Roundup: 4 innovative new graphic novels that take you in new creative directions

Squire and Knight

By Scott Chantler

First Second, 176 pages, $19.99

Scott Chantler, Stratford, Ontario’s quietly accomplished graphic novelist, returns with a gripping mystery aimed at younger readers. Chantler’s past work, especially near-silent masterpiece “Bix,” makes any new release impossible to ignore, and this one’s a treat; however young its intended audience, it suits all ages.

This is the story of a clever squire to a boorish knight, following the literary tradition of using a lower-class protagonist to poke fun at authority. Coming across an apparently cursed village that’s been plagued by a dragon, Sir Kelton grabs his sword and rushes in, while Squire ponders the problem and looks for another way.

It’s beautifully realized, as we would expect from a Chantler book. And his storytelling skill shows clearly in the pacing, leading us neatly through a plot peopled with all manner of fantastical creatures to a satisfying ending. Squire and Knight should be on your coffee table.

The Man In The McIntosh Suit

By Rina Ayunyang

Drawn & Quarterly, 212 pages, $32.95

It might seem tough to come up with a new way to tell noir fiction stories, but Rina Ayunyang’s done it, and beautifully.

Here, the setting may be familiar — the dive bars and broken dreams of California in 1929. But, as the Depression maintains its grip, enter our protagonist Bobot, a migrant worker from the Philippines forced to work as a fruit picker despite having a law degree, who swipes a loud suit and heads to find his missing wife. It may centre, as is customary in noir, on a “dame,” but the story of Bobot’s obsessive quest takes the genre in new directions.

So does Ayunyang’s absolutely gorgeous approach to illustration. She mostly uses a single-colour wash art style, but builds a complex approach to colour and panel layouts over time. It’s hard to explain but should be seen, and it’s very clever indeed.

Secrets of Jarrow

By Bill Slavin

Renegade Arts Entertainment, 128 pages, $21.99

This is the post-apocalyptic whodunnit I didn’t know I needed, and I’m delighted to be introduced to it.

Veteran illustrator Bill Slavin, who lives in Millbrook, Ontario, is the creator of this first book in a trilogy. Focused on young drifter Mordecai Crow, who’s seeking his long-lost parents as he wanders a ruined wasteland peppered with settlements where people have forgotten most of their former civilization’s technology. In trouble and seeking safety in the fortress of Jarrow, Mordecai instead finds a tragic conspiracy and those old secrets in the book’s title.

Independent publishers in Canada already have top-quality output, but this one from Canmore, Alberta’s Renegade is as good as they get. It’s high-speed storytelling in a well-crafted book and part two can’t arrive quickly enough.

Kettle Harbour

By Kyle Vingoe-Cram

Conundrum Press, 264 pages, $25.00

One of the great joys of graphic novels is there’s always room for a fresh approach; it’s arrived with Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, cartoonist Kyle Vingoe-Cram. In this absorbing debut graphic novel, they mix experimentation with solid emotional storytelling to make a storytelling style that must be unique.

Its main plot is a story about two people who were children together reconnecting to share nostalgic activities. Meanwhile, in a connected narrative, a family tragedy plays out for a stalwart of local theatre.

Kettle Harbour — based on the small-town Nova Scotia where Vingoe-Cram spent their childhood — is about shared histories and estrangement, and the reliability of memory. This is where the unique style shows in fascinating ways: the writer-artist gives us their character’s words in ink or pencil, to show speech heard aloud or just in the mind’s eye. It’s new and exciting, and worth a look.

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