Hello again! It must be Thursday, because it is time to round up some arts and culture in London, Ontario, thanks to London Ontario Online News. This column, by Diana Tamblyn, remains open to all subscribers as we gather our audience and encourage you all to sign up.
In future, our posts may fade out to a spot for subscribers only.
For now, we have this:
and this, please:
….and we’re into the tales we want to tell today. Thanks for following!
- Mike
Hiding in Plain Sight – London Creatives in the News
Diana writes
Hiding in Plain Sight shines a spotlight on remarkable local creatives that are making waves far beyond our city limits. Fabulous London artists - they walk among us!
Derek Laufman - Cartoonist
While many aspiring artists dream of working with Marvel, DC, Disney, Image Comics or Hasbro, cartoonist Derek Laufman has worked with ALL these brands, and on top of this - he writes and draws his own comics as well. Laufman has been doing this work, while steadily building an international fan base, all from the comfort of his home studio in London, Ontario.
The London-based creator has spent studied his craft at Sheridan College and has spent more than two decades drawing such fan-favourites as Star Wars, the Avengers, Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman and more – mostly for the licensing divisions (eg. Designing for apparel, children’s books, trading cards, board games and home décor). He has been especially busy of late as the artist of Image Comics’ book “I Hate Fairyland”, written by Skottie Young, while writing and drawing his own comics and graphic novels like Crimson Fall, The Witch of Wickerson, Bot-9 and Ruinworld.
As will become apparent in this column, I am a huge comic book nerd and aficionado (and also a cartoonist). I came across Derek’s work online years ago and was thrilled to learn he is from London! Then I met him in person and became even more of a fan. Not only is he wildly talented, but he is incredibly friendly and a genuinely nice guy to boot. I’ve bought all of his creator-owned comics and hey are all fantastic!
WICKERSON: Tales from the Grove
Laufman’s latest project, WICKERSON: Tales from the Grove, is a graphic novel that is currently on Kickstarter expands the fantasy world he introduced in his book The Witch of Wickerson. This new collection features three original stories set in the mysterious Grove, brought to life through Laufman’s distinctive blend of adventure, humour, and gorgeous all-ages artwork.
The Kickstarter campaign has blown past its goal and is already fully funded. Laufman has a solid track record on Kickstarter, using it to fund all of his creator-owned books, and through the channel he’s attracted support from fans around the world. I’ve backed it and you should too! You have until Tuesday, June 23 to order it, and you can do that here.
Laufman is exactly the kind of artist this column was created to celebrate. He’s someone quietly creating world-class work from London while earning fans far beyond our city limits.
While the rest of us are standing in line at the grocery store, Derek is building fantasy worlds, drawing some of the biggest entertainment companies on the planet, and launching internationally supported graphic novels from right here in the Forest City.
Check out Derek’s website here.
Spotlight events for June 19 – June 21
Bibliomania Book Fair
Saturday, June 20 | 243 Dundas St. | 12:00 – 4:00 PM | FREE to attend!
Continuing on the theme of Books, Books, Books!, is the Bibliomania Book Fair, taking place this Saturday and brought to you by Attic Books. Attic Books is one of Canada’s largest bookstores and to celebrate their 50th anniversary, they are throwing a book party.
Bibliomania will transform a stretch of Dundas Place into a literary playground, bringing together independent booksellers, authors, and bookish vendors for a one-day celebration of reading. Sounds like a street festival for people whose idea of a perfect weekend involves getting lost in a bookstore and emerging three hours later with an armful of purchases they absolutely did not plan on making – basically my perfect day.
Thanks to the Paul See Fund, there will always be free live music. Schedule is as follows:
12 PM - TEAN DREAM
1:00 PM - SILKS
2:00 PM - CAN’T DRIVE YET
I would recommend checking out vendor Alyssa Waterbury, a local cartoonist and staffer at Attic House. She has wonderful zines and prints and should have her graphic novel for middle schoolers available for sale “Ghost Girl”.
Rebel Kombucha will be supplying tasty treats and there will be a fun photo booth as well.
Check out Alyssa Waterbury’s site here.
More information on Bibliomania, you can visit this website.
Honey Dip - One Year Fest
Saturday, June 20 | 621 Dundas St. | $20 in Advance, $25 at door
You may or may not have heard of Honey Dip – a neighbourhood bar and events space in Old East Village, right above DoughEV donut shop. Much like DoughEV, Honey Dip has become one of London’s most vibrant community vibrant hubs, hosting events for art, music, comedy, drag, pot lucks, clothing swaps, and more.
Part gallery, part performance space, part living room for creative people, Honey Dip has carved out a unique niche in the city’s cultural landscape.
In their first year, Honey Dip has hosted over 200 events! To celebrate their one-year anniversary, they are throwing a party featuring a killer line-up of local musical talent:
Quotas, Stella, Rhymethink, Willow Switch, Closeout, Growlits, La Rent, Wishbone, Oh! Livia.
And - the feature band of the evening is Status/Non-Status who we featured in last week’s post. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.
Buy your advance tickets here.
Whether you’re a regular or whether Honey Dip is new to you, this anniversary celebration is the perfect excuse to see what all the buzz is about.
In a city that doesn’t have enough independent arts spaces, Honey Dip is proof that with the right people (specifically artist/programmer and co-owner Robin Henry and co-owner Tara Davies of DoughEV), the right energy, and a little creativity, something special can take root and thrive.
Check out Honey Dip’s website here.
And that’s the Forest City Arts and Culture Roundup for this week. Want to get in touch with us? You can email us at LondonOntarioOnlineNews@gmail.com with any suggestions or feedback. And we are staying in touch, especially with our Paid Subscribers, so make sure to follow and subscribe!
The London Ontario Online News lineup
New content every day
We’re teaming up to send you a new feature every weekday:
Monday - Buckle Up - podcast with Matt Brown
Tuesday - Tour with Cedric Richards
Wednesday - City Hall Notes by Mike Donachie
Thursday - the Forest City Arts and Culture Roundup by Diana Tamblyn
Friday - Reflecting - with Steve Cordes
And free on Fridays: the ROUNDUP, briefing you on the stories you need to know, gathered in one place. Regular analysis of the issues affecting London and the region.