Misc. Monday – SPX wrap-up

Well, SPX was pretty outstanding. The main exhibition floor was in a large ballroom in a hotel convention center, so it had a real ritzy feel to it, but given the number of exhibitors and attendees (shouldn’t it be “attenders?” The convention is the “attendee”) it got pretty packed. That said, everybody there made the best of the limited space and nobody I encountered was rude. The big names at the convention (Craig Thompson, Kate Beaton, and others) had designated signing times, which is understandable, but we ended up missing the Thompson signing because we a) didn’t know there were designated times until we got there, and b) they had already capped the line by the time we got in. Se la vie.

Aside from the huge lines for the big names, there were almost no lines to meet the artists and writers, giving the twofold benefit of not having to wait and not feeling rushed while talking to the exhibitors. All the exhibitors I spoke with were really kind and gracious, no prima donnas like at bigger cons. Some of the artists I met were Evan Dahm (Rice Boy), Aaron Diaz (Dresden Codak), KC Green (Gunshow), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), and Nate Powell. Plus there were a ton of great, lesser-known artists showing their work at the Expo, and it was great to walk around and take it all in, plus find some cool stuff I wouldn’t have otherwise.

Based on when we got to the show, when we had to leave, and the day’s panels, we ended up only going to one, a Q&A with the outstanding Craig Thompson. The questions were mainly about his upcoming book Habibi, which was fine because the pages he previewed for us looked astounding, and the discussion was interesting as well. I’m planning on picking up a copy asap, and you can expect a review of it here soon.

I spent more money at the show than I intended to, and I’m still reading through all of it, but I wanted to give a few highlights out of what I picked up, in the hopes that you’ll check it out and support these great artists. So without further ado:

• Midnite Surprise, by KC Green- An absolutely hilarious collection of random comics and drawings from his blog of the same name. If you like Gunshow, or if you’ve never read Gunshow but like random, sometimes crude humor, definitely check out the blog. This one really surprised me.
• Pang the Wandering Shaolin Monk, by Ben Costa- This is a great series about (you guessed it) a traveling Shaolin monk in 16th century China. Costa has really done his research, and the book is filled with footnotes explaining various plot points and historical references. His drawings have a really distinctive look as well, a somewhat-cartoony style that brings to mind Asian ink paintings. Add to all this the fact that he self-publishes the book with a grant from the prestigious Xeric Foundation (one of the last, now that the foundation is ending its grants). The whole comic is online to read for free, but the first printed volume is really well-done, and if you like the comic I’d recommend picking up a copy.
• The Blot, by Tom Neely– I discovered Tom Neely by just browsing through the SPX guest list in the weeks before the show, and was really blown away by what was on his website. The Blot is a mostly wordless, semi-abstract tale that blends an innocent-looking visual style with some dark psychological themes, and is very, very impressive. I really wanted to pick up Neely’s new book The Wolf as well, which is even more abstract (and disturbing, by the looks of it), but I just didn’t have the cash. Based on The Blot though, I’ll be ordering a copy once my wallet has had a chance to recover.

I wish I could tell you about everything I saw there, but I just don’t have the time or space, and is a great reason why you should go next year! The atmosphere at the show is one of support and a shared love of comics, and seeing so many people who have self-published their work, in most cases for nothing more than a passion for comics, is really inspiring. The Con continues to grow, so I’m sure next year will be even better, and it’ll be one you won’t want to miss.

Happy reading,

-Nate

Tags: comics, independent, self-publishing, SPX