queer comics – The Canada Comics Open Library

The Ins and Outs of Webcomics by Jey Pawlik

March 1, 2020

Comics Creator Residencies, Presentations, Resource Guides

Hello everyone my name is Jey Pawlik, a Toronto nonbinary comic artist. On February 23rd I had the pleasure of giving a talk here at the Comics Open Library about creating webcomics and I’d like to share that information with anyone who wasn’t able to come. I’m the artist for Topaz Comics which hosts the webcomics “Dead City” and “Gender Slices”, both of which are available at the library. Topaz Comics is the comic making duo I’m apart of with…

Jey’s Comic Journey

February 7, 2020

Jey Pawlik

Comic Review, Comics Creator Residencies, Resource Guides, Subject Displays

Hi everyone, my name is Jey Pawlik ( https://jpawlik.com ) and I’m the creator in residence for February! I’m a nonbinary comic artist (they/them) and one half of the comics duo “Topaz Comics” ( https://topazcomics.com ) that I run with my partner Michelle Parker. Together we create exclusively queer comics with a focus on wholesome and soft stories. For my first blog post here at the Canada Comics Open Library I want to talk about my history in comics and…

Queer Comix Continuum: an artist talk with Eric Kostiuk WIlliams

January 23, 2020

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Comics Creator Residencies, Events, Presentations, Resource Guides

We are so excited to present an artist talk with our January Comics Creator in Residence Eric Kostiuk Williams on Saturday January 25th at 4pm. The talk will focus on a history of North American queer comics, a discussion of Eric’s work, along with a few readings. CW: Please note, the slideshow and accompanying talk will contain some sexual content and heavy subject matter related to comics and the queer community (for example, the AIDS crisis, suicide, and other material…

EKW’s Comic Picks!

January 21, 2020

Eric Kostiuk Williams

Comic Review, Comics Creator Residencies, Subject Displays

Hi, folks — this is Eric Kostiuk Williams, Creator in Residence for January! I’ve had a great couple weeks becoming more familiar with the library, and getting a chance to curate one of its shelves with some of my favourite comics, pictured below. I’d like to zero in on a couple of these, and get more into what they mean to me! Gaylord Phoenix by Edie Fake: For many queers in my age bracket, the collected Gaylord Phoenix book was something really…

Transgender Awareness Month

November 2, 2019

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Resource Guides, Subject Displays

We have a new library display up for Transgender Awareness Month! Consider showing support for trans artists and comics creators this month (and regularly), by buying their work, reading their stories, and following their work online, as well as seeking out narratives that include trans characters, and sharing them with others! Comics featured for Transgender Awareness Month (click on titles for catalogue records with more info): Gender Slices by Jey PawlikAnnie Mok Loves Videogames: Comics and Essays from Zeal, Rookie…

Summer additions to the comics library!

August 18, 2019

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New Comics, Update

Check out recent donations and acquisitions below 🙂 You can also visit our online catalogue for more details about individual comics. We are almost at 1300 comics!

LGBTQ+ Comics Resources

June 23, 2019

Rotem Diamant

Resource Guides, Subject Displays

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…

Almost 900 comics!

May 13, 2019

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New Comics

We have a few more comics to catch up on cataloguing, and we are nearly at 900 comics! Here are a few recent additions, all available to read at CCOL Wednesday to Sunday, 11am-6pm! on the third floor of CSI Regent Park @ 585 Dundas Street East! (you can also check our calendar for updated hours each week). Visit our online catalogue for more information on individual titles and a full list of creators. We are a completely volunteer-run space…

Queer Canadian Webcomics

November 27, 2018

Folarin and Rotem Diamant

Resource Guides

Hello comics community! Although it is no longer Pride month, any time is a good time to celebrate the accomplishments of the LGBTQ+ community to Canadian society, while acknowledging the challenges and strides they have gone through as a community. The arts and creative industry serve as a good example of the LGBTQ+ contribution to Canada. A medium like webcomics, where there are no networks or corporate editors limiting creative content, allows for more queer content than what may be…

Statement against resolution R4. We stand for diversity and supporting trans and queer stories and communities

November 19, 2018

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Update

The Canada Comics Open Library strongly denounces resolution R4. For those who haven’t heard, at the Ontario PC Convention this past Saturday, there was a resolution calling for the removal of gender identity from Ontario schools. It was approved for further discussion. Policy Resolution R4 describes gender identity theory as a “highly controversial, unscientific ‘liberal ideology’”; it calls on the Ford government to remove the teaching and promotion of it in schools. This is not okay. This should not be…