Dave Sim (1956- )

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006

Dave Sim was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1956 and grew up in Kitchener, where he still lives. During the early 1970s, Sim emerged as one of the most influential figures in early Canadian fandom, editing Now and Then Times and contributing to Comic Art News and Reviews, The Comics Report, Dark Fantasy, and other fanzines. Initially, Sim made his mark as a writer, but eventually, with encouragement from Gene Day, he became one of the best Canadian semi-pro artists of the mid-1970s.

In 1977 Sim began publishing Cerebus the Aardvark, the comic book that would change his life and transform modern comics. Although it began as a clever sword-and-sorcery parody, Cerebus later evolved (with assistance from Sim’s collaborator, Gerhard), over nearly three decades, into a sophisticated work of art, an ambitious and complex 300-issue graphic novel exploring not only the comics medium, but also other facets of popular culture and society at large, not to mention Sim’s personal life. The longest-running comic in Canadian history, it is truly unique and stands as one of the country’s greatest achievements in comic art, one that has deservedly received international acclaim, including the Eisner, Harvey, and Shuster awards.

Cerebus also eventually became a source of much debate within the comics community, as readers responded to Sim’s provocative narratives and editorial commentaries. While Sim’s contrarian opinions are certainly open to debate, his longtime role as an innovator, mentor, and advocate for artists’ rights are not. No other creator has made a greater contribution to the development of Canadian comics.

Bio compiled by John Bell.