Invaders from the North

What do Superman, Prince Valiant, Cerebus the Aardvark, and Spawn have in common? Their creators – Joe Shuster, Harold Foster, Dave Sim, and Todd McFarlane are Canadians. And while many of the cutting-edge talents of contemporary comix and graphic novels are also from Canada – artists such as Chester Brown, Seth, Dave Cooper, and Julie Doucet – far too few Canadians realize their country had a remarkable involvement with the «funnies» long before. Invaders from the North profiles past and present comic geniuses, sheds light on unjustly neglected chapters in Canada’s pop history, and demonstrates how this nation has vaulted to the forefront of international comic art, successfully challenging the long-established boundaries between high and low culture. Generously illustrated with black-and-white and colour comic covers and panels, Invaders from the North serves up a cheeky, brash cavalcade of flamboyant and outrageous personalities and characters that graphically attest to Canada’s verve and invention in the world of visual storytelling.