François Ayroles
Born in Paris in 1969, François Ayroles studied at the School of Fine Arts in Angoulême for three years. In 1994, he participated in the collective album 'Le Retour de Dieu', before embarking on a regular cooperation with L'Association and its magazine Lapin in 1995. For this publisher, he created boks including 'Jean Qui Rit, Jean Qui Pleure', 'Notes Mésopotamiennes', 'Incertain Silence', and 'Les Parleurs'. He is a member of the OuBaPo group (Ouvroir de Bande dessinée Potentielle), that explores the narrative and graphic potential of the comics art. Ayroles' most recent work includes Les Amis (L'Association, 2008), an official selection of the 2009 Angouleme Festival.

Francois Aryoles' only English-language comics work was as the illustrator of the graphic novel Playback, based on the unproduced-screenplay by novelist Raymond Chandler and adapted with author Ted Benoit.

To broaden the appreciation of the work of Francois Ayroles amongst graphic novel fans, TCAF sponsor The Beguiling will be publishing a collection of Ayroles' humour cartoons entitled Key Moments from the History of Comics. These wry, witty cartoons imagine what the most important moments in the lives and times of great cartoonists the world over were like... A collection taking the best and most relevant cartoons from Ayroles' French language livres 28 Moments Clés de la Bande Dessinée and Nouveaux Moments Clés de la Bande Dessinée.

Francois Ayroles appears at TCAF with the assistance of Le Consulat General de France a Toronto.

Related Links:
Francois Ayroles at Lambiek.net
Bart Beaty Reviews Mes Amis and Travail Rapide & Soigne at ComicsReporter.com
Bart Beaty revies Le Jeu des Dames at ComicsReporter.com

Anke Feuchtenberger
Born in East Berlin, Anke Feuchtenberger co-founded the group "Glowing Future," which carried out political actions through art>graffiti and wall paintings>in the public space. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the group combined their art with narrative comics, creating both books and gallery exhibitions shown around the world. Her works available in English incude W THE WHORE and W THE WHORE MAKES HER TRACKS, both published by Bries, and the short graphic novel The Crossing which appears in the Actus Tragicus anthology Happy End.

Co-presented with the Goethe-Institut Toronto. Visit www.goethe.de/toronto and www.goethe.de/graphicnovel

Related Links:
Homepage
Anke Feuchtenberger at the Goethe-Institut Canada

Emmanuel Guibert
The writer of a great many graphic novels for readers young and old, among them the Sardine in Outer Space series, The Professor's Daughter, and Alan's War, Emmanuel Guibert is a major talent in his native France who is now garnering accolades here in North America.

His most recent work is The Photographer, a gritty account of Doctors Without Borders’ 1980s mission in Afghanistan, as seen through the eyes of a great photojournalist, the late Didier Lefèvre. The Photographer will have it's English language debut at The Toronto Comic Arts Festival.

Emmanuel Guibert appears at TCAF to promote the English-language release of The Photographer, and with the support of The French Consulate of Canada, and his publisher First Second Books.

Related Links:
Emmanuel Guibert at First Second Books

Kid Koala
Back in 1996, Kid Koala became the first North American artist signed to UK label Ninja Tune. In the years that followed Kid Koala released a string of remixes and toured North America with fellow Ninja artists: Coldcut, DJ Food and DJ Vadim. But it was not long before his skill, innovation, and performance style led him to attract attention from those outside the club community. In 1998, he was invited to join Money Mark’s band, and then went on the road to open for the Beastie Boys on their "Hello Nasty" world tour.

In 2000, Ninja Tune released Kid Koala’s debut album “Carpal Tunnel Syndrome” which received international praise by the press for having defied expectation. The album featured a video game and a 32-page comic illustrated by Kid Koala himself. Following the release of the album Kid Koala toured extensively in North America and Europe as a member of groups such as Deltron 3030, Lovage, Bullfrog and on his own, opening for some of his favorite artists, Radiohead and Bjork.

While on the road, Kid Koala kept busy with pen to paper, illustrating a 350-page book called “Nufonia Must Fall” which was accompanied by a soundtrack that he composed on the piano. Shortly after the release of this book came the release of his second album, “Some of My Best Friends are DJs” complete with a 50-page comic book and mini chess game. This album was supported by a cabaret-style tour known as “The Short Attention Span Theatre”, which featured 3 DJs on 8 turntables, a slide show and a bingo game among other quirky surprises. Following this tour Kid Koala performed DJ sets in Australia, Asia, Europe, Russia, North America and South America, all the while working on a new book and a very eccentric puppet show scheduled to take place in 2006.

Kid Koala is now on the road supporting his newest album on Ninja Tune, “Your Mom’s Favorite DJ”. On this record he shows that his chosen means of expression (the turntable) is used not as a way of showing that he can do faster crabs than anyone else, but as a way of telling stories. Although there is the romance, silent movie comedy and swing that your mother may well smile at and even shake her booty to, the enthralling deftness and complexity you’d expect from Kid Koala is also here - woven together with classic hip hop beats, breaks and generous swathes of heavy guitars.

Kid Koala will be headling a TCAF Kick-off party on Thursday May 7th, and doing a super-chill drawing event on Monday May 11th. Kid Koala will be appearing at TCAF on Sunday May 10th only, and will be signing in The Beguiling Signing Area from 2pm to 3:30pm.

Related Links:
http://www.kidkoala.com
http://www.myspace.com/kidkoalaonesandtwos
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kid-Koala/17527901121

Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud is probably best known for his graphic novel textbook Understanding Comics, one of the first long-form attempts to create an overview of the comic medium, which linked contemporary comic books and strips to works of art and antiquities as various as Egyptian hieroglyphs, The Bayeux Tapestry, and the woodcut novels of the 18th and 19th centuries. McCloud followed Understanding Comics in 1998 with Reinventing Comics, a mre controversial look at comics revolutions in art, culture, retailing, and technology, and again in 2006 with Making Comics, an extensive look at comics storytelling techniques.

McCloud started in comics as the creator of Zot! (1984-1991) , a self-described "cross between peter Pan, Buck Rogers, and Marshall McLuhan." In 2008, Zot! was collected in a handsome complete edition by Harper Collins books.

McCloud’s theories on storytelling and visual literacy have found incredible popularity in the fields of digital content and presentation (as well as comics!), and since the publication of Understanding Comics McCloud has become a celebrated international lecturer presenting to audiences that include Google, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Adobe Systems, Game Developers Conference, eBay, and Pixar.

Scott McCloud's appearance at TCAF comes courtesy of TCAF Presenting Sponsor Toronto Public Library.

Related Links:
ScottMcCloud.com - Scott McCloud's website

Bryan Lee O'Malley
Canadian cartoonist Bryan Lee O’Malley got his start serializing various popular comics online, before coming to the attention of Oni Press to illustrate the graphic novel Hopeless Savages: Ground Zero. That was followed by his debut graphic novel Lost At Sea, a road-trip on paper. O’Malley is currently starting work on the sixth and final volume of Scott Pilgrim, an action/romance/comedy series heavily inspired by video games, and set in the city of Toronto.

Scott Pilgrim is currently being produced as a movie for Universal Pictures, directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) and starring Michael Cera (Superbad) as the title character. It will be filming in the city of Toronto from March through July of 2009.

Related Links:
Radiomaru.com - Bryan Lee O'Malley's Homepage
ScottPilgrim.com

Paul Pope
In America, he's been called the "comics destroyer;" in France, he's been called the "Jim Morrison of comics" and "comics' Petit Prince." One of a handful of young cartoonists consistently gaining critical praise and media attention, Pope has been featured in Canada on MuchMusic and Space channel, among others, and his work has appeared in print outlets like Spin, Entertainment Weekly, Jalouse, V Magazine and The Village Voice. His recent works have included stints on popular comics icons in Batman and The Fantastic Four, original graphic novels Heavy Liquid and 100%, and the career retrospective art book Pulp Hope.

Paul Pope will be at TCAF to premiere the new hard cover collector's edition of his graphic novel 100%, a sci-fi romance.

Related Links:
Pulphope - The Paul Pope Website

Florent Ruppert

Florrent Ruppert is one half of the French comics duo "Ruppert and Mulot", with creator Jérôme Mulot. The pair met at the Superior National Art School of Dijon. Together they created the fanzine Del Aventure. Cooperating on both the scripts and the artwork, they have participated in smallpress fanzines like Bile Noire and Le Nouveau Journal de Judith et Marinette. Their work was discovered by L'Association President Jean-Christophe Menu, and since that time they have published with the company. Their works for L'Association include 'Safari Monseigneur' in the anthology Ciboulette and contributed to the publications L'Éprouvette and Lapin. Futher works include 'La Poubelle de la Place Vendôme', 'Panier de Singe'.

Ruppert and Mulot won the award for best new artists (The "Revelation" prize) at Angouleme in 2007.

To date, Ruppert and Mulot's only English Language work appeared in the massive Kramers Ergot Volume 7, published by Buenaventura Press.

Related Links:
Ruppert and Mulot at Lambiek.net
Rupert and Mulot's Homepage
Bart Beaty on Safari Monseigneur
Bart Beaty on Pattes de Mouche/La Poubelle de la Place Vendome
Bart Beaty talks about the duo's exhibit at Fumetto
Bart Beaty on Ruppert and Mulot's win at Angouleme, 2007
Read a translated story by Ruppert and Mulot!

Seth
Internationally-acclaimed cartoonist Seth hails from Guelph, Ontario, and is one of the best-known Canadian cartoonists in the world. His works include the graphic novels It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken, Clyde Fans, Wimbledon Green, and the ongoing comic series Palooka-Ville.

2009 will see the realization of a long-held dream of Seth’s, a career retrospective of one his favourite cartoonists, Doug Wright (1917-1983). Published by Drawn & Quarterly and edited and designed by Seth, The Complete Doug Wright Book One will debut at during the fourth-annual Doug Wright Awards, to be held the evening of Saturday May 9th during TCAF. Seth will also be premiering a new graphic novel of his own, George Sprott 1894-1975, collecting and greatly expanding upon Seth’s comic strip serialized in The New York Times Magazine. In addition to his graphic novel work, Seth is a busy book designer and illustrator whose work regularly appears in The New Yorker and The Wall Street Journal.

Related Links:
Seth at Drawn and Quarterly

Yoshihiro Tatsumi
Born in Osaka, Japan, in 1935, Yoshihiro Tatsumi is an incredibly influential Japanese comics artist widely credited with starting the “Gekiga” style of comics in Japan in the late 1950s, expanding the audience for comics (manga) to include more than just children. Beginning in 2006, Canadian publisher Drawn & Quarterly undertook the task of bringing Tatsumi’s work to the west, by publishing collections of his short stories The Push Man, Abandon The Old In Tokyo, and Good Bye.

The 2009 Toronto Comic Arts Festival will see the international debut (in English) of Tatsumi’s masterwork—a massive 840-page autobiographic memoir about his career in comics entitled A Drifting Life. Already hailed as one of the most important graphic novels of 2009, Yoshihiro Tatsumi will be on hand to premiere the work alongside designer Adrian Tomine, and the two will discuss it in a special presentation.

Related Links:
Yoshihiro Tatsumi at Drawn and Quarterly
Yoshihiro Tatsumi at Wikipedia

Adrian Tomine
The creator of one of the most popular alternative comic book series of all time, Optic Nerve, Adrian Tomine is an accomplished writer, illustrator, and designer. His graphic novel collections include 32 Stories, Sleepwalk, and Summer Blonde, and an artbook entitled Scrapbook: Uncollected Work 1990-2004. In 2007 Tomine completed his most-acclaimed graphic novel to date, Shortcomings, and TCAF will see the premiere of the softcover edition of this bestseller as well as a special 10th Anniversary Edition of 32 Stories.

Adrian Tomine was also responsible for “discovering” the work of Japanese creator Yoshihiro Tatsumi, bringing the work to the attention of Drawn & Quarterly and designing and editing the collections of his work published there. Adrian Tomine will be a part of a special presentation of Shortcomings and Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s new graphic novel A Drifting Life during the Festival.

Related Links:
[link here]

Craig Yoe
Craig Yoe runs the New York design firm YOE! Studio with Clizia Gussoni, and is the author of over 30 books, including The Art of Mickey Mouse. Yoe has won the Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators, two Addys, a Mobius, and an Eisner Award.

Craig Yoe will be in Toronto attending TCAF to promote his new work SECRET IDENTITY: THE FETISH ART OF SUPERMAN'S CO-CREATOR JOE SHUSTER, published this spring by Abrams/Image. Yoe will be exhibiting at The Toronto Comic Arts Festival on Saturday May 9th, from 10am-5pm, and Sunday May 10th, from 11am-5pm. Yoe will also be the subject of the special panel discussion “Spotlight: Craig Yoe and the Fetish Art of Joe Shuster”, Saturday afternoon at 3:30pm in Toronto Reference Library’s Gallery Space NOTE TIME CHANGE!. The panel will be hosted by Douglas Wolk, freelance writer and critic for The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Salon.com, and author of the book Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work.

Related Links:
Craig Yoe Online: Yoe.com
Abrams Books

Partner Guests:

Derek Kirk Kim
Born in 1974 in Gumi, South Korea, Derek Kirk Kim is an award-winning Korean-American cartoonist. Originally publishing his short stories in mini-comics and online, in 2002 Kim collected his work into the graphic novel Same Difference and Other Stories, which he self-published with the assistance of a Xeric Grant (The book has since been picked up by Top Shelf Comics). The work has won an Eisner, a Harvey, and an Ignatz award, the trifecta of top-notch comics awards. His work has appeared in the Flight Anthology, Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall, Nickelodeon Magazine, and more. In 2007 DC's Minx line published his graphic novel Good As Lily (with artist Jessie Hamm).

Derek Kirk Kim appears at TCAF as a guest of The Beguiling, to promote the world premiere the new graphic novel The Eternal Smile from First Second Books. Written be Gene Yang (American Born Chinese), The Eternal Smile is a collection of three short stories all drawn by Derek in completely different and wonderful styles.

Related Links:
Lowbright - Derek Kirk Kim Online
First Second Books
The Beguiling Books and Art

Tara McPherson
Based in New York City, Tara McPherson has been featured in Juxtapoz, Esquire, Vanity Fair, Bust, Elle, and The Society of Illustrators Annual, amongst many other publications. Tara exhibits her paintings and serigraphs in fine art galleries all over the world. Named the crown princess of poster art by ELLE Magazine, she has created numerous gig posters for rock bands such as Beck, Modest Mouse, and Melvins. Her array of art also includes painted comics for DC Vertigo and AdHouse Books, and has two art books with Dark Horse Comics, Lonely Heart: The Art of Tara McPherson, and Lost Constellations: The Art of Tara McPherson Volume 2, which will be debuting at TCAF.

Tara McPherson appears at TCAF with the support of Magic Pony Shop + Gallery in Toronto. Magic Pony will be hosting a gallery showing of McPhersons's work and her new toy line with KIDROBOT in conjunction with TCAF.

Related Links:
TaraMcpherson.com
Magic Pony

Canadian Guests:

Kei Acedera
Kei Acedera specializes in concept art, visual development, and character design for film and television. Her illustrations and paintings have so much charm and broad-based appeal, they never fail to bring a smile to people’s faces.

Kei feels a constant need to create. When she is not working her magic on the (digital) canvas, she likes to put together small arts and crafts out of everyday things like Smarties boxes and scrap paper. She also enjoys making little t-shirts for her guinea pig, Tobi, who quickly outgrows them.

Both Kei and Tobi currently live, work, and play in Toronto, Canada.

Related Links:
Imaginism Studios

Ho Che Anderson
Ho Che Anderson has perfected a film-noir style in his Fantagraphics graphic novels King and Young Hoods in Love, as well as the Eros Comix masterpiece I Want to Be Your Dog. In his series Pop Life (co-created with Wilfred Santiago), Anderson refined his noirish approach to reflect his more recent European influences in this series of urban Toronto life.

Ho Che Anderson will be signing at The Fantagraphics and Beguiling tables during the weekend of TCAF.

Related Links:
Ho Che Anderson at Fantagraphics Books

Most recently Kalman has completed runs of cover art for DC's Checkmate series, and illustrated NYX: No Way Home, for Marvel Comics.

Kate Beaton
Kate Beaton is a Nova Scotia native who draws wonderful comics about history.

Kate Beaton is a nominee for a 2009 Doug Wright Award.

Related Links:
KateBeaton.com

Andy Belanger
Better known to the world as Andy B., Belanger has illustrated numerous comics projects including The Tracey Fragments based on the film by Canadian Director Bruce McDonald, and Friday The 13th: Abuser and Abused based on the horror film series. The work closest to his heart is Raising Hell, a horror-comedy currently being serialized at webcomics portal Transmission-X.

Andy is currently working on Dead Goombas, an original graphic novel coming from Oni Press in 2009, with writer J. Torres.

Related Links:
Dead End 56: Andy Belanger Online
Transmission-X: Webcomics

Caitlin Black
Caitlin Black is an illustrator and artist living in Toronto, Ontario. She has worked in the arts as an illustrator, tattoo artist and performance artist. The stylistic range of her work includes picture books, off-beat and narrative themes inspired by music and the written word.

Caitlin Black is a Nominee for a 2009 Doug Wright Award.

Related Links:
Caitlin Black's Blog

He is also developing several personal projects at his website, including his saucy space adventure hero Jett Vector.

Related Links:
Blah Blah Blah Blog!
Man's Adventure!.

Chester Brown
Writer and artist, and the renowned creator of books such as THE PLAYBOY and I NEVER LIKED YOU, and the ongoing series' UNDERWATER and YUMMY FUR. His graphic novel ED THE HAPPY CLOWN (which just finished a new and improved serialization) earned him the accolades of Rolling Stone magazine, naming him one of their IT Comics Creators. Chester drew the eyes of historians, press publications and all those appreciative of comic art with the collection of his series detailing the life of Canadian rebel LOUIS RIEL from Drawn & Quarterly.

Chester is currently working on a new autobiographical graphic novel, due in 2010 from Drawn & Quarterly.

Related Links:
Chester Brown at Drawn and Quarterly

Cecil Castellucci
Cecil Castellucci has published three novels for young adults, Boy Proof, The Queen of Cool and Beige all on Candlewick Press. She also wrote the graphic novels The PLAIN Janes and Janes in Love illustrated by Jim Rugg, which was the launch title for DC Comics Minx line of graphic novels for young adults. She has had short stories in Wizards of the Coast's Magic in the Mirrorstone Anthology and Candlewick Press's Sideshow Anthology. She is the co-editor, with Holly Black, of the anthology Geektastic and upcoming in 2010 has a new YA novel Rose Sees Red. Her books have been on ALA's BBYA, Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Great Graphic Novels for Teens lists as well as the NYPL Books for the Teen Age and the Amelia Bloomer list. In addition to writing books, she writes plays, makes movies and occasionally rocks out.

Related Links:
www.misscecil.com

Bobby Chiu
Bobby Chiu’s art career started at age two with a box of crayons and his family’s white living room walls. He got his first professional art job at the age of seventeen, designing Disney, Warner Bros., and Star Wars toys at Thinkway Toys in Toronto. Bobby has since won a number of awards for his independent work, including a Master Award in EXPOSÉ 3. He presently works in multimedia concept design, teaches digital painting online at Schoolism.com (www.schoolism.com), publishes art books, and works on other top secret projects we’re not allowed to talk about.

Bobby currently lives and works in Toronto, Canada. He once skipped out on his own birthday to catch the season premiere of “Prison Break”. There are still lots of doodles on his desk and walls.

Related Links:
Imaginism Studios

Svetlana Chmakova
Svetlana was born and raised Russian, and came to Canada at the tender age of 16. She finished high school here, then graduated Sheridan College with a three-year Classical Animation Diploma and is currently a freelance artist, as well as a fledging North-American equivalent of a manga-ka.
Svetlana has drawn for how-to-draw-manga books, RPG manuals, toy designs, animation and book covers. In addition, she has written and drawn the critically acclaimed Tokyo Pop graphic novels DRAMACON and DRAMACON 2, and creates the monthly strip ADVENTURES OF CG for "CosmoGirl" magazine.

Her current work is the manga series NIGHTSCHOOL, serialized in the pages of YEN PLUS MAGAZINE.

Related Links:
Svetlana's Website

Claudia Davila
Born in Santiago, Chile, Claudia Dávila moved to Canada in 1973 and grew up in the culture-rich cities of Montreal and Toronto. She began drawing and painting at an early age, and was fortunate to attend art-focused public high school Wexford C.I., followed by York University for Visual Arts. She emerged to develop a multi-faceted career of graphic design, art direction, illustration, painting and cartooning. Five years were dedicated to the award-winning children’s magazines Chirp, Chickadee and Owl, first as Associate Art Director and subsequently as Art Director.

She is presently creating a book-art piece relating to survival in Toronto after the end of petroleum energy, for which she received a Toronto Arts Council grant. Claudia is currently creating the online comic LUZ: THE GIRL OF KNOWING for Transmission-X.

Related Links:
Transmission-X Comics Online
Claudia's Homepage

Michèle Laframboise's past comics work includes: Ruego (Self Published, 2008), Séances de signatures (Fichtre!, 2006), and La Plume japonaise, (Self-published, 2006).

Related Links:
www.michele-laframboise.com

Hilary Leung and David Bruins, the creators of THE LEGEND OF NINJA COWBOY BEAR, will be appearing at TCAF on Sunday May 10th, as part of TCAF Kids Day, giving a presentation and doing a signing. For more info, check the events page.
Related Links:
Ninja Cowboy Bear Online
Hilary Leung's Website

"in my cartooning, i am influenced most by dave sim, phoebe gloeckner, and terry moore, but i draw more like myself every day."

Related Links:
Miriam Libicki Online

John Martz
One of the founders of the incredibly popular illustration and cartooning showcase website Drawn.ca, John Martz is also a talented illustrator and cartoonist himself! You can find his work in the SYNCOPATED COMICS VOL 3 anthology, and in a new project debuting this summer.
Related Links:
DRAWN.CA
John Martz' homepage

Jim Munroe
Jim Munroe (b. 1972) is a “pop culture provocateur” according to the Austin Chronicle, and an “independent press icon” to Time Out Chicago. After leaving HarperCollins for political reasons, he founded No Media Kings and published five books, the most recent one a post-Rapture graphic novel called Therefore Repent! He also started The Perpetual Motion Roadshow, an indie touring circuit that sent 100 artists on the road between 2003-2007, and currently he is running the Artsy Games Incubator, a writer’s-circle style group helping creators without programming skills make videogames. He lives in Toronto with a crafty ladyscientist and their bafflingly attractive baby.

Jim will debut the first part of his new graphic novel, a follow-up to Therefore Repent! at TCAF 2009.

Related Links:
No Media Kings

More recently, Rina has enjoyed continued success as the “Wednesday chick” on King Features’ daily panel “SIX CHIX”. In 2002, Rina lauched her very own comic strip, “TINA’S GROOVE”, syndicated by King Features Syndicate.

Rina was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. She now lives with her husband in New York City with their canary, Olive.

Related Links:
http://tinasgroove.com/rina

Like many kids in North America, Michel Rabagliati grew up reading comic books, but since he was born in 1961 in Montreal, instead of reading The Hulk or Superman, he was immersed in all the major comic albums being published in Belgium and France: Tintin, Spirou, Gaston, and of course Asterix, among others. Rabagliati faithfully subscribed to all the European comics magazines, and he would copy his favorite artists, writing and drawing his own comic strips and quickly forgetting them in a drawer. By the mid 1970s his interests turned toward graphic design and after studying this and typography, he became a graphic designer and commercial illustrator in 1982. His illustrations have since appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, The Utne Reader, The Advocate, The National Post, Maclean�s and Canadian Business.

Nearly a decade later in 1990, Rabagliati was asked to design a logo for the new comics publisher Drawn & Quarterly and he encountered a whole new world of comics publishing in English. Interested in comics again, he began seeking out comics in French and English and it wasn't long before he was writing and drawing his own comics again. In 1999, at 36, Rabagliati had his first comic book published by the Montreal publisher Les �ditions de la Pasteque, which was translated the following year as Paul in the Country by D+Q, earning him a Harvey Award for Best New Talent. Earlier in 2000, his first translated strip, "Paul, Apprentice Typographer," appeared in Drawn & Quarterly Vol. 3. In 2003, D+Q published the English translation of Michel's first full-length original graphic novel, Paul Has A Summer Job, followed by Paul Moves Out, in 2005. His 2008 Drawn and Quarterly release Paul Goes Fishing has been nominated for a Doug Wright Award for Excellence in Canadian Cartooning.

Michel Rabagliati lives in Montreal with his partner and daughter.

Related Links:
Michel Rabagliati at Drawn and Quarterly
Un profile de Michel Rabagliati a BD Quebec

Paul Rivoche
Paul Rivoche is a veteran comic book artist, illustrator, and animation background designer. In the comics field, he has drawn stories and covers for DC Comics properties such as Superman and The Spirit, and has written and drawn his own stories for several graphic novel anthologies including Random House’s “Flight 5” and Adhouse Books’ acclaimed “Project” series. In the animation field, he has done key background designs and storyboards for many Warner Brothers Animation projects, including Batman, Batman Beyond, Superman, and the recent New Frontier/Justice League DVD. He lives in Toronto with his family and loveable fluffy off-white family dog. More of his work and blog updates can be found at his site www.rocketfiction.com.

Related links:
http://www.rocketfiction.blogspot.com/
http://paulrivoche.creativesource.ca/

Fiona Smyth
A local cartoonist who has received international acclaim, Fiona Smyth has left her mark all over the city of Toronto. She will be exhibiting with Davis Weir, publisher of the new anthology EVERYTHING ELEVATOR.
Related Links:
Fiona Smyth Online
http://thewilding.blogspot.com/

Tara Tallan
Tara Tallan began work on her science fiction story Galaxion when she was twelve. Since then she has gone on to become a serious sci-fi nut, including having spent ten years working at Canada's oldest science fiction bookstore, Bakka (now known as Bakka-Phoenix). Tara wrote, drew, inked, lettered, and published Galaxion from 1993 to 1999, and during that time appeared at comic conventions across North America.

She was nominated for the Ignatz Award for Promising New Talent in 1998 and the Friends of Lulu Kim Yale Award for Best New Talent in 1998 and 1999. She has a prose short story published in the Bakka Anthology, alongside such science fiction luminaries as Tanya Huff, Robert J. Sawyer, and Cory Doctorow. She has also been hired for several freelance art projects, including a comic book designed to sell Spenco TM insoles (no, I am not kidding). She has had precisely no formal art school training.

Tara is currently serializing the final iteration of Galaxion at her website.

Mariko Tamaki
Mariko Tamaki is a Toronto writer and performer with an avid interest in freaks, weirdos, and other fabulous forms of human behaviour. In the past, Mariko has appeared on stage with a variety of performance troupes, including fat activists Pretty, Porky and Pissed Off, The Corporate Wet Nurse Association, and theatre misfits TOA. In addition to her work in theatre, Mariko has published collections of creative non-fiction: True Lies: The Book of Bad Advice (2002), and Fake ID (2005), and one novella, Cover Me (2000).

Mariko is the author and co-creator of two graphic novels: SKIM, illustrated by her cousin Jillian Tamaki and published by Groundwood Books, and EMIKO SUPERSTAR, illustrated by Steve Rolston and published by DC Comics/Minx.

J. Torres
J. Torres is the writer of the Eisner nominated Alison Dare, the ALA listed Days Like This, the Harvey nominated Sidekicks and the Shuster Award winning Love as a Foreign Language. Other works include Copybook Tales, Degrassi: Extra Credit, Ninja Scroll, Teen Titans Go, and Wonder Girl.

J. Torres is currently working on Batman: The Brave and the Bold for DC Comics as well as two graphic novels for Oni Press, Dead Goombas and Lola: A Ghost Story.

James Turner has been working as a freelance illustrator and art director for years and years, since even before there was Twitter.

Over the course of his career, including an earlier life in multimedia, he has worked for a wide array of clients, including The Wall Street Journal, Elle, WIRED Magazine, IBM, BASF, The Milken Institute Review, ING, TD Bank, In Character, Reader's Digest, The Chicago Tribune, The Globe and Mail, Popular Science, Red Herring Magazine, MacWorld, and dozens of other exceptional and remarkable publications he can't remember.

In 2005 he ventured into the graphic novel field and wrote and illustrated NIL: A LAND BEYOND BELIEF. He followed that up with a quarterly comic book about a butt-kicking librarian, REX LIBRIS, of which two collections are currently available. His next project is WARLORD OF IO, due any day now. All of James' comics work is published by SLG Publishing.

Maurice Vellekoop
Maurice Vellekoop is a Toronto-area artist and illustrator whose work has appeared in Time, Cosmopolitan, GQ, Vogue, The New York Times Magazine, and Wallpaper*. His comics works are largely collected in the Drawn & Quarterly publication Vellevision, but he is probably best known to audiences for his erotic art books Maurice Vellekoops ABC Book: A Homoerotic Primer and his Mensroom Reader books.

Maurice's recent two works explore two of his passions: Opera, and attractive men. His Drawn & Quarterly published book A Nut At The Opera features pages of gorgeously illustrated opera divas and divos, with accompanying text pieces that poke fun at the excesses and drama of the art. His most recent work is the racy illustration book Pin-Ups, published by Green Candy Press. Featuring dozens of attractive, nude, and lovingly-rendered men, Pin-Ups lives up to its name.

For the first time, Maurice Vellekoop will be exhibiting at TCAF for the entire weekend, both Saturday May 9th and Sunday May 10th! He will have copies of all of his books, as well as a full compliment of original illustrations, paintings, and prints available for sale!

Related Links:
Maurice Vellekoop at Drawn and Quarterly
Green Candy Press
Maurice Vellekoop's Original Art Online at The Beguiling

International Guests:

Gabrielle Bell
Gabrielle Bell was born in England and raised in California. In 1998 She began to collect her "Book of" miniseries (Book of Sleep, Book of Insomnia, Book of Black, etc), which resulted in When I'm Old and Other Stories, published by Alternative Comics. In 2001 she moved to New York and released her autobiographical series Lucky, published by Drawn and Quarterly. Bell has contributed to many acclaimed anthologies including Mome, Kramers Ergot and The Drawn and Quarterly Showcase. Her work has been selected for the 2007 and 2009 Best American Comics and the Yale Anthology of Graphic Fiction. Bell's comic "Cecil and Jordan in New York" has been adapted for the film anthology Tokyo! by Michel Gondry, released in March 2009. Her latest collection, also titled Cecil and Jordan in New York, was published at the same time.

She lives in Brooklyn, New York and is working on a second volume of Lucky.

Related Links:
gabrielle Bell at Drawn and Quarterly

He is best known in the French and Belgian market for his character Armelle, which has been featured in two graphic novels that he wrote and illustrated published under Carabas (Semic): “Armelle and the Bird” and “Armelle and My Uncle”. He has also written a third graphic novel with art by Abdel Bouzbiba: ”Avril” .

He is currently working on his new project ”Pierrot Lunaire” that will be published in two 160 page graphic novels by Carabas.
Related Links:
http://antoinedode.blogspot.com/

Robin Enrico
"Hi! My name is Robin Enrico. I am 27 years old. I live in Brooklyn, NY. I work as a video editor and draw comics in my spare time. I would love if you would Email me.
"I have put out several mini-comics, and been published in anthologies such as True Porn 2. And was co-editor on the Girls' Guide to Guys' Stuff. I am also a co-founder of the Nerlinger Awards."

Related Links:
[link here]

Tim Fish's most recent publication is the benefit-anthology YOUNG BOTTOMS IN LOVE, and the new graphic novel LOVE IS THE REASON.

Alexis Frederick-Frost
Along with James Sturm and Andrew Arnold, Alexis Frederick-Frost has authored the brand-new comics how-to for kids, ADVENTURES IN CARTOONING, published by First Second Books. This fantastic new book takes kids aged 10 and up through the process of turning their doodles and drawings into full-fledged comic stories! Alexis will be presenting a special session on howkids can draw their comics on Sunday, May 10th! Check out the events/programming session soon for more information!

Alexis Frederick-Frost also won a Xeric Grant for his comic La Primavera, and is a cartoonist, Illustrator, Library Worker, and staff member at the Centre for Cartoon Studies.

Related Links:
Alexis Frderick-Frost's Blog

Dan is a writer/artist whose work has been appeared in Time, GQ, New York Magazine, Forbes and Wired. Known for his Eisner-nominated web-to-print comic SHOOTING WAR, he is a frequent speaker on both digital comic processes and online distribution, as well as a founding member of the celebrated webcomics collective ACT-I-VATE.

His newest graphic novel, 08: A GRAPHIC DIARY OF THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL with The New Republic's Michael Crowley, is a documentary-comic of the 2008 U.S. presidential election recently published by Crown Books.

He lives in New York City.

Raighne & Meghan Hogan
Raighne and Meghan Hogan of 2D Cloud are the co-editors of the comic art compendium Good Minnesotan. Each episode of Good Minnesotan contains experiments in sequential story-telling created by artists from or living in MN. Meghan and Raighne also create their own mini-comics such as Beard Growing Contest and Manny + Bigfoot.

2D Cloud collaborator, Nicholas Breutzman whose comics have appeared in Good Minnesotan, the delightful Critical Citadel and the forthcoming Porn Hounds #2 will be debuting his latest comic, Year Books at TCAF.  Year Books is 2D Cloud’s first large-scale full colour comic.

Related Links:
http://goodminnesotan.blogspot.com/
http://startledmaggie.blogspot.com/
http://raighne.blogspot.com/

Cheese Hasselberger has been publishing the anthology series House of Twelve since 2001, fostering some of indie comics best and brightest up and comers. He has also played host to New York's largest and longest running regular comics event, the Ho12 Comic Jams every month for nearly eight years. Cheese has been featured in several other anthologies and is debuting his first solo art book, MATH at Tcaf 2009, please stop by and take a look.

Dave McKenna lives in Manhattan. His comics can be found in House of Twelve, MAULED!, Legal Action Comics, Elfworld, and his own minicomics. His pornographic/giant monster adventure Monstaland will be available this fall. He is a founding participant in the mighty House of Twelve Comics Jams.

Of Brian Musikoff's hazardous occupations (namely: bartending, rocking, and illustrating) his passion for publishing comics has proven to be most detrimental. Visit manualcomics.com and check out the MAULED! anthologies.

The House of Twelve table will feature signings and sketches from our list of contributors, schedule tbd.

Tom Humberstone
Tom Humberstone has been writing, drawing, and self-publishing comics under the alias of VentedSpleen for three years.
His comics Art School Scum, So I Draw and How to Date a Girl in 10 Days have garnered favourable reviews in various publications including Dazed and Confused, RedEye Magazine, and the popular web-based comic journal Silver Bullet Comics.

He has exhibited at several comics conventions including the UK Web and Mini-Comix Thing and the Bristol International Comic Expo.

Related Links:
Vented Spleen

Lucy Knisley
Beginning with an love for Archie comics and Calvin and Hobbes, Lucy Knisley (pronounced "nigh-zlee") has always thought of cartooning as the only profession she is suited for. A New York City kid raised by a family of foodies, Lucy is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago currently pursuing an MFA at the Center for Cartoon Studies While completing her BFA at the School of the Art Institute, she was comics editor for the award-winning student publication F News Magazine.

In 2008, Simon & Schuster released Lucy's first Graphic Novel, French Milk, a travelogue in comics form about Lucy's first trip to Paris.

Lucy currently resides in Vermont where she's working on comics among the pines. She likes books, sewing, bicycles, food you can eat with a spoon, manatees, nice pens, costumes, baking and Oscar Wilde. She occasionally has been known to wear amazing hats.

Related Links:
Stop Paying Attention - Lucy Knisley Online

Joseph Lambert is a graduate of The Center For Cartoon Studies and creator of many mini-comics including I Will Bite You!, and Turtle, Keep It Steady! (which was included in Houghton-Mifflin’s Best American Comics 2008). He is also an editor and designer of the self-published Sundays Anthology. Look for his book I Will Bite You! and Other Stories in the fall of 09 from Secret Acres.

Tom Neely will be sharing space with his pals at the Sparkplug Comic Books table.
Related Links:
Tom Neely's Site Tom Neely's Blog

Nate Powell

"Hi there, I’m Nate Powell.

"I was born in 1978 in Little Rock, Arkansas. I began self-publishing comics and zines in 1992 at age 14, and graduated from School of Visual Arts in 2000.

"My work includes Swallow Me Whole (Ignatz Winner — Outstanding Debut; Top Shelf, 2008), Please Release (Top Shelf, 2006), Sounds of Your Name (Microcosm, 2006), It Disappears (Soft Skull, 2004), Tiny Giants (Soft Skull, 2003), the Walkie Talkie series, and contributions to Meathaus, Paper Rodeo, and Eisner-nominated Syncopated anthologies."

Rugg's most recent work includes illustrating the graphic novels THE P.L.A.I.N. JANES and JANES IN LOVE by writer Cecil Casstelucci for DC Comics/MINX, and collaborating with Frank Santoro on COLD HEAT SPECIAL #4.

Dash Shaw
Dash Shaw is a comics-making machine. He has contributed to numerous anthologies and created numerous mini-comics. His published works include Love Eats Brains and Goddess Head and The Mother's Mouth from Alternative Comics.

In 2008 Dash released his longest work to date, The Bottomless Bellybutton, a 740 page original graphic novel that topped many critics' lists as one of the best graphic novels of the year. He is currently serializing his new graphic novel, Body World, online.

Related Links:
DashShaw.com

Jason Shiga
Jason Shiga is an Asian American illustrator and cartoonist from Oakland, California. His comics have a geeky side, and often feature exciting uses of math. His works include DOUBLE HAPPINESS, FLEEP, and BOOKHUNTER, as well as many more awesome mini-comics.
Related Links:
Shigabooks.com - Jason Shiga

Tim Sievert
Tim Sievert is a cartoonist from Minneapolis, MN. His first graphic novel is the critically acclaimed THAT SALTY AIR, from Top Shelf Comix. Tim will be exhibiting as part of the Top Shelf booth.
Related Links:
Tim Sievert Online

Jason Thompson
Jason Thompson is the author of Manga: The Complete Guide and the forthcoming graphic novel King of RPGs (with art by Victor Hao). As a manga editor, he has worked on the English editions of titles such as Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dragon Ball Z, Hana-Kimi, One Piece, Shaman King, Uzumaki, The Drifting Classroom and Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei. His writings on manga have appeared in WIRED, The Comics Journal and Otaku USA. He is the author/artist of several fantasy comics including Hyperborea, H.P. Lovecraft's The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, Bold Riley and the Serpent in the Belly and the webcomic The Stiff.

Jason will be speaking about manga in several of our scheduled events. Be sure to check our EVENTS page for speaking times

Related Links:
Jason Thompson's Livejournal

Jose Villarrubia
Jose Villarrubia is an artist who has done considerable work in the American comic book industry, particularly as a colorist. Villarrubia's fine art photography has been exhibited in the U.S., Latin America and Europe, and it is part of the permanent collection of institutions such as the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Inter-American Development Bank. He is a professor in the Illustration Department of the Maryland Institute College of Art. He has also taught at Towson University, the Baltimore School for the Arts and the Walters Art Museum. He has lectured extensively about art at Johns Hopkins University, the College Art Association, Dickinson College, the Institute of Contemporary Arts|ICA in London, the Williem de Kooning Academy, the Naples Academy of Art, and the MacWorld UK Convention.

Past work includes providing phortographic illustrations for two works by Alan Moore, VOICE OF THE FIRE and MIRROR OF LOVE, as well as contributing to the graphic novels VEILS, PROMETHEA, and THE SENTRY.

Current work includes: Illustrating The Book of Copulations, an introduction to magic in everyday life written by Alan Moore, developing Alan Moore's Tarot deck, coloring for all the major US comics companies (CONAN, YOUNG X MEN, SWEET TOOTH, GHOST RIDER, BATMAN (with Sam Keith), MANHUNTER, HALO UPRISING, KULL, and UNKNOWN SOLDIER) and a couple European projects (La Chica Bionica by Paul Pope for Dargaud Belgium).

Jose will be doing a signing in the signing area, as well as at the Top Shelf booth.

Related Links:
Jose Villarrubia at MySpace.

Eric Wight
Eric Wight is a professional artist, illustrator and animator, having graduated from SVA in New York. He's the author of the graphic novels My Dead Girlfriend for Tokyopop, and is possibly best known to the public as the "ghost artist" for Seth Cohen's character on the Fox TV Series "The OC" and for his work on the aborted animated version of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer." Most recently Wight completed art chores on Buffy The Vampire Slayer #20 for Dark Horse Comics.

Eric Wight will be debuting his new children's graphic novel FRANKIE PICKLE AND THE CLOSET OF DOOM, from Simon & Schuster, at TCAF 2009.

Related Links:
Eric Wight's My Dead Girlfriend Blog
Frankie Pickle at S&S

Attending Publishers and Comics Organizations

The Beguiling Books & Art
The Beguiling is Canada's premier retailer of comics and graphic novels, and the main sponsor of The Toronto Comic Arts Festival. The Beguiling will have an on-site store at TCAF in order to retail comics, graphic novels, prints, posters and art by guests of the show that will not have permanent exhibition space. What this means is that you can be sure you'll find all of the comics and graphic novels by all of the guests of the show, on site!

To broaden the appreciation of the work of Francois Ayroles amongst graphic novel fans, The Beguiling will be publishing a collection of Ayroles' humour cartoons entitled Key Moments from the History of Comics. These wry, witty cartoons imagine what the most important moments in the lives and times of great cartoonists the world over were like... A collection taking the best and most relevant cartoons from Ayroles' French language livres 28 Moments Clés de la Bande Dessinée and Nouveaux Moments Clés de la Bande Dessinée. This collection will be available exclusively at The Toronto Comic Arts Festival.

The Beguiling's retail store at 601 Markham Street in Toronto will also remain open during the entire weekend of TCAF for your browsing pleasure.

Related Links:
The Beguiling Books & Art Homepage

Conundrum Press
Conundrum Press is a Montreal-area Canadian publisher of many fine comics and art projects. They will be hosting numerous creator signings at their booth during the weekend of TCAF, signing schedule is below. Conundrum Press will be represented by publisher Andy Brown.

Conundrum Press TCAF Signing schedule:

Saturday May 9th:
Noon-1 Howard Chackowicz
1-2 Jillian Tamaki
2-3 Shary Boyle
3-4 Emily Holton, Kerry Byrne
4-5 Michael Hind, Ian Sullivan Cant

Sunday May 10th:
Noon-1 Dave Lapp (Doug Wright Awards Nominee for Drop-In)
1-2 Michael Hind, Kerry Byrne
2-3 Ian Sullivan Cant
3-4 Howard Chackowicz

Related Links:
Conundrum Press Homepage

The Doug Wright Awards

The prize is awarded annually to the author of the best Canadian work and the most promising talent published in English in the cartooning medium. Nominated works must be published in Canada in the calendar year for which the awards are presented. To be eligible, a work must be a first edition full length or collection, written by a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.

A featured event of the Toronto Comics Arts Festival (TCAF), the 2009 Doug Wright Awards will take place on Sat. May 9, 2009 at 7:00 pm. See the events page for details.

Doug Wright Awards Booth: Signing Schedule
On Saturday May 9th, the following nominees for the 2009 Doug Wright Awards will be signing at the DWA booth.

10:00am–10:30 Ray Fenwick Hall of Best Knowledge (Pigskin Peters Award nominee) & Tom Horacek All We Ever Do is Talk About Wood (Pigskin Peters Award nominee)
10:45–11:15 Matthew Forsythe Ojingogo (Pigskin Peters Award nominee)
11:30–12:00 Kate Beaton History Comics, www.harkavagrant.com (Best Emerging Talent nominee)
12:00–12:30 Dave Lapp Drop-in (Best Book nominee)
1:00–1:30 Jesse Jacobs Blue Winter, Shapes in the Snow (Best Emerging Talent nominee) and Small Victories (Pigskin Peters Award nominee)
2:00–2:30 Jillian & Mariko Tamaki Skim (Best Book nominees)
2:30–3:00 Michel Rabagliati Paul Goes Fishing (Best Book nominee)
3:15–3:45 Caitlin Black Maids of the Mist (Best Emerging Talent nominee)
4:00–4:30 Jason Kieffer Kieffer #2 (Best Emerging Talent nominee) & Nick Maandag Jack & Mandy (Best Emerging Talent nominee)

On Sunday, any on-hand winners will be signing at the booth, details will be announced at TCAF on Sunday.

Related Links:
Doug Wright Awards

Drawn & Quarterly
Drawn & Quarterly is celebrating their 20th Anniversary in 2009, and is premiering five books at TCAF including new works by Seth, Adrian Tomine, and Yoshihiro Tatsumi. Drawn & Quarterly will be represented by Chris Oliveros, Tom Devlin, and Peggy Burns, amongst many others.

Draqn & Quarterly Signing Schedule

Saturday May 9th:

10am-12pm: Chester Brown

12pm-4pm: Gabrielle Bell, Michel Rabagliati

2pm-4pm: Seth, Adrian Tomine, Yoshihiro Tatsumi

4pm-5pm: Chester Brown, Gabrielle Bell, Michel Rabagliati

Sunday May 10th:

12pm-2pm: Adrian Tomine (until 1:30pm), Gabrielle Bell, Michel Rabagliati

2pm-4pm: Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Seth, Chester Brown

Related Links:
Drawn & Quarterly Homepage

Free Drawings
Free Drawings is a Toronto-area free newspaper filled edge-to-edge with drawings! Printed in editions of 2,000, and distributed across Toronto! Editor Jesjit Gill will be on hand to give away copies and solicit contributions.

The Shuster Awards
Established in 2004 by the Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Association, the annual Joe Shuster Awards are a national awards program that recognizes outstanding achievement in the creation, publishing and retailing of comic books, graphic novels and webcomics by Canadian citizens and residents. The awards are named after pioneering Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster who, along with writer Jerry Siegel, created the iconic super-powered hero, Superman. The name is used with the approval of Joe Shuster’s estate.

The Joe Shuster Awards booth at TCAF will feature signings by Canadian creators, as well as prints and original artwork for display and sale. Look for a full schedule in this space soon.

Entries for the new Gene Day Award for Canadian self-publishers will be accepted at the JSA booth. For full information on the Joe Shuster Awards and 2009 nominees, as well as the requirements for the Gene Day Award, please visit the JSA website. The website also provides information and announcements related to Canadian comic book creators, publishers, retailers and events.

Shuster Awards Signing Schedule:

SATURDAY & SUNDAY
11:00am-1:00pm: Agnes Garbowska (2009 Joe Shuster Awards Poster artist)

1:00pm-3:00pm: Marcio Takara (Boom Studios' The Incredibles artist) & Alina Urosov (Marvel's NYX: No Way Home cover artist)

3:00pm-5:00pm: Kelly Tindall (Image's Proof artist) & Alina Urosov (Marvel's NYX: No Way Home cover artist)

Related Links:
The Shuster Awards Homepage