Wow! It was a lot smaller than I expected, and the turnout was incredible. It sucked that there wasn't too much room to walk around inside the tents, but the event was great! Lots of great guests. Jeff Smith (Bone), Darwyn Cooke (DC: The New Frontier, upcoming The Flash), J. Bone (Alison Dare, Spider-Man's Tangled Web), Jim Mahfood (Felt, upcoming Wha?... Huh?). The list just goes on.
Got there pretty early. Not when it opened, but around 10:30am. Most of the booths were set up in the main tent, with some that were still getting ready. The man I wanted to meet, Darwyn Cooke, did not show up yet. Just kept walking around. Didn't want to walk around in a small area, so I went to get some coffee. Came back around 11:15am-11:30am. Hit up James Jean first. The guy was booked for commission sketches. Ahh well, probably saved myself a pretty penny there.
Continuing to walk around, stopped by Andy Runton's table. Picked up the first Owly graphic novel, and got that signed for my little brother. Andy was nice enough to do an Owly sketch inside the book for my little bro. Also, got my Owly: Splashin' Around signed, with a little quick sketch inside of that. Really wasn't expecting that. I had originally asked for one inside my sketch book, which he was really nice enough to do. I got nothing but good words about Andy Runton. His artwork is fantastic. The Owly stories are fantastic. The fact that he did little sketches in my books, as well as one in my sketchbook, I was not expecting. View that sketch here.
Next, I hit up Ramon Perez. You can check out his web-comic, Butternut Squash. It's a great read. Anyways, I didn't really have anything for him to sign, so I paid for a commission sketch. Originally wanted Mr. Incredible, but had no reference for it. Decided on Wolverine. Couldn't think of anything on the spot, and I don't have a Wolverine sketch. Why the hell not?
By the time that sketch was finished, most of the people seated at the Hacienda, were moved into the main tent area. Which was great for them, as well as myself. Met Jim Mahfood, because he was moved. Got my Batman: Gotham Knights #35, which he remarked the cover. Also, got my Spider-Man's Tangled Web TPB Vol. 4 signed, and with a quick Spider-Man head sketch on the inside. With Jim Mahfood appearing in Toronto for the first time (so I've been told), I decided to spend my money on a commission sketch. Got myself a Batman sketch. Great piece, that reflects his style.
Now, just killing time until Darwyn Cooke, J. Bone and Jeff Smith appear and finish their little lectures/readings, I dropped by the Flight booth. Picked up the first volume of Flight. Got it signed by Kazu Kibuishi and Kean Soo. Also, got Kazu Kibuishi to sketch me Fred & Copper, from his short comics starring them. If you want to check out some of the online comics, here is the link to Kazu Kibuishi's Copper.
Once Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone finished their lecture, J. Bone was the first to make it back to the tables. Luckily for me, I was already there. J. Bone was nice enough to sketch me on of my best sketches to date. This Spider-Man sketch looks Amazing!
Went into Darwyn Cooke's line right after. It was just getting longer, so I had to get in. To make a long story short, nice guy, will be doing a four-issue arc on "The Flash" I think starting with issue 227. I could be wrong there. Got a Hal Jordan Green Lantern sketch from him. Looks great!
Got into the Jeff Smith line right after. It was already forming, and Jeff was speaking about him book. It truly sucked for those people sitting down for the presentation, and then having to line up towards the end of the line. Anyways, I got a sketch of Phoney Bone, but I think Jeff was choosing the characters. Ahh well, it's all good. This man is a legend!
Next up was Corey Lewis (aka: The Rey). He's been doing these little mini comic pages in the back of the Street Fighter and Darkstalkers books, published by Udon Comics. Also, he recently released his graphic novel, Sharknife. Got the graphic novel, and a sketch of Sharknife. The sketch is great! It's upside down in my sketchbook, but still great! The graphic novel was a good one. Not much words, and lots of action. Check out the website for more information.
Last stop for the day was Karl Kerschl. He recently just started his run on the Adventures of Superman comic. Got the first issue of that, and looking forward to the rest of them. He's done other work on Majestic, Outsides, New Warriors. Lots of others. I got a Nightwing sketch. Gotta love the mullet!
Alright, that's it for today. I'll be back tomorrow with another report from TCAF.
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