All posts by Miles Baker

ANNOUNCE: An Evening at the IIC with Lorenzo Mattotti

An Evening at the IIC with Lorenzo Mattotti!
Monday, May 9, 2011 – 6:30pm
Istituto Italiano di Cultura – 496 Huron St., Toronto
Free admission
www.iictoronto.esteri.it

The Istituto Italiano di Cultura is honored to host a talk by mesmerizing maestro Lorenzo Mattotti. The Italian artist will discuss his career in comics and beyond, including his latest graphic novel Stigmata, and his collaborations, from his animated terrors in the movie Fear(s) of the Dark to illustrating Lou Reed’s concept album The Raven.

Lorenzo Mattotti is a world-renowned cartoonist and multi-disciplinary artist working in painting, illustration, animation, and design. After studying architecture, he decided to devote himself to comics. His works have been published in the most important magazines and his books are translated all over the world. From “Il signor Spartaco”, “L’uomo alla finestra”, “Stigmate””Ligne fragile”, and many other works, up to “Fires” and “Murmur” published by Penguin Books in 1993, Mattotti’s work has evolved with a continuing coherence, though always within the eclectic tradition of those who have the courage to be innovative. For children he has illustrated “Pinocchio” by Collodi, “The Pavilion on the Links” by Stevenson and has published “Eugenio” that had the Grand Prix of Bratislava in 93. Mattotti has also worked in the fashion world, reinterpreting the models of the most famous fashion designers for “Vanity” magazine. He has carried out advertising campaigns and has illustrated the cover of such magazines as The New Yorker, Le Monde and Suddeutsche Zeitung. In 1995, the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome and The Frans Hals Museum in Harlem dedicated an anthology to him. He realized many important posters: Cannes 2000 – “Lire en Fête” “La Marie de Paris”. Recently he worked in the Film “Eros” of Wong Kar Way – Soderbergh et Antonioni, he creates the segments within the three episodes. In May 2011, Fantagraphics will publish Mattotti’s newest work The Raven, a collaborative effort with musician Lou Reed adapting and transforming the works of Edgar Alan Poe.

As a reminder, Lorenzo Mattotti is a featured guest of TCAF, May 7-8, 2011. For more info, check out www.torontocomics.com.

ANNOUNCE: “ZOO” J-Film Screening & Discussion with Usamaru Furuya


ZOO Film Screening & Discussion
With Usamaru Furuya
Monday, May 9th, 2011 @ 7:00pm
Toronto Underground Cinema, 186 Spadina
$10.
www.torontocomics.com

Internationally acclaimed manga creator Usamaru Furuya will be in Toronto as a Guest of Honour of the 2011 Toronto Comic Arts Festival, May 7th and 8th. But in addition to his comics work, Furuya is also a fine artist, writer, and designer, and has contributed to several popular Japanese films. One of these is ZOO, an unique collection of 5 thematically linked short films, all based upon the writing of popular Japanese horror writer “Otsuichi.” Furuya was tapped to write the screenplay adaptation, provide character designs, and storyboard one of the short films, an anime based on the poem “Sunny.”

To celebrate this facet of Furuya’s work, TCAF and the Shinsedai Film Festival will be co-presenting a screening of ZOO on Monday, May 9th at 7PM at The Toronto Underground Cinema. Usamaru Furuya will be on hand to introduce the film and, following the screening, will engage in a moderated Q&A with J-Film Pow-Wow Blog Editor and Shinsedai Film Festival coordinator Chris MaGee. A short book sale and signing will follow. RSVP on Facebook.

TCAF 2011 Presents: The Second Annual Official TCAFête!

TCAFête!
Saturday May 7th, 2011
@ Pauper’s Pup, 539 Bloor St West
$5 Cover/Free for TCAF Exhibitors & Volunteers
19+
www.torontocomics.com

Checkit! The Toronto Comic Arts Festival is proud to present the 2nd Annual Official TCAFête!

Do you need somewhere to celebrate after the first day of TCAF? Do you like meeting babes — and I don’t just mean lady babes, but babes of all genders? Comics babes of all genders?

Who doesn’t?! That’s why you’re going to attend the 2nd Annual Official TCAFête! Kick it with us on the 2nd floor of Paupers Pub at 539 Bloor Street West (South side of Bloor just East of Bathurst) to celebrate the first successful day of TCAF 2011! Everyone is welcome because this year’s party is going to be even more off the hook than the last. “How is that even possible?” you ask. That’s because we’ve got DJ NV on the 1s and 2s and there’ll be in-your-face Live Drawing Demos by Michael Deforge, Ray Fawkes, James Stokoe and Kagan McLeod.


DJ NV is known for Soul Sonic Events and his weekly residences at various Queen West venues.
You may have seen Kagan McLeod’s work…everywhere, like the cover of Kill Shakespeare, in the National Post, and in your DREAMS because you’ve been reeling since last year’s demo!
Michael Deforge is The Doug Wright award winning creator of Lose. Lose # 3 will be debuting at TCAF 2011!
Ray Fawkes‘s new book Possessions is currently available with One Soul to be released by ONI Press this summer!
James Stokoe, a Vancouver native, is the creator of the wildly psychedelic Orc Stain!

If you are a Guest, Vendor, Volunteer or Staff at TCAF, there’s no cover. The email address to get your name on guest list is TBA so keep checking back to make sure you get on it. 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 TCAF’s, new friends, and maybe even some Toronto b-list celebrities! Sorry young’uns it’s 19+


Invite illustration by Kagan McLeod.

ANNOUCE: TCAFabulous: Queer Comix Mixer!

TCAFabulous! Party and Mixer
Saturday, May 7
6:30pm 9:00pm
Crews & Tangos,
508 Church Street
Admission is FREE
www.torontocomics.com

Queer comic book fans unite! Let’s celebrate spandex, gravity defying breasts, inappropriate relationships between men and boys, fishnets, token femme lesbians, ‘it’s not really bondage’ bondage and the muthafuckin’ Dark Phoenix in this evening of queering up some of your favourite comic book pages and images.

Panelists Jose Villarubia (Colorist extraordinaire, The Book of Copulations, Mirror of Love), Maurice Vellekoop (Pin-Ups & A Nut at the Opera), Zan Christensen (Publisher, Northwest Press) and Erika Moen (DAR! & Bucko) will target mainstream comics with their pink optic blasts and expose the hidden (really?) queer in all your favourite comic book characters.

After the show, stay for the mixer! Grab a cocktail, get a book signed and meet other queer comics fans and creators.

Also, TCAF is happy to welcome Northwest Press in their first Canadian comic book festival appearance. Northwest Press is dedicated to publishing the best lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender comics and graphic novels including titles like Rainy Day Recess, Glamazonia, Teleny and Camille and more.

ANNOUNCE: “The Next Day” Book Launch & Exhibition

THE NEXT DAY
Book Launch & Exhibition
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The National Film Board of Canada Mediatheque
150 John St. (at Richmond St. W), Toronto
Doors open at 7:00; Event starts at 7:30
Admission is FREE

This Is Not A Reading Series hosts a free intimate discussion with the entire creative team behind The Next Day, including indie-comics star John Porcellino (“Porcellino creates some of the most thoughtful, intelligent and beautiful comix in America” – TIME). The hour long discussion will be followed by a reception, and will also mark the opening of an ongoing immersive exhibition of original artwork from the graphic novella as well as animations, soundscapes, projections and more from the upcoming interactive experience at the NFB Mediatheque in Toronto through late May.

The Next Day is a groundbreaking graphic novella constructed from intimate interviews with survivors of near-fatal suicide attempts. In this poetic and profound philosophical exploration, four seemingly ordinary people each offer haunting personal insight into life, the decision to end it, and what comes after… It is produced and published by Pop Sandbox, the award-winning company behind KENK: A Graphic Portrait.

The Next Day was developed simultaneously as a separate interactive animated documentary online, in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada and in association with TVO as part of the NFB-TVO Calling Card Program.

The Next Day graphic novella will be available in Canadian bookstores and comic shops across North America in early May. It is distributed by Raincoast Books. The interactive experience will launch in late May at nfb.ca/thenextday and tvo.org/thenextday.

The entire creative team will also be guests of the Toronto Comics Art Festival May 7th and 8th, and appearing at the Drawn & Quarterly store in Montreal May 10th. Further details will be announced shortly and more information is available at thenextday.ca.

Co-Presented by: The National Film Board, TVO, This Is Not A Reading Series, Hot Docs Documentary Festival, The Toronto Comic Arts Festival, The Canadian Mental Health Association, Raincoast Books and The Toronto Animated Image Society