Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas can add another commendation to his glorious artistic career. This week, Canada Post announced that he is one of six graphic novelists to be honoured with a new postage stamp. He is the only B.C.-based artist on the list.
A descenbdanbt of the Haida artists Charles and Isabella Edenshaw, Yahgulanaas has written several national bestselling illustrated books, including Red: A Haida Manga, JAJ: A Haida Manga, and Flight of the Hummingbird. He is also a sculptor and visual artist whose works have been exhibited around the world.
He created the new artform known as Haida Manga after studying Chinese brush techniques under Cai Ben Kwon.
“Haida Manga blends North Pacific Indigenous iconographies and framelines with the graphic dynamism of Asian manga,” Yahgulanaas’s website states. “It is committed to hybridity as a positive force that opens a third space for critical engagement. That hybridity becomes woven through the artist’s art, books and speeches, and offers an empowering and playful way to view and engage with social issues.”
Graphic novelists leave their mark
The new Canada Post stamp series also honours Kate Beaton, Jimmy Beaulieu, Guy Delisle, Julie Doucet, and Brian Lee O’Malley.
Beaton is best known for the autobiographical Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands. In 2023, it was the first graphic novel to win the CBC Reads competition.
Beaulieu is a Montreal-based graphic novelist who has produced many books, including Jardin des complexes, Rôles de composition, and Non-aventures : planches à la première personne. Delisle shares his travel experiences through cartoons, including visits to North Korea, Myanmar, and the Middle East. The latter led to his award0winning Chroniques de Jérusalem.
Meanwhile, Doucet is the author of Journal (2004; 365 Days, 2007). She won the Grand Prix for lifetime achievement at the Angoulême International Comics Festival. And O’Malley created the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels about a slacker in a Toronto garage band. This concept was adapted into a film, video game, and animation series.
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