Canada has one of the brightest and most vibrant scenes when it comes to comics festivals that give time and focus to all aspects of the industry, and the Toronto Comic Arts Festival is renowned as one of the best celebrations of comics in the world. Today it has announced that, effective immediately, TCAF will also oversee all future iterations of its Vancouver-based cousin VanCAF, beginning with 2017's festival.

VanCAF, or the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival, will now be overseen by new festival director Andrea Demonakos, who previously worked for both Emerald City Comic Con and ReedPop. Demonakos is taking over from the festival's founder Shannon Campbell, who now joins the VanCAF Board of Directors in an advisory capacity alongside TCAF's Miles Baker and Andrew Woodrow-Butcher, Vancouver based creator Nathan Fairbairn, and musician and artist Jarrett Sampson.

"I’m incredibly excited to be stepping into this role with VanCAF and TCAF,” said Andrea Demonakos, VanCAF’s new Festival Director, in a press release provided by TCAF. “VanCAF brings together two of my favourite things: the west coast and Canada’s vibrant comics community. We will continue what Shannon and her team have built for 2017, and work to grow, build, and diversify the festival even further in the years to come."

VanCAF began in 2012 as a two-day festival and in 2016 boasted over 10,000 attendees and 260 exhibitors. Speaking about the partnership, Shannon Campbell said, “VanCAF was conceived as a natural west coast complement to TCAF, a show I have always admired for its commitment to promoting comics of all shapes and sizes. We're thrilled for VanCAF to continue under that banner, and I personally can't wait to see what the TCAF team brings to the festival with their passion and experience.”

The Vancouver Comic Arts Festival returns to The Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre on Saturday May 20, and Sunday May 21, 2017 and applications are now open on the official site.

Note: This article has been updated to reflect the new dates of the 2017 VanCAF.

More From KMGWFM