Montreal's cool hipster art and lit mag Matrix Magazine reviewed us favorably in issue 80.
The full text is now online here, and added to my big ol' virtual scrap book on my blog. :)
I like this Vincent guy, will have to track him down and get him a drink...
THEREFORE REPENT! A Post-Rapture Graphic Novel by Jim Munroe and Salgood Sam in [ Reviewed in Matrix 80 ] Read by Vincent Tinguely
The glory of science fiction and fantasy is the "what if?" factor. In Therefore Repent!, the authors gleefully explore one deceptively simple premise: "What if the Rapture actually happened?"
The graphic novel has a fairly obscure geneology, beginning with a comic book originally conceived as the invention of a couple of characters in his previous (non-graphic) novel, An Opening Act of Unspeakable Evil. A 24-page comic was conceived and written by Munroe, rendered by Michel Lacombe, and posted online. Having invented the post-Rapture scenario for this project, Munroe was interested in pursuing an expanded narrative about the comic book characters, Raven and Mummy, and the strange world they find themselves in. When Munroe was ready to go ahead with Therefore Repent!, Lacombe was no longer available to do the graphics, but Salgood Sam, who'd collaborated previously with Munroe on other small projects, was eager to take on the task.
The result is a sumptuous feast for the eyes (all in black and white), and a pleasingly complex plot that takes its sweet time in unfolding. Munroe lends the fantastic notion of the Rapture a believable texture by introducing the no-less fantastic "reality" of earthly magic, telepathy, transmigration of souls, inner visions, shape-shifting, prestidigitation, and talking dogs. In a sense, he's taking on a very real anxiety - that the most powerful military industrial complex on earth is currently controlled by people who believe in fundamentalist quackery - and proposes that the power of such a belief system isn't as monolithic and indestructable as it might sometimes seem.
Salgood Sam's drawing skills never flag over the epic sweep of the tale, and he feels free to try any number of innovative framing and sequencing techniques. The characters, bizarre as they might seem - a woman with a bird head and a man who goes about wrapped in bandages like a mummy - become fully-rounded in the course of the story, and even the minor characters feel believable to the reader. The result is a spectacular graphic novel, full of angels, demons and unclassifiable creatures, with a brainy subtext that never interferes with the fun.
The 9th Rendez-vous international de la BD was lovely, Paul and friends go out of their way to make the guests feel welcomed. Also met some very cool people, made a few new friends. I've posted photos from the trip here.
In Toronto I got some work done , roughs for Work, and started on a new Bread and Butter project that's proving to be off to a fun start. Will talk more about that later but for now you can see the art here>>.
I had a short interview with Dalson Chen of The Windsor Star, that ran the week before BookFest Windsor here. Came out well I think. Made me laugh when he asked about graphic novels, there was a national post article just before on the same theme that made me roll my eyes.
BookFest Windsor was a pleasure for the most part, including the funny social drama around the final night's party, but I'm getting the impression this goes with the small book festival circuit a bit. Booze + Writers and Poets + Travel? :)
I have a few photos and stuff to post from that shortly.
Also spent a great and somewhat inebriated Halloween with my old friend George, roaming about the town checking out costumes and snapping shots. I made a bit of a video of that here.
So later this month I'll be on the road again, seems like i've been doing that a lot, and i won't be even as much as half what i had planed to in the spring! Man, doing support touring for a book is crazy, or maybe I'm getting old. - Nawwwww......
Thu 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Fri 11:00 am to 12:30 pm & 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm Sat 10:00 am to 11:00 am & 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm Sun 11:30 am to 1:30 pm & 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
They have me booked for something called 'Masters at Work'3:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Thursday.
And from 11 to 11:30 am for 'Live illustration with Salgood Sam' on Saturday.
Basically in both cases it looks like they want me to draw live in front of people! Going to be needing the antiperspirants there. All of that's @ the main venue, The Canadian Museum of Civilization - Level 2 / Foyer of the Museaum's Theatre [100 Laurier Street]
Looking forward to this. Hope the live show goes well, and if nothing else, getting to spend whatever spare time i have checking out the Museum will be cool!
After that i get on a train - have a few days to kill in Toronto - then I'm booked to attend...
....ok, corny name i know, but i promise to do my part to make sure it's interesting! We'll be in the Studio Room, with Mary-Lou Gelissen, Tony Gray, & George!
I'll also be available for signings and stuff, in the main space of the book festival with the other authors, and Friday I'll be at the Rogues Gallerycomic shop as well from 6pm on.
Going to bring some recent art with me, which I'll be selling maybe but probably not on sight, at least not in Gatineau anyway - but you'll be able to look at it and arrange for something if you seem something you like.
Believe books at both events will be supplied, for sure Therefore Repent! will be on hand, and I'll be making up a batch of RevolveR One's for the occasion, maybe a little something else too, just for the trip!
Also, Expozine has JUST been announced, going to go over to the site now and register, so see you THERE too!
The Rapture has provided adventure fodder for those who believe in it - I'm looking at you especially, Tim LeHaye - as well as those who don't. To the best of my knowledge, though, it's never been depicted as anything other than exactly what is happening. God has taken all the Christians away to Heaven and the Earth is ruled by the Anti Christ, with the Final Battle soon to follow.
In "Therefore Repent!" Canadian team Jim Munroe and Salgood Sam depict a post-Rapture world where nothing is for certain. The creator turn the bizarre religious belief into a science fiction scenario that has the characters actually searching for explanations beyond the accepted one while still working within the parameters of popular legend we all accept, either with straight face or with conspicuous snickers.
Raven and Mummy are two bohemian performance artists who wander around in their performance costumes. Squatting in an abandoned apartment in a little urban neighborhood, the two become acquainted with their surroundings and the other people left behind. One of the givens of the Rapture is that it would create a world populated mostly by artists and ne'er do wells, at least among the respectable crowds.
Munroe and Salgood also play with the likely post-Rapture psychology in regard to reactionary acting out that provide daily dangers and annoyances to the survivors. The Splitters are a group of people who believe there will be a second Rapture and they have one more chance to follow Jesus. Meanwhile, religious militia with names like "God's Faithful" roam around spreading dread.
There is one way to read the Bible - that is between the lines and asking simple questions like "Who is God? What's his story? Why's he so vague about where he comes from and what he wants?" While "Therefore Repent!" may not be moving down that road exactly, it's certainly in that spirit.
The story's conclusion recontextualizes the circumstances of the Apocalypse in an inventive and fun way - oh, yeah, and it's kind of corny. But good corny. The kind of corny that twists things inside out and lays out some intriguing possibilities as it unfolds. The kind of corny that's missing from the eye-rolling corny that infects the belief "Therefore Repents!" lampoons.
Revolution on the Planet of the Apes on Hype Space.
This is old, but i just found it. This is Ty Templeton, artist writer and editor extraordinaire, and our boss for Revolution on the Planet of the Apes.
He appeared on Space to hype the books when they came out, and they used a lot of my art from #1 for this. The publisher has been having second thoughts about doing a collection, if your someone who would like to see the Revolution on the Planet of the Apes books collected, like i would, write Mr. Comics and tell them about it for me please?
Listening to lots of stuff while i fling ink madly at this.
Finally got to my friends at Indy Spinner Rack! Done some editing for their show in the past and got to press the flesh in NY a few weeks back. Really enjoyed sitting with them at the Con, and all the rest. didn't have enough time to hang out, i Will be back.
Wish I'd bloody gone with them to Hero Con as almost planed! darrrr! That would have been so much better than staying at home and breaking up with my girlfriend. I am such a dummy sometimes, it amazes me.
In episode #134 Charlito and Mr. Phil talked with our editor and facilitator for the massive Comic Book Tattoo. Mr Rantz Hoseley.
I had to blush, I had not heard the 'reasoning' for our story being chosen to preview on MySpace before. And I'm not above sharing it with you here.
Clip of Rantz embarrassing me along with many others in the book is here bellow, and you can catch the whole conversation on the ISR site here.
Been inking, and writing, and doing a lot of walking still.
Up side to the insanity of visiting Toronto is all the exercise, reminds me to keep it going at home. With the always present list of things to do when your freelance, it easy to forget to get off your ass sometimes.
And of course the net always calls to be fed. To bad it doesn't take walks and crap itself. Been contemplating getting a dog friend lately.
Didn't get to the big SDCC this year. Had thought I would but changed my mind. Timing was just not suitable - need to get a lot done this month.
But Damn, it would have been cool to have been there for the official big launch of Comic Book Tattoo, Tori Amos's monster anthology book!
The photo here of a panel is by the K-Squared: They have a nice full report posted about the panel at the con, with Amos, Rantz, and 6 of the contributors. And the Tori Amos signing later. And there is a clip of the panel posted here on Flicker by comiquero.com, dug up by Russell Lissau.
There's also some cool shots up on Rantz flicker stream. And K. Star St.Germain posted the first page from what looks like a stunning story here. And i love this shot Sarah Jaffe took of herself with the book. There's a set here of one of the signings. And bellow is Rantz with some folks who posted this on their feed, proud owners of a limited edition. I believe word is everything that went with them to SDCC is gone, all sold out! There's a lot of buz on this thing.
Quite excited to see this thing, been kind of holding out in an act of perverse denial of reward i suppose. :)
I hope my story printed well. Kind of afraid to see how it looks along side some of the other stuff in the previews! ED: New Stuff. 1st Review of the book.
David Mack Josh Hechinger, Matthew Humphreys, Kristyn Ferretti (L) Jonathan Tsuei, Eric Canete Jason Horn, Dean Trippe Sara Ryan, Jonathan Case Rantz A. Hoseley, James Stokoe Tristan Crane, Atticus Wolrab Kako Nikki Cook Drew Bell, Kevin Mellon, Mark Sweeney (C) Jeff Carroll, Mike May Jeremy Haun, Amber Stone (C) Leif Jones Elizabeth Genco, Carla Speed Mcneil, Mark Sweeney (C) Kelly Sue Deconnick, Andy Macdonald,Nick Filardi(C),Kristyn Ferretti(L) Cat Mihos, Andre Szymanowicz, Gabe Bautista(C), Kristyn Ferretti(L) C.B. Cebulksi, Ethan Young, Joey Weltjens & Lee Duhig For Guru Efx (C) Omaha Perez Irma Page, Mark Buckingham Rantz A. Hoseley, Ming Doyle, Mark Sweeney(C), Kristyn Ferretti (L) Mike Maihack John Ney Reiber, Ryan Kelly, Kristyn Ferretti (L) Alice Hunt, Trudy Cooper Jonathan Hickman Matthew S. Armstrong Neil Kleid, Christopher Mitten, Kristyn Ferretti(L) Stephanie Leong, Sonia Leong Peov Kelly Sue Deconnick, Laurenn Mccubbin John Bivens Hope Larson Emma Vieceli, Faye Yong(C) Chris Arrant, Star St.Germain Mike Dringenberg Paul Maybury Jim Bricker, Craig Taillefer Dame Darcy G. Willow Wilson, Steve Sampson Neal Shaffer, Daniel Krall Adisakdi Tantimedh, Ken Meyer Jr. Mark Sable, Salgood Sam Tom Williams James Owen Seth Peck, Daniel Heard Ivan Brandon, Callum Alexander Watt Leah Moore & John Reppion, Pia Guerra, Mark Sweeney, Kristyn Ferretti Jessica Staley, Shane White Ted Mckeever, Chris Chuckry (C) Jimmie Robinson Lea Hernandez Derek Mcculloch, Colleen Doran, Jason Hanley (L)
Still in Toronto for another day, but soon I'll be back at work. In the mean time though....
After the con, i was able to finally catch Ronley Teper & co preforming @the Tranzac in Toronto Live. This is a band/performer i've been following for a little while now, found her via myspace, my cousin plays with her sometimes. you can check her out here.
Also lots of links on youtube with the vid, check them ALL out. :)
The great thing was that i wanted to see this show but forgot the day of about it, lost in Kensington market reminiscing w old friends. Made some new ones too. Then me and john walked up to Bloor on Brunswick to get some sushi, and lo there we were passing the Tranzac! Ronley was out side and we said hello, got the stage time and grabbed a great din before the show. Nice night.
Mark and I are working on an interview with each other to be posted soon to go with this.
This was a great short story to work on, I'm very happy with how the collaboration with Mark tuned out, very excited about this one.
Comic Book Tattoo is going to be an amazing showcase book, i haven't read the other stories yet, but i've seen lots of the pages here and there - the book looks amazing!
This is the first of three anthologies I'm going to be in between now and December, what a way to kick things off.
a film about the roerich garden project in montreal
Found this on you tube about a project by a local artist i know. Emily Rose Michaud & company built it in the winter. Miss Janet made this excellent 6 min doc about the day Emily and a team of volunteers set it up together over the course of one very cold day. The Garden lived on, you can keep up with their progress here. It's pretty damn cool.
SALGOOD
SAM's WORK DIARY | an account of endeavors
and random musings | the web-log of Max Douglas, a
professional cartoonist working and living in Montreal Qc Canada
max at salgoodsam dot com atom feed
Montreal's cool hipster art and lit mag Matrix Magazine reviewed us favorably in issue 80.
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