Chris Butcher Leaves The Beguiling, Named Viz Media Editor-at-Large

Chris Butcher, longtime manager of The Beguiling comics bookstore and founder and artistic director of the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, is leaving The Beguiling and has been named a consulting editor-at-large for Viz Media.

In this new consulting role for Viz Media, Butcher will scout acquisitions and new talent and new publishing projects, while splitting his time between North America and Japan. In addition Butcher will also scout for original non-Japanese comics projects.

Butcher is leaving The Beguiling, the acclaimed Toronto comics bookstore, after working there 14 years. He will continue to oversee the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, where he has been named artistic director. (Miles Baker has been named TCAF managing director.)

Butcher is the founder of TCAF, a three-day International festival of independent and self-published comics held annually at the Toronto Reference Library.

Butcher has worked in virtually every area of comics publishing and retail. In addition to founding TCAF in 2003, he has worked in comics retailing since 1997, working as a clerk, manager and buyer at 6 different locations. He has worked in editorial and production for Image, Oni Press and other houses. He was marketing director for Udon Entertainment from 2013-2015

A well-known comics blogger and journalist, he made his mark covering independent comics and manga in North America. His work fostering relationships with comics artists and publishers from across Japan, Europe, Canada and the US has been the foundation for the success and popularity of TCAF as well as The Beguiling.

Viz Media v-p of publishing Leyla Aker, said, “Throughout his career, Chris has brought a rare degree of knowledge, passion, and dedication to the advocacy of sequential art in all its forms. We're thrilled by this opportunity to work with him in bringing exciting new works to our readers.”