Toronto Comic Arts Festival

If you are in Toronto this coming weekend, get to the reference library at Yonge and Bloor for TCAF, a gathering of independent and alternative comics artists who will show their work and participate in many panel discussions. Admission is free. Guests include Daniel Clowes, James Sturm, Seth, Chester Brown, and Jim Woodring.

There are several panels that relate to animation, including:

The Spirit of Indie: Where Comics Meet Video Games
Saturday, May 8th, 2:00 – 2:45pm, The Pilot

There’s more to the game industry than blockbuster, multi-system titles just as there’s more to comics than Batman. This panel
seeks to explore the ways in which independent comic artists and game developers have influenced each other and spurred each other on to explore the possibilities of their medium. Cartoonists/game contributors and creators Scott Campbell, Jamie McKelvie, Jim Munroe, and Miguel Sternberg will be interviewed by games journalist Matthew Kumar.

Spotlight: Graham Annable’s HICKEE
Saturday, May 8th, 12:30 – 1:15pm, Novella Room

Join Graham Annable (creator of Grickle, storyboard artist, Coraline) and frequent collaborator Scott C. (Double Fine Action Comics) in a multimedia exploration of his career in pleasantly twisted visual storytelling, ranging from comics to feature film storyboards to indie animation and illustration.

Indie Comics and Indie Animation
Sunday, May 9th, 3:30 – 4:30pm, Learning Center 1

Four cartoonists who are also animators discuss the ins and outs of the interplay between the two mediums. What’s different? What’s the same? How do the two affect each other and what’s the difference between working on independently-driven animation and comics and corporate pursuits? Featuring Graham Annable, Meredith Gran, Faith Erin Hicks, Troy Little, and Jay Stephens. Moderated by Matt Forsythe.