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Clear skies for Cloudscape Comics

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EIC
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By Will Ross

Cloudscape anthologies cater to the demand for  local comic artist work

It began as a series of informal weekly meetings among comic enthusiasts, but when the turnout exceeded expectations, the concept of Cloudscape Comics turned into a reality. “I thought, ‘We’ve got enough people here, if you take a book, and we split it up, five pages per person, we can probably print a book,” said Cloudscape founder and president Jeff Ellis.

Founded in 2007, Cloudscape Comics is a community of Vancouver comic artists dedicated to giving worthy comics support. “Comics are, if you can believe, not a real money-making venture,” said Ellis. The non-profit society grants its artists exposure by releasing comic anthologies, each with a host of contributing artists and unifying them. When they cleared all of their stock of 250, another anthology followed. “We sold out of all our books and thought, ‘Well, let’s try this again,’ and that was Historyonics, the second book. We decided to push a little further, so we went to a bigger printer and sprang for maybe a thousand books.”

Their latest publication, 21 Journeys, is about travelling, but that theme leaves ample room for creativity. “You have straight-up stories from a bus, and then you’ve also got serial killers and people with obscure psychological disorders and suicide attempts, historical remembrances,” said Ellis. “So it really covers a large gamut.”

Cloudscape has released five anthologies, growing more ambitious and confident with each one. “We’ve learned more about the actual production of the book, and the quality of the content has also improved,” said Ellis. “We’ve seen a lot of success for our creators as well, over the years.” That success includes three self-publishing grants awarded to artists in 2010 by the Xeric Foundation, which has since discontinued such grants.

But Cloudscape is not only a haven for experts. It also exists as a place for beginners to learn about comics. “I see Cloudscape as a place to cut your teeth,” said Ellis. “You come here and, if you’re not quite ready, you can learn some things from some of the veterans and practice and improve your skill, and maybe get yourself to a point where you’re gonna be ready to strike out on your own.” The focus on community extends to every aspect of Cloudscape’s operation. “With Cloudscape, decisions are made communally, the money’s communal, the books are shared communally,” said Ellis. “I don’t think there’s anyone else doing what we’re doing.

That only makes the problem of distribution and promotion, already a steep hill to climb for comics, even more challenging. “There’s only one company that distributes comics to comic book stores in all of North America,” said vice-president Jonathan Dalton. “Most publishers will have a big industry all set up, and distribution deals with chain stores, and all those kind of things. We don’t have that, because we’re just Cloudscape. We’re just ourselves.”

There are, however, no illusions of becoming an industry power player. “We’re not expecting to be the next Marvel Comics,” said Ellis. “From day one it’s always been about sustainability.” So far, so good: since their first book, Cloudscape’s anthologies have gotten longer, moved from black and white to colour, and attracted notice from major artists — including cover art by Camilla d’Errico for their science fiction anthology, Exploded View.Ellis hopes that soon Cloudscape won’t have to ask its contributors for financial help. “Our goal is that we can make these books without it being a cost to anyone. Then we would be free to have those artists that we think really deserve to have their work in print, put them into a book, and not have to then pass the hat and expect them to fund it.”

If things go their way, Cloudscape could eventually lend a hand to artists looking to publish solo comics. “I would like to see Cloudscape bankroll an individual’s work, especially now that grants are no longer being awarded,” said Ellis. “If someone’s got an amazing comic idea and they just don’t have the money to print it, maybe we could be the people to help them do that.”

21 Journeys is available at most comic stores or on www.cloudscapecomics.com.

Movie review: This Means War

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EIC
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By Christina Luo

Forget 3D glasses for enhanced viewing; take a shot every time you spot a Vancouver site instead

Chris Pine (Star Trek) and Tom Hardy (Inception) are CIA operatives who engage in what starts as a friendly battle over a love interest, played by rom-com deity Reese Witherspoon. This Means War is equally as entertaining as the plot is ludicrous, probably because the leads still look downright attractive doing ridiculous things.

This is also due to the bromantic bickering between Pine and Hardy, executed by co-writer Simon Kinberg, of Sherlock Holmes definitely added to an otherwise eye roll-inducing dialogue.

We all know how much fun it is to identify local markers in Hollywood films, and this Vancouver-filmed production gives the audience plenty, including the Blarney Stone patio and Barcelona nightclub on Granville.

Demoted to their desks after blowing a covert job atop what we know as the Bentall office towers, best mates and partners FDR (Pine) and Tuck (Hardy) are left to ponder over the next best thing in a man’s life: women. After a simultaneous 3-2-1 unveiling of their girl of interest, Lauren, they make a ‘may-the-best-man-win’ pact.

The result is an uproarious montage of date-sabotaging via tranquilizers and air drones employed by their respective surveillance teams, which inevitably tears the codependent friendship apart as Lauren continues to be irritatingly indecisive about the two very different men.

Witherspoon and Pine may be the main attractions of the cast, but Hardy’s British wit was a standout as he portrayed the brutish but sweet Tuck, making the audience root for the underdog over smooth operator FDR. TV personality Chelsea Handler essentially butchered her acting career as Lauren’s crude best friend by barely making eye contact with Witherspoon, a shame as the character is given many-a-zinger, like encouraging Lauren to make her decision between her two gentleman callers by means of a sex tiebreaker.

This Means War is not by any means an outstanding rom-com, nor will it be remembered in a few weeks’ time. Jokes fall painfully flat and bad guy Til Schweiger (Inglorious Bastards) is wasted as the sideline scowl in underwhelming action scenes. Nonetheless, cast chemistry saves the film, upgrading it from another lonely girl’s torrent to a light-hearted romp that will appeal to both genders.

Movie review: The Secret World of Arrietty

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EIC
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By Will Ross

Arrietty proves cartoons aren’t just for kids, and is beautfully crafted inside and out

Though The Secret World of Arrietty wasn’t directed by animation maestro Hayao Miyazaki, it fits handily into his canon, in no small part because he helped to write and plan the production — while still proving at long last that Studio Ghibli can reliably proceed with directors other than Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.

Though there have been Ghibli films from other directors, Arrietty is the first which feels like a major work, fully and brilliantly realized by masterful hands – the most important of which belong to Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who flawlessly crafts a story of quintessentially broad perspective: A family of four-inch humans live hidden away in the home of regular-sized humans.

The story is as gentle as they come: The family of “Borrowers” takes what they need to survive from human stockpiles (a sugar cube here, a tissue there) without being seen. The sole child in the family, Arrietty, is spotted by a human boy who has come to visit, and the discovery sends their secret lives into turmoil.

That story, which is based on the English novel The Borrowers, confronts mortality with surprising maturity. In one scene, the boy speculates that Borrowers are an endangered species doomed for extinction. It seems, at first, to be the insensitive fantasy of an adolescent; the boy soon admits that he has a probably fatal heart condition and is days from an operation that probably won’t save his life.

As the boy’s operation draws nearer and the Borrowers face possible extermination, neither party has a solution for the other’s problems. They take their best option: to live gracefully and with sympathy for one another, regardless of their dubious futures. It is, to be sure, a welcome variation from typical family fare, which too often seems in denial of death.

It is a testament to the animators’ technical skill that Arrietty’s execution surpasses its premise. The Borrowers’ world is fully realized; one can forget that they’re  tiny until noticing a detail like a water droplet the size of Arrietty’s head. Each character moves with elaborate, realistic beauty, and facial animations act out each character’s performance subtly. Some of the moving-perspective shots are among the best I’ve seen this side of The Thief and the Cobbler. Technically, emotionally, and thematically, it’s complete and intelligent enough to rank among the great films of Studio Ghibli.

SFU students help restore burned museum

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EIC
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By Sahira Memon

Chase museum damaged as a result of arson

An SFU archeological conservation class is traveling to Chase, B.C. to help restore and conserve precious artifacts that were charred and damaged in two fires at the Chase and District Museum and Archives.

“We had the opportunity to do other projects but the 14 of us felt as though we would have a better time in Chase,” said Mike Koole, one of the students, in an email to The Peak.

To prepare for the project, the students devised a number of fundraising efforts, including emails to prospective donors, ads in the archeology program’s Debitage publication, going to archeology classes and seminars and asking for donations, and a meet-and-greet dinner where volunteers collected donations instead of tips. These efforts were aimed mostly at teachers and students. Larger fundraising efforts like bake sales will be pursued after the trip to Chase.

The students will be using conservation methods learned in class, and will mostly be dealing with recovered artifacts covered in soot and melded with plastic.

The Chase and District Museum and Archives was founded in 1910, in a building that previously housed the Catholic Church of the Blessed Sacrament.  It is developed and run predominately by volunteers, as it is difficult to hire full time staff due to a lack of funding. It housed artifacts such as archival files describing the life of historical figure and famous train robber Billy Miner, and archeological materials held for the Little Shuswap Band.

The fires that caused the damage occurred on July 9 and July 12, 2011. On July 9, Joan Anderson, volunteer office manager of the museum, was woken up by phone calls from the museum alarm system and the fire department and rushed down to the scene.  A fire in the basement had occurred, but due to rapid response from residents surrounding the museum, damage was kept to a minimum. Gas soaked rags found at the scene suggested foul play. The ill will was confirmed with a much more aggressive attack on July 12, in which “arsonists gained access to the main floor and proceeded to vandalize the exhibits, the office, and the kitchen before setting several fires throughout the building,” said Joan Anderson in an email to The Peak. Due to damage inflicted on the alarm system during the first attack, by the time the presence of the arsonists was suspected, it was too late. Large fans meant to clear the air from the first fire fanned the flame for the second and as a result, the offices and archives of the museum were severely damaged. “I was saddened and shocked at the extent of damage,” said Barbara Winter, the SFU archeology professor leading the trip.

When it comes to restoration, a lack of complete insurance due to a shortage of funds has increased the load financially on the volunteers and supporters of the museum. An estimated cost of $50,000 is expected to cover the remaining damage.  The museum is relying on donations and support from the community to keep it running.

UVic anti-abortion club loses public space privileges

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EIC
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By Brandon Rosario

University of Victoria Students’ Society board votes to censure and suspend group’s booking privileges for public spaces

Victoria (CUP) — After more than three months of committee deliberation, the University of Victoria Students’ Society (UVSS) has passed a motion disciplining UVic’s anti-abortion club, Youth Protecting Youth (YPY), for hosting a contentious demonstration on campus in November. The “Choice Chain” demonstration featured club members standing in the quad holding large pictures of purportedly aborted fetuses with the word “Choice?” overtop.

During a well-attended UVSS board meeting on February 6 that saw a heated debate over interpretation of the society’s harassment policies, directors voted in favour of the complaints committee’s recommendations, which included a censure and a suspension of the club’s booking privileges for public spaces until spring 2013.

“I’m disappointed with the decision,” said YPY vice-president Catherine Shenton. “As much as I recognize that people are very upset with our actions, I believe that freedom of speech is more important than feelings.”

Director of student affairs Jenn Bowie, who chaired the complaints committee that recommended the disciplinary action, made it clear that the decision was made as a result of policy violation, saying arguments surrounding the suppression of free speech did not excuse YPY from publicly harassing students with graphic images of abortion.

“When your freedom of speech violates the rights of others and you engage your freedom in a way that causes harassment on a non-consensual basis, then it’s no longer freedom of speech,” said Bowie. “To censure somebody is to publicly express disapproval of an action, and the committee feels that the actions [YPY] took during the Choice Chain event were actions of which we can’t in good [conscience] approve of.”

The motion, which passed with 15 votes in favour, two abstentions, and one opposed, did not revoke YPY’s club status or funding. The group will continue to receive booking privileges for Clubs Days and its meetings, but has been ordered “not to repeat the violations and, in particular, not to organize or conduct ‘Choice’ Chain or similar events,” according to the meeting agenda.

Director-at-large Gabrielle Sutherland was vocally supportive of the club’s assertion that it was not guilty of harassment, calling the policy in question “out of order and in sad need of being redrafted.”

“It takes away burden of proof from the accuser and removes any presumption of innocence, particularly when you couple it with harassment being a feeling,” she said. “How do I defend myself if I’m accused of harassing somebody based on their feelings? I can’t because to do so would require my ability to read your mind and say you don’t feel a certain way.”

Sutherland was scheduled to propose a motion that would strike the harassment section of Clubs Policy and send it to policy development to redraft. However the meeting was adjourned early due to the tense atmosphere and her proposal was not deliberated.

Before the board voted on the motion, members of the gallery — which included the YPY executive and several representatives from other concerned groups including SRJ — were given the opportunity to speak to the issue.

Marie Clipperton, one of the students who filed a complaint against YPY after its “Choice Chain” event, said that any concessions the UVSS made to a group that violated harassment policy would send out signals indicating that the board is willing to be bullied.

“No university or student society should grant permission to organizations to hold an event on campus that breaks their very own harassment policy,” said Clipperton. “[YPY] needs to be held accountable just like any other club or person would be.”

Brittany Bernard, a member of SRJ, said she had to assist three distressed women during the demonstration who felt targeted and humiliated by the graphic images being displayed by YPY. Other women found they were unable to attend campus until the demonstration was over.

“The Choice Chain demonstration was a tool used to discriminate against individuals based on family status,” said Bernard, adding that the positioning of YPY in the quad made it almost impossible for students to avoid viewing the images.

YPY vice-president Cameron Cote denied the allegations of discrimination, saying that the use of graphic signage was not an attempt to communicate a moral message, but rather an effort to encourage the consideration of alternative views — something he says is integral to the promotion of cultural and intellectual diversity on campus.

“How can a picture in and of itself harass someone? The pictures were simply pictures, they were simply facts, they don’t pass judgement on people and they say nothing about the morality of abortion,” he said.

YPY indicated they have no intention of defying the board’s decision, though they plan on holding a meeting to re-evaluate and discuss their situation.

Bowie explained that in the case of noncompliance with a UVSS mandate, further disciplinary action would be considered in another complaints committee.

Join the Club: Font Club

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EIC
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By Gary Lim

 

Ski Ninjas: Possession

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EIC
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By Kyle Lees at Ski Ninjas

Under-manned Clan fighting hard

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EIC
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By Adam Ovenell-Carter

The SFU men’s basketball team is something to behold. Look past their 3–12 record and you see seven young men just desperate to win. And while those victories aren’t coming the way that one might hope, you can’t challenge the Clan’s work ethic.

Those seven players — many of whom did not expect to see the court nearly as much as they have — enter every game as an underdog because of the simple fact that they just don’t have the manpower to stay fresh and in games. Every victory is quite a feat at this point.

And though it might not seem like much, a 2–3 record over the team’s last five contests speaks volumes about the Clan’s effort.

An 88–85 buzzer-beating win in Washington against St. Martin’s University was well-deserved after three straight losses. After being blown out by Western Oregon on the road, the Clan kicked off reading week with a hard-fought 79–71 victory over Alaska Fairbanks — a team the Clan have now beaten twice this year. Unfortunately, the Clan would go on to drop their next two contests (one at home and one on the road), but have very much been in both.

Most recently, against Central Washington, the team almost took a lead into half-time, but gave up a few late points that the Wildcats eventually turned into a victory. Nevertheless, the Clan’s play of late should not be dismissed simply because of their record. You’ll likely not see a team suffer the same kind of setbacks the Clan have unpredictably faced this season. And if you do, they likely won’t be competing quite as hard as this group
of seven.

Lin-valuable

By
EIC
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By Adam Ovenell-Carter

Jeremy Lin has taken the sporting world by storm. Just when you think he can’t top himself, he does. He consistently puts forth unexpectedly amazing performances, and has a knack for the big-time play late in games. Hollywood couldn’t write a script like this.

Sound familiar? Not so long ago, this was Tim Tebow. But are they really that similar, as many have suggested? The short answer is no.

Tim Tebow was a first-round draft pick from an elite college program. Jeremy Lin wasn’t even considered for a college scholarship. Undaunted, he went to Harvard, as if it were his backup school or something. After graduating from Harvard, he went undrafted before bouncing around from team to team, before the New York Knicks finally snatched him up. Call Tebow an underdog all you want, but he doesn’t hold a candle to Lin.

Regardless of how he got to where he is now, Lin is here and making a statement. What that statement is has yet to be determined — who knows if Lin really is here to stay — but it’s fun to be a part of the process.

Everything has seemingly come together at the right time for Lin; it only makes sense this story would unfold in the Big Apple. And it’s all happening at just the right time for the NBA.

Tim Tebow was a big deal, and for good reason, but he added intrigue to a league that gets 135 million American viewers for its championship game. With the NBA’s relevance in the U.S. comparable to that of hockey’s, the league was desperate for a big story, and Lin handed it to them on a silver platter. He’s turned the NBA into a worldwide news story, and he himself has become a global phenomenon. People that generally care nothing for the sport are flipping over to whatever channel he’s playing on.

“Not often I’m switching off hockey for hoops but…Lin. Wow,” tweeted TSN’s NHL specialist James Duthie.

The staying power of the hype is tied directly to that of Lin: as he goes, so goes the story. But it’s more than that, really. As he goes, so go the TV ratings, jersey sales and website hits. Not in a long time has one (completely unexpected) player become so (in)valuable to the association.

When Lin-sanity finally subsides, which it inevitably will — whether he becomes a mainstay or fizzles out — the NBA will have had one of the most memorable stories of the past few years linked to their game and their league. That can only prove beneficial to a league that has been struggling to grab people’s attention.

Lin went from being an undrafted Asian-American guard out of Harvard, to claimed off waivers by the Knicks in December, to being demoted to and recalled from the D-league, pressed into duty to and sleeping on his brother’s couch, to one of the biggest stories in the world, all within the span of a week.

All that’s left for him to do is give a big public “you’re welcome” to the rest of the NBA.

Clan oftball team poised to turn heads in 2012

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EIC
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By Adam Ovenell-Carter

With their 14-year odyssey through the NAIA ranks officially over, the Clan are set for a season unlike any before it. Competing fully as a member of the NCAA for the first time in the 21-year history of SFU women’s softball, the team enters the 2012 season ready to write a new story.

The Clan’s transition to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference means new opponents and new challenges, but the team’s storied history and impressive talent suggest they’re ready to meet them head-on. During their time in the NAIA, they captured four national titles and were thrice runners-up. They finished in the top-10 in the championships all 14 years and are led by a coach just six wins shy of 500.

Of course, none of that matters if the players can’t get it done on the diamond. However, that’s not likely to be the case, despite facing tougher competition. The team is deep, and led by eight returning starters — valuable experience the team lacked last year.

The team’s four seniors are headed by shortstop Leah Riske and first base star Kelsey Haberl. That’s no slight to fellow seniors Megan Durrant and Brittany Ribeiro, but Haberl and Riske have unquestionably been two of the Clan’s most valuable players. Riske is one of the team’s best all-round players, shining both offensively and defensively. Quick and agile, she plays the shortstop position well, but can also play a power game, leading the team in homeruns last year. Meanwhile, Haberl lead the team in almost every other statistical category, including hits and RBIs, while playing what head coach Mike Renney called an “overlooked, outstanding defensive game.” If the Clan hope to improve on their 6–12 record from last year, Haberl and Riske, along with Durrant and Ribeiro, will need to continue their strong play and use their experience to move the Clan forward.

It won’t be entirely on their shoulders, however. The walk-on phenom Cara Lukawesky will likely lead the Clan’s pitching staff again, and being the leader in most pitching categories, she’ll have to maintain, if not improve her game to keep the Clan afloat should the bats dry up. Coming out of the blue just two years ago, Lukawesky has steadily improved her game, and that’s not likely to change in her third year.

Fellow junior Lauren Mew returns to second base, where she shone so brightly last year. Steady as a rock defensively, her offensive game showed signs of breaking through last year and it very well could do so this year. Extra offensive contributions will be needed from everyone and if Mew’s offense heats up this year, it could prove quite a boon for the Clan. Two other juniors, both from Pickering, Ontario had quietly productive years last year, and could be poised for the same in 2012. The duo of Carly LePoutre and Rosie Murphy combined for 17 runs (with the former leading the team in the category), and, like the other returners, have the experience needed to help improve the team, now and in the future.

In just one year, the Clan went from a young and relatively inexperienced team to one full of practiced veterans. With the extra playing time under their belts, a team that was erratic at times last year, on both sides of the plate, will surely calm down and should be much more productive.

Given SFU’s provisional status as a member of the NCAA, the team unfortunately cannot play in post-season action. However, that will give tham more opportunity to focus on each game rather than looking too far ahead, which could prove invaluable when playoffs are an option.

Having already played a few out of-conference games to get warmed up, the Clan are poised to turn a few heads once GNAC play commences on February 25. And come that time, the Clan have the talent and the experience to keep right in the thick of conference play.

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024