some brief news links in advance of the seasonal slowdown:

Item! As Salgood Sam has reminded us on facebook, Ryan North’s To Be or Not to Be choose-your-own-adventure-style book project has become the #1 most funded project of all time on Kickstarter, measured by how much it has exceeded its asking goal.
Item! Vancaf, the Vancouver Comic Arts festival, has just sent out its 2013 exhibitor invitations and is asking for RSVP from the artists and groups who have been accepted. The festival is scheduled for the weekend of May 25 and 26, just two weeks after the Toronto Festival event, and a small contingent of local guests have already been announced, including Rebecca Dart and Camilla d’Errico.
Item! The great Spain Rodriguez died last week and tributes are all over the net, but my favourite is this giant series of mysterious murals that appeared in the artist’s hometown of Buffalo.
Item! UK comics publisher Nobrow, the people behind the super-accessible Hilda comics by Luke Pearson, have officially announced a new kids comics imprint, Flying Eye Books. According to an article from The Bookseller, the imprint will “publish 12 new titles in the next year, with a mix of débuts, work from established authors and illustrators, and a range of work in translation. Company director Sam Arthur said: ‘Nobrow has created a few titles aimed at children before, but because our list is mostly adult, we found that a lot of places weren’t really interested in stocking us. It made practical sense to create a dedicated imprint and make it that much simpler.'”
Item! Does this mansion owned by Quebec Premier Pauline Marois look like Captain Haddock’s Moulinsart (Marlinspike Hall in English translations) in the Tintin comics?
Item! Robin McConnell blogs (with pictures!) about the Horror Hangover art show he curated in Vancouver. The work from the show is available in a limited edition zine and some of the originals are still for sale.
Item! Finally, and in reference to the image up top, Nina Bunjevac has sold out the Serbian edition of her Heartless graphic short story collection.