We are preparing to arrive at our  imminent deadline. Here are some pictures of Michael  at work on RED.  RED, published by Douglas & McIntyre is  one of the world’s largest comic books. Presented in its book form as 108 pages of fullwatercolour and ink in the Haida manga style it is also a mural. For imperial holdouts that means the mural measures in at 14 ft X 6 ft. Metrically advanced would see a 3.9 m X 1.7m.  While RED is large it is only a mere 6.6 sq meters compared to the European grand daddy the Bayeaux Tapestry which measures in at a very impressive 35 sq m!

Red: A Haida Manga, by Michael Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre, 112 pages, $28.95). There can be few better examples of graphic lit’s malleability than this. Yahgulanaas, a Haida living on Bowen Island, B.C., has adapted the visual iconography of his heritage and applied the storytelling approach of Japanese Manga comics to tell a tragic story of war and revenge – one whose themes transcend their native setting to take on a classical dimension.

The overall effect is uncanny, as if a totem pole has come to life to act out a legend. Yahgulanaas’s circular approach to narrative, in both images and words, may demand a couple of go-throughs to absorb, but the effort is worth it.

when:
Wednesday November 25th at 5:30 pm at the Bill Reid Gallery 639 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC

what:
the making of RED, a Haida manga
and
a sneak look at RED, the music video (with special appearances by “awesome” cello punk composer Cris Derksen and work by Haida animator Chris Auchter.

this sub set sequence of images begins with Book # 39 and continues on to # 43.