Comic Store Events!

I've also been lax with the book store nooze for all you comic and art book fans, so lemme tell ya 'bout two events happenin' this weekend. First off, our humble homies at the Labyrinth are holding a 'Mighty Muggs' art show, character design showdown and charity sale...man, talk about a full dance card. Details about what you can get and what you should bring are on their blog.

Second, our graphic guerrilla buddies over at the Beguiling are welcoming new Tank Girl artist Rufus Dayglo (lovin' that name, fella) as drops across the pond to celebrate his run on the series. Just be aware that if you wanna shake hands with Rufus, the event is tonight, Friday the 7th! Sorry for the late warning, it's been that kind of a week. Plus, on Tuesday it's the Marvel 70th Anniversary and Sale. Prepare to get poor, comics fans. Sounds like a full weekend. More to come...enjoy yo'selves, ya heah!

Free Comics Day 2009

This week I'm all about the comics. Made it out to Free Comics Day at the Beguiling, and brought my trusty Xacti. Managed to get Clayton Hamner (C-Ton), Tara Tallan (Galaxion), Kean Soo (Jellaby) and Chip Zdarsky (Monster Cops) in my sites, and they gives good interview. Sorry it took a week to get this up, but, hey, everything is a production with me. Music by the most excellent Tettix (go download his stuffs!). More to come!

TCAF and free comix!

Hey! First off, apologies to our homies at The Beguiling and The Labyrinth for no heads up on Free Comics Day, which happened over the weekend. Don't worry, the real comix-palooza comes this weekend as the Toronto Comic Arts Festival happens once again, this time at the Toronto Reference Library (just get off the TTC at Yonge & Bloor, point yer ass north, and follow the geekling hordes.) There will be tons of indies there signing their latest, so bring your wallet. Oh, and a special comix related treat (plus TAIS nooze of course) comin' up in a day or so. Cheers!

Note: Labyrinth's minions will not be there in any official capacity, I'm afraid...this is pretty much Beguiling's gig for indy animators, not yer typical vendor show. Don't fret...next show that Labyrinth will be at is Anime North, coming up later this month. Bonus!

Labyrinth o' free stuffs

Just a quick post to let you know our homies over at The Labyrinth are giving away one of 4 different graphics novels free to anybody what buys 2 or more graphic novels this comin' Saturday. If you decide to pick up a copy of Eric Goldberg's book on teh amination (rawk) or any of the other comic/animation art books what the gots instead of one of yer graphic novels, I'm sure they'll still pony up the free book. And this Saturday only, tell 'em TempleDog sent you for one (1) confused look, absolutely free! More later.

TAIS nooze and Beguiling special!

Long time no speaky, blog-buddies. Been down with the sickness, but don't worry, I'm up on all the going's on at TAIS. Board members met on Friday to select films for the up-coming Animation Showcase. I wasn't present, not wanting to give the other board members a lil' token of my infection, but I'm sure the line-up is gonna be stellar...Madi don't pick no junk. Speakin' of whom, I'll be meeting up with Madi to look at all the MONSTERJAM entries on Monday...apparently, there's a lot of 'em. Like six minutes worth! Damn, this is gonna be good. Board members will be meeting again later in the month to pick out winners for our Monster Factory stuffies and graphic novels. I'll let you know about some of the filmmakers in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, things be hoppin' over at the Beguiling as well! Legendary underground comic artist Spain Rodriguez will be in town, promoting his new book as part of the Toronto art festival 'Luminato'. And Chris has snagged some tickets! If you wants one, needs one, do go and head over to the Beguiling's web site for all them details; only, don't dawdle, 'cuz they will go fast. Later!

Beguiling nooze!

Lot of groovy goin's on over there at TAIS' fave comic shop The Beguling. They've got Toronto Comic Arts Fest posters now available online, announcements for the Persepolis screenings at the Bloor Cinema, and a comics launch event at the Victory Cafe tonight! Plus, their giving some pimpage to a major event being organized by the University of Toronto...an evening with comics legend Art Spiegelman. Get the skinny at The Beguiling's website.

Kean Soo and Kazu Kibuishi: Special event and book signing

Just a quick note to shout out two events being held tonight and tomorrow, courtesy of our homies at The Beguiling. Local boy Kean Soo ("Jellaby") and the pride of Tokyo and Alhambra, Cali, Kazu Kibuishi ("Amulet", "Daisy Cutter", "Copper") will be holding court at the North York Central Library here in the big smoke, part of Toronto Library's 'Keep Toronto Reading 2008' campaign. And yeah, it's short notice...sorry, only got the mailer this afternoon!

Fret not if you can't sally forth into the North York wilderness in time. Both Kazu and Kean will be at the Beguiling tomorrow signing copies of "Amulet" and "Jellaby" and basically being all cool-ass n' shtuff from 5 'til 7. I've been told by a reliable source that there's plenny o' copies of both books on hand, so go bag a copy of each and get 'em signed by the doods what done 'em. Support Toronto artists, by gum! This has been an upaid public service announcement. More goodness to follow!

EXTRACTION!

First off, apologies for the big fade this holiday...trust me, ya don't wanna know of the stygian heck that was what I laughingly call 'my holidays'. God-diddly-damn, but I'm glad to be back at work. And back to the bloggin! We'll start the new year with a new post courtesy of Ruth Tait...it's a Comix Jam at the Cameron House to celebrate EXTRACTION! a journo-comic about the mining industry. Read on, gentle blogvisitortypeperson...

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 3, 2008

When Comix and Journalism Collide …



Journalistic graphic novel portrays the dirty business of global
resource extraction in the 21st century.

TORONTO Tuesday, January 29, 2008
COMIX JAM The Cameron House, 408 Queen Street West
LAUNCH 8:00 p.m. info: 416-703-0811

http://www.cumuluspress.com/extraction

Cumulus Press recently released a new title EXTRACTION! Comix Reportage.
This ‘graphic novel’ started with four journalistic stories (by Petr
Cizek, Dawn Paley, Sophie Toupin and Tamara Herman) about the mining
industry. These stories were scripted then handed over to four comix
artists (Ruth Tait, Phil Angers, Stanley Wany, and 2007 Doug Wright
Award winner, Joe Ollmann) to create a multi-styled comic book about
mining that, according to Joe Sacco, “is the perfect idea for a graphic
treatment.”

Cumulus Press will launch this book of comix journalism within the
January edition of the Toronto Comix Jam, whose jammers will create
collective strips of journalism based on articles provided for the
evening. Here the challenge will persist between the ‘give’ of
verifiable facts and the ‘take’ of graphic interpretation, between the
‘push’ of fact-based details and the ‘pull’ of visual narrative. The
craft of comix journalism does not stem from the combination of text and
image, content and structure. It is the added meaning derived from the
interaction between the symbolic and the realistic, the literal and the
figurative that gives it strength.

The extraction of natural resources today is a dirty business. Since
2000, most energy and mineral prices are skyrocketing. Junior mining
prospectors and unscrupulous transnational corporations rush into new
territories to suck what’s hot out of the earth’s lucrative veins. In
today’s gas, oil and mining industries, the pace of exploration,
extraction, transformation and delivery of the world’s resources is mind
boggling. The German magazine Der Spiegel speaks of a Third World War
for the world’s resources. It is more like a blitzkrieg.

EXTRACTION! looks into the exploration, exploitation and extraction
gold, bauxite, uranium and oil, from a common-good social justice
perspective, in Guatemala, India, Québec and Alberta, respectively.

#3#

For special orders, review copies, please contact the publisher, David
Widgington, 514-523-1975, info@cumuluspress.com or Frédéric Dubois,
514-660-0664, frederic@reportero.org

EXTRACTION! Comix Reportage
Edited by Frédéric Dubois, Marc Tessier and David Widgington
ISBN 978-0-9782474-1-6
128 pages

Graham Annable: Last Duet on Earth

I believe I've mentioned this dude before. Graham Annable is a Youtuber of renown, posting his own animated films, replete with a twisted, dark comic sense. He's taken to posting a weekly strip on the Telltale Games site (home of perennial faves Sam and Max as well as the game adaptation of Jeff Smith's immortal Bone comics). Although he currently hangs his hat in the Bay area of them United States, he's a Sheridan alum originally from Sault St. Marie. His stuff is frequent front page material on Youtube...here he gives us a musical spin on zombie horror. I'll see ifn' I can't get a few words from the man hisself on what he's currently workin' on. Meanwhile, click the link above and check out his blog!