TORONTO'S HIDDEN PASSAGEWAYS BROUGHT TO LIGHT IN A CELEBRATION OF URBAN LIFE
Michael Cho began creating drawings of the back alleys near his Toronto home in 2008. With this book, he has amassed a collection that speaks to the beauty of the urban landscape: sometimes grittily citified, sometimes unexpectedly pastoral, and always bewitching. Cho is a skilled draftsman, and Back Alleys and Urban Landscapes shines with lovingly rendered details, from expletive-filled graffiti splayed across backyard fences to the graceful twists of power lines over a bend in the road.
Back Alleys and Urban Landscapes meanders through the city, functioning as a sort of caught-on-paper psychogeographical Jane's Walk. With each season's change, different color schemes become dominant, and a whole range of moods and moments are articulated. Cho lets the reader visit his city as a virtual flaneur, lingering equally over dilapidated sheds and well-groomed gardens in a dazzling tribute to the urban environs.

MICHAEL CHO is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design and has illustrated several children’s books including Media Madness: An Insider Guide to Media. He lives in Toronto.

Michael Cho's profile page

Cho's work evokes the pop art of Roy Lichtenstein and the aesthetics of Silver and Bronze Age superhero comics in equal measure." - Maisonneuve

"A fantastically gifted illustrator. " - The Fabler

"Michael Cho is one of those artists that simply fascinates me with his ability to straddle comics, illustration, and painting while maintaining a unique and timeless style. " - Optimum Wound

"Beautiful and compelling. " - Torontoist.com
"