The ever lovely Heather Bruce has hosted a radio program dealing with mental health on CKCU for the past number of years. The show is called Sound Mind and is incredibly important. I believe that mental health is one of the last major taboos in contemporary Western society and it's really nice that Heather helps destroy some of the stereotypes that surround mental illness each and every week.
You can listen to the show by clicking here or by clicking play below.
She was nice enough to have me in as a guest and we chat about the road to god knows..., comics, graphic novels, schizophrenia, and how humour sometimes helps get people through bad times. And for this one Moggy was available to take some photos of the broadcast, too!
Mitchell Caplan did a solo interview with me for Click here, too. This was for an art show I had an Ottawa's legendary Rasputin's Folk Cafe. I'm still deeply indebted to owner Dean Verger for being one of the first people to take a chance with my art and put it up on his walls. The interview can be heard right here. Or just click play below.
Rasputin's will always hold a very special place for me. See, my mom and I used to live pretty close to it (just a few blocks a way, in fact) and while money was always tight for us we would occasionally drop by for a tea and maybe a dessert. Dean had a special way about him even then and he had a knack of making one feel right at home. Even as a kid, it seemed pretty special.
While it's difficult to bring this across in words, I'm fortunate to have a bit of Youtube video (see below) to play to give you a better sense of what Dean is like. At least, what his onstage and at work persona is like.
If you're ever in Ottawa and are looking for a place with a bit of a different vibe, you could do far worse than dropping by Rasputin's. It really is a neat place to sit back, listen to some great folk and Celtic music and have a nice bite to eat. I don't think you'll regret it.
You can either click here to go to the page directly or just click play below.
One of the other artists involved in the Parkdale Gallery show was Cristian S. Aluas and he and I did an interview together on the CHUO radio program Click here, hosted by Mitchell Caplan. Mitchell has been hosting the show for quite some time now (a decade? Maybe?) and it's become an institution in Ottawa art circles. It can be heard every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. You can listen to the interview right here or click play below.
Susan Johnston, the wonderful host of the CKCU radio show Friday Special Blend was nice enough to host both myself and James Robinson, owner of Ottawa's Parkdale Gallery for a gab fest. We chat about art, comics and the road to god knows.... You can listen to the interview by either clicking here or just by clicking play on the little audio player right below.
Sue was actually nice enough to have me back on the show more recently. That interview can be found here.
Way
back in 2007, I had a very nice chat with Adrian
Harewood, then host of the CBC Ottawa radio program All
In A Day. This was actually a very special moment for me; I had
been a long-time fan of the show and I listened to it quite regularly
while I was working away at my drawing board. Needless to say it was
cool —
and intimidating —
to be invited on as a guest. I think I managed to over my
nerves pretty quickly and we proceeded to discuss comics in Canada as
well as my part in an art show at the Parkdale
Gallery (owned and operated by artist James Robinson). The show
was titled “Comic
Book Chaos” and featured a number of Ottawa-area cartoonists
and comic book artists. Sadly, the Parkdale Gallery has now closed;
running a gallery is never easy, but I was quite disappointed when
James was forced to shut it down.
You can listen by clicking
right here or by clicking play on the little player below. In
addition, a lightly-edited transcript of our discussion is provided
below.
Lightly Edited Transcript
Adrian Harewood: For decades it was seen as disposable art, but
throughout December an Ottawa Art Gallery is celebrating comic book
art. The Parkdale Gallery is holding an exhibit called “Comic Book
Chaos.” An Ottawa artist, Eric Julien, is featured in the show.
He’s the artist behind the graphic novel “the road to god knows…”
and he draws under the pen name Von Allan. Eric joins us in our
studio. Hi Eric.
Von Allan: Hi.
Adrian Harewood: Thanks so much for coming in.
Von Allan: Oh, my pleasure.
Adrian Harewood: Eric, you’ve been invited to exhibit as part of
this show. Why do you think comic strips belong in art galleries?
Von Allan: I think for the longest time they weren’t —
particularly the art form of comics — wasn’t really considered
that important.
Adrian Harewood: Why?
Von Allan: I don’t know. I think, well, I think part of it is
that one of the things —
one of my picky points — has
always been that a lot of people confuse comics as a medium and the
genre. And the genre in North America has traditionally been
superheroes. And not that there’s anything wrong with that, but
that would be like saying all literature has to be romance novels.
And there’s far more depth to the medium than that. And because of
that disconnect, you’ve had, to my mind, people thinking that
superheroes equal kids stuff. It’s not really relevant. So why
would it ever be in a gallery? It doesn’t belong there. So it
really has no place.
Adrian Harewood: It’s almost seen — perhaps in some quarters —
as being too popular, as serving the masses.
It certainly is and was a populist medium, for sure. I mean, there
was a time, not really that long ago, where comics were found on
every corner newsstand. And that’s where people would go. I mean,
the comic book shop as a retail store is really something that’s
only come in through the mid to late 70s. And that sort of changed
the purchasing arrangement of how comics were consumed. And it also
meant that they became more collectible. And it’s the collectible
part that kind of bugs me sometimes.
Adrian Harewood: How did you become a graphic novelist?
Von Allan: It’s a weird story. I used to run Perfect Books down
on Elgin Street. I was sort of selling other people’s creativity,
not my own. And I’ve always loved comics. They’ve always spoken
to me. And I was kind of a lonely, insecure kid. They were good
escapism for me. And it was totally superheroes I was escaping into.
And I never thought I could do this. I never thought I could draw.
And for a variety of happy circumstances, I took a shot at it. I just
got over that hump and I took a shot. I sucked for a long time. But I
started drawing and I got better. And I think I’ve gotten better
now. And it was just the leap of faith.
Adrian Harewood: Was it an epiphany? Did you just wake up one
morning and say, “I can do this as well.”
Von Allan: I thought I could write. I didn’t really think I
could draw. And then I was lucky enough to start meeting a few people
who were artists, partially through the bookstore. And I started
getting an insight into the work involved, the bad days, the
struggle, the struggle to get better, all that kind of stuff. And it
sounds so naive. I sound so silly with it. But I really thought that
artists of all stripes, not just comics, were kind of hit with a
magic wand when they were born. And they were an artist and the
talent was always there.
Adrian Harewood: They were made that way.
Von Allan: They were made that way. And if you didn’t have that,
if you weren’t part of that secret society, you couldn’t do it.
And that’s totally false.
Adrian Harewood: You’ve proved it. You have your your new novel
part of your graphic novel, “the road to god knows…” is
featured in this exhibit. And it was recently published online. Can
you walk me through the story?
Von Allan: It’s about a teenage girl dealing with her mom’s
schizophrenia.
Adrian Harewood: Her name is Marie.
Von Allan: Her name is Marie and she’s going through some tough
times. The story set in Ottawa. And it’s, I guess you would call it
is a “slice of life” story. And what I tried to do with it was
tell a story that hopefully resonates, if I’ve done my job right,
and doesn’t try to give any pat answers to what mental illness —
or in this case — what schizophrenia is. In a way, I think the
story might disappoint a few people who — by the time they end
this, like they’ve closed the last page — they might be a little
bit disappointed that there isn’t a happy resolution. Mental
illness isn’t something you resolve in one fell swoop. There is a
subplot. There is a subplot that keeps the story going that I think
will give it some closure. It was something I thought was important
to deal with. It speaks to me personally from some of my own
experiences in my life. And it was different than a lot of stuff
that’s out there.
Adrian Harewood: I was gonna ask you that question, because you
call it a slice of life story. How much of it is a slice of your
life?
Von Allan: If you can imagine I’m a teenage girl, it’s pretty
close. I drew a lot of my own experiences. Some comic book artists —
like Seth and what have you, Chester Brown — have done a lot of
autobiographical material. I was a little bit hesitant for a variety
of reasons. The main one is that I find fiction lets you play with
time a little bit. If it’s pure autobiography, you run into the
pesky details of representing real human beings who may not be so
keen on how you’re depicting them. With fiction, you can play with
it. I made amalgams of different people. I think I made amalgams of
myself in it. I don’t consider Marie myself. She’s one
permutation of what I could have been or who I might have been. And
it is a lot more freeing to write a script like that.
Adrian Harewood: Clearly, this is a story for people to read, to
look at. But how much of it is therapy?
Von Allan: I don’t think… I don’t ever want to call it that,
but it probably was therapeutic for me. I don’t want to be didactic
and getting up on a soapbox, or anything like that with it. I don’t
think there are any easy answers. I think in a way — again, if I’ve
done my job right — I’m raising questions about mental illness,
at least how one family copes with it. That’s probably as far as
I’m willing to go. This is just one look at it.
Adrian Harewood: What do you think graphic novels can do that
straight novels can’t?
Von Allan: They present visuals in a way that’s different than a
film or TV or anything like that. And can be differently nuanced than
fiction. I don’t think one medium is superior to the other or
anything like that. I love novels and I’ve happily sold fantastic
books that I strongly believe in. But I do think that it’s
something about the combination of how words and pictures — if you
get into “left brain, right brain” theory — works in a way
that’s different fundamentally than what film and literature bring.
It’s that very difference that makes comics and graphic novels so
special.
Adrian Harewood: How did you go about selecting which pages you
wanted to display in the gallery?
Von Allan: That was tricky. Partially because in a way it’s
almost counter-intuitive to what the graphic novel is supposed to be.
I mean, each page flows sequentially to try to tell a story. So
taking some of those pages out of context kind of concerned me a
little bit. Really, it came down to trying to find images that I
thought worked on their own, kind of told a story in and of
themselves. A lot of these were sort of splash pages, larger pages
that I thought would work okay on a wall. It’s still a bit of a
different experience. I’m hoping people like it. It is a little
unusual, though, to do it. I think I picked well. We’ll see.
Adrian Harewood: This really seems to be the golden age in some
ways for graphic novels. Even in this country, I’m thinking…
you mentioned Chester Brown and his great novel “Louis Riel.” One
person whom I love, Ho Che Anderson.
Von Allan: Yeah, Ho Che Anderson is amazing.
Adrian Harewood: What is it about? What’s going on in Canada
right now that we’re producing so many fine graphic novelists?
Von Allan: Without sounding too trite, I think the medium is
growing up. I think that, for a long time, it was that superhero —
sort of dogmatic, bam, that’s what it was. People are now trying
different things. Bookstores are way more approachable now with
carrying them. Almost every bookstore at least has a couple of
graphic novels in. There was a time if they were there at all, they
were in the kids section. That certainly helped. The talent has
gotten a lot better. It’s a lot more varied. We need more
publishers pursuing it and trying to find good works, bringing that
work to the public and showing it off.
Adrian Harewood: You’re trying to break into a pretty tough
industry. What do you think you need to do to succeed?
Von Allan: I wish I had the answer for that. It has been a really
tricky thing. And I ran a bookstore! I wish I had more insights than
I do. You keep pushing, you stay optimistic. You hope the work
resonates. Connections, you really you have no idea. I think
sometimes it’s a crapshoot. I will say I wish sometimes there was a
little bit more attention to graphic novels with some of the award
categories. But that’s a pipe dream of mine right now. That’s not
quite there yet.
Adrian Harewood: I want you to make your pitch right now. Why
should people go and go and see this exhibit at the gallery?
Von Allan: There is amazing stuff. And it’s not just mine. If
you want to see different artwork, artwork that will stick in your
gut, artwork that is colorful, it’s bold, it’s doing different
stuff. I mean, there’s Ottawa artists like Ronn
Sutton, who people don’t even know that are there. You know,
it’s magic. There’s some amazing work going on right there. And I
think it’s not all just comics or anything like that. But I think
you’ll be pleasantly surprised if you go. Take a look.
Adrian Harewood: Eric, great to talk to you. Nice to meet you.
Thanks so much for coming in.
Von Allan: Thanks very much.
Adrian Harewood: Eric Julien also goes by his pen name Von Allan.
You can check out his graphic novel “the road to god knows…” at
www.girlamatic.com.
Some of Eric’s work is also on display at the Parkdale Gallery as
part of the “Comic Book Chaos” Exhibit. And the show runs until
January 1st.
This is an interview I did for the television program Ottawa Living for Rogers Television. This was done at the Parkdale Gallery and thanks again to the fine folks there for letting me use their gallery space to do this piece.
If you can't see the video for whatever reason, you can click here and go to Youtube directly.
I truly love comic shops. Good comic shops, at least as I would describe them. I unfortunately don't stumble across that many that I truly truly like, but I do love me a great brick and mortar comic book store. I can get lost in them quite easily, just browsing and looking and experiencing. Comic stores do get some grief from time to time and sometimes that's warranted. Retailing is a very tricky business at the best of times and it's grown that much harder with online competition, fluctuating dollars (at least here in Canada), and rising prices. Don't ever underestimate how challenging that can be. Margins are low, risks are high and the financial rewards can be pretty damn small. The personal rewards can be great, but they don't pay the bills. And comic and book retailing is as much art as it is a business. While there are metrics that can be used to help predict sales, every retailer faces that tough decision of what to carry and what not to. When it comes to art and literature, tastes can be fickle. Not every book has the leverage of a Harry Potter, an Oprah pick, or a lofty industry award to help gain public awareness. Retailers often do a yeoman job of highlighting titles that you may never have seen otherwise. Often they'll take a chance, gambling that something will find an audience if they just order one. 'Course, poorer stores will refuse to take that chance and order extremely conservatively. I have a hard time picking on them for this behaviour, mainly because I was a retailer and I know how difficult it is. I also believe that this purchasing philosophy will ultimately hurt the retailer rather then protect them from ordering mistakes. Fundamentally, good stores take chances with what they carry inventory-wise and they deserve some love for this. And I think it's time I spread some of my own.
I should point out here that this isn't a ranking or, more pragmatically, a "this is better than that" kinda thing. These are just a sampling of the shops that I've truly enjoyed in one way, shape or form. It isn't meant to be some how all-encompassing or anything like that and you'll notice that it's definitely North American-centric. A few of these might not even be considered "full-service" comic shops (I'd define that, by the by, as stores that carry both periodicals ("floppies") and graphic novels. Hell, I may make another list some time down the road, too. I'm odd that way.
With that out of the way, here's my list (in no particular order) of comic shops that I really like.
Astro Books/Librarie Astro. 1844 Ste.Catherine St. West, Montreal, Que, Canada. Man, I love this store both as a store and for the ownership. They have been extremely good to both my wife and I and I've learned quite a bit from everyone there, especially Paul. He actually writes a periodic column that's worth a look, too. Want more? You can see a small video of Paul yabbering about comics right here.
The Outer Limits, 437 Moody Street, Waltham, MA, United States. A great all-encompassing store full of all kinds of great stuff. Besides, it's one of my wife's favourite stores. If that doesn't convince you, nothing I say will!
Comic Relief. 2026 Shattuck, Berkeley, CA, United States. What can I say about Comic Relief that hasn't been said before? Founder Rory Root was quite kind to my wife and I over the past few years and he certainly didn't have to be. Plus, it truly is a beautiful store. If you don't know, CR is built along bookstore lines (by that I mean it's inventory is arranged as you'd expect to see at a bookstore with category headings and the like that leads your eye and makes finding things quite easy). Oh, and there's a nice photo of my wife, Rory, and I below. Unfortunately, Rory died in 2008 and the store is not quite the same without him. Update 2011: sadly, Comic Relief could not continue without Rory and closed in February, 2011.
Big Planet Comics. 4908 Fairmont Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland, United States. I've only been to the Bethesda location but it's quite a nifty store. Plus owner Joel Pollack has been regularly hosting a party on the eve of the Small Press Expo that's a great meet and greet before the turmoil of the con itself.
Comix Experience. 305 Divisadero Street, San Francisco, CA, United States. Brian Hibbs' ever cool store down in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Fran. Neat guy, neat store. And, of course, the always opionated Hibbs writes Tilting At Windmills regularly over on Newsarama. I may disagree at times, but I love that he's so passionate about the medium.
Flying Colors Comics. 2980 Treat Blvd., Concord, CA, United States. Great family friend store in Northern California. Not only has the store won an Eisner "Spirit of Retailing" Award, but owner Joe Field is also the founder of Free Comic Book Day. Not enough? Well, how 'bout some very cool TV spots over on Youtube? Flying Colors has been doing these kinds of spots for quite some time and the retailer in me is just a smidgen jealous.
Jim Hanley's Universe. 4 West 33rd Street, New York, NY, United States. Ah, Hanley's. If you're in New York, you gotta go see it. Jim Hanley himself is passionate and extremely articulate about comics (go take a peek at the Sequential Tart interview he did back in 2000). Update 2013: Jim Hanley retired and the store was sold to two of his staff.
Green Brain. 13210 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI, United States. This is one of the stores that I haven't been able to physically get to, but I'm including it because I really like owners Dan and Katie Merritt. My wife and I were lucky enough to meet them at a few Small Press Expo's and we really enjoyed the chats. Plus, the Merritt's founded Snap! The Comic Arts Festival. While I think it might be in hiatus, it was a great idea.
Comicopia. 463 Comm. Avenue, Kenmore Square, Boston, MA. Owner Matt Lehman is disgustingly smart. Like really, really intelligent. He spooks me. Plus he does yoga regularly. Smart, fit and regularly doing yoga? Spooky...
Perfect Books. 258A Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Me old shop. I ran the store for a number of years before embarking on this whole art thing and I still do miss it. Not a comic shop, but a truly wonderful little store. And, of course, it's the place my wife and I first met (whooo! Illicit co-worker romance!). If you're ever in Ottawa, please drop by. And who knows, chances are I might be floating around.
But don't just stop here. If there's a store that you believe in and love, single it out on your blog or website. Any little bit of attention can help!
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