High Fidelity for a new generation. Living in Toronto has its challenges, especially when duct tape-wielding landlords and ever-encroaching developers are involved. For Lenny, the antidote to the chaos at home is the realization of a dream: opening a used record store with a carefully curated selection. He works hard, sneaking bites of cold noodles between customers, and politely tolerating even the most ridiculous requests.
Unfortunately, Lenny's store isn't much more stable than his home life. Rent is sky-high, and sales are sporadic. Some days, he's run off his feet while other days, smashing unwanted records is the only way to pass the time. Hope arrives in the form of an old press release tucked away in the sleeve of a record. The discovery launches Lenny into his next quest: to track down the long-lost record collection of Hot Walter, an elusive and aging disco DJ. But will it be enough to save Lenny's Vinyl Boutique? On Vinyl is a love letter to vinyl and an exploration of the role nostalgia plays in the decisions we make.
Lorenz Peter was born in Montreal and grew up in Northern Alberta. In 1990 he left school to pursue cartooning and music. Lorenz has released five full length graphic novels since then: Chaos Mission, Dark Adaptation, Side Effect, Grey Museum and his newest, On Vinyl. In 1997, Lorenz joined Corpusse, forming a power duo that would influence Toronto's underground art rock/noise scene for nearly 15 years and record 3 albums together. Lorenz lives in Toronto where he continues to work independently on comics, illustrations, and musical acts Processor and Off World.
Inspired by the stories her father told her, Dénommé sketches a portrait of a Northern mining town in the late 1970s. Shifts in the uranium mine last 100 days, then workers have two weeks to adjust to civilization before returning. The pay is good, the work is grueling but they can all be found drinking heavily on a Saturday night. Life is hollow, one shift at a time, waiting for the depletion of resources -- natural or human. The book never loses focus of the main character as he struggles with his lifestyle choice. It is a quiet but powerful read, rendered in gorgeous pencil, like the dust of the mine revealing lives on the page. Nominated for the Bédélys Québec Prize 2017.
Ariane Dénommé is an artist and illustrator whose graphic novel Du chez-soi, won the Prix Bédelys Québec in 2012. She has self-published numerous books, in which her worried, sometimes anguished, human menagerie is always illustrated with devastating black humour. This is her first book to be translated into English.
A poignant account of an alcoholic father who drags his family into misfortune, The Vagabond Valise is the heart-breaking autobiographical story of Siris, represented by his chicken-headed alter ego. Siris paints a sincere and poetic portrait of his troubled childhood, in and out of foster homes, but also of the working-class, post-war Quebec where it took place. Ten years in the making, The Vagabond Valise is the first graphic novel from a founding father of the Quebec comix underground.
Siris has often been called the Godfather of the Montreal underground comix community. He has been publishing his stories in zines, anthlologies and comics for 20 years. The Vagabond Valise is his English debut.