Monday, April 21, 2008

Won't you take me to Stumpy Town?

A few weeks ago I had dinner with Joe Lambert and his wife Becca. After an excellent dinner by Dennis (collard greens with dill and black eyes peas) we played card games. One of those games was Shortstack, created mini-comics mad genius Jon Chadurjian!






Then it was screen print, fold, staple and Stumptown!

I know I said there's no reason I couldn't get the next issue of Sourpuss out for Stumptown. Well, here are a few (unfortunately):

I moderated a Stumptown panel on Anthologies. I didn't want to drop the ball on this, so I worked hard to prepare.

CCS responsibilities are getting heavy, with graduation, thesis reviews, summer workshops and the incoming class looming in the future.

So, while the issue is almost completely drawn, it wasn't done for Stumptown. Bummer.

Dennis couldn't come along, he's saving money for our big New York move. I missed him, but it was nice to have some alone time.

I arrived a few days early in Portland to wander and relax. With my handy Zinester's Guide to Portland (the best guide book ever!) a walked and biked around town. It was nice to have some alone time.

Stumptown was nice, not too large, not to small. The quality of work and people was remarkably high for a comic convention. The highlight of my trip was seeing friends I rarely get visit (including west-coast AWP members and friends from New York).

The panel went well, though the audience was on the small side.
We had a great group of panelist, and think we covered a lot of ground.

Here was the line-up:

Moderator: Robyn Chapman (editor: True Porn, Hey, 4-Eyes!)

T. Edward Bak (contributor: Orchid, Drawn and Quarterly Showcase)
Greg Means (editor: Papercutter)
Jason Miles (Fantagraphics Submissions Editor, Kramer’s Ergot contributor)
Diana Schutz (editor: The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist, Autobiographix)
Francois Vigneault (editor: Elfworld, Family Style Jamboree)

Here's a little slideshow from my trip. Enjoy!



Me biking across one of the bridges. It drizzled all day!


Floating World, a very cool comic shop in Downtown Portland.


I got vegan doughnuts at Voodoo Doughnuts - a must when you're in Portland!


The pre-party at Guapo Comics and Coffee (thanks Guapo, Sparkplug, and Jesse Reklaw!)
PS - Sarah Glidden won the Kokoc!


Colleen Frakes, at the CCS table.


My view of the con, from the CCS table.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Crunch Time!



Busy, busy, busy at CCS. Last week was Editor's Day. We had Brenda Bowen from HarperCollins, Jeremy Ross from TokyoPop, and Bob Schreck from DC. I learned a lot, and had fun hanging with editors who were extremely generous with their time and thier knowledge of the publishing industry.

Today, Jonathan Lethem, Farel Dalrymple and Paul Hornschemeier are coming to town. And in two weeks, I'll be at Stumptown!

I have a lot to finish before I head Portland! I need to complete Sourpuss #2, and prepare for a panel I'm moderating on comic anthologies.



Speaking of Stumptown, The Maisie Kukoc Award for Comics Inspiration just anounced their 2008 nomminees! I'm a nominating judge for this award. I think we put together a great ballot. Keep your eyes on these cartoonists, they're going places!

Rina Ayuyang: Doodle Daze
Liz Baillie: My Brain Hurts #7, Layover
Jon Chadurjian: LEO GEO Acquires Ancient Knowledge, Shortstack: The Journal Comic Card Game
Sarah Glidden: How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less
Alex Holden: Magic Hour #3, Magic Hour Sketchbook
David King: Danny Dutch and The King of the Aliens