Open Book: Toronto has launched a new online event this month to celebrate Canadian comics and graphic novels. Whazamo! Ontario Graphic Novel Month intends to showcase both well-known and newbie Canadian graphic novelists and illustrators through daily videos, blogs, profiles, and, of course, comics. Whazamo! curator (and occasional Q&Q contributor) Ian Daffern gives the lowdown:

Whazamo! is a cavalcade of all that is excellent in Canadian comics and graphic novels, inspired by the Toronto Comic Arts Festival. Throughout May we will showcase comics by Ontario’s independent book publishers, as well as present unique video and interview profiles of the best Canadian cartoonists in bookstores and on the web. Why comics for Open Book: Toronto? Why not! Toronto is a comic-book town.

Highlights on the site this month will include interviews and contributions from Mariko Tamaki (Skim) and Jeff Lemire (Essex County), a mini-doc on the making of popular web photo comic A Softer World, and coverage of this weekend’s Toronto Comic Arts Festival.