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raina

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(no subject) [Jun. 9th, 2009|12:54 pm]
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Well, let's see. What can be said about this year's MoCCA Art Fest that hasn't already been said? Dave has a report from our shared vantage point; Heidi has a good general summary up at The Beat, and Even Dorkin lays it all out on the table with little apology. As for me, I was hot and miserable and tired all weekend. I usually do my best to put a positive spin on things, and since MoCCA is pretty much my favorite convention, I am even more willing to overlook the kinks in favor of celebrating what I love most about the comics scene...but this year, all I remember is being too hot.

I'm sorry if that sounds glum. But it was too hot.

Without getting too much into it, my thoughts for future MoCCAs are that I would be happy and willing to shell out extra for my table (oh, wait, they raised the prices, so I don't have a choice!) if the con is willing to spring for air conditioning at the new venue. If they're not, I hope they find another place to have it. The Armory had its own unique charm, and I love the neighborhood it's in and its proximity to the Shake Shack for long summer evenings of eating junk food with lots of my friends. But when my positive memories of the weekend have nothing to do with the con, and EVERYTHING to do with what took place before and after the convention, something is awry. Sad face!

I realize I'm glossing over some pretty amazing little moments of awesome. That's really not fair. Here are some of the highlights from the weekend:

--Dave unveiled my belated birthday present at our Comics Bakery Roundtable panel, in front of a bunch of people. That deserves its own post, which I'll make shortly.

--We didn't have anything new to sell, but I had fun things to give away! Like my SMILE postcards! The cover for the book ALSO deserves its own post, I believe, so that will also come atcha in a bit. [EDIT: Here it is!!]

--The crazy overlap between my old life in the publishing world and my current life in the comics world. I used to work at Abrams' sister company, STC, and having some of my old co-workers exhibiting with Abrams is always a trip! They like to talk about how I was making little comics when I was an editorial assistant then...and how those became SMILE. And, yeah. Forward-march.



--We put Dave's Cybert doll on our table, and it was a fun conversation piece and even MORE fun to be able to say that the person who made the doll (Hi Megan!) was exhibiting just a few tables away! Here, Cybert meets Scott C.'s amazing Mummy puppet.

--My houseguests were lovely and it was wonderful to spend some time with them. In fact, all of my out-of-town friends are fantastic people who I see far too rarely. I know there were friends who I managed to wave drowsily at on my way to the bathroom and that was the extent of our interaction, but I blame the heat. Talking was hard, and standing was even harder.

And, of course, the hands-down highlight of the weekend was Drink and Draw Like a Lady!! Holy cow!! It was raining and windy and stupid out on Friday night, and the bar overbooked so we didn't have as much space as we needed, but my guesstimate is that we had somewhere between 70-80 awesome ladies show up for a killer night of fun! There were incredibly delicious cupcakes, there were drawing jams, there were introductions and interactions I was happy to see, there were drinks galore, and everyone I talked to had a good time.



Megan, Patricia, Hope, and Lucy!

My extra-special thanks to Hope, who brainstormed the whole thing, and the rest of the women in comics who are so amazingly rad. There is so much we can all learn from one another, and it's great to have an opportunity to bond now and then. From the sound of it, this will happen again. And you can bet I'll be there!


---

...That did come out pretty positive in the end, didn't it! Happy face!
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Visual Overload Ahoy [Jun. 2nd, 2009|10:44 am]
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[music |Magnificent Seven theme]



This weekend! Are you ready? Saturday June 6 and Sunday June 7, it's the MoCCA Art Festival -- my VERY favorite comics show of the year!!

The convention moves to a new venue this year, the 69th Regiment Armory at Lexington Avenue and 25th Street in New York City (about a block away from my old SVA dorm!). It's $10 a day or $15 for a weekend pass. The event runs from 11-6 on both Saturday and Sunday.

The Comics Bakery will be set up at table number 513. It's right in the middle of the action! EDIT: Marion posted a picture of the floor map!

Now, for what I'll have with me at the show:


OUTREACH minicomics! I made a fresh batch of these guys for MoCCA; having only sold these at SPX in 2008, this will be the New York debut for this little book. $2 each.


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Postcards with the cover for SMILE!! Here's a very pixelated sneak peak; you'll have to come find me to see the real thing. Free!


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X-Men Misfits...keychains! The book itself won't actually be released until July, but come get a keychain to whet your appetite. Free!


--BSC Graphic Novels! Volumes 1 - 4. $9 each, or $30 for the whole set.

--Take-Out Minis! Yeah, I still have them! $1 each, or $5 for all 6.

--SMILE Minis! Soon to be a collector's item. The first 8 pages of the story...which have been drastically re-written and re-drawn for the graphic novel version. $1 each.

--Original Art! If there's a BSC page from any of the volumes you're specifically interested in, please let me know here in the comments, or via email. Otherwise, I'll have an assortment of pages available, varied prices.

In addition to the insanity listed above, we also have a panel on Saturday from noon - 12:50 pm!
Comics Bakery Roundtable: A discussion on the “benefits” of collaboration with two sets of comic-making couples, who combine to form a giant robot.



And don't forget--all ladies in town for the show are invited to the (free!) pre-party, Drink and Draw Like A Lady, at Madame X on Friday night from 7 - 10:

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I set up a Facebook Page for the event, if you'd like to add your name to the guest list or invite more people. There will be professionally-baked cupcakes! Half of which will be vegan! Come share a free drink with your comics-making sisters and start the weekend off in fancy fashion.

Hope to see you at some, or all, of the festivities!
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Video Ahoy [Apr. 2nd, 2009|10:33 am]
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If you're a fan of Dave and John's minicomic epic Teen Boat, you'll dig this video!

Our friend JC Roberts did all the animation, and our friend Abby Denson is responsible for the song.
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Goin' back to Cali [Jul. 14th, 2008|04:37 pm]
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Are you guys paying attention to the TV Guide this week? If you are, then you might know that all this week Nickelodeon is airing the FINAL EPISODES of Avatar: The Last Airbender, starting tonight and finishing with a two-hour finale on Saturday!

Dave gives the rundown over on his LJ if you need details--airtimes, episode info, and so on.

Yeah, I've seen the episodes already...including the finale. No joke: it's unbelievable. I'm still reeling over the art direction and the level of detail and craft that went into this show, and they amped it up pretty hard for the ending. It's also been fun seeing [info]rufftoon's storyboards come to life!

I'm leaving for the west coast tomorrow for a wedding, some time with my family, and then Comic-Con. Even though I'll be missing the live broadcast of the Avatar finale, I fully intend to go to the screening of the last two episodes in San Diego, Friday evening at the con! Who else is in? :)

I've been told that the Comics Bakery's table number at SDCC is P2, in the Small Press section. That lines up with aisle 1900, at the very edge of Small Press, so we should be pretty easy to find! Look for the Comics Bakery banner! I'll have books, minis, postcards, and artwork--including a few tiny watercolors I cooked up last weekend. I can't wait! See you there!
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MoCCA: This weekend! [Jun. 3rd, 2008|04:24 pm]
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[music |The Muppets: Hey A Movie!]

Photobucket

It's time for my favorite comic convention of the year: the MoCCA Art Festival!

Saurday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8
The Puck Building: Houston and Lafayette Streets
New York, New York
11 AM - 6 PM both days
$10 a day or $15 for a weekend pass


Myself and the Comics Bakery will be set up at tables A7 and A8, the same spot we've been in for the past several years. We will have our usual crazy assortment of comics and art and baked goods! I'll have lots of BSC original pages for sale; if there is a specific page you're interested in buying, comment here or drop me an email, and I will bring it for you if it's still available!

Sadly, the 4th BSC graphic novel isn't out yet, but I'll have all of my other books. Dave and I created a new comic for a Star Wars-themed anthology, Harvest is When I Need You Most. I'll post a link to its website when I know the URL--it was put together by [info]shiru, and promises to be insanely cute.

As for the other events surrounding the Art Fest, they sound extremely promising!

Friday brings the first-ever Post-Bang at NYU, an all-day event tied to the MoCCA Art Fest, featuring lectures and seminars with some of the brightest stars in the graphic novel world. Attendance is FREE! I'll be going to at least a couple of the panels; culminating with a spotlight talk with Lynda Barry! One of my favorite cartoonists of ALL TIME.

Saturday night, I'll be at the Lulu Awards, Friends of Lulu's annual award ceremony honoring the great women in our industry. This is the first year the awards are being held in New York City and in conjunction with MoCCA, and it promises to be a great time. Come on out and support your favorite cartooning ladies!

In other news, it got HOT--and this weekend is supposed to be a real scorcher. Hopefully the A/C at the Puck Building won't break down again this year! Bring your freezer packs full of icy drinks, just in case!
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