Waterloo-based graphic novelist Tom Reidt debuts original series with new artwork

Waterloo-based sci-fi author, Tom Reidt, will be signing and selling copies of his graphic novel series, Kaldavek, this Saturday in Kitchener. 

Stationed at Studiocomix Press Central in Frederick Park Mall, Reidt will have 50 copies of Part 1 and Part 2 for sale with their original cover designs. He will also be offering a brand new cover designed by Studiocomix Press manager and Waterloo-based artist, Alfonso Espinos.  

“I'm looking forward to (meeting people and signing copies of Kaldavek),” said Reidt in an Instagram story. “Hopefully I'll be able to sell some books today.” 

Kaldavek is Reidt’s latest project, although he began writing the series in November 2014. Published in 2018 and 2021, while his educational background doesn’t focus on writing, Reidt took the Comedy Writing and Performance program at Humber College. 

A self-proclaimed lover of comics, graphic novels, and other fictional works, Reidt’s direct inspirations include J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, as well as contemporary figures like Alan Moore and Frank Miller. 

“I picked the book because the title attracted me and it surpassed my expectations,” Emilee Jackson wrote in a book review. “The author has created a multi-dimensional story that can compete with the popular sci-fi series people admire and enjoy so much.” 

While a huge part of the book is about wars and negotiations, the book also explores personal relationships. In Jackson’s words, the characters in the book are “not meant to be perceived as otherworldly creatures with powers, but as people.” 

She also describes the graphic novel’s plot as “intricate” and “not to be toyed with.” 

Kaldavek tells the story of Mangleria: a world inhabited by an asteroid-based conflict causing widespread psychosis that three brothers (inspired by Reidt’s relationship with his own) must band together to remedy. 

Reidt will be at the Studiocomix Press Central in Frederick Park Mall, Kitchener this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. More information is available on his website.