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What’s that you say, with Thanksgiving days away the comics calendar must surely slow down as we attend to the making of cranberry sauce and quest for hot toys.

No Way.

This is actually one of the BUSIEST weeks in comics! Especially for indie/small press comics with at least FOUR events on around the world!

The International Comic Arts Forum 

taking place in Columbus, OH at the Billy Ireland Library with Rep. John Lewis. Jeff Smith, Phoebe Gleockner and more. Tomorrow is actually the last day and if you were going you’re probably already there. This is one of the most important scholarly conferences of the year where comics are concerned, and our own Brad Ricca just presented his important find on the thesis of Paul Cassidy.  

SHORT RUN

is in Seattle tomorrow, November 15th! There’s a kick-off tonight at the Fantagraphics store and a party tomorrow. All sorts of activities, baking and comics.

Thought Bubble in Leeds is of course one of the TOP TOP TOP shows of the year, with indie and mainstream creators mingling in a bucolic setting. I recommend following our alums Steve Morris and Zainab Akhtar for all the info. ONce again, events have been underway for a week but there is MORE TO COME, including the presentation of the British Comics Awards. GUests range from Jeff Lemire to Jillian Tamaki and back again.

THOUGHT BUBBLE!

This is one of the most loved shows of the year, with a full week of events. Follow on the scene reporters Zainab Akhtar and Steve Morris for all the scoops and excitement. Plus British Comics Awards!

NEW EVENT! NOCAZ

, the New Orleans Comics and Zine festival kicks off for the first time tomorrow! Their kickstarter to raise money for sandwiches was SUCCESSFUL for ham and swiss for all. There’s more info here,  but this show has a lot ov love and enthusiasm behind it and I hope it’s a success.

NC Comicon!

We were a guest at this for two year and it was awesome. We’re skipping it this year, but it looks like another great time, with Fiona Staples, Neal Adams and many more. Pro tip: Durham is an incredible foodie town so make reservations ahead of time. The show kicks off with a party tonight.

Oh and congrats to show runner Alan GIll who just became a dad again YESTERDAY. I think he’ll have his hands full this weekend!

Finally, a note to showrunners; It is nice to include a GOOD SIZED IMAGE OF YOUR FESTIVAL POSTER RIGHT ON THE FRONT PAGE OF YOUR SITE. Just sayin’.

The NC Comicon will be held this year November 15-16 in Durham, NC. I’ve attended the last two years and to be blunt, it’s a blast: a comics focused show in a great setting with lots of artists and enthusiastic fans. The show is expanding this year with more animation screenings—including the US premiere of a Kung Fa Panda short— as part of the second ComiQuest Film Fest. But there are also a ton of great comics artists including Fiona Staples, Sean Murphy, Bob Fingerman and John Paul Leon. John Barrowman provides nerdlebrity appeal. The show is run by retailer Alan Gill and artist Tommy Lee Edwards, and they put the effort in to make this a well rounded event.

This looks to be another really enjoyable show—sadly I won’t be there this time, as I’m “conned out,” but I’m sure it will be a swell time.

PR below:

The North Carolina Comicon is adding an exciting new animation dimension to this year’s event. Rodolphe Guenoden, director of Dreamworks’ highly-anticipated short KUNG FU PANDA: SECRETS OF THE SCROLL, will present the film as a U.S. premiere exclusive. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Mr. Guenoden and Stephan Franck, who will present Sony Pictures Animation’ s THE SMURFS: THE LEGEND OF SMURFY HOLLOW, which earned him an Annie Award nomination for Best Director. Franck will also introduce a screening of fan-favorite THE IRON GIANT, on which he was supervising animator. Another NCCC exclusive will be Film Roman’s unveiling of a new animated action-comedy written, directed, and presented by renowned illustrator Tommy Lee Edwards called THE VINDICATOR.

This event will be part of the the NC Comicon second annual ComiQuest Film Fest, which includes rare screenings of the animated gems AKIRA and NAUSICAA, alongside the live-action comic book inspired classics TIM BURTON’S BATMAN, FLASH GORDON, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, and more.

Meanwhile, NCCC 2014 also features an exciting line of comics creator panels, with A-list guests such as Fiona Staples, Sean Murphy, Bob Fingerman, John Paul Leon, and INVADER ZIM & MST3K writer Frank Conniff. John Barrowman of DOCTOR WHO and ARROW fame will be greeting fans and conducting a panel with his HOLLOW EARTH and TORCHWOOD co-writer Carole E Barrowman, who is leading a workshop for aspiring writers. With a focus on talent development, NCCC will also provide priceless access to key industry players for aspiring creators, with Valiant Entertainment, Action Lab, and Dark Horse Comics editor-in-chief Scott Allie conducting portfolio reviews alongside other seasoned industry professionals.

“My goal is to make this the kind of convention I dreamed about attending when I was starting out,” says NCCC senior director & co-owner Tommy Lee Edwards. “Comics and fandom are at the heart of NC Comicon, but we also want to celebrate all mediums of creative storytelling with fellow creators who drift from comics to animation to film and everywhere in between. There’s something for everybody at our show- Comic book readers, collectors, cosplayers, and film fans, with many of the industry’s top writers, illustrators, animators, and directors accessible to everybody who wants to visit.”

NC Comicon and the ComiQuest film fest hit historical downtown Durham NC November 15 & 16. For more information, please visit nccomicon.com.