SPXpo

In other geek news, today we went to the Small Press Expo for the second year. In some ways it was less exciting than last year, because a lot of the artists we like didn't have anything new out there for us to buy. But in other ways, it was way more exciting since we actually knew more about what's out there and were able to talk to some really cool people.

The SPXpo is a comic book show held in a crappy old Holiday Inn in Bethesda, MD every year. It's a premier show, with a whole bunch of indie artists and funky publishers and sellers like Last Gasp and Fantagraphics hawking their wares. We got to meet Bill Plympton, who looks exactly as I thought he would (somewhat wild hair, middle aged, tummy). Erin told Bill how much we loved "Boomtown" and "Your Face," two of his shorts, and we lamented that we had forgot to bring along a collection of his for autographing.

We also talked to Craig Thompson and purchaed our own copy of Good-Bye, Chunky Rice...one of the finest graphic novels we've read all year. I now officially have a huge crush on Craig. He was sorta shy and sweet and genuinely flattered and pleased that we'd liked little Chunky so much. Too bad he lives in Portland.

I'm spooging about men artists, but really the main reason I like the SPXpo is because of the large number of women artists they tend to get out there. I stopped by Kris Dresen's table and complimented her on the new Max and Lily series she's doing. She needs to put out more books of those! Max and Lily are a dyke and a fag in their early 30's...Max is a coffee-addled freelancer, Lily her sidekick with a taste for the finer things who suffers the budget of a retail worker. Their interactions are hilarious, and often poignant.

I also picked up a Brit anthology of women artists called Girlfrenzy. I was pleased to see Rachael House has a strip in there...she's a Brit bi woman who contributes to Anything that Moves magazine.

I think my favorite thing so far is the "Food Geek" booklets I picked up from a cute chick with a blonde buzz cut. It's a collection of writings and strips related to food, all put in these tiny booklets. #2 has drawings of miniature Tabasco, jelly, and ketchup bottles in the front as tiny food condiments to go with your tiny Food Geek books. I bought #2 and #3. Too bad #1 wasn't available.

Erin said earlier tonight that there's not much better than sitting in front of a big stack of unread comics and knowing that you have hours of fun ahead of you. I think he has a point. :)

home   about me   pictures   commitment   journal-n-writings   Malachite Cafe   link-o-rama   email