Going to Toledo Comic Arts Festival on Saturday November 4? Here’s Everything You Need to Know
Posted on October 4, 2023
by Franco V
Next month, the first ever Toledo Comic Arts Festival (TolCAF) is happening at Main Library. With an online book discussion (with the book’s author!) occurring on (Th) Nov. 2 and all in-person activities on (Sa) Nov. 4, TolCAF has something for almost every comics fan.
TolCAF promotes the diversity of comics from a wide range of creators, encouraging comics reading, and celebrating visual literacy. Featuring workshops, lectures, keynote speakers, and more for comics fans of all ages, TolCAF brings people together with comics.
Hop online on Nov. 2 for a fun conversation with a comics creator, or come down to Main Library on Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. for programs, workshops, a Creator Fair, and more.
Thursday November 2 – Online
Online Comic Book Group with Special Guest Pornsak Pichetshote | 7 – 8 p.m. | Zoom
TolCAF is proud to present a special edition of the Library’s Online Comic Book Group featuring special guest Pornsak Pichetshote, in partnership with Image Comics.
We’ll discuss The Good Asian: 1936 Deluxe Edition, the thought-provoking and artistically striking noir detective story set in 1936 San Francisco.
The Good Asian: 1936 Deluxe Edition collects the Eisner-award-winning hit in one complete volume alongside special bonus content. The Good Asian follows Edison Hark – a haunted, self-loathing Chinese-American detective on the trail of a killer in 1936 San Francisco – in a noir mystery exploring the first generation of Americans to come of age under an immigration ban: the Chinese, as they’re besieged by rampant murders, abusive police, and a world that seemingly never changes.
Print: The Good Asian Vols. 1 & 2 | The Good Asian: 1936 Deluxe Edition
Digital: The Good Asian Vol. 1 | The Good Asian Vol. 2
Pornsak Pichetshote is a Thai-American writer. His books have been nominated for dozens of Eisner awards, and is best known in comics for his work on Infidel and The Good Asian.
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of bestselling artists. Image has since become the third largest comics publisher in the United States, publishing comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre and style imaginable.
Registration required. The event takes place via Zoom.
Saturday November 4 – Main Library
Programs
DIY Comic and Manga Craft | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Teen Library
Create your own one-of-a-kind comic book wallet and manga bookmark featuring your favorite characters. All supplies are provided.
Superhero Mask Craft | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Atrium
Visit Main Library’s Atrium to create and decorate your very own superhero mask!
The History of Marvel Superheroines with Special Guest Jim Beard | 10 – 11 a.m. | Large Glass Community Room
From the Invisible Woman to Ms. Marvel, the history of superheroines is rich, diverse, and sometimes complicated.
Superhero Training Academy | 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. & 2 – 3 p.m. | Children’s Library
Enjoy stories about superheroes and then test your skills in our interactive training academy. Recommended for brave children ages 2-5.
Mika Song – Keynote Presentation| 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. | McMaster Center
TolCAF special guest Mika Song (Donut Feed the Squirrels, One Smart Cookie) presents a keynote presentation about her creative process and making comics.
Mika Song makes children’s books about sweetly funny outsiders. A Friend for Henry by Jenn Bailey and illustrated by Mika received the Schneider Family Honor from the American Library Association. Her graphic novel for early readers Donut Feed the Squirrels was nominated for an Eisner Award. She is Japanese American and Filipino. Besides making books and hanging out with her family she runs a regular comics club for young readers in her Queens, NY neighborhood. Her Norma and Belly comic strip appears weekly on SundayHaha.com, a free kids comics newsletter that she started with Jen de Oliviera in March 2020.
Cartoons, Characters, and Comics with Scoot McMahon| 12 – 1 p.m. | Community Room 1
Learn the art of cartooning with professional cartoonist Scoot McMahon. Maximum 30 attendees.
Introduction to Dungeons & Dragons | 1 – 2:30 p.m. | Teen Library
For the curious, but not the faint of heart! If you’ve ever wanted to play Dungeons & Dragons, we have everything you’ll need for your first time as we lead you through a quick adventure. You’ll learn some of the rules of the game and meet other novice players. If you don’t know the difference between HP and AC, you’re welcome at our table. Maximum 12 attendees.
Mika Song – Norma & Belly Comic Workshop | 1 – 2 p.m. | Children’s Library
TolCAF special guest Mika Song leads you through the creation of an original Norma and Belly 4-panel comic.
Murphy’s Manor & LGBT Comics with Special Guest Kurt Erichsen| 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. | Large Glass Community Room
Comics creator Kurt Erichsen presents a look at the creation and history of Murphy’s Manor, a comic strip published in syndication in LGBT newspapers from 1981 to 2008.
Kurt Erichsen‘s cartoons have appeared in amateur and professional publications since about 1970. He is an openly gay cartoonist and civil engineer, creator of the syndicated LGBT-themed comic strip “Murphy’s Manor,” his most notable work, which ran for 1183 weekly strips from the 1980s until 2008.
Superhero Comic Book Creation with Special Guest Jerry DeCaire| 2 – 3:30 p.m. | Community Room 1
Join Marvel Comics artist Jerry DeCaire (Deadpool, Wolverine, Thor, The Which-When-Man) as he leads you through a workshop on how to draw comic book superheroes.
Shof – Keynote Presentation | 3 – 4 p.m. | McMaster Center
TolCAF special guest Shofela Coker (New Masters) talks about being born and raised in Nigeria, moving to the US, becoming an artist, and co-creating the Image Comics series New Masters with his brother Shobo.
Shof is a comic book artist and director in animation born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. He co-created the African futurist series NEW MASTERS and kickstarted the comic OUTCASTS OF JUPITER. He was the art director for LIYANA, an animated documentary, which won several awards including Best Documentary at the LA Film Festival and Grand Prize at the New York Children’s Film Festival. He previously worked in video games as a character designer and art director and is currently directing a Nigerian sci-fi animated short film with Triggerfish and Disney titled MOREMI.
Creator Fair | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Main Library Atrium
The Toledo Comic Arts Festival is happy to welcome the following artists to this year’s Creator Fair. All artists will have comics, books, and art available for purchase.
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