Graphic novelists tell rich stories by deftly interweaving words and images. Since emerging nearly a half-century ago, this narrative form – which can include anthologies, memoirs and other non-fiction works – has steadily grown in popularity and captivated readers around the globe. Canada Post is pleased to celebrate some of the most talented and influential authors of the genre in a set of stamps that includes Chester Brown, Michel Rabagliati, Seth and cousins Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki. Individually, these five graphic novelists have inspired readers at home and abroad and elevated the graphic novel form. Collectively, they have helped establish Canada’s reputation in the comic arts world – Canada Post Magazine
The late Harold 'Dusty' Miller (1880-1961), commemorated in these stamps, became one of the most influential cartoonists on the Isle of Man and nearly 50 years after his death remains firmly established in the public’s consciousness.
His obvious talent resurfaced during World War I when he designed a Christmas card in 1917 whilst in the trenches, which was adopted by the Postmen’s Federation and sent to postal workers serving in the armed forces. After moving to the Isle of Man, his impressions of Manx life embraced both people and events, straddling both satire and topical matters. His main body of work fell between 1933 and 1962 capturing the thrust of political and social issues of the time. - excerpts - Valerie Caine © April 2011
The Forest Song is a poetic play in three acts by Lesya Ukrainka. The play was written in 1911 in the city of Kutaisi, and was first staged on 1918-Nov-22 at the Kyiv Drama Theater. The work is one of the first prototypes of fantasy in Ukrainian literature.
Mavka: The Forest Song is an independently-made Ukrainian 3D-animated fantasy film. The completed 3D-animated fantasy was released in Ukraine 2023-Mar-02 by the Animagrad film studio (The Film.UA Group). Based on Lesya Ukrainka's play, The Forest Song, it portrays characters from Slavic and Ukrainian folk mythology.
Ukraine released a postage stamp featuring characters from the animated film "Mavka. The Forest Song" in November 2020 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Lesya Ukrainka's birthday. The stamp features Mavka, her love interest Lucas, and a forest creature called Swampy
Virgilio Martínez Gaínza (1931-2008 Cuba) is a commercial artist and one of Cuba's most notable cartoonists. He began his career as a commercial artist in 1949, publishing his first political cartoon in A Barrer and then worked extensively in the underground press, such as Mella and Carta Semanal. Among his first comic creations was the lucky character 'Pucho', which later became 'Cucho', whose adventures appeared in the clandestine magazine Mella in the 1955-1959 period. He signed the strip with Laura, to protect himself from the repression of the Fulgencio Bastista regime. - Lambiek Comiclopedia
