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.