NO ERASERS HARMED

Playing with Conventions

2012-01-18T11:26:00.000-08:00

Looking for an interesting course in literary theory?
The University of Winnipeg
ENGL 1003: Playing with Conventions:

This class provides students with an introduction to university-level literary study, with a focus on literary conventions and how artistic development proceeds through experimentation and the subversion of conventions. Together we will study select fiction, poetry, drama, and non-fiction, to indicate the vast diversity of literary work. We will discuss the theory and practice of literary criticism, and the role of historical and cultural factors in the creation and reception of literary work. Students will work to improve writing skills, research topics, and gain an awareness of the historical perspectives and theoretical approaches that inform the study of literature. We will approach literary works with attention to detail, how authors construct texts, and the role of literature in the wider world. Instead of viewing literary texts as coded puzzles which intimidate, we will focus on their logic and method.

and on the reading list:
the second book of THE IMAGINATION MANIFESTO.

Comics to full power.

GMB Chomichuk and John Toone will be on had in class on the 25th of January to talk about bending the conventions of, and experimenting with, the comic book format.

GMB Chomichuk is a Canadian writer, teacher, mixed-media artist, graphic novelist and proud Winnipeger. He won the Manitoba Young Writers Award when he was 15. He won the Manitoba Book Award for Best Illustrated Book in 2011 for his graphic novel serial The Imagination Manifesto. He always on the lookout for literary oddities. He puts words and pictures together. Some people call that alchemy. He calls that comics.

John Toone’s first collection of poetry, From Out of Nowhere, was published by Turnstone Press in spring 2009. He published two kids’ books in fall 2009, Catch that Catfish! and Hope and the Walleye. His poems also appear in the story Sixgun Quixote from the three volumes of the graphic novel serial The Imagination Manifesto (Alchemical Press). John is past president of the Manitoba Writers’ Guild. His next collection of poetry, Shot in the Woods, is a dark comedy inspired by the true story of when he was shot in the woods. No joke. Visit him online at www.johntoone.ca.

2012: This is the Year

2012-01-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

This is the year.

2012.

Lots of things are happening already.

Lots more on the way.

Alchemical Press has some big things in the works.

I can't wait to share.

I admit this weblog became a poor cousin to other projects, but you can expect some regular and updates and reposts from places like http://www.nerdsraging.com/news/gmb-chomichuk/ as well as some more step by step looks as writing and art projects. Plus all the exciting news to come.

Zap!

Words are Pictures.

2011-11-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

So I`ve been writing a column. It`s about all sorts of things. Art. Writing. Comics.

The current link list can be found here.
http://www.nerdsraging.com/news/gmb-chomichuk/

Coming soon: Comic Con and Book Launch News

Zap!

TIPSYTipsy: Full Power

2011-09-28T06:39:00.000-07:00

TipsyTipsy

Wow still sorting through the whirlwind of TipsyTipsy in my head and heart. What an amazing show. Kal is one of a kind. I'll post a full account of this incredible experience really soon. For now here's a few shots of our superwall and some live painting/drawing. The place was packed with people brimming with Winnipeg love and support. Wow. Kapow.

The last photo is from Kal's site, the rest of them are by attendees that were kind enough to bounce them to my twitter feed
You can find the authors of those photos along with their other photo collection right here!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/claudinegervais/6191012606/sizes/m/in/photostream/

http://yfrog.com/hsxq0usj

More about TipsyTipsy real soon. Zap.

tipsyTIPSY to Full Power

2011-09-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited about my upcoming pop-up show tipsytipsy with the very talented artist Kal Barteski and the "spirited" folks of Tipsy Thief imports. The skinny: It's a RSVP only show at the Manitoba Children's Museum with new work by myself and Kal, and live art by Kal and myself, and powered by the libations of Tipsy Thief. One night. 7-10. If you are reading this and you live in Winnipeg, bounce an email to the one above to get on THE LIST. The buzz has surprised me a bit as have the amount of RSVPs. Winnipeg, you are magic. I hope to see you there. Kapow. Go.

SUMMER SUMMER SUMMER!

2011-08-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

I've passed the mid point of summer and things are speeding up. I made a commitment to serious comic making at the same time I made a commitment to having as much fun with my wife and sons as I could this summer.

That means most days I'm up at 5-6, and after a great breakfast and some serious playtime with the oldest, it's off to comic-making-land for the rest of the morning. Afternoons are for swimming, and running, and anthills, and swinging and sliding and being the dinosaur. Evenings, are storybooks and making dinner and bath-times and bedtimes.

Being a dad has made me work harder at the things I love, to prioritize and shake off so much of the muddy nonsense that clings to the creative world. I just don't have time for bad attitudes and psychic leeches and shifty ne'er-do-wells. It's move forward or get out of the way, folks, dedicated people are coming through...

This September I've been invited to join the multi-talented Kal Barteski in a wine-show-art-show pairings event that gives me a chance to get some not-really-for-comics work out of the studio. Kal and I are experimenting with some visual dialog for the event, so expect some unique results. The more I see of Kal's work the more I wish I could brush letter my new secret project. I may have to ask her to do it.

September is also kids book fishing fun event at Fort Whtye with John Toone the author of our two kids books Catch That Catfish and Hope and the Walleye. We're going to read some stories do some art and go fishing in the sunshine. I love doing kids events.

October will see the launch of the third and final volume of The Imagination Manifesto my not-for-kids hardcover graphic album serial. This is the one folks. Everything comes together. Then it's off to the Central Canada Comic Con, which always proves to be a great time. The support of The Imagination Manifesto there surprises and humbles me. This year we will have 200 special ink-art hand-stamped signed and numbered C4 Exclusive editions of the first volume only available at the convention with a share proceeds helping to support Kids Help Phone.

I'm also proud to say that I'll be working the veteran comicer Lovern Kindzierski on a hundred plus page graphic novel for the next many months for Renegade Arts. It's set in winnipeg, and dances to the tune of Homer's Odyssey and is dark dark dark....

Writing and illustration have been very good to me lately, and I'll do my best to return the favour.

Pow!

What's this? A skull wearing a hat of course.

Things End. Things Begin.

2011-06-24T06:42:00.000-07:00

Things Begin

Was up too late the last few days.... totally charged with creative power. I've developed this theory that while my family sleeps their dreams fill the house and make it easier to be creative. Writing, drawing digital and analog painting and collage. There is some serious flow these last few days.

How Things End

I am very excited about the way the third ( and final!) Imagination Manifesto volume is coalescing. It's been such a part of my life for three years it's strange to see the trajectory of the final story take shape. October Release means finishing this summer. Or rather deciding. Because I've illustrated three endings to the title track, and I need to really fall in love with one before I can commit those characters to any such fate.

Gene Colan Dies .

When I was a kid, I discovered Gene Colan. His work, as I look back at it now, was so full of energy and life and power that sometimes it felt like I could hear it. He had a way to tilting viewpoints and streaking lines of motion that to me seemed impossible to replicate, like a magicians trick, so I just enjoyed them as I saw them and knew there was a master at work. He kept making stories with words and pictures right up until the end, and I just know that we're all missing out on the art he had to take with him when he went.

On Our Way Out

We're all on our way out I guess. But it's interesting to imagine my own sons finding Gene's work in their Dad's collection some day, laying on the living room floor in a beam of summer sun. They might turn those pages and see it all, fresh and new to them, and be inspired. All the best in your new adventure Mr Colan, thanks for leaving so many behind for us.

There is a tide in the affairs of men...

2011-06-17T06:29:00.000-07:00

A touch of juxtaposition, a sprinkle of Lovecraft and a polish of NASA, and my favourite lines from Julius Caesar find their way into the Imagination Manifesto.

“There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.”

THE SPIDER: MASTER OF MEN

2011-06-10T07:54:00.001-07:00

I love the old pulp characters, and really you can see their evolution from the Penny Dreadfuls of the age before. People like Sean Phillips and Ed Brubaker have dug back into them with Incognito ( "The secret ingredient is Pulp!"), and Moonstone revived a few. Project Superheroes gave it an interesting spin as well. But the one character I always wanted to see done with a different flare was The Spider. I'm working slowly on a passion project that polishes up a host of public domain characters and I just couldn't resist my own version of The Spider.

What's interesting is that he was created as a counter-sell to The Shadow, which is really all that Batman evolved out of six year later....don't get me wrong Kane did a lot of things right with the Batman, but if you look into his original stories he's sporting a .45 as well. It's like some psychonautic power fantasy that sprang into the American collective unconscious. If you're rich enough you can shoot people you think are wrong, and get away with it.....

The Spider of my imagination has some darker origins and is steeped a little longer in an occult brew. Here's my first attempt:

From wikipedia

The Spider was created by Harry Steeger at Popular Publications in 1933 as competition to Street and Smith Publications' vigilante hero, The Shadow. Similar to the character of The Shadow, The Spider was in actuality millionaire playboyRichard Wentworth living in New York and unaffected by the Great Depression. Wentworth fought crime by donning a black cape, slouch hat, and face mask to terrorize the criminal underworld with extreme prejudice and his own brand of vigilante justice.

The stories often involved a bizarre menace and a criminal conspiracy and were often extremely violent, with the villains engaging in wanton slaughter of literally thousands as part of their crimes. The first story was written by R. T. M. Scott, but later stories were published under a house name, Grant Stockbridge. Most of the Spider novels were written by Norvell Page. Other authors of the Spider novels included Emile C. Tepperman, Wayne Rogers, Prentice Winchell, and Donald C. Cormack. The Spider was published monthly and ran for 118 issues from 1933 to 1943. A 119th Spider novel manuscript had been completed but was not published until decades later, then as a rewritten mass-market paperback (see paperback novels section, below).

PECHA KUCHA

2011-06-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

Well this should be fun. I've been invited by the Canadian Society of Graphic Designers to take part in their Pecha Kucha Night!

Just what the heck is that?

"Some background: PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network and to show their work in public. But the concept has since turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring creatives worldwide. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of conversation ("chit chat"), it rests on a presentation format based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds – keeping presentations concise and moving at a rapid and entertaining pace."

I'll be lifting the curtain , I suppose, on my love affair with the golden ration in page layout and composition. Which might just make me look like an insane person. The good news is that it's only 20 x 20 before it's off to the looney bin.

What: PechaKucha Night, Vol. 6 in Winnipeg
When: Thursday June 9 - doors open at 7:30 pm (first speaker hits the stage at 8:20 pm)
Where: Park Theatre, 698 Osborne Street
How Much: $5 (suggested donation, at the door)

Our last event booked the place up super-fast, so if you're coming — and please, do — be sure to get there early to nab your seat!

Please see the full list with all the other guest here.

Update: What a fantastic night! I met so many people of like minds with so much creative energy and passion for what they do. Looking forward already to the September Pecha Kucha. ( I also finally learned how to pronounce the darned thing....)

The Gypsy Market

2011-05-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend I'll be participating in the Osborne Village Gypsy Market ( May 28th-29th). I'll have prints and final art and books for sale. As well, I'll be doing free sketches in any copies of the Imagination Manifesto or Insane Jane: Avenging Star that get put in front of me.

Should be a fun time, there are all sorts of vendors that show up with all manner handmade artifacts and art.

The Gypsy Market can be found at 209 Osborne right in the Gags Unlimited Parking Area. There is tons of parking on site at Osborne Antique Mall. See you there.

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY

2011-04-26T06:21:00.000-07:00

Oh what a glorious tradition.

On May 7th in comic stores round the world, publishers and retailers give away comics. Free. Amazing. So get yourself into a comic store. Find the one nearest you using the http://www.comicshoplocator.com/ .

To celebrate, I will be attending a signing with Lovern Kindzierski and Chris Chuckry . It should be a fun time swapping stories with Manitoba comicers down at COMICS AMERICA (552 Academy Road, Winnipeg)

Those of you who don't know Lovern Kindzierski, it's going to turn out that you do. Go and get nearly any comic with great colors from nearly any company and you are likely to find his name in the credits. (Comic Buyers Guide called him the most influential colorists of all time.) I put colour in my comics, but this guy uses the art of digital colour to make images sing.

Chris Chuckry is a comic illustrator and colorist whose work has really caught my eye lately. He's been doing colour work in one of my absolute favorite Vertigo Books, THE UNWRITTEN. He runs his own studio FROGROCKET and has done colour work and illustration for the bigs, and last I heard had a great kid's book project coming together. You can check out his blog right here, and see his work for yourself.

So really, you should be coming out to COMICS AMERICA to see Lovern and Chris who have been in this game much longer than me and long enough to hide a few skeletons in the perverbial closets. These two are amazing talents, and they're willing to chat with you about the biz, spend a few minutes and you'll learn something. I know I plan to.

I will also be handing out a free printing of our-friend-under-the-ocean Great Cthulhu... specifically made for Free Comic Book Day 2011 (FCBD MMXI). I'm still figuring on paper stock and such, but there will only be a few of them.... so if you're in the area stop by...plus as usual I'll be doing free sketches in any copy of the Imagination Manifesto (Book One or Two) the goes out the door....

...oh and if you happen to have preview pages for our Anthology Project, feel free to drop them by and chat.....

GIANTS on the move...

2011-04-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

Some interesting things are happening. Some of which I can tell you about soon.... and some which will probably have to wait a ( gasp) year before I can.

Pictured here is some work in progress.....and if the people in question like the direction then I'll be making many more just like it... and I'll have to work on those in secret, so I'm showing this one now because I love how it is turing out...and I love giants and you should too.

The Imagination Manifesto is well on its way to Book Three, and as with the last two years, ( wow. ) we will have advanced copies and limited edition covers at the Manitoba Comic Con ( just bought by Wizard World so you should see some interesting changes this year) Thank you to everyone who has sent in emails asking about the next volume, and who took the time to track down Books One and Two. (And I'm sorry in advance, not everyone makes it out alive in Book Three either...)

For those of you who didn't hear, The Imagination Manifesto Book Two is up for a Manitoba Book Award for Best Illustrated Book... and the gala is this weekend. Win or loose I'll post about the event so stay tuned.

All four issue of Insane Jane: the Avenging Star are out now ( see some reviews in the previous post) and I'm very happy with the way those books came together.

Call/ Response had an official/official release and we are very touched by the support we've seen for the project's benefactor Kids Help Phone. The wheels for Volume Two are already turning....so expect an official call for submissions soon.

The anthology project I'm editing is beginning to come together. We have a way to go yet and the selection have been VERY difficult...

What I really want to post are pages from two new graphic novel projects.... but as I said I'll have to wait a bit for that....

GMBC

REVIEWS of INSANE JANE: AVENGING STAR

2011-03-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

INSANE JANE: Avenging Star reviews Old and New... with links to their original sites.... don't forget your medication.

From TOR's Wednesday Pull List

Insane Jane—Avenging Star #1
Written by Darren Davis & Zach Hunchar
Art by GMB Chomichuk
(Bluewater Productions)

Pull: Absolutely.

Annie says: The best way to explain the premise for this comic is to take Joker, in Arkham Asylum, make him into a girl and less of a villain and you’ve got Insane Jane. Not only is this comic a pretty original plotline, it’s aesthetically maddening which, I think, is the entire point.

This comic stems from a miniseries that is also worth picking up. Jane is a regular woman who wants nothing more than to be a superhero; given the opportunity, she saves an innocent man from a convenience store robbery and creates an alter ego; The Avenging Star. As soon as Jane’s aspiration to become a superhero is obtained, her regular life spirals completely out of control. She’s beaten up verbally and physically, orphaned, and put under psychiatric care in an asylum, which is where this issue picks up.

Jane, who doesn’t sleep, spends most of her days talking to herself and recreating action scenes she encountered during her time as Avenging Star. She’s medicated on a daily basis and keeps to herself, until a new patient arrives, Grant. Grant comes in and suggests that he and The Avenging Star team up and break out of the asylum together. In a classic comic book manner, they do just that. The plot is original and well done. The rants that Jane goes on while alone are manic and perfectly convey that feeling to the reader; there should be no question in your mind that Jane is crazy because she is, in fact, absolutely insane.

The real focus of this review, though, is on the artwork used. It looks like a series of stock image backgrounds with classic depictions of the super villains that Jane fights. You can see the indentations on the paper and it has a great scrapbook feel to it. Saying it has a scrapbook feel almost diminishes how truly original it is, though. I took the time to dig through some of GMB Chomichuk and his style of illustration truly brings the stories he illustrates to life. In the case of Insane Jane, I am positive it could not have been done any other way; it is an absolute perfect match. I can’t find a whole lot of information about him but anyone who knows his work (or how to pronounce his first name?) should spread the information because not only is he talented but he’s doing great things for comic education.

Insane Jane: Avenging Star #2 and #3
Written by Zach Hunchar & Darren G. Davis
Art by GMB Chomichuk
(Bluewater)

Pull: Immediately.

Annie says: Having been floored by the first issue I was thrilled when I saw that issues two and three were on the pull list for this week. When we last left Jane and Grant they had just escaped from the asylum and were making a run for it from the hospital security guards. They are destined for adventure and these two issues embody the word.

In issue #2, we find out that not only are hospital security are after the duo but now the local police force is involved. They’re hot on the trail of our superheroes when they get to a waterfall and realize that there’s no possible way that anyone could survive the fall. Except they do. They’re wet and cold and now on the search for a secret lair. They stumble across a house they believe is vacant only to find that Jane’s arch nemesis, Omega One, is lurking in the background. Or is he? As Jane’s medication wears, Omega One is “revealed” as a hermit who had been living in the house that Jane and Grant broke into. After Jane dismantles Omega One’s face with a baseball bat, they decide this location is no longer secure and must move, quickly. They steal a car and decide to head to the train station, all the while, the police are trailing them. After crashing the car into the wall of the train station, our heroes soon realize that the train station is FULL of supervillains (aka pedestrians) and proceed to kill them all.

In issue #3 we find out that our heroes feel as if they need a little break, and head off to Las Vegas to take in some fun. Grant leaves to run some “errands” and tells Jane it might be best for her to relax and take a dip in the hotel pool. No one knows how they got a room or how they’re paying for said room or where Jane got a bikini so quickly but, it’s not really important. The important stuff happens when Omega One shows up again, this time as an ally. The information he gives to Jane is not only heartbreaking but explosive, in more ways than one.

What I continue to love about this comic is that the author does such a killer job of making sure the reader knows that these two characters are absolutely insane. Jane goes off on full-page, virtually incoherent tangents about who knows what and as soon as you flip the page, she’s back to giggling and having a great time, totally innocent to the grim reality she’s creating for herself during these mass killing sprees. You can’t help but love her character because she honestly doesn’t know that what she is doing is wrong. When she uses a rake to smash a pedestrian’s skull apart, she thinks she’s helping make the world a better place. The artwork is consistent in these issues in giving the reader an insight into Jane and Grant’s brains. There is not one bad thing I can say about this comic, ladies and gents. Not one bad thing at all.

From Majorspoilers.com

Insane Jane -Avenging Star #1
Writer: Darren G. Davis & Zach Hunchar
Pencils: GMB Chomichuk
Cover Artist: GMB Chomichuk
Published by Bluewater Productions

Previously, on Insane Jane: Jane was a mousy young thing who wanted nothing more than to be amazing, spectacular, invincible and other adjectives that Stan Lee was fond of. A chance encounter with a convenience store robbery changed her life forever, filling her with zeal to save the innocent and become… The Avenging Star! With her homemade costume, Jane patrolled the streets fighting evil (or whatever passed for evil.) Her first interactions with a villain called the Shadowy Man sent Jane into a spiral of tragedy as bad things began happening all around her, leaving her life forever changed. After her initial foray into superheroics, Jane (whose last name I’ve searched for and can’t find in my copies of the original miniseries) has been left with scars physical and emotional, orphaned (through means that you honestly HAVE to see in order to believe) and under professional psychiatric care in an asylum. That is where this story begins…

My first impression of this book is how DIFFERENT the art is from the first mini. In her initial outings, Jane was drawn in a style that is reminiscing of Scott Kurtz work on ‘Captain Amazing,’ a soft-edged cartoony art style that evoked a sense of fun and wacky adventures (and really set off the climactic horrors of that first series nicely.) Jane herself was always presented in full color, while the people around her and her day-to-day grind were all black and white, a device that worked very well. This issue’s art is a whole new ballgame, an impressionistic, almost photo-collage that reminds me favorably of the work of Dave McKean and Bill Sienkiewicz. Jane starts the issue in her padded room, hallucinating her wonderful battles as The Avenging Star, before remembering that it’s all hallucination. “I need to make a change,” thinks our heroine. “I don’t want to end up like SOME people here… They’re crazy!” Heh… Given that she says this with her face still scarred by her own actions, there’s some black humor in that statement.

Indeed, there’s black humor throughout the issue, introducing (possibly) a new inmate named Grant who seems to share her love of costumed characters. Insane Jane has a really impressive stream-of-consciousness freakout halfway through the book that ends with her deciding that the nurse who gives Jane her daily meds is the source of all her troubles… and Nurse Gayman MUST BE STOPPED. Jane and Grant become partners in crime, and the issue ends with them making a run for the border in a beautifully illustrated sequence. To be honest, the whole issue is visually stunning, changing the black-and-white to color motif of the first Insane Jane miniseries and swapping it for a new dichotomy: the backgrounds and bit players take on the pea-green cast of the institutional paint used at the asylum, while Jane gets a lively pastel palette, and her hallucinations are drawn in a harsh (but appropriate) blood-red color. The issue also goes places that I never expected, places that the usual “hero feigning madness” stories could NEVER have attempted, allowing us to see something new and different that characters firmly established in a regular superhero reality simply wouldn’t be able to do.

My major concern with this issue is the VAST gulf in tone and art-style from the previous Insane Jane series, a change that could be off-putting to anyone who loved the cartoon adventures of the girl in the homemade cape, but even that doesn’t undermine how neat the visuals are. Setting this “superhero” character in an entirely mundane, real-world setting gives her a depth that could be fun to watch the creators play with, and I like the joy that she takes in her hallucinated hero adventures. It is, admittedly, a dark tale (though not yet as dark as the climax of the first miniseries) and as the first issue of four, it may not accurately portray what the whole mini is really going to be about, but it does give you enough to get you interested in who this girl is, what’s up with her backstory (a bit of business that is touched on multiple times, but never explicitly spoiled in the issue) and what kind of mischief she might be able to get into. The test of success with any title (but especially with many independents) is “Does this story remind me too much of anything else?” Aside from some naming similiarities (Crazy Jane of the Doom Patrol is similarly themed, but a completely different take, while Painkiller Jane… um… exists. I’ve never read any of her stories, but I have it on good authority that her conceptualization is different) this book isn’t a take on somethin we’ve seen before or a love-letter to another body of work. There’s still some (probably intentional) ambiguity regarding Grant and his motives, but overall, it’s an engaging book that I went through more than once just to goggle at the art. Insane Jane – The Avenging Star #1 is interesting, visually stimulating, and creepy-in-a-good-way, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall. Bluewater Productions just got this one on my pull list…

From Famous Monsters of Filmland

Comic Review: Insane Jane: Avenging Star Issue 1

Posted by Dominic in Comics, Latest News, Reviews on July 7th, 2010

When it comes to musicals, if I don’t enjoy the music I’m not going to enjoy the show. I have a similar issue with comics. If I don’t take to the artwork, Ray Bradbury could have written the story and I’d be hard pressed to continue reading the series. This poses a problem from time to time when reviewing comics. Say I’m on the fence about a story, if the artwork is through the roof fantastic I may be swayed to review the comic a bit better than I otherwise intended. What happens when the artwork annoys me so much I just can’t see past my minor issues with the story?

Thus is the case with Bluewater Comics follow up to the well received 2008 miniseries Insane Jane written by Darren G. Davis. Not being familiar with the original comic I was at a loss on my initial reading of the first issue of Insane Jane: Avenging Star co-written by Darren G. Davis and Zach Hunchar. Completely thrown off by GMB Chomichuks artwork (which I’ll discuss later in the review) I had to re-read the first few pages a couple of times just to harness any interest to continue reading. That is a big issue for me when it comes to enjoying comics. However, I know well enough that first impressions of any kind aren’t always the best impressions so I persevered and finished issue 1.

Did I enjoy the comic? That is a tricky question. Initially I’d have to say no, I didn’t care for the issue. That is not to say I didn’t enjoy parts of the story, or that I have no appreciation for the comic itself. The idea of a girl living in an insane asylum who believes herself to be a super hero is quite fantastic actually, and I rather enjoyed seeing the concept unfold throughout the pages. Unfortunately, I simply could not get emotionally attached to Jane or any of the other characters. Keeping in mind this is the first issue, I am hesitant to giveInsane Jane: Avenging Star a bad mark.

As I mentioned earlier my biggest problem was the artwork. I did not like the artwork for this issue. To some, the skewed realism may seem apropos to the content of the fiction. I toyed with this idea for a while, and though I don’t disagree with said idea, I simply didn’t take to GMB Chomichuks work plain and simple.

I read comic’s for fun. I couldn’t tell you who the top sought after artists or writers are. I don’t make a fuss over who’s drawing a certain cover. I like what I like and that’s all there is to it. I realize by saying thus any hard core comic book enthusiasts reading this review may completely disregard my critique of this comic; as they should. My intention is to peak your interest in either direction so you may be curious enough to go out and pick up a copy and make your own decision. My opinion is noted, Insane Jane is a little too insane for me, but check it out for yourself and decide for yourself.

From Calliopes Realm

Insane Jane -Avenging Star #1

Writer: Darren G. Davis & Zach Hunchar
Pencils: GMB Chomichuk

Release Date August 2010

First late me state that this book is insane in a very good way. Second for those who were fans of the original mini series this is going to be a major departure for you, especially artwork wise.

The new artwork departs greatly from the cartoony feel of the first mini series and is now more of a Alex Maleev meets Darwyn Cooke Pop Culture fusion. I really enjoyed not only the new tone storywise where Jane is in an insane asylum trying not to go “crazy”, but the shift in art really brings the dark undertones of the writing out. Jane decides near the end of the first issue with help from Grant, a new inmate that she is indeed the Avenging Star and that her superheroics were not a delusion. This results in her and Grant escaping after taking out several of the staff of the asylum. The only complaint with the issue is the long soliloquy, by Jane that leads her to determine that she is a superhero. Other than that the artwork and writing are stellar. The book earns 4 out of 5 stars and you should definitely

AND THE NOMINEES ARE....

2011-03-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

MANITOBA BOOK AWARDS SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED

The Manitoba Writers’ Guild and the Association of Manitoba Book Publishers are pleased to announce the Manitoba Book Awards shortlists.

Best Illustrated Book of the Year:

The Imagination Manifesto – Book Two by G.M.B. Chomichuk, with James Rewucki and John Toone, cover design and illustrations by G.M.B. Chomichuk, published by Alchemical Press Ltd.

The Mosaic Village: An Illustrated History of Winnipeg’s North End by Russ Gourluck, cover design by Relish Design Studio, published by Great Plains Publications

Nanabosho and the Butterflies by Joe McLellan and Matrine McLellan, illustrated by Jackie Traverse, design by Relish Design Studio, published by Pemmican Publications

Winnipeg Art Gallery: Guide to the Collections, edited by Stephen Borys, design by Lisa Friesen, photography by Ernest Mayer, published by Winnipeg Art Gallery

you can click here for the full list of nominees

It is amazing to be selected out of all the great books published this year in Manitoba, and to be put on the short list in such fine company is an honour. The local support for the Imagination Manifesto has been a phenomenon and we thank everyone who has bought, begged or borrowed a copy of Book One and was intrigued enough to seek out Book Two. The third volume will be here soon!

"Once More Unto The Breach Dear Friends..."

2011-02-28T06:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a sneak peek at work in progress for The Tomorrow Society story in Volume 3 of THE IMAGINATION MANIFESTO....
I tend to work with too many layers, and at times it takes me much too much time to add scratches and stains and rough-ups. But I feel that it sets a tone for the story, a gritty lens to look through to the action... and that feeling is as important to me as the line work or colours. This one had a lot more smoke when I imaged it originally, so it might get a few more layers of fog added later....

At first glance this one feels a bit empty as a composition, with all that bare landscape between the two characters, but remember, this unlettered story page still needs the last ( and maybe the most important) addition, the words.

Feel free to order the latest editions of Volumes One and Two of the IMAGINATION MANIFESTO.... by clicking HERE and HERE or for you Amazons click HERE. If you're interested in buying a limited edition print check out the Strange Market

COMICS NEEDS YOU. YES YOU.

2011-01-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

Ah 2011. It's going to be a busy busy year.

We've got some big announcements on there way as we begin work with some amazingly talented canadian authors this year on a collection of new graphic novellas, novels and literary oddities... The Imagination Manifesto Volume Three will be out this October... we have a new graphic novel review column... and a bunch of interesting events... and a fun schedule of conventions.... so stay tuned.

2011 is the first year of our new anthology project. So.....SEND US YOUR SUBMISSIONS.

ALCHEMICAL PRESS wants your short comics work for an upcoming anthology. From One to Ten pages in length. We're at work on a full-color anthology. Aliens. Poetry. Super Hero. Zombies. Literary adaptations (Public Domain of course) . Illustrated Short Stories. Love Stories. You name it, we want to see it. Send us a link.

Authors and artists will be paid, retain creator rights and be eligible for profit share of the anthology. But before any of that can happen we need your Story. Send us links and only links. We cannot ( and will not) open unsolicited attachments.

Here is to a great 2011, we look forward to seeing the impact you will make on comics, books and art.

Thinking Big

2010-11-09T18:47:00.000-08:00

During the launch event for second volume of The Imagination Manifesto I had the audience participate in a surrealist exercise call the exquisite corpse to help me develop a scene for the third volume. Everyone got to draw portions of monsters then combine them, then I selected one at random... and did a bit of live art to put the new monster in the scene. In this way the audience adds to the piece in a way I cannot anticipate, and thus something I would never think of on my own is the result. The Audience become a medium to the work.

Poet Ariel Gordon is pictured here with the finished product from that night.... She insisted on carrying it out. Lucky for me it's half inch MDF and quite heavy, otherwise she might have made a break for it....

So with I had a great big shiny new wavy armed monster .... which I then took back to it's home at the school...

...I gathered the weapons I would need....

Sharpies ( Five sizes)

Staedtlers ( Three sizes)

India Ink

Paint ( acrylic and water color)

White out ( pens and bottles)

Acrylic glaze ( matte and gloss)

Sketchbooks and reference drawings

Then about twenty minutes a day I've been using it as a means to show my students some of the pitfalls of large scale work in mixed media.

(Which has included an odd effect as the ink from the sharpie turns dry acrylic paint into a squishy odd consistency.)

Putting the "Hero" into the picture has proven to be a challenge as I wanted her to be overlapped by the monster to demonstrate to students the way that overlapping objects help us understand the relationship between objects....But the monster had gone in without any such consideration, so I had to find a nice blend of the effect I wanted withing the limitations of the work so far....

Once I got to thinking about her, and talking over some ideas with students, I opted for a large wild haired character that I had drawn before, but I wanted to place in a MUCH different context and see what stories this would create in my mind.

Once things started to take shape I started adding "waves" of buildings as I wanted to create the look of two "people" wading through deep water ...

The color process is ( so far) mostly water color, which is tricky on this sort of piece as I've been working in it with the surface upright. The water color layers must be thin enough not to drip or slide.... I use a thin wash of india ink for a drop shadow on all the negative space, which is s subtle touch but one that adds a bit of contrast to the figures .....

It's interesting to make art in front of an audience, and then to use it as a tool for instruction. Questions about art while it is being made can change the thoughts of the artist, and I think that is why so many of us work in seclusion. For me, to have the process right there to be scrutinized has been as much an education for me as for my students.

As the piece takes shape I'll keep you all posted! (As well I'll be posting links to my twitter: twitter.com/gmbchomichuk along with anything on my mind that is too short to blog about....)

COMIC CON 2010! KAPOW!

2010-11-02T12:18:00.001-07:00

photo by An Nguyen ( Thanks!)

The Central Canada Comic Convention has come and gone, leaving in its wake a host of exhausted volunteers, attendees and comics professionals. This year was a great time for the Imaginary Army of Alchemical Press.

Photo Courtesy of J. Garth Wilcox ( Thanks!)

Also check out a pretty funny video about the con, which includes an "Interview" with our friend "Cheetara"
http://video.citytv.com/video/detail/657215453001.000000/evan-takes-in-comic-con/

We sold lots of books and prints and original art, which is great. But the real success was the feedback from people about the books. When Book One of the Imagination Manifesto came out we really encouraged people to let us know what they thought about the stories and approach we were taking to them.

In a market that has operated under certain creative limitations for decades it has been great to see our little hybrid finding an audience, and one that came back, and waited in a line to get their minds on the next volume. Its that kind of support that helped us get to the number one spot of McNally Robinsons Bestseller list for October. Thanks for embracing The Imagination Manifesto we promise some more things beautiful and strange.

Photos ops with two of the Imaginary Army also helped to raise almost five hundred dollars for the Kids Help Phone which was a surprising example of the generous nature of the Winnipeg attendees! (Special Thanks to Alicia and Ashley)

Alchemical Press is proud to be the publisher of Call/Response and upcoming hardcover literary oddity in support of the Kids Help Phone filled with Amazing writing photos and strange artifacts that looks carefully at the liminal zones of music and youth, audience and performer. Check out the website for news about the book, live shows, and other bombastics. you can also help us pick the cover.....

We had a great time with our interviews with the fine people of the Girls Entertainment Network and we thank them for for all the time they spent really getting to know the books. As soon as it's up well let you know.

We also gave away a tons of kids books, one to every young attender that wandered by the booth. I hope they enjoy their complimentary copy of Hope and the Walleye and Catch That Catfish.

All in all it was a great Convention. Word on the street was that it was just bought by Wizards so we'll see how that affects things for next year. When it might be called Wizard World Winnipeg? Lets hope that they keep Artist alley up front and central as they have for years. Without the artists and writers after all, there aren't comics....

Soon we'll be announcing some more comics workshops soon so stay tuned. There are alos some great announcements on their way about some great creative talents Alchemical Press is proud to enlist in the Imaginary Army!

IMAGINATION MANIFESTO BOOK TWO LUANCH PARTY OCTOBER 28th @ McNally Robinson Booksellers

2010-10-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

Well it's that time of year again.... as the Ghouls and goblins slide out into the forefront and the strange things from the between places come out to play. Join us this OCTOBER 28th for the Lunch of Book Two of the IMAGINATION MANIFESTO.

This is your perfect chance to get something for the graphic novel fan in the family, created by Local talent.

This graphic album contains FIVE stories: THE IMAGINATION MANIFESTO, THE TOMORROW SOCIETY, SIXGUN QUIXOTE, AEGRI SOMNIA and introducing MAGIC WORDS.

Author/Artist GMB Chomichuk will be there along with authors John Toone and James Rewucki to talk about the creative process, share stories and make art before your very eyes.

Come on down for a chance to get the limited edition cover ( limited to 500) , have the book signed by the authors and drawn in by the artist....

Thursday Oct 28 2010 7:30 pm, Winnipeg, Grant Park in the Atrium

For a look at the official listing at McNally Robinson Book Sellers click here

REGULAR COVER:

Limited edition cover.

FISH FUN and FORT WHYTE

2010-09-09T04:38:00.000-07:00

Sunday, September 19th, 2010 - 1PM to 3PM
FortWhyte Alive - 1961 McCreary Road

Join author John Toone and graphic artist Gregory "Tom" Chomichuk for the reading of Catch that Catfish! and Hope and the Walleye. Kids will get to the chance to share fish stories by making their own graphic novel to take home. Spend the rest of the afternoon fishing with your family while learning about local fish species and environmental stewardship. All families get to take home a signed copy of Catch that Catfish! Fee: $15/family, $10 for member families.

(Not sure why but I'm listed as TOM in the the program. I guess I started a new alias and didn't know it!--G)

THINGS TO COME: MTV EXCLUSIVE

2010-08-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

Well the news dropped on this so I can share....

It was a treat to work on Walter Koenig's treatment, as I like some many of us grew up on a steady diet of Star Trek and Babylon 5. When I received the piece there was no advanced blurb to let me know what was coming.... so I settled in to read this struggle of post-apocalyptic men and women then suddenly.... hey they're vampires! As Mr. Koenig puts it;

"The one intelligent species that can survive in this post-apocalyptic world are vampires, and they are a bridge from what has gone before, which is this self-destruction of the human race, and what will come after,"

You can read the whole story on the MTV SPLASHPAGE EXCLUSIVE

Here is the cover to Walter Koenig's THINGS TO COME

And if you haven't yet go out there and pick up THE IMAGINATION MANIFESTO and INSANE JANE: AVENGING STAR or AEGRI SOMNIA: A Sick Man's Dreams..... or if you need something a little more kid friendly CATCH THAT CATFISH and HOPE AND THE WALLEYE

Or send your art and writing to the Call/Response Kids Help Phone project!

Oh and don't forget to get your art fix at THE STRANGE MARKET!

Super-powered Literacy!

2010-07-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

Had a great time at our JOIN THE FIGHT! MAKE COMICS! event. Met great people, shared some of the trial and tribulations of getting comics made and into the world... and was very happy to see so many people SERIOUS about the craft.

All proceeds of the workshop went to the Manitoba Writers' Guild. Thanks to McNally Robinson Booksellers for hosting, and to the artists and writers who joined the fight to make comics.

Also:
Super-Powered Literacy: The Benefits of Comics in the Classroom

July 21, 2010—Dismissed by generations of parents and educators for being “sub-literate” comic books and graphic novels may hold the key to promoting prose literacy in young boys—who have traditionally lagged behind girls in reading—says the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL).

Where do I find TENTACLES in the Workplace Health and Safety Guide?

2010-07-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

Alchemical Press ( and Yours Truly ) are Working hard this summer on a a number of things... The next hardcover edition of THE IMAGINATION MANIFESTO.... which contains four more strange tales ( see a preview of each from the first volume just click : The Imagination Manifesto, The Tomorrow Society, Aegri Somnia, Sixgun Quixote)

A redux of the 10th Muse .....a darker version of the character than you've ever seen steeped in the strange underbelly of Greek Mythology....

....A crazy little story about an Acrobat...

....A strange kid's book with giant robots...

.....a new graphic novel project.....

Plus you can check out the progress of

INSANE JANE: AVENGING STAR which has been getting some great advanced reviews ( Thank you!) you can see a preview of that here!

and on July 14th, the indie horror sensation that is AEGRI SOMNIA: A Sick Man's Dreams is available at ( cue creepy music ) Walmart. You can read a graphic novel exploration of the world of AEGRI SOMNIA serialized in the IMAGINATION MANIFESTO and see a preview of it here or watch the trailer for it here.

....also a few new secret comic projects that I can't wait to announce....

until then:

Got some crazy story ideas? Want to Join the Fight! and Make Comics!?

You can catch up with us in July here....or follow us on Twitter or Facebook

Kapow.

JOIN THE FIGHT!

2010-06-21T15:20:00.000-07:00

JOIN THE FIGHT AT MCNALLY ROBINSON

Graphic Storytelling Workshop

"Graphic Storytelling Workshop, Tuesday July 13 & Tuesday July 20, 7:00-9:00 pm in the Travel Alcove. Join the Fight! Make Comics! Join Manitoba Book Award nominees John Toone and GMB Chomichuk, the authors and artist of The Imagination Manifesto, in these two special graphic-storytelling workshops. These nights will take you from pen to page, from finding your storytelling strengths to finding a publisher. Bring your portfolio, scripts, concepts, ideas and an open mind for these evenings of discussion and creative brainstorming. Registration is $10 and can be paid at McNally Robinson Booksellers, Grant Park. All proceeds benefit the Manitoba Writers? Guild. E-mail events (at) grant.mcnallyrobinson.ca for further details."

http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/editorial-1567/Graphic-Storytelling-Workshop

IMAGINARY ARMY New Recruits!

2010-06-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

A special thanks to everyone who came out the Millennium Library in May and June...

Next stop McNally Robinson Graphic Storytelling Workshop, Tuesday July 13 & Tuesday July 20, 7:00-9:00 pm !!! JOIN THE FIGHT! (click for the link)

"Join Manitoba Book Award nominees John Toone and GMB Chomichuk, the authors and artist of The Imagination Manifesto, in these two special graphic-storytelling workshops. These nights will take you from pen to page, from finding your storytelling strengths to finding a publisher. Bring your portfolio, scripts, concepts, ideas and an open mind for these evenings of discussion and creative brainstorming. Registration is $10 and can be paid at McNally Robinson Booksellers, Grant Park. All proceeds benefit the Manitoba Writers? Guild. E-mail events (at) grant.mcnallyrobinson.ca for further details."

AVENGING STAR : PREVIEW!

2010-06-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

Just click on the viewer below and you can take your first look at the finished pages of the new INSANE JANE: AVENGING STAR! the latest co-production between the forces Alchemical Press and Bluewater Productions....

"Comics' most crazed champion is back! Trapped in a 'Hospital for the Mentally Unhinged,' the loony lion-heart must fight for her freedom and survival. With the help of her trusty new side-kick, the forces of evil are on the run. Or, maybe she's just imagining this. Either way, Jane's back and she's crazier than ever! "

(W) Darren G. Davis, Zach Hunchar (A) GMB Chomichuk

Open publication - Free publishing - More avenging star

DOOMPILOT: MOBILIS

2010-06-04T08:36:00.000-07:00

DOOMPILOT: MOBILIS

Jonathan Ball wrote an incredible machine/book of poems, and I was invited to remix part of it for a launch event. The book EX MACHINA is an amazing look at the relationship between authorship and reproduction of the one true ruling species on this planet: ideas. In the spirit of the book ( which was published under a commons license) I provide it to you free for your viewing pleasure....

Open publication - Free publishing - More swords

--A long poem at the fringes of the Canadian tradition, Ex Machina is a latticework of poetic and philosophical statements concerning the symbiosis of humans, books, and machines. A series of three intertwining sequences, the reader is encouraged to move back and forth from statement to statement, seeking development but meeting frustration. The reader thus becomes a larval stage in the poem’s development, forging connections between its disparate parts during the course of this mental processing, as the text evolves over multiple readings.

--[Ball is] one of our most exciting young poets, and Ex Machina is a fresh, daring, original take on the us of us. – Robert Kroetsch

Jonathan Ball is a writer, filmmaker, scholar, and the former editor of dANDelion. Ex Machina is the first book to which he belongs. Visit him online at www.jonathanball.com

CM likes HOPE.....

2010-05-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

A bit of the great review in CM Magazine for Hope and the Walleye :

__ CM . . . . Volume XVI Number 30 . . . , 2010

Hope and the Walleye.

John Toone. Illustrated by G.M.B. Chomichuk.
Winnipeg, MB: Alchemical Press (www.alchemicalpress.com), 2009.
26 pp., pbk, $9.00.
ISBN 978-0-9813550-2-3.

Grades 6 and up / Ages 11 and up.

Review by Danya David.

*** /4

"...Great deliberation is exercised with the construction of the panels. Scenes and images are conceptually and thematically linked, rather than, for example, being arranged according to literal/chronological sequencing. Because of this slightly more complex or abstract relationship between frames, a deeper level of reader engagement is engendered with the story as a whole....

...This is but one way in which Toone and GMB Chomichuk make brilliant use of the graphic novel format, making readers discover on their own what's between the lines, or rather, between the panels. The duo also plays with panel size (and shape to a certain degree), deliberately altering size and positioning in order to affect the story's pace and flow, inducing momentum at certain points in order to highlight key moments and ideas...."

Recommended.

Danya David is a graduate of UBC's Master of Arts in Children's Literature program.

see the whole review here

AVENGING STAR...

2010-05-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

INSANE JANE AVENGING STAR

Insane Jane: Avenging Star #1
Writer(s): Darren G. Davis & Zach Hunchar
Pencils: GMB Chomichuk
Cover Artist(s): GMB Chomichuk

'Comic's most crazed champion is back! Trapped in a "Hospital for the Mentally Unhinged" our loony lion-heart must fight for her freedom and survival. With the help of her trusty new side-kick, the forces of evil are on the run. Or, maybe she's just imagining this. Either way, Jane's back and she's crazier than ever!'

This one has been a great ride.... as I put the finishing touches on issue 4......... I hope people enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed making it. Not your typical super hero book.... at least not while your off the meds....

VINCENT PRICE PRESENTS #22

2010-05-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

"...sporting a nice new cover by GMB Chomichuk hits comic stores this AUGUST..."

This was great fun to work on, I dug into my collection of old black and white movies and watched as much Price as I could...and HAD to put a raven in there....

CALGARY COMIC EXPO: FIVE by FIVE

2010-04-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

A stampede of comic fans hit the Calgary Comic and Sci-Fi Expo on the weekend and Alchemical Press and Absurd Machine Studios were happy to be among them. The five Highlights of the Convention for us included:

1: See people: Meet People

We had a great time at the Expo, our booth was right across from our favorite Canadian comic publisher Red Five Comics ( Atomic Robo!) , next door to the great new webcomic Fearful Symmetry and back to back with the stellar Canadian comic news and entertainment site Comic Book Bin. The gents at the Top Cow booth were drawing up a storm and I finally got a copy of Aethric Mechanics at the Avatar table. Picked up the newest issue of Proof from Riley Rossmo’s table ( because Bigfoot should be in more comics) Got to speak with one of my favorite illustrators Christopher Shy who shared the skinny on the next installment of Silent Leaves. Steve Niles was kind enough to wait for a sketched-in copy of The Imagination Manifesto, and the kid standing next to him couldn’t believe that Horror’s commander-in-chief was close enough to touch. That’s a great thing about the conventions, everyone is right there.

2: That’s a Bluewater Book?:

Got a lot of people squinting at the Bluewater logo along side of our Alchemical Press logo and saying “this a Bluewater book? It’s so dark… and scary.” We have a decidedly adult book and from the beginning Bluewater Productions has been great at helping us with distribution and reviews and cross-marketing in the US to help get our books into places people don’t often associate with comics: Public Libraries, School libraries and big book store chains like Borders. They have been and continue to be a big supporter of the cause to bringing people from outside of the fold into comic stores. We love it when people perceptions are shifted, however slightly out of a preconceived notion.

3: Comics Film : Film to Comics:

Another great receptions was for Aegri Somnia: A Sick Man’s Dreams and independent psychological horror film that picked up distribution with R Squared, and will beginning a tour of theatres beginning in New York City later this year. Everyone who saw the trailer on our screen or on the Ipad were excited to see more ( except for that one group of little kids who may never sleep again) . I was lucky enough to have James Rewucki let us play with his characters and in his world for our Aegri Somnia story in the Manifesto, and it was great to see the two mediums support each other. Comics are not film, Film is not Comics, but I think they live on the same street.

4: Art : Art Art Art

There were so many talented folks in the Artist Alley and so much great work to be see. Its humbling to be able to speak face to face with the people who are directly responsible, chatting about technique, form, line, inspiration, composition, material and all the other esoterics that make making art so rewarding.

5: Beard Team Canada: You heard me.

The inestimable Dylan Fries of the Vagabond Brigade and his gallant mustache were in full form promoting Beard Team Canada. His new documentary about beards promises to galvanize the enfolicaled public, and reveal the true and awesome power of facial hair.

THE IMAGINATION MANIFESTO AT CALGARY COMIC AND ENTERTAINMENT EXPO!

2010-04-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

On APRIL 24th and 25th head on down to the Calgary Comic and Sci Fi Expo, FIND BOOTH 212! and get your copy of the Manitoba Book Award Nominated IMAGINATION MANIFESTO , original art, prints, as well as copies of CATCH THAT CATFISH ( also Manitoba Book Award Nominated!) HOPE AND THE WALLEYE, the last few very hard to get copies of MYRIAD TALES and ENDSWELL.

Writers/Creators/Artists: GMB Chomichuk, John Toone, James Rewucki, Mike Sanders, Alicia Doan and Dylan Fries will all be in attendance to sign copies, make art, make conversation, and generally have a good time at one of Canada's Largest Comic Expos!

The Imagination Manifesto nominated for BEST FIRST BOOK 2010 Manitoba Book Awards

2010-03-10T21:47:00.000-08:00

Imagine my surprise at three separate Manitoba Book Award Nominations! One for The Imagination Manifesto and two for Catch that Catfish! I'm humbled by the support. You can see the other ( more) deserving folks below:

Manitoba Book Awards 2010 Shortlists

Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book

Denying the Source: The Crisis of First Nation Water Rights by Merrell-Ann S. Phare, published by Rocky Mountain Books

From Out of Nowhere by John Toone, published by Turnstone Press

The Imagination Manifesto by G.M.B. Chomichuk, James Rewucki, and John Toone, published by Alchemical Press

Talk by Michael Nathanson, published by Playwrights Canada Press

McNally Robinson Book of the Year for Young People Award (Younger Category)

Catch That Catfish! By John Toone and GMB Chomichuk, published by Alchemical Press

Freddie`s Problem by Resa Ostrove, published by Peanut Butter Press, illustrated by Jason Doll

G is for Golden Boy by Larry Verstraete, published by Sleeping Bear Press

Tansi by Flora Rideout, published by Goldrock Press

Timmerman Was Here by Colleen Sydor, published by Tundra Books

Best Illustrated Book of the Year Award

All our Changes: Images from the Sixties Generation by Gerry Kopelow, cover design by Doowah Design, interior design by Doowah Design and Gerry Kopelow, published by University of Manitoba Press

Catch That Catfish! by John Toone, illustrated by G.M.B. Chomichuk published by Alchemical Press

Dead on Arrival: Faculty of Architecture, University of Manitoba Journal 2009 by various contributors, design by Zach Pauls, published by DoA Press

A Memory of Sky by Jim Shilliday, design by Relish Design Studio, published by Great Plains Publications

Sillons : hommage à Gabrielle Roy, sous la direction de Lise Gaboury-Diallo, graphiste et illustrateur Bernard Léveillé, contributions de plusieurs illustrateurs, publié par Les Éditions du Blé

The Manitoba Writers’ Guild (MWG) and the Association of Manitoba Book Publishers (AMBP) announced the Manitoba Book Awards shortlists today. Winners will be announced at the Manitoba Book Awards gala, on Sunday, April 25, 2010, at the Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain (CCFM), 340 boulevard Provencher. A pre-awards reception will begin at 7:00 p.m. and the ceremony will run from 8:00–10:00 p.m. Admission is free and the event is open to the public. This year's ceremony will be hosted by Neil Besner, Vice President and former Dean of Arts of the University of Winnipeg.

GET your Copies at THE STRANGE MARKET: THE IMAGINATION MANIFESTO and CATCH THAT CATFISH! and HOPE AND THE WALLEYE

REMIX MACHINA

2010-02-23T08:43:00.000-08:00

I'll be at AQUA BOOKS this Wednesday to read my remix of Jon Ball's new poetry collection ( Which is out from Book Thug). There are a bunch of creative folks who have take the book and remixed it with their own words. The book EX MACHINA was released under the creative commons license. Why you ask? Because this allows the alien ideas inside to spread more easily to the population that Mr. Ball wishes to subjugate.

I'll also be giving out the comic version of my reading to all the lucky attendees.... You can view the event on Auqa's site by clicking here

meanwhile here's a look at some of the art for Mobilis in Mobili my contribution to the evening... which is a story device powered by the reader's physical contact.... ( what the heck does that mean? Come to the event, get one and find out!)

kapow.
GMB Chomichuk

"Houston we've had a problem..."

2010-02-18T14:09:00.000-08:00

....which it turns out is the actual quote.... also for the space buffs out there, I know, I know the the blood would have boiled to nothing but I wanted the contrast of the red and greens...

A character from the next installment of the IMAGINATION MANIFESTO....

The Herald

2010-02-17T11:52:00.000-08:00

A new character for the Tomorrow Society... now if I could just decide if she was a hero or a villain ....

SPRING HEELED JACK!

2010-01-29T15:15:00.000-08:00

Since it is official now that Alchemical Press will be attending the Calgary Comic Con and Sci Fi Expo I figure it prudent to announce another publication in the proud tradition of "Conventions First!"

Just as Maestro Ars Robotica, Myriad Tales, Endswell and THE IMAGINATION MANIFESTO were originally available at the Central Canada Comic Con in past years before being available to the public.... so to shall this fine thousand penny dreadful be available for the first time only at Calgary Comic EXPO strait from the pages of history ( really look him up) comes ...

and like so many fine Alchemical Press publications this Convention Edition of SPRING HEELED JACK will come with a full page sketch of your choice, a chance to heckle the writer/artist and other compelling incentives!

Once the booth info comes in I'll post all the need to knows... A small number of these will be made available through THE STRANGE MARKET after the convention! Hope to see you all there. That's right I said it. All of you.

Up way too late on a school night.

GMB Chomichuk

ABSURD ALCHEMY : JAN 28th at AQUA BOOKS in Winnipeg .

2010-01-20T07:58:00.000-08:00

ABSURD ALCHEMY : JAN 28^th at AQUA BOOKS in Winnipeg .
Hosted by Alchemical Press' GMB Chomichuk, this evening will invite Winnipeg storytellers of film, novel, comics, poetry, art, and photography to take over Aqua Books for an intimate question and answer session about how and why they tell the stories they do...
John Toone's first collection of poetry, From Out of Nowhere, was published by Turnstone Press in spring 2009. He published two kids' books in fall 2009, Catch That Catfish! and Hope and the Walleye. His poems also appear in the story Sixgun Quixote from the new graphic novel The Imagination Manifesto published by Alchemical Press and Bluewater Productions. John is the past-President of the Manitoba Writers' Guild.

GMB Chomichuk is a writer/illustrator living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His new graphic novel serials The Imagination Manifesto, The Tomorrow Society, Sixgun Quixote and Aegri Somnia are co-published by Bluewater Comics and Alchemical Press as a hardcover collection. He recently worked as Artistic Director on the feature film Aegri Somnia: A Sick Man’s Dreams. He is also the series artist of the new Bluewater Productions Mini-Series Insane Jane: The Avenging Star and co-curator of the STRANGE MARKET.

Susie Moloney is a Winnipeg author of horror fiction.( Bastion Falls, A Dry Spell , The Dwelling )The film rights to her book, A Dry Spell, were purchased by Cruise/Wagner Productions in 1997. She is currently working of a screen adaptation of The Dwelling, while also developing other nightmares to press between pages.

James Rewucki is a Winnipeg Writer/Director and president of Absurd Machine Studios. He has written and directed for television, film and has a number of properties being developed into comics and graphic novels by Alchemical Press. He is the writer Director of Aegri Somnia: A Sick Man’s Dreams.

Mike Sanders is a Winnipeg based photographer, Director of Photography and visual storyteller with numerous film and TV credits. Mike also works as both a producer and vice-president with Absurd Machine Studios. That thing he's pointing at you is a camera.

A fierce bastion of Winnipeg culture, Aqua is now Downtown Winnipeg's largest bookstore at 274 Garry Street, nestled in the benevolent capitalist shadow of Portage and Main. The most ambitious project of its kind in the history of civilization (well it feels like it anyway), the new location is nearly 10,000 square feet of activity. Red Seal Chef Candace Hughes serves up plates full of joy at the onsite EAT! bistro (one of Ciao! magazine's best new restaurants of 2008). Meanwhile, Bookstore Owner Kelly Hughes dishes up his brand of aggressive common sense in This Week at Aqua Books and spouts nonsense onstage at Kelly Hughes Live!. (While selling a few books on the side.)

AQUA BOOKS
A fierce bastion of Winnipeg culture, Aqua is now Downtown Winnipeg's largest bookstore at 274 Garry Street, nestled in the benevolent capitalist shadow of Portage and Main. The most ambitious project of its kind in the history of civilization (well it feels like it anyway), the new location is nearly 10,000 square feet of activity. Red Seal Chef Candace Hughes serves up plates full of joy at the onsite EAT! bistro (one of Ciao! magazine's best new restaurants of 2008). Meanwhile, Bookstore Owner Kelly Hughes dishes up his brand of aggressive common sense in This Week at Aqua Books and spouts nonsense onstage at Kelly Hughes Live!. (While selling a few books on the side.)

The IMAGINARY ARMY needs YOU.

2010-01-19T08:35:00.001-08:00

Posted this up at Digital Webbing but it seems rude not to give everyone a fair shake.

We have had some great success calling out to this amazing community of artists....and are very excited to do so again.

Alchemical Press is looking for 22 artists for a comic story-brigade.

Each artist will be responsible for one page of art.

Each artist will be paid for their page, as well as receive copies of the publication.

The story is set inside the worlds of The Imagination Manifesto and written by GMB Chomichuk.

While you might want to check here for a look at the tone and feeling of art from pervious Imagination Manifesto stories...but if you think you have something unique to offer do not hesitate to submit your portfolio.

pencils, inked images, colored images, digital painting, analog painting, collage are all welcome.

Interested parties should send links to their portfolios to imagination@alchemicalpress.com

Artists may submit images that are already complete that contain no trademark characters for inclusion in the story. If the artist holds the copyright and wishes to allow inclusion in this publication they will need to complete a release form for that purpose. Public domain characters are welcome.

Let's make something different.

PUBLIC DOMAIN.

2010-01-14T10:13:00.000-08:00

So a friend of mine wrote a book, then had it published, then placed its content in the public domain.

The Idea of fiction as a it's own place, or Domain, is odd. But it's interesting to know that if you want to you can create original works with characters that are originally someone else's. But this is also a means by which fiction starts to write itself....and that makes the characters or words live beyond the page..... The most famous comic-related example is likely Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. But Marvel has The Twelve. Not to mention the various mythologies that have be drawn from..... it the old idea of borrowed authority. Using something that people know, that has a history, can give weight to a project. It's sort of like literary collage.

Marvel and DC and Dynamite entertainment all use public domain characters. And you can too. Here's a handy list of some Public Domain Characters that can be adapted or use for your own stories. It's by no means complete, and I reposted it from here.

A
*Airboy (Hillman Periodicals superhero
*Allan Quatermain
*Aladdin
*Ali Baba in Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves
* in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
*Amazing-Man, Zona Henderson, and Tommy Henderson (Caliber Comics superheroes)
*American Crusader (Nedor superhero)
*Ayesha

B
*Bagheera in The Jungle Book.
*Baloo in The Jungle Book.
*Bert the Turtle from Duck and Cover
*Billy Bounce (early newspaper strip character)
*Big Bad Wolf in The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, and The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids.
*Boy King (Hillman Periodicals character)
*The Black Bat (pulp character)
*Black Beauty
*Black Owl (Prize Comics superhero)
*Black Terror (Nedor superhero)
*Blue Bolt
*The Brain That Wouldn't Die

C
*Captain Future (pulp character)
*Captain Future (Nedor superhero)
*Claude Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame
*Captain Hook in Peter Pan
*Captain Nemo in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
*The Cavalier, Nedor superhero
*Cheshire Cat in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
*Commando Cody
*Cinderella
*Cthulhu from H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos

D
*Doc Strange, Nedor superhero
*Dorian Gray in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
*Dorothy Gale in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
*Dracula
*Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

E
*Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol
*Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame

F
*Fantomah (Fletcher Hanks creation]]
*Fighting Yank, Nedor superhero
*Four Comrades, Nedor superheroes
*Flash Lightning and Lightning Girl (Ace Periodicals superheroes)
*Dr. Frankenstein
*Frankenstein's monster (and also the version from Dick Briefer's Frankenstein comics)

G
*Gertie the Dinosaur
*The Gingerbread Man
*Grim Reaper, Nedor superhero

H
*Hansel and Gretel
*Heidi
*Huckleberry Finn

J
*Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk
*Jane Eyre
*Jane Porter in Tarzan
*Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island
*John Carter of Mars
*Judy of the Jungle, Nedor character

L
*Liberator, Nedor superhero
*The Little Mermaid
*Little Red Riding Hood
*Little Nemo
*The Lone Warrior and his sidekick (Ace Periodicals superheroes)
*Long John Silver in Treasure Island

M
*Mad Hatter (from
*Magno and Davey (Ace Periodicals superheroes)
*The March Sisters in Little Women
*The Martians from The War of the Worlds
*The Mask, Nedor superhero
*Miss Masque, Nedor superhero
*Moby-Dick
*Mowgli in The Jungle Book

O
*Oliver Twist
*The Oracle, Nedor superhero
*Octobriana, Communist superhero

P
*Peter Pan
*Peter Rabbit
*Pinocchio
*Princess Pantha, Nedor character
*Pyroman, Nedor superhero

Q
* in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

R
*Robinson Crusoe

S
*Sherlock Holmes
*Spacehawk
*Skyman
*The Sphinx, Nedor character
*Stardust the Super Wizard (Fletcher Hanks creation)

V
*Vulcan (Ace Periodicals superhero)

W
*Woman in Red, Nedor Comics superhero
*Wonder Man, Fox Publications superhero

Y
*The Yellow Kid

IN GOOD COMPANY....

2010-01-13T08:30:00.000-08:00

.... Well, cover B of the twisted new series THE CLAW AND FANG was by yours truly. And I have to say that it's nice to be in the company of series artist Matias Baasla ( Styx and Stone, Monkey No1) , Steven Babb and Dan Brenton ( who's work I love in the Nocturnals ) . I'm not sure how the ordering incentives will work out but i'll keep you posted...

The Claw and Fang
Writer: Mike Kutcher
Artist(s): Matias Basla
Cover Artist(s): A - Dan Brenton, B - Matias Basla, C - G.M.B Chomichuk, D - Steven Babb

A warrior king will be reborn! Hunted to extinction by a renegade Demon, the Firewoman is the last of her kind. She survives driven only by the hope she can bestow her power upon the one person able to restore balance, but the one she seeks has given up on life in the real world preferring a virtual one.

I've said it before and i'll say it again... if you haven't peeked at THE STRANGE MARKET then quickly sneak in while no one is looking....

A bit of fun...

2010-01-12T15:47:00.000-08:00

...for a new project. Our friend here is an obvious homage to the golden age mask-fedora heroes.

Oh and if you haven't yet please check out THE STRANGE MARKET for loads of prints art and other oddities

Gold in Mean?

2010-01-09T12:40:00.000-08:00

I've got a few comments/emails about that last image... and thought I'd post this up. I've been really pondering the rule of thirds and the golden ratio and its place is graphic design and illustration. Is it just some prescriptive norm, or dies it actually work practically in composition.

This piece is my attempt at actively using the golden ratio to guide the elements of the composition.

The story telling moves from largest to smallest, spiraling inward from the parts of the image that matter most to its central character. Yes he's more focused on his killer ride, than the tree-man. Anyhow here's a look at what I mean.

A BRAND NEW YEAR

2010-01-06T10:28:00.000-08:00

As someone who grew up watching eighties sci-fi, 2010 sounds like I'm living it the future....

Lots of big things happening this year for Alchemical Press and for yours truly... and I'll be posting many of them soon enough.

Stay tuned for news on The Strange Market a new online bazaar dedicated to strange art, books and curiosities build by the amazing talents at the Vagabond Brigade.

The Imagination Manifesto Books 2-4 are in production with new stories for The Tomorrow Society, Aegri Somnia, Sixgun Quixote and the story the series draws its name from, The Imagination Manifesto.

A few new kids books are percolating, as well as a few can't-talk-about-them-yets.

I'm also very excited to be working on a new graphic novel with a new artist and I'll post the character design stages in a month or so.... I found the fine artist over at the Digital Webbing forums and highly recommend it as a means of finding people of like minds from across the globe.... It's a little strange to be handing over the art to someone else, but this story needs a different style...

I can't wait to share news...but...

Until then here's a look at a work-in-progress for a new story...

the character is one that I've had 'on the books' for some time. A few days ago I was turing over a story idea but I didn't like my protagonist. Then a funny thought occurred to me, what would this guy do in the same situation? And like that the whole thing fell together.... officially I won't have time to really dig into it until summer, but I just had to get this one image established to see if the tone was what I really wanted...

Cheers

GMB Chomichuk

December 19th- Comics America Signing UPDATE

2009-12-10T07:56:00.000-08:00

I'll be at Comic America (552 Academy Road Winnipeg) on the 19th of December signing the Imagination Manifesto advanced copies. Before they are available to the world through fine comic stores everywhere, Winnipeg, gets the best crack at the IMAGINATION MANIFESTO. Come on down and get yourself a copy, a free sketch, a limited edition print, or a copy of the limited edition alternate cover.

John Toone (Sixgun Quixote) and James Rewucki (Aegri Somnia ) writer/director of Absurd Machine Films will both be on hand to chat and sign copies of the Manifesto and participate in excellent banter.

I will also have an extremely limited amount of WORDSWORDSWORDS: Nine Stratagems For Destroying Your Enemies In Creative Warfare... as well as the last few copies of ENDSWELL and MYRIAD TALES...

The real reason to come down is to sign up for the The Imaginary Army and have a chance to be a character in the coming issues of the Manifesto.

PORTFOLIO REVIEW: Alchemical Press is looking for artists for a number of upcoming projects. Please bring samples of your work that demonstrate panel to panel storytelling....if you're not sure if your 'style' is suitable, bring your work down and we'll discuss it.

The Imagination Manifesto from Absurd Machine Films on Vimeo.

Old but good....

2009-12-01T14:50:00.000-08:00

.... Though I am a bit biased...

Asylum of Horrors #1
Story by me. Adapted and Illustrated by Aaron Rintoul

http://www.atomicavenue.com/atomic/WriterIssues.aspx?WriterName=Chomichuk,%20G.M.B.

Dandelion Literary Journal # 34.2
An illustrated short story....

http://dandelionmag.ca/cms/content/section/5/49/

Insane Jane Paperback...
Covers

http://www.bluewaterprod.com/news/april_2009_SOLIC_02-22-08.php

http://www.flipkart.com/insane-jane-zach-hunchar-armando/1427637504-lox3f7ezte

Aegri Somnia: A Sick Man's Dreams ( Film)
Art Direction

aegrisomniathemovie.com/

University of Manitoba: Comics and Design Update

2009-11-21T09:51:00.000-08:00

That's right, cheese will be served.

December 19th- Comics America Signing

2009-11-20T04:53:00.000-08:00

Looks likes I'll be at Comic America (552 Academy Road Winnipeg) on the 19th of December signing the Imagination Manifesto advanced copies. Before they are available to the world through fine comic stores everywhere, Winnipeg, gets the best crack at the IMAGINATION MANIFESTO. Come on down and get yourself a copy, a free sketch, a limited edition print, or a copy of the limited edition alternate cover.

John Toone (Sixgun Quixote) and James Rewucki (Aegri Somnia ) writer/director of Absurd Machine Films will both be on hand to chat and sign copies of the Manifesto and participate in excellent banter.

I will also have an extremely limited amount of WORDSWORDSWORDS: Nine Stratagems For Destroying Your Enemies In Creative Warfare... as well as the last few copies of ENDSWELL and MYRIAD TALES...

The real reason to come down is to sign up for the The Imaginary Army and have a chance to be a character in the coming issues of the Manifesto.

The Imagination Manifesto from Absurd Machine Films on Vimeo.

Here fishy fishy....thanks McNally McNally

2009-11-20T04:47:00.000-08:00

Special thanks to Vagabond Brigade and Absurd Machine Studios

Required Reading:

2009-11-19T05:07:00.000-08:00

When Good Robots Go Bad...

2009-11-16T14:03:00.000-08:00

rough work for a new project.....

University of Manitoba: Comics and Design

2009-11-13T08:42:00.000-08:00

I've been asked to speak at the University of Manitoba about Comics and Design and some of the practical means of getting professional work as a writer/illustrator .... (all part of my ongoing struggle to receive an honorary Doctorate without years of toil....)

When and Where?
the 25th of November, around 2:00....I assume the FitzGerald Building ( the Fitz to it's friends) the exact location I don't have yet but I'll keep you posted...