Cloudscape Comics draws new fans
LAUNCH: Family friendly works of Vancouver indie artists’ collective ready to hit magazine stands
Jeff Ellis isn’t expecting a call from Joss Whedon to produce and direct the cinematic adaptation of his webcomic, Teach English in Japan.
Along with other stories that the graphic-design teacher has created and showcased at jeff-ellis.ca, it’s not the superhero sort of book that makes up today’s Marvel-lous Hollywood. But the story from the current board VP and “chief cat wrangler” of the Cloudscape Comics Society is just one of the many unique, engaging and entertaining titles coming from the 75-plus member-artists of the local indie comic collective formed in 2007.
“As long as I can recall, I’ve been drawing and was making stories, comics, even before I knew what they were,” says Ellis. “At one time I thought it would be my career and really devoted a lot of energy to drawing Spider-Man and the like, going down to San Diego to show my portfolio. There I discovered that my style and interests weren’t Marvel’s and a lot of other artists in our group may have had similar experiences.”
That didn’t stop the Cloudscape membership from pursuing its love of comic book art and storytelling.
Whole sections of local retail outlets are filled with the output of its culturally and gender-diverse groups. Turns out that comics are a lot more than meets the eye of the casual reader.
“Canada, in the last two decades or so, has had a vibrant and internationallyknown indie comics scene,” says Cloudscape board president Oliver McTavishWisdem. “Particularly in Quebec, but also in B.C., there are people who want to tell stories differently from what many might consider comics to be.
“In Vancouver, the big animations and gaming communities mean a big comic scene, too.”
The global Manga explosion of Japanese and Korean comics and TV shows is equally influential in our Pacific Rim locale.
Aside from providing a place for working artists to meet and engage, Cloudscape Comics ( cloudscapecomics.com) also offers community outreach and advocacy programs for budding and experienced illustrators and storytellers alike. The group publishes thematically-oriented yearly anthologies featuring stories from its associated artists. Past issues tackled topics from Giants of Main Street and Epic Canadiana to Historyonics: Stories Drawn from the Past, and now Mega Fauna, an all-ages full-colour offering being launched this weekend.
Typically, indie comics tend toward adult themes. Mega Fauna is different territory for many of the participants.
“The intention was always to produce family-friendly material, but there always seemed to be one story that didn’t fit, so this time we actually had some guidelines,” says McTavish-Wisdem.
“The government has been really supportive of our efforts — providing the clubhouse, giving us a small project grant for printing Mega Fauna and some money for a new secret project you may see around town soon — so we wanted to be sure to do something as all-inclusive as possible.” The “clubhouse” (a.k.a. Cloudscape HQ) is the former field house at South Memorial Park. As part of the repurposing of these former caretaker homes, the City of Vancouver has opened them up to resident composers, artists and the like, provided they engage in community projects. Mctavish-Wisdem and Ellis both note how big a part mentoring plays within the group.
“Besides our weekly Wednesday Open Meetings (7:30 p.m.) where everyone is welcome to come and discuss comic-related events, there are open studio sessions with members available and life drawing classes (first Saturday of every month, 1-4 p.m., $10/person),” says Ellis. “And we have a fair amount of other event involvement.”
Cloudscape Comics will exhibit at the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival (VANCAF) taking place at the Roundhouse Community Centre on Saturday, May 23, 10 a.m. — 6 p.m. and Sunday, May 24, 11 a.m. — 5 p.m. Come on down for a doodle.