Tag Archives: graphic novels

Teaching at Langara

06 Monday Feb 2017

Posted by in Self-Reflection

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Tomorrow I teach the third installment in my “Writing for Graphic Novels & Comix” class as part of Langara College’s “Graphic Novel & Comix” program. It’s an honour to be one of the program instructors, and a really exciting experience to be teaching people how to best organize their ideas, develop their story, and convert it into a comic script. Many people say that often the instructor learns as much about the subject as the people he’s teaching, and it certainly true that preparing each class has made me think long and hard about the steps for creating a good story and a good comic, including character motivation, the arc of a plot, and the composition of a comic page.

It will be fascinating to discover how I feel about all of this at the end of the final class, and also what comic stories my students will produce. It has been an exciting adventure so far.

Cloudscape & Me

02 Wednesday Oct 2013

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Cloudscape Comics
If you know almost anything about me, you probably know that I’m part of Cloudscape Comics, a local group of comic book creators that publishes a yearly anthology of our work, has regular Wednesday meetings, and engages in a lot of different events throughout the city. There’s a lot going on there. Just last month, we had the launch of our seventh graphic novel anthology, Waterlogged, at the Maritime Museum and a great crowd of people showed up. This week we’re also putting the finishing touches on Epic Canadiana, an anthology of Canadian superhero stories edited entirely by me, and we’re already planning our next anthology, Mega Fauna. That’s not counting the Halloween party we’re preparing, the events we’re doing, the classes we’re teaching, the conventions we’re attending.

In the last year or so, Cloudscape has become a juggernaut, expanding far beyond the original confines of the group. When I first became a member, it was often hard to engage enough people to push forward any project that fell outside the yearly anthology while now we have a host of members who aren’t just interested in the organization as a venue for publishing their stories but are actually interested in the organization for itself. Thanks to their investment, Cloudscape has grown on numerous levels.

Few things make me as proud as being part of Cloudscape. My life would be very different and much less rich today if it wasn’t for the organization. Most of my best artist collaborations have come from people I’ve connected to through Cloudscape, many of my own stories that I’m most proud of have been published through Cloudscape’s anthologies, I count many of my closest friends as Cloudscape members, and of course I met my girlfriend, the multitalented Reetta Linjama, through the organization. Cloudscape has given me so much and I like to think that I’m doing my part to give back to it in return. There’s numerous other things happening on the horizon with Cloudscape and I look forward to being a part of them.

Interview with Jeff Ellis, part 2

29 Sunday Jan 2012

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by Bevan Thomas

(originally appeared on the Cloudscape website)

For the first half of the interview with Jeff Ellis, see part 1

“Who would you call your biggest artistic influences?” I asked Jeff Ellis.

“I used to be totally obsessed with Mark Bagley and John Romita Jr., really impressed by their work ethic,” Jeff replied. “I’m probably the most stylistically influenced by Steve Rolston. I was actually in the comic store when Steve got his acceptance letter from Oni; me and Steve both used to buy our comics from ABC Book & Comic Emporium.”

“It must have been a real coup then, for Steve Rolston to illustrate the cover of Cloudscape’s fifth anthology, 21 Journeys.”

“Yeah, that was awesome.” Jeff grinned.

“Frequently your art reminds me of Phillip Bond, similar energy, visual clarity, and round, expressive figures,” I said. “You know his work? He’s done a lot of stuff with Grant Morrison, such as Kill Your Boyfriend and Invisibles.”

“I know of him, yeah. I think Steve was influenced by Phillip Bond, and I was influenced by Steve. Craig Thompson and Chris Ware are also big influences for my art.” Continue reading »

Interview with Jeff Ellis, part 1

26 Thursday Jan 2012

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by Bevan Thomas

(originally appeared on the Cloudscape website)

At one of Cloudscape Comics’ Wednesday meetings, I sat down to chat with Jeff Ellis, the organization’s founder, as around us numerous fellow cartoonists worked on their own projects.

Jeff Ellis

In many ways, Jeff’s appearance captures the archetype of the “geek” in the best possible way; a slim, bespectacled bright-eyed man with a mouth rarely far from a gentle smile. He is approachable and unassuming, even shy, and yet when he speaks, his words are confident, thoughtful, and earnest. Dedicated to his own projects, but always interested in the works of others, welcoming to new associates but always loyal to old ones; perhaps he above anyone else embodies the creativity and openness of Cloudscape.

“You’ve spent most of your life in Vancouver?” I asked.

“Yeah. I grew-up here. Though I did live for two and a half years in Japan, from 2004 to 2007.”

“What made you decide to go to Japan?”

At this question, Jeff dropped his gaze in slight embarrassment. “I wanted a fresh start.”

“A fresh start?”

“I’d graduated from college,” Jeff began, “a three-year program in graphic design, and couldn’t find a job. Any art job, I mean. I was working retail and was sick of it; I wanted a change. A friend of mine had gone to Japan before and had found it easy to get a teaching job; so she suggested I give it a shot.”

Continue reading »