Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon 2006 - April 28-30

[KevinB]

http://torontocomicon.com/pictures/con_flyer2006_3.jpg

The PARADISE COMICS TORONTO COMICON is fast approaching. The PCTC is A CELEBRATION OF COMICS, MANGA AND SEQUENTIAL ART. It is not a media show, it is a COMIC book show.

Scheduled for the weekend of April 28-30, 2006 it is the LARGEST gathering of comic book professionals in Canada EVER.

www.torontocomicon.com

GUESTS OF HONOUR:
GEORGE PEREZ (Crisis)
DAVID LLOYD (V for Vendetta)

GUESTS INCLUDE AS OF FEB 16 (more guests are added nearly every day):

ABEL, Jessica
ADORJANY, Attila
ALPHONA, Adrian
ANDRASOFSKY, Kalman
ARORA, Neelam
AZAD
AZZARELLO, Brian
B., Andy (Dead End Road)
BARNES, Samm
BELL-LUNDY, Sandra
BOND, Shelly
BONE, J.
BRIGLIO, Jack
BRUTON, Heather
BYNOE, Steve (Draxhall Jump)
CAMMUSO, Frank (Nite Owl Comics)
CHANTLER, Scott
CHMAKOVA, Svetlana
CHIU, Bobby (Imaginism Studios)
CHO, Frank
CLOONAN, Becky
COLT, Saul
CONNER, Amanda
COOKE, Darwyn
COUGHLER, Rob
CRAINE, Nick
DANNYS, Rich
DARK ONE, The
DAVIDSON, Pat
DAWSON, Willow
DELA CRUZ, Arthur
DORAN, Colleen
EAGLESHAM, Dale
FAWKES, Ray
FISHER, G.W.
FOWLER, Tom
FRADON, Ramona
GARBOWSKA, Agnes (Evilrabbit Studios)
GERARD, Shannon
GOGUEN, Chas
GRUMMETT, Tom
HARRIS, Tony
HETHERINGTON, Janet
IENCO, Raffaele
INNES, Mark
JOHNSON, Dave
JONES, Gerard
JONES, J.G.
KIRSHENBLATT, Shane (Freefall Entertainment)
KASMAN, Ron
KIM, Eric
KIRK, Richard A.
LARSON, Hope
LASHLEY, Ken (Draxhall Jump)
LEE, Andy
LEE, Stan (by Video Conference)
LEMIRE, Jeff (Ashtray Press)
LENK, Stef
LILLIE-PAETZ, Ken (Monkey Pharmacy)
LOIKA, Pat
MacDONALD, Heidi
MACHNICKI, Alana
MADDEN, Matt
MANAPUL, Francis
MARIANO, Marvin (Draxhall Jump)
MARINKOVICH, Nick
MAYHEW, Mike
MCCARTHY, Tyrone
MCKENNA, Mark
MCLEOD, Kagan
MIGLIORE, John
MOHAMMED, Matthew (Rorschach Press)
MOONEY, Scott
MOTTER, Dean
MULVIHILL, Patricia
MUNDAY, Evan
NORTHCOTT, Ed
O'BRIEN, Joe
O'MALLEY, Bryan Lee
ORDOLIS, Jim
PALMIOTTI, Jimmy
PARK, Jason (DMF Comics)
PARKIN, Greg (Draxhall Jump)
PEACOCK, Michael
PENCIL MONKEY STUDIOS
PEREZ, Ramon K.
PERKINS, Alex
PICCOLO, Rina
PLUNKETT, Sandy
POSTIC, Nick
POWELL, Eric
PREUDHOMME, Fedel (Draxhall Jump)
RANKIN, Ted (aka Thadeus Maximus)
RANKIN, Zen
REPOVSKI, Peter
RICHTER, Shawn
RIVOCHE, Paul
ROSS, Dave
RUCKA, Greg
SAYGER, Stuart
SCHUTZ, Diana
SCOTT, Nicola (visiting from Australia!)
SIM, Dave
SIMONE, Gail
SMYTH, Fiona
SOMA, Taki
SOO, Kean
SPARACIO, Mark
STEPHENS, Jay
STEWART, Cameron
STORMS, Patricia
SUTTON, Ronn
SUYDAM, Arthur
SZEWCZUK, Alex
TAILLEFER, Craig
TAMBLYN, Diana
TARTAMELLA, Vinnie
TELGEMEIER, Raina
TEMPLETON, Ty
THOMPSON, Jill
TORRES, J.
TUAZON, Noel
TURNER, Allan (Miller & Mullet Productions)
VAN SCIVER, Ethan
WALTON, Rob
WARD, Sean
WILLIAMS, A. Jaye (SillWill Press)
WILLIAMS, Alison (SillWill Press)
WITTERSTAETTER, Renee
WOLFE, Marc
YEE, Jason
ZAJAC, Richard
ZDARSKY, Chip

PUBLISHERS:
UDON!
TOP COW!
SPEAKEASY!
MR. COMICS!

ADDITIONAL GUESTS:
Signings with cast members from the original DEGRASSI JUNIOR HIGH and DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION - specifics TBA

The convention will be held at the National Trade Centre at Exhibition Place in HALL C. Show hours: Friday 3PM-8PM, Saturday 10AM-7PM, Sunday 11AM-6PM. Over 58,000 square feet of comics.

Tickets are on sale now. If you buy online now you will save - online ticket costs, including fees are less than if you buy at the door: www.ticketbreak.com

NOTE: CHILDREN 12 YEARS OLD AND YONGER GET IN FREE WHEN ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT (including multiple children per adult).

DEALER ROOM: - 27,000 square feet of comics, manga, graphic novels, toys, original art, statues, prints, dvds... and more! Over a million comics from the Golden Age through to the latest releases!

CGC will be at the show accepting submissions for comic book grading.

PROGRAMMING:
ANIME/MANGA PROGRAMMING by Otaku Island Productions - Details TBA
WOMEN OF COMICS SYMPOSIUM on April 29th, 2006
PANEL DISCUSSIONS - schedule TBA
KIDS PROGRAMMING sponsored by SCHOLASTIC - Details TBA
THE 2ND ANNUAL JOE SHUSTER AWARDS for CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CREATORS will be handed out on April 29th at 7:30 PM
www.shusterawards.com

ARTIST ALLEY/GUEST AREA - over 200 creators in over 22,000 square feet of space. The Artist Alley/Guest area will be the largest single gathering of comic creators in Canada ever! Unlike other shows, with few exceptions, all of the main guests are available to fans over the ENTIRE weekend.

CHARITY - The ACTOR booth will be holding exclusive creator signings at their booth all weekend. The CBLDF will be running their annual SKETCH DUEL on Saturday April 28th. The NORTH YORK HARVEST FOOD BANK will be accepting donations at the door (patrons who donate 2 or more canned goods receive a discount on admission. There will be a charity AUCTION on Sunday April 30 to benefit ACTOR and the NYHFB.

Forget will be... this show is already HUGE.

Voted as the BEST INTERNATIONAL COMIC BOOK CONVENTION for two years in a row at www.comicbookconventions.com

THE PARADISE COMICS TORONTO COMICON
APRIL 28-30, 2006
www.torontocomicon.com

Accept no substitutes.

[Adem]

I was already planning to go, but I didn't hear about the women of comics spotlight, sounds interesting.

[Lone Ranger]

Kevin

I thought Marie Severin was scheduled to appear.... what happened?

[KevinB]

I just received word from our Women of Comics coordinator this week that Marie has decided not to attend due to health concerns from air travel.

[Dom]

I was just looking at this. It's right at the end of tax season, so it would be a nice respite.

I'd consider driving down for a weekend.

[Lone Ranger]

I just received word from our Women of Comics coordinator this week that Marie has decided not to attend due to health concerns from air travel.

That's really unfortunate. I was looking forward to meeting her.

[KevinB]

Me too! I was worried that this might happen though, as it's the same reason she cancelled her appearance at Wondercon. But I can appreciate her concerns and I've been told that she's disappointed she won't be able to meet her fans.

[KevinB]

Following in the footsteps of last year's superhot variant edition of Darkstalkers #5, the Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon and UDON Comics have teamed up to provide fans with another exclusive variant edition!

This year we are proud to present this Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon exclusive variant edition of Street Fighter II Vol. 2 #3 by UDON Comics, featuring fan-favourite character Cammy!

Available EXCLUSIVELY at the PARADISE COMICS TORONTO COMICON April 28-30, 2006 while supplies last!

www.capcomcomics.com

www.torontocomicon.com

http://torontocomicon.com/pictures/SFII03paradiseSpread20FINAL.jpg

[KevinB]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/kevthemev/aff8a760.jpg

Lots of news since the last update here:

We just added:

TALENT CALDWELL

TALENT CALDWELL first began his career in comics as an art assistant to fan favorite artist Michael Turner on the Top Cow series FATHOM. He then graduated to full pencil and co-ploting duties on the FATHOM mini-series KILLIAN'S TIDE, before moving onto the breakout smash ASPEN/DC COMICS collaboration, SUPERMAN: GODFALL.

He has since touchdowned on various projects from SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN V2 #21-22 to the recent AGE OF APOCALYPSE ONE-SHOT for Marvel Comics, and WILDC.A.T.S: NEMESIS 1-9 for DC/Wildstorm.

This summer he will be tackling the return of GEN 13 for DC/Wildstorm with writer Gail Simone (who also will be at Comicon)!

Talent Caldwell appears courtesy of ACTOR - A Commitment To Our Roots. www.actorcomicfund.org

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/CaldwellWildCats.jpg

and

Xeric award-winning author DANIEL WAY!

Writer of PUNISHER VS. BULLSEYE and the upcoming: WOLVERINE: ORIGINS & GHOST RIDER ongoing series for Marvel Comics!

Mr. Way's past comic book writing work for Marvel Comics includes the following:
BULLSEYE'S GREATEST HITS
SABRETOOTH OPEN SEASON
VENOM series
SPIDER-MAN'S TANGLED WEB 16-17
WOLVERINE 187-189

http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/images/content/WOLORIG001_COV_col.jpg


COMPLETE GUEST LIST: Last Updated March 24th:

ABEL, Jessica (FRI & SAT only) -- Appears courtesy of ALLNEWCOMICS.COM
ADAMS, Eric
ADORJANY, Attila
ALPHONA, Adrian
ANDRASOFSKY, Kalman
ANIMAN Productions
ARORA, Neelam
ASH, Peter
AZAD
AZZARELLO, Brian
BARNES, Samm
BELANGER, Andy
BELL-LUNDY, Sandra
BOND, Shelly
BONE, J.
BRUTON, Heather
BYNOE, Steve (Draxhall Jump)
CALDWELL, Talent --- Appears courtesy of ACTOR Comic Fund
CAMMUSO, Frank (Nite Owl Comics)
CHANTLER, Scott
CHMAKOVA, Svetlana
CHIU, Bobby -- Appears courtesy of Imaginism Studios
CHO, Frank
CLOONAN, Becky -- Appears courtesy of ALLNEWCOMICS.COM
COLT, Saul
COMELY, Richard
CONNER, Amanda
COOKE, Darwyn
COUGHLER, Rob
CRAIG, Jim
CRAIG, Wes
CRAINE, Nick
DANNYS, Rich
DARK ONE, The
DAVIDSON, Pat
DAWSON, Willow
DE LANDRO, Valentine
DELA CRUZ, Arthur
DIGNY, David (DEAD PARROT STUDIOS)
DORAN, Colleen -- Appears courtesy of ALLNEWCOMICS.COM
EAGLESHAM, Dale
ESTEP, Joanna
FATTAH, Suley (Drawing the Line)
FAWKES, Ray
FELKER, Jim
FISHER, G.W.
FOWLER, Tom
FRADON, Ramona -- Appears courtesy of ALLNEWCOMICS.COM
GARBOWSKA, Agnes (Evilrabbit Studios)
GERARD, Shannon
GOGUEN, Chas
GRUMMETT, Tom
GUTIERREZ, Dave
HAMPTON, Bo
HARRIS, Tony
HAWLEY, Alex
HEATHERINGTON, Janet
IENCO, Raffaele
INNES, Mark
JOHNSON, Dave
JONES, Gerard -- Appears courtesy of The SHUSTER AWARDS
JONES, J.G.
KIRSHENBLATT, Shane (Freefall Entertainment)
KASMAN, Ron
KIM, Eric
KIRK, Richard A.
KOCIUBA, Jonathan
KOCIUBA, Michael
LARK, Michael
LARSON, Hope -- Appears courtesy of The Beguiling
LASHLEY, Ken (Draxhall Jump)
LEE, Andy
LEMIRE, Jeff - Ashtray Press
LENK, Stef
LILLIE-PAETZ, Ken (Monkey Pharmacy)
LLOYD, David --- GUEST OF HONOUR
LOIKA, Pat
MacDONALD, Heidi -- Appears courtesy of ALLNEWCOMICS.COM
MACHNICKI, Alana
MADDEN, Matt (FRI & SAT only)
MALOOF, Craig
MANAPUL, Francis
MARIANO, Marvin (Draxhall Jump)
MARINKOVICH, Nick
MAYHEW, Mike
MCCARTHY, Tyrone
MCCUSKER, Paul
MCKENNA, Mark
MCLEOD, Kagan
MIGLIORE, John
MOHAMMED, Matthew (Rorschach Press)
MOONEY, Scott
MOTTER, Dean
MULVIHILL, Patricia -- Appears courtesy of ALLNEWCOMICS.COM
MUNDAY, Evan
O'BRIEN, Joe
O'MALLEY, Bryan Lee -- Appears courtesy of The Beguiling
ODJICK, Jay Darkwing Productions NEW!
OLIVER, Robert (Dead Parrot Studios)
ORDOLIS, Jim
PALMIOTTI, Jimmy
PARK, Jason (DMF Comics)
PARKIN, Greg (Draxhall Jump)
PEACOCK, Michael
PENCIL MONKEY STUDIOS
PEREZ, George -- GUEST OF HONOUR
PEREZ, Ramon K.
PERKINS, Alex
PICCOLO, Rina -- Appears courtesy of ALLNEWCOMICS.COM
PLUNKETT, Sandy
POSTIC, Nick
POWELL, Eric
PREUDHOMME, Fedel (Draxhall Jump)
RANKIN, Ted (aka Thadeus Maximus)
RANKIN, Zen
REPOVSKI, Peter
RICHTER, Shawn
RIVOCHE, Paul
ROSS, Dave
RUCKA, Greg
SAVIUK, Alex
SAYGER, Stuart
SCHUTZ, Diana -- Appears courtesy of ALLNEWCOMICS.COM
SCOTT, Nicola -- Appears courtesy of ALLNEWCOMICS.COM
SIM, Dave (FRI & SAT only)
SIMONE, Gail -- Appears courtesy of ALLNEWCOMICS.COM
SMYTH, Fiona
SOMA, Taki
SOO, Kean
SPARACIO, Mark
STEPHENS, Jay
STEWART, Cameron
SUTTON, Ronn
SUYDAM, Arthur
SZEWCZUK, Alex
TAILLEFER, Craig
TAMBLYN, Diana
TARTAMELLA, Vinnie
TELGEMEIER, Raina -- Appears courtesy of ALLNEWCOMICS.COM
TEMPLETON, Ty
THOMPSON, Jill -- Appears courtesy of ALLNEWCOMICS.COM
TORRES, J.
TUAZON, Noel
TURNER, Allan (Miller & Mullet Productions)
WALTON, Rob
WARD, Sean
WAY, Daniel
WILLIAMS, A. Jaye (SillWill Press)
WILLIAMS, Alison (SillWill Press)
WILLIAMS, Kathryn NEW!
WITTERSTAETTER, Renee
WOLFE, Marc
YEE, Jason
YOUNG, Andrew
ZAJAC, Richard
ZDARSKY, Chip
...and many more... watch for updates!

PLUS: UDON Entertainment (depending on work schedules):
DOGAN, Omar
FERRIERE, Gala
HEPBURN, Scott
KO, Erik
M3TH
NG, Joe
ROSS, Rob
SACKDA, Noi
SIU-CHONG, Ken
ZUBKAVICH, Jim
and possibly more!

Stan Lee Video presentation


www.torontocomicon.com

Tickets on sale now - buy online and save: www.ticketbreak.com

[Peter F]

Looking forward to finally meeting Gail Simone and Colleen Doran. Two of the nicest ladies to deal with.

[Peter F]

Looking forward to meeting Gail Simone and Colleen Doran. Two of the nicest ladies in comics and a real pleasure to deal with.

[KevinB]

The stars of Degrassi come out to the Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon on April 29th!

http://torontocomicon.com/pictures/DSC01126.jpg
Pictured above: Stacey Farber (Ellie on Degrassi: TNG shows off the cover to the first Degrassi: The Next Generation graphic novel from Madison Press!

On Saturday April 29 at 1-2 PM:

DEGRASSI GRAPHIC NOVEL LAUNCH PANEL

Join us as we celebrating an iconic slice of Canadiana television! With the recently debuted 100th episode of Degrassi: The New Generation, Degrassi and Madison Press will soon be making their foray into the field of graphic novels with the launch of the first of a proposed series by writer J. Torres and artist Ed Northcott. Panel Participants will be Stephen Stohn (Degrassi's Executive Producer), Stacey Farber (who plays Ellie Nash on DNG), J. Torres, and Moderator Christopher Jackson (Madison Press).

We've also arranged for two signing times at the Degrassi booth on that same day:

11 AM to Noon
3 PM to 4:30.

Appearing at the booth will be:

Stacey Farber (Ellie), Stefan Brogren (Snake from Degrassi Jr. High and DNG), and J. Torres.

http://torontocomicon.com/pictures/March%20break%20photo.jpg

Finally, there will be 15 Degrassi prize-packs available to be won.
(Prize packs will include a Degrassi: Generations book, a t-shirt, as well as some other swag to be determined!)
Ballots will be available all weekend long at the Degrassi booth.

----

They will be joining the already stunning array of comic book creators who have already agreed to appear at the upcoming comic book convention in Toronto, Canada on April 28-30, 2006.

For more information visit the official Paradise TORONTO COMICON website: www.torontocomicon.com

Kevin Boyd
Paradise Conventions
www.torontocomicon.com

[KevinB]

Press Release

The Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon - April 28-30, 2006

The award-winning Paradise Comics TORONTO COMICON: A Celebration of Comic Books, Graphic Novels, Manga and Sequential Art returns in 2006 for what promises to be another exceptional year. The three day event will be held in Hall C at Toronto, Canada’s National Trade Centre (www.ntc.on.ca) at Exhibition Place. “We’re moving to the new side of the facility this year” explained Paradise owner Peter Dixon, “and it looks spectacular. People are going to love this new hall.”

This year’s theme is “Expanding Comics to New Audiences” and the Paradise team has sought to expand the convention programming around themes such as:

- The Women of Comics Symposium on Saturday, April 29th seeks to provide a spotlight to promote and support the female creators working in comics today. To accomplish this task, we’ve brought together a stellar line-up of creators – writers, editors, colorists, journalists and cartoonists that represent a wide variety of artistic styles and points of view. Participants include: Jessica Abel (Artbabe), Sandra Bell-Lundy, Samm Barnes (Doctor Spectrum), Shelley Bond (DC/Vertigo), Svetlana Chmakova (DramaCon), Becky Cloonan (American Virgin), Amanda Connor (JSA Classified), Colleen Doran (Book of Lost Souls), Ramona Fradon, Janet Hetherington (Elvira), Heidi MacDonald (The Beat), Linda Medley (Castle Waiting), Patricia Mulvihill (100 Bullets), Rina Piccolo, Diana Schutz (Dark Horse Comics), Nicola Scott (Season of the Witch), Gail Simone (Birds of Prey), Diana Tamblyn, Raina Telgemeir (Babysitter’s Club), Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother), and Renee Witterstaeter (EvaInk Productions). Note: most of these guests will be appearing all weekend. For more information: www.womenofcomics.com

- Literacy Beyond! An initiative to get children interested in reading thru comic books and graphic novels. A special event will take place on Friday, April 28 where 100 students will get a chance to meet and learn from comic book creators. This will carry over all weekend long in the Literacy Beyond! Children’s Activity Area, sponsored by Scholastic. Please note that this year, children 12 years old and younger get in free with an adult.

- Anime and Manga programming: many teens and young adults are exploring comics for the first time thru the bourgeoning Anime (Japanese animation) and Manga (Japanese comics) markets. Otaku Island Productions, our new promotional partner, will be exploring Anime and Manga programming such as Anime screenings (including some exclusive premieres) and costume contests and raffles that should appeal to Anime, Manga and Cosplay fans! For more information visit: www.otakuisland.ca

Of course, Comic Books and Graphic Novels of all kinds are still the main focus of the event and Paradise Conventions has arranged for another stellar line up of professional guests including guests of Honor George Perez (Infinite Crisis) and V for Vendetta co-creator David Lloyd plus Greg Rucka (Checkmate), Frank Cho (Liberty Meadows), J. G. Jones (52), Daniel Way (Wolverine: Origins), Talent Caldwell (WildC.A.T.s: Nemesis), Bart Sears (The Warlord), Andy Smith (Red Sonja/Claw), Arthur Suydam (Marvel Zombies), Ken Lashley (The Flash), Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets), Darwyn Cooke (Batman/The Spirit), Dale Eaglesham (Villains United), Tom Grummett (New Thunderbolts), Michael Lark (Daredevil), Dave Johnson (100 Bullets), Bryan Lee O'Malley (Scott Pilgrim), Mike Mayhew (The Pulse), Francis Manapul (Necromancer), Adrian Alphona (Runaways), Dave Sim (Cerebus), Udon Entertainment (Street Fighter II) and many, many more. Publishers and studios in attendance include TOP COW, UDON, MR. COMICS, DRAXHALL JUMP and more! Watch for the special signing booth to support ACTOR - A Commitment to our Roots.

There will be many opportunities for fans to get books signed for CGC’s prestigious Signature Series label! CGC will be present at the Paradise Comicon, and will be accepting submissions for all tiers at this, their only international convention appearance scheduled for 2006!

Exclusive Variant Comics: Udon Entertainment will be offering an exclusive Cammy Cover variant of STREET FIGHTER II #3, and Top Cow will producing a special ACTOR Silvestri Variant Cover of CYBERFORCE #1.

On Saturday, April 29th join us for the DEGRASSI GRAPHIC NOVELS LAUNCH PANEL as we celebrate an iconic slice of Canadian television! With the recently debuted 100th episode of Degrassi: The New Generation, Degrassi and Madison Press will soon be making their foray into the field of graphic novels with the launch of the first of a proposed series by writer J. Torres and artist Ed Northcott. Panel Participants will be Stephen Stohn (Degrassi's Executive Producer), Stacey Farber (who plays Ellie Nash on DNG), J. Torres, and Moderator Christopher Jackson (Madison Press). We've also arranged for two signing times at the Degrassi booth on that same day, 29 April— 11 AM to Noon, and 3 PM to 4:30. Appearing at the booth will be: Stacey Farber (Ellie from Degrassi the Next Generation), Stefan Brogren (Snake from Degrassi Jr. High and DNG), and writer J. Torres. Finally, there will be 15 Degrassi prize-packs available to be won. (Prize packs will include a Degrassi: Generations book, a t-shirt, as well as some other swag to be determined!). Attendees will have to fill out a ballot at the Degrassi booth.

Max the Mutt Animation School will be sponsoring two special workshops on Sunday April 30 by Max the Mutt Sequential Art program instructors Dave Ross (Daredevil, The Inhumans) and Ty Templeton (Simpsons Comics, Revolution on the Planet of The Apes). Max the Mutt will also be holding a special open house event with Darwyn Cooke on Monday, May 1st. For more information on the Sequential Art and other programs please visit www.maxthemutt.ca or visit them at their corporate booth at Comicon!

On Saturday evening, April 29th, the 2nd Annual Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards will be presented. Voting is still open for the 2005 creative awards. Canadian fans can vote online until April 7th at www.shusterawards.com

20th Century Fox will be promoting the upcoming X-Men 3: The Last Stand at the event with posters and prize passes to see an exclusive premier screening of the upcoming film later in May. On Friday night the convention will be running a special film festival of independent films by local filmmakers.

Dealers will be present in spades, as dozens of local and international dealers make their way in for the fourth annual convention! Fans and collectors should be able to find any comic from the Golden, Silver, Bronze, Copper and Modern eras! Plus, there will be some original art and other collectible dealers present.

All this plus... King Kong Bundy!

Admission cost is $18 day, $34 for the weekend (cheaper if you buy online in advance at www.ticketbreak.com). Prices are in Canadian dollars.

For more information contact Peter Dixon or Kevin Boyd at info@torontocomicon.com or 416-487-9807. www.torontocomicon.com

[KevinB]

Recently Added:

BOB LAYTON

BRIGHT ANVIL STUDIOS

DC COMICS EXECUTIVE EDITOR DAN DIDIO

For more information: www.torontocomicon.com

[KevinB]

Just added! Joining us for the Degrassi signings and panel on Saturday April 29th:

Ryan Cooley (J.T.Yorke on Degrassi: The Next Generation)
http://www.degrassi.tv/assets/actor/1012/2126_1.jpg

Miriam McDonald (Emma Nelson on Degrassi: The Next Generation)
http://www.degrassi.tv/assets/actor/1019/2128_1.jpg

[KevinB]

Paradise Toronto Comicon sees 35% jump in attendance. Thanks to everyone!

Paradise Conventions would like to thank the over 5600 attendees who visited the 2006 Paradise Toronto Comicon at the National Trade Centre in Toronto. That’s a whopping 35% jump in attendance over the previous year, despite some problematic setbacks (mostly due to road closures). The number also doesn’t include children 12 and under which were let in for free (and weren’t counted).

E-mails of thanks are pouring in right now to Paradise from the guests of the show, all of which seem to have had a great time. Positive comments are coming in from attendees as well, and reviews are also popping up all over the net, some of which we are attempting to link to on our website www.torontocomicon.com

The Women of Comics Symposium www.womenofcomics.com , which has been called “one of the most exciting events for comics (in a long time)” by reporter and participant Heidi MacDonald (her column The Beat can be found at www.comicon.com ), was a huge success, because of its emphasis on the “depth and breadth of COMICS”. The successful symposium, sponsored by online retailer www.allnewcomics.com , was one of the major highlights of Saturday April 29, which was by far the convention’s busiest day.

An unsung hero of the event was the “Literacy Beyond!” children’s event coordinator Miss Marina Herczegh. On Friday, April 28 Marina and her group organized a very successful event for 160 Metro Toronto schoolchildren, where they all got to meet and interact with comics professionals like Jay Odjick, Mike Mayhew, Raina Telgeimeier, Jill Thompson, J. Bone and Nicola Scott, among others. The success of this trial event will hopefully lead to more of such events, which will help children to read and be creative by learning and understanding graphic storytelling methods.

The 2nd Annual Joe Shuster Awards were handed out on Saturday, April 29th and the results have been posted online and at www.shusterawards.com

Other highlights of the event included the exclusive Stan Lee Video Presentation (which we hope to make available for download from the website in the near future), the DC Nation panel on Saturday with Dan DiDio, and the Saturday night costume contests, which had a large and diverse group of contestants.

Peter Dixon, owner of Paradise Comics, agreed to have his head shaved for charity when over US$1000 was raised for A.C.T.O.R. – A Commitment to Our Roots. The long and arduous task of removing Peter’s “Vanilla Ice” inspired “do” involved many different individuals, but wouldn’t have been properly completed without the intercession of writer and featured guest Gail Simone. Peter now has only a fine layer of peach fuzz over his head and starts his tour of duty next week *(just kidding! Peter can still be found at his store). The show was a successful show for ACTOR, with just under US$10,0000 raised for the charity which helps comics creators in need of financial assistance.

Additional monies were raised through a charity raffle for charity Sketch.ca and art auction funds also went to the North York Harvest Food Bank, and two large red bins full of food donations were also taken to the Food Bank earlier this week.

“I think the highlight of the weekend for me”, says organizer and co-promoter Kevin Boyd, “was when I walked into the hall on Sunday to be greeted by comic dealer Steve Quinnell from Whitby, Ontario’s Comic Book Addiction, who, with arms thrown open wide bellowed “Thank You for Putting on a Real Comic Book Show!”” It was apparently a successful show for CBA and for other dealers, with sales comparable to those received at other events with 6 times the number of attendees.

Thanks to everyone that went into making this the biggest and the best Paradise convention yet. “We made a lot of new friends this year, and welcomed a lot of new people into the extended family” said Peter Dixon, “People are already excited about next year’s con, which is tentatively scheduled for June 8-10, 2007”.

www.torontocomicon.com