Meet Ben McCool at JHU Wed, February 8!

On Wednesday, February 8 beginning at 6:00 pm, JHU Welcomes Back writer Ben McCoool (Choker, Memoir), signing copies of the brand new trade paperback of his Image series Pigs! All EXCLUSIVELY at Jim Hanley’s Universe in Manhattan, Where Fans and Creators Meet!

Gotta support the man. The trade collection has the sweet cover by Jock and an intro by Andy Diggle.

Chris Hardwick’s role as nerd frontman to the world continues unabated as he’s just signed a deal to appear at more ReedPop events, including C2E2 and NYCC. The “Talking Dead” host will appear at several events at both shows, and Nerdist Industries will participate in another White Space B2B think tank event such as was held at the 2011 New York Comic Con.

ReedPOP, creators and organizers of the New York Comic Con (NYCC), the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), as well as other major events in the popular culture world, and Nerdist Industries, a multi-platform creator of genre and pop culture content, have today announced a continuation and formalization of a relationship that successfully began at NYCC in 2011 with the launch of the exclusive WHITE SPACE B2B conference.  This new alliance provides for a wide range of strategic and cross-promotional activities that include Nerdist interviews with ReedPOP guests and a prominent role for Chris Hardwick, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Nerdist Industries, at ReedPOP shows.  Hardwick, host of AMC’s Talking Dead as well as Nerdist specials for BBC America, founded Nerdist in 2008 and has nurtured its growth into a multimedia name now spanning blogs, a podcast, television, web-video, live-events and print.  Chris will be a leading personality at NYCC, C2E2 and other ReedPOP events.  
 
Nerdist Industries will have a presence on the floor of ReedPOP shows and will be significantly featured in several panels at these same events.   Hardwick hosted The Avengers and The Walking Dead panels at NYCC in 2011, and he will emcee similar marquee content in 2012.  In addition, Nerdist and ReedPOP will continue to work together to create another WHITE SPACE B2B conference this year as well as develop several live-events, tapings and podcasts at various ReedPOP shows.     
 
“As another nerd leading a group of nerds creating nerd-centric events, I could not be more excited to welcome Chris Hardwick and Nerdist Industries to join forces with ReedPOP,” notes Lance Fensterman, Group Vice President for ReedPOP.  “Our goal is to deliver great shows for our fans, but we also want to communicate the excitement, innovation and essential inner nerdiness of the pop culture spectrum to the world at large.  This partnership with Nerdist Industries is a win-win, providing both like-minded organizations solid ways to amplify what we do through collaborating on new opportunities for our fans, our customers and ourselves.  We’re both forces in the pop culture world, and we’re eager to see what amazing things we can accomplish together.  I look forward to working with Chris and everyone at Nerdist Industries to make this a great continuing relationship.” 

”I am THRILLED to be working with ReedPOP in an official capacity. I attended C2E2 last year, and, while still a young event, I was amazed at how well-organized and fan-friendly it was. Between C2E2, New York Comic Con and ReedPOP’s other events, this partnership makes all the sense in the world for Nerdist Industries. I know this because were we to not be in business with ReedPOP, I’d still be attending these events as a fan,” Hardwick said.
 
As noted, Hardwick’s first appearance on behalf of the joint promotional relationship with ReedPOP will be at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) which will take place April 13 – 15, 2012 in the North Building of McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, IL.   He is scheduled to appear as emcee for special events on Friday, April 13, and he will also be available for a public autographing session.  Specific details of his participation at the show will be posted in the near future on the C2E2 website.  Hardwick will then present a live podcast from Chicago’s Vic Theatre on Friday night.  Other guests who will be participating in C2E2 include Anthony Daniels, David Finch, Josh Gates, Adam Hughes and Joe Kubert.  Many more guest announcements will be made in the coming weeks.  For further information about these guests as well as purchasing tickets, please visit www.C2E2.com.  For more on Nerdist Industries, visit www.Nerdist.com.

The Small Press Expo has made its 2012 guest list official with the announcement that comics masters Dan Clowes and Chris Ware will both be special guests.

Start lining up now. This year’s SPX will be held September 15-16 in North Bethesda, MD.

The Small Press Expo (SPX), the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons, kicks off 2012 with our official announcement that cartoonists Dan Clowes and Chris Ware will be attending this year’s festival as special guests. 

Superstar cartoonist Dan Clowes was awarded the 2011 PEN Center Literary Award for his “Outstanding body of work in graphic literature.” He received the Independent Spirit Award and an Academy Award nomination as writer for the movie Ghost World, based on his graphic novel, and he has published in the New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, and GQ. He was the first cartoonist selected for inclusion in Esquire’s prestigious fiction issue, and he drew the backgrounds for The Ramones’ video “I Don’t Want to Grow Up.” But for cartooning cognoscenti, he is perhaps best loved for Eightball, the ambitious and groundbreaking serialized anthology in which he premiered most of the stories eventually collected in his graphic novels.  The most recent issue of Eightball contained the entire story “The Death Ray”, published in 2011 as a standalone graphic novel and selected by The Onion’s AV Club as one of “The Best 25 Comics of the ‘00s.”

Graphic novelist, gallery cartoonist, strip cartoonist – Chris Ware is one of the best known and most respected independent American cartoonists. He has guest edited McSweeney’s Quarterly and The Best American Comics and published cartoons in the New Yorker as well as the Virginia Quarterly Review. He was the first cartoonist to serialize a story in The New York Times Magazine, and has had his work included in the Whitney Biennial. His graphic novel Jimmy Corrigan – the Smartest Kid on Earth received the Guardian First Book Award, the American Book Award and the prestigious French comics award “L’Alph Art.” Fans are eagerly anticipating Volume 21 of his Acme Novelty Library comic strip series and his new compendium, Building Stories, will be released this Fall from Pantheon.

Despite its single publisher focus, the just announced Image Expo (Feb. 24-26, Oakland, CA) schedule is pretty wide ranging, with workshops (with Todd McFarlane and Jonathan Hickman, among others) announcements and comics to TV.

Opening with a keynote address from Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson on Friday night that will include some exclusive announcements, the programming at the upcoming Image Expo on February 24-26 in Oakland, California features some of comics’ most creative personalities discussing the industry’s hottest topics, as well as talking about their own work.
   
The programming ranges from large event panels, like those with Saga creators Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples and The Walking Dead superstar Robert Kirkman, to small, intimate workshops with the Image Comics founders that will require advance registration to attend. Panels on topics such as women in comics, writing and art, and comics on TV will offer cogent conversation; and workshops on retailing, combating censorship, writing, and design will engage with attendees’ creativity and passion for comics. And, of course, there will be an Image Comics 20th Anniversary panel that will reunite seven of Image Comics’ founders to talk about the future of comics and reminisce about their decision to leave work-for-hire behind for independent creator ownership.
   
FRIDAY

6 p.m.
Keynote Address
Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson welcomes you to Image Expo, the comics convention that celebrates independent creativity. Expect some incisive commentary as only Stephenson can provide, plus some exclusive announcements.

SATURDAY

11 a.m
Womanthology: What Zeitgeist?
It’s no secret that diversity in comics takes up a large part of the critical discussion of the medium online. How does gender relate to who is telling a story, what story they’re choosing to tell, and how that story is perceived by an audience? Womanthology started as an online discussion, then quickly blossomed into a full-fledged idea. And from there it went on to be one of the most successful comics projects on Kickstarter. Join some of the contributors and editors to discuss the experience of making Womanthology, the role of women in comics, as well the need for more anthologies that feature new creators from a variety of backgrounds. Plus, jokes about giant crab attacks and superheroes wearing underwear.
Panelists: Bonnie Butler, Mariah Huehner, Trina Robbins, Nicole Sixx, Fiona Staples
Moderator: Blair Butler

12 p.m.
Stories and Scripts: Writing Comics
How do comics readers get their vision from their minds, to script, to the drawn page? What do you need to know about successful collaboration with artists? Some of comics’ best writers will talk about the challenges, triumphs, and idiosyncrasies of the comics creative process. Find out how comics like Fatale, Haunt, Chew, Morning Glories and Saga are conceived, written, and brought to the printed page from the writers who knew them from “PAGE ONE, PANEL ONE.”
Panelists: Ed Brubaker, Steve Seagle, Joe Casey, Jonathan Hickman, John Layman, Nick Spencer, and Brian K. Vaughan
Moderator: Richard Starkings

1 p.m
Twenty Years of Independence: The Image Comics 20th Anniversary Panel
Twenty years ago, a group of young artists left their work-for-hire jobs to forge their own path in comics. The result was Image Comics, a publisher dedicated to creators’ individual visions and a champion of creative ownership. The Image Comics partners and some of the original founders now come together to talk about that momentous meeting of minds and talent.
Panelists: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino
Moderator: Eric Stephenson

2 p.m.
Saga: A Conversation with Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
One of the most-anticipated new comics of 2012 is Saga, by best-selling writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Pride of Baghdad) and the amazing artist Fiona Staples (Northlanders, Jonah Hex). The sweep of the series is epic, but its emotions are intimate: a forbidden romance and a young family on the run, set against the backdrop of galactic war and racial hatred. Vaughan and Staples will talk about the conception of their gorgeous new comic, the creative process, and the overwhelming response that it has gotten from the media months before its first issue even hits stores.
Panelists: Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

3 p.m.
From Page to Screen: Comics on TV
How do producers go about translating comics for the small screen? How does working in comics compare to working in television? A panel of comics creators who have worked in television — whether as producers like Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) and Brian K. Vaughan (Lost), writers like Jay Faerber (Ringer), creators like Joe Casey (Ben 10) and Todd McFarlane (Spawn), or a little bit of everything like Blair Butler — will assemble to talk about the ins and outs of the industry.
Panelists: Blair Butler, Joe Casey, Jay Faerber, Robert Kirkman, Todd McFarlane, and Brian K. Vaughan

4 p.m.
The Talking Dead Live
Is watching the recap talk show The Talking Dead after every episode of The Walking Dead part of your weekly viewing ritual? Then you won’t want to miss this panel! Chris Hardwick sits down with creator of The Walking Dead comic and executive producer of the hit AMC television series Robert Kirkman and actor Steven Yeun, who plays the fan-favorite character Glenn, for a lively conversation with The Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick about the latest shocking plot twists and what it’s like working on a show that has taken the world by storm.
Panelists: Robert Kirkman and Steven Yeun
Moderator: Chris Hardwick

5 p.m.
Spotlight on Chew
How does it feel for your comic book about an FDA agent who gathers clues by eating things — including people — to sell out, become a critical darling, win multiple awards, and appear on a New York Times bestseller list? Wait, how do you even come up with the idea for a comic about a cibopathic police-officer-turned-food-plant-inspector? You have questions about Chew. Creators Rob Guillory and John Layman just might be the right guys to answer them.
Panelists: Rob Guillory and John Layman

6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
CAPTURED GHOSTS Screening
Warren Ellis sees the future. He is a comic book writer and cyberpunk philosopher living on the edge of tomorrow. He speaks to a cult audience of artists, journalists, scientists and fans who hail him as Internet Jesus. The new film Captured Ghosts features the most extensive interview Ellis has ever given, covering his life from his first memory watching the moon landing as a child, to his recent cross-media success with the film adaptation of Red. Along the way, Ellis’ acerbic wit and core belief in humanity come across like never before. Complimenting Ellis’ own words are interviews with his artistic collaborators, friends and admirers from across all media. Ellis’ comic book collaborators also provide insight into Ellis’ mind and creative workings. The film features numerous ambient interludes that spotlight Ellis’ prose and writing from both his online columns and his comics.

SUNDAY

Instructions for Workshops
Admission to workshop panels is limited and attendees will require tickets for entry. Tickets for each panel may be picked up at the Image Comics booth no sooner than one hour before the workshop begins. Tickets are given out on a first-come, first-served basis and quantities are limited.

11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
MAN OF ACTION: Ben 10 and Explosive Creativity
Join two of animation’s most influential creators as they talk about their creation – Ben 10 – the story of a shape-shifting boy that burst on to Cartoon Network and now boasts hit television series, movies, and video games all over the world. What’s in store for MAN OF ACTION? Founding members Joe Casey & Steven T. Seagle talk Ben 10, Generator Rex, their upcoming TV shows and the Image Comics projects all rolling out of their action-filled creative development company!
MAIN ROOM
Panelists: Joe Casey and Steven Seagle

11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Pro Tips with Todd McFarlane
In a world of comic book icons, comic superstar Todd McFarlane and his creation Spawn have clearly stood the test of time. Now McFarlane himself is inviting aspiring creators and fans to an extended workshop where he’ll share behind-the-scenes tips and tricks about his creative process. Armed with a Wacom and more than 20 years of experience as one of the most successful pros in the business, McFarlane will show fans how to unleash their own creative beast within!
WORKSHOP ROOM A

11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Putting Words in Their Mouths: The Art of Lettering
With over 150 fonts in his Comicraft library, chances are you’ve read a comic lettered with a font designed by Richard Starkings. Join him, Chew co-creator and letterer John Layman, and letterer J.G. Roshell for a workshop on creating professional, pleasing lettering.
Panelists: Richard Starkings, John Layman and J.G. Roshell
WORKSHOP ROOM B

12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Image Introduces…
Some of Image Comics’ most exciting new creators assemble to talk about their new work and life as independent comics creators. Join the creators of Moriarty, Li’l Depressed Boy, Hell Yeah!, Witch Doctor, Peter Panzerfaust, and Skullkickers for an eye-opening conversation about what it’s really like to work in comics.
Panelists: Daniel Corey, Sina Grace, Joe Keatinge, Brandon Seifert, Kurtis Wiebe, Steven Struble, and Jim Zubkavich
MAIN ROOM

12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Retailing the New Generation of Comics
With creator-owned hits like The Walking Dead, Morning Glories, and Chew grabbing their places on the sales charts and bringing in new readers to comic shops, the comics industry is excited about new titles and new ideas. What are the best retailers in comics doing to strengthen and support the creator-owned comic revolution while competing with faceless online outlets or big box bookstores? If you’re a comic creator, retailer or fan, we’ll help you understand how to stay on top of the next wave of hidden gems.
PANELISTS: Brian Hibbs (Comix Experience), Steve (Third Eye), James Sime (Isotope), Todd Martinez (Image Comics), Jim Zub (Skullkickers)
WORKSHOP ROOM B

1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Crossing the Line: Twenty Years of Shadowline
Join Jim Valentino and some Shadowline superstars for a rollicking question-and-answer session about Shadowline Comics past, present and future — plus dancing bears and a few surprises. Well, maybe not the bears (but we’ll try).
Panelists: Jim Valentino, Jimmie Robinson, Kurtis Wiebe, Tyler Jenkins, Joshua Williamson and Jade Dodge
MAIN ROOM

1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Portfolio Reviews with Erik Larsen (a.k.a. Larsen Tears You a New One)
Image Comics partner and Savage Dragon creator Erik Larsen, will be imparting artistic wisdom via no-holds-barred portfolio reviews… for those that have the guts! A random drawing will be done during the workshop to determine which aspiring artists in attendance will be chosen to have the brutal light of truth shine upon their work. Larsen’s ready to tell you what he really thinks! Can you handle it?
WORKSHOP ROOM A

1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Design Workshop with Jonathan Hickman
The creator of The Nightly News, Pax Romana, A Red Mass for Mars, and the upcoming Secret and The Manhattan Projects will address the basics of making your work stand out: cover design, book design, design strategies, personal branding, and understanding what appeals to your market.
WORKSHOP ROOM B

2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Top Cow Panel
Top Cow: We Create… REBIRTH
2012 is the best time EVER to jump into the Top Cow Universe with Rebirth. Get the scoop on what’s changed, what remains the same, and where things are headed for the rest of the year. Get behind-the-scenes information on the making of The Darkness II video game and be the first to hear about what exciting new projects Top Cow has lined up for their 20th anniversary! Plus special surprise guests and a free giveaway for every attendee. Moo!
Panelists: Marc Silvestri, Matt Hawkins, Filip Sablik, and Joshua Hale Fialkov
MAIN ROOM

2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Jim Valentino Workshop
Shadowline publisher and Image co-founder Jim Valentino discusses what he’s looking for in new projects, the founding of Image, and his work with the Hero Initiative. He will be doing portfolio reviews with a donation to the Hero Initiative ONLY. We will have a donation jar in the room.
WORKSHOP ROOM A

2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
CBLDF: The History (and Future) of Comics Censorship
Learn the shocking history of comics censorship and how even today comics and the people who make, sell and read them are still threatened.  CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein tells the sordid tale, from the public book burnings and Senate hearings that led to the Comics Code Authority in the 1950s through the attacks on retailers in the 1980s, artists in the 1990s, and readers today that the CBLDF is working to combat!
WORKSHOP ROOM B

3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Portfolio Reviews with Whilce Portacio
Whilce Portacio, creator of Wetworks and current artist on Incredible Hulk, will offer thoughtful tips and critiques for artists looking to break into the comic book industry. A random drawing will determine which lucky artists will get a personal review during the workshop. Bring your portfolio for an hour of a guidance from a master of the medium!
WORKSHOP ROOM A

3 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Writing Workshop with John Layman
The writer of the best-selling comic Chew (drawn by Rob Guillory) will talk about the fundamentals of crafting a story, drafting a script, and effectively communicating your intentions to artists.
WORKSHOP ROOM B

3 p.m. 4 p.m.
Take to the Sky: Skybound and the Next Generation of Independence
Things continue to look up for Skybound, Robert Kirkman’s imprint at Image Comics. The premiere original Witch Doctor has sold out nationwide, the all-ages hit Super Dinosaur  continues to soar, and And Kirkman’s first-ever writer’s room-driven crime drama, Thief of Thieves, is a critical success… what’s next? Join Robert Kirkman as he discusses the future of the imprint with his stable of creators, including the creative teams behind Witch Doctor, Thief of Thieves, and more! Expect only AWESOMENESS.
Panlists: Robert Kirkman, Brandon Seifert, and Nick Spencer
MAIN ROOM

4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Robert Kirkman Q&A
Kirkman, one of the most successful writers in comics today, best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Invincible, and Haunt, will offer fans some insight into the genius behind their favorite hit comics. After becoming an Image Comics partner in 2009, introducing the internationally renowned hit TV show based on the comic, The Walking Dead on AMC, and recently announcing an upcoming video game adaptation of the same series from TellTale Games, he has proven to be an unstoppable creative force.
MAIN ROOM

4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Covers and an Eye for Talent: Marc Silvestri Workshop
Join Top Cow founder, Image partner, and top industry artist Marc Silvestri as he takes a look at two facets that have helped define his career. Silvestri is best known in the industry as a highly-sought cover artist and as an incredible mentor for young artists who have come through his studio system at Top Cow. In this intimate workshop, Marc will present his thoughts on what makes a dynamic, memorable cover using his own pieces as examples and also tell young, aspiring artists what he looks for in undiscovered talent. Find out what draws the eye of the man who discovered Michael Turner, David Finch, Joe Benitez, Francis Manapul, Mike Choi, and many, many others!
WORKSHOP ROOM A

4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Creating Living Legend: Eric Shanower and Age of Bronze
Relive the Trojan War in Age of Bronze, Eric Shanower’s award-winning comics version of the world’s greatest story. With words and pictures, Shanower will detail his creative process from initial idea, through research into literary sources and archaeological remains, to writing and drawing comics pages and coloring for the digital edition.
WORKSHOP ROOM B

The recently concluded Angoulême comics festival is the most respected comics event in the world, but also one a bit remote from the daily comics grind of the average American reader. Two con reports will bring you up to speed in a hurry. Before we link, one note: I wrote earlier that crowds were reported as smaller this year, but the overwhelming evidence is that the festival was packed, as usual, with official attendance given as 215,000.

Okay, links! D&Q’s associate publisher Peggy Burns has posted a delightful travelogue, emblematic of both the heritage of delightful travelogues published at the D&Q blog and also the kind of happy miasma—respectful signings, tents running riot with the flower of world cartooning, afternoon wanderings through a medieval village and late nights of drinking and talking with the greatest living minds of comics—that those of us who have never been will always imagine the festival to be. There was also some business:

I am invited to Angoulême on a program that brings North American publishers to the festival to promote the rights sales of french comics. And it works. Last year, we bought several titles and became enamoured with Anouk Ricard. The program strives to invite a variety of publishers and this year I was joined by Image Comics‘ Todd Martinez, Lerner Publishing Carol Burrell, our incredible host Ivanka Hahnenberger of VIP Brands and Abrams Comic Art (and former coworker of mine from DC Comics) Charlie Kochman (and the aforementioned Mark Smylie and the not pictured Alex Bowler of Random House). All of us spend Thursday and Friday in back to back meetings from 9 am-7 pm with french publishers looking for the next Persepolis books to buy.

Is there no program to invite bloggers? Looking at Peggy’s photos, I can only be wracked by the sobs of abject jealousy.

For a different view, Matthias Wivel wraps up his TCJ coverage with the kind of informed and frank analysis we need more of. Well, it seems informed from where we sit, anyway—Wivel is far mroe knowledgeable about the state of Eurocomix than we. Wivel suggests that, although still an idyll of comics artistry, the festival is driven by its own focus on a certain period of cartooning and cartoonists that would be updated and expanded—this year’s festival president Art Spiegelman being an example of a broader vision that enriched the experience:

This year’s festival at Angoulême was a success, both in terms of popular interest and artistic quality. There are no two ways about it. Its director Franck Bondoux reported more than 215,000 guests over the weekend, up somewhat from previous years, and Saturday especially was close to overcrowded, with the main tents temporarily having to close their doors to manage the influx. At the same time, festival president Art Spiegelman not only (co-)curated two extraordinary shows, but also brought a lot of international interest, tempering the francophone myopia that has long plagued the festival (and which I addressed in last year’s report). On the balance, I would call him the best president of the last decade, presiding over one of the best festivals in that same period.

Yet problems persist and one is tempted to see them exemplified by this year’s Grand Prix winner, Jean-Claude Denis, who will preside over next year’s fortieth anniversary. It is not that the Angoulême academy of past Grand Prix winners, which selected Denis, has all that much say in the planning and execution of festival, but their selection of what is arguably the highest honor formally bestowed on comics makers worldwide is still strongly symbolic, and the president each year has a unique chance to shape its artistic direction and eventually to point the way forward as part of the academy that chooses his or her successors.

The first ever Image Expo is shaping up for the end of next month with the addition of Ed Brubaker, whose FATALE recently launched and has sold out. This is really looking like a zeitgeisty kind of show—Image is scooping up formerly exclusive mainstream writers like a rescue boat in the North Sea, and the lineup of guests includes many with passionate followings.

IMAGE EXPO, the one-of-a-kind celebration commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Image Comics and showcasing creator-owned comics, has announced that Ed Brubaker, writer of FATALE, will be the latest independent comics star to be added the impressive list of special guests. At Image Expo for a limited appearance on Saturday, February 25, Brubaker will be joining the Image Comics partners Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino, Image founders Rob Liefeld and Whilce Portacio, and a who’s who of other creator-owned comics stars!

Brubaker will be part of a panel on writing comics on Saturday at 12 p.m., where he and fellow writers Steve Seagle, Joe Casey, Jonathan Hickman, John Layman, Nick Spencer, and Brian K. Vaughan will discuss the art of crafting scripts and stories.

FATALE, Image Comics’ hit new ongoing series drawn by Sean Phillips and colored by Dave Stewart, has been a runaway best-seller, with issue one selling out multiple printings and issue two getting a reprint before it even hits stores.

Previously announced guests include:

Joe Casey (Ben 10, BUTCHER BAKER, THE RIGHTEOUS MAKER, HAUNT)
Jay Faerber (Ringer, DYNAMO 5, NEAR DEATH)
Jonathan Hickman (THE NIGHTLY NEWS, THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS)
Ryan Ottley (INVINCIBLE)
Fiona Staples (SAGA)
Richard Starkings (Comicraft, ELEPHANTMEN)
Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Runaways, SAGA)

IMAGE EXPO, a three-day celebration of creator-owned comics happening at the Oakland Convention Center, is Northern California’s premier comic con experience in 2012. Berkeley-based Image Comics will be filling the demand for a 2012 Bay Area comic book convention that arose when WonderCon announced their temporary relocation to Anaheim, California. The three-day event takes place at the Oakland Convention Center in the heart of the bustling nightlife and restaurant center of downtown Oakland, CA on February 24-25-26.

Experience the creativity of the men and women making the best creator owned comics in America at this one-of-a-kind celebration commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Image Comics!

To purchase tickets and find more information about the show, visit www.imagecomicexpo.com.

Last week’s Angoulême festival extravaganza wrapped up with the presentation of the Grand Prix to Jean-Claude Denis, whose career goes back to the ’70s but is perhaps best known in France for Luc Leroi. The Grand Prix is presented for a lifetime body of work—Denis is perhaps less well-known than some other winners, at least in the US. He was presented with the award by last year’s winner, Art Spiegelman, as shown in the above video.

In other Angoulême news, although there doesn’t seem to have been any drama like last year’s L’Association strike, several commenters have reported fewer people. Matthias Wivel has been covering it for TCJ, and reports that the Art Spiegelman-curated art show was a once-in-a-lifetime experience of excellence.

Other winners are as follows, with translations where possible:

FAUVE D’OR PRIX DU MEILLEUR ALBUM 2012 (Best Album) : «Chroniques de Jérusalem» de Guy Delisle (éditions Delcourt)


FAUVE D’ANGOULEME – PRIX SPECIAL DU JURY (Special Jury Prize) : Congress of the Animals by Jim Woodring (L’Association)


FAUVE D’ANGOULEME – PRIX DE LA SÉRIE (Best Series): «Cité 14» de Pierre Gabus et Romuald Reutimann (Humanoïdes associés)


FAUVE D’ANGOULEME – PRIX INTERGENERATIONS (Intergenerational Award. This award is a nod to the family spirit of classic comics, and rewards a cross-generational work that could appeal to readers of all ages.): «Bride Stories» by Kaoru Mori (éditions Ki-OOn)


FAUVE D’ANGOULEME – PRIX REGARDS SUR LE MONDE (Views on the World Award. This prize rewards a book dealing with current world issues.): «Une vie dans les marges» A Drifting Life de Yoshihiro Tatsumi (éditions Cornelius)


FAUVE D’ANGOULEME – PRIX DE L’AUDACE (Audacity Award. This prize rewards an artwork that takes an innovative approach, whether formal or narrative, to comics.): «Teddy Beat» de Morgan Navarro (éditions Requins marteaux)


FAUVE D’ANGOULEME – PRIX REVELATION (Best Newcomer): «TMLB, ta mère la pute» de Gilles Rochier (éditions 6 Pieds sous terre)


FAUVE D’ANGOULEME – PRIX DU PATRIMOINE (Legacy Award): «Donald Duck» de Carl Banks (éditions Glénat)


FAUVE D’ANGOULEME – PRIX POLAR (Awarded to the best book in the detective genre): «L’intrus à l’étrange» de Simon Hureau (la Boite à Bulles)


FAUVE D’ANGOULÊME – PRIX JEUNESSE (Best book for younger readers) : «Zombillénium, 2. Ressources humaines» d’Arthus de Pins


FAUVE PRIX DE LA BD FNAC : «Portugal» de Cyril Pedrosa (éditions Dupuis)

Here’s a list of Denis’s complete works, from Google Translation, so it’s probably embarrassing, but as you can see, quite a body of work:

Uncle Ernest and delighted (with Martin Veyron) (1978, Casterman)
During naked (1979, Futuropolis)
André Raven 
Annie Evil (1980, Dargaud) 
The hot season (1981, Dargaud) 
The Flight into before (1984, Dargaud)
Rup Bonchemin 
Volume 1 – The Chalet Lost (1981, Casterman) 
Volume 2 – Between two fires (1981, Casterman) 
Volume 3 – Gustave Guadeloupe (1983, Casterman)
Luc Leroi 
Luc Leroi moved slightly (1981, Futuropolis) 
Luc Leroi against the forces of evil (1982, Futuropolis) 
Luc Leroi up the slope (1985, Casterman) 
The Yellow Dwarf, (1986, Casterman) 
Squirrels and girls (1990, Casterman) 
Individual bands (1998, Casterman) 
All flowers are called Tiare (2000, Casterman)
The 7 Deadly Sins, (1983, The Humanoids)
Shadow Tables (1991, Albin Michel)
Sweet peppers (1991, Albin Michel)
The Pelican (1994, Albin Michel)
Funny idle or The Last of Houpe (1995, Albin Michel)
A few months in Amélie (2002, Dupuis)
Beauty at home (2004, Dupuis)
The Sleep of Leo (2007, Futuropolis)
Shortly before the capital (with Dupuy and Berberian), (2008, Dupuis)
News of the invisible world (2008, Futuropolis)
All in Matha! 
Part One (2010, Futuropolis) 
Part Two (2011, Futuropolis)
Book:
A few months in Amelia (novel) – The Manuscript of Aloys Clark (2002, PLG)
Picture books:
The Matches Pierre Christin – Volume 3 – Train of fun 
texts by Pierre Christin (1998, Dargaud) 
Belem, a mirage in reverse (2005, Futuropolis) 
The Cry of the Sirens, CD and illustrations (1991, Threshold) 
NightBuzz, The Spell (with Charles Berberian), CD and illustrations (2005, Nocturne) 
Harry Belafonte (Calypso), CD and illustrations (2008, Nocturne)
Youth Books:
The fairy tales of pirate Pitou: Island to mynas (1993, Albin Michel Jeunesse) 
An artist Cat (1998, Seuil) 
Stubborn (2000, Seuil)

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Last weekend, I attended the Mid-Winter conference of the American Library Association held in Dallas, Texas.  It’s not as hectic as their annual conference held in the summertime, but it still has a large number of vendors selling to what is the largest gathering of librarians in the United States.

Since the audience is made primarily of librarians, most of the exhibitors are selling to that market.  Library furniture, electronic databases, textbooks… it’s a very different market than that seen at BookExpo America, which is primarily a trade show for booksellers.  The vibe is also very different.  Instead of the doom and gloom of the bottom line, librarians are on the front lines of literacy, actively teaching people to read, advocating titles of interest, and passionately sharing their joy with others!

Yes, I’m a librarian (B.S.Ed. Library Science, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 1994).  I do use my degree during my day job, and I actively seduce the innocent evangelize for comics, both to new readers, and unsuspecting librarians.  I attend the ALA conferences not for professional development (I’m not paid to be a librarian, and my employer doesn’t reimburse my travel expenses), but to network with like-minded people, and to discover lots of cool titles.  Many of the major publishers do not exhibit publicly at BEA, instead hiding their latest and greatest behind closeted showrooms available only by appointment.  (Big Six publishers: your stuff isn’t that great.)

So Friday night, there’s a special preview night, where various exhibitors offer special events at their booths, and a “happy hour” of free food and non-alcoholic drink is offered at the back of the exhibition floor.  (Another reason I prefer ALA over BEA!)  While I was not too hungry, I still meandered back to see what was offered.  But then I got sidetracked… at the very back of the floor was DLSG at Image Access, a vendor selling digital scanners for libraries.  I started talking to one of the sales representatives, Joseph, who was a recent librarian graduate as well as a comics fan!  He demonstrated their basic model, a scanner similar to a photocopier, except there’s a touchscreen for menus and image editing, and the output is via email or USB port (like my smartphone).  $3000, and if that was in my library, the line would wrap around the block!  After that quick demo, I began to brainstorm, especially after seeing their top-of-the-line archive scanners (The Opus 3, which has a bed large enough for newspapers and A1 sheets (roughly 23 x 33 inches).  “Ah ha!  This would be great for comics artists! Especially those with art which predates digitization!” 600 dpi scanning!  OCR character recognition!  (I tested a computer-lettered page of Nick Fury… it made two mistakes.)  Multiple formats!  I had so many questions and ideas, I spent the entire two hours of the preview at their booth, and didn’t even get a chance to get a drink!

Saturday morning, that’s when I began my meandering of the exhibition floor.  I finished Saturday evening, and then spent Sunday taking a more leisurely path, discovering titles I overlooked the first time.

So, here are some discoveries I made.  Some publishers I already knew about, others were titles I had seen online but not physically, and others were a complete surprise!

The biggest surprise?  World Book encyclopedias, publishing a series of educational graphic novels!  “Building Blocks of Science” is a set of ten 32-page books aimed at the Kindergarten to Fifth Grade audience.  Each volume features “highly original and humorous comic-style art to draw children into the material”.  Click on the link to view samples, curriculum correlations,videos, and PowerPoint slides!  It’s only available as a set, and only on their website, although your local library could probably order it.  (I also checked the encyclopedia for their entries on comics… good basic information.  Their online databases had more information, of course.)

A secondary publisher which I didn’t notice the first time around was Holiday House.  They publish a lot of picture books, but I didn’t notice any which seemed to be comics influenced.  I did notice a title with squirrels, titled “Frisky Brisky Hippity Hop“, a poem written by Alexina White (mother of Stanford, the famous architect) in 1871.  It was illustrated with photos taken in Central Park, and for me, squirrels are almost as fun as monkeys!  That began a conversation with a sales rep, and before I knew it, I was inundated with all sorts of picture books containing word balloons and looking like comics.  They do have an actual graphic novel, “Wuv Bunnies From Outer Space” (sent to save the Earth from the Funny Bunnies), which was pubwished in 2008.

Macmillan, of course, has First Second and FSG Novel Graphics, and featured them prominently.  (Most publishers use bookmarks to note award-winning titles.)  Across the aisle, though, were the picture books, and that’s where I noticed “Leo Geo and His Miraculous Journey Through the Center of the Earth“.  It’s sort of hard not to notice… it’s thirteen inches long, and four inches high.  When you open the book, it reads vertically!  Jon Chad is based up in White River Junction, where he helps Dr. Leo Geo at the Fizzmont Institute of Rad Science.  (One critique… when I saw the cover, I thought it read “LEDGED”.  No big deal… the format made me pick it up!)

Their Henry Holt imprint featured “Take What You Can Carry“, a novel set in 1977 and 1941, while Roaring Brook Press served up “Brains for Lunch: A Zombie Novel in Haiku?!” by K. A. Holt and featuring illustrations by Gahan Wilson!

Archie Comics was the only comics publisher at the show, hosting a publication party featuring the new “Jinx” graphic novel, and announcing their initiative to better serve libraries.  (Archie discovered that their graphic novels circulate EXTREMELY well in libraries, a fact they shared with librarians in the room.)  Swag bags were given out, and one lucky librarian won a piece of original artwork by Dan Parent!

Archie is distributed by Random House, which featured their own notable titles as well as graphic novels from their associated publishers, such as Candlewick, which has the Toon Books imprint.  Of note: “The Shark King” by R. Kikuo Johnson, author of “Night Fisher”.  There’s also “Chick and Chickie in Play All Day!” and “Zig and Wikki in The Cow”

HarperCollins had two surprises:

• a collection of “Planet Tad” columns from MAD Magazine (which, I think, predates “Wimpy Kid”)
• The Cartoon Guide to Calculus, by Larry Gonick! [Click for a 54-page preview!] [Maybe I'll learn something this time around, instead of being distracted by the tangential curves of the cheerleader across the aisle.]

Over at Penguin, they don’t do a lot of graphic novels, but they did have these two new editions additions to their Penguin Classics Graphic Deluxe Editions:

Jordan Crane produces a comic strip introduction on the front and back cover (love that rhino!), while Ivan Brunetti interprets Willy Wonka.

(The insides are the ORIGINAL illustrations from the first editions, in black-and-white.  If all you know are Quentin Blake or Lane Smith, you’re in for a treat!)

Penguin, I know you don’t publish many graphic novels, but would you PLEASE give Jordan Crane some money to adapt James and the Giant Peach into a graphic novel?  Once that becomes an international bestseller, then you can commission others to interpret the entire Dahl library (including Tales of the Unexpected!)

Mal and Chad: Food Fight! is a graphic novel, from Penguin’s Philomel imprint, the second in the series. “T

Australian publisher Allen & Unwin featured the wordless “The Hero of Little Street“.

Abrams has lots of goodies (which I already knew about), but this was a pleasant surprise:

And finally, Scholastic Graphix:

“Cardboard”, the latest from Doug TenNapel, and “Bird & Squirrel on the Run” a buddy road trip crossed with the physical comedy of “Tom & Jerry”.

Other cool stuff?

Alexander Stree Press is preparing another comics media index.  They already offer “Underground and Independent Comics, Comix, and Graphic Novels” (which includes full scans of the Comics Journal and many comics!)

Basher Science has a line of picture books where atomic elements and other science topics are turned into kawaii characters.  Adorable, and the layout is easy to read!  There’s a Basher Basics series as well!

Graphic Universe continues their great line of graphic novels, introducing “Tricky Journeys“, a series of multiple-story-path books featuring animal tricksters from legend.

Kids Can Press has another series of books, including a new Binky story!  The styles are as diverse as the subject matter, and it all looks great!

McFarland & Company, publishers of popular culture reference and criticism (“Monty Python, Shakespeare and English Renaissance Drama”) offers an actual non-fiction graphic novel, “Werewolves of Wisconsin and Other American Myths, Monsters and Ghosts“.

And it’s not comics, but plenty fun:

“Seriously, Just Go To Sleep“, the child-friendly edition of Go the F*** to Sleep.  It even features a cameo by Samuel L. Jackson!

Next up for librarians: The biennial Public Library Association conference in Philadelphia in March!  Then there’s an appearance at C2E2, and then in June, ALA Annual in Anaheim!  If Disneyland isn’t geeky enough, there will be a mini-comics con within the larger ALA conference!

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The 2012 edition of the American Libraries Midwinter Conference concludes tomorrow in Dallas.  At each mid-winter conference in January, the ALA announces Youth Media Awards, as well as other “year’s best” list for various books and media.  Selected by librarians behind closed doors, these awards bring prestige and instant bestseller status to titles which might otherwise be overlooked.  The full list can be found here, but I’ve browsed through the list to find those which appeal to graphic novel readers and advocates.

All text comes from the awards websites and publishers.

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The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

Honor Book

Me … Jane, written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. Watching the birds and squirrels in her yard, a young girl discovers the joy and wonder of nature. In delicate and precise India ink and watercolor, McDonnell depicts the awakening of a scientific spirit. A perceptive glimpse of the childhood of renowned primatologist Jane Goodall. Me…Jane book cover imageMe … Jane, written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. Watching the birds and squirrels in her yard, a young girl discovers the joy and wonder of nature. In delicate and precise India ink and watercolor, McDonnell depicts the awakening of a scientific spirit. A perceptive glimpse of the childhood of renowned primatologist Jane Goodall.

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The Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.

2011 Medal winner

Bink and Gollie , written by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile, published by Candlewick Press

Bink and Gollie provides a clever peek into the lives of dissimilar friends celebrating the ups and downs of their daily escapades in three lively chapters.  Bink and Gollie explore the rocky terrain of compromise, asserting independence, and jealousy, yet their friendship remains steadfast.

In this effervescent blend of picture book, reader and graphic novel, text and illustration unite the real and imaginary.  Humorous and exaggerated illustrations propel the reader through a story sprinkled with challenging vocabulary.  So much is said with so little.

“Covering a range of emotional territory to engage and challenge developing readers, fresh and creative text and powerful visuals generate a special chemistry between two friends,” said Geisel Award Committee Chair Julie F. Roach.

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The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English during the preceding year. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the long-time President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. of Jacksonville, Illinois. ALSC administers the award.

2012 Honor Book

Drawing from Memory, written and illustrated by Allen Say and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Say, an esteemed children’s book creator, engagingly relays his early training, including the influences of his family and his artistic sensei, by filling his distinct scrapbook format with captivating text and dynamic illustrative styles, from watercolors to comics, which exudes enthusiasm and talent.

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The Schneider Family Book Award is a new addition to the American Library Association’s Media Youth Awards. The award is donated by Dr. Katherine Schneider, and honors an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences. Three annual awards are presented for the best Teen, Middle School and Children’s Book. The American Library Association administers the Awards, and each recipient receives $5000 and a framed plaque. Winners are announced at the ALA Midwinter Meeting.

Middle School 2012 Winner

Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words and Pictures written by Brian Selznick and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic
Rose and Ben are deaf children living 50 years and worlds apart, yet both marvel and connect with the world around them. The American Museum of Natural History links their separate stories – one narrated in text, the other through cinematic illustrations.
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The first and most enduring award for GLBT books is the Stonewall Book Awards, sponsored by the American Library Association’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table. Since Isabel Miller’s Patience and Sarah received the first award in 1971, many other books have been honored for exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.

The Stonewall Book Award-Barbara Gittings Literature Award, the Stonewall Book Award-Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award and the Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award are presented to English language works published the year prior to the announcement date. The award is announced in January and presented to the winning authors or editors at the American Library Association Annual Conference in June or July. The award winners each receive a commemorative plaque and $1,000.

Honor Book

a + e 4ever written by Ilike Merey and published by Lethe Press

Asher Machnik is a teenage boy cursed with a beautiful androgynous face. Guys punch him, girls slag him and by high school he’s developed an intense fear of being touched. Art remains his only escape from an otherwise emotionally empty life. Eulalie Mason is the lonely, tough-talking dyke from school who befriends Ash. The only one to see and accept all of his sides as a loner, a fellow artist and a best friend, she’s starting to wonder if ash is ever going to see all of her…. a + e 4EVER is a graphic novel set in that ambiguous crossroads where love and friendship, boy and girl, straight and gay meet. It goes where few books have ventured, into genderqueer life, where affections aren’t black and white.

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The 2012 Toronto Comic Arts Festival has just unveiled it’s first guests and it’s as eclectic lineup of stellar creators from around the world, including Alison Bechdel, Jeff Smith Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, Guy Delisle, Kate Beaton, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Jason, and others from around the world.

The festival also unveiled its to die for poster, by Bá and Moon.

Held May 5-6 in Toronto, this free comics festival is shaping up to be one of the shows of the year.

Although considered part of the”indie” circuit, TCAF’s guest line-up, as in past years, spotlights creators from all levels of the medium. Webcomics, kids comics and cartoonists from 15 nations will be mingling in what many creators consider the best show of the year.

UPDATE: we’ve been informed that Guy Delisle is actually a guest at the Barcelona Comics Festival that weekend. UPDATE UPDATE: Okay, we’ll just go with the PR. Woot — Jerusalem is Delisle’s best book yet! See him around the world!

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival is back for another triumphant year on the first weekend in May, returning to the Toronto Reference Library & The Appel Salon for its fourth consecutive year. Last year TCAF (as it is affectionately known) welcomed more than 15,000 patrons at its various venues and events around Toronto during the festival weekend, and 2012 is expected to be TCAF’s biggest and best edition yet. Over 300 international cartoonists are on the schedule, representing more than a dozen countries, confirming TCAF as the preeminent celebration of comics and graphic novels in Canada, and one of the most celebrated literary comics events in the world.

TCAF 2012 will include a who’s-who of comics and graphic novels, including headline guests Jeff Smith (Bone), Alison Bechdel (Fun Home), Guy Delisle (Pyongyang), and Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon (Daytripper). In addition TCAF 2012 will see the debut of many new milestone graphic novels from our guests, including Bechdel’s Are You My Mother?, Delisle’sJerusalem, and Derf’s My Friend Dahmer amongst countless others!

Jeff Smith returns to TCAF to celebrate a major milestone: the 20th Anniversary of his landmark creation Bone, the beloved Young Adult fantasy epic with more than 1 million copies in print. Smith is also near the conclusion of his newest work, RASL, a sci-fi noir series currently in development as a feature film by “Sherlock Holmes” producer Lionel Wigram.

Alison Bechdel brings her eagerly-anticipated new Are You My Mother? to her TCAF debut; the new graphic novel is the follow-up to her 2006 New York Times bestseller Fun Home. Bechdel is one of the premiere graphic memoirists of our time, with Fun Home named the Best Book of 2006 by Time Magazine—a first for a graphic novel. Bechdel’s follow-up will debut the week of TCAF, and her Toronto appearance will be one of her first book tour stops in support of the new work.

Guy Delisle is the noted French-Canadian graphic novelist whose political work has been praised by NPR, The Guardian, and The Chicago Sun Times for his insightful reportage and travel writing. His graphic novels Shen Zhen, Pyong Yang, and The Burma Chronicles have seen the cartoonist travel to international hotspots, places rarely glimpsed by the Western world, to explore life and politics there. Delisle will make his first appearance at TCAF in support of his new book Jerusalem: Chronicles From The Holy City.

Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon are twin brothers who hail from Brazil, and whose writing and illustration talents have graced countless major comics properties as Hellboy/BPRD, The Umbrella Academy (with Gerard Way of ‘My Chemical Romance’), and Sugar Shock (with Buffy‘s Joss Whedon). Their most recent collaborative work is the Eisner-award winning original graphic novel, Daytripper. TCAF marks their first Canadian public appearance (the duo also illustrated TCAF’s striking new 2012 poster).

These five cartoonists join a strong and diverse array of national and international cartoonists who make up the 2012 Festival, across a number of spotlights, including the following highlights:

- Oh Canada!: Canada makes a strong representation at TCAF 2012 with over 100 Canadian comics creators, including the much-celebrated Kate Beaton (Hark A Vagrant), the return of Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley, and acclaimed Quebecois cartoonist Michel Rabagliati, who will debut his new English-language graphic novel The Song of Roland.

- Comics For Kids: TCAF 2012 will focus more strongly on comics for children than ever before, thanks to partnerships with venerable Canadian magazine publisher Owlkids, Toronto’s new children’s comic book store Little Island Comics as well as support from several publishers. Headlining the children’s programming will be the aforementioned Jeff Smith (Bone), alongside NYT Bestselling children’s comic authors Jennifer Holm and Matt Holm (Babymouse, Squish), Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet) and Andy Runton (Owly). In fact, TCAF 2012 will feature almost 50 creators who work specifically on comics for children and young adults.

- Cartoonists from 15 Countries: TCAF 2012 will see a stunning array of international cartoonists, including Arne Bellstorf (Germany, Baby’s In Black), Tom Gauld (U.K., Goliath), Gabriella Giandelli (Italy, Interiorae), Jason (Norway, Hey, Wait), Gary Panter(USA, JIMBO), Olivier Schrauwen (Belgium, The Man Who Grew His Beard), and Adam Warren (USA, Empowered). They will be joined by special envoys of cartoonists from Australia and England, as well as representative cartoonists from China, France, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Mozambique, New Zealand, and Spain! For Toronto’s literary community, TCAF 2012 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet many of these creators!

And everything you love – and more! TCAF 2012 will reprise the most popular programming since its 2003 launch, including the popular “Webcomics Pavilion,” Dedicated OWLkids Kids Area, Wowee Zonk Small-Press Area, panel discussions and interviews, workshops, readings and art installations. Not only that, but all of these components will be expanded and increased, occupying four additional physical locations in the Yonge & Bloor neighbourhood around the Toronto Reference Library TCAF hub. We’re taking comics to the streets in 2012!

Over the next several months TCAF will announce additional featured guests from around the world, related events including film screenings, art installations, gallery showing and a full detailed schedule of the programming around our most popular guests. While we will be sending press updates for all key guest and event additions, be sure to visit the TCAF website regularly for up-to-the-moment updates: http://torontocomics.com.

SPONSORS

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival would not be possible without the assistance of our sponsors and partners, including presenting sponsor Toronto Public Library and retail sponsor The Beguiling Books & Art.

TCAF would like to recognize the efforts of the following organization in planning TCAF 2012: OWLkids, NOW Magazine, The Italian Cultural Institute, NORLA (Norwegian Literature Abroad), The Flemish Literature Fund, The Japan Foundation and The French Consulate in Toronto.

In addition, TCAF would like to thank publishers Drawn & Quarterly, VIZ Media LLC., Fantagraphics, Houghton Mifflin, Thomas Allen, Scholastic Canada, and First Second for their assistance.

Sponsorship opportunities for TCAF 2011 are still available, please contact us at: contact@torontocomics.com for more info.

As former Comic-Con attendees noted on Monday, a whole new system for getting badges is being implemented — even for people who are already in the system for having a badge.

Affecting pros, press and volunteers, the new system requires you to create your own Member ID and password, type in a really tough captcha and confirm and then then….wait for the next step.

The system is sufficiently difficult that they made a 2+ minute video showing you how to do it.

We saw a smattering of complaints on Facebook and Twitter about the new rigmarole, and, like we said, had to try for a third captcha before finding one we could puzzle out. Other than that, it all seemed to go okay and we now have our Member ID.

So what does this all mean?. For one thing, the Member ID is now tied to your email. This system seems to be geared towards rooting out double dippers — and you know who you are — so a tough “one Klingon, one badge” policy seems to be on the way.

By requiring a unique e-mail address for each Member ID, our hope is to increase the speed of the online registration process and prevent duplicate registrations that allow scalpers to purchase multiple tickets and sell them at inflated prices. Our intent is that the Comic-Con Member ID system will allow more fans to purchase tickets for this highly popular event.

Anyone in doubt should heed this from the FAQ:

Can I attend Comic-Con without a Member ID?

If you wish to purchase a badge for Comic-Con or apply for a complimentary badge through professional and press registration, you must have a valid Comic-Con Member ID. You must also have a Member ID to apply as a volunteer or purchase a trade professional badge. You will not be able to login to EPIC registration and attempt to purchase a badge without a Member ID.

Got that? No Member ID no steenking badges!

For anyway who laments all this, well, the efficacy of lamenting was over long ago. Also, the con is going ahead with using Epic registration again instead of Ticketmaster or some other ticket system that charges asinine “convenience” fees.

Meanwhile, the date for actual ticket purchase and hotel reservation have yet to be announced. And we’ve already had two San Diego anxiety dreams this year! And all for things like this:

Well, now that you mention it…

The Maine Comics and Art Festival — which will be held Sunday, May 20th in Portland, ME — has announced its first two guests: Kate Beaton and Kazu Kibuishi. This is a nice show in a nice venue that has a strongly family-oriented vibe in amongst the indies. We’re not aware of too many shows that have so much kid-friendly material front and center and it’s good to hear the show is still going strong with a marquee guest like Beaton.

We may have just thrown out the bones of the Christmas Tree, but it’s not too early to go a’conning again. It’s the return of the church con this weekend in NYC as Big City Dare2Draw, a homegrown organization that puts on life drawing classes for every level of artist, is putting on a show at a midtown church. The guest list is led by Neal Adams, and we expect he’ll fit right into any pulpit they find for him. More info here. And here’s a video of Dean Haspiel talking about the show.

Although we think San Diego is the biggest and the craziest comics event on earth, all dedicated conologists know that Japan’s Comiket is actually the biggest. Held twice a year, the Winter edition just wrapped up and over 500,000 people attended the three-day festival.

The incredible thing about Comiket is that it is an amateur press show: the fans are there to buy doujinshi — fanzines based on popular manga by “amateur” creators. We know Japan is full of amazing wonders and enigmas, but the huge popularity of fanfic is definitely among them.

Anyway, the above is a video showing the crowd waiting outside and then being moved into the show hall to buy their comics. The first 2 minutes are in the dark but you can see little glimmers of people already lined up to get in. After that, day breaks and Japanese precision discipline takes over.

Although 500,000 sounds like a lot of people, it is down about 20,000 people from last year — the population of a good-sized American con all by itself — and this decline seems to have raised some hysterical “COMIKET IS FINISHED!!!” sobs (link NSFW)

Comiket 80 saw 540,000 visitors, whilst Comiket 79 saw 520,000 (the record for a winter Comiket). Summer 2009′s C76 is the event’s high water mark, with 560,000.

Organisers claim this decline is “primarily due” to “the influence of the earthquake” (this appears to be stretching things as there is no longer any discernible impact outside Fukushima prefecture), and “the strong yen” (which implies that tens of thousands of international otaku have been discouraged from attending, something which there is some scepticism about).

Strangely, the fact that Tokyo is being run by a political clique of elderly LDP curmudgeons who view the culture of young people as aberrant is not mentioned – Comiket’s organisers have apparently chosen the winning strategy of hoping their critics will go away if they do nothing hard enough, perhaps noting how effective it was in fending off the Tokyo government.

We’re not entirely sure now much of this story is inter-Otaku spin, but 500,000 still seems like a pretty healthy audience.

Via Kevin Melrose

Carol Lay, Scott Snyder and Wil Wheaton have been added to the Wonder-Con guest list.

In another Wonder-Con note, hotel rooms are now available at the Anaheim Hilton, and they are pretty reasonable. Another reason why WonderCon is the relaxing con!

ROOM RATES FOR 2012:
$129.00 for 1, 2, 3 or 4 people in the room.
Maximum of four people per room.
• Single: 1 person/1 bed – $129
• Double: 2 people/1 bed – $129
• Twin: 2 people/2 beds – $129
• Triple: 3 people/2 beds – $129
• Quad: 4 people/2 beds – $129

WonderCon, part of Comic-Con International’s (CCI) family of nonprofit comics conventions, today announced the latest additions to a guest list that already has fans buying passes at an unprecedented pace for the three-day celebration of comics and related popular art forms. The additions include fan favorites cartoonist Carol Lay (WayLay, The Simpsons), award-winning writer Scott Snyder (Batman, American Vampire, Swamp Thing), and actor/author Wil Wheaton (Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Big Bang Theory). WonderCon will be held March 16-18, 2012.
            Passes and hotel accommodations for WonderCon became available on www.comic-con.org/wc/ in December. The event, traditionally held in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1987, relocated the Anaheim Convention Center for 2012 due to renovations at the usual venue. Organizers for the event are pleased to offer southern Californian fans a chance to attend WonderCon who otherwise may not have been able to make the trek to San Francisco. Fans from Orange County and the Los Angeles area have expressed delight in having an event akin to San Diego Comic-Con at their doorstep.
            WonderCon’s format resembles the world-renowned Comic-Con albeit on a reduced scale. The 2011 WonderCon welcomed nearly 50,000 attendees, which is less than half of the 130,000 who attended the 2011 San Diego show.
            Joining Lay, Snyder, and Wheaton among the newly announced special guests are Renae De Liz (artist/editor, Womanthology, The Last Unicorn), Rebekah Isaacs (artist, Angel & Faith, Magus), Todd Nauck (artist, Amazing Spider-Man, Young Justice), Humberto Ramos (artist, Amazing Spider-Man, Impulse, Crimson), and Ryan Sook (artist, The Spectre; cover artist, Justice League Dark, DCU Presents). For a complete list and bios of the previously announced special guests, who include award-winning comics writers and artists as well as novelists and screenwriters, visit www.comic-con.org/wc/wc_guests.php.          
            “The guest list just keeps getting more impressive,” said David Glanzer, director of marketing and public relations for WonderCon and parent company, Comic-Con International. “That, along with rapid badge sales, indicates WonderCon will be just as exciting, if not more so, than the 2011 blockbuster show.”