What Is VanCAF?
VanCAF is The Vancouver Comic Arts Festival. It is a two-day celebration of comics and graphic novels and their creators, including an exhibition and vendor fair featuring hundreds of creators from around the world. Other Festival events include readings, panels and workshops. Since 2012, VanCAF has been held at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Admission is free.
Information on the specific creators, events and exhibitions that will make up next year’s VanCAF will be posted on this website as we get closer to the event!
History
VanCAF is meant for everyone, whether they’re comic professionals, die-hard fans, or casual readers. For this reason, admission to all events is completely free, and participating fees for exhibitors are kept as low as possible. The festival seeks to support Vancouver comics, and to encourage local creators and stories.
The show has enjoyed a growing audience since 2012, attracting 3,200 attendees with 92 exhibitors in its first year. In May 2019, we boasted an astonishing 11,400 attendees, and 260+ exhibitors, spanning across two halls. In 2020 and 2021, we moved our festival online and have had some incredible, fun, and inspiring events!
The Vancouver Comic Arts Festival is managed and organized by the Vancouver Comic Arts Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting local cartoonists with the community. As of November 2016, the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival is officially affiliated with the Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF).
Staff & Board Members
Festival Director
Jarrett Evan Samson (he/him) has spent almost 15 years working in comics retailing, beginning at Golden Age Collectables in Vancouver and most recently serving as the Events & Social Media Manager at the legendary Beguiling Books & Art in Toronto. He has also worked as a member of the Toronto Comic Arts Festival team (as well as its year-round shop Page & Panel) and previously served on the board of directors for VanCAF. Outside of comics, Jarrett has been a concert organizer/promoter, musician, writer, DJ, playwright, record label honcho and worn many further arts-industry hats. Jarrett is also the singer/songwriter of tolerated Canadian band Tough Age. (portrait by Connor Willumsen)
Volunteer Coordinator
Ilinca Barbacuta is a breathtakingly Canadian writer and illustrator based in Vancouver, BC. She prefers to work in traditional mediums, and is well known for her detailed work and delicate inking style. She primarily writes speculative fiction, with an emphasis on urban fantasy, and loves mixing genres. She likes human monsters, found families, monstrous humans, creepy tales, and happy endings. She’s been published in numerous independent zines and anthologies, both for writing and art. When not creating, Ilinca can be found running more D&D games than she should, propagating her monstera, having a few too many feelings about Arthurian legend, and trying to find someone who will let her chat their ear off about fashion.
Treasurer, Vancouver Comic Arts Association
Atenas spent seven years as head librarian in Mexico at the biggest public library in Latin America with a collection fully in English. She has been living in the unceded Coast Salish territories for over three years, where she has worked at a couple of arts non-profits in the operations and finance side of things. Atenas had a late start with comics in life (the first comic she read was Blankets back in 2008) but once she was in, SHE WAS IN. She wrote her undergrad dissertation on Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home. She spends her free time reading, playing board games and taking ridiculous pictures of her dogs. She can’t draw to save her life.
Director, Vancouver Comic Arts Association
Miles Baker is the executive director of the Toronto Comic Arts Festival.
He has worked in the publishing industry for 14 years, and has worked with TCAF for over 10 years.
He lives in Toronto.