Stumptown Comics Fest!!
On Sunday, I attended the local comics festival, which was absolutely awesome. And I spent a wee bit more than I probably should have... But it all went to support local artists, so that's good, right? Oh, and Portland has an incredible amount of local artistic talent - I'm beginning to think it is something in the water or the air here, seriously! I went to the fest because I knew two comics artists whose work I follow would be there, and then I found a half dozen other artists whose work I follow were also there - not only that, they all live in the Portland area!! It was like hitting the jackpot. Except BETTER.
My one regret is that I missed out on the signing session with Jeff Smith, author of Bone. If you have not read Bone, get thee to a library and check it out! It was one of the first comics I ever read (it was included in the Disney Adventures magazines waaaay back in the day), and is the reason I continue to love comics to this day. Also, it has everything. I know people try to claim that about a vast number of novels, movies, or comics, but this is one case where it's TRUE. And the artwork is top notch. At first glance, I think people take it as a 'just for kids' type of comic, but it's honestly all-ages - it doesn't play down to kids or play up to adults. It just is.
I did get to the Craig Thompson signing, which was cool. He is most well known for his graphic novel, Blankets, a story of self-identity, obsession, and first love with a charmingly sketchy art style. Also, I highly recommend it, if you're in the mood for something contemplative. He signed and drew a sketch of the character Raina on the title page. I turned incredibly shy, and had difficulty making eye contact, I'm sorry to say. Awesome people have that effect on me.
A comic artist I've admired online for some time, Dylan Meconis, was there with her book of Bite Me!, her debut online comic collected into one volume. Bite Me! is what you would get if you mixed Anne Rice and A Tale of Two Cities, with a healthy dash of Looney Tunes. Every page is good for a laugh, or at least a chuckle. She also had commemorative wooden spoons, stickers, and buttons to accompany the book's launch. To see why a wooden spoon is an appropriate bonus item, you'll have to read the comic. The good news: it is free online! Here is the link: http://www.dylanmeconis.com/biteme/ Although, you should buy the book, too. In case you would like to read it again on an airplane or on a boat or something. It was so cool to meet her and talk to her about the comic (I've been reading since Chapter One.) She even drew a sketch of Luther on the title page for me! Squee!
Another favorite online comic strip of mine is Wondermark, which features black and white Victorian illustrations mixed together with comic results. Here is the link: http://wondermark.com/ Apparently, the artist/author of Wondermark, David Malki, is a local! As a fan, I could not resist picking up one volume of his collected strips, because they amuse me so - and, well, Bonus Content tempted me with its siren call. Why can I not resist the allure of silly Victorian-era parody? You can follow the comic online every Tuesday and Friday. He also had some excellent stickers for sale, which you can find in the online store, too. Mr. Malki was kind enough to sign the inside cover of Beards of Our Forefathers for me, in shiny silver ink against the black paper.
Besides meeting amazing talents, I also met a number of comics fans, who I got to chat with about the awesomeness of said local talent, what attracted us to comics as a medium, what we looked for in a good comic, etc. It was nice to chat with people who share a common interest - I've been alone so much lately, I'd forgotten how wonderful that can be. There was a fellow manning one of the comic shop booths that I had a particularly long conversation with about comics, and he even recommended a few titles for me to check out later.
So, my Sunday was full of meeting fantastically gifted people whose work I admire, people with a similar love of comics, and toting two bags full of goodies and an ear to ear grin on my face. The perfect way to spend a Sunday.
My one regret is that I missed out on the signing session with Jeff Smith, author of Bone. If you have not read Bone, get thee to a library and check it out! It was one of the first comics I ever read (it was included in the Disney Adventures magazines waaaay back in the day), and is the reason I continue to love comics to this day. Also, it has everything. I know people try to claim that about a vast number of novels, movies, or comics, but this is one case where it's TRUE. And the artwork is top notch. At first glance, I think people take it as a 'just for kids' type of comic, but it's honestly all-ages - it doesn't play down to kids or play up to adults. It just is.
I did get to the Craig Thompson signing, which was cool. He is most well known for his graphic novel, Blankets, a story of self-identity, obsession, and first love with a charmingly sketchy art style. Also, I highly recommend it, if you're in the mood for something contemplative. He signed and drew a sketch of the character Raina on the title page. I turned incredibly shy, and had difficulty making eye contact, I'm sorry to say. Awesome people have that effect on me.
A comic artist I've admired online for some time, Dylan Meconis, was there with her book of Bite Me!, her debut online comic collected into one volume. Bite Me! is what you would get if you mixed Anne Rice and A Tale of Two Cities, with a healthy dash of Looney Tunes. Every page is good for a laugh, or at least a chuckle. She also had commemorative wooden spoons, stickers, and buttons to accompany the book's launch. To see why a wooden spoon is an appropriate bonus item, you'll have to read the comic. The good news: it is free online! Here is the link: http://www.dylanmeconis.com/biteme/ Although, you should buy the book, too. In case you would like to read it again on an airplane or on a boat or something. It was so cool to meet her and talk to her about the comic (I've been reading since Chapter One.) She even drew a sketch of Luther on the title page for me! Squee!
Another favorite online comic strip of mine is Wondermark, which features black and white Victorian illustrations mixed together with comic results. Here is the link: http://wondermark.com/ Apparently, the artist/author of Wondermark, David Malki, is a local! As a fan, I could not resist picking up one volume of his collected strips, because they amuse me so - and, well, Bonus Content tempted me with its siren call. Why can I not resist the allure of silly Victorian-era parody? You can follow the comic online every Tuesday and Friday. He also had some excellent stickers for sale, which you can find in the online store, too. Mr. Malki was kind enough to sign the inside cover of Beards of Our Forefathers for me, in shiny silver ink against the black paper.
Besides meeting amazing talents, I also met a number of comics fans, who I got to chat with about the awesomeness of said local talent, what attracted us to comics as a medium, what we looked for in a good comic, etc. It was nice to chat with people who share a common interest - I've been alone so much lately, I'd forgotten how wonderful that can be. There was a fellow manning one of the comic shop booths that I had a particularly long conversation with about comics, and he even recommended a few titles for me to check out later.
So, my Sunday was full of meeting fantastically gifted people whose work I admire, people with a similar love of comics, and toting two bags full of goodies and an ear to ear grin on my face. The perfect way to spend a Sunday.