End of the Earth: Edmonton illustrator lands book deal

For Chad Huculak, Edmonton is his muse.

The local cartoonist has made a name for himself by poking fun at Alberta's capital city.

And, he says, inspiration is never hard to find.

"There are always controversies erupting here and there," Huculak said in an interview with CBC Radio's Edmonton AM.

"There wasn't a comic that specifically spoke to Edmontonians and I also enjoy newspaper comics very much so I wanted to target Edmonton and its residents.

"We're kind of the outpost of civilization, but we're resilient up here."

Now Huculak's comic strip End of the Earth, published regularly online, is making an appearance in print.

The Edmonton illustrator has landed his first book deal, and he says he has Edmontonians' good sense of humour to thank for his success.

From references to the Talus Dome sculpture, to local political feuds, to Edmonton's proliferation of mega-sized potholes and pick-up trucks, Huculak's work is made up of inside jokes only locals could get.

He often likes to have a laugh at the Oilers' expense.

"For the longest time, the Oilers have quite frankly sucked and...I like to poke fun at it," said Huculak.

"I was a little worried this year because they won the first two games, and I thought, 'Oh man, I can't make fun of the Oilers anymore. They're getting good.'

"But then after the last game I thought, 'Phew, okay, they're back at it.' "

Huculak began publishing the comic strip about three years ago at the suggestion of his editors at Gig City, an Edmonton online events listing. Since then, it's become a passion for Huculak, who says inspiration often strikes in the strangest places.

"It's a cliché, but you're taking a shower, or walking the dog and you get a cartoon idea," said Huculak.

"And I pay attention to what people are saying on Twitter, what's riling people up, what's erupting in the news, and go from there."

The End of the Earth is now available online and in comic book stores across the city, and Huculak will be hosting an official launch at Happy Harbour Comics on Nov. 5. It's the first title from Edmonton's newest independent publisher, Monto Books, which launched last month.

"I want to keep producing books and hopefully this sells. Hopefully people like it," said Huculak.

"I'm definitely going to keep cartooning."