BLACK EYE BOOKS Location: Toronto, (early Decades of 21st century).
Owner/Publisher/Editor: Michel Vrána
Contributors: Jason Bradshaw, J.R. Hughto John MacLeod, Curt Merlo and Jason Stephens,
Characters: Dishman, Jetcat
In 2019 Black Eye Books emerged out of Black Eye Productions as a publisher in Toronto with the release of Dejects a collection of Jay Stephen’s published and unpublished sequential cartoons. It appears that the emerging phenomenon of crowdfunding was the principal impetus for Michel to begin publishing again. In this new incarnation Black Eye Books has focused on publishing the works of Jay Stephens although it has also published the works of other graphic artists and has moved outside the realm of graphic novels and periodicals to publish a photo history of Queen Street West of Toronto by Kevin Steele.
PRODUCT:
BOOK GRAPHIC COLLETION:
Content story colour & Cover book wraparound colour:
Dejects. Car., Jay Stephens. 2019. A collection of published and unpublished works.
Dwellings. Car., Jay Stephens. 2024. Signed & dated. Includes 3D glasses for 3D story “Journey into Fear”. See Little Horror Flicks and STICKER below.
Content story colour & Cover book front, dustjacket wraparound colour:
Jetcat & Friends. Car., Jay Stephens. 2021. The complete “Jetcat” stories in colour. See STICKER below.
Content serial black & white & Cover wraparound colour:
Bore, Car., Jason Bradshaw. 2023. A collection from Bradshaw’s zine of the same name. See Amputations and PRINT below.
BOOKLET GRAPHIC COLLECTION
Content serial black & white & Cover book front black and white.
The Mundane Adventures of Dishman. Car., John MacLeod, 2022.
Content collection of cartoons colour & Cover book front colour:
Little Horror Flicks. Car., Jay Stephens. No date. This booklet was a bonus given to those participating in crowd funding for the publishing of Dwellings.
Content collection of cartoons black & white & Cover book wraparound black & white:
Amputations, Car., Jason Bradshaw. 2023. given as a bonus to those participating in the crowdfunding for the publishing of Bore.
PERIODICAL GRAPHIC:
Colour cover & content except for “Aw Hell” which is black & white.
Content story & Cover book front:
| Dwellings …: “…”. Cartoonist, Jay Stephens: 1-36. “ Aw Hell”. Car., Jay Stephens: Inside back cover. | |
| 1, December 2020: “They Know”: 1- 36.
2, June 2021: “Second Tongue”: 1- 36. 3, April 2022: “Quiet Suki”: 1 – 36. |
5, June 2023: “Pester’s Call”: 1- 36. See POSTER below.
6, October 2023: “Undergrowth”: 1-36. See POSTER below. |
POST CARDS:
Familiar Horror From Within Dwelling, Blackeye Books. Associated with Dwellings 5.
Familiar Horror From Within Dwelling, Blackeye Books. Associated with Dwellings 6.
Little Horror Flicks, Black Eye Books. Associated with the book Little Horror Flicks, these 19 post Cards are tributes to horror films.
POSTER:
Pester’s Call, 40cm tall X 28 cm wide Black Eye Books. Designed as a movie poster, it is associated with Dwellings 5.
Undergrowth, 40cm tall X 28 cm wide Black Eye Books. Designed as a movie poster, it is associated with Dwellings 5.
POSTER IN PERIODICAL:
Atomic City Tales Presents Big Bang and the Manic Gang. Signed Sin. Ltd edition. No date. Blackeye Productions.
chickaDEE, 23-4, May 2001: “Snowboarding in Spring”: 16-17.
chickaDEE, 23-9, Nov. 2001: “Explore the Sea with Chick and Dee” Illus., unidentified: 18-19.
PRINT:
Two 2 colour print signed and dated by Jason Bradshaw given as a bonus to those participating in the crowd funding for the publishing of Bore.
Risograph signed and dated by Jason Stephens associated with Dwellings 5, June 2023.
Risograph signed and dated by Jason Stephens associated with Dwellings 5, June 2023.
STICKER:
Associated with the story “Aw Hell” on the inside back cover of the Dwellings periodicals.
A page of Jet character stickers was included with Jetcat & Friends 2021.
SOURCE:
Internet:
Black Eye Productions. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php? title=Black__Eye__Productions. Accessed 9 March 2023
tcj.com/i-think-after-all-these-years-I-finally-acceoted-comics-is-actually-my-calling-talking-with-jay-stephens. 29 April 2024. Accessed 10 June 2024.