It's that time of year again, folks! Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) is heading back to the Reference Library for the weekend of May 11 and 12 (with the online fest running from this Friday, May 3, all the way until the 24th), and organizers have just dropped all the details for this year's event.
With over 300 industry vets and emerging talents participating, TCAF will host readings, workshops, panel discussions and signing booths, as well as programming for both kids and adults. As always, admission is free.
This year's edition will also mark the launch of TCAF's Digital Marketplace, which runs for the entire online portion of the festival and allows those participating from home to support featured creators and gain access to exclusive content.
Below, you'll find five must-see creators at this year's TCAF. Be sure to check out TCAF's online programming, including Exclaim! Comics' very own Fiona Smyth, here.
Keith Knight
Creator of three comics — (th)ink, The K chronicles and The Knight Life — Boston's Keith Knight has been a master of subversive, underground cartooning for over three decades. His work has inspired many over the years, including the creators of Hulu/FX's Woke.
Kamome Shirahama
Known for authoring manga series Witch Hat Atelier, Kamome Shirahama has illustrated covers for DC Comics and Marvel Comics, including Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Batgirl and the Birds of Prey. Based in Tokyo, Shirahama's WHA has been serialized in both Japanese and English, and earned him the 2020 Eisner Award for Best US Edition of International Material—Asia, as well as the Harvey Award for the Best Manga category. Last year saw the English-language publication of a food-focused spinoff, Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen.
Jillian Tamaki
Calgary-raised, Toronto-based cartoonist, illustrator and educator Jillian Tamaki is the author of the Eisner Award-winning graphic novels SuperMutant Magic Academy and Boundless. She also co-created the SKIM graphic novels alongside her cousin Mariko Tamaki, in addition to This One Summer, and her latest work, Roaming.
Adrian Tomine
From his humble beginnings self-publishing his debut comic at age 16, to his being published by Drawn & Quarterly and garnering acclaim from The New York Times for his memoir The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist, Brooklyn-based Adrian Tomine has had a storied career in the comic arts. He's due to release his latest book, Shortcomings: A Screenplay, in June.
Gene Luen Yang
Writer and sometimes-illustrator Gene Luen Yang is the creator of Printz Award-winning graphic novel American Born Chinese, which has been adapted for a Disney+ series. Among his many titles are graphic novel Dragon Hoops, comics works Secret Coders, The Shadow Hero, and the Superman Smashes the Klan and the Avatar: The Last Airbender series.