Comics & Graphic Novels @ The Word On The Street
11:00 – 11:15 :: All About Comics & Graphic Novels: A Brief Introduction
Join Christopher Butcher, Director of The Toronto Comic Arts Festival as he presents a brief introduction to comics and graphic novels and the day’s programming at The Word On The Street.
11:15 – 12:00 :: Creating Comics with Owlkids!
Owlkids, the folks behind Owl, Chickadee and Chirp magazines have been publishing great comics for decades! Join CTON, creator of the Owlkids’ book CTON’s Super A-Maze-ing Year of Crazy Comics, and Brian McLachlan, creator of Alex and Charlie from Owl, as they walk you through the process of creating your own comics!
Bonus: The first 100 kids 12 and under that attend this panel will receive a gift bag filled with great comics!
12:00 – 1:00 :: Creating Comics and Raising a Family: Finding Balance
It’s tough for anyone to balance their career and home-life and in comics it can be even more-so: they’re very labour-intensive, require long hours spent without interruption and some people still don’t think that creating comics—writing, illustrating, and publishing—is a “real” job! So how do comics creators who are also parents make everything work?
Join comics creators: Jim Munroe, Sword of My Mouth; Tara Tallan, Galaxion; and Claudia Davilla, Luz: The Girl of Knowing, as they discuss what it takes to balance creative and financial pursuits with the families they love.
1:00 – 2:00 :: No Rules, No Budget, All Fun! How and Why You Should Make Comics!
There are as many ways to make comics as there are comics to be made! Whether you write or draw or you’re totally new to the medium, but have a story to tell, you can make comics! Our speakers will each outline the process they take to create comics and how you can do it too. Plus, following the panel each of our speakers will be available for one-on-one consultations!
Speakers include Georgia Webber, on the comics peer-review group gangLion; Ruth Tait, on digital illustration on a budget; and steflenk, on her new guide to self-publishing produced by the Xeric Foundation.
2:00 – 3:00 :: Graphic Memoirs: Three New Works
Memoirs in graphic novel form such as Maus and Persepolis have broadened the reach and appreciation of the comics medium more than any other genre and are perhaps their authors’ best-known works. Join 3 new graphic memoirists as they read from their new books: Lesley Fairfield, Tyranny; Adam Bourett, I’m Crazy; Tory Woolcott, Mirror Mind.
3:00 – 4:00 :: Sequential Presents: Oh, Canada. Surveying the Landscape of Canadian Comics
What does it mean to be a Canadian graphic novelist? What is the state of Canadian comics and graphic novels and what is its future? Just what makes a comic Canadian anyway?
Join Bryan Munn and Salgood Sam, editors of the Canadian comics, news and culture blog Sequential, as they discusses the state of Canadian comics. Joining them will be representatives of Canada’s dual cartooning awards, Brad Mackay and Jeet Heer from The Doug Wright Awards and Kevin Boyd from The Joe Shuster Awards, as well as award-winning Canadian comics creators. This is sure to be a lively discussion!
4:00 – 5:00 :: Sequential Presents: Three New Comics Set in Canada
Following the discussion of the state of Canadian graphic novels, Canadian comics, news and culture blog Sequential will be presenting readings featuring three new graphic novels set in Canada. With one story published on the internet, one published by an American publisher and even one published in Canada, this is a diverse and exciting group of new work.
This segment will feature readings by Willow Dawson, 100 Mile House; Jeff Lemire, Essex County; and Evan Munday, Quarter-Life Crisis.
5:00 – 6:00 :: Webcomics
Our most popular panel of 2008 returns for a second go-round! Webcomics, digital comics, online comics, call them what you will, they’re the hot-button topic in a world where ‘print’ is slowly disappearing.
Join Andy Belanger, Bottle of Awesome and Dead End 56, Faith Erin Hicks, Ice and War at Ellsmere; Emily Horne, A Softer World; Ryan North, Dinosaur Comics; and Kean Soo, Jellaby:Monster in the City, as they engage in what’s sure to be a spirited discussion of the possibilities that the internet may hold for the future of comics.
