In 2003 , Peter Birkemoe and Chris Butcher of The Beguiling first organized the Toronto Comic Arts Festival ( TCAF ) . Unusual in the world of comics conventions , TCAF is a free-admission event . It focuses on alternative and independent comics , but includes other creative arts besides comics . Rather than being like a traditional comics convention , it is patterned after European festivals such as Angoulême , and the American Small Press Expo
Angoulême
Angoulême International Comics Festival
The Beguiling