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On any given spring weekend in New York the city comes alive with street fairs and conventions. Last weekend (April 28-29), Graphic Universe was right smack in the middle of one such festival. The annual Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) fest, taking place at the historic 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue, was center stage for aspiring and seasoned comic book artists alike to show off their wares and expand networking. It was also a perfect place for comic book aficionados just to take in a festive atmosphere.
Carol Burrell with GU authors Lars Jakobsen and Colleen AF Venable.
This year Graphic Universe had prime real estate at the event as well some notable GU authors and illustrators on hand. A continual stream of interest surrounded our booth with special guests like Lars Jakobsen who came all the way from Denmark. He was there to promote his much anticipated, upcoming time-traveling-detective series Mortensen’s Escapades, which is expected to be released this September. Lars also demonstrated his impressive drawing chops by offering free sketches to convention goers. And then there was the always effervescent Colleen AF Venable of Guinea PIg fame—one of Graphic Universe’s favorite and bestselling authors. And to round off the booth was the much admired GU illustrator Alitha Martinez, whose My Boyfriend Bites (from My Boyfriend is a Monster series) was one of the most requested titles there. Other well-received books were The Girl Who Owned A City: The Graphic Novel, and series Lou!, The ElseWhere Chronicles, Nola’s Worlds, and Miss Annie.
Although tiny compared to the New York Comic Con, this fun little convention packs a punch when it comes to artistry and earnestness in comics and graphic novels. Graphic Universe is always proud to be part of it.
Great news for the kids who will be attending the Toronto Comic Arts Festival this weekend. Colleen AF Venable, the fantastic author of the highly entertaining series Guinea PIG, Pet Shop Private Eye will be making an appearance and participating in an array of kid events there. Colleen will speak on a book design panel (her fans may not know this, but Colleen designs graphic novels at her day job). She’ll also give a live reading for the Carousel cartoon slide show, judge a comic costume contest, and lead a cartooning workshop.
The amazing thing about Coleen and her Guinea Pig books is that they strike the perfect balance of cleverness, humor, and mystery. Colleen has garnered a whole cadre of enthusiastic kids and kids-at-heart who have been captivated by the adventures of the lovable Hamisher and capable Sasspants. No doubt she will be a hit this weekend at TCAF.
Speaking of captivated audiences, it appears the judges at Young Adult Library Services Association were similarly enthralled by another great Graphic Universe series called My Boyfriend Is a Monster and specifically the title I Love Him to Pieces by Evonne Tsang and Janina Gorrissen. The funny, offbeat and suspenseful teen romance series about girls who date boys who happen to be monsters (not figuratively but literally) has just been nominated for the coveted YALSA 2012 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Award in the fiction category. We wish them all the best of luck!
