Eric has a ‘slough’ of ideas for his art

By Sam Leishman - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on February 4, 2025.

Eric Dyck might not be native to southern Alberta, but he sure knows how to bring its stories and characters to life.
The cartoonist behind Slough Comics and Press cartoon strips, formerly known as Slaughterhouse Slough, grew up in central Alberta, and has been working as a freelance artist since finishing his post-secondary education in the late 1990s. Dyck landed here in Lethbridge back in 2013 after spending some time on the east coast.
He says his soft spot for forgotten history led to the creation of Slaughterhouse Slough, which might be a confusing name for even long-time Lethbridge resident.
According to the Galt Museum, what is now Henderson Lake was a natural slough situated at the end of a slaughterhouse more than 100 years ago – hence the unfortunate title. It was later renamed after Mayor William Henderson, who died in office while working to turn the lake into a more attractive park and tourist destination.
“I read and heard some personal stories of trying to swim across the slough and having to push pieces of cow out of the way,” Dyck jokes. “That’s the kind of story I’m always attracted to, something that might be off people’s radar or pushed out of their mind. Even just bringing attention to it by naming my comic after it is a way for me to get people talking. If people are a little more aware of some of Lethbridge’s dirty laundry, then I’m happy.”
That personal philosophy of learning more about the world around him is largely what sparks inspiration for Dyck’s art. When he first started Slough Comics, Dyck says he was focused on getting to know the people, critters and plants that have made Lethbridge their home. He then took on a more earnest political tone when he noticed a shift five years ago in people’s sense of urgency regarding the political landscape.
Dyck says he had little success generating crowd funding via the online Patreon platform prior to 2020. He gained some financial momentum when, he says, “people started to be a lot hungrier for learning a bit more, or for editorial cartooning they weren’t seeing in all of their community newspapers.”
He says he often chooses topics that are on everyone’s mind – including his own – and examines what journalists and experts are saying about it.
One of his favorite examples is from a nasty cold snap last January when emergency alerts urged Albertans to reduce their energy consumption when the power grid couldn’t keep up with record setting electricity usage largely due to massive amounts of furnaces trying to keep homes warm during the -35 and below weather.
“We were hearing one thing from the government about windmills and solar power, and we were hearing other things from industry professionals saying this is about the way that pricing caps in the U.S. work,” says Dyck. “I didn’t know what to make of any of it,” Dyck recalled. “Typically, if I’m struggling with something, then the average media consumer is also not entirely sure what to make of the story. Having a way of exploring some of the different things people are saying and trying to dig into what the facts are is helpful.”
Also close to Dyck’s heart is lending support to those who have been marginalized by politics. He says he works closely with plenty of vulnerable kids which prompted him to further explore in comic form what he calls the UCP’s abandonment of transgender kids and other young people that don’t fit societal norms.
“Every time I do a comic about that I get really heartfelt and very emotional emails and messages from people just saying it’s really nice to see something that isn’t trying to tear them down.”
Dyck makes time away from his own art to teach in the community, as well. He is currently hosting a series of cartoon drawing classes at Casa until the end of March for ages six and up.
He says he wants to give something to Lethbridge that he never got to have as a kid, and encourage art as a way of expressing each person’s own unique story.
Slough Comics and Press can be found at ericdyck.com, on The Slough Press Facebook page and on the @slaughterhouseslough Instagram page.

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