I had a great time at OCX last weekend. I'm too caught up in catching up to write any kind of report, except to say that the convention is tiny and splendidly run, Norwegians are all wonderful people, the weather was exactly like Seattle except the days were longer (the shots outside Jason's gallery opening were at something like nine o'clock at night as I recall) and any cartoonist who gets invited by OCX, go, just go!
All photos by Lynn Emmert except as noted.
Jason had a small art show opening during the convention, featuring priceless original art elegantly hung from a clothesline, a little selection of cool new paintings (zombies, Hitler, the usual) on corrugated cardboard featuring several of his characters, and Jason animations.
Outside the Jason opening. From left to right, Steffen Kverneland, the back of Dash Shaw’s head, me, unknown, Lars Fiske, Jason. Fiske and Kverneland are the co-creators of the great graphic novel/biography Olaf G., about which you will be hearing much more soon.
Reverse angle: From left to right, the back of Jason’s head, Fiske, Kverneland, Shaw, me. I don’t know why the store sign in the background apparently says “Bugger.” Which is almost as funny as the sign my wife and I saw on a Danish ferry once, since “Have a Good Trip” in Danish is “God Fart.”
The banner-festooned entrance to the library, the upper floor of which is entirely taken up by the comics library,”Serieteket.” Picturesque Scandinavian blonde woman on bicycle in foreground. (They’re just everywhere.)
Me being interviewed on stage by journalist Erle Sørheim. [Photo provided by OCX]
The Drinky Crow bar is open for business. Patrons include Dash Shaw and Dave Cooper to the left; the bartender was from Oregon, oddly enough.
Close-up of the counter, advertising “Beer — wine — sodas.”
Tony Millionaire, me, and a couple of Finns, one bearing a Drinky Crow tote bag with the Scandinavian equivalent of DOOK DOOK DOOK.
Now the joint is hopping! I can’t identify most of these people but the tall dude in the group on the left is dashing No Lo Comprendo Press publisher Espen Holtestaul (publisher of Olaf G., Daniel Clowes, Persepolis, and the Norwegian edition of Jimmy Corrigan, which deservedly won the “best Norwegian edition of a foreign comic” Sproing award the following day), and you can see Lars Fiske next to him.
Yes, let’s visit that library! Kverneland and the blurry back of my head.
The “Serieteket” library. Please, lock me in here and throw away the key. [Photo provided by OCX]
Look at all those comics! And hey, there’s our own MOME! “Gorilla” is the name of an anthology, by the way, not a thematic grouping (which if so would have had a lot of 1960s DC comics).
Bet you didn’t know USAGI YOJIMBO was historical!
Jason art display at the convention.
Dash Shaw art display at the convention, studied closely by female fans — perhaps lured by the amazing glam photo of Dash that led off his introduction to convention-goers earlier that day, much to Dash’s consternation.
The convention tent. It was lovely until the cold snap hit late in the afternoon. Eventually they had to bring the guy at the door a shawl and mittens. [Photo provided by OCX]
Actually, this picture is in perfect focus: It’s Tony who’s blurry.
The Fantagraphics panels: Dash Shaw, Dave Cooper, Dave Cooper’s dad me, Jason, and Tony Millionaire. We all love Oslo and hope to come back soon!