Joe Sacco on The Current

Joe Sacco; award winning cartoonist and journalist was interviewed on The Current about his new book Paying the Land. The interview starts at the 22:50 mark. In the book he takes a look at the Dene and resource extraction. It's a very powerful story and has already gone into reprint.

"Pumpkinheads" Graphic Novel Trailer!

A collaboration for the ages! Bringing together Rainbow Rowell - the author of Fangirl and Elanor & Park, among other celebrated YA novels - and the beautiful illustrations of Faith Erin Hicks, who won the Eisner award for her work on The Adventures of Superhero Girl, the new graphic novel Pumpkinheads is a perfect fit for the fall season. If you want to read a quick review, check out this article by the Hollywood Reporter; if you're more the visual type, click the link below for a trailer!

75 years of Wonder Woman

June 3^rd 2017 is Wonder Woman Day! Celebrate 75 years of the queen of the Amazons at your local participating comic shop, bookstore, or library. Get ready for fun events, great deals, and everything Amazonian. Also available now is Wonder Woman- the Ultimate Guide to the Amazon Warrior, lauded as the perfect celebration of the superhero’s history. Check out all the ways to plan out your Wonder Woman Day here.  

The Reading Without Walls Challenge

Ask any bookworm why they read, and one of their primary reasons will be that books allow you to go outside the walls of your everyday life. The "Reading Without Walls" challenge taps into that, encouraging readers to read subjects and formats that they don't normally experience. It's currently being championed by the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, who points out that this challenge is great for getting everyone out of their comfort zones, and can be a fun promotional tool for teachers, librarians and booksellers!

Fish Girl Swims into the Spotlight

Middle-grade veteran Donna Jo Napoli and award-winning illustrator David Wiesner are the talk of the town with their latest book, Fish Girl. They were featured in a glowing review in the New York Times Book Review, applauding their strong messages for young girls (and boys). Get ready to dive into this empowering story!

How Patrick Crowe wrote a graphic novel about Susanna Moodie with Carol Shields

It doesn't get more Canadian than this! Susanna Moodie, reinterpreted by Carol Shields with an introduction by Margaret Atwood in the graphic novel version of Roughing it in the Bush. I was never a fan of Roughing it in the Bush when I was a kid; this amazing version is awesome and young and old will get a real kick out of it. Read the CBC Books piece to see how this all came together.

Yang Named National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

This news has been everywhere and I think it is so cool, Gene Luen Yang has been named the US's National Ambassador for Young People's Literature; he is in great company: Kate DiCamillo and Jon Scieszka are two of the previous holders of this role. What an inspired choice! Naturally his work is amazing...this also shows how graphic novels are now a regular every day part of reading.

Best Graphic Novel Publisher in the World!

Whoot whoot! What a shout out for D+Q. Read the full article here.

The Guardian reviews The Sculptor by Scott McCloud

Rachel Cooke from The Guardian has just posted a rave review for Scott McCloud's graphic novel The Sculptor, which she describes as "philosophical inquiry meets hipster cool" and "utterly gripping." 
She also recommends The Sculptor to anyone who is a fan of David Mitchell's work!

PW's Best Children's Fiction Books of 2013

Publishers Weekly released their list of Best Children's Fiction Books of 2013 and believe me, there are some really good picks! You might recognize some of the featured books from this blog, such as Eleanor & Park and Boxers and Saints. Other titles include the fantastic Far Far Away by Tom McNeal and Tony Cliff's stunning graphic novel, Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant. To check out the full list, click here and you may find some great ideas for your young readers!

Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang

Have you heard about Boxers & Saints? It was recently named to the long list for the National Book Award in young people’s literature. I am very excited about this two-volume graphic novel that took 6 years to make! Author and artist Gene Luen Yang recently visited The Toronto Public Library as part of  Raincoast's Young Adult Library Tour where he spent the day with a group of one hundred local students.

To read about Yang's inspiration and challenges for the books on TPL Teens, click here. 

D+Q Authors and Cartoonists to Tour This Fall!

Some of our favourite D+Q authors and cartoonists are touring this fall! 

CHESTER BROWN

Winnipeg: Tuesday October 22nd, 2013 Grant Park in the Atrium

Toronto:  November 13th, 2013 AGO

Upon its release in 2003, Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography received both praise and criticism before winning two Harvey Awards. This expanded edition includes a new introduction highlighting the work's impact and success as Chester Brown reinvented the biography genre. 

Celebrating ten years since the release of his comic-strip biography, Louis Riel, Brown will be in Winnipeg for what would be Louis Riel's 169th birthday. He will also appear at the Art Gallery of Ontario where his original artwork will be displayed. 

SETH
Toronto: IOFA October 24th-November 3rd, 2013

Seth is back! His new volume, Palookaville 21 features not one but two autobiographical pieces before continuing the Clyde Fans serial in part three. Bonus: an exclusive comic-strip Seth has been keeping for almost a decade!

Seth will be attending this year's International Festival of Authors downtown Toronto at the Harbourfront Centre. The festival runs for 11 days with readings by the Governor General's Literary Award and Rogers Writer's Trust Fiction Prize finalists. Other participants include Margaret Atwood, Eric Walters, Joseph Boyden, Stephen King and many more!

For more information, click here. 

FAN EXPO IS ALMOST HERE!

August 22nd is when the games begin! The info graphic from PW shows that the Toronto show is the third biggest in North America. For a full list of what's happening check out the Fan Expo Website.

The Joe Shuster Awards

The nominees for the 2013 Joe Shuster Awards are in! The Joe Shuster Awards acknowledge the best in Canadian comics, graphic novels, and webcomics. This year they've nominated two awesome graphic novels by Kids Can Press for the Dragon Award, which recognizes comics for young readers.

Cat's Cradle Volume 1: The Golden Twine by Jo Rioux

Three Thieves Volume 3: The Captive Prince by Scott Chantler

(Scott Chantler was also nominated for "Best Cartoonist")

Click here for the full list of nominees! The winners will be announced on August 25, 3013.

C.A.K.E.

The inaugural Comic Arts for Kids Expo (CAKE), will take place on March 23rd, at Lillian H Smith Library in Toronto. The author list is pretty great! C-Ton, Evan Munday, Willow Dawson, The Brothers Leung and many more! Creators will also be asked to draw a panel on giant sheets of paper with kids. The panels  will be hung  on the wall. By the end of the day, they expect to have a giant comic story created by all of those taking part in CAKE.  (Small Printers and Little Islanders will be chronicling the creation of this mural throughout the day. Time lapse video. Enough said. )

Arranged by Little Island Comics and Small Print. For more info go to: Small Print.

Graphic Novel Webinar Today

J. Torres (Bigfoot Boy) and Scott Chantler (Three Thieves) present at this Booklist webinar — you can watch live or register to have the webcast emailed to you.

Panel Discussion: New Graphic Novels for Libraries and Classroom 

The popularity of graphic novels among readers of all ages continues to soar. Tune in for a preview of hot spring titles and industry insights from both graphic novel publishers and creators in this free, hour-long webinar moderated by Booklist Books for Youth editorial director Gillian Engberg and featuring a panel of representatives from Kids Can Press, ABDO Publishing, DC Entertainment, and Viz Media. Click here to register.