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...

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.

Looking Ahead to 2018 Some More!

The last chronological post here displayed the cover for Deborah Daring #4 but as the year comes to a close, I should take the time to mention some of the other great books that are schedule to become available in the early part of the new year.

These three covers are displayed in the order that I remember seeing them in. It is not a reflection of the order in which they might be released or indicative of my affection for the product and/or its creator(s). ;-)

Big Nick #3

Auric #5

It's good to see the Auric cover. I have yet to receive #4 after supporting it in the recent Kickstarter campaign. I have no concerns about it reaching me, as the team behidn Auric and Great North comics has always been reliable in that sense, but seeing work on #5 already being shared makes me hopeful that there will be a little less time between these two issues.

Project I.M.P.A.C.T. #1

More serious fare here. I'd been hoping a coloured version would come quickly after the black and white one was revealed a few days earlier.

I know work continues on North, Oktana @ Co, North Force Alpha, the Lucky Comics version of The Leaf, Psychosis and more as well. One book that met its fundraising goal and that should be coming my way soon is Atticus Drake. Here's the cover for that.

Find out more about that project here. It may end up being a one-and-done, but I'm always all-in for a good war story. I wish I'd been more vocal in supporting it (for whatever little good that might actually do) so I was quite glad to see it meets its goal.

If you are aware of other projects involving Canadian characters, creators, settings and publishers, get in touch with me at jf4nier(at)gmail(dot)com.

We're Getting Closer To Finding Out Who Desbois Is!

All I know so far is he looks damn good when drawn by Mike Rooth.

The crowdfunding campaign for the fourth issue of Auric Of The Great White North reached its goal in a matter of a day or two but you still have a couple of weeks or so to get your hands on that beauty. Check that out here.

All we know  about Desbois so far is that he's a part of Auric's "team" and has historical ties with the main character. And that information comes from the fourth issue's solicitation text.

The campaign perks display an estimated delivery date for the books of December 2017. Hopefully that holds true.

Who Is Desbois?

Things have been a little quieter here than I'd like. But it's not you, publishers and creators, it's me. I'm in the process of buying/selling a house. It sucks all kinds of ass, I hate it, and I can't wait to have a normal life again.

I received my copy of the third issue Auric Of The Great White North last week, which made for a nice distraction. However, the Auric Facebook page had me eager for #4 before #3 reached my soon-to-be-former house.

Who's that mysterious masked man? Well, what's a hero without his team? In Issue #4 you will meet and read the origin of Auric's newest team member, Desbois! Who's behind the mask? What's his tie to Auric's history? You'll have to pick up a copy to find out! Beautiful colors by Donovan Yaciuk. Estimated release: September for FanExpo!

He has a brief teaser appearance in issue three to whet our appetites. That issue (and the previous ones, naturally) are available for purchase now on the publisher's website and no doubt will be available on drivethru before long.