Celebrating the Literary and Artistic Virtues of Comic Arts and Graphic Novels
with thanks to Alice Quinn
The Toronto Comics Arts Festival (TCAF), presented annually every May by Toronto Public Library, has from its conception, set out to promote the literary and artistic virtues of comic arts and graphic novels. Conspicuously devoid of the celebrity press conferences and the dozens of Spiderman prints found at your run-of-the-mill comic-con, TCAF is a week of art exhibitions, social gatherings and educational talks, leading up to a two-day exhibition of comics, illustration, animation and wider artistic creativity in the field of comics.
TCAF has grown considerably over the years, from a collection of exhibitors tabling in Honest Ed’s parking lot in 2003, to close to 22,000 attendees at Toronto Reference Library in 2016.
Like other comic conventions, TCAF includes signings and panels; but TCAF goes above and beyond, providing programs of every genre and for every type of fan.
Amulet creators Kazu Kibuishi and Jason Caffoe participated in TCAF Kids’ Day on May 14, as did Faith Erin Hicks, creator of The Nameless City. Other featured guests included mainstream alternative creators like Sean Phillips, Jeff Lemire and Brian K. Vaughan, as well as international sensations like Rokudenashiko, who premiered the English version of her graphic novel What is Obscenity? at TCAF, and who was found guilty in Japan on obscenity charges in the days leading up to the TCAF festival.
But TCAF also includes emerging artists, most conspicuously those featured in the Wowee Zonk Small Press Showcase, highlighting some of the best and most exciting work being made in comics, zines and independent publishing; and in Comics vs. Games, a collaboration between the independent game and comic communities, offering original games, gallery shows, panels and talks.
Visitors to the Toronto Public Library table at TCAF this year got a taste of the library’s online gems, including thousands of ecomics, emagazines and emusic, as well as a new and very popular digital learning resource, Lynda.com, available free of charge for library card holders at tpl.ca/lynda. Find out about all the library's downloadables at tpl.ca/downloads.
If you missed TCAF 2016, have no fear, it will be back in 2017, no doubt bigger and better!
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