So, because of the World Series I brought both issues of Carl's Large Story to dinner a few nights ago. B faced the TV, I faced the kitchen and the waiter was suspicious.

"Once upon a time, in a castle in Atlantic City, a child was born."

A rockin dinosaur, some musics, some conspiracy and politics. I read both issues. Awesome, or should I say, the awesome.

SPX 2007

[Edited to add: if we met at SPX, drop a comment!]

Despite my inability to catch the first day in beautiful Bethesda, MD and my creeping illness on Sunday, SPX was a blast. I also forgot to bring a camera but luckily my host mr. hp! lent me a little digital wonder which I proceeded to underuse for all of Saturday.

With our SPX buddy. She was certainly a hit with the better boys of indie comics.

The comics-selling floor of SPX. The hotel also provided a few rooms for the panels. I did not go to any panels because I am a jerk.

The first step was to find the PARTYKA folks so I could show off my fake offspring:
They are very smiley.

Also, their merch kicks ass. Even though they didn't win any Ignatz awards for their nominated comics, you can see why you need to buy everything they make:



Some other folks that watched me dorkily fumble with my camera and try not to seem like a goober:
Leslie Anne Mackenzie Stein who makes great comics (like Yeah, It Is) and needs a publisher for her new one. She does not seem to have a website though...

Marcos Perez has a nice smile and is hard at work on Tear-Stained Makeup #7, though he may have just told me that to make me go away...

Drew Weing. Nice guy and great cartoonist. Also looked only slightly startled when I asked to take his picture and then, a little too pantingly, when Eleanor was coming back.

Eleanor Davis and Drew Weing.

Eleanor Davis and Sara Edward-Corbett. My buddy Sara is the greatest. Please peer pressure her to do a comic with me.

Chuck Forsman & Alex Kim & shy anon. I met Chuck on the giant patio and he brought me back to see his comics and very generously gave me a few. Drunks Sea Colony is beautiful. Find it.

John Hankiewicz and buddy. We bought two prints from John for our house. I also got his comic bald knob which looks like it might break my heart.

Clihodhna of the beautiful accent and amazing prints.

In the middle of it all B and I decided to take a tea break on the marriot's patio:

I steadfastly clung to consciousness while B was not as successful:


The The Ignatz awards were also announced on Saturday but I was too tired to stay and dinner was trying to leave me by any means necessary. Now that I have seen the results I am kind of glad I didn't stay, many of the choices were uninspired.

Finally, most of my haul:

Amy Ambulette has now gone Wong-crazy over at her blog. She seems to have gotten a great crop of stories from her contest and it would behoove you to go check them out.

back from SPX

I knew yesterday morning that something wasn't right. A few hours later, I knew something was definitely wrong. Despite my piles of comics and new prints, the company of my main man and a delightful baby, littlehp!, I felt grumpy, nauseated and like a monkey made of razors had taken up residence in my neck.

I am SICK. From my bed of crappitude I will attempt to do an SPX roundup sometime today.

The best part of returning was when B called me from the bathroom in a tentative voice to show me this:






So this morning I heard what I think was the plumber, though I expected more klongs and less bangs.

PS- until I get it together, go over to Topic and read the two newish stories. They are great.

bugs not drugs

This is an excellent all-around blog as well as a great source of shiver-inducing bug stories.

Welcome to the sidebar Bug Girl.

I have been thinking about this story all day.

It is not the giants iguanas or the invasive mermaids haunting me, but being a "conformist at heart."

"Light" by Kelly Link
(via Pinky's Paperhaus)

So, back in the day I kinda pooped on the comic anthology MOME. Then today I read this interview with Eric Reynolds, the co-editor of MOME and decided to give it another chance for a few reasons:

1) In the interview, Reynolds discussed the origin of MOME (who doesn't love a good origin story?) and how his original plan for how and who was going to be published had to be jettisoned because so many of the cartoonists that appeared in the first two issues became famous and busy in the time it took to get the issues out. That really explained alot for me. MOME promished freshness and all I got from it was a stale feeling. After almost 10 issues, it seems that they have their act together and are publishing fresh and exciting stuff.

2) Eleanor Davis. I love her stuff and she has a story in MOME 9.

SCIENCE!

The Ig Nobel awards were announced today. Gay bombs, vanilla poop and circus freaks, oh my!

The offical site for the awards is overwhelmed right now. Perhaps after the influx of mouth-breathing nerds and bloggers desperate for material dissipates (hi!) you will be able to check it out.

So right about the wrongness

Gwen has a great post on how zealots get all mad when you don't want to talk to them about their belief of choice, and how their failure to get through is usually because they are terrible conversationalists.