Ron Lim signs at the Marvel booth.

Eisner-nominated Fred Chao shows off his Eisner-nominated "Johnny Hiro."

Hope Larsen and Bryan Lee O'Malley near the Oni booth.

Two Asian Canadians, an Asian American, and an Asian Australian dominate the "Best of 2007" lists posted by last year's Eisner judges at Bookslut.com.

Shaun Tan's "The Arrival" makes two lists -- here's an excerpt from Chris Reilly's blurb:

Sublime and visually stunning, this book tells the wordless story of an immigrants "arrival." The imagery is abstract and beautiful and refreshingly not Photoshopped. The images are alien and so perfectly depict how frightening it is to be a stranger in a strange land, with little more than the clothes on his back and lint in your pockets.... The landscapes, language (there is an unreadable alphabet) and even animals/monster/creatures here are so strange that you really become this guy.

For more about Tan, who grew up in Australia and won the World Fantasy Award for Best Artist, visit www.shauntan.net.

Anne Marie Fleming's "Magical Life of Long Tack Sam" makes Robin Brenner's list. Here's a bit of the blurb:

This book shines for its sense of humor and the way it conveys the grand adventure of digging through your ancestors pasts and discovering how learning a little bit here and a little bit there may uncover a treasure trove of history.

Brenner also cites Jason Shiga's "Bookhunter":

This book is fantastic in the way it takes a look at crimes very close to reality (the most famous book thieves are intriguingly odd characters, and often quite genius in how they commit their crimes) and then cranks it up into a great procedural drama everyone can enjoy. And... there's a climactic chase scene with book carts!

And James Sime cites Bryan Lee O'Malley's "Scott Pilgrim Vol. 4":

If you like rock and roll, half-ninjas, battling ex-boyfriends, rail-slides, failed job interviews, leveling up, and the endless laughs that boy-meets-girl creates, this is a must-read series for you to sink your teeth into.

As an extra bonus, former Eisner judge Whitney Matheson cites both "Magical Life of Long Tack Sam" and Adrian Tomine's "Shortcomings" on her Best of 2007 list at usatoday.com.

Via ComicMix.com.

From the Fall 2006 issue of de Maisonneuve Magazine, via CitizenShift, here's an excerpt from an awesome conversation between filmmaker Anne Marie Nakagawa and cartoonist Bryan Lee O'Malley ("Scott Pilgrim") about growing up half-Asian:

BLO: To me, growing up as a nerd was the big thing. It was only as a kid that I was ostracized for being Asian. I was ostracized 'cuz I was a loser. Being of an unusual race just augmented my ostracism.

AMN: [Laughs] They just thought you were a loser. You were really a winner!

BLO: [Laughs] This is probably too nerdy for you to recognize but... When I was a kid, I read these fantasy novels -- this is kinda how i fell on the road to nerdism -- these Dragonlance books. The main character is this guy named Tanis Half-Elven, and he's half elf. He's this guy who wanders the Earth because he doesn't fit in with the elves or the humans. Then he becomes the leader of this ragtag group. That was a big deal when I was a kid, because I identified with him and... I can't really explain. You're probably just rolling your eyes.

AMN: For the record, I'm not rolling my eyes.

Read the whole thing. It's awesome. Click here for the pdf.