Maple Ink Blog

CCEE 2008

2008-04-26T22:00:00.003-06:00

The BIG SHOW is on now...this is the one show to event for all comic and collector fans.

It keeps getting bigger and better.

http://www.calgaryexpo.com/

Zuda Comics is Coming!

2007-07-21T14:01:00.000-06:00

DC Comics and IBM are working together to form ZUDA comics. Web comic creators are given the opportunity to present their work to the public. Creators compete for a one year work contract. Comics are voted on by the public and chosen by the editors. Instant winners are also given spots.
More info on the link.

GarSeeYa!!!

MI Sketch Network!

2007-02-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

MISN ( Maple Ink Sketch Network) has been launched. The simple idea is to provide a quick way to inform creators , of upcoming meetings for sketches and meets. There are no set times or locations. Notices my be sent out the day of the meet , or advance postings may occur.

Everyone is welcome to attend. If you would like to participate contact me by PM on the Maple Ink Forum.

Thanks.

G. Gerald Garcia. mapleink.ca.

February Drawing Challenge 2007

2007-02-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

It's on again. The challenge is to do one drawing a day for the month of February. There are currently nine MICers taking this on, but everone is welcome to join us. Here are some of the images so far:

More can be seen at the forum , under COMIC JAMS & ONLINE ACTIVITIES. Check it out everyday.

GarSeeYa!!!

Comic Workshops @ the Calgary Public Library.

2007-01-07T08:10:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce this year’s series of Comic workshop programs by Maple Ink members James Davidge, Nick Johnson and myself. Everyone is welcome to assist and or participate. I would like to see as many of us get out there and help out aspiring creators. Thank you.

More information can be found at calgarypubliclibrary.com or call 260-2600.

WRITING A COMIC SCRIPT

April 21, 1 – 3:00 p.m. Central - Meeting room #1,

April 23, 7 – 8:30 p.m. Forest Lawn

MAKE YOUR OWN MINI COMIC with Nick Johnson

January 11, 6:30 – 8:30p.m. Village Square

January 22, 6:30 – 8:30p.m. Country Hills -

March 12 , 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. GLENMORE

March 24, 1 – 3:00 p.m. Forest Lawn

April 5, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Crowfoot

April 14, 1 – 3 p.m. Central -- Meeting Room #1

April 28, 10:00 a.m. – Noon Shaganappi

DRAWING PROFESSIONAL COMIC PAGES with G. Gerald Garcia

February 13^th, 6:30 to 8:30 PM Southwood Library

February 24^th, 10:30 to 12:30 PM Memorial Park Library

March 24^th, 2:00 to 4:00 PM Glenmore Square Library

Done to Death DONE!

The five issue mini series from Andrew Foley and Fiona Staples has wrapped up. A tradepaper back may be sometime in the future. Look out for COWBOYS AND ALIENS, co-written by Foley, out on store shelve now. There will be more stories coming from the F crew.

CCEE 2007!

Sunday, April 29th will be the second annual Comic & Entertainment Expo, which will be held at the Calgary Stampede / Round Up Center.
Get your tickets early online for $10.00 ($15.00 at the door) and get in faster to the show. Guest line up will continue to grow check the CCEE website for updates.

SKETCH GROUPS: Drawn Together!

There are several opportunities to get your drawing/sketching fix in Calgary. The Pallette at ART CENTRAL host MIC sketch groups on Sunday afternoons after 1 PM and on the first Thursday of the month.
Everyone is welcome, come and join us when you can.

Thank you and Happy New Year!

Post 2006 24HC Challenge.

2006-10-13T07:52:00.000-06:00

Over 20 participants took part in the 24 Hour Comics challenge in Calgary. 18 completed their 24 page comic in under and over 24 hours. Ones completed after the given time are dubbed "valliant efforts" or "noble attempts". A post event report by individual creators can be seen HERE.

A huge thanks to Wes, Mary Ann ,CK staff, sponsors and volunteers who made this event possible. Photos will be up soon at the Comic-Kazi site.

Many of us will be participating again next year, dates are still to be announced.

GGG.

Team Death Signings!

2006-08-26T08:36:00.000-06:00

Issue #2 of DONE TO DEATH should be out by the end of August. Creators Andrew Foley and Fiona Staples , will be at Happy Harbor Comics and Toys on September 2nd to meet a growing number of fans. Edmonton, Saturday 1:00 to 4:00 PM, Happy Harbor 10112-124 St Upper Level (780) 452-8211. (Update Aug 27th: This Event will be re-scheduled due to late shipment)

Issue #1 is a hard book to find. Ask your comic retailer about future issues.

Andrew Foley will be at WORD ON THE STREET with Red Skull Comics, this October.

GarSeeYa!!!

24 Hour Comics Challenge 2006.

2006-08-23T08:21:00.000-06:00

Can you create a 24 page comic in 24 hours?

October 7th 2006, will be the next Ch allenge Day. Canadian event host this year are: Elfsfar in Vancouver, Happy Harbor in Edmonton, Comic-Kazi in Calgary and two stores in Ontario: The Artel and Gemini Jetpack.

If there are no host for this event in your area, get it started. More information at the 24 HC Day website- click on the sidebar link .

Calgary (403)286-0544
Edmonton (780) 452-8211
Vancouver (604) 688-5922
Waterloo (519) 746-1527

GarSeeYa!!!

What's Happening Summer 2006!

2006-07-14T10:13:00.000-06:00

Saturday July 15th, Comic-Kazi will be having their Grand Opening.There will be BBQ burgers,prizes and a few costumed guests.
Vicious Ambitious will also be in attendance(Cocksure Johnnies: Conor, Nick and Vince will have COMIC JAM WAR to sign at the store). Dario Carrasco and Konsequential Studios(TBA) may be dropping by.

Saturday, August 12th, X-FEST will be at Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Hall. Featuring on comics , toys and gaming. Local comic artist will also be in attendance.

August 11th to 13th, Conversion will be taking place at the BEST WESTERN HOSPITALITY INN (Macleod Tr. South and Southland Dr.) This should appeal to Science Fiction & Fantasy fans of books, TV and film. Jeremy Bullock (SW: Boba Fett) is one of the guests.

Comic Craze in Banff!

2006-05-23T01:51:00.000-06:00

Submitted by James Davidge

Comic Craze at the Banff Center of the Arts, features over 400 samples of Canadian independant comics in a reading friendly environment. They have erected numerous pillars with shelves at various heights to display the comics with areas where people are encouraged to sit and read. It was pretty unique for a visual arts gallery space.

The exhibit runs until September 3rd,2006.
Two comic Jams are scheduled on June 1st and 15th at 7:00 PM.

More information HERE.

May Days & Blog Bites!

2006-05-19T10:15:00.000-06:00

We are more than half way through MAY DAY,
the idea was to produce a drawing a day in the month of May. Several have taken on the challenge, but only the most dedicated( or have least to do) have been able to keep up the pace.

Spring time and Blogs are sprouting about.
Fiona and Vicious Ambitious are the latest to join us Bloggers.

Webcomics are also coming up! PENCILTOWN
and WARP 9 are the latest entries coming from Calgary.

Most of us MIC members will be at the Comic & Toy Expo at the Red & White Club on May 27th.
We hope to see you there.

We have a regular Comic Jam going every second Saturday, check the MIC forum
for the next scheduled meet.

GGG.

Process Junkie: Canada Rocks!

2006-05-14T17:50:00.000-06:00

Process Junkie: Canada Rocks!

We were very happy to have met Alberto Ruiz at the CCEE in Calgary. We appreciate his kind words towards Calgary and our Fan community.

His articles in DRAW magazine is always something I look forward to. Draw is the magazine I direct many aspiring artist to, when they want to learn how things are done.

We hope to see him again in Calgary.

Thank you.

GarSeeYa!!!

CCEE FANTASTIC!

2006-05-08T09:22:00.000-06:00

This was an amazing weekend for the comic community in Calgary! The Comic and Entertainment Expo was a success in many levels. There were a few glitches to be worked out, but with everything NEW that is to be expected. All the fans and especially most of our GUESTS were very happy to have attended our show.

My thoughts:

Our local artists: Out Of Mind Studios, Panday, Vicious Ambitious, Cats Paws, Rozencrantz...were happy to accommodate sketches and autographs and talk about comics and what they do. An ARTIST ALLEY sign would have helped. A gallery on the back wall, using photo copied images by the Artists in that section could have generated more interest in our work.

Volunteer staff should have offered to give single exhibitors a relief for washroom and food/drink breaks. The banana bread was much appreciated and great advertising for COCO BROOKS.

A portfolio review section staffed by volunteer artists or writers on a rotating basis would have made many aspiring talent happy. Getting feedback on work can encourage more local talent.

The publicity and attendance was phenominal, it was an hour to get in through the doors.
The people in costumes gave it a public and show appeal, giving it a festival atmosphere. This could have been extended to interior decorations with posters and media slides on the walls. Something to fill up all the empty space of black curtains on booth dividers, and table skirting or cloths to hide the dealer’s boxes, would have given the show a more professional look.

Turnstiles should have been placed at the doors to take a better count on attendance. Two or three doors for admission would have helped alleviate the long line-ups. Security personal may have to be considered to watch the extra doors.

I never got to see if there was a FREE table set up, usually publishers would have poster giveaways and loot bags to hand out, a perfect opportunity for advertising and getting show sponsors. A FREE program book could have been arranged with the Calgary Sun or local printers. Advertising space could generate extra funding. The local talent should be more involved in the show books; many of us were asked if we (artists) contributed to the charity book.

Sponsors should be contacted as early as possible for the next show. A volunteer committee may have to be expanded to take on more of the challenges of organizing such a big show.

Expectations are high for the next show, would you volunteer to make it better?

Please feel free to comment here, or for MIC members on this thread.

I will pass this on to the CCEE.

Cocksure Johnnies...Done to Death!

2006-04-29T10:03:00.000-06:00

The winners have been announced for 2006 JAM WAR,

We congratulate The Cocksure Johnnies (Vince, Conor & Nick) for coming in the "Honorable Mention" category. Their story will be included in the Jam War Compilation.

Comics Jam War is a standard-comics-sized 64 page squarebound black and white book with a cover price of $6.99. It appears on page 210 of the May Previews, item code MAY06 2757.

ABOUT COMICS also published The 24-Hour Comic Day Highlights 2005 book, which been nominated for the Eisner Award for Best Anthology.

Our member Fiona Staples has a story included in that collection.

Another 24HCD veteran Andrew Foley,teamed up with Fiona to create DONE TO DEATH.
D2D is a comic mini series coming out from MARKOSIA PUBLISHING.The Diamond Order Code for DONE TO DEATH #1 is MAY063281.

JAM WAR 2006.

2006-04-04T08:39:00.000-06:00

On April 1st, seven teams(22 participants)took part in the creative madness of Jam War, inside the tight space of Comic Kazi in Northland Mall. Three of the teams were done before the 10PM deadline,four stayed to the end.Some amazing work was generated.

We cannot post any of the pages until judging is completed.

Jam War was also held in Edmonton,hosted by Jay at Happy Harbor Comics.

We will post images and photos and images from the events soon.

GGG.

QUAB Gallery

2006-03-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Two shows of interest Munkaspeni and Angus Oblong. More details HERE! Both Artist will be in attendance at the Calgary Comic & Entertaiment Expo on May7th.2006.

Sketchbook :Doodles & Mini Masterpieces.

2006-02-15T07:51:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pages from MIC member sketchbooks and other scrap paper.
First image is by the amazing Fiona Staples...something about cowboys and indians.

The second image is by Sean Decker,sketches done on the Calgary Transit bus and trains.

D. Jorgensen gives us a colorful look at another planet.

Corey G.had a few sketches done at the Olympic Oval.

More images can be found HERE.

MIC JAM (06-02-11) Smurfs Dragons & Lubricant.

2006-02-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

One strange Jam session took place on Saturday Feb 11th.We produced eighteen pages and had the largest turn out for participants.We are considering a weeknight Jam...more as things develop.

SEE MORE

GarSeeYa!!!

Hey Its Ismail Wamala!

2006-02-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

MIC member Ismail Wamala is a new Van Arts grad, emerging from the Calgary comic art scene.He has always produce amazing work-as seen in this image.More can be seen at his website.
We wish him luck and continue to follow his work.

GarSeeYa!!!

Mort Grim

2006-02-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

ACAD alumnus Douglas Fraser has had his first comic book published with ADHOUSE.
A combination of two loves:comics and motorcycles.

His work has been seen on many magazine covers(Newsweek,Time).

He has also contributed a pin-up in SEASON OF THE WITCH (Image Comics).

We look forward to seeing more of his sequential work.

MORT GRIM can be found at Comic-Kazi and other comic stores in your area.

GarSeeYa!!!

30 Days with CogNoman!

2006-02-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

MIC member,firehaired Conor,has taken on the challenge of drawing 30 drawings in 30 days. He's off to a good start!

See more here!

SWERVE On Comics!

2006-02-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

SWERVE
issue 64,came out on February 3rd,2006-a supplement in the Calgary Herald-featured comics on the cover and was the main focus of the issue.

It gives a brief history of the medium and the local viewpoint seen by many Calgary creators,retailers,ACAD instructors and aspiring Artists.

"The public perception of comics" is the current HOT topic on MIC forum...

Bri wrote...

We have got to stop worrying about what others think of comics. It's a worthy cause, but every time we cry out the praises of comics it falls on deaf ears. Why? Because when asked to back up our findings we are limited in the number of comics we can site as being truly great comics. The very best thing we can do to help the cause is to stop buying/making crappy comics, and really try to focus on making, and tracking down the best stuff we can.

Fiona wrote...

When comic lovers list what they consider to be the "best" comics, it's almost always the same list of hard-edged, very ADULT titles. But I'm not sure that heavy literature in graphic novel form and "gritty realism" is the answer. I mean, we need our adult comics, but on the other hand you need to take the medium for what it is. I don't think comics have outgrown their humble roots of cheap escapism and disposable fun. I think that therein lies their charm. They are mass-produced, unpretentious brain candy. I don't think they necessarily need to strive for a "high art" credential in order to be accepted (at least they shouldn't, in my ideal world).

HHCOMICS wrote...

Holy can of worms, Batman. Let's begin by dismissing the myths.

MORE HERE! Must be registered on MIC to view

MIC Jam: January 28th,2006.

2006-01-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

This was our second jam session this month.
There were a few pages with talking animals,must be something in the water.
The next jam will be on February 11th,2006.

See more here!

The Wandering Stars.

2006-01-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

The Wanderings Stars

is a Comic book created by the Davidge cousins.This is the latest comic book work to be completed and released in Calgary. The books are now available at Red Skull Comics,Words & Pictures U of C and more to be added. Check their website for more details.

GarseeYa!!!

Welcome to the MIC Blog!

2006-01-27T21:29:00.000-07:00

Hello from Calgary!

MIC takes another channel for communication, in this ever expanding net work of information.The main purpose for this blog is to highlight some of the forum and member activites.We will also promote current books by members and upcoming events,meetings,shows and conventions.

First up-COMIC JAMS are taking place every second Saturday at Northland Village Mall
food court.This is the current choice for this activity,this may change if our participant numbers continues to grow.

More!

Second event-COMIC JAM WAR! This event takes place on Saturday April 1st,2006-Happy Harbour in Edmonton and Comic-Kazi in Calgary.
More details can be found at the COMIC JAM site.

Third: Comic shows and Conventions. May 7th,2006. The Comic & Entertainment Expo will be held at the Stampede Grounds Big Four Building.

On May 27th,2006 The Comic and Toy Expo will be happening at The Red & White Club.

Guest line ups and other details may be found on their respective sites.

That is all for now, I will try to keep things up to date. If there is any content you would like to contribute or whould like to see on here,please contact me on the MIC forum.

Thank you.

GarSeeYa!!!