I just tabled for my third year at Canzine. Instead of doing a typical show recap, I thought I might reflect upon what I’ve learned about $$$ doing all these fairs. [Edit: You’ll notice an obvious omission below and that is compensation for labour. It’s because I don’t actually consider zine-making a business or a … Continue reading
We often read about how to best prepare for a show but I rarely come across tips for what to do when a show is over. Here are some of the things I try to do after a long tabling sesh. Please feel free to leave your own tips! Meeting people We meet so many … Continue reading
A week ago, I retweeted the article, Selling Out the Newspaper Comic Strip about the divergent careers of Charles Schultz and Bill Watterson. It’s well written and worth a read. But it also did not sit well with me because it plays directly into a way of framing artistic integrity and the commodification of ideas … Continue reading
In honour of Canada Day, I thought I’d take some time to write about indy* comics in my home country. Afterall, we’ve consistently produced internationally recognized talent in this medium. So my question is: why? It may seem cynical, but I think one major factor in why Canada has produced so many amazing cartoonists that … Continue reading
Neil Gaiman recently wrote about his uncertainty regarding a proposal to write a short story which would feature some kind of product placement. He has worked with corporations before on creative projects, he already enjoys the proposed product, and to boot, he has mentioned this product before in a previous work. Yet he writes, “Now … Continue reading
I just learned that another independent bookstore in the Annex, Book City, is closing shop although it will continue to operate at other locations in the city. There have been a number of closings in the Annex neighbourhood in the past few years, including the Toronto Women’s Bookstore, and a personal favourite, Atticus Books, which … Continue reading
I had met the event’s gracious host, Keiren Smith, at the 24 Hour Comic Challenge a few months ago. I quite enjoyed the event so I leapt at the chance to attend another comics jam organized by her. This one was held in a smaller space, at the Comic Book Embassy/Bootcamp. It’s a great little … Continue reading
I’m really not into lose-lose narratives. We have a lot of them when it comes to art. As a rule of thumb, when you find yourself trapped in a complex situation that’s been simplified into an either-or situation, you are probably using a faulty mental approach to the situation. Hopefully I can tease out a … Continue reading
The Toronto Comic Arts Festival is one of my favourite events in the city because it draws in people of all ages, groups and styles. If you want to see a real cross section of Toronto’s populace, TCAF is where it’s at. I love how this diverse city can have so many different, oft-hidden, interdependent … Continue reading
Last week, @Jimzub tweeted “98% of the articles/reviews written are by would-be comic writers sucking up or bitterly criticizing others.” Then, one of my favourite film critics died. And I began thinking more about arts criticism and the act of writing reviews. Zub’s tweet raises an important point because unlike films, concerts, literary works and … Continue reading
