When Kody Ferron walks past the Book Cellar, he still does a double-take when he sees his own comic book in the window.

鈥淚鈥檝e been drawing my entire life, but I never believed I could do it professionally,鈥� said Ferron, 25, that is, until he met his now-wife, Maggie, at university while he was studying to be an architect.

鈥淚n my sixth and final year of school, having decided to 鈥榮tick it out鈥� with architecture, I was given the opportunity to do something much more authentically 鈥榤e鈥� 鈥� an architectural thesis that married architectural representation and comic book art鈥� I think it was only after meeting Maggie that I began to really believe in my ability to pursue, professionally, anything I wanted.鈥�

After completing his thesis, Ferron got involved in a small project as a professional artist 鈥� and was 鈥渉ooked.鈥�

In December 2020, he launched his first comic through Kickstarter 鈥� INFERNAL: the Dying Sun 鈥� and in June 2021, his second, which is also part of the INFERNAL series.

For inspiration he turns to the greats.

鈥淢y favourite line work is in Spawn, my favourite compositions are in Mignola鈥檚 Hellboy, my favourite manic caricatures are in Mahnke鈥檚 The Mask,鈥� he rhymed off, adding that books also inform his practice, such as Watchmen, Akira, and Capullo and Snyder鈥檚 Batman 鈥� 鈥淚鈥檝e read every panel and every word of (them), maybe 10 times over.鈥�

He moved to Yellowknife from Ontario in late 2020.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been an absolute blessing to live here, and I have to believe that loving where I live so much is part of my motivation to keep going, especially on those days where work feels like work.鈥�

In a typical day, Ferron 鈥� who has become a full-time comic book artist 鈥� draws for seven hours.

Each new project starts with an idea, he said. This could be a plot point, an interesting original character, a setting.

It can take years for any of these ideas to develop or find its way into a project.

鈥淥nce the idea is planted, you want it to take hold; you want to make it into something tangible. Going from 鈥榠dea鈥� to 鈥榩roject鈥� is an iterative process, and as I write primarily through drawing, my creative process largely involves jumping between point-form plot writing, and iterative, loose sketch work.鈥�

Ferron jots verbal prompts in point form and then starts drawing around those ideas.

鈥淭hen I write more prompts as more ideas sprout, and then sketch more, rinse and repeat.鈥�

Once an idea becomes a group of ideas or even a full story, then it鈥檚 time to plan the book.

But he never approaches a book with a finished script.

鈥淚nstead, I take a point-form plot-script of the story, usually with one 鈥減oint鈥� representing the description for one 鈥減anel鈥� or 鈥減age,鈥� and begin drawing,鈥� he explained.

While plotting the book, he tries to envision the story unfolding purely visually, 鈥渓ike a silent film鈥� I believe if you can鈥檛 tell your story without dialogue, then you鈥檝e failed to take advantage of the medium.鈥�

Ferron is currently working on his third book, and has some advice for those who want to follow their artistic dreams.

鈥淚 find the most compelling gesture a creator can make is to create for themselves, rather than trying to make what we think people want us to make,鈥� he said. 鈥淲rite about your life, about what you find beautiful, what angers you, what moves you, what you love.鈥�