This is Mr. E! to Ground Control…
I’m stepping through the door
And I’m floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today…
For those of you who didn’t get the notice, I went to SPACE this last weekend. FYI, SPACE is the Small Press & Alternative Comics Expo, held in Columbus, OH each year. The last time I attended was in either 04’ or 05’—before all the $#@! in my life hit the proverbial fan—and this year (09’) was an awesome re-entry.
It began at 5am on Saturday with a bitchin’, four-hour road trip with my comic comrades from Lansing, Ryan Claytor, Jay Jaycot and Jonathon Gordon. Couldn’t ask for better company on a journey of this sort.
The show lasted from 10am-6pm on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday, and it was not only the best SPACE con I’ve ever attended, it was the most lucrative experience I’ve had at a convention to date.
SPACE setup
I experimented with a different setup this time, since the carpooling posed distinct limitations on what we could collectively carry, and I think it may have helped in more ways than one. Instead of the heavy/bulky gridwall I’ve previously used to hang framed versions of my prints, I picked up a foam display from Staples and slapped the prints up with some double sided sticky tape.
Besides being lightweight and far easier to transport, it gave people a better view of the art. It’s a long way from perfect, but the nature of these shows is to constantly improve your game, so this time I think I met with success.
Sparky Jam Comic
All-in-all it was a fun weekend. I got to reconnect with my buddy Steve Peters (creator of Sparky and Awakening Comics) and a whole host of other sequential artists–plus I met a lot of new folks—many of whom were attending SPACE for the first time—huzzah!
Thanks to all of you who showed your support and grabbed a book or some other piece of art—what I’m up to may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but when the right person stops by and goes, “WOW,” it totally makes my day.
Next stop—The Motor City Comic Con!
P.S. – I nearly forgot a couple things–
- Steve Peters released a new book that I have some artwork in–check out more about that here: Tails of Sparky.
- Comic Related, a comic news site, did podcast interviews with tons of artists at the show–myself included. The podcasts aren’t up yet, but I’ll toss it up soon as I get it. For now you can check out a ton more photos of the show, and one of me way near the bottom: Comic Related – SPACE pics
Read the Archetypal Images Sponsorship Special Comic Book online for free,
At the SPACE con this last weekend Steve Peters released his latest Sparky project, ‘Tails of Sparky,’ in which I not only contributed to a few jam comics, but—best of all—grace the cover along with Steve and several other artists, like Dave Sim, Lee Thacker, Max Ink and James Kochalka.
