We’re wrapping up a bunch of stuff related to this year’s Festival right now, but I wanted to jump in here with a bit of important news.

TCAF 2013 was the final year for our Kids Programming Coordinator Scott Robins, who has been with the Festival as Kids Programming Coordinator since 2005, and attended the first festival in 2003 as an ardent supporter.

Scott’s main “job” at TCAF was programming and scheduling the panels and presentations for kids at the Festival, but really he was a huge part of the team and helped set the tone and direction for what we did every year. Scott helped us secure many of our wonderful guests, and made them feel welcome in Toronto. He hosted and participated in numerous panels about comics and graphic novels as well, helping to illuminate that area of the industry. He personally pushed for a greater inclusion of Kids programming and material in TCAF, and following his lead in that area has made us one of the most diverse and inclusive festivals for readers of any age in North America.

I think it goes without saying, we’re really sad to lose him as part of our team.

On a personal note, Scott has been a good friend of mine for a very, very long time. Working on TCAF with him was very easy because of that friendship, sometimes too easy. I know that on more than one occasion I haven’t credited or thanked him in the way I should have, as a hard-working professional doing a solid job, because I saw him as “my friend Scott.” So Scott, I’m truly sorry about that, and I’m very proud of what you’ve accomplished with TCAF, and outside of it.

Scott will continue to forge new and important paths in the realms of children’s comics and graphic novels, as a full-time librarian with Toronto Public Library, as a blogger at School Library Journal’s Good Comics For Kids, and as a writer of fine books like “A Parent’s Guide to the Best Kids’ Comics.” We all look forward to seeing what you do next, Scott!

So if you see Scott around Toronto or at this year’s Comic-Con International: San Diego, I hope you’ll take a moment to thank him for the hard work and dedication he’s shown to TCAF and to promoting comics for kids, tweens, teens, and all readers, for well over a decade now.

Sincerely,

Christopher Butcher
Director, Toronto Comic Arts Festival

1. Bento Miso (Comics vs. Games Host) is at 862 Richmond St. W.

We’re really very sorry about this, but we made a serious error in regards to the address for Bento Miso. It is located at 862 Richmond St. West. While the address was correct elsewhere in the program, it was wrong on the map page. Bento Miso is hosting the Comics Vs. Games 2 event, including Saturday’s BIT BAZAAR. More info at The Bento Miso Website. Here’s the corrected map page:

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2. TCAF 2013 Sponsor MIDOCO is located outside of the 2nd floor Appel Salon

Art supplies retailer and TCAF sponsor MIDOCO will be set-up outside the door to the Appel Salon on the second floor of Toronto Reference Library. The space was previously listed as “The Beguiling Signing Tables. Corrected Map image below:

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3. Seth will be signing at Drawn & Quarterly’s tables, 129-130 Sunday, from 12:15-1:15

He was erroniously listed as signing at The Marriott during that time.

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4. The Hand Eye Society is exhibiting at Tables B9 – B11

The Hand Eye Society are a great group of folks who promote indy game-making and indy game culture. They will be exhibiting at TCAF this year in the Beeton Auditorium, tables B11, B10, and B9. On the map, these tables were listed under the names of two of the organizers of the Comics Vs. Games event, Miguel Sternberg (Toronto Hand Eye Society) and Matt Hawkins (AttractMode). For good measure, here’s the first-floor Atrium map again:

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Also, there are lots and lots of typos. We’re really sorry about the typos.

- Christopher

Ticketed Signings and Line Caps for for 2013

This year, to alleviate some of our lines and prevent disappointment by fans who have lined up to see their favourite author, we will be ticketing signings for certain authors and more aggressively capping lines for other guests. We appreciate your patience and cooperation!

Andrew Hussie Signing Information

Andrew Hussie is the creator of MSPaint Adventures, and will be signing for 2 hours each day, Saturday and Sunday! His signings will require tickets that you pick up in advance.

Saturday Show Open at 9am: Get your tickets for Andrew Hussie’s Saturday, 2:45pm signing at The Marriott, at the TOPATOCO table, #230 at Toronto Reference Library. Limited to the first 200 people, 1 ticket per person.

Sunday Show Open at 11am: Get your tickets for Andrew Hussie’s Sunday, 1:30pm signing at The Marriott, at the TOPATOCO table, #230 at Toronto Reference Library.
Limited to the first 200 people, 1 ticket per person.

Bryan Lee O’Malley Signing Information

Bryan Lee O’Malley is the creator of Scott Pilgrim. He will have 2 1 hour signings on Saturday (Oni Press, 10-11) and Bento Miso (off-site, 2:30-3:30), and two signings on Sunday (below). The Sunday signings will require tickets that you pick up in advance.

Saturday Show Open at 9am: Get your tickets for Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Sunday, 11am signing at The Marriott, at the ONI PRESS table, #136 at Toronto Reference Library. Limited to the first 75 people.

Sunday Show Open at 11am: Get your tickets for Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Sunday, 4pm signing at The Marriott, at the ONI PRESS table, #136 at Toronto Reference Library. Limited to the first 75 people.

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Due to a miscommunication, we’ve been telling people that Julia Wertz is coming to TCAF when she, in fact, is not. She never was.

We’re really sorry about this, to you fans, and espescially to Julia. We never do this sort of thing, and we’re very, very sorry for any disappointment this may cause.

Julia’s new book “The Infinite Wait and Other Stores” will be available at The Koyama Press booth.

Thanks,

- Christopher Butcher, Director, TCAF

I’m happy to be able to release the floor maps for the 2013 Toronto Comic Arts Festival.  It’s got more exhibitors than ever before, from more countries than ever before, with more debut books than ever before—it’s going to be amazing. A full alphabetical list of every guest, exhibitor, and publisher follows the maps.

These beautiful maps will also be available in the Festival Guide, so you can find and circle all the guests you want to see. It’s all about strategy!

We’ll have Festival Guides at all our events in the lead up to the festival, so please pick one up. If you can’t wait, may I direcet your attention to the Events Page at the top of this page.

2D Cloud 147
Christoper Adams 147
Leisl Adams 208
Adhouse 117
Sam Alden 241
Alternative Comics 232
Phillip Amara Signing
Gene Ambaum 268
Bill Amend Signing
Marc Arsenault 232
Sam Arthur 124-125
Wai Au 274
Adam Aylard 246
Sean Azzopardi 216
David B 127-128
Scarlette Baccini B1-B3
Derf Backderf 151
Lauren Barnett 102
Art Baxter 212
Jonathan Baylis 246
Andy Belanger 263
Lucy Bellwood 148
Benign Kingdom 218-221
Bento Comics 208
Stefan Berg 240
Ramsey Beyer 213
Maria Björklund B4
Blank Slate Books 126
Gillian Blekkenhorst 210
Matt Bors 137
Simon Bossé 109
Boulet 117
Ivan Brandon Signing
Kat Bride 100
Broken Pencil 164
Box Brown 123
Chester Brown “107, 129-130″
Andy Brown 118-119
Ivan Brunetti Signing
Antonin Buisson 116
Nate Bulmer 131-133
Nina Bunjevac 120
Mirranda Burton B1-B3
Christopher M. Butzer 236
scott C 154
C.F. 139-140
Adam Cadwell 156
scott campbell B5
Ross Campbell 273
Kevin Cannon 222
William Cardini 248
Lilli Carré 115
RJ Casey 257
Caitlin Cass 116
Cecil Castellucci 262
Jon Chad 259
Afu Chan 258
Scott Chantler 261
Nicole Chartrand 222
Shawn Cheng B12
Chihoi 118-119
Svetlana Chmakova 208
MIchael Cho RAID
Zan Christensen 203
Jana Christy 249
Chromatic Press 207
Marta Chudolinska 240
Anthony Clark 223-230
Becky Cloonan 264
Cloudscape 122
David Collier 118-119
Collosse 112
Rosa Colon 244
Color Code Printing B5
Joey Comeau 223-230
Conundrum Press 118-119
JP Coovert 134
Danielle Corsetto 209
Aaron Costain 135
Kevin Czapiewski 233
Gigi D.G. 109
Evan Dahm 218-221
Matthew Daley 239
Willow Dawson 145
Michael DeForge 131-133
Blue Delliquanti 238
Julie Delporte 131-133
Devastator Quarterly 153
Aaron Diaz 223-230
Glynn Dillon 127-128
Domino Books B7
Dongry B14
Sean Dove B15
Drawn & Quarterly 107, 129-130
Becky Dreisdadt 218-221
Kate Drwecka 110
Rachel Dukes 149
Oliver East 141
Editions Trip 115
Jesse Eisenhower 138
Efehan Elbi 141
Marc Ellerby 156
Jeffrey Ellis 122
Theo Ellsworth 108
Austin English B7
Edie Fake 150
Fanfare / Ponent Mon 144
Fantagraphics 142-143
Julie Faulkner 205
Ray Fawkes B8
Eric Feurstein 252
Jessica Fink 252
Finnish Comics Society B4
Sean Ford 160
Charles Forsman 161
Audra Ann Furuichi 266
Monica Gallagher 204
Marnie Galloway 256
Agnes Garbowska 152
Frederic Gauthier 113-114
Andrei Georgescu 162
Zack Giallongo 215
Miriam Gibson 260
Frank Gibson 218-221
Sarah Glidden 105
Marijka Gooding B1-B3
Adam Gorhan RAID
veronica graham 138
Caanan Grall 256
Meredith Gran 223-230
John Green 255
KC Green 218-221
Grimalkin Press 103
Polly Guo 258
Kalle Hakkola B4
Justin Hall 204
Priscilla (Rem) Hamby 207
Lisa Hanawalt 107, 129-130
Dustin Harbin 137
Flu Hartberg B14
Chris Hastings 223-230
Matt Hawkins B9-B11
Emma hayley 127-128
Dan Hayward B1-B3
Hazel & Bell 101
Trevor Henderson 210
Gilbert Hernandez “107, 129-130″
Jaime Hernandez 142-143
Ian Herring RAID
Dan Hess 208
Hic & Hoc 102
Faith Erin Hicks 260
Hivework Comics 243
Kim Hoang 274
Peter + Maria Hoey 100
Megan Hogan 147
Mike Holmes 251
Emily Horne 223-230
Mike Horowitz 101
Edwin Huang 211
Scott Hume 163
Andrew Hussie 223-230
Tyler Hutchison 247
Jeph Jacques 223-230
Anthony Jenkins Signing
Cathy G. Johnson 233
Tom Kaczynski 158
Aya Kakeda 235
Bill Kartalopoulos B6
Victor Kerlow 131-133
Karl Kerschl 263
Chipp Kidd Signing
Jason Kieffer 121
Alex Kim 160
Dan Kim 273
Matt Kindt B8
Becka Kinzie RAID
Robert Kirby 202
Irma Kniivila RAID
Lucy Knisley 206
Eric Kostiuk Williams B15
Koyama Press 131-133
Josh Kramer 237
Michael Kupperman 142-143
Braden Lamb 250
Eric Lambé B6
Joseph Lambert 160
Dave Lapp 120
Hope Larson 149
Kate Lavut 162
Greer Lawson 147
Jeff Lemire B8
Kate Leth 223-230
Hilary Leung 122
Chris Leung 268
Little Foolery B6
Little Island Comics 271-272
Stuart Livingston 217
Dennis Lo 208
Sam Logan 223-230
Max Loh 214
Francisco López 105
Mike Luckas 205
Ulli Lust 142-143
Paddy Lynch 219
Paul Lyons 245
Nick Maandag 121
Gregory Mackay B1-B3
Jane Mai 131-133
David Malki ! 223-230
Julie Man 274
Steve Manale 131-133
Aaron Manczyk 141
Stephanie Mannheim 110
Maura Manninen B4
Benjamin Marra 155
Murilo Martins 264
John Martz 135
Nina Matsumoto B13
Taiyo Matsumoto Signing
Barry Matthews 108
Robin McConnell 232
Conor McCreery  RAID
Kel McDonald 218
Patrick McEown 127-128
David McGuire 251
Brian McLachlan RAID
Kagan McLeod 157
Amanda Meadows 153
Dylan Meconis B13
Marlo Meekins 223-230
Melissa Mendes 160
Mille Putois 109
Rebecca Mock 242
Rutu Modan 107, 129-130
Erika Moen 247
Hanneriina Moisseinen B4
Annie Mok 111
Monkey Rope Press 256
Sfé Monster 234
Matt Moses 102
Most Ancient 138
Francoise Mouley Signing
Kris Mukai 244
Bruce Mutard B1-B3
Dan Nadel 139-140
David Namisato 152
Pranas Naujokaitis 157
Renee Nault 214
Vicki Nerino 146
Josh Neufeld 112
Nobrow 124-125
Ryan North 223-230
Northwest Press 203
David Nuss B7
Joe Ollmann 118-119
Bryan Lee O’Malley Signing
Oni Press 136
Yuko Ota 218-221
Ananth Panagariya 218-221
Shelli Paroline 250
Mike Parsons 145
Partyka B12
La Pasteque 113-114
Maritsa Patrinos 242
Frederik Peeters 127-128
Ramon Perez RAID
Kyle Petersen 110
Picturebox 139-140
Ed Piskor 142-143
Chris Pitzer 117
Greg Pizzoli 265
Paul Pope Singing
Liz Prince 213
Jen Lee Quick 207
Joe Quinones 216
Michel Rabagliati 118-119
Noreen Rana 260
Monica Ray 215
Rebus Books B6
Erin Rei 210
Rem 207
Rigged Books 110
Ethan Rilly 121
Benjamin Rivers 151
Rivial House Press B7
Stephen Robson 144
Dave Roman 255
Jonathan Rosenberg 223-230
Kenan Rubenstein B14
Jim Rugg 262
Anne Rumberger 150
Marian Runk 150
Saicoink 159
Anna Sailamaa B4
Yumi Sakugawa 241
Salgood Sam 111
Ryan Sands 155
Vanessa Satone 163
Secret Arces 108
Daryl Seitchik 110
Selfmadehero 127-128
Seth 107, 129-130
John Seven 249
Seven Stories Press 150
Katie Shanahan 217
Dash Shaw 142-143
Daniel Shelton 113-114
Pat Shewchuk 104
Jordan Shiveley 103
Tim Sievert 222
Kara Sievewright 259
Cory Silverberg 267
Alexandra Singer B6
Caitlin Skaalrud 234
Fiona Smyth 267
Katie So 100
Soda Pop Comics 244
Kean Soo 266
Art Spiegelman 107, 129-130
Ken Steacy 239
Martin Steenton 106
Miguel Sternberg B9-B11
Karl Stevens 232
Chris Stevens RAID
Phillip Street Signing
Jennifer Strombeck 207
Gengorgh Tamage 139-140
Johann Tebrake 210
Raina Telgemeier 255
Marc Tessier 115
Josh Tierney 258
Tin Can Forest 104
Jen Tong 235
Toon Books 270
Top Shelf Productions 231, 253-254
Topatoco 223-230
Stefan Tosheff 100
Spike Trotman 242
Jason Turner 238
Laurianne Uy 159
Kyla Vanderklugt 258
Judith Vanistendael 127-128
Geoff Vasile B5
Jen Vaughn 148
Eric Vedder RAID
Maurice Vellekoop 201
Katherine Verhoeven 210
Frank Viva 270
George A. Walker 240
Leigh Walton 231, 253-254
Andy Warner 237
Adam Warren 212
Luke Weber 245
Julia Wertz 131-133
Joe White 154
Maris Wicks 216
Eric Wight 269
Elaine M. Will 232
Britt Wilson 146
Mike Winters 248
Sapphire Wong 214
Jenn Woodall 210
Alex Woolfson 202
Tory Woollcott 266
Sophie Yanow 112
Yeti Press 257
Youth In Decline 155
Jim Zub 211

Obviously we are very disappointed but the circumstances are beyond our control. We would be happy to welcome Blutch to TCAF or to Toronto another time. For futher information, please refer to the PictureBox website.

Are your walls looking a little bare? Is your TCAF memorabilia out of date?

Just in time for the 2013 festival (phewf!) our two official posters are being delivered to us from the printers as I type this! Featuring exclusive art from Featured Guests Maurice Vellekoop and Taiyo Matsumoto, these posters will be available for purchase during the TCAF weekend.

Don’t they look great?

Full event info and links to ticket registration are found below. Don’t dilly-dally –  They’re going fast!

Tekkon Kinkreet Screening and Q&A
with Creator Taiyo Matsumoto, Director Michael Arias, & Screenwriter Anthony Weintraub
Thursday, May 09, 2013
7pm-11pm, Doors at 6:30pm.
Innis Town Hall Theatre, 2 Sussex Ave, Toronto

ADVANCE BOOK + TICKET PURCHASE AT http://tekkon.eventbrite.com/

TCAF 10th Anniversary Kick-Off Event 
Featuring Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez, in conversation with Tom Spurgeon 
Friday, May 10, 2013 
@ The Bram and Bluma Appel Salon, Toronto Reference Library 
789 Yonge St, Toronto, Ontario, 2nd Floor 
Doors at 7:00pm. Ticket valid until 7:20pm. Rush-line admtitance from 7:20pm-7:30pm

TICKETS AT: http://tcaf2013.eventbrite.com/

Please visit our Events Page for more info on these and all TCAF 2013 events.

Courtesy of VIZ Media, everybody who purchases a copy of Sunny Vol. 1 at TCAF will receive this gorgeous, limited edition print! If that’s not incentive, then what is?! Prints/Books will be available for purchase at all of Taiyo Matsumoto’s events, as well as at The Beguiling sales table during the festival.

TCAF would like to thank Owl kids, publishers of Owl, Chickadee, and Chirp!, for their generous support of TCAF’s Kids’ Programming and activities.

Check out the full schedule:

Saturday, May 11, 9am-5pm          

9-9:30am                Free Comic Book Giveaway

From superheroes and fantasy to funny animals and cartoon fun, come to the show early for FREE COMICS! Limit 3 for children 12 and under. Limited quantities each day.

9:30-10:15             Toon Books Storytime Celebration

Featuring Frank Viva, Frank Cammusso, Francoise Mouly

Share the joy of graphic novels with the youngest of readers with TOON Books! Join Frank Viva (A Trip to the Bottom of the World With Mouse) and Frank Cammuso (Otto’s Orange Day, Otto’s Backwards Day) as they read their stories and engage kids with drawings and activities.

10:30-11:15          Making Faces

Featuring: David Huyck, Phil McAndrew

Join children’s illustrator David Huyck (That One Spooky Night) and Mad Magazine cartoonist Phil McAndrew on how to make a face that sticks. Learn how to show emotions through facial expressions and body posture — make your characters pop off the page! What do the eyebrows say? And why the heck are the eyebrows talking in the first place?

11:30-12:15pm  To ASTRONAUT ACADEMY and Beyond!

Featuring Dave Roman

Author Dave Roman uses his graphic novel Astronaut Academy to inspire kids to design their own out-of-this-world school full of wacky students and teachers. Whether the setting is underground, in the clouds, underwater, or another dimension, it’s all up to their imaginations!

12:30-1:15pm     TOON Books Storytime Celebration

Featuring: Rutu Modan, Art Spiegelman, Francoise Mouly

Share the joy of graphic novels with the youngest of readers with TOON Books! Join Rutu Modan (Maya Makes a Mess) and Art Spiegelman (Jack and the Box) as they read their stories and engage kids with drawings and activities.

1:30-2:15pm        Sound Effects Workshop

Featuring: Brian McLachlan, Eric Wight

CrasH! bAm! BOoM! Comics wouldn’t be the same without sound effects. With the help of Brian McLachlan (The Princess Planet) & Eric Wight (Frankie Pickle) find out why cartoonists use them, and how you can add some awesome onomatopoeia (words that imitate sounds) to your own comics.

2:30-3:15pm        Kids Comics Quickfire

Featuring: Dave Roman, Cecil Castellucci, Jerzy Drozd, Nina Matsumoto, Shelli Paroline, John Green

A fast-paced game show where volunteers are paired off with (or against) professional cartoonists in a series of fun-filled drawing challenges! Audience members will provide suggestions and add to the creation of totally improvised epic drawings! Featuring hosts Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy) and Cecil Castellucci (Odd Duck), Jerzy Drozd (Sugary Serials), Nina Matsumoto (Yokaiden), Shelli Paroline (Adventure Time), John Green (Teen Boat), & more!

Sunday, May 12, 11am-5pm       

11-11:30am          Free Comic Book Giveaway

From superheroes and fantasy to funny animals and cartoon fun, come to the show early for FREE COMICS! Limit 3 for children 12 and under. Limited quantities each day.

11:30-12:15pm  Silly Sunday Storytime

Featuring: Greg Pizolli, Bob Shea

A crocodile that’s afraid of swallowing a watermelon seed? A goat that’s jealous of the new unicorn in town? Join Greg Pizzoli (The Watermelon Seed) and Bob Shea (Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great) for a Sunday storytime like no other! Expect tons of laughs and even live drawing to music!

12:30-1:15pm     Comic Book Club!

Featuring: Phil Amara and J Bone

Are you a kid who likes comics so much you could burst? Join the immature duo of Phil Amara (So You Want to Be a Comic-Book Artist) and J Bone (Batman: Brave and the Bold) in creating mini-comic books and comic strips using paper, scissors and coloured pencils. Recommended for kids with imaginations that just won’t quit.

1:30-2:15pm        DRAMA Reader’s Theatre

Featuring Raina Telgemeier

Can you bring the drama to DRAMA? Raina Telegemeier will lead a group of audience volunteers in a dramatic and interactive reading of her latest graphic novel.  Get ready for some acting fun & laughs and afterwards Raina will show off her skills with some interactive drawing.

2:30-3:15pm        Heroes vs Villains!

Featuring: Faith Erin Hicks, Cecil Castellucci

The hero (protagonist) and the villain (antagonist) are the two most important characters in stories. Join Cecil Castellucci (Odd Duck) and Faith Erin Hicks (Bigfoot Boy) in creating a hero and a villain with your help and get tips on creating your own characters for your own fantastic stories.

3:30-4:15pm        Kids Comics Quickfire, the sequel

Featuring: Dave Roman, Zack Giallongo, Jerzy Drozd, Audra Furuichi, Eric Wight, Raina Telgemeier

A fast-paced game show where volunteers are paired off with (or against) professional cartoonists in a series of fun-filled drawing challenges! Audience members will provide suggestions adding to the creation of totally improvised epic drawings! Featuring Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy) Zack Giallongo (Broxo), Jerzy Drozd (Sugary Serials), Audra Furuichi (Nemu*Nemu), Eric Wight (Frankie Pickle), Raina Telgemeier (Smile), & more!