Artist's Alley at the Comics Studies Society conference in Toronto

On Friday, July 26th (during Day 2 of the 2nd annual conference of the Comics Studies Society) at Ryerson University, there will be an Artist's Alley, which will be free and open to the public from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM in the Student Learning Centre Atrium.

At this event, you may meet the artists and publishers, browse their works, purchase those works, &/or get their works personally signed. Sometimes, the artist will even include a free sketch.

A list of the artists and publishers who will be at the event may be found at https://z-m-www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10220186635044386&set=gm.2407593162630745&type=1&theater

Among the Jewish-content creators who will be there are :

* Alternate History Comics is the publisher of Jewish Comix Anthology and SCI : Jewish Comics Anthology

* Adam Gorham is the author-illustrator of the stories "The Magic Mirror of Rabbi Adam" and "Yaish and the Protector" (both in Jewish Comix Anthology) and the illustrator of the "Android" pinup in SCI : Jewish Comics Anthology)

* Jamie Michaels is the author of the graphic historical fiction book Christie Pits

Canadian publisher Drawn and Quarterly  (publisher of The Property, Exit Wounds, Jamalti and Other Stories, The Golem's Mighty Swing, Jerusalem : Chronicles from the Holy City, Towards a Hot Jew, and Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus) will be exhibiting in room POD-250 on all 3 days of teh conference (i.e. July 25-27). On Thursday from 11:15 - 1:15 and on Friday from 3:15 - 4:30, Chester Brown (author-illustrator of Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus) will be signing.

The Jewish Side of the 2019 CSS conference in Toronto

The 2nd annual conference of the Comics Studies Society will convene in Toronto (at Ryerson University) from July 25th (tomorrow) until July 27th.

The theme of this year's conference is : Comics/Politics.

Among the works being discussed at the conference will be comic literature with Jewish / Holocaust / Israeli content.

Below is a list of those panels. A complete list of panels (Acrobat format) may be found at http://comicssociety.org/documents/ComicsPoliticsProgramFinal.pdf

Conference attendance (for panels) is limited to those who have registered via Eventbrite - http://comicssociety.org/conference/registration/ or those who have registered on-site.

There will also be an Artist's Alley on Friday, which is free to the public.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Panel 2.2

Steven M. Bergson (UJA Federation of Greater Toronto). How SCI : Jewish Comics Anthology Transformed into a Political Work

Friday July 26, 2019

Panel 6.4

Phillip Smith. Early Holocaust Narratives in Comics

Panel 8.1

Jenny Blenk. Dorkish Anxieties : Social Expectations and the Performance of Anxieties in Evan Dorkin's "'Dork"

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Panel 9.3

Jamie Michaels. Graphic Backgrounds : Collective Dissociative Trauma is Rutu Modan's Exit Wounds

Jews and Comics : People of the Book - Toronto panel discussion - Sat., Feb. 23rd

On the forthcoming Motzei Shabbos (approximately 8:30 PM EST), the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue will be hosting a panel discussion titled "Jews and Comics : People of the Book", moderated by Rabbi Daniel Korobkin.

Location :  Rebbetzin Judy Taub Hall
                  Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto
                  613 Clark Ave. W.
                  Thornhill, ON
                   L4J 5V3

Sponsor : Gerald & Sheryl Hartman

Refreshments donated by The Association of Jewish Libraries (Ontario chapter)

The panelists are :

* Jordan B. Gorfinkel is a veteran comic book editor and writer, newspaper cartoonist, and music and video producer. As a DC comic editor for nearly a decade, Gorf was front and center in a 400% growth of the Batman franchise. Gorf writes and illustrates Everything's Relative, a weekly newspaper comic strip published internationally. Through Koren Publishers, he recently published the world's first Passover Haggadah Graphic Novel, written by Gorf, and illustrated by Israeli artist Erez Zadok.

Jordan will offer insight into his creative process.

* Steven M. Bergson is a data processing specialist at UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. He discovered comics at age 4 and has been reading them ever since. He set up his own free website, the Jewish comics bibliography while still in library school. It grew over the years until it encompassed hundreds of entries. Over time, Steve was able to network with enough Jewish comics professionals to publish a Jewish comics anthology. To date, 2 volumes have been published.

Steven will be discussing Orthodox comics, Orthodox fans, and Orthodox comic creators. 

* Gerald Hartman is President of True North Imaging, a medical imaging organization based in Toronto. As well, he serves as President of the IDCA, the provincial industry association for this healthcare sector. He and his wife Sheryl spent the majority of their time working on community activities and chesed initiatives on behalf of klal yisroel. Gerald is the child of Hungarian and Slovak Holocaust survivors. He has been a collector of World War II era comics for 25 years.

Gerald will be discussing World War 2 era comics (focusing on Jewish artists) and the use of propaganda.

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Copies of Jewish Comics Anthology (both volumes) and Passover Haggadah Graphic Novel will be on sale (and may be signed) following the panel.