Bits post on Community in Comics.

Since we’re dealing with an abstract concept here, let’s break it down to the basics. Assuming you have some grasp on what social media entails, (or you could get an idea what it’s about here, here and here) the aspects of social media we’re concerned with here are pretty well threefold:

Channels that allow individuals to showcase and obtain feedback on their work.

Tools that enhance your online presence by familiarizing the public with who you are.

-and-

Sites or services which provide an opportunity to network with  peers in the industry

Obviously these three aspects of social media often overlap, but for the purpose of this post, we’ll distinguish them for their separate functions.

Who’s using social media?

Everyone. Okay, maybe not everyone, but an impressively large number of the creative minds in comics today have some form of online manifestation capable of interacting with the general public.

For example, a partial list of some of the bigger industry names who tweet would include:

Neil Gaiman, Joe Quesada, Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, Mark Waid, Dave McKean, Robert Kirkman, Darick Robertson, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Steve Niles, and Marv Wolfman.

To bring it home, there are also plenty of Canadian comic book all-stars dwelling in the twitosphere, such as:

Fiona Staples, Steve Rolston, Karl Kerschl, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Michael Cho, Lar deSouza, Jeff Lemire, Ramon Perez, and Kathryn Immonen.

There are even more Canadian comic book personalities that may not have twitter, but keep an active blog or some other form of web-presence. The Joe Shuster Awards blog keeps a pretty nifty list of links to many such sites right here.

MySpace is something of a dying venue for comic book workers, and Facebook Fan pages – now a staple for many indie musicians – has yet to catch on within the comic book industry. The industry does, however, have some alternate social media channels which at least a few artists have learned to use effectively. But I’ll get to that in the next section -

How are they making the most out of social media?

If you browse through any of the Twitter feeds from the names listed above, you’ll find a pretty similar, fairly simple formula. Take equal parts of industry-related updates, (ie., new art up at xyz.bit.ly!) quirky personal news, (just made the best chawanmushi! Yum!) dialogue with peers, (@joeQuesada had enough Disney/Marvel mashup musical suggestions for the next decade yet?) and response to fan feedback (@kushyloafer thanks for the kind words, next time I promise the ogre’s shoes will be earth-shatteringly huge!).

The point is to build yourself as a real person while networking, build a loyal fanbase who feel like they have an open connection with you, and give people a real-time channel to find out what’s new with whatever you’re working on.  Plus developing a fanbase you can interact with is a two-way street; not only do they get to feel like you’re more than just an unreachable name on a comic they like, but you also get to be privy to some (hopefully) helpful feedback about your work.

Blogs kept by artists and writers work a little differently. Everyone has their own approach to blog content  – Michael Cho keeps a sketchblog showcasing his recent illustration, while Jeff Lemire exclusively publishes news regarding recent releases, and Kate Beaton alternates between providing general life updates and giving between-the-panels insights into her webcomics.

As long as you write about something connected in some way to whatever you’re trying to promote, your blog is accomplishing its goal: connecting the web-browsing masses with your work, and bridging together whatever multiple projects or social media outlets you have through a sort of ‘hub’.

Then you have the multimedia side of social media outlets. Sites like illoz, illustrationmundo.com, and even Flickr have been effectively utilized by comic artists looking to showcase and get feedback on their work.  The Fabler would fall into this category as a site that seeks to assist creators in showcasing their sequentially presented comic art.

Looking for Group artist Lar deSouza notably uses Ustream as a way to communicate with his fans while providing a window  into his creative process.

All of this might seem redundant to you if you’re already among the growing ranks of the web-2.0-savvy online comic community. If so, that’s great, you’ve probably already benefited in one way or another from  keeping a presence on the inter-webs. Alternately, you might be among those who find that even uttering the phrase ’social media’ leaves a bad taste in your mouth, or you could simply be a little intimidated by the directions that self-promotion within the industry is taking.

If the latter is the case, what you need to know is -

Why you should (or shouldn’t) hop on the bandwagon

I think I’ve given a half-decent overview as to most of the benefits social media affords to creators (and aspiring creators) in the comic industry. Those three points I mentioned before tie-in here nicely:

By building an online presence, you make it easier for your work to be ‘discovered’ and you make yourself significantly more ‘reachable’ by anyone interested in talking to you about it.

By showcasing your work online, you allow yourself to grow creatively from the feedback you receive while also having a handy way to display items from your portfolio to anyone even remotely curious about what you do.

By networking through means like commenting on blogs, posting @replies on Twitter, and engaging in dialogues on sites like Ustream, you expand your contacts within the industry and thus increase your likelihood of success within the medium.

All this is straightforward stuff, and comes with a lot of bonus benefits. Following other comic fans/creators in the industry on Twitter can be handy in giving you a good idea what’s going on in the industry, as can hopping around some of the more regularly updated creator blogs out there. Checking out the posted illustrations of other comic artists can often trigger a spark of inspiration for your own material.

I admit that I don’t really have a counter-argument to this. You really should hop on the bandwagon, if you haven’t already. If you’re still a little intimidated, just remember – it doesn’t have to be as big as a revolution in the comic industry, at its essence social media is just another toolkit to help build your name as an artist, a writer, or whatever else you’re aiming for.

From the somber reimagining of an H.G. Wells classic to post-apocalyptic landscapes roamed by human/animal hybrids, nobody could fault Ontario artist Jeff Lemire for a lack of creativity.

The wildly talented Lemire has built a name for himself in Canadian comic books as both a compelling storyteller and a uniquely expressive cartoonist. His Essex County Trilogy, a collection of volumes exploring the layered depths of humanity in small town Ontario, earned him vast critical praise for its subtle, heartfelt writing and powerful imagery.

In addition to being nominated for one Harvey and two Eisner Awards, it won Jeff a Shuster Award for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist and a Doug Wright Award for Canadian Cartooning’s Best Emerging Talent.

Jeff now has his sights set on reaching new audiences through DC’s Vertigo Comics, with an original graphic novel due out in July and his own monthly ongoing title beginning in September.

The Nobody, Jeff’s OGN, is a modern reinterpretation of H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man. Set in a small rural town largely influenced by a Northern Ontario locale Jeff visited as a child, The Nobody explores themes of isolation, loneliness, and the darker side of small town life.

Lemire’s monthly series, which debuts its first issue in September with a promotional price tag of $1 US, is titled ‘Sweet Tooth’. The official Vertigo description of the title is below:

After being raised in total isolation, Gus – a boy born with deer-like antlers – is left to survive in an American landscape devastated a decade earlier by an inexplicable pandemic. Even more remarkable is that Gus is part of a rare new breed of human/animal hybrid children who have emerged in its wake, all apparently immune to the infection.

Jeff managed to make some time in his hectic schedule to answer a few questions for the Fabler. He talks about The Nobody, Sweet Tooth, and the influence of Canadian landscapes and David Lynch on his work to date. The transcript is below.

KD: This is quite a busy summer for you. Between the release of your graphic novel The Nobody in July, the release of the Collected Essex County Trilogy in August, and your debut monthly title Sweet Tooth in September, that first sentence might actually be an understatement. Do you find yourself with any free time at all these days?

JL: You can add a new baby to that list as well, so no, I don’t have much free time, and very little sleep. But, at the same time, I’m doing exactly what I want to do with my life and I’m really happy, so there are no complaints.

KD: I’m going to start with a few questions about The Nobody, since it’s the first release you have coming up on the horizon.  I read an article in Newsarama where you said that you’ve been a Vertigo fan for a very long time. How did you wind up publishing your own original graphic novel through them?

JL: Well, I always loved Vertigo comics; they are probably what kept me reading comics through my late teens and early twenties when the superhero stuff at the time was just terrible. I pitched a couple of ideas to then Vertigo editor Bob Schreck, who I heard through a mutual friend, was a fan of my Essex County books. He loved The Nobody and the rest is history.

KD: From what I’ve read, The Nobody is described as a contemporary take on the Invisible Man, taking place in a small town in the Canadian North. The Essex County trilogy very notably had an emphasis on Canadian landscape and identity. Is there a specific reason you wanted to write another graphic novel highlighting a uniquely Canadian locale?

JL: Well, The Nobody is not specifically set in Canada, although a small northern Ontario town I use to visit as a child influenced it. I think that I am more interested in exploring small towns and rural life than specifically Canadian small towns. I just happen to draw from my own life and the places I know, and as a result, I guess that they end up saying something about the Canadian experience. And, I do feel a sense of pride in my country, and feel it has a rich and vast well of stories to draw from.

KD: In the past, you’ve listed David Lynch as a huge influence on your work. When you talk about how The Nobody explores the darker side of small town life, right away Twin Peaks came to mind. Was that particular work by Lynch an influence with The Nobody, or did your appreciation for Lynch’s artistic perspective have any other impact on it?

JL: Yes, in a big, big way. I even pay homage to the iconic shot of the stoplight swaying in the wind from Peaks and use it in The Nobody. I am a massive Twin Peaks fan, it is probably my favorite single piece of fiction created in any medium, and the setting and themes for The Nobody is no doubt my love letter to Twin Peaks and Lynch, whose entire body of work is very important to me as an artist and storyteller.

KD: What was it like for you to adjust to the change in tone from writing vol. 3 of Essex County to writing The Nobody? Was there anything else you did in between?

JL: I think The Nobody was a direct reaction to working on Essex County for three years. Those books also explored small town life, but in many ways were the flip side of The Nobody, they illustrate how family and rural communities can be drawn together despite guilt, tragedy and time. The Nobody was my reaction to that, I wanted to flip it on its head and do something darker and a little more genre based. Show the close-mindedness that can sometimes pull isolated communities apart.

KD: Moving on to Sweet Tooth… You’ve already given a pretty thorough summary of the concept before, so I won’t trouble you to give me a Coles Notes version of what it’s about. I would like to know, however; how did you first come up with the idea for the comic?

JL: I think it came from a number of different influences, as well as a few ideas that kept popping up in my sketchbooks in various forms over the years. I was really into Jack Kirby’s KAMANDI when I was developing the idea. I was thinking about the kind of version of that I would do if I were to pitch a revamp to Vertigo. That didn’t come to pass, but the ideas of the last boy on earth, animal hybrids etc obviously stuck with me. I am also a huge fan of post-apocalyptic fiction, from Mad Max and Tim Truman’s Scout to The Road, Walking Dead and Corben and Ellison’s Boy and His Dog.  Also when working on The Nobody I reread a bunch of H.G. Welles’ other work including The Island of Dr. Moreau. All of this boiled down into it, and I brought a bunch of myself into it too and somehow Sweet Tooth popped up.

KD: What are some of the themes you plan on exploring with the title?

JL: It’s about fathers and sons, it’s about redemption, it’s about family, and it’s about the friendships that can form in even the darkest of places, and it’s about holding onto hope in a hopeless world.

KD: How are you approaching the art differently for Sweet Tooth than with previous projects?

JL: I think my art has jumped a big notch in Sweet Tooth. It’s  become tighter, cleaner and more detailed, hopefully without losing any of the spontaneity and expressiveness of my previous work. And obviously, it will be color, so I have to think about that when I’m drawing as well, I can leave some things “open” whereas I would add more texture and linework in my black and white work.

The biggest adjustment was writing for 22-page installments, which meant I needed to develop much more economical ways of laying out pages and communicating my ideas. As you know, if you’ve read my previous work, I tend to pace my stories very slowly and really let the panels and scenes breath. When you’re doing a graphic novel, you can do this, but I needed to find other ways of telling stories, hopefully without losing whatever that quality is that makes my stories “mine”, if that makes sense. I think I’ve succeeded and am learning with each issue I work on. I am also trying to fit more and more into each issue, compress the ideas a bit more.

KD: Now that you’re committing to write and illustrate a monthly ongoing title, is that going to be the sole focus of your efforts for the next little while or do you have any plans for anything else in the works?

JL: Oh, yeah. I’m also working on a new, as yet to be announced graphic novel for Top Shelf. I also have a few short pieces due out in various anthologies including Dark Horse’s NOIR and Image’s OUTLAW TERRITORY 2.   There are also a couple of other DC and Vertigo projects which will probably be announced later this summer. Luckily I draw pretty fast!