TCAF Bound

It seems like all of my posts right now are about comic conventions. ack. Tomorrow, I head off to Toronto with Marley Zarcone and James Stokoe to live the good life for a couple of days before heading into festival madness. I think this will be my busiest TCAF yet, and it also has some of my favorite cartoonists. TCAF is by far, my favorite show to go to. If I could only make it to one show, it would be TCAF. They put on a great festival with lots of amazing talent. My first time, I got to meet Emmanuel Guibert and Yoshihiro Tatsumi, second year, I did a panel with Paul Pope and finally met Daniel Clowes. That was a big deal for me. I named the show after a strip by Clowes for a very specific reason. This year has Lorenzo Mattotti, with whom I had just done my longest interview ever as well as Chris Ware, a man that I wish would be my longest interview ever. Chris Ware is one of those guys, whose work I have to read immediately. Chester Brown is the same way for me(who will also be at TCAF).

Anyways, it’s a great show and you all should go if you can. I will be conducting three panels on Saturday. On top of the panels, I will be signing at the Conundrum table #140, across from the wonderful Koyama kids, on Saturday and Sunday from noon till 1pm. If I am not there, and not in panels, you can either find me on the floor or maybe chilling near table #242 which will have Marian Churchland, Brandon Graham, James Stokoe and Marley Zarcone.

The Pilot Tavern, 22 Cumberland Street, Across the street from Toronto Reference Library

A4: Creator Roundtable: Pope, Graham, & Hiti
Panelists: Paul Pope, Brandon Graham, and Sam Hiti
Moderated by Robin McConnell
Location: The Pilot
Time: 1:00 – 2:00

Paul Pope, Sam Hiti and Brandon Graham are creating modern comics built on a wealth of influences. Joined by Inkstuds host Robin McConnell, they will be exploring the tableau of work that inspires them and how that affects the creative processes in work such as Death Day, Tiempos Finales, King City, Multiple Warheads, 100%, THB and more.

A6: Balancing a Canadian Identity w/ Working in the Mainstream
Panelists: Darwyn Cooke, Ray Fawkes, Kathryn and Stuart Immonen, and Jillian Tamaki
Moderated by Robin McConnell
Location: The Pilot
Time: 3:30 – 4:30

What part does being a Canadian play in a comic creator’s storytelling? With many of the largest comics companies being based in the United States, and publishers and an audience that have a US sensibility, how do Canadian creators retain their sense of self while working on licensed properties, or even graphic novels edited and published by people not from the same country that they are? This panel examines the Canadian identity in terms of the mainstream comics market.

Learning Center 1, Toronto Reference Library, first floor

A16: Spotlight: Lorenzo Mattotti
Moderated by Robin McConnell
Location: Learning Center 1
Time: 11:30 – 12:15

Lorenzo Mattotti is recognized today as one of the most outstanding international exponents of comics art. His books have been translated all over the world. Mattoti, a Featured Guest of TCAF, appears here to discuss his life and his work, including his most recent graphic novels Stigmata and The Raven. Mattotti will be interviewed by the host of Inkstuds, Robin McConnell.