NB Artist/Creator Gisèle Lagacé is a Comics Queen

As the creator and artist of seven webcomics and architect of two separate, constantly expanding, webcomic universes, Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige and the Marvel Cinematic Universe could learn a thing or two from New Brunswick artist Gisèle Lagacé.

As the 49-year-old artist from Dalhousie who grew up in Pointe-Verte and Bathurst reflects, “I think as a kid I was looking for something to keep me entertained.  I loved comics, so I dabbled in drawing cartoons.”

She studied visual arts at the Université de Moncton and graduated from La Cité Collégiale in Ottawa with a degree in graphic design.  In her early twenties Lagacé was the bassist in the Quebec all-female rock band, Barbarella.

“Although I’ve always felt home is where you hang your hat, I was happy to return where most of my family lives, said Lagacé, who moved back to Bathurst in 2013.  “In the summer, I spend a lot of time at the beaches near Bathurst.  In the winter I go downhill skiing in Campbellton.”

Lagacé began drawing webcomics in 2000 with her first series, Cool Cat Studios (2000-2001, 2007-2008) and co-created Penny and Aggie (2004-2011) with T. Campbell.

In 2008 she created Ménage à 3 (Ma3) (2008-2019) a Three’s Company-esque sex comedy set in Montreal and co-written by comics writer David Lumsdon.

Ma3 was one of the longest running and popular webcomics on the Internet.  The long-running series wrapped up in 2019 and spawned three spinoffs; Sandra on the Rocks – (2011, 2012-2019), written solely by Lumsdon and drawn by Remy Mokhtar (“Eisu”), Sticky Dilly Buns (2013-2019), co-written and drawn with María Victoria Robado (“Shouri”) under the collective pseudonym “Dahling!”and Pixie Trix Comix (2019-) co-written with Lumsdon.

Lagacé also created the gothic horror comedy Eerie Cuties (2009-2015), which she drew and co-wrote with Lumsdon.  Eerie Cuties also led to two spin-offs, Magick Chicks (2011-2017), co-written with Lumsdon and co-illustrated by Robado and Cassandra Wedeking, and Dangerously Chloe (2012-2019), solely written Lumsdon and drawn by Wedeking and Jason Waltrip.

Lagacé and Lumsdon created the studio, brand publishing and webcomic portal Pixie Trix Comix in 2008.  At her peak she was updating seven days a week, although it was tough, “I much prefer three to five updates a week; now I’m down to two webcomic updates a week.”

“My process doesn’t change much.  I pretty much work nights till I see the sun come up, and then, like a vampire, I go to bed and wake up past noon.”

Lagacé tries to attend a half dozen conventions a year, mostly Canadian shows with occasional ones outside of the country, “I think conventions helped more in getting me more known with readers of the print world who don’t read webcomics.”

Lagacé is open to working with more Canadian creators, stating there is a lot of talent in New Brunswick.  “I think there’s always been a fair amount of Canadian comic creators; maybe our winters helped us out on that front as it made us pretty productive.”

“There’s talent across the country, and I’m happy to see that there’s a fair amount of comic creators in Atlantic Canada.  People like Nick Bradshaw, Danica Brine, Brenda Hickey, Troy Little, Sandy Carruthers, etc… all great talent who we should be proud of.”

Asking a creator which piece of work is their favourite is like asking a parent to choose their favorite child, but Lagacé admitted Ma3 is her favourite series.  “It is the series that allowed me to keep doing this as my day job. I owe a lot to it.”

Ma3 can be considered extremely explicit for some readers, but as Lagacé adds, “My main goal is to make people laugh, but at the same time, I want people to care enough for the characters that they’ll come back to follow their adventures when I update.”

Lagacé’s work has led to her being in high demand by the comic industry’s top publishers, the first being the iconic Archie Comics.  She has drawn issues and covers for the iconic comic, as well as the one-shot Archie Meets The Ramones in 2016.

She drew issues of IDW’s Jem and the Holograms comic book revival (2015-2017), illustrated Dynamite Entertainment’s Betty Boop (2017) miniseries and has drawn covers and illustrated for a multitude of comic properties.

In 2018 she launched her monthly Image Comics series, Exorsisters written by co-creator Ian Boothby.  “I was looking to collaborate with someone new to see what would come out of it and wanted someone with a good sense of humor.  Nick Bradshaw suggested Ian to me, and I think it turned out great.”

2019 was a milestone year for Lagacé and Pixie Trix Comix with four series (Ma3, Sandra on the Rocks, Sticky Dilly Buns, Dangerously Chloe) wrapping up.  Lagacé felt both relieved and sad, “It feels good to complete something but at the same time, you’re sad that you won’t be working on these characters on a daily basis.”

“I haven’t closed the door on these universes, though, so there is a chance these characters will show up in future series, like the new one we just started called Pixie Trix Comix.”

Along with Pixie Trix Comix updating bi-weekly, Lagacé and co. are currently working on three print one-shots funded from their latest Kickstarter campaign and will release short stories set in the Eerie Cutiesuniverse this year.  She also teased the potential of more spin-offs from the Eerie Cuties and Ma3 universes and is waiting for the go ahead from Image Comics for a second arc of Exorsisters.

Lagacé’s series can be read on the Pixie Trix Comix website and updates about her art can be followed on her Twitter and Instagram.