When Words Collide: Adventures in MoCCALand

So there was this thing in NYC last weekend? MoCCA Art Fesival? Perhaps you've heard of it?

Anyway, Todd Casey and I hit the MoCCA Festival hard and came back with some stories to tell and some comics to read. My story popped up at CBR in yesterday's "When Words Collide." Read it and enjoy!

Random MoCCA Festival 2009 Photos

Commentary on MoCCA 2009 to appear in tomorrow's "When Words Collide" column. Now I just have to write it.

Stuff I Got at MoCCA 2008

• Harvest is When I Need You the Most by Braden D. Lamb, Jacob Chabot, Dave Roman, Raina Telgemeier, et al. A Star Wars fanbook that I had to pry from my son's hands, because he couldn't stop reading it. His favorite stories? "Under 21" and "One of the Tribe." I have to admit, those are good choices. He's a smart kid. You are probably jealous that I have a smart kid AND own this book, and you have neither. Too bad for you.

• The Pirates of Coney Island #3-6. I might own a couple of these issues already, but I wasn't sure, so I bought the most recent three. I definitely own the first three, and, seriously, when is this comic going to wrap up? It is good. I have a Pirates of Coney Island promo poster hanging in my classroom, and everyone always asks me about it. And all I tell them is, "it is good. You should read it." That's the extent of my critical insight. While I was hanging around Rick Spears's table, deciding which issues to buy (seriously, I really should keep better track of the stuff I already own), some super-creepy guy came up to the table and started showing Spears some really poorly-drawn original art pages done on typing paper, apparently. "This is what I'm working on," he told Spears, "it's page 3 of a hentai book." Classy.

• Rudo #1, Rudo: Special Edition, and Callinazo #1, from Calavera Comics. Alexis Ziritt draws like an angry Paul Pope, and the comics from this company are filled with drunken, gun-toting luchadores. Also Zombies and Dodge Chargers. These guys are still young, and they're producing some cool comics already. I'll be keeping an eye out for their future projects. Plus, no hentai fans at the table.

• Advance preview copies of The New York Four, Janes in Love, and Burnout, all from Minx. Am I the Minx demographic? No, but I did read P.L.A.I.N. Janes and liked it, and I'm definitely interested in The New York Four. I will read them all, and comment upon them. When I have time. DC is the only big company to have a presence at MoCCA, and I think it's cool to see them there. They have a little Vertigo section (with a preview of Air #1 on display--I will definitely be buying that comic), and their Minx table. I also got to meet Casey Seijas who is good at editing. He edits like a madman.
  

• Chiggers, by Hope Larson, who, as we all know, is great. You're obviously going to buy this book, but will your version have a personalized drawing of a hamburger on the cover? No. Does mine? Yes. I win.

• Super Spy, by Matt Kindt. This book was hard to find online for a while? Is it still? I don't really care, because now I have one straight from Matt Kindt, and I will probably read it too!

• Johnny Boo: The Best Little Ghost in the World, by James Kochalka. I bought this for my kids, and they had read it twice before we even left NYC. That is some good comics mojo, right there. My son, who's seven, also has "Hockey Monkey" on his iPod, so he's part of the Kochalka demographic already. If you are older than seven, this book might be a little too whimsical and fun for you. If that's the case, I know a guy who can draw some really creepy-bad hentai for you.

• We Lost the War but Won the Battle, by Michel Gondry. I read this comic last night, and it was exactly what you'd expect from Michel Gondry, and I loved it. Also, he drew a picture of me when he signed the book, so now I am a strange and dreamlike Michel Gondry character. You are jealous about that, too. Michel Gondry, signing his comic at MoCCA, and nary a line to wait in? MoCCA is cool like that.

• Skyscrapers of the Midwest, by Joshua Cotter, the hardcover version (of the book, not Cotter). I've looked at Cotter's comics several times over the past couple of years, and I determined that they weren't for me. But I kept hearing how good this book was, and I am a sucker, so I bought it. Now I understand. I've only read the first 40 pages or so, but I completely get it, and see what Cotter's doing here. I fell in love with it the minute the characters reference the smell of Moss Man. Although I didn't grow up in the midwest, I did grow up in rural Massachusetts, and this comic is the closest thing I've seen to my childhood experiences. Plus, robots. Wow. This is good stuff.

• I also got a million business cards, and with the projects I have planned, my summer just got a whole lot busier. Thanks, Lawrence Klein!
  

The Art of Joe Staton at the Storefront Artist Project

This is something you should all check out, especially if you have kids and want to travel to the Berkshires this summer:

Pittsfield, MA…Pittsfield’s Storefront Artist Project is teaming up with the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in New York this summer to present The Art of Joe Staton. Staton is a well-known cartoonist, and his work on Batman, Scooby Doo, Rugrats, Jonny Quest, the Wild Thornberrys, Green Lantern, E-Man and Michael Mauser will be highlighted in the exhibition. The Art of Joe Staton will be on view August 2 – 31, 2008, at the Storefront Artist Project, and a series of related free workshops and programs will also be offered.

With a career spanning over three decades, Staton is a legend in the world of comic book art. His career began in 1971 with Charlton comics where he worked with Nicola Cuti to create E-Man and Michael Mauser, two popular characters still published today. Staton is the former artist for the most successful crime comic book of our time – Scooby Doo and is currently the artist on Jughead’s new look from Archie Comics.

The Art of Joe Staton is curated by Lawrence Klein, chairman emeritus and founder of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. A resident of Pittsfield, Klein founded the New York based museum in 2001. “When I founded the museum, it was a way to set an example on how people can give back to the community. Similarly, I became involved with the Storefront Artists Project to give back to the community in which I now live,” said Klein.

A series of related events and workshops begins with an opening reception on August 2. On August 3 Staton will conduct a free, day-long workshop including a drawing demonstration, sketch-a-thon, and discussion. All programs are free of charge and held at The Storefront Artists Project, unless otherwise stated. For more information, including pre-registration contact the Storefront Artist Project at 413-442-7201 or visit www.storefrontartist.org.

On August 23, Event with Jim Salicrup, Editor-in-Chief, of Papercutz, the youth-friendly publisher of Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Tales from the Crypt, and the Classics Illustrated library with author Stefan Petrucha (Nancy Drew Graphic Novels) will talk about writing, art, publishing and review the artwork and writings of those attending.

Educator and author Tim Callahan leads a session of superhero splendor on August 17 when participants can create their own super-powered characters and draw stories about their exploits. During this two-hour workshop, participants will learn how to put characters into trouble and get them out alive.

On August 9, local cartoonist Todd Casey will conduct a drawing workshop that emphasizes the use of individual style. During the workshops, participants will learn how to create characters and move them through a series of panels to make the comic strips come to life on the page.

Hey, look. I'm involved! See you this summer.