My name is Mark Shainblum. You may remember me from such super-8 educational films as Discarded Hypodermics Are Not Your Friends and Industrial Floor Covering: Our Wartime Ally.

Actually, I'm a long-time comic book writer, based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I co-created the independent Canadian superhero comic Northguard with illustrator Gabriel Morrissette in the 80's.

Ten years later, we collaborated again on Angloman, a political parody comic strip published in a series of books from the literary publisher Nuage Editions (since re-named Signature Editions), and later as a regular feature in the Montreal Gazette newspaper.

I also wrote Michael Moorcock's Corum for First Comics, Till Death Do Us Part for Broadway Comics, and the newspaper comic strip adventures of the classic Canadian superhero Captain Canuck, among others. Just because I wasn't typecast enough, I also write Sandy Carruthers' ongoing superhero webcomic Canadiana: The New Spirit of Canada.

My latest webcomics project, launched in the first week of March, 2007, is The Haunting of MacGrath, created with illustrator Jeff Alward. It's a "a moody tale of murder, self-doubt and mystery (with just a hint of the supernatural), set in 19th century Montreal."

I was also the editor and publisher of the early Canadian independent comic book publisher Matrix Graphic Series, which was later known as Matrix Comics. (Still later, it was known as Yet Another Defunct 80's Indy Publisher.) Aside from Northguard, we published Bernie Mireault's Mackenzie Queen and The Jam, Dragon's Star by Mary-Ann Bramstrup and Ian Carr, and a few other interesting indy titles. Later, Northguard was published by Gary Reed's Caliber Press.

In the late 80's I wrote a comic book review column for the Canadian rock magazine Graffiti, arguably the first comics-related column in a mainstream North American magazine. I also write and edit prose science fiction, and in 1998 I co-edited the alternate history anthology Arrowdreams with John Dupuis. I've been published in various SF anthologies and magazines, including Island Dreams: Montreal Writers of the Fantastic, edited by Claude Lamlumiere; Cyber Age Adventures; Would That It Were magazine; and On Spec magazine. In 2002-03 I served as president of SF Canada, the Canadian national association of science fiction and fantasy authors. I'm rich and chocolaty, with only half the calories of regular comic book writers... Now without trans fat!

In the real world, I work for Montreal's McGill University as Media Relations Officer (Research) in the Media Relations Office. Can you think of a better job for a dyed-in-the-wool comics and SF geek? The spirit of Carl Sagan fills my days.

I'm also write the regular Internet columnist for the McGill Reporter newspaper.

Send e-mail to mark [at] northguard [dot com].

RANDOM ONLINE STUFF

The Haunting of MacGrath, a a moody tale of murder, self-doubt and mystery (with just a hint of the supernatural), set in 19th century Montreal. Co-created with illustrator Jeff Alward. Updates every Friday!

Sandy Carruthers' Canadiana: The New Spirit of Canada, a superhero webcomic written by yours truly, just back from hiatus with new guest illustrator Brenda Hickey.

Northguard.com

Angloman.com, with a paltry few examples of the newspaper strip. To be updated soon! Promise!

My personal website at Northguard.com.

"Playing Solitaire", a prose superhero story originally published by Cyber Age Adventures.

"The Break Inspector", a science fiction story set in the 19th century, originally published in the online magazine Would That It Were, now sadly defunct.

My online journalism archive
(No, I haven't updated the HTML on this page since 1995. It's not laziness, it's "retro.")

Orion, a little irregular fanzine I produce for inclusion in the Comicopia APA. (And when I say irregular, I mean irregular. The first two issues of the zine were published in 1981-82. Issue #3 didn't see the light of day till 2005.) Kindly hosted by the nice folks at eFanzines.com

Guardians of the North, an online exhibit of Canadian superheroes from the Golden Age through to the present, hosted by the National Library and Archives of Canada. (Is it immodest to point out that my characters Northguard and Fleur-de-Lys are very prominently featured therein?)