SelfMadeHero invades Canada!

By John Freeman on May 5, 2014

As the massive Toronto-based TCAF prepares for its 2014 international celebration of comics and graphic novels, SelfMadeHero, the independent UK publisher of graphic novels, is attending with a number of its top creators from Britain and Europe.

British writer/ illustrator I.N.J. Culbard has built up a reputation for his H.P. Lovecraft adaptations and his latest book, Celeste, is his much anticipated first original sci-fi work. Eisner-winning UK artist Nick Abadzis, now resident in New York, has collaborated with author David Camus on The Cigar That Fell In Love With a Pipe, an imaginative take on Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth’s relationship at the time of the release of The Lady from Shanghai.

Berlin-based Reinhard Kleist, who made an impact with his graphic novel biography of Johnny Cash, tells the life of Holocaust survivor and champion prizefighter Harry Haft in The Boxer. Kleist will be in conversation with Alan Scott Haft, grandson of Harry and author of the biography on which The Boxer is based, at the Goethe Institute in Toronto on Sunday May 11 at 3pm.

Abel Lanzac and Christophe Blain are the creators of the bestselling political satire Weapons of Mass Diplomacy, based on Lanzac’s experiences as an advisor to former French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin. After selling half a million copies in France, the book was adapted into a successful movie under its original title, Quai D’Orsay (distributed in North America as The French Minister). All of the listed books are published by SelfMadeHero in Spring this year in both the UK and US.

The creators will take part in various talks and events throughout the weekend.

• TCAF (Toronto Comic Arts Festival) runs 10th – 11th May 2014. Full details can be found at: www.torontocomics.com

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.