About Cloudscape The Cloudscape Comics Society is a community of comic creators in Vancouver, BC who together publish and distribute quality graphic novel anthologies, as well as host comic workshops and other related events. Here enterprising comic artists come together to network, develop their ideas, and help each other perfect their craft. Everyone is welcome to the weekly evening meet-ups on Wednesdays, starting at 7:30 PM in the back room of the Grind and Gallery Coffee Bar.
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By bevan, on September 24th, 2011  Page from "The Listener" Sunday at Word on the Street, comic creator David Lester will be giving a presentation, with slides and music, of his graphic novel The Listener, as well as autographing copies. Here’s my impression of the book:
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Maus, Persepolis, Louis Riel, the journalism of Joe Sacco… many of the best comics are biographies, be they autobiographies or historical. The Listener by David Lester is a tale in a similar vein, entwining the story of Hitler’s rise to power with that of a desperate artist in the modern world. The story is compelling and the art is moody, with panels dominated by various shades of gray that often give a claustrophobic feel.
The story gazes into the intimate lives of the various main characters, including that of Hitler himself, such as in a scene where his girlfriend Eva playfully asks him to paint her picture. There is something powerful and chilling about seeing that man, responsible for so much misery and death, smile so indulgently at his girlfriend. That he was indeed human, with many of the feelings and affectations shared by so many of us, makes his evil even more frightening.
The art is detailed and moody, and the story is a potent one. At times, The Listener’s dialogue is rough and not always up to the calibur of the art and subject matter, but still the graphic novel remains a very intriguing and powerful piece that deserves a closer inspection.
Information on The Listener, along with an animated version of one of its scenes, can be found at The Listener website.
By bevan, on September 24th, 2011  One of Canada's greatest heroes The Golden Age of superhero comics existed from the end of the 1930s to the beginning of the 1950s, with the bulk of it revolving around World War II. Superheroes have never been as popular since. There was something about the second War to End All Wars that made the general population respond to the superhero aesthetic in a way they haven’t done since. While now the superhero comic medium is defined by two monolithic companies (Marvel and DC), in the 40s there were countless companies all coming out with their own characters. Canada even had a viable comic book industry due to a wartime ban on various American imports. This resulted in the genre of comics known as “Canadian Whites” (so-called because they were published in black-and-white) and resulted in the creation of such classic figures as two-fisted military hero Johnny Canuck, bloodthirsty vigilante the Penguin, and powerful goddess Nelvana of the North.
Sadly, virtually all Canada comic companies vanished just after the war, when it became legal to again send American comics north of the 49th parallel.
Though it is a great shame that so many comic book companies vanished after the Golden Age, particularly the Canadian ones, it does mean that a huge percentage of classic comic books are now public domain, and thus can be freely distributed, and their characters adapted into new stories for the new millennium. There is something incredibly exciting about being able to take the greatest Canadian superheroes of World War II and spin new tales for them, creating something grand with the figures who fascinated our young forefathers.
Information on various characters, Canadian Whites and otherwise, can be found at the following websites:
1. International Superheroes: A detailed online encyclopedia of superheroes from all over the world. It includes a large section for Canadian heroes, including most of the Golden Age ones.
2. Public Domain Super Heroes: A wikia cataloging all the heroes in various mediums who have fallen into the public domain, including many Canadian Whites.
While public domain Golden Age comics can be read at these sites:
1. Digital Comic Museum: An extensive and rapidly growing database of Golden Age comics from America, Britain, and Canada that can be downloaded for viewing pleasure.
2. Golden Age Comics: A similar database of downloadable public domain comics. It includes many comics that the other lacks and vise versa.
3. Golden Age Canadian Comic Books: A selection of intriguing Canadian comics books from the 40s.
Also there’s an interesting website that analyzes the development of Canadian superheroes:
Guardians of the North
These sites give a fascinating window into a pivotal period in comic book history and into the development of the Canadian comic, and also conjure forth numerous intriguing characters who would be compelling subjects for modern comic stories. Personally, I’ve got a few things planned for some of them….
By Jeff, on September 22nd, 2011 If you aren’t going to Big Pete’s in North Vancouver this Saturday, there are two other opportunities for you to meet up with some Cloudscape artists and check out 21 Journeys. We’ll be a Jet City Comicon in Seattle:
Come visit us at Table 56/57!
Or if you don’t want to cross a border, come visit us at the Vancouver downtown library on Sunday at Word Under the Street.
By Jeff, on September 21st, 2011 We are beginning an extended tour of the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island to kick off our new book!
Come get your copy of 21 Journeys at Big Pete’s Comics and get an autograph from one of the lovely ladies of Cloudscape: Reetta Linjama, Chloe Chan, and Megan Furesz!
This is the first of a whole string of in-store appearances coming up, watch this space for details!
Sept 24
Big Pete’s (North Vancouver) – Megan, Chloe, Reetta
Sept 28
Metropolis Comics (Burnaby) 5-8pm – Kevin, Aaron, Vicky, Bevan, Reetta
Oct 1
Central City Comics (Surrey) – Jeff, Syd, Jonathon
Gotham Collectibles (Vancouver) – Bevan, Reetta
Oct 8
Taz (Burnaby) – Jeff, Syd, Chloe
Golden Age (downtown Vancouver) – Colin, Jason, Cat
Oct 15
Legends (Victoria) – Jonathon, Jeff, Syd
By bevan, on September 20th, 2011 The Cloudscape website already includes, in the “Comics 101″ section, a list of various comic book companies who accept unsolicited submissions, but there are also various websites that include classifieds for people to post comic book-related jobs, recruit writers, artists, or other individuals for collaborative projects, or post their own portfolio to attract the attention of potential clients.
The following websites were developed to assist comic creators in looking for work or collaborations or simply in finding other people in the industry to talk shop with.
1. Digital Webbing: one of the most respected sources for finding comic-related jobs. They have a really extensive classified section as well as a forum where people can showcase their work, discuss ideas, and look for collaborators.
2. Comic Book Resources Forum: a section of this popular news site’s forum is devoted to people posting requests for comic book writers and artists.
3. Pencil Jack: a large forum for discussing and work-shopping ideas and learning about new techniques. It also features a bulletin board for job postings.
4. Comic Art Commissions: a site for comic artists to showcase their work and connect with interested buyers.
5. Online Comics: a website that seeks to categorize and index the various comics that can be found on the Web. It also includes a large forum with a section on various comic techniques and another for comic creators to request people for collaborations.
6. Talk About Comics: has, among its numerous sections, a “Find a Collaborator” forum.
These are certainly not the only options available on the Internet, but there is much that independent comic creators will find useful here.
By bevan, on September 18th, 2011
 21 Journeys
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