NYC – Drawing Party

Join Raina Telgemeier, Dave Roman, and Laura Lee Gulledge for two fun filled events on Saturday March 1st at Bergen Street Comics!

3:00-5:00 Drawing Party Games for kids & teens
7:00-9:00 Comics Party w/Presentation

RSVP on Facebook!

Bergen Street Comics
470 Bergen Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217

MI – Green Brain: Re-Entry

Raina Telgemeier, John Green, and Dave Roman appear at Green Brain Comics on Monday, June 24, 2013 from 2:00pm until 5:00pm for the store’s grand re-opening to show off the newly remodeling!

RSVP on Facebook!

Green Brain Comics
13210 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI 48126
313-582-9444

IL – Comics Quickfire

Challengers is pleased to host renowned cartoonists RAINA TELGEMEIER (Smile, Drama), JOHN GREEN (Teen Boat, Jax Epoch), DAVE ROMAN (Astronaut Academy, Avatar: The Last Airbender), and JERZY DROZD (The Front, Comics Are Great podcast) for an all-ages party on June 27th! All four artists will be signing books and meeting fans, snacks will be served, and you can catch a LIVE Comics Quickfire event! Don’t miss it!

Comics Quickfire is a fast-paced game show where volunteers are paired off with (or against) professional cartoonists in a series of fun-filled drawing challenges! Audience members provide suggestions and add to the creation of totally improvised epic drawings! Hosted by Dave Roman, Comics Quickfire has entertained large crowds at conventions and book festivals across the country and featured some of the biggest names in comics and kid lit.

Challengers Comics 
1845 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Kids Reads Comics Festival 2013

The Kids Read Comics celebration in Ann Arbor, Michigan returns on June 22nd-23rd! Guests include Ben Hatke (Zita the Space Girl), Rafael Rosado (Giants Beware!), Raina Telgemeier (Smile), Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy) John Green (Teen Boat!), John Martin (Vordak), Jim Ottaviani (Primates) and more!

About the Kids Read Comics Celebration
Generations of kids have grown up reading and loving comics. And it’s not hard to see why comics have captured the imagination of kids and teens — with their unique blend of words and pictures, even the most everyday comics stories open up worlds of wonder.

And beyond the sheer joy of comics is the fact that they can help turn kids into more active and engaged readers. They also provide a model for young readers to explore and develop their own creativity.

But comics are no longer the mass medium they once were. Far fewer kids are exposed to them today, and many of the comics they find are intended for older readers. That’s where Kids Read Comics comes in!

Our Kids Read Comics Celebration is a totally free event that unites kids, teens, parents, teachers and librarians with professional artists and writers from the comics and animation fields. Our goal is to introduce kids to worlds of imagination while unlocking their creative impulses, and to serve that goal, the convention features:

hands-on workshops
panels and presentations for kids, families, and educators
a chance for kids to meet and chat with comics and animation professionals
the opportunity for kids to have their own art portfolios reviewed
KRC also works throughout the year to promote comics and creativity for kids and teens. We’re building a recommended reading list; gathering resources for parents, teachers and librarians; and organizing artists and writers who can bring presentations and workshops to libraries around the state of Michigan and beyond.

Kids Read Comics was founded by youth and teen librarian Edith Burney of Chelsea, cartoonist and educator Jerzy Drozd of Ann Arbor, comic shop owner Dan Merritt of Dearborn, and comic book writer Dan Mishkin of East Lansing. You can reach us at kidsreadcomics@gmail.com.

APE Returning to Concourse Exhibition Center; Announces Special Guests for 2013 Show

Via Toucan:

APE Returns to the Concourse Exhibition Center for its 20th Annual Show

The Alternative Press Expo (APE) returns to the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco on October 12 and 13 to celebrate its 20th annual event. One of the leading alternative and self-published comics events in the country, APE was started in 1994 by Dan Vado, the head of SLG Publishing. Comic-Con International took over the show with its second year. From 1994 through 1999, the show was held in San Jose, CA, the home of SLG. In 2000, Comic-Con moved APE into the city of San Francisco, at Fort Mason Center. In 2004, the event moved into the Concourse Exhibition Center at 8th and Brannan, where it has been held ever since. Sadly, we have been notified that this will be the last year for APE at that location. The Concourse is scheduled to be razed at some point in the future to make room for new condominiums.

Nevetheless, APE 2013 promises to be another great show, offering the very best in alternative and self-published comics, books, art, do-it-yourself items and presenting an amazing lineup of special programs, including spotlights on special guests, the popular hands-on workshop series, and the Comic Creator Connection, which pairs up writers and artists searching for collaborators.

The special guest list for APE 2013 includes:

Colleen Coover
Colleen Coover is an illustrator and comic book artist and writer living in Portland, Oregon. She is the creator of the adult comic Small Favors, and artist of the all-ages Banana Sunday and the graphic novel Gingerbread Girl, both written by her husband, Paul Tobin. The couple’s current project, Bandette, was nominated for four Eisner Awards in 2013. Colleen spends most of her time thinking up ways for comics to be more awesome.

Bill Griffith
Zippy the Pinhead’s creator began his comics career in New York City in 1969. He ventured to San Francisco in 1970 to join the burgeoning underground
comix movement and made his home there until 1998. Zippy also appeared in the pages of the National Lampoon and High Times from 1977 to 1984. In 1986 King Features Syndicate took the daily strip to a national audience. Today Zippy appears in over 200 newspapers worldwide. There have been many paperback collections of Griffith’s work and numerous comic book and magazine appearances, both here and abroad.

Anders Nilsen
Anders Nilsen is the author and artist of the graphic novels Big Questions, The End, and Dogs and Water among others. He is the recipient of the 2012 Lynd Ward Graphic Novel prize and three Ignatz awards. His work has been translated into numerous languages, and his drawing and painting has been shown internationally. He lives in Minneapolis.

Diane Noomin
Diane Noomin is the creator of DiDi Glitz and editor of the Twisted Sisters anthologies of women cartoonists. One of the early contributors to Wimmen’s Comics, Noomin created the first issue of Twisted Sisters Comics with Aline Kominsky Crumb in 1976. Noomin’s work has also been published in a number of books, magazines and comic books. She has curated and shown work in shows in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Noomin is currently working on a graphic memoir detailing her parents involvement with the Communist Party in the 1950′s. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, cartoonist Bill Griffith, and 3 cats.

Raina Telgemaier
Raina Telgemeier is the author and illustrator of the graphic novels Smile and Drama, both #1 New York Times bestsellers. She also adapted and illustrated four graphic novel versions of Ann M. Martin’s Babysitters Club series and has contributed short stories to many anthologies. Raina’s accolades include an Eisner Award, a Boston Globe Horn Book Honor, a Stonewall Honor, and many Best Of and Notable lists. A San Francisco native, Raina now lives and works in Queens, NY, with her cartoonist husband, Dave Roman.

APE continues to be one of the country’s most vibrant and enjoyable events. Come visit San Francisco and APE the weekend of October 12-13 and see why this show is so popular with attendees!

If you’re interested in exhibiting at APE, click here to download the APE 2013 Exhibitor Application. Please note that this show sells out quickly and exhibitor space is limited.

MeCAF 2013 Announces Schedule

The Maine Comics Arts Festival (MeCAF) has announced the schedule for their 2013 show! Guests include Jeff Smith, Raina Telgemeier, Sean Murphy, Brian Wood, Ming Doyle, Dave Roman, Rick Parker, Colleen AF Venable, John Green, Zack Giallongo, Jeff Pert, Joe Quinones, Maris Wicks, and many more!

RSVP on Facebook!

Press Release:

MeCAF will have panels and workshops on Saturday May 18th at the Portland Public Library and Sunday at the festival site at Ocean Gateway.

Saturday, May 18th
Portland Public Library – Rines Auditorium

1:00- A conversation with Jeff Smith, creator of Bone and RASL- We will be discussing Jeff’s past work and upcoming projects. (Please note that there will not be any book signings at the library. Jeff will be signing books on Sunday at the festival).

2:00- Rick Parker cartooning workshop: Join Cartoonist Rick Parker (artist of Beavis and Butthead, Harry Potty, Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid and many others) as he shares tips and techniques for drawing comics. This will be a demonstration where members of the audience will be encouraged to draw.

3:00- Raina Telgemeier! Raina Telgemeier, creator of Smile and Drama, and artist of the Babysitter’s Club series, discusses her current projects and gives a peek at her work process.

Sunday, May 19th
Ocean Gateway Terminal Maine Comics Arts Festival programming (please check back for updates as we finalize the schedule)

10:30- Jeff Pert Kid’s Cartooning Class

11:30- Colleen Venable, John Green, and Zack Giallongo

1:00- Lake Region High School Comic Class Project

2:00-TBA

3:00- TBA

 

Toronto Comic Arts Festival Celebrates Tenth Anniversary

Press Release:

Fans of comics, manga, and graphic literature will be clearing their calendars this May to attend the 10th Anniversary of The Toronto Comic Arts Festival! Taking place May 11^th and 12^th 2013 at Toronto Reference Library & The Appel Salon, TCAF is expected to draw a record crowd of 20,000 across all festival events, and will reach new heights as one of the most celebrated literary comics events in the world!

Founded in 2003 in conjunction with The Beguiling Books & Art in Toronto, The Toronto Comic Arts Festival seeks “to promote the breadth and diversity of comics, and what is considered comics, as legitimate medium of literary and artistic worth.” By partnering with Presenting Sponsor Toronto Public Library, TCAF has achieved its goal of changing the Canadian comics landscape… and the first ten years were just the beginning! TCAF 2013 will feature the largest and most international array of comics authors and artists in the history of the Festival, a virtual who’s who of literary cartoonists including featured guests:

• Art Spiegelman: Author of Maus, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Co-Founder RAW Magazine. Debuting:Co-Mix
• Francoise Mouly: Art Editor of The New Yorker, Founder of Toon Books, Co-Founder RAW Magazine
• Taiyo Matsumoto Author of Tekkon Kinkreet (adapted into film by Sony Pictures). First North American event. Debuting: Sunny Volume 1. (Japan)
• Raina Telgemeier: New York Times Bestselling Author of the childrens’ and middle-grade graphic novels Smile and Drama
• Blutch: Angouleme Grand Prix Winner. First North American event. Debuting: So Long, Silver Screen. (France)
• Gengoroh Tagame: Acclaimed Japanese gay comics creator. First North American event. Debuting: The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame. (Japan)
• Dash Shaw: Author of BodyWorld. Debuting: New School.
• Maurice Vellekoop: Acclaimed illustrator and comics author. Artist of TCAF 10^th Anniversary Poster.

(More detailed biographies follow at the end of this release).

These seven featured guests join a fantastic and diverse array of more than 300 Canadian and international cartoonists who will make up the 2013 Festival.

PROGRAMS:

The World’s Stage (in Toronto): The Toronto Comic Arts Festival is the most internationally-focused comics Festival in North America, and TCAF 2013 will see the largest number of international cartoonists yet! Representative cartoonists will be on hand from more than 17 countries, including Austria, Australia, Brazil, England, Finland, France, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Puerto Rico, The U.S.A., Canada, with more to be announced. TCAF 2013 will prominently feature gallery showings and installations of work by Australian, Finnish, French, and Japanese cartoonists, details TBA.

TCAF TURNS TEN: The 10^th Anniversary of The Toronto Comic Arts Festival will not go unobserved, as a massive participatory gallery-show will mark the official kick-off of the festival, held at and in conjunction with Steamwhistle Gallery. The thousand-plus cartoonists who have participated in TCAF events since 2003 will be invited to contribute their special vision ofToronto and Comics in a wonderful celebration of the Festival and the city we call home.

The World Of Taiyo Matsumoto: This talented and prolific cartoonist’s career will be explored through a full program of Festival events, headlined by an exhibition of original artwork and goods, to be held at and in conjunction with The Japan Foundation, Toronto. Further events will include a special screening of the filmTekkon Kinkreet (based on his graphic novel), with Director Michael Arias and Screenwriter Anthony Weintraub in attendance.

Everything You Love… And More!: TCAF 2013 will reprise our most popular programming from the history of the Festival, including our popular Webcomics Pavilion, OWLkids Kids Area, Wowee Zonk Small Press Area, Panel Discussions and Interviews, Workshops, Readings, and much more. These events will take place in and around Toronto Reference Library, official TCAF hotel The Marriott Bloor-Yorkville, and the Yonge-Bloor neighbourhood.

Over the next several months, TCAF will announce additional Featured Guests from Canada and around the world, details of programming and related events, and a full run-down of all that’s in store at the 2013 Festival. We will be sending PR for all events, but be sure to check the TCAF Website and social media for up-to-the-minute updates!

TCAF Website: http://torontocomics.com
Twittter: @TorontoComics
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/2204475413/

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.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, which last year invested $157 million to bring the arts to Canadians throughout the country.
Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien. L’an dernier, le Conseil  a investi 157 millions de dollars pour mettre de l’art dans la vie des Canadiennes et des Canadiens de tout le pays.

TCAF is produced with the support of the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council.

TCAF would like to recognize the efforts of the following organization in planning TCAF on an ongoing basis: The French Consulate in Toronto, The Japan Foundation, The Italian Cultural Institute, NORLA (Norwegian Literature Abroad), The Flemish Literature Fund, and the Australia Council for the Arts

In addition, TCAF would like to thank publishers Drawn & Quarterly, VIZ Media LLC., OWLkids, Fantagraphics, Picturebox Inc., Random House Canada, Scholastic Canada, and First Second for their assistance.

Sponsorship opportunities for TCAF 2013 are still available, please contact us at:contact@torontocomics.com for more info.

PRESS
All general press inquiries, interview and press accreditation requests should be submitted to: media@torontocomics.com.

FEATURED GUEST BIOGRAPHIES:

Art Spiegelman is the acclaimed author of the hugely-influential autobiographical graphic novel Maus, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1992. The co-founder of the influential comix magazine RAW, Spiegelman comes to TCAF following his successful presidency of The Angouleme Comics Festival in France, and to debut his new career retrospective Co-Mix from Drawn & Quarterly.

Francoise Mouly is the art director of publishing institution The New Yorker, choosing their provocative covers and illustrations amongst many other tasks. A majorly influential force in the history of comics, Mouly co-founded RAW magazine, and continues the task of defining visual literacy through her new children’s graphic novel imprint Toon Books.

Taiyo Matsumoto is a Japanese comics creator whose kinetic style and thoughtful, considered narratives have won him fans across the world. Best known for his work Tekkon Kinkreet (adapted into an animated film of the same name) Matsumoto has had a stunning career and has a strong list of works available in English, French, and, of course, Japanese. Matsumoto will debut his new series Sunny at TCAF, published by Viz Media. In addition, Taiyo Matsumoto will appear alongside Tekkon Kinkreet director Michael Arias, and screenwriter Anthony Weintraub at several events including a special screening of the film.

Raina Telgemeier is the New York Times Bestselling-author of the graphic novels Smile and Drama from Scholastic Publishing—the former of which has spent nearly two years at the top of (or very near-to) The New York Times Bestseller List and won multiple industry awards, and the latter of which has debuted this fall to rave reviews and bestseller status too!

Blutch is one of the most respected cartoonists in France, winner of the highly-prestigious Angouleme Grand Prix (perhaps the highest honour in cartooning), and a phenomenal talent whose work will finally be making its North American debut at TCAF 2013. So Long, Silver Screen will be published by PictureBox Inc., a series of interlocking short stories that will delight fans of the medium.

Gengoroh Tagame is perhaps the most famous gay cartoonist in the world, despite the translations of his work into languages other than his native Japanese not beginning in ernest until the last few years. Tagame’s work will finally make its English-language debut in the new collection The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame, assembled by veteran manga editor Anne Ishii, designed by Chip Kidd, and published by PictureBox Inc.

Maurice Vellekoop is the Toronto-born artist and illustrator who has spent his distinguished career seamlessly mixing alternative comics and illustration for clients as diverse as The New York Times, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Drawn & Quarterly, Fantagraphics, and Toronto’s own Pink Triangle Press. Vellekoop is the illustrator of the Tenth Anniversary Toronto Comic Arts Festival poster.

Dash Shaw is a comics wunderkind, creating a series of ambitious, intelligent graphic novels that are constantly pushing against the boundaries of the medium. His graphic novels The Bottomless Bellybuttonand BodyWorld have racked up numerous award nominations and critical acclaim, and he will debut his new graphic novel New School at TCAF 2013, to be published by Fantagraphics Books.

For a full, up-to date exhibitor list including full biographies and artwork, please visit http://torontocomics.com/exhibitors/.

MeCAF 2013 Adds More Guests

    

Brian Wood, Sean Murphy, and Raina Telgemeier have been added to the roster for Maine Comics Arts Festival 2013.

Press Release:

We are pleased to announce three more guests for MeCAF 2013. Look for even more announcements in the coming weeks.

Brian Wood released his first series, Channel Zero, in 1997 to considerable critical acclaim and has continued to produce comics and graphic novels at a brisk pace ever since. Focusing almost entirely on creator-owned works, he’s become one of the most notable creators of the last decade. He’s earned multiple Eisner Award nominations and editions of his work have been published in close to a dozen foreign languages. He is most known for original series such as DMZ, Northlanders, Demo, and Local.

Starting in 2012, Wood kicked off the second major phase of his career with the original series’ The Massive, Anthem, and Mara, as well as Star Wars and Conan the Barbarian for Dark Horse Comics and X-Men for Marvel.

Sean Murphy’s first creator owned book “Off Road” was released by Oni in 2005 and won an American Library Association award. Soon after, Sean signed an exclusive contract with DC Comics and moved to New York. His DC published work is what he’s most known for currently–Hellblazer: City of Demons, Joe the Barbarian, and American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest helped boost his career greatly. His latest book for DC/Vertigo, and creator owned mini series called “Punk Rock Jesus”, in stores now.

Raina Telgemeier grew up in San Francisco, but made her way to New York City when she was 22 to attend the School of Visual Arts as an Illustration and Cartooning student. She received her BFA in 2002, and has worked as a freelance artist ever since. She is the adapter and illustrator of four Baby-sitters Club graphic novels, the co-author of X-Men: Misfits, and the author-illustrator of the bestselling dental memoir graphic novel Smile, which won the Eisner Award for Best Publication for a Teen Audience. Smile was also an ALA Notable Book, a Kirkus Best Book of 2010, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards Honor title. Smile won the Maine Student Book Award in 2011. Her most recent book, Drama, was released in the fall of 2012.

NYC – Drama Signing

Raina Telgemeier signs at Bergen Street Comics on Saturday, November 3, December 1, 2012 at 7:00pm!

Bergen Street Comics
470 Bergen Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217

OR – Drama Release Party

Raina Telgemeier signs at Bridge City Comics on Wednesday, October 10, 2012 from 6pm – 8pm!

RSVP on Facebook!

Press Release:

Bridge City Comics is proud to announce our Drama Release Party on Wednesday, October 10, 2012 from 6pm – 8pm! This event is free to the public. In attendance to sign autographs will be Drama writer/artist Raina Telgemeier. Copies of the book will be available for sale ($10.99) during the event, as well as copies of her other works.

Callie loves theater. And while she would totally try out for her middle school’s production of Moon Over Mississippi, she’s a terrible singer. Instead she’s the set designer for the stage crew, and this year she’s determined to create a set worthy of Broadway on a middle-school budget. But how can she, when she doesn’t know much about carpentry, ticket sales are down, and the crew members are having trouble working together? Not to mention the onstage AND offstage drama that occurs once the actors are chosen, and when two cute brothers enter the picture, things get even crazier! Following the success of SMILE, Raina Telgemeier brings us another graphic novel featuring a diverse set of characters that humorously explores friendship, crushes, and all-around drama!

About the Authors:
Telgemeier was born May 26, 1977 in San Francisco. In her pre-teen years, Telgemeier suffered a serious mouth injury that required several years of dental and orthodontic surgery, (which is described in her 2010 graphic novel Smile). She was viciously teased by her friends because of this medical treatment, prompting her to partially withdraw into her love of drawing until she lost her patience with the abuse when they publicly humiliated her. She eventually found new friends of better character in high school who appreciated her artistic talent, increasing her confidence. With that encouragement, she studied illustration at New York’s School of Visual Arts, and currently lives in Queens, New York. Telgemeier’s works include a series of self-published mini-comics called Take-Out, a short story in Bizarro World for DC Comics, a short story in Volume 4 of the Flight anthology,and four graphic novel adaptations of Ann M. Martin’s The Baby-sitters Club series for Scholastic/Graphix: Kristy’s Great Idea, The Truth About Stacey, Mary Anne Saves the Da,y and Claudia and Mean Janine.

Bridge City Comics
3725 N Mississippi Ave., Portland, OR 97227

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