TORONTO—Prepare to welcome three of the most respected graphic novel creators in the world, as Charles Burns (Black Hole), Adrian Tomine (Optic Nerve), and Chris Ware (Acme Novelty Library) visit Toronto this November to debut their new books. These three contemporaries and friends will each show an all-new audio/visual presentation based on their new works, both interacting with one another and the audience. This is the centerpiece autumn event to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of venerable Toronto comics and alternative culture shop The Beguiling, at the nearby newly renovated Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (506 Bloor St. W.) in the heart of the Annex neighborhood.

Sure to be the talk of the literary world this fall and winter, these three new releases blur the lines between ‘traditional’ graphic novels, illustration, and the publishing avant-garde!

• Charles Burns’ stunning follow-up to 2010’s bestselling X’ed Out is The Hive. It takes readers further into the recesses of the diseased world of X’ed Out, shattering the boundaries between comics and the people who read them.
• Adrian Tomine’s New York Drawings collects over a decade of the comics, illustrations, and covers produced by the artist for publishing institution The New Yorker, alongside a number of other rare and uncollected pieces in a lavish oversized hard cover.
• Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth has been hailed as a modern literary masterpiece, and Building Stories is Ware’s first and much-anticipated graphic novel length follow-up. Ware experiments further with form and medium: the story is a literal box. Beautifully presented as variously formatted and sized comics, graphic novels, newspapers and pamphlets, the ensemble creates a fascinating and compelling portrait of a seemingly ordinary young woman, and the building where she lives.

All three of these compelling arguments for the necessary survival of the printed word will be on sale at The Beguiling in advance of this event, each on different release dates (see below).

Admission to the 25th anniversary event is $10, but admissions tickets are free (while supplies last) with every advance purchase of any of the above new books at The Beguiling. 

Chris Ware, Adrian Tomine, and Charles Burns’ Toronto book event is the centerpiece of a half-dozen events occurring this fall, celebrating the 25th Anniversary of venerable comic book and alternative culture store The Beguiling. Events with local, Canadian, and international graphic novelists will continue throughout the fall, adding vibrancy and texture to the city’s literary events calendar. Visit beguiling dot com for more information on upcoming events.

ABOUT

The Hive, by Charles Burns. October 9th. Hardcover, 56 pages, $25.95, Published by Pantheon, Distributed by Random House Canada.
Building Stories, by Chris Ware. October 2nd. Hardcover, 260 pages (box), $55.00, Published by Pantheon. Distributed by Random House Canada.
For review copies of The Hive or Building Stories, or for interview requests for Charles Burns or Chris Ware, please contact Sheila Kay, (416) 957-1570, skay@randomhouse.com.

New York Drawings, by Adrian Tomine. Available now. Hardcover, 136 pages, $29.95, published by Drawn & Quarterly.
For review copies of New York Drawings or for interview requests for Adrian Tomine, please contact Peggy Burns, 514-279-2221x222,peggy@drawnandquarterly.com.

The Beguiling is celebrating its 25^th Anniversary as one of the world’s great comic book stores and a recipient of the Wil Eisner Spirit of Retailing award. Stocking the widest variety of comics, graphic novels, bédé, manga, and representing original art sales for more than 40 international comic book artists, The Beguiling is a treasure trove of everything you love about comics, and thousands of things you never knew existed. The Beguiling, along with its sister-store Little Island Comics (the first comic book store for kids in North America), The Beguiling hosts over 50 author events each year and is the presenting sponsor of The Toronto Comic Arts Festival.
For more information about The Beguiling, contact manager Christopher Butcher or owner Peter Birkemoe at 416-533-9168, or mail at beguiling dot com.