MAY 2011 TOUR DIARY, Pt. Four: Montréal (2)

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

* * *

Friday in Montréal was a busy day.  I went down to the D+Q store to meet longtime zine-writer Jeff Miller (Ghost Pine), and pick up a few of his beautiful new books for the distro.  We had coffee (or Limonata, in my case) and shot the breeze for a bit on a summery morning.  Afterwards I met my Belgian cartoonist pal Max de Radiguès for lunch.  Max and I keep following each other around North America-- This is the second time I've run into him unexpectedly in a different city.  We got some health food, sat in a park watching a schoolful of kids playing, and talked about comics and politics.  On the way down to the park we ran into Billy Mavreas, who informed me he was having an opening at his gallery/book/junkshop Monastiraki that evening, so I said I'd come by.

Then back to D+Q, where I met Tom Devlin. We picked up his daughter Gigi at school, had a quick bite to eat, and went down to Billy's shop.

Fish 'n' Chips at Comptoir 21 on Saint-Viateur. (Gigi and John in the funny mirror.)

Just some of the wares on display at Monastiraki.

Billy and Tom haggle over prices.

Some of Billy's brilliant drawings.

Shop scenes.

Zine rack.

More zines and books.

Perro Verlag publications.

Afterwards Tom and I braved paradoxical Montréal roadsigns to pick Chester Brown up at the airport.  He was doing a signing at the D+Q store the next day.

Chester's childhood home in Châteauguay, Québec, in the Montréal suburbs.

Saturday morning, Tom, Chester, Chris Oliveros, and I drove out to Châteauguay, the town where Chester grew up, and immortalized in such classic comics as The Playboy, The Little Man, and I Never Liked You.

(I highly recommend you check out Chris' great post about the trip, on the D+Q blog.)

I wonder what the people inside were thinking!

The great Chester Brown.

Chester, John, and Tom. (Photo by Chris O.)

Mr. Brown and his childhood school.

We had lunch at a funny little Resto in the same strip mall where Chester had purchased his very first Playboy, all those years ago.  Then, on to the signing...

The SRO crowd waits in eager anticipation.

Julia, Chester, and  Peggy Burns.

John P., Julie D., and Chester Brown.  (Photo by Peggy.)

The next morning I had to get up at 5 AM in order to make it to Boston on time for an afternoon signing.  It's hard to describe my feelings for Montréal.  When I have to leave, it's almost physically painful.  Ah, well... au revoir!

NEXT TIME: Walden Pond and home...

(Thanks to Chris Oliveros and Peggy Burns for some of the photos!)

MAY 2011 TOUR DIARY, Pt. Three: Kingston/Montréal (1)

Part One

Part Two

* * *

So the day after TCAF we hit the road for Kingston, Ontario -- Incarceration Capital of Canada -- for a signing on the way to Montréal.

View of Lake Ontario from the Kingston hotel room.

Shop window at Four Colour Eight Bit.

The Competition.

After the signing we all went out for drinks, and the natives wandered across the street for poutine, the national food of Canada.  Afterwards I told the group how proud I was that I had gone 4 or 5 days without making fun of the way they talked, and they said "Same here."  Then Maakye made me say the word "Pop," and punched me in the shoulder.

Lovely downtown Kingston, Ontario.

The next day (ahem) we braved crazy Montréal traffic and paradoxical traffic signs to make it to the signing with moments to spare.  Here is the Librairie D+Q window lighting up the beautiful night.

Mr. Cherry-Mouth Owlhead signs books for the throngs of fans.

(Photo by D+Q)

John P., Jason Gilmore, and Alex Jansen.

Librairie D+Q in the morning.

Montréal front yard.

"We like both kinds of music--  Country AND Western!"

Even the sidewalks are tasteful.

Hot Cars.

I can't stop taking pictures of Montréal houses.

Totally looks like the Chicago suburbs.

Jo Jo.

Québec Liberation Front poster.

Trés Americain!

Jo Jo again.

Grissou.

Kuan Yin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Montréal stylee.

Even the abandoned lots are interesting.

Thursday night I wandered over to the great bookshop Le Port De Tête, where the French cartoonist Marine Blandin was signing copies of her new Delcourt book Fables Nautiques.

When the legendary BD shop Fichtré closed down a few years back, Le Port du Tête bought their stock and expanded into the space next door.  What a selection!  I bought four volumes of Laurent Lolmède's Moins X avant 2000, and had to restrain myself from spending like $200 more.

Mlle. Blandin signing her books (in the European tradition, with a detailed watercolor and ink sketch!)

Diehard Québécois cartoonist and publisher Jimmy Beaulieu.

Original pages from Fables Nautiques.

Walking back to Julie's that night I couldn't help but notice how at home I feel in this city.  It's something I can't explain.  If sometime you get a copy of King-Cat mailed to you with a Montréal return address, don't be surprised!

* * *

NEXT TIME:  Montréal Part Two