Toronto-based artist Jason Loo’s life is not unlike that of Lucas Barrett’s, the protagonist from his highly successful comic book series The Pitiful Human-Lizard. Barrett is a thirty-something Toronto office clerk by day and a crime-fighting superhero (albeit a struggling one) by night.
Loo’s 9-to-5 gig is as a library children’s programmer, and he spends his evenings as a super-cartoonist, drawing comics for the likes of Marvel and Star Wars. OK, so maybe not totally similar to Barrett.…
Although Loo used Kickstarter to self-publish the series back in 2014, it wasn’t long before Canadian comic publisher Chapterhouse came calling. The series went on to receive immense international attention and has even been included in the graphic novel program syllabus at both York and the University of Toronto.
“It’s a very grounded story and not like any other superhero story,” says Loo. “There are a lot of things people can relate to in this character, especially for those who fantasize about being a superhero in the real world. They can look at The Pitiful Human-Lizard and see that it’s a lot of work, and there’s not a lot of success, and there can be a lot of awkward moments.”
Since the final issue was published in 2019, Loo has gone on to do other impressive things.
In 2020, he won an Eisner Award for best digital comic for Afterlift, a five-part miniseries he co-created with Chip Zdarsky, about a ride-share driver who ends up taking a road trip to the afterlife.
Over the last year, Loo has had the opportunity to be involved in some pretty amazing projects.
“I’ve been working on a lot of Marvel stuff, and I’ve also done several Star Wars comics for IDW (Publishing) and Lucas Films, which is a dream come true because I am a huge Star Wars nerd,” he said.
His work will soon be seen as part of the Stillwater anthology series, published by the same company behind the long-running comic The Walking Dead, and he will appear as a featured guest at Toronto Comicon, taking place March 18 to 20.
‘It’s a great way to meet face to face with fans that read my comics, especially the ones that may not recognize my face,” Loo says. “They walk by my table, and they’re like, ‘I’ve seen that work!’ and I get to hear all the kind words on why they enjoy my comics.”
If you’re interested in what Loo might be up to next, check out his latest Instagram post and you’ll meet Syahdan Raden, a.k.a. Phantom Blade, an Indonesian supernatural vigilante who lives in Gotham Chinatown.
“My fantasy is to one day create a new character that represents myself,” Loo says. “My background is Indonesian, and though I was born in Canada, it would be really cool to see an Indonesian superhero in the DC universe.
