Aussie Comic Convention Circuit 2013 [UPDATED 01/10/13]

Here's our regular calendar for Aussie comikers to plan their annual comics convention circuit. We've added a few more international ones, as word-on-the-street is that many Australians are going to be making more of a European push from this year. We'll also be adding to this list as we progress through the year because there are several more regional comics festivals coming up, which we are not allowed to disclose yet.  Stop by regularly if you can for further updates.

Angouleme International Comics Festival (Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d'Angoulême) (Angoulême, France): 31 January-3 February 2013 (various venues)
Sticky Institute Zine Fair (Melbourne, Victoria): 10 February 2013 (Melbourne Town Hall)
Oz ComicCon (Perth, Western Australia): 9 -10 March 2013 (Perth Exhibition Centre)
Oz ComicCon (Adelaide, South Australia): 16-17 March 2013 (Adelaide Showground)
WonderCon (Anaheim, California USA): 29-31 March 2013 (Anaheim Convention Center)
Supanova (Melbourne, Victoria): 12-14 April 2013 (Melbourne Showground)
Supanova (Gold Coast, Queensland): 19-21 April 2013 (Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre)
Boston ComicCon (Boston, Massachusetts, USA): 20-21 April 2013 (Hynes Convention Center) 
Free Comic Book Day (World and Australia wide): 4 May 2013 (check with your nearest comic book store)
Chromacon Illustration and Comic Arts Festival (Auckland, New Zealand): 12 May 2013 (Aeotea Centre)
Comic Gong (Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia): 18 May 2013 (Corrimal Community Centre) – website still to launch
Phoenix ComicCon (Phoenix, Arizona USA): 23-26 May 2013 (Pheonix Convention Center, Arizona)
MCA Zine Fair (Sydney, New South Wales): 26 May 2013 (Museum of Contemporary Art)
Supanova (Sydney, New South Wales): 21-23 June 2013 (Sydney Showground, Olympic Park)
Supanova (Perth, Western Australia): 28-30 June 2013 (Claremont Showground)
Oz ComicCon (Melbourne, Victoria): 6-7 July 2013 (Royal Exhibition Building)
AVCON (Adelaide, South Australia): 27-29 July 2013 (Adelaide Convention Centre) 
SMASH! (Sydney, New South Wales): 10 August 2013 (Sydney Convention Centre)
San Diego ComicCon (San Diego, California USA): 18-21 July 2013 (San Diego Convention Centre)
Small Press Expo (North Bethesda, Maryland USA): 14-15 September 2013 (Bethesda North Marriot Hotel and Conference Center)
GRAPHIC (Sydney, New South Wales): 4-6 October 2013 (Sydney Opera House)
National Young Writers' Festival / This is Not Art Zine Fair (Newcastle, New South Wales): 6 October 2013 (Blue Write Disco, The Kensington)
New York ComicCon (New York City, New York USA): 10-13 October 2013 (Javits Center)
Armageddon Expo (Melbourne, Victoria): 19-20 October 2013 (Melbourne Exhibition Centre – TBC)
Australian Cartoonists' Association (ACA) Stanley Awards and Conference (Coff Harbour – NSW): 25-26 October 2013 (Venue TBA)
Supanova (Brisbane, Queensland): 8-10 November 2013 (RNA Showground)
Supanova (Adelaide, South Australia): 15-18 November 2013 (Adelaide Showground)

Please contact us on blackmermaid@blackmermaid.com if you want additional events to be added to this list.

Dover Six Mermaids in Art Cards Box Set

Our good friend Nick Nicolaou from Makeup Effects Group keeps us mer-satiated with lots of mermaid images and special deals. Here is one of the latter—Dover Publications has released six famous Pre-Raphaelite art cards for $1.50 plus postage. This is a great deal. Turns our that Dover also has lots of other mermaid goodies, including a whole bunch of mermaid paper dolls. Both Jozef and I LOVED paper dolls when we were kids so this was an exciting discovery for us because mermaid ones weren't available at that time. We suspect you'll rediscover your inner child with these offerings.

Mermaids in Comics 6 – The Mermaid

This mermaid comic is a similar take to the comics story which we covered in Mermaids in Comics 2 – The Little Sea Maid, except that it is coloured and only one page instead of six. This piece comes from the Princess Comic (26/08/67) and is cited as being a being a story from a ballet. The comic comes courtesy of one our readers – Terence – who we thank for bringing it to our attention.

Valentine Black Mermaid Advocates "Languid Love"

Happy 2013, readers! We're getting ready for a big year, and Jozef starts things rolling with his latest interpretation of our Valentine Black Mermaid – "Languid Love". We've just changed our product line up as well. Aprons are out and pyjamas, rugs and yoga mats are in, plus lots of other goodies. Check out our wares at Black Mermaid Boutique.

Merry Xmas Merry Readers!

We're signing off for the year and just wanted to wish you a very Merry Xmas and a safe and happy New Year! Talk to you again in 2013!

An Elf~Fin Message from Jozef to our Readers

Plans and best intentions were that Elf-Fin was to be released by the end of 2012. Though all effort was directed towards this end, there needed to be a balance between the output of the painted Elf~Fin pages (with each page taking many days to complete… all without pay), and unrelated art output for paid jobs. So I'm sincerely sorry to those who had their hearts set on the 48 page first issue comic book to be released by this year's end. The production is still moving forward for a release in early 2013. I'm thankful for your support as we move towards the finish line for this issue.

Mermaid Books 7 – The Mermaid and the Red Candle

I completely forgot about this children's picture book title in my mermaid book collection. Someone gave me a copy when I was about nine or ten. I don't know whether it was new or secondhand but it is still in pretty good condition now. The book in question is called The Mermaid and the Red Candle. The author is Jane Carruth. The artist is Konosuke Iwamoto. It was published in 1968 by Paul Hamlyn. It's a story about an elderly couple who find and adopt a mermaid baby. She brings blessings and riches to their candle making business. It's also a sad story of greed and exploitation. It is beautifully written and poignant, and the illustrations are lovely. It's out of print now but we found that Amazon has contacts to sellers who have used copies. We advise you to track them down quickly before they sell out.