Monthly Archives: September 2011

Marvel Comics by Canadians 12/2011

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Wrapping up the year of releases at Marvel Comics. A lot of cover art by Canadians with work by Kaare Andrews, Kalman Andrasofszky and Nick Bradshaw representing. Eaglesham continues strong on Alpha Flight and the same goes for Chris Bachalo on Wolverine and the X-Men.

As for collected editions, look for a hardcover collecting FEAR ITSELF (art by Stuart Immonen) as well as pigs-can-fly tradepaperback collections for John Byrne’s Spider-Man: Chapter One and Hulk Vol.2. Even more surprising is a collection of public service announcement comics featuring Spider-Man originally published in the 1980′s and early 1990′s.

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Happenings: TCW Industry Night with Francis Manapul – DC: The New 52: The Flash #1 Release Party & Gallery Show

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Toronto Cartoonists Workshop presents Industry Night with Francis Manapul – DC: The New 52: The Flash #1 Release Party & Gallery Show – Friday, SEPTEMBER 30th.

Presented by TORONTO CARTOONISTS WORKSHOP, GUERILLA PRINTING, ALL NEW COMICS & THE JOE SHUSTER AWARDS

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FanExpo Canada – 77,800 attendees in 2011

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The numbers are in! After an enormous year and record-breaking turnout – this years’ final tally of attendees is 77,840! On behalf of Fan Expo Canada™, we want to thank each and every one of you to helped contribute in making this show such a success. Stay tuned on fanexpocanada.com for updates, contests, news and be sure to check out the brand new images from 2011!

Happenings: Fiona Staples and Andrew Foley launch DONE TO DEATH in Saskatoon tonight!

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Are you in Saskatoon? Craving some culture? Then head over to Amazing Stories Comics and join them for the Saskatoon launch party for DONE TO DEATH, a collaboration between Shuster Winner Fiona Staples and Andrew Foley, writer of COWBOYS & ALIENS! Fiona & Andrew will be signing copies! The event runs from 3-8 PM, and there’s an after party at Earls in the Rhino Room. Get you some!

Done To Death:

Fed up with receiving poorly written Twilight knockoffs, editor Shannon Wade did what any reasonable person would: she started killing the worst of the would-be authors sending them to her. Meanwhile, Andy, a stuttering, overweight vampire has targeted those who portray vampires in a light he deems unrealistic. Not exactly novel but terribly graphic, Done To Death follows Andy and Shannon’s paths towards a collision as darkly funny as it is ridiculously violent.

Additional information at http://www.amazingstoriescomics.com/?p=2574

Happenings: Pope Hats #2 release party tonight 9/26 in Toronto

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Congratulations to 2010 Gene Day Award Winner ETHAN RILLY on the eve of the publication of POPE HATS #2. Here are the specs on the second issue which will be available in shops in October, and below that some details on an event taking place in Toronto this evening at the Central on Markham Street (near the Beguiling). Hall of Fame Cartoonist Chester Brown will be joining Ethan on stage for a brief conversation about the book, and there will be a special reading of the book with Britt Wilson.

Pope Hats #2 by Ethan Rilly.
Published by AdHouse Books

Pope Hats #2 follows the rise of young law clerk Frances Scarland. Frances must survive an unwanted promotion at one of Toronto’s major Bay Street firms, while tending to the regular wake of destruction left behind by her best friend. This eagerly anticipated issue follows what Seth described as “the most impressive debut comic I’ve seen in years” with a surreal exploration of growth and failure in downtown Toronto. Also included is a short story about a long distance relationship.

Details:
4C cover
40 1C pages
7 ” x 10 ” saddle stitched
$6.95 US funds
ISBN 978-1-9352331-6-9
Shipping October 2011
Diamond Order Code: AUG11 0750

arrow Download a PDF preview

Word on the Street Toronto 2011 Photos

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This afternoon Deb and I headed down to Queen’s Park for a few hours to check out Word on the Street – the National Book and Magazine Festival. There’s not much to report other than it was a perfect afternoon and everyone’s spirits were high. Tons of families with young kids. It was great to see some familiar faces and pick up a few reads along the way, including copies of the latest books by Seth and Kate Beaton. Continue reading →

Seth wins the Harbourfront Prize and $10K

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CBC news, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, Sequential, The Comics Reporter and The Beat have all reported that the Cartoonist known as Seth will be presented with the Harbourfront Prize (which is accompanied by $10,000) on October 29th as part of the closing ceremonies of the International Festival of Authors at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre.

It is the first time a graphic novelist has won the award given to an individual whose work has substantially contributed to the state of literature and books in Canada.

~ CBC News

“I was bowled over when I heard I was to be awarded the 2011 Harbourfront Festival Prize. I recall, back in the early ’90s talking to fellow cartoonist Chester Brown about the future of our medium and our hopes of its literary acceptance. We weren’t optimistic. Frankly, the idea of winning something like this was not within the realm of possibilities at that time so it goes without saying, that I am deeply honoured.”

~Seth’s statement

Seth and other cartoonists published by Drawn & Quarterly such as Dan Clowes and Kate Beaton will be appearing at the 32nd International Festival of Authors which runs from October 19th to the 30th as part of their fall appearance tours.

Seth’s latest book the G.N.B. Double C (The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists) is slated for release in October 2011.

Congratulations to Seth for winning this prestigious honour on behalf of everyone here at the Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Association.

Happenings: Word on the Street Toronto 2011

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PROGRAMMING:

THIS IS NOT THE SHAKESPEARE STAGE

2:30 – 3:30 :: How To Create Your Own Comic

Kill Shakespeareco-creators Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery, as well as series artist Andy Belanger, demonstrate how a comic is put together from the earliest stages of writing (the beat sheet) through the art process (penciling, inking, colouring) to the final production elements (lettering).The three entrepreneurs will also give tips on how to launch your own entertainment project.

NOTE: A version of this workshop was the best attended comics workshop at FanExpo Canada 2011.

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITY TENT

4:00 – 4:45 :: Toronto Cartoonists Workshop by David Lapp

Would you like to learn how to draw your own cartoons, comics and/or comic strips? Bring your creations to life with Cartooning 101! Cartooning 101 provides an introduction to the magical world of cartooning. Students of any ability will be given the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of basic storytelling and drawing skills – from stick figures and basic shapes to animation and movement. Ages 7-13.

APPEARANCES BY:
- Anthony Del Col is at the This Is Not The Shakespeare Stage at 2:30 PM
- Conor McCreery is at the This Is Not The Shakespeare Stage at 2:30 PM
- Evan Munday is at the This Is Not The Shakespeare Stage at 12:00 PM
- Patricia Storms – Host is at the Children’s Reading Tent at 11:30 AM – 2:40 PM
- Adriana Blake FB6
- Beach Studios MM13
- Broken Pencil Magazine MM7
- Diana Tamblyn and Lezley Davidson FB10
- Drawn & Quarterly 245 (author signings – hopefully Chester Brown)
- Egesta Comics FB4
- Evinou / Faulkner FB6
- Galaxion (Tara Tallan) FB4
- Hairy Tarantula 239, 240
- Koyama Press 248
- Owlkids KS21-24
- Pop Sandbox 248
- Powie Studios KS26
- Rorschach Press MM20
- Scholastic Canada KS10
- The Labyrinth KS33-36 and 117-120
- Xeno’s Arrow Comics / Maybe Mumkin FB8

Plus I’m sure you’ll find some discounted graphic novels at the ABC Books and BMV Books booths.

I’ve probably missed a few, the descriptions are a bit lacking on the website.

Happenings: Word on the Street Vancouver (Word Under the Street) 2011

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The Word Under The Street — Programming (click titles to expand content)

2:00–3:00 :: Cartooning Workshop
with Robin Thompson

12:00–3:00 :: Comic Critiques

 

APPEARANCES BY (unless otherwise noted these are for Word Under the Street)
- Gary Kent and Kim La Fave (Fishing with Gubby) will be at Raise-A-Reader Corner at 12:20
- Cloudscape Comics
- Colin Upton Comics
- The Comic Legends Legal Defense Fund
- Ed Brisson
- Fun Men Press
- Jason Turner
- Jenna Sokalski
- Lost City Comics (Jonathan Dalton)
- Mangy Cur Press
- Mostly Monsters
- Orca Publishing (at the Tent Booth)
- Rosencrantz Comics (Jesse and James Davidge)
- Steve Rolston
- Tiny Vices (Maria Karaplis)
- Tough Sissy Girl
- Vancouver Comic Con (at the Village area)

Happenings: Word on the Street National Book & Magazine Festival – Sunday, September 25/2011 across Canada

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It’s time again for the annual WORD ON THE STREET NATIONAL BOOK AND MAGAZINE FESTIVAL

Once again I’ll be looking at each location individually for the presence of comics and graphic novel content and guests….

HALIFAX NS
Sunday September 25, 2011 behind the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic,
11am – 5pm.
Pitch the Publisher is inside the Museum in the program room.
Graphic Novel Zone is inside at Alderney Landing (Dartmouth) where the Farmer’s Market is usually held. The Graphic Novel Zone is run by Strange Adventures and will feature programming… (no info on the website as to the specifics)

Appearances by:
- Mike Holmes

KITCHENER ON
Sunday September 25, 2011 at Victoria Park,
11am – 5pm

Appearances by:
- Scott Chantler (Scott will be also appearing in a panel at the City of Kitchener Arts and Culture tent at 3PM)

LETHBRIDGE AB
Sunday September 25, 2011 at Main Library: 5th Ave. S. and 8th St. S.,
11am – 5pm

Appearances by:
- Raina Telgemeier (Babystitter’s Club) via SKYPE

SASKATOON SK
Sunday September 25, 2011, 23rd Street East between 3rd and 4th Avenues,
11am – 5pm

Appearances by:
- Amazing Stories (retailer)

TORONTO ON
Sunday September 25, 2011 at Queen’s Park,
11am – 6pm

See separate posting

VANCOUVER BC
Sunday September 25, 2011 at Library Square and CBC Plaza,
11am – 5pm

See separate posting

Happenings: Upcoming Events at The Dragon – A Very Sweet Signing on 9/24 and Cindy Crabb in Guelph! on 10/02

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UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE DRAGON!

The Dragon recently moved locations, though we’re still in Old Quebec Street, so the mailing address doesn’t change.  We’re in a great new space and are celebrating with some upcoming events.

On September 24th we are hosting Jeff Lemire, Scott Chantler, Jesse Jacobs and Marco Rudy in store

On October 2nd we are doing something a little different.  We are teaming up with GRCGED (http://www.uoguelph.ca/~wrc/GRCGED/GRCGED.html) to host an after hours event.  Zine creator and guest of honour Cindy Crabb (http://www.dorisdorisdoris.com/ or http://doriszineblog.blogspot.com/) is currently touring the East Coast.  She will be giving a talk on her zine, her book, and the topic of women in the small press industry.  Joining Cindy will be local zinester Maranda Elizabeth and webcomic creator/self-publisher Adriana Blake, who creates Fall On Me (http://www.littleteacup.net/fallonme/).  The event is targeted at people intersted in zines, self-publishing, do it yourself distribution. This event has a door charge of $5/Pay What You Can.
Hope you find these interesting!

Best,

–
Jennifer Haines
The Dragon
55 Wyndham St. North, Unit T-12
Guelph, Ontario
N1H 7T8
www.thedragonweb.com

Confusion grows over the 2012 Wizard Toronto Comic Con dates and location

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The Wizard Toronto Comic Con has been announced as having it’s third incarnation taking place on March 24-25, 2012 at the Direct Energy Centre (where the event has taken place since launching). Guests have already been announced. Back in late June it was noticed that the show had dropped a day from the schedule, making it a 2-day event. Well it seems that the dates are an impossibility at the announced facility, something that would have been known at the time that the show dropped the third day in late June, because it seems the facility had been completed booked by other events before then.

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Montreal ComicCon Report

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So this past weekend my girlfriend Deb and I drove to Montreal to experience the MCC firsthand. I had a table at the event for the JSAs and Deb was going to be working with DesertWind Comics for the various signings with Stan Lee taking place over the course of the two day event.

Stan Lee and "The Counselor"

First off, congratulations to the MCC team: Oscar, Alex and Elizabeth for putting on a great show. Secondly, the Montreal Comic Con has officially graduated from being a strong regional comic con to a full on National event. Finally, with the growth comes a lot of challenges that will need to be fixed for 2012.

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DCnU week two observations

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I’m not going to recap the second week of books in as detailed a manner as I did the first, as we’re not a review site. I did manage to try 10 of the 13 books released on September 14th and found the better ones to be the comics that pretty much carried the same creative teams and storylines over from the previous issue of the titles (Batman and Robin, Green Lantern 1, Batwoman 1).

At the Montreal ComicCon (I’ll have a proper report up of the event up by tomorrow) I had some opportunities to talk with comics retailers from Ontario and Quebec and they all were extremely positive about the effect that the relaunch was having in bringing new customers into their stores, and that their existing customers were hooked on trying many of the titles out. Nearly all of them indicated they hoped the success would carry on into the second month of the relaunch. I also talked to a few dealers about speculation and quick inflation, as quite a few of them had their leftover copies for sale at inflated prices ranging from $5 (for $2.99 comics released that week) to $20 for Justice League #1, with second prints selling in the $10 range. Most of these retailers and dealers wished they had more to sell as demand far outstripped the supply. Between three or four modern sellers I did see every DCnU title released to date available for sale in Montreal, including variant editions of Action Comics 1 and Green Lantern 1.

Personally I’m still a little skeptical that this isn’t being nudged a lot by the speculators as stores did report a lot people trying to buy multiples, and they countered that by limiting the number of copies for purchase to two per customer, so I hope I’m wrong. That these retailers would bring unsold copies to the convention to sell at premium prices is no surprise, but I’m always a little concerned when we try to bump new releases into the secondary market too quickly, but people were hunting for those titles their own stores sold out of and without second or third printings available they were meeting the demand of the market that specific weekend.

The real test of whether or not the DCnU is a success or not will be when retailers are trying to sell the 3rd issues of these new books – will there still be audience? Will curiosity be satisfied or will these new readers be put off by the product available. We’ll know in November I guess, but for now things look pretty rosy.

GPG launches The Black Diamond Effect HD App

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A Worlds First! A new Comic App. Buy Once, Update Forever! By George Peter Gatsis.

The Premise: At large group of misfits, brought together to take on missions too trivial for real space detectives. Among the group is Joe King, Cryplet, Ms. Take and Syntax E.R.R.O.R.

This is a BUY ONCE COMIC APP and the following issues will be updated on a monthly schedule for free. Making this is the worlds first Buy Once/Update Forever Comic Book App! Once you purchase the App, all the updates (or issues) will be free. Issue 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… etc… Every update will have more pages added to the Comic Book App…

Once you buy this Comic Book App… You never have to look at your iTunes account balance to see if you can afford to buy the next issue… ever again.

And for those people considering buying this App, after we have released many updates… Guess what, you get ALL the content as if you had been there at the beginning.

What are you waiting for? Buy the App and your eyes will ogle at the art and your mind will be challenged by the unique adventures (loud echoey voice) IN TIME & SPACE!

Here is the link : http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tbde-comics-hd/id458270202?ls=1&mt=8

About George Peter Gatsis:
George is a multi-talented artist, creating a wide range of print and video content from Toronto, Canada.
He has been publishing the FIRST Canadian Computer Generated Comic Book series called THE BLACK DIAMOND EFFECT since 1990.
George has assisted in the creation of various publications, most notably:
em>1) Dave Ross’s THRAX (lettering & pre-press production);
2) Dress for Success: The Dirty Baker’s Dozen (pre-press production);
3) my name is SMITH: An Autobiography on the father of Nelvana Animation founder Clive A. Smith.