Description
Town: St. John’s in Comics is a graphic anthology that captures the spirit of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador — its crooked streets, tangled wires, salt-stained houses, and the people who live in them. Told by artists who call this place home, each story spotlights a different neighborhood, from Rabbittown to Rawlin's Cross, through a unique visual voice. Some are funny, some melancholic, some bursting with color, and others inked in black and white, but all of them share the same beating heart: a deep connection to place. It’s not just a comic about a city. It’s a comic of a city — shaped by it, inspired by it, and impossible without it. Created and published by Black Panel Press, curated with care by writer and comics scholar Nancy Pedri, and designed by Paul Tucker, Town is both a tribute to St. John’s and a contribution to its living history.
About the Author
Wallace Ryan is one of the province’s first comic book artists, active since 1979. He co-created the province’s first comic book and continues to contribute to publications like Newfoundland Quarterly. Ryan’s style for this anthology features detailed black-and-white artwork with grey tones. “This book is a great little look into St. John’s through the eyes of the artists who live here.” Andrew Hawthorn is an author, illustrator, and journalist living in St. John’s. His work has appeared in Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mythology from the Rock, Newfoundland Quarterly and The 19th Annual Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, from St. Martin’s Griffin. His first collection, My Milkshake Brings all the Boys to the Yardarm was published by Heavy Sweater Comics in 2023. “I like black and white sketchy art, and that’s what I try to do.” Samuel Dinn is a cartoonist based in St. John’s, NL. His detailed black-and-white artwork is influenced by the underground comix movement, especially the crosshatching style of Robert Crumb. Dinn balances respect for traditional forms with his own modern sensibility. “I love the honest,self-deprecating humour of artists like R.Crumb,and Joe Matt,it’s a huge influence on my work.” Kelly Bastow is a traditional illustrator and comic artist from Conception Bay South. She works with ink, watercolor, and gouache, focusing on flowing, rounded compositions and a cohesive visual finish. Her work has appeared in projects like Adventure Time comics and her own graphic novels. “Visual unity is very important to me — I want images to look finished and pleasing to the eye.” Paul Tucker is an award-winning comic book artist and illustrator based in St. John’s, NL. He has been part of the local comics scene for decades and has published work with IDW, Vault Comics, and Image Comics. Tucker is an active mentor to emerging artists and a regular participant in comic jams. “Comics are so intrinsic to my day now that I make them without even thinking about it.” Leon Chung is an author and illustrator based in Newfoundland and Labrador, specializing in children’s books. His 2023 illustrated work, IsThisanOlogy?, was nominated for the Yellow Cedar Award. Chung combines traditional sketching, inking, and watercolor techniques to create colorful, lively illustrations. “I’m really happy to be part of this project alongside so many amazing artists.” Nancy Pedri is Professor of English at Memorial University of Newfoundland, where she has taught since 2006. She is an award-winning author and has published extensively in the fields of comics studies, visual narratology, and word and image studies, including photography in literature. She has also edited or co-edited over 10 books or special issues of journals. Her latest monographs on comics, Experiencing Visual Storyworlds: Focalization in Comics with Silke Horstkotte (Ohio State UP) and A Concise Dictionary of Comics (UP of Mississippi) were published in 2022. Kevin Woolridge is a multidisciplinary artist from Goulds, NL, working in both theatre and cartooning. He is the founder of Heavy Sweater Comics, a small-press publisher. Woolridge works primarily in traditional media like brush, pen, and watercolor, creating comics for children and adults alike. “The comics that I draw, the characters are all made out of triangles and circles and squares and stuff for kids — but also for adults.” Mike Feehan is an illustrator from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador whose credits include Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant from IDW, and the GLAAD award-winning and Eisner-nominated miniseries Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles from DC. “I aim for really crisp, clean lines — a lot of my work is influenced more by animation than comics.”
Praise for
Town: St. John's in Comics
"St. John's is a city of postcard fame, often packaged and sold as an image, without a great depth of perspective from the inside. What you get in this anthology is a myriad of perspectives in words, textures, in colour or in black and white - everything comics do best. It's exciting to se a group of artists make a scene in comics from a place as strong in the art of storytelling as Newfoundland is. You may find something unexpected, even if you know the streets of St. John's like the back of your hand."
— Kate Beaton, author of Ducks and Hark! A Vagrant
"Town is a magnificently crafted comic-book cry of love for the city of St. John's and its various storied neighbourhoods -- chock-a-bloc full of character and history. Editor Nancy Pedri has brought together some of the greatest visual storyteller talent in the province, working in a form that is the irreverent, rebellious, beloved rascal of literature. These artists and storytellers are at the top of their game. Here is love for a very particular place, created for comic lovers everywhere. As we all know, comics are cool, but this comic anthology is coolest!"
— Lisa Moore, author of February and Caught
