What is a Comic Jam? One person draws a beginning panel, then a dif-ferent person continues with a follow-ing panel, and so on until you have a finished comic page. From comic book professionals to occasional scratch pad doodlers, everyone is welcome. It’s a time when you can let loose with your imagination and not worry if it’s perfect or not.

The Toronto Comic Jam runs the last Tuesday of every month except December.

jammers

Founder: Dave HowardOrganizer: Dalton SharpJr. Vice President: Zann PreneyEditor in Chief: Shane Steponas.Ass. Editor: David BConsultant: Leanne R.Webmaster: Tom KingLogo Design: Robb Mirsky

ISSN: 1705-303X , Vol. 19, No. 11, October 28, 2015. All contents © the authors and artist who partici-pated at the Comic Jam. The TCJ reserves the right to print or reprint all submissions in any future pub-lication. No unauthorized repro-duction except for brief excerpts for text or review purposes only.

TorComJam.comthetorontocomicjam@gmail.com

4

Chair of ContentsThe Tale of the Frog King..............................................................................5Office Antics..................................................................................................6TCJ Goes Gourmet........................................................................................8The Rise, the Fall, and the Resurrection of the Automaton...................10The List..........................................................................................................12They Walk Among Us: SpagAliens ............................................................13Cuteness Alert..............................................................................................14 PTSD: Post-Teddy-matic Stress Disorder.....................................................15 David B on David C: TCJ Spotlight............................................................16Manufacturing Consent.............................................................................24Shipping and Receiving.............................................................................25 Old Things.....................................................................................................26El Dia de los Muertos - Explained At Last.................................................27And Introducing.. Probosci, the Filler-Man...............................................28

Nineteen-Mother-Flipping-Years: That’s how long the Toronto Comic Jam has been around for. If it were a person, the Jam would be legally able to drink in Ontario. If the Jam was a terrier… well, I heard the

neighbour down the street’s dog just had puppies, so maybe we’ll talk about this when we get home if you promise to take more responsibility

this time. Either way, The Toronto Comic Jam has been around for quite a while and things just keep getting better. So many new doodlers came

out this year while some of the hardened Jammers (like founder Dave Howard) sacrificed quality time with loved ones just to draw with us. The Jam experimented with tabling at a few conventions and the new website

continues to grow (btw, label your artwork at TorComJam.com already).It’s remarkable that the Comic Jam is still going strong 19 years later. It’s due to the enthusi-asm and passion of Jammers like this month’s cover artist and feature, David Craig (p. 16). The Jam relies on the fresh blood of new artists to maintain it’s unholy rain of terror to keep the spirit of comics alive. Shane Steponas is one of those new Jammers that’s reinvigorated the TCJ with his fresh perspective and his desire to see it thrive. Thanks to him and so many others, the TCJ’s future looks bright. So if the Comic Jam seems like a fun event, that’s because it is so much fun to draw with so many creative and crazy people. THANK YOU everyone who’s ever come to the Toronto Comic Jam and scribbled something on a page. These books are for you.

Dictated, not read. The Management

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

It’s about time we celebrated David Craig.

He’s a Renaissance Man of sorts but not in the literal sense. Lord knows he isn’t a ge-nius who’s mastered dozens of eclectic disciplines. But one of the things he’s good at is mak-ing awesomely silly comics. And it isn’t an exaggeration

to say that David Craig’s drawings

have breathed new life into the

Toronto Comic Jam.

“David Craig is a fan-tastic little shit,” ex-claimed fellow comic jammer Andy Harris. “It’s hard to half-ass anything when you’re sitting next to Dave, watching him construct a scene.”

And Harris would know how fantas-tic David Craig’s shit is. Recently,

Craig and Harris along with James

Spencer and Robb Mirsky formed a mini collective to motivate and support each other as Cartoonist as well as have fun. Their collective Read More Comix was not only formed at the Jam one drunken evening but it’s considered an extension of its spirit.

“The Toronto Comic Jam has been something that helps you and encourages you to be more produc-tive,” explained Craig. “And it has a social ele-ment so that you can bond with other cartoonist.”

Since coming to the Comic Jam less than two years ago, Craig has only missed the Jam once. Listening to him speak you understand how the Jam creates that sense of community and encourages art for art’s sake. There’s a delicate balance for artist who need to work to survive but who also need art to live. That’s something Craig experi-enced when working on the Canadian-made car-toon Odd Job Jack.

That’s right: ODD-mother-flipping-JOB JACK. While still in school for dentistry he

David Craig: Renaissance ManA TCJ Spotlight by David B

17

helped out his friends mak-ing drawings for their New Media Program homework at the Norman Jewison Ca-nadian Film Centre. Those friends, Denny Silverthorne, Jeremy Diamond, Jonas Diamond and Adrian Carter would later form Smiley Guy Studios and their project would become the afore mentioned cartoon.

“It all coincided with right as I finished dental school,” Craig explained noncha-lantly. “I took a leave of absence from dentistry, moved to Toronto and (started) working full time as a cartoonist.”

“I felt so lucky,” Craig reminisced. “I would draw it how I want. I’d get a little bit of feedback from the partners but they were so easy to work with.” But while it was fun he con-ceded how near the end it felt like work.

When the show ended he happily returned to his dual loves of dentistry and comics. It was while study-ing at Western University that he started making daily strip comics for their Gazette in the spirit of the Gary Larson’s The Far Side. He’s continued to embrace that passion and couldn’t be happier now.

“I love it,” states Craig. “I

have a full time job as a dentist in public health. And I draw comics when I come home from work. That’s it.”

And maybe that really is “it”… the key to the Toronto Comic Jam. When it started 19 years ago, many of the participants were animators from Nelvana Studios who needed a place to unwind. They drew all day long but longed for the chance to draw for fun. Part of the reason the Jam’s endured

is that it’s been that out-let. The other half of that equation is the people who come to it. David Craig is hero Gotham the Comic Jam needs and deserves.

“I would put my full trust in David as a dentist as I do in him as a cartoon-ist because he has the right personality for both,” expressed Saraƒin in all seriousness. The two have frequently collaborated of Big Phoney comics at the

18

Jam to hilari-ous results.

Robb Mirsky is another one of Craig’s partners in crime and generally you’ll find their panels drawn side by side. “Horowitz has a unique

brand of warping all the nostalgia from

my childhood into hilarious comics,” he states, “often in one single panel!”

Throughout this issue you’ll find the artwork David Craig created under the banner of Horovitz Com-ics (a name inspired by Adam Horovitz that Craig is now stuck with). He created this month’s elaborate cover and you can even buy an official TCJ t-shirt with his art on it for the low low price of $17.99 (operators are standing by).

When Craig comes to the Jam to let loose, the

pages he draws on inspire the

other artists. And because every-

one else is having fun, the comic jam

becomes seen as a place for artist to unwind. There’s no one more deserving of a TCJ Spotlight than Da-vid Craig… or maybe this article will crush him under the pressure to live up to all of this glowing praise and hype.

“The Jam frees me from that stress,” Craig explains. “That stress you’re describ-ing, is the stress I have all the time when I draw; ‘Is the comic good enough,’ you know? [At] the Jam I’m freed from that. I don’t care. It’s just going to look how it’s going to look.”

www.horovitzcomics.comhorovitzcomics.tumblr.comreadmorecomix.tumblr.com

19

20

21

22

23

24

WHAT GOES AROUND...

25

26

27

28

29

Copies of the Toronto Comic Jam books are currently available at:

Dr. Comics44 Kensington Ave,Toronto, ON M5T(416) 479-0920

The Beguiling601 Markham St,Toronto, ON M6G 2L7(416) 533-9168

The Hairy Tarantula354 Yonge StToronto, ON M5B 1S5(416) 596-8002

The Silver Snail329 Yonge St,Toronto, ON M5B 1R7(416) 593-0889

And The Artists’ NewstandChester Subway Station (1pm-7pm)

22 Chester Avenue, Toronto, ONartists.newsstand@gmail.com @ChesterNewsies

30

Label your Comic Jam drawings at

TorComJam.com