Comix links and quotes from across Canada:

Item! Cartoonist-critic Matt Seneca interviews Michael DeForge about the latter’s latest comic book, Incinerator: “In general, the horror elements in my work come from things I personally find unsettling or upsetting. I don’t know if I have any specific strategies. Incinerator was mostly improvised, though. Everything just sort of worked out. I started the comic thinking it would mostly be gag-driven, but the tone would change as I drew it.
I actually thought it was one of my more lighthearted comics while I was drawing it – like, this fun, goofy thing. But then the finished product reads a bit differently, maybe? That happens, though.

(the book is published by Los Angeles comics retailer Secret Headquarters)
Item! For Xtra, David Hains profiles the Little Heart anthology, inspired by the fight for same-sex marriage issues in the U.S.: “But the debate in Minnesota resonates beyond its borders, and among the 30 contributions are comics by Canadians Emily Carroll and Kate Craig, Michael DeForge and Maurice Vellekoop and a foreword written by Chris Butcher, manager of The Beguiling comic store on Markham St in Toronto.”
Item! David Collier’s collection of newspaper work, Collier’s Popular Press, is reviewed in one of the papers the work was originally published in, The Saskatoon Star Phioenix: “people in Ontario used to ask him how he’d got so good as a cartoonist so quickly. It was moving to Saskatchewan in 1990 that did it, he said. He joked that it was the uranium deposits in the province giving him superhuman powers, but then got serious and talked of such cartoonists as Denny Pritchard, Ed Sebestyen, Dave Geary, Brian Gable, and Cam Cardow – men either from here or who came here to work – and how Collier believes they were transformed by the people ‘in this community-minded province.'”

Item! Ottawa-area webcomic creator gets “10 to 100 visitors a day” to his website, according to community newspaper. Kind of like Sequential! Welcome to the big time!
Item! The Calgary Herald talks to Riley Rossmo, the creator behind a new Image Comics miniseries called Rebel Blood, about a park ranger who has to deal zombiefied animals who see human brains as ‘pic-a-nic’ baskets. Rossmo has what I think is an unusual creative process, hiring a writer to help flesh out story and dialogue issues; the reverse of the usual writer/artist collaboration: “Riley admits that he finds writing a struggle.
‘It’s hard,’ he says. ‘I can set up ideas but it’s difficult for me to build up narratives. It took me eight months to get an outline done. . . . Alex really contributed in rounding out the protagonists and their motivations.’ Even so, Rossmo plans to continue writing for future projects. ‘I like being the boss,’ he says. ‘I like being the director and having more control.'”

Item! Image is becoming something of a home to high-profile creator-owned Canadian titles, with the Calgary-based Peter Panzerfaust by Kurtis J Wiebe and Tyler Jenkins and Orc Stain by James Stokoe recently getting attention. No quotes here, just thought I’d point out that the books have been well-reviewed, and have benefited from some publisher hype.
Item! The Inkstuds team goes on a roadtrip to Portland for the launch of Brandon Graham’s King City. Lots of Pacific Northwest cartoonist cameos, amazing comics buys, and photos. Sample photo caption: “I had somehow talked Craig Thompson into traveling down to Eugene, Oregon with us to visit Michael Allred and film them talking comics with Brandon.”
Item! When I first saw the press release issued by this Brampton, Ontario business, I thought the comic shop in question was joining the Marvel Boycott, but it turns out they’re just taking sides in a promotion for an upcoming superhero miniseries event.
Item! I think I’ve missed linking to the last few episodes of Alice Quinn’s Quinntessential Comics video interviews. Episode #17 is C.B. Cebulski & Skottie Young, Episode #16 is Jason Loo, and Episode #15 is a book club edition.
And that’s that. Maybe I’ll “C” you next time on the C-List. Please let me know if you have a comic or comics-related event to hype or if you have recently covered same for your blog or other media.