TCAF 2013 at the Toronto Reference Library.
Don't be intimidated by the length of this post!
Last weekend, I went to the
Toronto Comic Arts Festival. It took place in the Toronto Reference Library, and the admission was free (thank goodness, seriously). I had a lot of fun, and met many artists and publishers. There was honestly so much to look at. I met a few artists whose
works I truly admire, and whom I had fun interacting with. Here are my highlights for this year's TCAF:
Jane Mai
"Dear Josephine, I lost so many chapsticks in my life I'm so upset. XOXO Jane Mai"
The first artist I met was
Jane Mai. I am very familiar with her work; in fact I admire her style of artistic expression. She's an illustrator from New York with a unique
sense of fashion & a love for eye patches! I bought her book
Sunday in the Park with Boys, as well as her
Nurse Janey notepad. She was so kind as to sign my book for me. After having read it, I must say that I appreciate her work a bit more now.
Laur Uy
Ms. Uy's graphic novel and illustrations.
Then I met
Laurianne Uy. She spoke to me about the first volume of her manga
Polterguys: a story about a girl who moves into an old house on her college campus, and encounters five cute guys in her new home, that just so happen to be ghosts —sort of like a reverse harem, no? I love the artwork for
Polterguys, and I intend on
buying it soon!
Saicoink
She's so cute she adjusted her vest for the picture!
Right beside Laur Uy was
Saicoink. I'm also familiar with her work through
Tumblr. Saicoink illustrates very distinct & pretty
shojo-inspired comics. She was selling her books Open Spaces and Closed
Places (all volumes), and The End Days of Our Youth. What I found most interesting was the magazine she contributes to, which was also for sale: Saicoink, along with sixteen other artists, contributes to
Arabesque, a magazine that only comes out once every two years. Personally, I'd love to get my hands on this magazine soon, and read her shojo
mangas.
Dan Kim
"I'm not a famous manga artist by the way...I'm just some regular guy," He humbly told me as I asked for his picture.
I had a lot of fun talking with
Dan Kim. We spoke about Attack on Titan; he is a fan! And he showed me his awesome sketch of Mikasa & Potato Girl (Sasha Blause). I am currently
reading his free online manga
Cupcake-Tan. He also has other works you can
read online for free. Mr. Kim was showcasing posters from his comics, as well as his uniquely-structured manga
Paper Eleven. Dan Kim also won the Bronze International Manga Award for his work
NNN!
Ross Campbell
He's so silly.
Next to Mr.Kim was
Ross Campbell. He's a very funny and outgoing comic artist who illustrates
GLORY, and
Wet Moon. I purchased the first (re-mastered) issue of GLORY. It's about this freedom
fighter named Glory, from another planet of species that are much more advanced than humankind and that have been around much longer. She is very interested in Earth and humans, and she comes down to Earth to fight a war. Mr. Campbell was kind enough to sign
my issue for me too.
Eric Vedder
Eric Vedder's Illustrations
.
My last stop was
Eric Vedder's table. It was honestly an honor meeting him. He is a Canadian illustrator who draws for Capcom. Actually, he has a very impressive
list of projects he was involved in. I couldn't leave the library without buying his illustrations! He signed my posters for me. It was my favorite purchase, and I'm so happy to have met him. =]
By the way, I apologize that these pictures aren't HD; I'll get a DSLR
sometime in the distant future. I also promise to improve my photography skills. =]
Taiyo Matsumoto was this year's special guest. I had gone in hopes of meeting him, but I missed his talk and I couldn't find him afterwards. Although I'm disappointed I didn't get to see him, I am glad to have met others. At least his work will be exhibited
at The Japan Foundation until June. =]
.COMPLEX