The Mosaik Project comic debuts with Toronto commuters

Hey all. It's been difficult to juggle things for the past several months. That's why I have accepted a generous offer from the dedicated folks at Sequential to have my own little comicanuck space at their site semi-regularly!

My initial focus may be there but I will also be posting here as well on and off. Hopefully we'll find the perfect balance of comicanuck goodness.

You can read a chat I had with the folks at The Mosaik Project, a new Toronto comic book available across the Toronto Transit Commission system at Gateway newstands and through the Toronto Public Library.

I ran across their debut issue this week and was actually far more intrigued by their unique approach to getting this sucker into people's hand than the contents. This is literally a throwback to old school newsstand distribution. How much more underground do you get than the subway?

Commuters are always looking for different things to read that can entertain them on short and long trips. They also have a better chance at really being seen by urban kids. And the fact that animation professionals are part of the collective behind this project means the art should always have life and a slick veneer.

The main challenge the Mosaik Project has so far is compelling material. The first issue has some nice layout, a cool portfolio and loads of hype but is short on compelling comic material. I'm not seeing anything particularly new.

A two-page colour spread advertising a new cop character called McBubbles (likely based on the videotaped cop currently suing Youtube over capturing his finest hour) just made me sad.

The first issue's comic, 9toOmega, is well rendered with a really clean line style though its light on the blacks and grey tones. The feature is drawn as if its begging for colour to fill in the blanks. But mostly, it's all about pacing and storytelling.

About two thirds of the book is taken up by an Incredibles-style commuter going to work. One or two things happen but events contribute little to the story or our knowledge of the characters. The pacing is out of whack. You turn a page and the hero is no longer in his car but suddenly walking the rest of the way to work asking why he bothers to drive.

Why did he leave his car? Because the creators need him to bump into a could-be-crazy-could-be-wise street person. Nine pages are spent covering a discussion that could have been done in four or five pages with greater impact.

I have worked for years in animation as a storyboard artist and writer and I know that sometimes animators confuse bits of business for story. I hope The Mosaik Project finds an editorial voice with a sense of story to help guide their awesome line-up of artists into showing themselves to their best advantage.

And they need to do it fast. People will make their minds up about this book pretty quickly and you want them wondering what's nest as much as possible so their faces light up when they see the book on the stands.

I see flashes of that possibility in this issue. The wonderful Perry Osuna "Electric Mosaic" portfolio shows a stellar style and will appeal to the urban audience. So will Mosaik's efforts to reach the audience (the back cover promises a High School Creator contest). Of course, proper contact info would help with that!

But this whole concept and approach has me pretty jazzed about the possibilities. So I wish the Mosaik Project all the best.

Find out more about The Mosaik Project at their blog and at their Facebook page.

Beavers Up!

Master of Time!

Between the loss of my laptop's hard drive a few weeks ago, complete with a whack of partially constructed posts on more historical canuck comics stuff, and writing my tail off in an attempt to secure my next gig, posting remains a little... off-schedule.

To say the least.

However, I thought you might enjoy the small piece I wrote for the first ever print issue of Sequential, based on the Canadian Comics and Culture website of the same name. Max Douglas, aka Salgood Sam, printed it up to giveaway to the public attending last month's Toronto Comic Arts Festival. And a damn fine publication it was!

Max also did up crazy artwork for the piece of a warped cartoon mouse (No relation, Disney lawyers) being stretched through an hourglass.

But I don't have a copy of that.

So here's Max's sumptuous cover!

Enjoy.

You are about to become a master of time.

I kid you not. A master. Of time.

Comics screw with time, man. And they give you the power to do it too.

That’s right. For a brief, shining moment that lasts as long as you choose, comics allow you to control and manipulate time to enjoy a story on your terms. As you process the comics’ special alchemy of words (or symbols) and art you find your subjective view of time changes from panel to panel and page to page.

Picture it. Comics are the only medium in which you can be subjectively in the past, present and future all at the same time. While borders may separate the actions found within panels, each drawing divided into an individual moment, you still see the whole page or the entire screen. You see the action you’re reading now, you see the action preceding it, and you see what’s coming. And you get to decide to how long it takes to get there, or whether to go there at all. You may stop or even reverse time, flipping ahead or back at will.

Even a single panel cartoon can accomplish this effect. Picture one of many brilliant Gary Larson Far Side panels. Two bears stand over a fallen birdwatcher and thumb through his wallet like a pair of gangbanging thugs. In one image Larson conveys the past (the bears mugging the tourist), captures the present (they look over their booty while gazing around warily for potential witnesses) and invites the viewer into possible futures (any number of ways the bears might use their stolen money and credit cards). These three concurrent facets of time combine to form one complete, hilarious narrative.

A comic artist can try to slow down or speed up time and guide you through a story, but in the end you are the decision-maker. A photograph captures a single moment in time, freezing it for endless study and enjoyment. A film may play tricks with time, but you are always propelled forward through it, following a course laid out for you without deviation. Even when the narrative plays with chronology you are still guided on a predetermined path. But you and a comic must work together.

When people argue about what comics are, more often than not they are actually defending their preferred medium for viewing comics: web comics, monthly magazine-style comics, graphic novels, newspaper strips, etc. Or they may praise their ideal subject matter: muscle-bound superheroes, animated carton animals, fantasy quests or even the twisted obsessions of a favoured, underground cartoonist.

Years ago, Pierre Fournier, a Quebec grandmaster of comics, expressed confusion to me over all the subcategories ascribed to comics in North America. “In Quebec, comics are comics. They are one thing. It doesn’t matter if they are in a book or on the Internet or in a graphic novel.”

Take the time to really look around TCAF today and you cannot help but learn that comics are, indeed, many things. Some are painted, some are drawn, some are hand-stapled and coloured with pencil crayons, others are slick, glossy pieces of high-entertainment, some are even therapy. They all combine elements of the visual and literary arts in an utterly unique form. A million different approaches united by one thing… They make you an all-powerful master of time!

Use your power wisely or frivolously.

But do use it.


Beavers Up!

See? Comics screw with time! From
Bryan Lee O'Malley's contribution to TCAF's
Free Comic Book Day publication this past year.

Toronto Comic Arts Festival: National Post Creator Q&A Links, Pt. 3

More Paul work by Michel Rabagliati

Man, whoever said just putting up a bunch of links instead of writing a post is a good way to save time and stay current was soooo wrong.

Here at last are the final links to the National Post writer Mark Medley's cartoonist questionnaire sent out to participants of the Toronto Comic Arts Festival two weeks ago. Sorry for the delay.

As well, lots of post TCAF reports and comments have been popping up lately. Comic Book Resources Robot 6 pointed me to this Publisher's Weekly report, Now Magazine, a National Post roundup, the Post's coverage of the author roundtable at Harbourfront with Yoshiro Tatsumi, Adrian Tomine and Seth at Harbnourfront. The Toronto Star had a preview, a who to look for article and an interview with Tatsumi.

Robot 6 also pointed out artists who have blogging their experiences there, including Scott McLoud, who was kind enough to include more artist links. Deb Akoi and the Torontoist have photo blogs up. As well, the Same Hat manga blog has been posting about their trip to TCAF.

The absolutely essential Canadian website Sequential (which debuted it's first ever print edition at TCAF) has a typically thorough round-up of more Fest coverage here. There was so much they had to break post the links in four parts (so far). Check out Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

Sequential also links to the fantastic Jamie Colville's MP3's of the panel discussions here and pointed readers to an Inkstuds recording of the post-Kirby panel. One stop shopping!

Back to regular blogging next time.

Michel Rabagliati. The Harvey Award winning artist behind the semi-autobiographical Paul graphic novels (Paul In The Country, Paul Has A Summer Job, Paul Moves Out,and his latest, Paul Goes Fishing) is one of the few Quebec artists to earn significant recognition in France, partially due to his European comic style, apparently inspired by Asterix, Tintin,and the comics of Spirou et Fantasio.

Paul Rivoche is a freelance designer, illustrator and co-creator of Mr. X. His latest comic work appeared in a recent issue of DC Comics' The Spirit. He and Ty Templeton have also teamed up to create the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop, to provide instruction in the comic arts. Details are still up in the air since they only announced the initiative at TCAF but the first classes should be running by Fall.

The Crusaders commission by Paul Rivoche.

Last month at the last Toronto Fan Appreciation Con, Paul also did a terrific commission for me of The Crusaders, a sci-fi comic series from Anglo American Comics way back in the forties. The Canadian Whites never looked so good. I promised to scan it for Paul and send him a copy but my scanner is too small for it. However, he did a lovely job of colouring the digital pic he took at the Con. I found it posted on his website, rocketfiction.com. Check it out. It's a thing of beauty!

Steve Rolston. The writer and artist of One Bad Day has also collaborated with some of the hippest comic writers around. He's produced MEK with Warren Ellis, Escapists with Brian K. Vaughn, Degrassi: Extra Credit with J. Torres and Emiko Superstar with Mariko Tamaki. His next project will be Ghost Projekt from Oni Press.

Florrent Ruppert, the French co-author of Panier de Singe, Safari Monseigneur, La Poubelle de la Place Vendôme and GoGo Club with his partner Jérôme Mulot.

Dash Shaw got double coverage from Post. The Richmond, Va, artist of the Eisner Award nominated Mother's Mouth and the serialized online Bodyworld, answered Medley's questionnaire and the Books section published a review of his massive, 720-page graphic opus, The Bottomless Belly-Button.

Sparkplug Comic Books has been carving a niche publishing up and coming cartoonists since 2002. In addition to the Marketing and Publicity Coordinator Shannon O'Leary's answers to the questionnaire, you can find more info at the Sparkplug website.

Valerie Sury. This French illustrator, painter and sculptor's virtual gallery can be found at her website. Her sister, comic artist Caroline Sury of Stripburger and Bebe 2000, runs the underground publishing house "Le Dernier Cri" together with her partner Pakito Bolino in Marseille.

Jillian and Mariko Tamaki were featured in the print edition of the Post, discussing their work Skim (a comic, then a play, then the graphic novel. Mariko also responded to Medley's questions.
More about her at MarikoTamaki.com.

Diana Tamblyn is another comic artist hailing from my hometown of London, Ontario.the Ignatz-nominated cartoonist has made a name for herself drawing lovely mini-comics like The Rosie Stories and There You Were. I'm looking forward to when she finishes her full-length graphic novel From Earth To Babylon: The Story of Gerald Bull and the Supergun. Now that's a title! Tamblyn is also quite active in fandom and has helped shepherd the Joe Shuster Awards through their many growing pains.

Jason Thompson. This journalist and manga critic recently authored Manga: The Complete Guide and the forthcoming graphic novel, King of RPGs with Victor Hao.

J. Torres is the King of all-ages and youth-oriented comics scribes and the Prince of creator-owned work, having co-created Alison Dare and Jason and the Argobots as well as writing for Teen Titan's Go! and the Degrassi: Extra Credit graphic novels. Other creator-owned work like the Copybook Tales, Days Like This, Scandalous, Love As A Foreign Language and the upcoming Dead Goombas and Lola: A Ghost Story from Oni Press. You can follow him on his blog.

From Adrian Tomine's Shortcomings.

Adrian Tomine is the much-beloved indie creator of Optic Nerve and graphic novels like Summer Blonde, Shortcomings, Scrapbook and Sleepwalk and Other Stories.

James Turner created the long running Rex Libris about a space-faring, immortal librarian (a description which doesn't even come close to doing its humour justice) and Nil: A Land Beyond Belief from Slave Labor Graphics.

Jason Turner's True Loves graphic novel is currently getting the sequel treatment. The collection is out soon but you can also see it online at True Loves 2. You can also check his blog for more deets.

Jose Villarrubia is a Maryland art professor whose secret identities include a photographer, illustrator and a colorist with extensive mainstream comic credits. He has collaborated with Alan Moore on three graphic novels/books: Voice of the Fire, The Mirror Of Love and the as yet unreleased The Book of Copulations, "an introduction to magic in everyday life". I found an old interview with him at the Comicbook Bin that shed some light on his career so far.

Eric Wight, the writer and illustrator of Frankie Pickle, from Simon and Schuster.

Chip Zdarsky (Steve Murray). The utterly unhinged brain behind Prison Funnies and Monster Cops made a splash with his first two issues then was snapped up by the National Post as an illustrator in residence (along with Kagan Mcleod). Some of his work includes Extremely Bad Advice and the still unfinished ComicsTrip. That put Chip and Kagan's comics waaaaaay off-schedule (Kagan's is the amazing Infinite Kung Fu).

The Post rewarded him with so much work he recently recently blew out his drawing arm. But I still noticed him wincing out out sketches for the ladies at TCAF. Get well soon Chipper. And if you're offended, do not check out his website's hilarious Marvel Comics Idea Journal in which he imagines the entire Marvelverse shtupping.

Zen Rankin. This Toronto illustrator's comic work includes Action Satisfaction Supreme and Ed and Red's Comic Strip. He's also a member of Sketchkrieg!

Jim Zubkavich. This Seneca College Professor of animation put his pen where his mouth is with Makeshift Miracle.

Beavers Up!