05/21/2013 – Hogar and Brandon finally bury the hatchet. With ice cream!

The weekend of may 11th and 12th was a very busy and hectic time for the city of Toronto. Some routine subway repair disrupted the flow of people. Thousands of people again heading into the city for the weed legalization march, and thousands of people jogging ten miles across the city for SportLife’s ten kilometre marathon. But all these happenings are just trivial decoration to the hipster hordes who ignore those distractions on their way to the annual highlight known as TCAF. And Mother’s Day. Thankfully at least it wasn’t also Free Comic Book Day.

You can read TdotComic’s coverage of last year’s TCAF here.

Organized by Toronto’s The Beguiling Events group, and run by an army of 200 volunteers  The event was anchored at the Toronto Reference library with panels around the Bloor/Younge area. And attending everything involved in the convention is completely free, no $20 fee for a badge.

But not like other Toronto Conventions trying to get the attention of the big leagues, TCAF is instead where the small press, and independent self-published artists are the draw. No Marvel booth, no DC, and nobody liquidating long-boxes of silver age comic-books. This wasn’t an event for cosplayers, although a few people had eye-catching clothing and accessories. This event is cool on it’s own merits. This isn’t the comics industry, this is the Kickstarter Generation.

Attending TCAF is a mix of being able to buy comics directly from the creators and get them signed and thank them for their work and coming to the city. But it’s also a chance to keep my mind open and buy new things I’ve never heard of, to gamble $20 on something different.

The main area of the convention was filled with artists. Unlike most conventions which operate on a first-come first-serve policy, TCAF exhibitors must past a jury. This weeds out many people who need a bit more refinement in their work. Although as with all art-forms, there’s a subjective element so attendee’s mileage may vary.

• Benign Kingdom 2012 Lookbook.
• Moon Power: A Sailor moon Fanzine by the Friendship Edition collective.
• “Just be cool already” an Octopus Pie story by Meredith Gran
• Back alleys and urban landscapes by Michael Cho.
• Poorcraft: The Funnybook Fundamentals of Living Well on Less by C. Spike Trotman & Diana Nock
• “We can fix it” A Time Travel Story by Jess Fink.
• TeenBoat by Dave Roman and John Green.
• Strange Behavior by Marijka Gooding
• Polterguys by Laurianne Uy
• Who Is AC by Hope Larson and Tintin Pantoja

  

The big annual draw for many modern comic fans is the upper floor. After brief period in a quickly-moving line (fire code always a concern), a handful of TCAF regulars now say under the newly erected ”B9″ banner. and the Topatoco registers were absorbing a constant stream of income. Several booths sold out of their newest books, some artists underestimated the crowds and sold out of their entire inventory.

Like last year, “Adventure Time” fandom was represented, with many of the artists having been tapped for back-up stories in the Adventure Time comic, and Meredith Gran being the major creative force behind last year’s Marceline series.

Also in the upper floor was a kid’s section with all-ages material leading to the Owl Kids sitting area that hosted seminars on comics aimed at pre-teens.

On the lowers level, a room was designated for artists imported from Austrailia. And Special Guests this year were “Love and Rockets” legends Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez. I really wish I knew they would be there so I could get one of my issues signed.

Off-sight events were held at The Pilot Tavern, the local Marriot Hotel, and the Fortuna Ristorane. Open panel discussions like Is Comics Deal were thought-provoking and informative. “The panel “Is comics blogging dead” looked back on the recently shut down Comic Alliance website and who will step in to fill the void it leaves. The Debut Spotlight was a bit of a let-down as I expected announcements of new books that would be available for purchase next year.

TdotComics bosslady Alice Quin Contributes:

TCAF was amazing as always this year! Battling the rain and exhaustion I co-hosted two events on Friday and missed all of the TCAF parties, However I got to enjoy much of the exhibition at the Library and got a couple interviews in. TCAF is the festival/con where it is important to just talk to people, flip through books you’ve never heard of and open your mind and take it all in. Its called the Toronto Comic Arts Festival but more then half the exhibitors are from out of town- this is probably the only opportunity you will have to meet them!

I found some really interesting stuff:

What Makes a Baby – Cory Silverberg (Author), Fiona Smyth (Artist) a where babies come from book that isn’t mom+dad+sex=baby its is more a baby origin story for everyone – adoption, surrogate parents etc and doesn’t pigeon hole the family as the nuclear 2.5 kids and a picket fence. written for 8 year olds.

Love Lens - A comic anthology about girls with glasses and love created in manga style. Not only was I drawn to the spectacles but the lovely ladies from  Love  Love Hill press where very kind and enthusiastic about the book – how could I say no?!

Jam Comics - I picked up a handful of mini comics from Dave Lapp most of which were made by local comics stars (Nina Bunjevac, Chester Brown etc.) over dinner in a comics jam type atmosphere. They all looked cool but I bought Dinner at Nina’s by Dune Mesa and Us in a Box by Chester Brown and Dave Lapp.

Artifice - I spend a lot of time just talking to creators about their work, and this dude Alex Woolfson caught my attention with his pitch [paraphrasing here] “I wrote the gay romance sci-fi story I never saw on TV where the romance is taken seriously and not played as comic relief.” He has a print version but the original webcomic is still online.

Kenan Rubenstein - I picked up a bookmark from Kenan and was struck by the art and his choice of colour, sometimes just something as small as that can capture your attention and hold it.  Now I’m checking out his webcomics too.

There was other stuff that I bought,  and other cards, postcards and contacts I collected but these were the most captivating finds of the show.

TCAF mixes the local-culture element of the Canzine event with an international vibe evoking thoughts of France’s Angoulême festival. Unique as the venue it’s held in (a library instead of a hotel, insane) and without admission. It’s an event I wait all year for and wouldn’t miss for any disposable anime-gamer convention. While other gatherings have a subconscious prerogative of competitive consumerism, the Toronto Comic Art Festival eschews that in favour of the human element.

For more more GTA events, check the TdotComics calendar and be sure to visit the Canzine event in October.

-Michael Ryan May 15th, 2013
Oh my god I have never seen so many girls with short, dyed hair.

For better or for worse, and in spite of all the secrecy surrounding the film, Star Trek Into Darkness is probably exactly what you think it is. For folks who enjoyed 2009′s Star Trek, I would say there’s no reason not to see Into Darkness: you’ll love it! And for people not on board with J.J. Abrams’ approach to Star Trek, all your assumptions about Into Darkness are correct, so you can go ahead and skip the headache of checking it out.

Into Darkness is more-of-the-same on steroids. People like myself who like the feel of the 2009 Star Trek film will enjoy this shiny new space adventure, while people who were put off by the previous film will feel even more. The tone, style, and pacing are pretty much identical, and the over-referenced lens flares return in abundance. Despite the titular Trek Into Darkness, there are a lot of great lighthearted moments. I’m thankful that the film never really feels like it’s taking itself too seriously, and it’s full of reminders that it is supposed to be entertaining. There are also some imaginative new visuals, especially in the opening sequence, and you even get to see some of Abrams’ take on Klingons. Into Darkness is also surprisingly full of movie references. In addition to the Star Trek references you would expect, there are also references to some films you might know, including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Shining, Blade Runner, Star Wars, Silence of the Lambs, and Doctor Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb. Bonus points if you can spot them.

Each of the characters has their moment, and no one feels short-changed for screen time. In fact, some characters like Scotty have an even larger role, and the film allows for Simon Pegg to carry some dramatic weight. Spock and Uhura’s relationship (subtly approached in the previous film) is much more fleshed out this time around. Chris Pine gives a charming and even moving performance as Captain Kirk. Benedict Cumberbatch shines in the way that I’m sure no one doubted he would.  Alice Eve is also a nice addition as Carol Marcus, a weapons expert whose character Star Trek fans are likely already familiar with. Peter Weller, of Robocop and The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai Across the 8^th Dimension fame, has a larger role in the film than the trailer would suggest and perfectly fits the character he plays.

Still, once the newness and promotion wears off, and in spite of the dazzling set pieces and action sequences, I think Into Darkness will be remembered as one of the weaker Star Trek films. Into Darkness‘s biggest fault is that it feels a little clunkier than the previous film. Often the story is a bit messy, and at its worst moments it’s only held together by threads.  Into Darkness is an extremely well-crafted film, but it’s not a film that takes any real chances with its story or characters the way the previous film did. Without saying too much about the story, I think it’s safe to say that much of it feels very familiar. Star Trek fans will recognize many of the key dramatic scenes; the plot quite liberally pays homage to an original series episode and film.

What was so exciting about the 2009 Star Trek was that it made Star Trek new again. The producers could take it in any direction conceivable. So why resort to redoing what’s already been told? For nostalgia’s sake? Lack of originality? I don’t know, but it doesn’t make for a very enjoyable story. I don’t know what the future has in store for Star Trek but if the trend of repeating itself continues, I can see myself easily becoming bored. Hopefully the next film can boldly go where no Star Trek film has gone before.

I’d like to go into more detail, so I guess it’s time for…

***Spoilers***

Still here?

Okay. So Benedict Cumberbatch is Khan. This is what most people following the film’s production had correctly assumed until a lot of misdirection had been introduced. At one time Benecio Del Toro was in negotiations for the role, and he would have been a closer fit with Ricardo Montalban’s original characterization of the character.  Benedict Cumberbatch is a good enough actor that he gives his own version of Khan as opposed to what came before. What’s a bit of a shame is that the misdirection continues on into the movie itself. I think it would have been more entertaining to jump directly into the main story. Waiting is painfully unnecessary.

Why does Khan’s identity need to be a secret for so long? We’re not talking ‘Luke, I am your father,’ here. Khan could have just been called Khan from the very beginning and it would only have made the story tighter, and saved at least one embarrassing scene where Benedict Cumberbatch says “My name is Khaaaan.” Actually, it reminds me of the scene in Prometheus where Charleze Theron’s character over-emphasizes the word “father” in discussing her relationship with Guy Pierce’s character, and it feels like it should be some big shock but really could have been explained from the beginning without impacting the story in any way.

The whole film is really J.J. Abrams’ take on The Wrath of Khan and the original series episode that inspired it, “Space Seed,” with several scenes directly mirroring both. These are also the most awkward scenes in the film. There is a strained character arc of Spock and Kirk trying to understand one another, which often seems like an excuse to deliver those Wrath of Khan scenes with Kirk and Spock having switched places. There’s something that just feels eye-rollingly inappropriate about Zachary Quinto evoking William Shatner to yell out Khan’s name.

What may be the most interesting and perhaps the most Star Trek aspect of the film’s story is the use of an ethical subtext. One aspect of the film revolves around the planned assassination of Khan by stealthily traveling  into foreign Klingon territory with a small group, greatly paralleling the assassination of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan. Except in Into Darkness, Kirk decides that even with the emotional burden and personal loss of his father-figure Pike after Khan’s terror attacks, the right thing to do is to capture Khan and bring him back to face trial. Maybe I’m reading too much into the film, but I suggest watching it with this in mind to see how Into Darkness may be making a politically relevant moral statement.

I guess that’s about it. I really did enjoy watching Star Trek Into Darkness. It’s an undeniably exciting movie, but like most big blockbuster releases, I can’t imagine it staying exciting for very long. By the time the next Star Trek film inevitably rolls around, I’m guessing I’ll be more inclined to revisit the one with the whales than Into Darkness.

10/14/2013 - Last week, we saw Hogar preparing a hand-made gift for Brandon, hoping to earn his forgiveness. Looks like Brandon has a far grander gesture in mind, however.

This multi-part story sets up the dominoes for our upcoming 100th episode. Stay tuned!

The Holiday Inn in Burlington was home to ConBravo! on two occasions, and the Burlington Toy Show also called the venue home. While both of those events have moved to larger facilities, the hotel now generates excitement with Jaded Dragon Studio‘s Art-O-Con, where on May 5th 2013, hundreds of creative individuals sold their wares.

As always, the full gallery of photos from the event is on TdotComic’s Facebook page.

Every kind of visual artist was there, from comic artists you would expect on Deviant Art to novelty knitters you would expect on Etsy, and a few steampunk prop developer, too. While there were fewer exhibiting artists than at the colossus FanExpo, there was at least fifty percent more variety at less then a tenth of the admission price. There were tables and tents of trinkets, prints and hand-crafted nick-knacks galore.

In addition to artists, a few tables were reserved for C-List movie distributors “Troma” and the Canadian Horror movie company “Black Fawn Distribution“. Also adding colour to the convention were a few cosplayers: Finishing their extremely busy week of numerous comic store appearances were the Toronto Batman and the X-Men of Toronto (no affiliation), whose Magneto was not eating Doritos. And there were also Daleks and Ghostbusters, because it isn’t a convention without them. Dr. Stevil, ever in character, was there, this time wearing a new hat representing the Shark with a Laser he always wanted.

While there was plenty to see and many artists to interact with, the events schedule was rather bare, and there was half an hour left between each event. So while the events might have entertained for a few hours (which is a reasonable amount for the $5 admission), I couldn’t see many attendees staying for the whole nine hours of the convention. Perhaps some of the artists could have been recruited to give seminars on their crafts and creative process.

On the day of Art-O-Con I had the option of traveling from Oakville to Burlington for the event, or traveling (further) into Toronto for the Canadian Toy Fare. While I can’t interact with my alternate self to see if I made the right choice, I know I had a lot more fun at Art-O-Con than I would have just staying at home. Next year Art-O-Con is sure to have even more artists and attractions on display in the most diverse cluster of creativity I can imagine. I didn’t buy much this time, but unlike the last Art Show I was at, the pieces here were all in my price range.

For more fun events in the GTA, check out the TdotComics Calendar.

-Michael Ryan, May 7th 2013

And read my Star Wars day article, too.

In 2012, Michael Ryan covered the Star Wars Days events at the Underground Theatre. However because of Tusken Raider interference, the article was never published. Now TdotComics is honoured to bring you a new, remastered version of the article with digital enhancements made using technology undeveloped a year ago.

Everybody knows it, it’s gone viral! “May The Fourth” is Star Wars Day all over Canada. And awareness of it is growing faster than Talk Like A Pirate day. Nestled between the opening of the Avengers and TCAF, Star Wars day is a home-grown grass-roots celebration of three of the greatest movies of all time, a colossal toy line, several cartoon series, three loosely related movies, and the smooth charm of Billy Dee Williams. Isn’t that right, Lando?

That’s  right.

This year’s  event was held at Toronto’s Underground Cinema. Before the show commenced, guests chatted in the lobby looking at incredible LEGO creations from the Toronto Lego User Group (ToroLUG) and picking up licensed merchandise. Things formally started with Alice (yeeAH) and Sean guiding the audience through the evening’s events and introducing the short films and other features.

The noticeable absence of the 501st Imperial Garrison was rather disappointing. However it’s understandable how they were needed to patrol other sectors of the galaxy on this occasion.

The big highlight was the children’s costume contest when the 20 kids of all ages stood on stage. The most adorable clearly being the little girl dressed as R2-D2 (although when the hosts spoke to her it gave the impression she wasn’t yet completely aware of what her attire was about). There are also a couple Yodas, several Stormtroopers and Jedi. Then once the Death Star was broken open and candy spilled out, the kids were let loose to spend the intermission in a gigantic lightsaber free-for-all (under adult supervision, of course).

A raffle was held before the event to raise money for charity. Tickets sold out. By intermission, more tickets were available and also sold out, raising a considerable sum for the SickKids foundation.

The last event was the live interview with the creators of Chad Vader and the airing of a few episodes. Chad Vader is a web series on YouTube about a basically-Darth-Vader character displaced from the drama of the Star Wars and relocated to the boredom of the modern grocery store, creating a fascinating juxtaposition. It’s a joke that would have limited mileage if not for the writing soon developing an earnest plot and other characters and generally building something with a tone similar to the Children’s Hospital television series.

Afterwards, all the families went home, while many of the attendees without kids to look after experienced a radical change of mood around the corner at the Tattoo Rock Parlour night club. Their Star Wars Day Party (sponsored by G33KPr0n) had lightsabers everywhere, loud music, and a few tantalizing Burlesque performances. The Storm Trooper and R2D2 were playful, C-3P0 was intense, and  The Nerdy Stripper did a sensational routine like she did at the Comiccon pre-party. The four acts were genuinely stimulating, unlike last year’s acts at The Rivoli which were more amusing because Star Wars Burlesque is just such a surreal concept.

Eventually the second Star Wars day wrapped up. I really wish we had an event like this around when I was a kid. Star Wars day 2012 was a more interesting experience than staying home and re-watching movies that (let’s be honest) you can already recite.

The force will be with you, always.

 Michael Ryan. 5/7/12

Next year, dudes, Spaceballs Cosplay Group

FCBD – Saturday, May 4th, 2013
You might have seen this collection of letters referenced on twitter; it stands for Free Comic Book Day. The event began as an idea to get people out to their local comic shops in 2002 and is now celebrated all over North America. A lot of publishers release new comics just for FCBD, or reprint the first issue of a popular series. Now, there are so many titles produced for FCBD that retailers can’t even carry every one. Also, most are given on a first come first served basis, and once they’re gone, that is it! Luckily, you can check out the full lineup of FCBD books for 2013 in advance so you can get everything you want. Personally, I’m looking forward to Gilbert Hernandez’s Marble Season and David Peterson’s Mouse Guard in stores and some stories from True Patriot that will be released online (check back here on FCBD for that link!). FCBD is held on the first Saturday in May, which this year falls on May 4th. Overall, this is a great opportunity to check out some comic shops you and your friends haven’t been to: we have a list of all the comic shops in the city here, and you can also search by address using this Comic Shop Locator anywhere in North America.

TCAF – Saturday, May 11th to Sunday, May 12th, 2013
TCAF stands for Toronto Comic Arts Festival, which is held annually by The Beguiling, traditionally on Mother’s Day weekend. This is the 8th TCAF festival and the 10-year anniversary of the event. TCAF began out of a need for something that was not an anime convention and not a big comic convention – something highlighting the other genres and fans within comics. It is a free event and if you have never been (and even if you have) I highly recommend it. At TCAF you will be exposed to comics of all genres (except capes and tights) from all over the world, as well as interesting and different art styles and approaches to comics as an art from. TCAF is always expanding their roster and in recent years have had very strong children’s programming and a great exhibition section.

For the past two years (2011 and 2012) Mother’s Day weekend has also been the first Saturday in May, so TCAF and FCBD overlapped, forcing fans to split their time or pick a side. Luckily, this year we don’t have to do that !

TCAF Events – May 1st to 11th, 2013
TCAF has expanded from just an exhibition setting: there are also art shows,  book launches  award shows and mixers from the first of the month up to the 11th! These are a great opportunity to explore different areas of comics and to meet new and interesting people. You can find the full list of TCAF events on their website.

Anime North – Friday, May 24th to Sunday, May 26, 2013
Anime North is North America’s largest anime convention, and people come from all over for the unique  handmade swag, J Pop raves, and phenomenal cosplay. This convention has a lot going for it; where else can you sit for an hour and listen to a panel on [insert obscure anime reference here]?! Let’s be honest though, the main draw and focus of the convention is the cosplayers. People spend all year preparing their costumes for anime north – not just attire, but jewelry, makeup, prosthetics, and giant foam props that look like they could slice you in half! If you’ve never been, a weekend pass and a hotel room are an experience like no other. However, if you can only make it one day, Saturday has the most to offer.

Theatrical Release of Iron Man 3
For those of you readers from outside Toronto, or Canada all together – welcome! I hope May has as many awesome nerd events in your hometown as it does in mine. Plus we all get treated to Iron Man 3 in theaters (currently) – if you live in the UK you got it two weeks ago! The real theatrical comic treat comes in July with The Wolverine and R.E.D 2, and by that time Kick Ass 2 and Man of Steel will be out. ‘Holy summer of Comic Book Films, Batman!’ (read in your best kid Robin impression).

I’m so excited to kick off the summer of 2013 (spring doesn’t exist in Toronto… not really…ahem) with these amazing local events and international celebrations! I hope that through this post you will be able to capitalize on our comic community, find the events that suit you, and have a super sweet time, too!

05/01/2013