Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Fest 2011

I walked those two floors twice before I found anything that grabbed me. I had a blast with comic friendos from near and far. I saw three of the cutest comics' babies. The gorgeous, the bearded and the stinky were in full effect. I was accused of hating comics, but it turns out I was just hungry.

One of the things I like about the BCGF is the wealth of handmade works. Generally, that is what I am looking for in comics; I can read them and then enjoy them as art objects forever. As usual, this show kicked MoCCAs ass in minis--not an iPad in sight--and how could anyone not love that? I only bought a few, but that was down to cash flow and attention problems, not because of a lack of selection. Those looking for prints of all sizes would have done well here, especially if one was going for a son-of-Fort-Thunder look. I know, I know, broken record, but come on with that. It is 2011! The larger publishers did it up with signings, and it was good to see Canadian jimjammers Conundrum Press and Koyama Press with emptyish tables a few hours from close.

The one-day format must be pretty relentless for the exhibitors, but as an attendee, it keeps me focused and gives me a day to recover before Monday. The lack of a door fee is crucial to this show as well--it gives buyers more money to spend and encourages walk-ins, which is especially important for a small show. And, did I hear correctly? Is the show now juried, not just invite only? If so, this is a big step towards welcoming a larger part of the small press scene, not just friends of friends.

Now for some terrible photography. Not sure why I only took pictures of women as the men were out in full force, but if you check the crowd shot, you'll get a better idea of the crew:

Melissa Mendes giving me a smile.

Sara Edward-Corbett and Caroline Paquita, talking tats.

Marta Chudolinska had a variety of interesting, printy things.
On Monday I saw her at the Natural History Museum
which made me like her even more.

Jen Tong getting down to business.

Crowd shot

My haul

Some kickass original Freddy art

Once you got used to the hot meat smell, it was pretty comfortable in there...

This weekend was extra special because the Eyeworks Festival of Experimental Animation came over from Chicago and screening at Spectacle Theater. Used to the ability to see any and all ST screenings by arriving only slightly early, I was both heartened and extremely disappointed to find that the 7:30n showing had sold out. Ah well, hopefully they will make DVDs or something. I really hope that the  Eyeworks screening becomes part of the BCGF weekend in the years to come. I will buy my tickets in advance, I promise.

2010 Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Fest

I've missed every con this year except MoCCA. This, the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Fest, is the other local show that I'm interested in and has happened to be on B's birthday weekend both years it has existed. Why do comics want to ruin my romantic life?



The gym of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Williamsburg was packed and sweaty with the unfortunate haired and bespectacled. A little different crowd than usual, but seemingly very into what was at the fest. I wasn't able to check out any of the panels

I got there around 4:45 and by 5:30 several tables had sold out of stuff, which I guess is a good sign for them. I was there to get minis and prints, and I did much better on the mini side. Though there were a few prints I was interested in, so many of the tables were laden with this neon-impaired-child-melting-heads shit that I am just not into.

Here's my haul:


I got to see a ton of people that made me smile; most are not pictured here:
Mika Oshima, author of Dense Valley, as seen above

Travis Robertson & Joel Speasmaker

This seemed to be a Pepsi church, and I am really more of a Coke gal...

Finally Robin and I met in person. Did you hear the fireworks? The guy on the left was sassy, and is named Zack Soto.

Three people converse intensely about comics. Or something.

The green glow apparent in many of these photos was not created as an artistic nod to nausea or the rotting corpse of arty comics, but was in fact the color of the light in the exhibition room. Very flattering!

Brooklyn Comics & Graphics Festival or Winter Has Begun

After spendning the afternoon completing some items from B's birthday checklist, we took the dreaded G train to Metropolitan and set out for the Brooklyn Comics & Graphics Fest. It is a testament to his love for me that he spent part if his birthday braving the wintry mix to spend a humid half-hour in a church basement with me to look at comics.

Since I wasn't planning on attending, I didn't really know where to look first. I ended up just wandering around in a daze looking for faces of folks I only see at conventions. I ended up having a nice chat with Chuck Forsman and Melissa Mendes and they generously gave me examples of their recent work, including the awesome Wolf by Chuck and a cool wordless comic called Warmth by Melissa. She also gave Bill the perfect birthday-themed comic for a man who never wants to do any "special"on his birthday. When I told them that I was writing a paper concerning the library at CCS, they seemed unsure whether to laugh. Ah, library school, always a hit at parties!

I ran into Robin Enrico, who was just as impressed with the turnout as I was, and looked around for a few more folks that seemed to have split early. Much of the work I looked at had screaming silk screened covers, popping with aggressive colors, which is neat, but I am a gal in need of a little more narrative. Thanks for making me feel old. I didn't end up picking up any books by unknown folks, one of my favorite things to do at conventions, or catch any of the panels; I am going to blame unpreparedness.

I did however get issues 7 & 8 of Jumbly Junkery by L. Nichols. I have the first two issues somewhere and upon flip through it seemed like her work had evolved over the issues I missed. Inside covers much like the ones mentioned above are several short stories, mixing autobio and philosophical ponderings, dashed with a healthy dose of cat shenanigans. Though I dislike cat comics in general, Nichols' work for me. I really enjoyed talking with her and her wife about scifi shows and greatly enjoyed the recommendations she made. I will now give Fringe a spin on hulu when I get the time.

Our time at the church ended on a nice note when we discovered that no one had stolen our umbrellas. I am already looking forward to the next one.