Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Comicon, and some obscure facts regarding equally obscure Silver Age Comics Heroes
The fourth Dartmouth, N.S., Canadian “Back Issue Comicon,” four days ago, was the first one of these that I attended, due to day job work scheduling conflicts over the past three such events. There were over sixty comics dealers set up at this event with long tables completely covered in filled long boxes of mostly vintage comics, from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s on up!
Oh joy, oh bliss! These dealers came from a minimum of three different Eastern Canadian provinces—namely, Nova Scotia (of course), since the event was held here, Prince Edward Island (by far, Canada’s smallest province, as well as being one of the very loveliest, and scenically, the home of the legend and novel Anne of Green Gables), and New Brunswick; and, perhaps, provinces farther afield.
This one-day event, from 9 AM till 3 PM that day (Atlantic Time), was very well attended by customers, as well as by several Canadian comics luminaries—artists, writers, colourists, and so on. This included P.E.I.’s Mr. Sandy Carruthers, of Sandstone Comics, whose published titles include the thick, self-titled one-shot Canada’s Sandstone Comics #1, the Canadian superhero Century Man (issue #2 came out not so long ago), and Dark Coast (three issues thus far). In fact, Dark Coast #3 was first released and sold at Saturday’s Dartmouth Back Issue Comicon! Just some of the other titles Mr. Carruthers has worked on for Sandstone Comics include several issues of Dark Sanctuary, and, for other publishers, the very, very rare limited printing of Captain Canuck: Utopia Moments #1.
NOTE: A total of only 30 (thirty) copies were ever published and released of Captain Canuck: Utopia Moments, when it was published way back in 2001, fifteen copies in each of the two printings. There are two versions, #1A and #1 B. The only difference between the two versions is that the very last page of each is different from the other printing; in other words, each of the two printings of this comic has a different ending. I was lucky enough to acquire a copy of each of the two printings from Doug Sulipa’s Comix World when they were first offered, twenty-four years ago. Sandy Carruthers also worked on Men in Black, the comics series that preceded the well-known movies of the same name.
I had interviewed Mr. Carruthers relatively recently for First Comics News (link at the bottom)—and so, it was indeed a pleasure to meet this very affable, polite gentleman in person for the first time, finally, on Saturday!
Other Sandstone Comics pros who appeared at Saturday’s Back Issue Comicon, to start with, were artist/animator/colourist Ms. Brianna June.
Note: In Sandstone Comics’ Dark Coast #1–3, this very same lady is referred to as “Brianna Ormond.”
Dark Coast’s writer and artist, Andrew Clark (a multi-story anthology comics series), also had a table and chair next to both Brianna and Mr. Sandy Carruthers. I had all three of them very kindly sign the issues of Dark Coast #1–3 that I purchased from Mr. Carruthers. In fact, I didn’t even have to ask; since I bought Century Man #2 and Dark Coast #1, 2, and 3 from Mr. Carruthers on Saturday, he offered to have himself, Andrew Clark, and Brianna June (Ormond) all sign all four comics for me! Most kind!
Happily, unlike a lot of other comic creators, these three very talented creators do not charge for signing books. I found this delightful! And apparently, that is not because I bought four issues of their comic books at the convention; Sandy C. said they do not charge for signatures!
Andrew Clark has also worked on Exciting Comics, as well as the Nova Scotia-based ongoing comics series title Adam. He had earlier launched his own webcomic entitled A Slice of Fate in 2007, which ran all the way through 2013. Mr. Clark also did work on the Canadian superhero title The Red Leaf (Red Leaf Comics). He also worked at Canada’s Chapter House Comics, at Markosia, and did covers for Archie Comics. Additionally, Mr. Clark also did work on Canada’s True Patriot Presents, which included numerous Canadian home-grown superheroes!
Jarvis Donovan was also an illustrator in attendance, having done work over at Archie Comics. He also illustrates the comic book Misfit Mercs, of which there have been a minimum of two issues.
The aforementioned Brianna June (Ormond) is both a comics and animation artist, in addition to her work as a colourist, and, like Jarvis Donovan, has also drawn covers for Archie Comics, as well as IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
In all of the literature for this Back Issue Comicon at the ‘Con, both in paper literature at the ‘Con and, additionally, in online info for this Comicon, one of the guests was continually listed as “UNNAMED,” for some reason. This was the writer and artist of the recent, local, very thick-paged Dartmouth comic book, three issues out thus far. However, this unnamed local comics writer, artist, and creator of the three issues of Dart-Mouth Comics is definitely Glen Carabin, a Cape Breton-born Nova Scotia native, who now lives in the small hamlet of Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia. This, to me, is odd, because Glen Carabin names himself as the creator (he does everything himself) in that comic book series! Why he has since become shy is anybody’s guess, because he is quite a talent! I had bought Dart-Mouth Comics #1–3, and I quite enjoyed them! The horror creature in Dart-Mouth Comics has a black loose outfit (sort of like a priest’s loose robe, with a black hood; his face is jet black without features, except that his eyes (both of them) are dartboards, and his mouth is made of darts; hence, “Dart-Mouth.” Obviously, this character was named after the city of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, which is on the other side of Halifax Harbour.
Sandstone Comics’ Dark Coast #3 was first released and sold at this Sept. 20th, 2025, Back Issue Comicon, on Saturday.
There was a door prize at this event, which was a signed new colour Batman illustration, on a rooftop. It is quite a moody, beautiful piece of art! All attendees were given numbered tickets upon entry to this one-day Comicon, and the entrance fee was only three dollars per person! The hours for this ‘Con were 9 AM through 3 PM, Atlantic Time. The event was held at The Christ Church, right downtown, at 61 Dundas Street, Dartmouth, N.S. The weather cooperated; it was warm and sunny!
I’m a vintage automobile buff. The only reason I mention this is that, right across the street from the fourth Back Issue Comicon, was a vintage, bright orange Volkswagen Beetle. I took several pics of it with the camera on my cell phone.
Some of our readers might perhaps be wondering what exactly I bought at this convention.
In addition to all the comics wares that Sandy Carruthers had on hand—Century Man #2 (I had #1), Dark Coast #1, 2, and 3 (a horror anthology series with several comics full-colour new stories in each issue by various creators)—I also finally landed and bought a Silver Age Submariner King-Size Special #1 (I already had #2). Issue #2 seems to be much more common than #1, as, over the decades locally, I have seen #2 many times, but never #1, till now. I purchased it immediately. The issue #1 I bought had a crossed-out $38.00 sticker on the cover, and a new sticker below that, for only four dollars (!). Score! Why only four dollars? Because there was a notation on the comic bag that there was a 1/4-inch vertical tear, which I have since repaired, with a thickly cut piece of newspaper newsprint, glued on the inside of the rear cover, with thin wood glue. It presents very well!
This one likely won’t excite anyone, but I also got a high-grade mid- to late-1970s Marvel Further Adventures of Indiana Jones #29, which leaves just #32 and #33 that I still need. That’s it. I bought all other issues of that series when they were new, in the 1970s. The few left I needed, I’ve just never, ever seen them in person since. Issue #29 was just two dollars.
Also for $2.00 each, I picked up five vintage issues of Classics Illustrated, namely, #10: Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, #133: The Time Machine, #138: A Journey to the Center of the Earth, #142: Abraham Lincoln, and finally, #155: The Lion of the North. I don’t collect this series in general, but I do buy the odd issue when the subject matter interests me.
I also bought a Golden Age Pioneer Picture Stories #3 comic, from 1942, for $20.00. The front and back covers were completely separated and torn raggedly where they had once been joined at the spine. Further, the notes on the bag indicated there were a few middle wraps missing. I bought it anyway, fully knowing this, and have since repaired the book’s spine, as before, with white newsprint cut out in thin strips, and glued with thin wood glue, on the inside at the spine.
Hopefully, eventually, I can replace the missing centerfold or two by printing off online scans at one comics vintage scans site or another. Yeah, I am an eternal optimist by nature. Besides, I bought this book for “The Legless Ace” story, which is intact; The Legless Ace appeared in most or all of the nine issues in this title; he was a Canadian WWII fighter pilot with a wooden leg! I also have a (complete) #5 in this series, purchased over forty years ago, in Toronto, in a much higher grade, and it is complete. I’d love to have more of these!
Additionally, I bought New Heroic Comics #59 from 1950. Upon arriving home, I discovered that at least one wrap in the middle of this book may be missing. Also, in this issue, the top right-hand corner (two inches by two inches) of the “Tecumseh” first page is torn out, for some reason. I need to start having dealers open older books before buying them. I never learn. Sigh. But that’s my fault. I don’t sweat stuff like this, ever; you can let stuff like this ruin your day, OR you can sigh and get on with your day. That is just who I am; I never—short of the death of a relative or a friend—let things get to me. I just keep smiling.
But, hey, do any of our readers just happen to either own these same two issues or know where I can download pages of these books, then print them off, and bind them in? I’d make it worth your while for scans, thanks!
My email address is philalatter1701@gmail.com. I’m hoping someone can help. I also need a center wrap for Challengers of the Unknown #51, not to be confused with #52, which I bought at Saturday’s convention.
I’d also like to know how many wraps (or pages) should be in both Pioneer Picture Stories #3 (1942) and New Heroic Comics #59 (1950). If anyone knows and can help with that info, please kindly email me.
I bought 1970s Marvel’s The Power of Warlock #8, the very last issue that I had needed for that series.
Jay from Cape & Cowl Comics in Sackville, Nova Scotia (awesome guy) had on hand three different issues of Silver Age Harvey Hits’ The Phantom. He’d shown them to me when I was inquiring as to whether he had any Charlton or King Comics The Phantom issues. I’d love to complete the Charlton and King Comics series of The Phantom (I have all the Gold Key issues of the series, but I didn’t see any of those at any of the dealers at this one. And, by the time I saw Jay (second floor of the convention, upstairs), I was just about out of coin of the realm.
Other dealers present: Jeff, from The Comics Hunter store in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Like Calum Johnstone’s Strange Adventures stores (who also attended), there are three Comics Hunter-affiliated stores; one is in Charlottetown, one is in Moncton, N.B., and a third is in Fredericton, N.B. The latter two are both in the Canadian province of New Brunswick.
Brad Gardiner was there, from Al’s Comics, and East Coast Toys & Games was represented there as well, by the presence of Dr. Brian Campbell and his lovely partner, Tania White. I’ve gotten to know Brian a little bit over time, in many conversations, both from his many comics dealer appearances over the past couple of years at the Halifax Exhibition Park Sunday Flea Markets, through his online column Comic Book Daily, that I am email-subscribed to, and also through comics-based email correspondence with him, regarding Canadian Whites and also vintage, Canadian rare giveaway comics, including numerous of them from Nova Scotia! Nice guy!
I would have been touching base with more comics dealers there on Saturday, and getting their business cards as well (like I did with all the ones above, who I chatted at length with, in addition to making purchases from them), but there were a lot of customers there, and I was also there to shop.
This said, other comics pro guests included Kate Phillips, Shane Graves, Kraig Nicol, Peter Breau (an incredible Toronto comics artist and a friend of a friend, my late, very good friend and previous comics creator, writer, and comics publisher Dave Darrigo), Willy Reed, Holly Noel, Matt Watkins, Jim Dickson, and many more!
Had I known at the time that Toronto’s Peter Breau was there, I would have tried hard to seek him out, to hopefully have a long chat with him. I have an original framed in my living room—signed original black-and-white art of his and Dave Darrigo’s Piranha Is Loose, based on Dave Darrigo’s three-issue Piranha Is Loose from Special Studios (attached), the character holding a long, sharp knife while wading through a swamp! This character had his own short-lived series at Canada’s (Dave Darrigo’s) Special Studios comics company.
Mike Crossman from Halifax’s The Monster Comics Lounge store was there; I hadn’t seen him in years. I shook his hand and we had a nice little chat for a few minutes.
Local comics artist Steve McNiven (Marvel’s Civil War, Old Man Logan, Return of Wolverine) was an interesting guest; he has also worked on the modern character Nemesis (not to be confused with either the Silver Age ACG Comics hero character of the same name, nor the DC Comics character with that name, nor even the UK character of the same name, Nemesis the Warlock). Some character names, such as that and Captain Marvel, do get around. One of the recent Steve McNiven comics I think I enjoyed the most was Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell (three issues).
Among numerous other items I purchased there on Saturday were Century Man #2 (I had #1), The Brave and the Bold #66 (The Metal Men versus Metamorpho the Element Man, 1966), Challengers of the Unknown #51 (1966), and several others.
Earlier in this article, I mentioned that I had interviewed Mr. Sandy Carruthers relatively recently. If you’d like to read that very entertaining interview, click this link below:
https://www.firstcomicsnews.com/comic-book-biography-sandy-carruthers/
I hope you all enjoyed reading about the Sept. 20th, 2025, Back Issue Comicon, held in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada!
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