All posts by Miles Baker

OCTOBER 15: Mike Carey @ The Toronto SpecFic Colloquium

The Toronto SpecFic Colloquium
Featuring Mike Carey, author of THE UNWRITTEN, X-MEN, LUCIFER, and more!
October 15th at Toronto Underground Cinema,
186 Spadina Avenue.
Pre-register now for only $45 at http://www.specfic-colloquium.com/

The Toronto SpecFic Colloquium is a one-day event featuring a series of lectures, readings and discussions from major authors and industry professionals. Canadian speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy, and horror) writing has been recognized internationally for the calibre of its authors. At their best, these books provide glimpses of alternate realities and possible futures and pasts that provoke an ethical, social, political, environmental and biological inquiry into what it means to be human.

The theme for the 2011 Toronto SpecFic Colloquium will be “Modern Mythologies” with a keynote from special Guest of Honour, Mike Carey.


Mike Carey will be presenting a talk entitled “Speak of the Dazzling Wings”: Myth, Language, and Modern Fantasy.

Other guests of the Toronto SpecFic Colloquium include Peter Watts, Caitlin Sweet, Lesley Livingston, Daniel Heath Justice, Emily Pohl-Weary, and Daniel Rabuzzi.

The Beguiling is a proud supporter of this event, and we strongly encourage those with an interest in Sci-Fi, Fantasy, SpecFic, or any of their subgenres to attend; it’s a great series of talks that will be illuminating and inspirational!

FRANCIS MANAPUL IN STORE – THE FLASH #1 – DC COMICS NEW 52 SIGNING


Francis Manapul – DC 52 Signing
September 28th @ 7pm for THE FLASH #1

When Barry Allan made his first appearance as The Flash in 1956 it heralded the silver age of comics. In 2011, when Barry Allan makes his return to The New 52, can we expect similar greatness? With Fancis Manapul at the helm, it’s a sure bet.

On September 28th at 7 PM, Francis Manapul will be on hand to sign copies of THE FLASH #1! Here’s what it’s about: “The Fastest Man Alive returns to his own monthly series from the writer/artist team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato! The Flash knows he can’t be everywhere at once, but what happens he faces an all-new villain who really can! As if that’s not bad enough, this villain is a close friend!”

We’re very happy to have Francis Manapul in store, especially for his first comic as artist AND co-writer.

Thanks to Francis for making the time to come on out. And see you in-store on the 28th.

Fan Favourites: Jeff Lemire Sketchbook #1


Jeff Lemire Sketchbook #1
By Jeff Lemire, $10.00, Second Floor

In case you missed his signing events in store at the beginning of the month, we have copies of Jeff Lemire’s sketchbook in stock. It’s a wonderful 28-page collection of rare comics and creative experiments, including some in full colour. My favourite is the family portrait of Lemire’s protagonists from Essex County, The Nobody and Sweet Tooth. Sounds like a pretty good crossover to me.

Every copy is signed and includes a unique sketch. So, rare work AND original art — that’s a pretty good deal.

Fan Favourites are comics with huge followings–high degrees of craft and high appeal meet in the sort of comic that brings lapsed comics fans back into the fold, and tons of new faces through the door. We think that these comics might just be for you!

Fan Favourites: Halloween Comics!

Casper’s Scare School by Various
Donald Duck by Carl Barks
Fraggle Rock by Various
Laugh Comics starring Betty and Veronica by Various
Scary Godmother by Jill Thompson
Smurfs by Peyo
Snarked by Roget Langridge
$5.00 for set of 20, $9.00 for mixed set of 35, Second Floor

Have you figured out what you’re going to be this year? More importantly, have you figured out what you’re going to give away?

Halloween is just around the corner and once again we’ve got all-ages comics for the trick and treaters. Supplies are limited and, remember, no kid ever egged a house after getting comics.

Fan Favourites are comics with huge followings–high degrees of craft and high appeal meet in the sort of comic that brings lapsed comics fans back into the fold, and tons of new faces through the door. We think that these comics might just be for you!

Fan Favourites: Space Cadet

Space Cadet
By Kid Koala, $30.00, First and Second Floor

Kid Koala returns with his first book in eight years! And it was totally worth the wait!

Space Cadet is a gorgeously illustrated and powerful story with Kid Koala’s signature adorableness. Told completely without words, the story follows an astronaut on her inaugural mission and the robot gaurdian she left behind on Earth.

Like his first book, Nufonia Must Fall, Space Cadet includes a soundtrack composed and performed by Kid Koala. If you’re looking for something different for the music fan in your life, this is a great gateway comic.

Fan Favourites are comics with huge followings–high degrees of craft and high appeal meet in the sort of comic that brings lapsed comics fans back into the fold, and tons of new faces through the door. We think that these comics might just be for you!

Fan Favourites: Fungus #1

Fungus #1
By James Kochalka, $5.00, First and Second Floor

Adorable anthropomorphic forest creatures make topical jokes and party down? Sold!
This is the first comic out from Retrofit, a bold new entry in the alt-periodical market. They are promising 17 comics from 17 artists in the next 17 months. Some of the artists include TCAFers Joe Decie, Liz Baille, Jason Turner, and John Martz!

James Kochalka’s newest book has a great laugh-per-page ratio and will please old and new fans alike. A fantastic debut from a exciting new publisher–highly recommended.

Fan Favourites are comics with huge followings–high degrees of craft and high appeal meet in the sort of comic that brings lapsed comics fans back into the fold, and tons of new faces through the door. We think that these comics might just be for you!


NEXT WEEK: Craig Thompson launches HABIBI in Toronto

Craig Thompson’s HABIBI Launch Event
Presented by The Beguiling, Drawn & Quarterly, and Random House Canada

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

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 and Book Purchasing:
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. Tickets for the pre-sales of HABIBI are on sale now, in-store only, for $30 CDN.

Those purchasing the $10 Admission will be given a $10 gift certificate for The Beguiling, good until December 31st 2011.

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.

Fan Favourites: Criminal: The Last of the Innocent #4

Criminal: The Last of the Innocent #4

By Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, $3.50, Second Floor.
The exciting conclusion to Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ latest noir epic. Richard Rilley might have committed the perfect crime and got away with it, but can he keep everything from falling apart? Rest assured, the ending is everything you’ve hoped for and more.
If you haven’t pick up the series yet, imagine it as the real “What if Archie married Veronica” told as a brutal noir thriller, with all of the unsaid animosity, lust, and greed, bubbling to the surface in a way only Brubaker and Phillips could tell it. In some ways it’s Brubaker’s most personal Criminal arc yet and is, in our opinion, the strongest story of an exceptionally strong series. We have issues 1 through 4 in stock now, as well as selected issues and all of the tpbs/hc collecting the previous arcs.
Fan Favourites are comics with huge followings–high degrees of craft and high appeal meet in the sort of comic that brings lapsed comics fans back into the fold, and tons of new faces through the door. We think that these comics might just be for you!

Fan Favourites: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine #1

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #1
By Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty, $2.99, Second Floor

Buffy’s back with a new season of demons, big bads and ass kickery. Following up on the hugely successful Season Eight, Joss Whedon with Vampire Diaries writer Adam Chambliss continue the saga of the world’s only Slayer. Well, except for Faith, but we’ll get to that in a second.

Now relocated to San Francisco in a world without magic, Buffy’s back to basics: keeping a job down, finding love and staking vampires. If you skipped out on the last season of the comics, this is a great place to pick up with Buffy Summers and the rest of the Scoobies. And if you were put off by the over-the-top magic of season eight, well, they seemed to have fixed that too. In the first issue, Buffy throws a house warming party with hilarious results!
Also new and in stock and from the mind of Joss Whedon, Angel and Faith #1 (ongoing series) and Dollhouse Epitaphs #1-3 (miniseries, completed).

Fan Favourites are comics with huge followings–high degrees of craft and high appeal meet in the sort of comic that brings lapsed comics fans back into the fold, and tons of new favourites through the door. We think that these comics might just be for you!