TCAF: Spotlight Should Fall On Doug Wright, Tatsumi, D&Q@20 And Overall Strength of Guest List



The every-other-year Toronto Comic Arts Festival is taking place this weekend. I'm unable to attend, but longtime CR columnist Bart Beaty and occasional CR contributor/photographer, full-time CR pal Gil Roth will be on hand, so if you see them, please be nice. It sounds like a terrific show: a clear mission (comics as art, focus on the individual artists), a great city, enthusiastic and knowledgeable organizers, solid programming, an interesting venue and a high-quality guest list go a long way. There's been a great deal of advance publicity, particularly of the type that should alert local patrons of the arts of a big, interesting, free event in their midst. I wish I were there.

I think the show should also enjoy some event buzz this year. It marks the debut of the first volume of Drawn & Quarterly's Collected Doug Wright books, which is one of those great, unexpected pleasures that comics sees sift to the surface every few years (profile 01, profile 02). Drawn and Quarterly celebrating their 20th anniversary and the awards named for the cartoonist should give that publishing story an extra, happy boost. D&Q also has Yoshihiro Tatsumi on hand, one of the justifiably happy stories in comics publishing in the last 25 years. So you could basically spend the whole day enjoying whatever presence D&Q brings to the show.

You'd miss out, though, because the guest list is generally strong, and most of the people involved seem to have worked up new stuff to have on-hand either just for that show or for that show first. A friend of mine expressed astonishment at a list where though he was unfamiliar with most of those artists Chester Brown, one of the greatest cartoonists in the world, gets a casual mention down the page. I think it will specifically be a very good convention to meet and chat and look at comics from some of the more interesting emerging and young cartoonists: Dash Shaw, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Hope Larson, Lucy Knisley, Derek Kirk Kim, Kate Beaton; folks like that. There are also cartoonists whom I don't think have the industry presence they deserve: the Immonens, Graham Annable. Some of my favorite people in comics are there: Dan Nadel, Scott McCloud, Paul Pope, Seth, Adrian Tomine. Bart Beaty has already told you about the awesomeness of the European comics line-up, and I agree with his enthusiasm. There is even a modest list of social events.

Recent editorial and news story subject James Turner will even be there. Please patronize the talented Mr. Turner and everything else that catches your eye and have a great weekend.
 
posted 8:30 am PST | Permalink
 

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