14 Canadian comics coming out in fall 2020
CBC Books | | Posted: September 24, 2020 6:34 PM | Last Updated: October 7, 2020
Here are the comics we can't wait to read this season!
Awkward Pause by Ryan Harby
Awkward Pause is a collection of Ryan Harby's online comic Honey Dill. The comics cover a wide array of topics, including mental health, time travel, murder and anxiety in a way that is both absurd and heartwarming.
When you can read it: Sept. 9, 2020
Harby is a comics creator from Winnipeg. He writes the online comic Honey Dill. Awkward Pause is his first book.
A Slug Story by Mandi Kujawa & Hana Kujawa, illustrated by Claude St. Aubin and Lovern Kindzierski
A Slug Story is a graphic novel about a young boy named Marcus who is bullied at school. When Marcus suffers a traumatic brain injury and must stay at the hospital, he meets a fellow patient who helps him learn to love himself and embrace who he is.
When you can read it: Sept. 9, 2020
Mandi Kujawa and Hana Kujawa are a mother and daughter from Banff, Alta. Mandi is an author and musician and Hana Kujawa is an artist.
Claude St. Aubin is a comic book artist from Ontario. He has worked for DC Comics and Marvel Comics.
Lovern Kindzierski is a comic book writer, illustrator and colourist from Winnipeg.
Jo by Kathleen Gros
Jo is a modern-day graphic novel adaptation of the classic story Little Women. In Jo, Jo March is starting Grade 8 and decides to join the school newspaper. At home, Jo's dad is deployed overseas with the military and her mom, a nurse, is picking up extra hours to make sure Jo and her sisters, Meg, Beth and Amy, are cared for. But when a mysterious boy named Laurie moves next door, things get complicated, and Jo needs to figure out what she wants most.
When you can read it: Sept. 22, 2020
Kathleen Gros is a comic book artist who was born in Toronto and now lives in Vancouver. She is the creator of the webcomic Lunar Maladies. She has also published the graphic novel Last Night at Wyrmwood High.
Nova Graphica edited by Laura Ķeniņš
Nova Graphica is a graphic novel that tells the stories from Nova Scotian history that aren't as well known: stories from Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ and immigration communities.
Fifteen different Canadian artists and writers contributed to the anthology, which was compiled by Laura Ķeniņš : Emma Fitzgerald, Sara Spike, Rebecca Roher, Paul Hammond, Colleen MacIsaac, Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes, Sarah Mangle, JJ Steeves, Sarah Thunder and Vanessa Lent, Rebecca Thomas and Rachel Hill, Jordyn Bochon, Veronica Post, Donald Calabrese and Laura Laura Ķeniņš, who also edited the anthology.
When you can read it: Sept, 29, 2020
Ķeniņš is an artist and writer from Toronto. Her other books include Steam Clean and Alien Beings. She has written for the Globe and Mail, Quill & Quire and CBC.
Kimiko Does Cancer by Kimiko Tobimatsu, illustrated by Keet Geniza
Kimiko Tobimatsu was 25 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her life instantly changed and became filled with doctors' appointments, medical treatments and difficult conversations. She shares her story in the comic Kimiko Does Cancer. The comic is a frank and moving look at what it means to have cancer, and how your life can change once you become a cancer survivor.
When you can read it: Oct. 1, 2020
Tobimatsu is a lawyer from Toronto. Kimiko Does Cancer is her first book.
Keet Geniza is a comic artist who was born in Manila and now lives in Toronto. Kimiko Does Cancer is her first book.
How I Survived by Serapio Ittusardjuat, illustrated by Matthew K. Hoddy
In How I Survived, Serapio Ittusardjuat shares the traditional skills he depended on to survive when his snowmobile broke down halfway across the sea ice on a trip home from a fishing camp. The illustrated story is a first-person account of four nights spent on open sea ice in the harsh Arctic climate, with few supplies and no water.
When you can read it: Oct. 6, 2020
Ittusardjuat is a residential school survivor, a certified journeyman mechanic and comes from a long line of walrus hunters.
Matthew K. Hoddy is an illustrator and comic book author from Australia who currently lives in Toronto.
Paul at Home by Michel Rabagliati
Paul at Home is the latest memoir from famed Quebecois comics creator Michel Rabagliati. In Paul at Home, Paul is now in his mid 50s and is a successful cartoonist. But he's divorced, his mother is dying and his daughter has moved out. Paul must figure out how to find meaning and purpose in his life as he gets older and the relationships that defined his adult life are drastically changing.
When you can read it: Oct. 13, 2020
Rabagliati is a cartoonist from Montreal. He has written several semi-autobiographical comics including Paul Up North, Paul Goes Fishing and Paul Joins the Scouts.
The League of Super Feminists by Mirion Malle
The League of Super Feminists is a comic for tweens and teens about identity. It explores consent, body image, privilege and the concepts of feminism and intersectionality with insight, humour and colourful images.
The French edition of The League of Super Feminists was a finalist for the 2020 Prix Jeunesse at the Angoulême International Comics Festival.
When you can read it: Oct. 13, 2020
Mirion Malle is a French cartoonist who lives in Montreal. She is the author of three comics. The League of Super Feminists is her first book to be translated into English.
Gothic Tales of Haunted Futures edited by S.M. Beiko
Gothic Tales of Haunted Futures is an anthology of 17 original gothic romance comics, following the success of the anthology Gothic Tales of Haunted Love. The new anthology imagines gothic tales in the future and in the afterlife.
When you can read it: Oct. 21, 200
S.M. Beiko is a writer and editor from Winnipeg. She is the author of the YA fantasy novel series The Realms of Ancient.
Breakdown by David A. Robertson, illustrated by Scott B. Henderson
The Reckoner Rises is a graphic novel series that will continue David A. Robertson's popular YA The Reckoner trilogy about Indigenous teen Cole who recently learned he has powers. In the first instalment of this series, Breakdown, Cole and Eva have arrived in Winnipeg, intent on destroying Mihko Laboratories. But when Cole starts getting terrifying visions, Eva must continue their mission alone. Are Cole's visions just dreams? Or are they telling Cole and Eva something they need to know?
When you can read it: Oct. 22, 2020
Robertson is an author and graphic novelist based in Winnipeg. The multi-talented writer of Swampy Cree heritage has published 25 books across a variety of genres, including the graphic novels Will I See? and Sugar Falls, a Governor General's Literary Award-winning picture book called When We Were Alone, illustrated by Julie Flett, and the YA book Strangers. He hosts the CBC Edmonton podcast Kiwew.
From the Roots Up by Tasha Spillett-Sumner, illustrated by Natasha Donovan
From the Roots Up is the sequel to Surviving the City and continues the stories of characters Dez and Miikwan. Dez is grieving the death of his grandmother and with nowhere else to go, she stays in a group home. All while also navigating a new relationship and learning to embrace her Two-Spirit identity. Meanwhile, Miikwan has a crush on the school's new kid Riel, but doesn't understand what Dez is going through. Elder Linda is doing her best to be supportive, but finds it challenging when the gendered protocols she grew up with are put into question.
When you can read it: Oct. 27, 2020
Tasha Spillett-Sumner is an educator, poet and scholar of Nehiyaw and Trinidadian descent. She is also the author of graphic novel Surviving the City.
Natasha Donovan is a Vancouver-based illustrator whose work has appeared in The Other Side and This Place: 150 Years Retold.
To Know You're Alive by Dakota McFadzean
To Know You're Alive is a collection of comics by Dakota McFadzean that explores the ways adulthood is disappointing when compared to how one imagines it would be when you're a kid. It takes mundane daily life and renders it absurd to explore loneliness, connection and finding one's purpose.
When you can read it: Nov. 1, 2020
McFadzean ia a cartoonist from Toronto. He is the author of two other books, Other Stories and the Horse You Rode in On and Don't Get Eaten by Anything.
Barely Functional Adult by Meichi Ng
Meichi Ng brings her popular webcomic to print with Barely Functional Adult. The humorous and heartfelt comics explore being an adult and all the messiness that comes with it, including dating, adult friendships, therapy, anxiety, bills and finding a career path that is both fulfilling and pays the bills.
When you can read it: Nov. 24, 2020
Ng is a cartoonist from Vancouver. She is the creator of the popular webcomic Barely Functioning Adult.
What If We Were by Axelle Lenoir
What If We Were is about teen girls Nathalie and Marie who have had a secret game they've played since childhood: What If We Were? The more creative and challenging the premise the better. But when a new girl comes to town, and joins their game, their worlds are turned upside down. Can they make it through this round with their friendship, and their hearts, still in one piece?
When you can read it: Dec. 8, 2020
Axelle Lenoir is a cartoonist from Quebec. She is also the author of the graphic novel Camp Spirit and the Mertownville series.
Corrections:- Okay, Universe by Valérie Plante & Delphie Côté-Lacroix was originally on this list, but it has since been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. October 7, 2020 4:28 PM