MCAF 2024 panel explored expats and immigrants

True North Country Comics recently attended the 2024 Montreal Comic Arts Festival to speak with comic book creators.

Poster by Jillian Tamaki

This podcast has been removed at the request of the show organizers.

The Montreal Comic Arts Festival (MCAF) is Montreal’s sole bilingual event dedicated to promoting comics and the artists who create them. This not-to-be-missed comic arts event drew over 82,000 people in 2023. The 13th edition of MCAF took place from May 24 to 26, 2024 on a pedestrianized Saint-Denis Street between Gilford and Roy. More than 300 comic artists from Montreal and abroad exhibited, and offered a diverse program of over 60 activities. Year-round, MCAF organizes activities that contribute to the development and dissemination of knowledge about the art, for both professional and comic arts enthusiasts.

The 2024 Montreal Comic Arts Festival hosted a series of panels in conjunction with the exhibits and displays from comic book creators near and far. The panel ‘Stranger in a Strange Land: Expats and Immigrants’ explored the topic of pulling up stakes, crossing boarders and putting down roots in a new place. Led by moderator François Vigneault, panelists included Zoe Qiu, Alison McCreesh and Veronica Post.

François Vigneault is an American-born cartoonist living in Québec. He is the creator of the sci-fi graphic novel TITAN (Oni Press, 2020 / Éditions Pow Pow, 2017), the co-creator of the YA series 13e Avenue (Éditions de la Pastèque, 2018) and the artist for the comic book series Orcs in Space, published by Oni Press (2021-22). His relatively small body of work has been nominated for a surprising number of awards (and has even won a few of them).

Zoe Qiu is a webcomic artist and mother of two, storyteller and over-thinker. Initially, she chronicled her immigrant experiences in Canada, with Zozo in Quebec as a standout piece from this period. However, after becoming a parent, she realized the importance of cultural inheritance. With this newfound insight, she began creating small stories about her home culture and the local culture, alongside the challenges and joys of parenting. Her latest series, The Moon and Six Diapers, reflects this thematic shift and showcases Zoe’s ability to blend humour, heart, and cultural depth into her work. Zoe’s comics aim to resonate with diverse audiences, especially immigrants and parents, spreading positivity and inspiration. She hopes each creation connects with readers on a deeper level, leaving them uplifted and empowered.

Over the past fifteen years, Alison McCreesh has extensively travelled around the Arctic and sub-Arctic, and contemporary day-to-day life in the North is a theme that carries through her creative work. Alison currently lives in Yellowknife, where she creates comics and illustrations surrounded by her two dogs and three small children. Alison’s past books include the award-winning graphic novel Ramshackle: A Yellowknife Story, as well as the travelogue Norths: Two Suitcases and a Stroller around the Circumpolar World. Alison recently chatted about her newest publication is Degrees of Separation: A Decade North of 60.

Veronica Post is an award-winning graphic novelist and multi-disciplinary artist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She attended University for Philosophy and Fine Arts, before moving to Montreal where she completed her studies in cabinetmaking, and discovered the DIY culture of self-published zines. She joined a zine distro and began creating comics, while following a path towards becoming a furniture-maker. Her path took a turn when she left Montreal for the allure of travel. She spent 8 years exploring Canada, America and Eastern Europe, where she began working on what would become Fugitive Days. Today, she continues to create comics based on her life with her characters Langosh and Peppi. Veronica recently chatted about her newest entry Langosh and Peppi: Hot to Trot.

You can discover more about the Montreal Comic Arts Festival at www.fbdm-mcaf.ca/en

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