The Beguiling: Free Tickets!

Hi folks, we’ve got a special one-item-only mailing today. It’s for a great event promoting Drawn & Quarterly's newest graphic novel, Miriam Katin's WE ARE ON OUR OWN. Better still we have FREE TICKETS at the store, first-come first-served (limit 2 per person). Just drop by the store to pick up tickets, no purchase necessary (though purchases obviously encouraged).

TONIGHT: GRAPHIC NOVELIST MIRIAM KATIN AT HARBOURFRONT

Miriam Katin at International Readings at Harbourfront Centre
In support of her new graphic novel WE ARE ON OUR OWN
Tonight, Wednesday May 31, 2006 @ 7PM
Brigantine Room @ Harbourfront Centre
Cost: FREE if you come to The Beguiling today…!

International Readings at Harbourfront Centre is pleased to welcome celebrated New York graphic artist Miriam Katin to the Brigantine Room stage as a part of International Readings at Harbourfront Centre. Katin will read from her new memoir We Are on Our Own, along with readings by Laurie Gough and Alayna Munce, on Wednesday, May 31, 2006. Katin’s captivating and elegantly illustrated book tells the story of her and her mother’s struggle for survival in Hungary during WWII. This book has garnered much critical praise and was recently called, “a powerful reminder of the lingering price of survival” by Publishers Weekly, where it also received a starred review.

Miriam Katin presents her first full-length graphic novel, published at age sixty-three. The captivating and elegantly illustrated We Are on Our Own is the story of Miriam and her mother’s struggle for survival in Hungary during WWII. Miriam first worked as a graphic artist in the Israel Armed Forces. After moving to the United States, she worked for both Disney and MTV.

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We know this is a sort of last-minute promotion, but this graphic novel has been getting some amazing buzz and is beautifully illustrated. We just got copies into the store too! Feel free to swing by and take a look at the book, as well as pick up tickets to the event tonight!

All because we love you for subscribing to our mailing list.

It’s platonic love though, so don’t go getting any ideas.

- Chris @ The Beguiling

In a memo obtained by The Globe and Mail that was e-mailed to Indigo managers yesterday about "what to do if customers question Indigo's censorship" of Harper's, employees are told to say that "the decision was made based on the fact that the content about to be published has been known to ignite demonstrations around the world. Indigo [and its subsidiaries] Chapters and Coles will not carry this particular issue of the magazine but will continue to carry other issues of this publication in the future."

Hello Everyone. For the past 4 years, the Comic Book Bin has published a Web magazine about comics. I believe it is the largest and most visited Canadian site, until proven wrong. Currently only 5% of our audience is Canadian but that 5% is dear to me for obvious reasons.

Although we have interviewed many Canadian creators over the years, we still don't have a specific Canadian section about comics. We don't get many invitations to Canadian comic book events and conventions. Well we won't accept that anymore.

We will soon be adding a Canadian section to our Comics Columns similar the our existing Manga and Euro sections. We invite all Canadian creators and publishers to send us review material, news items and suggestions. We also welcome any volunteer who would like to help us develop this Canuck section. I want Canadians to feel wlecome at the Comic Book Bin.

Some background info. Yes, we cover major publishers and super heroes and that won't change, and won't apologize for that. But we also cover a lot of comics (I don't like the word small press, alternative or independent - it's diminishing and in opposition to something else). We even cover comics from the Middle East.

Truth be told, only two of us at the Bin are Canadians... I'm Canadian, live in Montreal and created the Bin. Canadians have a genuine unique vision to offer but are often lumped into American or European products. We also recognize that there are many sites covering Canadian books, like Sequential or Bedeka. They occupy specific niches and do great work. We're not looking to compete with any of them. We're just another place where you can promote your books and reach your audience.

Don't be shy. Our full address is below, where you can send any material our way. As soon as there's a critical mass of material, I'll lauch the section. However, if there is no initial and continued support for this gesture, we will not build this section.

Their main exhibit, Comic Craze, features over 400 samples of Canadian independant comics in a reading friendly environment. They have erected numerous pillars with shelves at various heights to display the comics with areas where people are encouraged to sit and read. It was pretty unique for a visual arts gallery space.

It’s done!

Finally, our new book, DRAWING THE LINE AGAIN (DTLA) is now AVAILABLE!! We sold over fifty at our “comic” launch April 28-30th during the Paradise Comic Convention. We’ve moved over 500 into various shops and businesses this past week –on consignment sales.

Recently, DTLA received a 5-star review in Metro News!! We were dumbfounded with the pleasing review. Here's a link to the online METRO article... http://www.metronews.ca/books_review.asp?id=15961

The new book is truly bigger and better! It saw over 60 artists involved and has 25% more in its 152 pages! We are proud to say that the production value has gone up as we've put all our knowledge and experience from the first book to use here. Thanks to our print sponsor, Kasra of VEI Press, the overall physical quality is better, too. The front cover is by Moebius [world-renown for his ‘Heavy Metal’ comics and for his contributions to sci-fi films]. The back cover is by Götting, who paints the French Harry Potter covers.

Our fundraising mandate continues: 100% of the proceeds of the sale of our books and donations equally benefit Sick Kids Foundation and the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation – all to conquer cancer. Please let your friends and family know that they can get the books on-line at www.benefitcomic.com or from you! Please, spread the word and don’t hold back.

Our asking price is still $20 and since we still have some of Drawing The Line books we're offering a special, namely: buy both books for $30. The first book has raised over $13,000 [and counting]. This is the suggested price. Of course, any size gift is always appreciated.

I just want to say, how abundantly clear it is to me that this project could not have happened with out your support, love and generosity. I thank you from the bottom of my heart! This project has made a profound difference to how I live my life and how I look at cancer: though it is something that I have and live with, the day will come when we conquer it! Let’s continue the journey…together.

Max the Mutt™ Animation School in downtown Toronto announced today that their school has just become the first in Toronto to be able to offer an in-depth 2-year diploma program in Comic Books and Graphic Novels. It is being called: Illustration For Sequential Arts: Comic Books and Graphic Novels. Students entering the program will have successfully completed Visual Arts Literacy, or will be able to show a portfolio demonstrating competence in the VAL curriculum.

Saw your April 24th post at SEQUENTIAL regarding the CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CREATOR AWARDS' HALL OF FAME 2006 inductees and I thought I should correct a couple misconceptions in your following statement ---

"The Hall of Fame is picked by the awards organizers, whereas the actual awards for "Best Comic Book Penciller" etc are determined by a popular vote by fans."

First off, the H of F inductees were chosen this year, and last year, not by the "awards organizers" but by a learned committee of comic book historians that debated their choices over a number of months until they arrived at a final selection that they felt were most deserving of this honour. These are the members of this committee, many whose names I'm sure you're familiar with ---

HALL OF FAME SELECTIONS COMMITTEE

John Bell is the author of the book, CANUCK COMICS, and the man behind the National Archives’ two comic book websites: GUARDIANS OF THE NORTH and BEYOND THE FUNNIES

Phil Latter is an avid comic collector with a particular interest and knowledge of comic book history (and one of the world’s biggest Zorro experts).

Stephen Lipson is a longtime comic collector with probably the biggest collection of “Canadian Whites” outside of the National Archives.

Henry Mietkiewicz is a former Toronto Star reporter (known for his final interview with Joe Shuster in 1992) and comics expert.

Robert Pincombe is a writer for Roy Thomas’ ALTER-EGO magazine and a comic collector with a particular interest in the history of Canadian creators (also, the man that found Fred Kelly, the creator of the original Mr. Monster --- much to Michael T. Gilbert’s delight!).

Secondly, I'm not sure which awards event in Canada has a "Best Comic Book Penciller" category but it's definitely not the CCBCA / the JOE SHUSTER AWARDS and as for being determined by a "popular vote by fans" that's true, to a certain extent, but that's only after the final nominees on the ballot have been hotly debated and rigorously determined by a nationwide nominating committee made up of comic journalists, collectors, retailers, and, yes, "fans" that burn up the internet with their emails as they narrow their choices down to a manageable list of finalists to be voted on.

It's not a perfect system, to be sure, but so far it seems to be working okay --- though we're always looking at ways to improve it in the future.

In closing, thanx for taking an interest in the CCBCA and for taking the time to post the news about our latest H of F inductees.

JAMES WALEY
Chief Coordinator: CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CREATOR AWARDS ASSOCIATION / the JOE SHUSTER AWARDS.

2005 Atlantic Journalism Award Winners HALIFAX, May 6 /CNW/ - A
celebration of excellence in Atlantic Canada journalism was hosted tonight at
the 25th Atlantic Journalism Awards, at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront
Hotel. Awards were presented in 25 categories...

Editorial Cartooning
- The gold award winner was Bruce MacKinnon, The Chronicle
Herald, Halifax, NS, for his Show Of Work.
- The other finalists in this category were Michael de Adder, The Daily News, Halifax, NS, for his Show Of Work and Greg Perry, Telegraph-Journal, Saint John, NB, for his Show Of Work.

Just three weeks shy of his 50th birthday, longtime Kitchener resident Dave Sim — known for his pioneering self-published 300-issue comic-book series Cerebus — belted out the song My Way in front of a crowd of about 75 guests, fans and fellow creators and received a standing ovation for both his singing prowess and his lifetime of work. “It was my only chance to ever do that,” Sim laughed after the ceremony.

“Of course, that song is always associated with Frank Sinatra and it was nice for me to be able to remind everybody that it was by one of our guys — Paul Anka.”

Sim then presented the 2006 Outstanding Canadian Cartoonist Award to Halifax’s Bryan Lee Malley in a symbolic passing of the torch.