John Martz

Strip Stories: Excelsior 1968 on display

The original art for my illustrated yearbook project, Excelsior 1968, will be on display here in Toronto as part of Strip Stories [Canadian Cartooning Right Now].

The Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning and BOARD OF DIRECTORS, a curatorial project at Katharine Mulherin Contemporary Arts Projects, are pleased to present an exhibition of original work by some of Canada’s most recognized and promising cartoonists.

Strip Stories features works by artists who focus on sequential arts and graphic novels, many of whom have either won a Doug Wright Award in the past or have received nominations.

The show also marks the first time Toronto audiences will get a chance to view originals from Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, Chester Brown’s critically-acclaimed graphic novel. Originally published in comic book form, Louis Riel was released as a book in 2003 . Publisher’s Weekly hailed it as “a strong contender for the best graphic novel ever.”

Brown is among the most-accomplished cartoonists of his generation, both at home and internationally. His pure, minimalist style recalls the work of master cartoonists Sidney Smith and Little Orphan Annie’s Harold Gray, while remaining fundamentally his own. With his work on Riel, Brown challenges the notion of collective memory and tradition, putting the power of history in the hands of the individual artist.

Alongside Brown will be King cartoonist (and 2008 Doug Wright Award juror) Ho Che Anderson, Lorenz Peter, the 2006 Wright Award Best Emerging Talent winner for Dark Adaptation, and Montreal’s Joe Ollmann who won the 2007 Best Book Award for his collection of short stories This Will All End in Tears.

Also included in the show will be Halifax-based artist/cartoonist Ray Fenwick, the mind behind the world’s only typographic graphic novel, Hall of Best Knowledge, and 2008 Best Emerging Talent nominees:

Jason Keiffer, for Keiffer#1
Jeff Lemire, for Essex County
Nick Maandag, for The Experiment
Ethan Rilly, for Pope Hats

As well, 2008 nominees for the inaugural Pigskin Peters Award for Non-Narrative Cartooning, Emily Holton (Little Lessons in Safety) and John Martz (Excelsior 1968), will exhibit their experimental and progressive redefinitions of cartoon art.

Strip Stories will consist entirely of works with sequential, narrative or relative qualities. The exhibit presents viewers with a rare opportunity to witness the comics medium outside of conventional mass distribution.

Runs August 7-23.
1080 Queen St. W, Toronto
Opening reception: August 7, 7pm.

Featuring works by:
Ho Che Anderson
Chester Brown
Ray Fenwick
Emily Holton
Jason Kieffer
Jeff Lemire
Nick Maandag
John Martz
Joe Ollman
Lorenz Peter
Ethan Rilly
and Doug Wright!

The show is curated by Katharine Mulherin, Erin Stump, and Sean D.B. Craig.