Short Version: Hey, sign up for the TCAF mailing list in the upper right corner of every page at http://torontocomics.com.
Long Version: I wanted to post something because putting up Evan Dorkin’s FUN strips on the weekend makes it look like I post even less frequently than I actually do. I can’t really think of anything better to post about than what I’m working on right now, which is the 2011 Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF), because nothing I could post about is better than the work I’m doing on the Festival right now.
While a version of this post goes up every year, this one isn’t going to beg your forgiveness for lack of updates–I’m pretty determined to keep writing this year, and I’ve got a cool little Japan travelogue in the queue, about 3/4 finished. It’ll probably go up today or tomorrow.
No, I wanted to post this to remind everyone reading that TCAF IS AWESOME. I’m really proud of every TCAF we’ve thrown, but last year was really the first year it “clicked” for me, where the vast, vast majority of what I wanted to accomplish actually got done. The show ran more smoothly than it ever has, we had some amazing guests, amazing press, and we learned (more-or-less) everything it takes to put on this show. Which means that 2011 will be the year that just works. I’m already so, so happy with our guestlist, with phenomenal German cartoonist Mawil heading up a massive German Comics art show, Jillian Tamaki did our amazing Festival poster, Chester Brown is launching his first-ever original graphic novel and first new work in 8 or 9 years, and Chris Ware is Chris Ware… that’s an amazing line-up of featured guests, and doesn’t include the other 175+ confirmed exhibitors. Or the amazing featured guests who are confirmed, but not yet announced (gotta cross the t’s and dot the i’s). It’s a good, good year.
So yeah, I’m stoked about 2011, which is good, because I’m spending a lot of time on it, as I mentioned. I want to invite you to spend a little time with TCAF as well. We’re going to be sending out weekly-ish updates on the TCAF mailing list (it’s in the upper-right corner of every page at http://torontocomics.com), and whether you’re an exhibitor, potential attendee, or a member of the comics media, it’d be great if you could sign up. One of the things I’d really like to do this year is highlight some of our guests that are doing great, important work, but who might not otherwise make it into the spotlight with all of the big stuff happening. So every week, we’re going to try and talk about new guests and existing groups of interesting guests, giving a little bit of backstory to the people you see sitting behind those tables at the show, and maybe finding you a new favourite. It’s an extension of what we try to do with the Festival itself, drawing attention to great comics and the people making them, but it only works when people are reading our mailing list 🙂
So, yeah, sorry if you read all the way through this looking for hints about guests or the show or whatever. I just wanted you to know what I was up to, and give you an opportunity to keep up to date. I’ll try and keep the TCAF posts here to a minimum in case you cannot go this year, and therefore resent the hell out of the situation and/or me.
Thanks for reading,
– Chris