The Boston Roundtable continues to bring us one of our favorite comics events — The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo! Apply online by April 26. Here’s what they have to say about this year’s event:

MICE 2013 has big plans! First of all, we’re extending the show to TWO DAYS with exhibitor space and programming running all weekend (September 28-29, 2013). Secondly, we’ve revamped and polished our exhibitor registration process, which begins next week!  Here’s what you need to know to be a part of MICE 2013:

• We will be accepting exhibitor applications April 14th through April 26th at our Exhibitor Registration page. No need to storm the gates, crash our site, and miss your chance. This is not a first-come, first-serve process. You’ll have a good window of opportunity. [...]

• 75% of tables will be “curated” by our planning committee and 25% will be determined by lottery. [...]

• If you only have 1 or 2 comics to sell, MICE will also be offering shared space. We want as much new talent as possible, so if you’re just getting started this is a great way to get your work out to the public.

If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to send an email our way.

Be a part of the Rochester, NH Free Comic Book Day Festival Saturday May 4^th, brought to you by The Rochester Main Street Program and Jetpack Comics! The city of Rochester is unique in that Free Comic Book Day is promoted as a city-wide festival.  Last year the Rochester Free Comic Book Day Festival had an estimated attendance exceeding 5000 people, representing over 900 families. Register for a vendor table for $25 or just drop by for the hoopla.

Registration for MECAF opens this Sunday 1/6 at 7pm — get in while the gettin’s good! See http://mainecomicsfestival.com/2013/01/04/exhibitor-registration-opens-sunday-night-january-6-at-700-pm/ for details.

The next Trees & Hills anthology, Share, will now be released in Spring 2013 instead of Fall 2012. If you missed the deadline, here’s your second chance! The new deadline is March 24, 2012; check out the call for submissions for details. Need a story idea? We’ve posted a list of suggestions and will post more soon.

We moved the release because we received a low number of submissions. Usually when this happens we can rally enough cartoonists and pull enough late nights to get the anthology out, but this time Dan was swamped with his day-job and I got sick right after the deadline. It bums us out to break our six-year streak of publishing on schedule, but that’s still a remarkable track record in the small press world. Another silver lining: skipping a publishing cycle will put us in a better financial position for the next one.

Our thanks (and apologies) to those who submitted comics this Fall!

It’s holiday craft fair time, so we’re hitting the road three weekends in a row to spread cheer and goodwill in comics form!

• Dec 1: Craftershock, Worcester, MA
• Dec 8-9: Indie Garage Sale, Utica, NY
• Dec 15: Stars & Skulls Craft Fair, Northampton, MA

Can’t make it to any of those? Check out the bounty of local comics (most of them conveniently sized for stockings…) in our online shop!

November 4, 4:00 PM
Montpelier, VT

A Vermont peace activist group would like to produce a comic about peace activism and the military-industrial complex; join them and Trees & Hills cofounders Daniel Barlow and Colin Tedford to discuss what shape the project might take. If you’d like to participate in the discussion, email organize@treesandhills.org or leave a comment to find out where we’re meeting. Some snacks will be provided. If you’re interested but can’t attend, email or comment anyway with your thoughts and we’ll keep you in the loop.

New Hampshire comic shops sure know how to celebrate Halloween! Not only do we have the S.R. Bissette and Friends Spooktacular Event at Comic Boom in Keene on October 27, but that same day Double Midnight Comics in Manchester is having a big ol’ Halloween Fest!

SEE! Denis St. John, S.R. Bissette, Bryan Stone, and fellow Center for Cartoon Studies, Trees & Hills, & area cartoonists, and their latest comix creations!

SEE & HEAR! S.R. Bissette‘s fully-illustrated Pre-Code horror comics LECTURE in Keene, NH at 4 PM, right NEXT DOOR to the COLONIAL THEATER! [Cancelled due to forces beyond mortal control.]

SEE & WIN! All-new ORIGINAL ART and SIGNED PRINTS by S.R. Bissette, Denis St. John, and other CCS, Trees & Hills, and area cartoonists—for raffle October 27th ONLY at both COMIC BOOM and the SATURDAY FRIGHT SPECIAL SPOOKTACULAR (different raffles, different art/prints to win!)!!!

SEE & BUY! Our comix, our prints, our artwork, and more—including Trees & Hills ‘ Trick or Treat Comics sets, Bryan Stone‘s Beasts anthology,  and S.R. Bissette‘s back-from-the-dead resurrection and return to American mainstream comics with the Halloween issue of SPONGEBOB COMICS #13, on sale at COMIC BOOM (and signed to you or your loved or loathed ones—the ideal Halloween or Christmas gift for this year)!!!

ALL THIS AND MORE is coming to KEENE, NH on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27th! JOIN US!!

That’s right—this year’s October Spooktacular is the original 1972 Amicus feature film Tales from the Crypt, adapted from the classic Pre-Code EC horror comics!

It’s the greatest Comic Boom/CCS/SRB/Spooktacular Event YET—maybe the greatest EVER! DON’T MISS IT!

If you’re a cartoonist, it’s NOT TOO LATE to get involved! Drop us a line at organize@treesandhils.org or leave a comment!

(Ballyhoo adapted from Stephen R. Bissette’s announcement.)

It’s an indie comics convention right here in our own region!

October 20, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Northampton Center for the Arts, 17 New South Street, Northampton, MA

Join Trees & Hills and many local, regional, and other cartoonists at the Paint & Pixel Festival. Celebrating illustration online and in print, Paint & Pixel showcases Western New England’s talented book illustrators, comic artists, and cartoonists in one venue. Trees & Hills will have Trick or Treat Comics on hand for your Halloween needs!

Meet and get to know talented creators and their work ranging from indie comics to award-winning children’s books, prominent webcomics and comic strips–it’s a great opportunity to meet friendly, professional illustrators, learn about the creative process, and purchase signed books, prints, commissioned sketches, and other artwork.

Admission (at the door)
$5 for adults
$2 for children 6-12
Free for children 5 and under

Our second annual set of Trick or Treat Comics is here: seven small (2.75″ x 4.25″) & spooky 8-page minicomics, perfect for handing out to trick-or-treaters or Halloween party-goers – or to keep for your crypt library!

Includes:

• “Candy Corn!” by Madsahara
• “Caramel Apple Challenge” by Anne Thalheimer
• “Midnight Snack” by Colin Tedford
• “Monsters Are Just Like Us!” by Sarah Margaret Frye
• “31 Oktober: All Saints’ Eve in Slovakia” by Marek Bennett
• “What Is Under My Bed?” by Bob Oxman
• “Yesterday Upon the Stair” by Glynnis Fawkes

Buy:

• a single set or
• a multipack of three sets to hand out.

Or download the PDFs and print your own for noncommercial use (there are two PDFs because the comics in them get cut differently):

• Trick or Treat Comics set #2 PDF #1 (10.7 MB)
• Trick or Treat Comics set #2 PDF #2 (1.7 MB)

Assembly instructions
[Read more →]