Elaine M. Will's four-part adaptation of Andreas Schroeder's 1986 novel Dustship Glory tells the story of Damanus ‘Tom’ Sukanen, a Finnish immigrant farmer who came to Canada during the economic Depression of the 1930s. Haunted by his past and devastated by the economic slump and drought conditions that laid waste to the Canadian prairies in the 1930s, Sukanen responded by building a full-sized ship in his farmyard, hundreds of miles from the sea. The complete graphic novel, Dust-Ship Glory, is now available. Will is the Xeric Award-winning Canadian author and cartoonist behind the critically acclaimed mental health drama graphic novel, Look Straight Ahead. Reviews "I can find the spirit of these stories in Elaine Will’s Dust-Ship Glory. Desperation. Resourcefulness. Community. Hope." — Splashes and Speech Bubbles "Beautifully drawn and written, this is a wonderful character-driven story, as well as a commentary on mental illness and family." — Rogues Portal "I was drawn to it because it was such a strange story and there was something eerie and magical about it." – CBC News Saskatoon " Will’s stark black and white, pen and ink illustrations capture both the bleakness of the Saskatchewan landscape and personalities of the characters readers meet in the story." Recommended. – Canadian Materials " Will displays here the same mastery of comic storytelling that she showed us in Look Straight Ahead. Although it's a very different type of story, it's one that she tells expertly. Well worth picking up for her storytelling abilities, and you'll almost certainly learn a thing or two that you should have been, but weren't, taught in school as well. – Kleefeld on Comics " Clean and clear black and white graphics tell the tale of Tom building his ship while flashback sequences are wonderfully shaded with multi-toned ink wash." – First Comics News " The allegorical aspects of Will’s comic are universal, even as it’s tough to comprehend the horrors of the Depression and the drought in the Midwest (of both Canada and the United States). Dust-Ship Glory is a fascinating book, because Will doesn’t overdo the messages in it, just allows us to come to them slowly and organically. Give it a look!" – Atomic Junkshop " It goes to show that anything is possible, even building an ocean-going steamship in the middle of the parched prairies. Perhaps there’s hope yet for the dreamers." – Rocky Mountain Outlook " [A] compelling character study delivered by a supremely confident storyteller." – Broken Frontier " I am impressed with the volume, the quality and the detail of the artist’s work." – Prairie History Blog

Originally self published in 2013, Renegade welcomes Elaine to our roster of award winning graphic novel creators, with her breakout book Look Straight Ahead. Reviews “Will’s novel is deep, thought-provoking, and a delight for readers who enjoy introspective, character-driven stories that examine the meaning of reality and sanity.” — Library Journal “An early sequence of his drawing, which descends into [the character's] own visions, is both startlingly accomplished cartooning and a disturbing foreshadowing of what’s to come. [The artwork] makes his illusions seductively attractive.” — Publishers Weekly “Look Straight Ahead is the comic I didn’t know I couldn’t live without. It’s a gorgeous dreamscape inside a perfectly realized gut-level reality, I love it. You’ll love it. Read this book – you’ll be haunted, amused, and quite possibly brought to tears.” – Gail Simone “Elaine Will’s work is an undiscovered treasure. Her work manages to be both whimsical and emotive and ifs all anchored with an incredible sense of pacing and characterization. She’s a cartoonist to watch out for!” – Jeff Lemire (writer of Justice League United, writer/artist of Sweet Tooth, Underwater Welder and Trillium) “Will has a strong sense of character and an ear for authentic dialogue, making this an extremely readable and accessible work. It should be read by anyone who seeks to understand more about the debilitating effects of mental illness, especially on young people.” – Paula Jane Remlinger , Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission “I cannot praise enough Look Straight Ahead as a work of art. If you love coming-of-age stories as much as I do, you will want to read it. And if you are interested in mental illness, particularly bipolar, then Look Straight Ahead is a must-read.” – Fantasy Literature “ I was hooked from start to finish.” – Social Bookshelves “Will's pages stir and stun in their blur of off-kilter aesthetics, but they're ultimately drawing attention to her deft and worthwhile examination of a truly difficult subject matter.” – The Comics Journal “This is a very important and personal story. Honest and emotional, Look Straight Ahead shows how mental illness can affect people in different forms. It is not an instantaneous thing to either happen or recover from, and those who must face it need the support and understanding of others.” – The Sheaf “The familiarity of Will’s characterization imbues Look Straight Ahead with a distinctly human verisimilitude. Despite the metaphysical scope of his hallucinations, Jeremy’s struggles never venture beyond the relatable [...] Jeremy’s ultimate recovery confirms the restorative power of art and the inextricable link between creative and personal growth.” – Weird Canada “You need to read this book.” – What'cha Reading?

The Burning Black: Legend of Black Shuck

Deep in rural Suffolk, England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, terror strikes at the hearts of pious Christians on a hot August night, when they are attacked by a beast known only as Black Shuck. In this reimagining of one of England's most famous folkloric tales, readers will be taken through the terrifying and mysterious story of Black Shuck, a mythic beast that would act as inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic story, The Hound of the Baskervilles . In the small village of Bungay, peasants labour over backbreaking work, tilling the fields by hand, while the merchant class preside over looms and textile traders. Bungay Castle lays peacefully dormant as it has for the centuries, ever since Hugh Bigod was pulled from it by royal guards to face execution after a failed rebellion against King Henry II. But one fateful August night in 1577, the peace is shattered, when a beast tears through the doors of the local church. Once inside, the beast feasts upon four unsuspecting worshippers, before vanishing and then reappearing in nearby Blythburgh, where the beast's scorched claw marks can still be seen on the doors of Holy Trinity Church to this day. Some say the beast is a demon dog, eight-feet tall when on all-fours, with fur as black as tar. Others say its eyes burn with the white hot flames of hell itself. Beginning in the long and hard-fought battle for supremacy over Britain’s shores between the pagan vikings and the devoutly Christian Saxons of the late 800s and ending in the Tudor-era of 1577, this reimagining of the story of Black Shuck will take you on a journey from the horrors of war to the echoes of a simpler past, all set to the backdrop of a beast that has come to define storytelling in rural England and around the English-speaking world.