Auroraman Issue 1, by Humboldt comic book writer Jeff Burton, is the runner-up for Best Comic in a national contest run by the Canadian Independent Comic Book Wiki.

“I was really surprised. There was a pretty big list of options, plus the people that were voting could write in their own votes as well, so I didn’t really expect that I was going to rank so highly,” Burton said.

The Canadian Independent Comic Book Wiki is a great source for people to learn more about the scene, he said. This was Canada’s first organized, independent comic book awards, “so it’s kind of a feather in my cap, that I feel very proud to be a part of the upper tier in this award grouping.”

There’s a boom in independent Canadian comic books, he said.

“I see so many talented people and so many fantastic books that I enjoy reading on a regular basis. I mean, I’m proud of what Auroraman is, but I guess I didn’t think it was at the same level as some of those other books.”

The winning entry, Auric of the Great White North Issue 3 by Davis Dewsbury, Andrew Thomas and Sharon Gauthier, is one of Burton’s favourites.

“The sense of adventure and the story is well put together, and then the art is just fantastic.”