Canadians! They look just like us. They act very much like us. But they are not us. They are Canadians. You may find this exhaustive list of Canadian cartoonists disturbing — it is truly shocking how much work by Canadians has been allowed to slip into the US marketplace. The document is cleverly disguised as a list of eligible work for the Joe Shuster Awards, which recognize — ha! — the work of our northern cartooning neighbors. The awards now have a spiffy, regularly updated blog to further inform us of the Canadian menace.
As long as we’re talking Canada, The Walrus reviews Two New Canadian Graphic Novels, UNE PIQUANTE PETITE BRUNETTE, by Albert Chartier, and DROP-IN, by Dave Lapp. They are all around us, I am telling you.
Only in Canada. Pity. Half of Superman belongs to us. A full history of Canadian comics can be seen at…
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/comics/index-e.html
Dr. Who and the Avengers were also created by a Canadian. Sidney Newman is the man who created both British icons. So from Superman to Dr. Who, we will take credit.
First of all, they are so gosh-darned polite that I doubt they will have the cojones to take over this country.
Second, while people might rant and rave over the North American Union, the Amera, NAFTA Superhighway, nobody wants to deal with the Tar Baby briar patch that is the United States government.
Third, the United States has an excellent track record of assimilating other cultures. By the third generation, they’ll have accents, excessive body mass, extreme opinions, and owning at least one firearm.
Want a look now? Go visit Nebraska. We’ve got the bad weather (imported from Alberta), almost non-existent accent, lots of wide open spaces, and plenty of ex-pats who have gained prominence upon leaving the state (Cather, Cavett, Carson, Fonda, Brando, Payne…). We’ve even got a world-class cartoonist who was one of the first cartoonists to appear regularly in the New York Times. (Peter Kuper was first, but nobody remembers that.)
Nebraska is absolutely – hands down – the most boring place ever to exist on this planet. I’d never EVER step foot in that forsaken state, even if I were to be tortured by having cornstalks shoved up my fingernails.
And it’s run by Republicans too. All more the reason to avoid at all costs.
I rest my case.
~
Coat