Wednesday, January 20, 2010  
Toronto Comicon offers half tables for March 26-28

:: Posted by max @ 1/20/2010 06:35:00 PM
M is for comics.

May is TCAF 
and March marks
the return 
of Paradise Toronto Comicon,
now part of the 
wizardworld universe. 

Got this from Peter Dixon, wasn't aware there was a fuss over the pricing but good news for exhibitors in any case, they are offering an accessible price for half tables. Don't know if i can make it but we'll see. If all goes well it would be good to be there.

Hello everyone and Happy New Year. I hope your holidays were enjoyable.
Things are coming along well for our show coming up in March. I have received allot of feedback from many of you concerned with the higher prices compared to our shows in the past. Because of this we have a few options to offer. First we are lowering the price to $210 CDN plus GST. We are also offering four foot tables at $129 CDN plus GST. Hopefully this will allow everybody to be able to participate this year if they want to.
http://www.wizardworld.com/home-toronto.html

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Thanks
Peter Dixon
Paradise Comics
416 487-9807

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   Thursday, June 25, 2009  
Wizard Buys Toronto Paradise Con

:: Posted by Bryan @ 6/25/2009 10:56:00 AM
This appears to be fairly big news.

The Paradise Comicon has been lagging in second place behind Hobbystar's giant Fanexpo for awhile now and suffered a blow when Kevin Boyd migrated some time back.

Paradise Comics owner Peter Dixon has now sold the convention off to Wizard's Gareb Shamus, according to a press release posted here. No dollar amount has been indicated.
[thanks to Dirk Deppey for the heads up!]

It is unclear whether the new Canadian addition to the Wizard publishing and convention empire will add to the apparently moribund company's bottom line or whether, as Tom Spurgeon suggests, it is a sideways move for Wizard-owner Shamus.

Reportedly, the Paradise con has had a hard time ever turning a profit, and was cancelled this year due to scheduling problems.

A problem, as Kevin Boyd notes on Jason Truong's blog, that may continue to plague the re branded con.

The next show is planned for 2010 with founder Peter Dixon still on board in some capacity to maintain the con's traditionally much more relaxed atmosphere according to The Beat, which is good news probably to many of the creators and dealers who've appreciated that distinction between the Conventions.

Updated: 6|29|09 20:14pm

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   Friday, March 20, 2009  
2009 Toronto Paradise Con Cancelled

:: Posted by Bryan @ 3/20/2009 12:01:00 AM
The 2009 Paradise Toronto Comicon has been cancelled due to problems with fixing a date and booking a venue. According to an email circulated to comics professionals and dealers on Thursday by Peter Dixon of Paradise Comics, the July 4 weekend was the only potential date offered to the con and was deemed inadequate. The popular summer convention is second only to the Hobbystar convention in terms of traditional comic cons in Toronto. However, according to former organizer Kevin Boyd, who defected from Paradise in 2007, the con has not always been financially renumerative. In 2008 the Paradise con was held over the July 12 weekend at the Holiday Inn on King St. According to Dixon's letter:


"it has been decided that putting a show on that weekend
would not be wise. Reasons for this are summer vacations, camp and
cottage season as well as a lack of interest from American dealers and
possible attendees.

I have been in discussions with someone from the Hyatt Regency
(formerly the Holiday Inn) and the only other date they could offer
was our Thanksgiving weekend. The dates we had been looking towards
have been late October and November.

Unfortunately it looks like we are going to have postpone our show for
this year. We will definitely be working towards doing a show in 2010.
With all the upheaval of shows in the next few years (Wizard moving
and canceling shows, and Reed Expositions expanding into Chicago and
moving their New York dates) we will be working on moving into an open
timeslot. Hopefully we will be making our 2010 announcement in early
January of 2010."

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   Thursday, February 05, 2009  
Coville's Clubhouse

:: Posted by max @ 2/05/2009 01:12:00 AM
The Febuary edition of Collector Times has and interview by Jamie Coville with Doug Simpson, manager of Paradise Comics "about the state of the industry, including the changes recently announced by Diamond Distributors."

"I understand that Diamond is having to deal with a harsh economic reality and I know they are doing what they have to do to survive. Our shop has a very dedicated group of buyers and we know what will sell for us and what will sit on the shelf. I realize that some retailers are happy that they will not have as much work but some real quality books will be lost. I'll just have to order directly from the publisher in those cases. "

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   Tuesday, July 03, 2007  
One More Paradise Con Report

:: Posted by Bryan @ 7/03/2007 01:11:00 AM
Comic Book Bin's Avi Weinryb files one more report from the Toronto Paradise con. It's about the Vertigo panel he attended but begins with the important stuff:

Before slipping into her Power Girl costume, Liana K took a moment to introduce DC/Vertigo editor Shelly Bond to the assembled fans.


Not much news after all that...

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   Wednesday, June 20, 2007  
More Con Stuff

:: Posted by Bryan @ 6/20/2007 12:01:00 AM
The con reports from the Paradise Comicon just keep on trickling in! Click here to read the latest by Milo from Digital Content.

-Stuart Immonen blogs about his secret activities at the con here

-Faith Erin Hicks (Zombies Calling) reports on her first con

-more on the great Jerry Robinson

-some pics from the Ultraist Press site

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   Tuesday, June 19, 2007  
Webcomics Creators in Paradise

:: Posted by Bryan @ 6/19/2007 06:43:00 AM
Peter Trinh profiles a few of the webcomics cartoonists who were at the Paradise Comicon, including Ryan North, Chris Hastings, Kent Archer, Jeph Jacques, Liz Greenfield, Sam Logan, and Lady Yates:

There were tons of artists I would've loved to see and talk to, but a Comicon's like a candy shop: there's some good candy and some bad candy, but there's always too much to have before closing time.

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   Wednesday, June 13, 2007  
Toronto Paradise Comicon 2007: Link Roundup, Part 3

:: Posted by Bryan @ 6/13/2007 12:01:00 AM
A few more reports from this past weekend's comic book convention in Toronto:

-Emily Pohl-Weary has a short report about her participation in a panel on Saturday and has some Kiss Machine publishing news

-more photos from Stuart Immonen

-tons of photos and sketches from Jason "Omega Flight is kicking all kinds of ass" Truong, king of Toronto congoers: day one, day two

-tons of photos and sketches from Danny Truong, the other king of Toronto congoers

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   Tuesday, June 12, 2007  
Toronto Paradise Comicon 2007: Link Roundup, Part 2

:: Posted by Bryan @ 6/12/2007 06:17:00 AM
Well, folks have returned from the big Toronto comic book convention and more blog reports have started to trickle out. For the most part it seems like everyone had a good time at a fun show. I'm sorry I missed it.

(And I'm sorry for mis-crediting Matt Brown's article from BlogTO in yesterday's roundup!)

Please send Sequential your show reports, rants, photos, sketches, and videos!

Some of the latest:

-Diana Tamblyn talks about her experience organizing the Women in Comics event and touches on a few of her favourite moments from the con, with photos

-Karl Kerschl shows off an awesome jam drawing by a who's who of Toronto cartoonists that was auctioned off at the show

-Jamie Coville has tons of photos on Flickr

-Wesley Green muses about the usefulness of cons for small publishers at the Engine

-a video interview with U.S. cartoonist Terry Moore

-U.S. mangaka Tania del Rio has a very detailed report , including the incredible-but-true tale of being bullied out of a shuttle ride from her hotel and the not-so-incredible tale of meeting George Stroumboulopoulos

-cplotter posts some video and talks about a few panels and the lack of costumes

-a funny Svetlana Cmakova interview

-Sarah Davis report

-Stuart Immonen photo parade

-Tara Tallan offers the independent creator's perspective and discusses the move to webcomics and some interesting finds

-Jerry Robinson, Gro Robinson, and Papa Joe Mambo?

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   Monday, June 11, 2007  
Toronto Paradise Comicon, 2007: Link Roundup

:: Posted by Bryan @ 6/11/2007 12:30:00 AM
Reports and images from the 2007 Toronto Comicon (the Paradise Toronto Comicon), held this past weekend. Please send Sequential your show reports, rants, photos, sketches, and videos!

(for Saturday's reports, click here)

-Lisa Lopacinski covers the Women of Comics panels for BlogTO

-Jonathan Kuehlein interviews Terry Moore, Matt Wagner, and Gail Simone

-Trish Mulvihill and Elim Mak provide photos for the Beat

-Chris Butcher itemizes 6 things he loves about comic book conventions --an interesting list!

-Saul Colt turns in a report about getting back into the comics creating business after a short hiatus

-small crowds, short lines for Moore, Golden

-the comics/wrestling connection

-some folks even took their kids

-how to break into comics, the UDON way

-Marv Wolfman's golden rule for getting books signed, and more raves about Toronto

-Jamie Coville gets the award for the most nerd-like comic book reference

-Blake Bell has full reports from Saturday and Sunday
-----------

-sketches

-sketches

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2007 Shuster Award Winners

:: Posted by Bryan @ 6/11/2007 12:02:00 AM
The 2007 Joe Shuster Awards were handed out Saturday, June 9, at the Paradise Comicon in Toronto.

The winners are:

1. Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Writer

Darwyn Cooke
Superman Confidential #1, 2

2. Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Artist

Darwyn Cooke & J. Bone
Batman/The Spirit

3. Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist

Darwyn Cooke
The Spirit #1

4. Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Publisher

Drawn and Quarterly

5. Outstanding Canadian Web Comic Creator or Creative Team

Dan Kim (www.manga.clone-army.org)
April May & June, Kanami, and Penny Tribute

6. Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Creator - English Language
(fan write-in vote)

Dan Kim (www.manga.clone-army.org)
April May & June, Kanami, and Penny Tribute

7. Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Creator - French Language
(fan write-in vote)

Michel Rabagliati
Paul a la Peche

8. Outstanding International Comic Book Creator

Brian K. Vaughan

9. Harry Kremer Award for Outstanding Canadian Retailer

Edmonton's Happy Harbor Comics & Toys

-----

The best report on the event I've seen so far comes from Jonathan Kuehlein.

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Gerry Lazarre Profile

:: Posted by Bryan @ 6/11/2007 12:01:00 AM
The North York Mirror profiles painter Gerry Lazarre, who was inducted into the Shuster Hall of Fame yesterday. Lazarre drew for Canadian comic book publisher Bell Features in the 1940s:

Lazare was among the first Canadian comic book illustrators, embarking on that part of his career in the 1940s at the tender age of 16. He drew and wrote nine separate comic strips, including such titles as Nitro, The Wing, The Dreamer, Drummy Young and Air Woman, for Golden Age comic publisher Bell Features. While he has always had both a knack and a passion for art, he fell into comic illustration purely by accident.

"During the Second World War, there was an embargo at the border and American books couldn't come into the country," he said. "That's when a group of people started up our own comic book industry in Canada, and I guess I'm one of the few left from that Golden Age period."

Lazare enjoyed the freedom he had working for Bell Features. Unlike current comics, which often have an artist and a writer who work together to create the finished product, comic illustrators in those days had almost complete creative control over their work.

"It was really an artist/writer kind of thing, which is a dream job," he said. "They didn't tell you what to do; you'd go home and come back to them with ideas, which they'd either like or they wouldn't. It's more your creation and you really are more invested in the work."

He wrote strips that reflected his own interests, with Air Woman, a strip revolving around a Canadian woman in the Air Force, the only one that had the war as a major part of the storyline.

"My other strips were only incidental to the war," he said. "Like any writer, what I wrote was a bit autobiographical, so it would come through from time to time, but (the Second World War) was never a real focus for me."

By the time American comics were once again able to make it across the border, which all but doused the Canadian comic industry, Lazare had already moved on to illustrating for magazines.

"I wasn't a born comic artist, so I moved into something that was more in line with what I wanted to be doing," he said.

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   Friday, June 08, 2007  
Toronto Paradise Comicon, June 8-10

:: Posted by Bryan @ 6/08/2007 12:26:00 AM
Gird your loins, true believers! It's time for the 2007 Paradise Comicon!

One of the few "comics-only" comic book conventions, this year's event features Canadian comics creators like Darwyn Cooke and Bryan Lee O'Malley as well as U.S. guests like Marv Wolfman, Matt Wagner, Michael Golden, Terry Moore, and Clive Barker.

(note: the con website was down Thursday night and may be busy all weekend)

June 8-10, 2007
Hall C, Direct Energy Centre @ Exhibition Place

1-Day: $15 2-Day: $25 3-Day: $30 Tickets will be available for sale at the Box Office at Comicon one hour before the doors open each day (2pm on Friday, 9am on Saturday, 10am on Sunday). Children 12 and under get in FREE when accompanying a paid admission. Come to the show in costume and get FREE Admission on Sunday, June 10th

The two biggest events within the con are the Women of Comics event, which includes a series of panels and signings all weekend long, and the Joe Shuster awards, which take place Saturday night. The Women in Comics event begins tonight with the Cecil Castellucci signing.

There is also a print being sold with proceeds going to the Hero Initiative, the non-profit org devoted to helping older comics creators. The print is being signed by Wolfman, Moore, Wagner, Talent Caldwell & Mike Perkins all weekend. Details at Jason Truong's blog.

Other guests of note:

SHELLEY BOND - Editor at DC/Vertigo,
CECIL CASTELLUCCI - Writer of the new DC/Minx line title, The P.L.A.I.N. Janes,
SVETLANA CHMAKOVA
DANIELLE CORSETTO -webcomic, Girls With Slingshots
WILLOW DAWSON
TANIA DEL RIO - Artist of Sabrina The Teenage Witch.
JANET HETHERINGTON - Writer of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
JOAN HILTY - Editor at DC Comics
LIANA K - Co-host of Ed's Night Party
MICHELE LAFRAMBOISE
TARA McPHERSON
ROBYN MOORE - Managing Editor of Abstract Studios (Strangers in Paradise)
PATRICIA MULVIHILL - Colourist
CHRISTINE NORRIE - Hopeless Savages
EMILY POHL-WEARY
NICOLA SCOTT
GAIL SIMONE
MARIKO TAMAKI
DIANA TAMBLYN
RAINA TELGEMEIER
RENEE WITTERSTAETTER
Georges Jeanty (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Season Eight)
ADRIAN ALPHONA
KAARE ANDREWS
J. BONE
TALENT CALDWELL
SCOTT CHANTLER (Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen! + Northwest Passage)
WES CRAIG
DAN DAVIS
ED THE SOCK
TOM FOWLER
JUSTIN GRAY
TOM GRUMMETT
NIKO HENRICHON
EVA HOPKINS
STUART IMMONEN
DALE KEOWN
KARL KERSCHL
ERIC KIM
JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER
JOHN LIVESAY
FRANCIS MANAPUL
CARY NORD
MICHAEL AVON OEMING
RAMON PEREZ
MIKE PERKINS
DAVID PETERSEN (Mouse Guard)
STUART SAYGER
DAVE SIM
MARK SPARACIO
CAMERON STEWART
THE SUICIDE GIRLS
TY TEMPLETON
J. TORRES
BILLY TUCCI
UDON ENTERTAINMENT
CHIP ZDARSKY

etc

As well, I expect some of the Shuster nomineess not listed above to be on hand. They are:

Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Writer


Ian Boothby for DCU Infinite Holiday Special (DC Comics), Futurama Comics 23-26, 28, Simpsons Comics 118, 119, 121, 123, Simpsons Super Spectacular 3 (Bongo Comics)
Darwyn Cooke for Superman Confidential 1-2 (DC Comics)
John Rogers for Blue Beetle 1-10 (DC Comics), Contributing writer for Cthulhu Tales 1, Ninja Tales 1, Pirate Tales 1 & Zombie Tales: The Dead 1 (Boom! Studios)
Ty Templeton for Civil War: Choosing Sides (Marvel Comics), Revolution on the Planet of the Apes 2-6 (Mister Comics)
J. Torres for Cartoon Network Block Party 22, Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi 3, Teen Titans Go! 27-38, The Batman Strikes 23 (DC Comics/Johnny DC), Ninja Scroll 1-3 (DC Comics/Wildstorm), Degrassi: The Next Generation - Extra Credit Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 (Pocket Books), Love As A Foreign Language 5 (Oni Press)

Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Artist


Adrian Alphona for Runaways 12-18, 22 (Marvel Comics)
Darwyn Cooke & J. Bone for Batman/The Spirit (DC Comics)
Pia Guerra for Y the Last Man 43-46, 49-52 (DC/Vertigo)
Niko Henrichon for Pride of Baghdad (DC/Vertigo)
Stuart Immonen for Nextwave: Agents of HATE 1-11, Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual 2 (Marvel Comics)
Cary Nord for Conan 24-25, 29-31, 33-34 (Dark Horse)
Steve Skroce for Doc Frankenstein 3-5 (Burleyman)
Doug Wheatley for Star Wars: Dark Times 1 (Dark Horse)

Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist (Writer/Artist)

Scott Chantler for Northwest Passage 3 (Oni Press)
Darwyn Cooke for The Spirit 1 (DC Comics)
Michel Gagne for "Underworld"- Flight Vol. 3 (Ballantine Books)
Johane Matte for "Hunter" - Flight Vol. 3 (Ballantine Books)
Bryan Lee O'Malley for Scott Pilgrim Vol. 3 (Oni Press)
Ty Templeton for Simpsons Comics 117 (Bongo)
Jean-Louis Tripp & Regis Loisel for Magasin General Vol. 1: Marie & Vol. 2: Serge (Casterman)
Rob Walton for Ragmop (Planet Lucy)

Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Publisher

Drawn & Quarterly
Mecanique Generale/les 400 Coups
Mister Comics
Planet Lucy
Udon

Outstanding Canadian Web Comic Creator / Creative Team

Paul Bordeleau for Troglodytes
Rob Coughler & Ramon Perez for Butternut Squash
Matt Forsythe for Ojingogo
Faith Erin Hicks for Ice
Stuart & Katherine Immonen for Never As Bad As You Think
Dan Kim for April May & June
Steve Manale for Superslackers
Kean Soo for Jellaby Shorts

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