THIS IS SERIOUS: Canadian Indie Comics

by Joe Ollmann (Editor), Alana Traficante (Editor)

Edited by Joe Ollmann and Alana Traficante
With an introduction by Jeet Heer
Co-published by Art Gallery of Hamilton

9×11.5 inches,
144 pages
softcover
black and white with 10 page full colour insert
ISBN 9781897407301
October 2019

This is Serious: Canadian Indie Comics reveals the considerable contributions artists from across the country are making to the greater field of global comics – of which Toronto, Montreal, and Hamilton are significant creative centres.

Surveying the work of 47 contemporary Canadian artists, This is Serious showcases the energy of underground artistic production and indie publishing, expressed through a diverse range of artists.

Co-curated by Alana Traficante and award-winning cartoonist Joe Ollmann, This is Serious presents the recent arc of production that has helped shaped the current state of graphic storytelling, here and now, on home soil.

With contributions from Jeet Heer and Peggy Burns, and featuring the work of: contemporary and historical Hamilton artists such as David Collier, Jesse Jacobs, Sylvia Nickerson, Doug Wright, and James Simpkins; well-respected Canadian artists including Seth, Julie Doucet, Fiona Smyth and Chester Brown; and a national survey of artists working today, including Jillian Tamaki, Michael Deforge, Hartley Lin, Ho Che Anderson, Gord Hill, Kate Beaton, and Pascal Girard. Plus many more!

Genres: Canada, Art

144 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2019

About the author

Joe Ollmann lives in Hamilton, the Riviera of Southern Ontario. He is the winner of the Doug Wright Award for Best Book in 2007 and loser of the same award another time.

Reviews

[George Ilsley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Produced by the Art Gallery of Hamilton in conjunction with their 2019 exhibition, this book functions best perhaps as a catalog for that show. The volume has a couple very dry essays, and two pages of sample work, most in English with a few in French, from a variety of Canadian graphic artists.

As a stand-alone book this does not make a very satisfying read. Imagine a short fiction sampler with 2 pages from a number of stories—even if you liked the excerpt the result is frustrating and incomplete.

Perhaps someone who is totally obsessed with graphic novels, their history and future, might get more out of this catalog.

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great way to get to know Canadian authors. Some are very well known in the indie comics community and some are pretty new. It really allows you to see if you enjoy the style of each author. I personally love the work of Chester Brown and Julie Doucet. If you are into indie comics, you probably have heard of them anyway! We don’t talk about Canadians authors enough, especially in the comics community so that exhibition was a great way to get to know them better. Yes, it’s super niche but nonetheless important.