A tragicomic meditation on masculinity, violence, and parenthood. Two fathers dig down to the roots of inherited trauma before it’s too late. Growth is possible, but so is oblivion…
CLAY FOOTED GIANTS, the critically-acclaimed graphic novel co-written by David Plath prize winner Mark McGuire and Alain Chevarier, with art by Alain Chevarier, is now available at your favorite local comic shop and book store!
“Alain and I met on a basketball court in Montréal during a parent-kid activity on a subzero Sunday morning,” said Mark McGuire. “He showed me photos of haunting paintings probing his grandfather’s prisoner of war experiences. We decided to make a graphic novel together exploring society’s evolving understanding of gender roles, parenting and trauma. Over six years as we wrote and rewrote our story, I saw our characters magically come to life in Alain’s delicate pencil strokes. Talking about my struggles helped me realize I wasn’t alone, and that sharing our story might help others”
CLAY FOOTED GIANTS
Writer: Mark McGuire & Alain Chevarier – Artist: Alain Chevarier
Release Date: October 8th, 2024
ISBN: 9781545808412
Synopsis: A tragicomic meditation on masculinity, violence, and parenthood. Two fathers dig down to the roots of inherited trauma before it’s too late. Growth is possible, but so is oblivion.
Pat and Mathieu are proto-feminist dads who try not to repeat their father’s mistakes, but trauma inherited from previous generations makes family life volatile. Their partners earn more money and travel constantly for work, leaving these forty-somethings to assume a role traditionally reserved for women: taking care of the kids and the home. Despite their best intentions, they quickly collide against their own limits.
Pat is particularly affected. His parents separated when he was young and his father is a notorious alcoholic. Pat has been crippled by rage since childhood. He must find the origins of this darkness before he transmits it to his own kids.
“Mark and I sat down at his kitchen counter once a week for 6 years to work on Clay Footed Giants,” added co-writer and illustrator, Alain Chevarier. “After we got published by a small Quebec publishing house, we got to go to the Festival de la Bande dessinée d’Angoulême, in France. The book was originally written in English in Montreal, and then translated to French. McGuire being American, he really wanted our work to be seen in his homeland. Amongst all the international editors present at the Angoulême book market, we got lucky enough to meet with Mad Cave’s Mark Irwin and pitch our story. We were immediately told the whole Mad Cave team was interested! It’s been a huge thrill to work with Mad Cave since, and our experience as authors has been a breeze. We feel pampered!”
Co-writer, Mark McGuire
Mark McGuire is a Midwestern born Montreal writer, teacher and father who played basketball as an English major at Davidson College. A documentary on a Japanese sacred mountain he co-produced with Jean-Marc Abela (Shugendô Now) won the David Plath prize and played festivals worldwide. Mark’s first graphic novel Clay Footed Giants, co-written and illustrated by Alain Chevarier, was a finalist for French language comic book of the year in Québec. A jury of film and television producers at the Angoulême Comic Arts festival selected their story for its potential as an adaptation to cinema. Alain and Mark are currently adapting their story for an animated feature.
Co-writer/Artist, Alain Chevarier
Montreal born, Alain Chevarier started dabbling into comics as a teenager, and moved on to study drawing, painting, graphic design and filmmaking throughout the course of his long and convoluted education. He spent most of his professional career as a film and TV director, while raising two daughters with his wife, contemporary dancer Jamie Wright. He got pulled back into making comics when co-author Mark McGuire suggested they create a graphic novel about fatherhood, based on their life experiences. Projects have since multiplied, and their book Clay Footed Giants, along with other books Alain worked on, have been nominated for several prizes.
Clay Footed Giants is now available on the official Mad Cave Studios website, your favorite bookstore, local comic shop, and digital comic reader!
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