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Toronto Comics #1
Toronto Comics Anthology
Toronto is a city teeming with life, where all kinds of stories are born and live.
Compiled in a fresh new anthology, some of Toronto’s newest talent share their own stories about the city; some fantastic, some terrifying, and some as real as the streets themselves.
Whether you’re looking for a tale to touch your heart or to chill your blood, you’ll find something that will speak to you in one of the 11 stories within, from 8 new talented writers, and 11 exceptional artists.
Compiled in a fresh new anthology, some of Toronto’s newest talent share their own stories about the city; some fantastic, some terrifying, and some as real as the streets themselves.
Whether you’re looking for a tale to touch your heart or to chill your blood, you’ll find something that will speak to you in one of the 11 stories within, from 8 new talented writers, and 11 exceptional artists.
90 pages, ebook
First published August 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 18, 2017
The buildings are the same. Maybe the city has changed.
May 16, 2017
A little outside of my usual genres in places, but fairly enjoyable regardless.
September 15, 2015
Growing up in Milton, I had a choice of cities, Toronto or Hamilton. I made the obvious choice. Reading these stories reminded me of the great times I hade in the city. At the Gardens I would go see the titans of the WWF or watch the Leafs win, yes they used to do that. I would go see a show at one of the many theaters and no trip to the T. was complete without stopping in at the Silver Snail. I now take my daughters to Toronto whenever we get a chance, and I see that so many of my favorite haunts are changing. The Peel Pub is now a Shoeless Joe's and the Bamboo Room is now a Lone Star. Eatons and Mr. Greengeans are gone the CN Tower has a dome beside it, wich will always be known as the Sky Dome! Thank you Toronto comics for giving me a nostalgic read. Maybe someday someone will write about the cows behind the Royal York that I could see from my mothers office, maybe it will be me.
March 19, 2015
Toronto Comics is a collection of comics by Toronto artists that are all set in Toronto. It was a delightful volume of odd, fantastic, often funny little stories that were all set in places I see on a day to day basis (which is something I am always delighted by). Though some of the stories would have been better served with a longer page count, I enjoyed this first volume, and look forward to the next two that are sitting on my shelf as well.
May 31, 2016
Like all anthologies, I enjoyed some stories more than others. As a whole, I do think this collection shows so much promise and can easily be a great contribution to Toronto comics one day. I'm excited to read TO Comics 2 and 3 and see how the culture of this anthology is progressing.
February 21, 2017
Awesome anthology. I am happy to support such a great group, and help promote the artists involved. I thoroughly enjoyed each story, and, as a Canadian not from Toronto, was given an awesome look into a city so close yet so far away from me. Looking forward to reading the next two!
January 13, 2015
Such a fun read and to imagine so many great artists and writers in a city filled with so many stories. Can't wait for volume 2!
April 18, 2015
An interesting collection of comics of various lengths and quality set in and around Toronto. I enjoyed it particularly the comics that looked into Toronto's history.
July 16, 2015
Liked it a lot, really fun anthology!
April 25, 2017
A fun anthology of comics about Toronto, by local creators. Some are more realistic than others but they all include a dash of something quintessentially Torontonian.
April 15, 2020
This short anthology comics, contain 11 separate features. Five of these are short two page compositions that recount some strange, humorous or improbable bit of Toronto trivia (presented as fact and I think most have some basis in that), all authored by Chris Bird and drawn by various artists. These include "WTF at the CNE" (art Greg Jensen), "The Perfect Gold Heist of 1952" (Nick Hendriks), "The Cheese Poems of James McIntyre" (Adam Prosser), "The Disappearance of Ambrose Small" (Leo Lee) and "The Bathing Suit Trials" (Kelvin Sue). Of the remaining stories (which are all works of fiction) "Blackout" by Miike Something and Todd Sullivan recounts supernatural horror during the 2003 blackout. "The Tale of the Eyeball Tree" by Oliver Ho and Brice Hall is a strange tale of death, loss, urban development and unnatural goings on near the lake shore. "Brutal" explores the idea of a horrible secret behind some of Toronto's ugliest buildings. "The Ghost of Maple Leaf Gardens" by Steven Andrews and Xan Grey tells the story of strange goings on just before the final Leafs game at the Gardens. "Different Times" by Nelson da Rocha and Stephany Lein is a tale of the perils of time traveling superheroes recruiting help in the 1940s. "The Scottish Play" by BC Holmes is a tale of coming out trans when sharing a name with a titular Shakespearean character. "Doors into Darkness" by Daniel Reynolds and Kelvin Sue hints at supernatural horror in the Toronto Subway system.
The artwork ranges from passable to okay and the plots are usually pretty straightforward but somewhat engaging if never really grabbing me. The horror stories manage to be a little creepy, the humour stories manage a few laughs. The styles vary from a naturalistic minimalism to heavy lined stylized crudeness to a more detailed gothic style. The black and white comic is well printed on good paper stalk.
The artwork ranges from passable to okay and the plots are usually pretty straightforward but somewhat engaging if never really grabbing me. The horror stories manage to be a little creepy, the humour stories manage a few laughs. The styles vary from a naturalistic minimalism to heavy lined stylized crudeness to a more detailed gothic style. The black and white comic is well printed on good paper stalk.
February 26, 2022
I love books set in Toronto, and have had this set of 5 volumes of Toronto Comics anthologies for years now. Finally getting into them!
Great collection of 12 short comics from a variety of artists. Some fictional, some factual Toronto history storytelling. Some I liked more than others. Here were my hits and misses:
Hits:
- Brutal by Mark Foo and David Oxley
- The Ghost of Maple Leaf Gardens by Steven Andrews and Xan Grey
- The Scottish Play by BC Holmes
- Doors into Darkness by Daniel Reynolds and Kelvin Sue
Misses:
- The Tale of the Eyeball Tree by Oliver Ho and Brice Hall
- Different Times by Nelson de Rocha and Stephany Lein
- The Bathing Suit Trials of 1936
I also did like Blackout by Mike Something and Todd Sullivan because I lived in that very area during the blackout 0f 2003 so that was fun to see in a comic.
Great collection of 12 short comics from a variety of artists. Some fictional, some factual Toronto history storytelling. Some I liked more than others. Here were my hits and misses:
Hits:
- Brutal by Mark Foo and David Oxley
- The Ghost of Maple Leaf Gardens by Steven Andrews and Xan Grey
- The Scottish Play by BC Holmes
- Doors into Darkness by Daniel Reynolds and Kelvin Sue
Misses:
- The Tale of the Eyeball Tree by Oliver Ho and Brice Hall
- Different Times by Nelson de Rocha and Stephany Lein
- The Bathing Suit Trials of 1936
I also did like Blackout by Mike Something and Todd Sullivan because I lived in that very area during the blackout 0f 2003 so that was fun to see in a comic.
December 30, 2018
I really enjoyed this! The historical vignettes were fun even when they mostly just illustrated a brief set of factoids, and several of the longer stories were incredible. I think my favourite "super Torontonian" one is "Brutal," with "The Scottish Play" as a "general" favourite, with "The Tale of the Eyeball Tree" as the middle of the venn diagram. Unexpectedly, I think I prefer this one to the latest volume (which I read first) -- it feels more focused on Toronto, which is what I wanted out of the collection.
February 8, 2020
Wasn't a fan of the strictly black and white colouring. The art also varied in style and quality, with at least one or two being very detailed/too cramped to be easy to digest. Some of the stories were interesting/entertaining, whereas others were less so. The Toronto-isms were amusing.
Overall, like most anthologies, it was hit and miss. More on this miss side in this case for me.
Overall, like most anthologies, it was hit and miss. More on this miss side in this case for me.
October 21, 2019
Enjoyable read but not all stories are the same quality throughout.
Favourite Quotes:
"Everything is made out of Magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people."
"It all began with a turkey-shaped building."
Favourite Quotes:
"Everything is made out of Magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people."
"It all began with a turkey-shaped building."
September 15, 2018
A fun mix of stories. Worth reading if you live in or around TO!
September 28, 2019
Sometimes anthologies and I just don't get on. I just disliked more of the stories than I liked.
July 1, 2022
i am enjoying this series of short comics set in this city, from historical stories to futuristic I love the range. this is not my favorite so far of the collection but I have enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews