Monday, June 4, 2018

Psychosis Vol. 4 Now Available!

And I know this for a fact, because it was in my mailbox on Friday! Yay!

For all the difference that it makes, I neglected to mention the Kickstarter campaign here when it launched in March. Regardless, as usual, the book met its goal and still as usual, the 2-man team behind the book were pretty punctual with fulfilling rewards, something I appreciate tremendously.

The pitch was a little sparse this time...

Our team is back to keep pushing themselves to their limits. Not everyone is making it out this time.
Psychosis has bounced around a bit in term of publishers, at least on the digital side, but now (writer Adam) Atkinson and (artist David) Coates are selling the books in print format directly from their Facebook group.
If anyone is looking to order copies of Psychosis, the following is our pricing model, and costs. 
10$ - Single Volume
40$ - Whole Set (4 Volumes)
15$ - Tshirt
35$ - Hooded Sweatshirt (DESIGN TO BE FINISHED SOON) 
Within Moncton Area we will deliver to you at no cost. 
SHIPPING COST TO CANADA
5$ for Single Volume
10$ for All 4 Volumes 
INTERNATIONAL
10$ Single Volume
20$ for All 4 Volumes 
Email psychosisthecomic@gmail.com with orders, and we will have them sent as quickly as possible.
Now excuse me, I have some reading to do.

Monday, May 21, 2018

Update on Canadiana

The image and text below are from about a week ago (link and paragraph break added).

Getting ready for East Coast Comic Expo this weekend! I just picked up our books and prints we'll be selling. Really pleased with the result Pressed 4 Time Printing did. Great job! 
These books have the Canadiana story from the original 2005 web series, (written by Mark Shainblum, pencilled by Jeff Alward, and inked/colored by me) as well as a preview of the brand new adventures. This is the first time in print for Canadiana, and I can't think of a better place to premiere it than the ECCE. 
The above was written in the Blu Haus Studio Facebook group. I have to assume that the "me" referred to above as inker/colourist is Holly Noel since she's the only other Blu Haus member named

A work-in-progress print was displayed months ago as well.


Looks like Canadiana is building herself a team!

I believe that is The Martlet in flight at bottom left, a character that was first revealed (to the best of my knowledge) as an entry in the second Epic Canadiana (no connection to the the character above) anthology from Cloudscape.

That I recall, she ultimately didn't appear (I really need to revisit that book...And to tone down on the parentheses) but from what little I know of her, I'm quite pleased to see her still in play. She sounds like she could be an interesting character with some fairly unique qualities.

If you're not familiar with her, see if you can guess what they are just from the image above.  It's a rare thin among comic book characters.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

True Patriot Presents #8 is out!

True Patriot Presents has found a way to release its issues just as I begin to assume that the series is done for. Number 7 came out in January and while I think we all know to not expect an exact bi-monthly schedule, by now things were starting to seem a little bleak.

We hadn't heard much chatter about issue 8 leading up to its release. Often it will be teased a few days in advance. Not this time; While glancing at the new books for the week, there it was in all its Canadian glory.


As the cover above reveals, most of the regulars are here. The book leads off with an action-packed installment of The Red Ensign made to look, as usual, as though you are viewing it on a WW2 newsreel. The copied image below doesn't quite capture it adequately but it's a neat touch.


The Family Dynamic follows with a continuation of the stories told in the three-issue limited series from DC Comics from some years back.  We are at the beginning of the second issue from that series at this point. These pages focus on a crime-fighting duo called Blackbird and Little Wing who are very close to the family.


I quite like these two and when the old DC material runs out, I would be interested in seeing them in a story of their own.

Crude is next, but seen relatively little in a story which serves more to effectively build up the threat that the enemy presents.


The book concludes with some heavy Dominion Jack family drama though again, the supporting cast gets the bulk of the action.


30+ pages for $1.99 US.

It's encouraging to see that all four stories are to be continued. I know that guarantees nothing but it at least displays an intent to go on publishing this anthology and sets my mind at ease on that level.

So with that in mind, could we maybe expect #9 for Canada Day, even if it's a little within the usual bi-monthly expectation? Hope so.

Saturday, April 21, 2018

Night of The Red Panda TPB Coming Soon!

The following information about The Terrific Twosome Of Toronto is copied from this "Coming Attractions" audio file from Decoder Ring Theater.
(Artist) Dean (Kotz) and I are going to release a direct market trade paperback of the Red Panda comics that were not in the first collection, the Night of The Red Panda arc. The one with the Mad Monkey, and Professor Zombie and Captain Clockwork...So that will be coming out soon to an Amazon near you so watch for that.

The first three issues of the Red Panda series, Mask Of The Red Panda, were published by Monkeybrain Comics in 2013. They were 35 pages each, in black and white. A trade paperback was published later, in colour, by IDW.

Monkeybrain continued the series with an updated tile (Night Of The Red Panda) but followed the same numbering. Issues were now in colour but 22 pages in length. Presumably then we are getting issues 4 through 13 (the final one) and hopefully enough interest to generate more content. Excellent news.

Saturday, March 31, 2018

You Can't Keep Good Heroes Of The North Down!

Since the launch of the original version of this blog in January 2012, Canadian comics and/or comics by Canadians have seen a bit of a surge. There are now several Facebook groups dedicated to such, a creator alliance, a wiki (linked at top right of the page), a high profile publisher and probably several other promotional opportunities that I am forgetting or am simply not aware of.

There have been losses along the way. Many of the projects that motivated me to begin focusing on Canadian comics characters and up-and-coming creators in the first place no longer exist. First and foremost in that category is Heroes Of The North.


Man, I loved me some HOTN. They had the web series, comics, merchandise, novels, personal appearances...They were the total package, to my eye. I could have gone "all in" with those guys and dropped everyone else. I wondered how they could even pull it off!

Until they suddenly didn't. Looking back, their second season was ridiculously ambitious (for which I'm grateful, to be honest). They sent out a bunch of teaser material about incoming actors, new characters, etc, and then...Nothing. The whole thing went silent.

Then oddly enough, after two years of "radio silence", I came across two upcoming projects earlier today which have ties to the Heroes.

One is a book called The Cloak from LRVD Comics.

A short prequel to The Cloak is coming thanks to Yann Brouillette and Joe DeSantos. It will be available for free via digital download and also as a supplement to Issue #1 (print)!
Yann Brouillette wrote much of the Heroes Of The North material. Frankly, I assumed he'd just bailed on the comics industry altogether but evidently he saw something in this character worth investing into. And so he's back. If you want to know more about Brouillette, check out his website and keep track of updates of The Cloak project here.

Meanwhile, Alan Draven has a novella in the works (under a pseudonym, for some reason). Here's the elevator pitch by the man himself, lifted from Twitter.

VIGIL 5. New comic book type illustrated novella series by Neal Vandar about a group of vigilantes led by a black protagonist set in Montreal with elements of Afrofuturism. Coming late 2018/early 2019.
Draven wrote the HOTN novel October Dawn so writing Canadian superheroes is hardly beating a new path for him.  We can keep track of his progress on his own blog here.

Sunday, January 14, 2018

True Patriot #7 Available on Comixology Jan 17th

The image below is for the 6th issue of True Patriot Presents but it seems that #7 is coming to us digitally on Wednedsay. The info below was posted on True Patriot Facebook group.


One year later, Dominion Jack’s adventures continue with this week’s release of True Patriot Presents #7...along with new Crude, Red Ensign and the Family Dynamic!

There you go! Now you have something to get you through the Monday blues!

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Norlan: Sorceress Of Light

Speaking of Auric earlier...


The above was shared on the Canadian Comic Book Alliance Facebook group in November.

I don't recall a character named Norlan in the Auric book. The character that would best fit the limited information above would be the lady he met in 1912 who granted him his powers and bore a striking resemblance to a classic Canadian heroine.  Hmmm...


Wednesday, January 10, 2018

CanComicsWiki Awards 2017

The Canadian Independent Comic Book Wiki's construction began in December 2016 with the purpose of creating a record of all independently made comics books by Canadians over the years (and, of course, going forward). Content began to be added early in 2017and the database has grown at a rapid pace.

And what better way to celebrate an active and successful year "in business" than with an awards ceremony?

During the second half of December 2017, founder Brendan Montgomery collected upwards of 300 votes in various categories relating to independent comics publishing. The winners were announced about a week ago, starting with...


Coincidentally, I received the fourth issue of this series in the mail earlier today...

Auric is no stranger to this page, its predecessor, or probably of any fan of Canadian comics for that matter. The ongoing has been very successfully crowd-funded in the past and shows no signs of slowing down.

However, I admit to being far less familiar with the other big winner, apparently to my loss.



Adventurers originated as a web comic. After a couple of hundred strips released over the course of about three years, it also successfully took the crowd-funding route with the goal to release a compilation in print.

What was it about? Says Tindall...
When my oldest daughter was two, I began making drawings of her every day. In order to fit the strips in between my regular work, I made the rule that they had to be in pen, with no sketching beforehand, with only one colour (blue). She was growing up so fast and becoming such a fascinating person that I felt I needed to document it. As soon as she could speak, I realized that it would be a lot funnier to make comics about her 
...
For the first time, I'm going to write and draw the harrowing story of my kid's heart surgery at eight months old. The horrible days leading up to the surgery, the endless night while we waited to hear, and her two-week recovery. 
 I don't know that the description "slice of life" for a book has ever been more appropriate.

Take a look at the complete voting results of these awards. You'll see some familiar faces among the runners-up and honourable mentions, such as Big Nick and Auroraman. You may also be introduced to something pretty cool.

And make a mental note to participate next year. Preferably as a creator, if you've ever had that inclination.

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Get To Know...Patriotfire!! (And The Rest Of North Force Alpha)

As work proceeds on the second and third issues of North Force Alpha, as well as a sourcebook about the team and its world, creator/writer/artist Peter Colp has been posting some background information about its members on its Facebook groupPatriotfire below is an example.

FEELING BETRAYED BY HIS COUNTRY, AND MISTRUSTING OF THE GOVERNMENT, JACOBY "DAGGER" STEVENSON HAS RELUCTANTLY JOINED NFA. HIS "MUTATED" ABILITIES AND APPEARANCE HAVE BEEN A LIFE ALTERING EXPERIENCE AND CAUSED HIM TO HIDE AND BECOME AN OUTCAST FROM SOCIETY FOR MANY YEARS.

NOW, ENCOURAGED AND INSPIRED BY A PAST CANADIAN PATRIOT'S HEROIC DEEDS, HE HAS DECIDED TO AID NFA AGAINST THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS THE OCTAGON!
I'm kind of curious about this "past patriot" part now...

The second issue is expected to be available at the end of January and the plan following that is to release another issue every three months or so. The third issue should introduce a rival team from the United States and THAT's always a good time. ;-)

Colp has also launched a website specific to his team recently. It's still in need of a few tweaks, but you can have a look at that here.

Here's a capsule view of the team. The image below was posted by Colp on the Facebook group.