tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-291776592024-03-07T14:38:16.804-05:00Diana Tamblyn's Comics and Illustration BlogNews and Updates on Diana's comics and artDianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-87922996811768832842022-07-17T13:07:00.014-04:002022-09-29T11:25:19.868-04:00A Girl Walks Into the Woods - Now for Sale!<p>After a successful launch at TCAF (Toronto Comic Arts Festival) last month, and a London debut at Forest City Comicon, it's time to get my new comic "A Girl Walks Into the Woods" fully out there into the world! You can now order it online below.</p><p>The comic has also gotten its first review in the London Free Press and it's a really positive one! Read the article by Dan Brown here: <a href="https://lfpress.com/entertainment/books/brown-latest-from-tamblyn-is-powerful-re-telling-of-fairy-tale" target="_blank">Latest from Tamblyn is powerful re-telling of fairy tale</a></p><p></p><blockquote>"Visually, it’s stunning. Never has Tamblyn’s art been this rich. The splash page on which Red enters the woods is breathtaking. Tamblyn’s biggest influence as an artist is the legendary Jack Kirby and you can see the same attention to detail in her work."</blockquote><p>High-praise indeed, although I wouldn't say Kirby is my biggest influence - that would be Jaime Hernandez, then probably Alex Toth. However the older I get, the bigger Kirby's influence is becoming over me and the more I love and cherish his work. Also, if my comics have 1/10th of the power that Kirby's does, then I'm a very happy person and it's a huge compliment!</p><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">A Girl Walks Into the Woods</h2><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDeG1bmS7_PttRJOzyM84P2jEGsoJ3Ca5O4KFMPQujhHebOF5gzQdnuVDAPFwhLh-46ARxyYoN_cXUME9rh890tNVNrTbW4ARl7XvB_cGdBDPW2vFnorWbPZC_y5R3eVDcDN3rZEtM7RJUtNnaqMbAEicNRtUM1BvKkvDEEWvI3NPVJ1GTIw/s809/Screenshot%202022-06-11%20170742.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Girl Walks Into the Woods comic - by Diana Tamblyn and Cornelia Hoogland" border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="526" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDeG1bmS7_PttRJOzyM84P2jEGsoJ3Ca5O4KFMPQujhHebOF5gzQdnuVDAPFwhLh-46ARxyYoN_cXUME9rh890tNVNrTbW4ARl7XvB_cGdBDPW2vFnorWbPZC_y5R3eVDcDN3rZEtM7RJUtNnaqMbAEicNRtUM1BvKkvDEEWvI3NPVJ1GTIw/w416-h640/Screenshot%202022-06-11%20170742.png" title="A Girl Walks Into the Woods" width="416" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;">A comic adaptation of poet <a href="https://www.corneliahoogland.com/woods-wolf-girl.html" target="_blank">Cornelia Hoogland's book "Woods Wolf Girl"</a>. Little Red Riding Hood like you've never encountered her before. A contemporary re-telling of the age old fairy tale.</p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;">26 pages (digest-size - 8.5 x 5.5). Black and white with two tone colours - grey and red. Saddle stitched, cardstock cover. Self-published. $10 USD + $5 USD Shipping.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" /></form><h3 style="text-align: left;"> Stores That Carry the Book<br /></h3><div style="text-align: left;"> The comic can be found in these fine comic and book stores:<ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://dragonguelph.com/" target="_blank">The Dragon</a>, Guelph, Ontario <br /></li><li><a href="https://brownanddickson.com/" target="_blank">Brown and Dickson</a>, London, Ontario</li><li><a href="https://heroescomics.ca/" target="_blank">Heroes Comics</a>, London, Ontario</li><li><a href="https://lamoodcomics.ca/" target="_blank">LA Mood</a>, London Ontario</li><li><a href="http://www.newmarket-online.com/show.asp?int_id=1510" target="_blank">Fourth Dimension Comics</a>, Newmarket, Ontario</li><li><a href="http://www.beguilingbooksandart.com/" target="_blank">The Beguiling</a>, Toronto, Ontario <br /></li></ul></div></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Select Interior pages</h3><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hmw2sFf2YaiFCtYbFLyyTN76-UwMfhe1JHjcpQXPasBJJOZqGOqriVjN2Ss62jPtN37GSWG-73vLww2Cp226hirZVV9PU6d5ihkkCLhtUV6UiXgFiFQLMNoAZbG_uhUUNpr9H6uJqOuUgGA464lc9BRmnxX_cps4FhJPDcGnlEc6_T7hag/s700/AGirlWalksIntotheWoods-pg8-Tamblyn-Hoogland-2022-06-12-JPG.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Girl Walks Into the Woods - Interior page - Diana Tamblyn, Cornelia Hoogland" border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="453" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hmw2sFf2YaiFCtYbFLyyTN76-UwMfhe1JHjcpQXPasBJJOZqGOqriVjN2Ss62jPtN37GSWG-73vLww2Cp226hirZVV9PU6d5ihkkCLhtUV6UiXgFiFQLMNoAZbG_uhUUNpr9H6uJqOuUgGA464lc9BRmnxX_cps4FhJPDcGnlEc6_T7hag/w192-h297/AGirlWalksIntotheWoods-pg8-Tamblyn-Hoogland-2022-06-12-JPG.jpg" width="192" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYOWVtoaOBQlcPBLqAphzZHaVvZpdnMfKZIlH3X_LP1MrrGLN71aP1r-MeYVOzrQ6Xu5fXixU3T8yyQkCcLOy1jiBIT9w3NCo89N7YUc-lA4_EP3NcAPqQSAFXtH7Qz0wA0kgpkdffE4k3lzl858IlkmQigJJ12ujH0A7tP78m65dma3i7A/s696/AGirlWalksIntotheWoods-pg18-Tamblyn-Hoogland-2022-06-12-JPG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Girl Walks Into the Woods - Interior page - Diana Tamblyn, Cornelia Hoogland" border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="448" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYOWVtoaOBQlcPBLqAphzZHaVvZpdnMfKZIlH3X_LP1MrrGLN71aP1r-MeYVOzrQ6Xu5fXixU3T8yyQkCcLOy1jiBIT9w3NCo89N7YUc-lA4_EP3NcAPqQSAFXtH7Qz0wA0kgpkdffE4k3lzl858IlkmQigJJ12ujH0A7tP78m65dma3i7A/w190-h295/AGirlWalksIntotheWoods-pg18-Tamblyn-Hoogland-2022-06-12-JPG.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-39885869689423191432022-06-11T17:23:00.008-04:002022-06-12T15:58:21.294-04:00Comic Debuting at TCAF 2022 - A Girl Walks Into the Woods!<p> As mentioned on my <a href="https://www.dianatamblyn.com/2022/06/creating-artwork-during-pandemic-and.html">previous post</a>, I have been in a marathon race to finish off my new comic in time for TCAF (Toronto Comic Arts Festival) 2022.<br /><br />I'm happy to say I got everything in<i> just</i> under the wire. All final files are at the printer (big props to fellow cartoonist <a href="https://www.badjacqueline.com/" target="_blank">Jacqueline Demendeev</a> who did all the production for me and has been an my absolute hero)! I'm very happy with the outcome. Here's all of the info!</p><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">A Girl Walks Into the Woods</h2><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsuqGNawrrNODSMyBMYYM-_4XB3D_2gYqVsbjjgAl9H6CPINZrngXq04vqiBstCMGLYyy9eURA_eLQgZpj8W17mTufA-OyjXZRg6-czMe9-m0iskKzdmrM29XwZ4NiIStWdf3H1EZ3nMUku9NuK7CcWPYw-0gFUQFZfhkUapeWoVbdb_3cg/s809/AGirlWalksIntotheWoods-Tamblyn-Hoogland-2022-06-11.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="A Girl Walks Into the Woods Cover - Diana Tamblyn and Cornelia Hoogland" border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="526" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsuqGNawrrNODSMyBMYYM-_4XB3D_2gYqVsbjjgAl9H6CPINZrngXq04vqiBstCMGLYyy9eURA_eLQgZpj8W17mTufA-OyjXZRg6-czMe9-m0iskKzdmrM29XwZ4NiIStWdf3H1EZ3nMUku9NuK7CcWPYw-0gFUQFZfhkUapeWoVbdb_3cg/w416-h640/AGirlWalksIntotheWoods-Tamblyn-Hoogland-2022-06-11.png" width="416" /></a><br />A comic adaptation of poet Cornelia Hoogland's book "Woods Wolf Girl". Little Red Riding Hood like you've never encountered her before. A contemporary re-telling of the age old fairy tale.<p></p><p>26 pages (digest-size - 8.5 x 5.5). Black and white with two tone colours - grey and red. Saddle stitched, cardstock cover. Self-published. <br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Limited Prints Available</h3><p></p><p>I'll also have a couple of limited edition prints from pages of the book available.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCBqtYeSjqOCDUfZWmL8XgD9eWQWDdow9lO8GhXMxw9LOptDM88ER-SMlStsxOca2jSNvRoaRoACi9qnVa8PskHjbSJDA-p1lSQEGjeQBgc7vtLbGSLImXExJP2Q4Jizuq8lww7LPgoxup5g-LkRFLU3zsTnRS_n8P8dHpkyzKyAEmP84Ow/s701/AGirlWalksIntotheWoods-Frontispiece-Tamblyn-2022-06-11%20171434.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Girl Walks Into the Woods - Frontispiece - Diana Tamblyn" border="0" data-original-height="701" data-original-width="448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCBqtYeSjqOCDUfZWmL8XgD9eWQWDdow9lO8GhXMxw9LOptDM88ER-SMlStsxOca2jSNvRoaRoACi9qnVa8PskHjbSJDA-p1lSQEGjeQBgc7vtLbGSLImXExJP2Q4Jizuq8lww7LPgoxup5g-LkRFLU3zsTnRS_n8P8dHpkyzKyAEmP84Ow/w205-h320/AGirlWalksIntotheWoods-Frontispiece-Tamblyn-2022-06-11%20171434.png" width="205" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvsMIthfoerHxF0N2o-a90TDE_c6faNCV3M0LTFMb4Hz8dXWa5_FM48ElxP7dIncSDrQCv8U0042nVdD4U9bM0xQaonCI1LzmfjRKbZvee_k8FlQ72t3PSJyBzlsmW5qhNbo17b3WxdpbGm1J9_xxpCEqPQj1toWVfIkdIal62aH7GmZJ0w/s598/AGirldWalksIntotheWoods-Tamblyn-2022-06-11.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Girl Walks Into the Woods - Diana Tamblyn" border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="403" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvsMIthfoerHxF0N2o-a90TDE_c6faNCV3M0LTFMb4Hz8dXWa5_FM48ElxP7dIncSDrQCv8U0042nVdD4U9bM0xQaonCI1LzmfjRKbZvee_k8FlQ72t3PSJyBzlsmW5qhNbo17b3WxdpbGm1J9_xxpCEqPQj1toWVfIkdIal62aH7GmZJ0w/w216-h320/AGirldWalksIntotheWoods-Tamblyn-2022-06-11.png" width="216" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>Apart from that I'll have a few other odds and ends at my table. Be sure to say hi!</div><br /><b>Diana Tamblyn</b><br />Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2022 (TCAF)<br />June 18 & 19, 2022<br />Toronto Reference Library<br />I'm on the 2nd floor, table #236!<br /><br />If you won't be able to attend the show, the book will also be available for purchase through the TCAF Digital Marketplace (I'll post the link once it's available).<br /><div><div><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Moderating a Panel with Seth</h4>On top of this, I'll be moderating a panel on Seth, one of Canada's best cartoonists on Saturday!<br /><br /><b>Seth Spotlight: The Art of Multimedia</b><br />Saturday, July 18, 2022, 10:00 AM<br />Toronto Reference Library, Learning Center 1 <p></p><p>One of Canada’s preeminent cartoonists, Seth discusses his career trajectory and latest work with fellow cartoonist and curator Diana Tamblyn. </p><p>This panel takes a deep dive into Seth’s work and contributions to the comics medium from his early autobiographical confessional comics, the launch of Palookaville, original graphic novel work (Wimbledon Green, It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken), to his diverse array of design work including model building, anthology and collection designs (Peanuts, Elephant and the Projector), and multiform works (Omnis Temporalis).</p></div></div>Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-82411053036882443732022-06-10T15:50:00.000-04:002022-06-10T15:50:19.467-04:00Creating Artwork During the Pandemic and the Race to TCAF 2022<p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><h3 style="text-align: left;">Men in Suits</h3>It's been awhile since my last post! I have been working for years on a very large project about Canadian scientist Gerald Bull. I had been on a section of the story that is all men in suits in the 1950s and 1960s in offices. This is a big challenge to present in a visually interesting way, and I found myself hitting big stumbling blocks here.</div><p></p><p>To help get me through it and to provide me with some variety, I started another project - a comic adaptation of poet <a href="https://bookstore.wolsakandwynn.ca/products/woods-wolf-girl" target="_blank">Cornelia Hoogland's stunning book - <i>Woods Wolf Girl</i></a>. These visuals were organic forest scenes featuring a female protagonist - Little Red Riding Hood. It was a huge artistic release for me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSFyvozt5MhSpRX7LDfzO8NgkVWZCt4EWJLNWHrMGdWkZym4z5mHXvVWMGCG1gGEwFiV22NrcvyKbn_QAqWwSgq0I5N0HU9yPWFF1cknQKL-55ZeaIiPcZv4LUCsqEQmM6oH2nGS6OSc7e9IlqmDfYY1jiB2kQwjuGxMs8dqzneT0oFirCA/s533/woods_wolf_girl_360x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSFyvozt5MhSpRX7LDfzO8NgkVWZCt4EWJLNWHrMGdWkZym4z5mHXvVWMGCG1gGEwFiV22NrcvyKbn_QAqWwSgq0I5N0HU9yPWFF1cknQKL-55ZeaIiPcZv4LUCsqEQmM6oH2nGS6OSc7e9IlqmDfYY1jiB2kQwjuGxMs8dqzneT0oFirCA/s320/woods_wolf_girl_360x.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Pandemic</h3><p>Then during the pandemic, I hit a wall. I was unable to do anything creative for <i>at least a year</i>. I know some people were more productive during this time period, but not me. It was just too stressful a time, and I could only put one foot in front of the other.</p><p>What ended up to help pull me out of the mire, was a local comics group I'm a part of called <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/london-s-female-comic-book-collective-1.5691874" target="_blank">"Comic Time</a>". It's a group cartoonists who get together sometimes to talk comics. Over the pandemic we zoomed and drew and it was really great to have this small community. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">TCAF Application</h3><p>Still work was coming slowly. I find I tend to need a hard deadline to drive myself to complete a project. So when TCAF (the Toronto Comic Arts Festival), announced they would be having an in-person festival in the Summer of 2022, I decided to apply. I've been at the show a number of times, and it's one of my favourite comic shows. If I got in, it would be the kick in the pants I would need to finish "A Girl Walks Into the Woods", my Little Red Riding Hood Adaptation.</p><p>Then - in March, 2022 I got the email that I was in for TCAF! That meant I had to have something new on my table for June 18! I had about 3 months to complete my comic, so I ramped up like I haven't in YEARS. It was a TON of work - I'm very slow and comics are SO laborious! But honestly, it's been refreshing and somewhat thrilling to be fully creating again. PLUS I really like the outcome - rare for me. Files are in to the printer, nothing like making it JUST under the wire.</p><p>More to come with full info and images on the comic! </p><p><br /></p>Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-32613798441882665152019-02-16T11:44:00.002-05:002019-02-16T12:36:01.590-05:00Words and Pictures: Cartoonists of Southwestern Ontario Media Coverage<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0a0a0a; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Guest curator and veteran graphic novelist Diana Tamblyn talks about this upcoming exhibition at Museum London, featuring 12 artists from the region. The exhibit runs from Sept. 15 to Jan. 13.</span><br />
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<a href="https://lfpress.com/entertainment/local-arts/southwestern-ontario-comic-creators-featured-in-diana-tamblyn-curated-show-at-museum-london" target="_blank"><b>Southwestern Ontario comic creators featured in Diana Tamblyn-curated show at Museum London</b></a>, Dan Brown, London Free Press, September 4, 2018<br />
"There is no greater supporter of comic creators in Southwestern Ontario than Diana Tamblyn."<br />
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<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1335158851616" target="_blank"><b>Museum London shines spotlight on SW Ontario cartoonists in new exhibit</b></a>, CBC London radio interview, Afternoon Drive with Chris della Torre, October 2, 2018<br />
SW Ontario is a hotbed for cartoonists. So says Diana Tambyn, guest curator of "Words and Pictures: Cartoonists of SW Ontario" at Museum London.<br />
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<a href="http://www.hermangoodden.ca/blog/a-celebration-of-draughtsmanship" target="_blank"><b>A Celebration of Draughtsmanship</b></a>, Herman Gooden, October 7, 2018<br />
"...a dazzling celebration of the comic book in all its convention-busting styles and forms. "<br />
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(Left to right): Diana Tamblyn, Joe Ollmann, Jesse Jacobs, Willow Dawson, Nov. 3, 2018,<br />Kristin Lee, Gazette</div>
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<a href="https://westerngazette.ca/culture/wordsfest-london-s-growing-comic-culture/article_15fe67ee-e075-11e8-aa2e-bb50e5502a1c.html" target="_blank"><b>Wordsfest: London's growing comic culture</b></a>, Kristin Lee, The Gazette, Nov 6, 2018<br />
"Everything from mainstream DC and Marvel superhero comics to indie comics like Scott Pilgrim to small newspaper comic strips comes from the same place: the imagination. No matter how fantastical or meaningful, comics create an escape into an extraordinary realm."<br />
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<a href="https://www.countyweeklynews.ca/entertainment/local-arts/museum-london-marks-remembrance-day-with-artists-talk/wcm/e85db006-1321-4227-bff3-dfa4e069850f" target="_blank"><b>Museum London marks Remembrance Day with artist's talk</b></a>, Joe Belanger, London Free Press, Nov 8, 2018<br />
"Museum London will mark Remembrance Day with an artist’s talk (Scott Chantler) about capturing his father’s war experiences in a graphic memoir."</div>
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<a href="https://www.londontourism.ca/Celebrating-the-craft-of-cartoons-at-Museum-London" target="_blank"><b>Celebrating the craft of cartoons at Museum London</b></a>, Whitney South, Tourism London, Dec 19, 2018<br />
"Often overlooked as a dismissible or disposable aspect of pop culture, comic books have fought hard to find their place in the world of fine art"<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"> (Jennifer Bieman/The London Free Press)<br />
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Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-37839779108682258802019-02-03T14:29:00.000-05:002019-02-16T11:35:53.214-05:00Words and Pictures: Cartoonists of Southwestern OntarioLast year I was approached by Museum London (the local art and history museum in my hometown of London, Ontario), to see if I was interested in guest-curating an exhibit on comic artists. The Museum wanted to highlight some of amazing comic artists we have, but recognized they needed some expertise in putting together the show.<br />
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Of course I said yes! I was honoured to be asked and thrilled that the Museum wanted to dedicate a huge area of the Museum to the show which would run for over 4 months. Together, we decided to focus the show on cartoonists from the immediate area - Southwestern Ontario, and cartoonists in particular, as we are fortunate to have such an abundance of talent from the area </div>
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Here's the description of the show that I wrote and was featured in the <a href="http://museumlondon.ca/exhibitions/words-and-pictures-cartoonists-of-southwestern-ontario" target="_blank">Museum London program and their website</a>:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1uHWlcwdb_aj6tbrM1c3j5ppOPXoUeLueQZZ-09oeH2NqaDR-dKDaJmIRwR1ejw63a2zgLnA4ogH1yECnPRz7i_HZvY_PvJ5MDWwm1aAkHVIYoaI2Cks9ooKKkf09u2KWgrE/s1600/JesseJacobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Jesse Jacobs, By This Shall You Know Him II, 2017, five-colour silkscreen print on paper by Strane Dizioni, Italy, Collection of the artist" border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1uHWlcwdb_aj6tbrM1c3j5ppOPXoUeLueQZZ-09oeH2NqaDR-dKDaJmIRwR1ejw63a2zgLnA4ogH1yECnPRz7i_HZvY_PvJ5MDWwm1aAkHVIYoaI2Cks9ooKKkf09u2KWgrE/s640/JesseJacobs.jpg" title="" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jesse Jacobs, By This Shall You Know Him II, 2017, five-colour silkscreen print on paper by Strane Dizioni, Italy, Collection of the artist</td></tr>
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September 15 to January 13, 2019<br />
North and Centre Ivey Galleries<br />
Guest Curator: Diana Tamblyn<br />
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Until recently, comic books have regularly been dismissed as disposable, “low brow” items of popular culture, often overlooked in larger discussions of the visual arts. Within the past 20 years, however, comics and graphic novels (sometimes referred to as “sequential art”) have been recognized as a sophisticated art form, and cartoonists as artists.<br />
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Masters of the form, such as Jack Kirby, Robert Crumb, Herge, and Osamu Tezuka, are now acknowledged to be among the most recognized and influential artists of the twentieth century. Southwestern Ontario has produced some of the world’s most celebrated and innovative of these artists, of which twelve are featured in this exhibition: Marc Bell, Scott Chantler, David Collier, Michael Cho, Willow Dawson, Jesse Jacobs, Mark Laliberte, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Jeff Lemire, Joe Ollmann, Seth, and Jay Stephens.<br />
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These individuals work in diverse styles, some using the more traditional grid format, and others playing with and challenging the conventions of the comics form. Words and Pictures also examines how the region of Southwestern Ontario has informed and shaped their work, as it has for other creators like authors Alice Munro, Robertson Davies, and James Reaney, or visual artists such as Jack Chambers and Greg Curnoe. Although comics are popular, the process of creating and producing them is mysterious to many. Traditionally, comic books have been created by teams of people, such as a writer, a penciller, an inker, a colourist, a letterer, and an editor.<br />
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A cartoonist, however, is someone who for the most part takes on all of these roles. Words and Pictures reveals the steps involved in producing sequential art. Selected works—Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim, Jeff Lemire’s Essex County, Seth’s Palookaville, and many more—showcase original, finished comic book pages, thumbnails, preparatory drawings, printer’s proofs, and three-dimensional objects. Together, they offer insights into each cartoonist’s methods and approach, and show the care, detail, and artistry in each project.<br />
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Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-77322943848681292852018-04-01T15:50:00.000-04:002019-01-06T11:23:49.490-05:00Tingfest 2018I was proud to help host and organize the <b>5th annual </b>Ting Comic and Graphic Arts Festival at the ARTS Project in London, Ontario, from April 17 - May 5, 2018.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-AyVYR7c2LGZZGhoE1Y1wdk4kHmF1gNgguW0ERgkgjxZGZJfyYPKjZX5eIFKwR_IGEwnGpb2a0LI8_SotrNmsY8vW-NZnlJfGEm4zbcTCPUImK3L1fTWcQcwsh07wRfPftqou/s1600/2018-ting-poster-450x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-AyVYR7c2LGZZGhoE1Y1wdk4kHmF1gNgguW0ERgkgjxZGZJfyYPKjZX5eIFKwR_IGEwnGpb2a0LI8_SotrNmsY8vW-NZnlJfGEm4zbcTCPUImK3L1fTWcQcwsh07wRfPftqou/s1600/2018-ting-poster-450x600.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tingfest 2018 poster by Billy Bert Young</td></tr>
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An homage to Merle Tingley's (Ting) work and influence on generations of artists, T<a href="https://tingfest.artsproject.ca/" target="_blank">ingfest</a> is a rare forum for emerging and established artists to present their work to the public, which is not normally accessible through usual commercial channels.<br />
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Centering around a gallery show, the festival features a pop-up shop, workshops, artist talks, and more. All programming is free, open to all ages, and held on-site at The ARTS Project.<br />
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2018 Featured Artists</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://gibsongallery.com/artists/billy-bert-young/" target="_blank">Billy Bert Young</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/anithirtythree/" target="_blank">Brad Biederman</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jeremybruneel.wixsite.com/illustration" target="_blank">Jeremy Bruneel</a></li>
<li><a href="https://eric8707.wixsite.com/ericcator/drawings" target="_blank">Eric Cator</a></li>
<li><a href="http://chodrawings.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Michael Cho</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.willowdawson.com/" target="_blank">Willow Dawson</a></li>
<li><a href="http://degraala.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Lauren Degraaf</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.christopherduponmartinez.com/" target="_blank">Christopher Dupon-Martinez</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.allsortspress.com/" target="_blank">Sara Froese</a></li>
<li><a href="https://punchandjudy.ca/" target="_blank">Scott McKowen</a></li>
<li>J<a href="http://jacquioakley.com/" target="_blank">acqui Oakley</a></li>
<li>and Merle Tingley -of course!</li>
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Plus, as a special 5th anniversary feature, we bring SHUFFLE -a 4PANEL Project curated by Ting alumnus Mark Laliberte- to our gallery. SHUFFLE is a collaborative animation that features the work of London-connected artists Heidi Berton, Meg Dearlove, Ben O’Neil, and another Ting alumnus Owen Marshall.<br />
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Media Coverage</h3>
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<li>T<a href="https://lfpress.com/entertainment/local-arts/tingfest-carries-on-cartoonists-legacy" target="_blank">ingfest carries on LFP cartoonist's legacy</a>, London Free Press, Dan Brown, April 16, 2018</li>
<li><a href="https://stratfordfestivalreviews.com/blog/2018/04/18/5-questions-art-director-scott-mckowen/" target="_blank">5 Questions with Art Director Scott McKowen</a>, Stratford Festival Reviews, Keith Tomasek, April 18, 2018</li>
<li><a href="https://londonfuse.ca/light-fun-charming-and-gregarious-five-years-of-tingfest/" target="_blank">Light, Fun, Charming, And Gregarious: Five Years Of Tingfest</a>, LondonFuse, Sammy Roach, April 19, 2018</li>
<li>W<a href="http://londonbeat.ca/willow-dawson-at-tingfest-promotes-bewitching-new-book/" target="_blank">illow Dawson at Tingfest, Promotes Bewitching New Book</a>, The London Beat, Jennifer Wilbur, April 29, 2018</li>
<li><a href="https://www.londontourism.ca/Inside-London/Arts-and-Culture/Tingfest-continues-legacy-fosters-growth" target="_blank">Tingfest continues legacy, fosters growth</a>, Tourism London, Whitney South, May 3, 2018</li>
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<b>Festival Funders</b><br />
Ontario Arts Council - Conseil des arts de l'Ontario<br />
London Community Foundation<br />
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<b>Exhibition Sponsor</b><br />
Heroes Comics<br />
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<b>Website Sponsor</b><br />
NorthIQ<br />
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<b>Program Sponsors </b><br />
Downtown London<br />
L.A. Mood Comics & Games<br />
London Comic Con<br />
Forest City Comicon<br />
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<b>Community Partners</b><br />
London Free Press<br />
Runciman Press<br />
Chops Picture Framing Supplies<br />
London Public Library<br />
Western Libraries - Western University<br />
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Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-70881544436423475382017-08-06T11:43:00.001-04:002017-08-06T15:39:57.141-04:00San Diego Comicon 2017<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMGRP6aKjJV72qzvgzg19RLlvzvevT_E0EfcWW6Y4VzK5bFDjykMr4hb6o1PFlu4ss9I7tdgN328MdCU1jL_8MnSu8yFoFQlzj1bAu0mRMvjEKjvfxQOlyKXM136j-Vs2ZMXC/s1600/SanDiego-DaveDiana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMGRP6aKjJV72qzvgzg19RLlvzvevT_E0EfcWW6Y4VzK5bFDjykMr4hb6o1PFlu4ss9I7tdgN328MdCU1jL_8MnSu8yFoFQlzj1bAu0mRMvjEKjvfxQOlyKXM136j-Vs2ZMXC/s400/SanDiego-DaveDiana.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave and I in front of the Cartoon Network balloon display. It was so fun!</td></tr>
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My husband Dave won 2 free passes, airfare and accommodation to San Diego Comicon recently ago in an online contest.
After stressing for over a week about whether this was legit or now because the prize was too good to be true, we found that indeed the prize was real and was offered through what seems to be a fabulous non-profit organization - <a href="http://travelingstories.org/" target="_blank">Travelling Stories</a> (whose goal is to help kids fall in love with reading before Grade 4).<br />
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Needless to say - we had a great time! Dan Brown at the London Free Press even let us take over his blog for 4 posts to talk about our adventure. Thought you might enjoy perusing them.
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<strong>Here are the links - enjoy!</strong><br />
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<li><a href="http://blogs.canoe.com/coolblognametocome/news/guest-post-san-diego-comic-con/" target="_blank">San Diego Comicon - Day 1</a></li>
<li><a href="http://blogs.canoe.com/coolblognametocome/news/guest-post-san-diego-comic-con-day-two/" target="_blank">San Diego Comicon - Day 2</a>
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<li><a href="http://blogs.canoe.com/coolblognametocome/news/guest-post-san-diego-comic-con-day-two/" target="_blank">San Diego Comicon - Day 3</a><br /><b></b></li>
<li><a href="http://blogs.canoe.com/coolblognametocome/news/guest-post-wrapping-up-san-diego-comic-con/" target="_blank">San Diego Comicon- Wrap-Up</a>
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Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-60580409475287006062017-01-07T11:57:00.002-05:002017-01-07T12:03:24.369-05:002016 Wrap-Up Part 4: Carte Blanche & Rosie's StoriesMy favourite creative project of the year was my "Rosie's Stories" piece for <a href="http://carte-blanche.org/" target="_blank">Carte Blanche</a> magazine. I was asked by <a href="http://retrofit.storenvy.com/products/14473755-dumb-1-2-by-georgia-webber" target="_blank">Georgia Webber</a> (herself a talented cartoonist), to submit a comics piece. There were really no constraints other than the work should be new (not previously published).<br />
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The Inspiration</h3>
A source of constant job and inspiration in my life is my daughter. She is hilarious, witty, charming and full of fun. At the end of the year last year, she had brought home some diaries from school - each kid in the class had to write a daily entry in a workbook about anything they wanted. I read through the entries and found many of them to be thoughtful, deep and funny.<br />
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I asked her if it would be OK if I illustrated some of her entries. She was all for it so "Rosie's Stories" was born. There's 5 strips in all, here are just a few... Click on an image for a larger version.<br />
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<li>You can view the whole series at the <a href="http://carte-blanche.org/articles/rosies-stories/" target="_blank">Carte Blanche website here</a>.</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOOjYmruuzApMANy4heIurJeauylAE93WFjZMIQw7jTO4YquPfy9GOCiiE_37-g_A1GesnSvwmFa8rS_Ky95MSDkM5FjJpT1Qc7n6F9_1w3VQAUwCtK6cTOL2xWJ3OVPuccn-G/s1600/RosiesStories-p1-DianaTamblyn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOOjYmruuzApMANy4heIurJeauylAE93WFjZMIQw7jTO4YquPfy9GOCiiE_37-g_A1GesnSvwmFa8rS_Ky95MSDkM5FjJpT1Qc7n6F9_1w3VQAUwCtK6cTOL2xWJ3OVPuccn-G/s400/RosiesStories-p1-DianaTamblyn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtKhRe7ZZtsXUOOo0m6tZWz4zjegOcWn6OpyD3iL991f46zUFEkA0ykANcTiv44QBbsQCRhtAxKt9WxHN4jFxRNZBpok8-VJoAc8IqF9ZRmBwQiSZsz83uQA2lq5jyVSZSyeU/s1600/RosiesStories-p3-DianaTamblyn-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtKhRe7ZZtsXUOOo0m6tZWz4zjegOcWn6OpyD3iL991f46zUFEkA0ykANcTiv44QBbsQCRhtAxKt9WxHN4jFxRNZBpok8-VJoAc8IqF9ZRmBwQiSZsz83uQA2lq5jyVSZSyeU/s400/RosiesStories-p3-DianaTamblyn-web.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SH9XDwg-JH9856Dgayys7QOg_-079EHC6iSsDeLbH8cGkg_jIfS4vnVtI9HxeLp7VXMPQl9akcTKz8q3MDbt1GJJXe5674bjWVygDAG-GpAF_72q96KL9QJ0ce0pprFhWPnS/s1600/RosiesStories-p5-DianaTamblyn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SH9XDwg-JH9856Dgayys7QOg_-079EHC6iSsDeLbH8cGkg_jIfS4vnVtI9HxeLp7VXMPQl9akcTKz8q3MDbt1GJJXe5674bjWVygDAG-GpAF_72q96KL9QJ0ce0pprFhWPnS/s400/RosiesStories-p5-DianaTamblyn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<h3>
2017 and Beyond</h3>
I did a few more projects in 2016, but they haven't seen print yet, so I'm holding off writing about them for now. For 2017, I will continue to work away on my Gerald Bull graphic novel and am looking to firm up some exciting collaborations! Wish me luck!<br /><br />Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-72422353819639180982017-01-03T15:41:00.003-05:002017-01-03T15:41:55.006-05:002016 Wrap-Up Part 3: Sequential FictionThe same weekend that WordsFest took at Museum London, the <a href="http://www.forestcitycomicon.ca/" target="_blank">Forest City Comicon</a> was happening at the London Convention Centre. A busy event-filled weekend that November 5 & 6th was!<br />
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On Saturday, November the 5th, I went down to the Convention Centre to check out the show and to be a guest on a live edition of Sequential Fiction, a weekly podcast dedicated to comics and pop culture. It was a lot of fun.<br />
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<a href="http://sequentialfiction.com/podcast/episode-47-live-from-the-forest-city-comicon/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://sequentialfiction.com/podcast/episode-47-live-from-the-forest-city-comicon/" border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnSCpWSzTWSyMwNLTY48sXnoyJRF-qEO7Ob4-INO5YehQXGeIL5XZjAI5B65FsY1BD-BvzKadaorqMrNBIm4hzUu7hMefNucHvWZvyLTcVwK_7rJ5dNAWmQNxyNYM0NeOTy9ki/s400/episode47-FCCC-1140x760.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<li><a href="http://sequentialfiction.com/podcast/episode-47-live-from-the-forest-city-comicon/" target="_blank">You can check out the podcast and listen to it in full here</a></li>
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<br />Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-34966464657519958722017-01-02T19:49:00.003-05:002017-01-02T19:49:28.381-05:002016 Wrap-Up Part 2: WordsFestThis Fall, the 3rd annual <a href="http://wordsfest.ca/" target="_blank">WordsFest </a>took place in London, Ontario and I was happy to participate once again. I moderated the graphic novel talk with writer Mariko Tamaki and cartoonist Teva Harrison and illustrated the cover to the WordsFestZine.<br />
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In Conversation With Mariko Tamaki & Teva Harrison</h3>
WordsFest is local literary festival that celebrates creative ideas, artistic expression, and cultural diversity. Words features emerging and established writers from London, Canada, and beyond. The festival takes place over a weekend and is chock full of programming, special events and readings. <br />
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Traditionally the fest has at least one graphic novel related panel and they've had stellar guests - the first year the fest hosted Joe Sacco, last year was Phoebe Gloeckner (which I was also lucky to moderate the talk for), and this year was Mariko Tamaki and Teva Harrison.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpvgVhV_rr9dTs5NzCajYXz1wXmmwep7nEtionvGdASgJD9ECjdUE6xWhLpf6c845_NcG-GKgOFu0mmsrFbRRHXThyr7YwPJNE9u5N-UJACBNDTk9XqdVLhPxGHMc5qFz5bXc/s1600/Cwm4V3zWIAAGmWB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpvgVhV_rr9dTs5NzCajYXz1wXmmwep7nEtionvGdASgJD9ECjdUE6xWhLpf6c845_NcG-GKgOFu0mmsrFbRRHXThyr7YwPJNE9u5N-UJACBNDTk9XqdVLhPxGHMc5qFz5bXc/s400/Cwm4V3zWIAAGmWB.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Conversation with Mariko Tamaki and Teva Harrison</td></tr>
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<b>Mariko Tamaki </b>writes fiction, YA and comics. Her books include two of my all-time favourite graphic novels <i style="text-align: left;">Skim </i><span style="text-align: left;">and </span><i style="text-align: left;">This One Summer</i><span style="text-align: left;">. She has a brand new book out called </span><i style="text-align: left;">Saving Montgomery Sole</i><span style="text-align: left;"> and is currently writing </span><i style="text-align: left;">Supergirl</i><span style="text-align: left;"> for DC Comics and </span><i style="text-align: left;">Hulk</i><span style="text-align: left;"> for Marvel Comics.</span></div>
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<b>Teva Harrison</b> is an artist, writer and cartoonist. She's the author of the bestselling, critically-acclaimed hybrid graphic memoir, <i>In-Between Days</i>. The book was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction. </div>
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I've moderated just a few talks in my life, and it's something I take very seriously. I think to be respectful to the artist and to the audience that you should really prepare, do your research, know the work and ask thoughtful (and original) questions. When talking to cartoonists or artists, I also think it's vital to show examples of their work - how can you take about a visual medium without showing the visuals? So, I like to prepare a slide deck and time it as best as possible to my questions. It's actually a lot of work, kudos to excellent moderators out there!</div>
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Moderating a talk with 2 people has its own unique challenges. I wanted to make sure I gave equal time to Teva and Mariko & showcase them both properly. Luckily Teva and Mariko are not only supremely talented women, but are also extremely articulate, funny and charming! There was a good turn-out for the event, a big line-up at the autography table for Teva and Mariko afterwards, and all and all I think turned out very well!<br />
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An extra bonus was grabbing some frozen yogurt with Teva and Mariko. I know Mariko, but had never met Teva, and Teva and Mariko had never met before! Getting to hang out with them a bit over the weekend was the highlight of the festival and two lovelier people you could never meet! I highly recommend all of their work!</div>
<ul>
<li>Last year's talk with the great Phoebe Gloeckner can be <a href="https://youtu.be/DgvP8UsYtWA" target="_blank">found online here</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>
WordsFest Zine Cover</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOONENtuewkPLuUSDxH_8fAJAJz4qaTzH0Wo7BK5_qPGGgQP4TBQ-sY5vPsWSwcaYHpAraxk2WTp62QyyfavzSmyFYtqiTxohm1qs3JdMweXXakf96p02NS6RIAeIUdi88Iekm/s1600/WordsfestZine-Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOONENtuewkPLuUSDxH_8fAJAJz4qaTzH0Wo7BK5_qPGGgQP4TBQ-sY5vPsWSwcaYHpAraxk2WTp62QyyfavzSmyFYtqiTxohm1qs3JdMweXXakf96p02NS6RIAeIUdi88Iekm/s640/WordsfestZine-Web.jpg" width="484" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover to this year's WordsFestZine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I was commissioned to do the cover of WordsFest's Zine this year. I didn't know what the content would be beforehand, so I needed to come up with an image that could represent a number of different things. Because the festival takes place at Museum London, I thought about the location, (and of course the arts). I love, love, love Tom Benner's rhino statue that sits in front of the museum.<br /><br />It's become an iconic landmark of London, and I've always wanted to draw it. This was my chance! I'm happy with how it came out.<br />
<br />The final issue features poetry, fiction and non-fiction by writers like Penn Kemp, Tom Cull and even Canadian poet laureate George Elliott Clarke.<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://wordsfest.ca/assets/images/zines/2016wordfestzine.pdf" target="_blank">You can read the whole issue here</a>. </li>
</ul>
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Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-177230860976353902017-01-01T17:28:00.004-05:002017-01-02T11:35:34.714-05:002016 Wrap-Up Part 1: 4PanelThis year I didn't make as much progress on part II of my Gerald Bull book as I would have liked, but I did work on it and I did do some other art projects that I'm proud of.<br />
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I thought I'd share some of these projects in some 2016 wrap-up posts, starting with my piece for 4Panel.<br />
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<h3>
About 4Panel</h3>
4Panel is <a href="http://4panel.ca/" target="_blank">a website</a> project created by interdisciplinary artist Mark Laliberte. Participating artists have to deal with the constraints of 4 panels (of equal size). Other than this, there are no other "rules" to follow - comics can be colour, black and white, formal, abstract, literary or conceptual.<br />
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In conjunction with the 4th annual <a href="http://www.artsproject.ca/uncategorized/ting-comic-and-graphic-arts-festival-2016" target="_blank">Ting Comic and Graphic Arts Festival</a> in London, Ontario, 4Panel featured Ting participating artists <a href="http://4panel.ca/post/143362006224" target="_blank">Megan Arnold</a>, <a href="http://4panel.ca/post/142992110899" target="_blank">Sarah Scope</a> and myself.<br />
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Here's my piece, entitled <a href="http://4panel.ca/post/143202214375" target="_blank">The Heart of London</a>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBe44j5N0u0gFh1KfkrXyD5ihqwGA-rHHQnw8LyAKGzgVaxEWMGhcnX14_5qbP2DyRmCG0fyBVcsAdpJBo7uZ-70d2hBROnZxL2yg04XA9c-epVpph72bfRKrRjTMfbaaGhDr5/s1600/tumblr_o56kxbDCdO1rsb8x2o1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Diana Tamblyn - the Hart of London" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBe44j5N0u0gFh1KfkrXyD5ihqwGA-rHHQnw8LyAKGzgVaxEWMGhcnX14_5qbP2DyRmCG0fyBVcsAdpJBo7uZ-70d2hBROnZxL2yg04XA9c-epVpph72bfRKrRjTMfbaaGhDr5/s640/tumblr_o56kxbDCdO1rsb8x2o1_1280.jpg" title="" width="540" /></a></div>
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<h3>
About the Heart of London</h3>
I wanted to feature a London-related strip and thought of my early artistic influences - who are namely Jack Chambers, Greg Curnoe and my uncle - photographer John Tamblyn.<br />
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Jack Chambers is primarily known as a photo-realist painter, he also did surrealist work and did a number of experimental films - most notably the film "The Hart of London". Stan Brackage said that it was "one of the greatest films ever made".</div>
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The film is shown in black and white and colour, and includes found news footage, as well as film shot by Chambers in Spain and in London (Ontario). Chambers lived a few doors down from where I grew up in London. He was a charming, loving family man and was the first "real" artist I had ever met. He painted my hometown and made it look familiar, but also magical. He made being an artist a tangible, possible thing to me.<br />
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So - my strip is a tip of the hat to this film, and to Chambers who is an ongoing inspiration for me. </div>
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<ul>
<li>Check out this <a href="http://www.aci-iac.ca/content/art-books/14/Art-Canada-Institute_Jack-Chambers.pdf" target="_blank">free ebook on Chamber</a>s if you're interested in seeing some of his work.</li>
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<br />Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-80440776818453902852016-07-07T12:59:00.001-04:002016-08-05T16:19:36.306-04:00Ting - Artwork and Programming 2016The gallery show makes up the focus of the Ting Comic and Graphic Arts Festival. Most of it is for sale, and it's a great place to pick up original art, like this great piece I got below from local cartoonist <a href="http://meganmakesart.daportfolio.com/" target="_blank">Megan Arnold</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MR49G1fgfSyQPnyE3EYDlijbfKxXK0e3PF0B6FgiUeqKnOiKW8S6Ncj19SPrajt22JGsPYh0yVWnqQdNLgcT1wRMpdXTFTTsOW5M7MI01Ov1yYYfvULcf6RY75TApVJJaj3m/s1600/CelebrityCartoonist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8MR49G1fgfSyQPnyE3EYDlijbfKxXK0e3PF0B6FgiUeqKnOiKW8S6Ncj19SPrajt22JGsPYh0yVWnqQdNLgcT1wRMpdXTFTTsOW5M7MI01Ov1yYYfvULcf6RY75TApVJJaj3m/s400/CelebrityCartoonist.jpg" width="303" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'll Never be a Celebrity Cartoonist, Megan Arnold</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There is a pop-up shop that features work by the participating artists as well as from local small publishers and <a href="http://koyamapress.com/" target="_blank">Koyama Press</a> (because Koyama Press is Canadian, has supported the Fest from Year One - and is well, awesome).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrU8oLjtAWOq6i1XpPFvUF6WaxIRbDQjnTswhdg-LAXqIlE7wvM9Y3DK76kNhK3nw8xylaIv-ZsFFyVQ8t8PiXMm-KNxw_nqQDM0dZ_WqHuXXifhjQwTqaevNOfZYJZCD1O45/s1600/DSC07260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrU8oLjtAWOq6i1XpPFvUF6WaxIRbDQjnTswhdg-LAXqIlE7wvM9Y3DK76kNhK3nw8xylaIv-ZsFFyVQ8t8PiXMm-KNxw_nqQDM0dZ_WqHuXXifhjQwTqaevNOfZYJZCD1O45/s400/DSC07260.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Mr. Tristan Clark, from<a href="http://londonfuse.ca/images/13186" target="_blank"> LondonFuse</a></td></tr>
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The festival also has a rich stream of workshops and programs that are held on-site at The ARTS Project, and are FREE and open to all ages. Here's the programming that was presented this year. Planning is already underway for next year!<br />
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<h3>
2016 TingFest Programming</h3>
<div>
<b>Kids Reading & Creation Zone - Open to all during the Festival</b></div>
Drop in during our regular hours with the kids and visit our Reading & Creation space. The space featured a selection of graphic novels to read and enjoy provided by the London Public Library. A colouring station kept the little ones busy with fun, comics-related activities they can create, colour and post on our comic wall.<br />
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<b>Opening Reception - FREE. April 30 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm</b><br />
About 200 people attended the opening reception of the festival this year to check out the artwork, mix and mingle with some of our Ting artists, and enjoy our signature “Tingley” martini at our cash bar.<br />
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<b>Animation Night - FREE. May 6, 7:00pm</b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwP40E6v9R9Skmz8cXgkY6I896AUWFQlP-iEdnYEP8qP50frd6kP9Maol1oHMsTVfMH6l139_LREHFGHz_R3wGyMyVrdsn0gU0EX8VUY9BCg32LJA6xavYQ4mr8sGOYRFWI4s/s1600/AnimationNight-2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwP40E6v9R9Skmz8cXgkY6I896AUWFQlP-iEdnYEP8qP50frd6kP9Maol1oHMsTVfMH6l139_LREHFGHz_R3wGyMyVrdsn0gU0EX8VUY9BCg32LJA6xavYQ4mr8sGOYRFWI4s/s400/AnimationNight-2016.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Janine White, Vincent Marcone, Sarah Legault, Bob Klanac</td></tr>
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An evening of film shorts directed by Sarah Legault and Vincent Marcone. Sarah is an award winning filmmaker whose stop-motion animation Dear Love was awarded Best Animated Short Film at the 2014 Toronto Independent Film Festival. Vincent is a graphic artist, film director, and musician with the band Johnny Hollow. Firefly, a stop-motion animated short explores isolation and unsoundness of mind, and The Lady ParaNorma is a digital animated short about an eccentric lady, narrated by the godfather of goth music, Peter Murphy. The screening was followed by a Q & A with Sarah, Vincent and Janine White, the composer for both films and the lead singer of Johnny Hollow.<br />
Q&A was hosted by music and film journalist Bob Klanac.<br />
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This was an amazing night. The guests showed behind the scenes footage and stories including what it was like to work with Peter Murphy. Here's their short film The Lady ParaNorma below, which is also <a href="https://mypetskeleton.leadpages.co/theladyparanorma/" target="_blank">a beautiful book</a>.<br />
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<b>Free Comic Book Day – Meet the Artists! Free. May 7, 11:00am to 4:00pm</b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3E6FAk82rmxTqZWEf8hwZygMAQ0AR_hFD6nWcMHDjiZWBbrtnHBDwf2L9EOg0mhuSZvt73PppVHRb9r5_kTlTOMNar5uCU73MyW45T_xUJLPWoq6GVCiW9aAOmirtTxPCGNpb/s1600/FCBD-final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3E6FAk82rmxTqZWEf8hwZygMAQ0AR_hFD6nWcMHDjiZWBbrtnHBDwf2L9EOg0mhuSZvt73PppVHRb9r5_kTlTOMNar5uCU73MyW45T_xUJLPWoq6GVCiW9aAOmirtTxPCGNpb/s320/FCBD-final.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The City of London shut down the a block of the main street downtown for Free Comic Book Day.</td></tr>
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Dundas Street was closed to traffic between Richmond and Clarence for the 15th Annual Free Comic Book Day, and the ARTS Project is in the middle of the comic book action! Many of our Ting artists had their comics, prints and art for sale at the Ting Pop-Up Shop! On hand were be: Megan Arnold, D.S. Barrick, Doug Rogers, Erin Elston, James Kirkpatrick, Sarah Legault, Tim Levins, Vincent Marcone, Scott MacDougall, Maureen Riley, Aidan Urquhart and Mark Victor Young.<br />
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<b>Comic Jam and Mixer - Free. Tuesday May 10, 6:00 – 9:00pm</b><br />
A Comic Jam and Mixer was hosted by Brahm Wiseman of Heroes. An event for all ages, this was a creative event where artists and comic enthusiasts can socialize, have a drink and collaborate on a single comic. Brahm Wiseman is the owner of Heroes, and was the recipient of the 2013 Harry Kremer Award for Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Retailer at the Joe Shuster Awards.<br />
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<b>4-Colour Inspiration – In Conversation about Comics and Art - Free. May 13, 7:00pm</b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXS4MIAfp79yJNNlVKxzNCgfcRTkCtrFmEn_7ytZeQgVcBo89e9Sic02Tg7loL48akKJyu982l0nXjnBVOzrwHnXjQGv3jgp2cO1W3dexmehNB2f77ZqRMkO63IihH3kMhym6w/s1600/4-ColourInspiration-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXS4MIAfp79yJNNlVKxzNCgfcRTkCtrFmEn_7ytZeQgVcBo89e9Sic02Tg7loL48akKJyu982l0nXjnBVOzrwHnXjQGv3jgp2cO1W3dexmehNB2f77ZqRMkO63IihH3kMhym6w/s400/4-ColourInspiration-crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Josh Lambier, Maureen Riley, James Kirkpatrick, Aidan Urquhart</td></tr>
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Comic books used to be considered disposable, low-brow entertainment. Today though, artwork by cartoonists such as Robert Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Chris Ware and Seth are featured in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Whitney, the MoMA, and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Aidan Urquhart, Maureen Riley and James Kirkpatrick discussed how comic books inspire or contribute to their work, and the boundaries (if any) between “fine art” and comics. Moderated by Josh Lambier from Arts & Humanities, Western University.<br />
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We were fortunate to have Western University tape the talk in its entirety. You can view it below. You may need to turn up the volume on your speaker as the ARTS Project is a beautiful spot, but does have some creaky floors!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mmYcc-CJsyg" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<b>Graphic Novel Book Buzz - Free. </b> <b>May 14, 1:00 – 2:00pm</b><br />
Have you read all of Jeff Smith’s Bone series? Wondering what to read next? Linda Ludke, Collections Management Librarian at London Public Library spoke about some great graphic novel picks for ages 7 to 12. Get the inside scoop on upcoming releases.<br />
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<b>KA-POW! Creating Comic Strips - Free. May 14, 2:30 – 3:30pm</b><br />
Do the kids in your life love comics? Designed for ages 8 and up, KA-POW! Creating Comic Strips is the essential workshop for kids who want to build their own comic strip from the bottom up. Taught by storyboard artist and cartoonist J.R Faulkner (Knight & Dave, Promises Promises) this workshop coverrd the basics of story, characters, and drawing techniques. Faulkner has been an instructor of animation basics at Sheridan College and conducted workshops at the Toronto Public Library the London Public Library.<br />
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<b>Small Press Spotlight - Free. May 17, 7:00pm</b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YBeKAL27XxP5ItLBTO8AypnxRWQk4KtNVy-Qd6TEggFqqWRQGgrsR9s4s-_QvNBNXaUDhjGWCGkS8-yJHg11KnWr7u6kKObU4mVrmydlMPu2-VT7xZg-nsRfSYr2bIAHBQEd/s1600/SmallPress-Crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7YBeKAL27XxP5ItLBTO8AypnxRWQk4KtNVy-Qd6TEggFqqWRQGgrsR9s4s-_QvNBNXaUDhjGWCGkS8-yJHg11KnWr7u6kKObU4mVrmydlMPu2-VT7xZg-nsRfSYr2bIAHBQEd/s400/SmallPress-Crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandra DaSalvo, Executive Director of the ARTS Project introduces Moderator Dan Brown, and guests Mark Victor Young, Scott MacDougall, DS Barrick and Chris Runciman</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Do you have a comic or graphic novel you want to publish? An in-depth discussion on publishing took place with Christopher from Runciman Press, Mark Victor Young from Levins and Young and the team from Lucky Unlucky. Hosted by Dan Brown of the London Free Press where he writes frequently about graphic novels, pop culture and local personalities. Q&A followed.<br />
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<b>Bryan Lee O’Malley Signing - Free. May 20, 4:00 – 6:00pm</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6qosGvXfQPgFJVbjrGeK9EtfHYOm_b8iJPIUCnqsq0hnS6FDaGmmSEH1UGW6-JM_Uk6SiilUD7j5_yluCXWAw6ipGEMwZShzYUSEvGDwdZEpg5Ku4mIgsW1jfzlI0bAdNF8M/s1600/O%2527Malley-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6qosGvXfQPgFJVbjrGeK9EtfHYOm_b8iJPIUCnqsq0hnS6FDaGmmSEH1UGW6-JM_Uk6SiilUD7j5_yluCXWAw6ipGEMwZShzYUSEvGDwdZEpg5Ku4mIgsW1jfzlI0bAdNF8M/s400/O%2527Malley-crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moderator Brian Garside Interviews Bryan Lee O'Malley</td></tr>
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Straight from Los Angeles, former Londoner Bryan Lee O’Malley (cartoonist of Scott Pilgrim, Seconds and Lost at Sea), made a special visit to the ARTS Project to help close out the Ting Comic and Graphic Arts Festival. The event began with a Q&A moderated by Brian Garside, producer of the podcast Sequential Fiction. Followed by a signing hosted by Brahm Wiseman of Heroes. This was a great cap to the Festival. Bryan was incredibly generous with his time in the Q&A and the book signing afterwards.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0v_d_ia1JkxpRepneZ76RmjrRBnP8KIR-N62Mic5MTl7WUcr36w0W4oufbEeckfGU1od8pzFcUJzTMCjJaz5q0hJGT0dGgSVf5a7uEUO6SHto5mlQGzb-YaMykUZXEAf_Ydhe/s1600/OMalleySigning-crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0v_d_ia1JkxpRepneZ76RmjrRBnP8KIR-N62Mic5MTl7WUcr36w0W4oufbEeckfGU1od8pzFcUJzTMCjJaz5q0hJGT0dGgSVf5a7uEUO6SHto5mlQGzb-YaMykUZXEAf_Ydhe/s400/OMalleySigning-crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The line-up for the book signing went all the way to the door. Bryan stayed until every last book was signed and took selfies with those who wanted one with him.</td></tr>
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<br />Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-19455646699568947052016-06-01T15:19:00.001-04:002016-06-02T15:00:15.969-04:00Ting - 2016 Featured ArtistsThe centerpiece of the Ting Festival each year is the gallery portion of show. Each year we present framed original art of 10 or so artists in the main ARTS Project gallery. It's always a treat to see original comic art in person and see the craft that goes into making the work.<br />
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We try hard to have a balance of "traditional" comic book
artists/cartoonists (like Tim Levins' whose work is below), with visual artists whose work is inspired by
comics (such as Aidan Urquhart's work - also below). <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-592VGPEdm_RKPjZTJjPcPGXhExq2ZIlotrm4FjN4LdP57nL04EYzeK-gJbaL32o1VIo7MKIMdajZArmhy-p05zMy5rYK62MsXH_Evj-ekj4P4Sp3o8Doi650-qyQL-TN5EfU/s1600/DSC07333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-592VGPEdm_RKPjZTJjPcPGXhExq2ZIlotrm4FjN4LdP57nL04EYzeK-gJbaL32o1VIo7MKIMdajZArmhy-p05zMy5rYK62MsXH_Evj-ekj4P4Sp3o8Doi650-qyQL-TN5EfU/s400/DSC07333.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Young in front of pieces by Tim Levins<br />
photo by Tristan Clark of LondonFuse</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqg2OR_eE6Fayxzzy5zXR_9bivbvdtJ3DE6Ni9I47wwTYRftTb7lNlCToXQQg79SdBJjjWkDXNNuBnVFw_V02wCe5X8XatEiS2UKz4_8Tq29CT9fEe9td2bJXGKCn-e5j0p27H/s1600/DSC07311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqg2OR_eE6Fayxzzy5zXR_9bivbvdtJ3DE6Ni9I47wwTYRftTb7lNlCToXQQg79SdBJjjWkDXNNuBnVFw_V02wCe5X8XatEiS2UKz4_8Tq29CT9fEe9td2bJXGKCn-e5j0p27H/s400/DSC07311.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aidan Urquhart<br />
Photo by Tristan Clark of LondonFuse</td></tr>
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LondonFuse <a href="http://londonfuse.ca/images/13186" target="_blank">took some terrific shots of the space from the Opening Reception evening here</a> and it gives a really good feel of what the exhibit space is like (that's where we grabbed the two pics above).<br />
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All participating artists need to hail from the Southwest Ontario region, which if you're not from the area is the #7 blue area in the map below. <br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1-tSRyITYuD2FQV9u4fbgo3jG6egt95ox8jHQjivCxdliwxw5O9ekGBNKgpSaOLEkDzLzwWHEOttwZdK_oQDqYEtFc5WKzND8vRErMIjZ6BZXGMhu0JuutbcAZAduCbhCEO9/s1600/ontario-map.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1-tSRyITYuD2FQV9u4fbgo3jG6egt95ox8jHQjivCxdliwxw5O9ekGBNKgpSaOLEkDzLzwWHEOttwZdK_oQDqYEtFc5WKzND8vRErMIjZ6BZXGMhu0JuutbcAZAduCbhCEO9/s320/ontario-map.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2DesA8KuF7BV7kgfNqPAQ5P5p2KMMRlZ4vHxFef72fCwh5vp7LY_MikTsC9-fHz8sjL0RWTf_dVUYWmXgvMv8W5HKnxIC5I62TRzvsexXfxgc6UZGev7AOBinVu_-XIei4ya/s1600/southwestern-ontario-map.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2DesA8KuF7BV7kgfNqPAQ5P5p2KMMRlZ4vHxFef72fCwh5vp7LY_MikTsC9-fHz8sjL0RWTf_dVUYWmXgvMv8W5HKnxIC5I62TRzvsexXfxgc6UZGev7AOBinVu_-XIei4ya/s320/southwestern-ontario-map.gif" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southwestern Region of Ontario</td></tr>
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2016 Ting Comic and Graphic Arts Festival Artists<b> </b></h4>
Here's the line-up of this year's participating artists.<br />
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<a href="https://shhhmeganarnold.wordpress.com/" target="_blank"><b>Megan Arnold</b></a><br />
Megan is a London-based cartoonist best known for her illustrative work on the comic <i>Nihilist Dog</i> with writer Maverick Summers, and her intensely personal comics diary, which ran from September 2013 to August 2015. A former prom queen, she graduated from Western University’s BFA program in the spring of 2015, where she explored drawing, printmaking, installation, and performance. Most recently, she was resident artist at SparkBox Studio in Picton, ON, where she created and silkscreened edition of a new book.
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<b><a href="http://www.jameskirkpatrick.org/" target="_blank">James Kirkpatrick</a></b><br />
Born in London, Ontario in 1977, James studied art at H.B. Beal Secondary School before receiving his BFA at Halifax’s Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in 2002. Kirkpatrick works in a variety of media including drawing, painting, sculpture, comics/zines, mask-making and experimental sound.
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<b><a href="http://radiomaru.com/" target="_blank">Bryan Lee O’Malley</a></b><br />
Bryan is a Canadian cartoonist who created the “Scott Pilgrim” series, which inspired the cult classic film <i>Scott Pilgrim Vs The World</i> (directed by Edgar Wright). His most recent book is the Eisner-nominated,New York Times best-selling <i>Seconds</i>. He’s currently writing comic book series <i>Snotgirl</i>, which will be published by Image Comics, while working on his next major graphic novel. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
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<b><a href="https://levinsandyoung.com/" target="_blank">Levins & Young</a></b><b><br />Tim Levins</b> studied Fine Art (Fanshawe College)and Classical Animation (Sheridan College) before breaking into the comic book business in the mid-1990s. Tim is best known for his work on the Eisner Award-winning DC Comics series, <i>Batman: Gotham Adventures.</i> Over the years, he has illustrated many other titles for DC, Marvel Comics, and Archie Comics, and has recently drawn several children’s books published by Capstone Press.
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Happily married since 1992 and a father since 2003, <b>Mark Young</b> has been a writer for as long as he can remember. He was born in Toronto and grew up in London, Ontario. He was the first winner of the <i>Lillian Kroll Prize for Creative Writing</i> at Western University, where he also completed a degree in English Literature. He has published novels, poetry, short fiction, feature articles, comic strips and book reviews in various media. His latest novel is <i>The Launch</i>. He lives with his wife and daughter in London.
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<b><a href="http://www.luckyunluckycomic.com/" target="_blank">Lucky Unlucky</a></b><b><br />Scott MacDougall</b> is a London-based editor and writer. He’s been a copywriter for over a decade and has recently transitioned to a number of creative projects. He was the lead editor on the graphic novel <i>Jinn Warriors 2: The Fourth Horseman</i>, from author Marwan el Nashar and Marz Publishing. MacDougall is currently working on the second volume of his original comic book series <i>Lucky Unlucky</i>, drawn by D. S. Barrick and coloured by Erin Elston.
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<b>D. S. Barrick</b> is a London-based cartoonist and the author or co-author of over 20 mini-comics, including <i>Skulsi Thatcher</i> and <i>The Day I Wrote Watermelon</i>. His fascination with monsters hasled to hundreds of drawings, many of which can be seen on his web site, Cartoon Graveyard, at <a href="http://www.dsbarrick.com/" target="_blank">dsbarrick.com</a>. Barrick is currently working on the second volume of <i>Lucky Unlucky</i>, a comic book series written and created by Scott MacDougall.
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<b>Erin Elston</b> is the colourist of the <i>Lucky Unlucky</i> comic book series. Encouraging others to use their creativity to enhance their experiences of life, she has joined and harmonized the ideas behind the written and line components of Lucky Unlucky using colour. Her non-collaborative artworks range from small ink drawings to multi-wall, indoor murals.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.maureenrileyart.com/" target="_blank">Maureen Riley</a></b><br />
Maureen has been a full time artist in London Ontario for the past <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;">thirty five years. Her work reflects a vibrant palette with positive woman-based images both mystical and earthbound. Riley’s work is in dozens of private collections and her images have been used by many organizations as well as the University of Western Ontario. Riley is currently engaged in creating Kite Dream, a graphic memoir which includes, along with her stories, images from the past three decades. Koktail Kids, a black and white (now copyrighted) cartoon that emerged from Kite Dream has taken on a life of its own. The Kids have a website and will appear later this year in “A is for Albatross: an Alphabet of Murder and Mayhem with the Koktail Kids.”<br /><br />
<b><a href="https://dougsamu.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Doug Rogers</a></b><br />Doug recalls comics he could only have read when he was 8 years old. They were vividly alive and immersive in ways only movies are. Adam Strange running across the desert sands of Samarkand. Well, he grew up. For a time he went to Bealart. For a time he worked in various jobs, and became a house husband. For a time he drew the weekly editorial cartoon for The Londoner under Philip McLeod.<br /><br />
<b><a href="http://www.thelondoner.ca/2015/08/17/introducing-runciman-press" target="_blank">Christopher Runciman</a></b><br />Christopher began exhibiting in galleries as an artist in 1990 has been writing and illustrating books since 2000. He has published with Popular Canadian (Pop Can) Comics, The London Reader and Open Mind Comics among others. He works out of his home studio in London Ontario, manages Heroes Comics and last year, co-founded Runciman Press with his wife, Lori.<br /><br />
<b><a href="http://www.sarahscope.com/" target="_blank">Sarah Scope</a></b><br />Sarah is a London Ontario based artist who specializes in pen and ink as well as textile art. Look for Sarah’s work this year at Back to the Fuchsia, Old East Coffee House and in Carousel Magazine. <br /><br />
<b><a href="http://www.thielsengallery.com/display_artist.cfm?a_id=21" target="_blank">Aidan Urquhart</a></b></span><br />
Born and raised in London, Ontario, Aidan was educated at the University of Western Ontario and Fanshawe College in studio and art theory. As an avid observer of the media, internet and television age, he takes an acute interest in the information overload that bombards us daily. His approach is to cannibalize this information and distill it through works in collage, drawing, mixed media painting, installation and mail art/fax art projects. His work can be found in numerous public and private collections including the Winnipeg Art Gallery, National Archives-Ottawa, Canada Council Art Bank, McIntosh Gallery-UWO, St. Thomas-Elgin Art Centre and Museum London.
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And last but not least - Ting! Each year we select a variety of Ting cartoons from the Western Archives which has a Tingley collection housing a large collection of his work. It's interesting in revisiting these pieces from decades ago, as many of these editorial cartoons could be run today and still be perfectly timely and topical!<br />
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<b>Merle “Ting” Tingley</b><br />
TING was an editorial cartoonist for the London Free Press for almost forty years (1948-1986). Over the years, his whimsical humour has attracted a loyal following, not only in the Free Press but across Canada in more than 60 daily and weekly publications. His diverse body of work includes political cartoons, social commentaries, and his famous cartoon mascot, Luke Worm, who is immediately recognizable and famed among readers of all ages. Tingley has been awarded national and international awards for his work and has inspired generations of comic artists in Southwestern Ontario.
Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-80626161215934721132016-05-30T14:13:00.002-04:002016-05-30T16:21:02.319-04:00Ting Comic and Graphic Arts Festival 2016 - Media Coverage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The 3rd annual "Ting Comic and Graphic Arts Festival" has wrapped up! This 4-week celebration took place at the ARTS Project in downtown London, Ontario from April 26 - May 21 of 2016.<br />
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Named after Merle ‘Ting’ Tingley, the editorial cartoonist for the London Free Press from 1948-1986, Tingfest is a celebration of his work and influence on multiple generations of artists. <br />
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Tingfest is primarily a gallery show featuring a number of different artists from the Southwestern Ontario region, but it also features a pop-up shop, panel discussions, screenings, workshops, and more. All programming is free and all-ages friendly.<br />
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This year, we seemed to have really hit our stride. Many people in London, Ontario seem to know what Tingfest is all about now and dare I say - even add it to their social calendars as something to look forward to, which is evidence by the great media coverage we received!<br />
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Media Coverage</h3>
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<li><a href="http://www.lfpress.com/2016/04/22/londons-geek-scene-has-grown-to-busy-slate-of-pow-blam-events" target="_blank"><b>London’s geek scene has grown to busy slate of Pow! Blam! event</b>s</a>, London Free Press, Dan Brown, April 22, 2016.</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://londonyodeller.ca/london/cartoonists-and-illustrators-showcased-at-ting-festival/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_MtEzeRWyKfLlTrQUIVoahP8V0QTHW8-xolDgJQ0uOjPtz8-ZIiq1XWsAOylfdbJ0Ti4Z0Lt-xFlPZGu3y-k_YJ8zZL2PfODEBRdmrITfjk9IP7fQ7jMmta3QZmryLf2riPs7/s400/4.09-2016-APR-28-COVER-WEB-MEGAN-ARNOLD_SECRET-SELFIE_Watercolour-and-ink-on-paper_9-inches-by-7-inches-20141-931x1024.jpg" width="362" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Megan Arnold: Secret Selfie, Watercolour and ink on paper, 9 inches by 7 inches, 2014</td></tr>
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<li><a href="http://londonyodeller.ca/london/cartoonists-and-illustrators-showcased-at-ting-festival/" target="_blank"><b>Cartoonists and illustrators showcased at Ting Festival</b></a>, London Yodeller cover story featuring art by Ting participant Megan Arnold, Anna Blair, April 28, 2016.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://londonfuse.ca/images/13186" target="_blank">LondonFuse photos</a></b>, LondonFuse, Tristan Clark, May 1, 2016.</li>
<li><a href="http://podbay.fm/show/447055175/e/1462507200?autostart=1" target="_blank"><b>CBC Ontario Mornin</b>g</a>, where I'm interviewed by Wei Chen, May 6, 2016.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://londonfuse.ca/blog/13188" target="_blank">Ting 2016</a></b>, LondonFuse, Sammy Roach, May 6, 2016.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.lfpress.com/2016/05/10/brown-ting-rings-a-bell-in-londons-past-present" target="_blank"><b>Ting rings a bell in London’s past, present</b></a>, London Free Press, Dan Brown, May 10, 2016.</li>
<li><a href="http://londonyodeller.ca/london/kangaroo-variety-downtown-londons-live-monthly-magazine/#more-7441" target="_blank"><b>Kangaroo Variety – Downtown London’s live monthly magazine </b>(</a>mention of Ting Fest), London Yodeller, Adam Corrigan Holowitz, May 12, 2016<br /><br />"The night of April 30th was strong rebuke to the defeatist’s stereotype that London is a sleepy backwards town. The blocks between York Street and Dundas Street were full of exciting artistic community merry making.<br /><br />The night started for me at The ARTS Project where the opening reception of the Ting Festival was happening. The Ting Festival (on till May 21) is celebration of regional graphic artists and a tribute to the great editorial cartoonist Merle Tingley."</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://londonyodeller.ca/london/the-civic-blessing-and-inspiration-of-ting/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYHSJlJoavODYf_Uk5IfpxJcJ0W10rs4cWsMBRpkJlJDgEpaxGELDE6Lrh3iA5zgUdz8lfhn1WWudM51ONDnDvctF6V4uASF6S4qFrEfLBgKjUA2LNj-_JhU8M8UQ3L9zXaR2/s400/13226788_1133668626699394_2171952021718107516_n.jpg" width="363" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">London Free Press cartoon from 1975 by Ting is still completely relevant today.</td></tr>
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<li><a href="http://londonyodeller.ca/london/the-civic-blessing-and-inspiration-of-ting/" target="_blank"><b>The Civic Blessing and Inspiration of Ting</b></a>, London Yodeller cover story with artwork by Ting, Herman Gooden, May 12, 2016.<br /><br />This is a really terrific article that has some wonderful history on Ting and how he came to work at the London Free Press. Extra bonus is that it contains beautiful black and white photographs of Ting on a motorcycle!<br /><br />"Our simultaneously nostalgic and prophetic cover image are featured, along with the work of a dozen other considerably younger artists, at the Third Annual Ting Comic & Graphic Arts Festival on at the Arts Project until May 21. <br /><br />Ting is the perfect namesake for such a festival because he inspired two or three generations of London artists who pored over his cartoons in the daily paper when they were kids. Whether they aspired to be cartoonists, painters or sculptors scarcely mattered. Here was this very public example of a crackerjack draughtsman with a unique way of looking at things coming up with some sort of pictorial commentary on their world nearly every day of the week."</li>
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<li><b><a href="http://www.ourlondon.ca/news-story/6560087-spidey-spins-web-of-lifetime-passion-for-comic-book-artist/" target="_blank">Spidey spins web of lifetime passion for comic book artis</a>t</b>, Our London, Whitney South, May 21, 2016. Article about Ting participant Tim Levins:<br /><br />"There’s so much talent out there, so much creativity that goes unnoticed, so having a festival like Ting is great way to shine a spotlight on a medium that needs more exposure in a culture dominated by internet, movies, and television,” he said. “Any event that promotes comics and comic book art is a good thing in my eyes.”</li>
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Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-79863190758975483692016-03-01T22:34:00.001-05:002016-03-02T13:45:11.424-05:00The Eddy Smet AwardLast fall at the 2nd Annual <a href="http://www.forestcitycomicon.ca/" target="_blank">Forest City Comicon</a>, I was thrilled to be awarded the inaugural "Eddy Smet Award", which recognizes an individual's contribution to the advancement of nerd culture in London, Ontario.<br />
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This was a real honour for me because it’s pretty safe to say that if it wasn’t for Eddy Smet, I wouldn’t be the person I am today much less a cartoonist.<br />
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That's because as a young girl (who had a penchant for comic books), my Mom would drop
me off every Saturday at the local comic book store, <a href="http://www.comic-book-collector.com/" target="_blank">The Comic Book Collector</a>, while she did her grocery shopping at Valdi’s down the street on Dundas St. in London, Ontario.<br />
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Run by Eddy and his wife
Zorka, the Comic Book Collector was a real family business and they
always made me feel welcome when I walked through the door. Eddy was a full-time Math Professor at Western University who loved comic books and who opened the store in 1979 (making it one of the first comic book stores in Canada if not North America).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eddy Smet, circa 1980</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The odd time Zorka’s mother (who often worked the cash register), would question some of my choices, but that just me laugh. I distinctly remember her frowning when she rang up my purchase of Frank Miller’s Wolverine #1 – “What’s a nice girl like you doing with a comic like this?”, but the Smet’s knew me and my taste in comics. When family members would come in to buy me Birthday or Christmas presents, the Smets always knew what I had already, and what would be the right gift for me - like a Silver Age appearance of Adam Strange in Mystery in Space.<br />
<br />
<b>Eddy Smet and the Canadian Whites</b><br />
The Smets ending up selling the Comic Book Collector in 1986, but Eddy remained a fixture on the comic book scene. I would see him at comic shows going through the back-issue bins looking to fill in gaps in his personal collection. Dells and Westerns were his favourites. In fact I saw him at the Forest City Comicon, he's still trying to fill in some gaps in his collection.<br />
<br />
In 2009, he donated a substantial amount of his personal collection (about 8,000 comics) to Western University to their Archives. At the time, it was believed to be the largest and most valuable collection of comic books ever donated to a Canadian university.<br />
<br />
Then just this year, Eddy decided to donate another chunk of his collection including 125 "Canadian Whites" comics, which included Triumph-Adventure Comics #2, featuring the first appearance of Nelvana of the Northern Lights (one of the earliest female superheroes, pre-dating even Wonder Woman).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XN1YZPRBRfHwhsgy2Ri4zTe3Dt8AZ6CfymrShTbsqvCh61HlvalGl2U73AFDWPD8XdRmE2xrFuq7cxwGGYLQ5i-M85pb2acKrxiDcwEfsPn5K03gjB_g_wPCMKfjWuWSUUIq/s1600/1297769691117_ORIGINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XN1YZPRBRfHwhsgy2Ri4zTe3Dt8AZ6CfymrShTbsqvCh61HlvalGl2U73AFDWPD8XdRmE2xrFuq7cxwGGYLQ5i-M85pb2acKrxiDcwEfsPn5K03gjB_g_wPCMKfjWuWSUUIq/s320/1297769691117_ORIGINAL.jpg" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eddy Smet and a "Canadian White"<br />
Photo courtesy of the London Free Press</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I’ve avidly collected comics for over 35 years now and I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve come across any “Canadian Whites” comic books. The white existed to fill a vacuum created because American comics were banned in Canada during WWII due to restricted trades of non-essential goods. So some enterprising companies opened up their own publishing houses and printed comics starring original Canadian characters like Johnny Canuck and drawn by Canadian creators - like Adrian Dingle, Gerald Lazare and Jon St. Ables.<br />
<br />
When trade
restrictions were lifted at the end of the war, Canadian publishers of the "whites" soon went out of business.<br />
<br />
<b>Thank You Eddy Smet</b><br />
During my formative years, the Smets gave me a home away from home, where I could while away my
time and never felt out of place. That’s a real gift to give to anyone.<br />
<br />
Thank you Eddy for opening up your bright four-colour world to a 9-yr
old girl many years ago. <br />
<br />
<b>Related Links </b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://news.westernu.ca/2015/12/collector-brings-western-archives-into-the-golden-age/" target="_blank">Collector brings Western Archives into the Golden Age</a> - Western News, Dec 3, 2015</li>
<li><a href="http://cbldf.org/2015/11/comics-collector-donates-rare-canadian-whites-to-university/" target="_blank">Comics Collector Donates Rare “Canadian Whites” to University</a>, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, November 19, 2015</li>
<li><a href="http://www.lfpress.com/2015/11/08/the-comic-books-that-collector-eddy-smet-is-giving-to-western-include-rare-editions-called-canadian-whites" target="_blank">The comic books that collector Eddy Smet is giving to Western include rare editions called ‘Canadian whites’</a>, London Free Press, November 8, 2015</li>
</ul>
Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-88588216487785635502015-10-17T17:36:00.000-04:002015-10-17T17:40:45.209-04:00Forest City Comicon 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96LzhS-04bJsDPrlEWUCdc_0RNOVPb4gjlvyk_BVVSyP2KTH8GDpJubO0u6BeIVFi9O05aSy86I00XnAOFTUV8FugJTZl5B79a4qIuuTUNn0KiHnzPORIu6tgp8j2GsNcBLr7/s1600/fc3headerlargest.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96LzhS-04bJsDPrlEWUCdc_0RNOVPb4gjlvyk_BVVSyP2KTH8GDpJubO0u6BeIVFi9O05aSy86I00XnAOFTUV8FugJTZl5B79a4qIuuTUNn0KiHnzPORIu6tgp8j2GsNcBLr7/s400/fc3headerlargest.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Is taking place tomorrow! I'm happy to be a special guest there this year.<br />
<br />
It's so nice to have a comic show in my hometown and I have to say that the organizers of the show (Gord and Carol of L.A. Mood comic book store), have done it all for the love of the comic medium. This is NOT a show that just about having media guests you can take pictures with - although yes John Noble will be there, but that's cool, he's great.<br />
<br />
There's also a lot of great Canadian comic guests who will be there too - like Bryan Lee O'Malley (who hails from the Forest City), Chip Zdarsky, Jay Torres, Scott Chantler, Andy Belanger and more. The Joe Shuster Awards will also be presented there this yea.<br />
<br />
So come by and check it out. I'll have my minis, books, t-shirts, prints and more for sale!<br />
<br />
<b>Here's the info:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.forestcitycomicon.ca/home.php" target="_blank">Forest City Comicon</a><br />
London Convention Centre<br />
Sunday, October 18th<br />
10:00 AM - 5:00 PMDianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-59893450089135337602015-08-23T11:57:00.000-04:002015-08-23T13:48:55.185-04:00Book Camp 2015 - Jack "King" KirbyThis month I was invited to give a talk to 40 kids, aged 8 -12 at <a href="http://investinginchildren.on.ca/book-camp-london/" target="_blank">Book Camp London</a>. I was asked to talk about a writer who inspired and influenced me. Pretty interesting topic really.<br />
<br />
As a cartoonist, I felt I needed to think of another cartoonist who inspired me rather than a writer - I thought it would give the kids some variety and some insights into comics being a writing form as well as a visual form. After some considerable thought, I came up with the perfect subject - Jack Kirby.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8OloiiMoAnc4NQ8gFD7Rf9Efz5FOjOUqiIsDU8WbI6t_UKZiJ0RAAn5HESB-Md4aTpJubJWKPiKkFQudWrHUVgLEzxuIFVqqgA_YrAioS_G7k4DIdzHCGQ50z9spN1kCncg2/s1600/kirbyself__span.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8OloiiMoAnc4NQ8gFD7Rf9Efz5FOjOUqiIsDU8WbI6t_UKZiJ0RAAn5HESB-Md4aTpJubJWKPiKkFQudWrHUVgLEzxuIFVqqgA_YrAioS_G7k4DIdzHCGQ50z9spN1kCncg2/s400/kirbyself__span.jpg" width="395" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The King.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The talk was one hour (including a Q&A and signing), but really it is no small feat to hold kids' attention for that long. I felt like I knew my subject pretty well, but I like to be prepared so I did quite a few hours of research to put my slides together. I ended up learning quite a few new things about the King (much of which got incorporated into my talk but not all), which I thought I'd share here as well as some of the reactions from the kids.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>The Early Years</b></h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiT5lVNkCn8zDeuUvJ3tHVlONjrJmH_KvdODFZZ-m8-U6V5KOqiFFKh7adAyTjEWa5aL0tcaUoa_xa-S-K7XNsZ_bp1IQjieKA4cga9_qUgn6jwFWEFXP02MxsK8nNADNRLeA6/s1600/JackandRoz.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiT5lVNkCn8zDeuUvJ3tHVlONjrJmH_KvdODFZZ-m8-U6V5KOqiFFKh7adAyTjEWa5aL0tcaUoa_xa-S-K7XNsZ_bp1IQjieKA4cga9_qUgn6jwFWEFXP02MxsK8nNADNRLeA6/s400/JackandRoz.png" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack and Roz Kirby</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li>One thing I didn't know and should have is that the real name of Jack Kirby's wife, the infamous "Roz" - is Rosalind. Why is this noteworthy? Only because that's my daughter's name. My daughter is named after Rosalind from Shakespeare's "As You Like It", but the fact that this is Roz Kirby's full name is a delightful coincidence for me.</li>
<li>I also hadn't realized the extent of Roz's support of Kirby, and how vital her support was to him. Roz looked after the kids and the household so that all Jack had to do was draw. He would work all day, then eat dinner with Roz and the kids and go back to the drawing board.<br /><br />Fans starting visiting their house in the 1960s in California with some regularity and Roz would welcome them in, and give them sandwiches while they talked to Jack - sometimes for hours on end!<br /><br />She seemed to look after his physical health and his mental health, as well as being his biggest cheerleader and supporter. What a gift for an artist.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
Simon and Kirby</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqCuu-kwsgIAeUmSj5rgwxKFMUaujZRLrVTMwF7HTlnR0GVPiQcagEcq5UV24pLC8bLzNhzSVVWi0Ge3Vm65EX2SeT3VaL1H8iB-CoEdPYzhGjMUXiTXV7C0c4MfMalCAqxOV/s1600/joejacklaughing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqCuu-kwsgIAeUmSj5rgwxKFMUaujZRLrVTMwF7HTlnR0GVPiQcagEcq5UV24pLC8bLzNhzSVVWi0Ge3Vm65EX2SeT3VaL1H8iB-CoEdPYzhGjMUXiTXV7C0c4MfMalCAqxOV/s1600/joejacklaughing.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack Kirby and Joe Simon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li>I also hadn't realized what a good businessman Joe Simon was. It seems that the best financial deal Jack Kirby had in comics were negotiated by Joe Simon.</li>
<li>Specifically when they were doing Captain America comics for Timely, the duo were supposed to be receiving a percentage of the profits. Simon felt they were getting stiffed though, so he negotiated a deal and moved to National Comics (DC), where they would received a $500/week (they were making about $80/week at Timely). This is in the Boy Commandos days.</li>
<li>As we know, the duo both came back to comics after WWII and created the new genre of Romance Comics together. Their romance titles sold millions of copies and Simon negotiated taking no money up front, but instead a share of the profits. This is apparently what allowed Kirby to purchase his family home in California.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
Numbers and Process</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MynxAG8Y5x_0cr5k9Oh7wp8l7ZdCoiVp_BMgxn_79xh7W2q82we1hNpIlnEVCqr57A6FMm5Y-KqKM3zwjHZwZVeEygLXk1IX5mDu5giH0TbnkKpyA3h_4adX4_BVYBN4jk9i/s1600/FF61-Kirby-created.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MynxAG8Y5x_0cr5k9Oh7wp8l7ZdCoiVp_BMgxn_79xh7W2q82we1hNpIlnEVCqr57A6FMm5Y-KqKM3zwjHZwZVeEygLXk1IX5mDu5giH0TbnkKpyA3h_4adX4_BVYBN4jk9i/s400/FF61-Kirby-created.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fantastic Four page - look at all the direction from Kirby to Stan.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<ul>
<li>We all know how prolific Kirby was, but I tried to find some numbers for the kids. The best estimate is that Kirby drew approximately 25,000 comic pages in his life. Incredible.</li>
<li>Kirby drew Captain America #112 in a weekend - 20 pages!</li>
<li>Kirby had no formal art training and was self-taught.</li>
<li>When he penciled a page, Kirby would start in the upper left-hand panel and just continued in sequential order until he was finished in the bottom right.</li>
<li>Kirby didn't do thumbnails, he went right to the page and apparently didn't erase! I found this pretty mind-blowing. He did see to be channeling some inner rich imagination that just flowed out on to the page. Who knows if we'll ever see another one like him.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
Reaction from the Kids</h3>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzA2HWR8l8Rtn6vXJTxtmxi7y9RDobL9y7KhcFonK_z2ZbeLscs2tJh7xWJduEkmCMJLK-yHzoukWGuwTFFg1Q6fVzSIeL2Oo9AezIP60ORMmTNYkXkykvc6zv_l7KV-qX3n5/s1600/1-2-lee-kirby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzA2HWR8l8Rtn6vXJTxtmxi7y9RDobL9y7KhcFonK_z2ZbeLscs2tJh7xWJduEkmCMJLK-yHzoukWGuwTFFg1Q6fVzSIeL2Oo9AezIP60ORMmTNYkXkykvc6zv_l7KV-qX3n5/s400/1-2-lee-kirby.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stan Lee and Jack Kirby</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<ul>
<li>I started with a place of familiarity asking the kids how many of them had seen a Marvel movie. Just about everyone's hand went up. Then I showed a slide of all the Marvel comics movie characters and pointed out all of the characters created by Kirby - they were duly impressed.</li>
<li>I asked them what they knew about Stan Lee - I was surprised that he didn't register with most of them. The ones who knew him, just knew him as the older guy who had cameos in the Marvel movies.</li>
<li>I spent some time on the Marvel Process and the Lee vs. Kirby story and asked them what they thought. I was surprised they weren't too engaged with the argument. When pressed, they thought it "wasn't fair" to Kirby. Maybe it's not surprising really that they don't care too much about copyright, IP payments and the Kirby estate - it's just what keeps us hard-core nerds up at night.</li>
<li>They didn't really care that I had met both Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, but they did think it was neat that I worked for Marvel (briefly when Marvel had offices in Canada during their Heroes World days - it was an awesome job).</li>
<li>No matter what the audience, everyone is interested in the comics process and how long it takes. The kids were pretty surprised that comics-making is more than a full-time job where you work weekends and don't take a lot of time off.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
Q &A Time</h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOHcDC2BGtnCD3FRG61n90A5xdE8w6LPy04Fa6YQ5AEgQLN_4OFwj7R6rb2zcNrTDaaRGS3i2WlJQcyelhsVUF8lMdl0EKX9i-igcqgVCidPhsRRFzyjtcVdS3cB_qyosowQN/s1600/king06-06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOHcDC2BGtnCD3FRG61n90A5xdE8w6LPy04Fa6YQ5AEgQLN_4OFwj7R6rb2zcNrTDaaRGS3i2WlJQcyelhsVUF8lMdl0EKX9i-igcqgVCidPhsRRFzyjtcVdS3cB_qyosowQN/s400/king06-06.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>The kids (who were about 60% girls, 40% boys I'd say), seemed to be really taken with Kirby's imagination and the number of characters he'd created.</li>
<li>"Who's your favourite character?" - I have a weird love for Fin Fang Foom (which of course I had an image of). They weren't too impressed.</li>
<li>"Who's your least favourite character?" Probably Moon Boy from Devil Dinosaur - that they thought was funny.</li>
<li>"Did Jack Kirby create Deadpool?" Sigh no, not that one. What is up with Deadpool anyway? I don't understand the love for him.</li>
</ul>
<div>
When the kids figured out that I'm a bit of a comic encyclopedia - the questions really started coming,</div>
<ul>
<li>"Can you explain the differences between Marvel and DC?" This was from a young girl who said she thought she should be reading more comics and was trying to understand them more.<br /><br />Marvel tends be set in the "real world" with characters who have real problems and issues - like Peter Parker. DC takes place in imaginary cities and places with more fantastic adventures and characters not like us - like Green Lantern as a space cop or Bruce Wayne, the multi-millionaire playboy. We can't be like these people.</li>
<li>"What do you like better - Marvel or DC" - DC.</li>
<li>"Who's your favourite charater?" - Superman always and forever.</li>
<li>"What did you think of Man of Steel?" - Had to explain that I didn't see it because I knew it would break my heart. That Superman is not my Superman. My Superman does not kill bad guys or injure innocent people.</li>
<li>"Whats your favourite super-hero movie?" - Superman I and Superman II. I also thought Iron Man was really good, especially since the comics are pretty bad - that drew an intake of breath and hushed silence.</li>
<li>"What's your second favourite super-hero? - Spider-Man.</li>
<li>"What's the best DC villain?" - the Joker, no question.</li>
<li>"What's the best Marvel villain?" - Green Goblin. Also Galactus is pretty great.</li>
<li>And finally - "What do you think of the new 52?" - I didn't sugar coat it - it blows.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Afterwards I signed my comics for them, signed their t-shirts and they chatted with me. I was surprised that tons of the girls wanted to talk about Black Widow and were big fans of hers. I agreed with them that she is totally cool. I had to draw the Black Widow logo for them on a bunch of their Book Camp t-shirts. For the boys, I drew the Superman "S"</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Black Widow movie Marvel - make it, put her back on the Avengers marketing materials. Stop screwing this up. The youngsters LOVE her. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Book Camp organizer was nice enough to email me some feedback afterwards from the kids - this is what they had to say:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="yiv9589163493MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1440286655146_31326" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<i id="yui_3_16_0_1_1440286655146_31328"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1440286655146_31327" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I
LOVED the comic book presentation. Its so cool that she used to work
for Marvel! That’s what I want to do; I liked learning about Jack
Kirby’s life. </span></i></div>
<div>
<div class="yiv9589163493MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1440286655146_31325" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></i></div>
<div class="yiv9589163493MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1440286655146_31319" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<i id="yui_3_16_0_1_1440286655146_31324"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1440286655146_31323" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I never knew how much work went into developing comics. It was really neat to learn. </span></i></div>
<div class="yiv9589163493MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1440286655146_31319" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
So all in all, I had a lot of fun. Talking about comics and Jack Kirby with kids is an a-ok way to spend some time.</div>
Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-76639322895781479972015-05-24T10:17:00.001-04:002015-05-24T10:22:24.246-04:00WordsFest Presentation<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
I had the pleasure of giving a presentation on my comic work and process this past fall at a wonderful new literary festival in London, Ontario - <a class="profileLink" data-gt="{"entity_id":"272177602952301","entity_path":"\/ajax\/pagelet\/generic.php:ProfileTimelineSectionPagelet"}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=272177602952301" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/WordsFest-London-Canada/272177602952301">WordsFest.</a><br />
<br />
They taped the event and now it's live on YouTube. I wasn't even too
freaked out to have Joe Sacco in the audience! Honestly, I was pretty pleased with how it went. You can check it out
here.<br />
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YjQM0k2Ma54" width="560"></iframe>Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-62335329220434701622015-01-07T14:17:00.002-05:002015-01-07T14:26:39.984-05:00Metro News Interview and VideoWhen I got the <a href="http://joeshusterawards.com/2014/06/04/the-2014-joe-shuster-award-nominees-les-nomines-pour-le-prix-joe-shuster-2014/#more-19274" target="_blank">Joe Shuster Award nomination</a> back in the summer for the "Gene Day Self-Publishing" Award, I was interviewed by Metro News. It was a nice piece and they even video-taped me while I explained my cartooning process, which was a bit nerve-wracking but fun too.<br />
<br />
I was pretty happy with how it came out. Here's the video and a link to the article. Thanks to Mike Donachie for the interview!<br />
<br />
<embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="guid=7VYEAt0L&isDynamicSeeking=true" height="224" overstretch="true" seamlesstabbing="true" src="http://s0.videopress.com/player.swf?v=1.03" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" wmode="direct"></embed>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://metronews.ca/news/london/1114722/london-artist-diana-tamblyn-nominated-for-joe-schuster-award/" target="_blank">Guns, murder and a family link: London cartoonist Diana Tamblyn getting noticed</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
Also, I didn't win the Award, Steven Gilbert did for his "The Journal of the Main Street Secret Lodge" - which was a wonderful book.</div>
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<br />Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-10463670650802195102015-01-03T22:50:00.002-05:002015-01-07T14:20:28.438-05:00Goodbye 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've been a bit frustrated lately with how slow it's going with Book 2 of Gerald Bull (though it's going, I've been working on it quite a bit the past few months). Part of the reason for the slow pace is because of how tight and controlled my drawing is - as well as the amount of research and photo reference is involved (which I enjoy but is time-consuming).</div>
<br />
Inspired by <a href="http://beatonna.tumblr.com/post/106823280915/happy-new-year-i-am-back-in-ontario-but-for-one" target="_blank">Kate Beaton's holiday cartoons</a> - which are awesome, fresh and funny, but also so loose, I thought why don't I give it a try?<br />
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My daughter Rosie provides a lot of comic fodder and I share a lot of stories with friends and family of her antics. I also did a mini-comic of her years ago called "The Rosie Stories", so this seemed like a good place to start. Doing fast loose comics that still capture human essence is really easier to be said than done - it's also hard for me to loosen up on the control (clearly seen by the title below which was a big fail in terms of doing something quickly). It was all I could do not to spot in some greys.</div>
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I'm happy with the result and I think I'll try to do more in 2015 - it's good for my cartooning chops! Enjoy.</div>
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<br />Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-13890313912863400032014-11-15T20:59:00.000-05:002014-11-19T15:35:20.955-05:00Project Play - November 23, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_ZGXvb7wNbTyDP2XbyynF_jnLgc0IvOxBsyA1C62vqx-UcNsB1PFHQSwXupG7Tkjndy3vuWOkAio1_iFVDbJ_WqEENaxruPi3ZWfptubAJ3jCTktqxwUOBJwx_BRHf-1EEzY/s1600/pp-header.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Project Play" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_ZGXvb7wNbTyDP2XbyynF_jnLgc0IvOxBsyA1C62vqx-UcNsB1PFHQSwXupG7Tkjndy3vuWOkAio1_iFVDbJ_WqEENaxruPi3ZWfptubAJ3jCTktqxwUOBJwx_BRHf-1EEzY/s1600/pp-header.png" height="131" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
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Called London's biggest and best gaming event, <a href="http://projectplay.ca/" target="_blank">Project Play</a> is a one-day show focused around gaming - video games, board games and card games. It also includes cool comics-related exhibitors like <a href="http://www.lamoodcomics.com/" target="_blank">LA Mood Comics & Games</a>, <a href="http://ubercoolstuff.com/" target="_blank">Uber Cool Stuff</a>, Worlds Away, <a href="http://www.ericvedder.ca/" target="_blank">Eric Vedder Illustration</a> and ME!<br />
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<b>Gaming for Good</b><br />
Best of all, Project Play is also a non-profit organization. 100% of funds raised go towards providing children in community and family crisis centres with games so they can play for themselves! Last year they won a Pillar Community Innovation Award and everything. See the video below.<br />
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I'm super happy to be participating. I'll have lots of items available for sale including t-shirts, mini-comics, prints, holiday greeting cards, my Gerald Bull graphic novel and more!<br />
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<b>Details</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Takes place Sunday, November 23, 2014 </li>
<li>10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Carousel Room at the Western Fair District</li>
<li>Tickets $10 each, children under 10 FREE.</li>
</ul>
<br />Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-77336244632222544672014-10-22T13:36:00.004-04:002014-10-24T15:06:43.345-04:00Words Literary and Creative Arts FestivalI'm excited to be appearing at <b>Words</b>, London Ontario's inaugural festival of creativity taking place October 24 - 26, 2014. <br />
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<a href="http://wordsfest.ca/event/afternoon-london-cartoonist-diana-tamblyn" target="_blank"><b>An Afternoon with London Cartoonist Diana Tamblyn</b></a><br />
I'll be in speaking at 1:00 PM at Museum London on Saturday, October 24th.Come by - it's free!<br />
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The festival will feature emerging as well as established artists and
creative thinkers from Southwestern Ontario and beyond - showcasing new
works and world-leading ideas to spark debate and ignite the
imagination. The festival will also feature a range of activities for
audience members to immerse themselves in the process of creativity,
such as lectures, performances, public interviews and debates,
workshops, readings, makerspaces, and masterclasses.<br />
<br />
The
Opening reception takes place at Museum London, 24th of October, 7pm,
and features Vincent Lam, Guy Vanderhaeghe, Joan Barfoot, James
Bartleman, Joe Sacco, Jeramy Dodds, Mark Kingwell, Gary Barwin, and
more. Reception tickets are $20.<br /><br /><i>All other events are free.</i><br />
<br />
<b>Word Play - London Free Press article <a href="http://www.lfpress.com/2014/10/16/three-local-heroes-who-will-grace-the-first-words-fest-muse-and-enthuse-about-its-importance-to-london" target="_blank"><br />Three local heroes will grace the first Words fest muse and enthuse about its importance to London</a></b><br />
Great article about the fest that included interviews with me and local poets Penn Kemp and Laurie Graham.<br />
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<b>Fest Recommendation</b><br />
The fest will also feature a conversation with one of my favourite cartoonists - Joe Sacco! If you're in the area, I recommend you checking out his session.<br />
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<a href="http://wordsfest.ca/event/joe-sacco-conversation-donnie-calabrese" target="_blank"><b>Joe Sacco in conversation with Donnie Calabrese</b></a><br />
Museum London Community Gallery, Saturday, October 25th, 3:15 PM. Free!<br />
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<br />Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-86109823726159495792014-10-07T16:55:00.001-04:002014-10-07T16:58:00.273-04:00Strip in Canadian Notes & Queries<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3999996185303px; line-height: 15.4559993743896px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
The Summer issue of <a href="http://notesandqueries.ca/" target="_blank">Canadian Notes & Queries</a> is out and it features a 2-pager by me. This was a really special project for me. Canadian cartoonist Seth is the Art Director of the magazine (and he does all of the covers too - check out his amazing wrap-around cover here), and he personally asked me to contribute (thrill #1).</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.3999996185303px; line-height: 15.4559993743896px;">I got to adapt any piece of Canadian fiction I wanted to in comic form. I chose Barbara Gowdy's short story "Flesh of my Flesh". I've always wanted to do a comic of one of her works - I finally go to do it and get paid for it (thrill #2)! The magazine is available at finer book and magazine stores everywhere!</span></div>
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Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-37348896014278187202014-08-01T14:05:00.000-04:002014-08-01T14:28:52.989-04:00Joe Shuster Award NominationSuper happy to say that my book: "From Earth to Babylon: Gerald Bull and the Superun" is nominated for a Joe Shuster Award! It's for the <a href="http://joeshusterawards.com/2014/06/04/the-2014-joe-shuster-award-nominees-les-nomines-pour-le-prix-joe-shuster-2014/" target="_blank">Gene Day Award in self-publishing</a>. So exciting!<br />
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Congrats to all of my fellow nominees. <br />
<h3>
<b>Gene Day Award (Self-Publishers) / Prix Gene Day (Auto-éditeurs) </b></h3>
<ul>
<li><b>Jordyn Bochon</b> – The Terrible Death of Finnegan Strappe: The Claw of the Earth #2</li>
<li><b>Antonin Buisson</b> – garder le rythme</li>
<li><b>Stephen Burger</b> – TALK!</li>
<li><b>James Edward Clark</b> – Evil Issue 2</li>
<li><b>Cloudscape Comics Collective</b> – Waterlogged: Tales from the Seventh Sea</li>
<li><b>Steven Gilbert</b> – The Journal of the Main Street Secret Lodge</li>
<li><b>Mike Myhre</b> – Barbaric Sword of Savagery</li>
<li><b>Diana Tamblyn</b> – Gerald Bull and the Supergun Vol. 1</li>
</ul>
<b>Related article</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.lfpress.com/2014/06/06/brown-shusters-recognize-best-in-comic-creators-work" target="_blank">Shusters recognize best in comic creators’ work </a>- London Free Press, June 13, 2014<br />"As if we needed more proof that Southwestern Ontario comic creators punch above their weight, now come the nominations for the Joe Shuster Awards, where names such as Diana Tamblyn, Emily Carroll and Jeff Lemire crop up in a number of categories..."</li>
</ul>
Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29177659.post-62844058095060945332014-05-13T18:11:00.000-04:002014-05-15T09:44:34.099-04:00TCAF 2014 Wrap-UpAnother TCAF has come and gone. I've gone to every single one and I <i>think</i> this is the 7th one I've exhibited at.<br />
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I've loved it since the very first one in 2003 when it was in the basement of a church - my table mate was Anders Nilsen, some O'Malley kid was scribbling in the corner and I got Michel Rabagliati to sign and sketch in a Paul book to me. TCAF has always been my favourite comics show (and my most successful one), and this year was no exception.<br />
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I brought 35 copies of my Gerald Bull book and came home with two. I sold 15 mini-comics, with the most popular one being my Banting comic (which I just did up another print run of) - that book just sells and sells. So all in all, about 50 books sold. Not my best year (that was in 2007 when I sold over 100 books/comics), but not bad TCAF, not bad.<br />
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<h4>
Friday</h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Photo swiped from fellow cartoonist Scott Chantler</td></tr>
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My pal and fellow cartoonist Scott Chantler and I scarfed down some Mama's pizza, then ran over to the Opening Night Kick Off Event at the Reference Library which was terrific! Raina Telgemeirer moderated a panel with Lynn Johnston and Kate Beaton and it was a totally packed house. All three were delightful, but I have to say there is a special place in my heart for Lynn - what a talent!<br />
<br />
Of note was that Lynn Johnston said her favourite ever "For Better of For Worse" story was the one about Lawrence coming out. Still a classic.<br />
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I found myself nodding in agreement when Kate Beaton explained that as a young girl seeing Lynn's comics in the paper everyday had a big impact. It was the exact same thing for me - Lynn Johnston was successful, talented and the only female cartoonist I had exposure to or knew of for quite a number of years. Seeing someone do the thing you want to do, and realizing it is possible is a big deal for a kid.<br />
<br />
The other thing that really resonated with me was when Kate Beaton said that she identifies with the artist kid in the class who is particularly happy to meet her (and who the other kids in the class identify as "the artist"). She was that artist kid when she was growing up too.<br />
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It struck me that TCAF is made up of hundreds of these kids, all grown up. No wonder there is such a feeling of camaraderie, joy and wonder to the weekend! We all share similar life experiences and passions. We were all that kid.<br />
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Afterwards was the show set up. While waiting for the "Learning Room" area to be ready (since all books that were shipped ahead of time were stored in this room), I sat and chatted with cartoonist Dan Goldman. I follow Dan online but we'd never met before. One of the great things about TCAF is meeting cartoonists "in real life" whose work you admire. He has a brand new book out "<a href="http://redlightproperties.com/" target="_blank">Red Light Properties</a>" and I heartily recommend it. He's also a real nice guy.<br />
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<h4>
Saturday</h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ltd. Ed. TCAF Parker print</td></tr>
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Leaving the hotel I was mistaken for Jillian Tamaki in the elevator (I take this as a huge compliment, but other than the fact that we're both female cartoonists with dark hair, we don't look much alike). I spotted Lynn Johnston having breakfast in the hotel restaurant and passed Jeff Smith coming in from a walk. Sooo many cartoonists just swarming downtown Toronto - I love it!<br />
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In the morning before it got busy, I sat and chatted all too briefly with Marsha Cooke, one of my fave comics people in the world! A good hour later - her other half, Darwyn finally sat down at his table to a long line-up of fans. He had so many cool, exclusive items available just for TCAF. I had to pick up one of these sweet Parker prints (at right).<br />
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My hubby Dave made it to the show at around 4:45 PM, so he had about 15 minutes to look around before we headed out to dinner with the D&Q gang. I got to sit beside Mimi Pond, which was a thrill. She's as funny and charming as you might expect. Then we all hoofed it over to the Marriott for the Doug Wright Awards.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbRzieX1mb-BxKGYdFd9V5JkJ4eXE9QZPLwiJDSsEuy3giFAMIsvCzouvWE9af-zyCuaIAmDA0Oqz2djEynVssWPESic3deb-a6PpoY-TR_3oVax8Umaq72_uodxDezCRCZFR/s1600/Nipper-DWA-RGB-May9-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDbRzieX1mb-BxKGYdFd9V5JkJ4eXE9QZPLwiJDSsEuy3giFAMIsvCzouvWE9af-zyCuaIAmDA0Oqz2djEynVssWPESic3deb-a6PpoY-TR_3oVax8Umaq72_uodxDezCRCZFR/s1600/Nipper-DWA-RGB-May9-2014.jpg" height="400" width="165" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Nipper piece</td></tr>
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The Doug Wrights were super smooth (no fire alarm this year), and Scott Thompson was a hoot. Don McKellar jumped in at one point to help Scott out with pronunciation of nominee names - it was very funny. Scott should always host the show, then have other previous hosts jump in like this.<br />
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I had finished colouring my "Nipper" <a href="http://www.dougwrightawards.com/the-10th-anniversary-doug-wright-awards-kickstarter-campaign/" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a> piece the night before in my hotel room. Cutting it a little close? Yes.<br />
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I'm happy with how it came out though, and it did get shown on the screen with all the other cartoonist submissions. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154146383355055&set=gm.10152455393657164&type=1&theater" target="_blank">Chester Brown's one</a> is of course, the best one.<br />
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Then we hit up the Pilot for Chip Zdarsky's party. Since we're old, we stayed for a few drinks then went back to the hotel to crash. We did get to congratulate Chip on being a New York Times' best-selling artist though. He was hilarious as usual.<br />
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Sunday</h4>
In the morning Dave and I went for breakfast with good friend Frank Cammuso and his family. This was one of our favourite parts of the whole trip - it was great catching up. We love you Frank, Ngoc and Kai!</div>
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I've always been fortunate enough to be in the "main drag" section on the first floor of the Reference Library. This year, being in the "Learning Centre", I was in a small room off to the side of the winding staircase on the first floor. Though there was obviously a lot of care taken in choosing creators for this room, (I had awesome neighbours like Matt from Hic and Hoc & Yeti Press), but we definitely didn't get as much traffic as the main areas.<br />
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Saturday was crazy BUSY on the main floor, but my Sunday was actually busier than Saturday this year, maybe because people were "finding" us after making the full rounds. I say this because even up to the last hour on Sunday, people were coming into the room saying they didn't know our room was part of the show.<br />
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In the afternoon I did a panel on non-fiction comics and that went really well. A stellar group of cartoonists were on the panel and moderator Brigid Alverson did a terrific job. We could have easily talked for another hour! The best part? A guy came up afterwards and said he'd like to get a copy of my book. I happened to have one on me, so was ready to sell it to him. Then he introduced himself as Ken Steacy! Of course, I just had to sign it and give it to him - he's like Canadian comics royalty! What a nice guy.<br />
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All in all, it was a great show, and lots of good friends dropped by like David Collier, Jaime Colville, Tom Spurgeon, Emily Pohl-Weary and Steve Manale.<br />
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Caught up with lots of others like Willow Dawson, Claudia Davile, Michael Cho, J. Torres, Ed Kanerva, Natalie Atkinson, Aaron Costain, John Martz, Matt Forsythe, Annie Koyama, Scott and many more!<br />
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Finally I picked up LOTS of amazing comics! Kudos to the Beguiling, Chris Butcher and the TCAF team. Another banner year. <br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJhOriu7pTVD6pbywPVwfg6HlRluSFgPnvk_lMdjaTrPsgaxATycIa4mA0HpnvUPAXRtxHNcJzjwoXwu_6AHRZ3YnzNa0hxUM_H1PpdLmHqJcuFSVnnCdimu0e2xBNNG6UvUPq/s1600/TCAF2014-haul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJhOriu7pTVD6pbywPVwfg6HlRluSFgPnvk_lMdjaTrPsgaxATycIa4mA0HpnvUPAXRtxHNcJzjwoXwu_6AHRZ3YnzNa0hxUM_H1PpdLmHqJcuFSVnnCdimu0e2xBNNG6UvUPq/s1600/TCAF2014-haul.jpg" height="260" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">My TCAF haul. So many good comics!<br />
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Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16822892848517419279noreply@blogger.com1