Patrick Allaby gets going with ‘Ontario & Back’

Welcome to the True North Country Comics Podcast — dedicated to celebrate Canadian comic book and graphic novel creators and supporters.

On this episode, I chat with Patrick Allaby as he discusses his newest graphic novel Ontario & Back.

From May 15 to 17, 2026, the Montreal Comic Arts Festival (MCAF) will set up its tents on Saint-Denis Street, between Gilford and Roy, in Montreal, Quebec, to create a 1.2 km comic-themed walk filled with activities, exhibitions, and meet-and-greets.The theme for the 15th edition of MCAF is ALIVE! designed to bring to light comic book representations of flora and fauna, memorable characters, and breathtaking worlds, as well as more challenging topics such as the environment, politics, and other current issues. MCAF attendees will have the opportunity get up close and personal with many comic book and graphic novel creators including Patrick Allaby.

Patrick Allaby is a graphic novelist living in Sackville, New Brunswick. His work focuses on illness and consumerism. He has published two books with Conundrum Press—Martin Peters (2019), and The Water Lover (2021)—and self published three more—The Life I Want (2022), Customer Service (2024), and Making the Life I Want (2025). Customer Service won the 2025 Pigskin Peters award at the Doug Wright Awards for the best small or micro-press book. Patrick’s newest graphic novel is entitled Ontario & Back.

Ontario & Back, the sequel to the Doug Wright Award-winning Customer Service, is about ambition, illness, shopping, and the desire to not be living in suburban Ontario. Begun originally in 2019, Patrick worked on this project on and off for over seven years. Patrick claims that Ontario & Back is both the book he’s worked on for the longest, and his longest book. The creation of Patrick’s graphic novel was funded by the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund, the Canada Council for the Arts, and ArtsNB.

You can discover more about Patrick online at PatrickAllaby.com and on Instagram at @patrickallaby

Discover more about Ontario & Back at Patrick Allaby’s store

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