Bruce, the artist behind the project, explained to us that Up North Comics has actually existed in various forms since his teenage years. “Some version of Up North has existed since high school, when I first created these characters. They started as doodles I made in art class during an assignment to create a comic strip. I instantly fell in love with the genre and wanted to keep working in that form. In college, I continued to develop the strip and even managed to publish a few in the university paper. But it wasn’t until the pandemic that I really had the time to fully establish the comic. The lockdown gave me space to explore the digital medium, find my characters’ voices, and set up platforms to share the strip. Only then was I able to launch the comic in a consistent way.”
The tone of the comics—dry, observational, and often quietly absurd—feels deeply personal, and that’s no coincidence. “The stories in my comics usually come from funny thoughts sparked by personal experiences,” Bruce said. “As my family will tell you, I have a strange sense of humor and am always looking for the funny side of things. Sometimes ideas come to me while I’m out for a run (I really should run more) or doing something mundane. As long as I can find an interesting or humorous angle on a relatable situation, it becomes something worth exploring in a comic. The trick is writing it down quickly before I forget it!”
When it comes to actually creating a strip, Bruce starts with the writing—every time. “When I sit down to draw an Up North comic, the first step is always to shape the story and make sure the text communicates the idea clearly — whether it’s funny, thought-provoking, or both — and fits the format. The drawings are the fun part, but the success of the comic comes from the writing. Only after that will I start sketching the characters and artwork. The sketches follow the story and are meant to enhance the narrative in a way that’s both funny and visually appealing. In the end, everything comes together to tell a story the reader will hopefully find amusing, insightful, inspiring — or, if I’m lucky, a little bit of all three.”
As for tools of the trade, Bruce mixes analog with digital. “Preparation is key for me when creating a new strip, so I always start with a notebook. Everything is written down in pencil, often long before I draw anything. Once the story is outlined, I move to my iPad Pro and sketch using the Procreate app. The iPad has been amazing for making comics — I can take it anywhere, so I’m always ready to draw. I use a custom font I made in the iFontMaker app for the text. Once the sketch is complete, I ink the final lines, add color and shading, draw in the speech bubbles, and finish with a fitting background.”
With its clean, expressive art and characters that range from moody bears to existential moose, Up North Comics captures something deeply relatable for anyone who's ever lived in a quiet, cold, and weirdly beautiful corner of the world. As Bruce put it, “Creating Up North has been a long-time passion of mine, and it brings me so much joy to be able to share it with others.”
