''The Loxleys and the War of 1812'' is a 2012 Canadian graphic novel about a family's experiences in
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...
during the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
, originally published in print by Renegade Arts Entertainment, and produced as an interactive tablet app by the
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
in partnership with the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The story follows the adventures of four generations of the fictional Loxley family, who own a large farmstead in Queenston, Upper Canada, in the Niagara area. The Loxleys are
United Empire Loyalist
United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America duri ...
s who moved from the American territory following the U.S. War of Independence. The story incorporates a number of narrative elements, including journal entries by female family members, letters home by several of the men in battle, spoken text, as well as drawings from a family member.
Print edition
Originally published on April 27, the 101-page graphic novel was written by Alan Grant, illustrated by Claude St. Aubin, coloured by Lovern Kindzierski and lettered by
Todd Klein
Todd Klein (born January 28, 1951) is an American comic book letterer, logo designer, and occasional writer, primarily for DC Comics.
Biography
Early career
Todd Klein broke into comics in the summer of 1977, hired by DC Comics as a staff prod ...
. It is accompanied by a 64-page summary by historian Mark Zuehlke.First Nations historians Darren Bonapart and Al Corbiere also collaborated on the project. According to the publishers website, ''The Loxleys and the War of 1812'' received two awards 2014 Alberta Book Awards, for best children's/young adult book and best illustrated book.
Interactive edition
The iPad app edition of ''The Loxleys and the War of 1812'' is available in English and French, and features illustrations, animation, an interactive map and a soundtrack from Canadian, U.S. and British musical groups. It is accompanied by an NFB study guide for educators. It was produced by Jennifer Moss, executive produced by
Loc Dao
Loc Dao is a Canadian digital media creator who is the chief digital officer (CDO) of the National Film Board of Canada. Dao was named CDO in March 2016, after serving as executive producer and creative technologist for the NFB English-language ...
, with Vincent McCurley as creative technologist. It was nominated for Best Original Interactive Production for Digital Media at the
2nd Canadian Screen Awards
The 2nd Canadian Screen Awards were held on March 9, 2014, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2013.