Watchmen and Ninja Sketchbooks: SPX 2009

SPX came and went, and you know what that means: WATCHMEN SKETCHES! Along with a few new (tanfastic!) additions to the book, I also nabbed a couple fresh sketches for my tiny ninja sketchbook. I didn't grab tooo many just cause there were so damn many new, cool books to grab, so I spent most of my time shopping. Plus, at least 2 people declined to do a sketch, so that slowed me down a bit. In hindsight, I wish I'd gotten more, but HEY: that just leaves more to get in the future.

You can check out previous Watchmen sketches here, here and here and previous ninja sketches here. I really need to get a flickr account for these things like Sean has for his Bowie book, David has for his Calvin and Hobbes book, Sam has for her monster book and Matt has for his Saturday Morning Cartoons book. Maybe later. Here goes:

Lisa Hanawalt was signing at the Buenaventura table in support of her new book I Want You. When I asked her if she was doing sketches, she smirked and said, "Sure." Then i told her I had a Watchmen sketchbook and felt like the biggest dork in the world when she said, "Oh, man. I hate Watchmen." I told her in a rushed apology that she didn't have to do one and that she could maybe draw something in my ninja sketchbook if she'd prefer, but she already had my book in her hands and said, with a smile, "No no, I love drawing things I don't like." Right away, she turned to the final, apocalyptic scene of the book and asked if anybody had drawn the octopus monster. I told her no and was happy to get the following perfect sketch from her. Her art is mesmerizing:

ABOVE:LISA HANAWALT

One of the main reasons I went to SPX was to meet up with Jeffrey Brown and grab a commission I bought from him. He was kind enough to bring it with him on his trip to the show, and since he's been at the top of my "Get List" since I started this book, I went ahead and asked him for a Watchmen sketch. He totally knocked this BEAUTIFUL strip out for me while waiting for the show doors to open on Sunday morning. I was so smitten that I forgot to ask if he wanted any dough for it, and when I went back to ask, he said no (HOW RAD IS HE?!). This is also the first time anyone's incorporated me into the art, which I think is fitting considering Jeffrey's line of books. Lastly please pay close attention to where the sound effect is coming from in panel 2 and the Frank-Quitely-in-Batman-and Robin sound effect/scene incorporation in that same panel.
If I were still in 6th grade and this sketch was the girl in front of me in English class, I'd totally pass it an "I love you" note and save the best X-Men Valentine in the box for it this February:

ABOVE: JEFFREY BROWN

Next! Well, uh... I FINALLY got a sketch from the mad-talented Dustin Harbin, and like the Tom Neely sketch I got at San Diego this year, I just can't post it for fear of ticking off the wrong people. Needless to say, it fulfilled all the dreams I had of getting a Watchmen sketch from Dustin and he was a totally awesome homeboy, so next time you see me with my book, remind me to show you. XOXO, Dustin. All night long.

NINJA TIME!

So, I haven't appropriately displayed my Ninja Sketchbook up to this point, so expect a more full-fledged posting at a later date. In the meantime, here's what I got at the show.

I've wanted to get as many CCS grads as possible in this book, so I broke into that goal with this introspective sketch from James Hindle:

ABOVE: JAMES HINDLE

And you all know I have a crush on JP Coovert's art. Luckily, James passed my book on to JP after he finished and JP knocked out this cartoony beauty:

ABOVE: JP COOVERT

Life is good.

SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON: WATCHMEN SKETCHBOOK

If you were the San Diego Comic-Con, I'd have walked all over you last week and you'd have given me some beautiful babies.

And by "babies" I mean "sketches to add to my Watchmen book." I'm too young to have a human baby.

So while I worked my buns off at the show sweating like an oldie sweating to the oldies, I wrote a tentative to-see list of creators to run around to in the few free minutes I found here and there.

MATT FURIE

The first sketch I got at the show and I found Furie by accident! Furie's the guy I was most stoked to see for three reasons. For starters, I didn't know he was gonna be at the show (specifically the Buenaventura booth), so to get to finally meet him was a treat! And he was wearing a Superman outfit (I didn't take a pic...)! The next reason is that he brought along with him a spanking new issue of Boys Club, a book I happened upon by chance in the Sparkplug booth at Comic-Con in 2006, the first (and only other) Comic-Con I ever went to. And lastly, I was anxious to see what he might do in my Watchmen book. So here you have it: My first Owl Ship drawing with a twist of Furie's humor. And he drew in a gray pen, so it's light for a reason. Munch on it.

JOHNNY RYAN

Hoo-Boy. Johnny Ryan DOES NOT look like I pictured him. He's a tall, handsome dude who's well-spoken. I mean, look at any of his books, and you'll know why I was surprised. That makes it all the more funny that when I handed him the book and asked if he wanted the Watchmen paperback for reference, he smirked and said, "Nah, I know what I want to draw." Guess what? I knew what he was gonna draw, too. And here it is.
When he was done, Johnny asked how to spell my name so he could autograph it. I showed him my ID tag and said "R-I-C-K-E-Y" but he left the E off. I like to think that was on purpose and a little joke between the two of us. Johnny gave me the heads up that his new book Prison Pit was on sale down at the Fantagraphics table, so I raced down there and snapped that little bastard up. A non-stop fight scene in a barbaric, almost alien land drawn by Johnny Ryan? Uh, yes please. And hey. If some kid asked me to draw Rorschach, I'd have done the same thing Johnny did here with the mask. It's the air-humping that makes it a Johnny Ryan masterpiece. Recognize.

ESTHER PEARL WATSON

A little while after finding Johnny Ryan, I realized Jordan Crane had a little booth of prints right next to Buenaventura! While I waited for Jordan to finish signing someone's print to ask if I could have a sketch, I realized he was sharing a table with a few other cartoonist; namely Esther Pearl Watson! Her book Unlovable had me cracking up in the store when I first saw it, and I bought it right then and there. Finding her randomly was so cool, and when I asked if she'd do a sketch for me, she knocked out this Laurie Juspeczyk piece! Lookit that smeared eyeshadow and sad sack feeeeeeel! Gah! And iirc, Esther said she never read the book, so she flipped through the trade and randomly found this image to do. FATE!

MARK TODD

Also standing with Jordan Crane was cartoonist Mark Todd, whose minicomic BadAsses I found on accident in one of New York City's Giant Robot stores while searching for a copy of Don't Go Where I can't Follow. Giant Robot luckily had Todd's book of illustrated bad asses and I was happy to buy it. He said he was excited to do Nite Owl cause he liked the costume. I love how cold and nervously sweaty he is here!

JORDAN CRANE

I never heard about Jordan Crane til my bff Sean showed me a copy of The Last Lonely Saturday and shit was over after that. I've been buying his stuff whenever something comes out, so to get a sketch was REALLY cool of him. He went the Alan Moore route, but his well-placed fine lines pop. I felt bad, though, because after I handed the book to Jordan, he seemed a little perplexed by what he should draw. I kinda felt like a friend at karaoke making another friend get on stage when they didn't want to. So, thankey, Jordan!
And I'd like to shout out Johnny Ryan here again. While waiting for my book back from Crane, Johnny came over and talked to me about this book from Picturebox and said I NEED to buy it as soon as I got home. I haven't yet, but from what I see, it looks hilarious. You go. Look now.

JEFF SMITH

Boo-yah! I've wanted to meet Jeff Smith for a long time. So I saw he was signing at his booth across from the DC booth and ran over when his low-key signing began. I was in line behind a group of about 6 little girls (yay!) all of whom had their moms buy them Bone books (YAY!) and only 2 people were behind me the whole time, so when I got to the front of the line, I nervously shook his hand and was relieved to find that he was a pretty down-to-Earth guy. He has a hand brace on from all the work he did to finish Bone near the end, which is terrible to hear, but he still cracked out this Fone Bone-as-Rorschach sketch. My belly was doing flips watching him draw in my book. And I have a little beer belly, so it felt weird. YAY!

FABIO MOON

At last year's SDCC, Sean interviewed Moon and his brother Gabriel Ba and they came across sooooo excited about comics that I got more excited about their work. That's why it was such a pleasure to meet Moon this year. He seemed a little tired by the time I got to him, but he mentioned he couldn't wait to get back to Brazil where he lives to start drawing comics again. Gotta love that. And you gotta love his sci-fi (G-rated) Dr. Manhattan.

GABRIEL BA

My second Owl Ship ever and both at the same show! Ba's showcases his use of shadow to communicate texture while the clouds imply a soft, floating feeling. It fucking rocks. You can hear it humming overhead.

DEREK KIRK KIM

Ohhhh shit. I was literally running to the restroom when I spotted Derek sketching for donations for the Cartoon Art Museum. I stopped and asked if he'd do something in my sketchbook and, smiling all the time, he said "Absolutely." I'm a NUT for Derek's work, and I've found myself selfishly frustrated he doesn't have more new work available for me to devour every few minutes of the day. It took me so long to hunt down Same Difference and Other Stories and I must've read it now about 4 times. If you like the way Adrian Tomine's comics focus on human emotions colliding in life, you'll love Derek's work. And it's not always as cartoon-y as his Nite Owl here. THOUGH I LOVE THIS, TOO! When Derek was flipping through the paperback, he said, "I want to do Nite Owl; I love how he's so chubby like a real guy trying to be a hero would be."

TOM NEELY

Tom Neely is one of the absolutely most talented cartoonists working today when it comes to evoking a sense of mood - specifically terror and dread. That said, he drew one of my favorite pieces of the con, and it is so utterly filthy that I can't show it online without probably getting fired. NSFW isn't the right tag for this thing. It's prolly illegal in 10 states and Canada. When I walked up to get the piece, he smiled and said, "Here you go, man. You may regret asking me to draw," and I said, "No no, I'm excited," and I couldn't hold in my audible gasp. I showed it to one DC employee and he literally exploded. I showed it to a baby and it immediately aged into an old man. I showed it to a dog and she turned into a banana. Shit's epic. So if you want to see this thing, come find me at a show. I'll show you. Otherwise, high-five, Tom Neely. You made me blush.

TRAVIS CHAREST

My most mainstream sketch is also the sketch I never thought I'd get in my life. Finding Travis Charest at a show is like sitting through the movie The Notebook without crying - it just doesn't happen. So during a break while heading over to the Marvel booth to see Ben, imagine how surprised I was to see Charest signing at their booth, just sitting there, no one asking him for a sketch. There was a bit of a line, but everybody was waiting for Steve Epting and a couple other guys sitting ahead of Charest. And Charest didn't have a name plate out or anything, so people genuinely had no idea who he was. My bff David can't get enough of Charest, and David was the guy who made me get off my ass and ask creators for theme sketches, so I said "balls it" and went up to the line. That's when Ben came over and used his menacing Marvel abilities to get me a sketch. I won't tell you how it happened, but it did. And hard. And fast. And here it is. Calm down.

NATHAN FOX

I JUST missed Nathan at New York Comic Con this year when I asked late on Sunday if he'd do a sketch in my book, so I wanted to try and grab him in San Diego at the Dark Horse booth where he was signing for his book Pigeons from Hell. The guy has a slouched, moody, heavy style, and he busted this Roorschach out before having to leave for another signing. And the guy was kind enough to not punch me in the face when I declined to buy the trade and also get it signed by him (I already have Pigeons from Hell in trade!). So I had that going for me.

SAMMY HARKHAM

Sammy edits the Kramers Ergot series and writes/draws the book Crickets and I loooove his fine line style and slightly surreal stories about usually-dirty people. Like, "dirt and grime" dirty. It's like they just survived an action film. Sammy was scheduled for the Buenaventura booth earlier in the trip, but he didn't show up at the posted signings, so I assumed he wasn't gonna make it. Needless to say, like Matt Furie and most of the other people on this post, I couldn't believe I might get a sketch from him. So while walking back to the Buenaventura booth to grab an extra copy of Boys Club #3 for a friend, I spotted Sammy! He gladly did a sketch for me (a straight panel recreation from the book) and it looks glorious. Do yourself a favor and grab a copy of the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror issue Sammy is editing like a mini-Kramers Ergot this year. YOU NEED THIS. Now I want more superhero stuff drawn by Sammy...

ROSS CAMPBELL

The penultimate guy on my get list this year was Ross Campbell. His book The Abandoned blew my fucking mind with it's vision of a dirty south setting overrun by zombies and the emotions terror like that can gurgle up in a person. When I told him I had the book, he said he was just telling someone he hated theme books, but happily sketched out this Bubastis, the feline companion to Ozymandias. You can see Ross' plump design peeking out of the cat's eyes and it's the first time someone has drawn the creature, so I was stoked. I may have to eventually hit him back up for an unmasked, snarling Rorschach one day.

GUYS I MISSED

Like I said, it was a busy weekend, so there wasn't much time to gather sketches even though I think I got more at this show than any other single show. But that's cause I was at this show for 4 days and not 1 like usual. I missed a batch of folks I'd have loved to get like Xaime Hernandez (he said, "maybe later" at one point, and when I came back later, he said "characters who are not mine are $60" and I don't have $60), Vasilis Lolos, Roger Langridge (Ben got one!), Rafael Grampa, Dave Gibbons, Cory Walker, and James Jean. I actually had a ticket to be in line for James' signing at Chronicle Books, but by the time my place in line got close, I had to be back at the book. No big. I'm sure one day it will work out.
The guy I was most bummed about not getting was Lewis Trondheim. I actually tracked him down at the NBM table, but his signing started something like an hour and a half late, and I had to go back to the DC booth, so I missed him. Then I accidentally found him at Fantagraphics signing one day and I was so excited! I could finally get one! See, Trondheim's story in Mome about where creativity comes from and what happens to cartoonists as they age really kind of opened my eyes to some ideas about comics. So I went out and started buying up all the books of his I could find including single issues of his series Nimrod from Fantagraphics and several of his First Second books. He was the one guy at the show I wanted to get more than anybody else cause he never comes to the states. Well...
I walked up and no one was in his line and I asked if he'd do a sketch for me. He flatly said, "no" and then said, "I only draw my characters in my book if you buy it." He had a rough accent, so I didn't take his brief answer as offensive, but I looked around kind of hurt and looked back and said, "But...I have all of your books at home. I'm a big fan. I love what you did in Mome." And then a talent who was sitting next to him who was also signing said, "Well, buy another book," in a joke-y tone. They both kind of sat back in their chairs looking at me from across the table. I felt like bullies in school were making me dance with my pants off to hang out with them. I looked around, but I owned all the Fantagraphics books on display. So I just sort of shrugged my shoulders in defeat and awkward nervousness and said it was nice to meet him anyways and walked away. I didn't even talk to him about how much I loved the Mome story!
Sure, he doesn't know if I own all his books. And sure, I could just be some guy planning on selling his sketch. And sure, asking fucking Lewis Trondheim to draw a Watchmen character is probably stupid and beneath him and, jeez, he may not even know what the shit Watchmen is. And sure, the risk of asking a creator to sketch a character that isn't theirs is even with the risk that a creator will say no to that request because it's their obvious right to say no. But I still kind of felt like...well...Lewis Trondheim doesn't give a dump about me. Kinda sucked in a bodyslammingly humbling way.

Anyhoo, I got PLENTY of other bodacious sketches and if I never get a Trondheim then, eh, fuck it. Everybody else was boss enough to give their time and talent to a goober like me. Good on them!

Now get ready for a few other posts from mine (and Ben and Kiel's) experience at the show in the next few days! Balls!

My MoCCA 2009

Oh, man, it's been a while since I last posted.

But screw all that noise, cause I'm back with a report on my adventures at MoCCA 2009!

The show was hosted at the 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan this year instead of the Puck Building as it had been in the past. It was easy to find and after a coffee at Penn Station and a quick stop at the doggie park in Madison Square Park, my girlfriend and I arrived at 11:15 because doors were supposed to open at 11. But there was some sort of mix-up and we had to stand in a line that wrapped the entire block! We stayed in the sun until we got in at 12:15! Blah.

But while in line, we were joined by our great friends Sean T. Collins and Kiel Phegley! Kiel made the trip in from Chicago specifically for the show, too. We got inside and they only charged us $5 instead of $10 because of the wait. Which was nice.

The inside of the armory has this MASSIVE arc-ceiling arena that reminded me of the kinds of civic centers made out of wood I grew up with in Oklahoma where 4H shows and rodeos took place. Imagine the court the team played on in Hoosiers. You get it.

PANORAMIC VIEW FROM ENTRANCE

Bazookas in display cases and mosaics of old American military battles were spread across the venue and it was fun randomly spotting men in Army fatigues slowly creeping through the crowd with bewildered looks on their faces as they came out of their offices to check out the show. Otherwise, it was comics comics COMICS! MoCCA has always been the show that reminded me most why I love comics and this year was the same. And despite the complete LACK of air conditioning or any semblance of a breeze inside the building, I happily hunted down new books and additions to my Watchmen sketchbook. I'd been saving for a LONG while to spend like I could. So, here's what I got:

FIRST PICTURE:

PICTURED:

• The MoCCA program - sports a beautiful cover by Molly Crabapple. And I didn't open it once.
• I finally found a copy of Jin & Jam #1 from Hellen Jo! I love the way she draws people like they're etched.
  
• Calvin & Hellen's Bogus Journey Instruction Booklet - Hellen also had copies of this mini that reads like one of those old booklets that came with Nintendo games where the weapons and enemies and stuff are all outlined with illustrations. Only this is for their new game (which they had on playable display at their table!).
• And I grabbed two of her postcards with her art on them because I am in love with them.

At the Buenaventura booth I snagged (also pictured above):

• Rumbling Chapter Two - the second part of the story Kevin Huizenga started in Or Else #5. I hope a #6 comes out...
• Mistakes We Made - new mini from Lisa Hanawalt that ends with a pretty BRAVE sketch if that is, indeed, her that she is sketching.
• It's Sexy When People Know Your Name - Little random sketchbook/humorous anecdotes collection from Lisa.

NEXT PICTURE:

WHAT YOU SEE:

• Snake Pit 2008 - I can't believe I didn't know this was coming out! I've been reading this diary comic as a mini for about 5 years. It's great to see it still coming out in book form. It's even better to see it when I didn't expect it!
• The nice ladies at the Microcosm booth where I bought Snake Pit gave me a sticker and their 2009 Publishing catalogue filled with neat stuff I now want. Dammit.
• Ten Thousand Things To Do #2 and #3 - Jesse Reklaw's diary comic keeps surprising me with its quality. I've never read his dream comics, but this stuff is GREAT.
• Pixu II - The second and final installment of the horror book by Becky Cloonan, Vasilis Lolos, Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon. yes yes YES! Dark Horse is collecting this self-published book sometime soon (I saw a proof copy on Becky's table) but since I bought issue #1, I figured I'd get issue #2 instead of the upcoming hardcover.
  
• Featherweight - a wordless little story about a snowman in danger from Jamil Mani who was there as part of the Swedish collective of artists at the show. It's pretty and I felt great buying a book from a guy who flew so far for people like me to see it.
• Phase 7 #14 - European roadtrip issue! Creator Alec Longstreth's beard has become epic, by the way.

NEXT NEXT NEXT:

One of my great pleasures at these shows is picking up what's new from the people who have graduated from CCS. This year, they were all clustered together for the most part against the back wall. So I grabbed:

• Prune Hands - It's the newest book from Mario van Buren, the man who brought you Girls Don't Poop. Mario's stories in The Marsh and a recent CCS anthology book were both pretty emotionally shocking/stunning and Girls Don't Poop was clever, so I'm psyched to read this and see where it goes. And dig that baby blue cover!
• Simple Routines #10 and #11 - Two new diary comics from JP Coovert! Once JP started knocking out minis with non-autobio stories, I thought the diary was gonna go away. I'm glad to see it's still kicking. And both these covers are thrilling in their simplicity.
• A Fall A Part - JP's story about his experience with his mother's cancer. From the creativity of the book's construction to the touching moments within the story itself, this is exciting to read as a fan of JP's because his work is just getting better and better.
  
• CCS Guide - Written and drawn by both Alex Longstreth and JP Coovert, this brochure is a fun read about the virtues of the school they both attended (Alec as a fellow; JP as a graduate) and it's in a nice family alongside this bad boy.
• Sundays Three - The newest edition of the CCS anthology is actually three tiny books bound together by a band instead of the over-sized gargantua the group did the past 2 years. It's screen-printed heaven with stellar work from everybody involved.
• Snake Oil #3 - Chuck McBuck does another issue filled with oddness and surreal, delicate lines. I picked the black cover.
• Food/Fall - Joe Lambert does another colorful cornucopia comic filled with fun. Please go check out his site.

AND ANOTHER:

PICTURED ABOVE:

• My girlfriend, Sam, bought some great stickers from Tara McPherson including a little vampire one for me.
• Crooked Teeth #4 - I accidentally discovered Nate Doyle while browsing the mini section of Jim Hanley's Universe in Manhattan one week. I nabbed issues #2 and #3 of this series that looks like a chunky cartoon version of Paul Pope and Nate Powell. I dunno why this guy doesn't have a full-length book from Oni or some other company. And when I asked if he had any issues of issue #1, he smiled and said, "No...issue #1 wasn't very good." I respect a self-evaluating dude.
• Crooked Teeth #4 print - When I complimented Nate on the screen-printing job done on the cover to Crooked Teeth #4, he said he had trouble the first go-round and the white didn't line up like he wanted. So he brought along the printed mis-haps and handed them out. It'll make a cool framed piece of art.
• Paul #1 - another new mini from Nate Doyle.
• Papercutter #9 and #10 - I love this little anthology! Greg Means, the editor of the book, described it to a friend of mine who asked him what it was as, "A book I put out filled with creators I like to read so that other people can read them, too."
  
• Bird Hurdler - Another anthology I grabbed from Greg Means that was FREE (!) and published by Tugboat Press, Spark Plug Comics and Teenage Dinosaur. Filled with great artists like Farel Dalrymple, Theo Ellsworth, some lady I've never heard of named Lisa Rosalie Elsenberg but whose art I now love, and many others. And this thing is FREE in an effort to spread the word about comics. Man...

LAST PICTURE:

ABOVE:

• The Mighty Skullboy Army #11: Skullboy's Nemesis Mod Dog - The newest from the mighty talented and clever Jacob Chabot!
• And Don't Forget the Droids / Only What You Take With You - Two new Star Wars fanbook anthologies from the people who brought you the cutey-puhtootie Harvest Is When I need You The Most! I had no idea these were out!
• The Mourning Star vol. 2 - ANOTHER book I had no idea was out. Alec Longstreth told me while I was at his table. Guh! The cover is so gorgeous! I can't wait to read this.
• Cooking with Food - This is the first book I bought at the show. It stars the creator Evan Palmer cooking cute foods with cute faces. And they don't want to be cooked.
  
• The Ashen Cat - Another book from Evan Palmer, this one, though, features more experimental graphic story-telling techniques than Cooking With Food and stars a cat on an adventure. Again, Nate Powell-esque.
• Kingwood Himself - This is the second book I bought. Creator Reynold Kissing introduces a weird world explored by a curious little girl.
  

And that's it as far as my bought items. Next it's my Watchmen Sketchbook additions!

SETH does Golden Age Nite Owl!

The first one I got was from the very talented (very dapper) creator Seth. Sam and I were doing our first walk of the floor when I spotted him at the Drawn & Quarterly table signing for only one fan. So I jumped right in line, asked him if he was doings sketches, and got this beauty from him. Usually it takes me hours before I gather the courage to ask for a sketch. Something about Seth made me comfortable jumping right in before I'd even made a single purchase. He actually wanted to do one of the Golden Age characters, so after flipping through my copy of the trade I bring for reference, I found the group shot of the Minutemen before The Comedian attacks Silk Spectre. He was polite and very friendly and talked about the virtues of moving to Canada (I'd mentioned I thought about moving there). He said something along the lines of "I sometimes think I want more in a place where I live, but then I realize where I am is all I'll need and I change my mind." I think that's actually pretty perfect coming from him.

Fun tidbit: Seth said he hadn't seen the movie and hasn't read the book since it came out in single issue comic form back in the '80s!

JACOB CHABOT does present Nite Owl!

I'm a big fan of Chabot's work and I see him at a lot of shows, so when I spotted him sitting at MoCCA, I decided to finally ask him if he could sketch for me. What I got back is probably the most dynamic piece anyone's done for me! And look at Nite Owl's belly! Chabot's another guy whose lack of mainstream work baffles me. And he's nice as crap to boot!

Fun tidbit: Chabot drew the wraparound story for the Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular miniseries that came out this year and featured my buddy Alejandro Arbona, who I happened to see at MoCCA this year!

TOM GAULD does Rorschach!!!

HOLY BUTT CRACKS! Tom Gauld isn't an artist I could never catch. He was at MoCCA a couple years ago while, say, Seth hasn't been to America in FOUR YEARS. Even still, he was at the top of my list of artists to tap for a sketch this year...and I got him! I'd even gone over to the Buenaventura line where he was signing and JUST missed his time slot. They said he'd be back shortly, so later in the day, I stopped by to see if he was around and there he was! He even seemed excited when I brought up the sketchbook! We chatted for a bit about his trip to the states and he seemed happy despite both of us melting in the severe heat of the show near hour six.

Fun tidbit: Gauld is now the third cutest man in comics as far as I'm concerned.

Scott C. does a whole damn scene!!!

Here's another dude I didn't know was gonna be at the show! Scott C. has become one of my favorite creators thanks to his hilarious work in Hickee and his numerous gallery showings that feature pop culture-centric paintings. He was SUPER-nice when I asked him if I could get a sketch, and he was the creator I gabbed with the most at the show. And the piece he churned out is one of my favorites so far! I'm glad he included the pebis. I can't get over how nice and happy to talk he was!

Fun tidbit: Scott C. did a David Bowie piece recently and Sean loves Bowie and Sean made me a Bowie mix album last week and I put it on my iPhone and I used the Bowie image Scott C. made as the "cover image" in my phone when the mix album plays. So I showed Scott and he was excited!

After we left the show, we grabbed dinner across the street at the vegetarian Indian place where Kiel had the largest single piece of food I've ever seen in my life.

He ate the whole thing.

And then we headed to the CBLDF karaoke party.

Kiel searches for a song.

And then we searched for a bar after hitting the ATM.

money money money

Before we called it quits and headed home.


And that's that. There was plenty I couldn't pick up or forgot to get like Asterios Polyp, The Gigantic Robot (I thought it was a minicomic and not a $20 book, so I ran out of money by the time I got there), this Jim Rugg Afrodisiac book I found at the AdHouse table randomly (I meant to ask about it, but there was a line and I forgot to go back!), the new Syncopated Comics (I don't own any of these at all!!), Awesome 2: Awesomer, Woman King, Doing Time, Rocket Superb, Flashlight (I picked it up and meant to go back, but forgot!), Remake, Johnny Hiro vol. 1, Far Arden, a whole slew of books I'd never seen before from Lucy Knisley, and Love is a Peculiar Type of Thing.

I also missed out on meeting up with Jon Adams and Dustin Harbin (were you there this year, man?). I almost met Nathan Stapley, but he walked away. Sigh.

I want to say it was great to run into so many friends at the show like Darren, Heather, Adam, Aubrey, Pornsak, Sal, Joe, Laura, Paul, Rick, and anybody else I forgot.

And as I always feel the day after MoCCA every year, I can't wait for the next one. :)