ScottChantler.com

Tower of Treasure Serialized Online

2012-05-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

Some big news being announced Saturday at The Toronto Comic Arts Festival: my all-ages fantasy adventure series Three Thieves is being serialized for free online, starting tomorrow with page one of the first book, Tower of Treasure. It joins the kids' webcomics portal Saturday Morning Webtoons, which collects weekly strips by top talents (and industry pals) such as J. Torres, Andi Watson, J. Bone, Agnes Garbowska, Eric Orchard, Jack Briglio, Steph Buscema, and more.

I began my career in webcomics, way back in 2000 (a lifetime ago in Internet terms), and it's nice to be back, even if it's simply by serializing older print material. Putting work online for free launched my career (I may have been the first cartoonist to ever make the jump from online to print...I'm certainly the first that I'm aware of) and I'm hoping it will bring a new, wider audience to the Three Thieves books, which I love making.

You can catch "new" pages of Tower of Treasure every Saturday morning over at Saturday Morning Webtoons. And be sure to check out the other strips as well!

Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2012

2012-04-30T12:20:00.000-04:00

This weekend (May 5th-6th) is my very favourite comics-related show of the year, The Toronto Comic Arts Festival. So much more than a corporate comic book convention, TCAF is patterned after literary festivals, European comics shows, and indie-centric events such as SPX to create a vibe that is more inclusive and welcoming of readers of ALL types, not just superhero fans. No costumes, no video game or toy companies, no washed-up sci-fi actors or pin-up girls: just an impressively broad range of passionate creators and an audience that loves to read.

The festival is FREE to attend, and held in a widely accessible public place: the Toronto Reference Library. This generates a crowd that is enormous (especially mid-day Saturday!) and truly diverse. Reaching those people that comics might otherwise not reach at all is the best thing about the show.

I'll be exhibiting both days, all day, signing books as well as selling original art, doing sketches, and showing off a brand-new preview of the third Three Thieves book, The Captive Prince. So find my table and come say hello!

Fearless Fred Interview

2012-04-23T15:57:00.000-04:00

Earlier this month I recorded a 49-minute interview with Toronto radio personality and Teletoon at Night host "Fearless" Fred Kennedy, which was just released (for FREE!) on iTunes.

As it turns out, Fred is a damned good interviewer. His enthusiasm for my books (and comics in general) really comes across, he knows his stuff, and he does a terrific job putting his subject at ease. You'll notice that the interview begins mid-conversation; somewhere during the small talk when I first entered the studio he simply started recording without telling me. It was only after a few minutes that I realized we were actually well into the interview. It's a nice, laid-back conversation that was a lot of fun. We could have kept going all afternoon.

Click the Fredcast logo to hear the entire interview at iTunes.

Life of Johnny Cash

2012-04-17T13:12:00.000-04:00

A recent illustration assignment for CBC Music:

"The Captive Prince" Finished

2012-03-28T17:53:00.004-04:00

I haven't updated this blog since December, but with good reason: I've been busy finishing the third Three Thieves book, The Captive Prince.

It's been a long haul, but I'm more proud of this one than either of the two previous books. I feel like the original characters are growing and changing in interesting ways, a number of new characters (both heroes and villains) are introduced, there's all of the adventure, escapes, and chases people have come to expect from the series, and some new twists as well (including a bit of romance...a first for one of my stories.)

In exchange for not updating in over three months, I'm posting LOTS of art from the new book. Hopefully it whets your appetite for when the book hits stores in the fall!

TEDxWaterloo 2012

2011-12-14T11:28:00.001-05:00

I'm happy today to be able to report some news I'd been sitting on for a while: I'll be a guest speaker at the 2012 incarnation of TEDxWaterloo, one of the largest independently-licensed TED events in North America. Devoted to "Ideas Worth Spreading", TEDxWaterloo is an annual conference of thinkers in wide-ranging fields, loosely defined as technology, entertainment, and design (thus the acronym TED).

I'm honoured to have been invited to participate in this year's event, especially considering that I often listen to TED talks online for inspiration while working and that the other two speakers announced today are particle physicist Bilge Demirköz and Jean Béliveau, who walked around the world for peace. Intimidating company for a cartoonist.

I'm still working out the exact nature of my presentation, but it will involve not only a talk but a live-drawing performance throughout the event. So join me on March 21st at Centre in the Square in Kitchener, Ontario and see how it turns out!

Ernest Seller

2011-11-16T14:55:00.001-05:00

My books have kept me too busy for much commercial illustration work in the last couple of years (and the market has been pretty dry anyway, unfortunately for people who depend on illustration for a living) but I still like to take the odd assignment if it's fun and interesting.

Like this one.

Spirited Leaders, a local company that specializes in business education for entrepreneurs, hired me to create a design looks for the cast of characters ("Ernest Seller" and his co-workers) that populates their communication materials, everything from print brochures to Twitter accounts. I did a few different poses for each, two dozen in all.

Here are some of the ones I like best:

"Two Generals" Promo Video

2011-10-24T10:50:00.002-04:00

A just-released video that the fine folks at McClelland & Stewart assembled from a recent interview session with me:

"Two Generals," White Pine, and Canada Reads

2011-10-21T17:15:00.002-04:00

It has been an exceptionally good week for Two Generals.

On Monday, it was nominated for the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading White Pine Award for Non-Fiction. The White Pine award is for high school-aged readers, which fits nicely with the fact that Two Generals is now being used in some Ontario high schools as part of the curriculum. Readers of the appropriate age are encouraged to read the books and vote, with the winners announced next spring at festivals in Ottawa, Toronto, and Thunder Bay. It's a big deal, gets young people reading lots, and who doesn't love libraries? So thanks to the OLA for the nomination. Happy to be a part of it.

On Tuesday, which was not about to let Monday get all the glory, Two Generals was announced as being in the Top 40 for the 2012 edition of Canada Reads, the CBC's annual "battle of the books" that unfolds on radio and TV, which for the first time (conveniently for Two Generals) is focusing on non-fiction. I was flattered when it began turning up among early recommendations and polls, and am thrilled to have even made the long list.

The inclusion in last year's competition of my pal Jeff Lemire's excellent graphic novel Essex County among the Top 5 for best Canadian novel of the decade proved to be somewhat controversial, so I was also happy to see that Canada Reads wasn't steering away from comics-based works this year. In fact, there are no less than THREE graphic novels in the Top 40: mine, Sarah Leavitt's Tangles, and Chester Brown's Louis Riel. Even if none of us go further (though my money's on Riel making the Top 5), this is a very good thing for comics. That said, I'd be over the moon if the book made the Top 10...so please go to the voting page before October 30th and cast a vote for me and Two Generals, won't you?

Often in the past when trying to explain the sophistication of comics storytelling to people who clung to old stereotypes, myself and others would point out the number of comics works that had been nominated for and/or won mainstream literary prizes (Maus and the Pulitzer, Jimmy Corrigan and the Guardian Prize, Sandman and the World Fantasy Award, etc.) In none of even my most ambitious dreams, however, did I think I'd ever be among those lucky few. I'm not sure the word "honoured" even begins to describe it. HUGE thanks to everyone who made both nominations possible.

"The Sign of the Black Rock" in Stores Now

2011-09-02T11:56:00.000-04:00

Hot off its predecessor Tower of Treasure's Shuster Award win for Best Comic for Kids, the second Three Thieves book, The Sign of the Black Rock, hit store shelves this week.

Stranded at a roadside inn during a fierce thunderstorm, Dessa and her companions must spend the night avoiding detection and capture at the hands of a greedy innkeeper, his mysteriously silent wife, notorious smugglers, and the Queen's Dragons themselves. It's a shade darker than the first volume, but contains all of the same adventure, escapes, twists, and fun.

Personally, I'm more content with this second book than the first. It's a more complete story (the first book, by necessity, had to be more about setting up the entire seven-book series) and we solved some problems with how the colour was printed in Tower of Treasure so that the art in The Sign of the Black Rock looks closer to what was intended. But most importantly, I got to use the old "let's disguise ourselves as a taller person by standing on each other's shoulders and wearing big clothes" gag, a la The Little Rascals:

Yes, it's a fun job.

Pick up a copy of The Sign of the Black Rock at your favourite bookstore, comics shop, or online.

Summer Reviews/Interviews

2011-08-02T13:29:00.001-04:00

Haven't updated in a while, so I thought I'd post a round-up of some of the various sightings of yours truly around the Web:

First up, Kirkus Reviews posts a glowing review of the soon-to-be-released (on September 1st) The Sign of the Black Rock, calling it a "never-a-dull-moment sequel to Tower of Treasure," though you'll need to be logged in to read the full review until the book's release date.

Speaking of good reviews, Two Generals also gets some better-late-than-never love from Brigid Alverson at Graphic Novel Reporter, who calls it "a moving story, beautifully drawn and artfully told" (thanks, Brigid!). And my old editor (on Days Like This and Scandalous), writer Jamie S. Rich posts a very flattering take on the book on his blog, saying, "Very few comics have made me cry. This is one of them."

In other news, Eva Volin from Good Comics for Kids/School Library Journal posted a video of a short interview she did with me at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival in May:

And last but not least, I recently answered the Proust-style cultural questionairre for the folks over at One Two Microphone Check, alongside some very impressive creative people.

Stay tuned for more art, reviews, and other publicity as we get closer to the release of The Sign of the Black Rock and the softcover edition of Two Generals!

San Diego 2011

2011-07-11T11:27:00.001-04:00

I'm headed back to San Diego Comic-Con next week, for my first visit since 2008.

You probably won't see me on the show floor all that much; I'm mostly going for the Eisner Awards, and to check out the much-anticipated TR!CKSTER Symposia, the "counter-con" aimed at bringing the focus back to comics in general, and to creator-owned comics in particular. If you're looking for me in San Diego next week, I'll probably be there, hanging with (and marvelling at) some of the most talented cartoonists in the world.

I will be doing two signings at the convention centre, though, both at the Oni Press booth:

Friday, July 22nd 6pm-6:45pm
Saturday, July 23rd 2pm-2:45pm

I'll have a limited amount of original art for sale from a variety of my books, as well doing sketches and generally being charming. So elbow your way through the throngs of movie producers and Stormtroopers and say hello!

"The Sign of the Black Rock" in Print

2011-06-24T12:39:00.001-04:00

With its predecessor having won a Shuster Award last week, it seems as good a time as any to remind people that the second Three Thieves book, The Sign of the Black Rock, is coming soon (September 1st, to be exact). In fact, I was recently sent advance copies, pictured here. It's always strange to see your book in print for the first time, but I'm pretty happy with it...it's definitely an improvement on Tower of Treasure, thanks to some technical concerns we addressed about the way the colour files are imported for print.

The story follows our three title characters as they stop at a roadside inn, forced off the road during a storm. When their pursuers, the Queen's Dragons, arrive at the very same inn, near captures and narrow escapes ensue. It's a shade darker than the first book, but still full of hijinks and fun.

A 14-page preview is available at the Kids Can Press website. In the meantime, it's back to work for me on the third book, The Captive Prince!

Superboy Commission

2011-06-23T21:30:00.001-04:00

The Golden Age Superman commission I posted last month resulted, as I probably should have expected, in more "Super" commissions, including this one of the new/old (thanks to the recent DC Comics reboot) Superboy, about whom I know nothing other than the fact that he tucks in his t-shirts, much like a senior citizen.

This also marks the first time in my entire life that I've ever drawn Krypto the super-dog. It was fun!

"Tower of Treasure" Wins Shuster Award

2011-06-21T11:16:00.000-04:00

The 7th Annual Joe Shuster Awards, which recognize Canadian comic book creators, were held this past Saturday in Calgary. And I'm happy to report that Tower of Treasure was the recipient of the award for Best Comic for Kids.

As you may recall, I was competing against myself (among others), with Two Generals being nominated in the same category (which raised some eyebrows, given its content). Between the two, I'm glad the winner was the one that's an actual kids' book. Tower of Treasure has also had to live in the shadow of the well-publicized Two Generals since the latter was released, so the award was a nice accolade for a book that I'm as proud of as any of my others, but that doesn't always get as much attention.

Thank you again to the organizers and jury of the Joe Shuster Awards for this honour, and congratulations to the other winners. I can finally take the word "nominee" out of my bio and add the word "winner"!

"Two Generals" and Schools

2011-06-02T09:51:00.002-04:00

I've done (and continue to do) author visits at schools and libraries, but something that's been completely new to me recently is actually having my work taught in schools as part of the curriculum, as they've done this past term in select schools in London, Ontario and St. Thomas, Ontario.

Because of its (and my, and my grandfather's) connection to the area, administrators in the Thames Valley District School Board thought Two Generals might appeal to young people there. And after reading the book and seeing me speak about it at the St. Thomas Public Library last fall, they were convinced it could also be a useful tool for teachers in Grade 9 and 10 English, History, and Art. Classrooms in several schools took in on as a pilot project, which seems to have met with wild success. I've been fortunate enough to meet with the teachers and students involved on a few different occasions, and the varied and interesting ways they're using the book in class has been both flattering and inspiring.

Because of the success of the project this term, the book is going to be available to teachers district-wide next school year. Hopefully they'll see as much benefit to students as this year's group did.

Thanks to everyone at the Thames Valley board who were willing to take a risk on something different, and to the students and teachers who have personally expressed to me the positive results they've had with Two Generals. It's been a great experience for me, too.

More about the project and more pics at the Thames Valley District School Board website.

Golden Age Superman

2011-05-03T08:47:00.000-04:00

I don't draw superheroes very often, but occasionally I enjoy it, especially if I can give it a nice retro treatment like above. Because I'm old-school.

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival, May 7-8

2011-05-01T12:15:00.003-04:00

If you follow this blog, you've no doubt read my thoughts on the Toronto Comic Arts Festival before. So much more than simply a comic book convention, it has blossomed over the years into a major cultural event, with guests and attendees coming from around the world to enjoy two days dedicated to the art of cartooning. While typical comics shows usually end up showcasing the most crass elements of the industry and of fandom (movie, toy, and videogame tie-ins, corporate and licensed characters, emphasis on publishers and product rather than creators) TCAF has always been patterned more after a literary festival, with the focus purely on artists, fans, and the love of comics. For all ages and all audiences.

This excellent video by Chris Hutsall, in conjunction with TCAF, has been making the rounds online this past week, and really captures the spirit and passion of the event (as well as featuring Canadian indie comics legends Seth and Chester Brown, and my good pal Michael Cho).

This year's event promises to be the best yet. Held, as always, in a prominent, central downtown Toronto location (The Toronto Reference Library) with FREE admission, TCAF attracts the widest possible audience, not just people who are already fans. This allows it to avoid being something exclusive to hobbyists, and become something that represents the true breadth and diversity of the medium. Which is something those of us who don't make superhero comics truly appreciate.

With Two Generals and Tower of Treasure both new since last year's festival, I'll have a major presence at this year's show. I'll have both books (as well as Northwest Passage, naturally) for sale, as well as original art, sketches, prints, t-shirts, and maybe some surprise goodies as well. I'll also be doing a "reading" for kids from Tower of Treasure on the Saturday at 3pm. So come join me on May 7th and 8th, along with literally hundreds of other cartoonists, for the best comics-related show in North America. See you there!

UPDATE: I've also been added to the "Guilty-Pleasure Comics" panel on Sunday at 2pm. Held in a bar across the street from the main venue at the Reference Library, it promises to be a good time with myself and other cartoonists toating/roasting the goofy comics that inspired us as kids. Should be fun!

"Two Generals" Nominated for Two Eisner Awards

2011-04-12T11:33:00.000-04:00

Late last week, the nominations were announced for the 2011 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. There a lot of different awards in the industry, but these are the big ones, "the Oscars of comics." And I'm proud to say that Two Generals has been nominated in two categories.

A lot of people suggested to me that they thought I would get a nomination, but I wasn't willing to bet on it since the book isn't as well known in the US as it is here in Canada. This is one of those cases in which I was happy to be wrong, though, as the book was nominated for Best Reality-Based Work, and designer Jennifer Lum was also recognized for Best Publication Design.

Very flattered to be recognized by the Eisner judges, especially since Will Eisner (after whom the award is named) was my favourite cartoonist of all time, as well as a personal hero and role model. Congratulations to all of the other nominees, and may the best book win this July at Comic-Con International!

Comic Book Literacy Day in London, Ont.

2011-03-04T11:16:00.000-05:00

If you're in southwestern Ontario, this is an event that you really shouldn't miss:

What a line-up!

I'll also be signing at sponsor store Heroes (186 Dundas Street in London) from 4pm-5:30pm alongside pals J. Bone and Diana Tamblyn. Come say hi!

Finally...Merchandise!

2011-03-01T08:35:00.000-05:00

In my entire fifteen-year career as an artist, I've never offered merchandise based on my comics and illustrations...usually because I've always been too busy creating comics and illustrations. The Internet is making this kind of thing ever more easy and efficient to do, though, so I've teamed up with the folks at Zazzle to dip my toe into the water of print-on-demand merchandising.

I've created a few t-shirt designs to start, and intend to add more soon, especially if these prove to be popular. I'm also hoping to offer some art prints and perhaps things like totes or mugs as well. We'll see. For now I'm starting small, so go buy a shirt and convince me to do more!

THREE Joe Shuster Award Nominations

2011-02-01T10:51:00.000-05:00

Woke up this morning to a pleasant surprise: I've been nominated three times in the 7th Annual Joe Shuster Awards, which celebrate the achievements of Canadian comics creators, publishers, and retailers. One nomination is for Outstanding Canadian Cartoonist (alongside big names like Darwyn Cooke and current Canada Reads darling Jeff Lemire) while the other two are in the Comics for Kids category, where Tower of Treasure and Two Generals are competing against each other. Tower of Treasure publisher Kids Can Press was also nominated for Best Publisher, which was nice to see.

I was surprised but pleased by the nomination for Two Generals for the Comics for Kids award. While it wasn't written specifically for children, myself and the folks at McClelland & Stewart always thought of it as having "crossover potential" and being something that should be read by young people. That the book seems to be being received that way is gratifying.

The full list of nominees does a terrific job of illustrating the quality of work being done by Canadian creators, both English and French, as well as the enormous diversity of today's comics scene. Go take a look, and maybe you'll discover something great you hadn't yet heard of. And congratulations to the other nominees!

February "Kayak" Cover

2011-01-27T08:39:00.001-05:00

Over at Canada's History, my pal James Gillespie has recently become the art director of Kayak, a Canadian history magazine for kids. I'm flattered to say that one of his first acts on the job was hiring me to draw the cover of his first issue (February), which is on shelves now.

The issue deals with (among other things) the Klondike Gold Rush, so that was the theme for the cover. I'd have liked to have done something at least a bit more muted colour-wise in order to be more descriptive of the period, but bright colours are what sell kids magazine (or so I've always been told, anyway).

I used to do a lot of work for Kayak back when it first got up and running, but hadn't heard much about it in recent years and wasn't even sure if it was still being published. Here's hoping James can steer it toward an illustration and design-driven Golden Age!

La Pastéque to Publish "Two Generals" in French

2011-01-25T16:24:00.001-05:00

Over the holidays, I approved a deal with Quebec comics publisher LaPastéque to produce a French language edition of Two Generals.

I'm proud to say that there was some competition for the rights, but when I heard LaPastéque was interested, my mind was pretty well made up. The Quebec cartooning scene has been on fire in recent years, and they've been at the heart of it, publishing some of my favourite graphic novels of the last few years, such as Michel Ribagliati's "Paul" books (Paul Goes Fishing, Paul Has a Summer Job, etc.)

I'll post more details about their publishing plans as they become available, but for now I just wanted to break the news and say how excited I am to be working with one of the best French publishers around.

"The Sign of the Black Rock" Preview

2011-01-11T16:56:00.005-05:00

Welcome to 2011, everyone!

I just delivered final art for my big release for this year: the second Three Thieves book, The Sign of the Black Rock. It's on track for an August release, same as its predecessor, Tower of Treasure. It's never too early to start promoting a new book, though, so here are six pages to whet your appetite:

I'll post more throughout the coming months as the book's release gets closer. Until then, happy new year!