Arts. Have an idea for a story or review? Contact the editor at arts@theotherpress.ca Douglas College hosts on-campus comic book conference Comics and the Multimodal World’ runs from June 13 to16 By Angela Espinoza, Arts Editor or the first time ever this June, Douglas College, in collaboration with comic book blogs Graphixia and The Comics Grid, will be holding an on- campus comics conference. Graphixia is run in part by three Douglas English professors: Brenna Clarke Gray, Peter Wilkins, and David Wright, and together they’ve brought the conference, Comics and the Multimodal World, to its fruition. From June 13 to 16, the conference offers four days of comic book education, conversation, and indulgence. Comics and the Multimodal World will feature over 20 guests presenting original works and interestingly a number of papers and essays written by the guests—many of whom are professors from around the world—on the topics of specific comics, styles, and characters. Two of the featured guests will be presenting keynotes, one on June 14 by Bart Beaty, head of the English Department at the University of Calgary and has written several books on the topic of comics (and other forms of media), and on June 15 by Sarah Leavitt, whose first graphic novel Tangles: A story about Alzhetmer’s, my mother, and me, was published in 2010. While the conference serves interest for students who are keen on the subject, the goal of Comics and the Multimodal World is to raise involvement by students (and others) who question the place of comic books in educational settings. The conference includes several roundtables, seminars, film viewings, and many paper sessions, in which the topics of the essays and papers written by the guests will be discussed. These sessions will range in topics from comics in film, biographical comics, post- secondary institutions with comics programs, war and the concept of heroism, and gender in comics. Each of these paper sessions is an invitation to discuss these topics in regards to the comic book world, and to remind its audience that this particular media form can serve properly as an educational tool. Wright and Wilkins have already proven this by assigning students comic readings in some of their English courses here at Douglas—your time as a student here is not fulfilled until you’ve written an essay on Batman. With Douglas serving as — | | Fraen Nectean Nes | B-l6 JUNE 2013 DOUGLAS COLLEGE NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. the event’s venue, sessions, roundtables, and talks throughout the conference will take place on the New Westminster campus in Lecture Theatre 2201 and the Aboriginal Gathering Place. Each day of the conference starts at 8:30 a.m. and run all day on June 13, 14, and 15, with an early noon ending on June 16, where Wilkins will offer closing remarks on the Comics Conference poster | Illustration by Damon Herd experience. Tickets can be purchased through http:/ / comics2013. eventbrite.ca/, and something extremely important to note— and to serve as a final reminder that the event is focused on education—Douglas College students can attend the entire conference for free! Students still need to register through the link above, but it won't cost Summer beer gardens approved in Vancouver A step in the right direction, or blatant hypocrisy? By Angela Espinoza, Arts Editor n May 28, news broke that Vancouver's park board has approved several more beer gardens during Vancouver's many summer festivals and, for the first time ever, beer carts on golf courses. This announcement means a lot of things for our infamous “No Fun City,” a title I’m sure we're all sick of hearing. For one, this obviously means a slightly increased party atmosphere this summer. Some of this summer’s events include 6 the Vancouver International Jazz Festival (June 21 to July 1), several Vancouver Urban Spaces events (July to September) the Lululemon SeaWheeze half- marathon (August 10), and the recently announced two-day Stanley Park 125th birthday extravaganza. Providing alcohol at these events can be considered a step-up in terms of bringing the community together (to reiterate what park board director Trevor Loke told The Metro), as scientists have proven alcohol contains the magical ability to loosen people up. However, this approval— while I am actually happy about it—directly contradicts the banning of venues with liquor licenses hosting all-ages events, a liquor law which was passed just this January. The law was passed on the assumed understanding that inviting people of all ages to venues that are recognized for serving alcohol (to adults...) would encourage teens to drink prior to or to sneak alcohol in somehow—as the bars themselves wouldn’t be serving any alcohol at these events. So obviously there’s a level of hypocrisy going on when the otherwise family-oriented Stanley Park 125th is serving alcohol through liquor license- approved beer gardens. I also need to question the fact that these people will be directly drinking in front of children, something that would not have occurred at all-ages venue events. Again, I’m glad there’s going to be more beer gardens in the city this summer. If nothing else, this is an excellent way to show the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch (LCB) to go easier on independent venues that thrive on their liquor licenses. But I suppose there’s another dose of hypocrisy, when extremely local events such as indie film screenings and concerts are struggling with their liquor licenses, while tourist draws like the International Jazz Festival and the SeaWheeze half-marathon are allowed to sell alcohol. After a couple years now of constant cutting and fighting with independent venues over their licenses (such as The Rio’s month-long series of protests last year), this park board approval is a bittersweet celebration. In the grand scheme of things, if community is honestly what the approval of them anything. I encourage students to take full advantage of this opportunity; events like Comics and the Multimodal World can normally cost quite a bit of money (registration price for the full conference is $55), so it’s important to recognize the offer provided here for the student body. Be sure to bring your notepad and thinking cap, and I'll hopefully see you there! these beer gardens is trying to promote, then liquor licenses should be easier to obtain for venues and events in general, especially for the local audience. The other obvious downside to the approval of these beer gardens is that it’s likely they'll be pretty pricey per drink. However, the money that comes from all liquor licenses, whatever the drinks may end up costing, is what supports these events and venues and keeps in business (and much of the profits will also be going to charities, so that’s a plus). With that, I am looking forward to a summer of beer gardens; if only in the hope that this will encourage looser liquor license laws in Vancouver (and also in the hope that it won’t cost $8 for a half-cup of beer).