The orginal paintings, the full set for “The Last Voyage of the Black Ship” have been sold already.

I will however consider offers for the full set of ink paintings used in “A Tale of Two Shamans”.
No other work used in any of the Rocking Raven publications are currently for sale.
Sorry but I need to keep them around a while longer.

michael

From the sounds like canada site

“The traditional images of Haida art are totem poles, carvings and beautiful masks in bold red and black. Shelaghs guest today is rejuvenating an old art form and creating one that is entirely new. It’s called Haida Manga and it’s a combination of traditional Haida art and Japanese-style comics. The images and stories are dark and funny and sometimes rude. It’s kind of “east meets west on the popular culture frontier”. Michael Yahgulanaas, a former elected chief councillor in the Queen Charlotte Islands, now lives in Vancouver with his wife and baby girl. “

Thanks to all the visitors who visited the site. There were almost 600 of you in two days. Many of you went on to order books. The warehouse still have a few copies of The Last Voyage of the Black Ship but they could be all gone by end of October.

A Tale of Two Shamans remains the sleeper. As soon as I hear back from the publisher on sales I will post that information here.

The Vancouver Sun- Arts section- October 4 have an article on the dark beginnings of Haida Manga. Story by Kevin Griffin.

As well the Globe and Mail will print an interview with those of us off to the Tokyo design Show. Expect that article to apear the week of Oct 6 in the Arts section. Story by Alexandra Gill.

All,

Amidst a flurry of planning presentations to manga classes at Japanese universities, finding a translator, booking accommodations and travel and planning meetings with potential partners Tokyo moves ever closer.

The exhibit opens October 12th and the invitation list seems to be either limited or full already. The exhibit of the Canada National Design Team as organized by Vancouver’s BARK collective is generating a good buzz in the islands.

The presentation at WORD UNDER THE STREET (Sunday sep 28- Vancouver) went very very well. Spicy, engaging and an audience that grew to the end followed by a sell out of all the copies of The Last Voyage of the Black Ship at the Book and Magazine fair.

There are only 150 copies of The Last Voyage of the Black Ship left in the warehouse. My advice is to contact your local bookstore or go directly to the publisher and get a copy promptly. http://www.wildernesscommittee.org/store/Books

All proceeds go to Western Canada Wilderness Committee.

Major fun news

Rocking Raven comics (aka Haida Manga) is selected as part of the Canada National Design Team exhibit at the prestigious Tokyo Design Week Oct 9-23.

The Tokyo Design Week is the worldest fourth largest and fastest growing international design fair. 36 countries and 650,000 visitors will mark this years’ first ever Canadian presence.

I have created a special piece for Tokyo consisting of 14 panels on large paper sheets. As well Rocking Raven goes Fishing will be available as a comic book at the exhibit venue, the Canadian Embassy gallery Oct 12-23.

Influenced by the argillite pipe carving tradition I again present a telling of an old Haida narrative. Yes it is strange, even twisted and as the British museum said the work “is slightly disturbing” I think Sophia Books in Vancouver accurately called Rocking Raven a “peu grotesque”.

Email me if you would like an jpg sample.

micahel nicoll yahgulanaas

Not yet on the site but my current Haida Manga in production really hybridizes ancient iconography and sequential graphic narratives . Think totem pole peoples as a faint notion of what is really happening in those apparently highly abstract flat designs that we still produce. While I am only scratching at the surface here is something as vast as pre columbian written language used from the Columbia River to Northern Alaska. That “art” form which isn’t experimental probably appears alien to most contemporary non indigenous peoples and even in our own communities where much of the poetics are known and produced. However generations of concerted Indigneous language attack by both Canada and the US have seriously eroded the spoken linkages to the physical icons.

All,

The Museum of Anthropology is hosting a special exhibition this summer. Located on the University of BC campus in Vancouver they are showing all the original paintings and sketches for “The Last Voyage of the Black Ship”

If you’re in Vancouver and maybe attending the COMICON august 24th at the Heritage Hall 3102 Main Street Vancouver make a point of going out to the Museum of Anthropology.

It will encourage them to continue their new found interest in comic books.

michael nicoll yahgulanaas

This new post is a dummied down color piece of a watercolor done on Skungwaii- Far away and very powerful Haida fortress located on the south western part of the archipelago- The watercolor is much larger and is now in a private collection-

The largest Japanese language newspaper in Vancouver- Vancouver Shinpo interviewed me this morning. The interview will appear in their June issue.

Haida Manga!