Keep up with everything going down at, or around the Toronto Comics Arts Festival

 
A handy listing of all the comics stuff going down the first weekend of may in Toronto.

We will be updating this post as TCAF events and offsite activities are announced!

Day 1 of Bodies/Cities: A symposium @ University of Toronto
Thursday 3 May 2012 @Jackman Humanities Institute 170 St George St

NW corner Bloor & St George, across from St George subway exit. Main floor, just off the main floor lobby

“Literary Bodies” 10 am – 11 am  |  Emily Gilbert (moderator) with Amy Harris, Maggie Helwig.
“Queer Bodies”  11:30 am – 12:30  pm  | Rebecka Sheffield (moderator) with Richard Fung & Donna-Michelle St Bernard
“Visual Bodies” 1:30 pm – 2:30  pm  | William (Bill) Huffman (moderator) with Dyan Marie & Devon Ostrom
 “Graphic Bodies” [the comics panel!]  3:00 pm – 4:00 pm  | David Hains (moderator) with Kate Beaton & Bryan Lee O’Malley
 
An Evening with Guy Delisle
Thursday, May 3, 2012
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Carlton Cinema
Film Screenings
Please join The Toronto Comic Arts Festival in welcoming Featured Guest Guy Delisle to a special celebration of his body of work, and official launch of his new graphic novel The Jerusalem Chronicles. Delisle will appear in person at a special TCAF event on Thursday May 3rd, 7PM, at The Carlton Cinema, in an event which will include a rare live interview, short documentary screening, Q&A and autograph sessions.
Kid Koala Space Cadet Headphone Concert @ 918 Bathurst
Thursday, May 3, 2012
9:00 pm – 10:00 pm
918 Bathurst
Concerts
Check the link for how to Purchase Tickets

Day 2 of New Narrative V: Bodies/Cities @ University of Toronto
running all Fri 4 May 2012 @ 15 King’s College Circle, UC 140

A list of presenters and abstracts,  & a poster for call for papers here. 

Panel 1: Film / Fantasy 8:45 – 10:00
Moderator: Andrew Lesk (Toronto) with Zachary Abraham (Ottawa), “It All Flows Back: The Limits of Urban Community in Treed Murray”. Aaron Tucker (Ryerson), “TRON Legacy and Web Construction: The City as God”. & Glenn Willmott (Queen’s), “The City as Abyss: Winsor McCay’s Dystopia”
Panel 2: Archives / Memory 10:10 – 11:30
Moderator: Glenn Willmott (Queen’s) with Emma Vossen (Waterloo), “Imagined Towns, Fictional Cities and the Desire for Acceptance and Appreciation in Seth’s G.N.B.C.C. and Dylan Horrocks’ Hicksville”. Rachel Richey (Carleton), “On the comic collections at Library and Archives Canada”. & Mullins, Katie (Toronto), “Memory, Place, and Identity in Jeff Lemire’s Ghost Stories”.
Panel 3: “Other” Communities 11:30 – 12: 50
Moderator: Katie Mullins (Toronto) with J Andrew Deman (Waterloo / Wilfrid Laurier), “Fantastic Four on Safari: The Discourse of Techno-Cannibalism in Black Panther’s Origins”. Candida Rifkind (Winnipeg), “Spectacular Convergence: Ho Che Anderson, Martin Luther King, and the March on Washington”. & Keith Friedlander (Ottawa), “Chagall, Comics, & Jewish Representations of Bodies and Spaces”.
e Lunch 12:50 – 1:40 f
Panel 4: Non/Normative 1:40 – 3:00
Moderator: Barbara Postema (Ryerson) with Marni Stanley (Vancouver Island), “Sex in the City: Metronormativity in Queer Comics”. Heather Mitchell (Simon Fraser), “Any Given City: Contesting (Sub)Urban Homonormativity in Dykes to Watch Out For”. & Ted Hornick (Kenyon), “I Was a Teenage Death Ray”
Panel 5 Cities 3:10 – 4:30:
Moderator: Marni Stanley (Vancouver Island) with Barbara Postema (Ryerson), “Background Reading: The City as Setting in Comics”. Claudine Gélinas-Faucher (McGill), “Two Solitudes, One City”. & Atsuko Sakaki (Toronto), “Horie Toshiyuki’s Contested Paris”
Star Wars Day Toronto 2012
Friday, May 4, 2012
7:00pm until 10:00pm
In 2011, Two Star Wars fans were inspired to turn an internet catch phrase into something real. Star Wars Day Toronto was the first organized Star Wars Day celebration in the world.
In 2012, it will be a world-class fan destination, showcasing the creativity and passion of the Star Wars fan community in a positive, family-friendly atmosphere.
Star Wars Day Toronto 2012 attractions:
– CHAD VADER creators Blame Society Films in-person – screening, Q & A, and autograph session
– Original Trilogy Trivia Game Show
– Costume Contest with celebrity guest judges. New for 2012: Jedi League for adults and Padawan League for ages 12 and under
– The comedy stylings of Gavin Stephens
All this and much more is taking place Friday May 4, 2012 at Toronto Underground Cinema (186 Spadina Avenue).
Watch this site, follow us on Twitter, and Like us on Facebook for updates and announcements:
– celebrity guests
– advance ticket sales
– sponsors and attractions
– more!
Tickets
TCAF Librarian and Educator Day
Friday, May 4, 2012
8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Toronto Reference Library
Talks
The Toronto Comic Arts Festival has long attracted a wide array of librarians and teachers, either looking to create great comics and graphic novel programming for their institutions, and sometimes they’re even just comics and graphic novel fans themselves!
Jeff Smith, Gabriel Ba, and Fabio Moon in conversation!
Friday, May 4, 2012
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Toronto Reference Library
Main Event
TCAF 2012 KICK-OFF EVENT! Jeff Smith, Gabriel Ba, and Fabio Moon in conversation! Noir and the Fantastic in Comics and Graphic Novels Friday, May 4th, @ 7:00pm @ Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St. in The Bram and Bluma Appel Salon Free to attend, registration required.
Topatoco’s Welcome to TCAF Party
Friday, May 4, 2012
7:00 pm – 2:00 am
The Pilot
Topatoco: Welcome to TCAF Party! Saturday May 5th, 7pm-10pm @ The Pilot Tavern, 2nd & 3rd floors, 22 Cumberland Street. Free to attend Publishing some of the very best books and merchandise from your favourite webcomics, Topatoco returns to TCAF once more–and they’re throwing a party!
THE COMIC BOOK LOUNGE’s 1st annual FREE COMIC BOOK DAY Celebration!
Saturday, May 5, 2012
12:00pm until 7:00pm
Free Comic Book Day is a single day – the 1st Saturday in May each year – when participating comic book shops across North America & around the world give away a selection of comic books absolutely FREE to anyone who comes into their stores. In honour of this august occasion the crew at the brand new The Comic Book Lounge & Gallery have lined up appearances with many of Toronto’s finest comic book creators who will be signing and chatting (and some sketching!) throughout the day! It’s like a small second convention happening in tandom with TCAF.
CONFIRMED Guests include: Ty Templeton (Avenging Spider-Man) Stuart Immonen (Fear Itself) Kathryn Immonen (Avengers Origins: Thor) Mike Del Mundo (Marvel Comics cover artist) Marco Rudy (Swamp Thing) David Cutler (Heroes of the North) Gibson Quarter (Undertow) Richard Evans (The Canadian Legion) Raffaelle Ienco (Epic Kill) and more to be announced!
PLUS: FREE COMICS (It isn’t called FREE COMIC BOOK DAY for nothing) MINI-CON ARTIST ALLEY. FACE PAINTING FOR KIDS. SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY SOME OF EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES. TORONTO’S VERY OWN DARK KNIGHT.
TCAF Day 1
Saturday, May 5, 2012
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Toronto Reference Library
Main Event
TCAF Day 1 will feature over 300 comics creators from around the world, exhibiting and selling their work. TCAF’s main exhibition space is Toronto Reference Library. Toronto Reference Library (TRL) 789 Yonge Street Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Comics vs Games Creative Jam @ TCAF
Saturday, May 5, 2012
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Toronto Reference Library
Art Installations
In partnership with TIFF Nexus, Toronto Public Library, and Magic Pony, TCAF  is excited to host TIFF Nexus’ Comics vs Games. The Beaton Auditorium will be taken over by a dazzling audio/visual display, where 10 indie comic artists and videogame developers will be showing off their exciting collaborations which demonstrate the exciting creative potential of independent storytelling in Ontario. There will be demo station for festival attendees to try out the games alongside the creators, as well as sales of original arts & prints related to each team and their projects. …read more
Owlkids Day
Saturday, May 5, 2012
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
St. Paul
Main Event
Owlkids Day is a special one-day event that offers a non-stop selection of presentations by TCAF’s biggest kids guests, and creates a special location for families just 5 minutes walk from main TCAF site Toronto Reference Library. Presenters include cartoonists from Owlkids, Andy Runton (Owly), Jennifer Holm & Matt Holm (Babymouse, SQUISH), Jeff Smith (Bone), Kazu Kibuishi (Amulet), and Dave Roman & John Green(Teen Boat, Avatar: The Last Airbender).
Owlkids Day Schedule of Events:
9:30am: Doors open at venue St. Paul’s, 227 Bloor Street East
10am: Meet Owly creator Andy Runton!
11am: Meet Jennifer Holm & Matt Holm, creators of Babymouse & Squish!
12pm: Owlkids Presents: How to Write and Draw Max Finder with Craig Battle and Ramon Perez!
1pm: Meet Jeff Smith, the author of Bone!
2:30pm: The world of Amulet, with creator Kazu Kibuishi!
3:45pm: It’s the “launch” of Teen Boat! With creators Dave Roman & John Green!
All creators will be signing and sketching for fans after their presentations!
Dr Sketchy’s Toronto: Draw Kiki!
Saturday, May 5, 2012
5:30 pm – 8:00 pm
The Pilot 2nd Floo
Dr. Sketchy’s Toronto: Draw Kiki! @ The Pilot, Materials Provided. No experience required!
$5 at the door. 6-7:30pm (doors 5:30pm).
Dr. Sketchy’s Toronto presents a very special Anti-Art class as part of Toronto Comic Arts Festival. We’ve teamed up with graphic novel publisher SelfMadeHero and we’re stepping back in time to 1920s Paris for a special Sketchy’s with themed poses, performances and prizes to celebrate the new graphic novel biography of Kiki’s life by TCAF featured guests Catel & Bocquet. [more] Konami Kanata – In Conversation @ The Japan Foundation
Saturday, May 5, 2012
6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
The Japan Foundation, Gallery Space
Please join us in welcoming manga author Konami Kanata, creator of The New York Times Bestselling manga Chi’s Sweet Home, to her first-ever North American appearance.
Free but RSVP Required!
TCAF 2012 Queer Mixer: Featuring Alison Bechdel
Saturday, May 5, 2012
6:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Buddies in Bad Times
Parties
The centrepiece for our queer programming at TCAF is a highly anticipated talk by Alison Bechdel, who will be presenting from her new book Are You My Mother?! The eagerly-awaited follow-up to her bestselling and critically acclaimed Fun Home, Are You My Mother will debut at The Toronto Comic Arts Festival! Bechdel’s presentation will be followed by an on-stage interview and our queer mixer for comics creators and fans! This is a free event taking place at Buddies in Bad Times (12 Alexander Street), doors at 6:30pm, starting at 7:00pm. Show up early to guarantee a seat! And the party doesn’t have to stop at 10:00pm! All attendees are invited to stay for Buddies in Bad Times’ regular Saturday night dance party, free of charge!
2012 Doug Wright Awards
Saturday, May 5, 2012
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Jackman Hall
Awards Shows
Doug Wright Awards, Canada’s premier comics awards, are proud to announce their finalists for 2012. The 15 nominees include established heavy-weights and past winners (Chester Brown, Seth, Marc Bell, Joe Ollmann, Kate Beaton) and a slate of extraordinary younger talent that together represent the finest in Canadian comics. The nominees
The Comic Book Lounge presents… ON THE COUCH WITH TY TEMPLETON!
Saturday, May 5, 2012
8:00pm – 11:00pm
The Comic Book Lounge
It’s the launch of ON THE COUCH with Ty Templeton, a live and interactive event to be held at Toronto’s Comic Book Lounge + Gallery on May 5th! Since it is Free Comic Book Day and a day to celebrate comics and Canada the topic of discussion will be…”As Canadian as possible, under the circumstances.”
Ty will be joined by a panel of industry folk and these hosers will discuss things Canadian, eh? over a Labatt’s or three.
Ty’s guests will be announced early next week (April 23-24).
The show will be followed by a brief announcement of the 2012 Joe Shuster Award nominees, and then we’ll be holding an Industry Night after party!
Schedule: 7:30-8 seating, 8 pm until some time after 9 it’s On the Couch!
Immediately following On the Couch will be the 2012 JSA nomination announcements (estimated announcement time 9:30)
After that it’s another Industry Night event in conjunction with our neighbours the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop and Guerilla Printing.
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase at the event. ID will be required for alcohol purchases.
Third Annual Official TCAFête
Saturday, May 5, 2012
9:00 pm – 2:00 am
Paupers Pub
It’s that time again! The Toronto Comic Arts Festival is proud to present to you 2012′s official TCAFête!!! I KNOW RIGHT??? You can close your mouth now because there’s more jaw dropping news! This years TCAFête boasts Becky Cloonan (Wolves), Ray Fawkes (One Soul), Geneve Firanski (Doodler Extraordinaire) and Zach Worton (The Klondike) doing some mind blowing live drawing! That’s not all. Avant Chord (Toronto Dj Heavyweight) is going to be massaging your ear holes with some delicious tunes on the 1s & 2s aaaaalll night. If you are a Guest, Vendor, Volunteer or Staff at TCAF, there’s no cover and your name is already on the list. For everyone else, cover is $5. A mere $5 for one of the awesomest events of the season? What a steal! So come to see and be seen amongst your fave comics peeps, your friends from previous TCAFs, new friends, and maybe even some Toronto b-list celebrities! Sorry young’uns it’s 19+. RSVP on Facebook!
TCAF Day 2
Sunday, May 6, 2012
11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Toronto Reference Library
Main Event
TCAF Day 2 will feature over 300 comics creators from around the world, exhibiting and selling their work.
Toronto Jewish Film Festival | The Spiegelman double bill:
In The Shadow of No Towers & The Art of Spiegelman
Sunday, May 6, 2012
1:00PM @ INNIS COLLEGE
A powerful and experimental adaptation of Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel recounting his first-hand experience at ground zero on 9/11, as well as his grief and disillusionment that followed. Director Marco Cappelli makes creative use of Spiegelman’s images, while actor John Turturro narrates, and the band Syntax Error offers an experimental fusion of modern classical, rock, jazz, country, and cartoon music. 53 MIN
& Spend some time with comic book artist, Art Spiegelman, his wife, New Yorker art director Françoise Mouly, and their children. In this intimate portrait, Spiegelman tells his story, as he evokes rich childhood memories. He reflects on his development into a key figure in the underground comics movement, the evolution of his seminal work, Maus—the Pulitzer Prize-winning Holocaust- themed graphic novel—and more. A rewarding experience for both Spiegelman fans and newcomers to his work. 44 MIN
Buy tickets here.
Gabriella Giandelli and Marco Cappelli in Conversation at IIC
Monday, May 7, 2012
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Italian Cultural Institute
Free to attend
Italian comic author, and TCAF featured guest, Gabriella Giandelli and music composer Marco Cappelli will engage in a conversation on their artist careers and the influence that music has on comics. Marco Cappelli has composed the music for the motion comic In the Shadow of No Towers, based on the graphic novel written by Pulizer prize-winning cartoonist Art Spiegelman about his experience of the 9/11 attacks on New York’s World Trade Centre. Narrated by John Turturro, In the Shadow of No Towers will be screened at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival on Sunday, May 6 at 1pm at Innis College.
For more info, please visit the Istituto Italiano di Cultura’s website.
Please note that a retrospective exhibition of Gabriella Giandelli’s work will be on display at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura from May 4th until September 14, 2012. Italian Cultural Institute, 496 Huron Street.