Maine Comics Arts Festival

MeCAF 2012 announces Featured Guests!

2012-01-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

This year's Maine Comics Arts Festival will be held on Sunday, May 20th in Portland, Maine. We are very pleased to announce our first two featured guests.

Kate Beaton, creator of "Hark, A Vagrant" !

Hark! A Vagrant takes readers on a romp through history and literature—with dignity for few and cookies for all—with comic strips about famous authors, their characters, and political and historical figures, all drawn in Kate Beaton’s pared-down, excitable style. This collection features favorite stories as well as new, previously unpublished content. Whether she’s writing about Nikola Tesla, Napoleon, or Nancy Drew, Beaton brings a refined sense of the absurd to every situation.

In just four years, Beaton has taken the comics world by storm with her non sequiturs, cheeky comebacks, and irreverent punch lines. With 1.2 million monthly hits on her site—500,000 of them unique—and comics appearing in Harper’s Magazine, the National Post, and The New Yorker, her caricatures of historical and fictional figures filtered through a contemporary lens display a sharp, quick wit that knows no bounds.

Kazu Kibuishi is the author and illustrator of the popular Amulet graphic novel series for young readers, including Amulet 1: The Stonekeeper, which was honored with the Rhode Island Children's Book Award in 2010 and the Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice Award in 2011; Amulet 2: The Stonekeeper's Curse; Amulet 3: The Cloud Searchers; and Amulet 4: The Last Council.

Copper, his popular web comic, was published in January 2010. Kazu is also founder and editor of the Flight Anthologies, a critically acclaimed comics series, as well as the creator of Daisy Kutter: The Last Train, a winner of the YALSA Best Books for Young Adults Award in 2006. Born in Tokyo, Kazu moved to the U.S. with his mother and brother when he was a child. He graduated with a degree in Film Studies from the University of California Santa Barbara, and then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. He currently lives with his wife and son in Alhambra, and works full-time as a comic book artist.

Festival Dates for 2012

2011-11-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

The dates for the 2012 Maine Comics Arts Festival will be May 19-20. The festival will be held in Portland at Ocean Gateway. We should be opening exhibitor registrations in January.

We have big plans for 2012 and hope to make this the biggest festival yet. Look for guest announcements in beginning in December.

Programming schedule!

2011-05-16T19:17:00.000-07:00

Programming schedule!

Saturday, May 21:

Portland Public Library Main Branch

5 Monument Square

11:00 am: ANDY RUNTON- "Owly" creator Andy Runton will present an all ages reading from his "Owly" books. This will take place in the children's program area of the library.

3:00 pm: Comics in World History & Cultures

A whirlwind look at comics around the world and throughout human history, featuring specific classroom models to stimulate discussion, facilitate student exploration, and encourage creative synthesis. Experienced teacher and cartoonist Marek Bennett (M. Ed.) presents units on modern Japanese history, medieval European history, ancient Mayan culture and mathematics, local history research, and more, including ways these primary sources engage and develop students' powers of graphic literacy, non-linear reading and synthesis, focused research, and other 21st century skills!

Sunday, May 22

Ocean Gateway, Portland

Maine Comics Arts Festival

Doors open at 10:00 am, festival ends at 5:00 pm

Meet over 100 comic writers, artists, publishers and cartoonists who will be exhibiting all day.

Programming (at Ocean Gateway, lower level)

10:30 am:

Colleen AF Venable is the author of the kids’ graphic novel series GUINEA PIG, PET SHOP PRIVATE EYE illustrated by Stephanie Yue. Join her for a fun interactive reading and hands-on storytelling workshop for kids. Learn how to come up with characters, create your own stories, and make your own comics!

11:30 am:

Meet Lincoln Peirce, creator of "Big Nate".

We will discuss the history of his nationally syndicated comic strip Big Nate and his new series of books, and find out what makes Nate tick.

12:30 pm:

The Center for Cartoon Studies Presents:

The One-Sheet Workshop!

Join us for an introduction to the Center for Cartoon Studies and a discussion of some quick, easy and inexpensive ways to publish your own comics. Participants will create an 8-page minicomic using only one sheet of paper!

1:30 pm:

Portfolio reviews from the Center for Cartoon Studies:

Robyn Chapman and Jon Chad from the Center for Cartoon Studies will provide artists with reviews of their portfolios.

2:30 pm: Rick Parker's 1 Hour Crash Course in Cartooning:

Rick Parker is widely known as the artist of "MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head Comic Book" and also draws the Introductory Pages of "Tales From The Crypt" and the graphic novels "Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid" and "Harry Potty" for Papercutz. Join him as he teaches what you need to know about drawing the human figure as a cartoon character.

4:00 pm: A live reading/ performance from AudioComics!

"What if someone crossed The Munsters with The Addams Family— and dumped this crazed creation in a place where monsters are normal, bad is good, and ugly is in demand? You’ll find out this spring, when The AudioComics Company records its first full-cast audio comedy for children and creatures of all ages! Meet…The Batsons!

"The Batsons", a backwards bunch of green-skinned ghouls hatched by the demented brains of best-selling children’s book writers Justine & Ron Fontes, are a spooky-kooky family of misfit monsters who reside in Flemme Falls, the capital of Halloween where 'awful is lawful and everyone’s mean.' As a special preview of the forthcoming audio series, Ron and Justine Fontes will be joined by AudioComics director Bill Dufris (the voice of TV's "Bob the Builder") between 4 and 4:30 for a reading of short Batsons stories for kids ages 5 to 105, including The Champ of Camp Damp, The Thingasaur Who Wanted More, and The Terrible Thang About Ying and Yang. Think your family’s strange? Try spending time with The Batsons at the Maine Comics Arts Festival!"

Guests for MeCAF

2011-04-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

SPECIAL GUEST ANDY RUNTON,
CREATOR OF "OWLY"!

Guests and Exhibitors:
Many more to follow plus bios coming soon

Anne Barrett: Anne has quietly cartooned in the background while supporting herself as an animation in-betweener, a multimedia developer, and a web designer. Her “Another Day Comics” strip was featured in publications in Hawaii and the New York metropolitan area back in the 90’s. After relocating to Vermont in 1995 she withdrew the cartoons from the public arena and focused on making a living at a “real” job. She spent two years in Maine in the late “Oughts” where her work resurfaced at Portland’s First Friday Art Walk. Her latest plan is to make her work available for viewing and purchasing at her web site www.anotherdaycomics.com.

In addition to the comic strip, Anne is also an award-winning animator and a performance artist, routinely participating in “Women in Limbo Presents” at the Knitting Factory in New York.

Art School Fraud is an art's and entertainment website and podcast revolving with a focus on the North American comics scene. It is owned and operated by Matt Young and Christopher "Radical" Warren, two New England independent cartoonists and CCS alumni.
www.artschoolfraud.com

Cara Bean: Cara Bean is a cartoonist, painter, and art teacher. Her favorite color is
green and she is fond of hiking around, eating nachos, drinking tea, and coveting people’s dogs. She lives and makes art at Lincoln Studios in Waltham, MA. Cara will be debuting a comic at MECAF that she began at the Center of Cartoon studies last summer. You can get a peek at her sketchbook here: http://beandoodling.blogspot.com/

Carol Burrell is editorial director for Lerner Publishing Group’s Empire State Building-based graphic novel imprint, Graphic Universe, and on the side creates the webcomic SPQR Blues about life in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. In addition to a scary number of years editing children’s books, she has worked as an art director for a roleplaying-game company; as an online game developer; for a newspaper in London; and for the Children’s Book Council.
http://spqrblues.com/IV/

Center for Cartoon Studies

Jon Chad has been producing handmade mini comics and zines since 2006. He has illustrated children's books published by Mascot Books, including one for the FBI. Jon teaches screen printing and book making, and offers weekly lab intensives at the Center for Cartoon Studies. His book, "Leo Geo and His Miraculous Journey Through the Center of the Earth" has been picked up by Roaring Book Press and is scheduled for release in Fall 2011. http://www.jonchad.com

Robyn Chapman: Since receiving her BFA in Sequential Art, Robyn Chapman has been independently producing, publishing and printing her own comics and zines.
Robyn’s work has been featured in several anthologies and publications,
including Scheherazade, Stuck in the Middle, the NY Metro and Seven Days.
She also edits and publishes a hand-crafted journal dedicated solely to
eyeglasses titled Hey, 4-Eyes! In 2005 Robyn became The Center for Cartoon
Studies' first fellow, in 2008 they awarded her with an MFA. She is
currently a CCS adjunct faculty member, and has taught cartooning in
after-school programs, workshops, and at the New School in New York City.

Brian Codagnone is the creator of the comic strips "Misfits", "S1019" and "In The Zone" and the humor column "Emotional Chaos", all of which can be seen at http://www.corbettfeatures.com/. He is also the author of the books "The Hartford Whalers", "Hey, America! It's Misfits Time!" and co-author of "The Boston Garden" and "The Bruins in Black and White" volumes 1 and 2, all of which should be required reading for every man, woman and child in North America and the more enlightened parts of Europe (sorry, Luxembourg).

Well known to all the hipsters, glitterati and bouncers in town, he's a cartoonist, writer, historian, international playboy by day and crime fighter by night. Living by the credo "What's in it for me?", he'll do almost anything to sell cartoons short of ghosting "The Family Circus". He lives under an assumed identity somewhere in Massachusetts.

Barry Corbett: Corbett Features is a cartoon and illustration syndicate supplying content for print and multi-media. Co-owners Barry Corbett and Brian Codagnone display their work at http://www.corbettfeatures.com/.

Barry is a freelance magazine cartoonist and self-published author of 3 trade paperbacks. His panel cartoons have appeared in national publications including Barron's, American Legion, Lacrosse Magazine, Medical Economics, Christianity Today, and many others.

Barry released his first book in 2006. "Embrace the Pun!" is a collection of pun-based panel cartoons. He followed that up in 2010 with "Revenge of the Pun!" which is also available in e-book format. "Kitty Nirvana: The First Ginger & Shadow Collection" won a Silver Medal at the 2008 IPPY Awards, presented by Independent Publisher Magazine.

A graduate of the Vesper George School of Art in Boston, Barry teaches Cartooning, Photoshop and InDesign at local colleges. Barry's panel cartoons can be licensed for PowerPoint and business presentations through http://www.corbettcartoons.com/.

Ellen Crenshaw:Ellen T. Crenshaw grew up in south Florida, but moved to the unpredictable Northeast to pursue her illustration career. Her clients include Beer Advocate Magazine and Boston's The Weekly Dig (among others); she freelances at children's media company, FableVision; she is a member of the lady illustrators group, Girls Drawin' Girls; she has been published in comics anthologies Inbound and ZombieBomb!; and she regularly exhibits her work all over the United States. Currently, Ellen lives in East Boston with her animator husband and military kitty-cat. Her work can be found at www.etcillustration.com. For most recent updates, see her blog at e tcillustration.blogspot.com.

Travis Dandro is the creator of the comic strip Mr.Gnu which has been featured in dozens of college newspapers since 1997. His most recent project Journal was selected as a notable comic in the 2010 The Best American Comics anthology. Travis lives in Maine with his wife and three sons.
http://www.travisdandro.com
http://mrgnucomic.blogspot.com/

Renae De Liz and Ray Dillon are the artists for The Last Unicorn series from IDW. In addition, they have worked on numerous other comics including Rogue Angel and Sonic the Hedgehog. http://raydillon.blogspot.com/

Randall Drew: Randall Drew is an Upstate NY illustrator and cartoonist who now lives and works in Vermont, where he graduated from the Center for Cartoon Studies' class of 2010. Under his RKDIA COMICS label he continues to work on his fledgling fantasy comic Citadel, as well as do illustration work for albums, books and the web. http://randalldrew.com

Jesse DuRona is a native Vermonter now in Senior year at the Center for Cartoon Studies, as a part of the class of 2011. His All-ages, sci-fi adventure comic Capek follows the adventure of a space cowboy bounty hunter, an alienated robot and a curious toddler across the universe as they try to stop a galactic war from breaking out! http://therealdurona.com/

Ariel Finkelstein BestPestStudio is a pair of cartoonists who have come together to fight evil and draw comics. (Mostly the second one.) http://www.bestpeststudio.com/

Bob Flynn was born in Buxton, Maine and raised on a steady diet of cartoons. He currently lives in Boston where he works as Director of Animation for the children’s media company, FableVision. Driven by an obsession with offbeat cartoons, he keeps busy drawing nonsensical creatures and characters to spin into comics. He is the co-creator of Heeby Jeeby Comix, and his work appeared in Nickelodeon Magazine, including several SpongeBob Squarepants comics.

website: http://www.jinxthemonkey.com
blog: http://bobjinx.blogspot.com

Heeby Jeeby Comix: http://heebyjeebycomix.blogspot.com/

Colleen Frakes graduated from comic book college and works in a library. She was awarded a Xeric Grant to publisher her book "Tragic Relief" in the fall of 2007. In 2009, her second comic "Woman King" won an Ignatz award for Promising New Talent. http://www.tragicrelief.com

Zack Giallongo: Zack Giallongo was born in the snowy month of December in 1979. He was educated at the Francis J. Burke Elementary School in Medway, Massachusetts. He went on to complete other higher levels of education, too. Zack draws pictures and writes words. His greatest ambition is to become a minor-enough celebrity to be on either NPR’s "Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me" show, or one of VH1’s decade-remiscience shows so that he can say "Aw, yeah! I remember He-Man!" http://www.zackgiallongo.com/

Lawrence Gillette

Griffin has been illustrating and web designing professionally since 2006 and is currently in school full time for forensic psychology. His newly blossoming comics career has him working with Homeless Comics on the HEALED series and Fat Cat Funnies. View more of his work at ShadedAreas.com.

Howard Hopkins HOWARD HOPKINS (www.howardhopkins.com) is the author of 33 westerns under the penname Lance Howard, six horror novels, three children’s horror novels (The Nightmare Club series) and numerous short stories under his own name. His most recent western, The Killing Kind, is a Dec. 2010 release and his most recent horror series novel, The Chloe Files #2: Silver of Darkness, is available now. He’s written and edited widescreen and panel comic books, graphic novels and short story anthologies for Moonstone, along with editing and writing for The Avenger Chronicles and Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook. He’s also created a new pulp heroine called The Veil and has published stories in The Spider Chronicles, The Green Hornet Chronicles and The Captain Midnight Chronicles.

Cathy Leamy is a Boston-based cartoonist and the creator of the autobio/humor minicomic series Geraniums and Bacon. Her anthology work includes stories in I Saw You? and The Girls' Guide to Guys' Stuff as well as historical research and co-writing for the Marvel Comics anthology Women of Marvel: Celebrating Seven Decades. She is a long-time member of Boston Comics Roundtable and has published stories in their anthology Inbound. Read more at her website: www.metrokitty.com

Sara Lindo is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts. She has created several comic books, including the "Carl Finds Love" series, "Wall Street Cat" and "Lobotomy". http://www.thelindo.com

Andrew McKenzie

Dan Mazur is a Boston-based artist and writer, and long-time member of the Boston Comics Roundtable. He created the comics "Lummox," "Palindramas," and "The Way it Crumbles," and is a contributor and co-editor of the BCR anthology "Inbound." He recently founded the Ninth Art Press, which published "Show and Tell: a Collection of Comics About Teaching and Learning."
www.danmazurcomics.com, www.ninthartpress.com, www.bostoncomicsroundtable.com

Carl Mefferd is a caricaturist from Connecticut who is working on his MFA at the Center for Cartoon Studies as a part of the class of 2011. His Senior Thesis Project is "Waking Dreams" a story that crosses reality with a fantasy dream world!

George O’Connor: George likes to write. A lot. He’s created over 60 short films and the webseries 664-The Neighbor of the Beast (lazyhorde.com). He’s currently writing the ongoing comic series HEALED for Homeless Comics (homelesscomics.com). He also juggles playing guitar in his metal and punk rock bands. By day, George is a mild-mannered copywriter in the advertising world. He once put a truck on the moon.

Corey Olmstead Maineland Studios/Pillage Comix is the love child of local Portland, Maine graphic artist Corey Olmsted along with creative writer and classic "that guy", Jesse Savage of Boston, Ma. Originally started in the Basement of Mousse Cafe in Monument Square, 2008. We are a small indie publishing company that has self produced over 7 comic titles in the past two years with many more to come. Check our blog @ www.mainelandstudios.wordpress.com

Rick Parker is widely known as the artist of "MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head Comic Book" and also draws the Introductory Pages of "Tales From The Crypt" and the graphic novel "Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid" for Papercutz …

Shelli Paroline

Lincoln Peirce is a cartoonist/writer and the creator of the comic strip Big Nate. It appears in more than two hundred U.S. newspapers and online daily at comics.com.

Jeff Pert is an award-winning cartoonist whose work can be seen on tacky merchandise throughout New England and other parts of the US, maritime Canada, and the Caribbean. Enamored of cartoons and comics since he was a boy and his Dad gave him the very first two "Peanuts" collections (the selling of which would now allow Jeff to retire, if only he hadn't nearly destroyed the books), his work has appeared in newspapers, magazines and on the sides of vans. One of his bumper stickers was spotted in Hawaii, which is not nearly as satisfying as being spotted in Hawaii himself. Jeff lives in mid-coast Maine with a jumpy cat and too many books. You can see his work at www.jeff-pert.com and www.entertainyamania.com.

Morgan Pielli: INDESTRUCTIBLE UNIVERSE QUARTERLY. Morgan Pielli's acclaimed series continues with more tales of science fiction and the surreal! Experience the terror of the "Living Room." Learn the secret of "Picker." Feel the pull of "The Twisting Kiss." And so much more! Find INDESTRUCTIBLE UNIVERSE 7 and author Morgan Pielli at the bright red table and say hi! http://www.morganpielli.com/

Jay Piscopo is the author and illustrator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli all-ages graphic novel series. http://www.captneli.com

He has been making state-of-the-art children's entertainment for nearly 20 years. His passion for using the computer as his canvas led him to develop his unique signature style of combining 2D characters with 3D backgrounds.
He served as an art director at Tom Snyder Productions, where he led the creative team in the production of educational CD-ROMs, including the award-winning Fizz and Martina Math Adventures and was as an animator on the ABC Saturday morning show Squigglevision.
He was also the co-creator of the internationally distributed comic book series featuring the world’s first disabled superheroes, The Scrap City Pack Rats, which he created in partnership with Goodwill Industries. They published a six issue series which received national media attention for its groundbreaking approach and subject matter.
Jay is an engaging presenter who has conducted hundreds of comics workshops and classroom events teaching drawing and storytelling techniques. He resides in his home town of Portland, Maine.

Joe Quinones has worked for Marvel, DC and Dark Horse Comics and is quickly establishing himself as one of the top comic cover artists working today. He also was the artist of the Green Lantern story in the critically acclaimed "Wednesday Comics" series from DC Comics. His covers have included Amazing Spider-Man and Star Wars, just to name a few. See more of his work here.

Aya Rothwell currently lives in Arlington, MA. Aya was recently attacked by a Canada Goose when she foolishly walked too close to its nest. (She apologized and ran away.) Aya's minicomics include "The Wolf and the Sun" "Mark and the Aliens". She also has stories published in the "Inbound" and "Show and Tell" anthologies. www.AyaRothwell.com

Kenan Rubenstein

Emily Sauter

Steve Seck is a graduate of the Center for Cartoon Studies. He currently resides in Jersey City, NJ, where he makes "Life is Good", a comic about the continuing non-adventures of an unemployed beer bottle & his homeless alligator friend. http://www.secktacular.com

Rick Silva

Christina Siravo

Matt Smith

Kristi-lyn Stevenson: kristilyn is an artist of many mediums and many methods residing in boston with a small flock of felines. she has and always will enjoy making comic zines and drawing lurid and lovely things. website: zombie-romance.com
kristilyn.com

Betsey Swardlick & Team Werewolf

Hugh Tims

Mort Todd was raised in Yarmouth, Maine and immediately moved to New York City after high school graduation and ended up as writer, artist and/or editor at Marvel Comics, DC, Fantagraphics and other publishers. He became Editor-in-Chief of the infamous Cracked magazine at 23, where he also started the popular Monsters Attack title. At Marvel he launched the Marvel Music line where he worked personally with the Rolling Stones, KISS, AC/DC, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie and others to create comics based on their bands. He has collaborated with a wide variety of comic legends ranging from Steve Ditko, Don Martin and John Severin to Dan Clowes, Neil Gaiman and Peter Bagge. Characters he has worked on include Superman, Conan, Spider-Man and Speed Racer. He is also an animator and filmmaker through his company Comicfix. He produced the film The Diabolikal Super-Kriminal about the Sadistik photo comics he publishes and is developing an animated series based on the character with Iggy Pop as voice actor.

Underburbs

Colleen AF Venable grew up in the trees of Walden, New York….well, not very high up the trees, since she always got scared, but she did carve her name in a lot of low hanging boughs. Colleen had an older sister, a dog, a cat, a million fish, and an imaginary pet hamster named, yup you guessed it, Hamisher. Why have an imaginary friend when you can have an imaginary friend that can fit in your pocket! Colleen went to Wagner College and double majored in English and Studio Art, winning the award of "biggest dork" (aka first in her class) and writing plays which went on to be produced Off-Off-Broadway. Her whole life she always loved reading comics—Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, and she wore out her copy of the Muppets: Short, Green and Handsome—but it wasn't until she started to get into webcomics that she also fell in love with the idea of writing comics. Now Colleen lives in New York City and her day job is designing graphic novels for First Second Books while her night job is writing graphic novels about a not-so-imaginary-anymore hyperactive hamster named Hamisher for Graphic Universe, the graphic novel imprint of Lerner Publishing Group. She thinks the world is a very lovely place.
http://www.colleenaf.com/

Jason Viola writes and draws the depressing webcomic, "Herman the Manatee" (www.hermanthemanatee.com). He lives near Boston with his wife and cat.

One month to go!

2011-04-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

More updates!

The poster is finished and will be ready for distribution this week. The artwork is by Zack Giallongo, one of our guests since year one. Great job!

If you live in the Portland area and can help distribute posters please let us know. We print hundreds of posters.

We continue to update the web page and Facebook group. If you are on Twitter you can follow us there at http://twitter.com/MEComicArtsFes t. Please retweet to your followers.

The guest page and bios continue to be updated: http://mainecomicsfestival.com/Guests.html

Watch for more updates!

Updates

2011-04-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

We have started updating this year's website: http://mainecomicsfestival.com/ .

We have added more guests and will be updating the list this week. We will also have programming again this year on Saturday, May 21 at the Portland Public Library AND on Sunday at the festival.

Exhibitor registrations are currently on hold while we confirm our final table count. If you would like to be put on the waiting list to exhibit please e-mail me. Thanks!

Updates

2011-03-09T11:34:00.001-08:00

We are working on updates. There is a lot going on.

We do have a block of hotel rooms booked at the Hilton Garden Inn on the Portland waterfront. This is within walking distance of the festival. Follow this link. If you are interested in other places to stay we can make other suggestions.

Exhibitor tables are over 75% gone at this point (and we have added more tables this year). We will probably close these out in the next week or so.

We are currently looking for someone to design this year's festival poster. If you are interested please e-mail me directly at rick@casablancacomics.com.

2011 Guest announcement-Andy Runton, creator of Owly!

2011-01-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

We are very pleased and excited to announce our first featured guest for 2011: Andy Runton, creator of Owly!

Visit Andy's website for more Owly goodness at http://www.andyrunton.com/ .

MeCAF 2011 plans and updates

2011-01-04T08:05:00.000-08:00

Now that we are in 2011 we are moving forward with MeCAF 2011. The date(s) will be May 21-22 with programming and other events on Saturday and the festival on Sunday. We should begin making guest announcements very soon (as they confirm). We are excited about this year's show. Please help spread the word.

MeCAF 2011 dates

2010-10-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update. The date(s) for the Maine Comics Arts Festival 2011 are May 21-22. We will begin updating things with more information as we have it. Thanks!

Skottie Young at MeCAF

2010-05-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

Due to a family medical emergency Skottie Young is unable to attend the festival this year. He will be missed at the show and our thoughts are with him and his family.

http://twitter.com/skottieyoung

We plan on having Skottie join us at the store later this year for a special event so you will get to meet him soon, just not this weekend.

In other news, 99% of the other guests will still be attending so it will be a great time for everyone. We hope that you can join us.

Sponsor Spotlight- Shipyard Brewing Company

2010-05-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our sponsor Shipyard Brewing Company. The brewery itself is about 100 yards away from the festival site at Ocean Gateway. Shipyard's products are available at most area stores.

http://www.shipyard.com

Shipyard is committed to brewing the freshest, most flavorful, full-bodied ales available. We use only the finest ingredients, including top fermenting multi-strain yeast from Ringwood Brewery. All our beer is handcrafted with pride at our brewery on the historic waterfront in Portland, Maine.

Shipyard first began in 1992 at Federal Jack's Restaurant and Brew Pub in Kennebunk, which is one of Maine's original brew pubs and working breweries. Within two years, demand for Shipyard beer outpaced the small operation and, in April 1994, founders Fred Forsley and Alan Pugsley opened the Shipyard Brewing Company in Portland. Stop by and visit us when you're in Maine and see first hand why Shipyard is excellence in brewing.

Sponsor Spotlight- Portland Phoenix

2010-05-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

The Phoenix is very excited to help sponsor the Maine Comics Arts Festival – a HUGE shout out to Casablanca Comics for putting it together!

Since its first issue hit the streets in September of 1999, the Portland Phoenix has combined the best arts-and- entertainment listings and local news and arts coverage available in the Great State of Maine with the experience and nationally recognized critical expertise of its parent paper, the Boston Phoenix. Each week the Phoenix offers readers a unique editorial perspective not found in daily newspapers. Phoenix writers take the headlines one step further, not delivering just facts but looking behind the story and asking why. The Portland Phoenix is an indispensable resource for entertainment coverage, local news analysis, and complete and comprehensive listings of arts and entertainment events happening from Portsmouth to Bangor.

Guest list update

2010-05-17T19:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a nearly complete list of the creators who will be exhibiting at MeCAF. We have a few still to add but this will give you a good idea. If you see any errors or omissions please let us know so that we may correct them. Thanks!

The list is alphabetical by last name.

Mark Anderson

Josh Alves

Jack Bachman

Daniel Barlow

Cara Bean

Marek Bennett

Ben Bishop

Eric Boeker

Heather Bryant

ByrenLee Press/SPQR Blues

Nicole Chaison

Robyn Chapman

Brian Codagnone

Michael Connor

Barry Corbett

Alexander Danner

Seth Desjardins

Katie Megaphone Diamond

T. J. Dort

Nate Doyle

Bob Flynn

Colleen Frakes

Penina Gal

Jaime Garmendia

Cayetano Garza

Thomas Gause

Zack Giallongo

Sam Girdich

Mark Gonyea

Joe Haley

David Jacobson

Joseph Peters

Nomi Kane

Dave Kender

Stacey Kettler

Renee Kurilla

Braden Lamb

Joseph Lambert

Cathy Leamy

Ron LeBrasseur

Jeff Lemire

Jeffrey Lok

Mike Lynch

Daniel Mazur

Joe McGlone

Caitlin McGurk

Christopher Mills

Dave Naybor

Kit

Neko

Jennifer Ormand

Shelli Paroline

Nick Patten

Jeff Pert

Jay Piscopo

John Platt

Caitlin Plovnick

Tina Pratt

Joe Quinones

Joel Zane Rivers

Roho

Dave Roman

Josh Rosen

Aya Rothwell

Kenan Rubenstein

Matt Ryan

Che Salazar

Emily Sauter

Charles Schneeflock Snow

Sarah Searle

Jessica Shea

Gynn Stella Silva

Rick Silva

Christina Siravo

Israel Skelton

Kathryn Skelton

Everett Soares

Susan Soares

Kristilyn Stevenson

Betsey Swardlick

Adam Szymczak

Matt Talbot

Team Werewolf

Colin Tedford

Raina Telgemeier

Dirk Tiede Cartoons

Hugh Tims

Carl Tsui

Jennifer G Vaughn

Jason Viola

Jason Weeks

Maris Wicks

Lee Wilson

Brian Wood

Skottie Young

Stephanie Yue

FAQ's

2010-05-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to cover some of the FAQ's we have had about the festival. If anyone has other questions please feel free to e-mail them to me.

What can I expect from the festival?
The festival is really a showcase for the creators. We will have over 100 comic writers and artists on hand for this event. There will be everyone from mini comics publishers to seasoned professionals. There will be comic book writers and artists, gag cartoonists, newspaper cartoonists, web comics creators and more. The guests will have their own work available for sale. Some people will be doing sketches and selling original artwork. Others will have t-shirts, buttons and posters. All of them have one thing in common... a love of comics.

What are the panel discussions?
We will be holding panel discussions on Saturday at the Portland Public Library. These will feature various guest creators who will be discussing a specific topic. A full schedule is posted on the festival website. The topics include how to create your own comics and mini-comics, web-comics and much more. This is free and open to the public.

How much does it cost?
Admission is only $5.00. Children 12 and under get in free. There is also no charge for educators and librarians attending.

What is the schedule?
The festival opens to the public on Sunday at 10:00 am and closes at 5:00 pm. You may leave and re-enter the festival as many times as you like. There are lots of places to eat and shop close to the festival site.

Will there be dealers at this show?
There will not be any dealers in the traditional sense. There will not be any tables with long boxes of back-issues for sale. There will be plenty of books available for sale, but all of the books will be produced and sold by the guests that we have on hand. If you are looking for lots of Marvel and DC comic back-issues this may not be the show for you. Still give it a try though....I think you will be able to find some pretty cool comics in the room. (Note: Bring cash, as most of the exhibitors will not be accepting credit cards. There is an ATM on site).

If you are looking for a more traditional show, I recommend the Granite State Comic-Con on May 23 in Manchester, NH. In Massachusetts check out the fine shows from Larry's Comics.

So where is Ocean Gateway?

2010-05-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

The question that we seem to get asked the most is "where is Ocean Gateway"? The short answer is that it is on the waterfront. Turn left onto Commercial Street from Franklin Street (at Casco Bay Ferry Terminal) and drive 2/10 of a mile and you will see it. If you are using a GPS system use 14 Thames Street as your address.

Driving North
Take the Maine Turnpike (Interstate 95) toward Portland to Exit 44, I-295. Proceed on I-295 North to exit 7, the Franklin St. exit, and continue straight on Franklin Arterial Street until it ends at Commercial Street. Turn left on Commercial St. (Commercial St. becomes Thames St.). Ocean Gateway will be on Thames Street, on the right, just past India Street.

Driving South
Take exit 103 off the Maine Turnpike (Interstate 95), which will take you to I-295. Head south. Proceed on I-295 South to exit 7, the Franklin St. exit, and continue straight on Franklin Arterial Street until it ends at Commercial Street. Turn left on Commercial St. (Commercial St. becomes Thames St.). Ocean Gateway will be on the right, just past India Street.

From the Portland Airport
Turn right at the Jetport exit onto Congress Street (Rt 22). Stay on Congress Street 1.8 miles and turn onto the ramp to South Portland/ I-295. Keep left at the fork to pick up Fore River Pkwy. Continue straight through intersection with Valley Street, proceeding onto West Commercial Street. Remain on Commercial Street for 2 miles, following the waterfront. Commercial Street becomes Thames Street. Ocean Gateway will be on your right, just past India Street.

One week to go!

2010-05-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

The countdown begins. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask.

The art show will be hung tomorrow and be on display at the Portland Public Library (Main Branch) starting on Tuesday until Saturday.

We hope to post a full guest list in the next few days. The website has been updated but still does not include everyone who will be there.

Up next: a FAQ blog!

Exhibitor e-mail update

2010-05-10T18:13:00.000-07:00

A new exhibitor e-mail just went out with lots of updates. If you are an exhibitor at the festival and did not receive it please let us know.

Festival schedule of events

2010-05-06T18:58:00.001-07:00

Here is the schedule for the festival:

Portland Public Library

Main Branch, 5 Monument Square

Tuesday, May 18-Saturday, May 22

Maine Comics Arts Festival Art Show-

Lewis Gallery, Portland Public Library

This exhibit will showcase the artists participating in the Maine Comics Arts Festival.

Saturday, May 22

All Saturday events will be held in the Rines Auditorium unless otherwise noted.

Kids Cartooning Workshop 10:00 AM

Children ages 7-12 are invited to try their hand at cartoon art. Using simple shapes, comic book artist Jay Piscopo will demonstrate how to build figures and perspective to create art that tells a story. Stand by for adventure in this hour-long, interactive workshop! Video clip: http://www.captneli.com/schooldemo.php

Portland, Maine artist Jay Piscopo is the author and illustrator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli all-ages graphic novel series. Piscopo also co-created The Scrap City Pack Rats, art directed the award-winning Fizz and Martina Math Adventures, and was an animator for ABC TV’s Squigglevision.

The World of Graphic Novels 11:00 AM

Presenter: John Shableski, Diamond Book Distributors

“The graphic novel is to publishing today very much as rock and roll was when it first entered the music industry mainstream: a strange format already familiar to the popular culture but not yet understood by the established distribution channels."

~ John Shableski, Diamond Book Distributors

This free presentation is for librarians and educators who are interested in the world of graphic novels and are looking for definitions, explanations, and advice on where to begin or expand your collection or how to effectively use graphic novels in the classroom. John conducts this workshop nationally with librarians and educators and is known for his interactive, conversational style. This is his first time presenting in Maine. You won’t want to miss this unique opportunity!

THE PRESENTER: John Shableski is sales manager at Diamond Book Distributors, the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books, and one of the biggest distributors of graphic novels in the U.S. through its Diamond Book Distributors division. John has been a panelist at BookExpo America, a moderator for graphic novel panels at the New York Comic Con, a guest speaker at library events, regional book shows and a symposium coordinator. He's currently collaborating on several graphic novel symposiums across the country. His focus is on the independent bookstore market, public and school libraries.

Cartooning Styles 12:30

A humorous presentation about art styles, featuring images of popular cartoon characters like Sponge Bob Squarepants and Mickey Mouse, and how different artists interpret them. We'll talk about designing characters, and then give an interactive drawing demo, in which the audience will instruct Raina in creating characters and images.

Age range: 5 – 12

Center for Cartoon Studies Presents:

Page Building Workshop 1:30

This hands-on workshop will take a closer look at the basic building blocks of the comics page. Cartoonist and teacher Robyn Chapman will explain how to use page composition to control pacing and create effective stories. No matter how little experience you have, you will leave this workshop having composed a comics page! All supplies will be provided.

Live Comics Reading: Smile & Astronaut Elementary 2:30

Raina Telgemeier and Dave Roman will read (and perform) chapters from their all-ages graphic novels, as the illustrated panels are projected onto a large screen for all to see. They’ll also ask for some volunteers from the audience to play some of the characters.

Age range: 5 and up.

Featured Guest Discussion:

Jeff Lemire, Brian Wood and Skottie Young 3:00

This panel discussion will cover the works of the festival's featured guests and will include a question and answer session.

The Pros and Cons of Small Press Publishing 4:00

When a writer or artist decides to pursue the comic book industry, the 21st century has provided them with several different options, one of them being small press publishing. But how does one decide the best route to take. Join the creator of Sky Pirates of Valendor, Everett Soares along with Promotions Consultant, Susan Soares as they discuss the Pros and Cons of small press publishing as they share their journey through the industry.

Sunday, May 23

10:00 AM- 5:00 PM

Ocean Gateway, Portland

Maine Comics Arts Festival

Meet over 100 comic writers, artists and publishers, see exhibits and shop for cool comics and graphic novels.

Less than three weeks!

2010-05-03T05:31:00.000-07:00

Time is flying! We should be finalizing the programming schedule this week. The room is sold out for exhibitors so we will have a full house. Full pages ads start in this week's Portland Phoenix. Lots happening over the next few days. Look for more updates soon.

One month to go!

2010-04-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

The Maine Comics Arts Festival is one month from today! May 23, 2010!

Please spread the word. Anyone who would like to distribute posters should contact us and we will get them to you. Thanks!

Educator workshop with John Shableski at MeCAF

2010-04-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

~ John Shableski, Diamond Book Distributors

WHAT: The World of Graphic Novels

Presenter: John Shableski, Diamond Book Distributors

WHEN: Saturday, May 22, 2010 – 11:00am

WHERE: Maine Comics Arts Festival

Portland Public Library

5 Monument Square, Portland

www.mainecomicsfestival.com

THE PRESENTER: John Shableski is sales manager at Diamond Book Distributors, the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books, and one of the biggest distributors of graphic novels in the U.S. through its Diamond Book Distributors division. John has been a panelist at BookExpo America, a moderator for graphic novel panels at the New York Comic Con, a guest speaker at library events, regional book shows and a symposium coordinator. He's currently collaborating on several graphic novel symposiums across the country. His focus is on the independent bookstore market, public and school libraries.

FMI: Casablanca Comics – TEL: 780-1676 – EMAIL: comics@casablancacomics.com

New exhibitor e-mail

2010-04-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

A new e-mail has just been sent to all exhibitors with important information about the festival. If you are exhibiting at the show and have not received an e-mail from us please let us know and we will send you another copy.

Portland Public Library Grand Re-opening

2010-04-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

The Portland Public Library celebrates their grand re-opening on Thursday. This is where we will be holding the panels and workshops on Saturday, May 22. Check out this video for a quick preview. The new library is amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IISjoMHdC 8o

Festival Poster by Jeff Lemire and Brian Wood!

2010-04-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

Here is the first look at this year's festival poster. The artwork is by Jeff Lemire, with art direction and design by Brian Wood! We will have these available for distribution next week.

Full festival mode...

2010-04-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

Today has been a flurry of e-mails, phone calls, and updates. The next few weeks are when things really start to come together.

For those of you attending MoCCA or the Boston Comic Con, please spread the word about MeCAF. We have a great show here and it should be fun for everyone.

Look for more updates this week.

Reminder....if you are planning on using the host hotel the deadline for registrations is coming up soon.

Thanks!

More creator bios/Facebook Group

2010-03-09T18:13:00.001-08:00

Tonight we added 10 more creator bios to our Facebook group page for the festival. If you are on Facebook join the group!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=48705984560

Website updated with new guest list

2010-03-04T19:48:00.002-08:00

We have updated the festival website. The guest list is in order (yeah!). Currently we have bios for approximately 1/3 of our guests but will continue to add them to the guest page as we receive them.

Here is the link: http://mainecomicsfestival.com/Guests.html

Please spread the word....tweet, Facebook, blog or whatever. Thanks!

Hotel details/ room blocks:

2010-03-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

We have reserved a block of rooms for this year's festival at the Hilton Garden Inn on Portland's waterfront. This is a very nice hotel and is conveniently located near Ocean Gateway. The rate is much lower than the open rate. Here is a link to the reservation information:

http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/groups/personalized/PWMDHGI-MCA-20100521/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG#reservation

Exhibitor e-mails

2010-03-03T19:49:00.001-08:00

We sent an e-mail tonight to all registered exhibitors. If you are a guest or exhibitor at the festival and you did NOT receive it please e-mail us so that we can confirm that we have your correct e-mail address. Thanks!

Exhibitor biographies part 6

2010-03-03T19:18:00.000-08:00

Maris Wicks is a maker of minicomics and stuffed animals. She is working on some big comics projects too!

dotsforeyes.blogspot.com

Joe Quinones draws people in tights, mostly for DC Comics and Marvel Comics. He loves peanut butter.

joequinones.blogspot.com

Dirk I. Tiede
Webcomics pioneer Dirk I. Tiede is the creator of the graphic novel series, "Paradigm Shift". In addition to print collections, he continues to serialize his comics online and is a founding contributor to premiere comics portal Modern Tales. His work is also showcased in the books "ToonArt: The Art of Digital Comics" and "Webcomics", and appears in the documentary "Adventures in Digital Comics". Hs work has also appeared on NBC's "Heroes". Dirk can be found at comic and anime shows around the country promoting his books. He relocated from Chicago to Boston's North Shore in 2008 where he continues to work as a professional cartoonist and freelance illustrator.

http://dynamanga.net

Jason Viola is the creator of the depressing webcomic "Herman the Manatee". He lives near Boston with his wife and cat.

herman.manateepower.com

Team Werewolf is Nick Patten, Penina Gal, Josh Rosen and Betsey Swardlick.

Heather Bryant is a Canadian ex-pat living in Rhode Island. She writes and illustrates the comic series "American, Eh?"and the webcomic "Cake Brat". Heather is currently finishing her children's book "Juniper Key and the Very Serious Girl", plus working on mini-comics about traveling in Japan with her mother.

http://www.heatherbryant.net

Ron LeBrasseur
Boston cartoonist Ron LeBrasseur, known for his comics in the "Inbound" and "Potlach" anthologies, has been featured in several comics-related news stories lately. It turns out, he'd rather be rich than famous.

http://home.earthlink.net/~ronlebrasseur

Exhibitor biographies part 5

2010-03-03T19:09:00.000-08:00

Katie Diamond has been drawing comics since she was 9 years old. Since then, her comics have taken a turn for the best, and now focus on issues such as safe sex, sexuality, gender, and diversity. She coordinated a huge Sex Education Comic Book compilation among 30+ authors and illustrators; has several educational comic pamphlets floating around health centers across the country; has been published by the likes of the Phoenix; and will be published as part of the anthology "Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation" in book-form in the fall of this year. Learn more about Katie and her passion for brush-pens at www.katiediamond.com

Hugh Tims is a native Mainer who has just recently set up shop in the country. That doesn't stop him from being a one-man self-publishing house though. Hugh Tims currently works mainly on two books Two Spirit Deal, an eclectic actioner mature comic with LGBT superheroes and Lightning Duck, the ecologically savvy kids comic with musically inclined animeople tm. When not spreading himself too thin, Hugh teaches yoga and likes to surf.

website: www.bettercomicsinc.com

Exhibitor biographies part 4

2010-02-28T20:31:00.000-08:00

Renee Kurilla is a children's book illustrator and animator in Boston, MA.While she is very much a "newbie" at *creating* comics, she grew up loving them, admiring them, and carting them around under her arm. Her first published work as an illustrator is the graphic novel, *Zebrafish* (May 4,2010 - Simon & Schuster), in which she worked closely with the creative talents at FableVision (writer/creative, Sharon Emerson &author/illustrator, Peter H. Reynolds).
She was born in Scranton, PA and migrated to Boston where she earned herBFA in illustration from The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. She found a niche as an artist and game designer at FableVision... and also finds time to run a small freelance operation under the code name "Kurillastration." By power of the internet, she was commissioned by Tim Jones to design the look of a new pre-school book series called *I See I Learn*, written by Stuart J. Murphy. (Fall 2010 - Charlesbridge)
She is currently tackling a graphic novel of her own...and is accepting all forms of encouragement upon this scary, scary task.
Blog: http://www.kurillastration.blogspot.com
Learn more about *Zebrafish*: http://www.zebrafish.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reneekurilla

Zack Giallongo website: http://www.zackgiallongo.com/
Zack Giallongo is a cartoonist living in the smallest state in the U.S. He is one of the creators of the *Novasett Island* series of mini comics, aswell as the creator of *Grune* a story of lost travelers and a strange monster. He is also a co-founder of Life Meter - a video game tribute site. Along with comics and cartoons, Zack loves food, animals and banjo. He is currently drawing a book titled *Broxo* about a boy barbarian for FirstSecond books.

Stephanie Yue
website: http://www.jellycity.com/
Stephanie is currently illustrating a graphic novel series for Lerner,*Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye*, written by Colleen AF Venable. She is aco-creator of the *Novasett Island* series with Zack Giallongo, and self publishes a series of autobiographical comics, *Quezzie vs. Grapefruit,* *Irrefusable Dinner Engagement,* and *Brace for Impact*. Recently, her colors can be seen in Raina Telgemeier's new book, *Smile*. She likes to play guitar, build stuff, climb things, and practice kung-fu, the last of which feeds into a growing number of illustrations of mice doing martial arts. She also likes green tea, mmm.

John Platt, "America's Least-Famous Cartoonist," is a writer and cartoonist living in central Maine. His mini-comics include "My Exploding Head" and "My Beard in Alternate Dimensions." His short story collection, "Die Laughing" was published in 2002, and his fiction and poetry have appeared in more than 100 anthologies and magazines on four continents. John's also draws the irregularly updated webcomic, "Plattitudes." For more information, visit http://www.johnrplatt.com

Cara Bean secretly makes comics when she is not being a high school art teacher. She likes to draw things that are half cute and half creepy. Check out her sketchbook blog here: beandoodling.blogspot.com and her website: badgigi.com for more. She will present mini-comics, paintings, prints, and magnets for sale.

Sarah Winifred Searle is the creator of "Under the Apple Tree", a historical look at life in Maine during WWII with some paranormal parallels to the same area during the Civil War.
http://www.swinsea.com/comic

Christopher Mills is a freelance writer, editor and graphic artist with decades of experience in the publishing industry, working primarily for newspapers and comic book publishers. A professional writer for twenty years, he has scripted numerous independent comic books in a variety of genres, including Leonard Nimoy's Primortals, Shadow House, Kolchak Tales, The Night Driver, Captain Midnight, the Spinetingler Award-winning Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries and the critically-acclaimed crime thriller, Gravedigger: The Scavengers. He has also authored a handful of published short stories, including contributions to Moonstone Books' The Spider Chronicles, Captain Midnight Chronicles and Werewolves: Dead Moon Rising.

He lives in an old farmhouse in Central Maine with his wife, dog, cat, and thousands of books and videos. His website is http://www.atomicpulp.com.

Kenan Rubenstein's comics include Tick, a classic tale of boy-meets-robot-boy, The Oubliette, a series of unfolding autobiographical vignettes, and Last Train to Old Town, an ongoing adolescent adventure. He lives in Brooklyn, where he subsidizes his art habit making wonderful web sites for other artists and creative professionals. His scribbles and scrawls appear somewhat regularly at UnderTheHaystack.net.

Exhibitor biographies part 3

2010-02-23T16:45:00.000-08:00

Here are some more creator bios.

Mr.Oblivious and Strongarm Labs:

Mark Gonyea- I’ve always been a fan of silent storytelling. My intent is always to make a comic story that also works as a piece of art. I love trying to combine the flow of a story with the aesthetics of color, balance, shape and form. Some end up more art than story and others more story than art but that’s what makes each piece a unique experience. See more of my art at MrOblivious.com.

Sam Girdich- Sam Girdich and Mark Gonyea created Strongarm Labs in the summer of 2003. Together, Sam as writer and Mark as illustrator, they have created 7 books. The idea behind Strongarm Labs is always to tell good stories from a unique perspective. See more info on our books at strongarmlabs.com.

Everett Soares, the creator of Sky Pirates of Valendor, had been working on this concept for over 2 years, it truly did not come to life until he met Brian Brinlee, current penciler for the project. In December of 2006, the 2 were introduced. They started working on concept sketches and before they knew it, Everett's words came to life on Brian’s 11 x 17 art boards. In the process, Everett has also become versant on all things pirate and steampunk.
Four months and 8 pages later, they stumbled upon the chance of a lifetime, Small Press Idol. SPI is an American Idol-like competition for aspiring artists and creators. Everett entered the competition with work that he and Brian had done so far. What occurred over the following year was beyond any of their expectations!
Sky Pirates of Valendor finished the competition in 2nd Place. Shortly after the end of the competition, Free Lunch Comics extended an offer to publish Sky Pirates of Valendor, in a five-issue miniseries followed by a trade paperback that debuted in January 2010. Now fans have the opportunity to share in the joy and excitement of Sky Pirates of Valendor. Everett travels throughout the country promoting Sky Pirates. The entire team is very proud of their accomplishments and look forward to the future of Sky Pirates and their careers in the comic book industry.
Besides his work on Sky Pirates, Everett is stretching his writing skills through a variety of pending projects, working with a collection of very talented artists. Everett is an active member of the Comicbook Artists Guild and lives in Rhode Island with his wife and dog.
http://skypiratesofvalendor.ecrater.com

Cathy Leamy is a Boston-based cartoonist and the creator of the autobio/humor minicomic Geraniums and Bacon. Her anthology work includes pieces in I Saw You? and The Girls' Guide to Guys' Stuff. She is a member of Boston Comics Roundtable and has published stories in their anthology Inbound. Read more at her website: www.metrokitty.com

Charles Schneeflock Snow is the creator of the webcomic Sordid City Blues (www.sordidcityblues.com). He is a member of Boston Comics Roundtable and has published stories in the anthologies Inbound and Secrets and Lies. He lives in Somerville, MA.

Registration updates for exhibitors

2010-02-17T19:16:00.000-08:00

Registrations for exhibitor tables are arriving daily (we received three just today). Last year on this date we closed registrations due to a sell-out. This year we opened registrations a week later than last year plus we have added more tables. That being said, do not be surprised to see an announcement soon that registrations are being put on hold and a waiting list is starting.

We know that we will be adding more tables this year but will not know exactly how many until sometime in March (due to the floor plan of the additional space). Rather than over-sell the room we will stop selling tables once we hit a set number. At that point we will start the waiting list. Once we get a final count we will offer whatever remaining tables there may be to the waiting list.

Please e-mail us if you have any questions. Thanks!

Exhibitor biographies part 2

2010-02-09T19:48:00.000-08:00

More bios:

Jon Chad attended college at the Savannah College of Art and Design and graduated from the Sequential Art program in May 2008. He has been producing handmade mini comics and zines since 2006. He has illustrated children's books published by Mascot Books. His comics Leo Geo Acquires Ancient Knowledge and Shortstack were both nominated for the Kukoc Award for Comics Inspiration in 2008. He now lives in White River Junction where he works at the Center for Cartoon Studies. Jon teaches screen printing and book making and offers weekly production lab intensives. http://www.jonchad.com

Colleen Frakes is a graduate of inaugural class of the The Center for Cartoon Studies. She has created comics for Mirage Studios (creators of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Myspace Dark Horse Presents, and Indie Spinner Rack's Awesome 2: Awesomer anthology. In 2007 she was awarded a Xeric Grant for her graphic novel, Tragic Relief. Her second book, Woman King, won an Ignatz award for Promising New Talent in 2009, and her next book, Basket Ogress, should be out in April 2010. http://www.tragicrelief.blogspot.com

Katherine Roy has lived in many states and been to many countries, but currently lives in White River Junction, Vermont, where she makes lots of drawings for comics. She loves stories that explore the beautiful, the magical, and the relationship between characters big and small. http://caterpillarpublishing.com/

Laura Terry Despite the circulating rumors Laura Terry was not raised by wolves or gypsies. She was raised by cowboys. In 2004 Laura graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in painting. She currently lives amid skunks, maple trees, and cartoonists in Vermont while she earns her MFA at the Center for Cartoon Studies. In addition to producing the comic book One Thousand Lies she also works as an illustrator. www.bravesailor.com

Exhibitor biographies part 1

2010-02-09T19:17:00.000-08:00

We are starting receive some of the exhibitor bios. We will be posting them as we get them. Once we have enough we will post them in order.

Raina Telgemeier’s graphic memoir, SMILE (Scholastic/Graphix), tells the tale of how she lost her two front permanent teeth in a trip-and-fall accident in middle school, and the subsequent years she spent getting her smile back. She is the adaptor and illustrator of the Baby-sitters Club graphic novel series (Scholastic/Graphix), which were selected by YALSA for their Great Graphic Novels for Teens list in 2007, as well as ALA’s Top 10 Graphic Novels for Youth list. She is the co-author of X-Men: Misfits (Del Rey Manga), which debuted at #6 on the New York Times’ Graphic Books Bestseller list. Raina’s comics have been nominated for the Ignatz, Cybil, and Eisner Awards, and have appeared in publications by Random House, DC Comics, OWL Magazine, and Nickelodeon Magazine. A graduate of Manhattan’s School of Visual Arts, Raina currently resides in Astoria, NY.

Visit her online at www.goRaina.com.

Dave Roman draws the webcomic Astronaut Elementary (soon to be published by First Second books) and has written several graphic novels including Agnes Quill: An Anthology of Mystery and Jax Epoch. He recently collaborated with his wife, Raina Telgemeier, on X-Men: Misfits, and co-wrote The Last Airbender manga prequel. Dave is a co-founder of Life Meter Comics and was an editor for Nickelodeon Magazine for 11 years. His website is www.yaytime.com

Shelli Paroline was born at a very young age with all of her fingers and toes. From this ordinary beginning, she has made it her mission to make art seem like practical heroics. Balancing creativity and efficiency among multiple artistic disciplines, Shelli focuses on design and narrative illustration, publishing her work both on the web and in print. She has been an integral member of the Boston Comics Roundtable, helping to design and edit their Inbound anthologies. Recently, she provided the art for the first issue of Boom! Kids' ongoing Muppet Show #0.

Braden D. Lamb quit a cushy job in IT to pursue a career in art. He created and illustrated the webcomic Kitty Hawk for over a year, and has contributed to the first four anthologies of the Boston Comics Roundtable, Inbound, including the Boston History issue. He has also appeared in fan comic anthologies Life Meter and Harvest is When I Need You the Most. He grew up in Seattle, graduated from Bard College in upstate New York, and now resides in Boston, where he studies illustration at the Art Institute of Boston. Also available in suede.

Jessica Shea lives in Massachusetts where she owns and operates "Jay Shay Art Studio & Gallery", which features her work and the work of other local artists. A graduate of Maine College of Art, she specializes in comics & illustration. Shea runs two webcomics, "2:15" and "Apt. C3", as well as multiple other comic projects, including "Ravenstar", her fantasy epic in progress. Other than comics, Shea also enjoys being able to pay her rent, collecting belt buckles, & slow motion. She draws goggles on everything.

Corbett Features is a cartoon and illustration syndicate supplying content for print and multi-media. Co-owners Barry Corbett and Brian Codagnone update the website daily, offering six different comic strips and a humor column.

Link:

http://www.corbettfeatures.com/

Barry is a freelance magazine cartoonist and self-published author of two trade paperbacks and 3 webcomics. His panel cartoons have appeared in national publications including Barron's, American Legion Magazine, Lacrosse Magazine, Discoveries, True West Magazine, Kid Zones, Medical Economics, Skipping Stones, The Valley News, The Chicago Loop News, Christianity Today, The Artist's Magazine & FiftySomething Magazine.

Barry released his first book in 2006. "Embrace the Pun!" is a collection of pun-based panel cartoons.

"Kitty Nirvana: The First Ginger & Shadow Collection" was released in 2008 and won a Silver Medal at the IPPY Awards, presented by Independent Publisher Magazine.

A graduate of the Vesper George School of Art in Boston, Barry teaches Cartooning at local colleges and Adobe InDesign at The New England Institute of Art and North Shore Community College.

Brian Codagnone is the author of the comic strips "Misfits", "S1019" and "In The Zone" and the humor column "Emotional Chaos", all of which can be seen at www.corbettfeatures.com. He is also the author of the books "The Hartford Whalers", "Hey, America! It's Misfits Time!" and co-author of "The Boston Garden" and "The Bruins in Black and White" volumes 1 and 2, all of which make great gifts for any occasion.

A well known bon vivant and man about town, he's a cartoonist, writer, sports historian, military historian, reenactor, washed up hockey player and all around swell guy. In addition to enjoying long walks on the beach and skinning hoboes, he is involved in Civil War reenacting as a member of the 28th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.

Living by the motto "Works cheap and looks good in a suit", he strives to sell his cartoons to anyone, including member countries of the Axis of Evil, if the price is right.

He lives in Massachusetts with a large collection of rare albino peacocks and is rumored to be involved with Jennifer Aniston. Okay, I lied about the peacocks...

Bob Flynn (representing Heeby Jeeby Comix and ARGH!)

Bob Flynn was born in Buxton, Maine and raised on a steady diet of cartoons. He currently resides in Boston where he works as an animator and game designer for the children's media company, FableVision. Teaming up with cartoonists Chris Houghton, David Degrand, and Dan Moynihan, he recently launched Heeby Jeeby Comix—home to weird, bizarre, and nonsensical comics for all ages. His comics are also featured in ARGH! , an offbeat comic zine from Spain. Bob's illustrations have appeared in Nickelodeon Magazine, in addition to several SpongeBob comics.

Website: http://www.jinxthemonkey.com

Heeby Jeeby Comix: http://heebyjeebycomix.blogspot.com

Guest Announcement- BRIAN WOOD!

2010-02-03T09:07:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce that Brian Wood will be a guest at MeCAF. Brian is the writer of the DC/ Vertigo series DMZ, Northlanders and the new Demo. Demo volume 2 arrived today (with art by last year's guest Becky Cloonan).

http://www.brianwood.com/

Moving right along....

2010-01-27T18:09:00.000-08:00

We are very pleased with the response so far. The exhibitor list is shaping up nicely. There is a really good cross-section of comics creators, including many new names this year. We will post a full list once we get a few more tables booked.

Exhibitor registration is LIVE!

2010-01-26T17:09:00.000-08:00

We have opened registrations. Follow this link:

http://mainecomicsfestival.com/Exhibitor_Registration.html

Thanks!

Exhibitor registrations opening Tuesday 1/26

2010-01-25T20:29:00.000-08:00

The current plan is for exhibitor registrations to open at approximately 7:00 PM EST on Tuesday, January 26. We will post the link at that time. Please contact us if you have any questions. Thanks!

Exhibitor registrations opening VERY soon

2010-01-24T08:41:00.000-08:00

We should be opening exhibitor registrations in the VERY near future. We need to finish the registration page on the website and hope to do that today.

If you are interested in exhibiting and did NOT exhibit last year please send an e-mail to rick@casablancacomics.com so that I can put you on the notification list. It will have all of the information about this year's show. There are a few changes this year (we like to think of them as improvements).

MeCAF 2010 Guest announcement-SKOTTIE YOUNG!

2010-01-21T18:00:00.001-08:00

We are very pleased to make our next guest announcement...SKOTTIE YOUNG! Skottie is the artist for the Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the Marvelous Land of OZ from Marvel Comics. He has written and drawn numerous books and covers.

MeCAF partners with the Portland Public Library

2010-01-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

The Maine Comics Arts Festival is pleased to announce that we have partnered with the Portland Public Library for the festival. They are just finishing a two year, seven million dollar expansion/renovation of the main branch. We have toured it and it is amazing. We will be hosting our panels and programming at the library. They are very excited about this (we have worked with them extensively in the past). They will be putting their full promotional efforts behind this. It will be one of the first major events after they re-open and they want to use this to attract people to see the new library. The panels will be on Saturday at the library, and the festival will be on Sunday at Ocean Gateway on the waterfront.

Look for an official press release to follow, and more event announcements soon. We are just getting started!

MeCAF 2010-First guest announcement-JEFF LEMIRE!

2010-01-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

We are very pleased to announce our first official guest for MeCAF 2010- Jeff Lemire!

http://jefflemire.blogspot.com

Jeff Lemire is the cartoonist behind the Eisner-nominated ESSEX COUNTY TRILOGY, THE NOBODY and the new series SWEET TOOTH from Vertigo.

MeCAF Twitter account

2009-12-06T20:47:00.000-08:00

We now have a Twitter account for the Festival. We will be using it for updates on the 2010 festival. Follow us here:
https://twitter.com/MEComicArtsFest

Thank you Baltimore!

2009-10-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of the creators that I spoke with at the Baltimore Comic Con this past weekend. I hope that many of you will be able to join us at MeCAF in 2010.

Good luck at SPX!

2009-09-25T08:54:00.001-07:00

We wish all of the creators attending SPX this weekend great success! Please spread the word about MeCAF to your fellow SPX'ers. We have some big plans for 2010. Thanks!

MeCAF 2010

2009-06-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

Hello,
We are already planning for MeCAF 2010. Current plans are for the weekend of May 22-23, 2010 again at Ocean Gateway. That would put it after graduations at many schools (specifically the Center for Cartoon Studies) but before Memorial Day. We have surveyed this year's exhibitors and are studying the results.

Exhibitors who purchased a table in 2009 will have the option to attend in 2010. After that we will open up the registrations for others. This will probably happen in January 2010.

We should be posting some great video interviews from this year's festival sometime this weekend. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thanks!

Festival Recap Part 3

2009-05-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

More photos, more blogs...keep them coming!!! http://www.jamiepeeps.blogspot.com/

http://www.metrokitty.com/index.php?id=342

This set of photos is fun because it starts with the empty room and progresses to the show itself: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022362&id=1482575586&ref=mf

http://swinsea.com/blog/

Maine Comics Arts Festival Recap Part Two

2009-05-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

Still more blogs and photos about the festival. We still have our own photos and videos to upload so there will be a part three.

http://thephoenix.com/Portland/News/83756-Bringing-the-big-comic-book-guns-to-town/

http://shelligator.blogspot.com/2009/05/mcafs-meow.html

http://comixtalk.com/mecaf_2009_con_report

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30739225@N06/sets/72157618208473381/

http://music-slut.livejournal.com/291250.html

http://www.happyblogtime.com/2009/05/maine-comics-arts-festival-maine-ia.html

http://www.examiner.com/x-10620-Providence-Comic-Books-Examiner~y2009m5d20-Maine-Comics-Art-Festival-a-success

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28262172@N02/sets/72157618294798473/

http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/random_comics_news_story_round_up052009/

http://ayarothwell.blogspot.com/2009/05/portland-maine-comics-festival.html

WOW! What a weekend! Festival recap part one

2009-05-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

It was an amazing weekend. Below you find some of the links that we have found so far with photos or stories from the festival. If you have any others please feel free to send them along and We will post them in part two.

We would like to thank the many creators who took time out of their schedules to join us. They are an amazingly talented group of cartoonists/creators.

We would like to thank our terrific sponsors The Inn on Peaks Island, Shipyard Brewing Company, The Portland Phoenix, Capt'n Eli's Soda, Coffee by Design and the Center for Cartoon Studies.

Thanks to Diamond Comics, DC Comics and Adhouse Comics for the donations for our giveaways. Sound and AV was provided by Tom Gordon at Portland AV. Our poster was designed by Matt Talbot and our program was designed by Colleen Frakes.

Than you to the City of Portland and the office of Ocean Gateway (Larry, Clare, Andy, Andrea and everyone else). They were all wonderful to work with.

Finally, a huge thanks to the staff of Casablanca Comics and the volunteers who helped this show run as smoothly as possible. Thank you Laura, Caitlin, Duncan, Dave, Jo, Bobzarro, Matt, Melanie, Justin, Ginny, Kirby, Melissa, Kirsten, Tami and the "crew". We could not have done this without you.

We will be back next year. Watch the blog for more details.

Rick Lowell
Casablanca Comics

Follow the links:

http://inkandthunder.blogspot.com/2009/05/forrest.htm l

http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2009/05/18/mecaf-report/

http://thedailycrosshatch.com/2009/05/18/the-maine-comics-arts-festival-portland-maine/

http://mikelynchcartoons.blogspot.com/2009/05/report-maine-comic-arts-festival-may-17.html

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1069120@N25/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnplatt/3539454413/in/set-72157618366672936/

http://www.marekbennett.com/blog/2009/05/hooray-mecaf-2009/

http://blog.portcitystudios.com/2009/05/17/finding-the-center-for-cartoon-studies-at-the-maine-comics-arts-festival/#more-973

http://www.wlbz2.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=104835

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=23954&id=1067463425&ref=nf

http://artblog.net/?name=2009-05-18-14-05-maine

Jay Piscopo and the Festival on NBC Channel 6 tonight

2009-05-15T05:22:00.000-07:00

Jay is interviewed and promotes the festival. If you do not live locally here is a link to the video.

http://www.wcsh6.com/life/programming/local/207/story.aspx?storyid=104725&catid=50

FREE PARKING AT OCEAN GATEWAY

2009-05-14T05:07:00.000-07:00

The festival will have plenty of free parking at Ocean Gateway. There is a large parking lot on site and also parking on the street (free on Sundays).

More guest updates:

2009-05-13T18:21:00.001-07:00

Morgan Pielli: "Why hullo there, gents and ladies. Let me here tell you about the miracle of MorganStories.com! Made from the rare brain-juice of the Morgan Pielli, just I say just a spoonful of this magnificent tincture will relieve all bodily ailments! Dun believe me? You sir, yes you, step lively now. You look to be plagued by gout and sorrow, am I correct suh? Indeed, just down a dollop of this wonder drug, and behold! I do believe he's a cured man! Saddle Sores! Black Lung! Shootist's Remorse! All can be elevated by the merest drops of MorganStories.com!"

Joe Quinones is a freelance comic artist living in Somerville, Massachusetts (with Maris Wicks!!!). He has been breaking into the mainstream scene doing covers for Devil's Due and Boom! studios, as well as recent work for DC comics' now defunct Teen Titans Go title. Also, he is collaborating with writer Kurt Busiek on a Green Lantern story for the forthcoming Wednesday Comics series, due out this summer. He very much enjoys peanut butter-banana-chocolate smoothies. They're DELICIOUS. Check out more of Joe's work at joequinones.blogspot.com

Maris Wicks lives in Somerville, Massachusetts (with Joe Quinones!!!) where she splits her time between drawing comics and teaching kids about marine invertebrates. She has had comics in the 2005 SPX Anthology, Project: Romantic and Superior Showcase #2 (both from Adhouse Books), and the upcoming Ghost Comics Anthology. Maris is currently working on a graphic novel (written by Jim Ottaviani) for First Second Books, as well as a collection of her autobiographical comics strips. See more of Maris' work at dotsforeyes.blogspot.com

Less than a week away.....

2009-05-11T10:28:00.001-07:00

The title says it all......

Festival schedule

2009-05-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

Doors open 10:00 am- 5:00 pm

Panels and workshops:

10:30 am-noon:
Peter Gutiérrez will present “Super-Powered Comics Reading: Building Literacy and Having Fun” (more details at the bottom of this page).

12:00-1:00 pm:
"I Stayed Up All Night Drawing Comics, And So Can YOU!"
24 Hour Comics: A Reading and Super-Fast Demo with Marek Bennett
Xeric-winning cartoonist and teacher Marek Bennett reads from his recent book of 24 hour comics, "HOUR 72!", and reflects on the role of creativity, inspiration, deadlines, surprise, and lack of sleep in both comics and education. Then, astound yourself with Marek's "24 Minute Comic" exercise!

1:00-2:00 pm:
"Surviving as a Print Cartoonist"- Three Syndicated cartoonists talk about what it takes to make it in today's shrinking market, including making the leap into cyberspace. Panelists include Corey Fakestar Pandolph ("Mad Magazine", "Barkeater Lake"), Lincoln Peirce ("Big Nate") and Norm Feuti ("Retail").

2:00-3:00 pm:
“Center for Cartoon Studies Presents: Self-Publishing 101"
From DIY printing techniques to digital and offset printing, this panel will overview a variety of approaches in self-publishing. The concept of design as content will be stressed, and experienced self-publishers will explain different ways to create carefully designed and fully realized comics. This panel consists of CCS faculty, students and alumni, including Robyn Chapman (Hey, 4-Eyes!), Jon Chad (Leo Geo And His Miraculous Journey Through The Center Of The Earth), Chuck Forsman (Snake Oil), Colleen Frakes (Tragic Relief) and Lucy Knisley (French Milk).”

3:00-4:00 pm:
Gabrielle Bell reads from her new book "Cecil and Jordan in New York Stories" accompanied by a slide show presentation of her work.

4:00-5:00 pm:
A discussion with Becky Cloonan, Chris Giarrusso, Gabrielle Bell and Kean Soo with questions and answers.

5:00 pm:
Festival closes

7:00-9:00 pm:
Live art event at North Star Music Cafe with art auction to benefit WMPG. North Star Music Cafe is located at 225 Congress Street in Portland.

http://www.northstarmusiccafe.com/

Free Graphic Novel Workshop for Educators and Librarians: Super-Powered Comics Reading at the Maine Comics Arts Festival

PORTLAND, MAINE – (May 4, 2009) – On Sunday, May 17, acclaimed national speaker Peter Gutiérrez will present “Super-Powered Comics Reading: Building Literacy and Having Fun” -- a special graphic novel workshop for educators and librarians at The Maine Comics Arts Festival. This free presentation will be held at the Ocean Gateway Terminal in Portland, Maine from 10:30am to Noon as part of the day-long Maine Comics Arts Festival. This is Gutiérrez’s first time presenting in Maine.

Gutiérrez will provide an overview of the ways graphic novels, comics and manga foster and enhance a love of reading. His tips and techniques work across all age levels and translate perfectly into librarian-led book circles and read-alouds. He will share kid-centered ways to leverage the unique strengths of the medium to read with expression, expand vocabulary, practice visual literacy, identify story elements and master comprehension strategies.

His hour-long workshop will lead into a half-hour session with award-winning Maine educator and technology integrationist Laura Richter. She will present her new curriculum for The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli graphic novel series. The curriculum is available for free at www.captneli.com and complimentary copies of the graphic novel will be provided to workshop attendees. The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli is written and illustrated by Jay Piscopo of Portland, Maine.

Richter will demonstrate how teachers can integrate these interactive and engaging lesson plans to expand their curriculum to an interdisciplinary experience where students learn language arts skills, geography mapping, scientific research techniques, ancient mythology, world history, and art. Authentic assessment strategies, technology integration, 21st century skills, and real life learning are all integral to the learning process embedded in these lessons.

More about the presenters:

Peter Gutiérrez specializes in graphic novel professional development programs for librarians and educators throughout the United States. A member of the Commission on Media of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), Peter writes for ForeWord Magazine, School Library Journal, BookShelf, and Graphic Novel Reporter. His book on scriptwriting (including comics) will be published by Scholastic in 2010. Recent graphic novel workshops include: New York City School Library Conference, Massachusetts Library and School Library Annual Conference, New York Comic Con, Kids Comic Con, Fordham University’s Graphica in Education Conference. This November, he will be a featured speaker at NCTE’s New Media Gallery in Philadelphia.

Laura Richter is an award-winning educator and technology integrationist at Skowhegan Area Middle School in Skowhegan, Maine where she has taught for the past 24 years. Laura trains middle and high school teachers in creative and effective ways to integrate technology into their curriculum. She has been a Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN) NTTI Master Teacher, MPBN Teacher of the Year, Apple Distinguished Educator, and a finalist for the ACTEM Technology Leadership Award. This summer, she will present workshops at Summer Tech 2009 in Belfast on the many ways to integrate technology into the classroom, including: how to empower learners with Noteshare, motivate students with Garage Band, engage learners with iPhoto, integrate Comic Life, and applications for Wiki.

Panel- 24 Hour Comics: A Reading and Super-Fast Demo with Marek Bennett

2009-05-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

"I Stayed Up All Night Drawing Comics, And So Can YOU!"
24 Hour Comics: A Reading and Super-Fast Demo with Marek Bennett

Xeric-winning cartoonist and teacher Marek Bennett reads from his recent book of 24 hour comics, "HOUR 72!", and reflects on the role of creativity, inspiration, deadlines, surprise, and lack of sleep in both comics and education. Then, astound yourself with Marek's "24 Minute Comic" exercise!

Alphabetical list of guests to date

2009-05-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

Here is an alphabetical list (by first name) of guests at the festival to date. There will probably be a few more to add in the coming week as we still need some bios from a few people.

If you are a creator who is attending and you do not see your name on the list please e-mail me asap so that we can be sure we have your information. Also, please check your listing for spelling. Thanks!

Alex Irvine
Alexander Danner
Anne Sibley-O'Brien
Austin English
Aya Rothwell
Barry Corbett
Becky Cloonan
Ben Bishop
Brian Codagnone
Cathy Leamy
Chris Beckett
Chris Giarrusso
Christine Siravo
Christopher Mills
Chuck Forsman
Colleen Frakes
Corey Pandolph
Dan Flemming
Dane Martin
Daniel Mazur
Dave Naybor
David Jacobson
Franklin Einspruch
Gabrielle Bell
Greg Moutafis
Gynn Stella Silva
Hector Rodriguez
Hugh Tims
Jaime Garmendia
Jay Piscopo
Jeff Pert
Jeffrey Lok
Jennifer G Vaughn
Jennifer Ormand
Joe Haley
Joe Quinones
Joe Staton
Joel Rivers
Jon Chad
Joseph Lambert
Julia Wertz
Kean Soo
Kubby
Lincoln Peirce
Lucy Knisley
Marek Bennett
Maris Wicks
Mark Gonyea
Mark Ricketts
Matt Ryan
Matthew Talbot
Melissa Mendes
Michael Connor
Mike Lynch
Nate Doyle
Norm Feuti
Rick Silva
Robyn Chapman
Ron LeBrasseur
Sam Costello
Sam Gaskin
Sarah Glidden
Sarah Searle
Steve Kanaras
Steve Kuster
Susan Soares
TJ Dort
Zack Giallongo

Panel discussion- Surviving as a Print Cartoonist

2009-05-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

"Surviving as a Print Cartoonist"- Three Syndicated cartoonists talk about what it takes to make it in today's shrinking market, including making the leap into cyberspace. Panelists include Corey Fakestar Pandolph ("Mad Magazine", "Barkeater Lake"), Lincoln Peirce ("Big Nate") and Norm Feuti ("Retail").

Sponsor Spotlight- Portland Phoenix

2009-05-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

The Phoenix is very excited to sponsor the Maine Comics Arts Festival – a HUGE shout out to Casablanca Comics for putting it together! Don’t forget to check out comic writing super-star (and former Phoenix staff writer) Alex Irvine’s table at the show!

Since its first issue hit the streets in September of 1999, the Portland Phoenix has combined the best arts-and- entertainment listings and local news and arts coverage available in the Great State of Maine with the experience and nationally recognized critical expertise of its parent paper, the Boston Phoenix. Each week the Phoenix offers readers a unique editorial perspective not found in daily newspapers. Phoenix writers take the headlines one step further, not delivering just facts but looking behind the story and asking why. The Portland Phoenix is an indispensable resource for entertainment coverage, local news analysis, and complete and comprehensive listings of arts and entertainment events happening from Portsmouth to Bangor.

Panel discussion with The Center for Cartoon Studies

2009-05-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

Here is the description of another panel that will be held at the festival. This one will be by the Center for Cartoon Studies (http://cartoonstudies.org/).

“CCS Presents: Self-Publishing 101"
From DIY printing techniques to digital and offset printing, this panel will overview a variety of approaches in self-publishing. The concept of design as content will be stressed, and experienced self-publishers will explain different ways to create carefully designed and fully realized comics. This panel consists of CCS faculty, students and alumni, including Robyn Chapman (Hey, 4-Eyes!), Jon Chad (Leo Geo And His Miraculous Journey Through The Center Of The Earth), Chuck Forsman (Snake Oil), Colleen Frakes (Tragic Relief) and Lucy Knisley (French Milk).”

So where is Ocean Gateway?

2009-05-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

The question that we seem to get asked the most is "where is Ocean Gateway"? The short answer is that it is on the waterfront. Turn left onto Commercial Street from Franklin Street (at Casco Bay Ferry Terminal) and drive 2/10 of a mile and you will see it.

Driving North
Take the Maine Turnpike (Interstate 95) toward Portland to Exit 44, I-295. Proceed on I-295 North to exit 7, the Franklin St. exit, and continue straight on Franklin Arterial Street until it ends at Commercial Street. Turn left on Commercial St. (Commercial St. becomes Thames St.). Ocean Gateway will be on Thames Street, on the right, just past India Street.

Driving South
Take exit 103 off the Maine Turnpike (Interstate 95), which will take you to I-295. Head south. Proceed on I-295 South to exit 7, the Franklin St. exit, and continue straight on Franklin Arterial Street until it ends at Commercial Street. Turn left on Commercial St. (Commercial St. becomes Thames St.). Ocean Gateway will be on the right, just past India Street.

From the Portland Airport
Turn right at the Jetport exit onto Congress Street (Rt 22). Stay on Congress Street 1.8 miles and turn onto the ramp to South Portland/ I-295. Keep left at the fork to pick up Fore River Pkwy. Continue straight through intersection with Valley Street, proceeding onto West Commercial Street. Remain on Commercial Street for 2 miles, following the waterfront. Commercial Street becomes Thames Street. Ocean Gateway will be on your right, just past India Street.

Educators workshop at the festival

2009-05-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

Free Graphic Novel Workshop for Educators and Librarians: Super-Powered Comics Reading at the Maine Comics Arts Festival

PORTLAND, MAINE – (May 4, 2009) – On Sunday, May 17, acclaimed national speaker Peter Gutiérrez will present “Super-Powered Comics Reading: Building Literacy and Having Fun” -- a special graphic novel workshop for educators and librarians at The Maine Comics Arts Festival. This free presentation will be held at the Ocean Gateway Terminal in Portland, Maine from 10:30am to Noon as part of the day-long Maine Comics Arts Festival. This is Gutiérrez’s first time presenting in Maine.

Gutiérrez will provide an overview of the ways graphic novels, comics and manga foster and enhance a love of reading. His tips and techniques work across all age levels and translate perfectly into librarian-led book circles and read-alouds. He will share kid-centered ways to leverage the unique strengths of the medium to read with expression, expand vocabulary, practice visual literacy, identify story elements and master comprehension strategies.

His hour-long workshop will lead into a half-hour session with award-winning Maine educator and technology integrationist Laura Richter. She will present her new curriculum for The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli graphic novel series. The curriculum is available for free at www.captneli.com and complimentary copies of the graphic novel will be provided to workshop attendees. The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli is written and illustrated by Jay Piscopo of Portland, Maine.

Richter will demonstrate how teachers can integrate these interactive and engaging lesson plans to expand their curriculum to an interdisciplinary experience where students learn language arts skills, geography mapping, scientific research techniques, ancient mythology, world history, and art. Authentic assessment strategies, technology integration, 21^st century skills, and real life learning are all integral to the learning process embedded in these lessons.

More about the Maine Comics Arts Festival:

Presented by Casablanca Comics, this first-year festival was created to celebrate the wonderful world of comic books, comic strips, graphic novels, and web comics. The festival will be held Sunday, May 17 from 10:00am – 5:00pm in the Ocean Gateway Terminal on Thames Street on the waterfront in Portland, Maine and will feature writers, artists and publishers from the field of comics. Admission is $5 and kids 12 and under are free. www.mainecomicsfestival.com

More about the presenters:

Peter Gutiérrez specializes in graphic novel professional development programs for librarians and educators throughout the United States. A member of the Commission on Media of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), Peter writes for ForeWord Magazine, School Library Journal, BookShelf, and Graphic Novel Reporter. His book on scriptwriting (including comics) will be published by Scholastic in 2010. Recent graphic novel workshops include: New York City School Library Conference, Massachusetts Library and School Library Annual Conference, New York Comic Con, Kids Comic Con, Fordham University’s Graphica in Education Conference. This November, he will be a featured speaker at NCTE’s New Media Gallery in Philadelphia.

Laura Richter is an award-winning educator and technology integrationist at Skowhegan Area Middle School in Skowhegan, Maine where she has taught for the past 24 years. Laura trains middle and high school teachers in creative and effective ways to integrate technology into their curriculum. She has been a Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN) NTTI Master Teacher, MPBN Teacher of the Year, Apple Distinguished Educator, and a finalist for the ACTEM Technology Leadership Award. This summer, she will present workshops at Summer Tech 2009 in Belfast on the many ways to integrate technology into the classroom, including: how to empower learners with Noteshare, motivate students with Garage Band, engage learners with iPhoto, integrate Comic Life, and applications for Wiki.

WHAT:

Special graphic novel workshops for librarians and educators by Peter Gutiérrez (Super-Powered Comics Reading: Building Literacy and Having Fun) and Laura Richter (The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli).

WHEN:

Sunday, May 17

10:30am – Noon

WHERE:

Ocean Gateway Terminal

Portland Waterfront

Thames St.

Portland, Maine

(Follow Commercial St. to Thames St.)

COST:

Registration is not required and admission to the presentation is free.

Festival T-Shirts!

2009-05-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Click here to see the t-shirt design! They will be available at the festival and if any are left over online after the show.

Guest updates from the Center for Cartoon Studies

2009-05-04T21:07:00.000-07:00

Since receiving her BFA in Sequential Art, Robyn Chapman has been independently producing, publishing and printing her own comics and zines. In 2000 she received a Xeric Grant for her first comic, Theater of the Meek. Robyn's work has been featured in several anthologies and publications, including Scheherazade, Stuck in the Middle, and the NY Metro. In 2004 Robyn was a featured cartoonist in the Comics Journal's young cartoonist issue. In 2005 Robyn became CCS’s first fellow, in 2008 they awarded her with an MFA. In addition to CCS, Robyn has taught cartooning in after-school programs, workshops, and at the New School in New York City.

Jon Chad graduated from the Sequential Art program at the Savannah College of Art and Design in May 2008. He has been producing handmade minicomics and zines since 2006. He has illustrated children's books published by Mascot Books. His comics Leo Geo Acquires Ancient Knowledge and Shortstack were both nominated for the Kukoc Award for Comics Inspiration in 2008. He now lives in White River Junction where he works at The Center for Cartoon Studies.

Exhibitors...check your e-mail.

2009-05-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

This is directed to the exhibitors and guests of the festival. We just sent out an important e-mail tonight with lots of details specific to the people who will be setting up at the show. Please read the e-mail and reply to the questions...it will make things a lot easier for planning purposes.

If you believe that you should have gotten an e-mail but did not receive one please e-mail me at comics@casablancacomics.com and I will resend it to you. Thanks!

FAQ's

2009-05-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to cover some of the FAQ's we have had about the festival. If anyone has other questions please feel free to e-mail them to me.

What can I expect from the festival?
The festival is really a showcase for the creators. We will have over 70 comic writers and artists on hand for this event. There will be everyone from mini comics publishers to seasoned professionals. There will be comic book writers and artists, gag cartoonists, newspaper cartoonists, web comics creators and more. The guests will have their own work available for sale. Some people will be doing sketches and selling original artwork. Others will have t-shirts, buttons and posters. All of them have one thing in common... a love of comics.

What are the panel discussions?
We will be holding panel discussions every hour. This will feature various guest creators who will be discussing a specific topic. A full schedule will be posted this week. The topics include how to create your own comics and mini-comics, web-comics and much more.

How much does it cost?
Admission is only $5.00. Children 12 and under get in free. There is also no charge for educators and librarians attending our educator workshop.

What is the schedule?
The festival opens to the public at 10:00 am and closes at 5:00 pm. You may leave and re-enter the festival as many times as you like. There are lots of places to eat and shop close to the festival site.

Will there be dealers at this show?
There will not be any dealers in the traditional sense. There will not be any tables with long boxes of back-issues for sale. There will be plenty of books available for sale, but all of the books will be produced and sold by the guests that we have on hand. If you are looking for lots of Marvel and DC comic back-issues this may not be the show for you. Still give it a try though....I think you will be able to find some pretty cool comics in the room.

If you are looking for a more traditional show, I recommend the Granite State Comic-Con on May 31 in Manchester, NH. In Massachusetts check out the fine shows from Larry's Comics.

Two Weeks!!!!!

2009-05-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

Two weeks from today! Time flies....

We will be posting LOTS of info this week so please follow the blog. Spent today recovering from Free Comic Book Day yesterday. Thanks!

More guest updates...

2009-04-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

Alex Irvine is the writer of the Marvel Comics series Hellstorm: Son of Satan and Daredevil Noir. He is also the writer of award-winning original novels (Buyout, The Narrows, The Life of Riley, One King, One Soldier, A Scattering of Jades), short stories (collected in Unintended Consequences and Pictures from an Expedition), and several tie-in and media-related books (The Vertigo Encyclopedia, Batman:Inferno, The Ultimates: Against All Enemies, The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Demons, Spirits, and Ghouls, Supernatural: John Winchester's Journal). He has also worked as a reporter for the Portland Phoenix, and was part of the writing team on the groundbreaking ARGs known as The Beast and I Love Bees. He lives in Maine, where he teaches at the University of Maine in Orono.

Lincoln Peirce writes and draws the comic strip "Big Nate". Peirce's comic strip, Big Nate, is featured as an island on the famous children's website, Poptropica. Big Nate appears as the first cartoon on The Maine Sunday Telegram in the comics section.

Sponsor Spotlight- Shipyard Brewing Company

2009-04-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our sponsor Shipyard Brewing Company. The brewery itself is about 100 yards away from the festival site at Ocean Gateway. Shipyard's products are available at most area stores.

http://www.shipyard.com

Jellaby 2 in stores NOW!!!

2009-04-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

The new Jellaby has arrived, and just in time for the festival!!! Kean Soo is one of our featured guests and we are thrilled to have his new book in the store NOW! We will also have copies available at the festival.

Sponsor spotlight- Inn on Peaks Island

2009-04-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

The festival is very fortunate to have some very generous sponsors for our event.

The first one is The Inn on Peaks Island.

http://www.innonpeaks.com

Discover The Inn on Peaks Island - in the heart of Portland's Casco Bay! Just 15 minutes by boat, it's the perfect spot to take in an evening sunset or escape for the weekend, or a week. The Inn's 6 Maine cottage-style luxury rooms feature: Jacuzzi tubs, private decks, and skyline views of Portland. The Pub features fresh Maine seafood, crisp salads, and creative pub fare. Serving lunch and dinner daily. Proudly serving hand-crafted beer from Shipyard Brewing Company.

CR Review: Cecil and Jordan in New York: Stories by Gabrielle Bell

2009-04-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

There is a nice review of Gabrielle Bell's new book on the Comics Reporter. Read the review here.

Gabrielle is just one of over 70 guests appearing at the festival. It is just four weeks away!!!!

Posters are here!

2009-04-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

The posters have arrived! Thanks to Matt Talbot for the for the great design. You can see more of Matt's work at www.mattrobot.com . If you would like to help distribute posters please let us know.

Exhibitor info e-mails

2009-04-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

I have sent an e-mail to everyone who will be exhibiting at the show. If you are a creator or publisher who will be at the festival and you did not receive an e-mail entitled "Maine Comics Arts Festival updates", please contact me so that I can confirm your address. Also, please check your spam filters. Thanks!

More guest bios

2009-04-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

Corey “Fake Rockstar” Pandolph has been trying to be funny for 25 years. After several failed attempts at many different comedic genres, he found comfort and success in the tedious and deadline riddled world of comics and comic strips.

In 2001, Corey’s comic “Barkeater Lake” was picked up for syndication development by United Media. After 4 years of unsuccessfully trying to break the feature into the world of newspapers, he decided to leave UM and launch “Barkeater Lake” on the web, where it resides to this very day, sporadically updated to wide acclaimed.

In 2007, Corey got his syndication wish via Universal Press Syndicate, where he took over artistic duties for the comic “The Elderberries” by an ailing Phil Frank. Sadly, in September of that same year, Mr. Frank passed on and Corey took over both the writing and drawing of the strip permanently. The Elderberries is syndicated in over 100 papers worldwide.

Finally, in an effort to completely eliminate any extra time in his day, Corey created the strip “TOBY, Robot Satan” for the Boston and NYC metro. TOBY’s mechanical malevolence runs five days a week and is now featured in The Bollard and on the humor site, Drink at Work.com, as well.

In addition, Mr. Pandolph contributes to the pages of Mad Magazine, writes regularly for the afore-mentioned Drink at Work.com (for which he and his fellow bloggers were nominated for a ECNY award in 2009), As well as contributing to the pages of The Bollard and The Bollard.com of Portland, Maine.

The many websites of the Fake Rockstar universe:

http://www.fakerockstar.com
http://www.tobyrobotsatan.com
http://www.barkeaterlake.com

Corey, his wife Kristen and their three dogs split their time between Gritty McDuff’s in Portland, the mountains of the Adirondacks and the streets of NYC.

Norm Feuti is a syndicated cartoonist and author living in Plainville, Massachusetts. He is also the lucky husband of a beautiful wife, and a proud stay-at-home dad for his two wonderful children.

His syndicated comic strip, Retail , presents a humorous look at the retail industry by chronicling the daily events at the fictitious Grumbel’s department store. The humor of Retail plays out through the day-to-day trials and triumphs of four main Grumbel’s department store employees (Marla, Cooper, Val, and Stuart) and the customers they encounter. Retail is distributed worldwide by King Features and appears in about 70 newspapers throughout the US and Canada.

His first book, Pretending You Care: The Retail Employee Handbook , is a parody guidebook for retail employees that includes over 200 Retail comic strips. Pretending You Care is published by Hyperion. It can be purchased on Amazon.com and at fine booksellers everywhere.

His web comic, Gill , is a fresh and edgy new strip that takes a humorous look at the life of an 8-year-old boy who lives under less than ideal circumstances. His parents are divorced. His mother struggles to maintain their meager existence. His estranged father floats in and out of his life to offer crude and confusing advice. Gill is an exploration of childhood and an imperfect American family in all its dysfunctional glory. You can read Gill 5 days a week at www.gillcomic.com .

Guest list additions

2009-04-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

More guests are being added to the festival. Here are some of the latest:

Anne Sibley O'Brien is the creator of the award-winning graphic novel, The Legend of Hong Kil Dong: The Robin Hood of Korea. Raised in Korea, Anne always wanted to bring the classic Korean hero legend to US audiences. Awarded "Booklist’s Top 10 Graphic Novels for Youth" the book has an extensive website http://www.KoreanRobinHood.com, that pulls readers deeper into the world of 17th Century Korea.

JOHN KLOSSNER
John Klossner is a Maine-based cartoonist and illustrator whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, TIME magazine, Down East, Computerworld, and a variety of other print and electronic publications. Hs comic strip "Mason Darrow, non-profit lawyer" ran in the Boston Metro for several years at the turn of the century. John's website is http://www.jklossner.com/

John can often be found in his barn, separating the #1 plastic recyclables from the #2's.

JUANA MEDINA
Juana was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. She is a student at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). In 2008 she received the first Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship, awarded by the National Cartoonists Society and was the recipient of a NEA Challenge Grant awarded through RISD.

She is currently finishing a BFA in Graphic Design. Collaborating in some projects with different artists in the US and contributing work to publications in Latin America.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juana_medina/

More creator updates

2009-04-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

There are more bios still to post. Here are some of the most recent:

Melissa Mendes is a student at the Center for Cartoon Studies. Someday she wants to start an artist-mentoring program for high school kids, while still making her own comics, and maybe children's books. You can see more of her work at www.tropist.com/mezilla.

Joseph Lambert graduated from The Center For Cartoon Studies in May 2008. He is the creator of several mini-comics, one of them, “Turtle, Keep It Steady,” was published in Houghton Mifflin’s The Best American Comics 2008, for which he also designed the endpapers. Look for more of Joseph’s work at www.submarinesubmarine.com.

The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) offers a two-year course of study that centers on the creation and dissemination of comics, graphic novels and other manifestations of the visual narrative. Experienced and internationally recognized cartoonists, writers, and designers teach classes. The school is located in historic downtown village of White River Junction, Vermont, in the old Colodny Surprise Department Store.

Hotel updates-Hilton Garden Hotel

2009-04-02T13:20:00.000-07:00

If you are planning on attending the festival and staying at one of our host hotels, please be aware that the room rates are only guaranteed until April 15, 2009. After that the blocks are released to general booking and the group rate will not apply.

The third hotel that we have is the Hilton Garden Hotel.

Below is a link for reserving a room:

http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/groups/personalized/PWMDHGI-MCA-20090515/index.jhtml

The Hilton is within walking distance of the festival and right across from the ferry terminal. It is the most convenient of the three hotels. NOTE: The "water view" rooms are more but the city view is OK too. You will have a water view all day at the festival. The rate they have offered is a significant savings from the regular rate.

If people are on more of a budget and have questions about anywhere else to stay just let me know.

More guests and updates

2009-03-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

Here we are with some more guest updates:

Gabrielle Bell!!!

Gabrielle Bell was born in England and raised in California. In 1998 She began to collect her "Book of" miniseries (Book of Sleep, Book of Insomnia, Book of Black, etc), which resulted in When I'm Old and Other Stories, published by Alternative Comics. In 2001 she moved to New York and released her autobiographical series Lucky, published by Drawn and Quarterly. Bell has contributed to many acclaimed anthologies including Mome, Kramers Ergot and The Drawn and Quarterly Showcase. Her work has been selected for the 2007 and 2009 Best American Comics and the Yale Anthology of Graphic Fiction. Bell's comic "Cecil and Jordan in New York" has been adapted for the film anthology Tokyo! by Michel Gondry, to be released in March 2009. Her latest collection, also titled Cecil and Jordan in New York, will be published at the same time. She lives in Brooklyn, New York and is working on a second volume of Lucky.

American Stronghold: "Your Tomorrows Today." http://americanstronghold.blogspot.com

Faux-Pas Industries (Sam Gaskin and Dane Martin):
Sam Gaskin rides the magic bus.
http://www.samgascan.blogspot.com
Dane Martin lives in the land of laffs.
http://www.danemartin.blogspot.com

Chuck Forsman: Chuck is a recent graduate of the Center for Cartoon Studies and is the self-publisher of Snake Oil, which won two Ignatz Awards in 2008 (Best Series and Best Single Issue).
http://www.chuckmcbuck.com

On the Fly Publications( Dan Fleming and Chris Beckett): Fans of the early '80's British anthology, Warrior, Dan Fleming and Chris Beckett created their own black and white comics/ prose anthology Warrior 27. A home for EC-style short stories, interviews with comics notables like Chris Staros andgary Groth, Dan's tongue-in-cheek rant "I Hate Brian Micheal Bendis" and whatever else can fit, these two Maine creators are looking forward to issue #4, coming in Fall 2009.
http://warrior27.com

Stephanie Piro is a cartoonist, illustrator and designer. She is one of King Features’ team of women cartoonists, “Six Chix” (she is the Saturday chick!). She also does the daily comic “Fair Game” that appears on her website and in magazines, books, calendars and cards. Her latest cartoon collection “My Cat Loves Me Naked” is available all over the place. Plus, she designs t-shirts, jewelry and lots of other stuff for her business the Strip T’s Design Company. She’ll have a variety of these things including her new mini comics at the festival.
Visit her website: www.stephaniepiro.com
Contact her at: stephaniepiro@gmail.com
Check out the Chix blog at: www.thesixchix.com

Guest announcement: Mini Marvels creator Chris Giarrusso!

2009-03-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

We are very pleased to announce that Chris Giarrusso will be joining us for the festival. Chris is the creator of the very popular Mini Marvels series for Marvel Comics and the upcoming G-Man Learning to Fly trade paperback from Image Comics.

Visit Chris' (extremely fun) website for more!

http://www.chrisgcomics.com/

More guest updates: Part 3

2009-03-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, there are more guests not yet listed but I need to finish the bios for them. Look for an even larger list in the next few days. Thanks!

More guest updates: Part 2

2009-03-05T20:46:00.000-08:00

Nate Doyle: The cartoonist behind the much praised mini comics Crooked Teeth and the Archer. He lives in a punk rock house in Brooklyn like it's 1977. his blog is here http://ndcrookedteeth.blogspot.com/

Austin English is the cartoonist behind the books Christina and Charles, and the creator of Windy Corner Magazine, both published by Sparkplug Books. He lives in a crazy apartment in Brooklyn with about 10 other people and once claimed he wanted to have a baby and raise it in the sink.
http://windycornermag-austin.blogspot.com/

Colleen Frakes: Colleen Frakes is a Xeric Award winning cartoonist and graduate of the Center for Cartoon Studies. Her Tragic Relief comics appear monthly in Bash! Magazine (www.bashmagazine.com) and she is a member of the "I KNOW JOE KIMPEL" collective (www.iknowjoekimpel.com).
http://www.tragicrelief.blogspot.com .

Free Lunch Comics: Under the direction of Matt Ryan as President, Steve Kanaras as Publisher and Steve Kuster as Creative Director, Free Lunch Comics (www.freelunchcomics.com) has been publishing quality books for over 10 years. Their flagship title is Bigger, the story of Willie Rison. They have recently expanded their line of creator-owned titles, including a comedy entitled Pork N' Beans, the horror anthology Only in Whispers, gothic horror masterpiece Am I Immortal, the high-flying adventure Sky Pirates of Valendor and most recently the collection of comic strip art in The Original Nutty Funsters: A List of Grievances. The most recent property to be released is The Blood Rider, a western horror comic adaptation of the novel by the same name. Free Lunch Comics has expanded in order to diversify their offerings and provide entertaining books for readers of all interests.
Zack Giallongo:

THE BIO MADE TO SOUND LIKE IT WAS WRITTEN BY SOMEONE OTHER THAN ME
by Zack Giallongo

Zack Giallongo was born in the snowy month of December in 1979. He was educated at the Francis J. Burke Elementary School in Medway, Massachusetts, as well as other higher levels of education. Zack currently lives in Rhode Island - the home of coffee milk and quahogs - where he draws pictures and writes words.

Known for "The Tenth Life of Pishio te Cat" (his brief foray into webcomics) and co-founding "Life Meter" (a videogame art tribute site), he is currently working on his graphic novel, "Broxo" (about a boy barbarian) for First Second.

His greatest ambition is to become a minor-enough celebrity to be on either NPR's "Wait, Wait… Don't Tell Me" show, or one of VH1's decade-reminiscience shows so that he can say "Aw, yeah! I remember He-Man!"

http://www.zackgiallongo.com
Sarah Glidden is the cartoonist behind the multiple award winning comic How To Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less which is being published by Vertigo in 2010. She lives in a pretty normal Brooklyn apartment which is really kind of weird.
http://www.smallnoises.com/

David Jacobson, originally from New York, has been a cartoonist and illustrator for over 25 years, and his humorous work has appeared in magazines and newspapers around the country, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, USA Today magazine and The New Yorker. For 18 years, he drew a daily Lifestyles cartoon for the Gannett Newspapers in Westchester, New York, and had a nationally syndicated sports cartoon, “Offsides,” with United Media. He's illustrated children's books for Harper/Collins and Viking/Penguin. Here in Maine, David’s work can be seen regularly in DownEast magazine and every Monday in the Business section of the Bangor Daily News.

Mike Lynch: Mike Lynch is a magazine cartoonist. His clients include Reader's Digest, Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, McGraw Hill books, and many others. He is the National Cartoonist Society's National Representative. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife and three cats. In addition to his Web Site, www.heykidscomics.com, Mike writes the popular Mike Lynch Cartoons blog on the business of cartooning.

Jeff Pert: The work of Maine cartoonist Jeff Pert appears on merchandise in the
United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Over the past 27 years he has
drawn and sold single panel gag cartoons, comic strips, editorial
cartoons, greeting cards, comic books and humorous illustrations. His
lobster and moose cartoon calendars are perennial best sellers
throughout New England. Occasionally he actually gets a chance to draw
just for the fun of it.

Mark Ricketts: Mark is a comics writer/ cartoonist located in Bangor, Maine. He has created comics for Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, Moonstone and McGraw Hill. He was the winner of the 2000 Klasky Csupo (Rugrats, Duckman) Screenwriting Award. He has created illustrations for Playboy and Nickelodeon. He has a regular feature in Bangor Metro Magazine, and has a webcomic- moosemountaincomics.com .

Trees and Hills Comics Group: Trees and Hills is a comics organization for creators in Vermont, New Hampshire and western Massachusetts. They produce and sell regional comics.
http://www.treesandhills.org

Julia Wertz is the cartoonist behind The Fart Party volumes 1 and 2 published by Atomic Books and the editor of I Saw You...an anthology of comics inspired by missed connection ads published by Three Rivers Press. She lives in a dumpster in Brooklyn.
http://www.fartparty.org/

More guest updates: Part 1

2009-03-05T20:39:00.000-08:00

Michael Connor: Michael is the Portland based creator of many whimsical comics including Coelacanthus.

Marek Bennett: Marek is the Xeric Award winning creator of Mimi's Donuts.
http://www.marekbennett.com

Boston Comics Roundtable:

The Boston Comics Roundtable was founded in October 2006 by David Kender, to foster community for comics creators in the Boston Area. Since then the group has grown from three members to nearly fifty, meeting weekly in Harvard Square and sending contingents to conventions around the country. In 2007, the BCR begain publishing “Inbound,” an anthology of local comics, currently on its third issue.

For more info: www.bostoncomicsroundtable.com

Dan Mazur lives in Cambridge, MA and is part of the Boston Comics Roundtable crew. He has created the print and web comics, “Palindrams” and “Lummox,” among others. His comics have appeared in the anthologies “Inbound” and “I Saw You: Missed Connections,” and his strip “Canyon Comix,” ran for five years in the Topanga Messenger of Topanga Canyon California. He;s also taught comics at the Art Institute of Boston, Brookline Arts Center, and the Calmont School.

Some of his stuff’s at www.webcomicsnation.com/danmazur.

Aya Rothwell grew up reading books and catching insects. She went to film school, worked in NYC for a bit on movie sets, then came back to Boston to draw comics. She makes stories about birds, cats, ghosts, time travel, aliens, potatoes and other things that snare her interest. Her films have been screened at film festivals, her animation won an award on Newgrounds.com, and she is creating work for upcoming Boston Comic anthologies.

You can find Aya's work at www.AyaRothwell.com and her blog at ayarothwell.blogspot.com

Franklin Einspruch draws, paints, writes, and cajoles computers into
doing things for him as his wife and a houseful of various
domesticated animals look on in alternating awe and bewilderment. His
comics appear at The Moon Fell On Me and have also been featured at
Top Shelf 2.0. Franklin has exhibited his paintings at galleries in
Miami, San Diego, and Scottsdale, AZ, and he has served as artist in
residence at programs in Greece in Taiwan. His art criticism has
appeared in the Boston Globe, the Miami New Times, the Sun Post, NYFAA
Interactive, and on Artblog.net, which he has produced since 2003. He
lives in Boston. Link: http://themoonfellonme.com

Alexander Danner's current projects include the online series
"Gingerbread Houses," illustrated by Edward J. Grug III and
"Uncertainty," illustrated by Tym Godek. His comics have appeared on
ModernTales.com and in the Boston comics anthology "Inbound," and two
of his stories, "The Discovery of Spoons" and "Five Ways to Love a
Cockroach," have received Webcartoonist Choice Awards. He is
co-author of the book "Character Design for Graphic Novels," and
teaches Writing the Graphic Novel at Emerson College.

Cathy Leamy is a Boston-based cartoonist. She's the creator of the autobio/humor
minicomic *Geraniums and Bacon* and the artist for the webcomic *Planet Wifey*.
She is also a member of the comics collective Boston Comics Roundtable and has
published work in the group's anthology, *Inbound*.

Sponsors, promotion and updates

2009-03-04T19:40:00.000-08:00

I hope to have some updates later this week. We have more creators bios to post, and some scheduling things to list. Here is what I have for tonight:

SPONSORS: We would like to thank our sponsors:

Inn on Peaks Island

Shipyard Brewing Company

Capt'n Eli's Soda

The Portland Phoenix

The Inn on Peaks Island will be hosting our opening reception for creators. More details on that soon. Shipyard and Capt'n Eli's will be providing beverages and lots of other support. Our thanks to them.

The festival will be promoted regionally with 4 full page ads in the Portland Phoenix. They have covered the comics scene here in Portland for many years.

Also, we have been scheduled tentatively as the cover story for the Portland Press Herald "GO" section the Thursday before the festival.

There are lots of other things in the works. Posters and cards are coming soon.

Thanks!

SOLD OUT!!!!

2009-02-24T20:40:00.001-08:00

Tables for the festival have sold out. There is a waiting list in case of cancellations but the room is completely full. Thanks to all of the creators who registered and will be joining us. Look for more guest updates soon. Thanks!

Table registrations are on hold

2009-02-20T18:12:00.000-08:00

Hello,
Due to the number of registrations that arrived today we are approaching a sell out of the room. At this time we have decided to put registrations on hold until we can set the final floor plan. We do not want to oversell the room.

We will be meeting at Ocean Gateway on Tuesday to measure again and figure out the exact number of tables available. Once we have done that we will determine whether or not we will be able to accept any more exhibitors.

If you think that you would like to exhibit but have not yet reserved a table please e-mail us to be put on the waiting list. Thanks!

Rick Lowell
Casablanca Comics
Maine Comics Arts Festival

Special Guest update: Becky Cloonan!

2009-02-19T10:24:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce that Becky Cloonan will be a guest at the festival. Becky's work includes "Demo" (with Brian Wood), "American Virgin" from Vertigo, "East Coast Rising" from Tokyopop and more. Full details soon, and watch for even more guest updates.

Special Guest update: Kean Soo, creator of "Jellaby"

2009-02-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

We are very pleased to announce that Kean Soo will be among our special guests for the Maine Comics Arts Festival. Kean is the creator of "Jellaby" which is one of our favorite books at Casablanca Comics. He also is an assistant editor of the popular "Flight" anthologies from Ballantine Books.

You can read all about Jellaby at the Secret Friends Society:
http://www.secretfriendsociety.com/index.php

Visit Kean Soo's website:
http://www.keaner.net/

"Jellaby Volume 2" will be out just in time for the festival. We can't wait!

Guest list update

2009-02-11T21:30:00.000-08:00

Here is the beginning of our guest list. Check back for more updates.

Atomic Pulp: Christopher Mills is the writer of Femme Noir from Ape Entertainment and Kolchak from Moonstone Books.

Joe Staton is a veteran comics artist whose credits include virtually every major character from DC and Marvel Comics.
http://www.atomicpulp.com

Marek Bennett: Marek is the Xeric Award winning creator of Mimi's Donuts.
http://www.marekbennett.com

Ben Bishop: Ben is the creator of the graphic novel Nathan the Caveman.
http://bishart.net/

Boston Comics Roundtable: A collective of comics creators from the Boston area. Their members published Inbound, an anthology of original comics. Their Spring '09 Love and Romance issue will be out in time for the festival.
http://www.bostoncomicsroundtable.com

Corbett Features: Barry Corbett and Brian Codagnone are equal partners at Corbett Featurs. Barry is a panel cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip Ginger & Shadow. Brian Produces two comic strips, Misfits and S1019 and writes a humor cloumn. They have published 3 trade paperbacks; Hey America! It's Misfits Time by Brian, Embrace the Pun!, a collection of pun-based panel cartoons by Barry, and Kitty Nirvana, a collection of Barry's comic strips. Nirvana won a Silver Medal at the 2008 Ippy Awards.
http://www.corbettfeatures.com

Sam Costello: Sam Costello is a writer based in Providence, Rhode Island. He writes the webcomic Split Lip, which the Horror Blog called "the predominant original horror comic work on the internet". His comics have also appeared in Cthulhu Tales and Negative Burn.
http://www.splitlipcomic.com

Dandelion Studios:Gynn Stella Silva

Originally from New Hampshire, Gynn received her degree from Massachusetts College of Art with a major in filmmaking. She currently lives and works on Cape Cod with her husband, Rick Silva. Together they make up Dandelion Studios, a small press comic book company. Gynn does all of the artwork for their comic Zephyr & Reginald: Minions for Hire as well as for her minicomics and her upcoming graphic novel, Knifeclaw Company. Her artwork has appeared in Space & Time magazine, and she was selected to be published in the 2005 24-Hour Comics Day anthology. In addition to doing her artwork, Gynn is involved in animal rescue. She is a volunteer at the Cape Wildlife Center, and has adopted two special-needs cats.

Rick Silva

Rick Silva has been involved in small press publishing since his college days. He published and edited Kinships magazine. Along with his wife Gynn, Rick is a partner in Dandelion Studios, a small press comic book company. Rick co-writes the Dandelion Studios comics Zephyr & Reginald: Minions for Hire and Perils of Picorna. He publishes his own zine, Caravan, and he is one of the featured contributors for the fiction webzine The Edge of Propinquity. Rick Silva grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, attended Cornell University, and currently teaches chemistry at a high school on Cape Cod, where he resides with his wife and two cats.
http://www.dandelionstudios.com

Zack Giallongo:
http://www.zackgiallongo.com

Mark Gonyea:
http://www.mroblivious.com

Lucy Knisley: Lucy Knisley is the author of the drawn travel journal "French Milk" from Simon and Schuster. She went to the Center for Cartoon Studies, and lives in Chicago. She is 24.
http://www.lucyknisley.com

Dave Naybor: Dave is the creator of Walking Christendom.

Jennifer Omand: Jennifer is the creator of Squarecat Comics, an online diary comic that has run daily since 2003. It has been collected into two (so far) volumes.
http://squarecatcomics.com

Jay Piscopo: Jay is the creator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli from Nemo Publishing.
http://www.captneli.com

Joel Rivers: Joel is the creator of the Xeric Award winning comic series Along the Canadian.
http://www.obioncomics.com

Sarah Searle: Sarah has been making comics for five years in the Portland area and has recently begun self-publishing again. Check out her newest work at:
http://www.swinsea.com

Christina Siravo:
http://www.zazzle.com/csiravo

Matt Talbot: Matt is the co-creator of the indy comic Johnny Raygun.
http://mattrobot.com

The Underburbs: Joe Haley and T.J. Dort are both graduates of Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA where they majored in illustration. The Underburbs, a tale of Halloween, montser worlds, and world domination, is their first comic series.
http://underburbs.deviantart.com

Jen Vaughn: Jen Vaughn is proud to attend the first Maine Comics Arts festival. As a transplanted Texan, she is enjoying her time at the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont. Stop by for a sketch or a copy of Supergrrrl Adventure Comix or her newest tiltle, 321.
http://www.the vaughncurse.com

More guests coming soon....

Groundhog update.....

2009-02-02T20:20:00.000-08:00

Hello,
It has only been two weeks since we opened exhibitor registrations and already half of our tables are committed. We should be able to make some special guest announcements soon. I expect that once that happens the remaining tables will sell quickly.

If you are going to be at the New York Comic Con please be sure to stop by and talk with some of our Portland area creators who will be there. They include Jay Piscopo ( Nemo Publishing "The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli" ), Ben Bishop ("Nathan the Caveman") and Joel Rivers ("Along the Canadian", a Xeric winner).

Watch for further updates. Thanks!

Hotels in Portland part II- The Holiday Inn by the Bay

2009-01-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

We have reserved a block of twenty rooms at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland for Saturday, May 16- Sunday, May 17 2009. The room rate is $119 per night. The Holiday Inn is located downtown in the Arts District. There will be a shuttle available to bring people to and from the festival or anywhere else in Portland.

http://www.innbythebay.com/

The rooms feature two beds per room and are for single or double occupancy. Reservations must be made by calling the hotel's local reservation department at 1-800-345-5050. Attendees must ask specifically for a room from the Maine Comics Arts Festival block to ensure you get the proper rate and availability. Reservations must be made by April 15, 2009. After that any remaining rooms will be released from the block for general public resale.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Website up/ registrations open

2009-01-17T18:59:00.000-08:00

The festival website has been published. It may take a day or so to work its way across the internet so don't be surprised if you don't find it immediately.

http://mainecomicsfestival.com/

If you can't wait to register as an exhibitor you can download the registration form here:

http://casablancacomics.com/mecaf/mecafcon.pdf .

Some things to keep in mind. There are not a huge number of tables available. Some tables are committed to invited guests. We are still waiting to get a final table count but hope to measure things this week. If the first offering of tables sell out we will start a waiting list in case more tables should become available. Please feel free to e-mail us with any questions. Thanks!

Hotels in Portland- The Portland Regency

2009-01-15T19:21:00.000-08:00

We have three hotels that we are working with in Portland. The first one is the Portland Regency.

http://theregency3-px.trvlclick.com/default.htm

This fine hotel is right in the heart of Portland's Old Port. This is where we usually reserve rooms for guests who are appearing at our store. It is approximately a 30 second walk from the hotel to our store.

They have set aside a block of rooms for people attending the festival for the dates of May 16 and 17. The room rate is $149 a night (savings of $20 per night). Reservations must be made by phone to their reservation department and you must mention that you are attending the Maine Comics Arts Festival.

Reservations & Information: USA: 1-(888) 636-8311 or 1-888-893-4606.

Of the three hotels we are working with, this hotel is the most convenient to shopping, restaurants and bars.

We will be listing the information for the other two hotels next week. We need to finalize the contracts and have codes assigned to the reservations. Please e-mail us with any questions. Thanks!

Updates/ website/ registration

2009-01-11T20:51:00.000-08:00

Hello,
The website and registration forms are finished. I am having some people review them for errors and then everything should go live this week.

We have some cool sponsorships that we should be able to announce later this week. More should follow. Thanks!

Vendor table registrations

2009-01-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

We should be opening vendor table registrations within the week. We need to visit the event site one more time to get an exact table count so that we do not oversell the room. If we do not have a chance to do that, we may open most of the tables but hold a few back to be safe. A few tables have already been committed to invited guests.

Planning on attending? Please feel free to post in the comments section. Thanks!

MECAF on Facebook

2008-12-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

There is a Facebook group that links to this blog. I wanted to be sure that this blog also linked back to the Facebook group.

Here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=48705984560

We will be using the Facebook group to message people about the festival. For example, when we open registrations for tables we will be sending a notice out through the group in addition to posting it here.

Thanks!

A few more photos

2008-12-05T20:54:00.001-08:00

Here are some photos that I took when I toured Ocean Gateway for the first time. It was mostly empty at the time as they were clearing the place out from an event that took place the night before. Look at the ladders, doors and windows to get a sense of scale.

Also, I spoke with a friend this morning who had attended an event there last night. She said the space was wonderful and should work great for our event.

Tables at the festival

2008-12-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

We have been getting lots of questions about tables at the festival. Here is what we can tell you so far.

We need to measure the room one more time but it appears that we will have approximately 40x 8 foot tables in the room. The rates will be very reasonable and will be announced when we open registrations in January.

We will be offering half and full tables. If you only need a half table you can pay for it and we will pair you up with another creator who also needs just a half table. This will allow more creators an opportunity to attend.

If people are organized enough to get together and share a table that will not be a problem, but there may be a limit to the number of people at any one table.

Please e-mail with any questions or feel free to post in the comments section. Thanks!

Maine Comics Arts Festival

MeCAF 2012 announces Featured Guests!

Festival Dates for 2012

Programming schedule!

Guests for MeCAF

One month to go!

Updates

Updates

2011 Guest announcement-Andy Runton, creator of Owly!

MeCAF 2011 plans and updates

MeCAF 2011 dates

Skottie Young at MeCAF

Sponsor Spotlight- Shipyard Brewing Company

Sponsor Spotlight- Portland Phoenix

Guest list update

FAQ's

So where is Ocean Gateway?

One week to go!

Exhibitor e-mail update

A new exhibitor e-mail just went out with lots of updates. If you are an exhibitor at the festival and did not receive it please let us know.

Festival schedule of events

Less than three weeks!

One month to go!

Educator workshop with John Shableski at MeCAF

New exhibitor e-mail

Portland Public Library Grand Re-opening

Festival Poster by Jeff Lemire and Brian Wood!

Full festival mode...

More creator bios/Facebook Group

Website updated with new guest list

Hotel details/ room blocks:

Exhibitor e-mails

Exhibitor biographies part 6

Maris Wicks is a maker of minicomics and stuffed animals. She is working on some big comics projects too!

Joe Quinones draws people in tights, mostly for DC Comics and Marvel Comics. He loves peanut butter.

Exhibitor biographies part 5

website: www.bettercomicsinc.com

Exhibitor biographies part 4

Exhibitor biographies part 3

Here are some more creator bios.

Charles Schneeflock Snow is the creator of the webcomic *Sordid City Blues* (www.sordidcityblues.com). He is a member of Boston Comics Roundtable and has published stories in the anthologies *Inbound* and *Secrets and Lies*. He lives in Somerville, MA.

Registration updates for exhibitors

Exhibitor biographies part 2

Exhibitor biographies part 1

Guest Announcement- BRIAN WOOD!

Moving right along....

Exhibitor registration is LIVE!

Exhibitor registrations opening Tuesday 1/26

Exhibitor registrations opening VERY soon

MeCAF 2010 Guest announcement-SKOTTIE YOUNG!

MeCAF partners with the Portland Public Library

MeCAF 2010-First guest announcement-JEFF LEMIRE!

MeCAF Twitter account

Thank you Baltimore!

Good luck at SPX!

MeCAF 2010

Festival Recap Part 3

Maine Comics Arts Festival Recap Part Two

WOW! What a weekend! Festival recap part one

Jay Piscopo and the Festival on NBC Channel 6 tonight

FREE PARKING AT OCEAN GATEWAY

More guest updates:

Less than a week away.....

Festival schedule

Panel- 24 Hour Comics: A Reading and Super-Fast Demo with Marek Bennett

Alphabetical list of guests to date

Panel discussion- Surviving as a Print Cartoonist

Sponsor Spotlight- Portland Phoenix

Panel discussion with The Center for Cartoon Studies

So where is Ocean Gateway?

Educators workshop at the festival

Festival T-Shirts!

Guest updates from the Center for Cartoon Studies

Exhibitors...check your e-mail.

FAQ's

Two Weeks!!!!!

More guest updates...

Sponsor Spotlight- Shipyard Brewing Company

Jellaby 2 in stores NOW!!!

Sponsor spotlight- Inn on Peaks Island

Charles Schneeflock Snow is the creator of the webcomic Sordid City Blues (www.sordidcityblues.com). He is a member of Boston Comics Roundtable and has published stories in the anthologies Inbound and Secrets and Lies. He lives in Somerville, MA.