John Kricfalusi

Artist/animator, Ren and Stimpy

Canadian-born animator John Kricfalusi is the animated cartoon’s modern pioneer. He started his career in the 1980s working on show such as The Smurfs, Laverne and Shirley in the Army and other Saturday morning cartoons. Ralph Bakshi discovered John in 1987 and hired him to direct CBS’s Ralph Bakshi’s Mighty Mouse Show. Kricfalusi hired a crew of artists that, like him, were dissatisfied with the formula cartoons they were forced to work on at other studios. John not only revolutionized the style and content of modern cartoons, he created a new production system that allowed it to happen.

He first introduced the director-unit system on Mighty Mouse, and then went on to refine it for his own Spumco studio and The Ren and Stimpy Show. With that landmark 1991 TV series featuring the demented, wildly anti-social and hilariously inappropriate antics of the two title characters, Kricfalusi kicked modern cartooning in its underpants, starting a myriad of trends including the gross-out subversive cartoon and the thick-lined flat retro cartoon.

Seth

Cartoonist/designer, Palookaville, It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken, Wimbledon Green, George Sprott

Seth is the cartoonist behind the series Palookaville and the novels, It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken, Wimbledon Green, Clyde Fans, Bannock, Beans And Black Tea and Vernacular Drawings. Seth serialized George Sprott (1894-1975) in the New York Times Magazine, which will be a book in 2009. As a designer, Seth has worked on The Portable Dorothy Parker, The Complete Peanuts and Doug Wright: Canada’s Master Cartoonist. Seth has exhibited throughout the world in a variety of group and solo shows. His work frequently appears inside and on the cover of the New Yorker. He lives in Guelph, Ontario with his wife and three cats and rarely leaves his basement.

Courtesy Drawn and Quarterly

Bryan Lee O’Malley

Writer/Artist, Scott Pilgrim Graphic Novels

Bryan Lee O’Malley’s six-volume graphic novel series, Scott Pilgrim (Oni Press), has earned considerable acclaim since its 2004 debut. He has won numerous awards, including Harvey, Joe Shuster, and Doug Wright Awards, as well as nominations for an Eisner Award and the National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award. The Scott Pilgrim series is also being adapted to a feature film, from Universal Pictures, by writer/director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead). In his years in the comic industry, O’Malley has illustrated versions of Spider-Man and the X-Men and done lettering, inking, and production work on a wide variety of publications.

Francis Manapul

Artist, Legion of Super-Heroes, Superman/Batman, Adventure Comics

Francis Manapul is the acclaimed artist of DC’s new series Adventure Comics. He has also illustrated Superman/Batman, The Legion of Super-Heroes, Tomb Raider, and Witchblade, as well as a French graphic album Sept Guierrieres for Editions Delcourt. Francis was born in Manila, Philippines and grew up in Toronto, Canada. Fueled by the comics he read as a child (Superman in particular), it was his discovery of Jim Lee’s early work that inspired him to pursue a career in comics. Other influences include Marc Silvestri, Darwyn Cooke, Michael Turner, Tim Sale, Eduardo Risso, Enrico Marini and Massimiliano Frezzato. Today he’s enjoying his ride with Geoff Johns on Adventure Comics, and is continuously trying to improve his skills…at poker. He also enjoys an In-n-Out burger—or two or three.

After Fan Expo Canada, the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo and the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, the fourth largest event for Canadians interested in English language comic books takes place in another country completely – in beautiful San Diego, California, USA for the 40th (!) annual San Diego Comic Con International, which takes place between July 22 (Preview Night) and July 26th.

Canadian fans and creators alike will descend upon the San Diego Convention Center, and over the course of the next 12 days we’ll be drawing some attention to some of the Canadians that will be appearing at the event. While the convention is on, the JSA blog team will be posting information updates on projects involving Canadian creators as well as interviews, etc. with Canadians that take place at the event.

Also, we want to wish good luck in advance to the Canadians who have been nominated for Will Eisner Comic Book Industry Awards!

Kevin Boyd will be at the event on-site in San Diego representing the Joe Shuster Awards.

CantonRep.com brings us up to speed on some of the things that will be going on in Cleveland this upcoming weekend, the city where young Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster met and mapped out what would eventually become  Superman — a character that has gone on to a special place at the top of the pop culture pantheon of fictional characters.

Jerry Siegel's home on Kimberly Avenue reopens after repairs this weekend. Street is to be given the designation of "Jerry Siegel Lane".

Events include:
- this weekend, Siegel and Shuster family members will be present for the reopening of the restored Siegel home on Kimberly Avenue in the suburb of Glenville, which is going to renamed “Jerry Siegel Lane”. The Siegel house was restored using funds raised by writer Brad Meltzer from the sale of original Superman-themed comic art commissions by comic book industry professionals.
- nearby Armor Avenue, where young Joe Shuster lived after moving to Cleveland from Toronto with his family, will be renamed “Joe Shuster Lane”
- adjoining the two streets is Parkwood Avenue, which will be renamed “Lois Lane” in honour of their fearless reporter and Superman’s long-standing love interest.
- the local trolley will be designated as a Rocket from Krypton and will feature a special Siegel and Shuster Society fundraising 90-minute Superman-themed tour with local historian Nate Arnold
- the Screaming Tiki Cleveland Super-Con on July 10-12 will feature appearances by Michael Rosenbaum, Helen Slater, Edward James Olmos and many others.
- a special screening of the film “Last Son” about Superman’s origins will be shown at the Hanna theatre and will be followed by reminiscences by Siegel and Shuster family members narrated by Cleveland media personalities Mike Olszewski and Mike San Giacomo.

The movie "Last Son" by Brad Ricca will be screened this weekend and followed by a Q&A with Siegel and Shuster family members.

Vancouver Comicon

Sunday, July 5th, 2009
11am to 5pm

Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street, Vancouver, BC

Special Guests:

• Joshua Middleton (Superman/Shazam! First Thunder, Supergirl, Fables, NYX)
• Rusty Beach (Outnumbered)
• Ken Boesem (The Village)
• Robin Bougie (Cineme Sewer)
• Kelly Everaert (Jungle Tales, Trilogy of Terror)
• Andrew Salmon (Secret Agent X)
• Robin Thompson (Champions of Hell, Hemp Island)
• Verne Andru
• Richard Forg
• Heather Frayne
• Lydia Fu
• Mary Karaplis
• Donald King
• Carrie McKay
• Beth Wagner

For your viewing pleasure, bring your sketchbooks and pencils and take part in the acclaimed “Dr Sketchy’s Anti-Art Class” all day long! Sketch beautiful burlesque art models for amazing prizes & get ready for some hot comic action!

Dealer Tables: $50/centre; $60/wall
Admission: $4.00
Kids under 14: Free

For more information about this show, please email lswong@uniserve.com or call 604-322-6412

—-

Then it’s the traditional summer break. Also of note is that many Canadian creators will be heading South to San Diego for:

San Diego Comic Con International

Wednesday, July 22nd to Sunday, July 26th, 2009

As we get closer to San Diego we’ll assemble a list of Canadians that will be appearing at SDCCI.