Biggest-ever artists market features published comic creator, painters and more in Brampton

While getting his work published by the same company that printed big-name titles like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers was a win for local comic creator Ricky Lima, he says there’s something special about connecting one-on-one with fans and other creators at the Brampton Summer Artists Market.

“Things like this event are great for indie creators to get their work out there, to get their books out there,” the Brampton-born-and-raised comic book writer told INsauga.com.

Lima fell in love with comics in the ’90s amid a wave of animated shows based on classic comics like the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man, but says his taste has matured over the years to include more grown-up titles.

His graphic novel “Undergrowth” was picked up by comic publisher IDW Top Shelf in 2019. The book follows the character of Red and her friends as they battle to save their planet from invaders from beyond, and tackles real-world themes like global crisis and mental health, against a backdrop of giant robots. The book was nominated for the Ignatz Award for Promising New Talent.

And though Lima says the partnership was a boon for his business, he says he became almost too focused on chasing publishing deals and has since rediscovered his joy of comic creation and has come to appreciate the Brampton Summer Artists Market as a valuable outlet to get his work out to the masses

“I don’t have a webstore right now because it’s too expensive… but having these summer markets, you can really connect with people who are coming and it’s like having a distributor,” Lima said.

He’s been a part of the market since it first launched in 2022, and this year’s fifth-annual event on Sunday is going to be the biggest one yet with over 40 vendors.

Gardenia Flores with the Brampton Arts Organization says artists include painters, potters, craft artists, knitters, clothing, textiles, photographers, printmakers, sticker makers, stationary, graphic novelists, comics, and much more. She says the market was born following the COVID-19 pandemic after artists said they requested opportunities to showcase and sell their work locally.

The market is moving from The Rose Theatre lobby to the Springdale Library Branch, and the larger space will allow for more vendors, Flores says.

This year’s market will also feature a youth market with creations from young crafters and artists, kid-and-family-friendly activities, and a steel pan performance by Dereck ‘Chinee’ Ayum.

Lima is primarily a writer, but does some drawing and is currently working on a solo project that’s an unofficial adaptation of the 1989 action classic Kickboxer starring Jean Claude Van Damme. And while he calls the book “unpublishable” and not for mass consumption, it has served as an exercise in rediscovering his passion for the art of comic creation after trying to top the success of Undergrowth.

He’s also teamed up with artists for a project called Sodapop Pirates which he says is “taking on life of its own” and hopes to publish.

“I always had an interest in writing and comics, and I think that for me comics are like the perfect kind of medium. I love collaborating…it’s perfect for my style of writing.”

You can see Lima’s work along with other local comic creators, painters, crafters and artisans at the Brampton Summer Artists Market on Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Springdale Library Branch.