TCAF Comics Roundup 1

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This is first in a number a post that I'm going to put out on the comics that purchased at TCAF.  My plan is to post reviews of a few comics at a time over the next few weeks.  If I can manage that, then I should be able to start posting about my Denver Comic Con purchases by Labor Day.  

To be fair, this first round of reviews will be comics the I purchased in Toronto, but outside of TCAF.  Some were purchased at the Little Island, and others were purchased direct from artists that weren't exhibiting at TCAF this year, but still had a few books available to sell.  Without any further delay, let's talk about some comics.

Silly Kingdom: Alengrimrickshaw's 211th Birthday and A New Steed Indeed by Katie and Steven Shanahan

Two comic fantasy tales by the Shanahan's.  In Alengrimrickshaw's 211th Birthday, the Princess decides that the court wizard has been far too dour of late, and decides to hold a birthday party for him.  Alengrimrickshaw, the wizard, is offended when he hears that they plan to invite Markus, the Jester, to perform "magic" tricks at the party.  Alen decides to make it rain (fire) to spoil the party, and things get out of control.  In A New Steed Indeed, the Prince is jealous of Peatrid, Prince of Belfront, and his new unicorn steed.  Unhappy with his kingdom's traditional mount (a llama), the Prince sets out with Markus to capture a unicorn of his own.  It turns out, the unicorns are super jerks, and the Prince is in over his head.  

Both stories are fun, but if I were forced to pick, I would say that A New Steed Indeed is the stronger book.  The dialogue and situations create a humorous atmosphere, but I think Katie's ability to stretch the emotional expressions of the characters really bring this to another level.  If you get a chance to purchase these comics, I highly recommend it.

Overall: 4.5 / 5

Batgirl No. 35 by Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher, Babs Tarr, and Maris Wicks

This is the first Batgirl issue that is part of the "New 52" series from DC Comics.  To be honest, I have never gotten really big into anything from DC or Marvel in the past.  The last time I tried was in the late '90's when the current Spider-Man story was the Clone Saga, and the weirdness of that story really turned me off on the whole thing.  However, when I saw the first images posted for the new Batgirl character design, I was intrigued.  I've yet to visit my local comics shop, but when I saw this on the rack in Toronto, I decided to take a chance on it.  I'm glad I did.  This issue was fun, and piqued my interest in the characters, such that I'm looking at picking up the rest of the back issues.  I enjoy that Barbara Gordon is written like an actual young person who happens to be a crime fighter.  And Tarr's art is a lot of fun.

Overall: 4 / 5

Giant Days No.1 by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Whitney Cogar

This comic is written by John Allison (yes, that John Allison), so it promises to be interesting.  To be honest, I'm at a bit of a loss to describe it. So far, the story is centered on three women who are just starting at university.  There are some hints of supernatural events in the past that occurs before the story, but nothing really strange has happened on screen so far.  The characters are fun and the art is lots of fun.  I love the description of one of the girls as "50% hair, 100% not ready for this mean old world".  This has been a great introduction to the story, and I'm gonna try to find the rest of it.

Overall: 4 / 5

Lumberjanes No. 5 by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke Allen, and Shannon Watters

I've saved my favorite for last.  Lumberjanes speaks to me in a lot of ways.  I grew up in the Boy Scouts, and in games of make believe in the woods.  Lumberjanes is basically that, except all the monsters are real.  All of the main characters are women (in fact, there are no male characters for the first few issues), and they are hugely variable.  Because there are so many women characters, none of them ends up being completely responsible for "representing" all women.  I picked up the first 4 issues when they were available on Humble Bundle, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

Overall: 5 / 5

 

TCAF - Mini-comics

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As I delve into my recent purchases at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, I'm going to put up some short reviews for most of the finds (a few of the longer reads will get more attention).  This is the first such batch of mini-reviews.  In this installment, I'll be reviewing a stack of mini-comics and other self-published material.  Sit tight, we're gonna hit a lot of stuff really quick here.

Dogs I Could Live Without by Hannah Fisher

A collection of 16 illustrations of disfunctional or otherwise undesireable dogs. Very cute and funny. 

A Bestiary of Ordinary Americans by Caitlin Cass

A collection various people living in the post-modern, suburban wasteland. I'm not as fond of Cass's sketchy art style, but the humor is still good. Especially Amy.

Ink for Beginners: A Comic Guide to Getting Tattooed by Kate Leth

A short comic discussing a lot of the common questions for those interested in getting a tattoo.  I will probably never have a tattoo, but I love Leth's art, especially her big-eyed characters and colorful tattoo examples.

Stronghold by B9 Kingdom

A collection of fantasy art (all of the stronghold theme), by a number of artists.  The book itself is a limited edition set that was produced for TCAF.  The illustrations are a lot of fun, with a huge variety of interpretation of the theme.

31 Drawings that Have Something to do with Being in Love and Not Being In Love by Eleanor Davis

A collection of illustrations more than a comic (at least in the sense that Scott McCloud would define it), this book features Davis's flowing forms and wordless sense of humor.

Magical Girl March by Becca Hillburn

Exactly what it sounds like.  A collection of character concepts (31 in total) for Magical Girl March.  Fun ideas and drawings.

Cap'n Cat: Former Shark Hunter by Anne and Jerzy Drozd

A nautical tale.  Captain Cat, a shark hunter turned fisherman, runs into some trouble during a fishing expedition.  A cute comic with a great sense of humor.

That wraps up my zine and self-published coverage.  Stay tuned for more from TCAF in the upcoming weeks, followed by coverage of Denver Comic Con.  Game on!

Toronto Comic Arts Festival - Wrap-up

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Crystal and I had a great time at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, meeting people, talking about art, and buying comics (possibly too much of that last one).  The atmosphere at the festival is great, and comics are really the main player.  Most of the tables are occupied by artists who self-publish or work with a small publisher, and the types of books are myriad.  Here is a list (in no particular order) of all the comics that Crystal and I picked up this weekend.  As I finish reading them, I'll post up reviews in batches.


The Professional Gamer - May 16, 2015

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Hi folks!  I'm just back from the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, but have yet to put together my summary article.  Look for that to be posted in the next few days.  What else have I been doing?  Read on to find out!

Playing: With travel this past week, I didn't spend much time playing video games.  Mostly, I was trying to keep up with an influx of StreetPasses in Toronto.

Reading: Aside from the comics I purchased at TCAF, which I will review later, I finished reading Frankenstein while I was on vacation.  The book is interesting, especially as it contrasts to much of the typically cultural understanding of the story.  The Creature is very different in the original text, especially in his motivations.  If you are a fan of gothic horror, I recommend that you pick up this classic to read it for yourself.

Watching: Once I returned from TCAF, I tuned my local Hulu box to Steven Universe.  At this point, I've watched about 30 episodes, and am nearing the end the what is available on Hulu.  I'm really enjoying the show so far, and kinda embarrassed about how invested I've become in some of the minor characters.  Anyways, I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the series soon.

That's all I've got for now.  I'll be working over the weekend to get my summary TCAF article posted.  Then, I've got to read and review a huge stack of comics and books to read and review.  I'm excited, but also rather daunted at this proposition.  Wish me luck!

The Gameslave Podcast - TCAF Special

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Hi everyone!  Here is a quick dispatch from Toronto with special guest Angi Mauri.

  • TCAF (Toronto Comic Arts Festival)
  • FREE! (not a convention)
  • How show is selected:
    • Prominence
    • A book to release
  • Toronto as Geek Town, StreetPasses for All
  • Examples: Bryan Lee O'Malley, Kate Beaton
  • The Beguilling: Chris Betcher
  • Favorites (comics, creators, moments)

The Professional Gamer - May 8, 2015

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Hi everyone! As I write this post, I'm sitting in a condo in downtown Toronto.  The Toronto Comic Arts festival is due to start tomorrow, and I'm getting really excited about it.  Travel and vacation usually means more time to enjoy life, and that's been true for me as well.  Read on to see what I've been doing.

Watching: This week, Steven Universe (along with a number of other prominent Cartoon Network serials) were release on Hulu in the US.  I have, therefore, spent much of the past week watching through the earlier episodes.  So far, I've watched 19 episodes, of the 35 currently available, and its been a lot of fun.  Steven, the titular character, is a half-gem / half-human.  Gems are a race of sentient crystals that take on human form.  Steven is looked after by a group of three gems named Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl.  The overall arch of the show so far is the story of Steven learning to use his gem powers.  Along the way, he spends a lot of time making friends and simply growing up as a human boy.  In short, the show simply makes me feel good.  I really enjoy the use of music as well as some of the characters goofy expressions.  In short, Steven Universe just feels good to watch.

Reading: During my flight to Toronto I picked up Frankenstein again.  I had somewhat forgotten where I was in the story.  Turns out, I was in the section where the Creature monologues for 3 chapters.  The most striking thing to me is how different the portrayal of the Creature is in the book versus almost all of popular culture.  In the book, he is grotesque, but highly intelligent and very much able to discuss his feelings with the Doctor.  Whereas most popular portrayals of the Creature take after the now classic version by Boris Karloff.

In preparation for TCAF, I visited Little Island Comics and The Beguilling, two of Toronto's notable comic stores.  I purchased Giant Days No. 1, Lumberjanes Issue 5, and Batgirl No. 35.  Then we got lost in Honest Ed's, so I haven't had a chance to read my new finds yet, but I plan to do so soon.

Playing: Since my 3DS wouldn't leave me alone about it, I download the Pokémon Rumble game. It seems to be alright so far, although I am not planning to spend any actual money on the game.  

Tonight, I'll be tagging along with my artist friends to the Sparkler Monthly party.  And then tomorrow, I'll be off to TCAF proper.  Depending on WiFi availability, I'll try to get some tweets and pictures up.  Until next time, Game On!

The Professional Gamer - March 6, 2015

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Whew, this has been a fun week.  Kinda still fighting a cold, had a trip to the doctor for an annual physical, got a tetanus/diphtheria booster, competed in an Amazing Race style event, and still managed a forty hour week without using any vacation time.  Even with all of that, I've still managed to be a productive geek this week.

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