Carmine De Santo bought his first comic book in 1978. By 16, he'd opened his own shop. Four decades later, he's still in the game, running Dr. Comics in Orillia and organizing comic cons across North America.

In this conversation, Carmine walks us through the world of rare comics and collectibles. He talks about buying a Batman #1 at 18 and selling it for $90,000 (it's now worth $3.5 million), why the collectibles market exploded after the pandemic, and what it was like losing $850,000 worth of inventory in a fire that destroyed his downtown Orillia shop.

He also shares the story of the Tim Maple collection, one of the most fascinating pieces of comic book history you've probably never heard of.

Whether you're deep into collecting or just curious about where to start, this one's worth your time.

Dr. Comics

Website: https://www.drcomics.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1drcomics/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcomics/

Who are we

Behind the Village is a podcast about how to live a life worth living. Real conversations about mental health, personal growth, and finding fulfillment.

Follow Us

Website: https://villagermagazine.ca/podcast/

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/behind-the-village-podcast/id1763310022

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/11fe4qRCPB22ybBg2wDznK

Newsletter: https://villagermagazine.ca/subscribe/

Chapters

0:00 How Carmine fell in love with comic books

2:48 Rare finds and million-dollar regrets

4:09 Why the collectibles market is booming

7:33 Losing everything in a fire

11:18 The legendary Tim Maple collection

13:17 How to start collecting

17:19 Comic cons, anime fests, and what's trending

Brad Ferguson spent years building an animation career most people would never walk away from. Emmy-winning shows. Directing for Disney. Showrunning over 180 episodes of animated television. Then he quit to teach kids how to draw in Barrie, Ontario.

In this conversation, Brad talks about getting rejected from Sheridan College twice before getting in on his third try, what it actually takes to work in animation, and why he believes anyone can learn to draw. He gets honest about the perfectionism he sees in young artists growing up on social media, why embracing mistakes is the whole point of the creative process, and how his childhood in the middle of nowhere shaped everything he makes today. He also shares how Upchuckle Education's student sponsorship program is making creative learning accessible to families in the community who wouldn't otherwise have access to it.

Brad Ferguson | Upchuckle Education

Website: https://upchuckle.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UpchuckleEducation/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upchuckleeducation/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@upchuckle.education

Who are we

Behind the Village is a podcast about how to live a life worth living. Real conversations about mental health, personal growth, and finding fulfillment.

Follow Us

Website: https://villagermagazine.ca/podcast/

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/behind-the-village-podcast/id1763310022

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/11fe4qRCPB22ybBg2wDznK

Newsletter: https://villagermagazine.ca/subscribe/

Chapters

0:00 Intro

0:30 From aspiring actor to animator

4:40 Leaving animation for teaching

9:05 The creative process and embracing mistakes

17:43 How animation actually works

23:28 Getting started with animation

30:04 Giving back to the community

Sport has a way of giving people something to hold onto. Michael Fredson is helping build an entire organization around that idea.

Michael is the owner of Manticore Books in Orillia and Chair of the Board of the Canadian Street Soccer Association, Canada's partner organization for the Homeless World Cup. In this conversation, he breaks down what it actually looks like to use soccer as a social tool, what the Homeless World Cup is and why it's unlike any other sporting event in the world, and what happened when Team Canada went to Oslo. The stories from that trip alone are worth the listen.

Michael Fredson

Website: https://manticorebooks.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManticoreBooks/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manticorebooks/

Canadian Street Soccer Association

Website: https://canadianstreetsoccer.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Canadian-Street-Soccer-Association-61563800721692/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canadianstreetsoccer/

Who are we

Behind the Village is a podcast about how to live a life worth living. Real conversations about mental health, personal growth, and finding fulfillment.

Follow Us

Website: https://villagermagazine.ca/podcast/

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/behind-the-village-podcast/id1763310022

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/11fe4qRCPB22ybBg2wDznK

Newsletter: https://villagermagazine.ca/subscribe/

Chapters

0:00 Intro

0:29 The Canadian Street Soccer Association

6:28 The Power of Sport to Change Lives

9:46 Inside the Homeless World Cup

13:48 Team Canada at the Oslo Tournament

17:12 The Street Soccer Format

22:27 How to Get Involved