15 Canadian comics to watch for this fall
Hey comic fans! Here are the Canadian comics we're most excited to read this coming season.
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks
Josiah and Deja renew their friendship every September by working side by side at the world's greatest pumpkin patch. But after Halloween, the two always go their separate ways. Now in their senior year of high school, Deja and Josiah are working their very last shift together and are determined to make it special.
Rainbow Rowell, a bestselling writer from Nebraska, teams up with B.C.-based artist Faith Erin Hicks for Pumpkinheads. Hicks recently won an Eisner Award for The Divided Earth, the final book in her YA fantasy series.
When you can read it: Aug. 27, 2019
Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki & Steve Pugh
Harleen's been living above a broken-down karaoke cabaret owned by a drag queen named Mama since her parents split. When gentrification threatens her home, Harleen's anger pushes her to choose between two possible paths — one with Ivy, who is fighting to make their neighbourhood a better place, and another with The Joker, who plans to take down Gotham's powerful corporations.
Mariko Tamaki is an award-winning Canadian comic writer whose books include Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me and This One Summer. She has also written Supergirl for DC Comics and She-Hulk for Marvel. Steve Pugh is a British artist whose work can be seen in the comics Saint of Killers and The Invaders.
When you can read it: Sept. 3, 2019
Agnes, Murderess by Sarah Leavitt
Agnes, Murderess is inspired by the local legend of serial killer Agnes McVee, a 19th-century B.C.-based roadhouse owner who allegedly killed miners for gold during the Cariboo Gold Rush. The tale of Agnes McVee has never been verified, but in this graphic novel, her life is imagined as one filled with ghosts, betrayal, passionate love affairs and, of course, murder.
Sarah Leavitt is a Vancouver comics creator and writing teacher. Her debut book was Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer's, My Mother, and Me.
When you can read it: Sept. 7, 2019
Frogcatchers by Jeff Lemire
When a man wakes up without his memory, he finds himself in a strange hotel room with an old-fashioned keychain. He thinks the building is empty until he comes across a young boy, who begs him not to use the key for fear of releasing whatever else is locked away.
Jeff Lemire is an acclaimed Toronto comics creator who recently won an Eisner Award for the comic book series Gideon Falls. Some of his previous graphic novels include Roughneck and Essex County.
When you can read it: Sept. 24, 2019
Stunt by Michael DeForge
Meeting your double is often an ominous omen. When an actor hires a professional double, the duo rush headlong into fate's punishing hands.
Michael DeForge is an award-winning comics creator from Toronto. His recent books include Leaving Richard's Valley, A Western World and Brat.
When you can read it: Sept. 27, 2019
Carpe Fin by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas
Set in the near future, Carpe Fin begins as a community grapples with a fuel spill that destroys the marine foods they planned to harvest. With food supplies diminishing, a group of hunters embark on a late season sea lion expedition. An unexpected storm forces the group to abandon a hunter named Carpe on a rock, where he faces an angry Lord of the Rock.
Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is an artist who blends Asian manga with Haida artistic and oral traditions. His other books include War of the Blink and Red.
When you can read it: Sept. 28, 2019
Plummet by Sherwin Tjia
Amelia "Mel" Eichenwald wakes up one day to discover that Earth has disappeared and left its inhabitants in an endless state of freefall. Surrounded by falling knick-knacks, homes and other humans, Mel must figure out a way to survive in this strange gravity-centric reality.
Sherwin Tjia is an illustrator from Montreal. Plummet is his eleventh book.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2019
Dakwäkãda Warriors by Cole Pauls
Two Earth Protectors are charged with saving the planet from evil pioneers and cyborg sasquatches in Dakwäkãda Warriors. The comic, translated into two dialects of Southern Tutchone, serves as an allegory for colonialism.
Cole Pauls is a Tahltan comic artist. He created Dakwäkãda Warriors as a language revival initiative. In 2017, it won Broken Pencil Magazine's Best Comic and Best Zine of the Year Award.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2019
This is Serious: Canadian Indie Comics
This is Serious celebrates contemporary Canadian comics, surveying the work of 40 artists making substantial contributions to the field today. Edited and curated by Joe Ollmann, Alana Traficante and the Art Gallery of Hamilton, This is Serious includes artists like Seth, Julie Doucet, Fiona Smyth, Chester Brown, Jillian Tamaki, Michael DeForge, Hartley Lin, Ho Che Anderson and Kate Beaton.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2019
The Blue Road by Wayde Compton & April dela Noche Milne
In a swamp made of ink, a girl without a past or family lives alone. Lacuna decides to travel the storied and perilous Blue Road in hopes of finding others like her in the Northern Kingdom. With the help of a will-o'-the-wisp named Polaris, Lacuna faces a series of treacherous obstacles on her journey.
Wayde Compton is a B.C.-based author and creative writing teacher. Artist April dela Noche Milne is also from B.C. and The Blue Road is her first graphic novel.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2019
The Death of a Master by Patrick Kyle
When a beloved leader who preached immortality suddenly dies, his worshippers must contend with the messy legacy his death leaves in its wake.
Patrick Kyle is a Toronto-based graphic novelist and illustrator. His previous books include Roaming Foliage and Everywhere Disappeared.
When you can read it: Oct. 25, 2019
Try Not to Get Too Attached by Robin Richardson
Robin Richardson illustrates a series of brief, poetic meditations on the nature of being human. Drawn with felt pen and pencil crayon, Richardson explores the acuteness of loss, fear and euphoria throughout Try Not to Get Too Attached.
Richardson is a poet whose books include Sit How You Want, winner of the 2019 Trillium Book Award for poetry.
When you can read it: Nov. 5, 2019
Pass Me By by Kyle Simmers & Ryan Danny Owen
Described as a "romantic tragedy," Pass Me By tells the story of a man's decline after being diagnosed with dementia. Ed is the retired resident of a rural town in northern Canada and often spends his days fishing and meeting his friend Rory for a meal at the local diner. As Ed loses touch with the present, he finds himself reliving a period of his youth spent touring the country with a glam rock band in the 1970s.
Kyle Simmers and Ryan Danny Owen are both visual artists from Calgary.
When you can read it: Nov. 6, 2019
Bradley of Him by Connor Willumsen
Bradley of Him follows a method actor's descent into a new role, as he transforms under the Las Vegas sun.
Connor Willumsen's debut graphic novel Anti-Gone was a finalist for the 2018 Doug Wright Award.
When you can read it: Nov. 22, 2019
Constantly by GG
Constantly explores the debilitating impact of anxiety on the every day, examining how it stretches and paralyzes daily tasks and decisions.
The graphic novel is a follow-up to GG's Doug Wright Award-nominated debut I'm Not Here.
When you can read it: Jan. 17, 2020