Back in town, and leaving again... but with comics on the agenda.

Vacation was, on paper, a bust. The weather in Cape May certainly wasn't idyllic--the only time we saw blue sky and sun was on the day we left. Despite all that, it felt good to get away from work, but also comics and the comics internet--I didn't actually realize how invested I get in this whole culture and experience until I was away from it. Because of the meteorological funk going on last week, we didn't do much more than shopping (save for one trip to a cute little zoo in the area). Well, let's say that Beth did some shopping, and I tagged along--the only thing I bought was Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan's Sinatra: The Life, which has thusfar been underwhelming--most of the biographical and historical elements are interesting enough, but there's perhaps an overemphasis on making the case for Sinatra's mafia ties (going as far back to the neighborhood his paternal grandfather lived in for evidence), and the writing is fairly static. We've yet to get our vacation photos developed, so you've been spared that special kind of boredom (I forget what we took pictures of, but there's a good chance the reaction would be "Oh, look. There's a building. In the rain" for at least one roll of film).

It feels strange to be back, and even more strange to be preparing for another trip so soon after my last. At least this one is comics related, though--I'll be making another Saturday-only trip to the MoCCA Art Festival, where I'll hopefully run into some other bloggers/columnists/reviewers/fans and buy some great comics. I don't think I'll have the same fiscal freedom to spend willynilly that I did the last time I hit the show because of our reliance on shopping as entertainment on our trip to the shore, so I'm really going to have to work on the not-buying-everything thing from which I tend to suffer.

MoCCA's one of my two favorite shows I've been to, which isn't saying much considering I've only attended four comics-related shows. It's got a different vibe from SPX, the other convention I adore. Myatt Murphy convinced me to go a few years ago by describing the Art Festival as a comics convention filtered through an art gallery, and in a way I think he's right. While a lot of that feeling comes from the types of comics represented at the show and the lack of retailer presence, the venue itself has to be taken into consideration. As much fun as a show like SPX is, it's still set in a Holiday Inn; however, the MoCCA Art Festival resides in the Puck Building, a gorgeous, glorious venue dating back to the late 1800s. When I signed up to volunteer last year, I did so thinking I'd just get free admission, a pretty t-shirt and a chance to make early contact with a few of the exhibitors, but between busting my ass at seven in the morning hauling tables and struggling with squeaky handcarts, I got a chance to get educated on some of the building's unique aspects from one of the guys who worked at the facility. As we chatted in the ancient, slow-moving elevator, he filled me in (passionately, I might add--how many of us wax poetic on the buildings we work in?) on how much of the glass in the room the Harvey Awards would take place in1 dates back about a hundred years, and how if you really look at the glass, you can see how different the craftsmanship was back then--despite the imperfections, it's incredibly durable. The environment certainly affects the feel of the show, to some extent--it's not that it adds an air of respectability or cultural awareness, but it does add a bit of gravity--it makes for a more "serious" show.

As for the show itself, there's a lot for an independent and small press fan--almost so much as to be overwhelming. Many publishers of quality comics will be attending. I think I'll be starting off the day at the Fantagraphics table before the show opens, helping Eric Reynolds lug boxes if he still needs a hand (oh, and Fantagraphics now has its own blog that will probably be interesting to watch). After that, I plan on spending some time at the AdHouse table (and finally getting to meet Chris Pitzer after a bunch of near misses), catching up with Jeff Mason and his gang of cartoonists at the Alternative Comics table, scanning over the Meathaus table looking for new things from Brandon Graham, Jim Campbell and others, checking out what Drawn & Quarterly and Top Shelf are offering that I might have missed, and taking a look at the rest if there's time and money left.

Books debuting at MOCCA (all information taken from The Comics Journal message board, but there wasn't a lot in that thread, and some might not technically be debuts at all):

• Christina and Charles - Austin English (Sparkplug Comic Books)
• Through Prehensile Eyes - Robert Williams (Last Gasp)
• Pure Trance - Junko Mizuno (Last Gasp)
• Skyscrapers of the Midwest - Josh Cotter (AdHouse)
• Pilgrimage - Neil Kleid (Rant Comics

I know The Beat has already asked folks to say what they're debuting at MoCCA, so watch MacDonald's space for more updates in that regard--she'll get a ton more responses than I will, and more people will read them, so yay indy comics all around, I say.

Going through the list of exhibitors is daunting as all get out. Here's who and what I may be checking out.2 Jessica Abel will be there, for one. For the fans of classic comics or expanding Earth theories among us, so will Neal Adams, on a limited schedule. Kyle Baker be there again (and on Saturday this year, which means I can finally meet him in person!). On the bright side, Tom Beland will be there, as will Gabrielle Bell, whose When I'm Old and Other Stories is one of those books I keep pushing on people (often to positive reactions). Charles Burns, one of my all-time favorite cartoonists, will be there (if he was there last year, I missed him). Pop Gun War creator (and soon to be Omega The Unknown artist) Farel Dalrymple is exhibiting, and I think his line may get a boost from his upcoming work with Jonathan Lethem on that Omega book. Someone I know more online than I do by real life or by his work is Brandon Hanvey, making his first MoCCA appearance with his the stereos comic (it's also his and his wife's honeymoon adventure, so spend crazy buckets of cash with him, if you come bearing crazy buckets of cash). Most of the House of Twelve group will be there, including Adam Suerte, who does that Aprendiz comic I'm so fond of. Fucking James Jean will be there--I mean, shit! How can you not be excited about that? I already noted that Neil Kleid will be there, but I'm saying it again. An old friend of mine from high school, Richard Mammana, may be coming to meet up with me (he and I reconnected over comics--I want to say it was Louis Riel, but I can't remember), and I think some of Peter Kuper's work would be up his alley. I really enjoyed Pat Lewis's minicomics (and still need to do brief reviews of them, as well as the rest of the Pittsburgh stash), so I'll swing by his table. Jim Mahfood (whose recent Felt: True Tales of Underground Hip Hop really knocked my boxers off), which means--if funds permit--I can buy more of his Stupid Comics for my little brother, who liked the one I bought him last year on a lark. I think I might owe Jim Rugg money (stupid story, not worth getting into), but I won't be avoiding his table because of it. I know Kevin will be psyched to see James Sturm there (yes, I'm guilt-tripping you to come, in case you've changed your mind). And I owe Robert Ullman a review of his Lunch Hour Comix (which I'll hopefully have done by the Art Festival, but I've been saying I'd get on these reviews for months).

I probably won't hit any of the panels, but not for a lack of interest--as I'm only there one day, I can only fit so much into six hours. Also, the one I'd most like to see (the conversation between Daniel Clowes and Jonathan Lethem) happens on Sunday, and I'll already be back in the bowels of central Pennsylvania by then.

That's my self-indulgent list of some of the things I'm looking forward to for the MoCCA Art Festival, but I'm more excited to see friends and associates old and new, and to just get into the great feeling the show tends to inspire. Sadly, I won't be able to stay after the show--it's the weekend before my brother-in-law's wedding, and the bachelor party is that Saturday night.3 If you plan on going, and want to chat for a few minutes or sit outside smoking on the Puck Building stairs, let me know, because MoCCA is as much about the people as it is about the comics, and I'm all about both.



1. The Puck Building website points something out I didn't notice while I was there--the Skylight Ballroom is also featured in When Harry Met Sally.
2. The statements contained within this document are considered "forward-looking statements" and may not reflect upon the actual future performance of Ed Cunard or his silly blog thing.
3. This may, in fact, be the only time I would get in trouble with my wife for not going to see strippers and drink beer. So it's not all bad.