Miami Book Fair Embraces Comics
One of the the largest book fairs in the country, the Miami Book Fair International attracts more than 250,000 book-loving visitors to the grounds of the Miami Dade College from November 9-16 for all manner of book programming. This year the giant consumer book fair will mark its 25th anniversary by mounting a major presentation for comics and graphic novels for the first time.
While the book fair has featured comics artists in the past, this year the Miami Book Fair organizing committee has teamed with Diamond Comics Distribution to present a comprehensive program on the category that will include everything from a tribute to the late legendary comics creator Will Eisner on Wednesday evening November 12 to the School of Comics, a day-long educational workshop on the graphic novel format aimed at librarians and educators. There will be a comics pavilion during the street fair that is held over the weekend November 15-16 which will feature 11 publishers--from Marvel, Dark Horse and Tokyopop to Udon, Radical publishing and Diamond--taking 26 booths.
Diamond Comics’ John Shableski has been working with the Miami Book Fair to organize the unprecedented comics presence at this year’s book fair. The evening tribute to Will Eisner will feature a panel on Eisner that includes Eisner’s trade book editor, W.W. Norton executive editor Bob Weil, along with agents Denis Kitchen and Judy Hansen and the acclaimed comics artist/theory guru Scott McCloud; as well as a film documentary and a 30 year anniversary exhibit on Eisner’s seminal work of graphic fiction, A Contract With God. Shableski said the fair usually reserves the evening presentation for Nobel and Pulitzer prize-winners. “Last year Barack Obama was a guest speaker,” Shableski says, “so for these folks to host the Eisner event on that evening says a lot about how far the format has come.”
Look for panels on comics throughout the weekend, including workshops aimed at kids and teens and on Saturday, the Comix Galaxy, an all day slate of appearances by a range of prominent comics artists and prose authors that includes Art Speigelman, Scott McCloud, Jessica Abel and Matt Madden, Chip Kidd, David Heatley, Brad Meltzer, Ariel Schrag, David Hajdu and many others. Shableski credits Mitchell Kaplan, owner of Miami’s Books and Books store and a cofounder of the Miami Book Fair, with driving the upgraded presentation of comics and emphasizes that the Miami Book Fair is a big platform to promote comics.
“They draw hundreds of thousands of people each year. I thought Comic Con in San Diego was the biggest show in publishing,” Shableski says. “We are merging the comic-con environment with the traditional book show world. It will no doubt be an eye opening event for everyone involved.” —C.R.
2009 Eisner Judges
The judges for the 2009 Eisner Awards have been announced. The judges, Amanda Emmert, Mike Pawuk, John Shableski, Ben Towle, and Andrew Wheeler, will chose the nominees who will appear on the ballots in March. Comic book industry professionals will vote on the nominees, and the Eisners will be awarded during a gala at San Diego Comic Con Friday July 24. More information on the judges can be found at the SDCC website..
Steve Geppi Speaks
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NYCC Sign-up, Casting Call
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Death Note II Canadian Screening
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Abel on NPR
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Fan Questions on MyCup o’ Joe
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Spotlight on Comics
Comics writer and publicist David Seidman offers a PW Soapbox on what comics publishers need to do while the media and consumer spotlight is shining down on the graphic novel category.
What's happening at The Beat
This week at The Beat: a cover credit for manga-ka Jiro Kuwata touches off a 12-alarm blogospheric kerfluffle; a proposed tv show about the early life of future Robin Dick Grayson is killed; monthly sales analysis for DC and Marvel were posted; and in non comics news, The Beat looks at the differences between US and UK versions of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.