The 2007 MoCCA Art Festival was a smashing event. I had great fun this year over the course of two days. Last year I had I only attended the event on Sunday and had such a blast and bought and traded for so many great comics that I knew then I had to attend the festival both days this year. Armed with copies my comic/zine for trade, a mostly empty backpack, blank sketchbook, list of creators whose work I had liked from last year, and wad of cash, I was ready to go forth and spread my support and enthusiasm for great alternative, small press and self-published comics.
The MoCCA Art Festival has become so popular since its beginnings six years ago that the space allotted these small press creators and publishers has expanded beyond the three rooms on the main floor to include the skylight room on the seventh floor. Word was that the seventh floor was not getting as much traffic as the main floor due to a lack of knowledge of exhibitors in the spacious and bright skylight room, despite the many awesome creators eager for fans, shoppers, and fellow creators on floor seven. Several comics makers had asked if it was very crowded on the first floor, which it was, though there seemed to be a good amount of traffic on floor seven and some creators said they were doing very well.
All sorts of readers attended this event. There are those who enjoy romance comics, autobiographical comics, humor comics, dark humor comics, political comics, sex comics, and so on. Reviews of comics in just about all these genres will be appearing on the ArmzRace blog over the next several weeks.
Former MoCCA classmate Bill Roundy sells comics about himself and other subjects and topics, such as pirates. Also available at his table were free "Minion of Bill Roundy" stickers as well as business cards letting folks know that you are a member of the Bill Roundy Fan Club!
This year I decided to be more social and engage the creators whose works seemed most interesting looking. I brought a brand new sketchbook and decided this year to humbly ask for quick sketches and I was most often happily obliged by the show’s talent.
On our way to the book store to get a sketchbook when we happened across this street fair. Fresh lemonade for a dollar. I can't ever pass that up.
Meanwhile, at MoCCA Art Fest...
There were many great panels held just a block away at the museum itself. Surely the highlight had to be Jeffrey Brown’s reading of his Wolverine Fan-Fiction comic as the pages he drew were displayed on a flat screen monitor behind the comics creator. Mr. Brown wooed his audience with fantastic voice-overs during the reading and then happily answered questions about upcoming projects and if he had even heard from any of the women he’s dated who have appeared in his autobiographical comics, usually featuring his relationships. I look forward to his upcoming fully colored graphic novel, The Incredible Change-Bots, an homage and parody to one of the 80’s greatest toy lines, due out this July. Mr. Brown was so kind as to stick around and sign books and draw sketches of himself as he appears in his many books, such Every Girl Is The End Of The World For Me, as well as his very own parody superhero, Bighead.
Following the end of Saturday’s events, graphic novel publisher Top Shelf hosted their tenth anniversary party near midtown at Gstaad, with complimentary finger food (which quickly ran out), cake, and an open bar. The crowed inhabiting the establishment grew as the night went on, though my compatriots and I slipped out the door sometime around ten.
Joe Matt talks to fans.
The ArmzRace's very own Mark! and friends check out cool custom buttons.Mark! looks happy he finally found that Impossible Man button he's always wanted.
What I blew my wad on:
- Angstrom Sneak Preview by Ken Appelbaum
- Children of the Owl and the Pussy-cat by Lear and Campos
- Conflict (Megman) by Sapo
- Dangerous Times Ashcan #2
- Do Not Disturb My Waking Dream by Laura Park
- Daughter by R.A.B.Bit
- Freewheel Preview by Liz Baillie
- Germ by Adam Bomb and Ray Decay
- Tear-Stained Makeup #1, #5 by Marcos Perez
- World War IX
I'm pretty sure I bought all these at this show. Now, if you're the creator and you're reading this and you know you were not at MoCCA Art Fest 2007, let m know.
Sketchbook Highlights
In the end, I spent a lot of money on a lot of loot and made several dozen trades and have already begun to excitedly read. Woohoo! (Because "woot" is for tools.)
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