Comic books are helping Vancouver learn how to connect again #top .av_textblock_section.av-movtppi6-fa1a71f055ea08bc865d377d106dfa5f .avia_textblock{ color:#919191; } As digital life and AI reshape creativity, Vancouver’s comic community is offering something rare, real human connection. #top .flex_column_table.av-equal-height-column-flextable.av-klhobiz-ff0fe6d683c8f5e51438ad9e0b779c75{ margin-top:10px; margin-bottom:10px; } .flex_column.av-klhobiz-ff0fe6d683c8f5e51438ad9e0b779c75{ width:17.6%; margin-left:0; } #top .flex_column_table.av-equal-height-column-flextable.av-klhobiz-ff0fe6d683c8f5e51438ad9e0b779c75 .av-flex-placeholder{ width:3%; } .avia-image-container.av-movxz6sf-364c90940fa513eca6c480e50c5e8840 img.avia_image{ box-shadow:none; } .avia-image-container.av-movxz6sf-364c90940fa513eca6c480e50c5e8840 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{ color:#ffffff; } #top .flex_column_table.av-equal-height-column-flextable.av-h4xwuqj-7828bdb8c600e3c121f3ac30ec3d1f28{ margin-top:10px; margin-bottom:10px; } .flex_column.av-h4xwuqj-7828bdb8c600e3c121f3ac30ec3d1f28{ width:79.4%; margin-left:0; } #top .flex_column_table.av-equal-height-column-flextable.av-h4xwuqj-7828bdb8c600e3c121f3ac30ec3d1f28 .av-flex-placeholder{ width:3%; } Denenae Tingala / May 7, 2026 #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-1a5rhi3-c7b2d82e554d807a697039a97e3389f7{ height:30px; } .avia-image-container.av-movxy6qv-79fa1bdd4d574455bfd5d5f5eccdad28 img.avia_image{ box-shadow:none; } .avia-image-container.av-movxy6qv-79fa1bdd4d574455bfd5d5f5eccdad28 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{ color:#ffffff; } Hank Pattison enthusiastically poses with a free comic. (Denenae Tingala/BCIT News) #top .hr.hr-invisible.av-jim5y3-d569e7f843217e0030eee11e782c5f99{ height:20px; } What’s better than comic books? Free comic books! On a sunny Vancouver day, people were packed inside Golden Age Collectables as Spider-Man posed for selfies, Harley Quinn handed balloon animals to children and long-time comic readers dug through piles of free issues beside curious first-timers. Free Comic Book Day transformed Vancouver’s oldest comic shop into space that allowed for genuine human connection. “People are feeling this lack of community,” said Jeffery Ellis, President of Comicscape Comics Society. “There’s an appeal in just the direct contact of like face to face because you get that tone of voice, you get that eye contact, you get the facial expressions.” The annual event, launched in the early 2000s as a publishing industry promotion, has evolved into one of the biggest days of the year for comic shops. But in Vancouver, artists and organizers say the celebration now represents something deeper than Fandom. Harley Quinn cosplayer Teanna, who was helping out the event at Golden Age Comics said,“Fandom truly brings us closer together” .avia-image-container.av-mow21ua5-3507c7341972d3e107c46b5f5379ccc1 img.avia_image{ box-shadow:none; } .avia-image-container.av-mow21ua5-3507c7341972d3e107c46b5f5379ccc1 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{ color:#ffffff; } Harley Quinn welcomes customers to this year’s Free Comic Book Day! (Denenae Tingala/BCIT News) At Golden Age Collectibles, manager Hank Pattison said the day is about making comics approachable again after years of pandemic struggles and declining in-person gathering spaces. “There’s something really fun about, sort of like with giving out candy on Halloween, just giving out free comics is awesome,” Pattinson said. “Comic books are supposed to be an art form that anybody can get into.” This year’s crowd reflected how broad the audience has become. Parents browsed beside university students, young children clutched manga, and older readers hunted for the newest titles. Teanna also says events like Free Comic Book Day help remove the intimidation many newcomers feel towards comics, “Comic books are not the most approachable thing in this day and age, just due to how extensive the lore is at this point,” she said. “But free comic book day just gives you a really good bouncing off point.” .avia-image-container.av-mow24rhv-f545036a185558ed779286966c6a9220 img.avia_image{ box-shadow:none; } .avia-image-container.av-mow24rhv-f545036a185558ed779286966c6a9220 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{ color:#ffffff; } Free comic books waiting to be picked up by new owners. (Denenae Tingala/BCIT News) At Golden Age Collectibles, manager Hank Pattison said the day is about making comics approachable again after years of pandemic struggles and declining in-person gathering spaces. “There’s something really fun about, sort of like with giving out candy on Halloween, just giving out free comics is awesome,” Pattinson said. “Comic books are supposed to be an art form that anybody can get into.” This year’s crowd reflected how broad the audience has become. Parents browsed beside university students, young children clutched manga, and older readers hunted for the newest titles. Teanna also says events like Free Comic Book Day help remove the intimidation many newcomers feel towards comics, “Comic books are not the most approachable thing in this day and age, just due to how extensive the lore is at this point,” she said. “But free comic book day just gives you a really good bouncing off point.” From the Artist’s Perspective: Across the city at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown, members of Cloudscape Comics Society gathered around sketchbooks, iPads, and unfinished pages during one of the group’s weekly meetups. Founded nearly 2 decades ago, the nonprofit has become an important part of Vancouver’s independent comics scene, offering workshops, publishing opportunities and community for artists at every level. .avia-image-container.av-mow2cyg2-77009ffbedea98a711732d0e8ea11c58 img.avia_image{ box-shadow:none; } .avia-image-container.av-mow2cyg2-77009ffbedea98a711732d0e8ea11c58 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{ color:#ffffff; } A Cloudscape Comics Society banner greets you at the entrance of their space helping you feel like you are entering cloud nine. (Denenae Tingala/BCIT News) “For years and years I didn’t have anyone who I could talk to about comics,” said Owl MP, a new member of the group. “Being in these events and seeing all of these different people working in comics, it’s just… really refreshing because I finally get to be with people who understand me.” Many of the artists in Cloudscape also yearn for that connection. “For me, it’s very important, especially like, I remember, COVID-19 times when you were locked in your house, in your apartment,” said Lukasz Sidorkiewicz, who moved to Vancouver from Poland six months ago. “I don’t find virtual meetings productive. So I really look for this kind of contact.” Parker Juryn described the meetups as a growing support system in a city where creative work can often feel isolating, “In this day and age, it’s more important ever to maintain the in-person contact,” Juryn said. “There is a massive support system going on for people who want to, like, get going into comics.” For Kelly Chen, the Vice-President of Cloudscape Comics Society, that support extends beyond socializing. It allows space for public art projects like ‘Comics in Transit’ Comics that are displayed in Vancouver bus shelters. “Our ultimate goal is to uplift the artists of the scene,” Chen said. She also noted that comics are increasingly entering academic and public spaces. “There’s been a shift of using the comics as a way to bridge the gap between academia and the general public,” Chen said. .avia-image-container.av-mow2hlcg-fd42935edc84eb0116e976989a302501 img.avia_image{ box-shadow:none; } .avia-image-container.av-mow2hlcg-fd42935edc84eb0116e976989a302501 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{ color:#ffffff; } Kelly Chen happily working on their new comic! (Denenae Tingala/BCIT News) “For years and years I didn’t have anyone who I could talk to about comics,” said Owl MP, a new member of the group. “Being in these events and seeing all of these different people working in comics, it’s just… really refreshing because I finally get to be with people who understand me.” Many of the artists in Cloudscape also yearn for that connection. “For me, it’s very important, especially like, I remember, COVID-19 times when you were locked in your house, in your apartment,” said Lukasz Sidorkiewicz, who moved to Vancouver from Poland six months ago. “I don’t find virtual meetings productive. So I really look for this kind of contact.” Parker Juryn described the meetups as a growing support system in a city where creative work can often feel isolating, “In this day and age, it’s more important ever to maintain the in-person contact,” Juryn said. “There is a massive support system going on for people who want to, like, get going into comics.” For Kelly Chen, the Vice-President of Cloudscape Comics Society, that support extends beyond socializing. It allows space for public art projects like ‘Comics in Transit’ Comics that are displayed in Vancouver bus shelters. “Our ultimate goal is to uplift the artists of the scene,” Chen said. She also noted that comics are increasingly entering academic and public spaces. “There’s been a shift of using the comics as a way to bridge the gap between academia and the general public,” Chen said. .av-horizontal-gallery.av-mow2ogm0-50b9fdb59c336dcbf7701b7ac288cb69{ padding:3.75% 0px;; } .av-horizontal-gallery.av-mow2ogm0-50b9fdb59c336dcbf7701b7ac288cb69 .av-horizontal-gallery-inner{ padding-bottom:25%; } Previous Previous Previous Next Next Next12345 Open image in lightbox: Patrick Wong 01 (1) Open image in lightbox: Patrick Wong 01 (1) Open image in lightbox: Patrick Wong 02 (1) Open image in lightbox: Patrick Wong 02 (1) Open image in lightbox: Philip Open image in lightbox: Philip Open image in lightbox: Janice Comics in Transit 2021 FINAL copy Open image in lightbox: Janice Comics in Transit 2021 FINAL copy Open image in lightbox: Alina 1 Open image in lightbox: Alina 1 Comics in Transit by Patrick Wong, Philip Barrett, Janice Liu and Alina Pete. (Kelly Chen, Cloudscape Comics Society) Death, taxes, and the fight with AI Still Vancouver’s comic scene faces growing pressures like AI and threats to their space. Many artists are grappling with the rise of artificial intelligence in the arts. Chen said “99.9999 per cent” of artists she knows oppose AI-generated art because of plagiarism and ethical concerns. Ellis argued the issue goes beyond economics. “I feel like we’re losing something very fundamental to being a human,” he said. “You can definitely see what is real, what is genuine, and what is fake,” Sidorkiewicz adds. “While seeing those AI stuff, I feel that it’s really fake, and it doesn’t have emotions.” Even so, optimism remains strong. “I think the community comics scene in Vancouver has always been strong,” Chen said. “I think we’re just gonna continue and grow.” Vancouver’s comic scene offered something refreshingly analog, people gathering together, sharing stories and trying to create something human. Read More