[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-new-york-citys-mocca-comics-festival":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"At last, here's my \u003Ca href=\"http://moccany.org/content/mocca-festival\">MoCCA\u003C/a> blog post! I've been so jet-lagged that I actually fell asleep right in front of some visitors to the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.fleecestation.co.uk/\">studio\u003C/a> on Thursday (SO embarrassing), but I spent all of yesterday hiking in the sunny English countryside and I think I've recovered. For me, MoCCA started off on Friday night with the \u003Cb>Drink and Draw Like a Lady\u003C/b> party, hosted by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.lucyknisley.com/\">Lucy Knisley\u003C/a> (\u003Ca href=\"http://lucylou.livejournal.com/\" class=\"lj-user\">lucylou\u003C/a>) at a fine shop called \u003Ca href=\"http://192books.com/\">192 Books\u003C/a>. (You can read \u003Ca href=\"http://lucylou.livejournal.com/594299.html\">Lucy's post about it here\u003C/a>.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/lucy_knisley_2-4c048f4e3b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nLucy set up this photo booth and you can see a bunch of guests from the night in \u003Ca href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/47443904@N00/sets/72157626490138168/with/5616537842/\">her Flickr album\u003C/a>. Thanks so much for organising the party, Lucy! If you haven't seen \u003Ca href=\"http://www.lucyknisley.com/\">Lucy's comics\u003C/a>, they're some of my favourites. I got to \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/220398.html\">meet her in London\u003C/a> for the first time a couple years ago, which was very exciting. (Here's \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/225033.html\">Lucy's drawing\u003C/a> of the evening.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/47443904@N00/sets/72157626490138168/with/5616537842/\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/lucy_knisley-c94b70097c.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nWe were all very impressed by 14-year-old \u003Ca href=\"http://chapelchronicles.com\">Emma T Capps\u003C/a> who parked her parents by the checkout desk with the shop manager (Lucy's dad), got out her promo material and worked the floor. I wish I'd been plugged into a comics scene when I was her age; I wonder if I would have been so brave.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/emma_t_capps-1-c3f370c741.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more **Click here for loads more MoCCA photos and write-up under the cut!**-->\\r\nHere are Lucy's comics tattoos: six blank panels on one arm and the ISBN number of her first published comic, \u003Ci>French Milk\u003C/i>, on the other.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/lucy_tattoo-53ea8a0a1a.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThese are my two fabulous and very dear mateys from our college days at Bryn Mawr, \u003Cb>Rose Jung\u003C/b> and \u003Cb>Brynn Perrine\u003C/b>, who looked after me while I was in New York. (Thanks so much, you lovely ladies!)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/rose_brynn-524d812775.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://theartofpaigey.blogspot.com/\">Paige Pumphrey\u003C/a> was looking particularly fine that evening!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/paige_pumphrey-1d84559f08.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nClockwise: Paige Pumphrey, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.argopaedia.com/dazed-and-confused\">Natasha Sanders\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://marshapugachevsky.com/\">Marsha Pugachevsky\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.argopaedia.com/dazed-and-confused\">Ivory McQueen\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/ladies_draw-e434f94636.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's Lucy giving a little talk at the end of the evening:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/bookshop-ab5e81b604.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd her dad, who looks an awful lot like Lucy, looking appropriately managerial:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/mr_knisley-92ab65e560.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd on to MOCCA!!! The festival ran from Saturday to Sunday...\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/mocca_poster-06584e0d94.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n... and had to start with good ol' American pancakes. Not the thin English things, no, these are big, fat, breakfast-of-champion hotcakes. And coffee with free refills. (My once-British dad calls America 'The Land of the Free Refill'.)  \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/pancakes-70e6ede413.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere are my fab table mates: \u003Ca href=\"http://www.ztoical.com\">Cliodhna Lyons\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.littlewhitebird.com\">Ellen Lindner\u003C/a> and Ellen's husband \u003Cb>Stephen Betts\u003C/b>, who coordinates comics translation website \u003Ca href=\"http://www.comixinflux.com\">Comix Influx\u003C/a>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/mocca_breakfast-85717e50fd.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Ci>Thanks to my fab host Rose Jung for taking this photo, and she was an enormous help in getting all my stuff to the venue!\u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\nHere we are, setting up our UK-Irish table. The table was PACKED with stuff since we had our own comics, including Ellen's \u003Ca href=\"http://littlewhitebird.com/comics/undertow.htm\">\u003Ci>Undertow\u003C/i>\u003C/a>, Cliodhna's \u003Ca href=\"http://ztoical.livejournal.com/77343.html\">\u003Ci>Underground\u003C/a>\u003C/i>, my \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/vernlettuce-book.php\">\u003Ci>Vern and Lettuce\u003C/i>\u003C/a> comic book, my \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/books.php\">picture books\u003C/a>, art prints, a few anthologies (\u003Ca href=\"http://www.thecomixreader.com/\">\u003Ci>The Comix Reader\u003C/a>\u003C/i>, the \u003Ca href=\"http://www.goalanthology.com\">GOAL anthology\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.whoresofmensa.com\">Whores of Mensa\u003C/a> (a take-off on a Woodie Allen story with the same title) and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.etsy.com/shop/failboatpress#\">Birdsong/Songbird\u003C/a>). We also displayed a few mini comics by some other creators, such as \u003Ca href=\"http://www.scribblehound.com\">David O'Connell\u003C/a> (\u003Ca href=\"http://tozocomic.livejournal.com/\" class=\"lj-user\">tozocomic\u003C/a>). (Dave's \u003Ca href=\"http://scribblehound.bigcartel.com/product/queen-mum-adventures-1-2\">\u003Ci>Kate Middleton: in her own words\u003C/i>\u003C/a> comic did particularly well.) \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/mocca_table-2306cd7a62.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nTa-Dah! You can't see our fab Irish bunting or big Union Jack flag on the front, but you can catch a glimpse of the enormous Armory building (with real soldiers!) that housed the festival. None of us at the table were originally from the UK - Cliodhna's Irish and Ellen and I both grew up in the USA - but we all live in London now, so we thought we'd bang on with it as our unique selling point.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/mocca_table2-1008b8668f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nComics News Insider reporter \u003Cb>Jimmy Aquino\u003C/b> stopped by our table... \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/jimmy_aquino-28de69279f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n... and interviewed me for one of his MoCCA podcasts, along with \u003Ca href=\"http://tory-mirrormind.blogspot.com/\">Tory Woollcott\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.secretfriendsociety.com/\">Kean Soo\u003C/a>, which you \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jimmyaquino.typepad.com/comicnewsinsider/2011/04/episode-325-mocca-madness-with-sarah-mcintyrekean-sootory-woollcott.html\">can listen to here\u003C/a>. (My slot's a little more than a third of the way through.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.jimmyaquino.typepad.com/comicnewsinsider/2011/04/episode-325-mocca-madness-with-sarah-mcintyrekean-sootory-woollcott.html\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comics_insider-76d30dbca8.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nI swapped books with Canadian \u003Ca href=\"http://www.harkavagrant.com/\">Kate Beaton\u003C/a> (\u003Ca href=\"http://beatonna.livejournal.com/\" class=\"lj-user\">beatonna\u003C/a>), who's already a bit of a comics legend for her hilarious takes on historical characters and situations. If I only followed one person's comics on the internet, hers would be the ones. If you haven't encountered them yet, you have a lovely treat ahead of you! I first met Kate \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/186618.html\">at the UK Web & Mini Comix Thing in 2009\u003C/a>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/kate_beaton-db822f13cb.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nNot long ago, on LiveJournal I discovered \u003Ca href=\"http://www.tinykittenteeth.com/\">Tiny Kitten Teeth\u003C/a> drawn by \u003Cb>Becky Dreistadt\u003C/b> and written by \u003Cb>Frank Gibson\u003C/b>. They're (\u003Ca href=\"http://beckyandfrank.livejournal.com/\" class=\"lj-user\">beckyandfrank\u003C/a>) on LJ and they came all the way from New Zealand! I love the retro look of their stuff, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Golden Books pick up their work soon; they're a match made in kitten heaven. I spent more money on their stuff than at any other MoCCA or Stumptown table, but it was worth it. I wish these two lived nearby so we could hang out more.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/becky_frank-52337b4cb0.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWhich is a common feeling at these events, I'm always sad I don't get to hang out more with \u003Ca href=\"http://goraina.com/\">Raina Telgemeier\u003C/a> (\u003Ca href=\"http://goraina.livejournal.com/\" class=\"lj-user\">goraina\u003C/a>) and her husband \u003Ca href=\"http://www.realmsend.com/yaytime/\">Dave Roman\u003C/a> (\u003Ca href=\"http://yaytime.livejournal.com/\" class=\"lj-user\">yaytime\u003C/a>). Raina was doing an event in Texas to promote her fab teen graphic novel \u003Ca href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Smile-Raina-Telgemeier/dp/0545132061\">\u003Ci>Smile\u003C/a>\u003C/i> (published by Scholastic, Inc), but I was glad to see Dave. I felt hugely honoured to get a copy of his yet-to-be-released graphic novel \u003Ca href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Astronaut-Academy-Gravity-Dave-Roman/dp/1596436204\">\u003Ci>Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity\u003C/i>\u003C/a>, coming out with First Second Books on 7 June. I'll try to review it here soon, I had such fun reading it on the plane ride to Seattle. \\r\n(...'Graphic novel', sheesh. I mean 'comics'! But I'm hoping librarians will read this and think, ah, two fab books (\u003Ci>Smile\u003C/i> and \u003Ci>Astronaut Academy\u003C/i>) to add to our libraries, and sometimes they like to hear the words 'graphic novel'.) \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/johngreen_dave_roman-63f609779f.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>\u003Ca href=\"http://www.johngreenart.com/\">John Green\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.realmsend.com/yaytime/\">Dave Roman\u003C/a>\u003C/i>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\nHere's hardcore young comics creator \u003Ca href=\"http://chapelchronicles.com\">Emma T. Capps\u003C/a> pushing her wares. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/emma_t_capps-4e8e4dedea.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nEmma even has a couple videos uploaded to YouTube, have a peek. Dang, that girl keeps herself busy.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://youtu.be/j9roFuZNayA\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/emmatcapps-9efdd0a368.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nWhoa! I just spotted \u003Ca href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLA2bWJSHa4\">another one\u003C/a>! This one's made at MoCCA. And I've had a follow-up e-mail drop into my Inbox from Emma herself. Okay, can I just say, O.R.G.A.N.I.S.E.D?\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLA2bWJSHa4\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/emmatcapps_mocca-adc040cdde.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nI look forward to reading my comic from \u003Cb>Spike\u003C/b>, an alternative history comic titled \u003Ca href=\"http://templaraz.com/\">Templar, Arizona\u003C/a>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/spike_templar-b5aa58bc77.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nBoth Yorkshireman \u003Ca href=\"http://darryl-cunningham.blogspot.com/\">Darryl Cunningham\u003C/a> (\u003Ca href=\"http://tallguywrites.livejournal.com/\" class=\"lj-user\">tallguywrites\u003C/a>) and I were thrilled to bits to meet the lively \u003Ca href=\"http://jessfink.com/\">Jess Fink\u003C/a> (\u003Ca href=\"http://finkenstein.livejournal.com/\" class=\"lj-user\">finkenstein\u003C/a>). While I would only recommend her comics for adults, they are expertly drawn and she has a great sense of humour. (Adult themes are always problematic on the blog of a children's book creator.) But whatever, Jess is super-fab!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/jess_darryl-2c1a6e1d42.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd so is Darryl! We both had way too much fun running around New York. Unfortunately Bloomsbury USA somehow didn't manage to deliver his books, \u003Ci>\u003Cb>Psychiatric Tales\u003C/b>\u003C/i>, so he wasn't able to sell it. That was the biggest let-down of the whole weekend. But if the buzz about this book is anything like it's been in Britain, this book's going to be a huge success. You can read \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/295123.html\">my review of it here\u003C/a>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/darryl_cunningham-e665d99b5f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nMy big MoCCA discovery was \u003Ca href=\"http://www.joshshalek.com/\">Josh Shalek\u003C/a> with his \u003Cb>Falling Rock National Park\u003C/b> comics. I love the cardboard covers and the strips inside really made me laugh. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/josh_shalek-682526682c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI bought four of them and, even though my suitcase came back bursting at the seams with new comics, I wish I'd bought more. They'd make great gifts, too; they're the kind of comic that would appeal to loads of different kinds of people.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/josh_shalek_1-a5013ea340.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI first heard of \u003Ca href=\"http://www.alec-longstreth.com/\">Alec Longstreth\u003C/a> (\u003Ca href=\"http://longstreth.livejournal.com/\" class=\"lj-user\">longstreth\u003C/a>) when, \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/86759.html\">in a blog post in 2008\u003C/a>, I asked about people's work spaces and he sent a photo of him in his studio. A bunch of people sent photos, and we were all very envious of him! He's been growing the beard while working on his graphic novel and he's promising to cut it off when he finishes.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/alec_longstreth-8ff1ea24bc.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cfont size=\"1\">\u003Ci>\u003Ca href=\"http://www.clairesanders.net\">Claire Sanders\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.alec-longstreth.com/\">Alec Longstreth\u003C/a>\u003C/i>\u003C/font>\\r\n\\r\nHere's Darryl with his fine host and amazing comics creator \u003Ca href=\"http://simonfraser.net\">Simon Fraser\u003C/a> (\u003Ca href=\"http://simonfraser.livejournal.com/\" class=\"lj-user\">simonfraser\u003C/a>). I first met Simon and his brother when we were having Chinese food across the table from each other in Inverness, for \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/283405.html\">Hi-Ex comics festival\u003C/a> (which, I just discovered \u003Ca href=\"http://hiexcomics.blogspot.com/2011/04/hiex-2012-dates-announced.html\">from its blog\u003C/a> will be happening again on 31 March - 1 April, 2012). Simon's originally from Inverness but now lives in Brooklyn.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/cunningham_frasier-50ed54469d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI was very pleased to meet \u003Ca href=\"http://www.justmadbooks.com/\">Justin Madson\u003C/a> from Wisconsin, and I bought a copy of \u003Cb>\u003Ci>Breathers\u003C/i>\u003C/b>, which I read in Vancouver Airport. For a self-published comic, it's amazingly elegant and the story well told. I wouldn't be surprised if he's doing something with a major publisher now. The style reminds me a bit of Dave McKean's, particularly the faces, but it's a lovely, spare look. In the book, everyone has to wear gas masks after a horrible virus killed loads of people. But it's been years and years since it happened, and while everyone's deathly afraid to take a single breath of unfiltered air, a few people are starting to wonder if perhaps it might be safe after all and there's a government cover-up about it. But no one wants to try breathing freely, and ripping off a mask is the most terrible violation anyone can commit. The story follows the lives of people who are just trying to get on with things the way we would, but in this altered environment. Justin makes gas masks look very cool.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/justin_madson-7e1e7a316b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nNow I am GUTTED I didn't get a copy of the latest comic by \u003Cb>Evan Dahm\u003C/b>, creator of \u003Ca href=\"http://www.rice-boy.com/\">Rice Boy\u003C/a>. I had a quick look through it, and it's beautiful, but I thought I'd be clever and buy it from him in Portland, and save myself carting it across the country. But then he ran out! He even promised to sell me the last copy (the book in front) but then I missed him when we were all packing up at Stumptown. I guess I'll have to get it at a comic shop here or order it online.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/evan_dahm-a4d946cb1e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI stopped by \u003Ca href=\"http://johnmartz.com/\">John Martz\u003C/a>'s table and was very impressed with the look of his illustrations, and bought his comic \u003Ci>Heaven All Day\u003C/i>. It's a strange, quiet tale about the parallel lives of an factory technician (and inventor by night) and a homeless robot. I need to go on this guy's website and explore it some more.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/john_martz-1ae7667274.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's one of our Brits who got away, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.nickabadzis.com/\">Nick Abadzis\u003C/a>, creator of \u003Ca href=\"http://www.firstsecondbooks.com/laika.html\">\u003Ci>Laika\u003C/i>\u003C/a>, a comic about the Russian canine cosmonaut (and lots of other things, too, including some \u003Ca href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_DFC\">DFC\u003C/a> stuff). He now lives in Brooklyn, not far from Simon Fraser. Here he is with his wife, \u003Cb>Angela Watson\u003C/b>:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/nick_abadzis-8a76475fbd.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd here's a fab comics creator I discovered through Ellen, \u003Ca href=\"http://saravaron.com\">Sara Varon\u003C/a>, and \u003Cb>Christian Maiwald\u003C/b> from German publisher \u003Ca href=\"http://www.reprodukt.com\">Reprodukt\u003C/a>. (I met Christian and Sebastian from Reprodukt in \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/270395.html\">Angoulême\u003C/a> last year, they were both good fun.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/sara_varon-600a4795a9.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI missed getting photos of loads of fab people, including \u003Ca href=\"http://www.rinapiccolo.com\">Rina Piccolo\u003C/a> (whom I met \u003Ca href=\"http://twitter.com/#!/RinaPiccolo\">on Twitter\u003C/a>). Sorry if I've left you out! I'm hoping to review a few more of the comics on my blog if I get time.\\r\n\\r\nYou can \u003Cb>read my studio mate Ellen Lindner's recap of both MoCCA and Stumptown\u003C/b> and see photos over \u003Ca href=\"http://thefleecestation.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/ellen-and-sarah-take-on-north-america/\">on our Fleece Station blog\u003C/a>. Go on, have a peek! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://thefleecestation.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/ellen-and-sarah-take-on-north-america/\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/fleecestation-adc8af317f.jpg\">\u003C/a>","2011-04-23T22:37:00.000Z","new-york-citys-mocca-comics-festival",[],"new york city's MoCCA comics festival!",1776628720028]