Canzine 2011-this Sunday, October 23

Canzine 2011 poster by Hyein Lee

I'll be at Canzine this year as a judge in the 1-2 Punch Book Pitch. No new The Wilding #5 yet but plans to print before the new year:

2pm – 1-2 Punch Book Pitch
Live on our mainstage in front of a crowing crowd, you get two minutes to pitch your book to our panel of judges. They get one minute each to tell you why you’ll never get published in a million, billion years, or why they want to see your manuscript in their inbox ASAP.

Sign up in advance to participate in the 1-2 Punch Book Pitch at Canzine. To sign up email canzine@brokenpencil.com with your: 1. name 2. email address 3. phone number 4. two or three line description of the project you are going to pitch. Sign up now, we only have room for 8 participants and this will be first come first served.

The winner of the pitch gets bragging rights and a Broken Pencil prize pack worth $200.

This year’s judges are…

Evan Munday

Evan Munday is the publicist for Toronto-based publisher Coach House Books and an illustrator whose work has appeared in books and magazines, including the novel Stripmalling, by Jon Paul Fiorentino. Evan has written and illustrated a young adult book The Dead Kid Detective Agency, which will be published this fall by ECW Press.

Fiona Smyth

Fiona Smyth is a Toronto based painter, illustrator, and cartoonist. She is currently producing two art projects funded by the TAC and the OAC, and teaches illustration and comics at OCADU. Fiona’s first graphic novel “The Never Weres” was published by Annick Press in 2011. A collection of her Exclaim comics “Cheez 100” was published by Pedlar Press in 2001. Fiona edits the drawing and comics zine The Wilding.

Amy Logan Holmes

Amy Logan Holmes is the Executive Director of Open Book: Toronto & Open Book: Ontario, an organization that works to connect readers with Ontario authors, books and literary events. Read all about it at www.openbooktoronto.com and www.openbookontario.com.

Little Island Comics -Comic Book Store for Kids! Opens in Toronto!!

Little Island illustration by Geneve Firanski. Little Island logo by Steve Manale.

11am-7pm Saturday October 1^st

12pm-6pm Sunday October 2^nd

742 Bathurst Street,Toronto

It’s official: Little Island Comics’ inaugural events on the first weekend of October 2011 will mark the debut of its events space with visits from local comics creators and the launch of Claudia Dávila’s new book Luz Sees the Light.

Our Grand Opening festivities will be a celebration of children’s comics and of Toronto’s comics community. A stellar schedule of local creator visits will be augmented by fun, informal activities for kids from open to close each day during the Grand Opening weekend. As well, select titles will be offered at door-crasher prices, so be sure to check back here next week to find out about the Grand Opening deals!

Scheduled creator appearances include:

Saturday October 1st

• 1:00pm – Fiona Smyth (The Never Weres)
• 3:00pm – LAUNCH: Claudia Dávila (Luz Sees the Light)

Sunday October 2nd

• 12:00pm – Clayton Hanmer (Cton’s Super A-Maze-Ing Year Of Crazy Comics!)
• 2:00pm – Jeremy Tankard (Boo-hoo Bird)
• 4:00pm – Kean Soo (Jellaby) and Tory Woollcott (Mirror Mind)

We’ll see you there!(post from Little Island Comics)

http://www.littleislandcomics.com/

FanExpo 2011

Visit the Koyama Press booth at FanExpo: featuring these fine Canadian cartoonists:

Thursday, August 25th.
Chris Kuzma
Steve Manale
Diana McNally
Maurice Vellekoop
Britt Wilson
Jesjit Gill
John Martz
Fiona Smyth
Steve Wolfhard
Michael DeForge

Friday, August 26th
Steve Manale
Diana McNally
Brian Fukushima
Maurice Vellekoop
Mark Laliberte
Jesse Jacobs
Diana Tamblyn
John Martz
Fiona Smyth
Steve Wolfhard
Ginette Lapalme
Patrick Kyle

Saturday, August 27th
Brian Fukushima
Vicki Nerino
Alex Perkins
Mark Laliberte
Diana Tamblyn
John Martz
Fiona Smyth
Aaron Costain
Steve Wolfhard
Ginette Lapalme
Patrick Kyle

Sunday, August 28th
Steve Manale
Diana McNally
Vicki Nerino
Alex Perkins
Britt Wilson
John Martz
Fiona Smyth
Aaron Costain
Steve Wolfhard

http://joeshusterawards.com/2011/08/23/happenings-fan-expo-appearance-schedule-at-the-koyama-press-booth/
http://www.fanexpocanada.com/genre/guest/view/577

Girls' Day Out at Paradise Comics Saturday August 20 and FanExpo

I'll be part of the fun at Paradise Comics this Saturday, drop by and check out the Girl Power. Next week I'll be at FanExpo at the Koyama Press table, please check back here for specific days and hours. See you soon!!

http://paradisecomics.com/news
http://www.fanexpocanada.com/genre/guest/view/577

POSTPONED, will reschedule soon:Guess What?! at the other White House

Talking about zines at the White House in Toronto, join us if you can.

http://www.theotherwhitehouse.ca/main.html

Earlier in the day attend the zine event at OCAD:

International Zine Library Day: Collaborative Zine Fest

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=186263001432890

Whazamo!

Here is the interview I did for Open Book Toronto,
please check out the link to read the whole piece and see the other featured graphic novelists :

http://www.openbooktoronto.com/news/whazamo_profiles_fiona_smyth

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2011

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2011 was held on May 7^th and 8^th at the Toronto Reference Library. By all accounts it was the best TCAF ever! Record numbers of comics fans attended the event. It’s dangerous being an exhibitor there because whatever money you make can quickly disappear into purchases of zines and comics from around the world! Hey, it’s only once a year, gotta stock up.

Ethan Rilly and Jordan Bursach get ready for the crowds early Sunday morning.

http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/afterword/archive/2010/05/04/toronto-comic-arts-festival-2010-jordan-bursach.aspx

http://www.popehats.ca/comics.html

Conundrum Press’ Andy Brown shows off his wares to Anne Koyama and Koyama Press’ Keith Jones. I’m very excited about Andy publishing Temple Bates new book Hermoddities this summer, which will include her zine CATPEEPS!

http://koyamapress.com/

http://www.nobodyland.com/

http://www.conundrumpress.com/wp/

http://templebates.com/

The Koyama Press tables were where the cool kids hung out. So much good stuff, boggles the mind. Got to meet Hellen Jo, Calvin Wong, Ryan Sands, and totally play nerdy fanboy to Michael Deforge. We are not worthy! Somehow he escaped my camera.

http://www.helllllen.org/

http://samehat.blogspot.com/

http://calwong.org/

http://www.kingtrash.com/

Robin Nishio (under the P) of the great new KP anthology Root Rot chills out.

http://www.inqmnd.ca/site/#RobinNishio

More fanboy action when I meet the enigmatic Mickey Z.

http://mickeyz.org/

And Dustin Harbin looks exactly like his comics! Freaked me out.

http://dharbin.com/

Here’s some of the loot from the KP table, Root Rot is missing because I had it already and there was sooo much more I could’ve gotten.

The Trio Magnus crew were conveniently located beside the women’s washroom on the first level of the Toronto Reference Library. They made friends with many a relieved lady.

Aaron adds to one of their massive group drawings.

http://www.triomagnus.com/a01.html

http://www.aaronleighton.com/

http://www.claytonhanmer.com/

http://www.stevewilson.ca/

My sweetie Craig Daniels mans my table while I go spend all my TNW money. Craig’s band The Bon have a new album coming out June 10^th, come and see them at the Garrison as part of the Frantic City Freakout!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=201198606577339

http://www.myspace.com/wearethebon

I was thrilled to be sitting beside my old pal Maurice Vellekoop. He introduced me to the world of RAW Magazine back in the day and opened the flood gates to alternative/underground comics. Maurice has a new KP title “The World of Gloria Badcock” to be released later this year and is a Wilding contributor.

http://www.mauricevellekoop.com/

Craig, woot, woot!!

Thanks for buying my book! Annick-ster Joanna Karaplis took this pic:

http://www.joannakaraplis.com/

Willow Dawson, Wilding contributor meets the public.

http://willowdawson.com/willowdawson01.htm

http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/girl-power-willow-dawson-no-girls-allowed-interview

Sparkplug’s Dylan Williams greets the Toronto peops.

http://www.sparkplugcomicbooks.com/

Wilding contributor and chess opponent James Turner has a new title “Hell Lost”.

http://www.jtillustration.com/index.html

Marta Chudolinska and George A. Walker educate folks about wordless comics and the beauty of woodcuts.

http://www.openbooktoronto.com/news/whazamo_profiles_marta_chudolinska

http://www.openbooktoronto.com/news/whazamo_profile_george_walker

Woot! Woot! Fascinator drawer extraordinaire Lisa Hanawalt was at TCAF!

http://lisahanawalt.com/

Onto floor two late on Sunday to spend what coinage was left. Nobrow were up there, and Root Rot contributor Jesse Jacobs.

http://www.nobrow.net/

http://www.jessejacobs.ca/

The most exciting part of TCAF for me was the Wowee Zonk curated BLESS THIS PRESS area.

Lots of wild zines, comics, and prints by familiar and new to me artist and cartoonists.

Tomas Del Balso and Alexandra MacKenzie offered up a dizzying array of wonderfully wacked out imagery.

http://newphenomena.blogspot.com/

http://www.ddmmyyyy.net/tomas.html

Here’s some of the BLESS THIS PRESS loot I was lucky to get.

Two new creators to me: Lala Albert, and Zach Hazard Vaupen of Closed Captioned Comics.

http://plslala.com/

http://www.emosludge.com/

http://closedcaptioncomics.blogspot.com/

Me and the incomparable Shannon Gerard.

http://shannongerard.tumblr.com/

Wilding contributor Melissa Luk was a TCAF volunteer.

http://www.melissaluk.com/

Zinester and printer Daniela Jordan Villaveces checks out my Nobrow purchase in front of Andrew Remington Bailey’s gorgeous prints.

http://glowinthedarkmoustache.blogspot.com/

http://hehasantlers.blogspot.com/

Selena Wong and Peter Kalyniuk keep things calm.

http://www.selenawong.com/

http://mondomagazine.net/2007/artist-of-the-week-peter-kalyniuk/

Peter offered new screen prints he created at Punchclock, and only learned to do in the last month, sheesh.

Wowee Zonk, the bestest!

http://www.woweezonk.com/

Ginette Lapalme’s display, super sweet and psychedooolic.

http://www.ginettelapalme.com/

My favorite item of TCAF 2011 is Ginette’s quadruple mini zine collection, colour coordinated pattern studies. Just perfect.

Here all the mini stuff I collected, including Selena fridge magnets and original Dharbin art he was giving away! Dang I couldn't post this the right direction...

Patrick Kyle and Black Mass #5, satanic punks rool!

http://www.mother-books.com/

Michael Comeau was all sold out of his new Wolverine book but he did give me a great Sybil cutout.

http://comeaumichael.blogspot.com/

Phew, gotta save my pennies for next TCAF.

Much thanks to the hard work of Chris Butcher and Peter Birkemoe of the Beguiling for hosting THE greatest comics convention/show in the world!!

http://www.beguiling.com

Check out the lovely TCAF promo-short artist, cartoonist, zinester Chris Hutsul filmed for the event:

http://vimeo.com/22999575

http://hutsulville.blogspot.com/

Thanks to the Queen of Comics Anne Koyama, the army of TCAF volunteers, and all of you who came by and said hello! See you soon.