A new Jon Claytor graphic novel based on Tantramar
Beauséjour is a small town with a cafe, a diner, and a small university, when suddenly, a white cube appears. The townspeople give a simple explanation of a blueberry storage facility, but with the cube’s sudden appearance, weird events start to happen. At night, monsters begin roaming the town, from zombies to vampires. There are discussions about ghosts and are people seeing UFOs in the sky? Soon, in a town where everyone knows your name, people start to disappear one by one. When Joel, a kid who just moved to the town, finds that his parents have disappeared, he has to seek protection from the horrors surrounding him.
This is the premise of Nowhere, the newest graphic novel by Mt.A alumnus, Jon Claytor. Claytor is an artist based in Sackville who is known for his work with oil paint, and more recently, graphic novels. Claytor has previously written and illustrated a memoir of his life, titled Take the Long Way Home. Claytor has previously created CBC published comics highlighting artists. He has created a website with Ashley Legere, the executive director of the Cumberland Homeless and Housing Support Association, centered around the drug crisis in rural Atlantic towns and the importance of Naloxone, a life-saving opioid antagonist. Finally, he has also illustrated interviews with the CBC, and was a cofounder of local art and music festival Sappyfest.
Nowhere is set in Beauséjour, a fictionalized version of Sackville and not to be mistaken with the Manitoba town. The Paradise Theater is reminiscent of Sackville’s now defunct Vogue Theatre and Sue’s Diner calls back to Mel’s Tea Room, the over 75 year-old restaurant that closed its doors in 2022. Nowhere, which officially releases this year on March 17, acts as a “dreamlike meditation” on the odd qualities of small town living. It highlights both a comedic and sinister look at rural life, with Beauséjour emphasizing the offbeat nature. The world of the novel is both similar and unlike our own, with the residents in the book growing up alongside the monsters. The monsters and ghouls of Beauséjour are as normal for the residents as the ducks, pheasants, and marmots found in Tantramar.
Nowhere officially hits shelves on March 17, you can preorder a copy from Tidewater Books & Browsery or from the publishing company Goose Lane. If readers of The Argosy are interested, they can support Jon Claytor on his Instagram page, @jon_claytor_art.
Caption: Graphic novel Nowhere features Sackville’s most eye-catching landmark Nawfal Emad/Argosy