I wanted to create a curated comics list that reflected my identity through comics. These are things that speak to who I am as a creator and person (they’re one and the same), and things that inspire me as an illustrator and storyteller. First off, my identity is a complexity of many parts, but many of them are marginalized. Finding work that represents one let alone any part of my identity is very difficult. I still love a good story!…
I was so excited to peruse through CCOL’s wonderful selection of comics and zines to curate a shelf display during my residency. They had many of my old favourites, many books I’ve been meaning to read, and also many that felt like happy discoveries. Letting myself get lost in reading these books was such a pleasurable experience, and I’ve selected a few old and new favourites here. Required Reading “I read these books during formative years of my life, which…
This past July, I had a chance to participate in something truly special. When I first received the email from Canada Comics Open Library about being selected as their first Resident Creator, I was beside myself with excitement. I talked about it constantly, brainstorming ideas with anyone who paid the slightest bit of attention. Firstly, a comics library as a concept is nothing short of brilliant. For anyone who has longed to peruse comic books for hours but didn’t…
We hope everyone had a great Toronto pride weekend! To celebrate this month, we are showcasing comics in our collection about and by people from across the LGBTQ+ spectrum. (LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning/queer; the plus (+) refers to the spectrum of gender and sexuality.) We cover a wide range of stories from “slice-of-life” everyday fiction, speculative fiction, anthologies and zines, to non-fiction comics, biographies, and visual essays. We have also gathered resources on LGBTQ+ comics…
This month, we are highlighting and celebrating Indigenous stories through our June library display, which will be up for National Indigenous History Month. We have also included resources below on Indigenous comics, including resources spotlighting Indigenous Creators, Indigenous-owned comics publishers as well as other Canadian publishers that focus on publishing Indigenous creators’ work. Please let us know if there are any comics resources you would recommend we add to this list, and visit us to read great comics by Indigenous…
Content warning: this post relates to the terrorist attacks this past weekend and earlier in March. Our most recent library display for the month of May follows in the wake of another anti-Semitic, racist, white-nationalist terrorist attack when a man filled with hate entered the Chabad of Poway Synagogue in San Diego and opened fire during the last day of Passover. This resulted in one murder and the injury of Jews in prayer, including children. This happened not long after…
In celebration of International Women’s Day, here are a few great comics from the CCOL collection. We have many more in the catalogue! We should be celebrating great comics every day 🙌. Click on the images for descriptions, and scroll down for links to catalogue entries. (descriptions from publishers’ websites) Catalogue: Dirty Plotte Number One by Julie Doucet Super Late Bloomer by Julia Kaye Flem by Rebecca Rosen Dumb: Living Without a Voice by Georgia Webber Susceptible by Geneviève Castrée…
Happy Halloween! Here are a few spooky comic picks from our catalogue! 1.) Archival Quality by Ivy Noelle Weir, & Steenz: A spooky mystery/ghost story set in a museum’s haunted archive, and also a realistic narrative of mental health struggles (and the challenges of maintaining relationships while struggling with mental illness). 2.) DeadEndia: The Watcher’s Test (Book 1) by Hamish Steele: A fun and spooky adventure set at the Dead End theme park, involving plenty of demonic forces, vengeful ghosts,…