Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon 2005

[Kevin Boyd]

Ad Astra Comic Mini-Con

(in co-operation with Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon)

 

Saturday April 9 ONLY!!

 

A Charity Auction will be held at the end of the Ad Astra Comic Mini-Con.

 

All money raised will be divided 50/50 between ACTOR (A Commitment To Our Roots) and the CBLDF (Comic Book Legal Defense Fund).

 

Artist Guest of Honour: Attila Adorjany

Writer/Artist Guest of Honour: J. Bone

Writer Guest of Honour: Rob Coughler

Writer Guest of Honour: Ray Fawkes

Artist Guest of Honour: Eric Kim

Artist Guest of Honour: Vatche Mavlian

Writer/Artist Guest of Honour: Ramon Perez

Writer/Artist Guest of Honour: Dave Sim

Writer Guest of Honour: J. Torres

 

There will be panels and signings at this event. Dave sim will only be signing (not sketching).

 

Admission for the Comic Con only is $20. Full Regular daily admission is $30.

 

Convention information can be found here www.ad-astra.org

 

For more info, please call 1-866-563-5426 or 1-888-792-9367

 

-----------------------

 

I will be there manning our club table. Not very many comic book dealers at this event, and we won't have much to sell - just some Cerebus phone books and misc. new comics.

 

Mostly I'll be there promoting the upcoming convention (new posters and flyers are in and look fantastic!) and I'll be accepting hand in ballots for the Shusters on Saturday as it will be the last day to vote.

 

Kev

[Kevin Boyd]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

2005 Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards / The Shusters

 

Last Call to Vote - Voting Officially Ends on Saturday April 9th.

 

(April 4, 2005) This is a reminder that Canadian fans have until Saturday night to submit their ballots for the 1st Annual Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards (also know as "The Shusters"). Fans can submit their selection for one candidate in any or all of the five categories that are up for public vote for work done in 2004: Writer, Artist, Cartoonist, Publisher and Achievement.

 

Votes can be submitted online by completing a ballot at: www.torontocomicon.com (look for the "Shusters" logo).

 

Awards will be announced and presented at a public ceremony at the Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon on Saturday, April 30th, 2005 starting at 4:30 PM. Ceremony will be hosted by Rick Green (Prisoners of Gravity, The Frantics) and Rob Salem (Toronto Star, Drive-In Classics).

 

2005 Hall of Fame Inductees Announced

 

The six candidates for the Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame have been determined by a panel of Canadian comic book historians and experts. The 2005 inductees include:

 

LEO BACHLE aka LES BARKER (1926-2003)

 

In late 1940, John Ezrin, the manager of Bell Features, found a brash, unimpressed, young boy skimming through the company's comics. Ezrin challenged the youth to come up with something better and the next day, Leo Bachle walked into the offices with the first sketches of Johnny Canuck! The spitting image of his handsome young creator, Johnny debuted in Bell's Dime Comics number one, dated February 1941. Johnny's first adventure brought him face to face with Hitler and instantly made Dime Comics Bell's top-seller.

 

Johnny made mincemeat of Hitler's elite guards, declaring, "The Germans had better make stronger rope if they want to hold Canadians captive!"; Leo became one of Bell's key artists, drawing characters like Wild Bill, the Invisible Commando, Chip Pipher, Southpaw, Super Sub and the Brain. Leo's success opened the door for Bell to hire a cadre of young artists, including Ross Saakel, Ted Steele and Jerry Lazare. But it was Johnny Canuck who was considered so invaluable to the war effort, the government refused to grant Leo a visa to move to the States until he'd completed a backlog of adventures!

 

Johnny Canuck remains Leo's most enduring creation. In 1995, years after Leo had changed his name, given up comic books for a lifetime of touring and performing around the globe with his unique comedy act, "Quick on the Draw", Canada Post honoured Johnny with his own postage stamp. Leo Bachle passed away in May, 2003.

 

--- biography compiled by Rob Pincombe

 

ADRIAN DINGLE (1911-1974)

 

John Adrian Darley Dingle was born at Barmouth, North Wales in 1911 and came to Canada (Oakville, Ontario) at the age of three. During the 1930s, he worked as a commercial artist to supplement his career as a painter. In 1941 Dingle and a group of associates co-founded a Toronto comic-book publishing firm, Hillborough Studio, which, in August 1941, issued the third Canadian Golden Age comic title, Triumph-Adventure-Comics. Among the characters featured in Triumph was Dingle's Nelvana of the Northern Lights, the first Canadian national superhero and one of the earliest superheroines in comics (predating Wonder Woman by three months). Hillborough also issued a single issue of a second title, Top Flight Comics, which is now regarded as one of the rarest comic books of the Canadian Golden Age.

 

In 1942, Hillborough merged with another Toronto-based comics company, Bell Features. Following the merger, Dingle became the art director at Bell, where he not only continued to work on Nelvana but also created a number of other notable characters, including the Penguin and Nils Grant, Private Investigator. As well, Dingle produced a large number of covers for various Bell titles. After the collapse of the Canadian comics industry in the late 1940s, Dingle combined his fine-art career with book and magazine illustration. In his later years, he was recognized as a major Canadian landscape painter. He died at Erindale, Ontario in 1974.

 

In 1971 Dingle's Nelvana loaned her name to one of Canada's most important animation studios. In 1995 she became one of five superheroes celebrated in a popular Canadian stamp issue.

 

--- biography compiled by John Bell

 

HAL FOSTER (1892-1982)

 

Hal Foster, born Harold Rudolf Foster, was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on August 16, 1892. By the age of 8, he already had the sea in his blood, and he rowed a twelve foot plank (more often, misquoted as a raft) across Halifax harbour. This is folklore often quoted in local Halifax comics circles. Two years later, Foster was at the helm of a 30 foot schooner on the Atlantic Ocean. He was but 4 years old when his father passed on; his mother married once again eight years later. His stepfather shared his joy of the outdoors in the forests that surrounded Halifax in those days, and they often fished together. By 1906, the family business went under and the family moved to Winnipeg. Hal Foster's last completed year of grade school was grade 9 (age 13). At the Winnipeg Carnegie Library, Hal studied anatomy, later becoming a staff artist at The Hudson's Bay Company. His role there was illustrating women's lingerie, back then, the type plumed with lots of buttons, lace and fasteners, for their catalogue. Prior to World War Two, an economic depression set in, and Foster was forced to freelance out his artistic skills. He married Helen Wells in 1915 who he met that same year. They worked as hunting guides in Ontario and Manitoba. In 1917, they founded a claim in the Lake Rice area and commenced prospecting for gold. This they did for three years until such time as claim jumpers stole it out from under them, forcing them off the land. Hal Foster made a firm decision at this time to embark full-time upon a career as an artist. Talking a friend into a bold plan, they jointly set out together on bicycles on a 1,000 mile pilgrimage from Winnipeg to Chicago! They arrived in a record 14 days in 1919.

 

Foster became employed with the Jaln & Ollier Engraving Company, and he attended evening classes at the Chicago Art Institute. Later, he attended both the National Academy of Design and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. Following this, he worked for the Palenske-Young Studio doing ads in addition to covers of magazines. These included the Northwest Paper, Southern Pacific Railroad, and the Illinois Pacific Railroad, to name just a few.

 

Hal Foster was the very first artist to illustrate the Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan newspaper strip, which commenced on Jan.7, 1929. He did approximately 300 of these before his return to advertising. This is where Foster's well-known nom-de-plume of "The Father of The Adventure Strip" originated. Hal Foster is credited as being the originator of text accompanying comic strip illustrations, in place of word balloons, leaving his well-delineated illustrations uncluttered by captions and text. This became Foster's hallmark. During the Depression of the 1930's, Hal Foster found it increasingly difficult to make a living in advertising; work was drying up in this field as a result. He was therefore persuaded by an agent of Edgar Rice Burroughs, to return to Tarzan, this time to the weekly Sunday page. In 1937, Foster went to The United Features Syndicate, with his well-structured Derek, Son of Thane newspaper strip concept, with hundreds of conceptual drawings and notes. The title was later changed to Prince Arn, and then, later, to Prince Valiant. United Features Syndicate, however, turned the feature down! Foster then took it directly to the world-renowned tycoon newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. "Prince Valiant in The Days of King Arthur" first saw print on Feb.13, 1937. Additionally, Hal Foster illustrated the book The Young Knight (1945), and earlier, in 1943, had adapted the book The Song of Bernadette, in illustrated form.

 

Awards won by Foster: the Banshees' "Silver Lady" award, in 1952; both the National Cartoonist Society's "Reuben" in 1957, and later the "Gold Key" award in 1977. At the age of 73, Foster was inducted into membership in England's Society of Arts. In total, Hal Foster produced 1,764 Prince Valiant pages over his career! The last page created solely by Foster appeared on May 16 of 1971. Thereafter, he chose Murphy Anderson from a group of other highly-qualified well known professionals, to carry on the strip. However, Foster continued to do layouts, write and colour the strip for an additional nine years, until Feb 10 of 1980. Hal Foster passed away on Jul.25, 1982, just three weeks before his 90th birthday.

 

--- biography compiled by Phil Latter

 

ED FURNESS (1911-present)

 

Ed Furness emigrated with his family to Canada as a child from the United Kingdom. Growing up in Toronto, Ed had a propensity for cartoon illustration and demonstrated this aptitude by graduating from the Ontario College of Art in 1933. Ed was instrumental in developing Freelance, a popular superhero icon for Canadian, and ultimately American, children during the war, by joining forces with writer Ted McCall at Anglo American Publishing in July of 1941. Furness also drew 'Commander Steele' in Grand Slam Comics from 1941 and many other comic book stories. Ed honed his creative talent and ultimately became the lead artist for Anglo American Publishing, having thirteen artists in his stable. The advent of the War Measures Conservation Act coming to an end in 1946 precipitated the demise of the Canadian comics industry and Anglo American made one last ditch effort to distribute their periodicals in the United States in color and failed. Ed closed the doors at Anglo American on one sad day in 1956 and went on to do commercial art and landscape painting and is now retired. Mr. Furness will be (health permitting) at the awards ceremony on April 30.

 

--- biography compiled by Stephen Lipson

 

RAND HOLMES (1942-2002)

 

Rand Holmes is widely regarded as Canada's most irreverent and accomplished underground cartoonist. Unlike many alternative artists who just cranked out crude drawings, Holmes created images that were meticulously designed and rendered. Even when sexually explicit, they smoothly complemented his incisive, uproarious and scatological storylines and his savage political wit. Their inspiration and vitality arose, to a large degree, from the finely textured and detailed EC Comics work of Wally Wood.

 

Born in Truro, Nova Scotia, Holmes grew up in Edmonton where he developed an interest in comics while supporting himself as a sign painter. At 22, he even sold two cartoons to Harvey Kurtzman's magazine, Help! But Holmes had yet to find himself artistically. Finally, in 1968, after turning on to drugs and the counterculture, he moved to Vancouver and began to get his strips --- starring hippie Harold Hedd --- published in the Georgia Straight, the city's legendary underground newspaper.

 

A trip to San Francisco in 1973 firmly established Holmes' ties to the American scene with the publication of Harold Hedd #2 by Last Gasp Eco-Funnies. However, Holmes kept his base in Canada, where he drew dozens of covers for the Georgia Straight and contributed to such comix titles as All Canadian Beaver Comics, White Lunch Comix, Slow Death and Fog City Comics.

 

In the 1980s, Holmes moved to an island he had bought off the coast of British Columbia. There he continued to draw and paint while living off the land --- a seemingly idyllic life that actually demanded enormous physical and emotional stamina. In 2002, he died while undergoing treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma.

 

--- biography compiled by Henry Mietkiewicz

 

JOE SHUSTER (1914-1992)

 

The SHUSTER Award is named in honour of the great artist, JOE SHUSTER (1914-1992), whose clear, dynamic style and inventive visual flourishes set the standard for graphic storytelling during the infancy of the North American comic book industry. It was Superman, a co-creation of Shuster and Siegel, that electrified the industry in 1938 and, almost overnight, transformed comic books into an enormous pop-cultural phenomenon.

 

In 1924, at the age of 10, Joe and his family moved from Toronto to Cleveland, Ohio, where he met Cleveland native Jerry Siegel. During the early 1930s, the friends collaborated on producing science-fiction fanzines and contributing cartoons to local publications. After devising and polishing the basic concept of Superman in the mid '30s, Siegel and Shuster tried to sell their creation to newspaper syndicates as a comic strip character, but to no avail. However, they did manage to break into comic books -notably, the forerunner of today's DC Comics - with many memorable characters, including Dr. Occult, Slam Bradley and the Radio Squad.

 

Finally, in 1938, Superman debuted in Action Comics #1, the June issue. In an interview shortly before his death in 1992, Joe told Toronto Star reporter Henry Mietkiewicz that Toronto's skyline had served as the inspiration for Superman's home town, Metropolis. In addition, Superman's alter ego, Clark Kent, worked for a newspaper that in the earliest adventures was named the Daily Star, a tip of the hat to the Toronto Daily Star (as the paper was then called). In fact, Shuster had been a Star paperboy and had grown to love comics while sitting on his father's knee and listening as his dad read the Star's comic strips aloud.

 

During his work on the comic book series Joe Shuster also prepared the model sheets for the groundbreaking series of Superman animated cartoons from the Fleischer Studios in the 1940s. Joe Shuster and his studio along with writer Jerry Siegel produced Superman comics until 1947, when Jerry and Joe, over well-publicized differences with their publisher, left the series. Failing eyesight eventually led to Joe's retirement from comic books and strips but years later, due to the efforts of a number of the industry's major talents, the incredible accomplishments of Jerry and Joe were finally duly acknowledged with well-deserved fiscal compensation; a return of co-creator credit on all subsequent Superman stories and a resurgence of public recognition that they had not seen for decades.

 

Even Canadian novelist Mordecai Richler once counted himself among Superman's fans. He noted that the Man of Steel hides extraordinary strength, speed, and stamina behind the bland, self-effacing guise of the weak and clumsy Clark Kent. Clark takes no credit for his own heroism, content simply to live his daily life in horn-rimmed glasses and blue suits. For this reason, Richler called Superman the perfect expression of the archetypal Canadian personality - a man whose modest exterior hides a "universal hero", famed throughout the world as the champion of everything virtuous.

 

- biography prepared by the CCBCAA and the Shuster Estate.

 

Contact information

 

THE CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CREATOR AWARDS / the SHUSTERS:

 

James Waley, chief coordinator: jnw_pique@hotmail.com <mailto:jnw_pique@hotmail.com>

Kevin Boyd, associate coordinator: kevin@torontocomicon.com <mailto:kevin@torontocomicon.com>

 

 

--- END ---

[Kevin Boyd]

The PCTC welcomes

 

DARKWING PRODUCTIONS

www.darkwiingproductions.ca

 

Jay Odjick

Writer/Artist, The Raven

 

----

 

Wes Craig

Artist, Touch, Batman Strikes #10, Catwoman (DC Comics)

 

---------

 

Warner Bros. Pictures will be at the show (with a promotional humvee!) to promote Batman Begins and other projects.

 

Dreamworks Pictures will also be around giving out freebees and promote their 2005 projects.

 

Both companies have trailer reels which will be run at the Comicon Theatre in between main features.

 

----------

 

Also, I'm proud to offer up a list of participating dealers, companies and charities who have signed on to do the PCTC as of this week (and will be listed in the program). Any companies that sign on after this will not be listed in the program:

 

4EVERCOMIX (CAN)

THE BEGUILING (CAN)

BIG B COMICS (CAN)

BLUE BEETLE COMICS (CAN)

CHILDHOOD TREASURES (US)

COMIC BOOK ADDICTION (CAN)

COMIC BOOK MOVIE STORE (CAN)

COMIC & CARD TRADER (CAN)

COMICS & MORE (CAN)

COMIC CONNECTION (CAN)

COMICS GUARANTY, LLC (US)

THE DRAGON (CAN)

DRAGON LADY COMICS (CAN)

HAIRY TARANTULA (CAN)

HARLEY YEE RARE COMICS (US)

HERITAGE COMICS (US)

HIGH GRADE COMICS (US)

KEVTHEMEV (CAN) - that's me!

KEWL COLLECTIBLES (CAN)

KOOP’S COMICS (US)

MANNY MISTRY (CAN)

MAX THE MUTT ANIMATION SCHOOL (CAN)

MYTHS, LEGENDS & HEROES (CAN)

OSCAR YAZEDJIAN (CAN)

PARADISE COMICS (CAN)

PETER FISICO (CAN)

PRENEY PRINT & LITHO (CAN)

REGGIES REGISTERED (CAN)

SCOTT WYLIE (CAN)

SHOCKWAVE COMIC BOOKS (CAN)

SILVER SNAIL COMICS (CAN)

STEVEN RITTER (US)

STRANGE WORLDS (CAN)

SUPERWORLD COMICS (US)

3RD QUADRANT COMICS (CAN)

THE TORONTO STAR (CAN)

 

We've added a number of new faces to the list, as well as many old favourites and most of Toronto and Hamilton's leading comic shops. Some of our new additions include some of the most well known dealers of (high grade) gold, silver and bronze age comics. If you can't find what you are looking for at this year's show it may not exist!

 

Keep in mind that this is a list of confirmed dealers. More will be added as they submit their final contracts with the show.

 

Charities:

 

ACTOR - A Commitment To Our Roots

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

North York Harvest Food Bank

Visions of Utopia

 

Thanks,

Kevin

[AlexH]

Kev,

 

Are you doing a charity auction this year again? Let me know as I would like to donate something.

[Kevin Boyd]

Yes, we will have a silent auction during the show hours and a public auction of some higher priced items on Saturday night starting at 7:15.

 

Kev

[justiceleaguer]

The PCTC welcomes

 

DARKWING PRODUCTIONS

www.darkwiingproductions.ca

 

Jay Odjick

Writer/Artist, The Raven

 

----

 

Wes Craig

Artist, Touch, Batman Strikes #10, Catwoman (DC Comics)

 

---------

 

Warner Bros. Pictures will be at the show (with a promotional humvee!) to promote Batman Begins and other projects.

 

Dreamworks Pictures will also be around giving out freebees and promote their 2005 projects.

 

Both companies have trailer reels which will be run at the Comicon Theatre in between main features.

 

----------

 

Also, I'm proud to offer up a list of participating dealers, companies and charities who have signed on to do the PCTC as of this week (and will be listed in the program). Any companies that sign on after this will not be listed in the program:

 

4EVERCOMIX (CAN)

THE BEGUILING (CAN)

BIG B COMICS (CAN)

BLUE BEETLE COMICS (CAN)

CHILDHOOD TREASURES (US)

COMIC BOOK ADDICTION (CAN)

COMIC BOOK MOVIE STORE (CAN)

COMIC & CARD TRADER (CAN)

COMICS & MORE (CAN)

COMIC CONNECTION (CAN)

COMICS GUARANTY, LLC (US)

THE DRAGON (CAN)

DRAGON LADY COMICS (CAN)

HAIRY TARANTULA (CAN)

HARLEY YEE RARE COMICS (US)

HERITAGE COMICS (US)

HIGH GRADE COMICS (US)

KEVTHEMEV (CAN) - that's me!

KEWL COLLECTIBLES (CAN)

KOOP’S COMICS (US)

MANNY MISTRY (CAN)

MAX THE MUTT ANIMATION SCHOOL (CAN)

MYTHS, LEGENDS & HEROES (CAN)

OSCAR YAZEDJIAN (CAN)

PARADISE COMICS (CAN)

PETER FISICO (CAN)

PRENEY PRINT & LITHO (CAN)

REGGIES REGISTERED (CAN)

SCOTT WYLIE (CAN)

SHOCKWAVE COMIC BOOKS (CAN)

SILVER SNAIL COMICS (CAN)

STEVEN RITTER (US)

STRANGE WORLDS (CAN)

SUPERWORLD COMICS (US)

3RD QUADRANT COMICS (CAN)

THE TORONTO STAR (CAN)

 

We've added a number of new faces to the list, as well as many old favourites and most of Toronto and Hamilton's leading comic shops. Some of our new additions include some of the most well known dealers of (high grade) gold, silver and bronze age comics. If you can't find what you are looking for at this year's show it may not exist!

 

Keep in mind that this is a list of confirmed dealers. More will be added as they submit their final contracts with the show.

 

Charities:

 

ACTOR - A Commitment To Our Roots

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

North York Harvest Food Bank

Visions of Utopia

 

Thanks,

Kevin

 

Now that's a great selection of dealers. Kudos.

[Kevin Boyd]

Thanks!

 

Table-wise, the show consists of:

 

---------

 

135 dealer booths - 48 endcap booths / 87 regular booths

 

Endcaps are 10' x 8' (and come with one 8' table and an additional 6' table), regular booths are 8' x 8' (and come with one 8' table).

 

Currently we have 1 endcap and about about 8 regular booths available.

 

IF we were, in fact, selling dealers 6' tables (which we are not) - then we have already sold the equivalent of 215 tables.

 

There's stilll a few more dealers that have expressed interest and haven't paid yet (and thus did not make the list). Since spaces are disappearing quickly we expect to be completely sold out very soon.

 

All dealer booths were legitimately purchased by dealers.

 

Even, in a sense, the ones reserved for Paradise (8) and my own stuff (3).

 

-----------

 

24 Corporate booths - 18 endcap booths / 6 regular booths

 

All Corporate endcap booths are 10' x 10' and come with two 8' tables. Regular corporate booths are 8' x 10' and only come with one 8' table.

 

We do not have any corporate booths left.

 

So, if I were to provide our corporate partners with 6' tables, that works out to be the equivalent of another 53 tables.

 

Add dealers and corporate exhibitors and that's the equivalent of 268 6 foot tables

 

----------

 

Artist's Alley / Guest Area

 

120 tables - all Artist's Alley Tables are 6'

 

I have 17 Artist Alley tables left.

[Kevin Boyd]

Announcements just keep on coming this week!

 

We are pleased to welcome

 

DALE KEOWN

Artist, Incredible Hulk (Marvel), Darkness (Top Cow), Pitt (Full Bleed)

www.fullbleed.com

 

SULEY FATTAH

Mastermind behind the

Drawing The Line anthology for Cancer Research

 

 

Kevin

[THE_BEYONDER]

Sounds like it's going to be a great show...can't wait.

[Kevin Boyd]

I agree!

 

The Shuster voting ended on Saturday, and we've counted up the remaining votes of the thousands we received and we have our winners! Obviously we're sworn to secrecy, but I'm just extremely pleased with the majority of the winners and shocked at one or two of the final choices!

 

Reminder that the big ceremony is on Saturday afternoon starting at 4:30. Hosts are Rob Salem (Toronto Star, Drive-In Classics tv) and Rick Green (Prisoners of Gravity, The Frantics) with a little input by Ty Templeton who will be coming in via live broadcast from the International Comic Arts Festival in St. John's, Newfoundland! Look for more celebrity presenters and some surprise guests!

 

 

[That Ron Dude]

Last years Paradise Convention was the most enjoyable convention I have attended since Phil Sueling was putting on this New York Conventions many years ago. I hope the convention is a huge success for you all. I hope the Shusters become a longstanding traditions side by side with the Junos and the Geminis.

[Kevin Boyd]

Thanks Ron!

 

So we're down to the wire...10 days to go and things are looking great!

 

We've added some more dealers, here's the updated dealer list:

 

3RD QUADRANT (CAN)

4EVERCOMIX (CAN)

AD ASTRA (CAN)

ADAMO MASTRANTEA (CAN)

ANOTHER DREAM (CAN)

BEGUILING, THE (CAN)

BIG B COMICS (CAN)

BLUE BEETLE COMICS (CAN)

BOB KOPMAN (CAN)

CHILDHOOD TREASURES (US)

COMIC BOOK ADDICTION (CAN)

COMIC BOOK MOVIE STORE (CAN)

COMIC & CARD TRADER (CAN)

COMICS & MORE (CAN)

COMIC CONNECTION (CAN)

COMICS GUARANTY, LLC (US)

CYBER-CITY COMICS (CAN)

DOUG MUMMENHOFF (CAN)

DRAGON, THE (CAN)

DRAGON LADY COMICS (CAN)

DREAMWORKS (CAN)

GROSNER CARDS & TOYS (CAN)

HAIRY TARANTULA (CAN)

HARLEY YEE RARE COMICS (US)

HERITAGE COMICS (US)

HIGH GRADE COMICS (US)

INDIEHORROR.COM (US)

KEVTHEMEV (CAN)

KOOP’S COMICS (US)

LABYRINTH, THE (CAN)

MANNY'S COMICS & COLLECTIBLES (CAN)

MAX THE MUTT ANIMATION SCHOOL (CAN)

MTC TOYS (CAN)

MYTHS, LEGENDS & HEROES (CAN)

OSCAR YAZEDJIAN (CAN)

PARADISE COMICS (CAN)

PETER FISICO (CAN)

PRENEY PRINT & LITHO (CAN)

REGGIES REGISTERED (CAN)

SCOTT WYLIE (CAN)

SHOCKWAVE COMIC BOOKS (CAN)

SILVER SNAIL COMICS (CAN)

STEVEN RITTER (US)

SUPERWORLD COMICS (US)

TORONTO STAR, THE (CAN)

TORONTO TREK (CAN)

WARNER BROS. CANADA (CAN)

 

-----

 

Publishers/Studios Represented:

 

AARDVARK-VANAHEIM

ARCANA STUDIO

BRIGHT ANVIL

DARKWING PRODUCTIONS

DC COMICS

E TRAIN COMICS

EXIM WORKS MEDIA & GEAR

FREEFALL ENTERTAINMENT

GRAFIKSISMIK

HIVE, THE

IMAGE

KILRUSH

LEGION OF EVIL PRESS

LOO-BOT

LUCHA A GO GO

MANIFESTO COMICS

MONKEY PHARMACY PRODUCTIONS

RICHARD ZAJAC STUDIOS

RORSCHACH PRESS

SEAN WARD PRODUCTIONS

SEQUENTIAL SCRIBBLES

SPEAKEASY

SSS COMICS

TOO HIP GOTTA GO GRAPHICS

TOP COW

UDON

UNORTHODOX PRESS

VON BLOOD STUDIOS

 

I probably forgot a few...

 

----

 

Charitable Organizations:

 

ACTOR - A Commitment to Our Roots

COMIC BOOK LEGAL DEFENSE FUND

NORTH YORK HARVEST FOOD BANK

VISIONS OF UTOPIA

 

Plus: At the Prestigious CGC Signature Series booth each creator will be signing to raise money for the charity of their choice.

 

Plus: Brian Michael Bendis will be visiting the Hospital for Sick Children on Friday April 29 and giving out free comics and toys and talking to the kids about what it is like to write comic book characters like Spider-Man and Daredevil. He will be joined by local artist Alex Perkins (who drew our flyer and poster images). Donations received after Friday for this will be delived to the HSC the following week. Thanks must already go to Marvel and Bongo for their donations for this!

 

----

 

LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE COMICS:

 

- DARKSTALKERS #5 - PCTC Variant (UDON)

- THE GRIMOIRE #2 - PCTC Variant (SPEAKEASY)

- WITCHBLADE #84 - Manapul PCTC Variant (TOP COW)

 

----

 

New guest:

 

JAMES RAIZ

Artist, Transformers (Dreamwave), Wonder Woman (DC)

 

 

Kevin

[Ares]

DREANWAVE (CAN)

I thought they were out of bussiness?

Or is there a store called dreamwave]

[AlexH]

DREANWAVE (CAN)

I thought they were out of bussiness?

Or is there a store called dreamwave]

 

The spelling is different, so it is probably a store.

[Kevin Boyd]

It's DREAMWORKS... my error. It's been fixed.

[Kevin Boyd]

ANNOUNCING:

 

AN EVENING WITH WARREN ELLIS

 

A Brief Talk About Stories, Drinking, and The World

 

Presented by The Toronto Comic Arts Festival

and the Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon.

 

THURSDAY APRIL 28th

The Hacienda (Formerly the Tequila Lounge)

794 Bathurst (Corner of Bloor & Bathurst)

Doors Open at 8pm. 19+. Tickets are $5, avail. at The Beguiling and at the door.

 

www.TORONTOCOMICS.COM

 

TORONTO, Ontario - The Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) and the Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon (PCTC) are proud to present a special evening event featuring internationally renowned author and graphic novelist Warren Ellis. Hailing from Southend, England, Ellis will be giving a talk about his experience telling stories for a living. His body of work spans genres and fields, including Graphic Novels, Video Games, Animation, Television, and (in the words of the author) "anything else he can steal money for."

 

Ellis's graphic novel work has pushed the boundaries of contemporary comics and he is largely credited with bringing futurist, hard sci-fi back to comics through his multiple award-winning TRANSMETROPOLITAN series of graphic novels. He has written the complete game -script for HOSTILE WATERS/ANTAELUS RISING, and his episode of cartoon series JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED recently aired on Canada's YTV television network.

 

Ellis is also noted for having created the first openly gay superhero couple in DC Comics' THE AUTHORITY and winning the International Horror Guild award for graphic narrative. His appearances on ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY's "100 Most Creative People" list and in ROLLING STONE's "Hot Issue" have further cemented him as one of the brightest and most sought-after writers in contemporary mainstream comics.

 

"We're quite lucky to have Warren Ellis here in Toronto," said Christopher Butcher, the co-director of The Toronto Comic Arts Festival. "Ellis has given talks on everything from digital photography to future cell phones to horror to graphic novels, all over the world. We're happy to be working with the folks at Paradise in promoting comics and graphic novels here in the city through the appearance of an international-acclaimed and multi-talented author."

 

In addition to his evening discussion sponsored by TCAF, Warren Ellis will be a guest of honour at the Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon, April 29th through May 1st, at Exhibition Place's National Trade Centre.

 

ABOUT

 

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival is an event that promotes comics and graphic novels and their creators within the city of Toronto. The festival occurs every two years, and the next is scheduled for May 27 through 29, 2005, in Toronto's historic Mirvish Village. For more information, please visit www.torontocomics.com/tcaf

 

The Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon is a three-day comic book convention that celebrates comic books and sequential art. The event features international and Canadian comic book creators, companies, panels, workshops and an extensive comic book dealer area. The PCTC is an annual event. For more information, please visit www.torontocomicon.com

 

PRESS

Please submit all interview requests, press inquiries, and press accreditation requests for this evening event to: press@torontocomics.com

[Ares]

It's DREAMWORKS... my error. It's been fixed.

 

Good..

Just dont let it happen again or its 10 lashes with a wet noodle

[Kevin Boyd]

If the owners of Dreamwave were to appear publicly they would likely be lashed with something stronger than a wet noodle.

[THE_BEYONDER]

Hey Kev,

 

What's a weekend pass cost to the show?

[Kevin Boyd]

Weekend pass is $32 Canadian (including taxes).