Raeside's Canada: From Antigonish to Zebra Mussels

Dennis Blake is a visual arts teacher with the Halton Board of
Education.

Raeside’s Canada is a wonderfully funny anecdotal combination of text
and editorial cartoon that seeks to define Canada in a most
self-deprecating manner, from “Antigonish to Zebra Mussels.” As
editorial cartoonist for the Victoria Times-Colonist for almost two
decades, Raeside is an experienced commentator on the Canadian social
condition, and this irreverent work—which appeals to stereotypes but
never descends to encompass them—is proof of his mature talent.

Too often collections of cartoons and associated commentary are so
slight in text as to be objects of viewing rather than reading. In this
work, Raeside’s textual wit—as rich and dense as his visual
humor—makes the book something in which the reader can be absorbed. If
you enjoy the broad humor of the lampoon, you are well advised to sample
this slice of comic Canadiana.