Monthly Archives: March 2011

Happenings: Artists Help Japan – Toronto, Sunday April 17th @ Revival

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Jim Zubkavich, Alvin Lee, Chris Butcher and Bobby Chiu have teamed up to organize the a Toronto event to raise funds for victims of the terrible disaster that affected Japan earlier this March:

Artists Help Japan: Toronto
Toronto’s Illustration Community Fundraiser for Quake and Tsunami Relief
At REVIVAL, 783 College Street, Toronto
Sunday April 17th, 12 Noon to 12 Midnight
Free To Attend – All Ages
http://artistshelpjapan.blogspot.com/

FEATURING LIVE ART BY:
KEI ACEDERA, KALMAN ANDRASOFSZKY, JASON BRADSHAW, BOBBY CHIU, SVETLANA CHMAKOVA, JULIE FAULKNER, SCOTT HEPBURN, STUART IMMONEN, DALE KEOWN, ERIC KIM, KEN LASHLEY, JEFF LEMIRE, ALVIN LEE, FRANCIS MANAPUL, ALEX MILNE, JOE NG, RAMON PEREZ, MARCIO TAKARA, MARCUS TO, ERIC VEDDER, JIM ZUB, + MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!

DJ SETS + MUSIC PROVIDED BY:
RIVIERA [PERFECTO,MYTH, KINETIKA NYC], LAZY RAY [NIGHTTRACKIN'], GERRENCE [NIGHTTRAKKIN'], ALVARO G [KINGS OF LATE NIGHT], ROLAND GONZALES [STUDIO+], CARLOVEGA [STUDIO+], JASON ULRICH [LAB.OUR UNION],SHINGO [HOT SAUCE]

PRESS RELEASE:

TORONTO—Toronto’s Illustration and Artistic Community comes together on April 17th in a 12 hour art-event at Revival. The unique event will raise money to aid relief efforts in Japan following the devastating recent earthquake and tsunami there. Spearheaded by a consortium of Toronto illustration studios, the Artists Help Japan: Toronto event is the local iteration of a charity movement begun by Pixar Art Director Dice Tsutsumi. The Toronto edition will feature live art shows, a silent auction, and dozens of artists and illustrators selling commissioned drawings, with all proceeds benefiting the Canadian Red Cross.

“As artists we are tremendously inspired by Japan and Japanese culture,” says Bobby Chiu, the illustrator, teacher and founder of Toronto’s Imaginism studios behind the Artists Help Japan: Toronto event. “We were all personally affected by the quake, tsunami, and resulting damage. It is important to give back for all that Japan has given us, and we can think of no better way to do so than with our art.”

Artists Help Japan: Toronto will feature more than 24 artists and illustrators from the Greater Toronto Area creating original drawings for 12 hours! This is an unprecedented opportunity for the general public to commission an original drawing from a professional artist and watch its creation in process; the artist’s fee will be donated entirely to the Canadian Red Cross.

In addition:
- Dozens more cartoonists will donate original art, books, and other rare items to be featured in a silent-auction on-site at Revival Bar.
- Live art demonstrations from Toronto Illustrators on stage, with the final pieces to be auctioned off live at the event
- $1 from the sale of every drink at Revival Bar will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross.

Admission to the ARTISTS HELP JAPAN: TORONTO event is free, and all ages are welcome. The event will run from 12 Noon to 12 Midnight.

ABOUT:

Artists Help Japan is a charity movement initiated by Dice Tsutsumi, an art director at Pixar Animation Studios, who was also behind 2008 Totoro Forest Project to help preserve Sayama Forest in Japan and Sketchtravel Project, to gather the force of communities of artists and creative minds around the world. We believe artists have special roles to contribute to the society. http://artistshelpjapan.blogspot.com/

Artists Help Japan: Toronto is spearheaded by Imaginism Studios President and illustrator Bobby Chiu, who was contacted by Dice Tsutsumi to run the Toronto event. Working with Illustrator Alvin Lee, Udon Entertainment CEO Erik Ko, writer/artist Jim Zubkavich, and Christopher Butcher of Toronto comic book store The Beguiling and the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, the team hopes to bring together Toronto’s diverse and exciting artistic community to engage the public in an unprecedented fundraising endeavour.

All proceeds from Artists Help Japan: Toronto will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross, specifically earmarked to aid in Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief. http://www.redcross.ca/

SPONSORS:

Revival Bar has been entertaining guests, visitors and fans as a premium event space since 2002. Revival has generously donated the use of their main space for the Artists Help Japan: Toronto event, and will be donating $1 from the cost of every drink to the fundraising efforts.http://www.revivalbar.com/

Happenings: FREE Toronto ComiCON Fan Appreciation April 9-10 * Guest & Exhibitor UPDATE *

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It’s less than two weeks away and the exhibitor list is solidifying, so here’s an update:

Toronto ComiCON
7th Annual Spring Fan Appreciation Event
Saturday, April 9 at 11:00am – 6:00pm
Sunday, April 10 at 11:00am – 5:00pm

Metro Toronto Convention Centre – South Building
222 Bremner Blvd.
Toronto, ON

FREE ADMISSION BOTH DAYS – NO VOUCHERS OR COUPONS REQUIRED!

Guests Include:
Actor RICHARD HATCH – Battlestar Galactica (new & original)
Actor ALAN RUCK – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Spin City, Star Trek: Generations, Justified, Fringe
Actor DOMINIC KEATING – Star Trek: Enterprise
Voice Actor JAIME MARCHI – Voice Actor Black Cat, The Big Windup, Witchblade
Voice Actor TRINA NISHIMURA – Voice Actor Evangelion 2.0, You Can (Not) Advance
ETHAN VAN SCIVER – Flash Rebirth, Green Lantern
PATRICK GLEASON – Batman & Robin
BOB MCLEOD – New Mutants & more
GEOF DARROW – Shaolin Cowboy, Hard Boiled
CHRIS SPROUSE – Tom Strong & the Robots of Doom
KHOI PHAM – Chaos War
FRANCIS MANAPUL – The Flash (SAT ONLY)
DALE KEOWN- Pitt, Hulk
TY TEMPLETON- Strange Tales II, Batman Adventures, Northern Guard
LEONARD KIRK (New Mutants)
DAVE ROSS (Star Wars: Legacy)
MARCUS TO (Red Robin, Soulfire)
VALENTINE DE LANDRO (X-Factor)
CLAYTON HANMER C-TON (OWL Magazine)
KALMAN ANDRASOFSZKY (X-23)
ANDY BELANGER (Kill Shakespeare)
ANTHONY DEL COL (Kill Shakespeare)
CONOR McCREERY (Kill Shakespeare)
ALEX MILNE (Transformers)
MARCIO TAKARA (Incredibles, Incorruptable)
ERIC VEDDER (Darkstalkers)
MIKE DEL MUNDO (Klaws of the Black Panther)
NIMIT MALAVIA (Wolverine & Jubilee)
MICHAEL CHO (Paper Cut)
KELLY TINDALL (Proof, That’s so Kraven)
AGNES GARBOWSKA (Girl Comics)
RAY FAWKES (Possessions)
ATTILA ADORJANY (Metaphysical Neuroma)
SAM AGRO
DAVID J. CUTLER
IAN DAFFERN
JASON EDMISTON
MIKE GAGNON
RAFF IENCO
SHANE KIRSHENBLATT
DRAZEN KOZJAN
KURT LEHNER
MIKE LEONE
MARVIN MARIANO
RICHARD PACE
NICK POSTIC
BENJAMIN RIVERS
HUGH ROOKWOOD
K.T. SMITH
CRAIG YEUNG
DALE CAMUS
FRANCOIS CHARTIER
MARVIN LAW
PHIL MCCLOREY
POWIE STUDIOS
SINJ OVERLOAD
SPENT PENCIL STUDIOS
SVITART
KEN TURNER
YAOZA GRAPHICS

EXHIBITORS:
1,000,000 Comix Toronto
All New Comics
Almar Enterprises
Anything and Everything
Big B Comics
Comic Book Addiction
Comic Book Daily
Comic Trader
Comics & More
Cyber City Comix
Dragonstar
Girasol Collectibles
Graham Cracker Comics
Haganland
Harley Yee Rare Comics
Heavy Mental Designs
Heroes Laval
Kewl Collectibles
Komico
Labyrinth Books
Major Comics
Max the Mutt Animation School
MTC Toys
Pendragon
Peter Jelic
Sick on Sin

http://hobbystar.com/upcomingevents/torontocomiccon2011.html

Programming will include Q&As, some workshops and sketch duels. Full schedule pending confirmation.

New Comics – In Stores 3/30/2011

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Note: My apologies for posting this late – I moved over the weekend to a new apartment.

PREVIEWSworld.com New Releases

Shipping 3/30/2011

Each week PREVIEWSworld.com provides a list of comics, graphic novels and other pop-culture merchandise arriving at your local comic shop.

Please check with your retailer for availability, as not all releases may be on sale in all areas at the same time.

Continue reading →

DC Comics by Canadians – June 2011

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FLASHPOINT: FRANKENSTEIN AND THE CREATURES OF THE UNKNOWN #1
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by IBRAIM ROBERSON
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
FLASH FACT! They can’t survive unless they find their maker!
Retailers: Please see the Previews Order form for special FLASHPOINT promotional buttons.
On sale JUNE 8 • 1 of 3, 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

FLASHPOINT: KID FLASH LOST STARRING BART ALLEN #1
Written by STERLING GATES
Art by OLIVER NOME
Cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
FLASH FACT! Where is he? Or should we say when?
Retailers: Please see the Previews Order form for special FLASHPOINT promotional buttons.
On sale JUNE 22 • 1 of 3, 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

FLASHPOINT: GRODD OF WAR #1
Written by SEAN RYAN
Art by IG GUARA
Cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
FLASH FACT! Africa belongs to him!
One-shot • On sale JUNE 15 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Continue reading →

Marvel Comics by Canadians – June 2011

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FEAR ITSELF #3 (of 7)
Written by MATT FRACTION
Penciled by STUART IMMONEN
Cover by STEVE McNIVEN
Variant Cover by STUART IMMONEN
Variant Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI
The blockbuster Marvel event of the year continues!
Sin leads the most audacious attack on American soil the world has ever seen as global panic sets in and we fall sway to the power of fear itself. On Asgard, Loki hatches the scheme to end all schemes. And everywhere, the Serpent’s presence is felt…never moreso than when a major Marvel hero falls at his hands. The shock ending to end all shock endings…as the cycle of evil stretching millennia is at last completed.
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Continue reading →

Too much of a good thing or too little? Trying to get a handle on Toronto Con reports

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When comics and pop culture meet you don't always get on the rainbow bridge to Asgard. Chris Hemsworth as Thor from the upcoming movie of the same name.

Last weekend we had three regional comics events in Canada, as well as one large  convention in the US. There are hardly any reports from the smaller one day comic shows, such as the ones that were held in Edmonton and Vancouver, but there have been a few reports from the 3-day Wizard Toronto Comic Con.

I didn’t go – I was at C2E2 in Chicago, so my impressions are drawn from what passes for the reports posted online (thanks to Sequential and Comic Book Daily for the most coverage) or from the people who I’ve spoken to about it that went. Loud annoying music and temperature issues aside, some patterns are emerging.

As with last year the pattern was Friday – slow, Saturday – busy, Sunday – moderately busy. It’s the same trend everywhere, really. At C2E2 it was busy Friday, crazy busy Saturday and slightly less busy than Saturday on Sunday. General consensus among most reports from people that went is that Wizard should just ditch the Friday and go to being a  2-day show, as that’s the way the attendance seems to be defining it.

This is a comics-themed site, not a pop culture one, and I personally have no interest in those areas of these events. So when reading these blog reports it’s been tough to discern what type of comic book show this was.

Generally the reports divide along three lines:

— those that got in for free under media, fan table or dealer passes or as a volunteer for Paradise Comics. These people had a good time, with some caveats, but lack the perspective of a paying customer or paying exhibitor. Friday’s slowness aside, they got their sketches, they saw some celebrities and/or easily obtained the interviews they wanted to do, and those few who cared about comics wished there were more comic guests and noticed the absence of comic dealers*. They report a busy show in a smaller space on Saturday – the room capacity of Hall D at the DEC is 2300 people, so it’s no wonder the show looked busy.

— those that paid for the event. These people divide along two lines as well: 1)  those there for comics – they felt ripped off and disappointed, and 2) those there for celebrity autographs – who were generally happy. In perspective – at $38 standard adult daily admission the show is more expensive than every other event of this type in the region, and I think that scares people away who just want to buy comics or get some items signed by the comic guests. The absence of new-to-Toronto comic pros for that price also hurt the event’s appeal to comic fans, as did the absence of almost all local and US comic dealers**. If you went to meet Star Wars and Buffy people you seem to be generally happy with what you paid, and if you dressed up you were not alone and people took pictures of you or oggled you, but if you went for comics creators or to buy back issues you were likely disappointed and maybe a little upset because there wasn’t much for you that you don’t get elsewhere (like TCAF or the other comic shows) for a lot less.

*There’s a legitimate reason why there are few comics dealers — at over $800 a booth (not incl. taxes) it’s the highest priced show in the region to exhibit at. So what if you can get 2 more boxes on a table, the bottom line is that the bottom line is too high and people are passing and watching to see what happens next. When you have to give away a thousand dollars worth of product to break even and your profit margins are tight as is, you tend to take these things into account, something your average blogger or opinionated fan doesn’t think about.

**The US dealers – an asset in the first year – chose to do Chicago’s C2E2, something I would probably have moved this show’s dates to avoid a conflict with and keep them, even though this show’s dates were announced first.

— finally, the many regular to the GTA creators recruited – some of whom reported deathly slow sales such as Tom Fowler, to some who had better than average sales such as Leonard Kirk. Kalman Andrasofszky, who I ran into on my way home on Monday, said it was better than he was expecting it to be. Sounds like it was a mixed bag.

If this show wants to improve: go to 2 days, lower the daily admission price, lower the table rates considerably, make sure it doesn’t conflict with other comics industry event dates (such as other March/April events in Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco and Orlando) , get your US dealers back, better advertise to comic fans, get better new-to-Toronto comics pro guests as draws, try not to book so many guests who’ve been to Toronto in the last 3 years and try to get the support of the GTA retailers.

Why do we have a Webcomics category?

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The Joe Shuster Awards, among the majority of the comics industry’s other awards, are primarily awards for print-based work. That is, comics that have been created specifically for sale in comic book stores and other retail outlets.

By honouring said work in such a fashion, awards (like these Joe Shuster Awards) hope to (in no specific order) — (a) help sell more copies of the books (and thus help our retailers and creators), (b) expose more people to great comics (and help schools and libraries in selecting books to carry/promote to their students), and (c) raise the awareness, and thus the profile, of creators doing great work. The full title of every award we give out except Webcomics is OUTSTANDING CANADIAN COMIC BOOK/GRAPHIC NOVEL (artist/writer/cartoonist/colourist/cover artist/publisher/retailer/self-publisher).

In 2006 we added a Webcomic Creator/Creative Team category. Why? Well, mainly in response to the fact that many people were creating great comics and putting them online. We felt that we should recognize these creators, even though the majority of them have more in common with newspaper gag strips and short form comics, formats we don’t recognize here at the Joe Shuster Awards in the core awards. There is a great diversity of comics being published on the internet and a lot more Canadians are doing them every year. Why not recognize that? Why not, indeed.

Our intention is not to be dismissive or patronizing, it’s unfortunate that people would promulgate that as the intention of any award attempting to honour the work of any creator. I see that it can be interpreted as isolating by some webcomics creators.

I don’t see that as a negative in the case of our webcomic creator/creative team award, I think it’s a positive.

When reviewing all of the potential webcomics we were looking for not just great writing or art, but OUTSTANDING creators who use the delivery system to great effect. I think our seven nominees are all outstanding creators of comics for the internet – most used the delivery system’s potential much more than just scanning a strip and posting it online. These are great comics created specifically for the internet and most succeed because the delivery system is not print.

If we were to dismiss the category or merge it, most people would be lost in the shuffle. If anything, a discussion takes place every year about expanding this category — perhaps dividing dailies from weeklies, ongoing strips from gag strips, etc. There aren’t enough Canadians doing it to justify separate writer/artist/cartoonist/colourist awards. So far we’ve been hesitant to expand by division, instead we concentrate on focusing on putting together a strong list for the one award.

Now perhaps we’ll see a day when there’s no need to cheer-lead comics printed on dead trees and there will be no need to recognize creators for using the delivery system to create outstanding comics… perhaps on that day digital delivery and online availability will eliminate the need to send people out to buy books to support the livelihoods of those that depend on the sales of books to continue creating, selling and publishing comics. However, we are not there yet.

As always, at the end of the award year (that would be between July and December this year), we are willing to discuss whether or not changes are required to the category for the following year.

2011 Nominees for Outstanding Canadian Webcomic Creator/Creative Team:

Congratulations to Canadians nominated for Stumptown Art Awards

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2011 Stumptown Comic Arts Awards Nominees include Canadian Immonen, Carroll, O’Malley and DeForge!

The Stumptown Comics Festival is proud to announce the final list of 2011 nominees for the Stumptown Comic Arts Awards as chosen by thei panel of judges. Winners will be announced at the Stumptown Comics Festival in Portland, Oregon on the weekend of April 16-17. Webcomics creators have been incorporated in the categories with creators whose work was published in print.

Best Artist

Best Writer

Best Cartoonist

Best Letterer

Best Colorist

Best Publication Design

Best Anthology

Best Small Press

Best New Talent

Reader’s Choice:
Voters are asked to list up to three of their favorite comics from April 2010 to April 2011. Any graphic novel, trade paper back collection, single issue or ongoing series, small press or online – whatever title has the most votes as determined by the readers will win this special prize.

To vote in this year’s awards, please visit:
http://www.stumptowncomics.com/awards_ballot
After voting, you will receive an email which must be confirmed in order for your vote to be counted.

Judges for the 2011 Stumptown Comics Awards are: Michael Allred (Madman), Brandon Graham (King City), Laura Hudson (Editor, ComicsAlliance.com), Michael Ring (Owner, Bridge City Comics), and Jason Leivian (Owner, Floating World Comics).

Les Finalistes pour les Prix Bédéis Causa 2011

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À quelques semaines du 24e Festival de la bande dessinée francophone de Québec (FBDFQ), qui aura lieu du 13 au 17 avril prochain, l’organisation a rendu public ce lundi les finalistes de ses prix Bédéis Causa 2011. Cherchant à récompenser ce qui se fait de mieux en matière de bande dessinée, particulièrement celle créée par les auteurs d’ici, ces prix sont remis depuis les débuts de l’événement, en 1988.

La cérémonie de remise de prix, qui aura lieu à l’Observatoire de la Capitale, le 15 avril prochain à 17h30, sera l’occasion de réunir plusieurs acteurs du milieu et de refléter la vitalité actuelle du 9e art au Québec.

LES FINALISTES
Prix Réal-Fillion
Auteur québécois, scénariste ou dessinateur, s’étant le plus illustré avec son premier album professionnel
(Quebec author – writer or artist – that illustrated their first original professional album)
• SYLVAIN LEMAY, avec Pour en finir avec novembre (Les 400 coups)
• ÉMILIE VILLENEUVE ET JULIE ROCHELEAU, avec La fille invisible (Glénat Québec)
• SAMUEL LEBLANC, avec Parfum de lilas (Les 400 coups)

Grand prix de la ville de Québec
Meilleur album de langue française publié au Québec
(Best French language graphic album published in Quebec)
• CHRONIQUES SAUVAGES, de François Lapierre (Glénat Québec)
• LA FILLE INVISIBLE, d’Émilie Villeneuve et Julie Rocheleau (Glénat Québec)
• APNÉE, de Zviane (Pow Pow)

Prix Albéric-Bourgeois
Meilleur album de langue française publié à l’étranger par un auteur québécois, dessinateur ou scénariste.
(Best French language graphic novel by a Quebec author – writer or artist – published by a foreign publisher)
• LUCK, de Michel Falardeau (Dargaud)
• COMÉDIE SENTIMENTALE PORNOGRAPHIQUE, de Jimmy Beaulieu (Delcourt)
• ASPIC, T. 1 – LA NAINE AUX ECTOPLASMES, de Jacques Lamontagne et Thierry Gloris (Soleil)

Prix Maurice-Petitdidier
Coup de coeur du jury pour album francophone publié à l’étranger
(Jury choice for a French graphic album published abroad)
• LA MORT DE STALINE, de Fabien Nury et Thierry Robin (Dargaud)
• ASTERIOS POLYP, de David Mazzucchelli (Casterman)
• PARKER T. 1 – LE CHASSEUR, de Richard Stark et Darwyn Cooke (Dargaud)

Lors de la cérémonie, l’organisation du FBDFQ remettra également le Prix Albert-Chartier, décerné en hommage à un individu ou organisme ayant marqué le monde de la bande dessinée francophone au Québec.

Rappelons que la présente édition des Bédéis Causa porte sur les albums publiés entre février 2010 et février 2011. Le jury des Bédéis Causa 2011 est constitué de Pierre Blais, reporter-coordonnateur à Vox et chroniqueur BD à CKRL, Mathieu Forget, animateur de Bédéphilement Vôtre à CIBL, Marco Duchesne, de la Librairie Pantoute, David Kelly, de Renaud-Bray et Patrick Marleau, président du FBDFQ et spécialiste BD de la boutique l’Imaginaire.

Congratulations to Canadian creators nominated for the 2011 Eagle Awards

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INTRODUCED in 1976, (England’s) the Eagle Comic Awards are the comic industry’s longest established awards, acknowledged as the pre-eminent international accolades.The Eagles have been featured on the covers of leading US and UK titles across the last 30 years, unique in that they reflect the people’s choice and comprise of two distinct stages.

The Eagle Comic Awards ceremony takes place as part of the London MCM Expo – London’s Comic Con at Excel in London each May.

Note: the nominees were selected by fans votes submitted earlier in the year and will be decided by fan votes as well. You will be able to vote here starting today. Polls close on April 11.

Interestingly enough Bryan Lee O’Malley made it onto both favourite newcomer lists (writer, artist) and is included in the “Roll Call”, the Hall of Fame equivalent. Darwyn Cooke, Jeff Lemire, Fiona Staples, Kate Beaton, John Byrne and Todd McFarlane have been nominated in various categories.

Full list of categories and nominees after the cut. Continue reading →

TdotComics website relaunched!

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Last weekend, Alice Quinn and her crew of able assistants and bloggers relaunched their Toronto comics community news and information website TdotComics. You’ll find plenty of interesting things there, such as op/ed blogs, profiles and highlights from upcoming and past comics related events in Toronto, podcasts, a creator database and a whole lot more. From the About Us page:

TdotComics is your source for news on the Toronto Comics community. We go to all the conventions & chat with the creators & realized that we have a rich vibrant comics culture in Toronto & decided to focus TdotComics on exactly that. Comics coming out of Toronto, Ontario & the GTA. Alice Quinn created TdotComics & runs it to this day you can find out more about her in Bios. TdotComics is always looking for more contributors & more importantly new Toronto comics, We like to promote local talent & events so if you’ve got the scoop email us at tdotcomics@gmail.com.

Creator Interviews, Comic Reviews, Nerd Events
We’ve got you covered TdotCity!

Learn More:
Website: http://www.tdotcomics.ca/
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/TdotComics
Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/TdotComics
vimeo channel: http://www.vimeo.com/user3491033

Happenings: Toronto AnimeCON March 19-20, 2011

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I’m not particularly knowledgeable about Anime, and I won’t be around Toronto next weekend (I’ll be at C2E2), but I should remind people that this upcoming weekend at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre is the annual 2-day March break Toronto AnimeCON that most anime people and cosplayers seem to refer to as MTAC.

www.hobbystar.com

Saturday : 11:00am – 6:00pm
Sunday : 11:00am – 5:00pm

ADMISSION
Flat rate admission $15.00 for Saturday and/or Sunday. Children age 10 and under admitted FREE with adult ticket purchase! (proof of age required)

Note: It’s a pay one price fee — that is, if you go early Saturday you get 2 full days access. If you go Sunday only, the price is the same so going early is the best value.

SPECIAL GUESTS
Professional voice actors from your favourite anime shows will be on hand to sign autographs, take pictures and answer questions.

SEAN SCHEMMEL
Dragon Ball Z
CHRIS PATTON
Full Metal Alchemist & Full Metal Panic!
TREVOR DEVALL
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed & Death Note
JASON LIEBRECHT
Eden Of The East & Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
BRIAN DOBSON
Death Note & Mobile Suit Gundam
JASON DELINE
Bakugan & Beyblade
SHAWN MEUNIER
Bakugan & Beyblad

HALL COSPLAY
Many anime fans dress up for the occasion as their favourite characters from beloved anime and manga series.

J POP DANCE
By popular demand! Saturday, MTAC has added an all age’s J-Pop dance to its after-hours programming! Come dancing with your friends at no additional cost with DJ Vlad in the house spinning Oricon chart toppers beloved from Tokyo to Toronto!
Saturday ONLY @ 5pm

GAMES
Anime Win, Lose, or Draw; Name That Tune, Anime Flash, Trivia being played live, all day long.

Happenings: Kazoo! Zine and Comic Expo – Guelph, ON

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Kazoo! fest 2011 and The Dragon are proud to present the Kazoo! Zine and Comic Expo as part of the week long festivities.

The Kazoo! Festival is a five day arts festival, happening April 13-17th 2011 in the heart of downtown Guelph. The festival features music, with over 25 bands at venues across town, and will include a zine & comic expo, visual art, film screenings, and more. Heck, there is even a Kid’s Disco!

The Zine and Comic Expo will happen on Saturday April 16th from 11 am to 4 pm at Norfolk United Church in Guelph.

There will be lots of zines, comics, and sweet treats, and new this year: AWARDS! Dust off your Xerox machines and get creating! Also be sure to also join us afterward at the Afterparty (4pm to 7pm) where Jennifer Haines, owner of The Dragon, will present a talk on Women In Comics, with the awards ceremony to follow. Award categories are: best zine, best comic and best new work. Winners will receive a plaque and cash prize.

Artists looking to sign up for this event: half tables is $10 and full tables are $15. Registration is through kazoo.zine@gmail.com. You can pay the day off at set up, which begins at 10 am on the 16th. This year is going to be amazing, so be sure to get your name on the list early to ensure your spot! Come join in and share your own work!

For more information visit www.kazookazoo.ca

C2E2 / Toronto Comic Con next weekend March 18-20

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Two 3-day “comic” conventions happening next weekend — one in Canada, one not.

In Toronto, it’s the 2nd Wizard World Toronto Comic Con. As with last year, we won’t have a booth, as only one of the Executive will be in attendance at the event: representing Comic Book Daily and the Awards will be Mohawk College’s Comics History Prof Mr. Chris Owen. If you are looking for a rep from the organization to touch base with you can ask for Chris at the Comic Book Daily fan table. With WWTO shrinking considerably (moving into a hall 1/2 the size as the one it was in last year), few non-local comics guests and very little comics programming or comics dealers I am not expecting much, if any, comic news to come out of WWTO. I’ll be reading Comic Book Daily and other sites for their convention reports. Nevertheless, there are a lot of great local creators who are attending who deserve your support, so if you are going — take the time to buy a comic or graphic novel, print, sketch or piece of original art from them. Some nominees in attendance: Francis Manapul, Mike Del Mundo, Kalman Andrasofszky, Nick Mandaag, Conundrum Press, Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery.

The following creators are not appearing at WWTO – they were advertised and have been  removed without fanfare (it seems they no longer keep a cancellations list on the site) so don’t expect to see: Joe Madureira, Carlos Pacheco, Bruce Jones, Gabriel Hardman, Ethan Van Sciver, Bill Sienkiewicz, or Chester Brown.

In Chicago, it’s Reed Exhibitions’ 2nd Annual C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo). I will be at this event representing the Awards. For the duration of the con I will be mostly based out of the CGC booth (Booth 537). Occasional contributor to the site, Matt Allen, will be there as well and I’ll be pressuring him to get us some interviews. C2E2 really scores as the comics industry show of the weekend, and there should be plenty of publishing news coming out of the show, and we should learn more about some of Diamond’s plans for digital distribution (that will be revealed at the Retailer conference). Nominees in attendance: Camilla D’Errico and Jim Zubkavich along with some Canadian creators like Ramon Perez, Ray Fawkes and Blind Ferret Studios. Many of the publishers behind the nominated comics will be there including: Marvel, DC, Image, Oni Press and Dark Horse.

Happy Anniversary Rob and Jenn!

Finally — Congratulations to Robert and Jenn Haines as they will be celebrating their first wedding anniversary!

Navigating Canadian tax laws for Artists

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It’s that time of the year, where people are rushing around readying their paperwork so Canada Revenue can take their money.

Artists do not typically have deductions made throughout the year, so tax time, and the tax bill, can be a stressful thing. Keep as much of your money as you can, by making sure your accountant is aware of the following:

Bulletin 504R2, “Visual Artists and Writers”

Bulletin IT514 “Work Space in Home Expenses”

Bulletin IT473R “Inventory Valuation”

Other bulletins of interest found at the CRA Site (eg: claiming car expenses).

Full credit to Chris Tyrell.