MoCCA: People to see, books to buy...

I like New York in June,
how about you?
I like a Gershwin tune,
how about you?
I love a fireside
when a storm is due.
I like potato chips,
moonlight and motor trips,
how about you?

…especially when the motor trips are to New York for the MoCCA Art Festival. Without a doubt, this is the comics-related thing I've been looking forward to the most each year. Like-minded nerds in Manhattan, gathering over comics and liquor--who could ask for anything more? I can't--not only for the great publishers and creators there, but the great people. I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend, chatting comics with friends and acquaintances old and new (and if you want to meet up for a moment, e-mail me by noonish Friday and let me know your plans, if we haven't already discussed meeting up).

If you're going, you've probably already seen the guest list and panel schedules, but, if you haven't, you've still got time.

Some things I'll be checking out, or things I think others should check out:

• Depending on what time I make it to the area, I'm hoping to hit up Rocketship's MoCCA preparty and Fantagraphics celebration:

This Friday Night, June 9th, 8 pm at ROCKETSHIP, join us as we kick off the MoCCA Art Festival weekend! This is going to be quite a night, with some excellent things going on:
* The CARTOON L.A. gallery show, which will feature original works by Jordan Crane, Jaime Hernandez, Johnny Ryan, and Sten Weissman.
* A book signing, premiering CHEWING GUM IN CHURCH by Steven Weissman, UPTIGHT by Jordan Crane, and THE SQUIRREL MOTHER by Megan Kelso. These fine cartoonists will be on hand signing these fine books.
* Fantagraphics 30th Birthday! Have a round of drinks on us, and celebrate the birthday of these lovely publishers of quality graphic periodicals!
* Musical entertainment by DJ ILL PANTIES.

Start the weekend off right! Stop by ROCKETSHIP and check out some amazing artwork by some of L.A.'s top cartoonists! Get some incredible new books signed! It's June already! Time to start enjoying yourself!

You deserve it!

(ROCKETSHIP is located at 208 Smith Street, between Butler and Baltic, in the Borough of Kings, Brooklyn. You can take the F train to Bergen Street for easy subway access.

• New publisher and blogosphere darling First Second will be there. I've already reviewed Deogratias (which I recommend highly), and I'm looking forward to picking up Eddie Campbell's Fate of the Artist and Joann Sfar's Vampire Loves.

• AdHouse will be there as well--highly recommended are the Project series (Project: Telstar and Project: Superior are out, and Project: Romantic--one of the books I'm looking forward to most this year--is due out soon) and The Collected Sequential. I'll probably be picking up Salamander Dream--I'm not sure why I haven't bought that one yet. AdHouse will also have the new Skyscrapers of the Midwest there, too, so stop by--Chris Pitzer's a hell of a guy to chat with.

• Where goes Fantagraphics, so go I, as that's where I'll be most of the weekend--let me sling comics at you, particularly if you haven't checked out the Mome anthology or Tales Designed To Thrizzle yet.

• Meathaus will be there, too. According to their site, Meathaus #8 isn't ready yet, but other Meathaus anthologies should be, and Farel Dalrymple and others will be at the table. They're also hosting one of the afterparties:

SATURDAY JUNE 10th: MOCCA PARTY!!
++a free& public afterparty for the small press indoe comic dudes unwinding after sitting behind a convention table all day nervously wondering what you think of their comic and whether or not it sucks. PERFORMANCES BY comic book legends JEFF & JACK LEWIS (rough trade) and the animated-enough SOILED MATTRESS AND THE SPRINGS!!free Macau beer from 8 to 9!

• Each year, checking out the "real" publisher tables gets more and more exciting--this year, I think the heavy buzz of the show might concentrate around the Houghton Mifflin and Pantheon tables.

• I can't sing the praises of Ryan Dunlavy and Fred Van Lente's Action Philosphers--it's probably my favorite new series of the past year. They'll both be there, along with the mini-trade of the first three issues of the title--that's funny stories of nine philosophers for $6.95.

• Jessica Abel and Matt Madden will be there, so if you haven't picked up the new editions of Abel's stuff yet, here's a great chance. Also, Madden's 99 Ways To Tell A Story is really worth checking out if you, like me, are the kind of reader who likes explorations in form--the book really shows how much craft goes towards making even the most banal story engaging. Highly recommended (it's on my review pile, but that pile is big and daunting).

• Keith Knight is back again. Check out the link to see what Knight brings to the table (or, take my word for the fact that he brings awesome to the table, and give him your money).

• If minicomics are what you're after, check out Pittsburgh's own Pat Lewis. Last year, I think the book I most often recommended to people was Lewis's Hideous: A Monster Romance, which is appealing whether you love or loathe the Jeffrey Brown stuff he's parodying.

• I'm not sure, but I think the MoCCA Art Festival is Jim Mahfood's only East Coast appearance of the year. If you love hip hop (and underground hip hop in particular), Mahfood's Felt is right up your alley. Mahfood's also one of the artists who sells original art at the show--depending on what I have left over Sunday, I may buy something to frame for the new house (they're pouring concrete as I type this).

• You'll probably be stopping by Bryan Lee O'Malley's table anyway. All the cool kids are, you know. Well, the cool kids, and nerds like Kevin and me.

• Speaking of Kevin, his interview with Brian Wood is now up at the Graphic Language blog. Wood will also be at MoCCA, along with Ryan Kelley, selling Local, Supermarket and other books.

• All three issues of Aprendiz, Adam Suerte's self-published autiobiographical series focusing on his tattooing apprenticeship, will be there at Suerte's table--visually, the book is a perfect blend of tattooing iconography and DIY comics aesthetic, and the subject matter is one of those things that hits my nerd buttons the right way.

• Neil Kleid isn't listed on the exhibitor list, but I know he'll be bouncing back and forth between the NBM and House of Twelve tables hawking his wares--I'll finally get the chance to pick up Brownsville, Kleid's story of early 20th century Jewish gangsters.

That's just the tip of the iceberg, to finish off this hype-fueled post with a final cliche. Really, there's something at the show for just about everyone who loves comics, and everyone who is about to fall in love with the medium for the first time. I'll be driving Route 80 and singing all the way Friday, guaranteed:

I'm mad for comic books,
can't get my fill,
and Gary Panter's looks
give me a thrill...