The Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2023 In Pictures

by Koom Kankesan

Summary

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) was held this past weekend. Featuring a gamut of small press, indie, alternative, and zine work, this festival might be the largest of its kind. Held over two days at the Toronto Reference Library, there was a richness of panel discussions and signings, targeting both adults and children.

The Toronto Comic Arts Festival ran this past weekend at the Toronto Reference Library in downtown Toronto. Traditionally, the indie and alternative comics fair is held on the weekend of Mother’s Day so it came a little earlier this year. Like last year’s festival, many of the guests were smaller and more local compared to the pre-pandemic years. One thing that was different was there was no Academic Symposium (academics presenting their university papers and research on topics related to comics) on the Friday. However, that didn’t stop the droves from coming out on a rainy April weekend. Featured international guests included Tillie Walden, Sammy Harkham, and Noah Van Sciver and others. Here are some pictures:

The wares on the Fantagraphics table:

Ho Che Anderson and Noah Van Sciver greeting fans and signing at the Fantagraphics table:

Noah Van Sciver being interviewed by Canadian cartoonist Joe Ollmann:

Sammy Harkham being interviewed by festival co-founder Peter Birkemoe:

The table for Sequential magazine which covers news, interviews, and updates in Canadian comics:

Comics and zines by students from the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD):

Cole Pauls in conversation with Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm about being indigenous creators and creating comics that respect indigenous identity: