“For the book, I still had to present it as an artifact of its time, not imbue it with the thoughts and feelings of right now.”ĭespite being about the past, Ducks adds to the ongoing national conversation surrounding the oil sands. Definitely so for gender and the environment. “We think about (the issues) differently (now).

Instead, the book is a time capsule representing the issues as they were to Beaton.

The coming-of-age epic details Beaton’s experiences while working as a then-recent university grad in the Alberta oil sands in 2005 to pay off her student debt.Īt the time, Beaton posted webcomics about these experiences but took them down, feeling she “had to grow as an artist and storyteller first.”Ĭritically, Ducks takes place 15 years ago and is less about current conversations regarding the oils sands. Kate Beaton’s new graphic memoir Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands has quickly made its place as a vital part of this new Canadian canon. The medium is becoming increasingly popular for both Canadian artists and consumers.

Montreal’s Drawn and Quarterly has been putting out high-quality independent comics since the 1990s, and new publishers like Highwater Press in Winnipeg or Arsenal Pulp in Vancouver are showcasing diverse and exciting new creators. Over the past 30 years, independent comics have been steadily picking up momentum in Canada.

Kate beaton oil sands