Canadians Jax & Jillian find themselves immersed in a cruel and unpredictable world as a foreign dictator’s lack of sympathy for others and self-involvement enters both their lives.
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Each chapter takes place in a specific province or territory telling a story of love, nationhood, and cowardice.
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Each story although somewhat loosely is based on Canadian culture, places people and events.
Chapter 3 - Sugar High Blues
Now available!
Classic legends from the 30's and 40s inspired the look of "Sugar High Blues" - Chapter 3. The style of crime stories during the 30s was a perfect fit for the Al Capone-isk romanticizing of the Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan storyline. Take a look at the video to see some of the artwork from this Chapter as well as the paintings Saskatchewan inspired.
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The story so far...
Canada Under Fire
The Storyline: The Storyline: The Burnaby oil terminal just blew up. Two Canadian travel bloggers, Jax and Jillian, film the disaster becoming tangled up in a murder case, and a dangerous conspiracy is uncovered.
Chapter One takes place in British Columbia, the westernmost province of Canada. Located between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. The land has a diversity of climate and scenery unparalleled in Canada, from the island-studded and fjord-indented coast to the great peaks of the western continental cordilleras, with their large interior plateaus.
Shoot. Shovel. Shut Up.
The Storyline: While visiting a friend's buffalo ranch, Jax and Jillian join local ranchers in saving the cattle industry. When they become the target, someone from their past shows up to try and alter the course of the events.
Chapter Two takes place in Alberta, the province is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories (NWT) to the north, and the U.S. state of Montana to the south. It is one of the only two landlocked provinces in Canada (Saskatchewan being the other). Its landscape encompasses mountains, prairies, desert badlands, and vast forests.
Sugar High Blues
The Storyline: Jax & Jillian hit the road to Moose Jaw with the intent to learn more about the troublesome diamond button. Their search for an explanation leads to another time and dangerous men racketeering in the depths of under city tunnels.
Chapter Three takes place in Saskatchewan, a prairie and boreal province in western Canada. Sometimes Saskatchewan's giant sky seems to be alive; the clouds move and change all day, sometimes with awe-inspiring thunderstorms, and at night on many evenings the northern lights shimmer and dance.
A glimpse at the artwork...
The artwork style in each chapter is chosen in consideration of the story. Plus the change in artistic style helps me to stay engaged because illustrating a comic book takes place over many months. Having never created a comic book before Tyler and I are learning that while it is entirely possible to construct a comic book by yourself, this is an endeavor that requires skill, patience, and planning, but it's thrilling to see all the elements come together in the end.
It's really just a love story to Canada
Even in the beginning, it was different. Tyler and I were passing time in our Vancouver Fan Expo Booth when the conversation rolled around to Canadian comics. We discussed how our country is represented in comics. One is that, while ethnically Canadian, Wolverine is not a Canadian story. He is the brainchild of three Americans.
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It was then we played a game of "what if." What if we created a comic book that took two typical Canadians on a wild adventure across Canada. And what if the villain, this time, was styled after a historic American president. This effort would not simply be an opportunistic response to the state of USA/Canada relations. Although trade events between the two nations at the time of creation likely gave the final boost Jax & Jillian needed to get it started.
It was broader than that. We had a deep desire for the comic to contain Canadian history, geography, science, sports, cultures, industry, and more. All focused around themes both directly and loosely related to Canada's identity. Each comic book chapter in the series would take place in a particular province or territory of Canada. Each story although somewhat loosely would be based on real Canadian history.
Yes!
We've started working on Chapter Four, The Peril from Merica: The Whispers of Blood
Manitoba is home to over 100,000 lakes, including really big ones like Lake Winnipeg, Lake Manitoba, and Lake Winnipegosis. Surface water covers approximately 16 percent of the province. Rivers like the Hayes, Nelson, and the Red, were the highways of the Voyageurs. I have to be sure that I can draw water... calm and wild.
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Why not follow along with our all-Canadian independent comic book endeavor? We love sharing our process and what we have learned!
An art study for Chapter 4's cover