Written by Bevan Thomas
October 2011, for immediate release
New Indie Comic Anthology Showcases Wealth of Vancouver Talent
VANCOUVER–CANADA—With Borders, one of the largest U.S. bookstore chains, claiming graphic novel sales have risen more than 100 per cent a year for the past three years, 180,000people attending San Diego's Comic-Convention, and a massive half a million fans attending the Comiket convention in Japan, comics are an exploding cultural phenomenon.
Vancouver itself is part of this wave, boasting a thriving Indie comic scene spearheaded by Cloudscape Comics, a collective with over 60 local comic artists. Cloudscape has just released its latest anthology -- 21Journeys -- to enthusiastic reviews from comic fans.
Kevin Czap of ComixCube describes 21Journeys as “a whole lot to like, maybe even love.... A fine addition to any bookshelf.”
Cloudscape founder, anthology contributor and editor Jeff Ellis, can barely contain his excitement in describing this new collection: “It's the best book we’ve ever made. The quality, the art, the revisions we did, the fact that it’s in colour – it really is the greatest book we’ve done!”
21Journeys is Cloudscape's fifth and most ambitious graphic novel: a full-colour anthology centred around the theme of travel with a cover illustrated by Steve Rolston, famed artist of Ghost Projekt, Emiko Superstar, and King& Country, and featuring such varied prominent contributors as independent comics veteran Colin Upton, alternative poet Ray Hsu, Israeli-American cartoonist Miriam Libicki, and video game artist Edison Yan.
This graphic novel takes the reader to all points of the globe, from wartime Germany to modern Uganda, from the tip of the Matterhorn to deep beneath the Gulf Stream, from the other side of the world to just down the street. You meet students, soldiers, and scientists; businessmen, teachers, and priests; people from every imaginable profession, each following their own path.
Ellis describes what inspired him to launch Cloudscape in the beginning: "I had a dream that I wanted to boost local comics in Vancouver, The next idea that came... was, 'hey, we have all of these artists making comics – rather than spending money to do our own individual works, why don’t we work together and pool our resources to publish something?'”
Cloudscape is currently on a journey itself promoting their new book. Cloudscape artists will be appearing at comic shops and other stores around the Lower Mainland, selling and autographing copies of the anthology. On October 1st, Cloudscape will be at Central City Comics in Surrey and Gotham Collectibles in Vancouver, on October 8th at Tazmanian Comics, Burnaby, and Golden Age, Vancouver, and then on October 15 at the Comic Shop, Vancouver and Legends, Victoria.
In 2008, Cloudscape Comics published the graphic novel anthology Robots, Pine Trees & Broken Hearts, which was the first of what became yearly anthologies, each with its own theme. Now Cloudscape boasts a membership of more than sixty artists. It includes such diverse creators as Chinese manga artist Chloe Chan, underground comics legend Colin Upton, book illustrator Scot Ritchie, Angela Melick of the popular humour webcomic Wasted Talent, and three receivers of the Xeric grant for graphic novels: Wei Li, Jonathon Dalton, and Steve LeCouilliard. Each member contributes his or her own style and artistic vision to the anthologies, resulting in a wide range of stories.
21Journeys is available for purchase from the Cloudscape online store athttp://www.cloudscapecomics.com/store/ in both physical and electronic form and at select comic shops and bookstores.
-30-
Formore information, such as a media kit or copy of the book, contactBevan Thomas by e-mail at bthomasa@hotmail.com or by phone at604-710-1659.
New Indie Comic Anthology Showcases Wealth of Vancouver Talent
VANCOUVER–CANADA—With Borders, one of the largest U.S. bookstore chains, claiming graphic novel sales have risen more than 100 per cent a year for the past three years, 180,000people attending San Diego's Comic-Convention, and a massive half a million fans attending the Comiket convention in Japan, comics are an exploding cultural phenomenon.
Vancouver itself is part of this wave, boasting a thriving Indie comic scene spearheaded by Cloudscape Comics, a collective with over 60 local comic artists. Cloudscape has just released its latest anthology -- 21Journeys -- to enthusiastic reviews from comic fans.
Kevin Czap of ComixCube describes 21Journeys as “a whole lot to like, maybe even love.... A fine addition to any bookshelf.”
Cloudscape founder, anthology contributor and editor Jeff Ellis, can barely contain his excitement in describing this new collection: “It's the best book we’ve ever made. The quality, the art, the revisions we did, the fact that it’s in colour – it really is the greatest book we’ve done!”
21Journeys is Cloudscape's fifth and most ambitious graphic novel: a full-colour anthology centred around the theme of travel with a cover illustrated by Steve Rolston, famed artist of Ghost Projekt, Emiko Superstar, and King& Country, and featuring such varied prominent contributors as independent comics veteran Colin Upton, alternative poet Ray Hsu, Israeli-American cartoonist Miriam Libicki, and video game artist Edison Yan.
This graphic novel takes the reader to all points of the globe, from wartime Germany to modern Uganda, from the tip of the Matterhorn to deep beneath the Gulf Stream, from the other side of the world to just down the street. You meet students, soldiers, and scientists; businessmen, teachers, and priests; people from every imaginable profession, each following their own path.
Ellis describes what inspired him to launch Cloudscape in the beginning: "I had a dream that I wanted to boost local comics in Vancouver, The next idea that came... was, 'hey, we have all of these artists making comics – rather than spending money to do our own individual works, why don’t we work together and pool our resources to publish something?'”
Cloudscape is currently on a journey itself promoting their new book. Cloudscape artists will be appearing at comic shops and other stores around the Lower Mainland, selling and autographing copies of the anthology. On October 1st, Cloudscape will be at Central City Comics in Surrey and Gotham Collectibles in Vancouver, on October 8th at Tazmanian Comics, Burnaby, and Golden Age, Vancouver, and then on October 15 at the Comic Shop, Vancouver and Legends, Victoria.
In 2008, Cloudscape Comics published the graphic novel anthology Robots, Pine Trees & Broken Hearts, which was the first of what became yearly anthologies, each with its own theme. Now Cloudscape boasts a membership of more than sixty artists. It includes such diverse creators as Chinese manga artist Chloe Chan, underground comics legend Colin Upton, book illustrator Scot Ritchie, Angela Melick of the popular humour webcomic Wasted Talent, and three receivers of the Xeric grant for graphic novels: Wei Li, Jonathon Dalton, and Steve LeCouilliard. Each member contributes his or her own style and artistic vision to the anthologies, resulting in a wide range of stories.
21Journeys is available for purchase from the Cloudscape online store athttp://www.cloudscapecomics.com/store/ in both physical and electronic form and at select comic shops and bookstores.
-30-
Formore information, such as a media kit or copy of the book, contactBevan Thomas by e-mail at bthomasa@hotmail.com or by phone at604-710-1659.
