Indie comics in Alberta: two stories from the field

Abstract

ABSTRACT Damian Willcox (Calgary) and Eric Dyck (Lethbridge) have tenaciously been making comics in Alberta over the last twenty years, largely in the absence of local peers. Their work has helped to set the standard for Alberta comic creators, including myself. The comic-making journeys of Damian and Eric offer a sense of the stories that have contributed to Alberta’s emerging indie scene in 2019. At a time in which comics are increasingly present in mainstream society, and in which the value of visual literacy in general seems to be on the rise in Alberta, the work of these two established local cartoonists is well-positioned to reach new audiences. Damian and Eric are drawing upon their years of experience to educate and engage comics newcomers (both makers and consumers), in their respective communities. Their bodies of work, along with their enthusiastic advocacy for independent comics inspired by lived experience, continue to contribute to the province’s increasingly complex, diverse, and exciting indie ‘scene.’ In support of Eric and Damian’s commitment to their chosen medium, this article has been written as a comic.