OPERATION MISSILE

Operation Missile was published about 1968/69 by “Lonesome George” Henderson owner of Memory Lane a nostalgia shop in downtown Toronto. It is credited as the first professional comic book with original Canadian material to be created in Toronto since the demise of Bell and Anglo-American went out of business. Twenty-five year old Derek Carter wrote and drew this science fiction/war cartoon story. He had been educated at Kingston College of Art in London England where he also worked on the “Lone Ranger” series (1966 – 1967) at Halas & Batchelor Cartoon Films. After moving to Canada, he worked eleven months for Rocket Robin Hood Films “drawing futuristic gadgetry”. Henderson and Carter decided to attempt publishing a Canadian based cartoon magazine. It appears that only one issue reached distribution. The story was typical and the art competent.

 

VIRGAN

CARTOONIST:

PERIODICAL GRAPHIC ANTHOLOGY:

Content story:

Dime Comics, 13, no date: “Hans Cuff.” . Bell Features & Publishing. Black & white.

OOKPIK

A comic strip created by Allan Beaton an editorial cartoonist for the Toronto Telegram. The strip was inspired by a sealskin toy owl handcrafted by the Fort Chimo Eskimo Co-operative. Oopik in Inuktitut means snowy or arctic owl

The strip appeared in the Toronto Telegram from November 30, 1964 to June 27, 1966 and was syndicated in more than 50 Canadian and U.S. newspapers. Beaton had to give it up because of ill health.

MEDIUM:

BOOK GRAPHIC COLLECTION:

Content cartoon editorial & strip:

The World of Allan Beaton, Car., Allan Beaton. no publishing information.[

NEWSPAPER:

Content cartoon strip:

The Telegram [Toronto], 30 Nov.1964 to 27 June1966: “Ookpik.” Car. Allan Beaton..

SOURCE:

Article book:

The Canadian Encyclopedia, vol. 2, Hurtig Publishers Ltd., 1985: “Ookpik” Writ., Robert Colombo.

Article periodical:

Canadian Review Of Comparative Literature, 43-1, March 2016: “Allan Beaton’s ‘Ookpik’ Was Here.” Writ., Michelle Bauldic: 137-147.

GALLERY:

Edmonton Journal, 30 Nov. 1964.

Toronto Telegram, 25 June 1966: 24.

Toronto Telegram, 27 June 1966: 48.

ONÉSIME

“I never intended to create a portrait of Québec through Onésime. But that’s what happened, little by little. Of course I tried to make Onésime typical of his place and time. I named him after one of my uncles who really was called Onésime. … I borrowed many of his expressions from friends and relatives. … I really wanted to record specific expressions and a way of talking that you hardly hear anymore.”                                                                                                                        Albert Chartier. Drawn & Quarterly v. 5: August 2003: 119.

In 1943 Albert Chartier created “Onésime” for Bulletin des Agriculteurs. It recounted the adventures and misadventures of a middle aged Québecois.

MEDIUM:

BOOK GRAPHIC COLLECTION:

Content cartoon strip & Cover book front:

Les aventures d’un Québécois typiique ONÉSIME: Trentiéme anniversaire d’un bon vieux comic de chez nous. Car., Albert Chartier. Les Editions L’Aurore Inc., 1974.

Onésime: Les meilleures pages. Car., Albert Chartier. Le Bulletin des agriculteurs/les Éditions Les 400 coups, 2011.

SOURCE:

Article book:

BDQ: Essays & Interviews On Quebec Comics. Ed., Andy Brown. BDang/Conundrum, 2017: “Onésime: Snapshots of a Changing Quebec.” Writ., Michel Viau. Trans., Helge Dasche: 26-32. First appeared in. Onésime Les meilleures pages, 2011.

Drawn & Quarterly v. 5: August 2003: “Albert Chartier: A Retrospective On The Life and Work Of A Pioneer Quebecois Cartoonist”: 120-167.

GALLERY:

Les aventures d’un Québécois typiique ONÉSIME, 1974: Illus., Albert Chartier from front cover.

OMAR AND ERNIE

At the age of 14, Erik Sansom initiated the cartoon strip “Omar and Ernie” in the Toronto Sun. It ran for about five years. “ Omar and Ernie was a humorous strip composed of Beethoven, Irving and Macduff in addition to the two principals. Usually each strip stood on its own and read much like stand up comedy with principal and a straight man.

MEDIUM:

NEWSPAPER:

Content cartoon strip:

Toronto Sun: “Omar and Ernie.” Car., Eric Sansom. approximately 1973 to March 9,1979.

GALLERY:

O’MALLEY Bryan Lee

Creator of the “Scott Pilgrim” graphic novel series. He received the 2007 Doug Wright Best Emerging Talent Award for Scott Pilgrim 1.

WORK:

CARTOONIST:

BOOK GRAPHIC:

Content novel & Cover book & dust jacket front & back:

Seconds. Let., Dustin Harbin. Col., Nathan Fairbairn. Ballantine Books, 2014.

OLSON Geoff

Born 1959 in Saskatoon.

Beginning 1981, he was editorial cartoonist for the Vancouver Courier. His art and writing has since appeared in a number of publications, including, This Magazine, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, and the Vancouver Sun. He has regularly cartooned and wrote for the magazine Common Ground. He has provided commentary to CBC Radio and Newsworld. His series “The Deadly Spins” has been used as course content in several Canadian and U.S. colleges. His essay on malls appeared in the fourth edition of Sociology, a McGraw-Hill textbook.

WORK:

CARTOONIST:

BOOK GRAPHIC ANTHOLOGY:

Content cartoon editorial:

Caricature . Cartoons Canada. Ed., Terry Mosher. Linda Leith Publishing, 2012: 66.

Portfoolio: 1989 in Canadian Caricature. Ed., Guy Badeaux . Writ., Charles Gordon. Macmillan of Canada, 1989.

Portfoolio …: The Year in Canadian Caricature. Ed., Guy Badeaux . Writ., Charles Gordon. Macmillan of Canada, ….
6: 1990.	7: 1991.	8: 1992.	9: 1993.

Portfoolio…: The Year’s Best Canadian Editorial Cartoons. Ed., Guy Badeaux . Writ., Ken MacQueen Macmillan of Canada, ….
10: 1994.	11: 1995.	12: 1996.

Portfoolio …. The Year’s Best Canadian Editorial Cartoons. Ed., Guy Badeaux . Writ., Jay Stone. Macmillan of Canada, …
13, 1997.	14, 1998.	15, 1999.

Portfoolio …. The Year’s Best Canadian Editorial Cartoons. Ed. & Writ., Guy Badeaux . McArthur & Co. …
20, 2004.	21, 2005.

Portfoolio …: The Year’s Best Canadian Editorial Cartoons. Ed., & Writ., Warren Clements. McArthur & Co. ….
22: 2006.	23: 2009.	24: 2010.	25: 2011.

SOURCE:

Article book:

Portfoolio: 1989 in Canadian Caricature. Ed., Guy Badeaux . Writ., Charles Gordon.  Macmillan of Canada, 1989; “Geoff Olson”: 216.

Portfoolio 24: The Year’s Best Canadian Editorial Cartoons. Ed., & Writ., Warren  Clements. McArthur & Co. 2010: Geoff Olson”: 172.

GALLERY:

Portfoolio 9: Front cover.

 

OLLMAN Joe

Self portrait from Ivan Kocmarek collection.

Born 25 March 1966 in Hamilton Ontario.

He grew up on a farm in Flamborough and took graphic design at Mohawk College.

He self published a three issue series of mini comics Dirty Nails beginning in 1988. This was followed by a strip called “Job’s Palace” which ran in the Hamilton Spectator for about five years in the early 1990’s, and another strip that ran in Exclaim magazine of Toronto.

In 1991, he began self publishing his stories which are mostly based on his own experiences in an anthology series Wag! which ran till 2004 producing nine issues.

He moved to Montréal in 2001.

He received the 2007 Doug Wright Best Book Award for This Will End In Tears.

He moved back to Hamilton in 2013.

With Alana Traficante he co-curated an exhibit of Canadian cartooning called This Is Serious: Canadian Indi Comics which ran at the Art Gallery of Hamilton from 21 June 2019 till 5 January 2020. He has also participated in the North Wing Project.

WORK:

CARTOONIST:

BOOK GRAPHIC:

Content biography & Cover book front & back:

the Abominable Mr. Seabrook. Drawn & Quarterly, January 2017.

BOOK GRAPHIC ANTHOLOGY:

Content story:

The Comic Eye, Ed., Mark Innes. Blind Bat Press, 2007: “Junkie”: 44-45.

BOOK GRAPHIC COLLECTION:

Content story & Cover book front & back:

Chewing On Tinfoil. Insomniac Press, 2002.

Content story & Cover book wrap around:

Happy Stories About Well-Adjusted People. Conundrum Press, 2014.

Science Fiction. Conundrum Press, 2013.

BOOK TEXT & GRAPHIC ANTHOLOGY:

Content story:

Drawn and Quarterly: Twenty-Five Years …. Drawn & Quarterly, May 2015: “First Issue”: 173.

PERIODICAL TEXT & GRAPHIC ANTHOLOGY:

Content decoration :

Taddle Creek, XIX-1, 36, Winter 2015-2016: 9, 12, 35, 40, 45.

Taddle Creek, XIX-2, 37, Summer 2016: 9, 12, 35, 40, 45.

Content story graphic:

Canadian Notes & Queries, 80, Summer/Fall 2010: “The North Wing: Selections from the Lost Library of CanLit Graphic Novels Episode One, Marion Engel’s ‘Bear’, as adapted by Joe Ollman”: 62-63.

Taddle Creek, XIV-2, 26, Summer 2011: “Personal Space”: 14-15.

Taddle Creek, XVI-1, 29, Winter 2012/13: “Movie Night”: 13-15.

Taddle Creek, XVII-2, 32, Spring 2014: “Old Dad”: 4.

Taddle Creek, Taddle Creek, XIX-1, 36, Winter 2015-2016:                                                       “ Joe Ollman Needs To Make A Comic…: 52.                                                                     “A Road Trip With The Notorious M.I.L. (Mother-In-Law)”: 53-55.

Co-CURATOR, CO-EDITOR:

BOOK:

This Is Serious: Canadian Indie Comics. Co-cur., Co-ed., Alana Traficante. Art Gallery of Hamilton/Conundrum Press. Published in conjunction with 21 June 2019 till 5 January 2020 exhibit.

SOURCE:

Article book:

Chewing On Tinfoil. Car., Joe Ollman. Toronto: Insomniac Press, 2002.

Article newspaper:

Spectator, [Hamilton] 28 Oct. 2014: “Comic Art Imitating Life.” Writ., Amy Kenny.  .

Internet:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Ollmann 1 December 2020. Accessed 9 January 2021.

GALLERY:

Canadian Notes & Queries, 80, Summer/Fall 2010: 62

Canadian Notes & Queries, 80, Summer/Fall 2010: 63

Taddle Creek, Taddle Creek, 36, Winter 2015/16: “ Joe Ollman Needs To Make A Comic…: 52.

Taddle Creek, Taddle Creek, 36, Winter 2015/16: “A Road Trip With The Notorious M.I.L. (Mother-In-Law)”: 53.

Taddle Creek, Taddle Creek, 36, Winter 2015/16: “A Road Trip With The Notorious M.I.L. (Mother-In-Law)”: 54.

Taddle Creek, Taddle Creek, 36, Winter 2015/16: “A Road Trip With The Notorious M.I.L. (Mother-In-Law)”: 55.

A tribute to A. Alexanian a cartoonist in the Canadian industry during World War Two.

OLIVEROS Chris

“There are only a couple of comics publishers in North America That matter and Chris is one of them.” Art Spiegelman

Chris Oliveros, a former bicycle courier, is the founder of the comic book and graphic novel publisher Drawn and Quarterly of Montreal. Circulation for his publications ranges from 5,000 to 15,000 copies per title sold in the U.S.A. and Europe as well as in Canada. The titles are published in English and translation.

His introduction to publishing came in the summer of 1988 when he hooked up with a group of Quebec artists who had received a provincial grant to publish a cartoon anthology. He showed up in his off hours from his courier work over the course of three months and learned every aspect of comic book preparation and production. “By the end I said, ‘Maybe this isn’t that mysterious.”

In 1990 he decided to start publishing himself. He advertised in the Village Voice and Mother Jones magazine for artists. He approached his circle of contacts. He borrowed money from his father and published the initial Drawn and Quarterly Anthology. It lost money as did the next anthology.

Oliveros worked on developing a roster of high quality cartoonists. Seth (Gregory Gallant) had an idea for a comic he named Palookaville. Oliveros decided to publish it. When Chester Brown’s contract with Vortex Comics expired he made a contract with him. He also signed on Julie Doucette’s Dirty Plotte and Joe Matt’s Peepshow. These four artists became his core.

When the comics market collapsed in the late nineties, Drawn and Quarterly was little affected because of the older audience for its publications. The publications sell slowly but steadily.

In 1996 Oliveros and the Drawn and Quarterly artists were featured guests at the Haarlem Comics Festival in the Netherlands in Europe.

Oliveros has released his own comic The Envelope Manufacturer.

WORK:

CARTOONIST:

BOOK GRAPHIC:

Cover book front & Content story:

The Envelope Manufacturer, pt. 1. 3416071 Canada Inc., July 1998.

SOURCE:

Article book:

Drawn and Quarterly: Twenty-Five Years …. Drawn & Quarterly, May 2015: “The Comic-Book Manufacturer. Chris Oliveros interviewed by Sean Rogers”: 60-73.

Article newspaper:

Globe and Mail, 9 Oct.1999: “Comic actor.” Writ., Cathal Kelly: C20.

Globe and Mail, 9 May 2015: “Picture This.” Writ., Mark Medley: B1, B12-B13.

OLD BOOT BOOKS                                                                                                          Location: 4-413 Parliament Street, Toronto, Ontario.

PRODUCT:

BOOK GRAPHIC:

Zanta The Living Legend. Car., Jason Kieffer. July 2012.