MeCAF 2011 dates

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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!

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

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

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!

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!

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

“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

WHAT: The World of Graphic Novels

Presenter: 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!

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

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

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=IISjoMHdC8o

Festival Poster by Jeff Lemire and Brian Wood!

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...

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

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

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:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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....

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!

We have opened registrations. Follow this link:

http://mainecomicsfestival.com/Exhibitor_Registration.html

Thanks!

Exhibitor registrations opening Tuesday 1/26

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

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!

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

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!

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.