In honor of the late, great Will Eisner, comics fans rejoice in celebrating Will Eisner Week from February 28 - March 6, 2010.

Eisner has often been called the father of graphic novels and had enjoyed a prolific career spanning 8 decades. He may be most known for his Contract with God trilogy about growing up in NYC, and The Spirit which is about a man who is believed to be dead but fights crime under the moniker The Spirit.

The most prestigious award given today in the comics and graphic novel world is the Will Eisner Award.  The award is given to Best Short Story, Best Publication for Teens, Best Writer, and Best Webcomic- just to name a few.

If you haven’t had the chance, read one of Eisner’s works (or any other graphic novel!) in celebration of Will Eisner Week!

 For more information about Will Eisner and his life, visit his site here.

Let’s take a second to remember those years way back when (for those of us who were ever-so-fortunate) our mouths were scraped up. Metal Mouth. Brace Face. Monthy orthodontic appointments.

UGH!

This new graphic novel called Smile by Raina Telgemeier captures all those feelings of the shock, embarrasment and pain of being young and having braces! In the book, Raina loses her two front teeth after a nasty fall which requires her to get pounds of painful headgear, surguries and of course, she suffers all the discomforts of having metal in your mouth.

Smile comes out in February 2010, and you can watch a video trailer here! Enjoy!

Calling all cartoon lovers!

We at Get Graphic encourage all of those who are able to make that short drive to go to the ToonSeum in Pittsburg, PA! The museum celebrates and nurtures a love for cartooning and all things illustrated!

 Check out their website or their blog for more information, or check out the link in our Fun Sites section at the bottom of the home page. �

Phew!  The whirlwind of Buffalo ComicCon 2009 has come to pass.

There was a great reception Friday for Spain Rodriguez at the University at Buffalo. The guests didn’t seem to want to leave with all the excitement of the weekend to come!

Saturday’s ComicCon at Central Library was a huge hit.  We had over 300 visitors for the ComicCon alone.  Both our youth and adult workshops were well received, with attendants learning everything from simple drawing to complex character development.  There were tables set up for visitors to discuss all things comics related- from meeting guest artists, to talking shop with local comic store owners, to learning about B&ECPL’s classroom kits for graphic novels.  Our guest of honor, Spain Rodriguez, gave a wonderful talk about his past and current work as well as his life in Buffalo many years back.

We saw more guests at the Buffalo Marriott on Sunday than ever before!  At this more traditional Con, comics enthusiasts were able to talk with vendors and artists, purchase art and comics as well as get their new purchases signed.  Spain signed books and spoke with fans. This year was definitely the best year yet!

We’re currently planning for ComicCon 2010, so if you have any suggestions for us, drop us a line!

Contact Britt White at whiteb@buffalolib.org for questions or suggestions!

It’s finally here: the schedule for Buffalo Comic Con!

Friday 10/24 (4:00 - 7:00) Opening reception featuring Spain Rodriguez held at the Poetry/Rare Book Room at University at Buffalo. This is free and open to the public (18+ years old)

Saturday 10/24, Workshops **taking place at Central Library in the Central Meeting Room**

• 10:00 - 11:00 Crawl, Walk, Run, and Fly - Join a panel of local artists for a basic overview of how a comic book is made, from concept to final product.
• 11:00 - 12:00 Indie Comics and Self-Publishing - Featuring artist Jason Youngbluth
• 12:00 - 1:00 Character Design Workshop - Cartoonist Jason Little will lead participants through the entire process of character creation. Great for advanced students, but beginners can benefit as well!
• 1:00 - 2:00 Author talk with Spain Rodriguez. Book signing to follow.
• 2:00 - 3:00 Join presenter Alex Simmons for tips and techniques for using comics in an educational setting.

Kids Comic Con Programs **taking place at Central Library in the West Room**

• 10:00 - 11:00 Drawing 101 for Kids
• 11:00 - 12:00 Hip Hop Hero!
• 12:00 - 1:00 Sci-Tech Heroes for Kids

Movies **taking place at the Central Library in the Ring of Knowledge**

• 10:00 - 11:30 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (PG)
• 11:40 - 1:00 Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (PG)
• 1:05 - 2:45 Coraline (PG)

Sunday 10/25 The traditional Buffalo Comic Con will take place at the Buffalo Marriott. This will feature a large number of artists (including Spain Rodriguez) and vendors in the traditional Comic-Con setting. Visit Queen City Books for information on the Marriott event.