I don’t get out much, but Central Canada Comic Con (C4) is the one convention that I try my best to make it to (being in my “backyard” and all). This is the first year that Artist Alley will be in the newly renovated/built extension, and there are a few other events going on that I don’t normally attend.
The Basics!
C4 Dates and hours
Friday, October 28, 2pm-9pm
Saturday, Oct. 29, 10am-7pm
Sunday, Oct 30, 11am-6pm
Located a the RBC Convention Centre, Winnipeg, MB.
I myself will be at table A1020, across from The Crow creator, James O’Barr.
Products
As in years past I will have a variety of the comics and graphic novels I have worked on, by publishers and my own books. Sadly, a few are still in production and so there won’t be a lot of new books. There will also be sketches on cards, inside books, signatures (Free!), and a few prints.
Tales From Big Spirit: The Chief (written by David Alexander Robertson)
“On her way to school one day, Sarah is relieved to find the book she’d dropped the day before – shortly after an encounter with a bear. But when she opens it, the story within, about the Cree chief Mistahimaskwa, comes alive. It takes Sarah back to the Saskatchewan Plains of 1832, where the young boy who would become the great chief first learns the ways of his people, to the final days of his life.”
A Blanket of Butterflies (written by Richard Van Camp)
Not new to C4, but it was nominated for an Eisner Award this year, so that still has me pumped up.
“A Blanket of Butterflies explores the journey of Shinobu, a mysterious stranger who visits Fort Smith, NWT, to retrieve his family’s samurai suit of armor and sword from the local museum. When he discovers that his grandfather’s sword has been lost in a poker game to the man they call “Benny the Bank,” he sets out to retrieve it with the help of a young boy, Sonny, and his grandmother. Together, they face Benny and his men, Torchy, Sfen and the giant known as Flinch, and come to an unexpected realization.”
Betty: The Helen Betty Osborne Story (written by David Alexander Robertson)
Also not new to C4, but it has been nominated multiple times for many prestigious awards and recognition: 2016 Manitoba Book Awards,Chosen for In The Margins Official List, 2016, High Plains Book Award (Billings, MT),and most recently it is a part of the White Raven 2016, a catalogue of recommended books in the field of children’s and youth literature.
Selected for the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Best Books for Kids & Teens, 2015.
“Helen Betty Osborne, known as Betty to her closest friends and family, dreamed of becoming a teacher. She left her home to attend residential school and high school in a small town in Manitoba. On November 13, 1971, Betty was abducted and brutally murdered by four young men. Initially met with silence and indifference, her tragic murder resonates loudly today. Betty represents one of almost 1,200 Indigenous women in Canada who have been murdered or gone missing.
This book is a true account. Content may be disturbing to some readers.”
The Chronicles of Era: Volume 1 (written and illustrated by Scott B Henderson)
This is also not new.
And to my shame and disappointment I could not get Volume 2 completed in time for C4 this year. Paying contracts and their deadlines won out.
However, come C4 next year, I should have at least 4 new books (and possibly a few related books by other artists)–and The Chronicles of Era: Volume 2 will definitely be there.
Another book that will be released soon is Fire Starters, by Jen Storm, and coloured by Donovan Yaciuk (sorry Donovan, this promo piece was made before you signed on, but you’ll get your well deserved credit on the 54 page graphic novel when it hits stands later this year!)
And as always I will have the other books I’ve worked on as well: The rest of the Tales from Big Spirit series, 7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga, and Sugar Falls.
C4 Panel
I was also invited to be a part of the panel “Indigenous Peoples in Comics and Graphic Novels”, hosted by Niigaan Sinclair. I will be joined by David A. Robertson (the aforementioned titles, plus The Evolution of Alice), Hope Nicholson (Moonshot, Secret Loves of Geek Girls), and Naithan Lagace.
It will be on Friday, Oct. 28, from 4pm-5pm (Pan Am room, 2nd Floor of RBC CC).
Industry Night Awards
And lastly, I have been nominated alongside A.P. Fuchs and Andrew Lorenz for a Story Teller Award. The Industry Night Awards gets people within the industry to network, chat and generally have fun.
In Closing…
C4 has always been a special place and I think this year it will be stepping up its game. They have some sort of arena for Cosplay, a whole wing for Artist Alley, and 3 days packed with panels, screenings, artist, writers, designers, gamers, peddlers, and merchandise, plus a Pokemon Hunt, and Safe Trick or Treat. There is something for everyone, young or old, and I am always hard pressed to talk to all my friends and colleagues. So many amazing, talented folks and each year I add few more that I am honoured to be among.
