ON – Little Island Comics Grand Opening

Fiona Smyth, Claudia Dávila, Clayton Hammer, Jeremy Tankard, Kean Soo, and Tory Woollcott appear at the Little Island Comics grand opening!

Press Release:

The Beguiling is pleased to announce the Grand Opening of North America’s first children’s comic shop—Little Island Comics! Offering the widest possible array of graphic novels, manga and comics for people 12 years old and younger, Little Island Comics had a successful soft open in early September. Little Island Comics’ inaugural events on the first weekend of October 2011 will mark the debut of its event space with visits from local comics creators and the launch of Claudia Dávila’s new book Luz Sees the Light.

Little Island’s Grand Opening festivities will be a celebration of children’s comics and of Toronto’s comics community. A stellar schedule of local creator visits will be augmented by informal activities for kids from open to close each day during the Grand Opening weekend. As well, select titles will be offered at door-crasher prices, making Little Island Comics’ Grand Opening weekend an ideal time to stock your comics library!

Scheduled creator appearances include:

Saturday October 1st

1:00pm – Fiona Smyth (The Never Weres)

3:00pm – LAUNCH: Claudia Dávila (Luz Sees the Light)

Sunday October 2nd

12:00pm – Clayton Hammer (Cton’s Super A-Maze-Ing Year Of Crazy Comics!)

2:00pm – Jeremy Tankard (Boo-hoo Bird)

4:00pm – Kean Soo (Jellaby) and Tory Woollcott (Mirror Mind)

Little Island Comics is located on Bathurst Street just south of Bloor, a short block from its parent store and just a few doors away from the recently-moved Sonic Boom record shop, making their Mirvish Village neighbourhood a single stop for comics and culture for the whole family! Through a schedule of kids’ events and how-to comics workshops, Little Island will inspire a new generation of comics writers and artists!

Little Island Comics
742 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2R6
Phone: 416-901-7489

ON – Habibi Signing

Craig Thompson appears on Thursday, September 22nd, 2011 at the Toronto Underground Cinema, 186 Spadina Avenue, Btwn Dundas & Queen
Doors Open at 6:30pm, Event starts at 7pm sharp
Admission: $10* or Free with Purchase of Habibi

Press Release:

Craig Thompson’s long-awaited, highly anticipated follow-up to BLANKETS is will make its debut on September 20th, and just 2 days later he’ll be in Toronto to celebrate!

Please join us in welcoming Craig Thompson to Toronto to launch HABIBI, a sprawling and epic love story that is sure to be one of the most-talked about books of 2011. Thompson will be giving a presentation from HABIBI that will take us behind the scenes of its gestation and creation, and he will then be interviewed on stage, with a moderated Q&A and a signing to follow. This will all take place at The Toronto Underground Theatre, an exciting indy theatre and event space on Spadina between Dundas and Queen.

Admission to this event will be $10, or free with the purchase of Habibi at the event or in advance of the event at The Beguiling Books & Art. Those purchasing the $10 Admission will be given a $10 gift certificate for The Beguiling, good until September 23rd 2012. Tickets for the event and pre-sales of HABIBI will both go on sale Tuesday, August 16th, at 11am, in-store only. We will be selling HABIBI for $30 Canadian.

The Beguiling is proud to team with Random House Canada to present this event.

About HABIBI:
Sprawling across an epic landscape of deserts, harems, and modern industrial clutter, Habibi tells the tale of Dodola and Zam, refugee child slaves bound to each other by chance, by circumstance, and by the love that grows between them. We follow them as their lives unfold together and apart; as they struggle to make a place for themselves in a world (not unlike our own) fueled by fear, lust, and greed; and as they discover the extraordinary depth—and frailty—of their connection.

At once contemporary and timeless, Habibi gives us a love story of astounding resonance: a parable about our relationship to the natural world, the cultural divide between the first and third worlds, the common heritage of Christianity and Islam, and, most potently, the magic of storytelling.

TO – Footnotes in Gaza Lecture

Joe Sacco speaks on Thursday, March 17th, 2011 at 8PM as a part of the UofT Arts Council 2011 Speakers Series
Innis Town Hall, St. George Street at Sussex Ave (MAP)
Tickets $10 for adults, $5 for students & seniors
Click for tickets OR Buy tickets @ The Beguiling!

Joe Sacco is one of the world’s premier comic book artists and is widely recognized as a central figure in bringing graphic novels and sequential art into the cultural mainstream. His works including Palestine, Safe Area Gorazde, and The Fixer and Other Stories are frequently featured on university syllabi, in programs ranging from English to Political Science to Peace and Conflict Studies.

A Guggenheim fellow, Sacco’s work has been profiled by the BBC, Time Magazine, Details, Harper’s and the New York Times. He will be speaking on a variety of subjects including his newest work, Footnotes in Gaza, his return to the Gaza strip and his attempt to get to the heart of a brutal incident from the region’s past.

ON – Danny Husk Signing

Scott Thompson signs from 6pm-7pm on Thursday, January 6th, 2011.

The Beguiling is thrilled to announce that Kids In The Hall co-founder Scott Thompson will be joining us in-store for a book signing for his new graphic novel!

That’s right, Scott Thompson wrote a graphic novel featuring his “Danny Husk” character from Kids In The Hall, and it’s called THE HOLLOW PLANET. What happens when one average salesman for AT & Love travels to a fantastic and exotic and surprisingly erotic world? The ordinary becomes extraordinary, and more!

RSVP on Facebook!

The Beguiling – 601 Markham Street – Toronto, Ontario, Canada – M6G 2L7

TO – Les Petit Riens

Lewis Trondheim appears at Saturday, September 25th at 7PM at Innis College Town Hall (2 Sussex Avenue (St. George south of Bloor), Toronto, ON).

The Beguiling is proud to be partnering with The French Consulate in Toronto and The Alliance Francaise de Toronto to welcome the bestselling French cartoonist Lewis Trondheim to Toronto! Mr. Trondheim will be in the city for the last two weeks of September, and we are thrilled to have the chance to present this English-language engagement with him.

Trondheim is the creator or co-creator of such wonderful series as  and more, and those are just the ones inDungeon, Little Nothings, Kaput and Zosky, ALIEEEN, Tiny Tyrant, Bourbon Island 1730, Mister O & Mister I, English! He’s created dozens of albums in French as well, and is one of the most famous and respected cartoonists in the entire world—this is quite possibly a once in a lifetime event.

Mr. Trondheim will be giving a drawing presentation and will be interviewed in an event that will primarily take place in English, but will have some small French-language components that will also be translated.

TO – Skullkickers Signing

Jim Zubkavich signs SKULLKICKERS #1 on Wednesday, September 22nd from 5pm-7pm at The Beguiling (601 Markham Street, Toronto, ON M6G 2L7).

TO – Ten Years of Udon

UDON Studios celebrates their 10th Anniversary Party and book launch for their new VENT Anthology/Instruction Book on Thursday September 17th, 8pm-10pm (Doors at 7pm) at Revival, 783 College St. (Just east of Ossington).
FREE

Come one come all, and celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Toronto Publisher and Studio UDON COMICS! Food, drinks, and of course video games, in honour of their decade-long career creating work on numerous video game and comics properties!

This event will also serve as the launch for VENT, the new coffee-table book project which includes a gallery of new comics and illustrations from all of Udon’s top creators, as well as a look behind the scenes of the company and extensive art tutorials. More than a dozen Udon creators will be in attendance, and all of Toronto’s creative community and fans are invited to come out and celebrate!

This will be a big party, with music and fun in a very cool club setting, we’re expecting a massive turnout for this one…!

Presented by The Beguiling and UDON.

TO – Megaman Signing

Hitoshi Ariga signs on Thursday, August 26th at 7PM
The Japan Foundation, 131 Bloor Street West, 2nd Floor
Free to attend, RSVP Required!
RSVP at (416) 966-1600 ext. 103
or online, http://www.jftor.org/whatson/rsvp.php
Presented by UDON Entertainment, The Beguiling, A&C Games, and The Japan Foundation

TORONTO—The Beguiling, Canada’s Premier Comic Book Retailer is proud to team with UDON Entertainment and The Japan Foundation to welcome Hitoshi Ariga, the hugely popular and respected manga creator of MEGA M AN MEGAMIX (the official manga of the phenomenally popular Mega Man video games) to Canada for the very first time! Mr. Ariga will make a very rare North American appearance at Mega Man! Megamix! Megavent!, a special event held in Mr. Ariga’s honour to celebrate the launch of his manga for English-language audiences at The Japan Foundation on Thursday, August 26th at 7pm. Please note, while this event is open to the public an RSVP is required.

With over 30 million Mega Man videogames sold worldwide, the character is easily one of the most popular and recognizable game characters in the world! MEGA MAN MEGAMIX, the new manga series written and drawn by Hitoshi Ariga and published by UDON Entertainment, is the official manga chronicling the stories of these games—and the stories behind the stories as well! The second volume of MEGA MAN MEGAMIX is scheduled to debut at the event, and volume 1 will also be available. In addition to the popular manga ser ies, Hitoshi Ariga is an acclaimed character designer and graphic designer for video games and creator of many manga series.

“We’re truly honoured to welcome Ariga-San to Toronto,” said Christopher Butcher, event organizer and Manager of The Beguiling. “His work is very energetic and passionate, and it’s fantastic to see the games I remember investing so many hours into brought to comics! I think both fans of Mr. Ariga’s work on the MEGA MAN MEGAMIX manga, and fans of the Mega Man video games in general, are very fortunate to be able to meet him and will enjoy the event.”

The doors will open for the event at 7pm, with the event beginning at 7:30pm. Mr. Ariga will give a short presentation (In Japanese, with an English-language interpreter), and following the presentation he will take questions from his fans and the audience, and will sign autographs for all in attendance. Manga and Artbooks featuring Mr. Ariga’s work will be available for sale at the event courte sy of The Beguiling. Classic Mega Man video games and gaming equipment will be available to play and for sale courtesy of A&C Games in Toronto.

Because of the popularity of Mr. Ariga’s work, the organizers will be capping attendance at 100 participants. To attend, please RSVP at (416) 966-1600 ext. 103 or online at http://www.jftor.org/whatson/rsvp.php.

ABOUT
UDON Entertainment: UDON is an award-winning Canadian-based art collective formed in 2000 to provide high-quality creative services to the entertainment industry. Our client list reads like a “Who’s who” of the business, and includes Alliance/Atlantis, Capcom, DC Comics, Hasbro, Konami, Marvel Comics, Nintendo, Random House, ToyBiz, and Wizards of the Coast amongst others. In addition to client work, UDON is a diverse publisher producing comics, manga, and artbooks for all ages and audiences. http://udonentertainment.com/

The Japan Foundation: The Japan Foundation aspires to the role of catalyst for international exchange throughout the world, presenting valuable and appealing aspects of Japanese culture to other countries and promoting mutual understanding with peoples around the world. In addition to organising and supporting Japan-related events, a large portion of The Japan Foundation, Toronto activities involves the administration of its grant programs, grouped under three main areas: Arts and Cultural Exchange, Japanese-Language Education, and Japanese Studies and Intellectual Exchange. http://www.jftor.org/

The Beguiling: Founded in 1987, The Beguiling has set a new standard in Canada for comics and graphic novel retail. Showcasing the largest selection of alternative, underground and avant-garde graphic story telling in the country, The Beguiling has a worldwide reputation for excellence. Visit us online at http://beguiling.com.

A & C Games: We have the largest selection of rare and old school video games in Toronto! Buying, selling, and trading Video Games, Consoles, and Accessories for every generation of gamer! Visit us downtown at 706 Spadina Ave. (Just south of Bloor) or online at http://www.acgamesonline.com/.

TO – The Wright Stuff II

Edgar Wright returns to Toronto for another run at his fabulous THE WRIGHT STUFF screening series, now at its new home Toronto Underground Cinema! The first run was a blast and we expect this to be just as exciting! Quite a few Beguiling staffers will be out to check out the films, and who knows WHO else will be at these screenings!

Screenings start at 7PM
Tickets $8, Double Bill $14

Friday August 6th: 7pm: Shaun of The Dead. 9:30pm: Hot Fuzz
Saturday August 7th: 7pm: Flash Gordon. 9:30pm: TBA
Sunday August 8th: 7pm: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. 9:30pm: TBA

The Beguiling is super-pleased to be supporting this event! We’ll be working with Toronto Underground Cinema to give away awesome prize-packs at every screening, and The Beguiling will be set-up on site with all kinds of cool comics and merch!

For more info check out http://www.torontoundergroundcinema.com.

TO – Elephant Eater Signing

Ryan Claytor  signs on Saturday, July 31st, 2010 from 2pm-5pm at The Beguiling.

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