Holy yes-more-please, SPX rocked us. Jacq Cohen, Gary Groth and I traversed across the country for one of the single best comic books shows that exists. We knew it was going to be quite the fun time when we boarded the plane and saw Joseph Remnant. A small favor to stranger later and he was TRAPPED between us for 4+ hours.
SPX is that magical place where we stay in the same hotel as the convention so you run into people all the time. We found a Ben Catmull by the elevators right away! Maybe he was haunting the place (NOT COOL, BEN)
SPX had Ed Piskor draw the badges for the show this year and they were pretty bitching! Melanie Gillman models:
Early morning rise and shine, all the books were out in their deliciously intimidating stacks including all sexy color Peanuts Every Sunday.
Speaking of Peanuts, kids are attracted to it like a magnet. Yes!
Sketching Guantanamo also debuted at SPX and Janet Hamlin, the military tribunal artist for the last seven years showed up with some new sketches. This book is very important, not just to Janet or us but to the United States as a form of public record.
Here Hamlin and Justin Hall, editor and one of the cartoonists in No Straight Lines sign books.
Ed Piskor's new book Hip Hop Family Tree sold out early in the show along with Ulli Lust's Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life. Ed signs while dressed to the nines.
Ed signed alongside Fantagraphics' veterans Leslie Stein drawing in Eye of the Majestic Creature Vol. 2 and Michael Kupperman. T. Edward Bak gives them a pleasant earful.
Speaking of debuts, The Secret History of Marvel Comics edited by Blake Bell and Dr. Michael J. Vassallo was very popular amongst the small press and indie fans. Chip Mosher of comiXology and Max Robinson have a mug off plus show off fun 'demonstration hands'!
Meanwhile, one of the best dressed men and micropublishers in comics, Ryan Sands of Youth in Decline SHOWS OFF not one but two amazing tops before grabbing The Dan Clowes Reader (edited by Ken Parille).
While we're on the subject of fashion this lady's TEZUKA shirt blew me away, especially with its little added on pockets.
Dash Shaw and Charles Forsman signed copies of their new books, New School and The End of the Fucking World respectively.
Ulli Lust signs Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life and Marc Sobel (editor) signs Love and Rockets: The Companion. (photo by Meredith Rizzo)
So many of our cartoonists were on panels and luckily Meredith Rizzo was there to take photos while we sold books! Dash Shaw and Frnak Santoro.
Gary Panter and Bill Kartalopoulos (photo by Meredith Rizzo)
Jim Rugg, Tom Scioli, Ed Piskor, Seth and R. Sikoryak. (photo by Meredith Rizzo)
And then people started drooling over Love and Rockets! Adam Staffaroni and Andrew Arnold (of Roaring Brook) ohh and ahh over Love and Rockets: The Covers.
Joseph Lambert took it upon himself to get dangerous with hydration in a live appropriation of the Love and Rockets: New Stories #6 cover.
Paul Hornschemeier, Ben Catmull, and Peter Bagge signed at the table (Gary Panter presiding behind them)
At Bar Con in the evenings, things are heating up. Pete Bagge discusses things with Publisher Gary Groth, apparently it made Terry Nantier from NBM giggle.
Heidi MacDonald of The Beat, Peter Bagge, Terry from NBM and Noah Van Sciver make the flying Mighty Ducks 'V'.
Roger Langridge talks to Aussie Chris Breach.
At the Ignatz ceremony, they remembered our late, great Kim Thompson (photo from last year's convention)
Ulli Lust (not pictured), Carol Tyler and me (!) all presented awards at the Ignatz ceremony.
Two Fantagraphics' cartoonists won Ignatz bricks! Ulli for Best Graphic Novel and Chuck for issue 16 of his TEOTFW installment.
The brick for Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life.
Special guest Gary Panter and Jacq look great!
Chuck Forsman and his BRICK!
Jacq and me with our roadie, Jeff Smith.
On Sunday more cartoonists stopped by the table to grab their favorite titles from us like Gene Yang picked up Ben Catmull's Ghosts and Ruins.
Gary Panter asked Paul Hornschemeier to sign a book for him (bawww!)
Then Koyama Press' Cole Closser, Linda Walker and D&Q's Rutu Modan stopped by to talk to Gary Panter and grab Dal Tokyo.
Andrew Arnold and Sean Azzopardi flex with The Cavalier Mr. Thompson by Rich Tommaso and Dash Shaw 's Unclothed Man.
Alec Longstreth and Greg McElhatton model books Mickey Mouse: Color Sundays by Floyd Gottfredson and Love and Rockets: The Covers!
Joseph Remnant and Noah Van Sciver pay their respects to Schulz and the Peanuts Every Sunday Vol. 1 book. This picture is way cute and may or may not be my desktop background.
Noah's gonna give you the hard sell, "LOOK at how color affects the tone of this comic!" Too true, it's way more whimsical!
Dan Stafford, SPX staffer and owner of Kilgore Books & Comics, gives us his best "don't murder me face". But it wasn't enough, story at eleven. Fall Guy for Murder by Johnny Craig gets 'em every time.
Former intern Lars got a copy of Gahan Wilson Sunday Comics (that he worked on!)
Peter Bagge signs some books for fans! (photo by Meredith Rizzo)
Zak Sally took a break behind our booth to do some sweet sketches.
The last thing to do at a con after packing up some unsold books and labeling boxes is EAT COOKIES. SPX social media coordinator and crazy busy man, Michael David Thomas, is the stuff fucking dreams are made of my friends.
More excellent fashion: Tom Kaczynski's TV Terminator shirt.
Three cheers for Eden and Greg! Farel Dalrymple and Noah Van Sciver twerk and smirk below.
Jacq hugs Jason Leivian of Floating World/Press Gang
I'm so pissed I forgot to show off my '90s HIP HOP socks to Ed while he was signing Hip Hop Family Tree. See those smiley faces and peace signs? The kind of socks you keep for the rest of your life! Eden Miller, Ignatz organizer, also showed off her own foot related fashion—an Ignatz tattoo pulled right from the pages of Herriman's comic!
Back on the plane ride home, Jacq took a photo of me working on comics.
We had SUCH a great time at SPX, thank you so much to Warren Bernard, Michael David Thomas, Dan Stafford, Eden Miller, Sam Marx and the many, many, many other staffers and volunteers who made the show rock. Our bags are already packed for next year.
