Kate Beaton wins 2009 Lulu Award

Canadian webcomic creator selected as the Kim Yale Award winner for “Best New Talent” of 2009

Kate Beaton, recipient of Friends of Lulu’s 2009 “Best New Talent” award, is the Canadian creator of the historical & literary webcomic Hark, A Vagrant. Renowned for a sharp wit that alternates between the erudite and the whimsical, Hark, A Vagrant started in 2006 and has attracted a enthusiastic fanbase.Whether she is skewering the American Revolution, illustrating the darker side of mermaids, or depicting a Richard III birthday party, Kate presents an unique take on historical figures, literary creations, and other creatures of the past.

About the Lulu Awards
To bring attention to the best, most women-friendly and reader-friendly work in comics and to recognize the work of women comics creators of the past, Lulu members vote each summer for new inductees for the Women Cartoonists Hall of Fame, “Lulu of the Year,” and the year’s most promising new female talent. The New Talent award is named for comics writer Kim Yale, a founding member who passed away in 1997. Lulu Awards are handed out at Comic Con: International in San Diego each year. Every nominee is worth a look — although the award only goes to a few, they are all winners!

Canadian Business Magazine profiles Drawn & Quarterly

Published earlier this week, Graphic novels: Canadian Splendour – How Quebec’s Drawn & Quarterly became a global powerhouse in the unlikely realm of graphic novels by reporter Jason McBride profiles the history, growth and overall success of Chris Oliveros’ Drawn & Quarterly. The article features lots of quotes from comics critic/historian Jeet Heer and the Beguiling owner Peter Berkimoe, as well as Oliveros himself.

D&Q is a small (by industry standards), independent publisher based in Montreal, known for its attractively designed, critically acclaimed graphic novels. The company’s stable of artists, which includes Seth, Julie Doucet and Adrian Tomine may not be household names, but among comic fans they are luminaries. As a result, D&Q now claims an annual revenue of $2 million (industry insiders estimate it to be much higher), with a profit margin of about 6%, $300,000 of which comes from a retail outlet the press opened in Montreal in 2007.