Winnipeg writer David A. Robertson shares his favourite comics while touring Maxx Collectibles
David A. Robertson is an author and graphic novelist based in Winnipeg. The multi-talented writer of Swampy Cree heritage has published 25 books across a variety of genres, including the graphic novels Will I See? and Sugar Falls, a Governor General's Literary Award-winning picture book called When We Were Alone, illustrated by Julie Flett, and the YA book Strangers.
CBC Books caught up with Robertson at Winnipeg's Maxx Collectibles to learn about the comic books he enjoyed reading over the years. Watch the tour in the video above and check out his picks below.
The Amazing Spider-Man series
"Spider-Man was my first love. Peter Parker was a regular kid. He was kind of a dork, who was insecure and just lost his uncle. I connected with that. The humanity of him just felt so real in a way."
ElfQuest series by Wendy and Richard Pini
"The first time I started reading comic books that weren't about superheroes happened when I read a series called ElfQuest. It was a graphic novel series about a bunch of half-elf, half-wolf beings. The whole series was about them trying to reconnect with their ancestors. Something about that really spoke to me. It is so good. I still have it, and my brother and I still fight over who owns it. But we read that one like crazy together."
The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
"This is what they should have based that Batman v. Superman movie on. They should adapt this into a movie — this is the definitive Batman graphic novel. This is probably one of the best graphic novels ever created. It's so incredible. It has complex yet clear narrative and character development. Frank Miller is one of the best graphic novelists ever. He finds new and interesting ways to depict superheroes we love, while staying true to the character but showing us surprising new things."
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
"I truly connect to characters with really thought out back stories. I've always loved Marvel's 'who's who' handbooks. You got to learn more about their background, their super powers and how much they can lift. It sounds a little dorky but knowing that Spider-Man can lift 10 tonnes and the Hulk can lift 100 tonnes is something I loved learning about. I love stats."
The Transformers series
"I love The Transformers. I loved the cartoon, the animated The Transformers movie and the Marvel comic book. The comic book series was great because you had a bunch of robots who had personalities and distinct characters and backgrounds that I just loved.
David A. Robertson's comments have been edited and condensed.