I went to Small Press Expo and had a wonderful time, in spite of the fact that I think I have really poor comics convention skills. I’m generally bad at initiating conversation with people I don’t know, and I came to the realization that saying the name of my blog aloud is kind of mortifying. I’m not quite sure why, but it is, and I can’t seem to do it without stumbling over the words. (It didn’t come up very often, but every now and then someone would recognize my name, ask me where they’d seen it before, and embarrassment would ensue.)
So if I ran into you at the show and your impression was, “Wow, he’s a big dork,” don’t feel badly. You’re correct.
I did have great fun volunteering at the registration table and got to meet lots of interesting people and see how hard the SPX organizers work. By the end of my shift on Saturday morning, I knew the giddy thrill of being able to pretend I knew what I was talking about. If you’ve never put in a shift at SPX, I’d really recommend it.
In spite of the fact that I went in with no organized list of what I was looking for, I think I came away with lots of great stuff. I bought tons of mini-comics, some graphic novels and single issues, and, best of all, one of the awesome Owly t-shirts. I haven’t had time to read through a lot of my haul yet, but I think Raina Telgemeier’s mini-comics are really delightful, and while I’m not the target audience for The Baby-Sitters Club, I’ll probably have to pick it up to enjoy her illustrations.
Joanna Estep had some unlettered preview pages of her upcoming book for Tokyopop, Roadsong, and they looked really terrific. She was sharing a booth with Eric Adams, so I could pick up the third issue of Lackluster World. (Issue one, Pittsburgh. Issue two, Las Vegas. Issue three, Bethesda. Where will I buy issue four? Where?!)
Travel comics were a recurring theme in my purchases. I briefly considered waiting for the trade on La Perdida by Jessica Abel, but she was there, and the covers were beautiful, and if I hadn’t bought the singles, I wouldn’t have gotten the cool sketch she drew when she signed them. I got a couple of mini-comics from Justin Hall, who witnessed my con-related disabilities first hand when I left what I’d bought at his table. Yes, I’m just that addled, but he was very nice about it.
It’s not exactly an exotic locale (for me), but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far of Elk’s Run, a series set in a mysterious mining town in West Virginia. And the creators were offering a great deal on the first three issues. I don’t know if Joshua Neufeld was there, so I didn’t get the chance to embarrass myself when I purchased his A Few Perfect Hours at the Alternative table.
I should note at this point that one of my Bad Idea Bears from a previous con was unable to attend SPX, which was disappointing for all concerned. He shouldn’t worry that no one was there urging me to spend, spend, spend, because Johanna Draper Carlson had an uncanny ability to appear at my shoulder and encourage me to buy things. Admittedly, most of them were things I was on the verge of buying to begin with.
Speaking of Johanna, she’s a great con buddy. She also was an excellent tour guide to the world of sushi, one of those culinary experiences I’d been avoiding but ended up really enjoying. (That almost always happens, and then I wonder why I waited so long.) She was also very tolerant with my almost complete lack of con survival skills.
I would certainly go again, if only for the shopping, though the show certainly had a lot more in its favor. Everyone seemed to be happy to be there, which is unusual in my admittedly limited con-going experience. In spite of the odd micro-climates of the venue (one could go from rain forest to tundra simply by turning a corner), there was plenty of enthusiasm and an enjoyably relaxed vibe to the whole weekend.
I heard that they’ll probably have to change venues for next year’s show. I certainly hope they’ll factor in the availability of good gelato when they pick a new site, because nothing gets you over the 4 p.m. crash like a scoop of espresso gelato, let me tell you.