Clown around at Ottawa Fanaticcon!
You watched them when you were a kid and now you can catch them at Fanaticcon! The stars of Canadian kids TV classic The Big Comfy Couch join us.
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CBC
15 minutes ago
- CBC
Victoria's Whitney Gardner explores fame, phantoms and free (not haunted) pianos in new graphic novel
When Whitney Gardner came across an ad for a free piano, advertised as "not haunted," she knew there was a story there. "That piano is obviously very haunted," she told CBC's North by Northwest host Margaret Gallagher. And while she never learned the story of that particular piano, the Victoria-based author and illustrator felt moved to write her own story that includes a haunted instrument. The book, a young adult graphic novel, is centred around a pre-teen girl searching for fame. It begins in 1980 and then jumps forward to the present day. "When I sat down to write the book, I first thought that it would be like this big wooden stand up piano haunted by a Victorian ghost," Gardner said. "I kept hitting roadblocks and hitting the wall and not wanting to write this sad dreary piano music book. And then I realized, wait, I'm in charge. I can write whatever I want." So, she chose a haunted synthesizer, one just like the model John Carpenter used to compose the soundtracks for the Halloween horror films. In Gardner's book, the synthesizer is haunted by a ghost from the 80s, named Vision. The ghost is based on the American pop star Tiffany, who rose to fame with her cover of I Think We're Alone Now in 1987. While writing the book Gardner watched the music video for I Think We're Alone Now every day. "Just to put myself in the mindset of this superstar and also to see all of the backgrounds and the antics of the 80s," Gardner said. The book's main character, Margot, has a lot in common with her creator, Gardner. For one, they both have fathers who spent much of their lives in search of fame, which left Margot and Gardner feeling that they had to compete for attention with their father's fans. Second, Margot and Gardner both tend to write light-hearted pieces. "There's a lot of myself in Margot, probably more so than any of the other books I've written." In the story, Vision and Margot share a commonality: by making music that makes them popular, they're giving up making music for themselves. Gardner is both the author and illustrator of this book as well as her previous works, Fake Blood and Long Distance. While art and drawing are her first loves, writing stories for younger audiences has become her passion. "These books, comic books, have more pictures than any kind of book. This is where my heart is now. I sort of fell in love with telling stories through words and pictures together. And now it's like all I want to do."
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Artist transforms iconic Halifax vessels into giant robots
The Halifax ferry can seem fairly unassuming as it cruises over the harbour, but in the blink of an eye, it can transform into a towering, battle-ready robot. At least that's the case in a series of attention-grabbing sketches from a Halifax-based artist. Kate Phillips, an award-winning illustrator and graphic novelist, recently unveiled detailed drawings that depicted the ferry, the Harbour Hopper and Theodore Tugboat as Transformers. 'These pieces are a little outside my normal range,' she said. 'It was a fun side project.' Phillips, who has worked on comics and children's books, wanted to embrace the aquatic side of Halifax with these pieces, which is why she focused on the three famous water-based vessels. 'Looking at the ferry, I want to embody the idea of a captain and the natural shapes of the vehicle,' she said. 'The Harbour Hopper has this awning, how do I incorporate that? It could have a bandana. 'I'm not designing for a Transformers movie but you want to think about how it would work if it was a toy. That's always the plan. I wasn't a huge Transformers fan but I was a fan of action figure toys.' Ferry robot The Halifax ferry as a Transformer. (Source: Kate Phillips) Phillips shared the pieces on social media and got a strong response from locals who pitched ideas for possible further Halifax-based Transformers. 'A lot of good recommendations from people so it seems there's an appetite for it,' Phillips said. 'It really surprised me, especially because it was a side project. I did not think it would resonate with people so much. 'The ferry is my personal favourite. I guess people really enjoy that they're local but still new and fresh as well. A new take on it.' Phillips' other work is currently on display at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck, N.S., this summer. Featuring pieces by her from the last few years, 'Familiar Places' will run until October. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
‘Ka-chow!' Lightning McQueen replica makes a pit stop at P.E.I. daycare
Maria Sarrouh has the story of an Ontario man's tour of the Maritimes, delighting children with his replica of Disney's Lightning McQueen.
