In 2012 a group of Canadian writers and artists came together with a single idea: promote Canadian comic books. Anchored by national talents like J. Torres, Andy Belanger, Adrian Alphona, J. Bone, Ramon Perez, Fred Kennedy, Adam Gorham, Agnes Garbowska, Scott Chantler, Faith Erin Hicks, Howard Wong and many, many more, this collective successfully gained backing for the first volume of True Patriot. The collection of short comics celebrated Canadiana, and now they've returned for a second tour as they recently kicked off their second crowdfunding effort on Kickstarter
Read MoreCampaign of the Week : ‘True Patriot’ Vol. 2
It's safe to say without a shred of hesitation that Marvel has always been ahead of the curve in adapting its comic book properties into a film format; DC has never been able to match them quite simply. Where Marvel hit the ground running with Spider-Man and the X-Men well over a decade ago, DC continued to wallow in the apocalyptic aftermath of Batman and Robin. Where Marvel has produced a number of acclaimed films, DC is stuck with a collection of average to sub par to downright deplorably bad films, save for the Nolan trilogy.
Read MoreMarvel, Netflix partnership redefines comic book TV/film
Alien invasions have been prevalent in pop culture for quite some time, captivating our imaginations with visions of a hostile extra terrestrial force from another galaxy that's come to say hello in either a very polite or impolite way. Comic book writer and Toronto artist Keith Grachow hope to explore that aspect of the human imagination with the subject of their recently started Indiegogo campaign for Concrete Martians.
Read MoreCampaign of the Week: ‘Concrete Martians’
Let's chat about the faithfulness of comic book films to their source material. While I have been a stickler for continuity in the past, specifically with actual print/digital comics, I've been fairly lenient with film conversions save for situations like X-Men 3 and X-Men Origins: Wolverine--I counted more continuity gaffes in the opening 20 minutes of X-3 than I care to remember.
Read MoreDays of Future Past trailer reason enough for excitement
If you like fun action romps with a hulking figure who swings a sword, MacLean has steeped your tea to perfection with this book. Describing the title as being influenced by Conan the Barbarian and the Clash of the Titans, this title seems perfect for fans of either film, while I would also say that if you like Jim Zub's Skullkicker series, you'll also enjoy this title. $8 or $20 contributions will get you both parts of MacLean's series, which is hardly a bad deal.
Read MoreCampaign of the Week: ‘Head Lopper 2’
Given how below average the previous two films were, perhaps we should just sit back and relish the opportunity to watch Jordan ply his craft, because realistically this film, and Jordan's performance for that matter, may surprise us where the most recent films let us down in a fiery blaze of terrible dance numbers.
Read MoreMichael B. Jordan will weather the online storm
Crowdfunding platforms provide the unique opportunity for creators to connect with comic book fans, bringing them together into one place to celebrate your idea. Many of the campaigns I've come across are fairly straight-forward, yet this week's featured campaign takes crowdfunding and the concept of fan-driven comics to another plateau, allowing fans to choose the Kickstarter special edition cover for The Rock Thrower, a baseball-centric graphic novel that brings two men of different cultural backgrounds together, bonded by an honest love for the game they cherish.
Read MoreCampaign of the Week: ‘The Rock Thrower’
When you're the only game in town as Informa Canada is, and as Hobbystar was before them, you get the luxury of setting the rules all others must play by. And when it comes to the point where that relative authority is challenged by another entity such as Wizard, that challenge will be met with a response of equal weight.
Read MoreGTA Comic Con a positive addition to T.O. comic scene
Welcome to this (Canadian) Thanksgiving edition of the "Campaign of the Week." Although this isn't a new campaign, with 19 days left, a cool concept and some very nice artwork, The Vagabond seems like a campaign worth throwing a little bit of support behind Nathanael Hopkins-Smith's effort as its final three weeks count down.
Read MoreCampaign of the Week: ‘The Vagabond’
Seventy-Two years ago, the very first issue of Nelvana of the Northern Lights was published by Hillborough Studios in the first issue of Triumph-Adventure Comics. Created by Adrian Dingle--and adapted from an Inuit legend about a a witch-like character of the same name.
Read MoreCampaign of the Week: Nelvana of the Northern Lights
Something interesting (dare I say weird) happened this past weekend. Given that I don't have nearly as much time to stop by my LCS every week to pick up with my weekly stash of the latest comics, it had been some time since I had been able to stop by the store. In fact, the last time I believe I was able to pick up anything was the week Johns' final issue on Green Lantern was released. So it had been awhile.
Read MoreIndie Comics: scurrying among the giants
If you love horror comics, or even supernatural stories, this is a perfect comic for you as you'll get huge 250 page book filled from cover to cover with quality work from the writers and artists who offered their time to work on the project without any compensation up front. These ladies and gentlemen love their craft and love writing and drawing within the horror genre, and if you're a fan of their work or the genre itself you should support this project. The $50 perk is a great reward on its own, but if you're outside the U.S. and are squeamish about the extra shipping cost, getting the $10 digital PDF version is a great option
Read MoreCampaign of the Week: ‘In the Dark:’ A Horror Anthology
Can you imagine a world where anyone who ever had superpowers lost their mind? Ruttgaizer presents such a world in his comic series featuring Jacob Roth, the lone man able to maintain his sanity in a world where anyone who gains superpowers becomes criminally insane.
Read MoreCampaign of the Week: ‘The F1rst Hero’
Rushing from the success of their first season, which has netted over two million views across various online video platforms, the crew behind the series has returned for a second go-around with their Canadian-based superhero universe. The first season of the series was 20, 22-minute episodes long which ultimately won two "Indie Intertube Awards" in 2010 for Best Costumes and Best Opening Sequence.
Read MoreCampaign of the Week: ‘Heroes of the North’ Season 2
There are very few praises I will sing for Mark Waid, and while this may sound as though I’m preparing to lambaste the current Daredevil scribe once again, I’m not. To his credit he has been a driving force behind the comic book industry's evolution as it steps towards its digital age, understanding what it is we're on the precipice of and making an effort to embrace it. A second point I give him credit for is the crux of this post he made in 2009 on the very necessity of the comic book editor.
Read MoreRighting the editorial ship
With this second act completed, the best is yet to come from Del Col, McCreery and Belanger. Their story continues to evolve and ripen, improving with each new issue. A hallmark of the series has been the creators' willingness to take chances with their work, a philosophy that has paid dividends for them and has resulted in an overwhelmingly fantastic comic that only gets better as it develops. Belanger has been an integral piece of the entire journey, giving Del Col and McCreery's words visual weight, combining together to tell a complete story that continues to be the prologue to greater things.
Read MoreKill Shakespeare: Tide of Blood #5
We're aspiring creatures, all wishing and hoping to reach that next phase in our lives where we meet our potential; where our talents transcend the height of our self-perception. It would appear though that an essential step, one we often miscalculate, is the simple reality that we're not nearly as exceptional as we think we are, that there is always room to improve. And once that's realized, it's then we can begin to grow.
Read MoreFearless Evolution
I love independent comics. It's a sentiment that's grown exponentially over the last 18 months since I've been with Crystal Fractal Comics and have gradually over time come into contact with a number of Toronto-based comic creators, as well as many across the 905 belt.
Read MoreIndie Comics Feature #1: ‘Teuton’
Kill Shakespeare at no point has wavered in its quality prior to this second issue, a trend that has continued with its release. The series has been consistently excellent, founded on the creative trifecta of Del Col, McCreery and Belanger -- the three continue to offer twists and intrigue that spell the marks of a great comic. Kill Shakespeare: Tide of Blood is everything the original series was, only made better with the experience and evolution of the creators behind the title.
Read MoreKill Shakespeare: Tide of Blood #2
After their successful 12-issue maxi-series, Anthony Del Col, Conor McCreery and Andy Belanger return with the follow-up to their critically acclaimed comic series, revisiting the world of Shakespeare's greatest creations.
Read MoreKill Shakespeare: The Tide of Blood #1
