Exploring Toronto Comicon’s Artist Alley and its innovative Ontarian creators

By: Cindy Zogu

Fictional media enthusiasts arrive to purchase one of a kind merchandise (Cindy Zogu/CanCulture)

An innumerable amount of books, plushies and posters fill the jam-packed hall that is Toronto Comicon on March 17-19. Fans dressed as their favourite fictional characters come from all over the GTA to meet up with like-minded individuals. Black curtains line an aisle filled with self-made artwork, crafts and books. This is Artist Alley, where creator after creator sits excitedly, waiting to present their works to the attendees. You could meet Archie comics writer Dan Parent or Marvel and DC illustrator Jae Lee. But let’s take a look at some local Ontario graphic novel creators who guested the con.

Ricky Lima

Brampton, Ont.-born Ricky Lima is obsessed with book production. He loves the design process of the physical book. He is also a comic book writer who loves to write weird and strange stories.

Lima attended York University's undergraduate English program and has been self-publishing comics since he graduated in 2012. His first graphic novel, Deep Sea, managed to gain $5,000 on Kickstarter. Ever since, he has continued with his passion and writes regularly.

One of his more recent works is Happily Ever After, a graphic novel about a kidnapped princess who relies on dating apps to find herself a rescuer.

He’s worked at House of Anansi Press for three years, where he was recently promoted to production manager. He also teaches book production at Toronto Metropolitan University and Humber College.

Check out a few of his works here:

Limepress, Ricky Lima’s independent publishing company where you can find all his wonderfully bizarre stories
Deep Sea, written by Ricky Lima and illustrated by D.A. Bishop
Happily Ever After, written by Ricky Lima and illustrated by Nicolas Londeix

Keith Grachow

Keith Grachow is a multi-talented creator living in Burlington, Ont. He began working in the comic book industry 10 years ago as an illustrator. Grachow comes from a background in production design for toy companies. Now he writes, illustrates, teaches and accepts commissions for illustrations.

Grachow collaborates with his mother Amy Grachow to create a series of children's picture books. They are a team – she writes and he illustrates. His mother was empty after she retired from her writing job, so Grachow decided to start the series as a way to keep his mother creatively fulfilled. Children’s fantasy books let them create stories in a world with no limit to what events they can have their characters go through.

Their Up-in-the-Sky series visits different characters and their adventures in the wondrous “Up-in-the-Sky” universe, a world where people with wacky extraterrestrial differences learn to get along.

Grachow also illustrated for the comic series SALTWATER, which tells the story of a 13-year-old boy living in a society on Mars. He decides to turn on the radio in hopes of receiving a message from Earth, a place he thought had been destroyed. The series was nominated for a Joe Schuster award, an award that celebrates Canadian comic creators.

Grachow is currently in the process of creating a graphic novel on his own.

Check out a few of his works here:

“Up-In-the-Sky” series, written by Amy Grachow and illustrated by Keith Grachow
SALTWATER, written by Mitch Cook and illustrated by Keith Grachow

Shawn Daley

As soon as Toronto-based Shawn Daley could walk, he could draw. Many years later, he attended the Toronto Film School for sound technology and design, but quickly switched gears and decided to pursue art as a freelance illustrator.

One of Daley’s first self-published works was the graphic novel TerraQuill. This collection of short stories explores the joys and losses of citizens struggling to survive in a dying fantasy world.

Daley hasn’t completely let go of what he learned in his sound technology program — he found a way to incorporate it into his work. He created an original soundtrack to a graphic novel series he illustrated titled Lost Soul. This piece explores the journey of Princess Casci Capricor in the afterlife. It’s a cleverly webbed story where Casci grapples with death while trying to piece together the circumstances of her mysterious murder.

Daley also accepts commissions for his illustrations. Check out a few of his works here:

TerraQuill, written and illustrated by Shawn Daley
Better Place, written by Duane Marry and illustrated by Shawn Daley
Lost Souls: The Trials of Casci Capricor, written by Easton DeVerna and illustrated by Shawn Daley