“What if the most terrifying thing has already happened?”
Nowhere
Coming soon! A hilarious and sinister reflection on growing up in a world where monsters are real but also completely ignored, not unlike the one we actually live in. Drawn by a mysterious force, a 12-year-old boy named Joel and his terrible parents have just arrived in yet another small town. A large cube the size of a city tower has appeared on the outskirts, and all sorts of monsters begin to roam the streets, including aliens, vampires, zombies and even clowns. Joel and his friends just want a normal childhood but soon they realize that “normal” was never going to be a possibility.
Take The Long Way Home
“I didn’t intend to write a memoir, I just started writing and couldn’t stop.”
An often funny and sometimes tragic book about addiction and love. It moves back and forth between reality and the magical as it weaves together the present and past. Join Jon as he reflects on his struggles with addiction and sobriety and attempts to make amends to his loved ones. A long highway, talking animals, and many amends to make keep this journey from coast to coast and back feeling like anything but a typical road trip story.
Take My Breath Away
A nonlinear book of watercolours that ebbs and flows with an emotional tide of nostalgia and longing.
Hardcover and full colour.
Limited print run of 500.
Buy directly from Jon - 50$
jonclaytor@gmail.com
The Opioid Epidemic in Our Small Towns
“A friend of mine died of an accidental overdose in a bar bathroom, and his life could have been saved if the staff had Narcan and training. This project is dedicated to him.”
This series is about Harm Reduction and the opioid epidemic’s effect on Maritime small towns. I am working with the guidance of Ashley Legere, a front-line harm reductionist in Sackville, New Brunswick. We are talking to people who have experienced overdose and lived—and with the families of those who didn’t—and making short comics about those conversations. The purpose is to try and raise awareness and encourage compassion for a problem that affects people in all walks of life and in all communities.
Comics Journalism
“After being totally self-absorbed in writing a memoir all about me, it has been such a gift to listen to other people's stories. Sometimes people are completely surprised to see that they have a beautiful story to tell despite all the hardships life has thrown at them.”
Jon conducts interviews with people and turns their stories into comics, which have been published in CBC and The Skeleton Press. If you’re not familiar with Comics Journalism, it’s the art of telling a news story using both images and text. Jon’s stories would be classified under personal interest and usually focus on people who have achieved serenity under difficult circumstances. Freddy Lucas Wilson’s story to the left is an example of Jon’s “Life Paths” series for CBC Creator Network.
Festival Reporting
“Dreams do come true”
In 2024, the Frye Festival, a literary festival in Moncton, New Brunswick, invited me to be a Frye Correspondent. Every day of the festival, I wrote a comic recapping my experiences and posted drawings of all the events I attended. It was a dream job, and I’d love to do it again at another festival or event.
Art Writing
“What I really love about writing reviews is that it gives me the permission to really look with intention. Knowing I’ll be writing down my thoughts as coherently as possible intensifies the experience of taking in an exhibit, and for that, I am pretty lucky.”
Jon has written many art reviews for Akimbo with the hope of bringing more attention to Atlantic artists.
Zines
I’ve been making zines since the 80s.
Most don’t exist anymore.
Maybe you’ll find one when you least expect it.