Town: St. John's in Comics (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781990521478)

Wallace Ryan is one of the province's first comic book artists, active since 1979. He co-created the province's first comic book and continues to contribute to publications like Newfoundland Quarterly. Ryan's style for this anthology features detailed black-and-white artwork with grey tones. "This book is a great little look into St. John's through the eyes of the artists who live here." Andrew Hawthorn is an author, illustrator, and journalist living in St. John's. His work has appeared in Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mythology from the Rock, Newfoundland Quarterly and The 19th Annual Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, from St. Martin's Griffin. His first collection, My Milkshake Brings all the Boys to the Yardarm was published by Heavy Sweater Comics in 2023. "I like black and white sketchy art, and that's what I try to do." Samuel Dinn is a cartoonist based in St. John's, NL. His detailed black-and-white artwork is influenced by the underground comix movement, especially the crosshatching style of Robert Crumb. Dinn balances respect for traditional forms with his own modern sensibility. "I love the honest, self-deprecating humour of artists like R.Crumb, and Joe Matt, it's a huge influence on my work." Kelly Bastow is a traditional illustrator and comic artist from Conception Bay South. She works with ink, watercolor, and gouache, focusing on flowing, rounded compositions and a cohesive visual finish. Her work has appeared in projects like Adventure Time comics and her own graphic novels. "Visual unity is very important to me -- I want images to look finished and pleasing to the eye." Paul Tucker is an award-winning comic book artist and illustrator based in St. John's, NL. He has been part of the local comics scene for decades and has published work with IDW, Vault Comics, and Image Comics. Tucker is an active mentor to emerging artists and a regular participant in comic jams. "Comics are so intrinsic to my day now that I make them without even thinking about it." Leon Chung is an author and illustrator based in Newfoundland and Labrador, specializing in children's books. His 2023 illustrated work, IsThisanOlogy?, was nominated for the Yellow Cedar Award. Chung combines traditional sketching, inking, and watercolor techniques to create colorful, lively illustrations. "I'm really happy to be part of this project alongside so many amazing artists." Nancy Pedri is Professor of English at Memorial University of Newfoundland, where she has taught since 2006. She is an award-winning author and has published extensively in the fields of comics studies, visual narratology, and word and image studies, including photography in literature. She has also edited or co-edited over 10 books or special issues of journals. Her latest monographs on comics, Experiencing Visual Storyworlds: Focalization in Comics with Silke Horstkotte (Ohio State UP) and A Concise Dictionary of Comics (UP of Mississippi) were published in 2022. Kevin Woolridge is a multidisciplinary artist from Goulds, NL, working in both theatre and cartooning. He is the founder of Heavy Sweater Comics, a small-press publisher. Woolridge works primarily in traditional media like brush, pen, and watercolor, creating comics for children and adults alike. "The comics that I draw, the characters are all made out of triangles and circles and squares and stuff for kids -- but also for adults." Mike Feehan is an illustrator from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador whose credits include Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant from IDW, and the GLAAD award-winning and Eisner-nominated miniseries Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles from DC. "I aim for really crisp, clean lines -- a lot of my work is influenced more by animation than comics."