2012 Small Press Expo (SPX) - Final Thoughts

I didn't set a budget for myself this year. I spent $100 (which includes $15 for a 2-day pass) and came home with several books. I was tempted but did not buy any sketches this year.

The variety of books and other products available at SPX continues to intrigue me. I love being surprised and there were plenty of them at this year's show. I'm always anxious that all I am going to see at SPX is the same people, selling the same things, giving me the same sales pitch as the year before. There was a little of that but there were also enough new things to excite me.

I made it to 5 panels and I could have gone to more. I recorded all 5 panels on my iPhone and am planning to post the audio here, probably next week. Two of them were a lot of fun. The others were informative but a little more low key. I didn't go to any of the artist spotlight-type panels. Instead I opted for the subject-oriented, discussion-type panels. Overall I was very impressed by the slate of programming for this year's show. Every time I chose one panel over another I was a little sad that I was missing out on the panel I didn't attend.

I bought three books that I came to the show with the intention of perusing and/or buying: Maggie the Mechanic by Jamie Hernandez, District Comics, and Wizzywig by Ed Piskor. Everything else  I bought was new to me.

I didn't see everyone that I thought I would see. I walked around a lot but I didn't hang out in the evenings. Maybe if I had I would have seen more faces that I recognize.

I love that this show is in my backyard.

I continue to be annoyed that SPX and Baltimore Comic Con are so close together on the calendar. I just don't get it. For the third year in a row I went to both and I probably will again next year. If I ever choose to go to just one (and not the other) then SPX will be the one (and not the other).

There's another local convention this coming weekend but I am all conned out for the present. I don't have any plans to go to any conventions for at least 6 months. I've got a ton of books to keep me busy reading until next Spring.

2012 Small Press Expo (SPX) - Day 2

Even though I saw most of what there was to see on the show floor on Day 1, I wandered around, bought a few more books, and took a few pictures. I spent considerably more time in panels than I did perusing the aisles.

District Comics: An Unconventional History of Washington, DC - a collection of comics about my hometown; having lived in the DC area for most of my life it proved impossible to resist buying this book, especially after I picked it up and flipped through it

The Legend of Jow Lung by Sifu Abdur-Rahim and Clay Harris - the first installment of a story set in China in the early 20th century

Wizzywig: Portrait of a Serial Hacker by Ed Piskor - a beautifully bound and packaged story which will hopefully live up to all the great things I have heard about it

I also went to a couple panels. I recorded both of them and will hopefully post the audio of them here in the near future.

Panel: Disney and the Making of Postwar Manga - The Case of New Treasure Island with Ryan Holmberg and Joe McCulloch (moderator)

Panel: Images of America - Real and Imagined with Nick Abadzis, Dean Haspiel, Stan Mack, Ben Towle, and Isaac Cates (moderator)

2012 Small Press Expo (SPX) - Day 1

I arrived at 11:30, the show opened at 11. I spent my first hour-and-a-half wandering the show floor. I was very tentative at first when it came to approaching tables. Eventually I got over my skittishness and started talking to creators.

I didn't have any extremely memorable conversations but I did see some things I liked. I focused on what was on the tables. Many creators looked up but didn't try to say anything to me unless I made eye contact with them. Others were a little more forward. Some gave me a look that made me feel that I wasn't the sort of person with whom they wanted to interact.

I stopped by Jesse Lonergan's table. He had a big stack of original art. It was all part of his dance-themed sketch-a-day project: Dancer a Day. Most of the characters in the sketches were from Marvel and DC comics. He was selling them for $20 a piece. I considered buying one but in the end decided not to. I also decided not to tell him what I thought of his graphic novel, Flower and Fade, that I bought from him last year at SPX. I wasn't real wild about it, in large part because I had a hard time relating to either of the primary characters in the story.

I wanted to go to a panel at 1 PM but I missed the beginning and it was standing room only by the time I got there. Instead I found a seat in the hallway outside the panel room and took stock of what I saw on the show floor and what I wanted to buy. After roughly 20 minutes I went back to the show floor, looked around some more and bought some stuff.

Herman the Manatee Vol. 1 (Gets Hit by a Boat) by Jason Viola - I considered buying the latest volume (Herman the Manatee Has Had Enough) but decided to start at the beginning instead.

Jay's Brain by Jason Viola - anthropomorphic brain = genius idea

Leftovers (1,2,3) by Jason Pittman and Shelly Briggs - Sounded like a neat concept, I liked the look of it, and the price ($8 for the set) didn't seem unreasonable

The Exodus by Jason Pittman - free with the purchase of the Leftovers set

Bee Sting by Matthew D. Smith and Jeremy Massie - Redneck noir, or at least that's the way it was described to me by one of the creators.

Maggie the Mechanic by Jamie Hernandez - I've heard so much about Love and Rockets over the years and finally decided I had to give it a try. It was a toss up between this collection and Heartbreak Soup. I considered buying both but settled on just this one, for now.

In addition to buying stuff I also attended and recorded three panels. I have yet to check the recording to see how they have come out. Provided that they are for the most part intact I will post them here in the near future.

Institution Building and Comics with (l-r) Cheryl Kaminsky, Caitlin McGurk, Tom Hart, Sara Duke, and Tom Spurgeon (moderator)

Drawing Out Childhood - Summoning Childhood Experience with (l-r) MariNoami, Derf Backderf, John Porcellino, Julia Wertz, and Mike Dawson (moderator)

Comics as Children's Literature with (l-r) Renée French, Mark Newgarden, Brian Ralph, Françoise Mouly, and Philip Nel (moderator)

Comic Cons 2011

I've started to make my comic book convention plans for 2011. I went to 3 cons in 2010. I'm planning to double that number in 2011. I'm a little worried that I may be taking on too much but it's a risk I'm willing to take. In the first half of 2011 I'm planning to attend 4 shows.

- Emerald City Comic Con (Mar 4-6; Seattle, WA)

- Wild Pig Spring Con (Apr 3; Springfield, NJ)

- Comic Geek Speak Super Show (Apr 29 & May 1; Reading, PA)

- Heroes Con (Jun 3-5; Charlotte, NC)

In the second half of the year I'm planning to attend a couple more cons...

- Baltimore Comic Con (Aug 20-21; Baltimore, MD)

- Small Press Expo (Fall; North Bethesda, MD)

My plans may change but I'm already locked and loaded for Emerald City and Super Show. Wild Pig is a little less certain, although it will probably be the least expensive trip, after SPX which is just a 1/2 hour drive from my apartment. I'm still in the planning and logistics stage for the other conventions.

What I Read: Sing Along Forever

Sing Along Forever by Liz Baillie

I really like the way Liz Baillie draws faces. I think that's what moved me to buy this comic. I stopped at her table after seeing her at a panel on "world building" at SPX. I was unfamiliar with her work so I flipped through the books on her table. Of them, this one spoke to me the most in the short time I spent looking.

Aside from the faces I also like the overall feel of the book. Her passion for the music of the Bouncing Souls and her sense of humor shine through her tale of going to see the band at a festival in 2008. It doesn't feel pretentious at all and can probably be enjoyed by most people even if they don't care for the band's music.

I was unfamiliar with the band or their music. I looked them up online, listened to some of their songs and bought a couple of them through iTunes. I would describe it as Punk with a Pop vibe.

1 Town,1 Weekend, 2 Shows

Weird and bizarre. Those are the first words that come to mind when I try to describe the fact that there are going to be 2 comic book conventions in Montgomery County, MD in the same weekend. That would be the weekend of September 10-12, 2010. The cons I am referring to are...

• SPX - the Small Press Expo - website
• Intervention - website

Intervention is new. SPX has been around for 15 years. Both claim to be focused on small, independent creators.

What's the deal with the scheduling? There's nothing about this issue on the SPX web site but the Intervention folks have addressed it in a FAQ on their website. Basically it sounds like at the time they paid for the convention space they didn't know when SPX was going to held and assumed that it would be later in the month since it was for the last couple years.

One of the tag lines on the Intervention website is "Your Life Online, In Person". Their website also makes the case that their focus is on web comics, where SPX mostly is focused on print media. There are already a number of webcartoonists who are scheduled to be exhibiting at SPX. This doesn't invalidate Intervention's description of itself but the waters do seem to be a bit muddy. That's not a good or a bad thing. The two shows are close enough to each other that attendees and exhibitors could easily take part in both shows on the same day.

I'm sure that some people will do just that. Will a significant number of people attend both shows? I dunno. One draw back to having two independent shows on the same day is that you will have to pay seperaqte admission fees to both shows. At the moment Intervention is open for pre-registration although the only option is to purchase a weekend pass for $40, is planning to let people purchase a weekend pass on the day of the show for $45, and has plans to let people purchase single day passes but have yet to announce pricing for that option.

In contrast, SPX traditionally does not allow attendees to preregister. The rates on their web site are $10 for a 1-day pass or $15 for a weekend pass, both of which can only be purchased at the show.

Another difference between the two shows is that Intervention has a message board; SPX has a blog. For the most parts the posts on the message board seem upbeat and hopeful about the show. There is one post from a creator who has already paid to attend SPX asking the Intervention folks to move their show so that she can attend both shows. For the most part there isn't a lot of activity on the boards but the show is still months away.

Based on pricing and past experience alone my perspective as a potential attendee of these two shows is more favorable towards the more established show, SPX. I've attended SPX three times in the past 7 years, most recently last year. I want to attend again. I admit that I'm curious about Intervention but the price seems kind of steep.

Intervention does have some entertainment scheduled but a dance party doesn't sound like my sort of thing. I'm more interested in finding new things to read and attending some panels. I'll keep checking back so see what Intervention has to offer that I can't get at SPX and I might change my mind before the 2nd weekend of September rolls around but for now just planning to attend SPX.

What I Bought - September 26, 2009

The first stop on my end-of-September comic book buying spree was Barbarian. I was there to pick up three items that I had asked them to order for me a couple weeks earlier. Two of the three had arrived:

• Daredevil: Lady Bullseye - next-to-last collection of Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark's run.
  
• Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit v1

I also bought an item that I had been thinking about buying for the past few months. It was expensive but it was also on sale, 20% off:

• The X-Men Omnibus v1 - collects X-Men # 1 - 31
  

I spent a total of $113.39.

My next stop was the Wheaton Library Book Sale. I was there primarily to look for books but I also browsed the two or three shelves that they have dedicated to cartoons and comic books. I found a couple items of interest, each of which only cost me $1:

• Blue Monday v4 - link - I'm in the midst of reading v3 and I don't usually buy ahead like this but it was inexpensive and I think there's a reasonably good chance that I will want to read it after I finish v3.
• Rex Libris: I, Librarian - link - This series has caught my eye a number of times over the years in the Previews catalogs. The price was right so I decided to take a chance on it.

My third and final stop was the Small Press Expo. It had been quite some time since I last went to one of these. They used to hold them in downtown Bethesda but this year's event (which continues today, although I won't be going back because I've got other stuff to do) was in North Bethesda near the White Flint Metro Station.

It was $10 to get in but that's nothing compared to what you pay to get into some of the big shows, like the Baltimore Comicon.

I meant to sit in on a panel or two but I ended up spending all my time at the expo browsing the exhibitor booths looking for things to buy. I originally intended to buy stuff from a couple of creators that I know from their web comics, Diesel Sweeties and Octopus Pie. Business seemed to be brisk for them, besides which for the most part all they had for sale were collections of their web comics. There was lots of other creators with other stuff for sale, some of which I had heard of on various comic book podcasts.

I made my first purchases at the Oni Press booth based on recommendations that I heard on the Dollar Bin podcast:

• Crogan's Vengeance - link
  
• Black Metal - link
  

I like Oni quite a bit. They've published a number of series I've read including Queen & Country, Blue Monday, and Love Fights.

I did a lot of walking around. At first I moved quickly to get a feel for what was there. The floor was fairly crowded. Some booths had more people crowded around them than others.

The Fantagraphics booth had some very beautiful looking reprints of old work that certainly caught my eye (Prince Valiant v1: 1937-38; Blazing Combat) even though I decided not to buy either of them just yet.

The guys on 11 O'Clock Comics have talked about Jeff Lemire's comics lately and I stopped by the Top Shelf booth to get an idea of what it is the 11 O'Clockers see in his work. I flipped through Essex County Tales. I wanted to flip through The Nobody but they had that wrapped in plastic. I wasn't ready to buy a 500 page book by a creator that I am unfamiliar with so I kept my $30 and kept looking elsewhere.

One of my goals in going to SPX was to find new comic books by people that I had not heard of before. The books at Just Mad Books' booth caught my eye the first time I walked past. On my 2nd, 3rd, or possibly 4th time around the floor I finally stopped to take a closer work. I couldn't figure out what it was (until just now) but something felt familiar about the look of creator Justin Madson's artwork. I'm thinking now that his artwork reminds me of Guy Davis work, at least on Nevermen.

I asked him about the books he had on display, Breathers # 1 - 4. I was really liking the artwork and wanted to know what kind of story there was to back it up. What he pitched to me was a story about a world in which the air is no longer breathable. People have to wear gas masks most of the time, at least when they are outdoors. It made me think dystopian future which in turn made me think of Y: The Last Man and Walking Dead. I bought the first two issues, which cost $5 each. He said he was planning to wrap up the series with # 5.

Walking around the con floor I saw a number of things that didn't appeal to me. I wanted to spend my money on books and stories. I wasn't interested in buying artwork, no matter how pretty, if it didn't have a story attached to it. There were also a few tables/booths that seemed to showcase topics (farts, politics) that just did not appeal to me.

After leaving the Just Mad Books table and walking around a little more I had yet to buy any mini-comics even though I wanted to. I finally stopped in front of the Last Dollar Comics table. I took a quick flip through some of creator Jim8Ball's comics. I liked what I saw. He was asking for $1 per mini-comic. I was trying to decided which ones to buy when I noticed that he also had a box full of mini-comics available: 25 mini-comics for $10. Seemed like a pretty good deal, given the price per comic and the fact that I liked the look of his work.

I made my final purchase at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) booth. They had a number of very good looking books (including some by Will Eisner) available at very reasonable prices. I was tempted to pick up a book or two by Eisner but bought something else instead. I bought a non-comic book which only cost me $10:

• Reading Comics by Douglas Wolk

I looked around a little more but I had spent more than $65 at this point and I needed to get going.

Altogether I spent about $190 yesterday. It blows my mind. I now have a fairly large stack of books to read. I need to lay off buying more comics until I have made a significant dent in my current pile.

Cons

Next weekend is SPX, the Small Press Expo. I'm going to try to go for at least a couple hours. Two of my favorite web cartoonists are going to be there, R Stevens (Diesel Sweeties) and Meredith Gran (Octopus Pie). Its been a few years since I last went to SPX. I might even stay for a panel or two.

The following weekend I'm hoping to have time to stop by the Capital Associates Convention in Dunn Loring on Oct 4. I still haven't finished reading all the comic books that I bought at the last Capicon but it was fun browsing through the back issue bins. Who knows what I might find.

Comic Book Notes (LJ) Sep 2003

09/01/03

I also bought some comics at Closet of Comics this weekend: a few issues of JLA, a couple of Zero Girl: Full Circle (by the incomparable Sam Keith), and an issue of The Goon. I started in on Zero Girl: Full Circle, but haven't touched the other yet. I did finally get around to reading the first issue of Dark Angel. It looks good. I think I'm going to enjoy it.

I've also been thinking more about buying comics for resale. I've been thinking about trying to collect a couple of extra sets of 1602 and Thanos, among others. Things that I'm keeping my eye on in the future: Superman by Jim Lee, the Elseworlds series that will be coming out next year, and John Byrne's upcoming run on JLA.

09/03/03

I wasn't planing on it, but I found some good deals on some John Byrne comics and I ended up bidding on them. I won a couple of issues of X-men, at a pretty good discount to price guide value. They are also autographed by John Byrne, so I figure that should add something to the PG value. How much? I'm not sure.

I also finally received the issue of Power of the Atom and Sword of the Atom (that I bought through eBay) today. They're not in great shape (VG to FN) but I didn't pay much for them ($5.50 for 13 comics including S&H) and they are good reading material.

I'm kicking myself now about not bidding higher on that John Byrne piece that I had the high bid on last week. I don't know how high I would have had to go, but it was a nice piece, and given how much some of the original artwork sells for, I think it would have been a bargain even if I had to spend $200 for it.

09/06/03

I went to the Small Press Expo today. I worked at the front door for a few hours and then got to walk around. The funniest moment had to be when one of the exhibitors told me that most of the stuff on display was schlock. Not his words exactly, but he said something like that. It really cracked me up. I ended up buying a few books. I spent about ten or fifteen dollars altogether, not counting the three dollars I paid to park.

It was an interesting experience. I can go back tomorrow, but unless there is a panel that really interests me I think that I'll pass. I have my cousin's rehearsal dinner tomorrow night and I can't stay too late. The other interesting thing that happened to me is that I ran into a former co-worker who is now trying to break into the business as an artist. He didn't have any comics complete, as of yet.

Back to the funny comment, I had to agree with the exhibitor who said most of it was schlock. A lot of it is schlock. A lot of it just doesn't appeal to me. Two things did jump out at me and I bought them. If they turn out to be as good as I thought I just may buy some more issues.

...

More Thoughts on SPX

It was a bit of sensory overload for me. Yeah, that about sums it up. I wasn't sure what to expect. There was a lot of diversity among the exhibitors. It went from the larger publishing houses that aren't quite mainstream to the people who draw and publish their own comics. There was some very professional looking work there are some real crap.

Why were people there? I mean the exhibitors? Good question. I think that there are several answers to that one. I think that the more established comic book creators and publishers were there to spread the word, make some sales, connect with the fans, etc. For the most part they didn't seem quite so desperate to sell to me or to get me to look at their stuff. Then there were the people who have had some success and I think are trying to broaden their base. Finally, and I think most of the folks fall into this category, there are the people are there either because they are trying to break into the business or because it is what they like to do. The chances of them making it big are probably slim. I think some people were there just to socialize. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not me.

One reason why I like to shop online and why I don't like to shop in comic book stores too much is that I like the privacy of being able to buy things without someone looking over my shoulder. As crowded as it was yesterday that was definitely not a possibility. I started out (browsing) with the feeling that everyone deserves an opportunity. I did not realize how much crap their would be there. As I said in my last post I found a couple things that looked interesting, but aside from that it was an educational experience.

09/11/03

When I got home I found the issues of X-Men Hidden Years that I purchased through eBay on Monday had arrived. That was fast. They were all in NM to Mint condition and didn't cost me much at all, less than $1 an issue. I am even happier. I also managed to get through the day without bidding on any new items, although there are a few that I have my eye on. My monthly shipment of comics from Mile High Comics' subscription service should be here any day now.

I started reading Lab Rats last night. I recently bought issues 1 - 6 through eBay. Pretty good story, although it does remind me of Next Men in some ways. I also read issue 14 of Negation and issue 81 of JLA. I wasn't too impressed by the plotting in JLA. On the whole I find the writing to be kind of hit or miss. I also like the artwork that the regular team does. Issues 80 - 82 have a guest penciller filling in. The issue of Negation was awesome. I loved it. I'm glad that I finally broke down and bought the issues I was missing instead of waiting for the trade paperback.

09/13/03

I've managed to not bid (successfully) on any items since Wednesday, or was it Thursday? I did bid on a very nice piece of Sam Keith artwork from the Wolverine story he did with Peter David in Marvel Comics Presents back in the early 90's. The top bid was $350, and the reserve had not been met yet. I put in a bid of $400, but was outbid immediately. Oh yeah, and the reserve has still not been met yet. According to the seller it is worth between $800 and $1200. I wonder what he has the reserve set at. I really like it.

I finally got my piece of original Paul Pelletier artwork that I won a little over two weeks ago. It is from an issue of Flash. Now I want to get a copy or two of that issue and get it mounted with the cover, page from the comic and the original artwork altogether. It should make a nice set. I've thought about buying another of his original pieces that is for sale on CrossGen's web site. They have some as low as $50, but not a big selection.

09/16/03

Um, I know there has to be something else, but I cannot think of it. I finally got my monthly shipment from Mile High. The Superman & Batman Generations 2 TPB was in there. I've already started in on it. I've been collecting G3, but wanted to wait until after I read G2 before starting in on it.

09/24/03

I finally got back to some comic book reading with Negation # 17, which unfortunately is not penciled by Paul Pelletier. I picked up issue 21 over the weekend. I also put in my order with Mile High for November comics. Thankfully there were not as many hardcovers and trade paperbacks that caught by eye this month as did last. Those higher priced items really add up fast.

I put in a couple bids on John Byrne art pieces on eBay today. Both auctions end tonight. I got outbid on one, but still have the high bid on the other.

09/27/03

I read a couple comic books (Mark of Charon # 2, JLA # 84). I also read an issue from the 2nd TPB collection of Walt Simonson's work on Thor from the mid-80's. I'm not wild about the art, but the writing I really like. The dialogue comes off as authentic and Simonson does a good job of mixing elemernts of the Norse mythos and the Marvel Universe.