FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Toronto Public Library Presents
THE 2009 TORONTO COMIC ARTS FESTIVAL
Saturday May 9th & Sunday May 10th, 2009
The Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St., Toronto, Canada
FREE TO ATTEND
WWW.TORONTOCOMICS.COM

Michel Rabagliati, Gabrielle Bell, and Graham Annable at TCAF
Top International Creators Among The Newest Guests Confirmed

TORONTO, Canada – Since the initial announcement of the 2009 Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF), May 9th and 10th 2009, more than 100 comic artists and authors have been added to its already-spectacular guest-list. Now TCAF is proud to announce the addition of guests Michel Rabagliati, Gabrelle Bell, and Graham Annable to their line-up and programming; three fantastic comics creators who bring with them a wealth of acclaim and diversity of accomplishments both inside and outside the comics medium.

Michel Rabagliati: An internationally acclaimed cartoonist hailing from Montreal, QC , Canada, Rabagliati’s graphic novels feature an autobiographical stand-in named “Paul” and are bestsellers. His English-language comics debut, Paul in the Country (by venerable graphic novel publisher Drawn & Quarterly) was awarded the prestigious Harvey Award for Best New Talent, named for MAD Magazine co-founder Harvey Kurtzman. Rabagliati’s illustrations have graced numerous print outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, The Utne Reader, The Advocate, The National Post, and Maclean’s amongst others. His most recent English language graphic novel release, Paul Goes Fishing has been nominated for a 2009 Doug Wright Award for Excellence in Canadian Cartooning.

Gabrielle Bell: New York-based graphic novelist Gabrielle Bell is a veteran of prestigious art-comix anthologies including Kramers Ergot, Best American Comics (2007, 2009), The Yale Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Mome, and the Drawn & Quarterly Showcase. Bell's graphic short story "Cecil and Jordan in New York" has recently been adapted for the film anthology Tokyo! by Michel Gondry, released in March 2009. Her latest collection, also titled Cecil and Jordan in New York, contains the short-story adapted for Gondry’s film and other outstanding works.

Graham Annable: Born in Canada but residing in Portland, Oregon, Graham Annable’s work has appeared in the film, TV, video game and comic industries, contributing to projects with George Lucas, Chuck Jones, Nickelodeon and Walt Disney Productions amongst many others. His most recent major animation work involved storyboard and design contributions to the Henry Sellick-directed film adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. His comics work includes the humourous anthology titles GRICKLE, FURTHER GRICKLE, and HICKEE. Annable’s popularity has skyrocketed thanks to the production of his short animations at YouTube, including 'We Sing the Forest Electric', 'The Hidden People', 'The Last Duet on Earth', and 'Space Wolf'.

First held in 2003, The Toronto Comic Arts Festival was conceived to provide interaction between the creative community and the public, and was modeled on similar festivals around the world. TCAF 2009 will take place at Toronto Reference Library, at 789 Yonge St. just North of Bloor Street in the heart of the city. The Festival will feature over 15,000 square feet of attractions within the Reference Library complex, more than 200 cartoonists, and more than two weeks of programming and events leading up to the 2-day exhibition extravaganza!

Canadian cartoonists are recognized as among the best in the world, particularly in the fields of manga and alternative comics. TCAF is Canada’s opportunity to not only promote and celebrate homegrown artistic talent, but also to broaden its scope and showcase creators from the US and abroad, many in Toronto for the first time. This prestigious gathering of artists will attract an international and national audience.

PRESS:

For more information or press inquiries, please contact 2009@torontocomics.com, or Christopher Butcher or Peter Birkemoe at 416-533-9168.

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Guestlist Additions Since The Site Launch in January 2009

Ho Che Anderson - Graham Annable - Kate Beaton - Sarah Becan - Andy Belanger - Gabrielle Bell - Pascal Blanchet - Chester Brown - John Campbell - Ross Campbell -Scott Campbell - Svetlana Chmakova - Becky Cloonan - Kevin Colden - Marek Colek - Joey Comeau - Joshua Cotter - Ray Fawkes - Chuck Forsman - Matthew Forsythe - Tom Fowler - Dan Goldman - Emmanuel Guibert - Justin Hall - Clayton Hamner - Dustin Harbin - Cheese Hasselberger - Chris Hastings - Scott Hepburn - Faith Erin Hicks - Brian Hoang - Raighne & Meghan Hogan - Emily Horne - Kathryn Immonen - Stuart Immonen - Jeph Jaques - Jason Kieffer - Derek Kirk Kim - Matt Kindt - Lucy Knisley - Chris Kuzma - Patrick Kyle - Joe Lambert - Ginette LaPalme - Dave Lapp - Miss Lasko-Gross - Aaron Leighton - Jeff Lemire - David Bruins & Hillary Leung - Jason Loo - Nick Maandag - David Malki ! - John Martz - Billy Mavreas - Alana McCarthy - Sean McCarthy - Tyrone McCarthy - Jamie McKelvie - Dave McKenna - Brian McLachlan - Kagan McLeod - Tara McPherson - Erika Moen - Evan Munday - Brian Musikoff - Tom Neely - Michael Noonan - Joe Ollman - Ramon Perez - Rina Piccolo - Lark Pien - Michel Rabagliati - John Ralston - Zen Rankin - Ethan Rilly - Paul Rivoche - Steve Rolston - Jonathan Rosenberg - Jeffrey Rowland - Jim Rugg - Tom Scioli - Pat Shewchuk - Jason Shiga - Marc Siegel - Tim Sievert - Cameron Stewart - Craig Taillefer - Jillian Tamaki - Mariko Tamaki - Jason Thompson - Peter Thompson - J Torres - Noel Tuazon - James Turner - Jose Villarubia - Davis Weir - Eric Wight - Chip Zdarsky - Jim Zubkavich.

Publishers & Organizations: Bodega Distribution - Oni Press - Sparkplug - Top Shelf - Adhouse - Anteism Books - Buenaventura Press - Doug Wright Awards - Drawn & Quarterly - Le Dernier Cri - Taddle Creek

In addition, previously announced guests Ivan Brunetti and Jordan Crane have unfortunately had to withdraw from appearing at TCAF for 2009. We're hoping to have them at some point in the future!

Best,

- Christopher Butcher, Festival Director, TCAF