80 Years and Beyond: A Virtual Symposium on Canadian Comics

Date

October 15, 2021 10:30 - October 16, 2021 18:00

Location

Online

Details

Website: https://www.canadiancomics.org/academic-conference

The Canadian Parliament passed the War Exchange Conservation Act late in 1940 to preserve its currency for the war effort by limiting the importation of nonessential goods. Periodicals, including popular American comic books, were one casualty. Within a few months, Canadian artists and entrepreneurs responded by launching a domestic comic book industry. This industry gave us four publishing companies and six years of original Canadian comics production.

The eightieth anniversary of the first comic books published in Canada celebrates one important milestone in a long history of comics production in this country. Taking this anniversary as a point of departure, 80 Years and Beyond is a two-day virtual symposium that will bring together scholars, creators, publishers, retailers, collectors, and fans for a series of focused conversations about the past, present, and future of comics and cartooning in Canada. It will be the first dedicated conference on Canadian comics, including cartoons, graphic novels, and web comics.