Canadian Comix News & Culture

   Friday, August 31, 2007  
FanExpo: One Last Go Round

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/31/2007 07:11:00 AM
No word yet on attendance figures.

Please send Sequential your photos, links, videos and comics about FanExpo 2007. To see all of our posts about the 2007 con so far, click here.

1. Youtube episode of BSGCast.


2. DC Panel

3. Comic Book Bin's Avi Weinryb has a one-day report, with some photos.

4. The weekend from the POV of a REBOOT cosplayer --with photos and video.

5. A report on the masquerade by a volunteer.

6. Podcast from "This Week in Geek".

7. See, FanExpo provides many networking opportunities and may lead to actual jobs for nerds.

8. Lolita fashions.

Labels: , , , , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



   Thursday, August 30, 2007  
Zeros 2 Heroes Responds

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/30/2007 01:07:00 AM
Based on a few recent posts about the new zeros2heroes.com comics-related social network/idea farm, Sequential was contacted by Zeros 2 Heroes spokesperson Matthew Toner. Toner was kind enough to answer a few email questions about his site and its latest projects:

1. How many users does Zeros 2 Heroes have? How many participated in the Reboot promotion?


*** Last time I checked, we were just over 2500 members... hardly Facebook numbers. ;-)

But we did surpass our goal wrt the ReBoot promotion by a long margin - we measured this by more than just members. We looked at time on site, for example, and number of reviews. Online users submitted way more than 10,000 individual ratings, a few thousand comments, and several hundred blog posts. For a relatively small group in a relatively short time, this was a very decent showing. ***

2. Is there anywhere online where anyone interested could read an example of the "standard" contract you will be offering to the winners of the "Canada: Comic Creation Nation" contest?


*** Not yet. Much like some of our better-heeled competitors, we've found that getting legal work done at the end of August is a slow process. But we'll be posting some plain language deal points very soon. ***

3. Why should I care about Zeros 2 Heroes? What are the ways in which Zeros 2 Heroes differs from other social networking sites like comicspace? How does Zeros 2 Heroes differ from other webcomics publishers like clickwheel or wecomincs nation?


*** We think ComicSpace is great and have had many fruitful discussions with Josh (as well as some collaboration around the ReBoot campaign). I guess what sets Zeros 2 Heroes apart from other online comic communities is that we see ourselves as more of a movement - we want to work with or on behalf of these other sites that are on the outside of the mainstream industry. As you may have noticed, we're pretty good at the business/marketing side of the business - we want to use this expertise on behalf of independent, undiscovered or unnoticed creators. ***

4. How is Zeros 2 Heroes better than self-publishing or publishing through a traditional paper publisher?


*** I don't know if I would say "better", but I would say "different". Self-publishing results in product but no distribution or marketing... in the end, it can easily become a big money sink for the creators. Paper publishing is a great, time-tested model, but there are very real barriers to entry for new or untested talent. Most writers I know could paper their house with rejection letters.

Our model is digital and allows creators the ability to self-publish, distribute and promote their own works... and the only real judge of thei worth will be the online audience. The wrinkle we're adding with Comic Creation Nation is the ability to team up undiscovered writers with editors and professional artists to help bring that crucial first work to life. All of this is at no cost to them... and no cost to the audience either. ***

5. There have been other submission contests and collective pitch rating forums in the past, most of which have never resulted in successful properties or even great art. There are already tons of comics in the world (and let's face it, comics is not a mass medium like movies or tv). How will your company be able to market or develop these projects when there are so many competing webcomics and paper comics in the world? Is there any money in it when major comics publishers and even sites like youtube struggle to find ways to generate profit?


*** Well, now we're really talking about our company's "secret sauce". ;-)

I think the short answer is that we've assembled a really good team of entertainment industry professionals and new media specialists: this gives us a certain kind of clout. But more importantly, I think we're approaching the problems of the comic industry in a new way. Von Clauswitz always said to attack "the hinge of the door" and that's what I think online companies can do best. If we can displace industry intermediaries, we can tip the dynamic of the industry back towards consumer and creators of content. We often look to how MySpace has changed the music industry. ***

6. Do you have any funding from anything besides Telefilm? What or who are your backers and what kind of financing have they provided?


*** We do have some private financing in the company, but our investors would obviously prefer that we keep it "private." But I do feel free to say that we are not funded by any giant entertainment conglomerate and don't answer to any other corporate power. Unlike our bigger competitors, this allows us the freedom to do things that we feel are in the best interests of the creators, artists and fans that make up our community. We hope to keep it that way, even though sometimes I get an earful from our Chairman about leaving money on the table. ;-) ***

------

The Edmonton Journal has an article about Z2H today.

Labels: , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



   Wednesday, August 29, 2007  
Link Round-up

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/29/2007 06:37:00 AM
Some links from the world of Canadian comix

1. The Inkstuds podcast interviews Ken Boesem, Steve Lecouilliard, Stephanie Blakey, & Carrie Mckay.

2. Writing for York University's Excalibur Online, Jovan Zimzovski takes Avril Lavigne to task over the manga she stars in, Make 5 Wishes.

Labels: ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



 
Zeroes2Heroes Update

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/29/2007 01:45:00 AM

We linked to T. Campbell's criticisms of Vancouver start-up Zeroes2Heroes.com last week. I'm sure the main question many observers have been asking based on the press releases and what is on the site so far, since it differs from existing webcomics business models (if only in the scope of its ambitions) is how (and for what) this company will pay creators and who gets the rights for what is created. Campbell now has a podcast of his interview with z2h president Matthew Toner and some clarifications on his blog.

Zeroes2Heroes has quite a few big plans involving user participation and Toner mentions the youtube model alot in the podcast. He talks about the Comic Creation Nation project as a way for "undiscovered writers" who may not have considered comics to get a "foot in the door" as published writers by entering a project selection derby and then getting an artist, paid by z2h, to produce a comic. The company has already received money from Telefilm Canada, the federal government granting agency that helps finance most of the tv and movies in this country, to produce these comics, apparently. So at least the project will be a paying gig for whatever professional artists are chosen to illustrate the contest winners.

From the website: "Zeros 2 Heroes' first comic creation campaign -- Canada: Comic Creation Nation -- will effectively make the company Canada's largest online publisher of comics. Canada: Comic Creation Nation will use social media techniques to identify, qualify and create 30 to 50 new suitable for development as feature films, television series, direct-to-DVD animation and --of course-- comic books."

As for rights, it sounds from the podcast like the company wants to act only as a marketing agent or manager for comics creators, big and small, helping out with signings, products, and maybe "micro-loans" perhaps financed by Telefilm or private sector production companies/publishers (maybe for a share of the back end or rights, it's still unclear --hopefully Sequential can clarify this soon). As for the company's website, it claims that creators of the Comic Creation Nation project retain rights while agreeing to a fifty-fifty split of profits, with no promises made if the resulting webcomic is optioned as a movie, etc. And the "standard" contract the company is offering seems only available for perusal by those who are chosen by z2h's "community" when the contest ends October 31st. (In Sequential's experience, there is no such thing as a standard contract: everything is negotiable and having a lawyer or agent look at any document you sign is always a good idea).

Labels: , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  2 comments



   Tuesday, August 28, 2007  
FanExpo 2007: More Show Reports

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/28/2007 06:00:00 AM
It seems like Sequential has turned into an endless series of linkdumps for con reports over the last few weeks, but I will continue for as long as the pleasure lasts.

Please send Sequential your photos, links, videos and comics about FanExpo 2007. To see all of our posts about the 2007 con so far, click here.

Today's links, photos, and reports from the 2007 FanExpo in Toronto:

1. Jason Truong and Danny Truong always turn in comprehensive show reports from all the Toronto cons. The Truong brothers are old pros at conventions and have the mechanics of standing in line for sketches and maneuvering around the convention floor down pat. Of the two, I think I prefer Danny's blog because his pictures are smaller and load faster on my ancient computer. Jason (whose con photos were recently featured in Wizard magazine) liked the guest list more but was manhandled by security. Lots of good tips, photos and criticisms of the show from both.

2. FanExpo comics event coordinator Kevin Boyd (who was interviewed here Friday) blogs about the con here and here. It was interesting reading how Kevin's new job with Hobbystar is working out (quick summary: he's very positive).

3. An Artist Alley virgin.

4. Not as good as Wizard World, Chicago.

5. Sketches.

6. Advice to Artist Alley virgins.

7. A nice slideshow on youtube.

8. A Silver Snail part-timer reports on sales and not being hit on.

9. A short 3-day report.

10. Video: The movie 300 acted by Klingons.

11. The movieblog audio edition has a recap and some other comics news.

12. Horror writer and con virgin Frank Cavallo gives his impressions.

13. The blog of of someone who cosplayed as Ken Matsushiro, master baker, has some criticisms of the show regarding how anime fans are ghettoized.

14. A show report and video from Monitor Duty.

15. Photos.

16. Jeffrey Renaud from Comic Book Resources has the Marvel Comics news.

17. Talent show.

18. Blogger plays sociologist and tries to get at the core of fandom.

19. Links to video of anime-themed skits from the masquerade.

20. Great photo of a dealer display.

21. Video: This link takes you to a list of search results for "fanexpo" on youtube. Mostly anime cosplay. My favourites are this long video by the creators of Toronto webcomic/graphic novel Empty Words, and this video which has a nice overview of the highlights.

22. Last but not least, Blake Bell has a trio of posts from the con: A report on the Romita panel, a podcast of DC news, and a photo dump.

Labels: , , , , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



   Monday, August 27, 2007  
How to Enjoy Conventions; Do interviews?
Canadian DIY Author interviews US DIY Creator Carla Speed McNeil

:: Posted by max @ 8/27/2007 06:00:00 AM

Canadian Media un-King Jim Munroe took a few moments away from his own table [where we were hawking our new book] to interview one of his all time favorite comic creators, Carla Speed McNeil. He's posted the podcast here on his site, just had a listen now, it's a good one. Also along with that is a cool post about Cons, an 8 point list for how to have fun with them.

Labels: , , , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



 
Lynn Johnston Interview: No Regrets

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/27/2007 06:00:00 AM
Brad Mackay interviews Lynn Johnston for CBC Arts and gets some choice biographical info as well as comics criticism:

We lived with the comics growing up -- we loved them. My grandfather and my father would analyze them, and my father was quite a good cartoonist but never pursued it. So all my life I remember looking at the comics not as an entertainment, but rather as a piece of art. I loved comic books too, [especially] any one where the female character was believable or strong. I liked Little Dot, Little Lulu, and of course I liked Peanuts, because even though Lucy was kind of a crab, she was strong.

Labels: ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



 
Fan Expo 2007: The Day After

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/27/2007 05:59:00 AM

Despite the last minute pull-out of some big-name sci-fi tv and movie guests, the 2007 Toronto FanExpo seems to have been keenly anticipated and enjoyed by large numbers of attendees. I wasn't there myself but I met someone at a yard sale on Saturday who was going and looking forward to getting autographs from David Prowse and Malcolm McDowell since both appeared together in Clockwork Orange. This same person's child was apparently a big hit at a previous Fanexpo when dressed up as Superbaby. We should all be so lucky.

Overview:
FanExpo is owned by Aman Gupta's Hobbystar and is made up of several genre cons -- billing itself as the third largest North American convention after San Diego and Wizard World Chicago. In Canadian terms, FanExpo is a big deal for fans, retailers, and maybe for artists hawking their wares and networking --not so much for publishing news. There are a few snippets in the links below but mostly the event is a cultural phenomena that celebrates consumerism, technology, spectacle, and cosplay. I urge you to join with me in negating this culture in order to preserve its meaning.

FanExpo is made up of the following:

The Canadian National Anime Expo (CN Anime) since 1998
The Canadian National Science Fiction Expo (SFX) since 1999
The Canadian National Horror Expo (Rue Morgue's Festival of Fear) since 2004
The Canadian National Gaming Expo (GX) since 2005

In 2006, FanExpo claimed 42000 attendees. No official word yet on this year but I expect to read that it hit 50K, despite how absurd that seems.

Of all the subcultural-types who attend, the tightest social networks (and the greatest component of cosplayers and bloggers) belong to the anime and manga fans, judging from the links below.

Please send Sequential your photos, links, videos and comics about FanExpo 2007. To see all of our posts about the 2007 con so far, click here.

1. citytv video, includes short interview with "event coordinator" Jamie Armstrong and throws around the 50 thousand attendees number

2. an artist alley manga fan artist reports that drama was kept to a minimum

3. a full report by a female cosplayer and fan of Lar DeSouza and Ryan Sohmer's Least I Could Do/Looking for Group webcomics

4. Tara Tallan spends the weekend with J. Torres and Scott Chantler

5. Alphabetizing graphic novels at a con? No fun!

6. All yer Marvel Comics news rom the con

7. Anime cosplayers video

8. This film studies student and knitter reports brisk sales of hats

9. Some photos, including the soon to be ubiquitous Super-chihuahua!

10. The long line-up is always an issue --expect several videos of people trying to find the end of the ticket line.

11. Photos: lots of Reboot cosplay

12. Gatekeeper's Blog

13. 26 photos

14. Photos from Movie Blog

15. photos and pillowfight vid

16. ctv tech blogger's photo parade

17. tons of photos (slow?)

18. photo blog with lots of trains (?)

19. Apparently, there was a dearth of Christian comics

20. Flickr: photos, photos, photos, and more photos.

Labels: , , , , , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  1 comments



 
News Round-up

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/27/2007 05:57:00 AM
1. T. Campbell dissects the "loser-generated content" business model of Zeroes2Heroes.com, the new Canadian webcomics start-up. Sequential has been leery of these hypemeisters from the start and hopefully Campbell will clarify the rights issue with the CEO. On a related note, the Montreal Gazette believes the hype.

2. This Canadian Press article profiles policart Serge Chapleau and the animated tv show he provides designs and voices for, "Et Dieu crea Laflaque" ("And God Created Laflaque").

3. Rebecca Kraatz gets some home-town attention for her Wright Awards win.

4. Yellowknife cartoonists Kelly Steeves and Shawn Riopelle have an exhibit of their graphic novel artwork up at Squatterz Books and Curiosities, the best bookstore in the Northwest Territories.

5. The Globe's Jack Kapicka blogs about the comics on yer cellphone phenom.

Labels: , , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



   Sunday, August 26, 2007  
N'oubliez pas le prochain Comix Jam | Montreal Aug 30

:: Posted by max @ 8/26/2007 09:33:00 PM
Co:THE MONTHLY MONTREAL COMIX JAM

Bonjour a Tous!

N'oubliez pas le prochain comix jam d'aout qui aura lieu comme d'habitude au cafe l'Utopik 552 Ste-Catherine Est, ce jeudi 30 aout a 20 heures. pres du metro Berri.

A la prochaine!

Don't forget August next Comix Jam at l'Utopik 552 St-Catherine East, 8PM August 30th. Near Berri Metro.

See you all there!

Jane

Labels: , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



 
fANeXPO, Day 2

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/26/2007 12:00:00 AM
Reports from the floor and elsewhere, Toronto FanExpo 2007:

1. Photos.

2. Scrabble Tournament.

3. Photos.

4. Anime/gaming fan with some photos.

5. CTV tech-blogger has a cosplay photo parade.

6. The Movie Blog has pics and video.

7. A comparison of TCAF and FanExpo.


8. A fan raves about Karl Kerschl's Teen Titans...

9. Photo Parade: Young Troopers in Love

10. Large Flickr sets here and here.

Labels: , , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



   Saturday, August 25, 2007  
FanExpo, Day 1

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/25/2007 06:00:00 AM
Some links from those attending and planning to attend the Toronto FanExpo this weekend:

1. The No Reason webcomic/t-shirt guys have a comic strip and blog post about their experience at the 2006 con, before they went "pro".

2. This livejournal user didn't feel like talking to Adam West.

3. How to make a Dr. Who costume.

4. Photos.

Labels: , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



   Friday, August 24, 2007  
Toronto Convention Shocker: Kevin Boyd Jumps Ship

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/24/2007 06:00:00 AM


FanExpo's New Star

by Bryan Munn

In the relatively small world of Toronto comics fandom it is a story of almost Biblical proportions: Kevin Boyd, long-time promoter of the Paradise Toronto Comicon, has left Paradise for arch-rival, Hobbystar Promotions, owner of the Toronto FanExpo.

Boyd, along with Paradise Comics owner Peter Dixon, had been co-promoter of the Paradise conventions since 2002. He announced his move to Hobbystar last month through several online venues.

Boyd's move came as a surprise to many, given the recent acrimony between Hobbystar and Paradise. Boyd was an active player in these disputes, even going so far as accusing Hobbystar of "aggressive counter-programming tactics" in 2006.

According to Boyd, since the two organizations began arguing 3 years ago over event scheduling, brand confusion, and the alleged intimidation of guests and dealers, Paradise and Hobbystar have "been trying to get along and the conflict has pretty much disappeared," paving the way for Boyd to join his former competitor.

The Stop Hobbystar Movement

The conflict between Paradise and Hobbystar held many comics fans and businesses in its thrall, some quite literally, to the point where several dealers and pros took sides and refused to do business with one or another faction. For the most part it seemed that Hobbystar suffered the most in this regard, with several high-profile vendors like Toronto's The Beguiling, and several comics artists actively boycotting the FanExpo shows. Things came to a boil with the creation of the Stop Hobbystar blog by Brian Garside, of online comics retailer All New Comics.

According to Boyd, "the whole Hobbystar/Paradise feud was something I was deeply caught up in. I was one of the people fighting tooth and nail with them over playing fair and not interfering in other people's businesses. I think last August, with the creation of the Stop Hobbystar blog, and some industry interest in the conflict, that most of us realized that this was not good for the city of Toronto and the industry as a whole.

"The two sides met many times last fall to try to resolve something, and while no agreement was reached, we've been trying to get along and the conflict has pretty much disappeared and the Paradise Comicon had this year to stand or fall on it's own without interference. The Stop Hobbystar people closed the blog up in the spring, feeling it had served its purpose. They've also worked out their concerns with Hobbystar and will be at the show in August. Most of the industry didn't like the conflict, but remained neutral in their actions as they saw merit in supporting both."

The Move

Boyd was hired away from Paradise by Aman Gupta, owner of Hobbystar, after meeting with him for several years to resolve the differences between the two cons, all the while resisting Gupta's offers of employment. According to Boyd, the crucial meeting happened early last month: "We met again on July 12 and he made me an offer which I seriously considered and decided to take after consulting with my family and close friends outside of comics. My options were limited: retire from conventions or work with Hobbystar. It happened very quickly, in less than a week's time."

This seeming drastic change in Boyd's orientation and loyalties was actually a long time coming. He had been dissatisfied with the financial aspects of the Paradise con for several years and argues that his decision to leave the show was based almost solely on the lack of renumeration he received for his efforts.

"Since I agreed to be involved in the Paradise show in late 2002 my involvement has been pretty all-encompassing. I worked on pretty much every facet of the event. The only thing I did not do was deal with the suppliers or book flights and hotel rooms. It has always been a common misconception that I was an employee of Paradise Comics. Aside from occasionally watching the store when no one else could, I have never worked there for pay. So to say I worked for Paradise is not really true. I shopped there, and was friends with the staff there, helped out a lot, and my commitment with the show was to work on the show in exchange for a percentage of the gate, which I never received. My contribution and commitment to the con was time and effort."

"The convention business was not successful so I decided it was time to end it. I worked on it for five years and did not receive any money for time spent on the big convention, as bills needed to be paid first. It was not acceptable for me to continue working so hard on something that I was not making anything from and saw no room for that situation improving. Being in business is supposed to be about making money, and I make no ancillary profits from the con. I don't set up as a dealer any more. I don't have a store to promote. I'm just a guy that likes comics and got caught up in something that I thought would give me more money to pay my own bills and buy more comics, and that didn't work out."

Boyd has a long history of involvement with comic art and conventions. Although by day he is a mild-mannered research affiliate for Cancer Care Ontario, by night and on weekends he has operated as something of a super-fan for years. A collector and fan for most of his life, in the mid-1980s he formed Black Light Comics with two friends from high school and sold photocopied mini-comics (The Cat, Tales from the Hood and Battlestar) at Toronto conventions.

In the early 90s Boyd started selling comics at some smaller shows run by Simon Watson and Doug Simpson, two employees of the Paradise Comics shop. When Simpson retired, Paradise owner Peter Dixon came on board. In 2002, after Watson left under difficult circumstances, Boyd was invited to fill his role as co-promoter of the Paradise cons and began work on the Toronto Comicon 3-day events. Boyd worked on 10 Paradise events in total: five 3-day conventions and four and a half one-day shows.

In addition, Boyd is an organizer of the Joe Shuster Awards and does work with the Certified Guaranty Company, travelling to U.S. shows with them and getting books signed for their customers. He is also an Overstreet Price Guide advisor with market reports published in the last two editions. "I do some work with the Hero Iniative as well," he adds.

Boyd and Dixon were the sole owners of the Paradise con. The con itself had no employees, although according to Boyd, Dixon's store employees contributed by answering calls, taking messages, offering advice and forwarding e-mails, with the rest of the slack being taken up by unpaid friends, family and between 15-25 volunteers.

Faced with another year of zero net profit from the Paradise con, Boyd decided to quit: "Although I had been saying I was done since I was told the financial results in mid-June, on July 9, I wrote a letter detailing my position on future cons and my lack of interest in continuing, and I reiterated that position to Peter Dixon in person on July 11 and July 14."

It was during these last two dates that he was approached again by Hobbystar's Gupta, who successfully persuaded him to hire on as Coordinator, Comic Book Events for the FanExpo convention. Boyd took over the position quite late in the run-up to this weekend's con, after much of the groundwork had been laid, guests booked, etc., so that his duties have been limited to "working on the comic book programming and related events and assisting with guest services, things like that. Doing what I can and learning along the way."

The Future

Boyd sees quite a few differences between his new job and his old business, not the least of which is the focus on the bottom line.

"There are a lot of differences, mostly in tone and atmosphere. Hobbystar conventions are very much focused on the big mainstream end of comics. That's the gateway to other comics. Paradise Comicon was about celebrating comics on their own terms. I'm obviously going to try and bring a lot of that to what I do with Hobbystar events. Unlike Paradise where I was pretty much on my own, Hobbystar already has an existing and successful formula and organization. I have to apply that formula to the comics piece of the large pie that is FanExpo Canada. As a relative outsider and newcomer, there are things that I think could be tweaked to make for a more enjoyable experience for the attendees and the creators, but I have to learn how they do it firsthand and then make recommendations."

Although he has contributed to the programming schedule of this weekend's con, he doesn't think his impact will be visible this year: "I'm just learning the ropes. If this works out and I continue with them then I'll have more of an involved role in future comic events."

As for any regrets over leaving Paradise, Boyd seems to have left them behind in his excitement over the transition.

"I feel that how Paradise feels is not really my concern at this point. I tried to explain my position for not continuing, and the further I get from the decision the better I feel that it was the right thing to do. I wish them luck with whatever they decide to do from now on."

Although there has been some grumbling from observers, Boyd has been getting quite a bit of support over his move.

"I expected a lot more negativity, and I've been getting a lot more support than I ever expected. I guess people knew I was not happy. I'm not saying that I haven't received some negative e-mails from people who feel betrayed, but they see my actions as being anti-Paradise. I don't see it that way at all. If anything, my like and support of those people should help eliminate any future problems."

This sentiment is echoed by Boyd's friend Peter Fisico, the All New Comics co-owner who is also a sponsor of the Shusters and of the Paradise con's Women of Comics programming. According to Fisico, "in the end it will be a good thing. It will hopefully improve relations within the Toronto comics community and Kevin will also help bring comics as a medium back to the forefront of the Hobbystar show."

-----

The Toronto FanExpo begins today and continues through Sunday.

(top image: a tight-lipped Boyd transforms into a happy partygoer at last week's Wright Awards. Photos courtesy of Brad Mackay and amateurishly edited without permission.)

Labels: , , , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  3 comments



 
This Weekend: FanExpo 2007

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/24/2007 05:59:00 AM


The Golden City on the Hill

The Toronto FanExpo, featuring the Comic Book Expo as well as separate Anime, Sci-Fi and Horror conventions, all under the same giant roof, takes place this weekend, August 24-26.

Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre

(directions)

Cost: $25-59 (kids $10) details

This is the first Comic Book Expo organized by former-Paradise Comicon promoter Kevin Boyd (see separate article).

There are many many comics-related guests and events.

Guests:

Guests include tv star Adam West, Paul Dini, John Romita Sr & Jr., Arthur Suydam, Frank Quitely, Yannick Paquette, Karl Kerschl, Ty Templeton, J. Torres, Cameron Stewart, Udon Studios, and a host of others.

Events:

COOL SCHOOL: HOW TO BREAK INTO COMICS WITH C.B. CEBULSKI - ROOM 713A, 5PM FRIDAY
C.B. Cebulski is the man to see at Marvel Comics and here he’ll be dishing out advice on how you can get yourself a job in the comics industry!
COOL SCHOOL: WRITING COMICS AND SCREENPLAYS: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?? WITH GREG PAK- ROOM 713A, 6PM FRIDAY
Hulk writer Greg Pak shows the differences and similarities in writing for comics and the screen.
COOL SCHOOL: DRAWING THE COMIC GODS WITH THOR’S OLIVIER COIPEL - ROOM 714, 8PM FRIDAY
Olivier Coipel catches the flight in from Asgard to show you the secrets of drawing the gods of Marvel’s new Thor comic!
COOL SCHOOL: MANUFACTURING MUTANTS WITH MIKE CHOI & SANDRA OBACK - ROOM 714, 7PM FRIDAY
Mike Choi and Sandra Oback discuss their unique approach to illustrating Marvel’s mightiest mutants from X-23 to the X-Men!
COOL SCHOOL: BREAKING INTO COMICS WITH UDON - ROOM 713A, 1PM SATURDAY
Trying to make it as a comic book creator? Let the stars of UDON Studio show you how to do it.
COOL SCHOOL: CREATING KICK-A$$ COVERS WITH SIMONE BIANCHI - ROOM 714, 1PM SATURDAY
Simone Bianchi is currently wowing the industry with his amazing covers on Detective Comics and Wolverine. Come see how he does it in person!
COOL SCHOOL: THE DYNAMIC PALETTE OF ASPEN’S PETER STEIGERWALD - ROOM 714, 2PM SATURDAY
He’s the man that makes Michael Turner’s covers come to life! Peter Steigerwald reveals his digital colouring secrets!
COOL SCHOOL: COMIC BOOK BOOT CAMP WITH TY TEMPLETON - ROOM 714, 4PM SATURDAY
Grab your army boots and your pencils! Ty Templeton runs you through the process of how to create comics!
COOL SCHOOL: WRITING COMICS FROM START TO FINISH WITH GREG PAK- ROOM 713A 6PM SAT
World War Hulk’s Greg Pak discusses the entire process of writing and scripting comic books.
COOL SCHOOL: DESIGNING DYNAMIC COVERS WITH ARTHUR SUYDAM - ROOM 714, 1PM SUNDAY
Learn how to create eye-popping covers with Marvel Zombie’s cover painter, Arthur Suydam.
COOL SCHOOL: DRAWING SENSATIONAL ACTION WITH ANGEL MEDINA - ROOM 714, 2PM SUNDAY
Sensational Spider-Man artist Angel Medina shows you how to draw dynamic action sequences.
COOL SCHOOL: SUPERHERO ANATOMY 101 WITH STEVE MCNIVEN - ROOM 714, 4PM SUNDAY
From Civil War to Amazing Spider-Man Steve McNiven is one of the industry’s biggest names. Here he’ll discuss his approach to drawing superheroes for widescreen
action!
SKETCH-OFF
Win, lose or draw! No losers here – watch the superstars go back to the drawing board – literally!
And win their original artwork ‘cause we’re givin’ it away! For free!
STEVE MCNIVEN vs. FRANK QUITELY - ROOM 714, 6PM FRIDAY
DALE EAGLESHAM vs. MICHAEL CHOI - ROOM 714, 12PM SATURDAY
OLIVIER COIPEL vs. MICHAEL TURNER - ROOM 714, 5PM SATURDAY
YASUHIRO NIGHTOW vs. ALVIN LEE - ROOM 714, 6PM SATURDAY
JOHN ROMITA JR. vs. JOHN ROMITA SR. - ROOM 714, 12PM SUNDAY
SIMONE BIANCHI vs. DAVID FINCH - ROOM 714, 3PM SUNDAY
TRANSMISSION-X: WEBCOMICS & MORE WITH THE ROYAL ACADEMY - ROOM 715A, 5PM FRIDAY
Toronto’s Royal Academy of Illustration and Design consists of many of the upcoming stars of modern comics like Karl Kerschl, Cameron Stewart, Kalman Andrasofszky,
Ramon Perez, Andy B. and more! This summer they launched the web comics site Transmission-X and web comics will never be the same again.
ALL ACCESS ASPEN - ROOM 717, 7PM FRIDAY
Join superstar Michael Turner, Peter Steigerwald, Marcus To, Francis Manapul and the rest of the Aspen clan as they give you access to the latest happenings at Aspen!
COUNTDOWN WITH PAUL DINI: COMICS, ANIMATION AND MORE - ROOM 717, 8PM FRIDAY
Acclaimed writer Paul Dini has worked on animation projects like Star Wars: Droids, Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited, hit television shows like
Lost, and recently he’s been redefining the DC Universe with Countdown and Detective Comics.
GOING FROM ZERO 2 HERO - ROOM 715A, 12PM SATURDAY
The entertainment industry is dominated by a series of gatekeepers- Zeros 2 Heroes wants to change all of that.
Join Paul Dini, Matt Toner (Zeros 2 Heroes Media), Paul Gertz (Rainmaker Entertainment) and representatives from Telefilm Canada to discuss the kick-off of "Canada:
Comic Creation Nation" - a campaign designed to discover and develop new creative talent from across the country.
WORLD WAR HULK: SMASHING THE MARVEL UNIVERSE - ROOM 717, 2PM SATURDAY
Hosted by editor Mark Paniccia. Guests: Greg Pak, John Romita Jr., David Finch
Marvel’s big event smashes its way into Fan Expo Canada with this all-star creator spotlight on World War Hulk! Who will live? Who will die? All we know is the Marvel
Universe will never be the same again.
CUP OF CEBULSKI MINUS THE JOE - ROOM 713A, 3PM SATURDAY
What’s happening with the House of Ideas? Marvel’s C.B. Cebulski throws the doors open!
REBOOTING REBOOT - ROOM 715A, 12PM SUNDAY
In July, Rainmaker Entertainment announced that it would be bringing back ReBoot, the much-loved animated television series, by giving
five undiscovered writers the chance to pitch five totally new ideas to the legions of ReBoot fans. Join Paul Gertz, (head of Rainmaker Animation), and Matt Toner,
(Preident of Zeros 2 Heroes Media) as they announce the winning pitch and discuss the process to date.
UDON: COMICS, MANGA & MANHWA - ROOM 713A, 12PM SUNDAY
This year UDON announced the creation of their new Manwha (Korean comics) line. Join the stars of UDON Studio as they discuss their upcoming projects and how
they are breaking the boundaries of the comics medium.
EXPORING THE MARVEL UNIVERSE WITH C.B. CEBULSKI - ROOM 717, 1PM SUNDAY
Hosted by C.B. Cebulski. Guests: Olivier Coipel, Greg Pak, David Finch, Angel Medina and Steve McNiven.
From the battle-scarred Sakaar to the Negative Zone to the Halls of Asgard to the alleys of New York City the Marvel Universe is the place for the World’s Greatest Comics!
THE AMAZING WORLDS OF DC COMICS - ROOM 717, 2PM SUNDAY
Guests: Frank Quitely, Dale Eaglesham, Paul Dini, J. Torres, Karl Kerschl, Chris Sprouse, Francis Manapul
With the return of the multiverse and the amazing All-Star line, the worlds of DC Comics have never been bigger or brighter. Catch the inside scoop from DC’s big guns

Labels: , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  1 comments



 
This Weekend: Comix and Stories, Vancouver

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/24/2007 05:58:00 AM

The annual Vancouver small-press and art comix convention, Comix & Stories takes place this Sunday, August 26 at Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street. Admission: $3.00

From the Georgia Straight:

The crowd, estimated at 400, is different from the usual Comicon attendees. "We get a lot more art students, a lot more women, and a lot more people interested in comics more as art than a graphic narrative," says organizer Leonard Wong, reached by phone in Vancouver. Dealers stock their tables with Love & Rockets graphic novels, R. Crumb memorabilia, and the latest from Daniel Clowes and Julie Doucet.

In the '90s, Wong began bringing in Seattle artists like Jason Lutes and Ed Brubaker. But "it honestly confused a lot of the people who were coming to the shows for Batman comic books and whatnot," Wong says. It was spun into "a once-a-year thing, with the focus on independent creators".

This year's Comix & Stories, at Heritage Hall, features Farel Dalrymple. The Portland-based artist writes and draws his own title, Pop Gun War , and is illustrating the upcoming Omega: The Unknown , from an obscure 1970s Marvel comic. Novelist Jonathan Lethem ( The Fortress of Solitude ) is writing the series. Local guests include Robin Bougie, publisher of cult-film 'zine C inema Sewer ; Camilla d'Errico, creator of the manga series Avril Lavigne's Make 5 Wishes and Nightmares and Fairytales ; and the Straight 's own Josue Menjivar ( Everyday Things ).

This will be Libicki's third year at Comix & Stories. "It's a pretty neat community," she says. "They're all great people. And we're all doing completely different things."


(top image: Miriam Libicki's Jobnik!)

Labels: ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



   Thursday, August 23, 2007  
TCAF Links #5

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/23/2007 12:09:00 AM

Okay, a few more links to reports from last weekend's Toronto Comic Arts Festival --more digestible in small daily doses.

1. Blake Bell's photo dump from Saturday.

2. Stuart Immonen.

3. NOW Magazine's Evan Davies prefers Ryan North to autobio-style strips about dating angst.

4. Vanessa Satone.

5. Allan Olley has a nice show report with thoughts about the manga, webcomics, and academic panel discussions.

6. Aaron Tucker reviews some of the comics on offer at TCAF for the Torontoist.

7. Adhouse's Chris Pitzer.

8. Kendra from Ascent magazine, hypes the new Billy Mavreas graphic novel they are publishing, Inside Outside Overlap.

9. And of course, Sequential's own Salgood Sam has a full post, including a report of his launch last Thursday of Therefore Repent. Pictures too. (see up top)

Labels: , , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



   Wednesday, August 22, 2007  
Transmission X Expands

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/22/2007 04:15:00 AM
Fresh from a strong start-up and a successful TCAF, the Transmission X webcomics collective has announced it is expanding its roster/membership to include several new cartoonists, including new work from Michael Cho:

WEBCOMICS COLLECTIVE TRANSMISSION-X EXPANDS PROGRAMMING


Toronto-based webcomics group Transmission-X (http://www.transmission-x.com) has added four new ongoing comics to its daily schedule. In addition to the five comics that launched the site – Karl Kerschl's Ragni: The North Sea Epoch and The Abominable Charles Christopher, Andy B's Raising Hell, Scott Hepburn's The Port and Cameron Stewart's Sin Titulo -- Transmission-X is now proud to announce the debut of Ramon Perez's Kukuburi, Arthur Dela Cruz's Kissing Chaos: Til I Die, Brian McLachlan's The Princess Planet, and Michael Cho's Papercut.

Kukuburi, written and illustrated by Ramon Perez, is the story of a motorcycle courier plucked from her mundane existence and thrust into a bizarre, dreamlike world where anything can (and does) happen. Perez is the co-creator and illustrator of the popular webcomic Butternutsquash, and has illustrated comics and role-playing games from publishers such as DC Comics and Palladium Press.

Kissing Chaos: Til I Die, written and illustrated by Arthur Dela Cruz, is the latest, all-new installment of his Eisner Award-nominated series about doomed romance, originally published by Oni Press.

The Princess Planet, by Brian McLachlan, is the long-running fantasy-humour strip appearing at www.theprincessplanet.com. McLachlan is a writer and cartoonist whose work has appeared in Owl Magazine, The Toronto Star, and Nickelodeon Magazine.

Papercut, by Michael Cho, is an ongoing anthology of short stories by the acclaimed illustrator, whose work has appeared in dozens of magazines and children’s books. Papercut will update on the 15th of every month with a complete, original story.

Also making its debut at last weekend's Toronto Comic Arts Festival were the first installments of TXTV, a weekly video podcast filmed and edited by Brenden Fletcher that features a behind-the-scenes look at the life and work of all the Transmission-X creators. TXTV will be available for weekly download beginning in September.

Transmission-X is found on the web at http://www.transmission-x.com and is updated daily with free, original content. Media enquiries can be sent to signal@transmission-x.com.

Labels: , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



 
TCAF Links #4

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/22/2007 03:55:00 AM
Maybe this is the last day for TCAF linkology?

1. Robert Fulford reports on TCAF for the National Post.

2. Space Channel reports in from Neptune with video.

3. Jeffrey Rowland unleashes Deena Jacobs' Titty Terror!

4. Chris Butcher does a giant link dump.

5. Matt Forsythe has sketches, including a great Rebecca Kraatz.

6. I'm sure there are lots more --please send your links...

Labels: , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



   Tuesday, August 21, 2007  
More TCAF Wrap-Ups

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/21/2007 06:00:00 PM

The fun posts and photostreams keep on coming from the attendees at the 2007 Toronto Comic Arts Festival which took place this past weekend:

1. Wright Awards emcee Brad Mackay's photos, including TCAF, some awards shots and the afterparty.

2. Diana Tamblyn's show report.

3. Jason Truong brings the goods...

4. as does Danny Truong.

5. Jim Zubkavich show report

6. post and photos from Diesel Sweeties' R. Stevens

7. Karen Whalley posts her photos at the Torontoist blog

8. Caricaturist Sam Gorrie hangs out with caricaturist Joe Bluhm

9. Kevin Boyd has a report on the Wrights and Day One of TCAF --we hope Kevin's back is better in time for this weekend's Fan Expo!

10. Michael Deforge is my new favourite comic book artist. The reason: he makes independent comics about his feelings! He also has a TCAF report.

11. Robis at Toronto Delivers reviews several comics by TCAF attendees.

12. Cartoonist Tara Tallan turns in a fairly large blog entry with some photos.

13. Hope Larson posts some photos, including one in which it looks like Wright Award winner Rebecca Kraatz is being attacked by a Jack Kirby character.

14. Sonja Andic has photos of the fashions favoured by women at TCAF.

15. some oddball photos from lickeymit

16. Tom Spurgeon's continuing "Collective Memory" round-up has many of the same links as Sequential does, but his are better organized, if not as earnestly Canadian.

Please send Sequential your opinions or links to TCAF reports and photos.

To see all our TCAF 2007 entries click here.

(top image by Michael Deforge)

Labels: , , , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



   Monday, August 20, 2007  
TCAF: Day Two

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/20/2007 06:00:00 AM
jamie coville tcaf 2007 photos pictures comics toronto
More comics fun from Toronto:

1. Jamie Coville has almost 200 photos!

2. Rey Ortega has some party photos & comics

3. photos of the venue

4. Mark Siegel of U.S. publisher First Second, whose employees were chatting up several Canuck cartoonists all weekend, says TCAF is the "best comics festival around"

5. a young comics reader gets free comics

6. Peter Trinh turns in a full report: hot and dank

7. Dave Merill accomplishes all his 90s indy fan goals

8. Paul Rivoche's TCAF project

9. The Toronto Star profiles George A. Walker and his collection of wordless novels by various authors, including Laurence Hyde (some good Jeet Heer quotes in the article as well)

10. another photostream of 107 photos on flickr

11. 271 photos by the doodlers on flickr

12. Aaron M's flickr set

....and that's alot!

Please send Sequential your Festival reports!

Labels: , , , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



   Saturday, August 18, 2007  
TCAF: Day One

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/18/2007 10:13:00 PM
1. cbc arts has the best write-up of the Wright Awards I've read...

2. Danielle from blogTO checks out the webcomics panel, among other things

3. RT Murphy does the same, but also forces himself to sit through part of a manga panel.

4. Kark Kerschl talks about the Transmission X art show/room.

5. And Chris Butcher has links to all the previews/media coverage/interviews about the weekend

Labels: , , , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



   Friday, August 17, 2007  
Wright Awards Winners

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/17/2007 11:00:00 PM



The organizers of the 2007 Doug Wright Awards for Canadian cartooning are pleased to announce this year's winners:

Best Book

Joe Ollman, This Will All End in Tears (Insomniac Press)

Best Emerging Talent
house of sugar rebecca kraatz

Rebecca Kraatz for House of Sugar (Tulip Tree Press)

Congratulations to the winners!

Labels: , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



 
Rand Holmes: Giant of the North

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/17/2007 06:30:00 AM
Rand Holmes, the Underground Cartoonist who died in 2002, is being inducted into the Giants of the North today.



Rand Holmes cover for Gay Comix #1 1980

1. Watch an old hippie talk about Harold Hedd on Youtube.

2. Rand Holmes, Wally Wood, and the "EC Influence".

Labels: , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



 
Tonite: The 2007 Wright Awards with Chester, Joe and Seth

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/17/2007 06:00:00 AM



The 2007 Wright Awards take place in Toronto today -- Friday, August 17 -- at Innis College Town Hall (2 Sussex, @ St. George), 6:30pm-8:30pm. $5.00. Tickets available at the door.

Special Guests: Chester Brown and Seth reunited with their old pal Joe Matt for the first time in years, live on stage!

Also: Underground Comics great Rand Holmes will be inducted into The Giants of the North, the Canadian Cartooning Hall of Fame. Holmes' son Ron will be on hand for the ceremony.

The nominees are:

Best Book

Shenzen: A Travelogue From China, Guy Delisle (Drawn and Quarterly)

This Will All End in Tears, Joe Ollman (Insomniac Press)

Scott Pilgrim and The Infinite Sadness, Bryan Lee O'Malley (ONI Press)

Gilded Lilies, Jillian Tamaki (Conundrum Press)

Nog-a-dod, Marc Bell ed. (Conundrum Press)


Best Emerging Talent

Gray Horses, Hope Larson (ONI Press)

House of Sugar, Rebecca Kraatz (Tulip Tree Press)

Was She Pretty?, Leanne Shapton (Farrar, Strauss & Giroux)

Bacter-area, Keith Jones (Drawn and Quarterly)

Mendacity, Tamara Faith Berger & Sophie Cossette (Kiss Machine Presents…)

----

Following the awards, please join us at Bar Mercurio for the Wright Awards Afterparty.
270 Bloor Street West
(North West corner of Bloor and St. George)

Labels: , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



   Thursday, August 16, 2007  
Tonite: Drawn Out Apocalypse

:: Posted by Bryan @ 8/16/2007 02:51:00 AM
The book launch of Salgood Sam and Jim Munroe's THEREFORE REPENT! and Claudia Davila's spOILed is tonight in Toronto. Details here. Don't be Left Behind!

Thursday, August
16th, 8pm-10pm. Free.
Tequila Bookworm (512 Queen St. W., upstairs)

Labels: , , ,

   


         - Stumble It! -  0 comments



 
Vancouver Comic Jam: Saturday, August 18