Item: I seriously recommend this wonderful history of George Henderson, aka “Captain George,” the father of comic book fandom in Canada. Publisher of Capt. George’s Whizzbang and Memory Lane Publications, Henderson was also a pulp writer and bookstore owner who spearheaded the nostalgia boom of the 1960s and 70s. He was also an early publisher of Canadian underground and alternative comics and was part of the first wave of classic comic strip and comic book reprinters. One of the greatest Canadians who ever lived!
Item: The latest TCAF press release makes mention of the webcomics salon taking place in the penthouse of the event site Toronto Reference Library, featuring Transmission X, Kate Beaton, Ryan North, Joey Comeau and Emily Horne. Plus foreigners like Jeph Jacques (Questionable Content), Meredith Gran (Octopus Pie), Andrew Hussie (MSPaint Adventures), David Malki (Wondermark), Jonathan Rosenberg (Goats), Rene Engstrom (Anders Loves Maria).
Item: Tom Spurgeon will be attending TCAF!!!!!
Item: The National Post has words to say about Jason Kieffer’s Rabble of Downtown Toronto.
Item: Manitoba cartoonist Sandy Debreuil and his brother Robin are at the centre of a burgeoning video game empire.
Item: London cartoonist and ex-druggie draws comic book pamphlet about fighting addiction.
Item: At the Shuster Award blog Kevin Boyd profiles Colin Upton, Nick Postic, and Terry Pallot, as part of the Visions of an Icon: Wolverine series of drawings.
Item: Dean of Canadian comics critics Jeet Heer has some thoughts on Jack Kirby, Nixon, and the nature of evil. As well, some jottings from his notebook. (I’d pay to read an anthology of “Jottings from Jeet!” )
Item: Jeet points us to the work of another critic, the University of Regina’s Dr. Sylvain Rheault. Here’s a google translated version of Rheault’s history of Quebec comics.
Feel kind of weird about the Capt. George thing after learning about alleged pedophilia charges from several sources in the Toronto comics scene. Maybe not the greatest Canadian ever?