'Bones of the Coast' from Vancouver's own Cloudscape Comics is not only a comic book for people who are super keen on the genre, but also for those who didn't know they were. I haven't bought a graphic novel for years and when I opened it up I thought I might just skim through but wound up being completely engaged from cover to cover, partly due to the great writing and eclectic styles of more than 20 artists, but because it really screams "British Columbia". From the Skytrain to BC Ferries to logging roads and the Sea to Sky Highway, the settings are all familiar. The subject matter as well; invasive species, camping, Japanese internment during WWII and more. It's all wrapped into a horror theme so these somewhat inert subjects (aside from internment, which was actual horror), creating worlds that we haven't entirely inhabited but are still close to.
It's freaky, it's entertaining, it's beautiful, and it's also a non-profit endeavour. Back in July we urged you to support Cloudscape's Kickstarter campaign where the goal was to raise $29,200 to produce this thing. They raised a whopping $48,438, and managed to pay the contributors much more than they had anticipated. The mission of Cloudscape, a coalition of indie comic artists in Metro Vancouver, is to develop "meaningful community amongst all people who like, love, read, draw, write, edit, letter, ink, and create comics". Mission accomplished with Bones of the Coast.
Below are a number of spreads from it, to give an example of the diverse styles and subjects. Buy a digital copy HERE or a physical copy HERE.
Art by Pam Wishbow, written by Shannon Campbell
Art by Sam Logan, Written by Kris Straub
By Kris Sayer
Art by Nina Matsumoto, written by Cameron Morris
Since 2010 V.I.A.'s Vancouver Book Club has been connecting the city with books and authors through a range of online features and offline events. This post is part of our blog series where we're recommending a book we think you should read, every single week. Mostly non-fiction, these titles will give you a greater understanding of the past, present and future of the city, province and country you call home.
More reviews by Bob Kronbauer:
- 'This I Know' by Terry O'Reilly
- 'Great Bear Wild' by Ian McAllister
- 'The Story of Canada in 150 Objects' by The Walrus and CanGeo
- 'The Hidden Life of Trees' by Peter Wohlleben
- 'Alison's Fishing Birds' by Roderick Haig-Brown
- 'The Killer Whale Who Changed the World' by Mark-Leiren-Young
- 'We Oughta Know' by Andrea Warner
- 'The Last Gang in Town' by Aaron Chapman
- 'No News is Bad News' by Ian Gill
- 'The Woods: A Year on Protection Island' by Amber McMillan
- 'The Reading Tree' by Dianna Bonder and the VPL
- 'Secret Life: The Jian Ghomeshi Investigation' by Kevin Donovan
