Despite the sheer number of books, comic books and other works of literature that are set in Toronto, it doesn't feel to me that my old home town has quite the same profile as cities like London or New York in fiction. And yeah, that's probably a literary version of Toronto's world-class envy, and it's probably mostly me, though I may not be alone. It's the sort of rush of pride that you feel when you see Toronto streetcar tracks on the streets of Chicago in shots in Due South, or the pride I felt seeing Toronto front-and-centre in the Hollywood release of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
So, when I saw this project on Kickstarter of diverse, young Toronto writers telling stories about my old home town, I knew I had to support it.
From the Toronto Comics website:
In a city of competitive wizard barristas, nervous werewolves and scoundrel Trash Pandas, you'll find some of the best upcoming comic creators! We're back again with twenty-four fresh comics from local indie veterans and first-time creators.
From the strange giants that prowl Kensington at midnight, the vengeful Pacific Mall dance mafia, or the dragon-hunting wannabes working Queen street, we've got stories inspired by every part of the city we love.
Featuring a cover by Irma Kniivila (Ms. Marvel, Deadpool) and a foreword from Chip Zdarsky(Jughead, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man), this book is a celebration of the talent and diversity of Toronto's comics community.
The Kickstarter for this 220 page full-colour book is here. Among the contributors to this anthology is my good friend J.M. Frey, as well as Julian Apong, Mirelle Messier, Sam Ruano and dozens more. It's clearly a labour of great love for a great city. I've placed my order for this book and the previous anthologies, and I highly encourage you do so as well. Delivery is estimated at June 2018.