Welcome to Charlotte City

Island’s first comic publisher creates a shared universe based on Charlottetown

Sandstone Comics created a fictional version of Charlottetown, called Charlotte City. It has way more skyscrapers because they’re better for superhero battles. Submitted by Sandy Carruthers.

By Daniel Brown

Feb. 11, 2019

In the distant future, a spaceship travels at light speed for generations to find its people a new home world.

In the modern day, superheroes are duking it out with cosmic threats and ray gun-wielding chimpanzees to keep their city safe.

Meanwhile, Detective Alex Turnbull is tracking down a ghostly vigilante who’s targeting the criminal underworld.

Welcome to Charlotte City.

Sandstone Comics is P.E.I.’s first comic book publisher. It’s releasing a 72-page book with three original comics this April.

The three-man company created a fictional version of Charlottetown to base their creations in. Charlotte City will still have familiar Charlottetown elements, but it’ll also have skyscrapers and futuristic buildings.

Sandy Carruthers is the creator of Leap Frog, a sci-fi epic. His past work includes co-creating the Men in Black comic, which later became a blockbuster film.

The anthology book will hopefully lead to each story branching off into its own series. It will also allow others to come forward and tell their stories, Carruthers said.

“If it’s successful, hopefully it’ll be introducing new Island talent.”

He’s wanted to start a comic publisher for a while now. He approached two other Islanders about it – Robert Doan, a local artist he discovered in a comic shop, and Greg Webster, his former Graphic Design student at Holland College.

They started sharing ideas. Then, they found some office space in downtown Charlottetown, Carruthers said.

“It was just an excellent place for us to be able to pool our resources and be able to produce this.”

Robert Doan, Greg Webster, and Sandy Carruthers poke out from their office in downtown Charlottetown on Feb. 5. Doan is holding a concept copy of their upcoming book, Sandstone Comics Presents #1. Daniel Brown photo. 

Doan has worked on comic series like Star Trek and DC’s Stormwatch. He’s the creator of Sandstone’s superhero saga, Indestructible.

P.E.I.’s population will pose a challenge for the publisher. The pop culture scene is larger than it seems, but most people go off-Island to find this sort of entertainment.

“They don’t think it can exist here yet,” he said. “Hopefully we will show that we can.”

They’re working to get their comics into stores across Canada. Their Kickstarter campaign, which will help with publication costs, includes a reward tier for retailers to buy comics at a discount, he said.

“But we will also be making up a list and emailing every shop that we can.”

For Webster, this is his first go at comics. He’s the creator of Ghost in the Cradle, a detective thriller.

The campaign has raised about $2,200 of their $14,000 goal. While they want to get their comics out to the world, they’ll be created and printed on P.E.I., he said.

“Everything about the book, from top to bottom, is local.”

If other Islanders start working with Sandstone, their stories will remain creator-owned, he said.

“Anything you bring to the table you walk away with. It’s yours, it belongs to you.”

Webster wants to give people the same joy he felt as a kid when he discovered a new comic, he said.

“The more stories we have to tell, then the better chance there is of that happening.”