The Never-Ending, Four-Color Festival: News On Cons, Shows & Major Events

By Tom Spurgeon

* today the Leeds Sequential Arts Festival starts in one would assume Leeds, with its "Thought Bubble" convention on Saturday. FPI has been covering the crap out of that event, with posts like this one. There is also a convention in Blois this weekend, another one in a suburb of Toulouse, a modest-sounding show in Virginia and smaller, collector-driven shows in places like Milwaukee.

* there will definitely be a comics component at the Miami Book Fair, ranging from Vanessa Davis to Jimmy Palmiotti. Maybe poke around?

* I updated the 2011 events calendar last weekend. Still a couple of months away, the only things listed that far in advance tend to be major conventions. There isn't a lot in 2011 that compel from a "Battle Of Conventions" standpoint, and neither one has anything to do with Wizard's Big Apple show Vs. New York Comic-Con, which wouldn't be a fight held at the same time in the same building. Now that CCI has apparently changed the dates on APE to October 22-23, and away from New York Comic-Con's date -- I don't get a press release on this, David? -- the schedule is mostly conflict-free.

The only weekend I'd say to think about in terms of con vs. con is March 18-20. Reed's C2E2 is a much bigger concern than Wizard World's Toronto effort or SPACE and should by every conceivable scenario dominate that weekend. Still, C2E2 is in a crucial second year where it really, really needs to hit attendance goals. Any bleed-off, even measured in dozens of people or a handful of pros, could become a factor in this happening. In fact, C2E2's second year and what it means for that show's continuing viability is the biggest convention issue heading into 2011.

There are also some potential proximate battles, such as that APE vs. NYCC thing on different dates in mid-October and Stumptown vs. MoCCA separated by five weekdays in mid-April. Certain professionals might have to choose one show over the other in both cases.

(thanks, Jackie Estrada)

* whoa, check out the programming for the Brooklyn Comics And Graphics Festival, maybe the best one-day, single-room slate I've ever seen:

* 1:00 -- Lynda Barry and Charles Burns In Conversation (Barry, Burns)
* 2:00 -- The Art Of Editing (Mouly, Harkham)
* 3:00 -- Taking Inventory: The Story Of Things (French, McShane, Roh, Shapton)
* 4:00 -- Irwin Hasen: When Comic Books Were New (Hasen, Dorkin, Pope, Nadel)
* 5:00 -- Anders Nilsen Q+A (Nilsen)
* 6:00 -- How Nancy Is: The Semiotics Of The Gag (Griffith, Newgarden, Ryan)
* 7:00 -- Chaos And Pattern (Chippendale, Crane, Jones, Stamaty)

You can read about satellite events, related exhibitions and descriptions of the above here.

* finally, it's worth looking in on Heroes Con every now and then to see how that showcase regional show is moving towards its next event in June 2011. They've recently added such returning heavy-hitters as Richard Thompson, Mike Mignola, local-writer-made-good Matt Fraction and the great Don Rosa, which I think speaks well of the event.
 
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