Bonus
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Profile of Michel Lamontagne
Michel Lamontagne was trained as a mechanical engineer, which led him to technical drawing and drafting. However, Michel has always been interested in comics and he’s done illustrations for Solaris and Brin d’Éternité. He is clearly influenced by European comics, and creators like Hergé and Moebius have had a significant impact on his visual style. For various reasons, Michel’s participation in the project was shorter than originally planned, but our conversations with him helped to enrich several aspect of the project.
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Stories That Are Credible, Not Realistic
We’ve already mentioned that our goal isn’t to create realistic stories. Our universe has conventions and if the reader accepts them, he or she will also expect the characters to respect them. Credibility is a challenge because it means constantly reassessing everything, and being open to our collaborators’ comments. While Michel Lamontagne didn’t draw all of “Burst of Energy,” his comments did, in our opinion, add to the narrative’s credibility.
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Jean-Pierre Vivian : Painter
Jean-Pierre Vivian is the artist whose work is found in “Burst of Energy.” Originally from France, he has lived in Canada since 1988. He’s always been attracted to different forms of artistic expression. He studied acting; for eight years, he sculpted stone, and for the last 10, he has been painting. His work is characterized by two focuses: a form of minimalism related to the use of white, and the integration of different materials into his canvasses to enrich the rendering. His art naturally explores new impressions. This evolution can be seen in the various solo and group exhibitions in which he has taken part over the last 15 years.
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Roger Stern
Like Steve Englehart, Roger Stern is another less-conspicuous author. While someone like Alan Moore tries to include his thoughts and obsessions into his work, someone like Roger Stern tries to stay firmly anchored to the myth he is in charge of writing about. Stern only created a few issues of Captain America, but he developed stories that filled gaps left by other stories written many years before. We admire this willingness to serve the mythology through careful evolution rather than by revolutionizing the hero’s whole universe.
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The Issue of Dying
In the last few entries, we’ve been looking at ways of thinking about the death of main characters, and about its dramatic benefits. Of course, if it worked that well, more writers would use it more often. But the problem with death is that it might prevent readers from becoming invested in the story or becoming attached to some characters because they know they might have to mourn them later on down the line.
