Invaders from the North: How Canada Conquered the Comic Book Universe

by John Bell

What do Superman, Prince Valiant, Cerebus the Aardvark, and Spawn have in common? Their creators Joe Shuster, Harold Foster, Dave Sim, and Todd McFarlane are Canadians. And while many of the cutting-edge talents of contemporary comix and graphic novels are also from Canada artists such as Chester Brown, Seth, Dave Cooper, and Julie Doucet far too few Canadians realize their country had a remarkable involvement with the "funnies" long before.

Invaders from the North profiles past and present comic geniuses, sheds light on unjustly neglected chapters in Canadas pop history, and demonstrates how this nation has vaulted to the forefront of international comic art, successfully challenging the long-established boundaries between high and low culture. Generously illustrated with black-and-white and colour comic covers and panels, Invaders from the North serves up a cheeky, brash cavalcade of flamboyant and outrageous personalities and characters that graphically attest to Canadas verve and invention in the world of visual storytelling.

Genres: Nonfiction, Comics, History

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

John Bell is a Lunenburg-based author and editor specializing in Canadian history, literature, and popular culture. A former editor of the poetry magazine Arc, John has contributed to The Literary Review of Canada, Event, This Magazine, Canadian Literature, and many other Canadian and American periodicals. As well, his work has appeared in The Canadian Encyclopedia and more than two dozen anthologies. He has also edited numerous anthologies and collections for Pottersfield Press and other publishers. During his nearly thirty-year career as a senior archivist at the National Archives, John served as the curator or co-curator of several major exhibitions and websites

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Invaders from the North: How Canada Conquered the Comic Book Universe; or, How Canada Sort of Limped Along, Unable to Establish a National, Mainstream Comic Industry, and Created a Bunch of Alternative Comics Instead While Exporting Talent to the U.S.

John Bell's History of English Canadian comics history certainly seems quite comprehensive, and contains a great deal of information that was new to me. The book often reads like a list, though, summarizing events in the briefest manner possible. When Bell editorializes, he displays the irritating Canadian tendency to inflate the positive qualities of homegrown product (see Captain Canuck) out of an obvious reaction to overwhelming American cultural saturation.

Bell also has a tendency to repeat himself, and one feels after a while that sections of the book are largely restructured portions from earlier, in a slightly different context.

However, it is often a fascinating read, and offers a wealth of historical detail.

[Mike Aragona · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic summary and history of the Canadian Comic Scene from the creators who started it all for Canada, and the creators who've kept our individual imprint "alive". Lots of information is packed in these chapters and I never tire of reading about our own Golden Age of comics.[return][return]The Chapters on our "glory" years of the 80's-90's is especially fascinating but that's mainly due to being friends with many of the creators involved as well as having lived through and being part of the independent movement of those years.[return][return]John Bell does an excellent job of analyzing what makes Canadian Comic Creators different. The spotlight features were both entertaining and informative, giving even someone like myself an extra appreciation for the works of certain creators.[return][return]A worthy addition to the libraries of any fans of Canadian Comics and History!

[Dominick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This history of (mainly English language) Canadian comic books (newspaper strips are mentioned in passing) is a decent overview, I guess, but it's somewhat repetitive, oddly illustrated (there seems little correlation between many of the images and the accompanying text), and, most seriously, just dull. It's heavy on facts, which are very useful, but light on interpretation,and it avoids getting into any contentious matters, for the most part. Structurally, it is odd, with a couple of spotlight chapters that don't quite fit in and seem to reuse/recycle material from elsewhere in the book; the result is a bit of a cobbled-together feel. Still, a useful resource.

[Teghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive book on the history of comic books in Canada. A fascinating and educational read for anyone interested in Canada's cultural history or the history of comics in general.

Great pictures too.