Toronto Comic Arts Festival May 27-29

[Kevin Boyd]

www.torontocomics.com/tcaf/

 

 

TCAF is not a collector's show per se, but a true arts festival. There are no dealers other than show sponsor the Beguiling, but many publishers will be in attendance, as will a stunning array of creators who will be speaking, signing and otherwise just hanging out.

 

TCAF will be held May 27-29 2005 in Downtown Toronto's Historic Mirvish Village District, with a huge number of comics-related events including readings, presentations, publisher and artist sales-areas, gallery shows, academic paper presentation and more all under the auspices of The Festival! If you have any questions regarding the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, please e-mail us at contact@torontocomics.com.

 

Honoured Guests:

 

Jeff Smith

Jeff is the star creator of the immensely popular comic book series BONE, from his creator-owned imprint Cartoon Books. "Bone is about growing up and leaving home for the first time," says Smith. "The story is about what happens when the Bone cousins leave Boneville...this sheltered little world they grew up in and then go out into this wilder, outside world." Bone is currently printed in thirteen languages around the world, and in 1998 was given the Eisner Award for Best Writer/Artist - Humor, as well as the Harvey Award for Best Cartoonist, Italy's Yellow Kid Award for Best Author, Spain's Premios Expocomic for Best Foreign Comics, and Finland's Lempi International for Best International Cartoonist. In 2005 Bone will begin to be re-released in a full-colour digest-format by publisher Scholastic Books. Jeff Smith appears at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival courtesy of Scholastic Books.

 

Chester Brown

Writer and artist, and the renowned creator of books such as THE PLAYBOY and I NEVER LIKED YOU, and the ongoing series' UNDERWATER and YUMMY FUR. His graphic novel ED THE HAPPY CLOWN earned him the accolades of Rolling Stone magazine, naming him one of their IT Comics Creators. Most recently, Chester drew the eyes of historians, press publications and all those appreciative of comic art with the collection of his series detailing the life of Canadian rebel LOUIS RIEL from Drawn & Quarterly. Chester is currently working on the definitive edition of ED THE HAPPY CLOWN, to be released as a quarterly comic series from publisher Drawn & Quarterly in 2005.

 

Darwyn Cooke

A storyboard artist for Batman/Superman Adventures animated series and creator of the main title design for Batman Beyond, Darwyn has since moved from animation to become a widely recognized name in comics. His most notable early work was a one shot entitled BATMAN: EGO, and while his work has spread to such titles as X-STATIX and TANGLED WEB it all comes back to the bat mythos. From redesigning CATWOMAN into a sleek retro style which lead to writing and drawing the intricately designed original hardcover SELINA'S BIG SCORE which no doubt paved the way for Darwyn's most recent mini-series set in the DC Comics Silver Age: THE NEW FRONTIER.

 

EILAND

Tobias Schalken and Stefan van Dinther are known around the world as EILAND, the creative duo responsible for the brilliant EILAND anthology of comic art, published by Bries. Hailing from Holland, both are accomplished cartoonists and their work must be experienced to be believed. Please visit the Eiland website and their individual websites to find out more.

"Breathtaking. Stunning. These are artists completely unaware of the concept that talent has limits." - The Comics Journal

 

James Jean

From his earlier work in the pages of MEATHAUS to his stylish paintings gracing the covers of FABLES, we've watched this School Of Visual Arts graduate receive awards from The Eisners, the Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators of LA, American Illustration, and appear in The New York Times, SPIN and Playboy magazine. James was born in Taiwan, raised in New Jersey, and educated in New York, where his love of comics inspired a career in illustration and dreams of painting. PROCESS RECESS is a full colour hardcover collection from Adhouse books that will feature selected drawings, paintings and illustrations of the artists work over the past five years. A special edition of this book will be made available at The Festival.

 

Kid Koala

Kid Koala a.k.a Eric San was born in Vancouver, Canada, and is an internationally respected DJ and Turntablist. Koala's first album "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome" featured a 32-page comic illustrated by Kid Koala himself, and the album received press around the world. Having toured with the Beastie Boys and Radiohead, Koala was also a member of groups including Deltron 3030, Lovage, and Bullfrog.

In 2003 Koala released his second album, "Some of my best friends are DJs" with another comic included. 2003 also saw the release of his first full-length graphic novel. Published by ECW press, Nufonia Must Fall is a thick, 350 page love-story about an out-of-work robot and a workaholic girl, and it came accompanied by a 'soundtrack' of short record of original, experimental piano-based compositions.

Kid Koala will be appearing at TCAF on Saturday the 28th, following a sure-to-be excellent performance for TCAF's kick-off on Friday May 27th.

 

Gary Panter

Oklahoma-born illustrator, painter, designer and part-time musician, Gary Panter's fame began as the Emmy Award-wining head set designer for the successful kid/adult TV show Pee Wee's Playhouse, but his career as an underground cartoonist began much earlier. Generally credited with giving a graphic identity to the L.A. punk scene, and has been a leading figure in underground comics for more than 25 years, having had a profound influence on everyone from Chris Ware to Matt Groening. His comics work includes 2004's JIMBO IN PURGATORY, a massive sketchbook excerpt in KRAMER'S ERGOT 5, and 2005 has already seen the release of Panters's new self-published book, 100.1 DRAWINGS. Gary Panter will be on hand at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival to officially launch his newest book, SATIROPLASTIC (Drawn & Quarterly), the first in a three-volume series of Gary Panter's sketchbooks from December 1999 to November 2001. This facsimile edition of the pocket sketchbook diary shows the everyday creative spasms of this iconic designer-painter-cartoonist-illustrator. Panter will be launching the book as part of Harbourfront's Reading Series on Wednesday, May 25th 2005 at Harbourfront, and then staying in the city of Toronto through until the Festival on May 28th and 29th.

 

Paul Pope (Appearance sponsored by The Silver Snail)

In America, he's been called the "comics destroyer;" in France, he's been called the "Jim Morrison of comics" and "comics' Petit Prince." New York’s Paul Pope creates comics that defy genre and period, straddling the line between artistic capriciousness and commercial appeal. One of a handful of young cartoonists consistently gaining critical praise and media attention, Pope has been featured in Canada on MuchMusic and Space channel, among others, and his work has appeared in print outlets like Spin, Entertainment Weekly, Jalouse, V Magazine and The Village Voice. He is also the only American cartoonist to have worked for Japan's largest manga publisher (Kodansha), for more than five years now. Pope’s recent work includes the near-future sci-fi romance 100%, the career spanning THB, as well as recent stints on iconic comic character series like Batman and Spider-Man.

 

Seth

Seth is a talented Canadian artist and illustrator. Known primarily for his autobiography-tinged series PALOOKA-VILLE, his sketchbook VERNACULAR DRAWINGS, and his graphic novels IT'S A GOOD LIFE IF YOU DON'T WEAKEN and CLYDE FANS. In addition to his comics work, Seth is a much sought-after illustrator whose work appears regularly in such prestigious publications as The New Yorker and The Wall Street Journal.

 

Dave Sim

Hailing from Kitchener, Ontario, Dave Sim is the main creative force behind the 300 issue, 16 volume, 6000+ page comic book CEREBUS. Fresh from his appearance at April's Toronto Comicon, Dave will be appearing at TCAF to sign, greet fans, and speak on his career. Further information will be forthcoming regarding Dave's speaking engagements and signing times. However, it is very likely that Dave Sim will only be appearing on Saturday the 28th.

 

Complete Alphabetical Guest Listing:

 

Atilla Adorjany, Rick Altergott, Ho Che Anderson, Kalman Andrasofszky, Neelam Arora, Adam Aylard, Matthew Blackett, J Bone, Ariel Bordeaux, Paige Braddock, Vera Brosgol, Chester Brown, Jeffrey Brown, Andy Brown, Sam Brown, Genevieve Castree, Scott Chantler, Svetlana Chmakova, Michael Cho, Becky Cloonan, Michael Comeau, Darwyn Cooke, Nick Craine, Willow Dawson, Arthur Dela Cruz, Salgood Sam Douglas, Eiland, Ray Fawkes, Alex Fellows, Tim Fish, Brendan Fletcher, Matthew Forsythe, Leanne Franson, Friends of Lulu, Amy Kim Ganter, Phoebe Gloeckner, Lydia Gregg, Steven Guarnaccia, Marcel Guldemonde, Richard Hahn, Sammy Harkham, David Heatley, Sam Hiti, Paul Hornschemeier, Kevin Huizenga, Chris Hutsul, James Jean, Karl Kerschl, Kazu Kibuishi, Kid Koala, Eric Kim, Derek Kirk Kim, Jeff Ladouceur, Hope Larson, Andy Lee, Jeff Lemire, Corey Lewis, Jasen Lex, Jason Lutes, Jim Mahfood, Steve Manale, Johane Matte, Billy Mavreas, Sean McCarthy, Tyrone McCarthy, Brian McLachlan, Kagan McLeod, Carla Speed McNeil, Tara McPherson, Maureen McTigue, John Mejias, Tony Millionaire, Nadia Moss, Marc Ngui, Anders Nilsen, Michael Noonan, Liam O'Donnel, Bryan O'Malley, Gary Panter, Ramon Perez, Florentine Perro, Lorenz Peters, Chris Pitzer, Paul Pope, Nate Powel, Dave Roman, Jim Rugg, Andy Runton, Lianne Sentaur, Seth, Ben Shannon, Dash Shaw, Dave Sim, Jeff Smith, Fiona Smyth, Kean Soo, Zack Soto, Vincent Stall, Leslie Stein, Richard Stevens, Cameron Stewart, Diana Tamblyn, Raina Telgemeier, Peter Thompson, J Torres, Dean Trippe, Maurice Vellekoop, Brett Warnock, Brian Wood, Zach Worton, Ryan Yount, Chip Zdarsky...and more!

 

Attending Publishers and Other Organizations

 

Adhouse Books

Publishers of notable anthologies Project Superior and Project Telstar, Adhouse will be exhibiting with artists including James Jean and Zack Soto in attendance.

 

Buenaventura Press

Fledgling publisher Buenventura Press is probably best-known for their outstanding letterpress art prints. 2005 will see them move into comics, and they will be exhibiting at TCAF with Alvin Buenaventura, Sammy Harkham, Anders Nilsen, and others.

 

Conundrum Press

Montreal-based publisher Conundrum Press is sure to surprise many American visitors to TCAF thanks to their lovely books and the unique talents they publish. Attending Conundrum creators include Marc Ngui, Billy Mavreas, and publisher Andy Brown.

 

Drawn & Quarterly

Premier Canadian publisher D&Q is home to some of the best graphic novelists in the industry, including TCAF attendees Chester Brown, Gary Panter, Seth, and Anders Nilsen.

 

Friends of Lulu

This organisation promotes inclusivity and encourages women to get involved in all aspects of the comics industry, from reader to creator!

 

Magic Pony Presents: Team Macho!

Local import toy retailer and gallery space Magic Pony is proud to present the perpetrators of their next art show--Team Macho! Who are these young Torontonian artists and cartoonists? Show up to find out! May also include signings by Gary Taxali, in support of his first-ever toy release.

 

L'Oie de Cravan

Montreal-based publisher L'Oie de Cravan produces exquisite high-end artbooks and comics, from attending artists including Genevieve Castree, Nadia Moss, and Gigi Perron. Representing L'Oie de Cravan will be publisher Benoit Chaput.

 

Parsons School of Design, New School University (New York)

Illustrator and designer Steven Guarrnica will be on hand representing the Parsons School of Design, an institution with a faculty devoted to providing strong fundimentals for comics creation.

 

Pedlar Press

Canadian Publisher Pedlar Press will be at TCAF providing support to their cartoonists and displaying their outstanding catalogue of comics and prose.

 

Speakeasy Comics

Brand-new Toronto-based publisher Speakeasy Comics has burst into comics with an array of science fiction and fantasy titles of all ages. Speakeasy Comics will be represented at TCAF by Adam Fortier and Chris Stone, and attending artists and writers may include Sebastien Caisse, Dub, Pierre Andre Derry, and Djief.

 

Top Shelf Comix

Top Shelf Comix will be represented at the convention by Brett Warnock, and their booth will feature cartoonists Jeffrey Brown, Andy Runton, and more.

 

Udon Comics

Toronto Studio UDON have worked with the majority of mainstream comics publishers providing a variety of creative services, from penciling to computer colours. Recently they entered publishing field with their licensed titles like STREET FIGHTER and DARKSTALKERS, in partnership with Devil's Due Publishing.

 

SCHEDULE

 

Wednesday, May 25th 2005:

 

TONY MILLIONAIRE & GARY PANTER AT HARBOURFRONT

Harbourfront's International Reading Series is proud to present cartoonists Tony Millionaire (Maakies, Sock Monkey) and Gary Panter (Jimbo, RAW Magazine) on Wednesday, May 25th at 7:30 pm in Harbourfront's Brigantine Room. Both cartoonists will be doing presentations from their long careers. Tickets are $8 and this will be a sold-out event, so buy early. Tickets available at the Harbourfront box office and Via The Beguiling.

 

Thursday, May 26th 2005:

 

MAGIC PONY PRESENTS: THE ORIGINAL TOY MONKEY BY GARY TAXALI

THE ORIGINAL TOY MONKEY

 

An art figure release with Gary Taxali

Opening Reception: Thursday May 26th from 7-11pm

Signing with Gary Taxali from 7-9pm

Gary Taxali and Jason Amendolara, creators of Chump Toys will be in attendance at the opening.

 

Magic Pony is pleased to announce the launch of Gary Taxali's premiere figure, The Toy Monkey. This is the first figure from Chump Toys, a toy company created by artist Gary Taxali and toy designer Jason Amendolara based on the artwork of Gary Taxali. Only 500 pieces of the Toy Monkey have been produced for the first edition and each is hand-numbered on the figure itself. The launch party will take place on May 26 from 7-11pm. Gary Taxali and Jason Amendolara will be in attendance at the opening. An artist signing with Gary Taxali will take place from 7-9pm.

 

Marc Ngui's LORDIE JONES Book Launch

 

LORDIE JONES: Book Launch

Thursday May 26, 7:00 pm-11:00pm.

Lanes Gallery, Hazelton Lanes, 55 Avenue Rd. Unit 122.

(entry off Hazelton Ave / opposite 33 Hazelton Ave.)

Mineral Water, Fruits, Figs, Cookies, Persian rugs, etc.

 

Bumblenut Pictures, in association with conundrum press and The Toronto Comic Arts Festival, presents a book launch and storytime presentation for the release of The Unexpurgated Tale of Lordie Jones by Marc Ngui! At 9:30PM, witness a performance of the Dub Trance operetta version of The Unexpurgated Tale of Lordie Jones by The Defence (Dave Sullivan, Neil Khanna, Marc Ngui and guests).

 

Friday, May 27th 2005:

 

KID KOALA @ THE HORSHOE - TCAF KICK-OFF PARTY

 

This year's official kick-off party for the 2005 Toronto Comic Arts Festival features noted graphic novelist and internationally respected turntablist and DJ KID KOALA in a show at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern! Tickets are $15 and are good for a discount on all Festival events! Tickets available at The Beguiling, Rotate This, Soundscapes, The Horseshoe, and Ticketmaster.ca. Doors open at 9, show starts later. This is a 19+ show.

 

Stills from animation by Amy Lockhart.

 

Also on Friday Night: Pleasuredome presents "Walk For Walk PLUS ", a screening of new animation from Amy Lockhart and older goodies including "The Devil Lives in Hollywood" and "Sylva Lining." Amy Lockhart has also selected a few gems by other animators including Trixy Tweetvittles "La Mujer Lagartija", Helen Hill "Tunnel of Love", Stefan Gruber "Thought City", Red Smarteez "One Last Trick", and the Miss Edmonton Teenburger 1983 series of tapes. At Cinecycle, Friday, May 27, 8:00pm, 129 Spadina Avenue (down the alley, south of Richmond Street).

 

Saturday, May 28th 2005:

 

TCAF TENTED PAVILLIONS

 

TCAF Main Tent: Featuring over 100 cartoonists, writers and artists of graphic novels! The main tent will feature creators and publishers from across North America, including Marc Bell, Chester Brown, Darwyn Cooke, Eiland, James Jean, Paul Pope, Seth, Dave Sim, and many more! For complete guest listing check our our guests page. Located directly south of Bloor and West of Bathurst, Behind Honest Ed's (in Honest Ed's Alley). Runs Saturday from 10am-6pm. Admission is Free.

 

Scholastic Canada Children's Tent: Come visit an area of the Toronto Comic Arts Festival designed just for kids and their families, the Scholastic Canada Children's tent! Meet Jeff Smith, the creator of BONE, from 2pm until 5pm on Saturday! Also, meet creators from your favourite comic books! Includes games, prizes, readings and more. Located directly south of Bloor and West of Bathurst, Behind Honest Ed's (in Honest Ed's Alley). Runs Saturday from 10am-6pm. Admission is Free.

 

READINGS AND WORKSHOPS

 

Readings and Panel Discussions @ The Hacienda: Looking to go deeper into the world of comics and graphic novels? Visit The Hacienda Lounge to hear fantastic readings, panel discussions, and comics workshops from some of the best and most interesting cartoonists working today. Programming includes readings by Chester Brown and Kid Koala, as well as panels including "Behind the Scenes: The 'Other' Jobs in Comics" and "Don't Quit Your Day Job: Toronto Illustrators Who Create Comics". The Hacienda Lounge is located at 794 Bathurst Street, Upstairs, across from Bathurst TTC Station (Formerly The Tequila Lounge). Runs Saturday from 11am-6pm. Admission is $5 ($2 for 18 and under). Look for full programming schedule soon!

 

Readings and Workshops @ The Victory Cafe: Do you want to find out more about comics in a more intimate setting? Then visit the venerable Victory Café to hear some great readings by young cartoonists from across North America, and participate in workshops on subjects as diverse as self-publishing, assembling a top-flight anthology, Drawing, Writing, and more! The Victory Café is located at 581 Markham Street (Corner of Markham and Lennox Streets, just south of The Beguiling). Runs Saturday from 11am-6pm. Admission is $5 ($2 for 18 and under). Look for full programming schedule soon!

 

As part of the programming for our readings and workshops at The Victory Cafe, TCAF is proud to present: SMARTEN UP! COMICS IN THE ACADEMY:

 

Wish comics were taught more widely and well in schools? Want to see your favourite comics artists represented on University reading lists? Think the Academy should keep its paws off the format? Come out and have your say as part of this year’s new academic event.

 

TCAF is pleased to welcome comics expert and University of Calgary professor BART BEATY who will be delivering a short keynote address on the current state of Comics Scholarship, followed by a lively roundtable discussion with other panelists and audience members. Listen to what some of our leading comics scholars have to say about the emerging critical vocabulary for teaching comics in schools. Be part of this exciting field-- contribute your own thoughts!

 

Roundtable panelists:

 

Dr. Bart Beaty, Faculty of Communication and Culture, University of Calgary

Phoebe Gloeckner, School of Art and Design, U Michigan.

 

Rob Lendrum, Media Studies, Concordia U.

 

Dr. Anne Rubenstein, Department of History, York University

 

Dr. Jonathan Warren, Department of English, York University

 

Benjamin Woo, School of Communication, Simon Fraser University

 

Panel Moderator: Shannon Gerard, Graduate Programme in Interdisciplinary Studies, York University

 

Want to get involved more seriously? Contact organiser Shannon Gerard at shannon@shannongerard.org

 

EVENING EVENTS

 

Doug Wright Awards Presentation: Named for the prolific creator of the classic Canadian comic strip Doug Wright’s Family, the awards aim to recognise outstanding work published by Canadian cartoonists in 2004. The awards presentation will occur Saturday evening at The Victory Café, and will feature a presentation on the life and work of Doug Wright by respected graphic novelist Seth. In addition to the awards presentation the evening will include readings and presentations by numerous comics luminaries. The Victory Café is located at 581 Markham Street (Corner of Markham and Lennox Streets, just south of The Beguiling). Runs Saturday from 7am-10pm. Admission is $5.

 

For more information on The Wrights, including judges, nominees, and more, please visit http://www.time-cat.com/wrights.html.

 

Sunday, May 29th 2005:

 

TCAF TENTED PAVILLIONS

 

TCAF Main Tent: Featuring over 100 cartoonists, writers and artists of graphic novels! The main tent will feature creators and publishers from across North America, including Marc Bell, Chester Brown, Darwyn Cooke, Eiland, James Jean, Paul Pope, Seth and many more! For complete guest listing check our our guests page. Located directly south of Bloor and West of Bathurst, Behind Honest Ed's (in Honest Ed's Alley). Runs Sunday from 11am-5pm. Admission is Free.

 

Scholastic Canada Children's Tent: Come visit an area of the Toronto Comic Arts Festival designed just for kids and their families, the Scholastic Canada Children's tent! Meet Jeff Smith, the creator of BONE, from 11am until 1pm on Sunday! Also, meet creators from your favourite comic books! Includes games, prizes, readings and more. Located directly south of Bloor and West of Bathurst, Behind Honest Ed's (in Honest Ed's Alley). Runs Sunday from 11am-5pm. Admission is Free.

 

READINGS AND WORKSHOPS

 

Readings and Panel Discussions @ The Hacienda: Looking to go deeper into the world of comics and graphic novels? Visit The Hacienda Lounge to hear fantastic readings, panel discussions, and comics workshops from some of the best and most interesting cartoonists working today. Programming includes readings by Chester Brown and Kid Koala, as well as panels including "Behind the Scenes: The 'Other' Jobs in Comics" and "Don't Quit Your Day Job: Toronto Illustrators Who Create Comics". The Hacienda Lounge is located at 794 Bathurst Street, Upstairs, across from Bathurst TTC Station (Formerly The Tequila Lounge). Runs Sunday 11am-5pm. Admission is $5 ($2 for 18 and under). Look for full programming schedule soon!

 

Readings and Workshops @ The Victory Cafe: Do you want to find out more about comics in a more intimate setting? Then visit the venerable Victory Café to hear some great readings by young cartoonists from across North America, and participate in workshops on subjects as diverse as self-publishing, assembling a top-flight anthology, Drawing, Writing, and more! The Victory Café is located at 581 Markham Street (Corner of Markham and Lennox Streets, just south of The Beguiling). Runs Sunday from 11am-5pm. Admission is $5 ($2 for 18 and under). Look for full programming schedule soon!

 

SUNDAY STREET FESTIVAL!

 

Located on Markham Street, Sunday will play host to a Street Festival filled with artists from the comics and visual arts communities. Information will be forthcoming on this event this week.

 

Look for more exciting TCAF events in the weeks to come, including the Toronto Comic Jam, Pages "This is not a reading series", gallery shows and more!

[Kevin Boyd]

I'm surprised at the lack of response to this event considering it is now only a week away. Yes, I understand it is not a mainstream focused comic book convention, but it's a fun event, has a fantastic line-up of guests and it's a great interactive set-up. It's right downtown AND on the subway line (Bathurst Station on the Bloor-Danforth line) AND the cost to attend is minimal.

 

I plan to be there all day on Saturday and Sunday (with my sketchbook and a bunch of things I want to get signed).

 

And on that note, the CGC Signature Series witnessing service WILL be available at this event, at the main tented pavillions on Markham Street and behind the Beguiling. We won't have a table set-up per se, so please contact Paradise or myself to make arrangements if you want some books signed by people like:

 

Darwyn Cooke (DC The New Frontier, Green Lantern Secret Files & Origins 2005)

James Jean (Fables, Amazing Fantasy)

Jeff Smih (Bone)

Dave Sim (Cerebus)

Salgood Sam (Sea of Red)

Paul Pope (Solo, Batman Chronicles, Tangled Web, 100%)

Cameron Stewart (Catwoman, Seaguy, Metropolis Guardian)

Karl Kerschl (Majestic, Adventures of Superman)

Jim Mahfood (Clerks, Spider-Man)

 

...and any of the other dozens of creators who will be attendance.

[AlexH]

I'll be there at least on the Friday.

[Kevin Boyd]

Friday is just the kick-off party with DJ Kid Koala at the Horseshoe Tavern - which should be fun, but the real festival is on Saturday and Sunday.

[dc360]

On which days will the CGC SS guys be there? Cause i'd love to get a signed cgc-ed copy of Fables #1 or something fancy like that...

[Kevin Boyd]

I will be there both days (Sat/Sun) and I am an official CGC approved Signature Series witness for Paradise Comics at events. Drop me a line and we'll arrange to meet before you get the book signed by James.

 

Kevin

[CGCMINT]

Paul Pope will be at the Silver Snail this Friday from 5 to 7 pm.

 

John

[AlexH]

Here is some art/sketches I got. I'll do a review on Monday when I have more time.

 

First is an awesome print by Attila Adorjany. I can't fit the whole thing in my scanner, but this should give you a good idea:

 

 

 

Next up is a guy who does a real cool indy book called Prison Funnies, by the name of Chip Zdarsky:

 

 

 

And lastly, my wife had a sketch done by Darwyn Cooke:

 

[dc360]

I got a bunch of stuff as well, including a sketch by Sam Brown, from www.explodingdog.com. i'll post some pics of the con and some pics of my swag a bit later for those that want to see.

[dc360]

okay, here's some pics....

 

Sam Brown (www.explodingdog.com):

http://img200.echo.cx/img200/1729/hpim00844bo.jpg

 

Sam Brown's Sketch

http://img272.echo.cx/img272/2581/hpim01438ay.jpg

 

The Beguiling

http://img266.echo.cx/img266/4318/hpim00857is.jpg

 

TCAF Tent

http://img279.echo.cx/img279/6493/hpim00866zn.jpg

 

TCAF Tent

http://img269.echo.cx/img269/3129/hpim00866kk.jpg

 

TCAF Tent

http://img262.echo.cx/img262/1900/hpim00879ng.jpg

 

Other Stuff from the TCAF (BONE poster + swivel doll, couple of stickers, captain underpants doll)

http://img48.echo.cx/img48/750/hpim01446sn.jpg

 

James Jean (Fables, Green Arrow) signing a postcard (of his design) for me

http://img290.echo.cx/img290/5737/hpim00882kf.jpg

 

James Jean being cool

http://img270.echo.cx/img270/3708/hpim00891qe.jpg

 

A sweet poster that i bought (by James Jean) promoting the TCAF

http://img181.echo.cx/img181/1715/hpim01422ic.jpg

 

Hope to see some more people there next year!!

[Kevin Boyd]

I went on Saturday and for the last couple of hours on Sunday. Must say I had a great time, and thought Chris and Peter at the Beguiling did a geat job organizing the Festival.

 

The great thing about TCAF is the friendliness of the event itself and ease of access to the exhibitors (in this case all artists or publishers), which is one of my personal pet peeves about other shows. Well, at TCAF it was incredibly easy to find people and talk to them, and there were many great artists who just came down to hang out and show off their latest stuff.

 

It was nice to attend a show in Toronto without any responsibilities and it was great to hang with friends. The party on Saturday night was a blast.

 

My purchases:

 

A Mike Allred/Nick Craine page of Hawkeye in action from X-Statix #23.

A James Jean print "Sex Ed", which I framed last night.

"Process Recess", James Jean's sketchbook (he did a little sketch in it).

 

I only wish I had brought more money with me so I could have bought more.

 

I didn't attend many of the panels, but I caught some of Dave Sim's Cerebus reading where he did the characters in the voice he imagined for them and it was hilarious and when I spoke to Dave afterwards he said it was a lot of fun.

 

I did attend the Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartoonists and enjoyed the presentations enormously. Brad Mackay and the rest of the Wright team did a great job putting this together and congratulations to:

 

Best Emerging Talent - Bryan Lee O'Malley, Scott Pilgrim Vol. 1

Best Graphic Novel 2004 - Seth, Clyde Fans - Book 1

 

The Wright Award itself is a great looking trophy (designed by Seth) with a wooden base and a glass sculpture based on one of Wright's drawings with a silhouetted father accompanied by Nipper and his brother from the strip Nipper/Doug Wright's Family. It was great that the entire surviving Wright clan were in attendance. I must confess though that I am one of those "under 40" types that had never heard of the strip or Doug Wright before these awards were announced. It was also nice to catch up with Brad afterwards and talk a little bit about the future.

 

Anyway, the next TCAF is scheduled for 2007, which is the 20th anniversary of the Beguiling, so hopefully the Festival will continue to get bigger and better.

 

The only things that I would be concerned about if I were them in the future would be:

 

1. Not to go on the same weekend as another major pop culture event in the city. Anime North was this weekend and I hear it was pure insanity again, with thousands of teens and young adults. Not sure if the audiences overlap much, but one can't help but wonder if some people who would have come were already committed to the established event.

 

2. There's not much you can do about the weather when you are having an outside event, but it was definitely disappointing that the rain on Sunday prevented the street closure on Markham Street to work out. The tented areas behind the store were quite effective though, and if a third tent could have been put up in the other parking lot area there might have been no need to have the street closure. But I'm sure this has already been discussed and Chris and Peter have this well in hand.

 

3. The Hacienda was close, but still a short walk away from the action and not many people ventured over there, so I wouldn't recommend using it again. One thing I've learned is that you have to make things as central as possible or people just won't go as they don't realize things were going on elsewhere. A lot of the artists and publishers who were stationed over there ended up moving over to the central tents which made things even tighter in the tents.

 

4. The Victory Cafe set up was excellent and it's close enough to provide two benefits: a bar for people to drink at and a great location to have panels, readings and other events. Being upstairs does pose a potential accessibility problem for the elderly and disabled. The only complaint I have about the Victory Cafe was that the service was horrendously slow and that only hurts their own beverage sales. The new bar that just opened beside the Beguiling might be another site to use in 2007.